Enhanced low-complexity detector design for embedded cyclostationary signatures

Abstract

This paper presents a novel cyclostationary signature detector designed for robust detection of embedded signatures under frequency-selective fading conditions. Cyclostationary signatures are features which may be intentionally embedded in a digital communications signal, detected through cyclostationary analysis and used as a unique identifier. It has been shown that such signatures can also be employed to derive key signal parameters including carrier frequency and bandwidth, making them a powerful tool to support network coordination in dynamic spectrum access scenarios. Signature detection can be compromised under conditions of frequency-selective fading whereby a deep fade can destroy an individual signature. The detector presented in this paper can reduce the destructive effects of such fading conditions, greatly improving detection performance. These improvements are illustrated through simulation results which compare the performance of our detector with that of existing designs.