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The low terahertz band (0.1–1 THz) offers very high data rates for novel mobile applications and constitutes a promising candidate to meet the requirements in aviation, enabling future wireless in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems. An extensive knowledge of the propagation effects in the radio channel in complex scenarios is a prerequisite to successfully design a communication system. This article presents a measurement campaign in a real aircraft investigating the radio channel at 300 GHz for different deployments of a wireless IFE system. The propagation effects as well as temporal and spatial channel characteristics are analyzed for likely communication links between an access point and a user equipment (UE). In the same way, interference links between two UEs are studied, reporting transmission and reflection losses for various components of the aircraft. A deterministic and geometry-based channel model is derived and extended to cover the effect of human blockage that suggests an integration of the access point into the passenger service unit. The measurement and realistic path loss models can be used in further link and system level simulations and contribute to the design of future IFE systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human blockage and its dynamics are potential challenges for millimeter-wave (mm-wave) mobile communication. This article presents the results of wideband measurements at 27 GHz with one human blocker close by a dynamic mobile terminal (MT) as well as one or multiple dynamic human blockers further away from an MT. The measured human blockage loss is largest when the direct path (DP) in a line-of-sight (LOS) is blocked, but this loss is limited by other multipath components (MPCs). For nonline-of-sight (NLOS) channels, it is shown that human blockage loss is typically negligible. The presented measurement results show that human blockage loss in multipath channels is much smaller than that reported in diffraction- and measurement-based models, which neglect or minimize the contribution of all MPCs other than the DP. This suggests that the multipath nature of the indoor wireless channel highly limits the impact of human blockage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Millimeter-wave (mm-Wave) band channel modeling and characterization are essential for system design and analysis in the fifth generation (5G) and future communication systems. Reliable channel sounding in the deployment scenarios is required for accurate and realistic channel modeling and characterization. In the state of the art, directional scanning sounding (DSS) and virtual antenna array (VAA) sounding are two popular methods due to their simplicity and cost-effectiveness. The DSS and the VAA methods are typically based on mechanically rotatable directional antennas and mechanically movable omnidirectional antennas, respectively. However, the spatial resolution is limited by the directivity and high sidelobes of the directional antennas used in the DSS method. The conventional VAA method also has limitations in terms of the low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the unavailability of suitable omnidirectional antennas that support mmWave (above 60 GHz) band measurements and wideband horizontal polarization measurements. In this article, a novel directional antenna-based VAA framework in combination with the associated beamforming algorithm is proposed. Compared to the state-of-the-art methods, the proposed framework can achieve high angular resolution and high SNR for mm-Wave channel measurements without introducing additional cost and measurement time. Furthermore, it is a generic solution that can be applicable for arbitrary frequency bands and polarizations, unlike the conventional VAA method. To validate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method, experiments in two scenarios (a clean anechoic chamber and a realistic indoor meeting room) were conducted over 28–30 GHz with two types of directional antennas (i.e., a horn antenna and a corrugated antenna). Besides, the advantages of the proposed method are highlighted with a comparison to the conventional VAA and DSS methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents an evaluation of the performance of two different approaches for beamforming (BF) in a fifth generation (5G) handset, based on measured channels from a dual-polarized transmitter (Tx) to a mockup handset with a seven-element receiver (Rx) array. The measurements at 21.5 GHz include both small-scale and large-scale channel changes and were conducted for different users holding the mockup at different locations in an indoor corridor environment. The unique measurements enable novel results based on the statistics of the power achieved with BF, using channel state information (CSI) measured at a 90 Hz rate, and both when using beam scanning (BS) and the equal gain combining (EGC) reference case. For the case of ideal CSI knowledge, BF gains of up to about 18 dB were found. However, when the density of the angle scanning grid is reduced and the CSI is delayed to realistic values, the average performance decreases by 8 dB. More results are given in the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to realize the vision of “smart rail mobility,” a seamless high-data rate wireless connectivity with up to dozens of gigahertz bandwidth will be required. This forms a strong motivation for exploring the underutilized millimeter wave (mmWave) and sub-mmWave bands. In this article, the wireless channel in one “smart rail mobility” scenario—the intrawagon scenario—is characterized through ultrawideband (UWB) channel sounding and ray tracing (RT) at mmWave and sub-mmWave bands. To begin with, a series of horizontal directional scan-sounding measurements are performed inside a real high-speed train wagon at 60 and 300 GHz frequency bands with a bandwidth of 8 GHz. Correspondingly, the channel characteristics such as Rician $K$ -factor, root-mean-square (rms) delay spread (DS), azimuth spread of arrival, and azimuth spread of departure are extracted and analyzed. Based on the measurements, a self-developed RT simulator is validated through the reconstruction of the three-dimensional wagon model and the calibration of the electromagnetic (EM) properties of the main materials. This gives the chance to physically interpret the measurement results and characterize the intrawagon mmWave and sub-mmWave channels more comprehensively through extensive RT simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents details about an extensive channel measurement campaign and subsequent statistical channel models for the characterization of 300 GHz channels for wireless rack-to-rack (R2R) and blade-to-blade (B2B) communications in a data center-like environment. Measurements were conducted in various scenarios such as R2R line-of-sight (LoS), R2R obstructed-LoS (OLoS), R2R reflected-non-LoS (RNLoS), R2R obstructed-RNLoS (ORNLoS), B2B RNLoS, B2B ORNLoS, and B2B LoS scenarios. In the aforementioned scenarios, we explored the impact of transmitter (Tx)/receiver (Rx) misalignment and obstructions such as cables, metal cabinets, and mesh structures on terahertz (THz) propagation, as well as feasibility of using existing metal objects as reflectors for NLoS links. For the R2R LoS scenario, an optical lens was used to extend the Tx-Rx separation distance. This led to a waveguide effect in the channels measured thereby resulting into a path loss exponent (PLE) of 1.48 with a shadowing gain of 0.7 dB. When obstructions of cables are present, ORNLoS link outperforms OLoS link with 2.5 dB lower shadowing gain and weaker multipath. Reflector in the RNLoS link has reflection coefficients very close to 1 for all incident angles. For the B2B scenario, a dual-reflector THz transceiver rack system is proposed to enable wireless links across vertically stacked servers and allow easy maintenance and repair of servers. The measured path loss closely follows the Friis values in the LoS link and in the RNLoS link with hollow vertical ground plane. When obstructions of cables are present, the ORNLoS link experiences 5–10 dB higher path loss and on average 0.25 GHz lower coherence bandwidth than the RNLoS link. The measured statistical channel properties show that the shadowing gain caused by cable clusters follows the log-normal distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents characterization of terahertz (THz) wireless channel inside a desktop size metal enclosure with the consideration of several different scenarios. Measurements indicate that both traveling wave and resonating modes exist inside the metal enclosure. Measurements for line-of-sight (LoS) propagation inside the empty metal enclosure show that the path loss significantly changes as a function of the transceiver’s height. It is found that this variation is due the resonant modes, contribution to the received power. Reflected-non-LoS (RNLoS) measurements show that for the same distance, the difference between the mean path loss measured inside the metal box and in a free space is limited to 1 dB, with traveling wave dominating the channel. This indicates that reflectors can be used as wave-guiding objects in metal enclosures. Finally, obstructed-LoS (OLoS) path loss measurements with the parallel dual in-line memory modules (DIMMs) as obstructions show the constructive/destructive effect on the waves due to multipath introduced by the parallel-plate structures. Compared to the free space scenarios, multipath is introduced by the traveling wave bouncing back and forth between the transceiver sides of the cavity, which introduces stronger fluctuations in observed pathloss and reduces the coherence bandwidth of the channel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel localization framework is presented based on ultra-wideband (UWB) channel sounding, employing a triangulation method using the geometrical properties of propagation paths, such as time delay of arrival, angle of departure, angle of arrival, and their estimated variances. In order to extract these parameters from the UWB sounding data, an extension to the high-resolution RiMAX algorithm was developed, facilitating the analysis of these frequency-dependent multipath parameters. This framework was then tested by performing indoor measurements with a vector network analyzer and virtual antenna arrays.The estimated means and variances of these geometrical parameters were utilized to generate multiple sample sets of input values for our localization framework. Next to that, we consider the existence of multiple possible target locations, which were subsequently clustered using a Kim–Parks algorithm, resulting in a more robust estimation of each target node. Measurements reveal that our newly proposed technique achieves an average accuracy of 0.26, 0.28, and 0.90 m in line-of-sight (LoS), obstructed-LoS, and non-LoS scenarios, respectively, and this with only one single beacon node. Moreover, utilizing the estimated variances of the multipath parameters proved to enhance the location estimation significantly compared to only utilizing their estimated mean values. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents characterization of 300-GHz wireless channel on a computer motherboard, where several different measurement scenarios have been considered. Results indicate that the presence of the ground plane and/or vertical parallel-plate structures in the channel introduces multipath that, if constructively superimposed, may create a path loss lower than free-space propagation path loss. In addition, it has been found that a few centimeters of vertical misalignment between the transmitter and the receiver result in a path loss greater than 5 dB. Furthermore, the results indicate that vertical components such as dual in-line memory modules with reflection coefficient close to one for all incident angles can be used to create directed non-line-of-sight (LoS) links with wide coherence bandwidth. Finally, for LoS propagation obstructed by large objects, such as a heatsink, the path-loss exponent of 1.77 is found, while the rotating fan causes periodic fading in the received power, indicating that channel equalization techniques will be needed to overcome deep fades. All these results indicate that optimal communications can be achieved by carefully positioning the antennas with respect to the motherboard layout. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This work presents an analysis of dense multipath components (DMC) in an industrial workshop. Radio channel sounding was performed with a vector network analyzer and virtual antenna arrays. The specular and dense multipath components were estimated with the RiMAX algorithm. The DMC covariance structure of the RiMAX data model was validated. Two DMC parameters were studied: the distribution of radio channel power between specular and dense multipath, and the DMC reverberation time. The DMC power accounted for 23% to 70% of the total channel power. A significant difference between DMC powers in line-of-sight and nonline-of-sight was observed, which can be largely attributed to the power of the line-of-sight multipath component. In agreement with room electromagnetics theory, the DMC reverberation time was found to be nearly constant. Overall, DMC in the industrial workshop is more important than in office environments: it occupies a fraction of the total channel power that is 4% to 13% larger. The industrial environment absorbs on average 29% of the electromagnetic energy compared to 45%–51% for office environments in literature: this results in a larger reverberation time in the former environment. These findings are explained by the highly cluttered and metallic nature of the workshop. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A good modeling of the radio propagation channel is essential to the design of high-performance wireless systems; therefore, the proper interpretation of the data acquired from the sounding process is a task of major importance in the construction of such models. The relevance vector machine (RVM) constitutes a learning algorithm, based on Bayesian Statistics, used in regression and classification problems. Recently, RVM was employed to filter the channel multipath components of simulated power delay profiles embedded with noise, enabling the determination of the paths arriving at the reception antenna, their arrival times and complex amplitudes. In this paper, the RVM algorithm is further studied, regarding its detection capabilities, but the power delay profiles were obtained from measurements carried out in an indoor channel. A comparison with the constant false alarm rate (CFAR) multipath identification scheme, based on computational simulation and real channel measurements, evidences the behavior of both detection schemes. Simulations also present the detection limits of the method, such as maximum multipath magnitude ratio and minimum interarrival time. Finally, the characterization of important parameters of a real wideband multipath indoor channel is presented, in terms of confidence intervals and probability distribution fittings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Polarimetric radio wave processing becomes of increasing interest for very high-data rate wireless transmission and for short-range radar at millimeter-waves (mm-W). This goes along with the huge bandwidth of 7 to 9 GHz, which is available worldwide in the 60 GHz unlicensed band. In this paper, we propose a 60 GHz ultra-wideband (UWB) polarimetric multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) sensing system architecture and polarimetric signal processing for short-range communications and radar. Demonstration measurements were made by using an UWB radar interface. By measurements in multipath rich environments it is demonstrated that tap-wise polarimetric filtering in delay domain can enhance the 60 GHz link budget by filtering some paths and then reducing shadowing due to human activity. Additionally, optimum MIMO polarimetric filtering is proposed to reduce heavy clutter for mm-W radar, increasing by about 30 dB the signal-to-clutter-plus-noise-ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method of estimating spatial degrees of freedom (DoF) from measured multipath propagation channels in the multiple-input single-output regime is presented. The DoF of the multipath channels on the transmit (Tx) side is derived by means of the spherical-wave expansion of electromagnetic fields radiated from a Tx antenna array having a certain aperture size. The DoF estimates are independent of particular realization of antenna elements on the Tx aperture. For a given aperture size, the DoF provides the number of the Tx antenna elements for efficient improvement of the system performance by utilizing the spatial diversity. Having confirmed the soundness of our DoF estimation method by channel measurements in an anechoic chamber, the DoF of indoor multipath channels is analyzed. The DoF on the Tx side of the considered multipath channels reveals larger values when the antenna aperture size is increased at a fixed frequency, and when the frequency increases for a fixed antenna aperture size. For a fixed frequency, increasing the antenna aperture size is more effective in observing extra DoF in the obstructed and non-line-of-sight channels than in the line-of-sight channels. Furthermore, for a fixed antenna aperture size, the use of the higher frequency brings larger DoFs in many propagation scenarios. The results also show that electrically smaller antennas are more efficient in observing the DoF. Finally, the solid angle of multipath is derived as a Tx antenna-independent metric of the multipath richness. It is defined as an angular range of dominant multipath clusters subtended on a unit sphere. Our analysis method is extendable to the multiple-input multiple-output regime in a straightforward manner. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In dynamic channel sounder measurements with a moving receiver and/or moving transmitter, propagation paths' parameters show a time-variant behavior. This paper describes a novel algorithm which is able to both detect individual propagation paths and track how these paths evolve with time. The proposed algorithm is capable of estimating the paths' parameters and outperforms the standard snapshot-based algorithm in cases where low accuracy due to resolution limitations in the delay or angular domain is observed. An example based on channel sounder measurements with a moving receiver is given, showing that the algorithm is able to capture the dynamic behavior of the propagation channel. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Radio channel models for 60 GHz very-high-speed radio systems in hospital environments are presented. Two possible applications of those systems have been considered: real-time video streaming for angiography and ultrasonic imaging. Channel modeling was performed for delay domain multipath characteristics based on extensive radio channel measurement campaigns in angiography and ultrasonic inspection rooms. The measurement results revealed that the shapes of the power delay profiles in the angiography and ultrasonic imaging rooms were significantly different from that reported in the IEEE802.15 TG3c and IEEE802.11 TGad channel models. For this reason, novel model structures were developed to model radio channels in these hospital scenarios accurately. Statistical descriptions of the channel model parameters are given based on the measurements, and, finally, implementation guidelines of the channel models are provided. The channel model validation results show a good agreement of root-mean-square delay spread between channel model outputs and channel measurements. The channel model is useful for the performance evaluation of the wireless systems in hospital environments. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Ultrabroadband Terahertz communication systems are expected to help satisfy the ever-growing need for unoccupied bandwidth. Here, we present ultra broadband channel measurements at 300 GHz for two distinct indoor scenarios, a point-to-point link of devices on a desktop and the connection of a laptop to an access point in the middle of an office room. In the first setup, measurements are taken with regard to distance, different antenna types and device displacements. Additionally, an interference constellation according to the two-ray model is examined. In the second setup, the focus is on the detection and characterization of the LOS- and the NLOS-paths in an indoor environment, including a maximum of two reflections. Temporal channel characteristics are examined with regard to maximum achievable symbol rates. Furthermore, ray obstruction due to objects in the transmission path is investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A generic statistical-based ultrawide-band (UWB) indoor channel model which incorporates the clustering of multipath components (MPCs) is proposed. The model is derived using measurement data collected in the frequency band of 3-10 GHz in various types of high-rise apartment under different propagation scenarios. The measurement procedure allows the characterization of both the large-scale and the small-scale statistics of the channel. The main objective is to study multipath propagation behavior, particularly the phenomenon of clustered MPCs. The description of clustering observed in the channel uses two classes of parameters which characterize the clustering and the MPCs respectively. All parameters are described by a set of empirical probability density functions derived from the measured data such as the distribution of clusters and MPCs, cluster and MPC arrival statistics and small-scale amplitude fading statistics. A new distribution, namely, a mixture of two Poisson processes, is proposed to model the ray arrival times. This new distribution fits the empirical data better than the single Poisson process proposed in the conventional Saleh-Valenzuela (S-V) model. Analysis results show that the small-scale amplitude hiding statistics are best modeled by the Weibull distribution. The Weibull b-shape parameter is lognormally distributed and is found to be invariant across the excess delay. Additionally, the temporal correlation between adjacent path amplitudes is investigated. The amplitude temporal correlation coefficients are found to be relatively small, and thus, can be assumed to be negligible in reality. The proposed model can provide a realistic simulation platform for UWB communication systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A response to a letter to the editor is presented about the article "A Generic Statistical-Based UWB Channel Model for High-Rise Apartments," by Chin-Chin Chong and Su Khiong Yong.