Filtering for intelligent reflecting devices
This document generally relates to a system including wireless access nodes and user devices that communicate with each other via one or more intelligent reflecting devices. An intelligent reflecting device may have a surface covered by a least one metasurface layer configured to filter at least one of incoming signals or outgoing signals. In addition or alternatively, an intelligent reflecting device or a wireless access node may determine which user devices to include in a user group to serve based on telecom operator and/or user identification information communicated to the intelligent reflecting device.
1 . A method for wireless communication, the method comprising:
filtering, with at least one metasurface layer covering a surface of an intelligent reflecting device, a first incident signal according to a first filter configuration corresponding to a first telecom operator to generate a filtered incident signal;
filtering, with the at least one metasurface layer, a second incident signal according to a second filter configuration corresponding to a second telecom operator;
receiving, with the surface of the intelligent reflecting device, the filtered incident signal;
outputting, with the surface of the intelligent reflecting device, an output signal; and
filtering, with the at least one metasurface layer covering the surface of the intelligent reflecting device, the output signal to generate a filtered output signal.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein outputting the output signal comprises: reflecting, with the surface, the filtered incident signal.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one metasurface layer comprises a passband filter.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one metasurface layer comprises a low-pass filter.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one metasurface layer comprises a high-pass filter.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one metasurface layer comprises a band-stop filter.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one metasurface layer is tunable.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one metasurface layer is non-tunable.
9 . The method claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, with a communication node, a beamforming matrix of the communication node, a first matrix for the intelligent reflecting device, and a second matrix for the at least one metasurface layer based on measured channel information.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein determining the beamforming matrix, the first matrix, and the second matrix comprises:
determining, with the communication node, the beamforming matrix and the first matrix based on the measured channel information and a state configuration of metasurface layer elements of the at least one metasurface layer during a first time period that the at least one metasurface layer is not adjusted; and
determining, with the communication mode, the beamforming matrix, the first matrix, and the second matrix based on the measured channel information during a second time period that the at least one metasurface layer is adjusted.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one metasurface layer comprises a set of metasurface layer elements configured in a state configuration corresponding to a target filter configuration according to which the at least one metasurface layer filters the incident signal.
12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one metasurface layer comprises only one metasurface layer.
13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one metasurface layer comprises a stack of a plurality of metasurface layers.
14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein each of the plurality of metasurface layers comprises an associated set of metasurface layer elements, each set configured in a different one of a plurality of stage configurations, each stage configuration corresponding to a different one of a plurality of target filters.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of target filters each correspond to a different one of a plurality of passbands.
16 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, with a controller, a first matrix for the intelligent reflecting device and a second matrix for the at least one metasurface layer; and
changing, with the controller, a filter configuration of the at least one metasurface layer based on the first matrix and the second matrix.
17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein changing the filter configuration comprises:
changing, with the controller, a passband of the filter configuration based on a number of user equipment devices; or
changing, with the controller, a state configuration of a plurality of metasurface layer elements of the at least one metasurface layer.
18 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first filter configuration comprises a band-pass filter, and the second filter configuration comprises a band-stop filter.
19 . An apparatus comprising:
an intelligent reflecting device configured to:
output, with a surface of the intelligent reflecting device, an output signal;
filter, with a stack of a plurality of metasurface layers covering the surface, the output signal to generate a filtered output signal,
wherein each of the plurality of metasurface layers comprises an associated set of metasurface layer elements, each set configured in a different one of a plurality of stage configurations, each stage configuration corresponding to a different one of a plurality of target filters.
20 . An apparatus comprising:
an intelligent reflecting device configured to:
output, with a surface of the intelligent reflecting device, an output signal;
filter, with at least one metasurface layer covering the surface, the output signal to generate a filtered output signal;
receive, with a controller of the intelligent reflecting device, a first matrix for the intelligent reflecting device and a second matrix for the at least one metasurface layer; and
change, with the controller, a filter configuration of the at least one metasurface layer based on the first matrix and the second matrix.