Channel allocation and time scheduling in multi-channel wireless networks using network coding

Using network coding in a wireless network can potentially improve the network throughput. On the other hand, it increases the complexity of resource allocations as the quality of one transmission is often affected by the link conditions of the transmitter node to multiple destination nodes. In this paper we consider a multi-channel wireless network with a star topology. Network coding is used for data transmissions of each bidirectional link through a relay node, which has multiple radios, each for one bidirectional link. We study the channel and time allocations in this network, so that the overall network throughput is maximized. An optimum problem is first formulated and solved, and two heuristic schemes, Concurrent Node Selection and Channel Assignment (CNSCA) and Sequential Node Selection and Channel Assignment (SNSCA), with different complexity are proposed. Our results indicate that the CNSCA scheme has high complexity and achieves close-to-optimum performance, and the SNSCA scheme requires lower complexity and achieves relatively lower throughput.