An improved exclusive region scheduling algorithm-based timeslot allocation scheme for mmWave WPANs

This article focuses on improving the system capacity of 60-GHz wireless personal area networks (WPANs) and presents an effective time slot allocation scheme for spatial reuse, which combines the existing exclusive region (ER)-based scheduling algorithm with simple power control. In the study, the concept of ER for concurrent transmissions is introduced first. Considering the large path loss in the millimeter-wave band and the characteristics of typical indoor multipath channels, we generalize the signal propagation model as well as ER radius for 60-GHz WPANs. Then, we propose an improved ER-based scheduling algorithm, which employs power control instead of constant transmitting power. In this algorithm, devices are assumed to receive data at the receiver sensitivity, which refers to the minimum receiving power to ensure the reliability for communications. Implementation feasibility is provided within the current standards framework. Some more practical analysis based on the beamforming codebook specified by of the IEEE 802.15.3c standard is also developed. In addition, the impact of the antenna radiation efficiency and receiver sensitivity is discussed. Computer simulations validate the excellent performance of the proposed scheme, which can significantly improve the channel capacity under different antenna configurations. Copyright (C) 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.