NeTS ProWIN: Topology And Routing With Steerable Antennas

该项目解决了无线网络的可扩展性时，可操纵的相控阵天线被使用的网络的一个子集，并建立在早期的工作，从而在修改后的MAC层，这种可操纵的天线。这一早期发现需要有限地使用该可操纵性;而不是在逐分组的基础上改变天线配置，天线配置被设计为针对缓慢变化的节点集。这项工作回避了如何形成这些缓慢变化的节点集的问题。 该项目使用空间分集来提高物理层的效率，并提出了一个网络层，使有效的空间重用在物理层。这包括动态定义网络的拓扑或连通性以及路由或可用连接的使用。这个问题是具有挑战性的，因为相控阵天线不仅改变RF信号的方向，还改变信号的强度。该项目包括开发和使用一个研究网络，该网络结合了固定和移动的节点，使用可操纵和固定天线的组合。该平台将使用SoftMAC（一种低成本软件定义无线电）部署原型系统进行现场实验。该项目的示例应用包括城市和紧急服务网络，研究人员将与当地警察和消防部门合作，了解、建模和分析这些高度动态网络的使用场景。该项目的工作应该使这些快速部署的无线网络更加灵活，更能抵御故障。

This project addresses the scalability of wireless networks when steerable phase array antennas are used by a subset of the network and builds on earlier work resulting in a modified MAC layer for such steerable antennas. This earlier found that limited use of that steerability was needed; rather than change antenna configuration on a packet-by-packet basis, antenna configurations are designed to target a slowly changing set of nodes. That work begged the question of how those slowly changing sets of nodes should be formed. This project uses spatial diversity to improve the efficiency of the physical layer and proposes a network layer that enables efficient spatial reuse at the physical layer. This includes dynamically defining the topology, or connectedness, of the network as well as the routing, or use of available connections. This problem is challenging because phase array antennas not only change the direction of RF signal, they also vary the strength of that signal. This project includes development and use of a research network combining fixed and mobile nodes using a combination of steerable and fixes antennas. This platform will use SoftMAC, a low cost software defined radio, to deploy prototype systems for in-field experimentation. Example applications for this project include city- and emergency service networks, and the researchers will be working with local Police and Fire departments to understand, model and analyze usage scenarios for these highly dynamic networks. The work in this project should make these rapidly deployed wireless networks more flexible and resistant to failure.