Protocol reference model, security and inter-operability in a cognitive communications system

A cognitive radio communications system, comprising:

• a cognitive device, the device including:
• a Data Plane including Physical (PHY) and Media Access Control (MAC) Layers operatively coupled to one another;
• a Management Plane having a Management Information Base (MIB) configured to interface with each of the MAC and PHY Layers and storing primitives used to configure the system, and one or more modules configured to interface the MIB to at least one of a Station Management Entity (SME) and a Network Control and Management System (NCMS) configured to interface operation of the system, wherein the one or more modules configured to interface the MIB include a Management SAP for exchanging time-insensitive configuration information between the MIB and the at least one of the SME or the NCMS, and a Control SAP used for exchanging time-sensitive information between the MIB and the at least one of the SME or the NCMS, wherein values inside the MIB are at least one of pre-defined values, values that are populated during system initialization, and values that are populated during system operation;
• a Cognitive Plane having a Spectrum Manager (SM), a Spectrum Sensing Function (SSF), a Geolocation (GL) Function, and one or more Security Sublayers between the SM and the Management Plane, the Cognitive Plane configured to interface with the MIB and determine whether additional resources including a wireless spectrum are available to enable communication, wherein the SSF is for detecting signals in a given channel and the GL function is for providing geolocation information, and the SM determines whether to transmit information on the given channel based on sensing information received from the SSF and geolocation information received from the GL function;
• and
• at least one of a Service Access Point (SAP) and/or an informal interface separating the Cognitive Plane from the Management Plane and the Data Plane, such that the Cognitive Plane and its functions are partitioned from and implemented separately from the Management Plane and the Data Plane, thereby allowing interoperability between cognitive devices and non-cognitive devices such that a non-cognitive device may receive information on spectrum access from a cognitive device.

A cognitive radio communications system, comprising:

• a cognitive device, the device including:
• a Data Plane including Physical (PHY) and Media Access Control (MAC) Layers operatively coupled to one another;
• a Management Plane having a Management Information Base (MIB) configured to interface with each of the MAC and PHY Layers and storing primitives used to configure the system, and one or more modules configured to interface the MIB to at least one of a Station Management Entity (SME) and a Network Control and Management System (NCMS) configured to control operation of the system, wherein the one or more modules configured to interface the MIB include a Management SAP for exchanging time-insensitive configuration information between the MIB and the at least one of the SME or the NCMS, and a Control SAP used for exchanging time-sensitive information between the MIB and the at least one of the SME or the NCMS, wherein values inside the MIB are at least one of pre-defined values, values that are populated during system initialization, and values that are populated during system operation;
• a Cognitive Plane having a Spectrum Manager (SM), a Spectrum Sensing Function (SSF), a Geolocation (GL) Function, and one or more Security Sublayers between the SM and the Management Plane, the Cognitive Plane configured to interface with the MIB and determine whether additional resources including a wireless spectrum are available to enable communication, wherein the SSF is for detecting signals in a given channel and the GL function is for providing geolocation information, and the SM determines whether to transmit information on the given channel based on sensing information received from the SSF and geolocation information received from the GL function, the Cognitive Plane further including a Policy Engine for defining system and network policies, and a Learning and Reasoning Module for keeping track of at least one of signal behavior, user behavior, system behavior, friendly operators, and malicious operators;
• and
• at least one of a Service Access Point (SAP) and/or an informal interface separating the Cognitive Plane from the Management Plane and the Data Plane, such that the Cognitive Plane and its functions are partitioned from and implemented separately from the Management Plane and the Data Plane, thereby allowing interoperability between cognitive devices and non-cognitive devices such that a non-cognitive device may receive information on spectrum access from a cognitive device;
• wherein the system is associated with a communication frame structure and at least one of mesh control zones and self co-existence windows of the frame structure are used for backhaul link formations between cells.