Stepped-Carrier OFDM V2V Resource Allocation for Sensing and Communication Convergence

Stepped-carrier orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) radar is a promising low-cost alternative to conventional OFDM radar for automotive applications due to its capability to provide high resolution with low-rate analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). In this paper, we investigate centralized time-frequency resource allocation strategies in vehicular networks for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) sidelinks employing stepped-carrier OFDM waveform for joint radar sensing and communications. To quantity radar-communication performance trade-offs, we formulate a nonlinear integer programming problem for weighted optimization of radar accuracy and communication spectral efficiency, and perform Boolean relaxation to obtain an efficiently solvable convex program. Simulation results demonstrate radar-optimal and communication-optimal operation regimes, providing insights into time-frequency weightings along the trade-off curve.