KR-20260066625-A - APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR EFFICIENT BEAM MANAGEMENT USING RECONFIGURABLE INTELLIGENT SURFACE IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

Abstract

The present disclosure generally relates to a wireless communication system, and more specifically to an apparatus and method for efficient beam management using a Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS) in a wireless communication system. An RIS apparatus for efficient beam management in a wireless communication system includes a transceiver that receives a signal from a base station and transmits a signal to a terminal, and a processor operably connected to the transceiver. The processor identifies an area where the terminal is located based on the Timing Advance (TA) value of the terminal, adjusts the direction of a reflected beam using pre-set beamforming parameters corresponding to the identified area, and is configured to relay communication between the base station and the terminal through the adjusted reflected beam.

Inventors

• 조대순

Assignees

• 한국전자통신연구원

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20251022

Priority Date

20241104

Claims (1)

1. In a Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS) device for efficient beam management in a wireless communication system, A transceiver that receives a signal from a base station and transmits a signal to a terminal; and A device comprising a processor operably connected to the above transceiver, wherein the processor identifies an area where the terminal is located based on the Timing Advance (TA) value of the terminal, adjusts the direction of a reflected beam using a preset beamforming parameter corresponding to the identified area, and is configured to relay communication between the base station and the terminal through the adjusted reflected beam.

Description

Apparatus and Method for Efficient Beam Management Using Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface in Wireless Communication System The present disclosure generally relates to wireless communication systems, and more specifically to an apparatus and method for efficient beam management using a Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS) in a wireless communication system. Currently, 5th generation (5G) mobile communication services have been commercialized and are being provided, while 6th generation (6G) mobile communication services are under development and preparation. Although the telecommunications industry has been providing service coverage by expanding base station infrastructure since the commercialization of 5G mobile communication, controversy regarding the quality of 5G communication continues. Despite the expansion of subscribers and coverage, complaints about 5G quality persist even now, several years after commercialization. It has been pointed out that in some locations outside the 5G service coverage area, the network switches to LTE, causing sudden slowdowns or disconnections. Consumer dissatisfaction is escalating, particularly due to the frequent failure of 5G communication in indoor spaces. This is related to the current status of base station construction, which is the core of 5G infrastructure. Considering that 5G requires a much denser network of base stations than LTE due to its frequency characteristics, the number of base stations is still insufficient. It is expected that 6th generation (6G) mobile communication will utilize the terahertz (THz) band, which has not been used in mobile communications until now. Although terahertz waves offer a wide available bandwidth that enables data transmission speeds of terabits per second (Tbps), their extremely short wavelengths cause significant loss in non-line-of-sight (NLoS) environments, where obstacles are present, or in outdoor-to-indoor (O2I) scenarios, where signals travel from an outdoor base station into an indoor space. Since coverage reduction occurs as the frequency increases, this reduction is even more pronounced in the terahertz band used by 6G mobile communication systems. One way to overcome this is to apply a Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS), which can achieve both performance improvement and low cost simultaneously. In particular, the application of RIS can be an effective alternative for indoor environments. RIS is one of the core technologies of 6G that utilizes the electromagnetic properties of the antenna surface to transmit radio waves from a base station to users. It can be likened to an "intelligent mirror" that adjusts transmission power according to the characteristics of the radio waves. By utilizing it, it can provide a "transmission effect" for base station signals transmitted from the outside into the building and a "reflection effect" in NLoS environments, thereby improving coverage in dead zones. Reflective RIS is also referred to as an Intelligent Reflecting Surface (IRS). Sub-wavelength-thick meta-atoms allow for the control of signal reflection and phase-shift when their geometric patterns are properly designed. A metasurface refers to an artificial two-dimensional planar structure composed of an array of multiple meta-atoms. When an antenna is constructed using a stacked structure consisting of a metasurface, a dielectric substrate, and a control circuit board, the reflection characteristics of an incident signal can be controlled through control. However, conventional RIS systems have the following problems. Generally, RIS systems are located in fixed places such as buildings. Therefore, there is a problem that transmission and reception performance may deteriorate if the mobile terminal transmitting and receiving the beam to which the RIS is applied moves continuously. In addition, there is a lack of efficient methods to determine which RIS to select in an environment where multiple RIS systems exist. Therefore, it is necessary to develop technology for dynamic beam adjustment methods based on terminal movement and optimal path selection methods in a multi-RIS environment. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a general RIS system configuration diagram according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a configuration diagram according to terminal movement in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a configuration diagram of Area #1, a single RIS system application, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a configuration diagram of Area #2, a single RIS system application, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a configuration diagram of Area #3 for a single RIS system application according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a configuration diagram of Area #1, which applies to two RI