Optimal Positioning of Relay Node in Cooperative Molecular Communication Networks

In this paper, we consider a cooperative diffusion-based molecular communication (MC) network consisting of single source, single decode-and-forward relay, and single destination. The source and the relay nodes use different types of molecules for information transmission. Considering both the relay and the direct links at the destination node, we have two different received signals that can be used by the destination node to retrieve the data transmitted by the source node. Therefore, diversity arises at the destination node. For detection, we adopt the energy detector applying the diversity combining technique. Since the optimum relay position in relay-aided networks plays a crucial role to enhance their performance, we study the relay location optimization problem. We first derive a closed-form expression for the bit error probability of the proposed detection scheme in which the received energy from the source and the relay nodes are linearly combined at the destination node. Then, in order to find the optimum relay position as well as the optimal destination decision threshold for a given number of molecules released by the source and the relay nodes, we formulate a joint optimization problem whose objective is to minimize the bit error probability of the network. To solve this optimization problem, we propose an iterative algorithm based on the block coordinate descent algorithm and study its convergence behavior. Numerical results show that the error performance can be improved by optimizing the position of the relay node. Our analyses help us in designing a reliable cooperative diffusion-based MC network.