Cross-Layer Design for Relay Selection and Power Allocation Strategies in Cooperative Networks

In mobile relay networks, relay nodes in mobility generally have variable channel conditions and limited residual energy, which may affect the network performance. In this paper, we proposed a cross-layer design jointly incorporating best relay selection and power allocation strategies to increase the cooperative network lifetime while minimizing the overall power consumption. In this cross-layer design, the best relay node is selected based on the channel quality and nodes’ residual energy, and the power allocation strategy is to reduce overall power consumption of nodes so that network lifetime can be prolonged. Simulation results show that the proposed cross-layer algorithm can provide significant network performance improvement in terms of network lifetime and power consumption due to cooperative diversity and its consideration of nodes residual energy.