Distributed resource allocation in cognitive and cooperative ad hoc networks through joint routing, relay selection and spectrum allocation

Cooperative relaying and dynamic-spectrum-access/cognitive techniques are promising solutions to increase the capacity and reliability of wireless links by exploiting the spatial and frequency diversity of the wireless channel. Yet, the combined use of cooperative relaying and dynamic spectrum access in multi-hop networks with decentralized control is far from being well understood. We study the problem of network throughput maximization in cognitive and cooperative ad hoc networks through joint optimization of routing, relay assignment and spectrum allocation. We derive a decentralized algorithm that solves the power and spectrum allocation problem for two common cooperative transmission schemes, decode-and-forward (DF) and amplify-and-forward (AF), based on convex optimization and arithmetic–geometric mean approximation techniques. We then propose and design a practical medium access control protocol in which the probability of accessing the channel for a given node depends on a local utility function determined as the solution of the joint routing, relay selection, and dynamic spectrum allocation problem. Therefore, the algorithm aims at maximizing the network throughput through local control actions and with localized information only. Through discrete-event network simulations, we finally demonstrate that the protocol provides significant throughput gains with respect to baseline solutions. 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.