Communications Signal Processing Based Solutions for Massive Machine-to-Machine Networks (M3NETs)

未来的无线网络应该具有服务于广泛的个人无线设备和器具的能力，具有严格的端到端延迟要求。这些设备将具备感知各种实时事件的能力，并能够通过网络连接进行自我配置，从而为电子医疗、智能交通和智能城市等许多新兴应用铺平道路。这些应用最重要的使能技术是无缝的机器对机器（M2M）无线通信，这是维持事物之间大规模互连的关键。M2M设备的数量呈指数级增长，预计到2020年将达到500亿。M2M设备和M2M连接细分市场的这一增长趋势将在未来进一步加速。与此同时，到2020年，M2M连接将产生总移动流量的6.7%——2015年为2.7%。因此，M2M通信被设想为第五代（5G）无线网络及以后的五大颠覆性技术方向之一。尽管机器类型通信很重要，但由于大量具有异构流量模式的M2M设备的存在，网络拥塞和过载，M2M和人与人（H2M）通信之间的相互和内部干扰达到前所未有的水平，由于不规则流量模式和能源限制导致的复杂资源管理，需要解决许多关键挑战。该项目的重点是通过推进通信信号处理、随机几何、凸优化和博弈论等方面来解决这些关键挑战。特别是，我们将在描述与大规模M2M通信相关的异构流量模式、开发分布式随机接入信道协议、提出凸和博弈论资源分配方法以及设计基于跨层优化算法和协议的能量收集约束方面做出贡献。所有开发的概念和算法将被整合，无线电链路层性能将使用基于LTE-Advanced标准及其向5G演进的模拟参考系统进行评估。工业合作伙伴将参与整个项目，以确保我们的工作与工业相关。

Future wireless networks should have the capability of serving a wide range of personal wireless devices and appliances with stringent end-to-end delay requirements. These appliances will be equipped with the capabilities to sense various real time events and be able to self-configure via network connections, thereby paving the way for many emerging applications including e-health, intelligent transportation and smart cities. The most important enabling technologies for these applications is seamless machine-to-machine (M2M) wireless communications, which is the key to sustaining large-scale massive interconnections between things. The number of M2M devices has been growing exponentially, and is expected to reach up to 50 billion by 2020. This trend in the market growth for both M2M devices and M2M connectivity segments will further accelerate in the future. Along with it, by 2020, M2M connections will generate 6.7 percent of total mobile traffic-up from 2.7 percent in 2015. As such, M2M communications is envisioned as one of the five disruptive technology directions for fifth generation (5G) wireless networks and beyond.Despite the importance of machine-type communications, there are many critical challenges that need to be addressed in terms of network congestion and overload due to presence of massive M2M devices with heterogeneous traffic patterns, unprecedented level of inter and intra interference among M2M and human-to-human (H2M) communications, complex resource management due to irregular traffic patterns and energy constraints. The focus of this project is on tackling these critical challenges, by advancing aspects of communications signal processing, stochastic geometry, convex optimizations and game theory. In particular, we will contribute in terms of characterising heterogeneous traffic patterns associated with massive M2M communications, development of distributed random access channel protocols, proposal of convex and game theoretic resource allocation methods and design of energy harvesting constraint based cross-layer optimisation algorithms and protocols. All the concepts and algorithms developed will be integrated and the radio link layer performance will be assessed using a simulation reference system based on LTE-Advanced standards and its evolution towards 5G. Industrial partners will be engaged throughout the project to ensure industrial relevance of our work.