Future wireless networks are expected to constitute a distributed intelligent wireless communications, sensing, and computing platform, which will have the challenging requirement of interconnecting the physical and digital worlds in a seamless and sustainable manner. Currently, two main factors prevent wireless network operators from building such networks: (1) the lack of control of the wireless environment, whose impact on the radio waves cannot be customized, and (2) the current operation of wireless radios, which consume a lot of power because new signals are generated whenever data has to be transmitted. In this paper, we challenge the usual “more data needs more power and emission of radio waves” status quo, and motivate that future wireless networks necessitate a smart radio environment: a transformative wireless concept, where the environmental objects are coated with artificial thin films of electromagnetic and reconfigurable material (that are referred to as reconfigurable intelligent meta-surfaces), which are capable of sensing the environment and of applying customized transformations to the radio waves. Smart radio environments have the potential to provide future wireless networks with uninterrupted wireless connectivity, and with the capability of transmitting data without generating new signals but recycling existing radio waves. We will discuss, in particular, two major types of reconfigurable intelligent meta-surfaces applied to wireless networks. The first type of meta-surfaces will be embedded into, e.g., walls, and will be directly controlled by the wireless network operators via a software controller in order to shape the radio waves for, e.g., improving the network coverage. The second type of meta-surfaces will be embedded into objects, e.g., smart t-shirts with sensors for health monitoring, and will backscatter the radio waves generated by cellular base stations in order to report their sensed data to mobile phones. These functionalities will enable wireless network operators to offer new services without the emission of additional radio waves, but by recycling those already existing for other purposes. This paper overviews the current research efforts on smart radio environments, the enabling technologies to realize them in practice, the need of new communication-theoretic models for their analysis and design, and the long-term and open research issues to be solved towards their massive deployment. In a nutshell, this paper is focused on discussing how the availability of reconfigurable intelligent meta-surfaces will allow wireless network operators to redesign common and well-known network communication paradigms.

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Smart radio environments empowered by reconfigurable AI meta-surfaces: an idea whose time has come

The use of flying platforms such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), popularly known as drones, is rapidly growing. In particular, with their inherent attributes such as mobility, flexibility, and adaptive altitude, UAVs admit several key potential applications in wireless systems. On the one hand, UAVs can be used as aerial base stations to enhance coverage, capacity, reliability, and energy efficiency of wireless networks. On the other hand, UAVs can operate as flying mobile terminals within a cellular network. Such cellular-connected UAVs can enable several applications ranging from real-time video streaming to item delivery. In this paper, a comprehensive tutorial on the potential benefits and applications of UAVs in wireless communications is presented. Moreover, the important challenges and the fundamental tradeoffs in UAV-enabled wireless networks are thoroughly investigated. In particular, the key UAV challenges such as 3D deployment, performance analysis, channel modeling, and energy efficiency are explored along with representative results. Then, open problems and potential research directions pertaining to UAV communications are introduced. Finally, various analytical frameworks and mathematical tools, such as optimization theory, machine learning, stochastic geometry, transport theory, and game theory are described. The use of such tools for addressing unique UAV problems is also presented. In a nutshell, this tutorial provides key guidelines on how to analyze, optimize, and design UAV-based wireless communication systems.

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A Tutorial on UAVs for Wireless Networks: Applications, Challenges, and Open Problems

The use of flying platforms such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), popularly known as drones, is rapidly growing. In particular, with their inherent attributes such as mobility, flexibility, and adaptive altitude, UAVs admit several key potential applications in wireless systems. On the one hand, UAVs can be used as aerial base stations to enhance coverage, capacity, reliability, and energy efficiency of wireless networks. On the other hand, UAVs can operate as flying mobile terminals within a cellular network. Such cellular-connected UAVs can enable several applications ranging from real-time video streaming to item delivery. In this paper, a comprehensive tutorial on the potential benefits and applications of UAVs in wireless communications is presented. Moreover, the important challenges and the fundamental tradeoffs in UAV-enabled wireless networks are thoroughly investigated. In particular, the key UAV challenges such as three-dimensional deployment, performance analysis, channel modeling, and energy efficiency are explored along with representative results. Then, open problems and potential research directions pertaining to UAV communications are introduced. Finally, various analytical frameworks and mathematical tools such as optimization theory, machine learning, stochastic geometry, transport theory, and game theory are described. The use of such tools for addressing unique UAV problems is also presented. In a nutshell, this tutorial provides key guidelines on how to analyze, optimize, and design UAV-based wireless communication systems.

Radio waves carry both energy and information simultaneously. Nevertheless, radio-frequency (RF) transmissions of these quantities have traditionally been treated separately. Currently, the community is experiencing a paradigm shift in wireless network design, namely, unifying wireless transmission of information and power so as to make the best use of the RF spectrum and radiation as well as the network infrastructure for the dual purpose of communicating and energizing. In this paper, we review and discuss recent progress in laying the foundations of the envisioned dual purpose networks by establishing a signal theory and design for wireless information and power transmission (WIPT) and identifying the fundamental tradeoff between conveying information and power wirelessly. We start with an overview of WIPT challenges and technologies, namely, simultaneous WIPT (SWIPT), wirelessly powered communication networks (WPCNs), and wirelessly powered backscatter communication (WPBC). We then characterize energy harvesters and show how WIPT signal and system designs crucially revolve around the underlying energy harvester model. To that end, we highlight three different energy harvester models, namely, one linear model and two nonlinear models, and show how WIPT designs differ for each of them in single-user and multi-user deployments. Topics discussed include rate-energy region characterization, transmitter and receiver architectures, waveform design, modulation, beamforming and input distribution optimizations, resource allocation, and RF spectrum use. We discuss and check the validity of the different energy harvester models and the resulting signal theory and design based on circuit simulations, prototyping, and experimentation. We also point out numerous directions that are promising for future research.

Fundamentals of Wireless Information and Power Transfer: From RF Energy Harvester Models to Signal and System Designs

The use of multiple antennas at base stations is a key component in the design of cellular communication systems that can meet high-capacity demands in the downlink. Under ideal conditions, the gai ...

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Optimal Resource Allocation in Coordinated Multi-Cell Systems

This paper investigates multiuser multiple-input–multiple-output (MIMO) wireless powered communication networks where a multiantenna hybrid access point (H-AP) transfers wireless energy to multiantenna users in a downlink phase, and the users utilize the harvested energy for their information transmission to the H-AP in an uplink phase. By employing space-division multiple-access techniques, we propose an optimal algorithm that jointly computes the downlink energy precoding matrices, the uplink information precoding matrices, and time allocation between the downlink and the uplink phases for maximizing the uplink sum-rate performance. To this end, we first obtain the optimal energy and information transmit covariance matrices with given time allocation. Then, the optimal time allocation can be efficiently identified by a simple line search method. Simulation results verify that the proposed joint optimal algorithm significantly improves the average sum-rate performance, compared with a conventional scheme that determines time allocation and precoding matrices separately.

Sum-Rate Maximization for Multiuser MIMO Wireless Powered Communication Networks

This paper investigates the optimal transmit beamforming designs for simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) in multiple-input single-output interference channels (IFC). Based on cooperation level among transmitters and receivsers, we classify the SWIPT IFC systems into two categories. First, we consider the IFC with partial cooperation , where only channel state information (CSI) is available at transmitters and receivers, but not the signal waveform. Second, we examine the IFC with signal cooperation , where both the CSI and the signal waveforms are known to transmitters and receivers. Then, for the both scenarios, we identify the Pareto boundary of the achievable rate-energy (R-E) region which characterizes the optimal tradeoff between the information rate and the harvested energy. To this end, the problems for maximizing the information rate are formulated with minimum required harvested energy constraint. To solve these non-convex problems, we introduce parameterization techniques for characterizing the R-E region. As a result, the original problem is separated into two subproblems, for which closed-form solutions are obtained by addressing the line search method. Finally, we provide numerical examples for the Pareto boundary of the R-E region through simulations.

Optimal Beamforming Designs for Wireless Information and Power Transfer in MISO Interference Channels

In this paper, we investigate wireless powered communication network for OFDM systems, where a hybrid access point (H-AP) broadcasts energy signals to users in the downlink, and the users transmit information signals to the H-AP in the uplink based on orthogonal frequency division multiple access. We consider a full-duplex H-AP which simultaneously transmits energy signals and receives information signals. In this scenario, we address a joint subcarrier scheduling and power allocation problem to maximize the sum-rate under two cases: perfect self-interference cancelation (SIC) where the H-AP fully eliminates its self-interference (SI) and imperfect SIC where residual SI exists. In general, the problems for both cases are nonconvex due to the subcarrier scheduling, and thus it requires an exhaustive search method, which is prohibitively complicated to obtain an optimal solution. In order to reduce the complexity, for the perfect SIC scenario, we jointly optimize subcarrier scheduling and power allocation by applying the Lagrange duality method. Next, for the imperfect SIC case, the problem becomes more complicated due to the SI at the H-AP. To solve this problem, we propose an iterative algorithm based on the projected gradient method. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm for the case of perfect SIC exhibits almost the same sum-rate performance compared to the optimal algorithm, and the proposed iterative algorithm for the imperfect SIC case offers a significant performance gain over conventional schemes.

Joint Subcarrier and Power Allocation Methods in Full Duplex Wireless Powered Communication Networks for OFDM Systems

In this paper, we investigate the outage and ergodic capacity of downlink distributed antenna systems (DAS) where each distributed antenna unit (DAU) has multiple antennas with per-DAU power constraint. We first derive the optimal beamforming vector in a closed form by applying a matrix minor condition to relax the positive semi-definite constraint. We observe that our derived solution has a form of maximum ratio transmission per each DAU with full power. Based on the derived optimal beamforming, the outage and ergodic capacity under Rayleigh fading channels are analyzed. To this end, we show that a distribution of the received signal-to-noise ratio is characterized as a Gamma distribution by approximating a sum of non-identical independent Nakagami-m random variables as a single Nakagami-m random variable based on the moment matching method. Then, we present an accurate formula of the outage and ergodic capacity in a closed form which matches well with the simulation results. Furthermore, we derive an upper bound of an achievable average rate of DAS with limited feedback. We then propose a new feedback bit allocation algorithm to maximize the derived metric. Simulation results confirm the accuracy of the derived outage and ergodic capacity expressions and the efficiency of the proposed bit allocation method.

Optimal Beamforming Schemes and its Capacity Behavior for Downlink Distributed Antenna Systems

In this paper, we study a vertical beamforming technique for multiple-input multiple-output downlink multi-user systems. In general, the transmit antenna gain is controlled by adjusting the boresight of antennas in directional antennas, and thus the cell average rate varies according to the angle of the boresight. First, we compute the tilting angles for directional antenna systems which maximize the cell average rate. To this end, the probability density function of a three-dimensional user distribution is derived. Based on the result, we analyze the average rate gain of active antenna systems over passive antenna systems for a single user case. Furthermore, for a multi-user active antenna system, beamforming designs to maximize the weighted sum rate are proposed by optimizing the transmit antenna gain and power allocation. Since finding joint optimal parameters requires prohibitively high computational complexity, we separate the optimization problem into two sub-problems of the vertical beamforming and the power allocation. Then a simple vertical beamforming algorithm based on a high signal-to-noise ratio assumption is presented. Also, for a multi-user passive antenna system, we provide a beamforming scheme based on a multi-sector concept. Simulation results show that the proposed beamforming schemes outperform the conventional beamforming schemes.

Han-Bae Kong

Papers

Sum-Rate Maximization for Multiuser MIMO Wireless Powered Communication Networks

Optimal Beamforming Designs for Wireless Information and Power Transfer in MISO Interference Channels

Joint Subcarrier and Power Allocation Methods in Full Duplex Wireless Powered Communication Networks for OFDM Systems

Optimal Beamforming Schemes and its Capacity Behavior for Downlink Distributed Antenna Systems

Downlink Vertical Beamforming Designs for Active Antenna Systems