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

支持高效和可靠频谱共享的无线电技术的发展是利用通过国家宽带计划提供的频谱的一个推动因素。软件定义无线电代表了一种支持频谱共享的有前途的技术，如允许部署认知无线电网络（CRN）的大量算法和协议所证明的。不幸的是，动态频谱接入的经济前景很容易被破坏，如果认知无线电用户的行为不诚实或恶意，从而颠覆了协议，建立在用户的合作。因此，重要的是，开发在存在潜在恶意或故障无线节点的情况下确保CRN的可信操作的机制。该项目的研究活动背后的目标是开发技术解决方案，确保认知无线电以值得信赖的方式运行，尽管存在潜在的安全威胁。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力，而认知无线电网络是一种新兴的无线系统形式，它使频谱接入对更广泛的人群更加可用。不幸的是，认知无线电系统容易受到破坏其算法和协议的正确操作的威胁，因此需要支持认知无线电网络的安全操作的解决方案。该项目通过以下方式确保认知无线电网络的可靠运行：1）开发算法，以确保频谱接入协议所依赖的频谱感知过程的正确操作; 2）开发流量监控工具，以识别认知无线电设备的不当通信活动;以及3）开发新形式的抗干扰通信，其确保认知无线电通信在面对干扰时可靠地继续。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。在这个项目中开发的算法和协议的补充，旨在保证开发的技术是适合部署在真实的无线系统的系统原型和实验工作。

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.