Distributed and Layered Codes for Relaying

Wireless networks benefit by letting terminals co-operate and relay data for each other. We study the structures of certain existing random coding methods for relaying, and show how they suggest several ways for combining coding and modulation. In particular, we address the similarity of decode-and-forward strategies and multi-antenna transmission strategies. Coded modulations are designed by using extrinsic information transfer (EXIT) charts, and their performance is simulated. The insight of EXIT charts is further used to simplify receiver algorithms without much loss in performance.