In this paper, we introduce a radar information metric, the estimation rate, that allows the radar user to be considered in a multiple-access channel enabling performance bounds for joint radar-communications coexistence to be derived. Traditionally, the two systems were isolated in one or multiple dimensions. We categorize new attempts at spectrum-space-time convergence as either coexistence, cooperation, or co-design. The meaning and interpretation of the estimation rate and what it means to alter it are discussed. Additionally, we introduce and elaborate on the concept of “not all bits are equal,” which states that communications rate bits and estimation rate bits do not have equal value. Finally, results for joint radar-communications information bounds and their accompanying weighted spectral efficiency measures are presented.

Wireless mediums, such as RF, optical, or acoustical, provide finite resources for the purposes of remote sensing (such as radar) and data communications. Often, these two functions are at odds with one another and compete for these resources. Applications for wireless technology are growing rapidly, and RF convergence is already presenting itself as a requirement for both users as consumer and military system requirements evolve. The broad solution space to this complex problem encompasses cooperation or codesigning of systems with both sensing and communications functions. By jointly considering the systems during the design phase, rather than perpetuating a notion of mutual interference, both system's performance can be improved. We provide a point of departure for future researchers that will be required to solve this problem by presenting the applications, topologies, levels of system integration, the current state of the art, and outlines of future information-centric systems.

We develop and present a novel minimum estimation error variance waveform design method. The method optimizes the spectral shape of a unimodular radar waveform such that the performance of a joint radar-communications system that shares spectrum is maximized. We also develop the novel spectral water-filling SIC data rate, which employs the continuous spectral water-filling algorithm to obtain the optimal communications power spectrum. We perform a numerical study to compare the performance of the new technique with the previously derived spectral mask shaping method. The global estimation rate and the data rate capture the radar and the communications performance respectively.

Microwave radar technology is very attractive for ubiquitous short-range health monitoring due to its non-contact, see-through, privacy-preserving and safe features compared to the competing remote technologies such as optics. The possibility of radar-based approaches for breathing and cardiac sensing was demonstrated a few decades ago. However, investigation regarding the robustness of radar-based vital-sign monitoring (VSM) is not available in the current radar literature. In this paper, we aim to close this gap by presenting an extensive experimental study of vital-sign radar approach. We consider diversity in test subjects, fitness levels, poses/postures, and, more importantly, random body movement (RBM) in the study. We discuss some new insights that lead to robust radar heart-rate (HR) measurements. A novel active motion cancellation signal-processing technique is introduced, exploiting dual ultra-wideband (UWB) radar system for motion-tolerant HR measurements. Additionally, we propose a spectral pruning routine to enhance HR estimation performance. We validate the proposed method theoretically and experimentally. Totally, we record and analyze about 3500 seconds of radar measurements from multiple human subjects.

We develop and present a radar waveform design method that optimizes the spectral shape of the radar waveform so that joint performance of a cooperative radar communications system is maximized. The continuous water-filling (WF) spectral-mask shaping method presented in this paper is based on the previously derived spectral-mask shaping technique. However, the method presented in this paper is modified to utilize the continuous spectral water-filling algorithm to improve communications performance. We also introduce additional practical system constraints on the autocorrelation peak side-lobe-to-main-lobe ratio and radar waveform spectral leakage. Finally, we perform a numerical study to compare the performance of the continuous WF spectral-mask-shaping method with the previously derived method. The global estimation rate, which also accounts for non-local estimation errors, and the data rate capture radar and communications performance respectively.

In this article, we develop a new waveform codesign approach for radar–communications spectral coexistence using a decision-theoretic framework called partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP). The POMDP framework’s natural look-ahead feature allows us to trade off short-term for long-term performance, which is necessary in waveform codesign problems with competing objectives and dynamic user needs. As POMDPs are computationally intractable, we extend two approximation methods called nominal belief-state optimization and random-sampling multipath hypothesis propagation to make the codesign approaches tractable.