3-Approximation algorithm for joint routing and link scheduling in wireless relay networks

In emerging wireless relay networks (WRNs) such as IEEE 802.16j, efficient resource allocation is becoming a substantial issue for throughput optimization. In this paper, we propose an algorithm for joint routing and link scheduling in WRNs. The developed theoretical analysis indicates that the performance of the proposed algorithm is within a factor of three of that of any optimal algorithm in the worst case. Through simulation experiments, the numerical results show that our algorithm outperforms the previously proposed routing and link-scheduling algorithms. Furthermore, the proposed algorithm can effectively achieve near-optimal performance, and provide much better throughput than the theoretical worst-case bound in the average case.