NeTS: SHF: Medium: Collaborative Research: Integrated Design and Optimization of Millimeter-Wave Multi-Beam MIMO Networks for Gigabit Mobile Access

随着数据密集型设备和应用的激增，无线技术正在走向频谱紧缩。工作在30 GHz到300 GHz之间的毫米波(MmW)技术是一种很有前途的新兴解决方案，它提供比当前系统大几个数量级的带宽，并通过波束成形实现高效的频谱利用。虽然最近的研究表明，毫米波无线在实现前所未有的频谱效率、千兆位速率和低延迟方面具有巨大的潜力，但它受到了重大的理论和技术挑战的影响。特别是，天线和毫米波电路的硬件复杂性以及数字处理的计算复杂性挑战了当前的范例，需要一种新的跨学科方法来解决性能、复杂性和能量消耗之间的权衡。该项目通过一个涵盖通信和信号处理技术、硬件设计和网络协议的集成框架，研究宽带毫米波无线网络设计中的基本权衡。由四名调查员组成的研究小组因其互补的专业知识而独一无二地有资格进行这项研究。该项目正在支持六名研究生，并通过课程开发和外联努力，将尖端研究的参与扩大到本科生和代表性不足的群体。劳资关系正在为研究提供信息，为学生提供机会，并促进技术转让。一种新的跨域框架正在开发，用于集成设计可扩展的毫米波多输入多输出(MIMO)网络，该网络使用多天线阵列进行多波束多用户通信。这项研究涵盖了通信理论和信号处理、毫米波硬件和数据转换器设计、网络协议以及使用最先进的试验台进行的实验验证。这项研究基于四个目标：1)开发用于移动接入的多波束MIMO网络体系结构和通信/信号处理技术；2)研究用于多波束MIMO的可扩展和可重构的基于切片的毫米波收发信机设计；3)研究介质接入控制和高层协议，以应对毫米波传播挑战和充分利用先进的物理层能力；以及4)用于性能-复杂性-能量优化和实验验证的集成系统建模和评估。目前正在研究几个关键的操作要求，包括多波束形成和数据多路复用、动态波束频率分配和载波聚合、动态硬件可重构性以及针对不同用例的灵活联网协议。研究成果有望：i)推动毫米波无线的基本理论和设计策略的最新发展；ii)作为毫米波无线网络跨学科设计和分析的催化剂；iii)导致对可能影响成像、传感和雷达等其他应用的更深层次的基本理解和设计方法。

Wireless technology is heading for a spectrum crunch with the proliferation of data-hungry devices and applications. Millimeter-wave (mmW) technology, operating between 30GHz to 300GHz, is a promising emerging solution that offers orders-of-magnitude larger bandwidth than current systems and efficient spectrum usage through beamforming. While recent research shows the tremendous potential of mmW wireless in realizing unprecedented spectral efficiency, Gigabit rates and low latency, it is tempered by significant theoretical and technological challenges. In particular, the hardware complexity of the antennas and mmW circuits, and the computational complexity of digital processing challenge the current paradigms and require a fresh cross-disciplinary approach for addressing tradeoffs in performance, complexity, and energy consumption. This project is investigating fundamental tradeoffs in the design of wideband mmW wireless networks through an integrated framework spanning communication and signal processing techniques, hardware design, and networking protocols. The four-investigator research team is uniquely qualified to undertake this research due to their complementary expertise. The project is supporting six graduate students, and broadening participation in cutting-edge research to undergraduates and underrepresented groups through curriculum development and outreach efforts. Industrial relationships are informing research, providing opportunities for students, and facilitating technology transfer. A new cross-domain framework is being developed for integrated design of scalable mmW multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) networks that employ multi-antenna arrays for multi-beam multiuser communication. The research spans communication theory and signal processing, mmW hardware and data converter design, networking protocols, and experimental validation with a state-of-the-art testbed. The research is anchored on four goals: 1) Development of a multi-beam MIMO network architecture and communication/signal processing techniques for mobile access; 2) Investigation of a scalable and reconfigurable slice-based mmW transceiver design for multi-beam MIMO; 3) Investigation of medium access control and higher layer protocols to address mmW propagation challenges and to fully exploit the advanced physical layer capabilities; and 4) Integrated system modeling and assessment for performance-complexity-energy optimization and experimental validation. Several key operational requirements are being investigated, including multi-beam forming and data multiplexing, dynamic beam-frequency allocation and carrier aggregation, dynamic hardware reconfigurability, and flexible networking protocols for diverse use cases. The research results are expected to: i) advance the state-of-the-art of basic theory and design strategies for mmW wireless; ii) act as a catalyst for cross-disciplinary design and analysis of mmW wireless networks, and iii) lead to a deeper fundamental understanding and design methodologies which could impact other applications including imaging, sensing and radar.