Spectrum Sensing and Resource Allocation for Multicarrier Cognitive Radio Systems Under Interference and Power Constraints

http://asp.eurasipjournals.com/content/2014/1/68International audienceMulticarrier waveforms have been commonly recognized as strong candidates for cognitive radio. In this paper, we study the dynamics of spectrum sensing and spectrum allocation functions in cognitive radio context using very practical signal models for the primary users (PUs), including the effects of power amplifier nonlinearities. We start by sensing the spectrum with energy detection-based wideband multichannel spectrum sensing algorithm and continue by investigating optimal resource allocation methods. Along the way, we examine the effects of spectral regrowth due to the inevitable power amplifier nonlinearities of the PU transmitters. The signal model includes frequency selective block-fading channel models for both secondary and primary transmissions. Filter bank-based wideband spectrum sensing techniques are applied for detecting spectral holes and filter bank-based multicarrier (FBMC) modulation is selected for transmission as an alternative multicarrier waveform to avoid the disadvantage of limited spectral containment of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM)-based multicarrier systems. The optimization technique used for the resource allocation approach considered in this study utilizes the information obtained through spectrum sensing and knowledge of spectrum leakage effects of the underlying waveforms, including a practical power amplifier model for the PU transmitter. This study utilizes a computationally efficient algorithm to maximize the SU link capacity with power and interference constraints. It is seen that the SU transmission capacity depends critically on the spectral containment of the PU waveform, and these effects are quantified in a case study using an 802.11-g WLAN scenario

Resource Management in Multicarrier Based Cognitive Radio Systems

The ever-increasing growth of the wireless application and services affirms the importance of the effective usage of the limited radio spectrum. Existing spectrum management policies have led to significant spectrum under-utilization. Recent measurements showed that large range of the spectrum is sparsely used in both temporal and spatial manner. This conflict between the inefficient usage of the spectrum and the continuous evolution in the wireless communication calls upon the development of more flexible management policies. Cognitive radio (CR) with the dynamic spectrum access (DSA) is considered to be a key technology in making the best solution of this conflict by allowing a group of secondary users (SUs) to share the radio spectrum originally allocated to the primary user (PUs). The operation of CR should not negatively alter the performance of the PUs. Therefore, the interference control along with the highly dynamic nature of PUs activities open up new resource allocation problems in CR systems. The resource allocation algorithms should ensure an effective share of the temporarily available frequency bands and deliver the solutions in timely fashion to cope with quick changes in the network. In this dissertation, the resource management problem in multicarrier based CR systems is considered. The dissertation focuses on three main issues: 1) design of efficient resource allocation algorithms to allocate subcarriers and powers between SUs such that no harmful interference is introduced to PUs, 2) compare the spectral efficiency of using different multicarrier schemes in the CR physical layer, specifically, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and filter bank multicarrier (FBMC) schemes, 3) investigate the impact of the different constraints values on the overall performance of the CR system. Three different scenarios are considered in this dissertation, namely downlink transmission, uplink transmission, and relayed transmission. For every scenario, the optimal solution is examined and efficient sub-optimal algorithms are proposed to reduce the computational burden of obtaining the optimal solution. The suboptimal algorithms are developed by separate the subcarrier and power allocation into two steps in downlink and uplink scenarios. In the relayed scenario, dual decomposition technique is used to obtain an asymptotically optimal solution, and a joint heuristic algorithm is proposed to find the suboptimal solution. Numerical simulations show that the proposed suboptimal algorithms achieve a near optimal performance and perform better than the existing algorithms designed for cognitive and non-cognitive systems. Eventually, the ability of FBMC to overcome the OFDM drawbacks and achieve more spectral efficiency is verified which recommends the consideration of FBMC in the future CR systems.El crecimiento continuo de las aplicaciones y servicios en sistemas inal´ambricos, indica la importancia y necesidad de una utilizaci´on eficaz del espectro radio. Las pol´ıticas actuales de gesti´on del espectro han conducido a una infrautilizaci´on del propio espectro radioel´ectrico. Recientes mediciones en diferentes entornos han mostrado que gran parte del espectro queda poco utilizado en sus ambas vertientes, la temporal, y la espacial. El permanente conflicto entre el uso ineficiente del espectro y la evoluci´on continua de los sistemas de comunicaci´on inal´ambrica, hace que sea urgente y necesario el desarrollo de esquemas de gesti´on del espectro m´as flexibles. Se considera el acceso din´amico (DSA) al espectro en los sistemas cognitivos como una tecnolog´ıa clave para resolver este conflicto al permitir que un grupo de usuarios secundarios (SUs) puedan compartir y acceder al espectro asignado inicialmente a uno o varios usuarios primarios (PUs). Las operaciones de comunicaci´on llevadas a cabo por los sistemas radio cognitivos no deben en ning´un caso alterar (interferir) los sistemas primarios. Por tanto, el control de la interferencia junto al gran dinamismo de los sistemas primarios implica nuevos retos en el control y asignaci´on de los recursos radio en los sistemas de comunicaci´on CR. Los algoritmos de gesti´on y asignaci´on de recursos (Radio Resource Management-RRM) deben garantizar una participaci´on efectiva de las bandas con frecuencias disponibles temporalmente, y ofrecer en cada momento oportunas soluciones para hacer frente a los distintos cambios r´apidos que influyen en la misma red. En esta tesis doctoral, se analiza el problema de la gesti´on de los recursos radio en sistemas multiportadoras CR, proponiendo varias soluciones para su uso eficaz y coexistencia con los PUs. La tesis en s´ı, se centra en tres l´ıneas principales: 1) el dise˜no de algoritmos eficientes de gesti´on de recursos para la asignaci´on de sub-portadoras y distribuci´on de la potencia en sistemas segundarios, evitando asi cualquier interferencia que pueda ser perjudicial para el funcionamiento normal de los usuarios de la red primaria, 2) analizar y comparar la eficiencia espectral alcanzada a la hora de utilizar diferentes esquema de transmisi´on multiportadora en la capa f´ısica del sistema CR, espec´ıficamente en sistemas basados en OFDM y los basados en banco de filtros multiportadoras (Filter bank Multicarrier-FBMC), 3) investigar el impacto de las diferentes limitaciones en el rendimiento total del sistema de CR. Los escenarios considerados en esta tesis son tres, es decir; modo de transmisi´on descendente (downlink), modo de transmisi´on ascendente (uplink), y el modo de transmisi´on ”Relay”. En cada escenario, la soluci´on ´optima es examinada y comparada con algoritmos sub- ´optimos que tienen como objetivo principal reducir la carga computacional. Los algoritmos sub-´optimos son llevados a cabo en dos fases mediante la separaci´on del propio proceso de distribuci´on de subportadoras y la asignaci´on de la potencia en los modos de comunicaci´on descendente (downlink), y ascendente (uplink). Para los entornos de tipo ”Relay”, se ha utilizado la t´ecnica de doble descomposici´on (dual decomposition) para obtener una soluci´on asint´oticamente ´optima. Adem´as, se ha desarrollado un algoritmo heur´ıstico para poder obtener la soluci´on ´optima con un reducido coste computacional. Los resultados obtenidos mediante simulaciones num´ericas muestran que los algoritmos sub-´optimos desarrollados logran acercarse a la soluci´on ´optima en cada uno de los entornos analizados, logrando as´ı un mayor rendimiento que los ya existentes y utilizados tanto en entornos cognitivos como no-cognitivos. Se puede comprobar en varios resultados obtenidos en la tesis la superioridad del esquema multiportadora FBMC sobre los sistemas basados en OFDM para los entornos cognitivos, causando una menor interferencia que el OFDM en los sistemas primarios, y logrando una mayor eficiencia espectral. Finalmente, en base a lo analizado en esta tesis, podemos recomendar al esquema multiportadora FBMC como una id´onea y potente forma de comunicaci´on para las futuras redes cognitivas

Spectrum Adaptation in Cognitive Radio Systems with Operating Constraints

The explosion of high-data-rate-demanding wireless applications such as smart-phones and wireless Internet access devices, together with growth of existing wireless services, are creating a shortage of the scarce Radio Frequency (RF) spectrum. However, several spectrum measurement campaigns revealed that current spectrum usage across time and frequency is inefficient, creating the artificial shortage of the spectrum because of the traditional exclusive command-and-control model of using the spectrum. Therefore, a new concept of Cognitive Radio (CR) has been emerging recently in which unlicensed users temporarily borrow spectrum from the licensed Primary Users (PU) based on the Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA) technique that is also known as the spectrum sharing concept. A CR is an intelligent radio system based on the Software Defined Radio platform with artificial intelligence capability which can learn, adapt, and reconfigure through interaction with the operating environment. A CR system will revolutionize the way people share the RF spectrum, lowering harmful interference to the licensed PU of the spectrum, fostering innovative DSA technology and giving people more choices when it comes to using the wireless-communication-dependent applications without having any spectrum congestion problems. A key technical challenge for enabling secondary access to the licensed spectrum adaptation is to ensure that the CR does not interfere with the licensed incumbent users. However, incumbent user behavior is dynamic and requires CR systems to adapt this behavior in order to maintain smooth information transmission. In this context, the objective of this dissertation is to explore design issues for CR systems focusing on adaptation of physical layer parameters related to spectrum sensing, spectrum shaping, and rate/power control. Specifically, this dissertation discusses dynamic threshold adaptation for energy detector spectrum sensing, spectrum allocation and power control in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing-(OFDM-)based CR with operating constraints, and adjacent band interference suppression techniques in turbo-coded OFDM-based CR systems

Studies on efficient spectrum sharing in coexisting wireless networks.

Wireless communication is facing serious challenges worldwide: the severe spectrum shortage along with the explosive increase of the wireless communication demands. Moreover, different communication networks may coexist in the same geographical area. By allowing multiple communication networks cooperatively or opportunistically sharing the same frequency will potentially enhance the spectrum efficiency. This dissertation aims to investigate important spectrum sharing schemes for coexisting networks. For coexisting networks operating in interweave cognitive radio mode, most existing works focus on the secondary network’s spectrum sensing and accessing schemes. However, the primary network can be selfish and tends to use up all the frequency resource. In this dissertation, a novel optimization scheme is proposed to let primary network maximally release unnecessary frequency resource for secondary networks. The optimization problems are formulated for both uplink and downlink orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA)-based primary networks, and near optimal algorithms are proposed as well. For coexisting networks in the underlay cognitive radio mode, this work focuses on the resource allocation in distributed secondary networks as long as the primary network’s rate constraint can be met. Global optimal multicarrier discrete distributed (MCDD) algorithm and suboptimal Gibbs sampler based Lagrangian algorithm (GSLA) are proposed to solve the problem distributively. Regarding to the dirty paper coding (DPC)-based system where multiple networks share the common transmitter, this dissertation focuses on its fundamental performance analysis from information theoretic point of view. Time division multiple access (TDMA) as an orthogonal frequency sharing scheme is also investigated for comparison purpose. Specifically, the delay sensitive quality of service (QoS) requirements are incorporated by considering effective capacity in fast fading and outage capacity in slow fading. The performance metrics in low signal to noise ratio (SNR) regime and high SNR regime are obtained in closed forms followed by the detailed performance analysis