Utilization of cooperative multi-agent systems for spectrum sharing in cognitive radio networks
Usama Mir · OpenGrey (Institut de l'Information Scientifique et Technique) · 2011
Static spectrum allocation is a major problem in recent wireless networks. This scarcity problem is temporary and can be alleviated if the spectrum access is performed dynamically. Cognitive radio (CR) is an important new technology which addresses dynamic spectrum access challenges in detail. These challenges include efficient allocation of spectrum for primary (or licensed) and CR (or secondary) users in order to increase spectrum usage and to avoid user conflicts. Therefore, in this research we are interested in developing novel solutions for dynamic and efficient spectrum access under (1) licensed bands where CR users attempt to use the spec-trum by coexisting with the primary users and (2) unlicensed bands where the CR users try to access the spectrum by avoiding conflicts with their neighbors. In our first proposal, we deploy agents over each primary and CR users which allow them to work cooperatively in order to make spectrum access agreements. The simulation results show that our approach achieves good performance in terms of spectrum access, sustaining lower communication overhead. Our second proposal focuses on unlicensed spectrum access where spectrum can be viewed as an open pool and no user has an exclusive license for spectrum access. Using multi-agent system, the CR users cooperate and they form several coalitions. These types of coalitions can provide a less-conflicted access as the agents mutually agree for spectrum sharing. The important comparisons between analytical and simulation results in terms of blocking probability verify the relevance of our approach in CR context