An analysis on decentralized adaptive MAC protocols for Cognitive Radio networks

The scarcity of bandwidth in the radio spectrum has become more vital since the demand for more and more wireless applications has increased. Most of the spectrum bands have been allocated although many studies have shown that these bands are significantly underutilized most of the time. The problem of unavailability of spectrum and inefficiency in its utilization has been smartly addressed by the Cognitive Radio (CR) Technology which is an opportunistic network that senses the environment, observes the network changes, and then using knowledge gained from the prior interaction with the network, makes intelligent decisions by dynamically adapting their transmission characteristics. In this paper some of the decentralized adaptive MAC protocols for CR networks have been critically analyzed and a novel adaptive MAC protocol for CR networks, DNG-MAC which is decentralized and non-global in nature, has been proposed. The results show the DNG-MAC out performs other CR MAC protocols in terms of time and energy efficiency

When Channel Bonding is Beneficial for Opportunistic Spectrum Access Networks

Transmission over multiple frequency bands combined into one logical channel speeds up data transfer for wireless networks. On the other hand, the allocation of multiple channels to a single user decreases the probability of finding a free logical channel for new connections, which may result in a network-wide throughput loss. While this relationship has been studied experimentally, especially in the WLAN configuration, little is known on how to analytically model such phenomena. With the advent of Opportunistic Spectrum Access (OSA) networks, it is even more important to understand the circumstances in which it is beneficial to bond channels occupied by primary users with dynamic duty cycle patterns. In this paper we propose an analytical framework which allows the investigation of the average channel throughput at the medium access control layer for OSA networks with channel bonding enabled. We show that channel bonding is generally beneficial, though the extent of the benefits depend on the features of the OSA network, including OSA network size and the total number of channels available for bonding. In addition, we show that performance benefits can be realized by adaptively changing the number of bonded channels depending on network conditions. Finally, we evaluate channel bonding considering physical layer constraints, i.e. throughput reduction compared to the theoretical throughput of a single virtual channel due to a transmission power limit for any bonding size.Comment: accepted to IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communication

Exploiting programmable architectures for WiFi/ZigBee inter-technology cooperation

The increasing complexity of wireless standards has shown that protocols cannot be designed once for all possible deployments, especially when unpredictable and mutating interference situations are present due to the coexistence of heterogeneous technologies. As such, flexibility and (re)programmability of wireless devices is crucial in the emerging scenarios of technology proliferation and unpredictable interference conditions. In this paper, we focus on the possibility to improve coexistence performance of WiFi and ZigBee networks by exploiting novel programmable architectures of wireless devices able to support run-time modifications of medium access operations. Differently from software-defined radio (SDR) platforms, in which every function is programmed from scratch, our programmable architectures are based on a clear decoupling between elementary commands (hard-coded into the devices) and programmable protocol logic (injected into the devices) according to which the commands execution is scheduled. Our contribution is two-fold: first, we designed and implemented a cross-technology time division multiple access (TDMA) scheme devised to provide a global synchronization signal and allocate alternating channel intervals to WiFi and ZigBee programmable nodes; second, we used the OMF control framework to define an interference detection and adaptation strategy that in principle could work in independent and autonomous networks. Experimental results prove the benefits of the envisioned solution

Design and Optimal Configuration of Full-Duplex MAC Protocol for Cognitive Radio Networks Considering Self-Interference

In this paper, we propose an adaptive Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol for full-duplex (FD) cognitive radio networks in which FD secondary users (SUs) perform channel contention followed by concurrent spectrum sensing and transmission, and transmission only with maximum power in two different stages (called the FD sensing and transmission stages, respectively) in each contention and access cycle. The proposed FD cognitive MAC (FDC-MAC) protocol does not require synchronization among SUs and it efficiently utilizes the spectrum and mitigates the self-interference in the FD transceiver. We then develop a mathematical model to analyze the throughput performance of the FDC-MAC protocol where both half-duplex (HD) transmission (HDTx) and FD transmission (FDTx) modes are considered in the transmission stage. Then, we study the FDC-MAC configuration optimization through adaptively controlling the spectrum sensing duration and transmit power level in the FD sensing stage where we prove that there exists optimal sensing time and transmit power to achieve the maximum throughput and we develop an algorithm to configure the proposed FDC-MAC protocol. Extensive numerical results are presented to illustrate the characteristic of the optimal FDC-MAC configuration and the impacts of protocol parameters and the self-interference cancellation quality on the throughput performance. Moreover, we demonstrate the significant throughput gains of the FDC-MAC protocol with respect to existing half-duplex MAC (HD MAC) and single-stage FD MAC protocols.Comment: To Appear, IEEE Access, 201

Survey of Inter-satellite Communication for Small Satellite Systems: Physical Layer to Network Layer View

Small satellite systems enable whole new class of missions for navigation, communications, remote sensing and scientific research for both civilian and military purposes. As individual spacecraft are limited by the size, mass and power constraints, mass-produced small satellites in large constellations or clusters could be useful in many science missions such as gravity mapping, tracking of forest fires, finding water resources, etc. Constellation of satellites provide improved spatial and temporal resolution of the target. Small satellite constellations contribute innovative applications by replacing a single asset with several very capable spacecraft which opens the door to new applications. With increasing levels of autonomy, there will be a need for remote communication networks to enable communication between spacecraft. These space based networks will need to configure and maintain dynamic routes, manage intermediate nodes, and reconfigure themselves to achieve mission objectives. Hence, inter-satellite communication is a key aspect when satellites fly in formation. In this paper, we present the various researches being conducted in the small satellite community for implementing inter-satellite communications based on the Open System Interconnection (OSI) model. This paper also reviews the various design parameters applicable to the first three layers of the OSI model, i.e., physical, data link and network layer. Based on the survey, we also present a comprehensive list of design parameters useful for achieving inter-satellite communications for multiple small satellite missions. Specific topics include proposed solutions for some of the challenges faced by small satellite systems, enabling operations using a network of small satellites, and some examples of small satellite missions involving formation flying aspects.Comment: 51 pages, 21 Figures, 11 Tables, accepted in IEEE Communications Surveys and Tutorial

Distributed Algorithms for Learning and Cognitive Medium Access with Logarithmic Regret

The problem of distributed learning and channel access is considered in a cognitive network with multiple secondary users. The availability statistics of the channels are initially unknown to the secondary users and are estimated using sensing decisions. There is no explicit information exchange or prior agreement among the secondary users. We propose policies for distributed learning and access which achieve order-optimal cognitive system throughput (number of successful secondary transmissions) under self play, i.e., when implemented at all the secondary users. Equivalently, our policies minimize the regret in distributed learning and access. We first consider the scenario when the number of secondary users is known to the policy, and prove that the total regret is logarithmic in the number of transmission slots. Our distributed learning and access policy achieves order-optimal regret by comparing to an asymptotic lower bound for regret under any uniformly-good learning and access policy. We then consider the case when the number of secondary users is fixed but unknown, and is estimated through feedback. We propose a policy in this scenario whose asymptotic sum regret which grows slightly faster than logarithmic in the number of transmission slots.Comment: Submitted to IEEE JSAC on Advances in Cognitive Radio Networking and Communications, Dec. 2009, Revised May 201