Cooperative Wireless Networking

随着各种无线联网技术的迅速扩散和渗透，未来的移动的终端将配备有用于网络接入的多个无线电接口，例如，流行的智能电话除了常规的蜂窝无线电之外已经具有内置的Wi-Fi接口。因此，异构无线网络应该相互合作，以无缝地提供宽带服务，在任何地方，任何时间，和任何方式。无线协同组网将增强移动的用户的多媒体业务体验，提高全网资源利用率，降低网络能耗，实现绿色通信。在本研究计画中，我们将针对异质性无线网路提出跨层合作网路解决方案，以探讨有效的合作策略。 具体来说，我们将着重研究四个基本问题：1）媒体接入控制，它规定每个用户如何与相邻用户竞争和共享可用资源; 2）协作资源分配和多路径路由，它设计策略和协议，使多模设备能够在不同的网络之间无缝漫游; 3）协作多无线电和多宿主传输层协议设计，以确保通过多路径路由的端到端信息传递;以及4）信息安全支持，其使得协作无线网络的可靠和安全操作成为可能。我们将解决由于网络异构性、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。我们将开发理论工具来指导无线协作网络的发展和有效的合作激励机制。这个尖端的研究计划，预计将产生新的知识，创造新的想法和方法，如何有效地和高效地提供无处不在的，可靠的，高效的，安全的多媒体服务和应用程序之间的异构无线网络的移动的用户。研究成果还将通过在档案期刊、主要会议论文集、发明披露和专利上发表来传播。

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.