Distributed Space-Time Coding




Recently, attention has been focused on wireless networks. Methods to exploit diversity using the antennas of different users in a cooperative way have been studied, in order to look for the diversity known to be achieved in the multiple antennas point to point case. We consider a snapshot of a wireless network, where a transmitter and a receiver are distinguished, with enough computational capacity and power to encode/decode the data. The other nodes are relays, small devices with few power and computational ability, with only one antenna (as for example in sensor networks). In this scenario, it is not realistic to assume nodes can decode the information. We thus propose a strategy based on the idea of Distributed Space-Time Coding, where the nodes just do a very simple operation before forwarding the information. This operation has the effect of having the nodes cooperating to encode a virtual space-time code, thus the name of distributed space-time coding.

Joint work with Prof.
B. Hassibi





Last update: March 8 2007