RIS Reflection Time-Angle Coding for Radio Sensing Ambiguity
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Solution Overview
Problem
In radio sensing operations, the angular information from target reflections is often lost, leading to ambiguity and degradation of sensing performance, as sensing nodes cannot disambiguate waves due to unknown angular information.
Innovation Solution
A reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) is used to encode and adjust reflection characteristics of incident waves, providing angular information to sensing nodes by configuring reflections based on encoding information, such as incident angles and time patterns, to maintain accurate sensing measurements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If radio sensing operations are performed without angular information encoding, then the system complexity is low, but the sensing performance degrades due to ambiguity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) as an intermediary component between the transmitting node and sensing nodes. The RIS encodes angular information into reflection characteristics, allowing sensing nodes to disambiguate waves without directly measuring incident angles. This mediator approach improves sensing reliability while avoiding the complexity of direct angular measurement systems at each sensing node.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces direct mechanical or electronic angular measurement systems with a field-based encoding approach using the RIS. Instead of each sensing node having complex angular measurement capabilities, the system substitutes this with a centralized RIS that encodes angular information into the electromagnetic field reflections, which sensing nodes can then detect through simpler means.
2Area of stationary object
If the target area size is increased, then the measurement capacity is improved, but the angular information loss leads to ambiguity
Solution Approach 1:
The RIS acts as an intermediary that preserves angular information across large target areas by encoding it into reflection characteristics. Each region of the large target area produces reflections with distinct angular encoding patterns, allowing sensing nodes to distinguish signals from different locations even when the overall target area is extensive.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality encoding where different regions of the RIS or different angular sectors are assigned distinct reflection characteristics. This allows each local area within the large target to have unique identifiable features in the reflected signals, preventing information loss even as the overall target area expands.
3Measurement precision
If sensing nodes receive waves without angular encoding, then the device complexity is low, but they cannot disambiguate waves
Solution Approach 1:
The RIS serves as a mediator that performs the complex angular encoding function centrally, allowing sensing nodes to remain relatively simple. The RIS embeds angular information into the reflected waves, so sensing nodes can achieve precise wave disambiguation by detecting these encoded characteristics without requiring complex angular measurement hardware or algorithms.
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
This approach enables radio sensing operations to maintain angular information, expanding the capacity to measure target areas and increase the size of the target area by using the RIS as an intermediary between transmitting and receiving nodes, enhancing sensing performance.
Implementation Method 1
a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) is used to encode and adjust reflection characteristics of incident waves
Data Source
AI summary
Various aspects of the present disclosure relate to performing radio sensing operations using a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS). For example, a sensing controller device, which can be part of a network device (e.g., a network entity or UE) sends encoding information associated with sensing signals transmitted to a target area by a transmitting node. A controller associated with the RIS (e.g., a RIS controller) receives the encoding information and modifies or adjusts reflection characteristics for waves or signals incident on the RIS and reflected by the RIS to one or more sensing nodes. Thus, the RIS controller receives the encoding information for waves or signals that reflect off objects within the target area to the RIS, and utilizes the encoding information (e.g., incident angle or time information) to adjust the reflection characteristics and provide the information to the sensing node, which performs measurements based on the sensing signals.