V2X Sidelink Localization of Connected Automated Vehicles

Future automated driving relies on two pillars, (i) ultra-low-latency and reliable communications, and (ii) accurate positioning information. In particular, the knowledge of vehicle positions is becoming fundamental with the increase of the automation level, allowing autonomous navigation of the environment. Today’s positioning techniques cannot provide the accuracy, robustness, and latency required for stringent applications, like platooning, where vehicles are expected to travel at extremely short distances. In this paper, we leverage vehicle-to-everything (V2X) sidelink communication for localization purposes, capitalizing on the near-field propagation attributes of signals generated utilizing high carrier frequencies and/or large antenna arrays. Consequently, a receiving vehicle can accurately determine the transmitting vehicle’s location through V2X sidelink packet reception, obviating the need for supplementary reference nodes or stringent synchronization. Fundamental limits on localization accuracy are derived to characterize the positioning performance in vehicular contexts. A case study based on 5G new radio (NR) V2X sidelink shows how this technique is extremely promising and capable of providing high accuracy, low latency, high update rate, and high availability of position information in realistic vehicular scenarios.