Link Scheduling in Amplify-and-Forward Cooperative Wireless Networks

Abstract: In this work we are concerned with the problem of link scheduling for throughput maximization in wireless networks that employ a cooperative amplify and forward (AF) protocol. To address this problem first we define the signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR) expression for the complete cooperative AF-based transmission. Next, we formulate the problem of link scheduling as a mixed integer linear program (MILP) that uses as a constraint the developed SINR expression. The proposed formulation is motivated by the observation that the aggregate interference that affects a single cooperative transmission can be decomposed into two separate SINR constraints. Results for the optimal solution and a polynomial time approximation algorithm are also presented.