Multi-Antenna Covert Communication Assisted by UAV-RIS With Imperfect CSI

In this paper, we explore the use of reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based multiuser downlink communications, where a flying UAV serves multiple single antenna users through multiple RISs mounted on various buildings. More specifically, we consider the selection of RISs based on the outdated and imperfect channel state information (CSI) of the composite UAV-RIS-User channels at the UAV. After selection process, the UAV communicates to the user via the selected RISs and also with the direct link. Particularly, we derive an infinite series based expression for selection probability of RISs under both the outdated and imperfect CSI of composite channels based selection scheme. We also derive the statistical distribution of instantaneously received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) under outdated and imperfect CSI conditions of both the direct and composite links at the user. Next, using the derived statistics, we analyze the network’s performance in terms of the average coverage probability (ACP) and average bit error rate (ABER) over the complete UAV flight time. Moreover, we discuss the behavior of ACP and ABER for very small and very large values of UAV transmit power, respectively. It is depicted through numerical results that selecting more RISs from a group of small-sized RISs may not be as advantageous as selecting fewer RISs from a group of large-sized RISs. Moreover, we also demonstrate the effect of several system parameters such as number of RIS reflecting elements, number of selected RISs, the severity of UAV-RIS and RIS-User links, and the severity of imperfect and outdated CSI on the network’s performance. The analytical results are corroborated with Monte-Carlo simulations.

The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) enabled mobile edge computing (MEC) has been deemed a promising paradigm to provide ubiquitous communication and computing services for the Internet of Things (IoT). Besides, by intelligently reflecting the received signals, the reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) can significantly improve the propagation environment and further enhance the service quality of the UAV-enabled MEC. Motivated by this vision, in this paper, we consider both the amount of completed task bits and the energy consumption to maximize the energy efficiency of the RIS-assisted UAV-enabled MEC systems with non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) protocol, where the bit allocation, transmit power, phase shift, and UAV trajectory are jointly optimized by an iterative algorithm with a double-loop structure based on the Dinkelbach’s method and block coordinate decent (BCD) technique. Simulation results demonstrate that: 1) our proposed algorithm can achieve higher energy efficiency than baseline schemes while satisfying the task tolerance latency; 2) the energy efficiency first increases and then decreases with the increase of the mission period and the total amount of task-input bits of IoT devices; 3) the energy efficiencies of schemes with imperfect channel state information (CSI) are lower than corresponding schemes with perfect CSI, and the performance gain of NOMA over OMA diminishes under the imperfect CSI.

Reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) has recently been regarded as a potential technique to enhance the performance of wireless communication systems by creating additional communication links. However, it is almost impossible to get the perfect channel state information (CSI) from the base station (BS) to the Internet of Things Devices (IoTDs) and the RIS-related channels. Furthermore, residual transceiver hardware impairments inevitably affect the performance of wireless communication systems. Hence, we study the robust design for an RIS-aided wireless communication system based on the imperfect CSI and hardware impairments. Minimizing the power consumption of BS is formulated by ensuring the minimum signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) demands of the IoTDs and the unit-modulus constraints of the RIS. Specifically, after approximating the nonconvex constraints by using the S-procedure and the successive convex approximation (SCA) methods, we adopt the block coordinate descent (BCD) technique to iteratively optimize one set of variables while keeping the other variables fixed in various channel uncertainty scenarios. Simulation results demonstrate that the influence of transceiver hardware impairments can be effectively decreased by deploying RIS even with channel uncertainty, which is more advantageous than increasing the number of BS’s antennas.

The design problem associated with robust downlink beamforming in multicast, multigroup, multicell wireless systems is addressed. The channel state information (CSI) of users is assumed to be imperfect and the uncertainty of CSI is modelled using the Frobenius norm. The objective is to optimise the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio over all users with a constraint on the maximum total transmitted power. This was achieved through a robust solution using the successive convex approximation (SCA) method. The beamforming problem is treated as a bi-convex problem, which is solved using the iterate-alternative convex technique. Here, the CSI uncertainty is addressed using a convex package through the non-monotone spectral projected gradient method and the beamforming vector is extracted using the SCA method. Also, the authors offer the required condition to extract the beamform vector using the SCA method through a suboptimal solution that always addressed before using different beamforming methods. Their simulation results examine all proposed system parameters in order to show convergence and feasibility of the solution. They also compare the solution with a suboptimal solution and the quality of service method for imperfect CSI in downlink beamforming. Numerical results show that the robust solution achieves the best power efficiency for practical solutions.

Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS) is an emerging technology that can improve the spectrum and energy efficiency of next-generation wireless networks. However, attaining accurate channel state information (CSI) for the cascaded RIS channel is particularly challenging. Imperfect CSI is a major bottleneck to achieving the spectral efficiency benefit of RIS-assisted networks. Rate splitting (RS), a promising multiple access technology, has been shown to be able to achieve an improved spectrum efficiency and be robust to channel uncertainties. This paper investigates the interplay between RIS and RS by considering a RIS-assisted RS beamforming problem. Active beamforming at the base station (BS) and passive beamforming at the RIS are jointly considered to maximize the minimum user rate under both the perfect CSI case and the imperfect CSI case. A block coordinate descent (BCD) algorithm is developed to solve this non-convex problem. Compared with the conventional semi-definite relaxation (SDR) approach, the proposed method does not require that the covariance matrix of the common beamforming vector be rank-one. Moreover, we present theoretical results to help reveal the impact of the system parameters and explain the performance gain resulting from the integration of RIS and RS. Extensive simulation results are also provided to show that RIS-assisted RS can improve the max-min rate performance significantly compared with conventional multiple access technologies, such as non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) and space division multiple access (SDMA) with/without RIS, especially in overloaded systems. With the proposed method, RS shows great potential in combating realistic CSI errors in RIS-assisted networks.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are developing rapidly owing to flexible deployment and access services as air base stations. However, the energy efficiency of the UAVs cells using non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) with imperfect channel state information (CSI) hasnt been well studied yet. Therefore, we maximize energy efficiency in the downlink NOMA UAV network considering imperfect CSI between the UAV and users. Resource allocation schemes including user scheduling as well as power allocation are designed for system energy efficiency optimization. Because of the non-convexity of optimization function with an probability constraint for imperfect CSI, the original problem is converted into a nonprobability problem and then decoupled into two convex subproblems by successive convex approximation method. First, a user scheduling method is applied in the two-side matching of users and subchannels by the difference of convex programming. Then based on user scheduling, the energy efficiency in UAV cells is optimized through a suboptimal power allocation algorithm. The simulation results prove that our proposed algorithm is more effective compared with existing resource allocation schemes.

This paper investigates the robust beamforming design in a secrecy multiple-input single-output (MISO) network aided by the intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) with simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT). Specifically, by considering that the energy receivers (ERs) are potential eavesdroppers (Eves) and imperfect channel state information (CSI) of the direct and cascaded channels can be obtained, we investigate the max-min fairness robust secrecy design. The objective is to maximize the minimum robust information rate among the legitimate information receivers (IRs). To solve the formulated non-convex design problem in bounded and probabilistic CSI error models, we utilize the alternating optimization (AO) and successive convex approximation (SCA) methods to obtain an approximate problem. Then, an iteration-based algorithm framework was proposed, where the unit modulus constraint (UMC) of the IRS is handled by the penalty dual decomposition (PDD) method. Moreover, a stochastic SCA method is proposed to handle the outage constrained design with statistical CSI. Finally, simulation results validate the promising performance of the proposed design.

This paper investigates the optimization of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) network serving multiple downlink users equipped with single antennas. The network is enhanced by the deployment of either a passive reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) or an active RIS. The objective is to jointly design the UAV’s trajectory and the low-bit, quantized, RIS-programmable coefficients to maximize the minimum user rate in a multi-user scenario. To address this optimization challenge, an alternating optimization framework is employed, leveraging the successive convex approximation (SCA) method. Specifically, for the UAV trajectory design, the original non-convex optimization problem is reformulated into an equivalent convex problem through the introduction of slack variables and appropriate approximations. On the other hand, for the RIS-programmable coefficient design, an efficient algorithm is developed using a penalty-based approximation approach. To solve the problems with the proposed optimization, high-performance optimization tools such as CVX are utilized, despite their associated high time complexity. To mitigate this complexity, a low-complexity algorithm is specifically tailored for the optimization of passive RIS-programmable reflecting elements. This algorithm relies solely on closed-form expressions to generate improved feasible points, thereby reducing the computational burden while maintaining reasonable performance. Extensive simulations are created to validate the performance of the proposed algorithms. The results demonstrate that the active RIS-based approach outperforms the passive RIS-based approach. Additionally, for the passive RIS-based algorithms, the low-complexity variant achieves a reduced time complexity with a moderate loss in performance.

Optimizing resource allocation for enhanced urban connectivity in LEO-UAV-RIS networks

In this work, we investigate an active reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)-aided non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA)-enabled space-air-ground integrated network (SAGIN) with cognitive radio, leveraging the flexible deployment of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and the ubiquitous coverage of satellite networks. The UAV serves uplink and downlink users in the secondary network via NOMA and time division multiple access mechanisms, respectively, while satellites provide wireless backhaul for the UAV and primary users. We aim to maximize the weighted sum mean rate and energy efficiency for the secondary network by jointly the optimizing power allocation, the RIS reflection coefficients (RC), the user matching factors, and the UAV trajectory. We propose an alternating optimization framework based on the block coordinate ascent (BCA) technique, which decouples the problem into multiple variable blocks for alternating optimization until convergence. Moreover, we investigate the performance of energy-efficient active RIS with a sub-connected architecture, decoupling the RIS RC optimization into amplification factor and phase shift subproblems to be solved separately. Finally, simulation results validate the effectiveness of the proposed schemes, and demonstrate weakness of passive RIS and rationality and economics of sub-connected active RIS architecture.

In this article, a cooperative non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) mobile edge computing (MEC) network aided by reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) and simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) is considered, where the transmitters offload parts of their computing tasks to the MEC server via a relay and an RIS for enhancing the transmission environment. The goal is to minimize the task delay and energy consumption for the considered networks by jointly designing the RIS's reflection beamforming vector, the power splitting (PS) ratio, the power allocation factors of the relay, as well as the offloading transmit power and the offloading task ratio. To solve the proposed problems, an iterative optimization algorithm based on the successive convex approximation (SCA) method and the penalty method is proposed to decompose the formulated problems into two sub-problems. In particular, we jointly optimize the PS ratio, the power allocation coefficients and the edge computing resource based on the SCA technology, and then the penalty method is used to optimize the RIS's reflecting beamforming vector. Simulation results illustrate that the proposed NOMA-MEC networks aided by RIS and SWIPT are superior to the conventional orthogonal multiple access MEC networks with SWIPT aided by RIS in terms of task delay and energy consumption.

In this letter, we study the robust beamforming design for the reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)-assisted communication systems from a multi-antenna access point (AP) to a single-antenna user under imperfect channel state information (CSI), where the RIS has only a finite number of phase shifts at each element. In particular, considering the cascaded AP-RIS-user channel estimation error, we aim to jointly optimize the transmit beamforming at the AP and discrete phase shifts of RIS to minimize the transmission power of AP, subject to a signal-to-noise ratio constraint at the user. To tackle the non-convex optimization problem, we decouple it into two subproblems and propose a novel alternative optimization framework. More specifically, the robust beamforming of AP is first obtained through S-Procedure and semidefinite relaxation. Then we recast the discrete phase shift constraint at RIS into an equivalent convex one, and propose an efficient algorithm to obtain a near optimal solution. Finally, the two subproblems are iteratively optimized to obtain joint robust beamforming. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme can approach the performance of the perfect CSI counterpart and substantially outperform traditional non-robust methods.

The Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) technology provides a new view of the backhauling problem, especially when targeting end-to-end service provisioning. The IAB paradigm - being well aligned with the vision of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) - when combined with the benefits of the Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS) technology, offers to the future wireless networks the attributes of reconfigurability and energy efficiency. In this paper, we demonstrate the prospect of RIS in an UAV-assisted IAB network targeting energy-efficient operation, while accounting for the transmissions established at both the wireless access and backhaul network parts. We introduce a dynamic resource management framework that targets end-to-end energy efficiency optimization, while considering as controllable parameters the RIS elements’ phase shifts, the system bandwidth split between access and backhaul, and the transmission powers of both the UAV and the users. The corresponding joint optimization problem is formulated and treated via a distributed single-leader multiple-followers Stackelberg game-theoretic approach. The adaptation of the proposed framework is, also, demonstrated for the treatment of the IAB network’s end-to-end data rate optimization. The framework’s performance evaluation highlights the benefits achieved at both the users’ and UAV’s energy efficiency, by the joint exploitation of UAVs, IAB, and RIS technologies.

Due to flexible scheduling, and better transmission channel, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can improve transmit performance of Internet of Things (IoT). In this paper, we propose an UAV-enabled multichannel IoT based on intelligent fog computing, where UAV as a relay forwards IoT's information to the data center under the control of fog computing base station in the case of terrestrial channel fading. The IoT's throughput are maximized by jointly optimizing subcarrier, power of IoT, and UAV, and UAV trajectory, subject to the constraints of information causality, maximum transmit power, and maximum UAV speed. The subcarriers are dynamically allocated according to their channel gains, the water filling algorithm is adopted to optimize the power for UAV, and IoT by fixing UAV trajectory, and the optimal UAV trajectory is achieved with successive convex approximation under the fixed power allocation. Then a jointly iterative optimization on subcarrier, power, and trajectory is presented to get the optimal solution. In addition, we propose a fairness optimization scheme to maximize the minimum transmit rate of IoT nodes. The simulations indicate the IoT with mobile UAV, and dynamic subcarrier allocation may achieve better transmit performance, and the fairness optimization can decrease the rate difference of nodes effectively.

Joint beamforming and phase-shifting design for energy efficiency in RIS-assisted MISO communication with statistical CSI