PROPOSTE DI TESI e/o STAGE

Master thesis on Intelligent Reflective Surfaces for 5G/6G Cellular Networks

 
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Master thesis on Intelligent Reflective Surfaces for 5G/6G Cellular Networks
by Tomasin Stefano - Thursday, 19 August 2021, 3:15 PM
 
An intelligent reflective surface (IRS) is a surface that reflects radio signals, and its reflective characteristics can be adjusted. Think of a smartphone that does not see the base station since there is a building obstructing the direct path. If a reflective surface is properly positioned between the smartphone and the base station, the signal transmitted by the base station can be reflected by the surface and reach the smartphone, by circumventing the building. Intelligent reflective surfaces are made of many elements that can be adapted in part, in order to better focus the signal to the specific smartphone position. A simple mathematical model of the reflective surface is available.

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IRSs have emerged in the recent months as a very attractive technology to extend the coverage of cells and provide new features: they combine a very simple structure (thus making them cheap to manufacture, install, and maintain) while providing relevant benefits. Still, many challenges and opportunities are related to IRSs. For possible applications and technical challenges of IRSs, see the link to the paper below.

Various topics are available for a thesis on IRS, including:


- Localization using IRSs: the high focusing capabilities of RISs of large geometric size can be capitalized for finely estimating the location of mobile terminals and devices, so as to support high-precision ranging, radio localization, and mapping applications.

- Beamforming design with multiple IRSs. We can direct signals from the base station to the IRS by using beamforming techniques, that is, using multiple antennas at the base station and transmitting signals with different phases that coherently sum at the intended destination. We can use beamforming also to null the signal in specific positions, thus reducing interference to other receiver. The presence of IRSs in a cell requires new solutions for the design of beamforming, taking into account that we can also properly configure the IRSs in order to focus the signal in specific direction and avoid transmitting in other directions.



For further information, contact Prof. Stefano Tomasin (stefano.tomasin@unipd.it)