Optimizing bandwidth of cognitive radios

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

monitoring, by at least one cognitive radio (CR) device, use of a plurality of channels of digital wireless spectrum by at least one primary user communications device (PU device) that is licensed to use at least one of the plurality of channels of digital wireless spectrum, resulting in PU activity data describing the use;

storing, by a computer system, the PU activity data in a data storage device;

using, by the at least one CR device, a digital wireless spectrum channel, among the plurality of channels of digital wireless spectrum, with a lowest usage by the at least one PU device as indicated by the stored PU activity data;

detecting, by the at least one CR device, when the at least one PU device begins to use at least one digital wireless spectrum channel, among the plurality of channels of digital wireless spectrum corresponding to a plurality of transmission control protocol (TCP) connections for the at least one CR device;

executing, by the computer system, in response to the detecting, a set of logical operations calculating TCP connection data describing the plurality of TCP connections in light of TCP connection parameter data describing connection parameters of the plurality of TCP connections;

storing, by the computer system, the calculated TCP connection data in the data storage device; and

executing, by the computer system, a set of logical operations performing a network congestion-avoidance algorithm using the calculated TCP connection data, resulting in data describing digital wireless transmission characteristics for at least one of the plurality of TCP connections, wherein the digital wireless transmission characteristics are optimized for the at least one CR device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the monitoring comprises monitoring, by the at least one CR device, at least one digital communications signal from a transmitter device of the at least one PU device on the plurality of channels of digital wireless spectrum.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the monitoring the at least one digital communications signal comprises performing, by the at least one CR device, at least one of matched filter detection, energy detection, and cyclostationary-feature detection on the plurality of channels of digital wireless spectrum.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the detecting comprises detecting, by the at least one CR device, at least one digital communications signal from a transmitter device of the at least one PU device on the at least one digital wireless spectrum channel.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the detecting the at least one digital communications signal comprises performing, by the at least one CR device, at least one of matched filter detection, energy detection, and cyclostationary-feature detection on the at least one digital wireless spectrum channel.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the detecting further comprises detecting, by the at least one CR device, at least one transition of an operating mode of the at least one CR device from a sensing mode to a transmission mode.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the detecting the at least one transition comprises scanning, by the at least one CR device, media access control (MAC) inputs of the at least one CR device for data indicating the at least one transition of the operating mode of the at least one CR device from the sensing mode to the transmission mode.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the connection parameters of the plurality of TCP connections comprise at least one of a round trip time and an average congestion window.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the calculating comprises calculating, by the computer system, the TCP connection data via an exponential moving average formula using as inputs the TCP connection parameter data.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the network congestion-avoidance algorithm comprises at least one variant of TCP Westwood.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the least one variant of TCP Westwood comprises TCP Westwood+.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer system comprises the at least one CR device.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the data storage device comprises at least one local data storage device of the at least one CR device.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising using, by the at least one CR device, the at least one of the plurality of TCP connections, wherein the digital wireless transmission characteristics are optimized for the at least one CR device.

15. A system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor in communication with the memory, the processor configured to perform a method comprising

monitoring use of a plurality of channels of digital wireless spectrum by at least one primary user communications device (PU device) that is licensed to use at least one of the plurality of channels of digital wireless spectrum, resulting in PU activity data describing the use,

storing the PU activity data in a data storage device,

using a digital wireless spectrum channel, among the plurality of channels of digital wireless spectrum, with a lowest usage by the at least one PU device as indicated by the stored PU activity data,

detecting when the at least one PU device begins to use at least one digital wireless spectrum channel, among the plurality of channels of digital wireless spectrum corresponding to a plurality of transmission control protocol (TCP) connections for at least one cognitive radio (CR) device,

executing, in response to the detecting, a set of logical operations calculating TCP connection data describing the plurality of TCP connections in light of TCP connection parameter data describing connection parameters of the plurality of TCP connections,

storing the calculated TCP connection data in the data storage device, and

executing a set of logical operations performing a network congestion-avoidance algorithm using the calculated TCP connection data, resulting in data describing digital wireless transmission characteristics for at least one of the plurality of TCP connections, wherein the digital wireless transmission characteristics are optimized for the at least one CR device.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the detecting comprises detecting at least one digital communications signal from a transmitter device of the at least one PU device on the at least one digital wireless spectrum channel.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the detecting the at least one digital communications signal comprises performing at least one of matched filter detection, energy detection, and cyclostationary-feature detection on the at least one digital wireless spectrum channel.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the calculating comprises calculating the TCP connection data via an exponential moving average formula using as inputs the TCP connection parameter data.

19. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

monitoring use of a plurality of channels of digital wireless spectrum by at least one primary user communications device (PU device) that is licensed to use at least one of the plurality of channels of digital wireless spectrum, resulting in PU activity data describing the use,

storing the PU activity data in a data storage device,

using a digital wireless spectrum channel, among the plurality of channels of digital wireless spectrum, with a lowest usage by the at least one PU device as indicated by the stored PU activity data,

detecting when the at least one PU device begins to use at least one digital wireless spectrum channel, among the plurality of channels of digital wireless spectrum corresponding to a plurality of transmission control protocol (TCP) connections for at least one cognitive radio (CR) device,

executing, in response to the detecting, a set of logical operations calculating TCP connection data describing the plurality of TCP connections in light of TCP connection parameter data describing connection parameters of the plurality of TCP connections,

storing the calculated TCP connection data in the data storage device, and

executing a set of logical operations performing a network congestion-avoidance algorithm using the calculated TCP connection data, resulting in data describing digital wireless transmission characteristics for at least one of the plurality of TCP connections, wherein the digital wireless transmission characteristics are optimized for the at least one CR device.

20. The computer program product of claim 19 , wherein the calculating comprises calculating the TCP connection data via an exponential moving average formula using as inputs the TCP connection parameter data.