Energy-efficient joint UAV secure communication and 3D trajectory optimization assisted by reconfigurable intelligent surfaces in the presence of eavesdroppers

We consider a scenario where an unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV),a typical unmanned aerial system(UAS),transmits confidential data to a moving ground target in the presence of multiple eavesdroppers.Multiple friendly reconfigurable intelligent surfaces(RISs) help to secure the UAV-target communication and improve the energy efficiency of the UAV.We formulate an optimization problem to minimize the energy consumption of the UAV,subject to the mobility constraint of the UAV and that the achievable secrecy rate at the target is over a given threshold.We present an online planning method following the framework of model predictive control(MPC) to jointly optimize the motion of the UAV and the configurations of the RISs.The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated via computer simulations.

Rate optimization using low complex methods with reconfigurable intelligent surfaces

With the help of a developing technology called reconfigurable intelligent surfaces(RISs),it is possible to modify the propagation environment and boost the data rates of wireless communication networks.In this article,we optimized the phases of the RIS elements and performed a fair power allocation for each subcarrier over the full bandwidth in a single-input-single-output(SISO)wideband system where the user and the access point(AP)are provided with a single antenna.The data rate or its equivalent channel power is maximized by proposing different low-complex algorithms.The strongest tap maximization(STM)and power methods are compared with the semidefinite relaxation(SDR)method in terms of computational complexity and data rate performance.Runtime and complexity analysis of the suggested methods are computed and compared to reveal the actual time consumption and the required number of operations for each method.Simulation results show that with an optimized RIS,the sum rate is 2.5 times higher than with an unconfigured surface,demonstrating the RIS's tremendous advantages even in complex configurations.The data rate performance of the SDR method is higher than the power method and less than the STM method but with higher computational complexity,more than 6 million complex operations,and 50 min of runtime calculations compared with the other STM and power optimization methods.

Wireless communications empowered by reconfigurable intelligent surfaces: Model-based vs model-free channel estimation

Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces(RISs)are lately being attractive for their great potential in future sixth generation wireless communications(6G),which is attributed to their affordable energy consumption and easy integration.However,the large numbers of low-cost reflecting elements comprising RISs impose challenges for channel acquisition in various RIS-based wireless applications,such as RIS-enhanced orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing and multi-user multipleinput multiple-output systems.In this article,we first overview the state-of-the-art RIS hardware architectures designed to assist channel estimation for RIS-empowered wireless communication systems.We also overview existing channel estimation approaches,which are categorized into model-based and model-free techniques,and discuss their advantages and limitations depending on the RIS deployment.Design challenges with RIS-empowered systems in terms of hardware and other parameter limitations are presented,together with future research directions for channel estimation in RIS-based wireless systems,such as RISs with extremely large numbers of elements,multi-hop communications with RISs,and frequency division duplexing for high mobility systems.

Effects of realistic reradiation models in digital reconfigurable intelligent surfaces

Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces(RISs)are a promising technology for wireless communication applications,but their performance is often optimized using simplified electromagnetic reradiation models.In this study,we explore the impact on the RIS performance of more realistic assumptions,including the(possibly imperfect)quantization of the reflection coefficients,subwavelength inter-element spacing,near-field location,and presence of electromagnetic interference.We find that design constraints can cause an RIS to reradiate power in unwanted directions.Therefore,it is important to optimize an RIS by considering the entire reradiation pattern.Overall,our study indicates that a 2-bit digitally controllable RIS with a nearly constant reflection amplitude and RIS elements with a size and inter-element spacing between(1/8)th and(1/4)th of the signal wavelength may offer a reasonable tradeoff between performance,complexity,and cost.

Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces for 6G:applications,challenges,and solutions

Scholars are expected to continue enhancing the depth and breadth of theoretical research on reconfigurable intelligent surface(RIS)to provide a higher theoretical limit for RIS engineering applications.Notably,significant advancements have been achieved through both academic research breakthroughs and the promotion of engineering applications and industrialization.We provide an overview of RIS engineering applications,focusing primarily on their typical features,classifications,and deployment scenarios.Furthermore,we systematically and comprehensively analyze the challenges faced by RIS and propose potential solutions including addressing the beamforming issues through cascade channel decoupling,tackling the effects and resolutions of regulatory constraints on RIS,exploring the network-controlled mode for RIS system architecture,examining integrated channel regulation and information modulation,and investigating the use of the true time delay(TTD)mechanism for RIS.In addition,two key technical points,RIS-assisted non-orthogonal multiple access(NOMA)and RIS-based transmitter,are reviewed from the perspective of completeness.Finally,we discuss future trends and challenges in this field.

Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces for 6G:Nine Fundamental Issues and One Critical Problem

Thanks to the recent advances in metamaterials,Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface(RIS)has emergedas a promising technology for future 6G wireless communications.Benefiting from its high array gain,low cost,and low power consumption,RISs are expected to greatly enlarge signal coverage,improve system capacity,andincrease energy efficiency.In this article,we systematically overview the emerging RIS technology with the focuson its key basics,nine fundamental issues,and one critical problem.Specifically,we first explain the RIS basics,including its working principles,hardware structures,and potential benefits for communications.Based on thesebasics,nine fundamental issues of RISs,such as“What’s the differences between RISs and massive MIMO?”and“Is RIS really intelligent?”,are explicitly addressed to elaborate its technical features,distinguish it from existingtechnologies,and clarify some misunderstandings in the literature.Then,one critical problem of RISs is revealedthat,due to the“multiplicative fading”effect,existing passive RISs can hardly achieve visible performance gains inmany communication scenarios with strong direct links.To address this critical problem,a potential solution calledactive RISs is introduced,and its effectiveness is demonstrated by numerical simulations.

Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces: Design, Implementation, and Practical Demonstration

Metasurfaces,ultrathin two-dimensional version of metamaterials,have attracted tremendous attention due to their exotic capabilities to freely manipulate electromagnetic waves.By incorporating various tunable materials or elements into metasurface designs,reconfigurable metasurfaces and related metadevices with functionalities controlled by external stimuli can be realized,opening a new avenue to achieving dynamic manipulation of electromagnetic waves.Recently,based on the tunable metasurface concept,reconfigurable intelligent surfaces(RISs)have received significant attention and have been regarded as a promising emerging technology for future wireless communication due to their potential to enhance the capacity and coverage of wireless networks by smartly reconfiguring the wireless propagation environment.Here,in this article,we first focus on technical issues of RIS system implementation by reviewing the existing research contributions,paying special attention to designs in the microwave regime.Then,we showcase our recent attempts to practically demonstrate RIS systems in real-world applications,including deploying reflective RIS systems in indoor scenarios to enhance the wireless network coverage and utilizing intelligent omni-metasurfaces to improve both indoor and through-wall wireless communication quality.Finally,we give our own perspectives on possible future directions and existing challenges for RISs toward a truly commercial intelligent technology platform.

Cooperative User-Scheduling and Resource Allocation Optimization for Intelligent Reflecting Surface Enhanced LEO Satellite Communication

Lower Earth Orbit(LEO) satellite becomes an important part of complementing terrestrial communication due to its lower orbital altitude and smaller propagation delay than Geostationary satellite. However, the LEO satellite communication system cannot meet the requirements of users when the satellite-terrestrial link is blocked by obstacles. To solve this problem, we introduce Intelligent reflect surface(IRS) for improving the achievable rate of terrestrial users in LEO satellite communication. We investigated joint IRS scheduling, user scheduling, power and bandwidth allocation(JIRPB) optimization algorithm for improving LEO satellite system throughput.The optimization problem of joint user scheduling and resource allocation is formulated as a non-convex optimization problem. To cope with this problem, the nonconvex optimization problem is divided into resource allocation optimization sub-problem and scheduling optimization sub-problem firstly. Second, we optimize the resource allocation sub-problem via alternating direction multiplier method(ADMM) and scheduling sub-problem via Lagrangian dual method repeatedly.Third, we prove that the proposed resource allocation algorithm based ADMM approaches sublinear convergence theoretically. Finally, we demonstrate that the proposed JIRPB optimization algorithm improves the LEO satellite communication system throughput.

Secrecy Efficiency Maximization in Intelligent Reflective Surfaces Assisted UAV Communications

This paper focuses on the secrecy efficiency maximization in intelligent reflecting surface(IRS)assisted unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)communication.With the popularization of UAV technology,more and more communication scenarios need UAV support.We consider using IRS to improve the secrecy efficiency.Specifically,IRS and UAV trajectories work together to counter potential eavesdroppers,while balancing the secrecy rate and energy consumption.The original problem is difficult to solve due to the coupling of optimization variables.We first introduce secrecy efficiency as an auxiliary variable and propose relaxation optimization problem,and then prove the equivalence between relaxation problem and the original problem.Then an iterative algorithm is proposed by applying the block coordinate descent(BCD)method and the inner approximationmethod.The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm converges fast and is superior to the existing schemes.In addition,in order to improve the robustness of the algorithm,we also pay attention to the case of obtaining imperfect channel state information(CSI).

Channel Estimation for Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface Aided Multiuser Millimeter-Wave/THz Systems

It is assumed that reconfigurable intelligent surface(RIS)is a key technology to enable the potential of mmWave communications.The passivity of the RIS makes channel estimation difficult because the channel can only be measured at the transceiver and not at the RIS.In this paper,we propose a novel separate channel estimator via exploiting the cascaded sparsity in the continuously valued angular domain of the cascaded channel for the RIS-enabled millimeter-wave/Tera-Hz systems,i.e.,the two-stage estimation method where the cascaded channel is separated into the base station(BS)-RIS and the RIS-user(UE)ones.Specifically,we first reveal the cascaded sparsity,i.e.,the sparsity exists in the hybrid angular domains of BS-RIS and the RIS-UEs separated channels,to construct the specific sparsity structure for RIS enabled multi-user systems.Then,we formulate the channel estimation problem using atomic norm minimization(ANM)to enhance the proposed sparsity structure in the continuous angular domains,where a low-complexity channel estimator via Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers(ADMM)is proposed.Simulation findings demonstrate that the proposed channel estimator outperforms the current state-of-the-arts in terms of performance.

Average Secrecy Capacity of the Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface-Assisted Integrated Satellite Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Relay Networks

Integrated satellite unmanned aerial vehicle relay networks(ISUAVRNs)have become a prominent topic in recent years.This paper investigates the average secrecy capacity(ASC)for reconfigurable intelligent surface(RIS)-enabled ISUAVRNs.Especially,an eve is considered to intercept the legitimate information from the considered secrecy system.Besides,we get detailed expressions for the ASC of the regarded secrecy system with the aid of the reconfigurable intelligent.Furthermore,to gain insightful results of the major parameters on the ASC in high signalto-noise ratio regime,the approximate investigations are further gotten,which give an efficient method to value the secrecy analysis.At last,some representative computer results are obtained to prove the theoretical findings.

Intelligent Reflecting Surface Assisted Transmission Optimization Strategies in Wireless Networks

Wireless Power Transfer(WPT)technology can provide real-time power for many terminal devices in Internet of Things(IoT)through millimeterWave(mmWave)to support applications with large capacity and low latency.Although the intelligent reflecting surface(IRS)can be adopted to create effective virtual links to address the mmWave blockage problem,the conventional solutions only adopt IRS in the downlink from the Base Station(BS)to the users to enhance the received signal strength.In practice,the reflection of IRS is also applicable to the uplink to improve the spectral efficiency.It is a challenging to jointly optimize IRS beamforming and system resource allocation for wireless energy acquisition and information transmission.In this paper,we first design a Low-Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy(LEACH)clustering protocol for clustering and data collection.Then,the problem of maximizing the minimum system spectral efficiency is constructed by jointly optimizing the transmit power of sensor devices,the uplink and downlink transmission times,the active beamforming at the BS,and the IRS dynamic beamforming.To solve this non-convex optimization problem,we propose an alternating optimization(AO)-based joint solution algorithm.Simulation results show that the use of IRS dynamic beamforming can significantly improve the spectral efficiency of the system,and ensure the reliability of equipment communication and the sustainability of energy supply under NLOS link.

Intelligent reflecting surface for sum rate enhancement in MIMO systems

The research for the Intelligent Reflecting Surface(IRS)which has the advantages of cost and energy efficiency has been studied.Channel capacity can be effectively increased by appropriately setting the phase value of IRS elements according to the channel conditions.However,the problem of obtaining an appropriate phase value of IRs is difficult to solve due to the non-convex problem.This paper proposes an iterative algorithm for the alternating optimal solution in the Single User Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output(SU-MIMO)systems.The proposed iterative algorithm finds an alternating optimal solution that is the phase value of IRS one by one.The results show that the proposed method has better performance than that of the randomized IRS systems.The number of iterations for maximizing the performance of the proposed algorithm depends on the channel state between the IRS and the receiver.

Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces for wireless communications:Overview of hardware designs,channel models,and estimation techniques

The demanding objectives for the future sixth generation(6G)of wireless communication networks have spurred recent research efforts on novel materials and radio-frequency front-end architectures for wireless connectivity,as well as revolutionary communication and computing paradigms.Among the pioneering candidate technologies for 6G belong the reconfigurable intelligent surfaces(RISs),which are artificial planar structures with integrated electronic circuits that can be programmed to manipulate the incoming electromagnetic field in a wide variety of functionalities.Incorporating RISs in wireless networks have been recently advocated as a revolutionary means to transform any wireless signal propagation environment to a dynamically programmable one,intended for various networking objectives,such as coverage extension and capacity boosting,spatiotemporal focusing with benefits in energy efficiency and secrecy,and low electromagnetic field exposure.Motivated by the recent increasing interests in the field of RISs and the consequent pioneering concept of the RIS-enabled smart wireless environments,in this paper,we overview and taxonomize the latest advances in RIS hardware architectures as well as the most recent developments in the modeling of RIS unit elements and RIS-empowered wireless signal propagation.We also present a thorough overview of the channel estimation approaches for RIS-empowered communications systems,which constitute a prerequisite step for the optimized incorporation of RISs in future wireless networks.Finally,we discuss the relevance of the RIS technology in the latest wireless communication standards,and highlight the current and future standardization activities for the RIS technology and the consequent RIS-empowered wireless networking approaches.

Field trial measurement and channel modeling for reconfigurable intelligent surface

With the advantage of programmable electromagnetic properties,Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces(RISs)havedrawn wide attention from both industry and academia.RIS-assisted communication systems can promote hugewireless channel quality improvement and remarkable coverage enhancement.This paper proposes generalpathloss model,radiation pattern and mirror beam effect of 1-bit RIS at sub-6 GHz band.Field trails have beencarried out in outdoor and indoor deployment scenarios.The proposed model is validated through extensivesimulations and field-trial measurements.In addition,an optimized RIS phase-shit design process for the mirrorbeam elimination is proposed and validated with simulations.The proposed theoretical model and measurementresults can promote future research and application in RIS-assisted communications.

Intelligent Reflecting Surfaces Enabled Cognitive Internet of Things Based on Practical Pathloss Model

In this paper,we aim to unlock the potential of intelligent reflecting surfaces(IRSs)in cognitive internet of things(loT).Considering that the secondary IoT devices send messages to the secondary access point(SAP)by sharing the spectrum with the primary network,the interference is introduced by the IoT devices to the primary access point(PAP)which profits from the IoT devices by pricing the interference power charged by them.A practical path loss model is adopted such that the IRSs deployed between the IoT devices and SAP serve as diffuse scatterers,but each reflected signal can be aligned with its own desired direction.Moreover,two transmission policies of the secondary network are investigated without/with a successive interference cancellation(SIC)technique.The signal-to-interference plus noise ratio(SINR)balancing is considered to overcome the nearfar effect of the IoT devices so as to allocate the resource fairly among them.We propose a Stackelberg game strategy to characterize the interaction between primary and secondary networks.For the proposed game,the Stackelberg equilibrium is analytically derived to optimally obtain the closed-form solution of the power allocation and interference pricing.Numerical results are demonstrated to validate the performance of the theoretical derivations.

Intelligent Surfaces Thermally Switchable between the Highly Rough and Entirely Smooth States

Reversible switching from a highly rough surface to another entirely smooth surface under external stimuli is crucial for intelligent materials applied in the fields of an ti-foggi ng,self-clea ning,oil-water separati on and biotech no logy.In this work,a thermal-responsive liquid crystal elastomer(LCE)surface covered with oriented micropillars is prepared via a facile two-step crosslinking method coupled with an extrusion molding program.The reversible change of topological structures of the LCE surface along with temperature is investigated by metallographic microscope,atomic force microscopy and optical con tact angle measuring system.At room temperature,the LCE sample is filled with plenty of micropillars with an average len gth of 8.76 pm,resulting in a super-hydrophobic surface with a water con tact angle(WCA)of 135°.When the temperature is in creased to above the cleari ng point,all the micropillars disappear,the LCE surface becomes entirely flat and presents a hydrophilic state with a WCA of 64°.The roughness-related wetting property of this microstructured LCE surface possesses good recyclability in several heating/cooling cycles.This work realizes a truly reversible transformation from a highly rough surface to an entirely smooth surface,and might promote the potential applications of this dynamic-responsive LCE surface in smart sensors and biomimetic control devices.

Joint Optimization Scheme for the Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface-Assisted Untrusted Relay Networks

To further improve the secrecy rate,a joint optimization scheme for the reconfigurable intelligent surface(RIS)phase shift and the power allocation is proposed in the untrusted relay(UR)networks assisted by the RIS.The eavesdropping on the UR is interfered by a source-based jamming strategy.Under the constraints of unit modulus and total power,the RIS phase shift,the power allocation between the confidential signal and the jamming signal,and the power allocation between the source node and the UR are jointly optimized to maximize the secrecy rate.The complex multivariable coupling problem is decomposed into three sub-problems,and the non-convexity of the objective function and the constraints is solved with semi-definite relaxation.Simulation results indicate that the secrecy rate is remarkably enhanced with the proposed scheme compared with the equal power allocation scheme,the random phase shift scheme,and the no-RIS scheme.

Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface-Based Hybrid Phase and Code Modulation for Symbiotic Radio

Reconfigurable intelligent surface(RIS)-assisted symbiotic radio is a spectrum-and energy-efficient communication paradigm,in which an RIS performs passive beamforming to enhance active transmission,while using the electromagnetic waves from the active transmission for additional information transfer(i.e.,passive transmission).In this paper,a hybrid RIS-based modulation,termed hybrid phase and code modulation(HPCM),is proposed to improve the reliability of RIS-assisted symbiotic radio.In RIS-HPCM,the RIS simultaneously performs direct sequence spread spectrum and passive beamforming on incident signals.Moreover,both the spreading code and phase offset are exploited to carry the RIS’s own information.A low-complexity detector is designed,in which the receiver first detects the spreading codes and then demodulates the constellation symbols.We analyze the bit error rate(BER)performance of RIS-HPCM over Rician fading channels.BER upper bounds and approximate BER expressions are derived in closed-form for maximum-likelihood and low-complexity detectors,respectively.Simulation results in terms of BER verify the analysis and show the superiority of RIS-HPCM over the existing RIS-based modulation.

Monte-Carlo based random passive energy beamforming for reconfigurable intelligent surface assisted wireless power transfer

Reconfigurable intelligent surface(RIS)employs passive beamforming to control the wireless propagation channel,which benefits the wireless communication capacity and the received energy efficiency of wireless power transfer(WPT)systems.Such beamforming schemes are classified as discrete and non-convex integer program-ming problems.In this paper,we propose a Monte-Carlo(MC)based random energy passive beamforming of RIS to achieve the maximum received power of electromagnetic(EM)WPT systems.Generally,the Gibbs sampling and re-sampling methods are employed to generate phase shift vector samples.And the sample with the maximum received power is considered the optimal solution.In order to adapt to the application scenarios,we develop two types of passive beamforming algorithms based on such MC sampling methods.The first passive beamforming uses an approximation of the integer programming as the initial sample,which is calculated based on the channel information.And the second one is a purely randomized algorithm with the only total received power feedback.The proposed methods present several advantages for RIS control,e.g.,fast convergence,easy implementation,robustness to the channel noise,and limited feedback requirement,and they are applicable even if the channel information is unknown.According to the simulation results,our proposed methods outperform other approxi-mation and genetic algorithms.With our methods,the WPT system even significantly improves the power effi-ciency in the nonline-of-sight(NLOS)environment.