From Theory to Reality: A Design Framework for Integrated Communication and Computing Receivers

We propose a novel flexible and scalable framework to design integrated communication and computing (ICC) -- a.k.a. over-the-air computing (AirComp) -- receivers. To elaborate, while related literature so far has generally focused either on theoretical aspects of ICC or on the design of beamforming (BF) algorithms for AirComp, we propose a framework to design receivers capable of simultaneously detecting communication symbols and extracting the output of the AirComp operation, in a manner that can: a) be systematically generalized to any nomographic function, b) scaled to a massive number of user equipments (UEs) and edge devices (EDs), and c) support the multiple computation streams. For the sake of illustration, we demonstrate the proposed method under a setting consisting of the uplink from multiple single-antenna UEs/EDs simultaneously transmitting communication and computing signals to a single multiple-antenna base station (BS)/access point (AP). The receiver, which seeks to detect all communication symbols and minimize the distortion over the computing signals, requires that only a fraction of the transmit power be allocated to the latter, therefore coming close to the ideal (but unattainable) condition that computing is achieved "for free", without taking resources from the communication system. The design leverages the Gaussian belief propagation (GaBP) framework relying only on element-wise scalar operations, which allows for its use in massive settings, as demonstrated by simulation results incorporating up to 200 antennas and 200 UEs/EDs. They also demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method under all various loading conditions, with the performance of the scheme approaching fundamental limiting bounds in the under/fully loaded cases.

Low Complexity Joint Channel Estimation and Data Detection for AFDM Receivers With Oversampling

In this paper, we propose a novel low complexity time domain (TD) oversampling receiver framework under affine frequency division multiplexing (AFDM) waveforms for joint channel estimation and data detection (JCEDD). Leveraging a generalized doubly-dispersive channel model, we first derive the input-output (I/O) relationship for arbitrary waveforms when oversampled in the TD and present the I/O relationship for AFDM as an example. Subsequently, utilizing the multiple sample streams created via the oversampling procedure, we use the parametric bilinear Gaussian belief propagation (PBiGaBP) technique to conduct JCEDD for decoding the transmitted data and estimating the complex channel coefficients. Simulation results verify significant performance improvements both in terms of data decoding and complex channel coefficient estimation with improved robustness against a varying number of pilots over a conventional Nyquist sampling rate receiver.

Tone Reservation-Based PAPR Reduction Using Manifold Optimization for OFDM-ISAC Systems

We consider the peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) reduction challenge of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems utilizing tone reservation (TR) under a sensing-enabling constraint, such that the signals placed in the reserved tones (RTs) can be exploited for Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC). To that end, the problem is first cast as an unconstrained manifold optimization problem, and then solved via an iterative projected gradient descent algorithm assisted by an approximation of the infinity norm. Simulation results show that the proposed method, while maintaining a level of PAPR reduction similar to state of the art (SotA), not only has lower computational complexity but also outperforms the alternatives in terms of sensing performance.

Grover Adaptive Search for Maximum Likelihood Detection of Generalized Spatial Modulation

We propose a quantum-assisted solution for the maximum likelihood detection (MLD) of generalized spatial modulation (GSM) signals. Specifically, the MLD of GSM is first formulated as a novel polynomial optimization problem, followed by the application of a quantum algorithm, namely, the Grover adaptive search. The performance in terms of query complexity of the proposed method is evaluated and compared to the classical alternative via a numerical analysis, which reveals that under fault-tolerant quantum computation, the proposed method outperforms the classical solution if the number of data symbols and the constellation size are relatively large.

Enabling Next-Generation V2X Perception: Wireless Rigid Body Localization and Tracking

Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) perception describes a suite of technologies used to enable vehicles to perceive their surroundings and communicate with various entities, such as other road users, infrastructure, or the network/cloud. With the development of autonomous driving, V2X perception is becoming increasingly relevant, as can be seen by the tremendous attention recently given to integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) technologies. In this context, rigid body localization (RBL) also emerges as one important technology which enables the estimation of not only target's positions, but also their shape and orientation. This article discusses the need for RBL, its benefits and opportunities, challenges and research directions, as well as its role in the standardization of the sixth-generation (6G) and beyond fifth generation (B5G) applications.

Belief Propagation-based Rotation and Translation Estimation for Rigid Body Localization

We propose a novel solution to the rigid body localization (RBL) problem, in which the three-dimensional (3D) rotation and translation is estimated by only utilizing the range measurements between the wireless sensors on the rigid body and the anchor sensors. The proposed framework first constructs a linear Gaussian belief propagation (GaBP) algorithm to estimate the absolute sensor positions utilizing the range-based received signal model, which is used for the reconstruction of the RBL transformation model, linearized with a small-angle approximation. In light of the reformulated system, a second bivariate GaBP is designed to directly estimate the 3D rotation angles and translation distances, with an interference cancellation (IC) refinement to improve the angle estimation performance. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified via numerical simulations, highlighting the superior performance of the proposed method against the state-of-the-art (SotA) techniques for the position, rotation, and translation estimation performance.

Massive Index Modulation with Combinatorics-Free Detection for Integrated Sensing and Communications

Integrated sensing and communications (ISAC) and index modulation (IM) are promising technologies for beyond fifth generation (B5G) and sixth generation (6G) systems. While ISAC enables new applications, IM is attractive for its inherent energy and spectral efficiencies. In this article we propose massive IM as an enabler of ISAC, by considering transmit signals with information conveyed through the indexation of the resources utilized in their transmission, and pilot symbols exploited for sensing. In order to overcome the complexity hurdle arising from the large sizes of IM codebooks, we propose a novel message passing (MP) decoder designed under the Gaussian belief propagation (GaBP) framework exploiting a novel unit vector decomposition (UVD) of IM signals with purpose-derived novel probability distributions. The proposed method enjoys a low decoding complexity that is independent of combinatorial factors, while still approaching the performance of unfeasible state-of-the-art (SotA) search-based methods. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated via complexity analysis and numerical results for piloted generalized quadrature spatial modulation (GQSM) systems of large sizes (up to 96 antennas).

Blind Bistatic Radar Parameter Estimation in Doubly-Dispersive Channels

We propose a novel method for blind bistatic radar parameter estimation (RPE), which enables integrated sensing and communications (ISAC) by allowing passive (receive) base stations (BSs) to extract radar parameters (ranges and velocities of targets), without requiring knowledge of the information sent by an active (transmit) BS to its users. The contributed method is formulated with basis on the covariance of received signals, and under a generalized doubly-dispersive channel model compatible with most of the waveforms typically considered for ISAC, such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), orthogonal time frequency space (OTFS) and affine frequency division multiplexing (AFDM). The original non-convex problem, which includes an $\ell_0$-norm regularization term in order to mitigate clutter, is solved not by relaxation to an $\ell_1$-norm, but by introducing an arbitrarily-tight approximation then relaxed via fractional programming (FP). Simulation results show that the performance of the proposed method approaches that of an ideal system with perfect knowledge of the transmit signal covariance with an increasing number of transmit frames.

Quantum Speedup of the Dispersion and Codebook Design Problems

We propose new formulations of max-sum and max-min dispersion problems that enable solutions via the Grover adaptive search (GAS) quantum algorithm, offering quadratic speedup. Dispersion problems are combinatorial optimization problems classified as NP-hard, which appear often in coding theory and wireless communications applications involving optimal codebook design. In turn, GAS is a quantum exhaustive search algorithm that can be used to implement full-fledged maximum-likelihood optimal solutions. In conventional naive formulations however, it is typical to rely on a binary vector spaces, resulting in search space sizes prohibitive even for GAS. To circumvent this challenge, we instead formulate the search of optimal dispersion problem over Dicke states, an equal superposition of binary vectors with equal Hamming weights, which significantly reduces the search space leading to a simplification of the quantum circuit via the elimination of penalty terms. Additionally, we propose a method to replace distance coefficients with their ranks, contributing to the reduction of the number of qubits. Our analysis demonstrates that as a result of the proposed techniques a reduction in query complexity compared to the conventional GAS using Hadamard transform is achieved, enhancing the feasibility of the quantum-based solution of the dispersion problem.

Joint Channel, Data and Radar Parameter Estimation for AFDM Systems in Doubly-Dispersive Channels

We propose new schemes for joint channel and data estimation (JCDE) and radar parameter estimation (RPE) in doubly-dispersive channels, such that integrated sensing and communications (ISAC) is enabled by user equipment (UE) independently performing JCDE, and base stations (BSs) performing RPE. The contributed JCDE and RPE schemes are designed for waveforms known to perform well in doubly-dispersive channels, under a unified model that captures the features of either legacy orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), state-of-the-art (SotA) orthogonal time frequency space (OTFS), and next-generation affine frequency division multiplexing (AFDM) systems. The proposed JCDE algorithm is based on a Bayesian parametric bilinear Gaussian belief propagation (PBiGaBP) framework first proposed for OTFS and here shown to apply to all aforementioned waveforms, while the RPE scheme is based on a new probabilistic data association (PDA) approach incorporating a Bernoulli-Gaussian denoising, optimized via expectation maximization (EM). Simulation results demonstrate that JCDE in AFDM systems utilizing a single pilot per block significantly outperforms the SotA alternative even if the latter is granted a substantial power advantage. Similarly, the AFDM-based RPE scheme is found to outperform the OTFS-based approach, as well as the sparse Bayesian learning (SBL) technique, regardless of the waveform used.