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In this paper, we extend the interference channel with degraded message sets model by introducing multiple secondaries. The new model allows for multiple concurrent transmissions in a wireless network by employing dirty paper and superposition coding. We apply the proposed scheme to the communication between nodes in a wireless mesh network (WMN). The cases of different WMN topologies are analyzed, and numerical results show that considerable capacity gains are achieved when using the proposed model with multiple secondaries.

This paper investigates an optimization of the conventional relay selection for multirelay environments. In contrast with previously reported selection schemes, where a selected relay accesses the channel in a dedicated cooperative slot, the proposed scheme recovers the bandwidth loss of the half-duplex constraint by allowing two relays to simultaneously access the channels. Based on an appropriate dirty-paper coding (DPC) technique among relays, the proposed scheme enables a relay to establish communication with the destination at the same time that another relay forwards the data from the source. It is proven that the interplay between relay selection and the superposition DPC weight factor provides a tradeoff between relaying and new data performance. Hence, an appropriate codesign of the superposition DPC parameter and opportunistic relay selection can achieve efficient communication for the new data without affecting the relaying performance. The proposed scheme is compared with conventional relaying approaches, and its enhancements are provided through theoretical studies and numerical results.

Multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) systems are of interest for meeting the expected demand for higher data rates and lower delays in future wireless packet data systems. In such systems, it is optimal to simultaneously transmit to multiple users compared with a single user in a single-input-single-output system. In addition, multicarrier systems are of interest to combat frequency-selective fading that is experienced over the larger bandwidth that these future broadband systems will use. The use of dirty paper coding further complicates the matter, because the order in which the users are encoded will affect the rates that they can achieve. A well-designed cross-layer scheduling algorithm must take into account the multiple dimensions of this resource-allocation problem and other quality-of-service (QoS) parameters to fully exploit the communications channel. The scheduling problem is often expressed in terms of optimizing some utility function. Unfortunately, the search space for this optimization problem is extremely large, which prohibits an optimal exhaustive search. To this end, we investigate the use of genetic algorithms to reduce the complexity of the scheduling. This paper builds upon prior work that implements scheduling via genetic algorithms in the context of single-carrier systems using zero-forcing beamforming (ZFB). In this paper, we investigate how the genetic algorithm can be adapted to account for the effect of encoding order on the scheduling and how the scheduling can be extended to a multicarrier system. In particular, we investigate the maximum throughput and proportionally fair scheduling criteria. We demonstrate that the performance of the genetic algorithm is near optimal compared with an exhaustive search at a greatly reduced computational complexity. Furthermore, in the case of a multicarrier orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) system, an increase in capacity is shown relative to the single-carrier case.

This paper investigates distributed MIMO precoding design to maximize the weighted sum rate in a heterogeneous network where the multiple input multiple output full-duplex (MIMO-FD) small cells reuse the downlink spectrum of the macro base-station (BS) to exchange backhaul information. The multi-antenna BS transmits signals to the cellular users using the dirty paper coding technique and the MIMO-FD small cells apply FD precoding structures to effectively balance the received signal, the self-interference (SI), and the co-channel interference (CCI). Since the optimization problem is shown to be nonconvex, obtaining the global optimum is challenging. A low-complexity solution with distributed implementation is introduced with proved convergence. By applying the successive convex approximation technique and the duality between the broadcast channel and the multiple access channel, the original nonconvex problem is decomposed into a sequence of convex subproblems, which can be solved analytically and separately at each small cell and macro BS with limited channel state information exchange. Simulation results confirm the convergence and demonstrate the benefits of the introduced algorithm. It is shown that the SI and CCI can be suppressed effectively with sufficient cancellation power and number of transmit antennas at the FD small cells.

In rollover prevention systems, a real-time lateral load transfer ratio (LTR) is typically computed to predict the likelihood of a vehicle to rollover and, hence, initiate rollover prevention measures. A traditional LTR largely relies on a lateral accelerometer signal to calculate rollover propensity. A new predictive LTR (PLTR) is developed in this paper, which utilizes a driver's steering input and several other sensor signals available from the vehicle's electronic stability control system. The new PLTR index can provide a time-advanced measure of rollover propensity and, therefore, offers significant benefits for closed-loop rollover prevention. Simulation results are presented using the industry-standard software CarSim to demonstrate the benefits of the new PLTR index. Experimental results of open-loop comparisons between LTR and PLTR indexes are presented, followed by experimental results on the closed-loop implementation of a PLTR-based rollover prevention system. The results in this paper document how a predictive rollover index can be developed and the advantages of such a system in rollover prevention.

This paper discusses interference precancellation in digital hierarchical broadcasting (HB). In particular, we present the principles and implementation of structured dirty paper coding (SDPC) that approaches the capacity limit of dirty paper coding in multilayer broadcasting. As an alternative to Tomlinson-Harashima precoding (THP), SDPC eliminates the significant performance loss suffered by THP in the low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regime due to the modulo operation. The key idea behind the SDPC scheme is the exploitation of the modulation structure of interference, thereby simplifying the demodulation process in hierarchical reception. We exemplify the SDPC technique by implementing an SDPC-based HB system on a real-time test bed. The experimental results show that SDPC delivers the performance of ldquosuperposition coding with successive interference cancellationrdquo without extra computation or memory requirements at the receiver side.

In this paper, we investigate the uplink transmission performance of low-power wide-area (LPWA) networks with regards to coexisting radio modules. We adopt long range (LoRa) radio technique as an example of the network of focus even though our analysis can be easily extended to other situations. We exploit a new topology to model the network, where the node locations of LoRa follow a Poisson cluster process (PCP) while other coexisting radio modules follow a Poisson point process (PPP). Unlike most of the performance analysis based on stochastic geometry, we take noise into consideration. More specifically, two models, with a fixed and a random number of active LoRa nodes in each cluster, respectively, are considered. To obtain insights, both the exact and simple approximated expressions for coverage probability are derived. Based on them, area spectral efficiency and energy efficiency are obtained. From our analysis, we show how the performance of LPWA networks can be enhanced through adjusting the density of LoRa nodes around each LoRa receiver. Moreover, the simulation results unveil that the optimal number of active LoRa nodes in each cluster exists to maximize the area spectral efficiency., Comment: This paper has been accepted by IEEE Trans. Vehicular Technology (TVT)

Most applications of underwater acoustic sensor networks (UASNs) rely upon reliable location information of sensor nodes. However, the harsh underwater environment makes localization more challenging as compared to terrestrial sensor networks. This paper is concerned with a localization issue for UASNs, subject to clock asynchronization and node mobility. A hybrid architecture including autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), active and passive sensor nodes is designed, where AUVs act as anchor nodes to provide localization information for sensor nodes. In order to eliminate the effect of asynchronous clocks and compensate the mobility of sensor nodes, an asynchronous localization algorithm with mobility prediction is provided for active and passive sensor nodes. Then, two localization optimization problems are formulated as minimizing the sum of all measurement errors. To solve the localization optimization problems, iterative least squares estimators are designed. In addition, the convergence analysis and Crame r–Rao lower bound for the localization errors are also provided. Finally, simulation results show that the proposed localization approach can reduce the localization time by comparing with the exhaustive search-based localization method. Meanwhile, the asynchronous algorithm in this paper can effectively eliminate the impact of the clock asynchronization and node mobility.

In electric and hybrid electric vehicles, series-connected battery packs are commonly used. Should the state-of-health (SOH) of one or several individual cells deteriorate, the entire battery pack is affected, reducing battery pack capacity, which in turn reduces the maximum distance able to be driven. In order to predict the SOH of the individual battery cells, this paper introduces the concept of effective battery capacitance. Effective capacitance is defined as the local slope of the voltage versus charge curve derived from a third-order polynomial relationship between these parameters. The location of maximum effective capacitance can be used as a means of identifying end-of-life and/or catastrophic failure of battery modules. Four different Toyota Prius battery packs were used in establishing this method in the proof of concept work. This paper presents a linear relationship between maximum effective capacitance and SOH; this relationship is confirmed with a larger dataset.

This paper proposes the use of an adaptive control of a hybrid electric vehicle with dual clutch transmission (HDCT). First, this paper shows mathematical equations for the nonlinear system. Then it presents the linearized model for the proposed system. The control objective of the model reference adaptive controller (MRAC) considered in this paper is to minimize fuel consumption and reduce torque interruption in a hybrid electric vehicle. The MRAC can be used to control the electric motor during changes in speed and gear, and the system can adapt to a model that simulates different driver patterns. The effects of using different model responses as input combinations are analyzed in an effort to exploit the over-actuation feature of the system, as is the sensitivity of the performance to various design factors. The simulation results for an HDCT demonstrate that the MRAC achieves reduced torque interruption and less vehicle jerk compared to the conventional method of operation.

Increasing safety and automation in transportation systems has led to the proliferation of radar and IEEE 802.11pbased dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) in vehicles. However, current implementations of vehicular radar devices are expensive, use a substantial amount of bandwidth, and are susceptible to multiple security risks. In this paper, we use the IEEE 802.11 orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing communications waveform, as found in IEEE 802.11a/g/p, to perform radar functions. In this paper, we present an approach that determines the mean-normalized channel energy from frequencydomain channel estimates and models it as a direct sinusoidal function of target range, enabling closest target range estimation. In addition, we propose an alternative to vehicular forward collision detection by extending IEEE 802.11 DSRC and WiFi technology to radar, extending the foundation ofjoint communications and radar frameworks. Furthermore, we perform an experimental demonstration near DSRC spectrum using IEEE 802.11 standard compliant software defined radios with potentially minimal modification through algorithm processing on frequency-domain channel estimates. The results of this paper show that our solution delivers sufficient accuracy and reliability for vehicular RADAR if we use the largest bandwidth available to IEEE 802.11p (20 MHz). This indicates significant potential for industrial devices with joint vehicular communications and radar capabilities.

Using a special type of sliding mode controller, a new type of traction control system (TCS) for hybrid four-wheel drive vehicles is developed. This paper makes two major contributions. First, a new electric powertrain architecture with an in-wheel motor at the front wheels and a clutch on the rear of the transmission is proposed for maximum traction force. The in-wheel motors are controlled to cycle near the optimal slip point. Based on the cycling patterns of the front wheels, the desired wheel speed for rear wheel is defined. The rear wheels are controlled to track this defined speed by controlling the clutch torque. Unlike conventional TCS algorithms, the proposed method exploits clutch control instead of brake control. Second, a special type of sliding mode controller which uses a nonlinear characteristic of the tire is proposed. An important distinction between the proposed sliding mode control method and other conventional feedback controllers is that the former does not depend on feedback error but provides the same functionality. Therefore, the practical aspects are emphasized in this paper. The developed method is confirmed in simulations, and the results reveal that the proposed method opens up opportunities for new types of TCS.

The papers in this special section focus on electric power trains, with particular emphasis on state-of-the-art research and development and new design concepts. These papers were presented at the IEEE Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference (VPPC) that was held in Hangzhou, China, in October 2016.

This paper focuses on the secure transmission of wireless-powered full-duplex (FD) relay systems, where a multiantenna source communicates with a single-antenna destination with the help of a FD relay in the presence of a single-antenna eavesdropper. It is assumed that the FD relay is wireless energy harvesting-enabled, adopting both transmit and receive antennas to harvest energy in a time switching (TS) mode. As the objective of this paper is to maximize the system secrecy rate through jointly designing the energy beamforming vector, the information beamforming vector and the TS coefficient, an optimization problem is formulated. The formulated problem is proved to be nonconvex and the challenge to solve which is to concurrently solve out the three variables. To cope with this difficulty, an iterative algorithm is proposed to convert the formulated optimization problem into three convex subproblems, based on which the closed form solutions for the beamforming vectors are derived and the TS coefficient is obtained. Convergence property of the iterative method is analyzed. Simulations are also done to verify the theoretical derivations in terms of the convergence speed and the secrecy rate. Results reveal that the secrecy rate performance of exploiting transmit antenna together with receive antenna for energy harvesting at the FD relay outperforms only receive antenna case. Moreover, although there exists loopback interference between antennas, the FD relaying can always substantially boost the secrecy rate compared with half-duplex relaying architecture.

With the emergence of in-vehicle applications, providing the required computational capabilities is becoming a crucial problem. This paper proposes a framework named autonomous vehicular edge (AVE) for edge computing on the road, with the aim of increasing the computational capabilities of vehicles in a decentralized manner. By managing the idle computational resources on vehicles and using them efficiently, the proposed AVE framework can provide computation services in dynamic vehicular environments without requiring particular infrastructures to be deployed. Specifically, this paper introduces a workflow to support the autonomous organization of vehicular edges. Efficient job caching is proposed to better schedule jobs based on the information collected on neighboring vehicles, including GPS information. A scheduling algorithm based on ant colony optimization is designed to solve this job assignment problem. Extensive simulations are conducted, and the simulation results demonstrate the superiority of this approach over competing schemes in typical urban and highway scenarios.

As the conventional spatial modulation (SM) system lacks an efficient downlink multiple access scheme, this paper proposes a novel downlink nonorthogonal multiple access aided multiple-input multiple-output SM system with finite alphabet inputs. Mutual information (MI) is used to characterize the system's achievable spectral efficiency (SE). Because the MI lacks a closed-form formulation, in this paper we propose a computational-efficient lower bound to provide an approximation to the simulated MI. Besides, preprocessing is also designed at the receiver to mitigate the detrimental effect of channel correlation, which leads to striking a higher SE performance. Simulation results not only confirm the accuracy of our SE analysis, but also substantiate the superior SE performance achieved by the proposed preprocessing.

Both caching and interference alignment (IA) are promising techniques for next-generation wireless networks. Nevertheless, most of the existing works on cache-enabled IA wireless networks assume that the channel is invariant, which is unrealistic considering the time-varying nature of practical wireless environments. In this paper, we consider realistic time-varying channels. Specifically, the channel is formulated as a finite-state Markov channel (FSMC). The complexity of the system is very high when we consider realistic FSMC models. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a novel deep reinforcement learning approach, which is an advanced reinforcement learning algorithm that uses a deep $Q$ network to approximate the $Q$ value-action function. We use Google TensorFlow to implement deep reinforcement learning in this paper to obtain the optimal IA user selection policy in cache-enabled opportunistic IA wireless networks. Simulation results are presented to show that the performance of cache-enabled opportunistic IA networks in terms of the network's sum rate and energy efficiency can be significantly improved by using the proposed approach.

This paper investigates the energy consumption of distributed large-scale MIMO systems made up of a set of remote radio heads (RRHs), each of which is powered by both an independent energy harvesting source and the grid. The grid energy source allows to compensate for the randomness and intermittency of the harvested energy. Hence, the problem of grid power consumption minimization has to be solved by efficiently managing the energy delivered from different sources while satisfying the system requirements in terms of users’ quality of service demands. First, this paper solves the optimal offline version of the problem using linear programming. In fact, the main problem is decomposed and heuristically solved in order to deal with the large number of constraints and variables. Since sometimes all the users cannot be served, an iterative link removal algorithm is devised ensuring the feasibility of the problem. Next, we investigate the online energy management problem. We first propose a dynamic programming approach to obtain the optimal online solution but with high complexity. Then, we develop and propose a low complexity heuristic solution based on using the maximal available energy at the batteries. Taking benefits of the characteristics of large-scale MIMO and the modeling of the harvested energy as Markov chains, we devise an efficient online energy management algorithm based on energy prediction. Finally, we propose a heuristic solution for RRH on/off operation with the objective of improving the system energy efficiency. The performance of the proposed algorithms is evaluated by simulations and it is shown that the proposed energy management approaches offer efficient use of nonrenewable energy to compensate the variability of renewable energy in large-scale MIMO systems.

Existing research on a simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) system is based on the assumption of Gaussian inputs. However, the optimal design on Gaussian inputs may lead to dramatic performance loss for practical systems with finite-alphabet inputs. This paper focuses on the precoder design for a SWIPT system with finite-alphabet inputs and instantaneous channel state information over a multiple-input multiple-output channel. We formulate the optimal precoder design as an optimization problem, in which the objective is to maximize the mutual information over the channel from the transmitter to the information receiver under the constraints of transmit power and harvested energy threshold. The formulated problem is NP-hard, so a global optimal solution cannot be found within the polynomial time. The main contributions of this paper are as follows: 1) By using its structure, the NP-hard problem is relaxed to a semidefinite programming problem. Then, a general solving framework for both co-located and separated receiver cases, based on the semidefinite relaxation (SDR) technique, is developed to achieve a near optimal precoder. 2) For the case of co-located receivers, we show that the optimal precoder design is a concave problem with respect to power allocation; then, a specific algorithm for co-located receivers is proposed. Compared with the general SDR-based method, the specific algorithm for co-located receivers exhibits almost the same performance but much lower complexity. 3) The performance of several practical co-located receiver designs is analyzed in SWIPT systems with finite-alphabet inputs. Finally, we provide simulation results to show the efficacy of the proposed algorithms.

The series–parallel powertrains for high-power vehicles have complex architectures. They generally require multiple planetary gear trains with several clutches. The maintenance and durability of the clutches are nonetheless not relevant for on-board implementation. In this paper, a new architecture with a Ravigneaux gear train without clutches is proposed. The complexity of the architecture is then reduced. The objective of this paper is to illustrate the benefits of such a powertrain in terms of energy savings in comparison to a conventional truck. Due to the mechanical constraints of the gear train, the control scheme of the vehicle is complex to design. A functional description, the Energetic Macroscopic Representation, is then used to organize the control scheme. Simulation results, with a rules-based energy management strategy, show a reduction of the fuel consumption from 6% to 19% depending on the driving cycles. To prove the use of a Ravigneaux gear train as a power split device, the basic operating modes are validated in the open-loop control on a test bed.

This paper deals with the secure communication issues of wireless cooperative networks in the presence of multiple friendly but selfish intermediate nodes. On account of the broadcast nature of wireless communications, it is assailable to malicious eavesdropping. To tackle this challenge in the paper, we present a relay and jammer selection strategy that selects the jammer and relay nodes from intermediate nodes to improve the security of the eavesdropping attacks. The jammer is used to broadcast artificial interference noise on the eavesdropper. The relay acts as a traditional relay that retransmits source signal from the source to the intended destination. For achieving the maximum secrecy capacity by the selected nodes, we introduce a power allocation approach of intermediate nodes that is formulated as a Bertrand game based on price competition. We prove that an optimal pricing scheme can maximize the secrecy capacity and achieve the optimal profits for the selfish friendly nodes. Then, a new particle swarm with simulated anneal optimization algorithm is employed to obtain the solution of pricing and node selection. Finally, the simulation results verify our theoretical analysis.

This paper presents an application of dynamically driven recurrent networks (DDRNs) in online electric vehicle (EV) battery analysis. In this paper, a nonlinear autoregressive with exogenous inputs (NARX) architecture of the DDRN is designed for both state of charge (SOC) and state of health (SOH) estimation. Unlike other techniques, this estimation strategy is subject to the global feedback theorem (GFT) which increases both computational intelligence and robustness while maintaining reasonable simplicity. The proposed technique requires no model or knowledge of battery's internal parameters, but rather uses the battery's voltage, charge/discharge currents, and ambient temperature variations to accurately estimate battery's SOC and SOH simultaneously. The presented method is evaluated experimentally using two different batteries namely lithium iron phosphate ( $\text{LiFePO}_4$ ) and lithium titanate ( $\text{LTO}$ ) both subject to dynamic charge and discharge current profiles and change in ambient temperature. Results highlight the robustness of this method to battery's nonlinear dynamic nature, hysteresis, aging, dynamic current profile, and parametric uncertainties. The simplicity and robustness of this method make it suitable and effective for EVs’ battery management system (BMS).

Applications of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are expected to expand dramatically in the coming decades. In order to provide safe and reliable links for UAS, NASA Glenn Research Center sponsored a measurement campaign in 2013 to characterize air-ground (AG) channels. In the first three of our AG channel characterization series papers, path loss, small scale fading, stationarity distance, root mean square (RMS) delay spread, spatial correlations, and tapped delay line models were presented for a range of ground site environment. In this paper, we expand the results to a unique and little-studied characteristic of the AG channels—airframe shadowing—for a medium-sized aircraft. Airframe shadowing occurs when the line-of-sight signal is obstructed by the airplane itself in some specific maneuvers. Based on over 200 aircraft wing/engine shadowing events in both C-band (5060 MHz) and L-band (968 MHz) collected in the measurement campaign, shadowing depth, duration, multiple antenna diversity gain, and small scale fading results and their statistics are reported. Algorithms are proposed to simulate a random shadowing event based upon shadowing depth and duration cumulative density functions. Airframe shadowing characteristics are independent of the local ground site conditions and link distance. The shadowing loss is modeled as a function of aircraft roll angle, but shadowing loss and duration are essentially uncorrelated. The maximum shadowing loss measured was over 35 dB and the duration was up to 74 s. As expected, deployment of multiple aircraft antennas is shown helpful to mitigate this shadowing.

Diversity is used to combat fading and shadowing in narrowband spectrum sensing. In this paper, we propose two new detection algorithms for wideband spectrum sensing that use square law combining (SLC) diversity to improve the detection performance. We analyze the performance of these algorithms under Nakagami fading. The proposed schemes include channel by channel square law combining (CC-SLC) and ranked square law combining (R-SLC). We first provide the asymptotic analysis for decision statistic of received energy to simplify the analysis. The approximated probability density function (pdf) to decision statistic is used to derive the pdf of received energy for $P$ number of diversity branches. The performance of the proposed algorithms is measured in terms of probability of insufficient spectrum opportunity ( $P_{\text{ISO}}$ ) and probability of excessive interference opportunity ( $P_{\text{EIO}}$ ). The analysis provided in this paper is general and can be used with any fading model and diversity scheme. Experiments are carried out using theoretical analysis and also verified by using Monte-Carlo simulation. Our analysis shows that the proposed algorithms using diversity outperform the channel by channel and ranked channel detection algorithms used under no diversity. Our results also indicate that among the proposed detection algorithms R-SLC performs better.

In electric vehicles (EVs), the source of noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) involves various components inside/outside of the vehicle. Besides the vibration from each NVH source, the resonances between multiple sources contribute even more significant vibrations. This paper proposes a generalized real-time suppression strategy to mitigate the coupling vibration during vehicle idling and cruising. Using a high-performance field-oriented-controlled electric motor drive, a relatively small amount of rotation velocity offset can be added to the traction motor to significantly reduce the resonant vibration with negligible impact to vehicular speed. In this paper, torsional and bending coupling vibrations between traction motor and driveline are investigated because these two are the most common forced vibrations due to resonances. The system is simulated using MATLAB/Simulink, and the results of the vibration suppression are presented. The strategy proposed in this paper presents a simple and robust way to suppress the coupling vibration in EVs with no additional hardware requirement.