Kalman Filtering-Assisted Node Deployment for Distributed OTFS-ISAC: A Geometry-Aware Design for the Joint Sensing and Communication

Abstract: Integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) is a key enabler for next-generation wireless networks, offering spectrum efficiency and reduced hardware complexity. While monostatic ISAC has been well studied, its limited spatial diversity reduces reliability in high-mobility scenarios. Distributed ISAC alleviates this via cooperative nodes, but conventional OFDM-based designs remain vulnerable to Doppler shifts and multipath fading. Orthogonal time frequency space (OTFS) modulation has recently emerged as a resilient alternative, as its delay-Doppler domain representation enables robust communication and high-resolution sensing. Motivated by this, we extend OTFS to distributed ISAC and address the underexplored problem of spatial node deployment. We propose a triangulation-based framework that leverages spatial diversity to improve target localization, velocity estimation, and communication rates, and analytically characterize the role of deployment geometry in minimizing estimation error. Furthermore, we integrate Kalman filtering (KF) into distributed OTFS-ISAC to enhance tracking of moving targets, and design novel algorithms for active sensing, passive sensing, and joint sensing-communication. Closed-form expressions are derived for localization error under general topologies, and a near-optimal deployment strategy is identified by aligning receivers along orthogonal axes. Numerical evaluations show significant reductions in localization error and bit error rate (BER), while capturing the trade-offs between sensing accuracy and communication reliability. These results highlight the potential of KF-assisted node placement in distributed OTFS-ISAC for reliable, high-performance operation in dynamic wireless environments.