No Arabic abstract
In this paper, we propose multi-input multi-output (MIMO) beamforming designs towards joint radar sensing and multi-user communications. We employ the Cramer-Rao bound (CRB) as a performance metric of target estimation, under both point and extended target scenarios. We then propose minimizing the CRB of radar sensing while guaranteeing a pre-defined level of signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) for each communication user. For the single-user scenario, we derive a closed form for the optimal solution for both cases of point and extended targets. For the multi-user scenario, we show that both problems can be relaxed into semidefinite programming by using the semidefinite relaxation approach, and prove that the global optimum can always be obtained. Finally, we demonstrate numerically that the globally optimal solutions are reachable via the proposed methods, which provide significant gains in target estimation performance over state-of-the-art benchmarks.
In this paper, we firstly overview the application scenarios and the research progress in the area of communication and radar spectrum sharing (CRSS). We then propose a novel transceiver architecture and frame structure for a dual-functional radar-communication (DFRC) base station (BS) operating in the millimeter wave (mmWave) band, using the hybrid analog-digital (HAD) beamforming technique. We assume that the BS is serving a multi-antenna aided user equipment (UE) operating in a mmWave channel, which in the meantime actively detects multiple targets. Note that part of the targets also play the role of scatterers for the communication signal. Given this framework, we propose a novel scheme for joint target search and communication channel estimation relying on the omni-directional pilot signals generated by the HAD structure. Given a fully-digital communication precoder and a desired radar transmit beampattern, we propose to design the analog and digital precoders under non-convex constant-modulus (CM) and power constraints, such that the BS can formulate narrow beams towards all the targets, while pre-equalizing the impact of the communication channel. Furthermore, we design an HAD receiver that can simultaneously process signals from the UE and echo waves from the targets. By tracking the angular variation of the targets, we show that it is possible to recover the target echoes and mitigate the potential interference imposed on the UE signals by invoking the successive interference cancellation (SIC) technique, even when the radar and communication signals share the equivalent signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The feasibility and the efficiency of the proposed approaches in realizing DFRC are verified via numerical simulations. Finally, our discussions are summarized by overviewing the open problems in the research field of CRSS.
Future wireless communication systems are expected to explore spectral bands typically used by radar systems, in order to overcome spectrum congestion of traditional communication bands. Since in many applications radar and communication share the same platform, spectrum sharing can be facilitated by joint design as dual function radar-communications system. In this paper, we propose a joint transmit beamforming model for a dual-function multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) radar and multiuser MIMO communication transmitter sharing the spectrum and an antenna array. The proposed dual-function system transmits the weighted sum of independent radar waveform and communication symbols, forming multiple beams towards the radar targets and the communication receivers, respectively. The design of the weighting coefficients is formulated as an optimization problem whose objective is the performance of the MIMO radar transmit beamforming, while guaranteeing that the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) at each communication user is higher than a given threshold. Despite the non-convexity of the proposed optimization problem, it can be relaxed into a convex one, which can be solved in polynomial time, and we prove that the relaxation is tight. Then, we propose a reduced complexity design based on zero-forcing the inter-user interference and radar interference. Unlike previous works, which focused on the transmission of communication symbols to synthesize a radar transmit beam pattern, our method provides more degrees of freedom for MIMO radar and is thus able to obtain improved radar performance, as demonstrated in our simulation study. Furthermore, the proposed dual-function scheme approaches the radar performance of the radar-only scheme, i.e., without spectrum sharing, under reasonable communication quality constraints.
A novel dual-function radar communication (DFRC) system is proposed, that achieves high target resolution and high communication rate. It consists of a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar, where only a small number of antennas are active in each channel use. The probing waveforms are orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) type. The OFDM carriers are divided into two groups, one that is used by the active antennas in a shared fashion, and another one, where each subcarrier is assigned to an active antenna in an exclusive fashion (private subcarriers). Target estimation is carried out based on the received and transmitted symbols. The system communicates information via the transmitted OFDM data symbols and the pattern of active antennas in a generalized spatial modulation (GSM) fashion. A multi-antenna communication receiver can identify the indices of active antennas via sparse signal recovery methods. The use of shared subcarriers enables high communication rate. The private subcarriers are used to synthesize a virtual array for high angular resolution, and also for improved estimation on the active antenna indices. The OFDM waveforms allow the communication receiver to easily mitigate the effect of frequency selective fading, while the use of a sparse array at the transmitter reduces the hardware cost of the system. The radar performance of the proposed DFRC system is evaluated via simulations, and bit error rate (BER) results for the communication system are provided.
In this article, we study the joint communication and sensing (JCAS) paradigm in the context of millimeter-wave (mm-wave) mobile communication networks. We specifically address the JCAS challenges stemming from the full-duplex operation and from the co-existence of multiple simultaneous beams for communications and sensing purposes. To this end, we first formulate and solve beamforming optimization problems for hybrid beamforming based multiuser multiple-input and multiple-output JCAS systems. The cost function to be maximized is the beamformed power at the sensing direction while constraining the beamformed power at the communications directions, suppressing interuser interference and cancelling full-duplexing related self-interference (SI). We then also propose new transmitter and receiver beamforming solutions for purely analog beamforming based JCAS systems that maximize the beamforming gain at the sensing direction while controlling the beamformed power at the communications direction(s), cancelling the SI as well as eliminating the potential reflection from the communication direction and optimizing the combined radar pattern (CRP). Both closed-form and numerical optimization based formulations are provided. We analyze and evaluate the performance through extensive simulations, and show that substantial gains and benefits in terms of radar transmit gain, CRP, and SI suppression can be achieved with the proposed beamforming methods.
Rate-Splitting Multiple Access (RSMA), relying on multi-antenna Rate-Splitting (RS) techniques, has emerged as a powerful strategy for multi-user multi-antenna systems. In this paper, RSMA is introduced as a unified multiple access for multi-antenna radar-communication (RadCom) system, where the base station has a dual communication and radar capability to simultaneously communicate with downlink users and probe detection signals to azimuth angles of interests. Using RS, messages are split into common and private parts, then encoded into common and private streams before being precoded and transmitted. We design the message split and the precoders for this RadCom system such that the Weighted Sum Rate (WSR) is maximized and the transmit beampattern is approximated to the desired radar beampattern under an average transmit power constraint at each antenna. We then propose a framework based on Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM) to solve the complicated non-convex optimization problem. Results highlight the benefits of RSMA to unify RadCom transmissions and to manage the interference among radar and communications, over the conventional Space-Division Multiple Access (SDMA) technique.