Multibeam Design for Joint Communication and Sensing in 5G New Radio Networks

The large available bandwidths at millimeter-wave (mmW) frequencies enable very high data rates and reduced latencies while can also facilitate high-resolution radio-based sensing. In this paper, we address the problem of providing the communications and sensing functionalities simultaneously at the same frequencies, with specific emphasis on the emerging 5G New Radio (NR) networks. To this end, a novel RF beamforming design and optimization approach is proposed, for dual-functional joint radar-communication systems, providing multiple simultaneous transmit beams to support efficient beamformed communications while an additional beam simultaneously senses the environment around the base-station. The proposed beamforming approach jointly optimizes the transmitter and receiver beamforming weights in order to maximize the sensing performance and mitigate the possible interference stemming from the communication beam, while guaranteeing also the target beamforming gain for the communications link. The performance of the proposed approach is assessed through comprehensive numerical evaluations, demonstrating that substantial gains and benefits can be achieved compared to more ordinary beamforming approaches.