Multi-hop routing and scheduling in wireless networks subject to SINR constraints

We study the problem of determining the minimum-length schedule that satisfies a given end-to-end traffic demand in a Spatial-TDMA (STDMA) based multihop wireless network. We present a cross-layer formulation of the problem by incorporating various power and rate adaptation schemes, while seamlessly integrating the generation of multiple active sets of links, or matchings, and taking into consideration the signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio (SINR) constraints at the receivers. For the formulated problem, we propose a column generation-based solution method, and show that it can converge to a globally optimal solution, with a potential advantage of not having to enumerate all the feasible matchings a priori. We also discuss the influence of power control, spatial reuse, and variable transmission rates on network performance.