Joint FMCW Radar and 5G/6G Communications

This paper considers how the 5G/6G parameterized communications signal can be integrated into and transmitted through a frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar. The joint method can upgrade automotive, airport, harbour, marine, traffic control, etc., radars to relay orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM)-modulated signals. The 5G/6G communication can be delivered to areas where there is no existing network for them. Transceiver block diagrams and algorithms for a phase-modulated (PM)-OFDM system is provided. The modulation maintains the constant envelope of the FMCW waveform and has an inherent spectral peak for radar estimation. Regarding complexity, there is now no need to remove or compensate for the modulation prior to radar processing in the receiver. Compared to the OFDM, the simulated communications bit error rate (BER) performance degradation is less than 1 dB in both AWGN and Rician fading channels. The results converge and even reverse if the power amplifier efficiency is considered. We show that a common long-range automotive radar distance requirement of 250 m is achieved in terms of range, velocity, and antenna array direction of arrival (DoA) estimation.