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This paper proposes a cooperative integrated sensing and communication network (Co-ISACNet) adopting hybrid beamforming (HBF) architecture, which improves both radar sensing and communication performance. The main contributions of this work are four-fold. First, we introduce a novel cooperative sensing method for the considered Co-ISACNet, followed by a comprehensive analysis of this method. This analysis mathematically verifies the benefits of Co-ISACNet and provides insightful design guidelines. Second, to show the benefits of Co-ISACNet, we propose to jointly design the HBF to maximize the network communication capacity while satisfying the constraint of beampattern similarity for radar sensing, which results in a highly dimensional and non-convex problem. Third, to facilitate the joint design, we propose a novel distributed optimization framework based on proximal gradient and alternating direction method of multipliers, namely PANDA. Fourth, we further adopt the proposed PANDA framework to solve the joint HBF design problem for the Co-ISACNet. By using the proposed PANDA framework, all access points (APs) optimize the HBF in parallel, where each AP only requires local channel state information and limited message exchange among the APs. Such framework reduces significantly the computational complexity and thus has pronounced benefits in practical scenarios. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm compared with the conventional centralized algorithm and show the remarkable performance improvement of radar sensing and communication by deploying Co-ISACNet.

This work investigates the modeling and optimization of beyond diagonal reconfigurable intelligent surface (BD-RIS), which generalizes conventional RIS with diagonal phase shift matrices and provides additional flexibility for manipulating wireless channels, in wideband communication systems. Specifically, we start from the signal modeling of the BD-RIS-aided orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system, which bridges the time-domain and frequency-domain channels, and explicitly shows the frequency dependence of the BD-RIS response. We next characterize the frequency dependence of the BD-RIS response based on circuit models. Benefiting from the admittance parameter analysis, we model individually each tunable admittance component of BD-RIS and derive an approximated linear expression with respect to the frequency of the transmit signals. With the proposed signal model for the BD-RIS-aided OFDM system and the frequency-dependent BD-RIS model, we propose algorithms to optimize the BD-RIS and the power allocation at the transmitter to maximize the average rate for a BD-RIS-aided OFDM system. Finally, simulation results show that BD-RIS outperforms conventional RIS in the OFDM system. More importantly, the impact of wideband modeling of BD-RIS on the system performance becomes more significant as the circuit complexity of BD-RIS architectures increases., Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, submitted to IEEE journal. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2403.12893

Beyond diagonal reconfigurable intelligent surface (BD-RIS) is a new advance and generalization of the RIS technique. BD-RIS breaks through the isolation between RIS elements by creatively introducing inter-element connections, thereby enabling smarter wave manipulation and enlarging coverage. However, exploring proper channel estimation schemes suitable for BD-RIS aided communication systems still remains an open problem. In this paper, we study channel estimation and beamforming design for BD-RIS aided multi-antenna systems. We first describe the channel estimation strategy based on the least square (LS) method, derive the mean square error (MSE) of the LS estimation, and formulate the joint pilot sequence and BD-RIS design problem with unique constraints induced by BD-RIS architectures. Specifically, we propose an efficient pilot sequence and BD-RIS design which theoretically guarantees to achieve the minimum MSE. With the estimated channel, we then consider two BD-RIS scenarios and propose beamforming design algorithms. Finally, we provide simulation results to verify the effectiveness of the proposed channel estimation scheme and beamforming design algorithms. We also show that more interelement connections in BD-RIS improves the performance while increasing the training overhead for channel estimation., Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures, submitted to IEEE journal

This work studies the wideband modeling and beamforming design of beyond diagonal reconfigurable intelligent surface (BD-RIS), which generalizes and goes beyond conventional RIS with diagonal phase shift matrices to achieve enhanced channel gain. Specifically, we investigate the response of BD-RIS in wideband systems by going back to its hardware circuit realizations. We propose a novel wideband model which has simple expressions while capturing the response variations of BD-RIS for signals with different frequencies. With this wideband model, we propose a BD-RIS design algorithm for an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing system to maximize the average rate over all subcarriers. Finally, we provide simulation results to evaluate the performance of the proposed design and show the importance of wideband modeling for BD-RIS., Comment: Submitted to IEEE for publication

Beyond diagonal reconfigurable intelligent surface (BD-RIS) extends conventional RIS through novel architectures, such as group-connected RIS, with scattering matrix not restricted to being diagonal. However, it remains unexplored how to optimally group the elements in group-connected RISs to maximize the performance while maintaining a low-complexity circuit. In this study, we propose and model BD-RIS with a static grouping strategy optimized based on the channel statistics. After formulating the corresponding problems, we design the grouping in single- and multi-user systems. Numerical results reveal the benefits of grouping optimization, i.e., up to 60% sum rate improvement, especially in highly correlated channels., Comment: Accepted by IEEE for publication

Multiple access techniques are cornerstones of wireless communications. Their performance depends on the channel properties, which can be improved by reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs). In this work, we jointly optimize MA precoding at the base station (BS) and RIS configuration. We tackle difficulties of mutual coupling between RIS elements, scalability to more than 1000 RIS elements, and channel estimation. We first derive an RIS-assisted channel model considering mutual coupling, then propose an unsupervised machine learning (ML) approach to optimize the RIS. In particular, we design a dedicated neural network (NN) architecture RISnet with good scalability and desired symmetry. Moreover, we combine ML-enabled RIS configuration and analytical precoding at BS since there exist analytical precoding schemes. Furthermore, we propose another variant of RISnet, which requires the channel state information (CSI) of a small portion of RIS elements (in this work, 16 out of 1296 elements) if the channel comprises a few specular propagation paths. More generally, this work is an early contribution to combine ML technique and domain knowledge in communication for NN architecture design. Compared to generic ML, the problem-specific ML can achieve higher performance, lower complexity and symmetry., Comment: 13 pages, 16 figures

Reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) is an emerging paradigm able to control the propagation environment in wireless systems. Most of the research on RIS has been dedicated to system optimization and, with the advent of beyond diagonal RIS (BD-RIS), to RIS architecture design. However, developing general and unified electromagnetic (EM)-consistent models for RIS-aided systems remains an open problem. In this study, we propose a universal framework for the multiport network analysis of RIS-aided systems. With our framework, we model RIS-aided systems and RIS architectures through impedance, admittance, and scattering parameter analysis. Based on these analyses, three equivalent models are derived accounting for the effects of impedance mismatching and mutual coupling. The three models are then simplified by assuming large transmission distances, perfect matching, and no mutual coupling to understand the role of the RIS in the communication model. The derived simplified models are consistent with the typical model used in related literature, although we show that an additional approximation is commonly considered in the literature. We discuss the benefits of each analysis in characterizing and optimizing the RIS and how to select the most suitable parameters according to the needs. Numerical results provide additional evidence of the equivalence of the three analyses., Comment: Accepted by IEEE for publication

This work studies the modeling and optimization of beyond diagonal reconfigurable intelligent surface (BD-RIS) aided wireless communication systems in the presence of mutual coupling among the RIS elements. Specifically, we first derive the mutual coupling aware BD-RIS aided communication model using scattering and impedance parameter analysis. Based on the obtained communication model, we propose a general BD-RIS optimization algorithm applicable to different architectures of BD-RIS to maximize the channel gain. Numerical results validate the effectiveness of the proposed design and demonstrate that the larger the mutual coupling the larger the gain offered by BD-RIS over conventional diagonal RIS., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted by IEEE Commun. Lett

Recently, beyond diagonal reconfigurable intelligent surface (BD-RIS) has been proposed to generalize conventional RIS. BD-RIS has a scattering matrix that is not restricted to being diagonal and thus brings a performance improvement over conventional RIS. While different BD-RIS architectures have been proposed, it still remains an open problem to develop a systematic approach to design BD-RIS architectures achieving the optimal trade-off between performance and circuit complexity. In this work, we propose novel modeling, architecture design, and optimization for BD-RIS based on graph theory. This graph theoretical modeling allows us to develop two new efficient BD-RIS architectures, denoted as tree-connected and forest-connected RIS. Tree-connected RIS, whose corresponding graph is a tree, is proven to be the least complex BD-RIS architecture able to achieve the performance upper bound in multiple-input single-output (MISO) systems. Besides, forest-connected RIS allows us to strike a balance between performance and complexity, further decreasing the complexity over tree-connected RIS. To optimize tree-connected RIS, we derive a closed-form global optimal solution, while forest-connected RIS is optimized through a low-complexity iterative algorithm. Numerical results confirm that tree-connected (resp. forest-connected) RIS achieves the same performance as fully-connected (resp. group-connected) RIS, while reducing the complexity by up to 16.4 times., Comment: Accepted by IEEE for publication

This work focuses on the synergy of rate-splitting multiple access (RSMA) and beyond diagonal reconfigurable intelligent surface (BD-RIS) to enlarge the coverage, improve the performance, and save on antennas. Specifically, we employ a multi-sector BD-RIS modeled as a prism, which can achieve highly directional full-space coverage, in a multiuser multiple input single output communication system. With the multi-sector BD-RIS aided RSMA model, we jointly design the transmit precoder and BD-RIS matrix under the imperfect channel state information (CSI) conditions. The robust design is performed by solving a stochastic average sum-rate maximization problem. With sample average approximation and weighted minimum mean square error-rate relationship, the stochastic problem is transformed into a deterministic one with multiple blocks, each of which is iteratively designed. Simulation results show that multi-sector BD-RIS aided RSMA outperforms space division multiple access schemes. More importantly, synergizing multi-sector BD-RIS with RSMA is an efficient strategy to reduce the number of active antennas at the transmitter and the number of passive antennas in BD-RIS., Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures, accepted by IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications

Reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) has been envisioned as a promising technique to enable and enhance future wireless communications due to its potential to engineer the wireless channels in a cost-effective manner. Extensive research attention has been drawn to the use of conventional RIS 1.0 with diagonal phase shift matrices, where each RIS element is connected to its own load to ground but not connected to other elements. However, the simple architecture of RIS 1.0 limits its flexibility of manipulating passive beamforming. To fully exploit the benefits of RIS, in this paper, we introduce RIS 2.0 beyond diagonal phase shift matrices, namely beyond diagonal RIS (BD-RIS). We first explain the modeling of BD-RIS based on the scattering parameter network analysis and classify BD-RIS by the mathematical characteristics of the scattering matrix, supported modes, and architectures. Then, we provide simulations to evaluate the sum-rate performance with different modes/architectures of BD-RIS. We summarize the benefits of BD-RIS in providing high flexibility in wave manipulation, enlarging coverage, facilitating the deployment, and requiring low complexity in resolution bit and element numbers. Inspired by the benefits of BD-RIS, we also discuss potential applications of BD-RIS in various wireless systems. Finally, we list key challenges in modeling, designing, and implementing BD-RIS in practice and point to possible future research directions for BD-RIS., Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, submitted to IEEE journal for possible publication

This work focuses on the use of reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) in dual-function radar-communication (DFRC) systems to improve communication capacity and sensing precision, and enhance coverage for both functions. In contrast to most of the existing RIS aided DFRC works where the RIS is modeled as a diagonal phase shift matrix and can only reflect signals to half space, we propose a novel beyond diagonal RIS (BD-RIS) aided DFRC system. Specifically, the proposed BD-RIS supports the hybrid reflecting and transmitting mode, and is compatible with flexible architectures, enabling the system to realize full-space coverage and to achieve enhanced performance. To achieve the expected benefits, we jointly optimize the transmit waveform, the BD-RIS matrices, and sensing receive filters, by maximizing the minimum signal-to-clutter-plus-noise ratio for fair target detection, subject to the constraints of the communication quality of service, different BD-RIS architectures and power budget. To solve the non-convex and non-smooth max-min problem, a general solution based on the alternating direction method of multipliers is provided. Numerical simulations validate the efficacy of the proposed algorithm and show the superiority of the BD-RIS aided DFRC system in terms of both communication and sensing compared to conventional RIS aided DFRC., Comment: IEEE Transactions on Communications, 2024

Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) allow controlling the propagation environment in wireless networks by tuning multiple reflecting elements. RISs have been traditionally realized through single connected architectures, mathematically characterized by a diagonal scattering matrix. Recently, beyond diagonal RISs (BD-RISs) have been proposed as a novel branch of RISs whose scattering matrix is not limited to be diagonal, which creates new benefits and opportunities for RISs. Efficient BD-RIS architectures have been realized based on group and fully connected reconfigurable impedance networks. However, a closed-form solution for the global optimal scattering matrix of these architectures is not yet available. In this paper, we provide such a closed-form solution proving that the theoretical performance upper bounds can be exactly achieved for any channel realization. We first consider the received signal power maximization in single-user single-input single-output (SISO) systems aided by a BD-RIS working in reflective or transmissive mode. Then, we extend our solution to single-user multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) and multi-user multiple-input single-output (MISO) systems. We show that our algorithm is less complex than the iterative optimization algorithms employed in the previous literature. The complexity of our algorithm grows linearly (resp. cubically) with the number of RIS elements in the case of group (resp. fully) connected architectures., Comment: Accepted by IEEE for publication

Ambient backscatter communication (AmBC) leverages the existing ambient radio frequency (RF) environment to implement communication with battery-free devices. One critical challenge of AmBC systems is signal recovery because the transmitted information bits are embedded in the ambient RF signals and these are unknown and uncontrollable. To address this problem, most existing approaches use averaging-based energy detectors and consequently the data rate is low and there is an error floor. Here we propose a new detection strategy based on the ratio between signals received from a multiple-antenna Reader. The advantage of using the ratio is that ambient RF signals are removed directly from the embedded signals without averaging and hence it can increase data rates and avoid the error floor. Different from original ratio detectors that use the magnitude ratio of the signals between two Reader antennas, in our proposed approach, we utilize the complex ratio so that phase information is preserved and propose an accurate linear channel model approximation. This allows the application of existing linear detection techniques from which we can obtain a minimum distance detector and closed-form expressions for bit error rate (BER). In addition, averaging, coding and interleaving can also be included to further enhance the BER. The results are also general, allowing any number of Reader antennas to be utilized in the approach. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed approach performs better than approaches based on energy detection and original ratio detectors.

Beyond diagonal reconfigurable intelligent surface (BD-RIS) is a novel branch of RIS which breaks through the limitation of traditional RIS with diagonal scattering matrices. However, the existing research focuses on BD-RIS with fixed architectures regardless of channel state information (CSI), which limit the achievable performance of BD-RIS. To solve this issue, in this paper, we propose a novel dynamically group-connected BD-RIS based on a dynamic grouping strategy. Specifically, RIS antennas are dynamically divided into several subsets adapting to the CSI, yielding a permuted block-diagonal scattering matrix. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed dynamically group-connected BD-RIS, we propose an efficient algorithm to optimize the BD-RIS with dynamic grouping for a BD-RIS-assisted multi-user multiple-input single-output system. Simulation results show that the proposed dynamically group-connected architecture outperforms fixed group-connected architectures., Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, accepted by IEEE Trans. Veh. Technol

Reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) has gained much traction due to its potential to manipulate the propagation environment via nearly-passive reconfigurable elements. In our previous work, we have analyzed and proposed a beyond diagonal RIS (BD-RIS) model, which is not limited to traditional diagonal phase shift matrices, to unify different RIS modes/architectures. In this paper, we create a new branch of BD-RIS supporting a multi-sector mode. A multi-sector BD-RIS is modeled as multiple antennas connected to a multi-port group-connected reconfigurable impedance network. More specifically, antennas are divided into $L$ ($L \ge 2$) sectors and arranged as a polygon prism with each sector covering $1/L$ space. Different from the recently introduced concept of intelligent omni-surface (or simultaneously transmitting and reflecting RIS), the multi-sector BD-RIS not only achieves a full-space coverage, but also has significant performance gains thanks to the highly directional beam of each sector.We derive the constraint of the multi-sector BD-RIS and the corresponding channel model taking into account the relationship between antenna beamwidth and gain. With the proposed model, we first derive the scaling law of the received signal power for a multi-sector BD-RIS-assisted single-user system. We then propose efficient beamforming design algorithms to maximize the sum-rate of the multi-sector BD-RIS-assisted multiuser system. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed design and demonstrate the performance enhancement of the proposed multi-sector BD-RIS., Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures, submitted to IEEE journal

A method for achieving the continuous-space electromagnetic channel capacity bound using loaded N-port structures is described. It is relevant for the design of compact multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennas that can achieve channel capacity bounds when constrained by size. The method is not restricted to a specific antenna configuration and a closed-form expression for the channel capacity limits are provided with various constraints. Furthermore, using loaded N-port structures to represent arbitrary antenna geometries, an efficient optimization approach is proposed for finding the optimum MIMO antenna design that achieves the channel capacity bounds. Simulation results of the channel capacity bounds achieved using our MIMO antenna design with one square wavelength size are provided. These show that at least 18 ports can be supported in one square wavelength and achieve the continuous-space electromagnetic channel capacity bound. The results demonstrate that our method can link continuous-space electromagnetic channel capacity bounds to MIMO antenna design.

Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) are envisioned as a promising technology for future wireless communications. With various hardware realizations, RISs can work under different modes (reflective/transmissive/hybrid) or have different architectures (single/group/fully-connected). However, most existing research focused on single-connected reflective RISs, mathematically characterized by diagonal phase shift matrices, while there is a lack of a comprehensive study for RISs unifying different modes/architectures. In this paper, we solve this issue by analyzing and proposing a general RIS-aided communication model. Specifically, we establish an RIS model not limited to diagonal phase shift matrices, a novel branch referred to as beyond diagonal RIS (BD-RIS), unifying modes and architectures. With the proposed model, we develop efficient algorithms to jointly design transmit precoder and BDRIS matrix to maximize the sum-rate for RIS-aided systems. We also provide simulation results to compare the performance of BD-RISs with different modes/architectures. Simulation results show that under the same mode, fully- and group-connected RIS can effectively increase the sum-rate performance compared with single-connected RIS, and that hybrid RIS outperforms reflective/transmissive RIS with the same architecture., Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures, 2 tables, submitted to Transactions on Wireless Communications

Rate-splitting multiple access (RSMA) has been recognized as a promising and powerful multiple access (MA) scheme, non-orthogonal transmission framework and interference management strategy for 6G. Inspired by the appealing spectral efficiency gain achieved by RSMA over conventional MA schemes in multi-user multi-antenna transmission, in this paper we introduce RSMA to reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)-aided multiple-input single-out (MISO) broadcast channel (BC). To further enhance the spectral efficiency, a more generalized RIS architecture called fully connected RIS is considered. By jointly optimizing the scattering matrix of the fully connected RIS and the transmit beamformers to maximize the sum-rate, we show that the proposed fully connected RIS aided RSMA transmission scheme significantly improves the spectral efficiency compared with the conventional single connected RIS schemes and the schemes without RIS. It acts as a new benchmark for linearly precoded multi-user multi-antenna networks., Comment: 6 pages, 5figures, conference

The channel estimation overhead of reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) assisted communication systems can be prohibitive. Prior works have demonstrated via simulations that grouping neighbouring RIS elements can help to reduce the pilot overhead and improve achievable rate. In this paper, we present an analytical study of RIS element grouping. We derive a tight closed-form upper bound for the achievable rate and then maximize it with respect to the group size. Our analysis reveals that more coarse-grained grouping is important-when the channel coherence time is low (high mobility scenarios) or the transmit power is large. We also demonstrate that optimal grouping can yield significant performance improvements over simple `On-Off' RIS element switching schemes that have been recently considered., Comment: Submitted to IEEE Wireless Communications Letters

Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) allow controlling the propagation environment in wireless networks through reconfigurable elements. Recently, beyond diagonal RISs (BD-RISs) have been proposed as novel RIS architectures whose scattering matrix is not limited to being diagonal. However, BDRISs have been studied assuming continuous-value scattering matrices, which are hard to implement in practice. In this paper, we address this problem by proposing two solutions to realize discrete-value group and fully connected RISs. First, we propose scalar-discrete RISs, in which each entry of the RIS impedance matrix is independently discretized. Second, we propose vector-discrete RISs, where the entries in each group of the RIS impedance matrix are jointly discretized. In both solutions, the codebook is designed offline such as to minimize the distortion caused in the RIS impedance matrix by the discretization operation. Numerical results show that vector-discrete RISs achieve higher performance than scalar discrete RISs at the cost of increased optimization complexity. Furthermore, fewer resolution bits per impedance are necessary to achieve the performance upper bound as the group size of the group connected architecture increases. In particular, only a single resolution bit is sufficient in fully connected RISs to approximately achieve the performance upper bound., Comment: Accepted by IEEE for publication

In this paper, we design, prototype, and experiment a closed-loop radiative wireless power transfer (WPT) system with adaptive waveform and beamforming using limited feedback. Spatial and frequency domains are exploited by jointly utilizing multi-sine waveform and multi-antenna beamforming at the transmitter in WPT system to adapt to the multipath fading channel and boost the output dc power. A closed-loop architecture based on a codebook design and a low complexity over-the-air limited feedback using an IEEE 802.15.4 RF interface is proposed. The codebook consists of multiple codewords where each codeword represents particular waveform and beamforming. The transmitter sweeps through the codebook and then the receiver feeds back the index of the optimal codeword, so that the waveform and beamforming can be adapted to the multipath fading channel to maximize the output dc power without requiring explicit channel estimation and the knowledge of accurate Channel State Information. The proposed closed-loop WPT with adaptive waveform and beamforming using limited feedback is prototyped using a Software Defined Radio equipment and measured in a real indoor environment. The measurement results show that the proposed closed-loop WPT with adaptive waveform and beamforming can increase the output dc power by up to 14.7 dB compared with the conventional single-tone and single-antenna WPT system., Comment: 9 pages, 11 figures

Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) are an emerging technology for future wireless communication. The vast majority of recent research on RIS has focused on system level optimizations. However, developing straightforward and tractable electromagnetic models that are suitable for RIS aided communication modeling remains an open issue. In this paper, we address this issue and derive communication models by using rigorous scattering parameter network analysis. We also propose new RIS architectures based on group and fully connected reconfigurable impedance networks that can adjust not only the phases but also the magnitudes of the impinging waves, which are more general and more efficient than conventional single connected reconfigurable impedance network that only adjusts the phases of the impinging waves. In addition, the scaling law of the received signal power of an RIS aided system with reconfigurable impedance networks is also derived. Compared with the single connected reconfigurable impedance network, our group and fully connected reconfigurable impedance network can increase the received signal power by up to 62%, or maintain the same received signal power with a number of RIS elements reduced by up to 21%. We also investigate the proposed architecture in deployments with distance-dependent pathloss and Rician fading channel, and show that the proposed group and fully connected reconfigurable impedance networks outperform the single connected case by up to 34% and 48%, respectively., Comment: 14 Pages, 10 figures

In this paper, we design and experiment a far-field wireless power transfer (WPT) architecture based on distributed antennas, so-called WPT DAS, that dynamically selects transmit antenna and frequency to increase the output dc power. Uniquely, spatial and frequency diversities are jointly exploited in the proposed WPT DAS with low complexity, low cost, and flexible deployment to combat the wireless fading channel. A numerical experiment is designed to show the benefits using antenna and frequency selections in spatially and frequency selective fading channels for single-user and multi-user cases. Accordingly, the proposed WPT DAS for single-user and two-user cases is prototyped. At the transmitter, we adopt antenna selection to exploit spatial diversity and adopt frequency selection to exploit frequency diversity. A low-complexity over-the-air limited feedback using an IEEE 802.15.4 RF interface is designed for antenna and frequency selections and reporting from the receiver to the transmitter. The proposed WPT DAS prototype is demonstrated in a real indoor environment. The measurements show that WPT DAS can boost the output dc power by up to 30 dB in single-user case and boost the sum of output dc power by up to 21.8 dB in two-user case and broaden the service coverage area in a low cost, low complexity, and flexible manner.

Ambient backscatter communication (AmBC) leverages the existing ambient radio frequency (RF) environment to implement communication with battery-free devices. The key challenge in the development of AmBC is the very weak RF signals backscattered by the AmBC Tag. To overcome this challenge, we propose the use of orthogonal space-time block codes (OSTBC) by incorporating multiple antennas at the Tag as well as at the Reader. Our approach considers both coherent and non-coherent OSTBC so that systems with and without channel state information can be considered. To allow the application of OSTBC, we develop an approximate linearized and normalized multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channel model for the AmBC system. This MIMO channel model is shown to be accurate for a wide range of useful operating conditions. Two coherent detectors and a non-coherent detector are also provided based on the proposed AmBC channel model. Simulation results show that enhanced bit error rate performance can be achieved, demonstrating the benefit of using multiple antennas at the Tag as well as the Reader., Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures

In this paper, we study a multi-sine multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless power transfer (WPT) system with the objective to increase the output DC power. We jointly optimize the multi-sine waveform and beamforming accounting for the rectenna nonlinearity, and consider two combining schemes for the rectennas at the receiver, namely DC and RF combinings. For DC combining, the waveform and transmit beamforming are optimized, as a function of the channel state information (CSI). For RF combining, the optimal transmit and receive beamformings are provided in closed form and the waveform is optimized. We also consider a practical RF combining circuit using phase shifter and RF power combiner and optimize the waveform, transmit beamforming, and analog receive beamforming adaptive to the CSI. Two types of performance evaluations, based on the nonlinear rectenna model and accurate and realistic circuit simulations, are provided. The evaluations demonstrate that the joint waveform and beamforming design can increase the output DC power by leveraging the beamforming gain, the frequency diversity gain, and the rectenna nonlinearity. It also shows that the joint waveform and beamforming design provides a higher output DC power than the beamforming-only design with a relative gain of 180% in a two-transmit antenna sixteen-sinewave two-receive antenna setup., Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2009.05967

In this paper, we study the multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) wireless power transfer (WPT) system so as to enhance the output DC power of the rectennas. To that end, we revisit the rectenna nonlinearity considering multiple receive antennas. Two combining schemes for multiple rectennas at the receiver, DC and RF combinings, are modeled and analyzed. For DC combining, we optimize the transmit beamforming, adaptive to the channel state information (CSI), so as to maximize the total output DC power. For RF combining, we compute a closed-form solution of the optimal transmit and receive beamforming. In addition, we propose a practical RF combining circuit using RF phase shifter and RF power combiner and also optimize the analog receive beamforming adaptive to CSI. We also analytically derive the scaling laws of the output DC power as a function of the number of transmit and receive antennas. Those scaling laws confirm the benefits of using multiple antennas at the transmitter or receiver. They also highlight that RF combining significantly outperforms DC combining since it leverages the rectenna nonlinearity more efficiently. Two types of performance evaluations, based on the nonlinear rectenna model and based on realistic and accurate rectenna circuit simulations, are provided. The evaluations demonstrate that the output DC power can be linearly increased by using multiple rectennas at the receiver and that the relative gain of RF combining versus DC combining in terms of the output DC power level is very significant, of the order of 240% in a one-transmit antenna ten-receive antenna setup., Comment: 14 pages,9 figures