학술논문

Indoor Environment Learning via RF-Mapping
Document Type
Periodical
Source
IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications IEEE J. Select. Areas Commun. Selected Areas in Communications, IEEE Journal on. 41(6):1859-1872 Jun, 2023
Subject
Communication, Networking and Broadcast Technologies
Bandwidth
Radio frequency
Indoor environment
Wireless sensor networks
Sensors
Diffraction
Antenna measurements
Environment learning
AI/machine learning (ML)
5G advanced
sixth generation (6G)
precise positioning
Language
ISSN
0733-8716
1558-0008
Abstract
Intelligent integrated sensing and communication is one of key aspects of future wireless networks in which sensing can be leveraged to enhance communications and vice-versa. In this paper, we propose a novel sensing solution that can be used to represent an RF-environment. The proposed solution accounts for practical challenges such as limited time resolution due to limited bandwidth with no angle measurements while providing robustness to wireless propagation phenomena such as diffraction. Our proposed method leverages offline data collection during RF-mapping, and finds the location of virtual anchors (VAs), i.e., mirror images of a physical anchor w.r.t reflectors, through an iterative process called successive tap removal (STR). Afterwards, machine learning (ML) models are trained to predict dominant multipath components of the received wireless channel at a given location. Found VAs and their associated ML models stand for intermediate entities that represent an RF-environment. As an application, we use the developed models in the context of multipath assisted positioning to improve positioning accuracy in challenging indoor environments with heavy non-line-of-sight (NLoS) conditions. Finally, we extend our ideas to systems with multi-antenna transmitters and show that VA detection accuracy can be improved, bringing higher accuracy to the downstream positioning applications.