Using Massive MIMO Arrays for Joint Communication and Sensing

TL;DR

This paper explores the use of massive MIMO base stations equipped with large antenna arrays to simultaneously perform wireless communication and environmental sensing, demonstrating coexistence with minimal interference.

Contribution

It introduces a novel concept of a radar-enabled massive MIMO base station capable of joint communication and sensing using the same frequency band.

Findings

Communication and radar coexist with little mutual interference

Massive MIMO arrays enable effective joint sensing and communication

The system can operate as a MIMO radar and a communication base station simultaneously

Abstract

One of the trends that is gaining more and more importance in the field of beyond-5G and 6G wireless communication systems is the investigation on systems that jointly perform communication and sensing of the environment. This paper proposes to use a base station (BS), that we call \textit{radar-BS}, equipped with a large-scale antenna array to execute, using the same frequency range, communication with mobile users and sensing/surveillance of the surrounding environment through radar scanning. The massive antenna array can indeed both operate as a MIMO radar with co-located antennas -- transmitting radar signals pointing at positive elevation angles -- and perform signal-space beamforming to communicate with users mainly based on the ground. Our results show that using a massive MIMO radar-BS the communication and the radar system can coexist with little mutual interference.