Cooperative MAC for Rate Adaptive Randomized Distributed Space-Time Coding

In a distributed wireless network, it is possible to employ several relays and mimic a multiple antenna transmission system. In this paper we propose a MAC layer solution that allows multiple relays to send information to the receiver at unison, using a randomized distributed space time code. The randomized space-time coding can recruit relays on the fly, thus significantly reducing signaling overhead. The cross-layer design between physical layer and MAC layer involves relay discovery and rate adaptation, and results in improvements in throughput and delay performance. The design is dynamic and can be adapted to changing network conditions. The proposed MAC scheme can be integrated into various wireless technologies such as distributed contention based networks (e.g., IEEE 802.11 BSS and ad hoc mode) as well as centralized multiple access networks (e.g., IEEE 802.16).