Wireless powered communication networks (WPCNs) utilize the wireless energy transfer (WET) technique to facilitate the wireless information transmission (WIT) of nodes. We propose a two-step iterative algorithm to maximize the sum throughput of the users in a MIMO WPCN with discrete signal inputs. Firstly, the optimal solution of a convex power allocation problem can be found given a fixed time allocation; Secondly, a semi closed form solution for the optimal time allocation is obtained when fixing the power allocation matrix. By optimizing the power allocation and time allocation alternately, the two-step algorithm converges to a local optimal point. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the conventional schemes, which consider only Gaussian inputs.

A relay assignment scheme is proposed in this paper that minimizes the mean delay of transmission for energy harvesting (EH) cooperative communication systems, whose source node and relay nodes are all equipped with energy harvesters. We jointly consider the long-term channel side information (CSI) and energy side information (ESI) of all nodes, and formulate the delay minimization problem as an integer programming problem. To solve this problem, a refined cyclic coordinate method (RCCM) is proposed that considers the cases of fixed-packet-length (FPL) and variable-packet-length (VPL) transmission. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme achieves performance close to that of the real-time relay selection (RRS) scheme with instantaneous CSI and ESI, which gives upper bound of the performance. Moreover, compared with the simple relay rotation (SRR) scheme where each relay has equal service time, the performance of the proposed scheme is significantly improved.

The smart grid is expected to be the next generation electricity grid. It is beneficial for communication systems to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. In this paper, we propose a distributed game theoretical framework for decode-and-forward (DF) cooperative relay networks with smart grid. A relay selection and power allocation strategy based on the buyer-seller game is proposed that processes the statistic channel-state information (CSI) available. The user is modeled as a buyer who selects the optimal relay and determines the optimal amount of power to be bought from the relay by the maximum utility criterion. The relay powered by the smart grid is modeled as a seller who determines the price of the power to achieve the maximum profit with its own cost. The equilibrium conditions of the game between the two sides are analyzed. The simulation results verify the existence of a Nash equilibrium point and illustrate that the proposed strategy may guarantee the utility of the source, the relay and the network and increase the energy efficiency.