Seminar Series

Upcoming Seminars

A Day in the Life of a Patent

Dr. Daniel Jakubisin, Virginia Tech National Security Institute - 10/20/2023

Abstract: In this talk, we will explore the purpose of patents, their composition, and the process for going from an idea to an issued patent. Patents play a significant role in research and development, especially in standardization activities. In 2021, it’s estimated that 1.6 million patents were granted worldwide. In order to better understand and participate in the world of patents, we’ll look at what makes for a patentable idea and consider how a patent differs from a conference or journal paper. We follow “a day in the life of a patent,” by following an example patent through the prosecution process. Finally, we’ll look at the role patents have played in wireless standards-setting activities.

Bio: Daniel Jakubisin is a Research Assistant Professor with the Virginia Tech National Security Institute and with the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech, by courtesy. His research is directed towards advancing the resiliency of wireless communication with an emphasis on 5G/6G cellular technology. Prior to joining Virginia Tech, he was a technical advisor with a US law firm supporting IP/patent matters in the telecommunications sector. He received his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees from Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA, and his B.S. degree from UNC Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA.

Unlocking the Potential of 5G and 6G Technologies for Localization and Sensing

Prof. Seco Granados, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain - 11/03/2023

Abstract: Mm-wave and massive MIMO technologies are some of the elements that have enabled the improvement of the communication capacity and reliability, and the reduction of the latency in 5G systems. These technologies have also made possible the advent of new positioning solutions characterized by very high accuracy, provision of orientation information, and inclusion of sensing capabilities, with reduced network-side infrastructure. The term “5G Localization” was coined to encompass this class of solutions, which have already impacted the standardization process. Elements considered in the ongoing research towards 6G systems, such as reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS), are also showing large potential for localization, as they extend the position availability to problems that were previously unfeasible. In the first part of the talk, we will analyze some specificities of 5G localization beyond legacy cellular localization solutions, such as single base-station and carrier-phase positioning, and 6D problems. The second part of the talk will address how the presence of different types of RIS (passive, hybrid, STAR, etc.), and radio stripes can be exploited for localization and sensing when they operate in the near and far fields.

Bio: Gonzalo Seco-Granados received the PhD degree in electrical engineering from the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Spain, in 2000, and the MBA degree from the IESE Business School, Spain, in 2002. From 2002 to 2005, he was technical staff of the European Space Agency, The Netherlands, where he was involved in the design of the Galileo system and receivers. In 2015, 2019, and 2022, he was a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the University of California, Irvine, CA, USA. He is currently a Professor at the Department of Telecommunication Engineering, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, where he was Vice Dean of the Engineering School, from 2011 to 2019. His research interests include localization based on GNSS and cellular systems. In the case of cellular systems, he contributed to the seminal works on “5G positioning”. In the area of GNSS, he has developed techniques to increase the robustness against interference, multipath, and spoofing attacks, and to improve the energy efficiency of GNSS receivers. He is a co-founder of Loctio, a start-up providing low-energy positioning solutions for IoT. He is an IEEE Fellow. He has served as a member of the IEEE Signal Processing Society Sensor Array and Multichannel Technical Committee (SAM TC), and of the EURASIP Signal Processing for Multisensor Systems Technical Committee, in 2018 and 2022, respectively. Since 2019, he has been the President of the Spanish Chapter of the IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society.