Throughput Optimization via Cooperative Spectrum Sensing with Novel Frame Structure

In cognitive radio (CR) networks, cooperation can greatly improve the performance of spectrum sensing. In this paper, we propose a novel cooperative spectrum sensing (CSS) frame structure in which CR users conduct spectrum sensing and data transmission concurrently over two different parts of the primary user (PU) spectrum band. Energy detection sensing scheme is used to prove that there exists an optimal sensing bandwidth which yields the highest throughput for the CR network. Thus, we focus on the optimal sensing settings of the proposed sensing scheme in order to maximize the throughput of the CR network under the conditions of sufficient protection to PUs and required bandwidth for potential CR user data transmission. Some algorithms are also derived to jointly optimize the sensing bandwidth and the final decision threshold. Our simulation results show that optimizing the sensing bandwidth and the final decision threshold together will further increase the throughput of the CR network as compared to that which only optimizes the sensing bandwidth or the final decision threshold