Throughput optimization for cooperative spectrum sensing in cognitive radio networks

In this paper, the channel utilization (throughput vs. sensing time relationship) is analyzed for cooperative spectrum sensing under different combining rules and scenarios. The combining rules considered in this study are the OR hard combining rule, the AND hard combining rule, the Equal Gain Soft combining rule and the two-bit quantized (softened hard) combining rule. For all combining rules, the detection performance, with a Gaussian distribution assumption, is expressed in two different scenarios, CPUP (Constant Primary User Protection) and CSUSU (Constant Secondary User Spectrum Usability). A comparison, based on simulations, is conducted between these proposed schemes in both scenarios, in terms of detection performance and throughput capacity of the CR network.