Energy-Efficient Cross-Layer Rate Allocation for Multi-Source Streaming over Ad Hoc Networks

In this paper, we study the case that a number of cameras capture and transfer video sequences to a receiver over ad hoc networks, just as surveillance scenarios. In order to prolong system lifetime and improve the video qualities, we propose a dynamic rate allocation scheme using cross-layer techniques. The allocation is performed at the receiver of the video streams and the decision is based on a rate-power model for network transmission and a rate-distortion model of video. Experiment result shows that the proposed scheme promotes the average PSNR by 0.8-3.0 dB without shortening the system lifetime, or prolongs system lifetime by 12%-50% without cutting down the overall PSNR