A reinforcement learning approach to age of information in multi-user networks with HARQ
File(s)CGG_JSAC21.pdf (2.97 MB)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Ceran, Elif
Gunduz, Deniz
Gyorgy, Andras
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Scheduling the transmission of time-sensitive information from a source node to multiple users over error-prone communication channels is studied with the goal of minimizing the long-term average age of information (AoI) at the users. A long-term average resource constraint is imposed on the source, which limits the average number of transmissions. The source can transmit only to a single user at each time slot, and after each transmission, it receives an instantaneous ACK/NACK feedback from the intended receiver, and decides when and to which user to transmit the next update. Assuming the channel statistics are known, the optimal scheduling policy is studied for both the standard automatic repeat request (ARQ) and hybrid ARQ (HARQ) protocols. Then, a reinforcement learning (RL) approach is introduced to find a near-optimal policy, which does not assume any a priori information on the random processes governing the channel states. Different RL methods including average-cost SARSA with linear function approximation (LFA), upper confidence reinforcement learning (UCRL2), and deep Q-network (DQN) are applied and compared through numerical simulations.
Date Issued
2021-05-01
Date Acceptance
2021-02-13
Citation
IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications, 2021, 39 (5), pp.1412-1426
ISSN
0733-8716
Publisher
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Start Page
1412
End Page
1426
Journal / Book Title
IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications
Volume
39
Issue
5
Copyright Statement
© 2021 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.
Sponsor
Commission of the European Communities
Engineering & Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC)
Grant Number
677854
EP/T023600/1
Subjects
0805 Distributed Computing
0906 Electrical and Electronic Engineering
1005 Communications Technologies
Networking & Telecommunications
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2021-03-11