Throughput improvement by cluster-based multihop wireless networks with energy harvesting relays

In this work, we propose a cluster-based multihop relaying with partial relay selection (PRS) scheme for an energy harvesting (EH) relaying network. We analyze the performance in the framework of the decode-and-forward (DF) relaying with adaptive power splitting (APS) protocol over symmetric and asymmetric fading channel models. Through extensive numerical analysis, we show that the proposed scheme can substantially outperform the conventional multihop relaying approach without clustering. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the proposed scheme can compensate for the performance loss due to poor RF-to-DC conversion efficiency by exploiting the spatial diversity provided by the broadcast-oriented nature of the RF signal. It is also shown that the conventional belief that the multihop relaying networks over asymmetric fading channel achieve maximum throughput in Rician/Rayleigh fading environment (for source-relay link/the rest of the links) does not necessarily apply in the case of the proposed system.