Integrated Communication and Imaging: Design, Analysis, and Performances of COSMIC Waveforms

This paper proposes a novel waveform design method named COSMIC (Connectivity-Oriented Sensing Method for Imaging and Communication). These waveforms are engineered to convey communication symbols while adhering to an extended orthogonality condition, enabling their use in generating radio images of the environment. A Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) Radar-Communication (RadCom) device transmits COSMIC waveforms from each antenna simultaneously within the same time window and frequency band, indicating that orthogonality is not achieved by space, time, or frequency multiplexing. Indeed, orthogonality among the waveforms is achieved by leveraging the degrees of freedom provided by the assumption that the field of view is limited or significantly smaller than the transmitted signals' length. The RadCom device receives and processes the echoes from an infinite number of infinitesimal scatterers within its field of view, constructing an electromagnetic image of the environment. Concurrently, these waveforms can also carry information to other connected network entities. This work provides the algebraic concepts used to generate COSMIC waveforms. Moreover, an opportunistic optimization of the imaging and communication efficiency is discussed. Simulation results demonstrate that COSMIC waveforms enable accurate environmental imaging while maintaining acceptable communication performances.