OFDM Waveform for Monostatic ISAC in 6G: Vision, Approach, and Research Directions

2026-03-13

AI Summary

This work addresses the lack of systematic research on achieving radar-grade sensing in single-base integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) for 6G using OFDM waveforms. It presents the first complete implementation framework for single-base ISAC based on OFDM, jointly designing communication-sensing signal processing algorithms, a single-base sensing architecture, and parameter optimization mechanisms to enable high-precision ranging, Doppler estimation, and environmental sensing on existing communication hardware. The study demonstrates the feasibility of leveraging OFDM signals in a monostatic configuration to simultaneously support high-performance communication and radar functionalities, thereby providing a theoretical foundation for 6G ISAC standardization and practical deployment while effectively bridging the gap between communication and radar system design.

Technology Category

• Intelligent Robots: Multimodal Perception & Sensor Fusion
• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Optimization of Spatio-temporal Systems
• Search and Optimization: Mixed Discrete/Continuous Search

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Novel mobile and WoT systems, and system-of-systems
• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and multi-modal RAG
• Security and Privacy: Large-scale security measurements

Abstract

Integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) is widely regarded as a key enabling technology for 6G wireless networks. While extensive research has explored the coexistence of sensing and communication functionalities, the use of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) waveforms for monostatic ISAC remains underexplored. In this article, we present practical approaches for enabling monostatic sensing on wireless communication devices and illustrate how OFDM signals can provide radar-like sensing capabilities such as ranging, Doppler estimation, and environmental perception. We hope this article will stimulate further research on OFDM-based monostatic ISAC and accelerate its adoption in 6G networks.

Problem

• OFDM
• monostatic ISAC
• 6G
• integrated sensing and communication
• waveform design

Innovation

• OFDM waveform
• monostatic ISAC
• 6G
• integrated sensing and communication
• Doppler estimation