Approximation for the ML detector in decode and forward relay networks and the effect of channel estimation error
Mohammad Neinavaie, Alireza Zolghadrasli, Mostafa Derakhtian · IET Communications · 2018
The cooperative maximum ratio combiner (C‐MRC) is able to collect the maximum available diversity in decode and forward (DF) relay networks, and is simple to be implemented relative to the maximum likelihood (ML) detector. In this study, the authors provide some approximations for the ML detector, and they prove that the well‐known C‐MRC detector which was considered to be an intuitive method is, indeed, a linear approximation for the ML detector in DF relay networks. They also study the performance of the approximated ML detector in the presence of channel estimation error. This study determines the sensitivity of the diversity gain achieved by the approximated ML detector to the channel estimation error. Simulation results are also presented to corroborate the derived analytical results.