Broadcast diamond channel: Transmission strategies and bounds

Abstract

This paper proposes a new multiuser communication model in which a source with broadcast capabilities wants to transmit two different messages to two different destinations in the case that no direct links between the source and its destinations. In this channel model, two parallel half-duplex relays are used to extend the transmission. For this communication model, an outer bound to the achievable capacity is initially derived. Then, two distinctive transmission schemes are characterized such that the source can transmit to the two destinations. In each scheme, the transmission is split into two phases. Specifically, in the first phase, the source can broadcast different messages to the two relays. Then, in the second phase, the two relays can forward the source’s signals into their destinations. Based on the transmission on each scheme, the achievable rate region is characterized. Further, we derive the optimal duration of each phase. The theoretical analyses are followed by many numerical examples that compare between the different transmission techniques and also show the points at which the capacity is achieved.