Joint Optimization of Clustering and Scheduling for Machine-to-Machine Communications in Cellular Wireless Networks

Most related work on cluster formation has modeled the cluster structure from a purely graph-theoretic perspective with predefined communication links and data rates among the set of nodes under consideration. Failure to accurately model inter-cluster interference among concurrent transmissions, however, results in sub-optimal performance for supporting M2M communications in cellular networks with limited radio resource and tight interference control. In this paper, we investigate the problem of energy-efficient clustering by jointly considering cluster formation, transmission scheduling, and power control. We specifically take the communication constraint into consideration to ensure the subset of machines scheduled and the transmission powers used allow concurrent, reliable transmissions in the cluster structure. Based on the evaluation for a semi-realistic camera surveillance network, the proposed approach can result in minimum powers for tier-1 and tier-2 transmissions while collecting the required amount of data for M2M applications.