Optimal Precoder Design for MIMO-OFDM-based Joint Automotive Radar-Communication Networks

Large-scale deployment of connected vehicles with cooperative awareness technologies increases the demand for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication spectrum in 5.9 GHz that is mainly allocated for the exchange of safety messages. To supplement V2X communication and support the high data rates needed by broadband applications, the millimeter-wave (mmWave) automotive radar spectrum at 76-81 GHz can be utilized. For this purpose, joint radar-communication systems have been proposed in the literature to perform both functions using the same waveform and hardware. While multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) communication with multiple users enables independent data streaming for high throughput, MIMO radar processing provides high-resolution imaging that is crucial for safety-critical systems. However, employing conventional precoding methods designed for communication generates directional beams that impair MIMO radar imaging and target tracking capabilities during data streaming. In this paper, we propose a MIMO joint automotive radar-communication (JARC) framework based on orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) waveform. First, we show that the MIMO-OFDM preamble can be exploited for both MIMO radar processing and estimation of the communication channel. Then, we propose an optimal precoder design method that enables high accuracy target tracking while transmitting independent data streams to multiple receivers. The proposed methods provide high-resolution radar imaging and high throughput capabilities for MIMO JARC networks. Finally, we evaluate the efficacy of the proposed methods through numerical simulations.