Wireless Networks 2019-200

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Cognitive Radio: an Intelligent

Wireless Communication System

Dr. Ammar Abdul-Hamed Khader

Lecturer/ Computer Engg. Dept.
M. Sc. 2019-2020
 The electromagnetic & frequency spectrum
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 Introduction
• Radio frequencies are scarce resources. Many national
(economic) interests make it hard to find common, worldwide
regulations. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU)
located in Geneva is responsible for worldwide coordination of
telecommunication activities (wired and wireless). ITU is a sub-
organization of the UN. The ITU Radio communication sector (ITU-
R) handles standardization in the wireless sector, so it also handles
frequency planning (formerly known as Consultative Committee
for International Radio communication, CCIR). To have at least
some success in worldwide coordination and to reflect national
interests, the ITU-R has split the world into three regions: Region
1 covers Europe, the Middle East, countries of the former Soviet
Union, and Africa. Region 2 includes Greenland, North and South
America, and region 3 comprises the Far East, Australia, and New
Zealand.
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 Introduction
• Within these regions, national agencies are responsible
for further regulations, e.g., the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) in the US. Several
nations have a common agency such as European
Conference for Posts and Telecommunications (CEPT)
in Europe. While CEPT is still responsible for the
general planning, many tasks have been transferred to
other agencies (confusing anybody following the
regulation process). For example, the European
Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) is
responsible for standardization and consists of national
standardization bodies, public providers,
manufacturers, user groups, and research institutes.

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 Introduction
• The radio spectrum is a limited resource that is
regulated by the government agencies such as
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in
India and Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) in the United States. However, a survey of
spectrum utilization made by FCC has indicated
that a large portion of the actual licensed spectrum
is used sporadically, resulting in spectral
inefficiency. In effect spectrum, which is a scare
resource, is being wasted. So, it is necessary to use
it efficiently; and proper cooperation amongst
networks will assist the efficient use of radio
spectrum in the future communication systems.

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New Concept
• As wireless technologies evolve, novel
innovations are required, to dynamically and
automatically change various radio parameters
in accordance with the radio environment.
These innovations open the door for the
concept of cognitive radio (CR), a new concept
in telecommunications.

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Cognitive Radio (CR)
• The term CR was coined by Joseph Mitola to define a
smart radio that is aware of its surroundings at all
instances and adapting its behaviour based on the
feedback knowledge acquired. It is designed to
intelligently detect whether a particular segment
of the radio spectrum is currently in use, and to jump
into (and out of, if necessary) the temporarily-unused
spectrum very rapidly, without interfering with
the transmission of other authorized user. CR uses an
inference engine, which can learn and adapt to change
in radio conditions.
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Cognitive Radio (CR) Cont.
• Mitola’s intention was to set the basis for the
development of extremely intelligent wireless
devices, not only capable of smartly exploiting the
radio resource, but also to adapt their behaviour to the
specific needs of the single user while acting in
compliance with the Regulating Authorities.
• The ideal CR device theorized by Mitola would be
able to learn from the user and from past experiences
and to always provide the highest possible
information quality on a user/context basis.

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Cognitive Radio (CR) Cont.
• In CR, users with no licenses, also called
secondary users (SUs), check the spectrum
availability from time to time and choose the
idle channels for communication. Once the
primary user (PU) needs the channel, the SU
switches to a different idle channel if available,
to avoid interference with PU or otherwise
terminates the transmission altogether, thereby
exploiting the underutilized spectrum
opportunistically.
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Cognitive Radio (CR) Cont.
• Because the spectrum has already been assigned
to primary user (PU), the challenge is to share the
licensed spectrum without interfering with the
transmission of other users. CR enables the no
licenses i.e. (secondary users SU) for usage of
temporally unused spectrum, which is referred to
as spectrum hole or white space. If this band is
required by a licensed user, SU in CR moves to
another spectrum hole or stays in the same band,
altering its transmission power level or
modulation scheme to avoid interference.
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Software Defined Radio SDR
• SDR was invented in 1991 by Mitola, although
similar ideas had been discussed and considered
in the defence sector since the 1970s. He defined
SDR as “a radio transmitter and/or receiver
employing a technology that allows the RF
operating parameters including, but not limited to,
frequency range, modulation type, or output
power to be set or altered by software, excluding
changes to operating parameters which occur
during the normal pre-installed and predetermined
operation of a radio according to a system
specification or standard”.

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 Software-defined radio (SDR)

Another definition: is a radio communication

system where components that have been
traditionally implemented in hardware (e.g.
mixers, filters, amplifiers, modulators/
demodulators, detectors, etc.) are instead
implemented by means of software on a
personal computer or embedded system.
•

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Software Defined Radio SDR Cont.
• Basically, SDR refers to re-configurability of the
radio interface by software. The main importance
of SDR lies in the fact that it is the key enabler
technology for CR and cognitive wireless
networks. The idea of a CR extends the concepts
of a hardware radio and an SDR from a simple,
single function device to a radio that senses and
reacts to its operating environment. For several
decades, engineers have worked towards moving
radio functions from analog hardware based
technologies to software based technologies
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Software Defined Radio SDR Cont.

Fig. 1

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Software Defined Radio SDR Cont.
A SDR is capable of reconfiguring itself and
provides the following features:
• Adaptations to accommodate variations of new
radio interface standards
• Incorporation of new emerging applications
and services
• Incorporation of software technology updates

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SDR and its relationship with CR
• The CR is basically an SDR which already
knows the condition, state, position of the
radio environment and automatically adjusts
its functions according to the desired
objectives. The relationship between the SDR
and CR can be demonstrated as in Fig 2.

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Fig. 2 The relationship between SDR and CR

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SDR and its relationship with CR
• SDR is developed in software based on digital
signal processing with modifiable radio frequency
components. He has the capability to operate in
different bandwidths over a large number of
frequencies as well as using different modulation
schemes and waveform formats. As a result, SDR
can support multiple standards such as GSM,
WCDMA, WIMAX, etc., and multiple access
schemes such as TDMA, OFDMA and SDMA,
etc.

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 Table 1: Difference among CR and other radios

Conventional Radio Software Radio Cognitive Radio

1.Supports a fixed 1.Dynamically support 1.Can create new

number of systems multiple variable waveforms on its own
systems, and protocol
interfaces
2.Can negotiate new
2.Reconfigurability 2.Interface with diverse
interfaces
decided at the time of systems
Application
design

3.May support 3.Adjusts operations

3.Provide a wide range
multiple services, but to meet the QoS
of services with variable
chosen at the time of required by the
QoS
design application for the
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 Conventional Radio Software Radio Cognitive Radio

1.Traditional RF design 1.Conventional Radio + 1.SDR, Intelligence,

Software Architecture Awareness,
Design Learning from
2.Reconfigurability
2.Traditional baseband
Observations
design

1.Cannot be made as 1.Ideally software 1.SDR upgrade

future proof radios could be future mechanisms
proof
Upgradability
2.Software upgrading 2.Internal upgrades
2.Typically radios are
possible and collaborative
not upgradeable
upgrades
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Cognitive Tasks and Cognitive Cycle
• There are three fundamental cognitive tasks:
1. Radio-scene analysis, which encompasses the following:
• Detection of spectrum holes
• Estimation of interference temperature of the radio
environment
2.Channel Identification, which involving the following:
• Channel-state information (CSI) estimation
• Channel capacity prediction that utilized by the transmitter
3. Control of the transmitted power and dynamic spectrum
management

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The first two tasks are
processed in the receiver,
whereas third one is
processed in the transmitter.
It is noted that the
transmitter and receiver
should work in harmony.
That is why feedback
channel is needed
to connect the
receiver to the
transmitter. The receiver is
enabled to transfer
information to the
transmitter through the
feedback channel.
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Mitola’s Cognition cycle

• The radio collect information (observe) about its

operating environment (Outside world) through
observation. The evaluation process comes next
(Orient), to determine the importance of the
collected information.
• On the basis of this valuation, the radio defines its
Plan and Decides in such a way that would
improve the valuation (this is the normal path that
a CR radio will take during normal conditions).
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Mitola’s Cognition cycle

• If a waveform change is deemed necessary, the

radio then implements the alternative (Act) by
adjusting its resources and performing the
appropriate signalling. The radio can also go for
an immediate (Act) depending on the evaluation
of the observation made. These changes are
reflected in the Outside World through the
interference profile presented by the CR.
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Mitola’s Cognition cycle

• As part of this process, the radio uses these

observations and decisions to improve the
operation of the radio (Learn), perhaps by
creating new modelling states, generating new
alternatives, or creating new valuations.

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Cognitive Functions
1. Cognitive Capability
2. Cognitive Re-Configurability
1- The capability of a CR enables real-time
interaction with its environment to determine
appropriate communication parameters and adapt
to the dynamic radio environment. There are
three main parts of cognitive capability:-
• spectrum sensing, spectrum analysis and
spectrum decision
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 Cognitive Functions
2. Re-Configurability: Refers to the potentiality
of amending operating parameters for transmission,
on the fly without any alteration to the hardware
components.

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