A system and a method for selecting optimal indoor reconfigurable intelligent surface

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for selecting an optimal indoor Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (iRIS) in a wireless communication network. The method includes selecting, by a User Equipment (UE), one or more candidate iRISs among one or more iRISs based on Received Signal Strength of a discovery signal from each of one or more appliances installed in an indoor environment. Further, the method includes transmitting, by the UE, information associated with the one or more candidate iRISs to a controller device. Furthermore, the method includes selecting, by the controller device for the UE, the optimal iRIS from the one or more candidate iRIS based on usage information indicating a usage of the one or more candidate iRISs by other UEs. Furthermore, the method includes transmitting, by the controller device, information of the selected optimal iRIS to the UE.

Description

A SYSTEM AND A METHOD FOR SELECTING OPTIMAL INDOOR RECONFIGURABLE INTELLIGENT SURFACE

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to a field of wireless communication systems, and more specifically relates to a system and a method for selecting optimal indoor Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (iRIS) configuration.

[0002] Considering the development of wireless communication from generation to generation, the technologies have been developed mainly for services targeting humans, such as voice calls, multimedia services, and data services. Following the commercialization of 5G (5th-generation) communication systems, it is expected that the number of connected devices will exponentially grow. Increasingly, these will be connected to communication networks. Examples of connected things may include vehicles, robots, drones, home appliances, displays, smart sensors connected to various infrastructures, construction machines, and factory equipment. Mobile devices are expected to evolve in various form-factors, such as augmented reality glasses, virtual reality headsets, and hologram devices. In order to provide various services by connecting hundreds of billions of devices and things in the 6G (6th-generation) era, there have been ongoing efforts to develop improved 6G communication systems. For these reasons, 6G communication systems are referred to as beyond-5G systems.

[0003] 6G communication systems, which are expected to be commercialized around 2030, will have a peak data rate of tera (1,000 giga)-level bps and a radio latency less than 100μsec, and thus will be 50 times as fast as 5G communication systems and have the 1 / 10 radio latency thereof.

[0004] In order to accomplish such a high data rate and an ultra-low latency, it has been considered to implement 6G communication systems in a terahertz band (for example, 95GHz to 3THz bands). It is expected that, due to severer path loss and atmospheric absorption in the terahertz bands than those in mmWave bands introduced in 5G, technologies capable of securing the signal transmission distance (that is, coverage) will become more crucial. It is necessary to develop, as major technologies for securing the coverage, radio frequency (RF) elements, antennas, novel waveforms having a better coverage than orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), beamforming and massive multiple input multiple output (MIMO), full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antennas, and multiantenna transmission technologies such as large-scale antennas. In addition, there has been ongoing discussion on new technologies for improving the coverage of terahertz-band signals, such as metamaterial-based lenses and antennas, orbital angular momentum (OAM), and reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS).

[0005] Moreover, in order to improve the spectral efficiency and the overall network performances, the following technologies have been developed for 6G communication systems: a full-duplex technology for enabling an uplink transmission and a downlink transmission to simultaneously use the same frequency resource at the same time; a network technology for utilizing satellites, high-altitude platform stations (HAPS), and the like in an integrated manner; an improved network structure for supporting mobile base stations and the like and enabling network operation optimization and automation and the like; a dynamic spectrum sharing technology via collision avoidance based on a prediction of spectrum usage; an use of artificial intelligence (AI) in wireless communication for improvement of overall network operation by utilizing AI from a designing phase for developing 6G and internalizing end-to-end AI support functions; and a next-generation distributed computing technology for overcoming the limit of UE computing ability through reachable super-high-performance communication and computing resources (such as mobile edge computing (MEC), clouds, and the like) over the network. In addition, through designing new protocols to be used in 6G communication systems, developing mechanisms for implementing a hardware-based security environment and safe use of data, and developing technologies for maintaining privacy, attempts to strengthen the connectivity between devices, optimize the network, promote softwarization of network entities, and increase the openness of wireless communications are continuing.

[0006] It is expected that research and development of 6G communication systems in hyper-connectivity, including person to machine (P2M) as well as machine to machine (M2M), will allow the next hyper-connected experience. Particularly, it is expected that services such as truly immersive extended reality (XR), high-fidelity mobile hologram, and digital replica could be provided through 6G communication systems. In addition, services such as remote surgery for security and reliability enhancement, industrial automation, and emergency response will be provided through the 6G communication system such that the technologies could be applied in various fields such as industry, medical care, automobiles, and home appliances.

[0007] The present disclosure relates to a method for selecting an optimal indoor Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (iRIS) in a wireless communication network, which comprises: selecting, by a User Equipment (UE), one or more candidate iRISs among one or more iRISs based on Received Signal Strength (RSS) of a discovery signal from each of one or more appliances installed in an indoor environment, wherein the one or more iRISs are connected with the one or more appliances such that an iRIS among the one or more iRISs is connected with an appliance among the one or more appliances; transmitting, by the UE, information associated with the one or more candidate iRISs to a controller device; selecting, by the controller device for the UE, the optimal iRIS from the one or more candidate iRIS based on usage information indicating a usage of the one or more candidate iRISs by other UEs; and transmitting, by the controller device, information of the selected optimal iRIS to the UE.

[0008] The present disclosure relates to a method implemented in a User Equipment (UE) for selecting an optimal indoor Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (iRIS) configuration in a wireless communication network, which comprises: selecting, based on Received Signal Strength (RSS) of a discovery signal from each of one or more appliances, one or more candidate iRISs among one or more iRISs, wherein the one or more iRISs are connected with the one or more appliances such that an iRIS among the one or more iRISs is connected with an appliance among the one or more appliances; transmitting, to a controller device, information associated with the one or more candidate iRISs; receiving, from the controller device, information of an optimal iRIS that is selected by controller device in response to the transmitted information associated with the one or more candidate iRISs; measuring, for each received beam at the UE received as a reflected signal from the selected optimal iRIS, the RSS of each iRIS configuration of one or more iRIS configurations of the optimal iRIS; selecting the optimal iRIS configuration among the one or more iRIS configurations based on the measured RSS; and transmitting, to the controller device, information associated with the selected optimal iRIS configuration, wherein the controller device configures the optimal iRIS configuration for the UE.

[0009] The present disclosure relates to a method implemented in a controller device for configuring an optimal indoor Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (iRIS) configuration for a User Equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network, the method comprising: receiving, from the UE, information associated with one or more candidate iRISs among one or more iRIS; selecting, for the UE, an optimal iRIS from the one or more candidate iRIS based on usage information indicating a usage of the one or more candidate iRISs by other UEs; transmitting, to the UE, information of the selected optimal iRIS; receiving, from the UE, information of the selected optimal iRIS; receiving, from the UE, information associated with the optimal iRIS configuration, wherein the UE selects the optimal iRIS configuration by measuring Received Signal Strength (RSS) of each iRIS configuration of one or more iRIS configurations for each received beam at the UE received as a reflected signal from the selected optimal iRIS; and configuring the optimal iRIS configuration for the UE.

[0010] The present disclosure relates to a system for selecting an optimal indoor Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (iRIS) in a wireless communication network, the system comprising: a User Equipment (UE) that includes at least one first processor and a first transceiver; and a controller device that includes at least one second processor and a second transceiver, wherein the at least one first processor is configured to: select one or more candidate iRISs among one or more iRISs based on Received Signal Strength (RSS) of a discovery signal from each of one or more appliances installed in an indoor environment, wherein the one or more iRISs are connected with the one or more appliances such that an iRIS among the one or more iRISs is connected with an appliance among the one or more appliances; and control the first transceiver to transmit information associated with the one or more candidate iRISs to the controller device; and wherein the at least one second processor is configured to: select, for the UE, the optimal iRIS from the one or more candidate iRIS based on usage information indicating a usage of the one or more candidate iRISs by other UEs; and control the second transceiver to transmit information of the selected optimal iRIS to the UE.

[0011] The present disclosure relates to a User Equipment (UE) for selecting an optimal indoor Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (iRIS) configuration in a wireless communication network, the UE comprising: at least one processor; and a transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: select, based on Received Signal Strength (RSS) of a discovery signal from each of one or more appliances, one or more candidate iRISs among one or more iRISs, wherein the one or more iRISs are connected with the one or more appliances such that an iRIS among the one or more iRISs is connected with an appliance among the one or more appliances; control the transceiver to transmit, to a controller device, information associated with the one or more candidate iRISs; control the transceiver to receive, from the controller device, information of an optimal iRIS that is selected by controller device in response to the transmitted information associated with the one or more candidate iRISs; measure, for each received beam at the UE, received as a reflected signal from the selected optimal iRIS, the RSS of each iRIS configuration of one or more iRIS configurations of the optimal iRIS; select an optimal iRIS configuration among the one or more iRIS configurations based on the measured RSS; and control the transceiver to transmit, to the controller device, information associated with the selected optimal iRIS configuration, wherein the controller device configures the optimal iRIS configuration for the UE.

[0012] The present disclosure relates to a controller device for configuring an optimal indoor Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (iRIS) configuration for a User Equipment (UE) n a wireless communication network, the controller device comprising: at least one processor; and a transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: control the transceiver to receive, from the UE, information associated with one or more candidate iRISs among one or more iRISs; select, for the UE, an optimal iRIS from the one or more candidate iRIS based on usage information indicating a usage of the one or more candidate iRISs by other UEs; control the transceiver to transmit, to the UE, information of the selected optimal iRIS; control the transceiver to receive, from the UE, information associated with the optimal iRIS configuration, wherein the UE selects the optimal iRIS configuration by measuring Received Signal Strength (RSS) of each iRIS configuration of one or more iRIS configurations for each received beam at the UE received as a reflected signal from the selected optimal iRIS; and configure the optimal iRIS configuration for the UE.

[0013] Figure 1 illustrates a diagram depicting an exemplary scenario of dead spots in a house.

[0014] Figure 2 illustrates the implementation of the RIS using the base station.

[0015] Figure 3 illustrates a diagram depicting an exemplary scenario of deploying indoor Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (iRIS) in the house, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 4 illustrates a block diagram of a system for selecting an optimal indoor Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (iRIS) in a wireless communication network, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 5 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for selecting the optimal iRIS in the wireless communication network, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 6 illustrates a line diagram of a method for selecting an optimal iRIS configuration in the wireless communication network, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 7 illustrates a diagram depicting multiple iRIS configurations associated with the optimal iRIS, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 8 illustrates a flow diagram of a method implemented in a User Equipment (UE) for selecting the optimal iRIS configuration in the wireless communication network, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 9 illustrates a flow diagram of a method implemented in a controller device for configuring the optimal iRIS configuration for the UE in the wireless communication network, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] The embodiments of the present disclosure and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments of the present disclosure. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0023] Indoor wireless coverage has been a longstanding challenge in wireless communication systems. The signals from wireless communication sources such as a base station or Wi-Fi router often struggle to reach dead spot areas in buildings, leading to signal drop-offs and reduced data rates at dead spot areas which includes areas within a building where wireless signals are weak or absent.

[0024] Further, to extend the signal range in the 5th generation (5G) and 6th generation (6G) mobile communication uses higher frequency bands (mmWave) in the radio spectrum. However, a serious challenge in implementing mmWave communication is path loss. In order to compensate for the path loss of mmWave transmission, a mmWave base station (BS) usually employs a large-scale antenna array for narrow-beam transmission, so that transmission energy can be effectively concentrated in a certain area or direction. However, the directional transmission is very sensitive to blocking, therefore a link between the base station and a user equipment (UE) terminates at dead spot areas.

[0025] Figure 1 illustrates a diagram depicting an exemplary scenario of dead spots in a house. As shown in Figure 1, the radio wave signals cover only a few areas in the house while at the remaining area of the house, the radio wave signals are not available. These areas where the radio wave signals are not available are termed as the dead spots. If the UE is present in the dead spots the link between the UE and the base station will be weak.

[0026] Further, to solve the problem of dead spots, the solutions involve the use of mesh networks or signal boosters. While these technologies have been effective to some extent, they come with their own set of limitations. Mesh networks can be complex to set up and boosters may introduce interference.

[0027] A promising solution to this issue is the use of a Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS). The RIS are artificially structured surfaces that can control the propagation of electromagnetic waves. They can be used to improve signal quality by reflecting the radio waves towards areas where the signal is weak. By intelligently adjusting the phase shifts of the RIS, the signal can be optimized to provide better coverage and capacity indoors. This makes the RIS a potential game-changer in addressing the indoor coverage problem.

[0028] Figure 2 illustrates the implementation of the RIS using the base station. As shown in Figure 2, the RIS 201 comprises various components such as a control circuit board 203, a copper backplane 205, and a panel 207. The panel 207 comprises of various reflecting elements / meta-atoms. The RIS 201 is controlled by an RIS controller 209. The RIS controller 209 communicates with other nodes in the cellular system and adjusts the phases and amplitudes of the reflecting elements 207. The RIS 201 also has a low energy consumption (without the use of any transmit radio frequency (RF) chains), and provides high spectral efficiency (i.e., full-duplex, noiseless reflection).

[0029] However, the deployment of the RIS is based on the position of the base station and the UE may not provide the maximum performance required in 5G and 6G communication networks. Further, in the conventional system, the RIS and the RIS configuration are selected by the base station. Also, choosing the right location for deploying the RIS panels inside homes is crucial for making it home-friendly.

[0030] Therefore, there lies a need for a method and system for selecting the RIS configuration by the UE in an indoor environment in order to overcome all the above-discussed limitations and problems associated with conventional wireless communication systems.

[0031] For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

[0032] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are explanatory of the invention and are not intended to be restrictive thereof.

[0033] Reference throughout this specification to "an aspect", "another aspect" or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrase "in an embodiment", "in another embodiment", and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.

[0034] The terms "comprise", "comprising", "include", or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process or method that comprises a list of steps does not include only those steps but may include other steps not expressly listed or inherent to such process or method. Similarly, one or more devices or sub-systems or elements or structures or components preceded by "comprises... a" does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other devices or other sub-systems or other elements or other structures or other components or additional devices or additional sub-systems or additional elements or additional structures or additional components.

[0035] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. Also, the various embodiments described herein are not necessarily mutually exclusive, as some embodiments can be combined with one or more other embodiments to form new embodiments. The term "or" as used herein, refers to a non-exclusive or unless otherwise indicated. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein can be practiced and to further enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.

[0036] The accompanying drawings are used to help easily understand various technical features and it should be understood that the embodiments presented herein are not limited by the accompanying drawings. As such, the present disclosure should be construed to extend to any alterations, equivalents, and substitutes in addition to those which are particularly set out in the accompanying drawings. Although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are generally only used to distinguish one element from another.

[0037] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0038] Figure 3 illustrates a diagram depicting an exemplary scenario of deploying an indoor Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (iRIS) in the house, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0039] As shown in Figure 3, the iRISs are deployed in the house along with the controllers onto one or more home appliances. The iRIS can be deployed on intelligent home appliances or on intelligent materials available at home. The intelligent home appliances may include appliances such as television (TV), refrigerator, dishwasher, Washing Machine, and air conditioner. In a non-limiting example, the iRIS may be integrated into the TV. The LEDs in TV may be modified to diodes or LEDs interlaced with reflecting LEDs may be used as a reflective surface. In another non-limiting example, the iRIS may be mounted on the door or the side panels of the refrigerator. In another non-limiting example, the iRIS may be mounted on the side panels or the door of the washing machine, depending on the machine type (front / top load). In another non-limiting example, the iRIS may be mounted on a front panel of the air conditioner. In another non-limiting example, the iRIS may be mounted on the door or side panels of the dishwasher.

[0040] Further, the intelligent materials available at home may include materials such as wallpaper, window glass, mirrors, roof tiles, and solar panels. In a non-limiting example, the iRIS may be designed in the form of wallpaper. In another non-limiting example, the iRIS may be made transparent to be used as window glass. In another non-limiting example, the iRIS may be mounted at the back of the mirror. In another non-limiting example, the iRIS may be integrated into the roof tiles. In another non-limiting example, the iRIS may be integrated into the solar panel.

[0041] In a non-limiting example, the intelligent home appliances and the intelligent materials may have a provision of turning ON and OFF for iRIS panels mountedon them through a USB cable, a button on the intelligent home appliances, or a user interface on a User Equipment (UE). Further, the UE may also control the iRIS via the user interface or a manual controller to reflect an incident signal towards the UE.

[0042] In a non-limiting example, the intelligent home appliances and the intelligent materials may select a priority user to be served via the iRIS mounted on them through either signal measurement (Received Signal Strength (RSS)) and or a user application. For example, the priority user may be selected based on the maximum RSS. Furthermore, the iRIS may have a provision of selecting bands and networks.

[0043] In one or more embodiments, the iRIS may be used to enhance cellular coverage as well as Wi-Fi coverage. If the iRIS is operating for cellular coverage enhancement, the iRIS may be controlled by both the BS and the UE. If iRIS is operating for Wi-Fi coverage enhancement, the iRIS may be controlled by the UE only. In a non-limiting example, if the iRIS is being controlled by one UE, other UEs cannot control it. This restriction is implemented using a controller device.

[0044] Figure 4 illustrates a block diagram of a system 400 for selecting an optimal indoor Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (iRIS) in a wireless communication network, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0045] The system 400 includes a User Equipment (UE) 401 and a controller device 403. The UE 401 may include a processor 405, a memory 407, a transceiver 409, an Input / Output (I / O) interface 411, and a display unit 413.

[0046] The processor(s) 405 can be a single processing unit or several units, all of which could include multiple computing units. The processor 405 may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, state machines, logic circuitries, and / or any devices that manipulate signals based on operational instructions. Among other capabilities, the processor 405 is configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions and data stored in the memory 407.

[0047] The memory 407 includes one or more computer-readable storage media. The memory 407 may include non-volatile storage elements. Examples of such non-volatile storage elements may include magnetic hard discs, optical discs, floppy discs, flash memories, or forms of electrically programmable memories (EPROM) or electrically erasable and programmable (EEPROM) memories. In addition, the memory may, in some examples, be considered a non-transitory storage medium. The term "non-transitory" may indicate that the storage medium is not embodied in a carrier wave or a propagated signal. However, the term "non-transitory" should not be interpreted to mean that the memory is non-movable. In certain examples, a non-transitory storage medium may store data that can, over time, change (e.g., in Random Access Memory (RAM) or cache.

[0048] The memory 407 may further include any non-transitory computer-readable medium known in the art including, for example, volatile memory, such as static random-access memory (SRAM) and dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), and / or non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM, flash memories, hard disks, optical disks, and magnetic tapes.

[0049] The transceiver 409 is configured to transmit and receive data or any other signal over a communication network. Further, the transceiver 409 may include a communication port or a communication interface for sending and receiving signals from the UE 401 via the communication network. The communication port or the communication interface may be a part of a processing unit or may be a separate component. The communication port may be created in software or may be a physical connection in hardware. The communication port may be configured to connect with the communication network, external media, the display, or any other components in the UE 401, or combinations thereof. The connection with the communication network may be a physical connection, such as a wired Ethernet connection, or may be established wirelessly as discussed above. Likewise, the additional connections with other components of the UE 401 may be physical or may be established wirelessly.

[0050] The I / O interface 411 refers to hardware or software components that enable communication between the UE 401 and the controller device 403. The I / O interface 411 serves as a communication medium for exchanging information, commands, signals, or query responses with other devices or systems. The I / O interface 411 may be a part of the processor 405 or maybe a separate component. The I / O interface 411 may be created in software or maybe a physical connection in hardware. The I / O interface 411 may be configured to connect with an external network, external media, the display, or any other components, or combinations thereof. The external network may be a physical connection, such as a wired Ethernet connection, or may be established wirelessly.

[0051] The display unit 413 is configured to display the content and user interface to the user associated with the UE 401. The display unit 413 may include a display screen. As a non-limiting example, the display screen may be Light Emitting Diode (LED), Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED), Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode (AMOLED), or Super Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode (AMOLED) screen. The display screen may be of varied resolutions.

[0052] The controller device 403 may include a processor 415, a memory 417, a transceiver 419, and an input / output interface 421. The function of each of the components of the controller device 403 is the same as the corresponding components of the UE 401. Therefore, the detailed explanation for the components of the controller device 403 is omitted herein for the sake of brevity of disclosure.

[0053] Further, the controller device 403 may be located anywhere in the home, provided it has good connections to one or more iRISs 423. The controller device 403 may be an individual device such as a smart home hub. In one or more embodiments, the controller device 403 may be integrated into one or more appliances (one or more home appliances) 425 directly. The controller device 403 may have a capability of selecting an optimal configuration for each iRIS for a target user by sending control signals. The controller device 403 may have a capability of communicating with the target user.

[0054] Further, the controller device 403 also stores the corresponding IDs of each iRIS in the memory 417 of the controller device 403. The controller device 403 also stores information of the available and unavailable iRISs in the memory 417.

[0055] Further, each of the iRIS is attached to one of the appliances 425. Each of the iRIS is connected to the controller device 403. Also, each of the user equipment 401 and the controller device 403 may be communicatively connected with the base station 427. In the case of Wi-Fi coverage enhancement, each of the user equipment 401 and the controller device 403 is communicatively connected with a Wi-Fi device 429.

[0056] Figure 5 illustrates a flow diagram of a method 500 for selecting the optimal iRIS in the wireless communication network, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 500 includes a series of operations steps 501 through 523 performed by the UE 401 and the controller device 403.

[0057] The flow of the method 500 starts at step 501. At step 501, the processor 405 of the UE 401 measures Received Signal Strength (RSS) of a discovery signal from each of the one or more appliances 425. The discovery signal includes a unique identity (ID) of a corresponding appliance among the one or more appliances 425. The unique ID is mapped to an iRIS ID of an iRIS among the one or more iRISs 423 connected on the corresponding appliance. The one or more iRISs 423 are connected with the one or more appliances 425 such that an iRIS among the one or more iRISs 423 is connected with an appliance among the one or more appliances 425. Further, the discovery signal may be one of a Bluetooth signals, an Ultra-wideband (UWB) signal, or a Wi-Fi signal. The flow of the method 500 now proceeds to step 503.

[0058] At step 503, the processor 405 of the UE 401 selects one or more candidate iRISs among the one or more iRISs 423 based on the measured RSS. In a non-limiting example, one or more closest iRISs are considered while selecting the one or more candidate iRIS candidates, , as:

[0059]

[0060] where i= 0, 1, ..., Ni-1 is the iRIS ID, Niis the maximum iRIS,Mis the maximum number of candidates,and is the RSS measurements from the ithiRIS for the uthUE 401. The flow of the method 500 now proceeds to step 505.

[0061] At step 505, the processor 405 of the UE 401 transmits information corresponding to the presence of the one or more candidate iRISs to one of a Base Station (BS) 427 or a Wi-Fi device 429. In a non-limiting example, the processor 405 may transmit the information to the BS 427 as a bit in Uplink Control Information (UCI) in one of Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) or Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH). The processor 405 transmits the information to the BS 427 when the iRIS is used for enhancing cellular coverage. In another non-limiting example, the processor 405 may transmit the information to a Wi-Fi access point (AP) of the Wi-Fi device 429 as a bit in Buffer Status Report (BSR). The processor 405 transmits the information to the Wi-Fi device 429 when the iRIS is used for enhancing Wi-Fi coverage. The flow of the method 500 now proceeds to step 507.

[0062] At step 507, the processor 405 of the UE 401 determines whether an acknowledgment (ACK) is received from the BS 427 or the Wi-Fi device 429. If it is determined that the ACK is received from the BS 427 or the Wi-Fi device 429, the flow of the method proceeds to step 509. Further, if it is determined that the ACK is not received from the BS 427 or the Wi-Fi device 429 (NACK), the flow of the method goes to step 503.

[0063] At step 509, the processor 405 of the UE 401 transmits information associated with the one or more candidate iRISs to the controller device 403. The information may be transmitted to the controller device 403 over one of a Bluetooth interface, an Ultra-wideband (UWB) interface, or a Wi-Fi interface. The information comprises data including iRIS IDs of the one or more candidate iRISs. The flow of the method 500 now proceeds to step 511.

[0064] At step 511, the processor 415 of the controller device 403 determines whether an iRIS is available from the one or more candidate iRISs. If it is determined that the iRIS is available from the one or more candidate iRISs, the flow of the method proceeds to step 513. Further, if it is determined that the iRIS is not available from the one or more candidate iRISs, the flow of the method goes to step 503.

[0065] At step 513, the processor 415 of the controller device 403 selects, for the UE 401, the optimal iRIS from the one or more candidate iRIS. The processor 415 selects the optimal iRIS based on usage information indicating a usage of the one or more candidate iRISs by other UEs. The controller device 403 maintains a record of the usage information of iRISs serving the UEs. For selecting the optimal iRIS, the processor 415 extracts, from the data received from the UE 401, the iRIS IDs of the one or more candidate iRISs and an ID of the UE 401. The processor 415 then determines an availability of the one or more candidate iRISs based on the usage information. Further, the processor 415 selects the optimal iRIS based on the availability of the one or more candidate iRISs. The flow of the method 500 now proceeds to step 515.

[0066] At step 515, the processor 415 of the controller device 403 transmits information of the selected optimal iRIS to the UE 401. The flow of the method 500 now proceeds to step 517.

[0067] At step 517, the processor 405 of the UE 401 measures the RSS of each iRIS configuration of one or more iRIS configurations for the selected optimal iRIS. For measuring the RSS of each iRIS configuration, the UE 401 first transmits a response message to the controller device 403 to start scanning of the one or more iRIS configurations of the optimal iRIS. Thereafter, the UE 401 measures the RSS of each iRIS configuration of the one or more iRIS configurations for each received beam at the UE 401 received as a reflected signal from the selected optimal iRIS. Further, the UE 401 selects an optimal iRIS configuration among the one or more iRIS configurations based on the measured RSS. The flow of the method 500 now proceeds to step 519.

[0068] At step 519, the processor 405 of the UE 401 transmits information associated with the selected optimal iRIS configuration to the controller device 403. The controller device 403 configures the optimal iRIS configuration for the UE 401 based on the information associated with the selected optimal iRIS configuration. The flow of the method 500 now proceeds to step 521.

[0069] At step 521, the processor 405 of the UE 401 determines whether the selected iRIS is required. If it is determined that the selected iRIS is not required, the flow of the method proceeds to step 523. If it is determined that the selected iRIS is required, the flow of the method goes to step 511.

[0070] At step 523, the processor 405 of the UE 401 informs the controller device 403 that the selected iRIS is not required. The controller device 403 then releases the optimal iRIS based on the information indicating that the UE 401 does not require the optimal iRIS.

[0071] Figure 6 illustrates a line diagram of a method 600 for selecting the optimal iRIS configuration in the wireless communication network, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 600 includes a series of operations steps 601 through 625.

[0072] At step 601, the UE 401 obtains information of the one or more candidate iRISs among the one or more iRISs 423 based on the measured RSS. For example, the UE 401 may obtain information of the best candidate iRIS among the one or more iRISs 423 based on the measured RSS. The flow of the method 600 now proceeds to step 603.

[0073] At step 603, the UE 401 transmits information corresponding to the one or more candidate iRISs to the BS 427. The UE 401 may transmit the information as the bit in the UCI in one of the PUCCH or the PUSCH. Not all of these are carried by a single UCI. The contents of the UCI may be HARQ-ACK / NACK, Scheduling Request (SR), and CSI. These three elements are combined in various ways and reported to the BS 427 via uplink physical channel PUCCH or PUSCH. The possible combinations of these elements are given below in Table 1.

[0074] HARQ ACK / NACK onlySR onlyHARQ ACK / NACK + SRCSI onlyCSI + SRHARQ ACK / NACK + CSIHARQ ACK / NACK + SR + CSI

[0075] In addition to the above elements, a new element carrying a single bit may be added to inform the BS 427 about the presence of iRIS in UCI. For example, if iRIS = 0, no iRIS is available, otherwise, iRIS is available. Further, the iRIS bit can be used with other UCI elements' bits and calculate the number of bits to select the appropriate PUCCH / PUSCH format. The flow of the method 600 now proceeds to step 605.

[0076] At step 605, the BS 427 transmits a response message to the UE 401 upon receiving the information corresponding to the one or more candidate iRISs. The flow of the method 600 now proceeds to step 607.

[0077] At step 607, the UE 401 transmits information corresponding to the one or more candidate iRISs to the controller device 403. For example, the UE 401 may transmit information corresponding to the best candidate iRIS to the controller device 403. The information may include an identifier (ID) of the corresponding candidate iRIS. The flow of the method 600 now proceeds to step 609.

[0078] At step 609, the controller device 403 selects the optimal iRIS from the one or more candidate iRIS and transmits information of the selected optimal iRIS to the UE 401. The selected optimal iRIS may include the best available iRIS. The information may include an ID of the selected optimal iRIS. The flow of the method 600 now proceeds to step 611.

[0079] At step 611, the UE 401 transmits the response message to the controller device 403 to start scanning of the one or more iRIS configurations of the optimal iRIS. The flow of the method 600 now proceeds to step 613.

[0080] At step 613, the controller device 403 selects a first iRIS configuration among the one or more iRIS configurations of the optimal iRIS and the UE 401 measures the RSS of the selected first iRIS configuration for a received beam at the UE 401 received as a reflected signal from the optimal iRIS. The controller device 403 then selects a second iRIS configuration and the UE 401 measures the RSS of the selected second iRIS configuration for the received beam at the UE 401 received as the reflected signal from the optimal iRIS. The controller device 403 sequentially selects each iRIS configuration and the UE 401 measures the RSS of the selected iRIS configuration. The flow of the method 600 now proceeds to step 615.

[0081] At step 615, the UE 401 selects the optimal iRIS configuration among the one or more iRIS configurations based on the measured RSS. The flow of the method 600 now proceeds to step 617.

[0082] At step 617, the UE 401 transmits information of the measured RSS to the controller device 403. The transmission may be periodic. The flow of the method 600 now proceeds to step 619.

[0083] At step 619, the controller device 403 configures the selected optimal iRIS configuration for the UE 401. The flow of the method 600 now proceeds to step 621.

[0084] At step 621, the BS 427 communicates with the UE 401 via the optimal iRIS using the selected optimal iRIS configuration. The communication may be performed through PDSCH. The flow of the method 600 now proceeds to step 623.

[0085] At step 625, the UE 401 transmits a response message to the controller device 403 indicating that the UE 401 is using the optimal iRIS. The controller device 403 stores the information in the memory 417 that the selected optimal iRIS is mapped with the UE 401. Further, if the selected iRIS is not required by the UE 401, the UE 401 informs the controller device 403 by transmitting a bit of data as 0 to release the selected iRIS.

[0086] Figure 7 illustrates a diagram depicting multiple iRIS configurations associated with the optimal iRIS, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0087] In the controller device 403, multiple iRIS configurations, , are pre-programmed to have fixed phase shifts and amplitude, and each configuration directs the energy in a specific direction. These configurations are given as:

[0088]

[0089] As shown in the Figure 7, different configurations such as Config 1, Config 2, Config 3, and ConfigNIare shown to reflect energy (beam) in specific directions.

[0090] Figure 8 illustrates a flow diagram of a method 800 implemented in the UE 401 for selecting the optimal iRIS configuration in the wireless communication network, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 800 includes a series of operations steps 801 through 811 performed by the processor 405 of the UE 401.

[0091] The flow of the method 800 starts at step 801. At step 801, the processor 405 of the UE 401 selects the one or more candidate iRISs among one or more iRISs 423. For instance, the processor 405 may select the one or more candidate iRISs based on the RSS of the discovery signal from each of the one or more appliances 425. The one or more iRISs 423 are connected with the one or more appliances 425 such that an iRIS among the one or more iRISs 423 is connected with an appliance among the one or more appliances 425. The flow of the method 800 now proceeds to step 803.

[0092] At step 803, the processor 405 transmits the information associated with the one or more candidate iRISs to the controller device 403. For instance, the processor 405 may control the transceiver 409 to transmit the information associated with the one or more candidate iRISs. The flow of the method 800 now proceeds to step 805.

[0093] At step 805, the processor 405 receives from the controller device 403, information of the optimal iRIS selected by controller device 403. For instance, the processor 405 may control the transceiver 409 to receive the information of the optimal iRIS. The controller device 403 may select the optimal iRIS in response to the transmitted information associated with the one or more candidate iRISs. The flow of the method 800 now proceeds to step 807.

[0094] At step 807, the processor 405 measures the RSS of each iRIS configuration of one or more iRIS configurations of the optimal iRIS. For instance, the processor 405 may measure the RSS of each iRIS configuration for each received beam at the UE received as the reflected signal from the selected optimal iRIS. The flow of the method 800 now proceeds to step 809.

[0095] At step 809, the processor 405 selects the optimal iRIS configuration among the one or more iRIS configurations. For instance, the processor 405 may select the optimal iRIS configuration based on the measured RSS. The flow of the method 800 now proceeds to step 811.

[0096] At step 811, the processor 405 transmits information associated with the selected optimal iRIS configuration to the controller device 403. For instance, the processor 405 may control the transceiver 409 to transmit the information associated with the selected optimal iRIS configuration to the controller device 403. The controller device 403 may configure the optimal iRIS configuration for the UE 401.

[0097] Figure 9 illustrates a flow diagram of a method implemented in the controller device 403 for configuring the optimal iRIS configuration for the UE 401 in the wireless communication network, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 900 includes a series of operations steps 901 through 909 performed by the processor 415 of the controller device 403.

[0098] The flow of the method 900 starts at step 901. At step 901, the processor 415 of the controller device 403 may receive, from the UE 401, the information associated with the one or more candidate iRISs among the one or more iRISs 423. For instance, the processor 415 may control the transceiver 419 to receive the information associated with the one or more candidate iRISs. The flow of the method 900 now proceeds to step 903.

[0099] At step 903, the processor 415 selects, for the UE 401, the optimal iRIS from the one or more candidate iRIS. For instance, the processor 415 may select the optimal iRIS based on the usage information indicating the usage of the one or more candidate iRISs by other UEs. The flow of the method 900 now proceeds to step 905.

[0100] At step 905, the processor 415 transmits information of the selected optimal iRIS to the UE 401. For instance, the processor 415 may control the transceiver 419 to transmit the information of the selected optimal iRIS to the UE 401. The flow of the method 900 now proceeds to step 907.

[0101] At step 907, the processor 415 receives information associated with the optimal iRIS configuration from the UE 401. For instance, the processor 415 may control the transceiver 419 to receive the information associated with the optimal iRIS configuration. The optimal iRIS configuration is selected by the UE 401 by measuring the RSS of each iRIS configuration of one or more iRIS configurations for each received beam at the UE 401 received as the reflected signal from the selected optimal iRIS. The flow of the method 900 now proceeds to step 909.

[0102] At step 909, the processor 415 configures the optimal iRIS configuration for the UE 401.

[0103] In an example, the module(s) and / or the unit(s) and / or model(s) may include a program, a subroutine, a portion of a program, a software component, or a hardware component capable of performing a stated task or function. As used herein, the module(s) and / or the unit(s) and / or model(s) may be implemented on a hardware component such as a server independently of other modules, or a module can exist with other modules on the same server, or within the same program. The module(s) and / or unit(s) and / or model(s) may be implemented on a hardware component such as processor one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, state machines, logic circuitries, and / or any devices that manipulate signals based on operational instructions. The module(s) and / or unit(s) and / or model(s), when executed by the processor(s), may be configured to perform any of the described functionalities.

[0104] The method disclosed herein in one or more embodiments provides various technical benefits and advantages. The technical benefits and advantages include improvements in signal reception in both indoor and outdoor wireless environments. The disclosed method solves the problem of weak signals in indoor scenarios by deploying the RIS on home appliances. The disclosed method may also be used to enhance the coverage of the Wi-Fi device.

[0105] The various actions, acts, blocks, steps, or the like in the flow diagrams may be performed in the order presented, in a different order, or simultaneously. Further, in some embodiments, some of the actions, acts, blocks, steps, or the like may be omitted, added, modified, skipped, or the like without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0106] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one ordinary skilled in the art to which this invention belongs. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.

[0107] While specific language has been used to describe the present subject matter, any limitations arising on account thereto, are not intended. As would be apparent to a person in the art, various working modifications may be made to the method to implement the inventive concept as taught herein. The drawings and the forgoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment.

[0108] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and / or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the scope of the embodiments as described herein.

Claims

1.A method (500) for selecting an optimal indoor Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (iRIS) in a wireless communication network, the method (500) comprising:selecting (503), by a User Equipment (UE) (401), one or more candidate iRISs among one or more iRISs (423) based on Received Signal Strength (RSS) of a discovery signal from each of one or more appliances (425) installed in an indoor environment, wherein the one or more iRISs (423) are connected with the one or more appliances (425) such that an iRIS among the one or more iRISs (423) is connected with an appliance among the one or more appliances (425);transmitting (509), by the UE (401), information associated with the one or more candidate iRISs to a controller device (403);selecting (513), by the controller device (403) for the UE (401), the optimal iRIS from the one or more candidate iRIS based on usage information indicating a usage of the one or more candidate iRISs by other UEs; andtransmitting (515), by the controller device (403), information of the selected optimal iRIS to the UE (401).2.The method (500) as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:measuring, by the UE (401), the RSS of the discovery signal from each of the one or more appliances (425), wherein:the discovery signal includes a unique identity (ID) of a corresponding appliance among the one or more appliances (425), andthe unique ID is mapped to an iRIS ID of an iRIS among the one or more iRISs (423) connected on the corresponding appliance.3.The method (500) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the discovery signal includes at least one of a Bluetooth signal, an Ultra-wideband (UWB) signal, or a Wi-Fi signal.4.The method (500) as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:transmitting, to a Base Station (BS) (427) by the UE (401), information corresponding to a presence of the one or more candidate iRISs as a bit in Uplink Control Information (UCI) in one of Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) or Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH); andreceiving, by the UE (401), a response signal from the BS (427) in response to the transmitted information as the UCI.5.The method (500) as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:transmitting, to a Wi-Fi Access Point (AP) by the UE (401), information corresponding to a presence of the one or more candidate iRISs as a bit in Buffer Status Report (BSR); andreceiving, by the UE (401), a response signal from the Wi-Fi AP in response to transmitted information as the BSR.6.The method (500) as claimed in claim 1, wherein, for transmitting the information of the one or more candidate iRISs to the controller device (403), the method (500) comprises:transmitting, to the controller device (403), data including iRIS IDs of the one or more candidate iRISs over one of a Bluetooth interface, an Ultra-wideband (UWB) interface, or a Wi-Fi interface.7.The method (500) as claimed in claim 6, wherein, for selecting the optimal iRIS from the one or more candidate iRIS, the method (500) comprises:extracting, from the data, the iRIS IDs of the one or more candidate iRISs and an ID of the UE (401);determining an availability of the one or more candidate iRISs based on the usage information; andselecting the optimal iRIS based on the availability of the one or more candidate iRISs.8.The method (500) as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:transmitting, by the UE (401) upon receiving the information of the selected optimal iRIS, a response message to the controller device (403) to start scanning of one or more iRIS configurations of the optimal iRIS;measuring, by the UE (401), the RSS of each iRIS configuration of the one or more iRIS configurations for each received beam at the UE (401) received as a reflected signal from the selected optimal iRIS;selecting, by the UE (401), an optimal iRIS configuration among the one or more iRIS configurations based on the measured RSS;transmitting, by the UE (401), information associated with the selected optimal iRIS configuration to the controller device (403); andconfiguring, by the controller device (403), the optimal iRIS configuration for the UE (401) based on the information associated with the selected optimal iRIS configuration.9.The method (500) as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:determining, by the UE (401), that the selected optimal iRIS is not required;transmitting, to the controller device (403) by the UE (401), information indicating that the UE (401) does not require the optimal iRIS; andreleasing, by the controller device (403), the optimal iRIS based on the information indicating that the UE (401) does not require the optimal iRIS.10.The method (500) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more appliances (425) include one or more intelligent home appliances or one or more intelligent devices.11.A method (800) implemented in a User Equipment (UE) (401) for selecting an optimal indoor Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (iRIS) configuration in a wireless communication network, the method (800) comprising:selecting (801), based on Received Signal Strength (RSS) of a discovery signal from each of one or more appliances (425), one or more candidate iRISs among one or more iRISs (423), wherein the one or more iRISs (423) are connected with the one or more appliances (425) such that an iRIS among the one or more iRISs (423) is connected with an appliance among the one or more appliances (425);transmitting (803), to a controller device (403), information associated with the one or more candidate iRISs;receiving (805), from the controller device (403), information of an optimal iRIS that is selected by controller device (403) in response to the transmitted information associated with the one or more candidate iRISs;measuring (807), for each received beam at the UE (401) received as a reflected signal from the selected optimal iRIS, the RSS of each iRIS configuration of one or more iRIS configurations of the optimal iRIS;selecting (809) the optimal iRIS configuration among the one or more iRIS configurations based on the measured RSS; andtransmitting (811), to the controller device (403), information associated with the selected optimal iRIS configuration, wherein the controller device (403) configures the optimal iRIS configuration for the UE (401).12.A method (900) implemented in a controller device (403) for configuring an optimal indoor Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (iRIS) configuration for a User Equipment (UE) (401) in a wireless communication network, the method (900) comprising:receiving (901), from the UE (401), information associated with one or more candidate iRISs among one or more iRISs (423);selecting (903), for the UE (401), an optimal iRIS from the one or more candidate iRIS based on usage information indicating a usage of the one or more candidate iRISs by other UEs;transmitting (905), to the UE (401), information of the selected optimal iRIS;receiving (907), from the UE (401), information associated with the optimal iRIS configuration, wherein the UE (401) selects the optimal iRIS configuration by measuring Received Signal Strength (RSS) of each iRIS configuration of one or more iRIS configurations for each received beam at the UE (401) received as a reflected signal from the selected optimal iRIS; andconfiguring (909) the optimal iRIS configuration for the UE (401).13.A system (400) for selecting an optimal indoor Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (iRIS) in a wireless communication network, the system (400) comprising:a User Equipment (UE) (401) that includes at least one first processor (405) and a first transceiver (409); anda controller device (403) that includes at least one second processor (415) and a second transceiver (419),wherein the at least one first processor (405) is configured to:select one or more candidate iRISs among one or more iRISs (423) based on Received Signal Strength (RSS) of a discovery signal from each of one or more appliances (425) installed in an indoor environment, wherein the one or more iRISs (423) are connected with the one or more appliances (425) such that an iRIS among the one or more iRISs (423) is connected with an appliance among the one or more appliances (425); andcontrol the first transceiver (409) to transmit information associated with the one or more candidate iRISs to the controller device (403); andwherein the at least one second processor (415) is configured to:select, for the UE (401), the optimal iRIS from the one or more candidate iRIS based on usage information indicating a usage of the one or more candidate iRISs by other UEs; andcontrol the second transceiver (419) to transmit information of the selected optimal iRIS to the UE (401).14.The system (400) as claimed in claim 13,wherein the at least one first processor (405) is further configured to:control the first transceiver (409) to transmit, upon receiving the information of the selected optimal iRIS, a response message to the controller device (403) to start scanning of one or more iRIS configurations of the optimal iRIS;measure the RSS of each iRIS configuration of the one or more iRIS configurations for each received beam at the UE (401) received as a reflected signal from the selected optimal iRIS;select an optimal iRIS configuration among the one or more iRIS configurations based on the measured RSS; andcontrol the first transceiver (409) to transmit information associated with the selected optimal iRIS configuration to the controller device (403); andwherein the at least one second processor (415) is further configured to configure the optimal iRIS configuration for the UE (401) based on the information associated with the selected optimal iRIS configuration.15.The system (400) as claimed in claim 13,wherein the at least one first processor (405) is further configured to:determine that the selected optimal iRIS is not required; andcontrol the first transceiver (409) to transmit, to the controller device (403), information indicating that the UE (401) does not require the optimal iRIS; andwherein the at least one second processor (415) is further configured to release the optimal iRIS based on the information indicating that the UE (401) does not require the optimal iRIS.

Images