Cooperative spectrum sensing for RF-energy harvesting cognitive Radio networks

This article studies the impact of Radio Frequency (RF) energy harvesting on the design and performance of cooperative spectrum sensing in Cognitive Radio Networks (CRNs). While recent literature have primarily focused on mode selection and sensing-throughput optimization at the terminal level; this article discusses the challenges of mode selection in infrastructure networks, like IEEE 802.22 and 802.11af, using cooperative spectrum sensing. In particular, we develop two distributed mode selection strategies that cater for the time-varying needs of the network terminals. It is shown that these strategies give adequate flexibility to the network without jeopardising throughput. Computer simulations are used to show the advantages of the proposed strategies compared to the conventional decision-based cooperative spectrum sensing.