Design of Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces for Wireless Communication: A Review

Existing literature reviews predominantly focus on the theoretical aspects of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs), such as algorithms and models, while neglecting a thorough examination of the associated hardware components. To bridge this gap, this research paper presents a comprehensive overview of the hardware structure of RISs. The paper provides a classification of RIS cell designs and prototype systems, offering insights into the diverse configurations and functionalities. Moreover, the study explores potential future directions for RIS development. Notably, a novel RIS prototype design is introduced, which integrates seamlessly with a communication system for performance evaluation through signal gain and image formation experiments. The results demonstrate the significant potential of RISs in enhancing communication quality within signal blind zones and facilitating effective radio wave imaging

1-D broadside-radiating leaky-wave antenna based on a numerically synthesized impedance surface

A newly-developed deterministic numerical technique for the automated design of metasurface antennas is applied here for the first time to the design of a 1-D printed Leaky-Wave Antenna (LWA) for broadside radiation. The surface impedance synthesis process does not require any a priori knowledge on the impedance pattern, and starts from a mask constraint on the desired far-field and practical bounds on the unit cell impedance values. The designed reactance surface for broadside radiation exhibits a non conventional patterning; this highlights the merit of using an automated design process for a design well known to be challenging for analytical methods. The antenna is physically implemented with an array of metal strips with varying gap widths and simulation results show very good agreement with the predicted performance

Beam scanning by liquid-crystal biasing in a modified SIW structure

A fixed-frequency beam-scanning 1D antenna based on Liquid Crystals (LCs) is designed for application in 2D scanning with lateral alignment. The 2D array environment imposes full decoupling of adjacent 1D antennas, which often conflicts with the LC requirement of DC biasing: the proposed design accommodates both. The LC medium is placed inside a Substrate Integrated Waveguide (SIW) modified to work as a Groove Gap Waveguide, with radiating slots etched on the upper broad wall, that radiates as a Leaky-Wave Antenna (LWA). This allows effective application of the DC bias voltage needed for tuning the LCs. At the same time, the RF field remains laterally confined, enabling the possibility to lay several antennas in parallel and achieve 2D beam scanning. The design is validated by simulation employing the actual properties of a commercial LC medium

Antennas and Propagation

This Special Issue gathers topics of utmost interest in the field of antennas and propagation, such as: new directions and challenges in antenna design and propagation; innovative antenna technologies for space applications; metamaterial, metasurface and other periodic structures; antennas for 5G; electromagnetic field measurements and remote sensing applications

Human Body Scattering Effects at Millimeter Waves Frequencies for Future 5G Systems and Beyond

[ES] Se espera que las futuras comunicaciones móviles experimenten una revolución técnica que vaya más allá de las velocidades de datos de Gbps y reduzca las latencias de las velocidades de datos a niveles muy cercanos al milisegundo. Se han investigado nuevas tecnologías habilitadoras para lograr estas exigentes especificaciones. Y la utilización de las bandas de ondas milimétricas, donde hay mucho espectro disponible, es una de ellas. Debido a las numerosas dificultades técnicas asociadas a la utilización de esta banda de frecuencias, se necesitan complicados modelos de canal para anticipar las características del canal de radio y evaluar con precisión el rendimiento de los sistemas celulares en milimétricas. En concreto, los modelos de propagación más precisos son los basados en técnicas de trazado de rayos deterministas. Pero estas técnicas tienen el estigma de ser computacionalmente exigentes, y esto dificulta su uso para caracterizar el canal de radio en escenarios interiores complejos y dinámicos. La complejidad de la caracterización de estos escenarios depende en gran medida de la interacción del cuerpo humano con el entorno radioeléctrico, que en las ondas milimétricas suele ser destructiva y muy impredecible. Por otro lado, en los últimos años, la industria de los videojuegos ha desarrollado potentes herramientas para entornos hiperrealistas, donde la mayor parte de los avances en esta emulación de la realidad tienen que ver con el manejo de la luz. Así, los motores gráficos de estas plataformas se han vuelto cada vez más eficientes para manejar grandes volúmenes de información, por lo que son ideales para emular el comportamiento de la propagación de las ondas de radio, así como para reconstruir un escenario interior complejo. Por ello, en esta Tesis se ha aprovechado la capacidad computacional de este tipo de herramientas para evaluar el canal radioeléctrico milimétricas de la forma más eficiente posible. Esta Tesis ofrece unas pautas para optimizar la propagación de la señal en milimétricas en un entorno interior dinámico y complejo, para lo cual se proponen tres objetivos principales. El primer objetivo es evaluar los efectos de dispersión del cuerpo humano cuando interactúa con el canal de propagación. Una vez evaluado, se propuso un modelo matemático y geométrico simplificado para calcular este efecto de forma fiable y rápida. Otro objetivo fue el diseño de un reflector pasivo modular en milimétricas, que optimiza la cobertura en entornos de interior, evitando la interferencia del ser humano en la propagación. Y, por último, se diseñó un sistema de apuntamiento del haz predictivo en tiempo real, para que opere con el sistema de radiación en milimétricas, cuyo objetivo es evitar las pérdidas de propagación causadas por el cuerpo humano en entornos interiores dinámicos y complejos.[CA] S'espera que les futures comunicacions mòbils experimenten una revolució tècnica que vaja més enllà de les velocitats de dades de Gbps i reduïsca les latències de les velocitats de dades a nivells molt pròxims al milisegundo. S'han investigat noves tecnologies habilitadoras per a aconseguir estes exigents especificacions. I la utilització de les bandes d'ones millimètriques, on hi ha molt espectre disponible, és una d'elles. A causa de les nombroses dificultats tècniques associades a la utilització d'esta banda de freqüències, es necessiten complicats models de canal per a anticipar les característiques del canal de ràdio i avaluar amb precisió el rendiment dels sistemes cellulars en millimètriques. En concret, els models de propagació més precisos són els basats en tècniques de traçat de rajos deterministes. Però estes tècniques tenen l'estigma de ser computacionalment exigents, i açò dificulta el seu ús per a caracteritzar el canal de ràdio en escenaris interiors complexos i dinàmics. La complexitat de la caracterització d'estos escenaris depén en gran manera de la interacció del cos humà amb l'entorn radioelèctric, que en les ones millimètriques sol ser destructiva i molt impredicible. D'altra banda, en els últims anys, la indústria dels videojocs ha desenrotllat potents ferramentes per a entorns hiperrealistes, on la major part dels avanços en esta emulació de la realitat tenen a veure amb el maneig de la llum. Així, els motors gràfics d'estes plataformes s'han tornat cada vegada més eficients per a manejar grans volums d'informació, per la qual cosa són ideals per a emular el comportament de la propagació de les ones de ràdio, així com per a reconstruir un escenari interior complex. Per això, en esta Tesi s'ha aprofitat la capacitat computacional d'este tipus de ferramentes per a avaluar el canal radioelèctric millimètriques de la manera més eficient possible. Esta Tesi oferix unes pautes per a optimitzar la propagació del senyal en millimètriques en un entorn interior dinàmic i complex, per a la qual cosa es proposen tres objectius principals. El primer objectiu és avaluar els efectes de dispersió del cos humà quan interactua amb el canal de propagació. Una vegada avaluat, es va proposar un model matemàtic i geomètric simplificat per a calcular este efecte de forma fiable i ràpida. Un altre objectiu va ser el disseny d'un reflector passiu modular en millimètriques, que optimitza la cobertura en entorns d'interior, evitant la interferència del ser humà en la propagació, per a així evitar pèrdues de propagació addicionals. I, finalment, es va dissenyar un sistema d'apuntament del feix predictiu en temps real, perquè opere amb el sistema de radiació en millimètriques, l'objectiu del qual és evitar les pèrdues de propagació causades pel cos humà en entorns interiors dinàmics i complexos.[EN] Future mobile communications are expected to experience a technical revolution that goes beyond Gbps data rates and reduces data rate latencies to levels very close to a millisecond. New enabling technologies have been researched to achieve these demanding specifications. The utilization of mmWave bands, where a lot of spectrum is available, is one of them. Due to the numerous technical difficulties associated with using this frequency band, complicated channel models are necessary to anticipate the radio channel characteristics and to accurately evaluate the performance of cellular systems in mmWave. In particular, the most accurate propagation models are those based on deterministic ray tracing techniques. But these techniques have the stigma of being computationally intensive, and this makes it difficult to use them to characterize the radio channel in complex and dynamic indoor scenarios. The complexity of characterizing these scenarios depends largely on the interaction of the human body with the radio environment, which at mmWaves is often destructive and highly unpredictable. On the other hand, in recent years, the video game industry has developed powerful tools for hyper-realistic environments, where most of the progress in this reality emulation has to do with the handling of light. Therefore, the graphic engines of these platforms have become more and more efficient to handle large volumes of information, becoming ideal to emulate the radio wave propagation behavior, as well as to reconstruct a complex interior scenario. Therefore, in this Thesis one has taken advantage of the computational capacity of this type of tools to evaluate the mmWave radio channel in the most efficient way possible. This Thesis offers some guidelines to optimize the signal propagation in mmWaves in a dynamic and complex indoor environment, for which three main objectives are proposed. The first objective has been to evaluate the scattering effects of the human body when it interacts with the propagation channel. Once evaluated, a simplified mathematical and geometrical model has been proposed to calculate this effect in a reliable and fast way. Another objective has been the design of a modular passive reflector in mmWaves, which optimizes the coverage in indoor environments, avoiding human interference in the propagation, in order to avoid its harmful scattering effects. And finally, a real-time predictive beam steering system has been designed for the mmWaves radiation system, in order to avoid propagation losses caused by the human body in dynamic and complex indoor environments.Romero Peña, JS. (2022). Human Body Scattering Effects at Millimeter Waves Frequencies for Future 5G Systems and Beyond [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/19132

High-resolution programmable scattering for wireless coverage enhancement: an indoor field trial campaign

This paper presents a multi-bit reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) with a high phase resolution, capable of beam-steering in the azimuthal plane at sub-6 Gigahertz (GHz). Field trials in realistic indoor deployments have been carried out, with coverage enhancement performance ascertained for three common wireless communication scenarios. Namely, serving users in an open lobby with mixed line of sight and non-line of sight conditions, communication via a junction between long corridors, and a multi-floor scenario with propagation via windows. This work explores the potential for reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) deployment to mitigate non-line of sight effects in indoor wireless communications. In a single transmitter, single receiver non-line of sight link, received power improvement of as much as 40 dB is shown to be achievable by suitable placement of a RIS, with an instantaneous bandwidth of at least 100 MHz possible over a 3 to 4.5 GHz range. In addition, the effects of phase resolution on the optimal power reception for the multi-bit RIS have been experimentally verified, with a 2.65 dB improvement compared to a 1-bit case

Reconfigurable pixel antennas for communications

The explosive growth of wireless communications has brought new requirements in terms of compactness, mobility and multi-functionality that pushes antenna research. In this context, recon gurable antennas have gained a lot of attention due to their ability to adjust dynamically their frequency and radiation properties, providing multiple functionalities and being able to adapt themselves to a changing environment. A pixel antenna is a particular type of recon gurable antenna composed of a grid of metallic patches interconnected by RF-switches which can dynamically reshape its active surface. This capability provides pixel antennas with a recon guration level much higher than in other recon gurable architectures. Despite the outstanding recon guration capabilities of pixel antennas, there are important practical issues related to the performance-complexity balance that must be addressed before they can be implemented in commercial systems. This doctoral work focuses on the minimization of the pixel antenna complexity while maximizing its recon guration capabilities, contributing to the development of pixel antennas from a conceptual structure towards a practical recon gurable antenna architecture. First, the conceptualization of novel pixel geometries is addressed. It is shown that antenna complexity can be signi cantly reduced by using multiple-sized pixels. This multi-size technique allows to design pixel antennas with a number of switches one order of magnitude lower than in common pixel structures, while preserving high multiparameter recon gurability. A new conceptual architecture where the pixel surface acts as a parasitic layer is also proposed. The parasitic nature of the pixel layer leads to important advantages regarding the switch biasing and integration possibilities. Secondly, new pixel recon guration technologies are explored. After investigating the capabilities of semiconductors and RF-MEMS switches, micro uidic technology is proposed as a new technology to create and remove liquid metal pixels rather than interconnecting them. Thirdly, the full multi-parameter recon guration capabilities of pixel antennas is explored, which contrasts with the partial explorations available in the literature. The maximum achievable recon guration ranges (frequency range, beam-steering angular range and polarization modes) as well as the linkage between the di erent parameter under recon guration are studied. Finally, the performance of recon gurable antennas in beam-steering applications is analyzed. Figures-of-merit are derived to quantify radiation pattern recon gurability, enabling the evaluation of the performance of recon gurable antennas, pixel antennas and recon guration algorithms

Analyse et conception de répéteurs passifs plans à rayonnement quasi-latéral pour communications «indoor» à 60GHz

The fast development of information and consumer electronics industries creates a pressing demand for high-speed indoor communications. Traditional communication protocols are unable to support such high transmission rate, and there are no radio bands available at lower frequency. As an alternative, 60GHz communications have sparked great attention, since it enables a maximum data transmission rate more than 5Gbit/s based on its wide unlicensed bandwidth. However, practical indoor environment is usually complicated (e.g. walls, corridors, stairs, etc.), thus the non-line-of-sight (NLOS) areas cannot be covered due to the significant attenuation. Considering the requirements for signal recovery in the NLOS environment, a planar passive repeater with endfire radiation and high directivity, low profile and low cost is investigated and designed in this thesis. Based on array theory, a periodic structure for the foreseen printed repeater is derived out. It involves two reflector elements (in the spacing of 2) to provide 0° and 180°reflection phases respectively. In order to construct a proper reflector element, four topologies are proposed and analyzed. In the first part of the study, DRA (Dielectric Resonator Antenna) technology is the main focus. Two different topologies are investigated and compared, including notched DRA and DRA coupled to phase-shift stub. Different modeling strategies are also studied using either a single cell, a couple of cells with opposite phases or a small array. For each topology, a preliminary 6×6 array is simulated. Optimization at the array level is emphasized through the whole thesis. In the second part, investigations are taken on a rectangular dielectric filled waveguide element. Parametric analyses are carried out and possible fabrication technologies are discussed. Once again, a preliminary 6×6 array is designed and optimized to validate the feasibility of such a structure. In the third part, a parallel-plate groove structure is analyzed. It evolves from the rectangular waveguide, and enjoys more simplification. Further work is taken to explore the arrays’ bandwidth, oblique incidence performance and maximum radiation direction. Detailed theoretical analysis based on the simulation results are demonstrated in the end. Finally, an array based on the groove elements is fabricated in the size of 200mm×200mm. Practical measurements for 60GHz communications in NLOS environment are designed to test the array’s performance. Analyses on the experiment results are given.Le développement rapide de l’industrie des systèmes sans fil suscite une demande urgente pour des communications à haut débit, notamment en environnement « indoor ». Toutefois, les protocoles traditionnels de communications sont incapables de supporter de très hauts débits et, surtout, il n'y a pas de ressources spectrales disponibles à basse fréquence. Comme une alternative, la bande des 60GHz est préconisée parce qu’elle permet un débit de plus de 5Gbit/s, grâce à son large spectre (57GHz à 64 GHz). Toutefois, en pratique, l’environnement « indoor » est complexe et, dans les situations d’absence de visibilité directe, la couverture radio est difficile à assurer à cause des fortes atténuations. Afin de remédier à ce problème, l’utilisation de répéteurs est possible. Dans cette thèse, l’intérêt est porté sur les répéteurs passifs, plus simples à installer et compatibles avec une réalisation faible coût. Le cas critique de la couverture radio d’un couloir en T est choisi comme fil conducteur, tout au long de cette étude. Les solutions préconisées visent aussi la compacité, ce qui justifie l’utilisation de réflecteurs plans. A partir de la théorie des réseaux d’antennes, une structure périodique générique pour le répéteur est proposée. Elle implique deux cellules réfléchissantes élémentaires (espacées de /2), produisant des ondes en opposition de phase. Plusieurs topologies et technologies sont ensuite envisagées et étudiées pour la mise en oeuvre. La première utilise des antennes à résonateur diélectrique (DRA). Deux topologies différentes sont étudiées et comparées, le DRA à encoche et le DRA couplé à une ligne déphaseuse en circuit ouvert. Différentes stratégies de modélisation sont également étudiées en utilisant une cellule unique, un couple de 2 cellules avec phases opposées ou un petit réseau. Pour chaque topologie, un réseau canonique de 6×6 éléments est simulé. La deuxième technologie étudiée utilise des guides d’ondes rectangulaires chargés par un matériau diélectrique et courtcircuités. Des analyses paramétriques sont effectuées et un 6 ×6 réseau est conçu et optimisé pour valider la faisabilité de la solution. Finalement, une structure en guide à plaques métalliques parallèles est analysée. Dérivant de la solution précédente, elle permet une fabrication plus simple. Pour cette dernière solution, une analyse plus complète est menée incluant des considérations sur la bande passante, les performances en incidence oblique et la direction de rayonnement maximal. Enfin, un réseau à base de cet élément rainuré est fabriquée présentant une taille de 200 mm×200 mm. Des mesures expérimentales à 60GHz sont réalisées pour tester les performances du réseau. La preuve de concept est ainsi donnée et les résultats expérimentaux sont analysés