According to the present disclosure, there are provided methods and devices for utilizing controllable metasurface devices capable of redirecting a wavefront transmitted by a transmitter to a receiver in the wireless network to take advantage of the controllable metasurface device capabilities, intelligence, coordination and speed, and thereby enable solutions having different signaling details and capability requirements. Embodiments for the methods and devices described herein provide mechanisms for identification, setup, signaling, control mechanism and communication of a communication network that includes one or more controllable metasurface device, one or more base station and one or more UE.

In some example embodiments, there may be provided an apparatus. The apparatus may include a surface including at least one electro-magnetic reflective element programmed to provide a plurality of reflected signals, such that the plurality of reflected signals constructively adds at a location of a receiver of the plurality of reflected signals. Related systems, methods, and articles of manufacture are also described.

An electronic device comprises a processing circuit configured to: acquire multiple pieces of channel information, which are obtained via multiple channel measurements, about an equivalent channel between a first communication device and a second communication device, wherein in each channel measurement, the second communication device obtains a piece of channel information on the basis of a received reference signal sent from the first communication device, and a reflection signal sent by an intelligent reflecting surface between the first communication device and the second communication device using a corresponding group of reflection parameters to reflect the reference signal; and by means of performing joint processing on multiple groups of reflection parameters used in the multiple channel measurements and the multiple pieces of acquired channel information, determine channel estimations of multiple integration sub-channels which are capable of representing the equivalent channel together with the reflection parameters of the intelligent reflecting surface.

According to embodiments, an example method of positioning a user equipment (UE) by a location server in a wireless communications network, the method may comprises receiving a request to perform positioning of the UE and receiving a notification from a first base station indicating that a transmission path between the first base station and the UE is via an intelligent reflecting surface (IRS). The method may further comprise responsive, at least in part, to receiving the notification, preventing the positioning of the UE from being based on a reference signal transmitted through the transmission path between the first base station and the UE.

Some aspects described herein relate to receiving, at a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS), a first configuration having a time interval for applying the first configuration to reflect signals from a network node, applying the first configuration to multiple antenna elements on the RIS for the time interval, and applying, based on expiration of the time interval, a second configuration, that is different from the first configuration, to the multiple antenna elements on the RIS. Other aspects relate to prioritizing configurations. Additional aspects relate to transmitting a default configuration and/or dynamic configuration to the RIS.

Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for initialization and operation of intelligent reflecting surface. The method may include transmitting a synchronization signal block burst to a reflection surface device. The method may also include receiving a first measurement report of the synchronization signal block burst received at the reflection surface device. The method may further include determining a transmit beam for a subsequent synchronization signal block burst based on a highest strength of signals in the synchronization signal block burst. In addition, the method may include receiving a second measurement report of the subsequent synchronization signal block burst. Further, the method may include determining an arrival angle of the subsequent synchronization signal block burst at the reflection surface device. The method may also include establishing a connection with the reflection surface device based on the transmit beam and the arrival angle.

An apparatus receives reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) information in a sidelink message from a controller of an RIS and transmits the RIS information to a base station. A base station receives RIS information for an RIS and transmits, to the RIS, a message indicating for the RIS to stop transmitting the RIS information. An RIS transmits, via a controller at the RIS, a sidelink message comprising RIS information for the RIS and receives, from a base station, an indication to stop transmitting the RIS information.

A wireless communication method using a large intelligent surface (LIS) is provided. The method includes transmitting preamble signals each with a different transmission time and transmission direction, receiving preamble signals through an LIS through which an incident radio wave is received and reflected and determining a reference angle of incidence for the preamble signals, receiving the preamble signals that are delivered through a multipath from the terminal, transmitting identification information of a preamble signal having the largest reception power among the received preamble signals to the LIS server, and when the preamble signals includes a preamble signal corresponding to the identification information received from the base station, controlling the LIS such that an angle of reflection at which a data service signal transmitted from the base station is reflected by the LIS corresponds to the reference angle of incidence determined for the preamble signal of the identification information.

The present disclosure provides a mode switching method for reducing training overheads in a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)-assisted communication system. The system includes one single-antenna base station, one single-antenna user terminal, and an RIS including N reflection elements, the single-antenna user terminal sends data to the single-antenna base station, however, when a direct link of a user-base station is blocked by a blockage, the data can be sent to the single-antenna base station only via the RIS; the RIS determines a proper reflection solution by using a controller, and dynamically adjusts a phase shift thereof to improve an achievable data rate of the system; and necessary information for phase shift adjustment can be obtained at the base station by uplink training, and transmitted to the RIS controller by using a control link.

Example implementations include a method, apparatus and computer-readable medium of wireless communication to be performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising receiving, from a base station, a synchronization signal block (SSB) via a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS), the SSB corresponding to a first SSB type configured for RIS-assisted procedures. The implementations further include performing, with the base station according to the SSB, a random access channel (RACH) procedure. Additionally, the implementations further include transmitting, to the base station according to the SSB, an indication that the SSB corresponds to the first SSB type as part of the RACH procedure.