Joint Scatterer Localization and Material Identification Using Radio Access Technology

TL;DR

This paper explores how future 6G cellular networks can simultaneously perform communication and radar sensing by using shared hardware and signals to localize and identify scatterers in complex environments.

Contribution

It introduces novel methods for joint scatterer localization and material identification using RAT signals, addressing key challenges in integrated communication and sensing systems.

Findings

Simulation results for reflection loss on common building materials

Proposed methods successfully localize and identify scatterers

Analysis of challenges in RAT-based localization systems

Abstract

Cellular network technologies and radar sensing technologies have been developing in parallel for decades. Instead of developing two individual technologies, the 6G cellular network is expected to naturally support both communication and radar functionalities with shared hardware and carrier frequencies. In this regard, radio access technology (RAT)-based scatterer localization system is one of the important aspects of joint communication and sensing system (JCAS) that uses communication signals between transceivers to determine the location of scatterers in and around the propagation paths. In this article, we first identify the challenges of RAT-based scatterer localization system, then present single- and multiple-bounce reflection loss (RL) simulation results for three common building materials in indoor environments. We also propose two novel methods to jointly localize and identify the type of the scatterers in a rich scattering environment.