DIRECTION OF ARRIVAL ESTIMATION SYSTEM FOR LOCATION AWARE COGNITIVE RADIO

Abstract

Licensed Primary Users (PU) spatial location awareness by Cognitive Radios(CR) can positively impact the Cognitive Radio Networks(CRN) spectral sensing and sharing process. PU generally doesn't cooperate with secondary users who make its location process a real challenge. One of CRN's most effective PU location methods is based on its signal's Direction of Arrival (DoA) estimation using antenna arrays. Although the theoretical foundations of these techniques are widely disclosed, this is not the case for the implementation variants in real scenarios. This work proposes the practical implementation of a DoA estimation system for CRN with integrated microwave transceivers connected to an Intel FPGA development board. Based on the combined use of programmable logic and software executed in an embedded processor, the design allows for solving the DoA estimation problem in antenna arrays. The experimental verification with accurate PU signals provides for verifying the correct operation of the system in practical scenarios. The implemented design constitutes a feasible way to obtain practical CRN as a solution to increasing spectral saturation. It can be extended to other applications, such as wireless sensor networks or the deployment of 6G, in which CRN constitutes a key technology.