Concurrent wireless communication and object sensing
An apparatus is disclosed for concurrent wireless communication and object sensing. In an example aspect, the apparatus includes one or more antennas and a wireless transceiver coupled to the one or more antennas. The wireless transceiver is configured to transmit, via the one or more antennas, a communication and sensing signal during a given uplink time slot. The communication and sensing signal comprises an uplink signal associated with the given uplink time slot and a radar signal. The radar signal temporally overlaps at least a portion of the uplink signal.
1. An apparatus comprising:
one or more antennas; and
a wireless transceiver coupled to the one or more antennas, the wireless transceiver configured to transmit, via the one or more antennas, a communication and sensing signal during a given uplink time slot, the communication and sensing signal comprising an uplink signal associated with the given uplink time slot and a radar signal, the radar signal temporally overlapping at least a portion of the uplink signal, wherein a duration of the radar signal is shorter than one-tenth another duration of the uplink signal.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to:
superimpose the uplink signal and the radar signal together to generate the communication and sensing signal; and
provide the communication and sensing signal to at least one antenna of the one or more antennas.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising at least another antenna, the wireless transceiver is coupled to the at least one other antenna and is configured to:
receive a reflected signal via the at least one other antenna, the reflected signal including a portion of the communication and sensing signal that is reflected by an object; and
adjust a transmission parameter of a subsequent transmit signal based on the reflected signal.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein:
the wireless transceiver is configured to transmit another communication and sensing signal or another uplink signal as the subsequent transmit signal using the transmission parameter; and
the transmission parameter comprises at least one of the following:
a power level;
a beam steering angle;
a frequency;
a selected antenna; or
a communication protocol.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the one or more antennas include a first antenna and a second antenna; and
the wireless transceiver is configured to:
provide the uplink signal to the first antenna;
provide the radar signal to the second antenna; and
transmit the communication and sensing signal by transmitting the uplink signal via the first antenna and transmitting the radar signal via the second antenna such that a transmission of the radar signal temporally overlaps at least a portion of a transmission of the uplink signal during the given uplink time slot.
6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein:
the one or more antennas comprise an antenna array; and
the first antenna and the second antenna are different antenna elements of the antenna array.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the radar signal comprises:
a frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radar signal;
a frequency-modulated pulsed radar signal; or
a pseudo-noise phase-modulated radar signal; and
the uplink signal comprises:
a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) signal;
a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) signal;
a physical random access channel (PRACH) signal; or
a sounding reference signal (SRS).
8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a frequency bandwidth of the radar signal is at least two times greater than another frequency bandwidth of the uplink signal.
9. An apparatus comprising:
one or more antennas; and
a wireless transceiver coupled to the one or more antennas, the wireless transceiver configured to transmit, via the one or more antennas, a communication and sensing signal during a given uplink time slot, the communication and sensing signal comprising an uplink signal associated with the given uplink time slot and a radar signal, the radar signal temporally overlapping at least a portion of the uplink signal,
wherein a frequency bandwidth of the radar signal is relatively wider than another frequency bandwidth of the uplink signal; and
the other frequency bandwidth of the uplink signal overlaps at least a portion of the frequency bandwidth of the radar signal.
10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the other frequency bandwidth of the uplink signal overlaps the portion of the frequency bandwidth of the radar signal such that a center frequency of the radar signal is approximately equal to another center frequency of the uplink signal.
11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the frequency bandwidth of the radar signal is greater than twice the other frequency bandwidth of the uplink signal.
12. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to:
superimpose the uplink signal and the radar signal together to generate the communication and sensing signal; and
provide the communication and sensing signal to at least one antenna of the one or more antennas.
13. An apparatus comprising:
one or more antennas; and
a wireless transceiver coupled to the one or more antennas, the wireless transceiver configured to transmit, via the one or more antennas, a communication and sensing signal during a given uplink time slot, the communication and sensing signal comprising an uplink signal associated with the given uplink time slot and a radar signal, the radar signal temporally overlapping at least a portion of the uplink signal, wherein a power of the radar signal varies according to another power of the uplink signal.
14. An apparatus comprising:
one or more antennas; and
a wireless transceiver coupled to the one or more antennas, the wireless transceiver configured to transmit, via the one or more antennas, a communication and sensing signal during a given uplink time slot, the communication and sensing signal comprising an uplink signal associated with the given uplink time slot and a radar signal, the radar signal temporally overlapping at least a portion of the uplink signal, wherein a power of the radar signal varies according to a modulation coding scheme of the uplink signal.
15. An apparatus comprising:
one or more antennas; and
transmission means for transmitting, via the one or more antennas, a communication and sensing signal during a given uplink time slot, the communication and sensing signal comprising an uplink signal associated with the given uplink time slot and a radar signal, the radar signal temporally overlapping at least a portion of the uplink signal, wherein a frequency bandwidth of the radar signal is on the order of gigahertz and another frequency bandwidth of the uplink signal is on the order of megahertz.
16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein:
the one or more antennas include a first antenna and a second antenna; and
the transmission means further comprises:
uplink signal generation means for generating the uplink signal and providing the uplink signal to the first antenna; and
radar signal generation means for generating the radar signal and providing the radar signal to the second antenna.
17. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the transmission means further comprises:
radar signal generation means for generating the radar signal;
uplink signal generation means for generating the uplink signal; and
superimposition means for combining the radar signal and the uplink signal together to generate the communication and sensing signal and provide the communication and sensing signal to at least one antenna of the one or more antennas.
18. The apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising:
reception means for receiving a reflected signal that includes a portion of the communication and sensing signal that is reflected by an object; and
adjustment means for adjusting a transmission parameter based on the reflected signal,
wherein the transmission means is configured to transmit another signal using the transmission parameter.
19. A method for concurrent wireless communication and object
sensing, the method comprising:
transmitting a communication and sensing signal during a given uplink time slot, the communication and sensing signal comprising an uplink signal associated with the given uplink time slot and a radar signal, the uplink signal including data associated with wireless communication, the radar signal having a modulation type associated with object sensing, the radar signal temporally overlapping at least a portion of the uplink signal;
receiving a reflected signal, the reflected signal including a portion of the communication and sensing signal that is reflected by an object; and
adjusting a transmission parameter of a subsequent signal that is transmitted based on the reflected signal,
wherein a frequency bandwidth of the radar signal is at least two times greater than another frequency bandwidth of the uplink signal.
20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the adjusting of the transmission parameter comprises varying the transmission parameter according to a range to the object.
21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the transmitting of the communication and sensing signal comprises transmitting the uplink signal and transmitting the radar signal via different antennas such that a transmission of the radar signal temporally overlaps at least a portion of a transmission of the uplink signal.
22. The method of claim 19 , wherein the transmitting of the communication and
sensing signal comprises:
generating the radar signal;
generating the uplink signal; and
superimposing the radar signal and the uplink signal together to generate the communication and sensing signal.
23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the generating of the radar signal comprises at
least one of the following:
adjusting a power of the radar signal based on another power of the uplink signal; or
adjusting the power of the radar signal based on a modulation coding scheme of the uplink signal.
24. An apparatus comprising:
a wireless transceiver including a transmitter, the transmitter including:
a radar signal generator configured to generate a radar signal;
an uplink signal generator configured to generate an uplink signal;
a combiner circuit coupled to the radar signal generator and the uplink signal generator, the combiner circuit configured to superimpose the radar signal and the uplink signal together to generate a communication and sensing signal, the radar signal and at least a portion of the uplink signal temporally overlapping within the communication and sensing signal;
at least one antenna configured to transmit the communication and sensing signal; and
at least one other antenna configured to receive a reflected signal, the reflected signal comprising a portion of the communication and sensing signal that is reflected by an object,
wherein the wireless transceiver includes a receiver, the receiver including:
at least one low-noise amplifier coupled to the at least one other antenna, the at least one low-noise amplifier configured to amplify the reflected signal; and
a beating circuit coupled to the at least one low-noise amplifier, the beating circuit configured to mix the reflected signal that is amplified via the at least one low-noise amplifier with a reference transmit signal to generate a beat frequency that is proportional to a range to the object.
25. The apparatus of claim 24 ,
wherein:
the transmitter includes at least one power amplifier coupled to the at least one antenna, the at least one power amplifier configured to amplify the communication and sensing signal; and
the at least one antenna is configured to transmit the communication and sensing signal that is amplified via the at least one power amplifier.
26. The apparatus of claim 24 , wherein the beating circuit is coupled to the transmitter and is configured to accept the radar signal or the communication and sensing signal as the reference transmit signal.
27. The apparatus of claim 24 , wherein the receiver includes a cancellation circuit that is coupled to the uplink signal generator, the cancellation circuit configured to:
generate a cancellation signal based on the uplink signal; and
combine the reflected signal with the cancellation signal to attenuate a portion of the reflected signal that corresponds to the uplink signal.
28. The apparatus of claim 27 , wherein the cancellation circuit is coupled between the at least one low-noise amplifier and the beating circuit.
29. The apparatus of claim 27 , wherein the cancellation circuit is coupled to the radar signal generator and an output of the beating circuit, the cancellation circuit further configured to:
generate an estimated spread uplink signal based on the uplink signal and the radar signal; and
generate the cancellation signal based on the estimated spread uplink signal.
30. The apparatus of claim 24 , wherein the radar signal generator is configured to vary a power of the radar signal based on another power of the uplink signal and a modulation coding scheme of the uplink signal.