Modern society is built on the advancements of technology. Particularly the communications, positioning, and sensing systems have long been the essential infrastructures that support our daily lives. In the past, we have mainly benefited from the rapid development of these systems. For example, an Ericsson report in 2021 showed that mobile data traffic increased almost 300-fold in the last decade.
However, every coin has two sides. Beneath the flourishing markets of communications, positioning, and sensing-based applications, the frequency spectrum is drained constantly like any other resource. The RF convergence concept is considered promising to maintain the robustness and evolution of these systems. It integrates the different functionalities into a joint system by targeting a more efficient use of available resources.
Achieving RF convergence by proposing new models and algorithms
In the Electromagnetic radio frequency (RF) convergence concept, a joint system is designed to exploit efficiently every possible available resource. For example, previously two separated transceivers for communications and sensing respectively now merge into one; previously the GNSS-based location information has been available in every smartphone, but it has seldom been exploited by the communications signal processing. Now, this kind of location information is intensively used to help to enhance the performance of communications.
In our everyday lives, RF convergence means some sensing functions added to our smartphones, both sensing and communications functions in our cars, high Internet speed with low energy consumption, et cetera. Our work aims to achieve RF convergence by proposing new models and algorithms.
“We closely explore the opportunities for supporting the RF convergence. The studies cover channel models in 5G, new verticals in 5G such as industrial applications and unmanned aerial vehicles, some aspects related to security in GNSS-based positioning, new waveform design for joint sensing and communication, and a few more aspects. All these various aspects are closely related to various aspects in the RF-convergence area,” says Wang.
The models and algorithms proposed in this work are building blocks toward true RF convergence. Hence, they pave the road towards advanced solutions to alleviate spectrum congestion, reduce carbon emissions by lower energy consumption, and efficiently exploit the current transceivers.
The doctoral dissertation of M.Sc. Wenbo Wang in the field of wireless communications titled Novel models and algorithms paving the road towards RF convergence will be publicly examined in the Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences at Tampere University, Hervanta campus, in the Auditorium S2 of the Sähkötalo building on the 9th December 2022, at 12 o’clock. The Opponents will be Associate Professor Rui Dinis, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal and Associate Professor Troels Bundgaard Sørensen, Aalborg University, Denmark. The Custos will be Professor Elena Simona Lohan, Tampere University, Finland.
The dissertation is available online.
Photo: Yining Deng