Cooperative Wireless Networking

随着各种无线网络技术的迅速扩散和渗透，未来的移动终端将配备多种无线接口进行网络接入，例如，流行的智能手机除了常规的蜂窝无线电外，还内置了Wi-Fi接口。因此，异构无线网络必须相互协作，以随时随地、以任何方式无缝地提供宽带业务。无线协同组网将增强移动用户的多媒体业务体验，提高各网络的资源利用率，降低网络能耗，实现绿色通信。在本研究计划中，我们将通过提出异构无线网络的跨层协作网络解决方案来研究有效的合作策略。具体来说，我们将关注四个基本问题：1)媒介访问控制，它规定了每个用户如何与其邻近用户争夺和共享可用资源；2)协同资源分配和多路径路由，设计策略和协议，使多模设备能够在不同网络间无缝漫游；3)协同多无线电和多宿主传输层协议设计，保证多路径路由下的端到端信息传递；4)信息安全支持，使协同无线网络能够可靠、安全地运行。我们将解决由于网络异构、混合用户群、多跳端到端传输和动态网络连接而带来的重大技术挑战。我们将开发指导无线合作网络发展的理论工具和有效的合作激励机制。这一前沿研究项目有望在如何有效和高效地为异构无线网络中的移动用户提供无处不在、可靠、高效和安全的多媒体服务和应用方面产生新知识、创造新想法和新方法。研究成果也将通过档案期刊、高级会议论文集、发明披露和专利等出版物进行传播。

With the rapid proliferation and penetration of various wireless networking technologies, future mobile terminals will be equipped with multiple radio interfaces for network access, e.g., popular smart phones already have built-in Wi-Fi interface in addition to regular cellular radio. Therefore, heterogeneous wireless networks should cooperate with each other to deliver broadband services seamlessly in an anywhere, anytime, and anyhow fashion. Wireless cooperative networking will enhance multimedia service experiences of mobile users, improve resource utilization of all the networks, and reduce network energy consumption for green communications. In this research program, we will investigate efficient cooperation strategies by proposing a cross-layer cooperative networking solution for heterogeneous wireless networks. In specific, we will focus on four fundamental issues: 1) medium access control, which specifies how each user contends for and share available resources with its neighbouring users; 2) cooperative resource allocation and multi-path routing, which design policies and protocols that will enable multimode devices to seamlessly roaming among different networks; 3) cooperative multi-radio and multi-homed transport layer protocol design to ensure end-to-end information delivery over multi-path routing; and 4) information security support, which enables the reliable and secure operations of cooperative wireless networks. We will address significant technical challenges due to network heterogeneity, mixed user population, multihop end-to-end transmission, and dynamic network attachment. We will develop theoretical tools to guide the development of wireless cooperative networking and effective incentive mechanisms for cooperation. This cutting-edge research program is expected to generate new knowledge and create new ideas and approaches on how to effectively and efficiently provide ubiquitous, reliable, efficient, and secure multimedia services and applications to mobile users among heterogeneous wireless networks. The research outcomes will also be disseminated through publications in archival journals, premier conference proceedings, and invention disclosures and patents.