FaA-CAF: Modular Single-RF-Chain Near-Field mmWave Sensing via Clip-On Antenna Fabric

TL;DR

FaA-CAF introduces a modular, single-RF-chain near-field mmWave sensing architecture using frequency-selective clip-on antenna fabric, enabling scalable spatial resolution without complex hardware, suitable for future wireless systems.

Contribution

The paper proposes a novel frequency domain architectural approach for near-field sensing that eliminates the need for multiple RF chains or mechanical scanning, using a reconfigurable clip-on antenna fabric.

Findings

Robustness demonstrated through two case studies.

Sensing margin tradeoffs quantified for modular deployment.

Achieves scalable spatial observability via frequency coordination.

Abstract

Near field mmWave sensing is poised to play a key role in future wireless systems, enabling environment-aware, embodied, and application adaptive operation under stringent form-factor and hardware constraints. However, achieving high spatial resolution in the near field typically requires large antenna arrays, multiple radio frequency (RF) chains, or mechanical scanning, creating a fundamental tension between spatial observability and system simplicity. This paper presents frequency as aperture clip on antenna fabric (FaACAF), a hardware efficient sensing by design architecture that synthesizes spatial aperture through the FaA paradigm using a single RF chain. FaACAF realizes a modular clip on aperture fabric, in which frequency selective clip on modules (CMs) are attached to a shared guided-wave substrate and implicitly coordinated by the instantaneous frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) excitation frequency. In this fabric, FMCW signaling simultaneously indexes the sensing aperture and orchestrates uplink/downlink signal distribution and echo multiplexing in a switch free, fully passive, and all analog manner, eliminating RF switching and multichannel front ends. An online self calibration mechanism stabilizes the frequency to aperture mapping under practical attachment variability without requiring full matrix calibration. Two case studies illustrate the robustness of the proposed approach and quantify the predictable sensing margin tradeoffs introduced by modular deployment. Overall, FaACAF demonstrates that near field spatial observability can be scaled through architectural coordination in the frequency domain rather than hardware expansion, providing a reconfigurable and hardware efficient pathway toward embodied sensing and integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) in future wireless systems.