RIS Beam Steering for Wide-Area Cell Coverage Without RF Chains
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing communication systems face challenges with limited coverage range, high hardware and operation costs, and inefficient resource utilization, particularly in urban and remote areas, with satellite communication systems being costly and complex to maintain.
Innovation Solution
A communication system utilizing reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) technology, comprising a RIS base station with a phased-array antenna, a communication board, and a controller, dynamically adjusts beams to cover target cells based on position and communication rate, eliminating the need for traditional radio-frequency components and enabling flexible, wide-area coverage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If large-scale MIMO technology with numerous antenna units and radio-frequency TR circuits is adopted to improve base station capacity and beam forming, then communication performance is improved, but hardware system complexity, design difficulty, cost, and power consumption greatly increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the complex radio-frequency TR circuits from the base station system, replacing them with a simplified architecture that uses only baseband processing units and passive antenna elements. This extraction eliminates the source of high power consumption and hardware complexity while preserving the essential beam forming capability through digital signal processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the traditional radio-frequency hardware system with a software-defined beam forming approach. Instead of using complex RF circuits and analog phase shifters, the system uses digital baseband processing to achieve beam forming, replacing hardware complexity with computational algorithms.
2Area of stationary object
If a large number of dense base station configurations are deployed to achieve wide coverage in urban areas, then network coverage is improved, but construction costs and operation costs significantly increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables a single base station to serve multiple functions and cover multiple cells simultaneously through advanced beam forming techniques. The base station can dynamically form multiple beams to different directions and serve different coverage areas, making one base station equivalent to multiple traditional base stations in terms of coverage capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic beam forming that can adaptively adjust beam directions, widths, and intensities in real-time based on channel conditions and traffic requirements. This dynamic capability allows a single base station to flexibly cover varying areas and serve different user demands, replacing the need for fixed dense base station deployments.
3Area of stationary object
If satellite networking communication is used to provide global coverage, then coverage range is improved, but construction costs, maintenance complexity, and operation costs greatly increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs low-cost, easily deployable base station units with simplified hardware architecture. Instead of expensive satellite systems requiring complex ground equipment and continuous maintenance, the invention uses affordable base stations that can be rapidly deployed and replaced if needed, significantly reducing both construction and maintenance costs.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system achieves low-cost, wide-range, and wide-area coverage by simultaneously serving multiple terminals with reduced hardware and energy consumption, while lowering the density and cost of base station arrangements.
Implementation Method 1
A phased-array antenna of the RIS base station is composed of a plurality of RIS units that is arranged periodically, and is controlled by a controller to generate a beam covering a target coverage cell
Implementation Method 2
Communication wide-area coverage system and method based on reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) technology
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a communication wide-area coverage system and method based on reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) technology. The system includes a RIS base station, a communication board, a controller, and a power supplier. The communication board communicates with a target cell to obtain a communication rate and position coordinates of a target coverage cell and feeds back the communication rate and position coordinates to the controller. The controller calculates a relative position between the target coverage cell and the RIS base station according to the obtained position information of the target coverage cell, and controls the RIS base station according to the relative position and the communication rate to generate a beam covering the target coverage cell. The RIS base station uses a RIS phased-array antenna integrated with an electronic device without requiring a radio-frequency transmitter and receiver (TR) component and a large number of phase shifting devices.