Demonstration of Integrated Sensing and Communications in an ARoF-based Radar System Utilizing Pulse Position ModulationShow others and affiliations
2026 (English)In: IEEE Access, E-ISSN 2169-3536
Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Integrated sensing and communications (ISAC) is a key enabling technology for 6G networks, as it unifies radar sensing and data transmission within a shared infrastructure. Analog radio-over-fiber (ARoF) has emerged as a crucial technology for extending radar coverage and enabling distributed radar sensing. By incorporating pulse position modulation (PPM), it is possible to simultaneously measure the target’s range and transmit data, thereby increasing the energy efficiency of such systems. In this research, we present a novel ARoF-based ISAC-capable pulse radar system that features a custom-built PPM modulator employing a digital-to-time converter, and a high-accuracy time tagger as the demodulator, allowing for pulse time of arrival measurements with an root mean square accuracy up to 1.5 ps. The experimental results show a 5 Mbit/s data transmission along with a bit error ratio less than 5.86 × 10−7 at a 95% confidence level, using a PPM slot duration of 750 ps in an optical system featuring more than 40 km of single-mode optical fiber and a simultaneous range measurement with error less than 0.86 cm. In addition to ISAC exploration, the impact of fiber-induced chromatic dispersion on the PPM signal is studied, and the system is validated in an outdoor environment with a moving target
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) , 2026.
Keywords [en]
analog radio-over-fiber (ARoF), integrated sensing and communications (ISAC), Pulse position modulation (PPM), pulse radar, time tagger
National Category
Signal Processing
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:ri:diva-81700DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2026.3693952Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105039190892OAI: oai:DiVA.org:ri-81700DiVA, id: diva2:2065191
Note
QC 20260603
2026-06-032026-06-032026-06-03Bibliographically approved