Towards Integrated Communications and Sensing

集成通信和传感（ICS）最近被提出作为设计范例和相应的使能技术，将通信和传感系统结合起来，以实现有效的频谱利用和潜在的互利，例如共享共同的硬件基础设施，平衡双功能性能，执行互助。我们提出了一项研究计划，通过认知合作的概念来研究和开发适用于异构无线接入网络的高效ICS传输和资源分配技术。此外，节点间多天线技术的有效利用可以通过大规模多输入多输出（mMIMO）、全双工（FD）操作以分布式方式带来协同优势。一方面，它可以提供高容量多用户通信链路所需的空间复用。另一方面，它可以实现超分辨率传感接收器。FD-mMIMO在同一频率槽上同时传输和接收，不仅可以共享频谱，还可以共享共同的硬件基础设施。特别是，我们计划考虑一种多用户（MU） FD-mMIMO系统，该系统使用用于ICS的混合rf波束形成/基带预编码器。干扰是主要的性能限制因素，通过多目标优化的协同干扰控制方式可以更有效地实现干扰抑制。对于通信，和速率最大化被广泛用作目标函数。对于传感，它的估计性能可以用不同的参数来表示，并与它的频谱效率共同优化。我们建议研究三个相互关联的主题：(i)高效的多维传输方案，（ii） ICS网络中的协同混合预编码和动态资源分配，以及（iii）集成通信，传感和定位。有效的MIMO/m-MIMO操作需要快速准确地获取信道状态信息（CSI）。我们将探索感知和学习能力，以获取传播环境和用户位置的知识，以比无目的和穷举波束扫描更少的资源和功率推导CSI。我们将考虑智能反射面（IRS）在丰富传播条件和场景方面的帮助，从而提高通信和传感性能，以及集成通信，传感和定位操作。建议的方法和方法将涉及各个方面，包括系统建模和分析，开发有效的ICS技术，通过分析和模拟进行绩效评估，实施建议的方案。拟议的研究是重要的，应该进行，以提高加拿大在提供先进智能通信系统方面的竞争地位。

Integrated Communications and Sensing (ICS) has been recently proposed as the design paradigm and corresponding enabling technologies to combine communications and sensing systems for efficient spectrum utilization and for potential mutual benefits, e.g., sharing common hardware infrastructure, balancing dual-functional performance, performing mutual assistance. We propose a research plan to study and develop efficient ICS transmission and resource allocation techniques applicable to heterogeneous wireless access networks through the notion of cognitive cooperation. Furthermore, efficient use of multiple-antenna techniques among nodes can bring benefits from the collaborative advantages in a distributed manner via massive multiple-input multiple-output (mMIMO), full-duplex (FD) operation. On one hand, it can provide spatial multiplexing required for high-capacity multi-user communications links. On the other hand, it can facilitate super-resolution sensing receiver. FD-mMIMO with simultaneous transmission and reception over the same frequency slot can allow communications and sensing to share not only the spectrum but also the common hardware infrastructure. In particular, we plan to consider a multi-user (MU) FD-mMIMO system using hybrid RF-beamformer/baseband-precoder for ICS. Interference is the major performance-limiting factor and interference mitigation can be more effectively done in a collaborative interference control manner via multiple-objectives optimization. For communications, sum-rate maximization is widely used as an objective function. For sensing, its estimation performance can be represented in different parameters to be jointly optimized with its spectral efficiency. We propose to investigate three inter-related topics: (i) efficient multi-dimensional transmission schemes for ICS, (ii) cooperative hybrid precoding & dynamic resource allocation in ICS networks, and (iii) integrated communication, sensing and localization. Effective MIMO/m-MIMO operation needs fast and accurate channel-state information (CSI) acquisition. We will explore the sensing and learning capabilities to acquire knowledge of the propagation environment and user locations, to derive the CSI with significantly less resources and power than aimless and exhaustive beam sweeping. We will consider the assistance of Intelligent Reflective Surfaces (IRS) in enriching the propagation conditions and scenarios, which can enhance both the communications and sensing performance, as well as the integrated communication, sensing and localization operation. The proposed approach and methodology will involve various aspects, including system modeling and analysis, development of efficient ICS techniques, performance evaluation by analysis and simulation, implementation of proposed schemes. The proposed research is significant and should be undertaken to enhance Canada's competitive position in providing advanced intelligent communications systems.