Time division multiple access methods in bi-directional cooperative relay networks

In this paper, we develop a new class of time division multiple access schemes for bi-directional multiuser communications in cooperative amplify-and-forward relay networks. The proposed schemes enable a flexible trade-off between spectral efficiency and suppression of multiuser interference. The relay weights are chosen to maximize the minimum received quality-of-service of all the users under constraints on the individual and the total power at the relays. Simulation results demonstrate that the selection of the scheme has a considerable impact on the achieved throughput of the relay network.