Partial network coding with cooperation: A cross-layer design for multi-hop wireless networks

In this paper we propose a partial network coding with cooperation (PNC-COOP) scheme that mitigates error propagation due to channel imperfections and achieves acceptable throughput in wireless ad hoc networks. It combines opportunistic network coding with decode-and-forward cooperative diversity. The proposed PNC-COOP is a decentralized strategy which provides substantial benefits when transmission power is a concern. Simulation of a 16-node wireless mesh network when PNC-COOP is applied to 11-15% of the transmitted packets results in 5 dB BER performance improvement compared to opportunistic network coding. It reduces the average transmitted energy per node by 9-10% as well as the overall average transmitted energy of the network by 3.5%.