Game Theory-Based Channel Allocation in Cognitive Radio Networks

Delay issue is a challenge in multi-hop cognitive radio networking because of the dynamic change of channels available to the cognitive radio nodes. To address this challenge, we propose a channel allocation and rate allocation scheme with low complexity in this paper. Our scheme is flexible so that it can react to the dynamic change of channel availability, and it can minimize the delay by considering the primary user activities. First, we model the primary users' activity, channel availability and the interference among the cognitive radio nodes in a cognitive radio network environment, and show how to implement a channel allocation algorithm and a rate allocation scheme in multi-hop cognitive radio networks. Second, we formulate an optimization problem to minimize the end-to-end delay of the network. We consider the channel availability constraint and the primary user activities jointly, and analyze the end-to-end delay in multi-hop cognitive radio networks. In order to reduce the computing complexity, we propose a graph coloring based channel allocation and rate selection algorithm using gradient descent method. Furthermore, we show the performance of our schemes and compare them with existing schemes for different scenarios of channel availability and number of channels through simulations. Our work brings insights on how to make rate selection and channel allocation in multi-hop cognitive radio networks.

This paper considers a cognitive radio (CR) network comprising one cognitive base station (CBS) and a number of secondary users (SUs) that shares a set of channels with a primary network. Both uplink and downlink scenarios are considered in the CR network. The objective is to maximize the throughput of the CR network while protecting the primary transmission and maintaining fairness among the SUs. To fairly allocating resources among the SUs, minimum/maximum number of channels constraint of the SU is introduced to flexibly distribute available channels between the SUs. For both uplink and downlink scenarios, we propose a joint channel allocation and power control scheme. Additionally, a low-complexity two-phase channel allocation and power control scheme is also proposed in the downlink scenario. Simulation results are obtained to validate the performance of the proposed schemes. It is shown that the proposed schemes offer flexibility and controllability in fairly allocating channels to the SUs and yet achieve high throughput. Furthermore, it is shown that the performance gap between the joint scheme and the two-phase scheme is negligible.

With the rapid development of wireless services and applications, the currently radio spectrum is becoming more crowded. How to accommodate more wireless services and applications within the limited radio spectrum becomes a big challenge faced by modern society. Cognitive radio (CR) is proposed as a promising technology to tackle this challenge by introducing secondary users (SUs) to opportunistically or concurrently access the spectrum allocated to primary users (PUs). Currently, there are two prevalent CR models: the spectrum sharing model and the opportunistic spectrum access model. In the spectrum sharing model, the SUs are allowed to coexist with the PUs as long as the interferences from SUs do not degrade the quality of service (QoS) of PUs to an unacceptable level. In the opportunistic spectrum access model, SUs are allowed to access the spectrum only if the PUs are detected to be inactive. These two models known as underlay and overlay schemes, respectively. This thesis studies a number of topics in CR networks under the framework of these two schemes. First, studied cognitive radio transmissions under QoS delay constraints. Initially, we focused on the concept: effective capacity for cognitive radio channels in order to identify the performance in the presence of QoS constraints. Both underlay and overlay schemes are studied taking into consideration the activity of primary users, and assuming the general case of channel fading as Gamma distribution. For this setting, we further proposed a selection criterion by which the cognitive radio network can choose the adequate mode of operation. Then, we studied the cognitive radio transmissions focusing on Rayleigh fading channel and assumed that no prior channel knowledge is available at the transmitter and the receiver. We investigated the performance of pilot-assisted transmission strategies. In particular, we analyzed the channel estimation using minimum mean-square-error (MMSE) estimation, and analyzed efficient resource allocation strategies. In both cases, power allocations and effective capacity optimization were obtained. Effective capacity and interference constraint were analyzed in both single-band and multi-band spectrum sensing settings. Finally, we studied optimal access probabilities for cognitive radio network using Markov model to achieve maximum throughput for both CR schemes.

In cognitive radio networks, secondary users need to access the licensed spectrum while neither disturbing the transmissions of the primary users nor introducing much interference to other secondary users. Hence, proper power controlling is of paramount importance to ensure efficient system operation. The previous work on power control in cognitive networks mainly focuses on the interactions among a set of secondary users. The primary users' influence is rarely considered. In this paper, a new power control game model is formulated, by including the primary users into the player set of the game. The primary users are rewarded for sharing their licensed spectrum with secondary users by setting a reasonable interference cap for the secondary transmissions. However, we ensure a minimum required Quality of Service (QoS) for primary users by severely penalizing their utility if their required transmission quality is not met. Simultaneously, the secondary users achieve energy efficient transmissions while not introducing much interference to both the primary and other secondary users. We prove that the proposed cognitive power control game has a unique Nash equilibrium (NE). The numerical examples show that the proposed game theoretical power control algorithm can provide the secondary users with energy efficient transmissions and the primary users with reasonable monetary rewards, while not compromising their required QoS.

In this paper, we study the problem of jointing power and rate optimization in multi-channel Heterogeneous Cognitive Radio Networks (H-CRNs), where the Leader-Follower relationship between Primary Users (PUs) in macrocells and Secondary Users (SUs) in femtocells is modeled as a Stackelberg game. We formulate the problem of power allocation in primary networks as a Non-Cooperative Game, while formulating the jointing power and rate optimization in cognitive networks as a Market Competition Equilibrium problem. Furthermore, we propose a Primary networks and Cognitive networks Joint Resource Allocation (PCJRA) algorithm to maximize the utilities of SUs subject to the maximum rate requirements for PUs. Theoretical analysis and simulation results demonstrate both the feasibility of the multi-channel H-CRNs model and the effectiveness of the proposed PCJRA algorithm.

Spectrum sensing ranks amongst cognitive radio's most critical and demanding activities. For radio resource networks to use idle licensed bandwidth, secondary users need to identify the primary user's signal precisely. Cognitive radio networks (CRNs) have been proposed to improve the efficiency of spectrum use to meet the increasing demand for wireless bandwidth; they allow channel communication between secondary (unlicensed) and primary (licensed) users without interruption. A secondary user in a CRN must at all times track the presence of a primary user's signal to prevent the primary user (PU) from attempting to intervene whether the statistical variance of the PU data traffic would boost the prediction outcome provided by multiple current teaching algorithms in estimating the PU's average OFF time and the need for the best adaptive learning to predict accurate PU activities. The objective of the work has been modeled to identify the PUs signal. First, the data has been created via quadrature phase shift keying modulation and quadrature amplitude modulation by convolutional neural network (CNN). A dataset with different orthogonal frequency‐division (OFDM) multiple access signals is generated. Then cyclo‐stationary functions are extracted using the accumulation process fast Fourier Transform. This research aims to use glow worm swarm optimization (GWSO) to automatically check for the optimal design of CNNs without any manual work being required. Also, k‐Nearest Neighbors (kNN) replaces Softmax, as it outperforms conventional CNN architectures with noisy signals. A comparison of the proposed classifier with another machine learning classifier, namely support vector machine, Decision tree (DT), clearly shows that SVM and DT are outperformed by the improved convolution neural network‐glow worm swarm optimization (ICNN‐GWSO) classification. Results of simulation show that the improved scheme outperforms conventional spectrum sensing systems, both in fading and non‐fading settings, where efficiency is measured using measures such as chance, the total likelihood of error, and the ability to optimize data transfer possibilities.

Cognitive radio enabled wireless sensor network is capable of reducing the spectrum scarcity problem of the wireless networks. Looking at the scarcity of available bandwidth, and the high growth in the number of communication devices in recent times, cognitive radio technology has proven to be a promising technology for the days to come. The application of Game Theory in cognitive radio networks has been visible in recent research works. However, only limited literature is available in which possibilities of applying the game-theory based approaches for the challenging task of channel assignment in cognitive radio wireless sensor are available in the literature. It is understood that the crux of the solution to the problem of scheming games for allocation of the channel is centered on the selection of the utility function in order to increase the efficiency of the channel allocation algorithm. Accordingly, the study regarding the influence of several utility functions on the performance of the corresponding channel allocation algorithm is important. Such a study enables designers to arrive at the optimal utility function to be used in game-theory based channel allocation algorithms, and the same is explored to the best extent, in this paper. The detailed procedure of allocating channels to all the contending nodes through game-based channel allocation has been discussed in this paper. Moreover, the performance of six different utility functions proposed which can be used for channel allocation using game theory has been evaluated for respective performances through MATLAB-based simulations.

Both the internet-connected devices, i.e. IoT and Cognitive Radio Network (CRN) are considered to be the future technologies for the fifth generation of cellular wireless standards (5G). On the one hand, Internet of Things (IoT) focuses primarily on how to allow general objects to see, hear, and smell their own physical environment and make them connected to share the observations. On the other hand, a CRN is based on a complex spectrum allocation system, and licenced primary users (PUs) or unlicenced secondary users (SUs) are allowed to share the spectrum, provided they do not cause significant interference. The IoTs are meaningless if IoT objects are not equipped with cognitive radio capability. In cognitive radio, it is important to control the transmission power of SUs so that the interference should not be harmful to the quality of service of PUs. In this paper, the authors addressed the effects of imperfect power control between primary users (PUs) and the secondary users (SUs) of an IoT-based CRN. The effect of the co-channel interference (CCI) and adjacent channel interferences (ACIs) occurring in CRN using MC-CDMA system is also analysed. A new expression of the signal-to-interference-noise ratio (SINR) for CRN-based MC-CDMA system over a Nakagami-[Formula: see text] fading channel with imperfect power control condition is derived and investigated. The performance of IoT-based CRN using MC-CDMA system over the frequency selective multipath fading channel is examined with varying the number of users, the SINR per bit, number of fading path and number of sub-carriers. From the simulation results, we have seen that the SINR performance is affected by these parameters. The result of the analysis will provide relevant information to design the physical layer protocol for high-speed IoT-based CRN system for 5G.

Cognitive radio is a promising technology for sharing the underutilized frequency bands that have been licensed to primary users. However, due to the uncertainty in detecting the existence of the primary user, the secondary user may interfere with the primary users when both primary and secondary users are active simultaneously. Therefore, understanding the interference and its consequences on the cognitive network is critical. Unlike the statistical models previously reported in the literature that aim at approximation of the interference, based on the solid mathematical analysis, we propose an accurate model for describing the co-channel interference with probability density function, cumulative distribution function, mean, and variance of the interference suffered by the primary users. The proposed model not only takes into account a number of factors, such as the spectrum-sensing scheme, the spatial distribution of secondary users, and the channel conditions, including shadowing and Nakagami fading, but also gives an exact mathematical expression of the influences from these factors. The developed framework supports practical applications such as evaluating the cognitive network of any spatial shape and density of the secondary users and the methods of power control and spectrum sensing used by the secondary users. Simulation results are provided to verify the effectiveness of the analytical model.

In this paper we have studied the subcarrier and optimal power allocation strategy for OFDM-based cognitive radio (CR) networks. Firstly, in order to protect the primary user communication from the interference of the cognitive user transmissions in fading wireless channels, we design an opportunistic power control scheme to maximize the cognitive user capacity without degrading primary user's QoS. The mathematical optimization problem is formulated as maximizing the capacity of the secondary users under the interference constraint at the primary receiver and the Lagrange method is applied to obtain the optimal solution. Secondly, in order to limit the outage probability within primary user's tolerable range we analyze the outage probability of the primary user with respect to the interference power of the secondary user for imperfect CSI. Finally, in order to get the better tradeoff between fairness and system capacity in cognitive radio networks, we proposed an optimal algorithm of jointing subcarrier and power allocation scheme among multiple secondary users in OFDM-based cognitive radio networks. Simulation results demonstrate that our scheme can improve the capacity performance and efficiently guarantee the fairness of secondary users.

In this paper, we consider medium access control (MAC) protocol design for random-access cognitive radio (CR) networks. A two-level opportunistic spectrum access strategy is proposed to optimize the system performance of the secondary network and to adequately protect the operation of the primary network. At the first level, secondary users (SUs) maintain a sufficient detection probability to avoid interference with primary users (PUs), and the spectrum sensing time is optimized to control the total traffic rate of the secondary network allowed for random access when the channel is detected to be available. At the second level, two MAC protocols called the slotted cognitive radio ALOHA (CR-ALOHA) and cognitive-radio-based carrier-sensing multiple access (CR-CSMA) are developed to deal with the packet scheduling of the secondary network. We employ normalized throughput and average packet delay as the network metrics and derive closed-form expressions to evaluate the performance of the secondary network for our proposed protocols. Moreover, we use the interference and agility factors as the performance parameters to measure the protection effects on the primary network. For various frame lengths and numbers of SUs, the optimal performance of throughput and delay can be achieved at the same spectrum sensing time, and there also exists a tradeoff between the achievable performance of the secondary network and the effects of protection on the primary network. Simulation results show that the CR-CSMA protocol outperforms the slotted CR-ALOHA protocol and that the PUs' activities have an influence on the performance of SUs for both the slotted CR-ALOHA and CR-CSMA.

Spectrum sensing is an essential operation in cognitive radio networks. In this paper, we consider a dynamic spectrum sensing system consisting of both non-cooperative mobile cognitive radio(CR) secondary users and mobile non-cognitive radio primary users. Key performance metrics such as detection capability and sensing capacity are evaluated. Two mobility models are adopted for both secondary and primary users. The relative distance distribution associating the independent mobile users is analyzed and given in both 1- and 2-dimensions. Expressions for both performance metrics are derived, and simulations are performed to validate the theoretical analyses.

Opportunistic availability of licensed frequency bands enables the secondary users (SUs) to avail the radio spectrum dynamically. Cognitive radio (CR) paradigm extends the dynamic spectrum access techniques to sense for free channels (called spectrum holes) which can be efficiently redistributed amongst SUs. Motivated by the adaptive technology in CR, this paper introduces a sealed-bid double auction mechanism which aims to obtain an effective allocation of the unused radio spectrum. The proposed auction model adopts multi-channel allocation where one SU can access more than one available channel, while imposing the constraints for dynamics in spectrum opportunities and varying channel availability time amongst SUs. Previously designed double auctions miss out the CR constraints which can further degrade the network performance. Also, multi-winner allocation is induced in the model which encourages spectrum reuse by allowing a common channel to be assigned to multiple non-interfering SUs. A preference list of channels is maintained at each SU using which SUs offer their bid values for the heterogeneous channels which the primary owners are competing to lease. To organize channel specific groups of non-interfering SUs, a bidder group formation algorithm is developed such that members of a winner group get access to a common channel. The auctioneer formulates a winner determination strategy and a pricing strategy which achieves truthfulness while assigning the idle spectrum. Effectiveness of the proposed model is studied by comparing it with an existing work which shows that channel allocation gets significantly improved on deploying the proposed model.

Efficient spectrum resource management in cognitive radio networks (CRNs) is a promising method that improves the utilization of spectrum resource. In particular, the power control and channel allocation are of top priorities in spectrum resource management. Nevertheless, the joint design of power control and channel allocation is an NP-hard problem and the research is still in the preliminary stage. In this paper, we propose a novel joint approach based on long short-term memory deep Q network (LSTM-DQN). Our objective is to obtain the channel allocation schemes of the access points (APs) and the power control strategies of the secondary users (SUs). Specifically, the received signal strength information (RSSI) collected by the microbase stations is used as the input of LSTM-DQN. In this way, the collection of RSSI can be shared between users. After the training is completed, the APs are capable of selecting channels with small interference while the SUs may access the authorized channels in an underlay operation mode without knowing any knowledge about the primary users (PUs). Experimental results show that the channels are allocated to the APs with a lower probability of collision. Moreover, the SUs can adjust their power control strategies quickly to avoid the harmful interference to the PUs when the environment parameters change randomly. Consequently, the overall performance of CRNs and the utilization of spectrum resources are improved significantly compared to existing popular solutions.

Motivated by the low utilization of the licensed spectrum across many frequency bands, sensing-based oppor- tunistic spectrum access has recently emerged as an alternative to the outdated exclusive spectrum access policy. Under this new paradigm, a secondary (unlicensed) user monitors a primary (licensed) frequency band for a given and opportunistically transmits if it does not detect any ongoing licensed operations. Evidently, selection of the parameters involves balanc- ing a tradeoff between the speed and the quality with which the secondary user senses the licensed band. With the average throughput as the performance criterion, we obtain the parameters so as to optimize the performance of the secondary user while providing the primary user with its desired level of interference protection. I. INTRODUCTION As evidenced by recent measurements, many frequency bands across the licensed spectrum are significantly under- utilized (1), (2). This finding suggests that the spectrum scarcity, as perceived today, is largely due to the inefficient fixed frequency allocations rather than the physical shortage of the spectrum and has led the regulatory bodies to consider the opportunistic access to the temporally/spatially unused licensed bands (a.k.a. the white spaces) as a means to improve the efficiency of spectrum usage. In the absence of cooperation or signalling between the primary licensee and the secondary users, spectrum availability for the opportunistic access may be determined by direct spectrum where the secondary user monitors a licensed band for a given sensing time and opportunistically transmits if it does not detect any ongoing licensed operations. This approach is particularly appealing due to its low deployment cost and its compatibility with legacy primary users and is being considered for inclusion in the upcoming IEEE 802.22 standard for opportunistic access to the TV spectrum (3). Due to their ability to autonomously detect and to react to the changes in the spectrum usage, secondary users equipped with the spectrum capability may be considered as a primitive form of the cognitive radio (4). Design of any scheme involves balancing a tradeoff between the quality and the speed of through an appropriate selection of the time. As we shall illustrate, in the context of spectrum sensing, may be fine- tuned to enhance the secondary users' perceived quality-of- service (QoS) as long as the regulatory constraint for the protection of the primary users against harmful interference is satisfied. In particular, we will obtain the optimum times at different stages of the spectrum to maximize the average throughput of the secondary user. In this paper, simple energy detection (a.k.a. radiometry) (5) is chosen as the underlying detection scheme. In general, when some information about the structure of the primary signal is available, ad hoc feature-detectors offer a better performance (6). We note, however, that the methodology employed in this paper may be applied to optimize different spectrum sensors once the quality is characterized in terms of the time. The remainder of this paper is organized as follows. The regulatory constraints on spectrum are described in the following section. Section 3 provides an overview of the energy-based spectrum sensing. The optimum times for different stages of the spectrum are derived in Section 4. Finally, this paper is concluded in Section 5.