CRI: II-New: Mobile Millimeter-Wave MIMO Network Based on CMU Chipscale Beamformers

目前的“4G”无线网络将无法支持预计的移动的互联网流量，预计到2022年，互联网流量将从2010年的每月94 PB增长到每月66，000 PB，每年增长72%。满足这种需求的关键在于：（1）开发30千兆赫（GHz）以上的新毫米波（mmWave）频谱，以及（2）开发能够实现mmWave通信的新硬件和算法。然而，毫米波通信网络仍处于起步阶段，新兴的5G网络预计将支持第一代概念。研究人员已经将目光投向了5G之外，因此，在为未来的毫米波网络开发基础技术和算法方面正在进行大量的研究。不幸的是，由于硬件技术的不可用，加上只有大公司才能支持的高成本，实验验证和实验驱动的发现在很大程度上缺乏。拟议的项目旨在建立新的机构基础设施，以便在毫米波频段进行先进的无线网络实验。由此产生的测试平台将提供实验工具和种子研究的硬件，物理和网络通信社区，并为系统研究人员谁专注于本地化，自动驾驶，室内导航，辅助设备的视障等该项目将提供机会，本科和研究生教育，无论是在基础设施的发展，并在其实际使用。此外，学生将开发芯片实现，印刷电路板设计和制造，实验室表征技能，使用软件定义的无线电，现场可编程门阵列编程技能，所有这些都是非常有价值的职业生涯在技术行业。该项目旨在开发一个第一的同类毫米波多输入多输出（MIMO）包括基站和跨越室内和室外空间的移动的用户模块。测试床开发将由两名研究人员组成的团队领导，该团队将毫米波芯片/系统设计方面的专业知识与无线网络跨层设计和实施方面的专业知识相结合。由于商业毫米波硬件（特别是具有高级功能的硬件）在可预见的未来不会广泛使用，因此拟议的基础设施将利用首席研究员先前由NSF资助的研究，该研究已导致先进毫米波无线电芯片的设计和原型演示，这些芯片具有前所未有的集成度，能效，可重新配置性和可编程性。建议的项目的结构是在第二年的早期运行一个小规模的链路/网络，并在第二年和第三年扩大复杂性和网络密度。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

Current "4G" wireless networks will not be able to support the projected mobile internet traffic, which is projected to grow to 66,000 petabytes (PB) per month in 2022, up from 94 PB/month in 2010 - a growth rate of 72% per year. The key to meeting such demand lies in: (1) the exploitation of new millimeter-wave (mmWave) spectrum above 30 Gigahertz (GHz), and (2) the development of new hardware and algorithms that enable mmWave communication. However, mmWave communication networks are in their infancy, with emerging 5G networks expected to support first generation concepts. Researchers are already looking beyond 5G, and accordingly, there is intense ongoing research in developing fundamental technologies and algorithms for future mmWave networks. Unfortunately, experimental validation and experiment-driven discovery has been largely lacking due to the unavailability of hardware technologies, compounded by high costs that can be supported only by large companies. The proposed project seeks to build new institutional infrastructure that can enable advanced wireless networking experimentation in the mmWave frequency bands. The resulting testbed will provide experimentation tools and seed research for the hardware, physical and network communication communities, and for systems researchers who focus on localization, autonomous driving, indoor navigation, assistive devices for the visually impaired etc. This project will offer opportunities for undergraduate and graduate education, both during the development of the infrastructure, and during its actual use. In addition, students will develop skills in chip implementation, printed circuit board design and fabrication, laboratory characterization skills, using software-defined radios, field-programmable gate array programming skills, all of which are extremely valuable for a career in the technology industry.This project aims to develop a first-of-its-kind mmWave multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) capable network testbed comprising base stations and mobile user modules spanning indoor and outdoor spaces. Testbed development will be led by a two-investigator team combining expertise in mmWave chip/system design with expertise in cross-layer design and implementation of wireless networks. Since commercial mmWave hardware (especially with advanced features) will not be widely available for the foreseeable future, the proposed infrastructure will leverage the principal investigator's previous NSF-funded research that has resulted in the design and prototype demonstration of advanced mmWave radio chips which feature unprecedented levels of integration, energy-efficiency, reconfigurability and programmability. The proposed project is structured to operationalize a small-scale link/network in the early part of the second year, and scaling up in complexity and network density in the second and third years.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.