5G

This poses significant challenges to the underlying communication system, as information must reliably reach its destination within a short period, beyond what current wireless technologies can provide. In addition, the high data rates necessary for exchange of massive amounts of raw sensor data are not yet supported by current technologies either.

5G, the fifth generation of mobile communication technology, holds promise of improved performance in terms of reduced latency, increased reliability, and higher throughput under higher mobility and connection densities. Moreover, the use of millimeter waves (mmWave) as carriers enables access to the required larger bandwidths. The biggest challenge for the use of mmWave carrier frequencies (CFs) is the high propagation path loss and susceptibility to blockage by building materials. Hence, before implementing mmWave technology into vehicles, it is crucial to understand such large-scale fading parameters and be able to represent the channel conditions accurately in realistic channel models. Complementary to this, multipath components (MPCs) due to in-vehicle mmWave reflections need to be further understood and described in terms of small-scale fading.

Knowledge about the channel conditions is crucial for increasing the efficiency of multiple access techniques, with channel estimation, beamforming and handover depending critically on the channel dynamics. To achieve this level of understanding, detailed vehicular channel measurements need to be performed, covering realistic scenarios and RF technology deployment, addressing industrial and academic challenges.

Faraday-shielded anechoic chambers

The team’s channel sounding equipment in the 3xD Simulator and NAIC Communications and Sensors Lab is used for 5G V2X communication measurements covering all vehicle-specific scenarios. Moreover, the University of Warwick campus provides the opportunity to extend this work to outdoor, urban scenarios. The results of our 5G channel sounding campaigns are used to develop and validate a 5G mmWave V2X channel model for frequencies between 18 and 85 GHz. This knowledge is subsequently used in our stochastic geometry-based modelling work related to mmWave coverage and channel capacity in vehicular scenarios. Both our measurement and modelling results will be disseminated in leading journals and on international flagship conferences, thereby impacting on the academic community, whilst CAV developers can use the knowledge to improve and accelerate their radio and sensor design from a telecommunication perspective.

People

• Dr Matthew Higgins, Associate Professor
• Dr Erik Kampert, Senior Research Fellow
• Mümin Özpolat, PhD Candidate

Funders

Publications and Press Releases

[Journal]: "Millimeter-Wave Communication for a Last-Mile Autonomous Transport Vehicle" in IEEE Access [DOI / UoW OA Research Repository]

[Journal]: "Connectivity Analysis for mmWave V2V Networks: Exploring Critical Distance and Beam Misalignment" in 2019 IEEE Global Communications Conference (GLOBECOM) [DOI / UoW OA Research Repository]

[Press Release]: WMG has set an autonomous vehicle communications record using 5G [link]

[Journal]: "A grid-based coverage analysis of urban mmWave vehicular ad hoc networks" in IEEE Communications Letters [DOI / UoW OA Research Repository]

[Journal]: "Investigating the V2V Millimeter-Wave Channel near a Vehicular Headlight in an Engine Bay" in IEEE Communications Letters [DOI / UoW OA Research Repository]