Cross-layer mobility-aware MAC protocol for cognitive radio sensor network

Abstract

This paper proposes a novel cross-layer mobility-aware MAC protocol for cluster-based cognitive radio sensor network. A primary focus is on the cluster formation and maintenance. The proposed clustering mechanism divides the network into clusters based on three values: spectrum availability, power level of node and current speed of the node. Therefore, clusters form with the highest stability and flexibility to avoid frequent re-clustering in the network. Moreover, the proposed method integrates the spectrum sensing at physical (PHY) layer with the packet scheduling at MAC layer to be more robust to Primary Users (PUs) activity as well as node mobility in a network. The simulation results show that the proposed protocol can guarantee a good number of common channels per cluster and outperforms the conventional protocols in terms of throughput, power consumption and packet transmission delay.