Cognitive Multi-Channel MAC Protocols with Perfect and Imperfect Sensing

Analytical formulations of the throughput of cognitive multi-channel MACs with perfect and imperfect sensing are presented. Both imperfect concurrent sensing and imperfect sequential sensing schemes are considered. A discrete time Markov chain is used to model the number of communicating node pairs in the MAC protocols. The throughput of the MAC protocol with perfect sensing is expressed as a function of the number of available data channels, the channel transmission rate, the average utilization per channel, the steady state probability of having a number of available data channels, while the throughput of the MAC protocol with imperfect sensing is expressed as a function of the number of available data channels, the channel transmission rate, the average utilization per channel, the steady state probability of having a number of available data channels, probability of false alarm and probability of misdetection. The results also clearly demonstrate the advantage of our proposed MAC protocol with imperfect concurrent sensing having low probability of misdetection but high probability of false alarm.