Transmitter Beam Selection in Millimeter-wave MIMO with In-Band Position-Aiding

Abstract

Emerging wireless communication systems will be characterized by a tight coupling between communication and positioning. This is particularly apparent in millimeter-wave (mm-wave) communications, where devices use a large number of antennas and the propagation is well described by geometric channel models. For mm-wave communications, initial access, consisting in the beam selection and alignment of two devices, is challenging and time-consuming in the absence of location information. Conversely, accurate positioning relies on high-quality communication links with proper beam alignment. This paper studies this interaction and proposes a new position-aided beam selection protocol, which considers the problem of joint communication and positioning in scenarios with direct line-of-sight and scattering. Simulation results show significant reductions in latency with respect to a standard protocol.