Simultaneous Sensing Data Acquisition and Sharing in Low-Altitude Wireless Networks: Fundamental Limits and Optimal Signaling
This work addresses the challenge of efficient data handling in wireless networks for applications like drones or IoT, but it appears incremental as it builds on existing ISAC and information theory concepts.
The paper tackles the problem of simultaneous sensing data acquisition and sharing in low-altitude wireless networks by establishing an information-theoretic framework and developing optimal signaling designs, with numerical simulations showing a performance tradeoff between sensing and communication processes.
In the low-altitude wireless networks, the simultaneous sensing data acquisition and sharing (SDAS) through an ISAC signaling strategy becomes a typical application scenario. In this paper, we mainly investigate three primary aspects of the SDAS system, namely, the information-theoretic framework, the optimal distribution of channel input, and the optimal waveform design for Gaussian signaling. First, we establish the information-theoretic framework and develop a modified source-channel separation theorem (MSST) tailored for the SDAS systems. The proposed MSST elucidates the relationship between achievable distortion, coding rate, and communication channel capacity in cases where the distortion metric is separable for sensing and communication (S\&C) processes. Second, we present an optimal channel input design for dual-functional signaling, which aims to minimize SDAS distortion under the constraints of the MSST and resource budget. We then conceive a two-step Blahut-Arimoto (BA)-based optimal search algorithm to numerically solve the functional optimization problem. Third, to provide practical design insights, we further propose an optimal waveform design for Gaussian signaling in multi-input multi-output (MIMO) SDAS systems. The associated covariance matrix optimization problem is addressed using a successive convex approximation (SCA)-based waveform design algorithm. Finally, we provide numerical simulation results to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms, which characterize the unique performance tradeoff between S&C processes.