A bit-map-assisted dynamic queue protocol for multiaccess wireless networks with multiple packet reception

A novel network-assisted (signal processing based) medium access control (MAC) protocol known as the bit-map-assisted dynamic queue (BMDQ) is presented. The protocol is explicitly designed for a wireless slotted system with multiple packet reception (MPR) capability. In the proposed protocol, the traffic in the channel is viewed as a flow of transmission periods (TPs). Each TP has a bit-map (BM) slot at the beginning followed by a data transmission period (DP). The BM slot is reserved for user detection so that accurate knowledge of the active user set (AUS) can be obtained. Then, given the knowledge of the AUS and the channel MPR matrix, the number of users that can access the channel simultaneously in each packet slot in the DP is chosen to maximize the conditional throughput of every packet slot. Compared with other conventional and network-assisted MAC protocols, the proposed BMDQ protocol yields better performance. Its maximum steady-state throughput is close to the channel MPR capacity, and it can achieve the same throughput with lower traffic load and smaller delay. Performance issues are investigated analytically and via simulations.