Reconfigurable Antenna-based Enhancement of Dynamic Spectrum Access Algorithms

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While there is a tremendous amount of research in the algorithmic and protocol aspects of cognitive radios, very little attention is given to the antennas used in cognitive links. This project focuses on the enhancement of cognitive dynamic spectrum access (DSA) techniques with electrically reconfigurable antennas that are capable of dynamically adjusting their radiation patterns and operating frequency in response to the needs of overlying communication link and network. Based upon the results of field testing, new reconfigurable antennas are being designed that provide not only flexibility in radiation pattern, but also frequency agility. The design and performance of the cross?layer control stack is being evaluated for identification of the optimal control policy for secondary radios seeking to maximize their throughput. With the additional support of our collaborators in Finland, the Drexel SDC Testbed is being extended to provide real-time implementations of the proposed enhanced DSA algorithms.This research is enabled through the reconfigurable leaky wave metamaterial antenna technology, developed at Drexel University. The highly adaptive frequency agility and spatial filtering capabilities of this antenna will be used to develop new DSA algorithms to leverage these degrees of freedom. Enhanced performance will be demonstrated in terms of the user capacity of the cognitive radio network and increased throughput of secondary cognitive radio users. These antennas and control algorithms will be field tested and demonstrated using a FGPA-based SDR platform built to evaluate reconfigurable antenna-enhanced DSA algorithms.