Abstract

Opportunistic Spectrum Access (OSA) is a promising solution to increase spectral efficiency in Cognitive Radio (CR) networks. According to this paradigm, unlicensed secondary CR users can access the spectrum licensed to primary users, provided that harmful interference is avoided. However, in OSA networks secondary users need a Common Control Channel (CCC) to identify the spectrum opportunities, i.e., common spectrum holes unused by primary users. To fulfill this requirement, the sharing of the spectrum sensing information via Ultra-wideband (UWB) has been proposed in the literature WRAP.

In this paper, we summarize the main results we obtained on the design and dimensioning of a highly available underlay UWB signaling network. To this aim, we analyse the trade-off between the connectivity degree of a multi-hop underlay signaling network, related to the parameters of the CCC, and its coexistence with PUs. We also assess the impact of the availability and the characteristics of the CCC on the accuracy of PU detection in OSA networks. Results show that the correct dimensioning of the UWB signaling network allows to achieve high accuracy of PU detection while avoiding harmful interference. The review also discusses relevant patents on this topic.

Keywords: Cognitive radio, control channel, opportunistic spectrum access, ultra-wideband, underlay signaling, SCENARIO DESCRIPTION, UWB Signaling Network, Cooperative Detection Probability, simulation parameters, UWB signaling network