CAREER: Integrated Multi-hop Wireless Networks

未来的无线通信已经设想了一种无所不在的集成体系结构。特别是，将多跳无线网络技术与基于基础设施的系统相结合正在成为构建下一代移动无线网络的最有前途的趋势之一。然而，作为一个独立部署的系统，多跳无线网络通常是集成的异构系统中吞吐量和可靠性方面的性能瓶颈。迫切需要研究新的方法，利用不同技术的互补特性，使综合通信系统健壮和高效。该项目由两个密切相关的研究推动力组成：增强的通信协议和可自我配置的管理方案。第一个目标是在综合多跳无线网络中实现卓越的系统吞吐量和服务质量(Qos)。特别是，设计了一种基于二进制倒计时机制的同步MAC协议，该协议适用于多跳无线网络，并开发了一种基于分簇的路由协议，其中分簇的大小由可伸缩性模型确定，分簇通过现有的网络基础设施进行桥接。第二个研究重点在三个方面探讨了几个基本问题：(1)可自配置的、健壮的、高精度的本地定位技术；(2)用于提高多跳无线网络可靠性的自愈易处理节点管理；(3)普遍适用于各种集成多跳无线网络的自维护调度模型。该项目的成功将使研究人员能够深入了解异质无线技术的整合，并为在异质无线网络中整合研究和教育建立一个新的范例。

A ubiquitous and integrated architecture has been envisioned for future wireless communication. In particular, integrating multi-hop wireless networking technology with infrastructure-based systems is becoming one of the most promising trends in building the next generation mobile wireless network. Developed as an independently-deployed system, however, the multi-hop wireless network is usually the performance bottleneck in terms of throughput and reliability in integrated heterogeneous systems. There is an urgent need to investigate new approaches that exploit the complementary characteristics of different technologies in order to make integrated communication systems robust and efficient.This project consists of two intimately interrelated research thrusts: enhanced communication protocols and self-configurable management schemes. The first thrust aims to achieve superior system throughput and quality of service (QoS) in integrated multi-hop wireless networks. In particular, a synchronized MAC protocol is designed based on a binary countdown scheme tailored for multi-hop wireless networks, and a cluster-based routing protocol is developed where the cluster size is determined by a scalability model and the clusters are bridged by existing network infrastructure. The second research thrust explores several fundamental problems in three areas: (1) a self-configurable, robust, and highly accurate local positioning technique, (2) self-healing tractable node management for enhancing reliability of multi-hop wireless networks, and (3) a self-maintenance scheduling model generally applicable to various integrated multi-hop wireless networks. Success of this project will enable researches to gain deep understanding of the integration of heterogeneous wireless technologies and to establish a new paradigm for integrating research and education in heterogeneous wireless networks.