Collaborative Research: A Multi-Layer Approach Towards Reliable Cognitive Radio Networks

开发支持高效可靠频谱共享的无线电技术有助于利用通过国家宽带计划提供的频谱。软件定义无线电代表了一种很有前途的技术，它支持频谱共享，这一点得到了大量算法和协议的证明，这些算法和协议允许部署认知无线电网络（crn）。不幸的是，如果认知无线电用户的行为不诚实或恶意，动态频谱接入的经济前景很容易被破坏，从而颠覆基于用户合作的协议。因此，在存在潜在恶意或故障无线节点的情况下，开发确保crn可靠运行的机制非常重要。该项目研究活动背后的目标是开发技术解决方案，确保认知无线电在潜在的安全威胁下以可靠的方式运行。由于这项研究工作，无线电频谱有可能得到更可靠的利用，从而确保每个人都能公平地利用与无线电频谱相关的经济机会。这项工作的教育影响来自于它的多学科基础，拓宽了学生对无线系统设计的看法，并指导下一代无线工程师在设计过程中包括安全性和可靠性。无线技术是美国经济增长的推动者，认知无线网络是无线系统的一种新兴形式，它使更广泛的人口更容易获得频谱访问。不幸的是，认知无线电系统容易受到破坏其算法和协议正确运行的威胁，因此需要支持认知无线电网络安全运行的解决方案。本项目通过以下方式确保认知无线电网络的可靠运行：1)开发确保频谱接入协议所依赖的频谱感知程序正确运行的算法；2)开发交通监控工具，通过认知无线电设备识别不适当的通信活动；3)开发新的抗干扰通信形式，确保认知无线电通信在面对干扰时能够可靠地继续进行。研究工作是跨学科的，从统计工具到网络流量分析再到通信理论，以支持认知无线电网络的安全运行。本项目开发的算法和协议辅以系统原型和实验工作，旨在保证所开发的技术适用于实际无线系统的部署。

The development of radio technologies that support efficient and reliable spectrum sharing is an enabler for utilizing the spectrum being made available through the National Broadband Plan. Software defined radios represent a promising technology that supports spectrum sharing as evidenced by the large amount of algorithms and protocols that allow for cognitive radio networks (CRNs) to be deployed. Unfortunately, the economic promise of dynamic spectrum access is easily undermined if cognitive radio users act dishonestly or maliciously, thereby subverting protocols that are founded on the cooperation of users. It is therefore important that mechanisms are developed that ensure the trustworthy operation of CRNs in the presence of potentially malicious or malfunctioning wireless nodes. The objective behind the project's research activities is to develop technological solutions that ensure that cognitive radios operate in trustworthy manner in spite of potential security threats. As a result of this research effort, it is possible for radio spectrum to be more reliably utilized, thereby ensuring that the economic opportunities associated with the radio spectrum are fairly utilized by everyone. The educational impact of the work comes from its multi-disciplinary foundation, broadening student views of wireless system design, and guiding the next generation of wireless engineer to include security and reliability in the design process. Wireless technologies are an enabler for economic growth in the United States, and cognitive radio networks are an emerging form of wireless system that make spectrum access more available to the broader population. Unfortunately, cognitive radio systems are susceptible to threats that undermine the correct operation of their algorithms and protocols, and thus solutions that support the secure operation of cognitive radio networks are needed. This project ensures the trustworthy operation of cognitive radio networks by: 1) developing algorithms that ensure the correct operation of spectrum sensing procedures upon which spectrum access protocols rely; 2) developing traffic monitoring tools that identify improper communication activity by cognitive radio devices; and 3) developing new forms of interference-resistant communications that ensure that cognitive radio communication continues reliably in the face of interference. The research effort is inter-disciplinary, pulling from statistical tools to network traffic analysis to communications theory to support the secure operation of cognitive radio networks. The algorithms and protocols developed in this project are complemented by a systems prototyping and experimentation effort aimed at guaranteeing that the technologies developed are suitable for deployment in real wireless systems.