Cooperative Networks: A Framework to Derive Scalable Cross-Layer Designs

技术抽象边界，如OSI模型的各层，在过去对高性能/高功率需求的信息网络的发展起到了重要作用。然而，它们目前是嵌入式系统网络、无人驾驶车辆、机器人和传感器网络等大型分布式网络发展的瓶颈。这些网络可能会对我们的社会产生巨大影响，使其更易于管理和更安全。在这些应用中部署现有的无线和处理器技术可能是危险的，因为保持它们运行的成本、大规模管理它们的困难以及它们在系统停电时的脆弱性。这项研究的动机是需要一个坚实的科学框架和一套实用的算法集，以超越现有技术中使用的限制体系结构模型，并为这些新的新兴应用提供工作解决方案。为了解决这一问题，本研究使用物理层合作的概念作为指导原则，以消除限制网络可伸缩性的一些传统设计边界，并作为开发跨层解决方案的系统方法。去掉的主要部分是“点对点通信”的网络抽象，来自每个源的信息被独立地编码和发送，并且它被独立地接收和处理。本研究中研究的协作网络参考模型通过允许节点协作来压缩/细化数据并传输它们来改变这一切。在网络传感器、无人机器人和嵌入式系统中合作似乎是合适的，因为这些网络的所有节点自然地相互补充活动和信息。研究了协作调制、信道捕获和数据压缩等问题。工作水平为了在一年的活动中压缩项目任务，并围绕项目的主要研究目标，我们将专注于解决物理层协作信道模型中的信道捕获、链路控制和分散多址等关键问题。目的是为协作网络建立一个新的参考模型，以澄清通信体系结构的结构。我们将要解决的问题的更详细描述见我们最初的“工作说明”[c.f.建议中的第2.2节]，特别是其中所述的前三项研究任务。通过解决这些问题，我们将为充分合作和分散的网络结构的发展奠定坚实的框架。其他研究项目将留给未来的项目。

Technical abstraction boundaries, such as the layers of the OSI model, have been instrumental in the evolution of high performance/power hungry information networks in the past. However, they are currently representing a bottleneck to the development of the large distributed networks such as networks of embedded systems, unmanned vehicles, robots and sensor networks. These networks could have tremendous impact on our society, making it easier to manage and safer. Deploying existing wireless and processor technology in these applications can be dangerous because of the cost of keeping them operative, because of the difficulties in managing them on large scales and because of their vulnerability of the systems to power outages. This research is motivated by the need of a solid scientific framework and a practical set of algorithms that surpass the limiting architectural models used in the present technology and provide working solutions for these new emerging applications. To address this problem this research uses the concept of cooperation at the physical layer as the guiding principle for removing some traditional design boundaries that limit networks scalability and also as a systematic methodology to develop cross-layer solutions. The main partition removed is the network abstraction of "point to point communications", where the information from every source is encoded and transmitted independently and it is received and processed independently. The cooperative networking reference model studied in this research changes all this by allowing the nodes to collaborate in compressing/elaborating the data and in transmitting them. Cooperation seems appropriate in networking sensors, unmanned robots, embedded systems since all the nodes of these networks naturally complement each other activities and information. The study addresses the cooperative modulation, channel acquisition and data compression problems. Level of effortTo compress the projects tasks in one year of activity and encompass the main research objectives of our project we will dedicate our focused effort to solve the key issues of channel acquisition, link control and decentralized multiple access in the physical layer cooperative channel model. The aim is to build a new reference model for cooperative networks that clarifies the structure of the communication architecture. A more detailed description of the issues we are going to address is expressed in our original "Statementof Work" [c.f. Section 2.2 in the proposal] and specifically in the first three research tasks described therein. By addressing them we will set the solid framework for the development of fully cooperative and decentralized network architectures. Other research items will be left for future projects.