Application of game theory to underlay ad-hoc cognitive radio networks: An overview

Dynamic spectrum access (DSA) and cognitive radio (CR) technology have been proposed as a novel technology to improve the spectrum utilization in wireless transmissions. However, in self-organized network such ad-hoc cognitive radio networks (AHCRNs), the CR nodes need change their transmission parameters, coordinate with other nodes in the network to achieve certain goals. Accordingly, challenges have been raised in applying the existing spectrum sharing approach to such environment. Instead, game theory has been adopted as an important mathematical tool in analyzing, and modeling the interaction processes in AHCRNs. In this survey, we introduce the concepts of modeling resource allocation (i.e., power and channel) in AHCRNs with game theory. Comparison between cooperative and non-cooperative game theory has been provided. Application of game theory in PHY, MAC and network layers has been outlined. Future directions in modeling cognitive radio with game theoretic approaches have been outlined as well.