Measurement-based Analysis of Multi-band Assisted Beam-forming at mmWave in Industrial Scenarios

The mmWave and sub-THz bands are foreseen as candidates to achieve the data-rate demands in the beyond 5G and 6G wireless communication networks. The co-existence of multiple radio interfaces at several bands enables data fusion and the utilization of the similarities and differences on propagation and system properties for communication and sensing applications. MmWave radio interfaces rely on directive beams that require high training overhead for beam steering. Sensors in the network infrastructure and co-located radio interfaces at sub-6 GHz and mmWave can be used to assist the beam-forming process at mmWave. In the present paper we investigate the performance of multi-band assisted beam-forming in an industrial environment. We empirically demonstrate from real-world measurements that even in NLOS, the direction of the beams estimated at sub-6 GHz can be used to established a link at mmWave.