Sparse Spectrum Sensing in Infrastructure-less Cognitive Radio Networks via Binary Consensus Algorithms

Compressive Sensing has been utilized in Cognitive Radio Networks (CRNs) to exploit the sparse nature of the occupation of the primary users. Also, distributed spectrum sensing has been proposed to tackle the wireless channel problems, like node or link failures, rather than the common (centralized approach) for spectrum sensing. In this paper, we propose a distributed spectrum sensing framework based on consensus algorithms where SU nodes exchange their binary decisions to take global decisions without a fusion center to coordinate the sensing process. Each SU will share its decision with its neighbors, and at every new iteration each SU will take a new decision based on its current decision and the decisions it receives from its neighbors; in the next iteration, each SU will share its new decision with its neighbors. We show via simulations that the detection performance can tend to the performance of majority rule Fusion Center based CRNs

Collaborative spectrum sensing optimisation algorithms for cognitive radio networks

The main challenge for a cognitive radio is to detect the existence of primary users reliably in order to minimise the interference to licensed communications. Hence, spectrum sensing is a most important requirement of a cognitive radio. However, due to the channel uncertainties, local observations are not reliable and collaboration among users is required. Selection of fusion rule at a common receiver has a direct impact on the overall spectrum sensing performance. In this paper, optimisation of collaborative spectrum sensing in terms of optimum decision fusion is studied for hard and soft decision combining. It is concluded that for optimum fusion, the fusion centre must incorporate signal-to-noise ratio values of cognitive users and the channel conditions. A genetic algorithm-based weighted optimisation strategy is presented for the case of soft decision combining. Numerical results show that the proposed optimised collaborative spectrum sensing schemes give better spectrum sensing performance