A Novel System Architecture for Small-Scale Motion Sensing Exploiting 5G mmWave Channels

Cellular networks have become a globally available infrastructure which allows for a wide range of new services beyond communications, especially when the wireless channel itself is considered as a versatile sensor. This work illustrates that parts of the envisioned 6G sensing capabilities can already be realized in current networks, i.e. ground motion detection and infrastructure monitoring. Using 3D ray-tracing, we show that 5G mmWave can offer small-scale mobility tracking with sub-10 μm accuracy by exploiting pencil beam orientation and channel state information (CSI) phase information. Complementing current sensing platforms for ground motion detection and infrastructure monitoring, we outline present and future potentials of the proposed system, e.g. support for large numbers of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) monitoring devices available at low cost. Overall, this enables sustainable environmental motion monitoring reusing existing 5G infrastructure and, moreover, provision of public safety and disaster relief services.