A Game Theoretic DSA-Driven MAC Framework for Cognitive Radio Networks

The game theoretic dynamic spectrum allocation (DSA) technique is an efficient approach to coordinate the cognitive radios to share the spectrum. However, existing game based DSA algorithms lack a platform to support the game process. On the other hand, existing medium access control (MAC) protocols for cognitive radio (CR) networks do not fully utilize the adaptability and intelligence of the cognitive radio (CR) to achieve efficient spectrum utilization, let alone fairness and QoS support. Therefore it is necessary to develop a DSA-driven MAC protocol with the game theoretic DSA embedded into the MAC layer. In this paper, based on the analysis of challenges for the game theoretic DSA in realistic applications, we conclude that a unified game theoretic DSA-driven MAC framework should constitute of four integral components: 1)DSA algorithm, which derives the steady strategy of each radio to guide the channel access for data communication; 2) negotiation mechanism, which coordinates game players to exchange game information and update their strategies in the right game timing; 3) clustering algorithm, which limits the negotiation of game players in one cluster to solve the scalability issue; 4) cluster based collision avoidance mechanism, which is to avoid collisions among negotiations in different clusters. Subsequently, we design each component to construct an effective DSA-driven MAC framework with low cost. Our proposed game theoretic DSA- driven MAC framework can fulfill the merits of game theoretic DSA algorithms including high spectrum utilization, collision- free channel access for data communication, QoS and fairness support. Through simulations, the merits of the DSA-driven MAC framework are demonstrated.