Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface Equipped UAV in Emergency Wireless Communications: A New Fading-Shadowing Model and Performance Analysis

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new fading-shadowing model for RIS-equipped UAVs in post-disaster scenarios, deriving performance metrics and optimizing system parameters to enhance emergency wireless communications.

Contribution

It develops a novel channel model for debris-induced path loss and provides analytical expressions for key performance metrics, including optimization strategies.

Findings

The new model accurately fits debris-affected path loss.

Derived closed-form expressions for capacity, energy efficiency, and outage probability.

Optimal RIS element number and UAV altitude improve communication performance.

Abstract

Communication infrastructure is often severely disrupted in post-disaster areas, which interrupts communications and impedes rescue. Recently, the technology of reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)-equipped-UAV has been investigated as a feasible approach to assist communication under such conditions. However, the channel characteristics in the post-disaster area rapidly change due to the topographical changes caused by secondary disasters and the high mobility of UAVs. In this paper we develop a new fading-shadowing model to fit the path loss caused by the debris. Following this, we derive the exact distribution of the new channel statistics for a small number of RIS elements and the approximate distribution for a large number of RIS elements, respectively. Then, we derive the closed-form expressions for performance analysis, including average capacity (AC), energy efficiency (EE), and outage probability (OP). Based on the above analytical derivations, we maximize the energy efficiency by optimizing the number of RIS elements and the coverage area by optimizing the altitude of the RIS-equipped UAV, respectively. Finally, simulation results validate the accuracy of derived expressions and show insights related to the optimal number of RIS elements and the optimal UAV altitude for emergency wireless communication (EWC).