Generalized detector as a spectrum sensor in cognitive radio networks

The implementation of the generalized detector (GD) in cognitive radio (CR) systems allows us to improve the spectrum sensing performance in comparison with employment of the conventional detectors. We analyze the spectrum sensing performance for the uncorrelated and spatially correlated receive antenna array elements. Addi¬tionally, we consider a practical case when the noise power at the output of GD linear systems (the preliminary and additional filters) is differed by value. The choice of the optimal GD threshold based on the minimum total error rate criterion is also discussed. Simulation results demonstrate superiority of GD implementation in CR sys¬tem as spectrum sensor in comparison with the energy detector (ED), weighted ED (WED), maximum-minimum eigenvalue (MME) detector, and generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT) detecto

The Impact of Sensing Range on Spatial-Temporal Opportunity

In this paper, we study the impact of secondary user (SU) sensing range on spectrum access opportunity in cognitive radio networks. We first derive a closed-form ex- pression of spectrum access opportunity by taking into ac- count the random variations in number, locations and trans- mitted powers of primary users (PUs). Then, we show how SU sensing range affects spectrum access opportunity, and the tradeoff between SU sensing range and spectrum ac- cess opportunity is formulated as an optimization problem to maximize spectrum access opportunity. Furthermore, we prove that there exists an optimal SU sensing range which yields the maximum spectrum access opportunity, and nu- merical results validate our theoretical analysis

Peak to average power ratio based spatial spectrum sensing for cognitive radio systems

The recent convergence of wireless standards for incorporation of spatial dimension in wireless systems has made spatial spectrum sensing based on Peak to Average Power Ratio (PAPR) of the received signal, a promising approach. This added dimension is principally exploited for stream multiplexing, user multiplexing and spatial diversity. Considering such a wireless environment for primary users, we propose an algorithm for spectrum sensing by secondary users which are also equipped with multiple antennas. The proposed spatial spectrum sensing algorithm is based on the PAPR of the spatially received signals. Simulation results show the improved performance once the information regarding spatial diversity of the primary users is incorporated in the proposed algorithm. Moreover, through simulations a better performance is achieved by using different diversity schemes and different parameters like sensing time and scanning interval

Cooperative sensing of spectrum opportunities

Reliability and availability of sensing information gathered from local spectrum sensing (LSS) by a single Cognitive Radio is strongly affected by the propagation conditions, period of sensing, and geographical position of the device. For this reason, cooperative spectrum sensing (CSS) was largely proposed in order to improve LSS performance by using cooperation between Secondary Users (SUs). The goal of this chapter is to provide a general analysis on CSS for cognitive radio networks (CRNs). Firstly, the theoretical system model for centralized CSS is introduced, together with a preliminary discussion on several fusion rules and operative modes. Moreover, three main aspects of CSS that substantially differentiate the theoretical model from realistic application scenarios are analyzed: (i) the presence of spatiotemporal correlation between decisions by different SUs; (ii) the possible mobility of SUs; and (iii) the nonideality of the control channel between the SUs and the Fusion Center (FC). For each aspect, a possible practical solution for network organization is presented, showing that, in particular for the first two aspects, cluster-based CSS, in which sensing SUs are properly chosen, could mitigate the impact of such realistic assumptions

Multiband Spectrum Access: Great Promises for Future Cognitive Radio Networks

Cognitive radio has been widely considered as one of the prominent solutions to tackle the spectrum scarcity. While the majority of existing research has focused on single-band cognitive radio, multiband cognitive radio represents great promises towards implementing efficient cognitive networks compared to single-based networks. Multiband cognitive radio networks (MB-CRNs) are expected to significantly enhance the network's throughput and provide better channel maintenance by reducing handoff frequency. Nevertheless, the wideband front-end and the multiband spectrum access impose a number of challenges yet to overcome. This paper provides an in-depth analysis on the recent advancements in multiband spectrum sensing techniques, their limitations, and possible future directions to improve them. We study cooperative communications for MB-CRNs to tackle a fundamental limit on diversity and sampling. We also investigate several limits and tradeoffs of various design parameters for MB-CRNs. In addition, we explore the key MB-CRNs performance metrics that differ from the conventional metrics used for single-band based networks.Comment: 22 pages, 13 figures; published in the Proceedings of the IEEE Journal, Special Issue on Future Radio Spectrum Access, March 201