Joint radar communication

Abstract

The invention relates to a joint radar communication system within a wireless communication environment, comprising: at least one processor; at least one transceiver configured to transmit a radar signal through which the azimuth data is transmitted with the radar waveform; at least one receiver configured to receive an echo of the radar signal; and at least one memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor. The transceiver is configured to transmit a joint radar communication signal (JRC), and the receiver is configured to receive an echo of the radar signal using a joint radar communication channel and transmit a communication (JRC) signal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a joint radar communication system and method. Background Technology

[0002] Millimeter-wave-based communication is key to supporting very high data rates and high capacity (generated by large-scale vehicle sensing) in vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) scenarios. Beam management, particularly beam alignment, is fundamental to realizing mmW-based (mmW) V2X. The idea of ​​implementing opportunistic signals (SoO) for passive radar has been investigated in the context of Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology. However, in beamforming scenarios, such as novel radios operating in Frequency Range 2 (FR2) or mmW-based V2V, the potential benefits of this concept have not yet been fully explored.

[0003] Existing literature independently implements the idea of ​​Opportunistic Signaling (SoO) and provides a general framework for beam management. Joint Radar and Communications (JRC) is another emerging paradigm, which, to the inventors' knowledge, has recently been proposed to better and more efficiently utilize the radio resources statically allocated to radar systems.

[0004] The relevant publications are listed below:

[0005] [1] RS Thoma, C. Andrich, GD Galdo, M. Dobereiner, MA Hein, M. Kaske, G. Schafer, S. Schieler, C. Schneider, A. Schwind and P. Wendland, “Cooperative Passive Coherent Location: A Promising 5G Service to Support Road Safety”, IEEE Communications Magazine, Vol. 57, No. 9, pp. 86-92, 2019.

[0006] [2] D. Pastina, F. Santi, F. Pieralice, M. Antoniou, and M. Cherniakov, “Passive Radar Imaging of Ship Targets with GNSS Signals of Opportunity,” IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, pp. 1-16, 2020.

[0007] [3] S. Bartoletti, A. Conti and MZ Win, “Passive radar via LTE signals of opportunity”, in: 2014 IEEE International Conference on Communications Workshops (ICC), pp. 181-185, 2014.

[0008] [4] A. Ali, N. Gonzalez-Prelcic and A. Ghosh, “Automotive radar radiations as signals of opportunity for millimeter wave V2I links”, in: 2019 53rd Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems, and Computers, pp. 554-558, 2019.

[0009] [5] S. Lagen, L. Giupponi, B. Bojovic, A. Demir and M. Beluri, “Paired Listen before Talk for Multi-RAT Coexistence in Unlicensed mmWave Bands”, in: 2018 IEEE International Conference on Communications Workshops (ICCWorkshops), pp. 1-6, 2018.

[0010] The patent documents also implement beam management. US 2022094511 A1 discloses the electronic device and method disclosed herein for performing beam management (BM) in a system having an antenna array capable of operating in combined radar and communication modes. The electronic device includes a processor and a plurality of antenna elements configured to operate in a first mode and a second mode, in which the antenna elements are used for communication utilizing beamforming, and in the second mode, at least two of the antenna elements are used for radar and the remaining antenna elements are used for communication. The processor is configured to perform mode switching on the antenna elements to switch between the first mode and the second mode, after the mode switching determine a new beam to be used during the first beam management cycle, perform the first beam management cycle using the new beam to obtain a signal quality measurement, and perform a second beam management cycle using the updated beam based on the signal quality measurement. KR100813909 B1 describes a dual-mode system for motor vehicle radar with wireless communication capabilities, providing the system to improve sensitivity when using low-cost antennas by simplifying the frequency conversion system. The dual-mode system for motor vehicle radar includes a signal processor having a radar mode and a communication mode. In radar mode, distance, speed, and azimuth are measured by using digital beamforming on the converted radar signal from the digital signal output from the radar receiver. In communication mode, vehicle position compensation or information exchange between vehicles is performed by analyzing the converted communication signal from the digital signal. CN104881995 A discloses a roadside dual-beam microwave radar traffic flow detection device and a roadside dual-beam microwave radar traffic flow detection method. The roadside dual-beam microwave radar traffic flow detection device includes a first antenna, a second antenna, a first microwave transceiver module, a second microwave transceiver module, a waveform generation module, an intermediate frequency filtering module, an acquisition module, a digital coprocessor, a digital main processor, and a communication interface. The first and second antennas are placed on the roadside and perpendicular to the lane direction for transmitting and receiving microwaves. The digital signal processor acquires the echoes, and the digital main processor and digital coprocessor perform statistical calculations on traffic flow, occupancy rate, and average vehicle speed.

[0011] As reflected in patent literature, radar-based beam alignment primarily relies on signal processing (e.g., angle of arrival (AoA), roadside unit (RSU) processing for motor vehicle radar, etc.). Inventions based on out-of-band signaling (opportunity signals SoO) mainly focus on inter-band communication, such as communication systems operating in different bands (sub-6 and mmW).

[0012] When beam alignment is achieved using radio resources from communication networks (e.g., 5G), and in the case of simulated beamforming, the process takes time, in addition to the fact that those resources are statically allocated for this purpose. The concept of opportunistic signals is strongly related to the principles of passive radar, and for this reason, some applications have already been found in beam management. However, in this case, the two functionalities belong to different systems, which has implications from an implementation perspective; that is, the two systems need to be connected, and fast and reliable connectivity must be guaranteed. The principle behind the proposed solution is to tightly integrate the two functionalities within the same system by means of joint radar communication technology.

[0013] Therefore, in this context, the technical problem to be solved is how to pair radar signals for transmission and reception in mmW-based systems. Summary of the Invention

[0014] The object of this invention is to provide a system for joint radar communication, and a corresponding method for joint radar communication according to the independent claims.

[0015] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a joint radar communication system in a wireless communication environment is provided, comprising: at least one processor; at least one transceiver configured to transmit a radar signal, wherein azimuth data and a radar waveform are transmitted together via the radar signal; at least one receiver configured to receive an echo of the radar signal; and at least one memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor. The transceiver is configured to transmit a joint radar communication signal, and the receiver is configured to use a joint radar communication channel to receive the echo of the radar signal and transmit a communication signal.

[0016] This invention aims to provide a faster and more resource-efficient mechanism for beam management, particularly beam alignment. Beam alignment refers to the process by which transmitting and receiving units determine the appropriate orientation (beamforming) for communication with each other. This is particularly necessary when operating at higher frequencies and is challenging when considering mobility. Additional data can be transmitted along with sensing signals (i.e., radar signals), such as transmission parameters, for collision-free channel access.

[0017] In one embodiment, the joint radar communication signal is a radar signal carrying data or a communication signal with radar capability.

[0018] In a further embodiment, where the transceiver and / or the receiver are fixed units such as an enhanced roadside unit, the transceiver belonging to the enhanced roadside unit is capable of transmitting both joint radar communication signals and communication signals, and the receiver belonging to the enhanced roadside unit is capable of receiving and processing the echo of the transmitted joint radar communication signals and receiving the communication signals.

[0019] Furthermore, in the case where the transceiver and / or the receiver are mobile units of a motor vehicle radar system such as one mounted on a vehicle, the transceiver belonging to the mobile unit is capable of transmitting both a combined radar communication signal and a communication signal, and the receiver belonging to the mobile unit is capable of receiving and processing the data inserted into the transmitted combined radar communication signal and receiving the communication signal.

[0020] According to a second aspect of the invention, a method for joint radar communication in a wireless communication environment is provided, the method being performed by means of at least one processor, at least one transceiver, at least one receiver, and at least one memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor. The method includes the steps of: at the transceiver, transmitting a joint radar communication signal including at least azimuth data and a radar waveform; at the receiver, obtaining the direction and identity of the transceiver from the azimuth data and reflecting a radar echo; at the transceiver, processing the reflected radar echo and performing a radar detection operation based on the reflected echo; and at the receiver, transmitting the joint radar communication signal via a joint radar communication channel.

[0021] The main idea behind this invention is to use joint radar communication as a mechanism to provide a solution for rapid beam management without requiring dedicated resources for it (using existing radar channels). From the perspective of the sensing unit (radar TX), operation is routine, except that the radar radiation includes at least directional information, which can be used by the receiver unit (the target from the sensing perspective) to immediately transmit data to the TX unit in the appropriate direction. In this way, the radar unit, while performing its own routine radar and sensing tasks, "tells" potential communication partners "how to contact me."

[0022] In some embodiments of the method of the present invention, the joint radar communication signal is a data-carrying radar signal or a communication signal with radar capability. Furthermore, the radar signal carries space vector data transmitted out of the vehicle's radar signal band. The communication signal also includes data regarding a communication channel, at least for beam alignment, described at least by time-frequency resources or access parameters.

[0023] According to another embodiment, when the transceiver and / or the receiver is a fixed unit such as an enhanced roadside unit, both the joint radar communication signal and the communication signal are transmitted by the transceiver belonging to the enhanced roadside unit, and the echo of the transmitted joint radar communication signal and the received communication signal are received and processed by the receiver belonging to the enhanced roadside unit.

[0024] Furthermore, when the transceiver and / or the receiver belongs to a mobile unit such as a motor vehicle radar system mounted on a vehicle, both the combined radar communication signal and the communication signal are transmitted by the transceiver belonging to the mobile unit, and the data and communication signal inserted into the transmitted combined radar communication signal are received and processed by the receiver belonging to the mobile unit. In some embodiments, the method is configured as part of a data communication service, wherein the radar data is space vector data transmitted out of band of the motor vehicle radar signal.

[0025] According to a further embodiment, the communication signal sent by the receiver is a one-time MAC-related information for vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication, infrastructure-to-vehicle (I2V) communication, or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication. In a further embodiment, the communication signal sent by the receiver is assigned to a predetermined spectrum or frequency, or is based on a per-service priority token (a priority token divided by service) and is not bound to a specific spectrum or frequency.

[0026] Another aspect of the present invention provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the method according to the present invention.

[0027] Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of advantageous embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0028] Figure 1 The operating environment for the joint radar communication system is shown.

[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic representation of beam alignment between the transmitting and receiving units.

[0030] Figure 3 This is a block diagram illustrating how to transmit data / information using a joint radar communication channel according to the present invention.

[0031] Figure 4 The first embodiment of the present invention is presented, namely, a V2I use case of a beam management system based on joint radar communication according to the present invention.

[0032] Figure 5The second embodiment of the present invention is presented, namely a V2V use case.

[0033] Figure 6 A flowchart of a method for joint radar communication according to the present invention is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0034] To better understand the principles of the present invention, embodiments of the invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals are used in the drawings for the same or equivalent elements, and it is not necessary to describe them again for each drawing. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments, and the described features can be combined or modified without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

[0035] The term "vehicle radar" as used herein includes: a radar transmitter unit Tx configured to transmit a radar waveform with a radar carrier frequency to a scene, and a radar receiver unit Rx configured to receive the radar waveform transmitted by the radar transmitter unit Tx and reflected by a target in the scene. The vehicle radar also has components for decoding information from the radar waveform received by the radar receiver unit Rx. Vehicle radar can be fixed (integrated into traffic infrastructure) or mobile (installed on a vehicle, for example, each vehicle is equipped with several radar sensors dedicated to specific driver assistance functions).

[0036] Furthermore, the term "enhanced roadside unit" refers to a DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication) transceiver that is installed along a road or pedestrian walkway as part of the traffic infrastructure (as a fixed unit), or mounted on a vehicle or carried by hand (as a mobile unit), and provides connectivity and information support to mobile units (e.g., passing vehicles), while maintaining a range of outdoor edge computing applications, functions, or capabilities from smart cities, traffic management, V2E (vehicle-to-everything) without the limitations imposed on "classic" roadside units (which are restricted to where they are permitted to operate, or where they do not interfere with the site's permitted operation).

[0037] The various embodiments described herein generally relate to techniques for joint radar communication within a wireless communication environment.

[0038] Below, we will use Figure 1 The exemplary scenario shown further explains how to operate the system according to the present invention. Figure 1An exemplary number of vehicles V, arbitrarily deployed or navigating within a wireless communication environment, are shown. These vehicles are equipped with conventional onboard communication components (illustrated but not cited), such as 4G and / or 5G (cellular) communication capabilities, e.g., Uu or sidelinks. The vehicles are capable of communicating with infrastructure units, such as roadside units (e.g., roadside units integrated into traffic infrastructure), on which fixed vehicle radars can be mounted to monitor traffic at intersections or along roads. Furthermore, it is assumed that at least some of the vehicles shown are equipped with at least one vehicle radar, and that at least one vehicle radar includes a transmitting Tx unit and a receiving Rx unit—in other words, numerous vehicle radars.

[0039] Figure 2 The concept of conventional radar beam alignment is presented, as discussed in the background section of this specification.

[0040] Figure 3 An embodiment of a joint radar communication system according to the present invention is shown. The joint radar communication system includes: at least one processor; at least one transceiver configured to transmit a radar signal, wherein azimuth data and a radar waveform are transmitted together with the radar signal; at least one receiver configured to receive the echo of the radar signal; and at least one memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor. The transceiver is configured to transmit joint radar communication signals, and the receiver is configured to use a joint radar communication channel to receive the echo of the radar signal and transmit communication signals.

[0041] In one embodiment, the Joint Radar Communication (JRC) signal is a radar signal carrying data. For example, the data carried by the radar signal is bits containing at least azimuth data (vector information) that can be read by a "target" using this information to directly transmit directional (pure communication) signals (beamforming). Examples of possible targets include: a receiver according to the invention, or any other entity (including a receiver according to the invention).

[0042] In another embodiment, the Joint Radar Communication (JCR) signal is a radar-capable communication signal; more precisely, it includes a communication signal containing data about a communication channel described by time-frequency resources, access parameters (e.g., preambles or sequences to be used), etc. A communication channel described in this way is used for beam alignment.

[0043] The transceiver and / or receiver belong to fixed units, such as enhanced roadside units (eRSUs), or to mobile units, such as motor vehicle radar systems mounted on mobile platforms (such as vehicles). In the context of this invention, an enhanced roadside unit is a roadside unit with dual-function radar communication capabilities, meaning a roadside unit capable of receiving, "understanding," and further transmitting Joint Radar Communication Signals (JRCs).

[0044] Figure 4 A V2I embodiment of the system of the present invention is shown, characterized in that the transceiver and / or receiver are fixed units such as an enhanced roadside unit (eRSU). The transceiver belonging to the enhanced roadside unit is capable of transmitting both Joint Radar Communication (JRC) and Communication Signal (COM), and the receiver belonging to the enhanced roadside unit is capable of receiving and processing the echo of the transmitted JRC and receiving the COM. The enhanced roadside unit (eRSU) is connected to a network, and the network is a cellular network, a wireless network, a radio-based network, a telephone network, a satellite network, a wired network, a fiber optic network, or a combination thereof.

[0045] Figure 5 A V2V embodiment of the system of the present invention is shown, characterized in that the transceiver and / or receiver belong to a mobile unit, such as a motor vehicle radar system installed on a vehicle. The transceiver belonging to the mobile unit is capable of transmitting both a Joint Radar Communication Signal (JRC) and a Communication Signal (COM), and the receiver belonging to the mobile unit is capable of receiving and processing data inserted into the transmitted Joint Radar Communication Signal (JRC) and receiving the Communication Signal (COM).

[0046] Figure 6 An embodiment of the method according to the present invention is shown. The method includes:

[0047] S1, at the transceiver, transmits a combined radar communication signal including at least azimuth angle data and radar waveform.

[0048] S2.1, at the receiver, the transceiver's direction and identity are obtained from the azimuth data, and the radar echo is reflected.

[0049] At the transceiver, the reflected radar echoes are processed, and radar detection operations are performed based on the reflected echoes.

[0050] S2.2, at the receiver, transmits the Joint Radar Communication (JRC) signal via the Joint Radar Communication Channel.

[0051] In the case where the transceiver and / or receiver belong to a fixed unit such as an enhanced roadside unit (eRSU), both the joint radar communication signal JRC and the communication signal COM are transmitted by the transceiver belonging to the enhanced roadside unit, and the echo of the transmitted joint radar communication signal JRC and the received communication signal COM are received and processed by the receiver belonging to the enhanced roadside unit (eRSU).

[0052] In cases where the transceiver and / or receiver belong to a mobile unit such as a motor vehicle radar system installed on a vehicle, both the joint radar communication signal JRC and the communication signal COM are transmitted by the transceiver belonging to the mobile unit, and the data inserted into the transmitted joint radar communication signal JRC and the communication signal COM are received and processed by the receiver belonging to the mobile unit.

[0053] When this method is configured as part of a data communication service, the radar data is space vector data transmitted outside the vehicle's radar signal band.

[0054] The communication signal sent by the receiver is a one-time MAC-related information for vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication, infrastructure-to-vehicle (I2V) communication, or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, or a predetermined spectrum allocated to a frequency, or a spectrum based on a service-based priority token that is not bound to a specific frequency.

[0055] Another aspect of the present invention provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations according to the method of the present invention.

[0056] However, while certain embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, those skilled in the art will recognize various alternative designs and embodiments for practicing the invention as defined by the appended claims.

[0057] List of reference numerals

[0058] JRC – Joint Radar Communications

[0059] Com – Communication signal

[0060] eRSU – Enhanced Roadside Unit

[0061] V1, V2, V3 – Vehicles

[0062] Nc – Network Connection

[0063] V2I – Vehicle to Infrastructure

[0064] V2X – Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X)

[0065] TX – Transceiver

[0066] RX - Receiver

[0067] Bibliography

[0068] Non-patent literature

[0069] [1] RS Thoma, C. Andrich, GD Galdo, M. Dobereiner, MA Hein, M. Kaske, G. Schafer, S. Schieler, C. Schneider, A. Schwind and P. Wendland, “Cooperative Passive Coherent Location: A Promising 5G Service to Support Road Safety”, IEEE Communications Magazine, Vol. 57, No. 9, pp. 86-92, 2019

[0070] [2] D. Pastina, F. Santi, F. Pieralice, M. Antoniou and M. Cherniakov, “Passive Radar Imaging of Ship Targets With GNSS Signals of Opportunity”, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, pp. 1-16, 2020

[0071] [3] S. Bartoletti, A. Conti and MZ Win, “Passive radar via LTE signals of opportunity,” in: 2014 IEEE International Conference on Communications Workshops (ICC), pp. 181-185, 2014.

[0072] [4] A. Ali, N. Gonzalez-Prelcic and A. Ghosh, “Automotive radar radiations as signals of opportunity for millimeter wave V2I links”, in: 2019 53rd Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems, and Computers, pp. 554-558, 2019

[0073] [5] S. Lagen, L. Giupponi, B. Bojovic, A. Demir and M. Beluri, “Paired Listen before Talk for Multi-RAT Coexistence in Unlicensed mmWave Bands”, in: 2018 IEEE International Conference on Communications Workshops (ICCWorkshops), pp. 1-6, 2018

[0074] Patent documents

[0075] US 2022094511 A1

[0076] KR100813909 B1

[0077] CN104881995 A

Claims

1. A joint radar communication system in a wireless communication environment, comprising: At least one processor; At least one transceiver is configured to transmit a radar signal, wherein azimuth data and radar waveform are transmitted together via the radar signal. At least one receiver configured to receive the echo of the radar signal; and at least one memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, characterized in that, The transceiver is configured to transmit Joint Radar Communication (JRC) signals, and the receiver is configured to use the Joint Radar Communication channel to receive the echo of the radar signal and transmit communication (JRC) signals.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The Joint Radar Communication Signal (JRC) is a data-carrying radar signal (RCS) or a radar-capable communication signal (COM).

3. The system according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that, In the case where the transceiver and / or the receiver are fixed units such as an enhanced roadside unit (eRSU) with dual-function radar communication capability, the transceiver belonging to the enhanced roadside unit is capable of transmitting both Joint Radar Communication (JRC) signals and Communication (COM) signals, and the receiver belonging to the enhanced roadside unit is capable of receiving and processing the echo of the transmitted Joint Radar Communication (JRC) signals and receiving the Communication (COM) signals.

4. The system according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that, In the case where the transceiver and / or the receiver belong to a mobile unit such as a motor vehicle radar system installed on a vehicle, the transceiver belonging to the mobile unit is capable of transmitting both a Joint Radar Communication Signal (JRC) and a Communication Signal (COM), and the receiver belonging to the mobile unit is capable of receiving and processing data inserted in the transmitted Joint Radar Communication Signal (JRC) and receiving the Communication Signal (COM).

5. The system according to claims 1, 2 and 3, characterized in that, The enhanced roadside unit is connected to a network, and the network is a cellular network, a wireless network, a radio-based network, a telephone network, a satellite network, a wired network, a fiber optic network, or a combination thereof.

6. A method for joint radar communication in a wireless communication environment, the method being performed by means of at least one processor, at least one transceiver, at least one receiver, and at least one memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the method comprises: (S1) At the transceiver, a joint radar communication signal is transmitted, the joint radar communication signal including at least azimuth data transmitted along with the radar waveform. (S2.1) At the receiver, the direction and identity of the transceiver are obtained from the azimuth data, and the radar echo is reflected. At the transceiver, the reflected radar echoes are processed, and radar detection operations are performed based on the reflected echoes. Its features are, (S2.2) At the receiver, a Joint Radar Communication (JRC) signal is transmitted via the Joint Radar Communication Channel.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The joint radar communication signal is a radar signal carrying data (RCS) or a communication signal with radar capability (COM).

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The communication signal also includes data about a communication channel, at least for beam alignment, described by time-frequency resources or access parameters.

9. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, In the case where the transceiver and / or the receiver belong to a fixed unit such as an enhanced roadside unit (eRSU), both the Joint Radar Communication Signal (JRC) and the Communication Signal (COM) are transmitted by the transceiver belonging to the enhanced roadside unit, and the echo of the transmitted Joint Radar Communication Signal (JRC) and the Communication Signal (COM) are received and processed by the receiver belonging to the enhanced roadside unit (eRSU).

10. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, In cases where the transceiver and / or the receiver belongs to a mobile unit such as a motor vehicle radar system installed on a vehicle, both the Joint Radar Communication Signal (JRC) and the Communication Signal (COM) are transmitted by the transceiver belonging to the mobile unit, and the data inserted into the transmitted Joint Radar Communication Signal (JRC) and the Communication Signal (COM) are received and processed by the receiver belonging to the mobile unit.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the method is configured as part of a data communication service, characterized in that, The radar data is spatial vector data transmitted outside the radar signal band of the vehicle.

12. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The communication signal sent by the receiver is a one-time MAC-related information used for vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication, infrastructure-to-vehicle (I2V) communication, or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication.

13. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The communication signals transmitted by the receiver are assigned to a predetermined spectrum or frequency.

14. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The communication signals sent by the receiver are based on priority tokens divided by service and are not bound to a specific spectrum or frequency.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the method according to claims 6 to 14.

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