Sensing of Unknown Signals over Weibull Fading Conditions

TL;DR

This paper provides an analytical evaluation of energy detection performance over Weibull fading channels, which are relevant for cognitive radio and radar systems, highlighting the impact of fading severity on detection probability.

Contribution

It introduces a novel algebraic expression for the average probability of detection over Weibull fading channels, facilitating performance analysis in cognitive radio systems.

Findings

Detection performance decreases with increased fading severity.

Small changes in fading parameters significantly affect detection probability.

Results assist in optimizing energy detection in fading environments.

Abstract

Energy detection is a widely used method of spectrum sensing in cognitive radio and Radio Detection And Ranging (RADAR) systems. This paper is devoted to the analytical evaluation of the performance of an energy detector over Weibull fading channels. This is a flexible fading model that has been shown capable of providing accurate characterization of multipath fading in, e.g., typical cellular radio frequency range of 800${/}$900 MHz. A novel analytic expression for the corresponding average probability of detection is derived in a simple algebraic representation which renders it convenient to handle both analytically and numerically. As expected, the performance of the detector is highly dependent upon the severity of fading as even small variation of the fading parameters affect significantly the value of the average probability of detection. This appears to be particularly the case in severe fading conditions. The offered results are useful in evaluating the effect of multipath fading in energy detection-based cognitive radio communication systems and therefore they can be used in quantifying the associated trade-offs between sensing performance and energy efficiency in cognitive radio networks.