Multi-IRS-Assisted mmWave UAV-BS Network for Coverage Extension

Sota Yamamoto; Jin Nakazato; Gia Khanh Tran

doi:10.3390/s24062006

Multi-IRS-Assisted mmWave UAV-BS Network for Coverage Extension

Sensors (Basel). 2024 Mar 21;24(6):2006. doi: 10.3390/s24062006.

Authors

Sota Yamamoto¹, Jin Nakazato², Gia Khanh Tran¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, School of Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8552, Japan.
² Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8654, Japan.

Abstract

In the era of Industry 5.0, advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, big data, and the Internet of Things (IoT) offer promising avenues for economic growth and solutions to societal challenges. Digital twin technology is important for real-time three-dimensional space reproduction in this transition, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can support it. While recent studies have explored the potential applications of UAVs in nonterrestrial networks (NTNs), bandwidth limitations have restricted their utility. This paper addresses these constraints by integrating millimeter wave (mmWave) technology into UAV networks for high-definition video transmission. Specifically, we focus on coordinating intelligent reflective surfaces (IRSs) and UAV networks to extend coverage while maintaining virtual line-of-sight (LoS) conditions essential for mmWave communication. We present a novel approach for integrating IRS into Beyond 5G/6G networks to enhance high-speed communication coverage. Our proposed IRS selection method ensures optimal communication paths between UAVs and user equipment (UE). We perform numerical analysis in a realistically modeled 3D urban environment to validate our approach. Our results demonstrate significant improvements in the received SNR for multiple UEs upon the introduction of IRSs, and they confirm the feasibility of coverage extension in mmWave UAV networks.

Keywords: IRS; Industry 5.0; UAV cellular networks; coverage extension; digital twin; millimeter wave.

Grants and funding

This research was supported by the Strategic Information and Communications R&D Promotion Programme (SCOPE) through the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan (receipt number JP235003015). The authors are sincerely grateful to DOCOMO InsightMarketing, INC. for their technical support on this work.