2026· IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications· Vol 44, pp. 5282-5298· 1 citation· 35 references
Computer Science
Abstract
Integrated Sensing, Communication, and Power Transfer (ISCPT) is a key enabler for sixth-generation networks, enhancing resource utilization to support massive low-power devices. However, existing research has predominantly focused on a single Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) in communication and power transfer, lacking the capability to facilitate joint sensing and power transfer of multi-UAVs for moving targets considering estimation errors. To tackle the above challenge, we propose for the first time a multi-UAV-assisted ISCPT algorithm serving both multiple Communication Users (CUs) and Energy Receivers (ERs), featuring a sensing-assisted Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) framework. Specifically, we first derive the Fisher information matrix and Cramér–Rao bound for multi-ER positioning under location uncertainty. Then, we formulate a two-phase optimization problem where sensing directly refines location estimation to achieve robust WPT efficiency maximization. To solve the formulated NP-hard problems, we design a two-phase algorithm by jointly optimizing association scheduling with CUs and ERs, beamforming and trajectory design for UAVs, based on generalized Petersen’s sign-definiteness lemma, Lagrangian relaxation and S-procedure. Numerical results validate that the proposed algorithm achieves a maximum WPT efficiency improvement of 42.3% compared with several representative baseline schemes, demonstrating strong practicality for multi-UAV-assisted ISCPT networks.
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-enabled ISAC system employing rate-splitting multiple access (RSMA) and a joint beamforming and trajectory optimization framework is investigated and results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm significantly improves the achievable system downlink rate.
Shunxuan Wang, Qi Zhu· Italian National Conference...· 0 citations
In this paper, we study an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-assisted integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) system, where a UAV enhances the sensing capability of a base station (BS) towards a target while ensuring reliable communication towards a downlink user. This architecture is practically attractive for future wireless networks due to the UAV's controllable mobility and adaptive sensing coverage in wireless environments. The sensing performance is characterized by the average Cram\'er-Rao bound (CRB), which quantifies the minimum variance of the unbiased angle-of-arrival estimation. To enhance the sensing performance, the UAV trajectory and beamforming parameters are jointly optimized under power and mobility constraints, while satisfying communication requirements to the downlink user. To address the resulting non-convex problem, we employ null-space projection for beamforming design and adopt deep reinforcement learning for the trajectory optimization over a discrete-time scale. In each time slot, beamforming is optimized based on the channel state information to improve CRB performance while mitigating interference between the BS and the communication user. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method significantly reduces the time-averaged CRB by over 10%, compared with the ISAC system without UAV assistance, and also achieves a higher sensing accuracy than both the fixed-UAV-trajectory and the maximum-ratio-transmission-based beamforming benchmarks.
Simulation results validate the effectiveness of the proposed OP approximation, demonstrate the significant outage capacity improvement of the proposed robust optimization schemes over benchmark schemes, and illustrate the superiority of the IWS-based scheme over the CE-based scheme.
Yifan Jiang, Qing-Bin Wu, Hongxun Hui et al.· 0 citations
The rapid proliferation of Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) introduces significant challenges to low-altitude airspace security, particularly from unauthorized intrusions. To address these vulnerabilities, Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) has emerged as a key enabler for anti-UAV systems. However, existing studies focusing on cellular networks with fixed base stations are ill-suited for the continuous movement of target UAVs, thus failing to meet the dual demands of flexible sensing and reliable positioning. To address this, we propose an ISAC-enabled anti-UAV scheme solely based on cooperative UAVs. Specifically, we first derive the optimal transmit power under the constraint of space-air transmission outage probability tolerance. Subsequently, we deduce the sensing Fisher information matrix and Cramér-Rao Bound (CRB) by incorporating the position uncertainty of the target UAV. Then, we formulate a long-term CRB minimization problem to enhance cooperative sensing performance. To tackle this NP-hard problem, we design a robust optimization algorithm that jointly optimizes transmit-receive beamforming, association scheduling, and UAV trajectory, by transforming the structurally complex CRB matrix into a set of semi-definite constraints, and resolving the inherent position uncertainty. Numerical results demonstrate that our proposed algorithm outperforms representative algorithms in terms of sensing accuracy and robustness.
Xiaojie Wang, Lingfei Li, Zhaolong Ning et al.· IEEE Transactions on Wireles...· 1 citation
To meet the collaborative requirements of high-precision communication, sensing, and navigation for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other aerial mobile terminals operating in urban low-altitude airspace, this paper proposes an integrated communication-sensing-navigation (ICSN) beamforming design tailored to low-altitude scenarios. In the developed ICSN system model, communication performance is evaluated by the total communication rate of users, while sensing performance is quantified by the Cramér–Rao Bound (CRB) of target angle estimation, enabling accurate positioning and continuous perception for aerial users. A two-stage beamforming strategy is adopted: in the first stage, a wide beam is constructed under integrated sidelobe to mainlobe ratio (ISMR) constraints to sense potential target directions; in the second stage, a weighted optimization problem is formulated to jointly enhance communication rate and angle estimation accuracy, subject to user signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) requirements and mainlobe/sidelobe constraints. To efficiently solve the resulting non-convex problem, this paper proposes an algorithmic framework that combines fractional programming (FP) and alternating optimization (AO), fully utilizing the perception results from the previous round to perform feedback updates for the next round of beam design. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed method in multi-user and multi-target urban low-altitude scenarios, demonstrating the role of the first-stage directional beam design in system robustness and accuracy. Moreover, the proposed framework facilitates spectrum and hardware reuse across functionalities, thereby contributing to the design of sustainable and energy-efficient aerial communication systems aligned with the principles of green communication.
Ruoyu Lu, Yuexia Zhang, Chuanjun Li et al.· IEEE Transactions on Green C...· 0 citations
Driven by the vision of a thriving low-altitude economy and aiming to provide on-demand services for diverse entities, this paper investigates an integrated sensing and communication (ISAC)-enabled low-altitude wireless network (LAWN). Benefiting from flexible mobility and cost-effective cooperative deployment, multiple ISAC-enabled uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) are emerging as an ISAC paradigm for on-demand deployment in LAWN. However, due to the complex inter-UAV interference and resource coupling in LAWN, it is difficult to properly coordinate different constrained resources, including spatial deployment, energy, and wireless channels, to simultaneously meet the sensing and communication requirements. To address these challenges, this paper formulates a sensing–communication optimization (SCO) problem in LAWN by jointly optimizing subcarrier allocation, transmit power allocation, and three-dimensional (3D) UAV deployments to maximize network utility while satisfying quality of service (QoS) requirements for multiple users and target sensing mutual information (MI) requirements. To enable efficient solutions, we propose a hierarchical optimization approach that vertically decouples the SCO problem into two subproblems: a top level employing a Gibbs Sampling–based multi-UAV 3D deployment algorithm for efficient exploration and deployment optimization, and a bottom level performing resource allocation via a dual-based joint power and subcarrier allocation algorithm. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed approach achieves a favorable trade-off between communication and sensing and significantly enhances the overall performance and adaptability of the LAWN.
Cheng Ma, Zewei Jing, Qinghai Yang et al.· IEEE Transactions on Wireles...· 0 citations