Interference-Aware Scheduling for Connectivity in MIMO Ad Hoc Multicast Networks

We consider a multicast scenario that involves an ad hoc network of cochannel multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) nodes in which a source node attempts to share a streaming message with all nodes in the network through some predefined multihop routing tree. The message is assumed to be broken down into packets, and the transmission is conducted over multiple frames. Each frame is divided into time slots, and each link in the routing tree is assigned one time slot in which to transmit its current packet. We present an algorithm for determining the number of time slots and the scheduling of the links in these time slots to optimize the connectivity of the network, which we define to be the probability that all links can achieve the required throughput. In addition to time multiplexing, the MIMO nodes also employ beamforming to manage interference when links are simultaneously active, and the beamformers are designed with the maximum connectivity metric in mind. The effects of outdated channel-state information are taken into account in both the scheduling and the beamforming designs. We also derive bounds on the network connectivity and sum transmit power to illustrate the impact of interference on network performance. Our simulation results demonstrate that the choice of the number of time slots is critical in optimizing network performance and illustrates the significant advantage provided by multiple antennas in improving network connectivity.