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

技术抽象边界，如OSI模型的层，在过去的高性能/耗电信息网络的发展中起到了重要作用。然而，它们目前是嵌入式系统、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的影响，使其更容易管理，更安全。在这些应用程序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，因为大规模管理它们的困难，因为它们的系统容易受到停电的影响。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，这些算法可以超越当前技术中使用的有限的架构模型，并为这些新兴的应用提供有效的解决方案。为了解决这个问题，本研究使用物理层合作的概念作为消除限制网络可扩展性的一些传统设计边界的指导原则，并作为开发跨层解决方案的系统方法。去除的主要分区是“点对点通信”的网络抽象，每个源的信息都独立编码和传输，独立接收和处理。本文研究的协作网络参考模型改变了这一切，它允许节点在数据压缩/细化和传输过程中进行协作。在网络传感器、无人机器人、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。研究了协同调制、信道采集和数据压缩等问题。为了在一年的活动中压缩项目任务，并包含我们项目的主要研究目标，我们将致力于解决物理层合作渠道模型中的渠道获取，链路控制和分散多址接入的关键问题。目的是为协作网络建立一个新的参考模型，澄清通信体系结构的结构。对我们将要解决的问题的更详细的描述，在我们最初的“工作陈述”中有表达。提案第2.2节]，特别是其中描述的前三个研究任务。通过解决这些问题，我们将为开发完全合作和分散的网络架构建立坚实的框架。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.