Relay association method for optimal path in IEEE 802.16j mobile multi-hop relay networks

IEEE 802.16j mobile multi-hop relay (MMR) is an attractive solution for coverage extension and throughput enhancement on IEEE 802.16e networks. IEEE 802.16j MMR requires a method for finding the relay station (RS) route that minimises latency and maximises throughput. In this paper, we propose such a path selection method called optimal path relay association (OPRA). In this method, each RS in the MMR network is capable of finding its optimal path with path metrics which are available link bandwidth, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and hop count. Simulation results show that OPRA achieves performance gains over other path selection methods. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.