Joint Communication and Control for mmWave/THz Beam Alignment in V2X Networks

As promising candidate frequency bands, millimeter wave (mmWave) and terahertz (THz) communications can provide ultrahigh transmission rate to enable vehicle-to-everything (V2X) networks for connected autonomous vehicles (CAVs). However, beam alignment is extremely challenging in mmWave/THz communications due to its narrow beam width and fast mobility of CAV. In this article, we propose a new joint communication and control algorithm for beam alignment, where the mutual positive effect of communications and motion control of CAV on each other is discussed. Specifically, we first provide a framework to show the interaction between motion control of CAV and beam alignment of transmission from base station (BS) to CAV. Then, we analyze the effect of CAV control on beam alignment in communications, where a theorem is obtained to show the closed-form expression of their relationship. Finally, we discuss the CAV control design affected by beam alignment. Simulation results show remarkable performance of the proposed method.