Minimum-Latency Scheduling For Partial-Information Multiple Access Schemes

Partial-information multiple access (PIMA) is an orthogonal multiple access (OMA) uplink scheme where time is divided into frames, each composed of two parts. The first part is used to count the number of users with packets to transmit, while the second has a variable number of allocated slots, each assigned to multiple users to uplink data transmission. We investigate the case of correlated user activations, wherein the correlation is due to the retransmissions of the collided packets, modeling PIMA as a partially observable-Markov decision process. The assignment of users to slots is optimized based on the knowledge of both the number of active users and past successful transmissions and collisions. The scheduling turns out to be a mixed integer nonlinear programming problem, with a complexity exponentially growing with the number of users. Thus, sub-optimal greedy solutions are proposed and evaluated. Our solutions show substantial performance improvements with respect to both traditional OMA schemes and conventional PIMA.

Semi-Grant-Free Orthogonal Multiple Access with Partial-Information for Short Packet Transmissions

Next-generation internet-of-things (IoT) networks require extremely low latency, complexity, and collision probability. We introduce the novel partial-information multiple access (PIMA) scheme, a semi-grant-free (GF) coordinated random access (RA) protocol for short packet transmission, with the aim of reducing the latency and packet loss of traditional multiple access schemes, as well as more recent preamble-based schemes. With PIMA, the base station (BS) acquires partial information on instantaneous traffic conditions in the partial information acquisition (PIA) sub-frame, estimating the number of active devices, i.e., having packets waiting for transmission in their queue. Based on this estimate, the BS chooses both the total number of slots to be allocated in the data transmission (DT) sub-frame and the respective user-to-slot assignment. Although collisions may still occur due to multiple users assigned to the same slot, they are drastically reduced with respect to the slotted ALOHA (SALOHA) scheme, while achieving lower latency than both time-division multiple-access (TDMA) and preamble-based protocols, due to the extremely reduced overhead of the PIA sub-frame. Finally, we analyze and assess the performance of PIMA under various activation statistics, proving the robustness of the proposed solution to the intensity of traffic, also with burst traffic.

Partial-Information Multiple Access Protocol for Orthogonal Transmissions

With the stringent requirements introduced by the new sixth-generation (6G) internet-of-things (IoT) use cases, traditional approaches to multiple access control have started to show their limitations. A new wave of grant-free (GF) approaches have been therefore proposed as a viable alternative. However, a definitive solution is still to be accomplished. In our work, we propose a new semi-GF coordinated random access (RA) protocol, denoted as partial-information multiple access (PIMA), to reduce packet loss and latency, particularly in the presence of sporadic activations. We consider a machine-type communications (MTC) scenario, wherein devices need to transmit data packets in the uplink to a base station (BS). When using PIMA, the BS can acquire partial information on the instantaneous traffic conditions and, using compute-over-the-air techniques, estimate the number of devices with packets waiting for transmission in their queue. Based on this knowledge, the BS assigns to each device a single slot for transmission. However, since each slot may still be assigned to multiple users, collisions may occur. Both the total number of allocated slots and the user assignments are optimized, based on the estimated number of active users, to reduce collisions and improve the efficiency of the multiple access scheme. To prove the validity of our solution, we compare PIMA to time-division multiple-access (TDMA) and slotted ALOHA (SALOHA) schemes, the ideal solutions for orthogonal multiple access (OMA) in the time domain in the case of low and high traffic conditions, respectively. We show that PIMA is able not only to adapt to different traffic conditions and to provide fewer packet drops regardless of the intensity of packet generations, but also able to merge the advantages of both TDMA and SALOHA schemes, thus providing performance improvements in terms of packet loss probability and latency.