High-resolution, wide-band and non-repeating signal generation for research into millimeter-wave communication technology

毫米波（mmwave）通信技术（MCT）是解锁包括地面和移动的卫星通信、自动驾驶汽车以及增强现实和虚拟现实在内的众多领域所需的新的/扩展的特征和能力的关键。然而，这些功能的完全实现取决于商业上可行的毫米波大规模多天线（LSMA）硬件的可用性，这些硬件能够为各种MCT用例实现超可靠和高效的链路。例如，毫米波LSMA预计将通过使用多波束成形来提高车辆定位的精度，并实现车辆到一切之间的高速定向链路。同样，毫米波LSMA是令人信服的技术，适用于医疗、教育、消费零售、城市设计、先进制造和娱乐等不同领域的AR和VR应用。* 现有的毫米波LSMA硬件价格昂贵，高度复杂，并且仅允许有限的可重新配置性。此外，对MCT的研究在很大程度上依赖于几个乐观的简化假设，包括存在准确的信道状态信息和无失真、低功耗和低成本的毫米波LSMA硬件。因此，初步的商业试验没有实现MCT的全部潜力，并且许多实验性试验在成本、功耗和信号质量方面产生次优结果。要解决这些限制，需要在毫米波LSMA和基带数字信号处理方面取得重大进展。所请求的设备是四通道高性能流任意波形发生器（HPS-AWG），在加拿大无法访问。与传统的AWG相反，所要求的设备具有前所未有的能力，可以生成和分析数小时的非重复、高质量（12位）和宽带（5 GHz）信号。当与现有设备相结合时，HPS-AWG将形成一个测试平台，使研究人员能够对理论研究成果进行全面的端到端空中概念验证。模块的高编程水平意味着测试平台可以轻松配置，以支持MCT各个方面的研究，包括毫米波物理层链路分析，架构和算法以及基带数字信号处理。所要求的设备对申请人的国际竞争力研究计划至关重要。这些项目的成果（新的分析、模型、算法和原型）对申请人的跨国行业合作伙伴至关重要。此外，大约12名学生和博士后研究员将在MCT发展的最前沿发展知识和实践技能。所需设备的成果将帮助我们实现MCT的优势，以满足通信，运输和娱乐行业服务提供数字化转型带来的惊人需求。

Millimeter-wave (mmwave) communication technology (MCT) is key to unlocking new/expanded features and capabilities required by numerous domains including terrestrial and mobile satellite communication, autonomous vehicles, and augmented and virtual reality. Nevertheless, the full realization of these capabilities is predicated on the availability of commercially viable mmwave large-scale multiple antenna (LSMA) hardware capable of achieving ultra-reliable and efficient links for a wide range of MCT use cases. For example, mmwave LSMAs are expected to improve the precision of vehicle localisation by using multi-beamforming and to enable high-speed directed links between vehicle-to-everything. Similarly, mmwave LSMAs are compelling technology for AR and VR enabled applications in diverse sectors such as medicine, education, consumer retail, urban design, advanced manufacturing, and entertainment. ***Existing mmwave LSMA hardware is expensive, highly complex, and only allows for limited reconfigurability. In addition, research into MCT has largely relied on several optimistic simplifying assumptions including the existence of accurate channel state information and distortionless, low power, and low-cost mmwave LSMA hardware. Hence, preliminary commercial trials are not achieving the full potential of MCT and many experimental trials are yielding sub-optimal results in terms of cost, power consumption and quality of signal. Addressing these limitations will require significant advances in mmwave LSMA and baseband digital signal processing.***The requested equipment, a quad-channel high-performance streaming arbitrary waveform generator (HPS-AWG), is not accessible in Canada. Contrary to conventional AWGs, the requested equipment allows unprecedented capacity to generate and analyse non-repeating, high quality (12 bits) and wideband (5 GHz) signals for hours. When combined with existing equipment, the HPS-AWG will form a testbed that allows researchers to carry out comprehensive end-to-end over-the-air proof-of-concept validation of theoretical research outcomes. The high programming level of the modules will mean the testbed can be easily configured to support research into various aspects of MCT including millimeter-wave physical-layer link analysis, architecture and algorithms and baseband digital signal processing.***The requested equipment is critical to the internationally competitive research programs of the applicants. Outcomes of these programs (new analyses, models, algorithms and prototypes) are essential to the applicants' multinational industry partners. In addition, about 12 students and postdoctoral fellows will develop knowledge and practical skills at the very leading edge of the MCT evolution. The outcomes made possible with the requested equipment will help us realize the benefits of MCT to meet the staggering demands imposed by the digital transformation of service provision in the communication, transportation and entertainment sectors.