Sixth-Generation (6G) networks are set to provide reliable, widespread, and ultra-low-latency mobile broadband communications for a variety of industries. In this regard, the Internet of Drones (IoD) represents a key component for the development of 3D networks, which envisions the integration of terrestrial and non-terrestrial infrastructures. The recent employment of Intelligent Reflective Surfaces (IRSs) in combination with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) introduces more degrees of freedom to achieve a flexible and prompt mobile coverage. As the concept of smart radio environment is gaining momentum across the scientific community, this work proposes an extension module for Internet of Drones Simulator (IoD-Sim), a comprehensive simulation platform for the IoD, based on Network Simulator 3 (ns-3). This module is purposefully designed to assess the performance of UAV-aided IRS-assisted communication systems. Starting from the mathematical formulation of the radio channel, the simulator implements the IRS as a peripheral that can be attached to a drone. Such device can be dynamically configured to organize the IRS into patches and assign them to assist the communication between two nodes. Furthermore, the extension relies on the configuration facilities of IoD-Sim, which greatly eases design and coding of scenarios in JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) language. A simulation campaign is conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposal by discussing several Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), such as Radio Environment Map (REM), Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio (SINR), maximum achievable rate, and average throughput.

翻译：第六代（6G）网络旨在为各行业提供可靠、广泛覆盖且超低延迟的移动宽带通信。在此背景下，无人机互联网（IoD）作为三维网络发展的关键组成部分，设想融合地面与非地面基础设施。近期，智能反射面（IRS）与无人机（UAV）的联合应用引入了更多自由度，以实现灵活即时的移动覆盖。随着智能无线电环境概念在科学界日益受到重视，本文提出一种基于网络模拟器3（ns-3）的IoD综合仿真平台——无人机互联网模拟器（IoD-Sim）的扩展模块。该模块专门设计用于评估无人机辅助IRS通信系统的性能。从无线信道的数学建模出发，该模拟器将IRS实现为可挂载于无人机的外围设备。该设备可动态配置，将IRS划分为多个补丁区域并分配其辅助两节点间的通信。此外，该扩展模块依托IoD-Sim的配置功能，极大简化了使用JavaScript对象表示法（JSON）语言进行场景设计与编码的流程。通过讨论无线电环境地图（REM）、信干噪比（SINR）、最大可达速率及平均吞吐量等多项关键性能指标（KPI），开展仿真实验以验证所提方案的有效性。