How do communication and radar systems perceive road users and how can this be measured precisely and efficiently? This is the core question of the research group "BiRaUM - Bistatic radar signatures of traffic objects as a link between environment detection and mobile communication". We spoke to Professor Thomas Dallmann, head of the research group and head of Radio Technologies for Automated and Connected Vehicles and member of ThIMo, about the research group’s goals.
Professor Dallmann, automated and connected vehicles have great potential for climate-friendly and efficient mobility. However, the complex and constantly changing realities of road traffic with a wide variety of traffic objects pose particular challenges in terms of communication between man and machine or vehicle. How are you addressing these challenges in the new research group?
Radio and radar signals are reflected by objects in our environment - in road traffic these are vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians, but also road equipment and buildings. This influences radio-based vehicle communication, which is necessary for connected driving, and poses challenges for the reliability and safety of connected driving. The better the reflection behavior is researched, the better it can be taken into account in the design of communication systems and networks.The future 6G mobile communications standard plays a special role in this context: it will make it possible to use mobile communications simultaneously for environmental perception - comparable to a radar system. This means that our mobile network can also be used to detect traffic or even drones. This opens up the possibility of increasing both road safety and civil security. This technology is now known as "Integrated Communications and Sensing", or ICAS for short. For ICAS, we also need knowledge about the reflective behavior of objects in order to understand how reliably these objects can be detected.
At ThIMo, we have access to unique infrastructure for mobility research - including the BiRa bistatic radar reflectivity measurement system as part of the virtual road simulation and testing facility (VISTA), which is suitable for measuring these reflectivities.
However, this is associated with a major challenge: The complete characterization of large and complex-shaped objects at millimeter intervals can take weeks or even months. This is exactly where BiRaUM comes in:
We are researching measurement methods that can be used to characterize the reflective behaviour of such objects quickly, yet precisely.
Which disciplines are involved in this research group?
It involves the RF and Microwave Research Group , headed by ThIMo-Direkt Professor Matthias Hein, and the Radio Technologies for Automated and Connected Vehicles FAVF and Electronic Measurement and Signal Processing EMS Groups, both of which are currently headed by me. As the third applicant, Professor Reiner Thomä supports us with his technical expertise.What social benefits do you expect from your research results?
The results of BiRaUM will help to make automated vehicles safer and road traffic more efficient. If vehicles can recognize their surroundings more reliably and exchange information with each other precisely, accidents can be avoided and traffic flows optimized.The models developed in the project also help with the planning and further development of future mobile radio and sensor systems, particularly with regard to 6G and ICAS. Manufacturers, network operators and developers can use these findings to realistically test and improve new technologies and put them into practice more quickly.
In short: BiRaUM provides important measurement tools and models for the design of mobile communication and sensor technology for the mobility of tomorrow.
The project, which is funded by the Free State of Thuringia, is co-financed by the European Social Fund Plus.
