Localization Accuracy and Communication Performance of IRS-Assisted ISAC Systems

This paper discusses the device-free localization and communication in intelligent reflecting surface (IRS)-assisted integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) systems. In particular, the localization accuracy and the communication performance are dependent on the configuration of IRS, that is, the direction of IRS-reflected beam, which mitigates the blockage effect in millimeter-wave (mmWave) communications. Localization is realized by using the angular power profile (APP) obtained through beam search. Results of experimental evaluations show that high localization accuracy is achieved by steering the IRS-reflected beam toward the sensing area. In contrast, high communication performance is obtained by adjusting the IRS-reflected beam toward the receiver. These results confirm that in order to achieve high localization accuracy, the IRS-reflected beam should be reconfigured to be pointed in a different direction from that when communicating.