Ying-Chang Liang

Eigenvalue-based spectrum sensing algorithms for cognitive radio

Spectrum sensing is a fundamental component in a cognitive radio. In this paper, we propose new sensing methods based on the eigenvalues of the covariance matrix of signals received at the secondary users. In particular, two sensing algorithms are suggested, one is based on the ratio of the maximum eigenvalue to minimum eigenvalue; the other is based on the ratio of the average eigenvalue to minimum eigenvalue. Using some latest random matrix theories (RMT), we quantify the distributions of these ratios and derive the probabilities of false alarm and probabilities of detection for the proposed algorithms. We also find the thresholds of the methods for a given probability of false alarm. The proposed methods overcome the noise uncertainty problem, and can even perform better than the ideal energy detection when the signals to be detected are highly correlated. The methods can be used for various signal detection applications without requiring the knowledge of signal, channel and noise power. Simulations based on randomly generated signals, wireless microphone signals and captured ATSC DTV signals are presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed methods.

Cognitive radio networking and communications: an overview

Cognitive radio (CR) is the enabling technology for supporting dynamic spectrum access: the policy that addresses the spectrum scarcity problem that is encountered in many countries. Thus, CR is widely regarded as one of the most promising technologies for future wireless communications. To make radios and wireless networks truly cognitive, however, is by no means a simple task, and it requires collaborative effort from various research communities, including communications theory, networking engineering, signal processing, game theory, software-hardware joint design, and reconfigurable antenna and radio-frequency design. In this paper, we provide a systematic overview on CR networking and communications by looking at the key functions of the physical (PHY), medium access control (MAC), and network layers involved in a CR design and how these layers are crossly related. In particular, for the PHY layer, we will address signal processing techniques for spectrum sensing, cooperative spectrum sensing, and transceiver design for cognitive spectrum access. For the MAC layer, we review sensing scheduling schemes, sensing-access tradeoff design, spectrum-aware access MAC, and CR MAC protocols. In the network layer, cognitive radio network (CRN) tomography, spectrum-aware routing, and quality-of-service (QoS) control will be addressed. Emerging CRNs that are actively developed by various standardization committees and spectrum-sharing economics will also be reviewed. Finally, we point out several open questions and challenges that are related to the CRN design.

Optimal power allocation for fading channels in cognitive radio networks: Ergodic capacity and outage capacity

A cognitive radio network (CRN) is formed by either allowing the secondary users (SUs) in a secondary communication network (SCN) to opportunistically operate in the frequency bands originally allocated to a primary communication network (PCN) or by allowing SCN to coexist with the primary users (PUs) in PCN as long as the interference caused by SCN to each PU is properly regulated. In this paper, we consider the latter case, known as spectrum sharing, and study the optimal power allocation strategies to achieve the ergodic capacity and the outage capacity of the SU fading channel under different types of power constraints and fading channel models. In particular, besides the interference power constraint at PU, the transmit power constraint of SU is also considered. Since the transmit power and the interference power can be limited either by a peak or an average constraint, various combinations of power constraints are studied. It is shown that there is a capacity gain for SU under the average over the peak transmit/interference power constraint. It is also shown that fading for the channel between SU transmitter and PU receiver is usually a beneficial factor for enhancing the SU channel capacities.

A review on spectrum sensing for cognitive radio: challenges and solutions

Cognitive radio is widely expected to be the next Big Bang in wireless communications. Spectrum sensing, that is, detecting the presence of the primary users in a licensed spectrum, is a fundamental problem for cognitive radio. As a result, spectrum sensing has reborn as a very active research area in recent years despite its long history. In this paper, spectrum sensing techniques from the optimal likelihood ratio test to energy detection, matched filtering detection, cyclostationary detection, eigenvalue-based sensing, joint space-time sensing, and robust sensing methods are reviewed. Cooperative spectrum sensing with multiple receivers is also discussed. Special attention is paid to sensing methods that need little prior information on the source signal and the propagation channel. Practical challenges such as noise power uncertainty are discussed and possible solutions are provided. Theoretical analysis on the test statistic distribution and threshold setting is also investigated.

Optimization for Cooperative Sensing in Cognitive Radio Networks

In cognitive radio networks, the secondary users can use the frequency bands when the primary users are not present. Hence secondary users need to constantly sense the presence of the primary users. When the primary users are detected, the secondary users have to vacate that channel. This makes the probability of detection important to the primary users as it indicates their protection level from secondary users. When the secondary users detect the presence of a primary user which is in fact not there, it is referred to as false alarm. The probability of false alarm is important to the secondary users as it determines their usage of an unoccupied channel. Depending on whose interest is of priority, either a targeted probability of detection or false alarm shall be set. After setting one of the probabilities, the other can be optimized through cooperative sensing. In this paper, we show that cooperating all secondary users in the network does not necessary achieve the optimum performance, but instead, it is achieved by cooperating a certain number of users with the highest primary users signal to noise ratio. Computer simulations have shown that the Pd can increase from 92.03% to 99.88% and Pf can decrease from 6.02% to 0.06% in a network with 200 users.

Spectrum-Sensing Algorithms for Cognitive Radio Based on Statistical Covariances

Spectrum sensing, i.e., detecting the presence of primary users in a licensed spectrum, is a fundamental problem in cognitive radio. Since the statistical covariances of the received signal and noise are usually different, they can be used to differentiate the case where the primary users signal is present from the case where there is only noise. In this paper, spectrum-sensing algorithms are proposed based on the sample covariance matrix calculated from a limited number of received signal samples. Two test statistics are then extracted from the sample covariance matrix. A decision on the signal presence is made by comparing the two test statistics. Theoretical analysis for the proposed algorithms is given. Detection probability and the associated threshold are found based on the statistical theory. The methods do not need any information about the signal, channel, and noise power a priori. In addition, no synchronization is needed. Simulations based on narrow-band signals, captured digital television (DTV) signals, and multiple antenna signals are presented to verify the methods.

Joint Beamforming and Power Allocation for Multiple Access Channels in Cognitive Radio Networks

A cognitive radio (CR) network refers to a secondary network operating in a frequency band originally licensed/allocated to a primary network consisting of one or multiple primary users (PUs). A fundamental challenge for realizing such a system is to ensure the quality of service (QoS) of the PUs as well as to maximize the throughput or ensure the QoS, such as signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratios (SINRs), of the secondary users (SUs). In this paper, we study single-input multiple output multiple access channels (SIMO-MAC) for the CR network. Subject to interference constraints for the PUs as well as peak power constraints for the SUs, two optimization problems involving a joint beamforming and power allocation for the CR network are considered: the sum-rate maximization problem and the SINR balancing problem. For the sum-rate maximization problem, zero-forcing based decision feedback equalizers are used to decouple the SIMO-MAC, and a capped multi-level (CML) water-filling algorithm is proposed to maximize the achievable sum-rate of the SUs for the single PU case. When multiple PUs exist, a recursive decoupled power allocation algorithm is proposed to derive the optimal power allocation solution. For the SINR balancing problem, it is shown that, using linear minimum mean-square-error receivers, each of the interference constraints and peak power constraints can be completely decoupled, and thus the multi-constraint optimization problem can be solved through multiple single-constraint sub-problems. Theoretical analysis for the proposed algorithms is presented, together with numerical simulations which compare the performances of different power allocation schemes.

Optimal channel estimation and training design for two-way relay networks

In this work, we consider the two-way relay network (TWRN) where two terminals exchange their information through a relay node in a bi-directional manner and study the training-based channel estimation under the amplify-and-forward (AF) relay scheme. We propose a two-phase training protocol for channel estimation: in the first phase, the two terminals send their training signals concurrently to the relay; and in the second phase, the relay amplifies the received signal and broadcasts it to both terminals. Each terminal then estimates the channel parameters required for data detection. First, we assume the channel parameters to be deterministic and derive the maximum-likelihood (ML) -based estimator. It is seen that the newly derived ML estimator is nonlinear and differs from the conventional least-square (LS) estimator. Due to the difficulty in obtaining a closed-form expression of the mean square error (MSE) for the ML estimator, we resort to the Crameacuter-Rao lower bound (CRLB) on the estimation MSE for design of optimal training sequence. Secondly, we consider stochastic channels and focus on the class of linear estimators. In contrast to the conventional linear minimum-mean-square-error (LMMSE) -based estimator, we introduce a new type of estimator that aims at maximizing the effective receive signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) after taking into consideration the channel estimation errors, thus referred to as the linear maximum SNR (LMSNR) estimator. Furthermore, we prove that orthogonal training design is optimal for both the CRLB- and the LMSNR-based design criteria. Finally, simulations are conducted to corroborate the proposed studies.

Multi-antenna based spectrum sensing for cognitive radios: A GLRT approach

In this letter, we propose multi-antenna based spectrum sensing methods for cognitive radios (CRs) using the generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT) paradigm. The proposed methods utilize the eigenvalues of the sample covariance matrix of the received signal vector from multiple antennas, taking advantage of the fact that in practice, the primary user signals to be detected will either occupy a subspace of dimension strictly smaller than the dimension of the observation space, or have a non-white spatial spectrum. These methods do not require prior knowledge of the primary user signals, or the channels from the primary users to the CR. By making different assumptions on the availability of the white noise power value at the CR receiver, we derive two algorithms that are shown to outperform the standard energy detector.

Dynamic Resource Allocation in Cognitive Radio Networks

This article provides an overview of the state-of-art results on communication resource allocation over space, time, and frequency for emerging cognitive radio (CR) wireless networks. Focusing on the interference-power/interference-temperature (IT) constraint approach for CRs to protect primary radio transmissions, many new and challenging problems regarding the design of CR systems are formulated, and some of the corresponding solutions are shown to be obtainable by restructuring some classic results known for traditional (non-CR) wireless networks. It is demonstrated that convex optimization plays an essential role in solving these problems, in a both rigorous and efficient way. Promising research directions on interference management for CR and other related multiuser communication systems are discussed.