RIS-empowered Topology Control for Distributed Learning in Urban Air Mobility

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) expands vehicles from the ground to the near-ground space, envisioned as a revolution for transportation systems. Comprehensive scene perception is the foundation for autonomous aerial driving. However, UAM encounters the intelligent perception challenge: high perception learning requirements conflict with the limited sensors and computing chips of flying cars. To overcome the challenge, federated learning (FL) and other collaborative learning have been proposed to enable resource-limited devices to conduct onboard deep learning (DL) collaboratively. But traditional collaborative learning like FL relies on a central integrator for DL model aggregation, which is difficult to deploy in dynamic environments. The fully decentralized learning schemes may be the intuitive solution while the convergence of distributed learning cannot be guaranteed. Accordingly, this paper explores reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) empowered distributed learning, taking account of topological attributes to facilitate the learning performance with convergence guarantee. We propose several FL topological criteria for optimizing the transmission delay and convergence rate by exploiting the Laplacian matrix eigenvalues of the communication network. Subsequently, we innovatively leverage the RIS link modification ability to remold the current network according to the proposed topological criteria. This paper rethinks the functions of RIS from the perspective of the network layer. Furthermore, a deep deterministic policy gradient-based RIS phase shift control algorithm is developed to construct or deconstruct the network links simultaneously to reshape the communication network. Simulation experiments are conducted over MobileNet-based multi-view learning to verify the efficiency of the distributed FL framework.

Deep Learning-based Design of Uplink Integrated Sensing and Communication

In this paper, we investigate the issue of uplink integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) in 6G wireless networks where the sensing echo signal and the communication signal are received simultaneously at the base station (BS). To effectively mitigate the mutual interference between sensing and communication caused by the sharing of spectrum and hardware resources, we provide a joint sensing transmit waveform and communication receive beamforming design with the objective of maximizing the weighted sum of normalized sensing rate and normalized communication rate. It is formulated as a computationally complicated non-convex optimization problem, which is quite difficult to be solved by conventional optimization methods. To this end, we first make a series of equivalent transformation on the optimization problem to reduce the design complexity, and then develop a deep learning (DL)-based scheme to enhance the overall performance of ISAC. Both theoretical analysis and simulation results confirm the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed DL-based scheme for ISAC in 6G wireless networks.

Flexible Precoding for Multi-User Movable Antenna Communications

This letter rethinks traditional precoding in multi-user wireless communications with movable antennas (MAs). Utilizing MAs for optimal antenna positioning, we introduce a sparse optimization (SO)-based approach focusing on regularized zero-forcing (RZF). This framework targets the optimization of antenna positions and the precoding matrix to minimize inter-user interference and transmit power. We propose an off-grid regularized least squares-based orthogonal matching pursuit (RLS-OMP) method for this purpose. Moreover, we provide deeper insights into antenna position optimization using RLS-OMP, viewed from a subspace projection angle. Overall, our proposed flexible precoding scheme demonstrates a sum rate that exceeds more than twice that of fixed antenna positions.

Robust Beamforming for RIS-aided Communications: Gradient-based Manifold Meta Learning

Reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) has become a promising technology to realize the programmable wireless environment via steering the incident signal in fully customizable ways. However, a major challenge in RIS-aided communication systems is the simultaneous design of the precoding matrix at the base station (BS) and the phase shifting matrix of the RIS elements. This is mainly attributed to the highly non-convex optimization space of variables at both the BS and the RIS, and the diversity of communication environments. Generally, traditional optimization methods for this problem suffer from the high complexity, while existing deep learning based methods are lack of robustness in various scenarios. To address these issues, we introduce a gradient-based manifold meta learning method (GMML), which works without pre-training and has strong robustness for RIS-aided communications. Specifically, the proposed method fuses meta learning and manifold learning to improve the overall spectral efficiency, and reduce the overhead of the high-dimensional signal process. Unlike traditional deep learning based methods which directly take channel state information as input, GMML feeds the gradients of the precoding matrix and phase shifting matrix into neural networks. Coherently, we design a differential regulator to constrain the phase shifting matrix of the RIS. Numerical results show that the proposed GMML can improve the spectral efficiency by up to 7.31\%, and speed up the convergence by 23 times faster compared to traditional approaches. Moreover, they also demonstrate remarkable robustness and adaptability in dynamic settings.

Bayesian Learning for Double-RIS Aided ISAC Systems with Superimposed Pilots and Data

Reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) has great potential to improve the performance of integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) systems, especially in scenarios where line-of-sight paths between the base station and users are blocked. However, the spectral efficiency (SE) of RIS-aided ISAC uplink transmissions may be drastically reduced by the heavy burden of pilot overhead for realizing sensing capabilities. In this paper, we tackle this bottleneck by proposing a superimposed symbol scheme, which superimposes sensing pilots onto data symbols over the same time-frequency resources. Specifically, we develop a structure-aware sparse Bayesian learning framework, where decoded data symbols serve as side information to enhance sensing performance and increase SE. To meet the low-latency requirements of emerging ISAC applications, we further propose a low-complexity simultaneous communication and localization algorithm for multiple users. This algorithm employs the unitary approximate message passing in the Bayesian learning framework for initial angle estimate, followed by iterative refinements through reduced-dimension matrix calculations. Moreover, the sparse code multiple access technology is incorporated into this iterative framework for accurate data detection which also facilitates localization. Numerical results show that the proposed superimposed symbol-based scheme empowered by the developed algorithm can achieve centimeter-level localization while attaining up to $96\%$ of the SE of conventional communications without sensing capabilities. Moreover, compared to other typical ISAC schemes, the proposed superimposed symbol scheme can provide an effective throughput improvement over $133\%$.

Two-Dimensional Direction-of-Arrival Estimation Using Stacked Intelligent Metasurfaces

Stacked intelligent metasurfaces (SIM) are capable of emulating reconfigurable physical neural networks by relying on electromagnetic (EM) waves as carriers. They can also perform various complex computational and signal processing tasks. A SIM is fabricated by densely integrating multiple metasurface layers, each consisting of a large number of small meta-atoms that can control the EM waves passing through it. In this paper, we harness a SIM for two-dimensional (2D) direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation. In contrast to the conventional designs, an advanced SIM in front of the receiver array automatically carries out the 2D discrete Fourier transform (DFT) as the incident waves propagate through it. As a result, the receiver array directly observes the angular spectrum of the incoming signal. In this context, the DOA estimates can be readily obtained by using probes to detect the energy distribution on the receiver array. This avoids the need for power-thirsty radio frequency (RF) chains. To enable SIM to perform the 2D DFT, we formulate the optimization problem of minimizing the fitting error between the SIM's EM response and the 2D DFT matrix. Furthermore, a gradient descent algorithm is customized for iteratively updating the phase shift of each meta-atom in SIM. To further improve the DOA estimation accuracy, we configure the phase shift pattern in the zeroth layer of the SIM to generate a set of 2D DFT matrices associated with orthogonal spatial frequency bins. Additionally, we analytically evaluate the performance of the proposed SIM-based DOA estimator by deriving a tight upper bound for the mean square error (MSE). Our numerical simulations verify the capability of a well-trained SIM to perform DOA estimation and corroborate our theoretical analysis. It is demonstrated that a SIM having an optical computational speed achieves an MSE of $10^{-4}$ for DOA estimation.

Coverage and Rate Analysis for Distributed RISs-Assisted mmWave Communications

The millimeter wave (mmWave) has received considerable interest due to its expansive bandwidth and high frequency. However, a noteworthy challenge arises from its vulnerability to blockages, leading to reduced coverage and achievable rates. To address these limitations, a potential solution is to deploy distributed reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs), which comprise many low-cost and passively reflected elements, and can facilitate the establishment of extra communication links. In this paper, we leverage stochastic geometry to investigate the ergodic coverage probability and the achievable rate in both distributed RISs-assisted single-cell and multi-cell mmWave wireless communication systems. Specifically, we first establish the system model considering the stochastically distributed blockages, RISs and users by the Poisson point process. Then we give the association criterion and derive the association probabilities, the distance distributions, and the conditional coverage probabilities for two cases of associations between base stations and users without or with RISs. Finally, we use Campbell's theorem and the total probability theorem to obtain the closed-form expressions of the ergodic coverage probability and the achievable rate. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of our analysis method, and demonstrate that by deploying distributed RISs, the ergodic coverage probability is significantly improved by approximately 50%, and the achievable rate is increased by more than 1.5 times.

Fast Beam Training for Near-Field Communication Systems

In millimeter-wave communications, large-scale antenna arrays are commonly employed to mitigate obstacle occlusion and path loss. However, these large-scale arrays generate pencil-shaped beams, which necessitate a higher number of training beams to cover the desired space. This results in the heavy beam training overhead. Furthermore, as the antenna aperture increases, users are more likely to be situated in the near-field region of the base station (BS) antenna array. This motivates our investigation into the beam training problem in the near-field region to achieve efficient beam alignment. To address the high complexity and low identification accuracy of existing beam training techniques, we propose an efficient hashing multi-arm beam (HMB) training scheme for the near-field scenario. Specifically, we first design a set of sparse bases based on the polar domain sparsity of the near-field channel and construct a near-field single-beam training codebook. Then, the hash functions are chosen to construct the near-field multi-arm beam training codebook. Each multi-arm beam training codeword is used in a time slot until the predefined codebook is traversed. Finally, the soft decision and voting methods are applied to distinguish the signal from different BS and obtain the correctly aligned beams. In addition, we provide the logically rigorous proof of computational complexity. Simulation results show that our proposed near-field HMB training method can achieve 96.4% identification accuracy of the exhaustive beam training method and greatly reduce the training overhead to the logarithmic level. Furthermore, we verify its applicability under the far-field scenario as well.

Reconfigurable Intelligent Computational Surfaces for MEC-Assisted Autonomous Driving Networks

In this paper, we focus on improving autonomous driving safety via task offloading from cellular vehicles (CVs), using vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) links, to an multi-access edge computing (MEC) server. Considering that the frequencies used for V2I links can be reused for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications to improve spectrum utilization, the receiver of each V2I link may suffer from severe interference, causing outages in the task offloading process. To tackle this issue, we propose the deployment of a reconfigurable intelligent computational surface (RICS) to enable, not only V2I reflective links, but also interference cancellation at the V2V links exploiting the computational capability of its metamaterials. We devise a joint optimization formulation for the task offloading ratio between the CVs and the MEC server, the spectrum sharing strategy between V2V and V2I communications, as well as the RICS reflection and refraction matrices, with the objective to maximize a safety-based autonomous driving task. Due to the non-convexity of the problem and the coupling among its free variables, we transform it into a more tractable equivalent form, which is then decomposed into three sub-problems and solved via an alternate approximation method. Our simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed RICS optimization in improving the safety in autonomous driving networks.

Graph Attention-based Reinforcement Learning for Trajectory Design and Resource Assignment in Multi-UAV Assisted Communication

In the multiple unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)- assisted downlink communication, it is challenging for UAV base stations (UAV BSs) to realize trajectory design and resource assignment in unknown environments. The cooperation and competition between UAV BSs in the communication network leads to a Markov game problem. Multi-agent reinforcement learning is a significant solution for the above decision-making. However, there are still many common issues, such as the instability of the system and low utilization of historical data, that limit its application. In this paper, a novel graph-attention multi-agent trust region (GA-MATR) reinforcement learning framework is proposed to solve the multi-UAV assisted communication problem. Graph recurrent network is introduced to process and analyze complex topology of the communication network, so as to extract useful information and patterns from observational information. The attention mechanism provides additional weighting for conveyed information, so that the critic network can accurately evaluate the value of behavior for UAV BSs. This provides more reliable feedback signals and helps the actor network update the strategy more effectively. Ablation simulations indicate that the proposed approach attains improved convergence over the baselines. UAV BSs learn the optimal communication strategies to achieve their maximum cumulative rewards. Additionally, multi-agent trust region method with monotonic convergence provides an estimated Nash equilibrium for the multi-UAV assisted communication Markov game.