Flexible low-cost and low-power wideband sub 1 GHz cognitive radio frontend

The use of wireless communication is constantly growing due to the mobility advantage inherent to this type of communication and this development is constantly pushing the need for an increase in frequency spectrum allocation. Combined with the demand for higher data-rates and the multitude of wireless standards offered, this constitutes a substantial challenge when it comes to efficient utilisation of the frequency spectrum in the future. Already today, severe co-existence problems exist in crowded frequency bands such as the 433 MHz, 868 MHz and 2.4 GHz ISM bands (Europe). One important dimension of the solution is the addition of intelligence to the transceivers used in wireless communication equipment making them capable of adjusting parameters like frequency, bandwidth/data-rate, modulation type and transmitter power level dynamically based on awareness of the environment in which they operate. This encapsulates the essence of the cognitive radio (CR) concept based on the well-established Software Defined Radio (SDR) technology.

The research objective is to investigate the possibility of adapting the CR concept to Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) devices and, if possible, to provide a design of a low-cost and low-power wideband cognitive radio RF frontend module for such WPAN devices. The research includes an investigation of the requirements imposed on the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer architecture by using CR technology. A simulation model will be developed to predict device performance including power consumption in a realistic network setup. The simulation results will be validated in a real-life test.