Frame synchronization for variable-length packets

A cognitive radio can sense its environment and adapt some of its features, such as carrier frequency, transmission bandwidth, transmission power, and modulation, thus allowing dynamic reuse of the available spectrum. Due to their high degree of adaptability to environmental variations, cognitive radios are expected to utilize packet-based transmission with variable length frames. Packet-based transmission requires the receiver to perform frame synchronization, an important enabling step that allows adaptation in cognitive radios. However, proper metrics to characterize the performance of frame synchronization for transmission of variable-length frames are currently unavailable. To address this issue, we put forth two performance metrics, namely the expected duration to complete frame synchronization and the probability of correct acquisition within a given duration. We then develop analytical expressions for these important metrics. This paper advances our understanding of frame synchronization for the continuous transmission of variable-length frames and for bursty transmission.