Logo
ScienceStack
Table of Contents
Fetching ...
Sign In

A Survey on Integrated Sensing and Communication with Intelligent Metasurfaces: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities

Ahmed Magbool, Vaibhav Kumar, Qingqing Wu, Marco Di Renzo, Mark F. Flanagan

TL;DR

This survey reviews metasurface-assisted ISAC literature, outlining challenges and opportunities, and summarizes state-of-the-art studies, focusing on metasurfaces as separate entities between transmitter and receiver, i.e., as RISs, emphasizing RCC and DFRC operations.

Abstract

The emergence of technologies demanding high data rates and precise sensing, such as autonomous vehicles and IoT devices, has driven the popularity of integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) in recent years. ISAC provides a framework for communication and sensing, where both functionalities are performed simultaneously or in a coordinated manner. There are two levels of integration in ISAC: radio-communications coexistence (RCC), where communication and radar systems use distinct hardware, waveforms, and signal processing but share the spectrum; and dual-function radar-communications (DFRC), where communication and sensing share the same hardware, waveform, and signal processing. At the architectural level, intelligent metasurfaces are a key enabler for the sixth-generation (6G) of wireless communication due to their ability to control the propagation environment efficiently. With the potential to enhance communication and sensing performance, numerous studies have explored the gains of metasurfaces for ISAC. Moreover, certain ISAC frameworks address limitations associated with reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) for communication. Thus, integrating ISAC with metasurfaces enhances both technologies. This survey reviews the literature on metasurface-assisted ISAC, detailing challenges and opportunities. To provide a comprehensive overview, we begin with fundamentals of ISAC and metasurfaces. The paper summarizes state-of-the-art studies on metasurface-assisted ISAC, focusing on metasurfaces as separate entities between the transmitter and receiver (known as RIS) and emphasizing RCC and DFRC. We also review work on holographic ISAC, where metasurfaces are part of the transmitter and receiver. For each category, lessons learned, challenges, opportunities, and research directions are highlighted.

A Survey on Integrated Sensing and Communication with Intelligent Metasurfaces: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities

TL;DR

This survey reviews metasurface-assisted ISAC literature, outlining challenges and opportunities, and summarizes state-of-the-art studies, focusing on metasurfaces as separate entities between transmitter and receiver, i.e., as RISs, emphasizing RCC and DFRC operations.

Abstract

The emergence of technologies demanding high data rates and precise sensing, such as autonomous vehicles and IoT devices, has driven the popularity of integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) in recent years. ISAC provides a framework for communication and sensing, where both functionalities are performed simultaneously or in a coordinated manner. There are two levels of integration in ISAC: radio-communications coexistence (RCC), where communication and radar systems use distinct hardware, waveforms, and signal processing but share the spectrum; and dual-function radar-communications (DFRC), where communication and sensing share the same hardware, waveform, and signal processing. At the architectural level, intelligent metasurfaces are a key enabler for the sixth-generation (6G) of wireless communication due to their ability to control the propagation environment efficiently. With the potential to enhance communication and sensing performance, numerous studies have explored the gains of metasurfaces for ISAC. Moreover, certain ISAC frameworks address limitations associated with reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) for communication. Thus, integrating ISAC with metasurfaces enhances both technologies. This survey reviews the literature on metasurface-assisted ISAC, detailing challenges and opportunities. To provide a comprehensive overview, we begin with fundamentals of ISAC and metasurfaces. The paper summarizes state-of-the-art studies on metasurface-assisted ISAC, focusing on metasurfaces as separate entities between the transmitter and receiver (known as RIS) and emphasizing RCC and DFRC. We also review work on holographic ISAC, where metasurfaces are part of the transmitter and receiver. For each category, lessons learned, challenges, opportunities, and research directions are highlighted.
Paper Structure (64 sections, 8 equations, 20 figures, 11 tables)

This paper contains 64 sections, 8 equations, 20 figures, 11 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Motivation and Applications of Metasurface-Assisted ISAC
  3. Contributions and Relevant Works
  4. Organization of This Survey Article
  5. Notations
  6. Background
  7. Sensing Tasks
  8. Radar Types
  9. Levels of Integration in ISAC
  10. DFRC Waveform Design
  11. Resource Allocation
  12. WiFi ISAC
  13. ISAC Standardization Efforts
  14. Metasurfaces
  15. Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces
  16. ...and 49 more sections

Figures (20)

  • Figure 1: Applications of metasurface-assisted ISAC.
  • Figure 2: The organization of this paper.
  • Figure 3: Radar types.
  • Figure 4: Two levels of integration between radar sensing and communications: (a) an RCC system with a BS communicating with a user and a mono-static radar sensing a target in a presence of a clutter, and (b) a DFRC system with a DFRC BS transmitting a DFRC signal to communicate with a user and simultaneously sense a target in a presence of a clutter.
  • Figure 5: The Pareto optimal front produced by solving \ref{['eq:MOO_2']} when varying $\rho$ between zero and one.
  • ...and 15 more figures