Relay selection with transmit precoding design for multiple-input multiple-output amplify-and-forward relay network

By employing the amplify-and-forward relaying strategy, a relay selection method with simplified precoding is proposed for two-hop multi-relay channels. The proposed method consists of two parts. In the first part, the authors present an optimal beamforming scheme with full channel state information (CSI) and derive a simplified and analytic expression for the output SNR through each relay, thereby selecting the best relay. The second part considers the transmiit precoding problem with the CSI known to the receiver only and provide a selection strategy with Grassmannian beamforming. The new algorithm chooses only one relay based on the maximal received SNR to assist in transmission. It can significantly reduce the system consumption, achieve excellent bit-error-rate and average throughput and maintain full diversity order. Simulation results demonstrate that the performance of the proposed schemes with low complexity approaches towards the optimal iteration method. For practical situations with a distance attenuation factor, the performance gain of the authors schemes is also evident. © 2011 The Institution of Engineering and Technology.