Double-Directional Information Azimuth Spectrum and Relay Network Tomography for a Decentralized Wireless Relay Network

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new channel model and a tomography method for decentralized wireless relay networks, enabling the inference of internal network structure from external measurements.

Contribution

It proposes a novel double-directional azimuth spectrum for DWRNs and develops a relay network tomography technique based on this spectrum.

Findings

The double-directional IAS effectively characterizes information flows.

The tomography method can infer internal relay network structure.

The model accounts for finite spatial resolution and relay timing.

Abstract

A novel channel representation for a two-hop decentralized wireless relay network (DWRN) is proposed, where the relays operate in a completely distributive fashion. The modeling paradigm applies an analogous approach to the description method for a double-directional multipath propagation channel, and takes into account the finite system spatial resolution and the extended relay listening/transmitting time. Specifically, the double-directional information azimuth spectrum (IAS) is formulated to provide a compact representation of information flows in a DWRN. The proposed channel representation is then analyzed from a geometrically-based statistical modeling perspective. Finally, we look into the problem of relay network tomography (RNT), which solves an inverse problem to infer the internal structure of a DWRN by using the instantaneous doubledirectional IAS recorded at multiple measuring nodes exterior to the relay region.