Maximum Decoding Clique Based Maximum Weight Vertex Search Algorithm for Buffered Instantly Decodable Network Codes

The traditional instantly decodable network coding (IDNC) schemes discard the non-instantly decodable packets (NIDPs), which results in the loss of useful information. In this letter, we consider a network coding scheme named as buffered instantly decodable network coding (B-IDNC) where each receiving node can cache the NIDPs containing two unreceived packets for subsequent network decoding, and give a decoding algorithm by utilizing the maximum decoding clique. The maximum decoding clique is defined as a subset of vertices in the IDNC graph, which can be decoded together. We approximate the average packet decoding delay minimization problem as the maximum weight encoding clique problem, and a heuristic algorithm named as maximum decoding clique based maximum weight vertex (MDC-MWV) searching algorithm is proposed to solve the approximated problem. Simulation results show that our proposed algorithm can reduce the average packet decoding delay compared with the conventional IDNC schemes.