Antenna Health-Aware Selective Beamforming for Hardware-Constrained DFRC Systems I

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel antenna health-aware array selection and beamforming approach for DFRC systems, improving efficiency, fairness, and robustness in dynamic operational environments through advanced optimization techniques.

Contribution

It presents a new array selection criterion incorporating antenna health, and employs gradient dual ascent methods for non-convex sparse array optimization in DFRC systems.

Findings

Enhanced system efficiency and responsiveness.

Fair resource distribution among users.

Validated performance improvements through simulations.

Abstract

This paper addresses the optimization challenges in dual-functional radar-communication (DFRC) systems with a focus on array selection and beamforming in dynamic and heterogeneous operational contexts. We propose a novel array selection criterion that integrates antenna health information into the optimization process, distinguishing our approach from traditional methods. Our methodology employs gradient dual ascent and dual proximal-gradient ascent for tackling the constrained non-convex and non-smooth nature of sparse array selection problems. A key feature of our strategy is the implementation of proportional fairness among communication users, which aligns with system resource limitations while meeting the minimum rate requirements for all users. This facet of our method not only enhances system efficiency and responsiveness but also ensures a fair distribution of resources. Through extensive simulations, the efficacy of the proposed solutions in optimizing DFRC system performance is validated, illustrating their applicability in integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) scenarios. Our findings contribute to the evolving field of DFRC systems, offering new perspectives and solutions for the challenges in array selection and beamforming optimisation.