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.
