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Mechanisms for Enhancing Spectrum Utilization in a Spectrum Access System

Multi-antenna systems with resource allocation based on transmit and receive precoding matrices have proven to enhance the spectral efficiency of cellular systems. In this thesis, we extend these concepts to a spectrum sharing system with primary users and secondary users. The spectrum sharing area is modeled as an array of transmit and receive antennas, with the transmit power constraint defined as a function of the interference threshold of the primary user. The area covered by a database enabled spectrum access system is represented as spatial bins, which are regions of predefined sizes. Each bin is assumed to have a single secondary user base station and all the resources of that bin (i.e., available frequencies, transmit power, etc.) are consumed by this secondary user in that bin. With these assumptions, the service area of the database can be represented by a grid of secondary users. Such a grid of secondary users forms a array of transmit antennas with secondary users in each bin. Furthermore, the set of bins with its secondary users at the edge of the exclusion zone of the primary user are assumed to create an array of receive antennas. These receive antennas act as sensors that will measure the interference power at the edge of the exclusion zone of the primary users. So the overall system of secondary user base station transmit and receive antennas can be modeled as a multi-element antenna array system.

A regulatory interference threshold (I<sub>th</sub>) is defined for protection of the primary user at the edge of exclusion zones. This interference threshold is used by the resource allocation algorithms in the spectrum access system to calculate the transmit and receive precoding matrices for the secondary user antenna array. Using multiple-input multiple-output theory, the receive antenna array will measure the interference from the transmit antenna array and a feedback mechanism will update the resource allocation to keep the power at the receive array below the interference threshold of the primary user. For each array, the transmit/receive matrix is a beamforming vector which consists of a set of weights, one for each antenna. Furthermore, a codebook-based strategy is used by the spectrum access system database to choose a transmit matrix from the codebook which minimizes the interference at the primary user.

The overall spectrum sharing system can be represented by a model based on four design parameters, namely, Δ = (I<sub>th</sub>, P, V, B), where P is the transmit power constraint, V are the transmit and receive beamforming matrices, and B is the matrix with active secondary user base stations of the antenna array or the quality of service level of the secondary users. The Δ parameter is called the system index of the spectrum sharing system. We apply the multi-antenna model to the challenging problem of spectrum sharing where the primary users operational parameters, such as transmit power levels, waveform types, and service modes, can change with time. Moreover, there are several types of primary users in different bands. Most of these users are federal government systems and their operational parameters are not available to the spectrum access system database. Our framework is useful in sharing spectrum with federal primary users, since only the interference threshold is needed for sharing their bands. Furthermore, we quantify the uncertainty in the availability of these bands for secondary users and the variations in achievable capacity with sharing spectrum in these bands. / Ph. D. / The goal of this thesis is to build a Protected Shared Access Model (PSAM) through database enabled Spectrum Access System (SAS). A model for the SAS is proposed, which is based on our vision for the SAS as a more dynamic and responsive architecture as a geolocation database than the current TVWS database. Major functions and capabilities of the model include, calculations of exclusion zone (EZ) of primary users with different operational parameters, use interference estimation techniques for predicting interference levels that will be generated by the new secondary users (SUs) and existing systems operating in the database service area, allocate location based transmit power levels and provide an algorithm for communications among the PUs, SUs, and the SAS to implement management and authorization framework of spectrum resources to different types of SUs.

The selection of a propagation model is of utmost importance in spectrum sharing studies. Existing literature on EZs with simplified propagation models does not consider the effect of LOS interference between the PU to SU link and SU to PU link on peak points in the terrain area around the PU. The use of a terrain profile based model captures the essence of propagation over irregular terrain. Terrain regions that are far away from the PU may have a LOS between the PU and SU. So its not only the nearest area where the PU/SU can get interference, but interference is present from areas further away on high grounds having a direct LOS with the PU antenna. The exclusion zone computation with terrain profile based propagation model captures this effect, and it is the same effect that makes the shape of the exclusion zone irregular. So the propagation model used in spectrum sharing studies must be able to use the terrain for the specific geographical area for precise propagation calculations, and provide statistical reliability parameters for the computed propagation values for area of interest.

For a multi-tier shared access model with incumbent access (IA) users, priority access (PA) users and general authorized access (GAA) users. The SU interference tolerance thresholds varies by the type of SU's i-e., PA users like public safety systems and mission critical users have low tolerance for interference and hence need to operate further from the PU. While GAA users like commercial broadband systems have higher interference tolerances and can operate closer to the PU. This multi-tier shared access model requires varying levels of interference protection from PU, that can be provided with multiple exclusion zones defined for different types of SU's.

We propose the concept of differential spectrum access hierarchy, and define it in the context of a multi-tiered EZs that are based on quantiles of tolerable interference levels for different tiers of SUs. We also quantify and show the gain in SU capacity (or throughput) obtained by using multi-tiered EZs for different tiers of SUs. Using simulation results, we show that the size of EZs can be significantly reduced with the use of a terrain profile-based propagation model that takes into account terrain profile for signal attenuation between PUs and SUs in the P2P link.

The exclusion zones involve the use of interference test points at the circumference of the protection contour of the PU. They are monitoring test points that the SAS uses with a propagation model and locations of SUs to calculate interference. Consider a model of Figure 5.1, the coexistence environment with PU, SU and the SAS with a database. As more SUs enter the system, their transmit powers creates interference for the PUs. In the event of SU interference exceeding a predefined threshold level at any of the test points, the SAS uses an interference based power control algorithm to turnoff the nearest dominant interferer's. Turning off the dominant interferers eliminates interference generated by that node at the PU. This nearest node interference cancellation significantly reduces the outage probability at the PU.

Unlike existing metrics for spectrum utilization efficiency that considers separate metrics for PU interference protection and maximum use of the band for secondary use, we define a new metric for spectrum utilization efficiency. This metric uses utility functions and cost functions to measure the impact of secondary use of the spectrum on PUs as well as the degree of satisfaction SUs can achieve from reuse of such spectrum. The new spectrum utilization metric is used to evaluate tradeoffs between interference protection of PUs and SU spectrum utilization.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/84932
Date07 March 2017
CreatorsUllah, Abid
ContributorsElectrical and ComputerEngineering, Akbar, Ihsan Ali, Reed, Jeffrey H., MacKenzie, Allen B., Butt, Ali R., Park, Jung-Min, Clancy, Thomas Charles III
PublisherVirginia Tech
Source SetsVirginia Tech Theses and Dissertation
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeDissertation
FormatETD, application/pdf
RightsIn Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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