An experimental setup for performance analysis of an online adaptive cooperative spectrum sensing scheme for both in-phase and quadrature branches

Spectrum sensing is one of the most essential characteristics of cognitive radios (CRs). Robustness and adaptation to varying wireless propagation scenarios without compromising the sensing accuracy are desirable features of any spectrum sensing method to be deployed in CR systems. In this study, an online adaptive cooperation technique for spectrum sensing is proposed in order to maintain the level of reliability and performance. Cooperation is achieved by sensors which employ energy detection. These sensors send their output to a center where data fusion operation is carried out in an online and adaptive manner. Adaptation is realized by the use of orthogonal projections onto convex sets (POCS). In conjunction with the proposed method, an end-to-end methodology for a flexible experimental setup is also proposed in this study. This setup is arranged to emulate the proposed adaptive cooperation scheme for spectrum sensing and validate its practical use in cognitive radio systems. Comparative performance results for both inphase and quadrature branches are presented. © 2011 IEEE.