Using Biologically-Inspired Foraging Approach for Spectrum Reconfiguration in Distributed Cognitive Radio Network

Abstract

The dynamic spectrum management techniques have been introduced to address the current Radio Frequency bands inefficiency challenges. Cognitive Radio (CR) technology has been regarded as the most promising technology in the dynamic spectrum management area. One of the major aspects of the spectrum management is the decision making ability of CR users. The dynamic reconfiguration of both the operating frequency and channel bandwidth in a distributed CR network has not received sufficient attention despite their importance in spectrum decision making. In this paper, we present a biologically-inspired optimal foraging model to address the dynamic reconfiguration of frequency and channel bandwidth problems in a distributed cognitive radio network. One of the main advantages of biologically-inspired foraging model is its analytical simplicity and optimum solution. The average channel switching time, successful transmission probability, network throughput and energy efficiency were measured. The MATLAB simulation results show that the proposed optimal foraging model can reduce the communication overhead, balance the communication performance and improve the energy efficiency, which in-turn will help to achieve optimal spectrum utilization.