On the energy efficiency of MIMO cooperative relaying networks

Cooperative relaying techniques can greatly improve the capacity of the multiple input and multiple output (MIMO) wireless system. The transmit power allocation (TPA) strategies for various relaying protocols have become very important for improving the energy efficiency. This article proposes novel TPA schemes in the MIMO cooperative relaying system. Two different scenarios are considered. One is the hybrid decode-and-forward (HDF) protocol in which the zero-forcing (ZF) process is operated on relays, and the other is the decode-and-forward (DF) protocol with relay node and antenna selection strategies. The simulation results indicate that the proposed schemes can bring about significant capacity gain by exploiting the nature of the relay link. Additionally, the proposed TPA scheme in the HDF system can achieve the same capacity as the equal TPA with fewer relay nodes used. Finally, the capacity gain with the proposed schemes increases when the distribution range of relay nodes expands.