EMDF - A Broadcast Scheduling Policy for Wireless Multi-hop Networks with Interference Constraint

Wireless interference is a key issue affecting network performance. In this paper, we address the broadcast scheduling problem in wireless multi-hop networks with interference. We propose a policy called EMDF (evolved minimum degree first) which assigns different transmission slots for nodes within a three-hop neighborhood to effectively decrease the conflicts caused by both hidden terminal problem and wireless interference. EMDF can increase high throughput and high slot reuse. Meanwhile, the policy can obtain a minimum slot number for transmission. Based on the EMDF, this paper also discusses the scheduling problem when a new node joins the network. We evaluate network throughput and slots utilization of the policy by comparison with other existing algorithms in simulation. The result shows that EMDF outperforms others.