Adaptive phase-changing devices for non-terrestrial networks

A high altitude platform station, HAPS (161), comprising:

• a wireless transceiver;
• a processor;
• and
• instructions for a HAPS communication manager application that are executable by the processor to configure the HAPS to:
• receive characteristics of an adaptive phase-changing device (APD);
• wherein the characteristics include one or more of:
• a minimum time for setting a new Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS) configuration of the APD;
• an incident angular range of the APD;
• a reflective angular range of the APD;
• an ability to subdivide a RIS panel;
• or
• how much the RIS panel can be subdivided;
• select the APD for inclusion in a wireless communication path with a user equipment (UE) based at least in part on the characteristics of the APD;
• transmit a resource grant to the APD, the resource grant including an indication of air interface resources for an APD-Physical Downlink Control Channel (APD-PDCCH) between the HAPS and the APD;
• transmit, to the APD, an indication of phase vectors and timing information for a surface of the APD using the APD-PDCCH;
• and
• communicate with the UE using wireless transmissions that travel along the wireless communication path that includes the surface of the APD.

A method performed by an adaptive phase-changing device, APD, the method comprising:

• receiving a resource grant from a high altitude platform station (HAPS), the resource grant including an indication of scheduled air interface resources for an APD-Physical Downlink Control Channel (APD-PDCCH) between the HAPS and the APD;
• receiving an indication of phase vectors and timing information for a surface of the APD over the APD-PDCCH;
• and
• configuring the surface of the APD using the received indication of phase vectors and timing information to reflect wireless transmissions that travel along a wireless communication path from the HAPS to a user equipment (UE), including the surface of the APD.

An adaptive phase-changing device (APD), comprising:

• a wireless transceiver;
• one or more reconfigurable intelligent surfaces, RIS;
• a processor;
• and
• instructions for an APD manager application that are executable by the processor to configure the APD to:
• receive a resource grant from a high altitude platform station (HAPS), the resource grant including an indication of scheduled air interface resources for an APD-Physical Downlink Control Channel (APD-PDCCH) between the HAPS and the APD;
• receive an indication of phase vectors and timing information for a surface of the APD over the APD-PDCCH;
• and
• configure the surface of the APD using the received indication of phase vectors and timing information to reflect wireless transmissions that travel along a wireless communication path from the HAPS to a user equipment (UE), including the surface of the APD.