Enhancing V2X Communications with UAV-mounted Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces

Abstract: This paper addresses the crucial need for reliable wireless communication in vehicular networks, particularly vital for the safety and efficacy of (semi-)autonomous driving amid increasing traffic. We explore the use of Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RISes) mounted on Drone Relay Stations (DRS) to enhance communication reliability. Our study formulates an optimization problem to pinpoint the optimal location and orientation of the DRS, thereby creating an additional propagation path for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications. We introduce a heuristic approach that combines trajectory optimization for DRS positioning and a Q-learning scheme for RIS orientation. Our results not only confirm the convergence of the Q-learning algorithm but also demonstrate significant communication improvements achieved by integrating a DRS into V2X networks.