Optimal Best Path Selection Algorithm for Cluster-Based Multi-Hop MIMO Cooperative Transmission for Vehicular Communications

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) cooperation in cluster-to-cluster communication has shown improved network quality of services by utilizing less transmission power over the fading environment. This is an enhancement from the traditional cluster-based single-input single-output multi-hop relaying used in vehicular communications. In this paper, we deploy multi-hop MIMO clustering relay into vehicular communication for a two-lane road transportation scenario. We deploy precoder and receiver filter in each MIMO link that is characterized by a narrowband classical three-dimensional time-varying channel. With the aid of the precoder and minimum mean square error receiver filtering algorithm in MIMO communication, we derive the end-to-end network signal-to-noise ratio to find the optimal best path using max-min theory with equal power allocation in precoder matrices that minimizes the network mean square error. A low-cost close-optimal best path selection method is also proposed through mathematical modeling. Computer simulation results demonstrate the validity of the theoretical investigations in this work.