Optimal Power Allocation and Sub-Optimal Channel Assignment for Downlink NOMA Systems Using Deep Reinforcement Learning

TL;DR

This paper introduces a deep reinforcement learning framework for optimizing power allocation and channel assignment in downlink NOMA systems, aiming to improve resource utilization in IoT networks.

Contribution

It proposes a novel DRL-based approach with replay memory for joint resource allocation and channel assignment in NOMA systems, addressing a key open problem.

Findings

Enhanced resource allocation performance demonstrated through extensive simulations.

Effect of hyperparameters like learning rate and batch size analyzed.

Framework generalizes learning for NOMA resource management.

Abstract

In recent years, Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) system has emerged as a promising candidate for multiple access frameworks due to the evolution of deep machine learning, trying to incorporate deep machine learning into the NOMA system. The main motivation for such active studies is the growing need to optimize the utilization of network resources as the expansion of the internet of things (IoT) caused a scarcity of network resources. The NOMA addresses this need by power multiplexing, allowing multiple users to access the network simultaneously. Nevertheless, the NOMA system has few limitations. Several works have proposed to mitigate this, including the optimization of power allocation known as joint resource allocation(JRA) method, and integration of the JRA method and deep reinforcement learning (JRA-DRL). Despite this, the channel assignment problem remains unclear and requires further investigation. In this paper, we propose a deep reinforcement learning framework incorporating replay memory with an on-policy algorithm, allocating network resources in a NOMA system to generalize the learning. Also, we provide extensive simulations to evaluate the effects of varying the learning rate, batch size, type of model, and the number of features in the state.