Flexibly Cooperative Spectrum Sensing and Allocation in cognitive radio networks: An auction-based framework

Cognitive radio networks have made a dramatic shift towards variously cooperative paradigm to achieve fast, reliable spectrum sensing and effective spectrum usage in recent past. In this paper, we develop a Flexibly Cooperative Spectrum Sensing and Allocation (FCSSA) framework in cognitive radio networks. The proposed FCSSA framework captures the essential interactive function between cooperative spectrum sensing and allocation, which allows licensed channel and secondary users bargaining on their decisions, such as the enforceable requirements of spectrum sensing time, energy detection threshold and secondary users' payment for spectrum access, to maximize their utilities respectively. Moreover, we apply Stackelberg game to formulate the joint cooperative spectrum sensing and allocation design. The leader (authorized agent of licensed channel) decides spectrum sensing time and energy detection threshold according to the predictable behavior of secondary users. The followers (secondary users) make their payment decision underlying a non-cooperative game according to the limited information from licensed channel. Numeric simulations verify that our proposed jointly design framework in cooperative spectrum sensing and allocation can increase the agility and effectiveness of dynamic spectrum usage.