1,598 research outputs found
6G Wireless Systems: Vision, Requirements, Challenges, Insights, and Opportunities
Mobile communications have been undergoing a generational change every ten
years or so. However, the time difference between the so-called "G's" is also
decreasing. While fifth-generation (5G) systems are becoming a commercial
reality, there is already significant interest in systems beyond 5G, which we
refer to as the sixth-generation (6G) of wireless systems. In contrast to the
already published papers on the topic, we take a top-down approach to 6G. We
present a holistic discussion of 6G systems beginning with lifestyle and
societal changes driving the need for next generation networks. This is
followed by a discussion into the technical requirements needed to enable 6G
applications, based on which we dissect key challenges, as well as
possibilities for practically realizable system solutions across all layers of
the Open Systems Interconnection stack. Since many of the 6G applications will
need access to an order-of-magnitude more spectrum, utilization of frequencies
between 100 GHz and 1 THz becomes of paramount importance. As such, the 6G
eco-system will feature a diverse range of frequency bands, ranging from below
6 GHz up to 1 THz. We comprehensively characterize the limitations that must be
overcome to realize working systems in these bands; and provide a unique
perspective on the physical, as well as higher layer challenges relating to the
design of next generation core networks, new modulation and coding methods,
novel multiple access techniques, antenna arrays, wave propagation,
radio-frequency transceiver design, as well as real-time signal processing. We
rigorously discuss the fundamental changes required in the core networks of the
future that serves as a major source of latency for time-sensitive
applications. While evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of key 6G
technologies, we differentiate what may be achievable over the next decade,
relative to what is possible.Comment: Accepted for Publication into the Proceedings of the IEEE; 32 pages,
10 figures, 5 table
A Review of Indoor Millimeter Wave Device-based Localization and Device-free Sensing Technologies and Applications
The commercial availability of low-cost millimeter wave (mmWave)
communication and radar devices is starting to improve the penetration of such
technologies in consumer markets, paving the way for large-scale and dense
deployments in fifth-generation (5G)-and-beyond as well as 6G networks. At the
same time, pervasive mmWave access will enable device localization and
device-free sensing with unprecedented accuracy, especially with respect to
sub-6 GHz commercial-grade devices. This paper surveys the state of the art in
device-based localization and device-free sensing using mmWave communication
and radar devices, with a focus on indoor deployments. We first overview key
concepts about mmWave signal propagation and system design. Then, we provide a
detailed account of approaches and algorithms for localization and sensing
enabled by mmWaves. We consider several dimensions in our analysis, including
the main objectives, techniques, and performance of each work, whether each
research reached some degree of implementation, and which hardware platforms
were used for this purpose. We conclude by discussing that better algorithms
for consumer-grade devices, data fusion methods for dense deployments, as well
as an educated application of machine learning methods are promising, relevant
and timely research directions.Comment: 43 pages, 13 figures. Accepted in IEEE Communications Surveys &
Tutorials (IEEE COMST
1-D broadside-radiating leaky-wave antenna based on a numerically synthesized impedance surface
A newly-developed deterministic numerical technique for the automated design of metasurface antennas is applied here for the first time to the design of a 1-D printed Leaky-Wave Antenna (LWA) for broadside radiation. The surface impedance synthesis process does not require any a priori knowledge on the impedance pattern, and starts from a mask constraint on the desired far-field and practical bounds on the unit cell impedance values. The designed reactance surface for broadside radiation exhibits a non conventional patterning; this highlights the merit of using an automated design process for a design well known to be challenging for analytical methods. The antenna is physically implemented with an array of metal strips with varying gap widths and simulation results show very good agreement with the predicted performance
Beam scanning by liquid-crystal biasing in a modified SIW structure
A fixed-frequency beam-scanning 1D antenna based on Liquid Crystals (LCs) is designed for application in 2D scanning with lateral alignment. The 2D array environment imposes full decoupling of adjacent 1D antennas, which often conflicts with the LC requirement of DC biasing: the proposed design accommodates both. The LC medium is placed inside a Substrate Integrated Waveguide (SIW) modified to work as a Groove Gap Waveguide, with radiating slots etched on the upper broad wall, that radiates as a Leaky-Wave Antenna (LWA). This allows effective application of the DC bias voltage needed for tuning the LCs. At the same time, the RF field remains laterally confined, enabling the possibility to lay several antennas in parallel and achieve 2D beam scanning. The design is validated by simulation employing the actual properties of a commercial LC medium
Terahertz Communications and Sensing for 6G and Beyond: A Comprehensive View
The next-generation wireless technologies, commonly referred to as the sixth
generation (6G), are envisioned to support extreme communications capacity and
in particular disruption in the network sensing capabilities. The terahertz
(THz) band is one potential enabler for those due to the enormous unused
frequency bands and the high spatial resolution enabled by both short
wavelengths and bandwidths. Different from earlier surveys, this paper presents
a comprehensive treatment and technology survey on THz communications and
sensing in terms of the advantages, applications, propagation characterization,
channel modeling, measurement campaigns, antennas, transceiver devices,
beamforming, networking, the integration of communications and sensing, and
experimental testbeds. Starting from the motivation and use cases, we survey
the development and historical perspective of THz communications and sensing
with the anticipated 6G requirements. We explore the radio propagation, channel
modeling, and measurements for THz band. The transceiver requirements,
architectures, technological challenges, and approaches together with means to
compensate for the high propagation losses by appropriate antenna and
beamforming solutions. We survey also several system technologies required by
or beneficial for THz systems. The synergistic design of sensing and
communications is explored with depth. Practical trials, demonstrations, and
experiments are also summarized. The paper gives a holistic view of the current
state of the art and highlights the issues and challenges that are open for
further research towards 6G.Comment: 55 pages, 10 figures, 8 tables, submitted to IEEE Communications
Surveys & Tutorial
Roadmap on signal processing for next generation measurement systems
Signal processing is a fundamental component of almost any sensor-enabled system, with a wide range of applications across different scientific disciplines. Time series data, images, and video sequences comprise representative forms of signals that can be enhanced and analysed for information extraction and quantification. The recent advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning are shifting the research attention towards intelligent, data-driven, signal processing. This roadmap presents a critical overview of the state-of-the-art methods and applications aiming to highlight future challenges and research opportunities towards next generation measurement systems. It covers a broad spectrum of topics ranging from basic to industrial research, organized in concise thematic sections that reflect the trends and the impacts of current and future developments per research field. Furthermore, it offers guidance to researchers and funding agencies in identifying new prospects.AerodynamicsMicrowave Sensing, Signals & System
SubspaceNet: Deep Learning-Aided Subspace Methods for DoA Estimation
Direction of arrival (DoA) estimation is a fundamental task in array
processing. A popular family of DoA estimation algorithms are subspace methods,
which operate by dividing the measurements into distinct signal and noise
subspaces. Subspace methods, such as Multiple Signal Classification (MUSIC) and
Root-MUSIC, rely on several restrictive assumptions, including narrowband
non-coherent sources and fully calibrated arrays, and their performance is
considerably degraded when these do not hold. In this work we propose
SubspaceNet; a data-driven DoA estimator which learns how to divide the
observations into distinguishable subspaces. This is achieved by utilizing a
dedicated deep neural network to learn the empirical autocorrelation of the
input, by training it as part of the Root-MUSIC method, leveraging the inherent
differentiability of this specific DoA estimator, while removing the need to
provide a ground-truth decomposable autocorrelation matrix. Once trained, the
resulting SubspaceNet serves as a universal surrogate covariance estimator that
can be applied in combination with any subspace-based DoA estimation method,
allowing its successful application in challenging setups. SubspaceNet is shown
to enable various DoA estimation algorithms to cope with coherent sources,
wideband signals, low SNR, array mismatches, and limited snapshots, while
preserving the interpretability and the suitability of classic subspace
methods.Comment: Under review for publication in the IEE
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