Search

In recent years, energy harvesting has taken a considerable attention in wireless communication research. Nonetheless, the stochastic nature of renewable energy sources has become one of the research problems, and energy storage has been proposed as a solution to deal with it. Initially, researchers regarded a perfect battery model without energy losses during storage because of its simplicity and compatibility in wireless communication analysis. However, a battery model that reflects practical concerns should include energy losses. In this paper, we consider an energy harvesting wireless communication model with a battery that has energy losses during charging and discharging. We consider energy underflows (i.e., the energy level falls below a certain threshold in a battery) as the energy management concern, and characterize the energy underflow probability and provide a simple exponential formulation by employing the large deviation principle and queueing theory. Specifically, we benefit from the similarity between the battery and data buffer models. We further coin the available space decay rate at a battery as a parameter to indicate the energy consumption performance. We further outline an approach to set the energy demand policy to meet the energy management requirements that rule the energy underflow probability as a constraint. We finally substantiate our analytical findings with numerical demonstrations, and compare the transmission performance levels of a transmission system with a battery that has energy losses and a transmission system that consumes the energy as soon as it is harvested.

Modern communication systems organize receivers in blocks in order to simplify their analysis and design. However, an approach that considers the receiver design from a wider perspective rather than treating it block-by-block may take advantage of the impacts of these blocks on each other and provide better performance. Herein, we can benefit from machine learning and compose a receiver model implementing supervised learning techniques. With this motivation, we consider a one-to-one transmission system over a flat fast fading wireless channel and propose a support vector machines (SVM)-based receiver that combines the pilot-based channel estimation, data demodulation and decoding processes in one joint operation. We follow two techniques in the receiver design. We first design one SVM-based classifier that outputs the class of the encoding codeword that enters the encoder at the transmitter side. Then, we put forward a model with one SVM-based classifier per one bit in the encoding codeword, where each classifier assigns the value of the corresponding bit in the encoding vector. With the second technique, we simplify the receiver design especially for longer encoding codewords. We show that the SVM-based receiver performs very closely to the maximum likelihood decoder, which is known to be the optimal decoding strategy when the encoding vectors at the transmitter are equally likely. We further show that the SVM-based receiver outperforms the conventional receivers that perform channel estimation, data demodulation and decoding in blocks. Finally, we show that we can train the SVM-based receiver with 1-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC) outputs and the SVM-based receiver can perform very closely to the conventional receivers that take 32-bit ADC outputs as inputs.

Energy harvesting (EH) in wireless communications has become the focus of recent transmission technology studies. Herein, energy storage modeling is one of the crucial design benchmarks that must be treated carefully. Understanding the energy storage dynamics and the throughput levels is essential especially for communication systems in which the performance depends solely on harvested energy. While energy outages should be avoided, energy overflows should also be prevented in order to utilize all harvested energy. Hence, a simple, yet comprehensive, analytical model that can represent the characteristics of a general class of EH wireless communication systems needs to be established. In this paper, invoking tools from large deviation theory along with Markov processes, a firm connection between the energy state of the battery and the data transmission process over a wireless channel is established for an EH transmitter. In particular, a simple exponential approximation for the energy overflow probability is formulated, with which the energy decay rate in the battery as a measure of energy usage is characterized. Then, projecting the energy outages and supplies on a Markov process, a discrete state model is established and an expression for the energy outage probability for given energy arrival and demand processes is provided. Finally, under energy overflow and outage constraints, the average data service (transmission) rate over the wireless channel is obtained and the effective capacity of the system, which characterizes the maximum data arrival rate at the transmitter buffer under quality-of-service (QoS) constraints imposed on the data buffer overflow probability, is derived.

An accurate and fast estimation of the available bandwidth in a network with varying cross-traffic is a challenging task. The accepted probing tools, based on the fluid-flow model of a bottleneck link with first-in, first-out multiplexing, estimate the available bandwidth by measuring packet dispersions. The estimation becomes more difficult if packet dispersions deviate from the assumptions of the fluid-flow model in the presence of non-fluid bursty cross-traffic, multiple bottleneck links, and inaccurate time-stamping. This motivates us to explore the use of machine learning tools for available bandwidth estimation. Hence, we consider reinforcement learning and implement the single-state multi-armed bandit technique, which follows the $\epsilon$-greedy algorithm to find the available bandwidth. Our measurements and tests reveal that our proposed method identifies the available bandwidth with high precision. Furthermore, our method converges to the available bandwidth under a variety of notoriously difficult conditions, such as heavy traffic burstiness, different cross-traffic intensities, multiple bottleneck links, and in networks where the tight link and the bottleneck link are not same. Compared to the piece-wise linear network a model-based direct probing technique that employs a Kalman filter, our method shows more accurate estimates and faster convergence in certain network scenarios and does not require measurement noise statistics.

The coexistence of radio frequency (RF) and visible light communications (VLC) in typical indoor environments can be leveraged to support vast user quality-of-service (QoS) needs. In this paper, we target a hybrid RF/VLC network in which data transmission is provided via either an RF access point or a VLC luminary based on a selection process. We employ the concept of effective capacity, which defines the maximum constant arrival data rate at the transmitter buffer when the QoS needs are imposed as limits on the buffer overflow and delay violation probabilities, as the main selection criteria. We initially formulate the effective capacity of both channels with respect to channel gains and user distribution. Under the assumption of uniform user distribution within the VLC cell, we then provide a closed-form approximation for the effective capacity of the VLC channel. We further investigate the effects of illumination needs and line-of-sight blockage on the VLC performance. In addition, we explore the non-asymptotic bounds regarding the buffering delay by capitalizing on the effective capacity. Through simulation results, we show the impacts of different physical aspects and data-link QoS needs on the effective capacity and delay bounds.

The co-deployment of radio frequency (RF) and visible light communications (VLC) technologies has been investigated in indoor environments to enhance network performances and to address specific quality-of-service (QoS) constraints. In this paper, we explore the benefits of employing both technologies when the QoS requirements are imposed as limits on the buffer overflow and delay violation probabilities, which are important metrics in designing low latency wireless networks. Particularly, we consider a multi-mechanism scenario that utilizes RF and VLC links for data transmission in an indoor environment, and then propose a link selection process through which the transmitter sends data over the link that sustains the desired QoS guarantees the most. Considering an ON-OFF data source, we employ the maximum average data arrival rate at the transmitter buffer and the non-asymptotic bounds on data buffering delay as the main performance measures. We formulate the performance measures under the assumption that both links are subject to average and peak power constraints. Furthermore, we investigate the performance levels when either one of the two links is used for data transmission, or when both are used simultaneously. Finally, we show the impacts of different physical layer parameters on the system performance through numerical analysis.

Recently, the demand for faster and more reliable data transmission has brought up complex communications systems. As a result, it has become more difficult to carry out closed-form solutions that can provide insight about performance levels. In this paper, different from the existing research, we study a cognitive radio system that employs hybrid-automatic-repeat-request (HARQ) protocols under quality-of-service (QoS) constraints. We assume that the secondary users access the spectrum by utilizing a strategy that is a combination of underlay and interweave access techniques. Considering that the secondary users imperfectly perform channel sensing in order to detect the active primary users and that there is a transmission deadline for each data packet at the secondary transmitter buffer, we formulate the state-transition model of the system. Then, we obtain the state-transition probabilities when HARQ-chase combining is adopted. Subsequently, we provide the packet-loss rate in the channel and achieve the effective capacity. Finally, we substantiate our analytical derivations with numerical results.

Recently, communication systems that are both spectrum and energy efficient have attracted significant attention. Different from the existing research, we investigate the throughput and energy efficiency of a general class of multiple-input and multiple-output systems with arbitrary inputs when they are subject to statistical quality-of-service (QoS) constraints, which are imposed as limits on the delay violation and buffer overflow probabilities. We employ the effective capacity as the performance metric. We obtain the optimal input covariance matrix that maximizes the effective capacity under a short-term average power constraint. Following that, we perform an asymptotic analysis of the effective capacity in the low signal-to-noise ratio and large-scale antenna regimes. In the low signal-to-noise ratio regime analysis, we utilize the first and second derivatives of the effective capacity when the signal-to-noise ratio approaches zero in order to determine the minimum energy-per-bit and also the slope of the effective capacity versus energy-per-bit curve at the minimum energy-per-bit. We observe that the minimum energy-per-bit is independent of the input distribution, whereas the slope depends on the input distribution. In the large-scale antenna analysis, we show that the effective capacity approaches the average transmission rate in the channel with the increasing number of transmit and/or receive antennas. Particularly, the gap between the effective capacity and the average transmission rate in the channel, which is caused by the QoS constraints, is minimized with the number of antennas. In addition, we put forward the non-asymptotic backlog and delay violation bounds by utilizing the effective capacity. Finally, we substantiate our analytical results through numerical illustrations., Comment: Accepted for publication at IEEE transaction on vehicular technology

We consider a broadcast scenario where one transmitter communicates with two receivers under quality-of-service constraints. The transmitter initially employs superposition coding strategies with arbitrarily distributed signals and sends data to both receivers. Regarding the channel state conditions, the receivers perform successive interference cancellation to decode their own data. We express the effective capacity region that provides the maximum allowable sustainable data arrival rate region at the transmitter buffer or buffers. Given an average transmission power limit, we provide a two-step approach to obtain the optimal power allocation policies that maximize the effective capacity region. Then, we characterize the optimal decoding regions at the receivers in the space spanned by the channel fading power values. We finally substantiate our results with numerical presentations., Comment: This paper will appear in 14th International Conference on Wired&Wireless Internet Communications (WWIC)

In this paper, we consider a two-user multiple access fading channel under quality-of-service (QoS) constraints. We initially formulate the transmission rates for both transmitters, where the transmitters have arbitrarily distributed input signals. We assume that the receiver performs successive decoding with a certain order. Then, we establish the effective capacity region that provides the maximum allowable sustainable arrival rate region at the transmitters' buffers under QoS guarantees. Assuming limited transmission power budgets at the transmitters, we attain the power allocation policies that maximize the effective capacity region. As for the decoding order at the receiver, we characterize the optimal decoding order regions in the plane of channel fading parameters for given power allocation policies. In order to accomplish the aforementioned objectives, we make use of the relationship between the minimum mean square error and the first derivative of the mutual information with respect to the power allocation policies. Through numerical results, we display the impact of input signal distributions on the effective capacity region performance of this two-user multiple access fading channel.

Recently, hybrid-automatic-repeat-request (HARQ) systems have been favored in particular state-of-the-art communications systems since they provide the practicality of error detections and corrections aligned with repeat-requests when needed at receivers. The queueing characteristics of these systems have taken considerable focus since the current technology demands data transmissions with a minimum delay provisioning. In this paper, we investigate the effects of physical layer characteristics on data link layer performance in a general class of HARQ systems. Constructing a state transition model that combines queue activity at a transmitter and decoding efficiency at a receiver, we identify the probability of clearing the queue at the transmitter and the packet-loss probability at the receiver. We determine the effective capacity that yields the maximum feasible data arrival rate at the queue under quality-of-service constraints. In addition, we put forward non-asymptotic backlog and delay bounds. Finally, regarding three different HARQ protocols, namely Type-I HARQ, HARQ-chase combining (HARQ-CC) and HARQ-incremental redundancy (HARQ-IR), we show the superiority of HARQ-IR in delay robustness over the others. However, we further observe that the performance gap between HARQ-CC and HARQ-IR is quite negligible in certain cases. The novelty of our paper is a general cross-layer analysis of these systems, considering encoding/decoding in the physical layer and delay aspects in the data-link layer.

Recently, communications systems that are both energy efficient and reliable are under investigation. In this paper, we concentrate on an energy-detection-based transmission scheme where a communication scenario between a transmitter with one antenna and a receiver with significantly many antennas is considered. We assume that the receiver initially calculates the average energy across all antennas, and then decodes the transmitted data by exploiting the average energy level. Then, we calculate the average symbol error probability by means of a maximum a-posteriori probability detector at the receiver. Following that, we provide the optimal decision regions. Furthermore, we develop an iterative algorithm that reaches the optimal constellation diagram under a given average transmit power constraint. Through numerical analysis, we explore the system performance.

In cognitive radio systems, employing sensing-based spectrum access strategies, secondary users are required to perform channel sensing in order to detect the activities of primary users. In realistic scenarios, channel sensing occurs with possible errors due to miss-detections and false alarms. As another challenge, time-varying fading conditions in the channel between the secondary transmitter and the secondary receiver have to be learned via channel estimation. In this paper, performance of causal channel estimation methods in correlated cognitive radio channels under imperfect channel sensing results is analyzed, and achievable rates under both channel and sensing uncertainty are investigated. Initially, cognitive radio channel model with channel sensing error and channel estimation is described. Then, using pilot symbols, minimum mean square error (MMSE) and linear-MMSE (L-MMSE) estimation methods are employed at the secondary receiver to learn the channel fading coefficients. Expressions for the channel estimates and mean-squared errors (MSE) are determined, and their dependencies on channel sensing results, and pilot symbol period and energy are investigated. Since sensing uncertainty leads to uncertainty in the variance of the additive disturbance, channel estimation strategies and performance are interestingly shown to depend on the sensing reliability. It is further shown that the L-MMSE estimation method, which is in general suboptimal, performs very close to MMSE estimation. Furthermore, assuming the channel estimation errors and the interference introduced by the primary users as zero-mean and Gaussian distributed, achievable rate expressions of linear modulation schemes and Gaussian signaling are determined. Subsequently, the training period, and data and pilot symbol energy allocations are jointly optimized to maximize the achievable rates for both signaling schemes.

In this paper, we investigate effective capacity by modeling a cognitive radio broadcast channel with one secondary transmitter (ST) and two secondary receivers (SRs) under quality-of-service constraints and interference power limitations. We initially describe three different cooperative channel sensing strategies with different hard-decision combining algorithms at the ST, namely OR, Majority, and AND rules. Since the channel sensing occurs with possible errors, we consider a combined interference power constraint by which the transmission power of the secondary users (SUs) is bounded when the channel is sensed as both busy and idle. Furthermore, regarding the channel sensing decision and its correctness, there exist possibly four different transmission scenarios. We provide the instantaneous ergodic capacities of the channel between the ST and each SR in all of these scenarios. Granting that transmission outage arises when the instantaneous transmission rate is greater than the instantaneous ergodic capacity, we establish two different transmission rate policies for the SUs when the channel is sensed as idle. One of these policies features a greedy approach disregarding a possible transmission outage, and the other favors a precautious manner to prevent this outage. Subsequently, we determine the effective capacity region of this channel model, and we attain the power allocation policies that maximize this region. Finally, we present the numerical results. We first show the superiority of Majority rule when the channel sensing results are good. Then, we illustrate that a greedy transmission rate approach is more beneficial for the SUs under strict interference power constraints, whereas sending with lower rates will be more advantageous under loose interference constraints., Comment: Submitted and Accepted to IEEE Globecom 2014

In this paper, we investigate the information-theoretic security by modeling a cognitive radio wiretap channel under quality-of-service (QoS) constraints and interference power limitations inflicted on primary users (PUs). We initially define four different transmission scenarios regarding channel sensing results and their correctness. We provide effective secure transmission rates at which a secondary eavesdropper is refrained from listening to a secondary transmitter (ST). Then, we construct a channel state transition diagram that characterizes this channel model. We obtain the effective secure capacity which describes the maximum constant buffer arrival rate under given QoS constraints. We find out the optimal transmission power policies that maximize the effective secure capacity, and then, we propose an algorithm that, in general, converges quickly to these optimal policy values. Finally, we show the performance levels and gains obtained under different channel conditions and scenarios. And, we emphasize, in particular, the significant effect of hidden-terminal problem on information-theoretic security in cognitive radios., Comment: Submitted to CISS 2014

In this paper, throughput and energy efficiency of cognitive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems operating under quality-of-service (QoS) constraints, interference limitations, and imperfect channel sensing, are studied. It is assumed that transmission power and covariance of the input signal vectors are varied depending on the sensed activities of primary users (PUs) in the system. Interference constraints are applied on the transmission power levels of cognitive radios (CRs) to provide protection for the PUs whose activities are modeled as a Markov chain. Considering the reliability of the transmissions and channel sensing results, a state-transition model is provided. Throughput is determined by formulating the effective capacity. First derivative of the effective capacity is derived in the low-power regime and the minimum bit energy requirements in the presence of QoS limitations and imperfect sensing results are identified. Minimum energy per bit is shown to be achieved by beamforming in the maximal-eigenvalue eigenspace of certain matrices related to the channel matrix. In a special case, wideband slope is determined for more refined analysis of energy efficiency. Numerical results are provided for the throughput for various levels of buffer constraints and different number of transmit and receive antennas. The impact of interference constraints and benefits of multiple-antenna transmissions are determined. It is shown that increasing the number of antennas when the interference power constraint is stringent is generally beneficial. On the other hand, it is shown that under relatively loose interference constraints, increasing the number of antennas beyond a certain level does not lead to much increase in the throughput.

In this paper, the performance of cognitive transmission under quality of service (QoS)constraints and interference limitations is studied. Cognitive secondary users are assumed to initially perform sensing over multiple frequency bands (or equivalently channels) to detect the activities of primary users. Subsequently, they perform transmission in a single channel at variable power and rates depending on the channel sensing decisions and the fading environment. A state transition model is constructed to model this cognitive operation. Statistical limitations on the buffer lengths are imposed to take into account the QoS constraints of the cognitive secondary users. Under such QoS constraints and limitations on the interference caused to the primary users, the maximum throughput is identified by finding the effective capacity of the cognitive radio channel. Optimal power allocation strategies are obtained and the optimal channel selection criterion is identified. The intricate interplay between effective capacity, interference and QoS constraints, channel sensing parameters and reliability, fading, and the number of available frequency bands is investigated through numerical results.

In this paper, performance of cognitive transmission over time-selective flat fading channels is studied under quality of service (QoS) constraints and channel uncertainty. Cognitive secondary users (SUs) are assumed to initially perform channel sensing to detect the activities of the primary users, and then attempt to estimate the channel fading coefficients through training. Energy detection is employed for channel sensing, and different minimum mean-square-error (MMSE) estimation methods are considered for channel estimation. In both channel sensing and estimation, erroneous decisions can be made, and hence, channel uncertainty is not completely eliminated. In this setting, performance is studied and interactions between channel sensing and estimation are investigated. Following the channel sensing and estimation tasks, SUs engage in data transmission. Transmitter, being unaware of the channel fading coefficients, is assumed to send the data at fixed power and rate levels that depend on the channel sensing results. Under these assumptions, a state-transition model is constructed by considering the reliability of the transmissions, channel sensing decisions and their correctness, and the evolution of primary user activity which is modeled as a two-state Markov process. In the data transmission phase, an average power constraint on the secondary users is considered to limit the interference to the primary users, and statistical limitations on the buffer lengths are imposed to take into account the QoS constraints of the secondary traffic. The maximum throughput under these statistical QoS constraints is identified by finding the effective capacity of the cognitive radio channel. Numerical results are provided for the power and rate policies.

In this paper, pilot-symbol-assisted transmission in cognitive radio systems over time selective flat fading channels is studied. It is assumed that causal and noncausal Wiener filter estimators are used at the secondary receiver with the aid of training symbols to obtain the channel side information (CSI) under an interference power constraint. Cognitive radio model is described together with detection and false alarm probabilities determined by using a Neyman-Person detector for channel sensing. Subsequently, for both filters, the variances of estimate errors are calculated from the Doppler power spectrum of the channel, and achievable rate expressions are provided considering the scenarios which are results of channel sensing. Numerical results are obtained in Gauss-Markov modeled channels, and achievable rates obtained by using causal and noncausal filters are compared and it is shown that the difference is decreasing with increasing signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Moreover, the optimal probability of detection and false alarm values are shown, and the tradeoff between these two parameters is discussed. Finally, optimal power distributions are provided.

In this paper, cognitive transmission under quality of service (QoS) constraints is studied. In the cognitive radio channel model, it is assumed that both the secondary receiver and the secondary transmitter know the channel fading coefficients perfectly and optimize the power adaptation policy under given constraints, depending on the channel activity of the primary users, which is determined by channel sensing performed by the secondary users. The transmission rates are equal to the instantaneous channel capacity values. A state transition model with four states is constructed to model this cognitive transmission channel. Statistical limitations on the buffer lengths are imposed to take into account the QoS constraints. The maximum throughput under these statistical QoS constraints is identified by finding the effective capacity of the cognitive radio channel. The impact upon the effective capacity of several system parameters, including the channel sensing duration, detection threshold, detection and false alarm probabilities, and QoS parameters, is investigated.

In this paper, cognitive transmission under quality of service (QoS) constraints is studied. In the cognitive radio channel model, it is assumed that the secondary transmitter sends the data at two different average power levels, depending on the activity of the primary users, which is determined by channel sensing performed by the secondary users. A state-transition model is constructed for this cognitive transmission channel. Statistical limitations on the buffer lengths are imposed to take into account the QoS constraints. The maximum throughput under these statistical QoS constraints is identified by finding the effective capacity of the cognitive radio channel. This analysis is conducted for fixed-power/fixed-rate, fixed-power/variable-rate, and variable-power/variable-rate transmission schemes under different assumptions on the availability of channel side information (CSI) at the transmitter. The impact upon the effective capacity of several system parameters, including channel sensing duration, detection threshold, detection and false alarm probabilities, QoS parameters, and transmission rates, is investigated. The performances of fixed-rate and variable-rate transmission methods are compared in the presence of QoS limitations. It is shown that variable schemes outperform fixed-rate transmission techniques if the detection probabilities are high. Performance gains through adapting the power and rate are quantified and it is shown that these gains diminish as the QoS limitations become more stringent.

In this paper, pilot-assisted transmission over time-selective flat fading channels is studied. It is assumed that noncausal and causal Wiener filters are employed at the receiver to perform channel estimation with the aid of training symbols sent periodically by the transmitter. For both filters, the variances of estimate errors are obtained from the Doppler power spectrum of the channel. Subsequently, achievable rate expressions are provided. The training period, and data and training power allocations are jointly optimized by maximizing the achievable rate expressions. Numerical results are obtained by modeling the fading as a Gauss-Markov process. The achievable rates of causal and noncausal filtering approaches are compared. For the particular ranges of parameters considered in the paper, the performance loss incurred by using a causal filter as opposed to a noncausal filter is shown to be small. The impact of aliasing that occurs in the undersampled version of the channel Doppler spectrum due to fast fading is analyzed. Finally, energy-per-bit requirements are investigated in the presence of noncausal and causal Wiener filters., Comment: appeared at IEEE SPAWC 2008

In this paper, transmission over time-selective, flat fading relay channels is studied. It is assumed that channel fading coefficients are not known a priori. Transmission takes place in two phases: network training phase and data transmission phase. In the training phase, pilot symbols are sent and the receivers employ single-pilot MMSE estimation or noncausal Wiener filter to learn the channel. Amplify-and-Forward (AF) and Decode-and-Forward (DF) techniques are considered in the data transmission phase and achievable rate expressions are obtained. The training period, and data and training power allocations are jointly optimized by using the achievable rate expressions. Numerical results are obtained considering Gauss-Markov and lowpass fading models. Achievable rates are computed and energy-per-bit requirements are investigated. The optimal power distributions among pilot and data symbols are provided., Comment: appeared at CISS 2008

In this paper, pilot-assisted transmission over Gauss-Markov Rayleigh fading channels is considered. A simple scenario, where a single pilot signal is transmitted every T symbols and T-1 data symbols are transmitted in between the pilots, is studied. First, it is assumed that binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) modulation is employed at the transmitter. With this assumption, the training period, and data and training power allocation are jointly optimized by maximizing an achievable rate expression. Achievable rates and energy-per-bit requirements are computed using the optimal training parameters. Secondly, a capacity lower bound is obtained by considering the error in the estimate as another source of additive Gaussian noise, and the training parameters are optimized by maximizing this lower bound., Comment: To appear in the Proc. of the 2007 IEEE International Conference on Communications