A dual-polarized RIS-assisted spatial modulation architecture for robust vehicular communications in urban...

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Communications Engineering
• Intelligent Transportation Systems

Background:

• Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communication is crucial for intelligent transportation systems and autonomous driving, requiring efficient and reliable data exchange.
• Existing V2V systems face challenges due to the dynamic vehicular environment and stringent demands for reliability, low latency, and power efficiency.
• Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS) offer potential for enhancing wireless communication by intelligently shaping the propagation environment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore an RIS-assisted V2V communication system utilizing a novel dual-polarized spatial modulation (DPSM) scheme.
• To evaluate the proposed system's performance in terms of energy efficiency, hardware complexity, and communication quality.
• To compare the DPSM system against conventional full-MIMO systems under realistic V2V channel conditions.

Main Methods:

• A dual-polarized spatial modulation (DPSM) scheme was proposed, employing one active RF chain per symbol interval across four physical antennas.
• System-level simulations were conducted using 3GPP V2V/V2X fading channel models, incorporating vehicle mobility and urban propagation.
• Key performance indicators including RSSI, RSRP, RSRQ, BER, SNR, and energy efficiency were measured and compared.

Main Results:

• The RIS-assisted DPSM scheme demonstrated significant energy efficiency gains compared to full-MIMO systems.
• Competitive Bit Error Rate (BER) performance was maintained across a wide Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) range.
• Enhanced Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), and Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) were observed due to RIS-enabled signal shaping and polarization diversity.
• The DPSM architecture provided a favorable trade-off between performance, complexity, and energy consumption.

Conclusions:

• The RIS-assisted DPSM architecture is a highly suitable design for next-generation V2V communications, especially for power- and cost-constrained vehicle platforms.
• The system effectively mitigates harsh fading and blockage in urban V2V environments.
• The proposed scheme offers a practical approach to achieving efficient and robust V2V communication.