Optimizing the Deployment of an Aerial Base Station and the Phase-Shift of a Ground Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface for Wireless Communication Systems Using Deep Reinforcement Learning

In wireless networks, drone base stations (DBSs) offer significant benefits in terms of Quality of Service (QoS) improvement due to their line-of-sight (LoS) transmission capabilities and adaptability. However, LoS links can suffer degradation in complex propagation environments, especially in urban areas with dense structures like buildings. As a promising technology to enhance the wireless communication networks, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) have emerged in various Internet of Things (IoT) applications by adjusting the amplitude and phase of reflected signals, thereby improving signal strength and network efficiency. This study aims to propose a novel approach to enhance communication coverage and throughput for mobile ground users by intelligently leveraging signal reflection from DBSs using ground-based RIS. We employ Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) to optimize both the DBS location and RIS phase-shifts. Numerical results demonstrate significant improvements in system performance, including communication quality and network throughput, validating the effectiveness of the proposed approach.