Collaborative Research: CCSS: Towards Energy-Efficient Millimeter Wave Wireless Networks: A Unified Systems and Circuits Framework

合作研究：CCSS：迈向节能毫米波无线网络：统一系统和电路框架

• 批准号: 2242701
• 负责人: Hamidreza Aghasi
• 金额: $ 25万
• 依托单位: University of California-Irvine
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-09-01 至 2026-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2242701&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; CCSS; Towards; Energy

Wireless communications has had a major impact on a diverse range of areas such as economy, education, health, entertainment, logistics, and travel. In order to satisfy the ever-growing demand for higher data-rates and bandwidth, the fifth generation (5G) of wireless networks envisions communication in a spectrum which includes frequencies above 6 GHz and especially the millimeter wave (mm-wave) bands. The application of high carrier frequencies in mm-wave systems allows for larger channel bandwidths compared to the current RF (radio frequency) systems which operate in lower frequency bands. However, the energy consumption of constituent circuit and system components such as analog to digital converters (ADCs) and digital to analog converters (DACs) increases significantly with bandwidth. The massive number of transceiver antennas and large bandwidth lead to substantial ADC/DAC energy consumption in mm-wave multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems which is inconsistent with the limited energy budget in mobile devices and small-cell access points. This points to an urgent need for energy-aware solutions to mm-wave transceiver design. The project addresses these challenges by proposing novel transceiver architectures, circuit blocks and design techniques, and associated communication strategies. The project will tightly integrate research with a significant education and outreach program consisting of two focus areas: (i) Student training, and (ii) Disseminating research outcomes in the forms of new curricular development and student involvement. A concerted effort will be made to broaden the participation of women and students from under-represented communities in the project.The project investigates the use of nonlinear analog operators and delay elements to mitigate the coarse quantization rate-loss in mm-wave communication systems, and develops an interdisciplinary framework for investigating the theory and practice of energy-efficient mm-wave communication through three interrelated thrusts. The first thrust develops the theoretical techniques necessary to study the fundamental limits of communication, such as achievable rates, in MIMO systems with low resolution ADC/DACs and nonlinear analog processing at the transceivers. The second thrust focuses on energy-efficient circuit design and on-chip implementation of nonlinear analog components and delay elements of Thrust 1. In particular, the Volterra-Weiner series representation of transistor nonlinearity is used to design nonlinear analog operators and analyze their performance. The third thrust reconciles the practical limitations of circuitry developed in Thrust 2, with the assumptions made in the theoretical derivations in Thrust 1, and proposes practical, implementable communication protocols for mm-wave communications. This includes the design of channel estimation, multiuser scheduling, and ADC allocation mechanisms for the proposed communication systems. The proposed research effort leads to a unified framework to study the circuit design and implementation of mm-wave transceivers, along with multiuser beamforming, scheduling, and data transmission mechanisms matched with the transceiver circuit design.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

无线通信对经济、教育、健康、娱乐、物流和旅行等多个领域产生了重大影响。为了满足对更高数据速率和带宽不断增长的需求，第五代 (5G) 无线网络设想在包括 6 GHz 以上频率，特别是毫米波 (mm-wave) 频段的频谱中进行通信。与当前在较低频段运行的 RF（射频）系统相比，毫米波系统中高载波频率的应用允许更大的信道带宽。然而，模数转换器（ADC）和数模转换器（DAC）等组成电路和系统组件的能耗随着带宽的增加而显着增加。大量的收发器天线和大带宽导致毫米波多输入多输出 (MIMO) 系统中的大量 ADC/DAC 能耗，这与移动设备和小型基站接入点的有限能源预算不一致。这表明毫米波收发器设计迫切需要能源感知解决方案。该项目通过提出新颖的收发器架构、电路块和设计技术以及相关的通信策略来应对这些挑战。该项目将把研究与重要的教育和推广计划紧密结合起来，该计划包括两个重点领域：(i) 学生培训，(ii) 以新课程开发和学生参与的形式传播研究成果。将共同努力扩大来自代表性不足社区的妇女和学生对项目的参与。该项目研究使用非线性模拟算子和延迟元件来减轻毫米波通信系统中的粗量化率损失，并开发了一个跨学科框架，通过三个相互关联的主旨来研究节能毫米波通信的理论和实践。第一个重点是开发研究通信基本限制所需的理论技术，例如在具有低分辨率 ADC/DAC 和收发器非线性模拟处理的 MIMO 系统中可实现的速率。第二个推力重点关注推力 1 的非线性模拟元件和延迟元件的节能电路设计和片上实现。特别是，晶体管非线性的 Volterra-Weiner 级数表示用于设计非线性模拟算子并分析其性能。第三个推力协调了推力 2 中开发的电路的实际限制与推力 1 中理论推导中所做的假设，并提出了用于毫米波通信的实用、可实现的通信协议。这包括所提出的通信系统的信道估计、多用户调度和 ADC 分配机制的设计。拟议的研究工作形成了一个统一的框架，用于研究毫米波收发器的电路设计和实现，以及与收发器电路设计相匹配的多用户波束成形、调度和数据传输机制。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并被视为值得通过使用基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。