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Henk Wymeersch

Publications and source records attributed to Henk Wymeersch.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

Subspace-Based Detection in OFDM ISAC Systems under Different Constellations

This paper investigates subspace-based target detection in OFDM integrated sensing and communications (ISAC) systems, considering the impact of various constellations. To meet diverse communication demands, different constellation schemes with varying modulation orders (e.g., PSK, QAM) can be employed, which in turn leads to variations in peak sidelobe levels (PSLs) within the radar functionality. These PSL fluctuations pose a significant challenge in the context of multi-target detection, particularly in scenarios where strong sidelobe masking effects manifest. To tackle this challenge, we have devised a subspace-based approach for a step-by-step target detection process, systematically eliminating interference stemming from detected targets. Simulation results corroborate the effectiveness of the proposed method in achieving consistently high target detection performance under a wide range of constellation options in OFDM ISAC systems.

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RIS-Aided NLoS Monostatic Sensing under Mobility and Angle-Doppler Coupling

We investigate the problem of reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)-aided monostatic sensing of a mobile target under line-of-sight (LoS) blockage considering a single antenna, full-duplex, and dual-functional radar-communications base station (BS). For the purpose of target detection and delay/Doppler/angle estimation, we derive a detector based on the generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT), which entails a high-dimensional parameter search and leads to angle-Doppler coupling. To tackle these challenges, we propose a two-step algorithm for solving the GLRT detector/estimator in a low-complexity manner, accompanied by a RIS phase profile design tailored to circumvent the angle-Doppler coupling effect. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, demonstrating its convergence to theoretical bounds and its superiority over state-of-the-art mobility-agnostic benchmarks.

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Enhancing Sensing-Assisted Communications in Cluttered Indoor Environments through Background Subtraction

Integrated sensing and communications (ISAC) is poised to be a native technology for the forthcoming Sixth Generation (6G) era, with an emphasis on its potential to enhance communications performance through the integration of sensing information, i.e., sensing-assisted communications (SAC). Nevertheless, existing research on SAC has predominantly confined its focus to scenarios characterized by minimal clutter and obstructions, largely neglecting indoor environments, particularly those in industrial settings, where propagation channels involve high clutter density. To address this research gap, background subtraction is proposed on the monostatic sensing echoes, which effectively addresses clutter removal and facilitates detection and tracking of user equipments (UEs) in cluttered indoor environments with SAC. A realistic evaluation of the introduced SAC strategy is provided, using ray tracing (RT) data with the scenario layout following Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) indoor factory (InF) channel models. Simulation results show that the proposed approach enables precise predictive beamforming largely unaffected by clutter echoes, leading to significant improvements in effective data rate over the existing SAC benchmarks and exhibiting performance very close to the ideal case where perfect knowledge of UE location is available.

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Joint 3D User and 6D Hybrid Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface Localization

The latest assessments of the emerging technologies for reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) have indicated the concept's significant potential for localization and sensing, either as individual or simultaneously realized tasks. However, in the vast majority of those studies, the RIS state (i.e., its position and rotation angles) is required to be known a priori. In this paper, we address the problem of the joint three-dimensional (3D) localization of a hybrid RIS (HRIS) and a user. The most cost- and power-efficient hybrid version of an RIS is equipped with a single reception radio-frequency chain and meta-atoms capable of simultaneous reconfigurable reflection and sensing. This dual functionality is controlled by adjustable power splitters embedded at each hybrid meta-atom. Focusing on a downlink scenario where a multi-antenna base station transmits multicarrier signals to a user via an HRIS, we propose a multistage approach to jointly estimate the metasurface's 3D position and 3D rotation matrix (i.e., 6D parameter estimation) as well as the user's 3D position. Our simulation results verify the validity of the proposed estimator via extensive comparisons of the root-mean-square error of the state estimations with the Cramér-Rao lower bound (CRB), which is analytically derived. Furthermore, it is showcased that there exists an optimal hybrid reconfigurable intelligent surface (HRIS) power splitting ratio for the desired multi-parameter estimation problem. We also study the robustness of the proposed method in the presence of scattering points in the wireless propagation environment.

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JrCUP: Joint RIS Calibration and User Positioning for 6G Wireless Systems

Reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)-assisted localization has attracted extensive attention as it can enable and enhance localization services in extreme scenarios. However, most existing works treat RISs as anchors with known positions and orientations, which is not realistic in applications with mobile or uncalibrated RISs. This work considers the joint RIS calibration and user positioning (JrCUP) problem with an active RIS. We propose a novel two-stage method to solve the considered JrCUP problem. The first stage comprises a tensor-estimation of signal parameters via rotational invariance techniques (tensorESPRIT), followed by a channel parameters refinement using least-squares. In the second stage, a two-dimensional search algorithm is proposed to estimate the three-dimensional user and RIS positions, one-dimensional RIS orientation, and clock bias from the estimated channel parameters. The Cramer-Rao lower bounds of the channel parameters and localization parameters are derived to verify the effectiveness of the proposed tensorESPRIT-based algorithms. In addition, simulation results reveal that the active RIS can significantly improve the localization performance compared to the passive case under the same system power supply in practical regions. Moreover, we observe the presence of blind areas with limited JrCUP localization performance, which can be mitigated by either leveraging more prior information or deploying extra base stations.

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Deceptive Jamming in WLAN Sensing

Joint Communication and Sensing (JCAS) is taking its first shape in WLAN sensing under IEEE 802.11bf, where standardized WLAN signals and protocols are exploited to enable radar-like sensing. However, an overlooked problem in JCAS, and specifically in WLAN Sensing, is the sensitivity of the system to a deceptive jammer, which introduces phantom targets to mislead the victim radar receiver. Standardized waveforms and sensing parameters make the system vulnerable to physical layer attacks. Moreover, orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) makes deceptive jamming even easier as it allows digitally generated artificial range/Doppler maps. This paper studies deceptive jamming in JCAS, with a special focus on WLAN Sensing. The provided mathematical models give insights into how to design jamming signals and their impact on the sensing system. Numerical analyses illustrate various distortions caused by deceptive jamming, while the experimental results validate the need for meticulous JCAS design to protect the system against physical layer attacks in the form of deceptive jamming.

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Transformer-Based Multi-Object Smoothing with Decoupled Data Association and Smoothing

Multi-object tracking (MOT) is the task of estimating the state trajectories of an unknown and time-varying number of objects over a certain time window. Several algorithms have been proposed to tackle the multi-object smoothing task, where object detections can be conditioned on all the measurements in the time window. However, the best-performing methods suffer from intractable computational complexity and require approximations, performing suboptimally in complex settings. Deep learning based algorithms are a possible venue for tackling this issue but have not been applied extensively in settings where accurate multi-object models are available and measurements are low-dimensional. We propose a novel DL architecture specifically tailored for this setting that decouples the data association task from the smoothing task. We compare the performance of the proposed smoother to the state-of-the-art in different tasks of varying difficulty and provide, to the best of our knowledge, the first comparison between traditional Bayesian trackers and DL trackers in the smoothing problem setting.

cs.CV↗

Joint DOA estimation and distorted sensor detection under entangled low-rank and row-sparse constraints

The problem of joint direction-of-arrival estimation and distorted sensor detection has received a lot of attention in recent decades. Most state-of-the-art work formulated such a problem via low-rank and row-sparse decomposition, where the low-rank and row-sparse components were treated in an isolated manner. Such a formulation results in a performance loss. Differently, in this paper, we entangle the low-rank and row-sparse components by exploring their inherent connection. Furthermore, we take into account the maximal distortion level of the sensors. An alternating optimization scheme is proposed to solve the low-rank component and the sparse component, where a closed-form solution is derived for the low-rank component and a quadratic programming is developed for the sparse component. Numerical results exhibit the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method.

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Modeling and Analysis of OFDM-based 5G/6G Localization under Hardware Impairments

Localization is envisioned as a key enabler to satisfy the requirements of communication and context-aware services in the fifth/sixth generation (5G/6G) communication systems. User localization can be achieved based on delay and angle estimation using uplink/downlink pilot signals. However, hardware impairments (HWIs) (such as phase noise and mutual coupling) distort the signals at both the transmitter and receiver sides and thus affect the localization performance. While this impact can be ignored at lower frequencies with less severe HWIs, and less stringent localization requirements, modeling and analysis efforts are needed for high-frequency bands to assess degradation in localization accuracy due to HWIs. In this work, we model various types of impairments for a mmWave multiple-input-multiple-output communication system and conduct a misspecified Cramér-Rao bound analysis to evaluate HWI-induced performance losses in terms of angle/delay estimation and the resulting 3D position/orientation estimation error. We also investigate the effect of individual and overall HWIs on communication in terms of symbol error rate (SER). Our extensive simulation results demonstrate that each type of HWI leads to a different level of degradation in angle and delay estimation performance, and the prominent impairment factors on delay estimation will have a dominant negative effect on SER.

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6G Localization and Sensing in the Near Field: Features, Opportunities, and Challenges

The far-field channel model has historically been used in wireless communications due to the simplicity of mathematical modeling and convenience for algorithm design. With the need for high data rates, low latency, and ubiquitous connectivity in the sixth generation (6G) of communication systems, new technology enablers such as extremely large antenna arrays (ELAAs), reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs), and distributed multiple-input-multiple-output (D-MIMO) systems will be adopted. These enablers not only aim to improve communication services but also have an impact on localization and sensing (L&S), which are expected to be fundamentally built-in functionalities in future wireless systems. Despite appearing in different scenarios and supporting different frequency bands, such enablers share the so-called near-field (NF) features, which will provide extra geometric information conducive to L&S. In this work, we describe the NF features, namely, the spherical wave model, spatial non-stationarity, and beam squint effect. After discussing how L&S see NF differently from communication, the opportunities and open research challenges are provided.

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Two-Timescale Transmission Design and RIS Optimization for Integrated Localization and Communications

Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) have tremendous potential to boost communication performance, especially when the line-of-sight (LOS) path between the user equipment (UE) and base station (BS) is blocked. To control the RIS, channel state information (CSI) is needed, which entails significant pilot overhead. To reduce this overhead and the need for frequent RIS reconfiguration, we propose a novel framework for integrated localization and communications, where RIS configurations are fixed during location coherence intervals, while BS precoders are optimized every channel coherence interval. This framework leverages accurate location information obtained with the aid of several RISs as well as novel RIS optimization and channel estimation methods. Performance in terms of localization accuracy, channel estimation error, and achievable rate demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

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RIS Position and Orientation Estimation via Multi-Carrier Transmissions and Multiple Receivers

Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) are considered as an enabling technology for the upcoming sixth generation of wireless systems, exhibiting significant potential for radio localization and sensing. An RIS is usually treated as an anchor point with known position and orientation when deployed to offer user localization. However, it can also be attached to a user to enable its localization in a semi-passive manner. In this paper, we consider a static user equipped with an RIS and study the RIS localization problem (i.e., joint three-dimensional position and orientation estimation), when operating in a system comprising a single-antenna transmitter and multiple synchronized single-antenna receivers with known locations. We present a multi-stage estimator using time-of-arrival and spatial frequency measurements, and derive the Cramér-Rao lower bounds for the estimated parameters to validate the estimator's performance. Our simulation results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed RIS state estimation approach under various system operation parameters.

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Multi-RIS-Enabled 3D Sidelink Positioning

Positioning is expected to be a core function in intelligent transportation systems (ITSs) to support communication and location-based services, such as autonomous driving, traffic control, etc. With the advent of low-cost reflective reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) to be deployed in beyond 5G/6G networks, extra anchors with high angular resolutions can boost signal quality and makes high-precision positioning with extended coverage possible in ITS scenarios. However, the passive nature of the RIS requires a signal source such as a base station (BS), which limits the positioning service in extreme situations, such as tunnels or dense urban areas, where 5G/6G BSs are not accessible. In this work, we show that with the assistance of (at least) two RISs and sidelink communication between two user equipments (UEs), these UEs can be localized even without any BSs involvement. A two-stage 3D sidelink positioning algorithm is proposed, benchmarked by the derived Cramér-Rao bounds. The effects of multipath and RIS profile designs on positioning performance are evaluated, and several scenarios with different RIS and UE locations are discussed for localizability analysis. Simulation results demonstrate the promising positioning accuracy of the proposed BS-free sidelink communication system in challenging ITS scenarios. Additionally, we propose and evaluate several solutions to eliminate potential blind areas where positioning performance is poor, such as removing clock offset via round-trip communication, adding geometrical prior or constraints, as well as introducing more RISs.

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RIS-Aided Monostatic Sensing and Object Detection with Single and Double Bounce Multipath

We propose a framework for monostatic sensing by a user equipment (UE), aided by a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) in environments with single- and double-bounce signal propagation. We design appropriate UE-side precoding and combining, to facilitate signal separation. We derive the adaptive detection probabilities of the resolvable signals, based on the geometric channel parameters of the links. Then, we estimate the passive objects using both the double-bounce signals via passive RIS (i.e., RIS-sensing) and the single-bounce multipath direct to the objects (i.e., non-RIS-sensing), based on a mapping filter. Finally, we provide numerical results to demonstrate that effective sensing can be achieved through the proposed framework.

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V2X Sidelink Positioning in FR1: Scenarios, Algorithms, and Performance Evaluation

In this paper, we investigate sub-6 GHz V2X sidelink positioning scenarios in 5G vehicular networks through a comprehensive end-to-end methodology encompassing ray-tracing-based channel modeling, novel theoretical performance bounds, high-resolution channel parameter estimation, and geometric positioning using a round-trip-time (RTT) protocol. We first derive a novel, approximate Cramér-Rao bound (CRB) on the connected road user (CRU) position, explicitly taking into account multipath interference, path merging, and the RTT protocol. Capitalizing on tensor decomposition and ESPRIT methods, we propose high-resolution channel parameter estimation algorithms specifically tailored to dense multipath V2X sidelink environments, designed to detect multipath components (MPCs) and extract line-of-sight (LoS) parameters. Finally, using realistic ray-tracing data and antenna patterns, comprehensive simulations are conducted to evaluate channel estimation and positioning performance, indicating that sub-meter accuracy can be achieved in sub-6 GHz V2X with the proposed algorithms.

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Fundamental Performance Bounds for Carrier Phase Positioning in Cellular Networks

The carrier phase of cellular signals can be utilized for highly accurate positioning, with the potential for orders-of-magnitude performance improvements compared to standard time-difference-of-arrival positioning. Due to the integer ambiguities, standard performance evaluation tools such as the Cramér-Rao bound (CRB) are overly optimistic. In this paper, a new performance bound, called the mixed-integer CRB (MICRB) is introduced that explicitly accounts for this integer ambiguity. While computationally more complex than the standard CRB, the MICRB can accurately predict positioning performance, as verified by numerical simulations, and hence it serves as a useful guide to choose the system parameters that facilitate carrier phase positioning.

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On the Statistical Relation of Ultra-Reliable Wireless and Location Estimation

Location information is often used as a proxy to guarantee the performance of a wireless communication link. However, localization errors can result in a significant mismatch with the guarantees, particularly detrimental to users operating the ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) regime. This paper unveils the fundamental statistical relations between location estimation uncertainty and wireless link reliability, specifically in the context of rate selection for ultra-reliable communication. We start with a simple one-dimensional narrowband Rayleigh fading scenario and build towards a two-dimensional scenario in a rich scattering environment. The wireless link reliability is characterized by the meta-probability, the probability with respect to localization error of exceeding the outage capacity, and by removing other sources of errors in the system, we show that reliability is sensitive to localization errors. The $ε$-outage coherence radius is defined and shown to provide valuable insight into the problem of location-based rate selection. However, it is generally challenging to guarantee reliability without accurate knowledge of the propagation environment. Finally, several rate-selection schemes are proposed, showcasing the problem's dynamics and revealing that properly accounting for the localization error is critical to ensure good performance in terms of reliability and achievable throughput.

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