Relay Position in Decode-and-Forward Relay Systems to Achieve Full Diversity Gain

Error propagation of source-relay (S-R) link limits the performance of decode-and-forward (DF) relay and prohibits DF relay from achieving full diversity gain. In order to solve this problem, the proposed deployment strategy focuses on two objectives. One is to achieve full diversity gain, and the other is to minimize the used power of the DF relay system. In order to achieve full diversity, the error probability of S-R link should be lower than that of maximal ratio combining (MRC) at destination without error propagation since the error probability of the weaker link dominates the total error probability. The proposed strategy of relay positioning points out the range of the relay position for achieving full diversity, and the used power of the relay is minimized by this range. Analysis of error probability and simulation results prove that the two objectives are achieved by the proposed strategy of the relay position.