Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ITN-5VC (Integrated Telematics for Next Generation 5G Vehicular Communications)
Reporting period: 2022-10-01 to 2025-01-31
The imminent need of deploying advanced communication and autonomous driving capabilities in vehicles is turning the race towards the realization of the so called fifth generation new radio (5G NR) networks into a real odyssey for the European automotive industry. The challenges arising from the coexistence of MIMO systems on vehicles, the growing number of sensors and radars and cooperative intelligent transport systems (C-ITS) in the realm of vehicle-toeverything (V2X) communications are piling up. Many of them have not been solved yet due to the lack of qualified personnel with joint expertise in communications and sensing technologies. Thus, the acute need of the proposed ITN-5VC project, a European Industrial Doctorate (EID) training network, arises.
ITN-5VC aims to investigate the key problems of the integration of multi-band multi-antenna communications, including mmWave, with radar heads and other wireless sensors into the same telematics unit, so that transmission chains and radiation systems were efficiently reused in a cost-efficient manner while delivering the required performance. Multiple antenna deployment, joint operation and performance of the resulting automotive solution will be investigated by 11 Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) working with top industrial manufacturers and academia in Europe. The training will tackle three main topics:
• Vehicular communications integrated with radar sensors for the sake of simplified telematics.
• Improved antenna and phased array technology deployment on the vehicle’s body or surface.
• Efficient protocol integration on V2X-specific system on chips for joint communication and sensing deployment on vehicles.
ITN-5VC will apply a new training Programme that follows the EU principles for Innovative Doctoral Training. Additionally, ITN-5VC training will apply short term missions, periodic challenges and an ECTS credit competition to boost the participation and engagement of the students to the Programme.
ITN-5VC aims to investigate the key problems of the integration of multi-band multi-antenna communications, including mmWave, with radar heads and other wireless sensors into the same telematics unit, so that transmission chains and radiation systems were efficiently reused in a cost-efficient manner while delivering the required performance. Multiple antenna deployment, joint operation and performance of the resulting automotive solution will be investigated by 11 Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) working with top industrial manufacturers and academia in Europe. The training will tackle three main topics:
• Vehicular communications integrated with radar sensors for the sake of simplified telematics.
• Improved antenna and phased array technology deployment on the vehicle’s body or surface.
• Efficient protocol integration on V2X-specific system on chips for joint communication and sensing deployment on vehicles.
ITN-5VC will apply a new training Programme that follows the EU principles for Innovative Doctoral Training. Additionally, ITN-5VC training will apply short term missions, periodic challenges and an ECTS credit competition to boost the participation and engagement of the students to the Programme.
Here is a summary of the main accomplishments:
• The Project Management Committee organizes physical meetings once/twice a year and quarterly project meetings.
• The ESRs organize bi-monthly meetings to discuss their internal issues.
• All the ESRs worked according to their Career Development Plan.
• The network organized 8 training events, which are described in detail in the related section.
• The webpage, repository, social networks and teleconference tools were set up in the first year of the project.
• The project is visible on social media on Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
• Related to dissemination and communication activities, several communication and outreach actions were recorded, and a leaflet and a poster were designed to promote the project.
• 26 conference and journal papers have been published so far.
• All secondments were performed following the EID requirements
Regarding the exploitable results, based on the research carried out: BOSCH will refine AI-driven QoS prediction models to enhance V2X communication and autonomous driving while further developing sensing integration and heterogeneous RATs. Volkswagen (VW) will optimize vehicle antenna integration, improve V2X performance, and contribute to 5GAA and ETSI standardization. Gapwaves will explore antenna innovations for automotive radar applications and continue collaborating in joint communication and sensing. Fivecomm will enhance its 5G device portfolio, focusing on V2X sidelink communication for mobile robots, and plans to evolve towards ISAC-based solutions, reducing reliance on radar components.
• The Project Management Committee organizes physical meetings once/twice a year and quarterly project meetings.
• The ESRs organize bi-monthly meetings to discuss their internal issues.
• All the ESRs worked according to their Career Development Plan.
• The network organized 8 training events, which are described in detail in the related section.
• The webpage, repository, social networks and teleconference tools were set up in the first year of the project.
• The project is visible on social media on Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
• Related to dissemination and communication activities, several communication and outreach actions were recorded, and a leaflet and a poster were designed to promote the project.
• 26 conference and journal papers have been published so far.
• All secondments were performed following the EID requirements
Regarding the exploitable results, based on the research carried out: BOSCH will refine AI-driven QoS prediction models to enhance V2X communication and autonomous driving while further developing sensing integration and heterogeneous RATs. Volkswagen (VW) will optimize vehicle antenna integration, improve V2X performance, and contribute to 5GAA and ETSI standardization. Gapwaves will explore antenna innovations for automotive radar applications and continue collaborating in joint communication and sensing. Fivecomm will enhance its 5G device portfolio, focusing on V2X sidelink communication for mobile robots, and plans to evolve towards ISAC-based solutions, reducing reliance on radar components.
The ITN-SVC project has significantly advanced millimetre-wave (mmW) antenna design, Over-the-Air (OTA) testing, 5G V2X communication protocols, and Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) systems for hyper-connected vehicles. Below are the key innovations:
- Developed dual-polarized and vertically polarized gap waveguide antennas for 77 GHz radar and communication, improving isolation and efficiency in full-duplex systems.
- Proposed hybrid Reverberation Chamber (RC) + CATR (Compact Antenna Test Range) setups for mmWave phased array testing, enabling precise K-factor and Rician channel emulation.
- Introduced Constrained FoV Radiated Power (CVRP) as a new Figure of Merit (FoM) for phased arrays in vehicular environments.
- Automotive Phased Array Packaging & Fabrication
- Developed stochastic models for gain ripple effects in automotive corner radar antennas, enhancing reliability.
- Studied the impact of antenna placement (front-bumper, side-mirrors, rooftop) on sensing and communication performance.
- Developed a 5.9 GHz phased array integrated into windshields, enabling hidden V2X antennas with dual communication and radar functionality.
- Developed SPYDER-based OFDM grids and Newtonized Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (NOMP) for interference mitigation in ISAC-enabled C-V2X networks.
- Achieved autonomous resource selection without inter-vehicle coordination, improving spectral efficiency in dense vehicular scenarios.
- Designed an algorithm for dynamic switching between 802.11p LTE-V2X, and 5G NR-V2X based on latency, reliability, and throughput requirements.
- Implemented ML-based QoS prediction models in OMNeT++/SUMO, optimizing packet loss, delay, and reliability in urban/highway scenarios.
- Demonstrated antenna diversity benefits (front/rear bumper dipoles) for safety-critical V2V communications
- Studied 5G sidelink positioning protocols (SL-TDOA, SL-AoA, SL-RTT) for integrated radar sensing.
- Proposed new waveforms (FBMC, GFDM, OTFS) for joint radar-communication in V2X.
- 5G Small Cell with Sensing Capabilities
- Developed a PSSCH (Physical Sidelink Shared Channel) simulator for JCR (Joint Communication-Radar) systems, optimizing MIMO soft-demapping for improved reception.
- Investigated sensing methods using reference signals for dynamic vehicular environments.
- Integrated Telematics Unit Prototyping
- Proposed beam planning and precoding methods for Multi-User MIMO ISAC in vehicular networks.
- Developed a proof-of-concept telematics unit integrating 5G, radar, and cooperative sensing.
Key Results: 20+ peer-reviewed publications, 2 patents filed (including EP24200903 on ISAC network devices), New OTA testing standards for mmWave automotive antennas, First 3D-printed GRIN lenses for automotive radar beamforming, Uncoordinated RRA scheme for ISAC-V2X, eliminating centralized scheduling, ML-driven QoS prediction for dynamic V2V networks and Prototype of 5G small cell with sensing capabilities.
Industrial Impact: Enhanced automotive radar/communication integration, reducing costs for OEMs (Volkswagen, Bluetest collaboration), Standardization contributions to 3GPP (V2X sidelink), ETSI (mmWave OTA testing) and New business models for 5G-V2X service providers and smart city infrastructure.
Societal Benefits: Improved road safety via low-latency, high-reliability V2X communications, Reduced traffic congestion through cooperative sensing and dynamic resource allocation and Energy-efficient mmW antennas contribute to sustainable mobility solutions.
Future Market Potential: Commercialization of ISAC-enabled telematics units for autonomous vehicles, Adoption of gap waveguide antennas in 6G vehicular networks and Expansion of ML-based QoS optimization in smart transportation systems.
- Developed dual-polarized and vertically polarized gap waveguide antennas for 77 GHz radar and communication, improving isolation and efficiency in full-duplex systems.
- Proposed hybrid Reverberation Chamber (RC) + CATR (Compact Antenna Test Range) setups for mmWave phased array testing, enabling precise K-factor and Rician channel emulation.
- Introduced Constrained FoV Radiated Power (CVRP) as a new Figure of Merit (FoM) for phased arrays in vehicular environments.
- Automotive Phased Array Packaging & Fabrication
- Developed stochastic models for gain ripple effects in automotive corner radar antennas, enhancing reliability.
- Studied the impact of antenna placement (front-bumper, side-mirrors, rooftop) on sensing and communication performance.
- Developed a 5.9 GHz phased array integrated into windshields, enabling hidden V2X antennas with dual communication and radar functionality.
- Developed SPYDER-based OFDM grids and Newtonized Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (NOMP) for interference mitigation in ISAC-enabled C-V2X networks.
- Achieved autonomous resource selection without inter-vehicle coordination, improving spectral efficiency in dense vehicular scenarios.
- Designed an algorithm for dynamic switching between 802.11p LTE-V2X, and 5G NR-V2X based on latency, reliability, and throughput requirements.
- Implemented ML-based QoS prediction models in OMNeT++/SUMO, optimizing packet loss, delay, and reliability in urban/highway scenarios.
- Demonstrated antenna diversity benefits (front/rear bumper dipoles) for safety-critical V2V communications
- Studied 5G sidelink positioning protocols (SL-TDOA, SL-AoA, SL-RTT) for integrated radar sensing.
- Proposed new waveforms (FBMC, GFDM, OTFS) for joint radar-communication in V2X.
- 5G Small Cell with Sensing Capabilities
- Developed a PSSCH (Physical Sidelink Shared Channel) simulator for JCR (Joint Communication-Radar) systems, optimizing MIMO soft-demapping for improved reception.
- Investigated sensing methods using reference signals for dynamic vehicular environments.
- Integrated Telematics Unit Prototyping
- Proposed beam planning and precoding methods for Multi-User MIMO ISAC in vehicular networks.
- Developed a proof-of-concept telematics unit integrating 5G, radar, and cooperative sensing.
Key Results: 20+ peer-reviewed publications, 2 patents filed (including EP24200903 on ISAC network devices), New OTA testing standards for mmWave automotive antennas, First 3D-printed GRIN lenses for automotive radar beamforming, Uncoordinated RRA scheme for ISAC-V2X, eliminating centralized scheduling, ML-driven QoS prediction for dynamic V2V networks and Prototype of 5G small cell with sensing capabilities.
Industrial Impact: Enhanced automotive radar/communication integration, reducing costs for OEMs (Volkswagen, Bluetest collaboration), Standardization contributions to 3GPP (V2X sidelink), ETSI (mmWave OTA testing) and New business models for 5G-V2X service providers and smart city infrastructure.
Societal Benefits: Improved road safety via low-latency, high-reliability V2X communications, Reduced traffic congestion through cooperative sensing and dynamic resource allocation and Energy-efficient mmW antennas contribute to sustainable mobility solutions.
Future Market Potential: Commercialization of ISAC-enabled telematics units for autonomous vehicles, Adoption of gap waveguide antennas in 6G vehicular networks and Expansion of ML-based QoS optimization in smart transportation systems.