Exploiting multi-hop RIS-assisted UAV communications: performance analysis

Abualhayja'a, M., Centeno, A. , Mohjazi, L. , Butt, M. M., Sehier, P. and Imran, M. A. (2024) Exploiting multi-hop RIS-assisted UAV communications: performance analysis. IEEE Communications Letters, 28(1), pp. 133-137. (doi: 10.1109/LCOMM.2023.3339969)

Abstract

Future wireless communication networks are expected to extensively utilise unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) to improve performance, extend coverage, and enhance energy efficiency. In this letter, the fundamental limits of the system performance of a multi-hop RIS-assisted UAV communication system are analysed and characterised. We derive accurate closed-form approximations for the statistical distributions of the RIS-assisted channels which are then exploited to derive an analytical expression for the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), outage probability, and bit error rate (BER). Moreover, we derive outage probability expressions in the high SNR regime. Our analysis demonstrates that strategically placing RIS with an adequate number of elements can effectively enhance the performance of UAV communications in different fading scenarios. RIS dynamically adapts to changing channels and user positions, enhancing performance as the UAV navigates diverse geographical areas, when ideal Line of Sight (LoS) conditions may not be consistently attainable due to the UAV’s altitude and dynamic mobility.

• Item Type: Articles
• Keywords: Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces, unmanned aerial vehicle, outage probability, bit error rate.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Centeno, Dr Anthony and Abualhayja'a, Mohammad and Imran, Professor Muhammad and Mohjazi, Dr Lina
• Authors: Abualhayja'a, M., Centeno, A., Mohjazi, L., Butt, M. M., Sehier, P., and Imran, M. A.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering; College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Autonomous Systems and Connectivity; College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Electronics and Nanoscale Engineering
• Journal Name: IEEE Communications Letters
• Publisher: IEEE
• ISSN: 1089-7798
• ISSN (Online): 1558-2558
• Published Online: 05 December 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 IEEE
• First Published: First published in IEEE Communications Letters 28(1):133-137
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy