EAGER: Proof-of-Concept of a New MIMO Transceiver for Addressing Beam Squint in Wideband High-Dimensional Arrays

提案编号1546604：EAGER：一种新的系统架构，用于解决宽带高维天线阵列无线通信中的基本波束偏斜问题无线技术正准备进行彻底的变革。 在厘米波（10- 30 GHz）和毫米波（30- 300 GHz）频率下工作的新系统是当前研究的重点，以满足爆炸式增长的无线数据流量需求。两个因素使得这样的高频率具有吸引力：i）可用频谱的数量级较大的块，以及ii）由小波长实现的高维天线阵列。由此产生的大量自由度可以用于许多关键功能，包括具有窄高增益波束的高方向性通信，以及通过多个波束向多个用户同时进行宽带传输的频谱空间重用。 然而，波束成形前端的硬件复杂性和后端数字处理的计算复杂性挑战了当前的“数字”范式，并且需要重新审视高维模数接口的设计。在新兴的毫米波和厘米波系统中，其对性能的影响不能再被忽略的一个基本问题是众所周知的“波束偏斜”问题-波束方向作为频率的函数而改变。传统的解决方案过于复杂，无法在实践中实现。这个为期两年的EAGER项目的目标是提供一种新的多波束系统架构的概念验证，与传统设计相比，该架构有望提供接近最佳的性能，同时大大降低复杂性。 该项目将为无线通信前沿的研究生和本科生提供宝贵的研究和培训机会，包括基础理论和基于原型的实验。新架构已申请专利，预计将在新兴宽带多天线技术的概念和发展中发挥重要作用，用于cmW和mmW应用。该技术还可能影响雷达应用。拟议的研究借鉴了通信理论，信号处理，优化，谐波分析，天线设计和传播物理学的工具。这是提示有前途的初步结果，重新审视波束斜视问题，从一个新的角度，量化其对性能的重大影响，并建议新的多波束系统架构，有效地处理it. The新的视角提供了一个波束空间理论，开创了PI，多输入多输出（MIMO）无线系统，采用多天线阵列的设计和分析。一个综合的理论实验研究计划正在追求两个总体目标：i）新系统架构的基础理论的发展，以及ii）使用10 GHz的原型进行概念验证。基础理论的发展将表征所有点对点系统配置中的新的多波束（MB）MIMO收发器。它将使一个更完整的量化的性能增益的建议宽带MB-MIMO收发器相对于传统的相控阵系统，以及它们提供的性能复杂性权衡。概念验证演示将使用带有透镜天线的原型进行模拟波束形成。该项目的结果将提供一个明确的概念验证的新MB-MIMO架构的性能复杂度优化的宽带高维MIMO系统中，波束斜视是一个重要的问题。该项目的研究结果预计将导致新的研究在关键新兴领域的无线通信和传感与宽带高维阵列。

Proposal no. 1546604: EAGER: A New System Architecture for Addressing the Fundamental Beam-Squint Problem in Wireless Communication with Wideband High-Dimensional Antenna Arrays Wireless technology is poised for a radical transformation. New systems operating at centimeter-wave (10-30GHz) and millimeter-wave (30-300GHz) frequencies are the focus of intense current research to meet the exploding wireless data traffic demands. Two factors make such high frequencies attractive: i) order-of-magnitude larger chunks of available spectrum, and ii) high-dimensional antenna arrays enabled by the small wavelengths. The resulting large number of degree of freedom can be exploited for a number of critical capabilities, including highly directional communication with narrow high-gain beams, and spatial reuse of the spectrum by simultaneous wideband transmissions to multiple users through multiple beams. However, the hardware complexity of the beamforming front-end and the computational complexity of the back-end digital processing challenge the current "digital" paradigm and require a fresh look at the design of the high-dimensional analog-digital interface. One fundamental problem whose impact on performance can no longer be ignored in emerging mmW and cmW systems is the well-known ``beam-squint'' problem - the beam direction changes as a function of frequency. Traditional solutions are far too complex to be realized in practice. The objective of this two-year EAGER project is to provide proof-of-concept of a new multi-beam system architecture that promises to deliver near-optimal performance with dramatically reduced complexity compared to conventional designs. The project will provide an invaluable research and training opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students at the cutting edge of wireless communications, including basic theory and prototype-based experimentation. A patent has been filed on the new architecture and it is expected to play an important role in the conception and development of emerging wideband multi-antenna technology for cmW and mmW applications. The technology could also impact radar applications.The proposed research draws on tools from communication theory, signal processing, optimization, harmonic analysis, antenna design, and physics of propagation. It is prompted by promising initial results that revisit the beam-squint problem from a new perspective, quantify its significant impact on performance, and suggest the new multi-beam system architecture for effectively dealing with it. The new perspective is offered by a beamspace theory, pioneered by the PI, for the design and analysis of multiple input multiple output (MIMO) wireless systems that employ multi-antenna arrays. An integrated theoretical-experimental research plan is being pursued with two overall objectives: i) development of basic theory for the new system architecture, and ii) proof-of-concept validation using a prototype at 10GHz. The development of basic theory will characterize the new multi-beam (MB) MIMO transceivers in all point-to-point system configurations. It will enable a more complete quantification of the performance gains of the proposed wideband MB-MIMO transceivers relative to conventional phased array-based systems, as well as the performance-complexity tradeoffs offered by them. The proof-of-concept demonstration will use a prototype with a lens antenna for analog beamforming. The results of this project will provide a definitive proof-of-concept of the new MB-MIMO architecture for performance-complexity optimization in wideband high-dimensional MIMO systems in which beam-squint is a significant problem. The findings of this project are expected to lead to new research in the critical emerging area of wireless communication and sensing with wideband high-dimensional arrays.