Testing and Refinement of DCRW in Commercially Relevant Environments

Research topics Wireless communications | Radar | Integrated sensing and communications | Exploitation

Description

For the sake of enhancing the exploitation of the permanently allocated, but potentially under-utilized spectral resources, sharing the frequency bands between radar and communication systems has attracted substantial attention. As a step beyond simple coexistence, the concept of Dual Functional Radar and Communication (DRFC) systems has attracted considerable attention. More explicitly, there is increasing demand for sharing both the frequency band and the hardware platform between these two functionalities, but naturally, its success critically hinges on the design of DFRC systems. DFRC techniques focus on designing joint systems that can simultaneously perform wireless communication and remote sensing. Doing so enables a paradigm change, where previously competing transmissions can be jointly optimized. This benefits both sensing and signaling operations, decongests the RF environment, and allows a single hardware platform for both functionalities. 

Aim: To exploit the recent results from the EPSRC project “Signal Sensing, Design and Delivery for Electronic Warfare” towards a tangible and commercially-relevant testbed. Specifically, the objectives of this project are as follows:

•    Develop an over-the-air testbed to evaluate and demonstrate DFRC transmission to potential beneficiaries, industry players and the academic community. This would involve transmitter-receiver apparatus and testing environment.
•    Measure and refine the existing DFRC technologies developed by UCL theoretically, in commercially relevant over-the-air tests towards a commercial-grade design.
Explore applications that could be enabled by using our technology and which have not (or could have not) been previously considered.