Yi Lu: Towards a 5G-Empowered Industrial IoT system: 3D Positioning & Location-Aware Communications

With the fast advances in the fifth-generation (5G) mobile cellular technology, integrated radio positioning of terminals and other connected devices is becoming increasingly important. One good example area are the 5G-empowered industrial Internet-of-Things (IoT) systems, where the location information of the wireless-connected robots and vehicles can be reliably obtained and utilized for enhanced situational awareness. The obtained location information can thereafter be exploited to enhance the overall system performance in operational efficiency, safety and communication services for industry verticals, such as autonomous driving and delivery. Overall, the development of integrated communication and positioning solutions, in terms of location-aware communications and embedded high-efficiency positioning, are important technical ingredients empowering future industrial IoT systems.

Already today, wireless connectivity is playing a significant role in our daily life. Ubiquitous connectivity not only facilitates various personal services, but is also crucial in various industry verticals and applications, ranging from factory automation to intelligent transportation, among others.

Yi LU’s doctoral thesis starts with an overview of the essential technical ingredients in 5G New Radio (NR) systems, such as the millimeter-wave spectrum with large channel bandwidths, large antenna arrays and dense network deployments. The potential opportunities and challenges for both communications and radio positioning are also analyzed and highlighted in the context of industrial IoT. Thereafter, the investigation continues from two perspectives: 1) the development of joint 3D positioning and tracking algorithms, and 2) the development of location-aware communication schemes, both in the context of industrial environments.

In terms of joint positioning and tracking, the NR sidelink that reflects an interface for direct device-to-device communications is employed for cooperative positioning of both dynamic and static industrial nodes. The positioning accuracy of both horizontal and vertical directions is evaluated as the latter is of paramount importance for the industrial use cases involving 3D trajectories, such as drone navigation and surveillance. Furthermore, a positioning-aided beamforming strategy as well as a location-aware handover scheme are presented and assessed for the demonstration of the feasibility and benefits of the developed methods. Overall, the studies provide executable methods and practical insight for intelligent industrial systems with pervasive wireless capabilities and versatile functionalities.

The doctoral dissertation of M.Sc. Yi Lu in the field of communications engineering titled Millimeter Wave Positioning and Location-Aware Communications for 5G-Empowered Industrial IoT will be publicly examined in the Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences at Tampere University at 13:00 on Friday, 26 November 2021. The Opponent will be Professor Jyri Hämäläinen from Aalto University, Finland. The Custos will be Professor Mikko Valkama from the Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences at Tampere University.

The public defence is organized via digital platform at Tampere University.

The dissertation is available online at: http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-03-2151-2.