Uniform Planar Array Based Weighted Cooperative Spectrum Sensing for Cognitive Radio Networks

Cooperative spectrum sensing (CSS) is essential for improving the spectrum efficiency and reliability of cognitive radio applications. Next-generation wireless communication networks increasingly employ uniform planar arrays (UPA) due to their ability to steer beamformers towards desired directions, mitigating interference and eavesdropping. However, the application of UPA-based CSS in cognitive radio remains largely unexplored. This paper proposes a multi-beam UPA-based weighted CSS (WCSS) framework to enhance detection reliability, applicable to various cognitive radio networks, including cellular, vehicular, and satellite communications. We first propose a weighting factor for commonly used energy detection (ED) and eigenvalue detection (EVD) techniques, based on the spatial variation of signal strengths resulting from UPA antenna beamforming. We then analytically characterize the performance of both weighted ED and weighted EVD by deriving closed-form expressions for false alarm and detection probabilities. Our numerical results, considering both static and dynamic user behaviors, demonstrate the superiority of WCSS in enhancing sensing performance compared to uniformly weighted detectors.