text: We present an analytical framework to assess the link layer throughput of multichannel Opportunistic Spectrum Access (OSA) ad hoc networks. Specifically, we focus on analyzing various combinations of collaborative spectrum sensing and Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol abstractions. We decompose collaborative spectrum sensing into layers, parametrize each layer, classify existing solutions, and propose a new protocol called Truncated Time Division Multiple Access (TTDMA) that supports efficient distribution of sensing results in “K out of N” fusion rule. In case of multichannel MAC protocols, we evaluate two main approaches of control channel design with 1) dedicated and 2) hopping channel. We propose to augment these protocols with options of handling secondary user (SU) connections preempted by primary user (PU) by 1) connection buffering until PU departure and 2) connection switching to a vacant PU channel. By comparing and optimizing different design combinations, we show that 1) it is generally better to buffer preempted SU connections than to switch them to PU vacant channels and 2) TTDMA is a promising design option for collaborative spectrum sensing process when K does not change over time.
  @cite_29: Static spectrum allocation prohibits radio devices from using spectral bands designated for others. As a result, some bands are under-utilized while other bands are over-populated with radio devices. To remedy this problem, the concept of spectrum agility has been considered so as to enable devices to opportunistically utilize others' spectral bands. In order to help realize this concept, we establish an analytical model to derive performance metrics, including spectrum utilization and spectrum-access blocking time in spectral-agile communication systems. We then propose three basic building blocks for spectral-agile systems, namely spectrum opportunity discovery, spectrum opportunity management, and spectrum usage coordination, and develop protocols for each blocks. These protocols are integrated with the IEEE 802.11 protocol, and simulated using ns-2 to evaluate the protocol overhead. The simulation results show that our proposed protocols can improve the throughput of an IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN by 90 for the simulated scenarios, and the improvements matched well our analytical model. These results demonstrate the great potential of using spectrum agility for improving spectral utilization in an efficient, distributed, and autonomous manner
  @cite_11: We explore the performance tradeoff between opportunistic and regulated access inherent in the design of multiuser cognitive radio networks. We consider a multichannel cognitive radio system with sensing limits at the secondary users and interference tolerance limits at the primary and secondary users. Our objective is to determine the optimal amount of spectrum sharing, i.e., the number of secondary users that maximizes the total deliverable throughput in the network.We begin with the case of perfect primary user detection and zero interference tolerance at each of the primary and secondary nodes. With identical primary and secondary traffic statistics, we find that the optimal fraction of licensed users lies between the two extremes of fully opportunistic and fully licensed operation and is equal to the traffic duty cycle. When the secondary users can vary their transmission probabilities based on the number of active primary users, we find that the optimal number of opportunistic users is equal to the average number of unoccupied channels. We then consider the more involved case of imperfect sensing and non-zero interference tolerance constraints. We provide numerical simulation results to study the tradeoff between licensing and autonomy and the impact of primary user sensing and interference tolerance on the deliverable throughput for two different subchannel selection strategies at the secondary users.
summary: One of the first works that gained insight into the general performance of OSA networks, considering impact of PU activity on blocking and throughput of the SU network was @cite_29 , where the capacity of a multichannel OSA system was assessed by comparing centrally coordinated versus random SU channel assignment. A spectrum sensing process was not considered. A similar problem was investigated in @cite_11 where the spectrum sharing gains for PU and SU networks were obtained for a distributed and multichannel ad hoc OSA network. Unfortunately, a zero delay spectrum sensing process was assumed with genie-aided channel selection, i.e. in every time slot the receiver knew of the exact channel the transmitter will use to send data [Sec. III-C1] srinivasa_twc_2008 .