SINR-Based Random Access for Cognitive Radio: Distributed Algorithm and Coalitional Game

In this paper, we study the problem of multi-channel medium access control (MAC) in cognitive radio (CR) networks. While most of the previously proposed MAC protocols for CR networks are heuristic and are based on the simplistic protocol model, we design a distributed MAC protocol using the more accurate signal-to-interference-plus-noise-ratio (SINR) model. First, we assume that the secondary users are cooperative and formulate the problem of assigning transmission and listening probabilities for random access as a non-convex network utility maximization problem. We propose a three-phase algorithm that converges to a near-optimal solution after solving a number of convex optimization problems distributively. Simulation results show that our proposed algorithm based on the SINR model achieves a higher aggregate throughput than other schemes which are based on the protocol model. Then, we consider the case that the secondary users are rational. We use coalitional game theory to study the incentive issues of user cooperation in a given channel for the SINR model. In particular, we use the solution concept of the core to analyze the stability of the grand coalition, and the solution concept of the Shapley value to fairly divide the payoff among the users. We show that the Shapley value lies in the core when all the users are one-hop neighbours of each other. We illustrate the Shapley value and the core with a numerical example.