Channel Modeling and Characteristics Analysis of RIS-Assisted UAV-to-Ship Communication

Abstract

Communication between unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and ships constitutes a critical component of inland waterway (IWW) communication systems. In practical application scenarios, the line-of-sight (LoS) link between UAVs and ships is highly susceptible to blockage caused by complex environmental factors, including riverside high-rise buildings, bridge structures, and surrounding vegetation. To ensure the safety and reliability of intelligent shipping systems, an accurate channel model for UAV-to-ship (U2S) communications is essential. Targeting the reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)-aided U2S communication scenario, this paper develops a novel three-dimensional geometrybased stochastic model (GBSM). The adopted model considers LoS, single-bounce scattering and RIS reflection propagation paths, and adopts a hemisphere scattering distribution structure. By analyzing the time-varying motion characteristics and direction vectors of UAVs and ships, the spatiotemporal nonstationarity of the channel is described. Typical channel statistical metrics are simulated and analyzed to verify the rationality and effectiveness of the proposed model.