Abstract
Evolving from cognitive radio networks (CRNs), the concept has developed into a new paradigm of cloud and big data-based next-generation CRNs due to huge amount of data processing, complicated spectrum resource scheduling, and real-time information exchange. In cloud-based CRNs, control channels are needed for CR nodes to perform certain handshakings for network self-organization, spectrum sensing, network coordination, and flexible data connections. This paper investigates a transmission scheme for control channel (CC) in cloud-based CRNs, which is over several noncontiguous spectral holes. Transform domain communication system (TDCS)-based transmission scheme with spectrally-constrained sequence design is presented for CC. A practical testbed design for TDCS-based CC with multiple National Instruments PXIe devices and six universal software defined radio reconfigurable input/output devices is presented. Details of system design as well as main implementation challenges are described. Bit-error rate of the system is validated through both theoretical analysis and simulation results under realistic channel conditions.