Full Duplex Wireless Communications for Cognitive Radio Networks

As a key in cognitive radio networks (CRNs), dynamic spectrum access needs to be carefully designed to minimize the interference and delay to the primary (licensed) users. One of the main challenges in dynamic spectrum access is to determine when the secondary (unlicensed) users can use the spectrum. In particular, when the secondary user is using the spectrum, if the primary user becomes active to use the spectrum, it is usually hard for the secondary user to detect the primary user instantaneously, thus causing unexpected interference and delay to primary users. The secondary user cannot detect the presence of primary users instantaneously because the secondary user is unable to detect the spectrum at the same time while it is transmitting. To solve this problem, we propose the full duplex wireless communications scheme for CRNs. In particular, we employ the Antennas Cancellation (AC), the RF Interference Cancellation (RIC), and the Digital Interference Cancellation (DIC) techniques for secondary users so that the secondary user can scan for active primary users while it is transmitting. Once detecting the presence of primary users, the secondary user will release the spectrum instantaneously to avoid the interference and delay to primary users. We analyze the packet loss rate of primary users in wireless full duplex CRNs, and compare them with the packet loss rate of primary users in wireless half duplex CRNs. Our analyses and simulations show that using our developped wireless full duplex CRNs, the packet loss rate of primary users can be significantly decreased as compared with that of primary users by using the half duplex CRNs.