Robust Channel Estimation and Passive Beamforming with Discrete Phase for RIS-Assisted Communication Systems

چکیده مقاله

Background and Objectives: This research addresses the issue of channel estimation and beamforming in systems with Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS). RIS is able to significantly improve coverage by controlling the phase and amplitude of the reflected signals through nearly passive elements. This advantage is highly dependent on the availability of accurate channel state information (CSI), which is difficult to obtain, and even more so in realistic scenarios where the RIS phase variations are limited to a small number of discrete surfaces due to hardware limitations. Methods: To study this issue, we propose a new CSI estimation paradigm called recursive averaging, which extends the traditional least squares (LS) estimator but compensates for its weaknesses under low SNR and quantized phase regimes, known as (RALS). The new approach involves combining a recursive update scheme that sequentially improves the CSI estimates through recursive averaging and an adaptive feedback framework. This provides better robustness against noise and quantization-induced distortion, and allows for more precise RIS configuration under the hardware constraints of a non-ideal system. The aim is to reduce the channel estimation error and reduce the bit error rate (BER) by considering the practical implementation of the method. In addition, this study also investigates the effect of discrete phase. Results: We analyze the performance of RALS under idealized continuous-phase and discrete-phase scenarios, where the phase of each RIS element is quantized with a finite number of bits. Simulation results show that RALS outperforms traditional LS and other reference estimators measured in MSD and BER, especially in situations where the number of quantized bits is low or the SNR is poor. Conclusion: Simulation results show that the proposed method provides higher accuracy channel estimation with less estimation error. Integrating accurate channel estimation with efficient beamforming strategy, overall system performance is significantly enhanced. More specifically, it is shown through simulations that 4-bit resolution is sufficient for phase discretization considering real reflection phase constraints. Interestingly, the devised approach achieves such improved performance without engaging in huge computational complexity, thus being feasible to implement in real-time in RIS-based systems.