The goal of this Master's thesis was to solve resource allocation problems in wireless networks through the implementation of a lightweight simulation platform. The spectrum and power resources of wireless networks have to be efficiently used to accommodate the growing number of wireless terminals and the massive increase of data transferred by their applications. The major problem that needs to be tackled is interference, which significantly limits the performance of wireless systems. In this thesis, the resource allocation of interest was the joint problem of scheduling and power control with Quality of Service (QoS) constraints. The Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio (SINR) was used to quantify QoS. This thesis studied the recently proposed mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) formulation of the problem. Due to the scheduling component, the problem is inherently combinatorial and NP-hard, therefore computationally expensive and difficult to solve in tractable time. A simulation platform was implemented in order to automate and facilitate the solving process.As a starting point, wireless channels and channel modeling issues were studied. Then, the platform was implemented to simulate random instances of multi-cellular wireless networks, with several mobile stations per cell, and generate the corresponding channels. Finally, the platform was extended to use the GNU Linear Programming Kit (GLPK) API in order to optimally solve the aforementioned formulated problem for various inputs of generated channels.Tests of the simulation platform were performed to check the consistency of the results. Indeed, the output results satisfied the initial expectations regarding the SINR constraints and the formulation. Moreover, they were produced in reasonable time. An analysis of the output results was presented.This thesis resulted in a configurable and lightweight simulation platform which is able to solve the MILP-formulated resource allocation problem. The simulation platform is basic and does not cover all the aspects of multi-cellular wireless networks and wireless channels. Due to its modularity, it can be extended in a future project.

This dissertation explores the application of Silvester's space-time block code to the multi-index CPM called "ARTM CPM" in the IRIG 106 standard to solve the "two antenna problem"---the use of two transmit antennas to provide full spatial coverage on an airborne test article and the accompanying self interference due to different delays between the two transmit antennas and the ground-based receive antenna. A symbol-level encoding scheme is derived that allows the burst-based space-time block code to operate in a continuously streaming mode. The results show that the space-time block code can solve the two antenna problem with differential delays, but that the differential delays generate a substantial increase in the computational complexity of the detector. Complexity-reducing techniques are applied and analyzed. The results show that the complexity reductions required to produce a practically realizable detector render the bit error probability performance sensitive to the differential delay. Numerical results are presented to quantify the performance loss due to the differential delay. The use of space-time coded ARTM CPM to solve the two-antenna problem in aeronautical mobile telemetry requires estimates of the parameters that define the propagation environment. The maximum likelihood estimator problem is defined and used to motivate reduced-complexity estimators suitable for use in a real system. A modified gradient descent algorithm performs the search required to find the delay parameters. An "inner" phase lock loop operating with an "outer" frequency lock loop computes decision-directed estimates of the frequency offset. Computer simulations were used to assess the impact on bit error rate performance introduced by the estimators. The simulation results show the combined joint estimator for the delays, channel gains, and frequency offset imposes a 1.15 dB loss in performance. This loss is approximately the same as the 1.1 dB loss due to the complexity-reducing techniques used by the decoder/detector.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-02-11T10:56:22Z No. of bitstreams: 1 juandavidvalenciapayan.pdf: 2769602 bytes, checksum: f450fbb83bbe8b4e5a8cdb7c9b4fa338 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-02-26T11:57:12Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 juandavidvalenciapayan.pdf: 2769602 bytes, checksum: f450fbb83bbe8b4e5a8cdb7c9b4fa338 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-02-26T11:57:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 juandavidvalenciapayan.pdf: 2769602 bytes, checksum: f450fbb83bbe8b4e5a8cdb7c9b4fa338 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-03-27 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Esta contribuição descreve uma caracterização estatística da rede de baixa tensão Brasileira residencial como meio de comunicação. As discussões são baseadas em canais estimados obtidos em uma campanha de medição realizada em quatro apartamentos diferentes, com tamanhos que variam de 50 até 90 metros quadrados. Os parâmetros considerados para esta análise são o Root Mean Square Delay Spread, o ganho médio do canal e a capacidade do canal. Para efeitos de comparação com a rede de potencia dos Estados Unidos, a banda de frequência utilizada foi de 1:705 até 30 MHz. A análise relatada mostra que o Root Mean Square Delay Spread e o ganho médio do canal não podem ser modelados como variáveis log-normal. Os resultados obtidos geram dúvidas em relação aos atuais encontrados na literatura, em que se afirma que tanto o Root Mean Square Delay Spread quanto o ganho médio do canal seguem uma distribuição log-normal. Foram medidos também a impedância de acesso e o ruído do canal de comunicação via rede elétrica. Além disso, os conceitos de cooperação para melhorar o desempenho dos sistemas de comunicação via rede elétrica foram analisados, mais especificamente na rede de baixa tensão Brasileira residencial. Para isso, foram analisados a performance dos protocolos de Amplify-and-Forward e Decode-and-Forward, em conjunto com as técnicas de combinação Equal-Gain Combining, Selection-Combining e Maximal-Ratio Combining. A análise sobre os dados medidos cobriram uma faixa de frequência de 1:705 a 100 MHz. Os dados medidos abordam quatro cenários para possíveis localizações do nó Relay. Os resultados obtidos mostram que o Amplify-and- Forward é de aplicabilidade limitada no contexto de comunicação via rede elétrica e o oposto é válido para o protocolo de Decode-and-Forward, principalmente se a probabilidade de erro de detecção de símbolos no nó Relay tende a zero. / This thesis outlines a statistical characterization of the Brazilian In-Home Low-Voltage Electric Power Grid as a communication medium. The discussions are based on estimated channels obtained in a measurement campaign carried out in four different apartments with sizes ranging from 50 up to 90 square meters. The parameters considered for this analysis are the Root Mean Square Delay Spread, the average channel gain, and the channel capacity. For the sake of comparison with the Electric Power Grid in United States, the frequency band ranging from 1:705 up to 30 MHz was set. The reported analysis shows that the Root Mean Square Delay Spread and the average channel gain cannot be modeled as log-normal variables, this cast doubt the current results found in the literature, in which is stated that both the Root Mean Square Delay Spread and the average channel gain follow a log-normal distribution. This was followed by the Power Line Communication access impedance and noise measurements in the In-Home Low-Voltage Electric Power Grid. Additionally, the suitability of cooperation concepts for improving the performance of Power Line Communication systems was analyzed, more specifically in the Brazilian In-Home Low-Voltage Electric Power Grid. For this purpose, the performance of the Amplify-and-Forward and Decode-and- Forward protocols, together with the Equal-Gain Combining, Selection Combining, and Maximal-Ratio Combining techniques were analyzed. The analysis was carried out on the measured data covering a frequency band from 1:705 up to 100 MHz. The measured data addresses four scenarios for possible relay node locations. The attained results show that the Amplify-and-Forward is of limited applicability in the Power Line Communication context and the opposite is valid to the Decode-and-Forward protocol, mainly if the error probability of detecting symbols at the relay node is zero.