2-bit intelligent reflection surface enhances urban wireless communications: an experimental study

Intelligent Reflective Surfaces (IRS) have emerged as a promising technology for future wireless communication, Due to system complexity constraints, most IRS implementations have adopted 1-bit reconfigurable schemes, lacking test results in outdoor real communication environments. This paper introd...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Zhao, Yufei, Afkar Mohamed Ismail, Ju, Gaohua, Wang, Ziyue, Liu, Yile, Guan, Yong Liang
Other Authors: School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Format: Conference Paper
Language:English
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/182844
Description
Summary:Intelligent Reflective Surfaces (IRS) have emerged as a promising technology for future wireless communication, Due to system complexity constraints, most IRS implementations have adopted 1-bit reconfigurable schemes, lacking test results in outdoor real communication environments. This paper introduces a novel 2-bit phase reconfigurable IRS design method, where each Radio Frequency (RF) unit is independently controlled, allowing arbitrary switching between 4 different phase states to adapt to the varying complexities of communication environments. Furthermore, the comparative transmission experiments in an outdoor far-field environment have been implemented. The experimental results demonstrate that deploying the IRS can significantly enhance the signal reception power for blind zone users in urban settings. Compared to a metal plate, our IRS prototype exhibits exceptional beam control flexibility, showcasing a promising avenue for urban wireless enhancement.