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Geng Sun

Publications and source records attributed to Geng Sun.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Generative Artificial Intelligence for Beamforming in Low-Altitude Economy

The growth of low-altitude economy (LAE) has driven a rising demand for efficient and secure communication. However, conventional beamforming optimization techniques struggle in the complex LAE environments. In this context, generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) methods provide a promising solution. In this article, we first introduce the core concepts of LAE and the roles of beamforming in advanced communication technologies for LAE. We then examine their interrelation, followed by an analysis of the limitations of conventional beamforming methods. Next, we provide an overview of how GenAI methods enhance the process of beamforming, with a focus on its applications in LAE. Furthermore, we present a case study using a generative diffusion model (GDM)-based algorithm to enhance the performance of aerial collaborative beamforming-enabled remote secure communications in LAE and simulation results verified the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms. Finally, promising research opportunities are identified.

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Multi-AAV-enabled Distributed Beamforming in Low-Altitude Wireless Networking for AoI-Sensitive IoT Data Forwarding

With the rapid development of low-altitude wireless networking, autonomous aerial vehicles (AAVs) have emerged as critical enablers for timely and reliable data delivery, particularly in remote or underserved areas. In this context, the age of information (AoI) has emerged as a critical performance metric for evaluating the freshness and timeliness of transmitted information in Internet of things (IoT) networks. However, conventional AAV-assisted data transmission is fundamentally limited by finite communication coverage ranges, which requires periodic return flights for data relay operations. This propulsion-repositioning cycle inevitably introduces latency spikes that raise the AoI while degrading service reliability. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a AAV-assisted forwarding system based on distributed beamforming to enhance the AoI in IoT. Specifically, AAVs collaborate via distributed beamforming to collect and relay data between the sensor nodes and remote base station. Then, we formulate an optimization problem to minimize the AoI and AAV energy consumption, by jointly optimizing the AAV trajectories and communication schedules. Due to the non-convex nature of the problem and its pronounced temporal variability, we introduce a deep reinforcement learning solution that incorporates temporal sequence input, layer normalization gated recurrent unit, and a squeeze-and-excitation block to capture long-term dependencies, thereby improving decision-making stability and accuracy, and reducing computational complexity. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed SAC-TLS algorithm outperforms baseline algorithms in terms of convergence, time average AoI, and energy consumption of AAVs.

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Secure Multi-LLM Agentic AI and Agentification for Edge General Intelligence by Zero-Trust: A Survey

Agentification serves as a critical enabler of Edge General Intelligence (EGI), transforming massive edge devices into cognitive agents through integrating Large Language Models (LLMs) and perception, reasoning, and acting modules. These agents collaborate across heterogeneous edge infrastructures, forming multi-LLM agentic AI systems that leverage collective intelligence and specialized capabilities to tackle complex, multi-step tasks. However, the collaborative nature of multi-LLM systems introduces critical security vulnerabilities, including insecure inter-LLM communications, expanded attack surfaces, and cross-domain data leakage that traditional perimeter-based security cannot adequately address. To this end, this survey introduces zero-trust security of multi-LLM in EGI, a paradigmatic shift following the ``never trust, always verify'' principle. We begin by systematically analyzing the security risks in multi-LLM systems within EGI contexts. Subsequently, we present the vision of a zero-trust multi-LLM framework in EGI. We then survey key technical progress to facilitate zero-trust multi-LLM systems in EGI. Particularly, we categorize zero-trust security mechanisms into model- and system-level approaches. The former and latter include strong identification, context-aware access control, etc., and proactive maintenance, blockchain-based management, etc., respectively. Finally, we identify critical research directions. This survey serves as the first systematic treatment of zero-trust applied to multi-LLM systems, providing both theoretical foundations and practical strategies.

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Toward Multi-Functional LAWNs with ISAC: Opportunities, Challenges, and the Road Ahead

Integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) has been envisioned as a foundational technology for future low-altitude wireless networks (LAWNs), enabling real-time environmental perception and data exchange across aerial-ground systems. In this article, we first explore the roles of ISAC in LAWNs from both node-level and network-level perspectives. We highlight the performance gains achieved through hierarchical integration and cooperation, wherein key design trade-offs are demonstrated. Apart from physical-layer enhancements, emerging LAWN applications demand broader functionalities. To this end, we propose a multi-functional LAWN framework that extends ISAC with capabilities in control, computation, wireless power transfer, and large language model (LLM)-based intelligence. We further provide a representative case study to present the benefits of ISAC-enabled LAWNs and the promising research directions are finally outlined.

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Safeguarding ISAC Performance in Low-Altitude Wireless Networks Under Channel Access Attack

The increasing saturation of terrestrial resources has driven the exploration of low-altitude applications such as air taxis. Low altitude wireless networks (LAWNs) serve as the foundation for these applications, and integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) constitutes one of the core technologies within LAWNs. However, the openness nature of low-altitude airspace makes LAWNs vulnerable to malicious channel access attacks, which degrade the ISAC performance. Therefore, this paper develops a game-based framework to mitigate the influence of the attacks on LAWNs. Concretely, we first derive expressions of communication data's signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio and the age of information of sensing data under attack conditions, which serve as quality of service metrics. Then, we formulate the ISAC performance optimization problem as a Stackelberg game, where the attacker acts as the leader, and the legitimate drone and the ground ISAC base station act as second and first followers, respectively. On this basis, we design a backward induction algorithm that achieves the Stackelberg equilibrium while maximizing the utilities of all participants, thereby mitigating the attack-induced degradation of ISAC performance in LAWNs. We further prove the existence and uniqueness of the equilibrium. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms existing baselines and a static Nash equilibrium benchmark, ensuring that LAWNs can provide reliable service for low-altitude applications.

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Task Offloading and Resource Allocation for MEC-assisted Consumer Internet of Vehicle Systems

Mobile edge computing (MEC)-assisted internet of vehicle (IoV) is emerging as a promising paradigm to provide computing services for vehicles. However, meeting the computing-sensitive and computation-intensive demands of vehicles poses several challenges, including the discrepancy between the limited resource provision and stringent computing requirement, the difficulty in capturing and integrating the intricate features of the MEC-assisted IoV system into the problem formulation, and the need for real-time processing and efficient resource management in the dynamic environment. In this work, we explore the AI-enabled task offloading and resource allocation for MEC-assisted consumer IoV systems. Specifically, we first present a multi-MEC-assisted consumer IoV architecture that leverages the computational resources of MEC servers to provide offloading services close to vehicles. Subsequently, we formulate a system cost minimization optimization problem (SCMOP) by integrating the service delay and energy consumption. To efficiently solve this problem, we design a joint task offloading and computing resource allocation approach (JTOCRA) by applying the multi-agent deep deterministic policy gradient (MADDPG) algorithm. Finally, simulation results demonstrate that the proposed JTOCRA can achieve superior system performances and exhibits better scalability compared to other alternative approaches.

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Energy Efficient Trajectory Control and Resource Allocation in Multi-UAV-assisted MEC via Deep Reinforcement Learning

Mobile edge computing (MEC) is a promising technique to improve the computational capacity of smart devices (SDs) in Internet of Things (IoT). However, the performance of MEC is restricted due to its fixed location and limited service scope. Hence, we investigate an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-assisted MEC system, where multiple UAVs are dispatched and each UAV can simultaneously provide computing service for multiple SDs. To improve the performance of system, we formulated a UAV-based trajectory control and resource allocation multi-objective optimization problem (TCRAMOP) to simultaneously maximize the offloading number of UAVs and minimize total offloading delay and total energy consumption of UAVs by optimizing the flight paths of UAVs as well as the computing resource allocated to served SDs. Then, consider that the solution of TCRAMOP requires continuous decision-making and the system is dynamic, we propose an enhanced deep reinforcement learning (DRL) algorithm, namely, distributed proximal policy optimization with imitation learning (DPPOIL). This algorithm incorporates the generative adversarial imitation learning technique to improve the policy performance. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed DPPOIL and prove that the learned strategy of DPPOIL is better compared with other baseline methods.

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Joint Association and Phase Shifts Design for UAV-mounted Stacked Intelligent Metasurfaces-assisted Communications

Stacked intelligent metasurfaces (SIMs) have emerged as a promising technology for realizing wave-domain signal processing, while the fixed SIMs will limit the communication performance of the system compared to the mobile SIMs. In this work, we consider a UAV-mounted SIMs (UAV-SIMs) assisted communication system, where UAVs as base stations (BSs) can cache the data processed by SIMs, and also as mobile vehicles flexibly deploy SIMs to enhance the communication performance. To this end, we formulate a UAV-SIM-based joint optimization problem (USBJOP) to comprehensively consider the association between UAV-SIMs and users, the locations of UAV-SIMs, and the phase shifts of UAV-SIMs, aiming to maximize the network capacity. Due to the non-convexity and NP-hardness of USBJOP, we decompose it into three sub-optimization problems, which are the association between UAV-SIMs and users optimization problem (AUUOP), the UAV location optimization problem (ULOP), and the UAV-SIM phase shifts optimization problem (USPSOP). Then, these three sub-optimization problems are solved by an alternating optimization (AO) strategy. Specifically, AUUOP and ULOP are transformed to a convex form and then solved by the CVX tool, while we employ a layer-by-layer iterative optimization method for USPSOP. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed strategy under different simulation setups.

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Generative AI-enabled Wireless Communications for Robust Low-Altitude Economy Networking

Low-Altitude Economy Networks (LAENets) have emerged as significant enablers of social activities, offering low-altitude services such as the transportation of packages, groceries, and medical supplies. Owing to their control mechanisms and ever-changing operational factors, LAENets are inherently more complex and vulnerable to security threats than traditional terrestrial networks. As applications of LAENet continue to expand, the robustness of these systems becomes crucial. In this paper, we propose a generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) optimization framework that tackles robustness challenges in LAENets. We conduct a systematic analysis of robustness requirements for LAENets, complemented by a comprehensive review of robust Quality of Service (QoS) metrics from the wireless physical layer perspective. We then investigate existing GenAI-enabled approaches for robustness enhancement. This leads to our proposal of a novel diffusion-based optimization framework with a Mixture of Experts (MoE)-transformer actor network. In the robust beamforming case study, the proposed framework demonstrates its effectiveness by optimizing beamforming under uncertainties, achieving a more than 15% increase over four learning baselines in the worst-case achievable secrecy rate. These findings highlight the significant potential of GenAI in strengthening LAENet robustness.

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Age of Information Optimization in Laser-charged UAV-assisted IoT Networks: A Multi-agent Deep Reinforcement Learning Method

The integration of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with Internet of Things (IoT) networks offers promising solutions for efficient data collection. However, the limited energy capacity of UAVs remains a significant challenge. In this case, laser beam directors (LBDs) have emerged as an effective technology for wireless charging of UAVs during operation, thereby enabling sustained data collection without frequent returns to charging stations (CSs). In this work, we investigate the age of information (AoI) optimization in LBD-powered UAV-assisted IoT networks, where multiple UAVs collect data from distributed IoTs while being recharged by laser beams. We formulate a joint optimization problem that aims to minimize the peak AoI while determining optimal UAV trajectories and laser charging strategies. This problem is particularly challenging due to its non-convex nature, complex temporal dependencies, and the need to balance data collection efficiency with energy consumption constraints. To address these challenges, we propose a novel multi-agent proximal policy optimization with temporal memory and multi-agent coordination (MAPPO-TM) framework. Specifically, MAPPO-TM incorporates temporal memory mechanisms to capture the dynamic nature of UAV operations and facilitates effective coordination among multiple UAVs through decentralized learning while considering global system objectives. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed MAPPO-TM algorithm outperforms conventional approaches in terms of peak AoI minimization and energy efficiency. Ideally, the proposed algorithm achieves up to 15.1% reduction in peak AoI compared to conventional multi-agent deep reinforcement learning (MADRL) methods.

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Recovery of UAV Swarm-enabled Collaborative Beamforming in Low-altitude Wireless Networks under Wind Field Disturbances

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarms utilizing collaborative beamforming (CB) in low-altitude wireless networks (LAWN) demonstrate significant potential for enhanced communication range, energy efficiency, and signal directivity through the formation of virtual antenna arrays (VAA). However, environmental disturbances, particularly wind fields, significantly degrade CB performance by introducing positional errors that disrupt beam patterns, thereby compromising transmission reliability. This paper investigates the critical challenge of maintaining CB performance in UAV-based VAAs operating in LAWN under wind field disturbances. We propose a comprehensive framework that models the impact of three distinct wind conditions (constant, shear, and turbulent) on UAV array performance, and formulate a long-term real-time optimization problem to maximize directivity while minimizing maximum sidelobe levels through adaptive excitation current weight adjustments. To address the inherent complexity of this problem, we propose a novel proximal policy optimization algorithm with long short-term memory (LSTM) structure and adaptive learning rate (PPO-LA), which effectively captures temporal patterns in wind field disturbances and enables real-time adaptation without requiring extensive prior training for specific wind conditions. Our simulation results demonstrate that the proposed PPO-LA algorithm successfully recovers degraded CB performance across various wind scenarios, and thus significantly outperforming benchmark algorithms.

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Task Assignment and Exploration Optimization for Low Altitude UAV Rescue via Generative AI Enhanced Multi-agent Reinforcement Learning

The integration of emerging uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) with artificial intelligence (AI) and ground-embedded robots (GERs) has transformed emergency rescue operations in unknown environments. However, the high computational demands often exceed a single UAV's capacity, making it difficult to continuously provide stable high-level services. To address this, this paper proposes a cooperation framework involving UAVs, GERs, and airships. The framework enables resource pooling through UAV-to-GER (U2G) and UAV-to-airship (U2A) links, offering computing services for offloaded tasks. Specifically, we formulate the multi-objective problem of task assignment and exploration as a dynamic long-term optimization problem aiming to minimize task completion time and energy use while ensuring stability. Using Lyapunov optimization, we transform it into a per-slot deterministic problem and propose HG-MADDPG, which combines the Hungarian algorithm with a GDM-based multi-agent deep deterministic policy gradient. Simulations demonstrate significant improvements in offloading efficiency, latency, and system stability over baselines.

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Energy Transfer and Data Collection from Batteryless Sensors in Low-altitude Wireless Networks

The integration of wireless power transfer (WPT) with Internet of Things (IoT) offers promising solutions for sensing applications, but faces significant challenges when deployed in hard-to-access areas such as high-temperature environments. In such extreme conditions, traditional fixed WPT infrastructure cannot be safely installed, and batteries rapidly degrade due to hardware failures. In this paper, we propose an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV)-assisted data collection and WPT framework for batteryless sensor (BLS) networks deployed in these challenging environments. Specifically, we consider a practical scenario where a UAV first transfers energy to BLS nodes via WPT, enabling these nodes to subsequently transmit their collected data to the UAV through orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA). Then, we formulate a multi-objective optimization problem that aims to maximize the fair data collection volume while minimizing the UAV energy consumption through joint optimization of transmit power allocation and flight trajectory planning. Due to the non-convex nature and dynamic characteristics of this problem, conventional optimization methods prove inadequate. To address these challenges, we propose an enhanced soft actor-critic algorithm with parameter-free attention, prioritized experience replay, and value-based reward centering (SAC-PPV), thereby improving the exploration efficiency and learning stability of the algorithm in complex WPT scenarios. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed approach consistently outperforms benchmark algorithms under various network configurations.

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Satellite-Assisted Low-Altitude Economy Networking: Concepts, Applications, and Opportunities

The low-altitude economy (LAE) is a new economic paradigm that leverages low-altitude vehicles (LAVs) to perform diverse missions across diverse areas. To support the operations of LAE, it is essential to establish LAE networks that enable LAV management and communications.Existing studies mainly reuse terrestrial networks to construct LAE networks. However, the limited coverage of terrestrial networks poses challenges for serving LAVs in remote areas. Besides, efficient LAV operations also require support such as localization and navigation, which terrestrial networks designed for communications cannot fully provide. Due to ubiquitous coverage and diverse functions, satellites are a promising technology to support LAVs. Therefore, this article investigates satellite-assisted LAE networking. First, we introduce an overview of LAE and satellites, discussing their features, applications, and architectures. Next, we investigate opportunities for satellites to assist LAE from aspects of communication, control, and computation. As all assistance depends on reliable satellite-LAV communications, we propose a satellite-assisted LAE framework to tackle issues caused by the severe path loss and high dynamics in satellite-assisted LAE networks.The case study demonstrates that the distributed MIMO architecture efficiently reduces the required transmission power and extends service duration, while the two-timescale optimization scheme balances the performance and control signaling overheads. Specifically, the proposed framework comprises distributed satellite MIMO, distributed LAV MIMO, and a two-timescale optimization scheme.

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QoE Maximization for Multiple-UAV-Assisted Multi-Access Edge Computing via an Online Joint Optimization Approach

In disaster scenarios, conventional terrestrial multi-access edge computing (MEC) paradigms, which rely on ground infrastructure, may become unavailable due to infrastructure damage. With high-probability line-of-sight (LoS) communication, flexible mobility, and low cost, uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV)-assisted MEC is emerging as a promising paradigm to provide edge computing services for ground user devices (UDs) in disaster-stricken areas. However, the limited battery capacity, computing resources, and spectrum resources also pose serious challenges for UAV-assisted MEC, which can potentially shorten the service time of UAVs and degrade the quality of experience (QoE) of UDs without an effective control approach. To this end, in this work, we first present a hierarchical architecture of multiple-UAV-assisted MEC networks that enables the coordinated provision of edge computing services by multiple UAVs. Then, we formulate a joint task offloading, resource allocation, and UAV trajectory control optimization problem (JTRTOP) to maximize the QoE of UDs while considering the energy and resource constraints of UAVs. Since the problem is proven to be a future-dependent and NP-hard problem, we propose a novel online joint task offloading, resource allocation, and UAV trajectory control approach (OJTRTA) to solve the problem. Specifically, the JTRTOP is first transformed into a per-slot real-time optimization problem (PROP) using the Lyapunov optimization framework. Then, a two-stage optimization method based on game theory and convex optimization is proposed to solve the PROP. Simulation results show that the proposed OJTRTA outperforms various benchmark approaches and achieves at least a 10% improvement in the QoE of UDs compared to deep reinforcement learning (DRL)-based algorithms, thereby validating the superiority of the proposed approach.

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Securing the Sky: Integrated Satellite-UAV Physical Layer Security for Low-Altitude Wireless Networks

Low-altitude wireless networks (LAWNs) have garnered significant attention in the forthcoming 6G networks. In LAWNs, satellites with wide coverage and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with flexible mobility can complement each other to form integrated satellite-UAV networks, providing ubiquitous and high-speed connectivity for low-altitude operations. However, the higher line-of-sight probability in low-altitude airspace increases transmission security concerns. In this work, we present a collaborative beamforming-based physical layer security scheme for LAWNs. We introduce the fundamental aspects of integrated satellite-UAV networks, physical layer security, UAV swarms, and collaborative beamforming for LAWN applications. Following this, we highlight several opportunities for collaborative UAV swarm secure applications enabled by satellite networks, including achieving physical layer security in scenarios involving data dissemination, data relay, eavesdropper collusion, and imperfect eavesdropper information. Next, we detail two case studies: a secure relay system and a two-way aerial secure communication framework specifically designed for LAWN environments. Simulation results demonstrate that these physical layer security schemes are effective and beneficial for secure low-altitude wireless communications. A short practicality analysis shows that the proposed method is applicable to LAWN scenarios. Finally, we discuss current challenges and future research directions for enhancing security in LAWNs.

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World Models for Cognitive Agents: Transforming Edge Intelligence in Future Networks

World models are emerging as a transformative paradigm in artificial intelligence, enabling agents to construct internal representations of their environments for predictive reasoning, planning, and decision-making. By learning latent dynamics, world models provide a sample-efficient framework that is especially valuable in data-constrained or safety-critical scenarios. In this paper, we present a comprehensive overview of world models, highlighting their architecture, training paradigms, and applications across prediction, generation, planning, and causal reasoning. We compare and distinguish world models from related concepts such as digital twins, the metaverse, and foundation models, clarifying their unique role as embedded cognitive engines for autonomous agents. We further propose Wireless Dreamer, a novel world model-based reinforcement learning framework tailored for wireless edge intelligence optimization, particularly in low-altitude wireless networks (LAWNs). Through a weather-aware UAV trajectory planning case study, we demonstrate the effectiveness of our framework in improving learning efficiency and decision quality.

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Joint Resource Management for Energy-efficient UAV-assisted SWIPT-MEC: A Deep Reinforcement Learning Approach

The integration of simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) technology in 6G Internet of Things (IoT) networks faces significant challenges in remote areas and disaster scenarios where ground infrastructure is unavailable. This paper proposes a novel unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-assisted mobile edge computing (MEC) system enhanced by directional antennas to provide both computational resources and energy support for ground IoT terminals. However, such systems require multiple trade-off policies to balance UAV energy consumption, terminal battery levels, and computational resource allocation under various constraints, including limited UAV battery capacity, non-linear energy harvesting characteristics, and dynamic task arrivals. To address these challenges comprehensively, we formulate a bi-objective optimization problem that simultaneously considers system energy efficiency and terminal battery sustainability. We then reformulate this non-convex problem with a hybrid solution space as a Markov decision process (MDP) and propose an improved soft actor-critic (SAC) algorithm with an action simplification mechanism to enhance its convergence and generalization capabilities. Simulation results have demonstrated that our proposed approach outperforms various baselines in different scenarios, achieving efficient energy management while maintaining high computational performance. Furthermore, our method shows strong generalization ability across different scenarios, particularly in complex environments, validating the effectiveness of our designed boundary penalty and charging reward mechanisms.

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