Title: Cognitive MIMO radio: an emerging paradigm for enhancing wireless access capability

Authors: Enzo Baccarelli, Mauro Biagi, Cristian Pelizzoni, Nicola Cordeschi

Addresses: University of Rome 'La Sapienza', INFO-COM Dept., Via Eudossiana 18, 00184, Rome, Italy. ' University of Rome 'La Sapienza', INFO-COM Dept., Via Eudossiana 18, 00184, Rome, Italy. ' University of Rome 'La Sapienza', INFO-COM Dept., Via Eudossiana 18, 00184, Rome, Italy. ' University of Rome 'La Sapienza', INFO-COM Dept., Via Eudossiana 18, 00184, Rome, Italy

Abstract: In this contribution, we explore the access performance of cognitive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radio, a novel paradigm that should combine the flexibility features of cognitive radio with the multiplexing capabilities of the multi-antenna one. As application scenario, we consider the (Rayleigh flat-faded) uplink of a WLAN working in infrastructure-mode, where non-cooperative multi-antenna cognitive radios attempt to join to a (possibly multi-antenna) access point (AP). The target of each radio is the competitive maximisation of own access throughput in the presence of (spatially-colored) multiple-access interference (MAI). Being the radios cognitive, they are capable to |sense| the ambient-context and |self-reconfigure| their access strategy via suitable power-allocation and spatial signal-shaping. Hence, by exploiting these cognitive capabilities, the access to the MIMO uplink is modelled as a non-cooperative strategic game. An iterative and scalable algorithm is developed that allows to play the resulting access game in a distributed and asynchronous way (under both best-effort and |contracted-QoS| access policies) by resorting on the implementation of MAI-mitigation strategies.

Keywords: cognitive MIMO radio; game theory; multi-access interference; space division multiple access; SDMA; competitive optimality; wireless access capability; cognitive radio; multiplexing; wireless LANs; wireless networks; WLANs.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCNDS.2009.022337

International Journal of Communication Networks and Distributed Systems, 2009 Vol.2 No.2/3, pp.302 - 330

Published online: 01 Jan 2009 *

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