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Intelligent Reflecting Surfaces for Integrated Sensing and Communications: From System Coexistence to Networked Mutualism

delete2026-04-23
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PRE
AI
Q
Qingqing Wu
Q
Qiaoyan Peng
Z
Ziheng Zhang
X
Xiaodan Shao
刘洋 (Yang Liu)
Y
Yifan Jiang
Y
Yapeng Zhao
Y
Yanze Zhu
Y
Yilong Chen
Z
Zixiang Ren
J
Jie Xu
陈伟 cover
陈伟 (Wen Chen)
R
Rui Zhang
DOI:10.1109/COMST.2026.3686910delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
The rapid development of sixth-generation (6G) wireless networks requires seamless integration of communication and sensing to support ubiquitous intelligence and real-time, high-reliability applications. Integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) has emerged as a key solution for achieving this convergence, offering joint utilization of spectral, hardware, and computing resources. However, realizing high-performance ISAC remains challenging due to environmental line-of-sight (LoS) blockage, limited spatial resolution, and the inherent coverage asymmetry and resource coupling between sensing and communication. Intelligent reflecting surfaces (IRSs), featuring low-cost, energy-efficient, and programmable electromagnetic reconfiguration, provide a promising solution to overcome these limitations. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of IRS-aided wireless sensing and ISAC technologies, including IRS architectures, target detection and estimation techniques, beamforming designs, and performance metrics. It further explores IRS-enabled new opportunities for more efficient performance balancing, coexistence, and networking in ISAC systems, focuses on current design bottlenecks, and outlines future research directions. This paper aims to offer a unified design framework that guides the development of practical and scalable IRS-aided ISAC systems for the next-generation wireless network.
Keywords:
Intelligent reflecting surface (IRS)
wireless sensing
integrated sensing and communication (ISAC)
coexistence and mutualism
signal processing and optimization

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I
ieee communications surveys & tutorials
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the chinese university of hong kong
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shanghai jiao tong university
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Dalian University of Technology
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shenzhen university
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National University of Singapore
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university of waterloo
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