Spectrum Sensing Techniques for Cognitive Radio Sensor Networks (CRSN)

Abstract

Cognitive radio sensor network (CRSN) is a recently emerging paradigm that aims to utilize the unique features provided by CR concept to incorporate additional capabilities to Wireless Sensor Network (WSN). A CRSN is a distributed network of wireless cognitive radio sensor nodes, which perform sensing operation on event signals and collaboratively communicate their readings over dynamically available spectrum bands in a multi-hop manner ultimately to satisfy the application-specific requirements. The realization of CRSN depends on addressing many difficult challenges, posed by the unique characteristics of both cognitive radio and sensor networks, and further amplified by their union. Spectrum sensing technique plays an important role in the design of a CRSN. The first phase of this thesis work is concentrated in identifying the suitable spectrum sensing strategy for a CRSN by analysing different spectrum sensing strategies and comparing together. The second phase involves a search for an optimum spectrum sensing scheme suitable for the resource constrained nature of CRSN by combining two or more sensing schemes together i.e. Hybrid Spectrum Sensing. The thesis concludes with a remark that hybrid spectrum sensing schemes are the most appropriate sensing schemes for CRSN under its unique constraints.