Location-Driven Programmable Wireless Environments through Light-emitting RIS (LeRIS)

TL;DR

This paper introduces an optical localization framework combining LEDs and light-emitting RISs to enhance real-time user localization accuracy in 6G wireless environments, addressing challenges of orientation variability and hardware imperfections.

Contribution

It proposes a novel LeRIS-based localization method that improves accuracy and robustness in dynamic wireless environments, with scalable and adaptive features for real-time applications.

Findings

Achieves high localization accuracy under random orientations

Enhances spectral efficiency with large RISs

Provides scalable and adaptive localization framework

Abstract

As 6G wireless networks seek to enable robust and dynamic programmable wireless environments (PWEs), reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) have emerged as a cornerstone for controlling electromagnetic wave propagation. However, realizing the potential of RISs for demanding PWE applications depends on precise and real-time user localization, especially in scenarios with random receiver orientations and inherent hardware imperfections. To address this challenge, we propose a novel optical localization framework that integrates conventional ceiling-mounted LEDs with light-emitting reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (LeRISs). By leveraging the spatial diversity offered by the LeRIS architecture, the framework introduces robust signal paths that improve localization accuracy and reduce errors under varying orientations. To this end, we derive a system of equations for received signal strength-based localization that accounts for random receiver orientations and imposes spatial constraints on LED placement, ensuring unique and reliable solutions. Finally, our simulation results demonstrate that the proposed framework achieves precise beam control and high spectral efficiency even for RISs with large number of reflecting elements, establishing our solution as scalable and adaptive for PWEs that require real-time accuracy and flexibility.