Minimizing Co-Channel Interference in Wireless Relay Networks

The use of multi-hop relaying in cellular networks is considered a key technique for increasing data transmission rates and maximizing coverage in fourth generation (4G) wireless systems. With relaying, data destined for a mobile terminal will be relayed to a wireless relay station nearest the terminal rather than being transmitted from a more distant base station. Selection of the best relay route and relay station is essential in maximizing the data capacity and coverage of such a network. This paper presents an algorithm whose purpose is to find the best relay or set of relays from which to transmit considering two simultaneous goals: use the best propagation path from the relay to the intended data recipient (the target mobile), and minimize interference created in mobiles affected by the relay (victim mobiles). Many interference avoidance algorithms concentrate on reducing the transmit power to the minimum required to achieve a given minimum signal-to-noise ratio at the mobile. It is shown in this paper that consideration of both the target mobile’s location, and locations of victim mobiles results in a lower probability of outage for all mobiles in the network.