SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR RANDOMIZED ANTENNA ALLOCATION IN ASYNCHRONOUS MIMO MULTI-HOP NETWORKS

• US 20090304096A1
• Filed: 06/04/2008
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ahmed Khattab, Ashutosh Sabharwal, Edward W. Knightly
• Original Assignee: Ahmed Khattab, Ashutosh Sabharwal, Edward W. Knightly
• Inventors: Khattab, Ahmed, Knightly, Edward W., Sabharwal, Ashutosh
• Granted Patent: US 9,768,992 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/260
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0691 using subgroups of transmit antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0874 using subgroups of receive antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/00 Modulated-carrier systems

Abstract

A system and method for simultaneous and asynchronous transmissions in multi-antenna multi-hop networks. The system and method employ randomized and non-greedy resource allocation to counter starvation. The system and method define a class of asynchronous random access protocols subsuming MIMO systems via two components. Residual Capacity Estimation and Randomized Resource Allocation. The system and method realize the first asynchronous MIMO MAC protocol that counters flow starvation in multi-hop networks. Randomized and non-greedy antenna allocation coupled with local residual capacity estimation results in previously-starving nodes capturing a fair share of system resources while simultaneously exploiting throughput gains available to multi-antenna systems.

Claims

1. A method for enabling simultaneous and asynchronous transmissions in multi-antenna multi-hop random access networks comprising the steps of:

estimating available channel resources in a vicinity of a node by multi-bit quantization of the sensed channel resource usage.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said network employs a single antenna per device.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein said estimating step comprises the steps of:

determining a transmitter'"'"'s residual capacity margin via multi-bit quantization of sensed resource usage;

determining a receiver'"'"'s residual capacity margin via multi-bit quantization of sensed resource usage; and

estimating available channel resources in a vicinity of a transmitter-receiver pair using both said transmitter'"'"'s residual capacity margin and said receiver'"'"'s residual capacity margin.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein said residual capacity margin comprises a SINR margin.

5. A method according to claim 3, wherein said network employs a single antenna per device.

6. A method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of using said estimate of available channel resources to perform a mapping of measurements into node resource allocation decisions.

7. A method according to claim 3 wherein said node resource allocation decisions are deterministic and non greedy.

8. A method according to claim 3 wherein said node resource allocation decisions are probabilistic.

9. A method according to claim 8 further comprising the step of probabilistically mapping sensed residual capacity margin in the proximity of a sender-receiver pair to a number of transmit antennas.

10. A method according to claim 8 further comprising the step of probabilistically mapping sensed residual capacity margin in the proximity of a sender-receiver pair to a number of transmit antennas and a transmit power level.

11. A method according to claim 8 further comprising the step of probabilistically mapping sensed residual capacity margin in the proximity of a sender-receiver pair to a number of transmit antennas and a coding scheme/rate.

12. A method according to claim 8 further comprising the step of probabilistically mapping sensed residual capacity margin in the proximity of a sender-receiver pair to a number of transmit antennas, a transmit power level and a coding scheme/rate.

13. A method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of using said estimate of available channel resources to perform a mapping of measurements into node resource allocation decisions in single antenna networks.

14. A method according to claim 5 wherein said node resource allocation decisions in single antenna networks are deterministic and non greedy.

15. A method according to claim 5 wherein said node resource allocation decisions in single antenna networks are probabilistic.

16. A method according to claim 14 further comprising the step of probabilistically mapping sensed residual capacity margin in the proximity of a sender-receiver pair to a coding/scheme rate and a transmit power level.

17. A system for enabling simultaneous and asynchronous transmissions comprising:

a multi-antenna multi-hop random access network comprising a plurality of nodes; and

means for estimating available channel resources in a vicinity of a node by multi-bit quantization of the sensed channel resource usage.

18. A system according to claim 17, wherein a node comprises a single antenna.

19. A system according to claim 17 wherein said means for estimating comprises:

means for determining a transmitter'"'"'s residual capacity margin via multi-bit quantization of sensed resource usage;

means for determining a receiver'"'"'s residual capacity margin via multi-bit quantization of sensed resource usage; and

means for estimating available channel resources in a vicinity of a flow using both said transmitter'"'"'s residual capacity margin and said receiver'"'"'s residual capacity margin.

20. A system according to claim 19, wherein said residual capacity margin comprises a SINR margin.

21. A system according to claim 19, further comprising means for using said estimate of available channel resources to perform a mapping of measurements into node resource allocation decisions.

22. A system according to claim 19 wherein said node resource allocation decisions are deterministic and non greedy.

23. A system according to claim 19 wherein said node resource allocation decisions are probabilistic.

24. A system according to claim 23 further comprising means for probabilistically mapping sensed interference in the proximity of a sender-receiver pair to a number of transmit antennas.

25. A system according to claim 23 further comprising means for probabilistically mapping sensed interference in the proximity of a sender-receiver pair to a number of transmit antennas and a transmit power level.

26. A system according to claim 23 further comprising means for probabilistically mapping sensed interference in the proximity of a sender-receiver pair to a number of transmit antennas and a coding scheme/rate.

27. A system according to claim 23 further comprising means for probabilistically mapping sensed interference in the proximity of a sender-receiver pair to a number of transmit antennas, a transmit power level, and a coding scheme/rate.