MANAGING OPERATION OF A COGNATIVE RADIO BY AN AUTHORITY

• US 20080154826A1
• Filed: 12/21/2006
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ecklund, Lawrence M., Gillig, Steven F., Preece, Scott E., Lee, Whay Chiou, Bruner, John D., Bromley, Steven D., Grosspietsch, John K., Backof, Charles A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,797,263 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters

Abstract

In certain embodiments of a cognitive radio, a method of establishing operational policies, involves determining that a new policy decision should be made; requesting a policy decision from an authority having more computing power than the cognitive radio; receiving the policy decision from the authority; and implementing the policy decision in the cognitive radio. Other embodiments may incorporate more, fewer or other elements.

Claims

1. In a cognitive radio, a method of establishing operational policies, comprising:

determining that a new policy decision should be made;

requesting a policy decision from an authority having more computing power than the cognitive radio;

receiving the policy decision from the authority; and

implementing the policy decision in the cognitive radio.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving a policy decision tree from the authority that can be used by the cognitive radio to identify an operational policy.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the policy decision tree comprises a simplified policy decision tree with branches removed from a more complex policy decision tree, wherein the removed branches are not available for use by the cognitive radio.

4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the cognitive radio computing a duration of applicability of the simplified policy decision tree.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein upon expiration of the duration, requesting a new simplified policy decision tree.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein the removed branches are branches that are beyond the capability of the cognitive radio.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein the removed branches are branches that are not applicable to a domain of operation of the cognitive radio.

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein the duration is calculated based upon the complexity of the simplified decision tree.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the complexity is established based upon a number of nodes or branches in the decision tree.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the complexity is established based upon a cost of compliance with a policy.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the cost of compliance is measured in either financial or performance terms.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining that a new policy decision should be made is carried out by determining that a new packet is to be transmitted.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the authority comprises at least one of a cognitive radio, a base station, and a server.

14. A cognitive radio, comprising:

a software configurable transceiver;

a control processor that is configured under software control to implement;

means for determining that a new policy decision should be made;

means for requesting a policy decision from an authority having more computing power than the cognitive radio;

means for receiving the policy decision from the authority; and

means for implementing the policy decision in the cognitive radio.

15. The cognitive radio according to claim 14, further comprising means for receiving a policy decision tree from the authority that can be used by the cognitive radio to identify an operational policy.

16. The cognitive radio according to claim 15, wherein the policy decision tree comprises a simplified policy decision tree with branches removed from a more complex policy decision tree, wherein the removed branches are not available for use by the cognitive radio.

17. The cognitive radio according to claim 16, further comprising means for calculating a duration of applicability of the policy decision based upon the complexity of the simplified decision tree.

18. The cognitive radio according to claim 17, wherein the complexity is established based upon a number of nodes or branches in the decision tree.

19. The cognitive radio according to claim 17, wherein the complexity is established based upon a cost of compliance with a policy.

20. The cognitive radio according to claim 19, wherein the cost of compliance is measured in either financial or performance terms.

21. The cognitive radio according to claim 16, wherein the removed branches are branches that are beyond the capability of the cognitive radio.

22. The cognitive radio according to claim 16, wherein the removed branches are branches that are not applicable to a domain of operation of the cognitive radio.

23. The cognitive radio according to claim 14, wherein the means for determining that a new policy decision should be made makes the determination by determining that a new packet is to be transmitted.

24. The cognitive radio according to claim 14, further comprising the means for computing a duration of applicability of the policy decision.

25. The cognitive radio according to claim 14, wherein the authority comprises at least one of a cognitive radio, a base station, and a server.