Integrated Sensing, Communication, and Powering (ISCAP): Towards Multi-functional 6G Wireless Networks
Abstract: This article presents a novel multi-functional system for a sixth-generation (6G) wireless network with integrated sensing, communication, and powering (ISCAP), which unifies integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) and wireless information and power transfer (WIPT) techniques. The multi-functional ISCAP network promises to enhance resource utilization efficiency, reduce network costs, and improve overall performance through versatile operational modes. Specifically, a multi-functional base station (BS) can enable multi-functional transmission, by exploiting the same radio signals to perform target/environment sensing, wireless communication, and wireless power transfer (WPT), simultaneously. Besides, the three functions can be intelligently coordinated to pursue mutual benefits,i.e., wireless sensing can be leveraged to enable light-training or even training-free WIPT by providing side-channel information, and the BS can utilize WPT to wirelessly charge low-power devices for ensuring sustainable ISAC. Furthermore, multiple multi-functional BSs can cooperate in both transmission and reception phases for efficient interference management, multi-static sensing, and distributed energy beamforming. For these operational modes, we discuss the technical challenges and potential solutions, particularly focusing on the fundamental performance tradeoff limits, transmission protocol design, as well as waveform and beamforming optimization. Finally, interesting research directions are identified.
- B. Clerckx, R. Zhang, R. Schober, D. W. K. Ng, D. I. Kim, and H. V. Poor, “Fundamentals of wireless information and power transfer: From RF energy harvester models to signal and system designs,” IEEE J. Sel. Areas Commun., vol. 37, no. 1, pp. 4–33, Jan. 2018.
- H. Lu, Y. Zeng, C. You, Y. Han, J. Zhang, Z. Wang, Z. Dong, S. Jin, C.-X. Wang, T. Jiang, X. You, and R. Zhang, “A tutorial on near-field XL-MIMO communications towards 6G,” arXiv preprint arXiv:2310.11044, 2023.
- F. Liu, L. Zheng, Y. Cui, C. Masouros, A. P. Petropulu, H. Griffiths, and Y. C. Eldar, “Seventy years of radar and communications: The road from separation to integration,” IEEE Signal Process. Mag., vol. 40, no. 5, pp. 106–121, Jul. 2023.
- F. Liu, Y. Cui, C. Masouros, J. Xu, T. X. Han, Y. C. Eldar, and S. Buzzi, “Integrated sensing and communications: Toward dual-functional wireless networks for 6G and beyond,” IEEE J. Sel. Areas Commun., vol. 40, no. 6, pp. 1728–1767, Jun. 2022.
- H. Zhang, N. Shlezinger, F. Guidi, D. Dardari, M. F. Imani, and Y. C. Eldar, “Near-field wireless power transfer for 6G internet of everything mobile networks: Opportunities and challenges,” IEEE Commun. Mag., vol. 60, no. 3, pp. 12–18, Mar. 2022.
- X. Li, Z. Han, G. Zhu, Y. Shi, J. Xu, Q. Zhang, K. Huang, and K. B. Letaief, “Integrating sensing, communication, and power transfer: From theory to practice,” arXiv preprint arXiv:2311.09031, 2023.
- Y. Chen, H. Hua, J. Xu, and D. W. K. Ng, “ISAC meets SWIPT: Multi-functional wireless systems integrating sensing, communication, and powering,” to appear in IEEE Trans. Wireless Commun., 2023.
- Y. Zhang, S. Aditya, and B. Clerckx, “Multi-functional OFDM signal design for integrated sensing, communications, and power transfer,” arXiv preprint arXiv:2311.00104, 2023.
- Z. Ren, L. Qiu, J. Xu, and D. W. K. Ng, “Sensing-assisted sparse channel recovery for massive antenna systems,” arXiv preprint arXiv2311.05907, 2023.
- F. Wang, J. Xu, and S. Cui, “Optimal energy allocation and task offloading policy for wireless powered mobile edge computing systems,” IEEE Trans. Wireless Commun., vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 2443–2459, Apr. 2020.
- A. Zhang, M. L. Rahman, X. Huang, Y. J. Guo, S. Chen, and R. W. Heath, “Perceptive mobile networks: Cellular networks with radio vision via joint communication and radar sensing,” IEEE Veh. Techno. Mag., vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 20–30, Dec. 2021.
- Y. Zeng, J. Chen, J. Xu, D. Wu, X. Xu, S. Jin, X. Gao, D. Gesbert, S. Cui, and R. Zhang, “A tutorial on environment-aware communications via channel knowledge map for 6G,” arXiv preprint arXiv:2309.07460, 2023.
- S. P. Chepuri, N. Shlezinger, F. Liu, G. C. Alexandropoulos, S. Buzzi, and Y. C. Eldar, “Integrated sensing and communications with reconfigurable intelligent surfaces: From signal modeling to processing,” IEEE Signal Process. Mag., vol. 40, no. 6, pp. 41–62, Sept. 2023.
Paper Prompts
Sign up for free to create and run prompts on this paper.