Simultaneous routing and multiplexing in ad hoc networks with MIMO links

This paper addresses how to leverage the spatial multiplexing function of MIMO links to improve wireless network throughput. Wireless interference modeling of a half-duplex MIMO node is presented, based on which, routing, spatial multiplexing and scheduling are jointly considered in one optimization model. A linear program-based algorithm is proposed for the joint optimization, and numerical simulation results show that the joint optimization of routing with spatial-temporal multiplexing is superior to the separate design approaches, including separating routing from the other two designs, and separating scheduling from the other two designs.