Measurement, modeling, and simulation of digital LOS microwavechannels with applications to outage prediction

A summary of prior work in the field of microwave line-of-sight (LOS) channel propagation measurements, channel models, and channel simulators is presented. The objective of these efforts is the reliable prediction of digital microwave radio performance on any specified link. Many digital radio outage prediction techniques are predicted upon the use of m-curves, which characterize a digital radio's performance in a simulated fading environment. These m-curves are generated by subjecting the radio under test to simulated multipath fading. This requires the use of a channel simulator that accurately emulates the fading conditions found on real LOS links. All parameters of an ideal channel simulator should be based on a model that has been validated through propagation measurements on a number of different paths. Although much progress has been made, some issues remain for further investigation. New channel propagation measurement, modeling, and simulation results that are directly applicable to these issues are given     

A Simplified Method for the Laboratory Determination of Multipath Outage of Digital Radios in the Presence of Thermal Noise

Multipath fading at microwave frequencies causes highspeed digital radio systems on line-of-sight paths to experience outage, where outage is defined here as the number of seconds in a month that the bit-error rate (BER) on an unprotected hop exceeds a threshold. The expected or predicted outage of a radio system may be calculated using a statistical model of fading in conjunction with characteristics of the radio determined by stressing it with a multipath fading simulator in the laboratory. To determine the effects of transmitted power levels (or nominal received carrier-to-noise ratio) on outage may require the simulation of 500-1000 channel conditions to characterize the radio completely. This paper describes a method of generating the complete characterization from a reduced set of simulation measurements; the method reduces the required number of measurements by a factor of about 20. Over a wide range of operating conditions, the outage calculated with this simplified method differs by less than 25 percent from that obtained with the complete characterization.     

Millimeter-Wave Propagation Channel Characterization for Short-Range Wireless Communications

This paper presents and analyzes the results of millimeter-wave 60-GHz frequency range propagation channel measurements that are performed in various indoor environments for continuous-route and direction-of-arrival (DOA) measurement campaigns. The statistical parameters of the propagation channel, such as the number of paths, the RMS delay spread, the path loss, and the shadowing, are inspected. Moreover, the interdependencies of different characteristics of the multipath channel are also investigated. A linear relationship between the number of paths and the delay spread is found, negative cross correlation between the shadow fading and the delay spread can be established, and an upper bound exponential model of the delay spread and the path loss is developed to estimate the worst case of the RMS delay spread at given path loss. Based on the DOA measurements that are carried out in a room [line of sight (LOS)] and in a corridor with both LOS and nonline-of-sight (NLOS) scenarios, radio-wave propagation mechanisms are studied. It is found that considering the direct wave and the first-order reflected waves from smooth surfaces is sufficient in the LOS cases. Transmission loss is very high; however, diffraction is found to be a significant propagation mechanism in NLOS propagation environments. The results can be used for the design of 60-GHz radio systems in short-range wireless applications.     

Superresolution of multipath delay profiles measured by PNcorrelation method

Time resolution of multipath delay profiles measured by using the autocorrelation of a pseudonoise (PN) code sequence is generally limited by the chip interval of the PN code sequence. A superresolution PN correlation method (SPM) is proposed which improves the time resolution of delay profiles measured by the conventional PN correlation method. The SPM is based on a decomposition of the eigenvector space of the correlation matrix of the delay profile data vector and gives the number of paths and their delay times with higher resolution. It is verified by computer simulations and experiments using coaxial delay lines that the SPM can resolve two paths with a delay difference of a few tenths of the chip interval. The applicability of the SPM to the analysis of an indoor multipath environment in which many delayed waves arrive with short delay differences is demonstrated by an indoor radio propagation experiment at 2.3 GHz     

Multipath propagation model for line-of-sight street microcells inurban area

This paper proposes a multipath propagation model for line-of-sight (LOS) street microcells with building roof base sites (BS) in urban areas, Multipath propagation characteristics are of great importance in evaluating the performance of digital systems and designing wireless links. Typical delay profiles are measured to clarify their statistical characteristics in LOS street microcells. The channel sounder used is a sliding correlator with 30-Mb/s PN code and a center frequency of 2.6 GHz. The measurements clarify the features of delay profile and mean RMS delay spread. The proposed delay profile model explains one plausible mechanism of multipath propagation. The delay profiles calculated using the model agreed well with the measured profiles. Furthermore, the factors influencing the RMSs delay spread are investigated, and the regression equation of medium RMS delay spread on a sidewalk is established. The proposed model can evaluate the transmission characteristics of wireless digital communication systems in multipath propagation environments     

Availability Prediction of 8 PSK Digital Microwave Systems During Multipath Propagation

Analysis is presented to evaluate the worst case availability of 90 Mbit/s, 8 PSK digital microwave systems during multipath propagation. The model used in the analysis is based on the assumption that during multipath fading, the microwave energy propagates from the transmitter to the receiver via two paths, thus generating a single echo. Based on this model, three main results are found; that is 1) echo delay decreases exponentially with fade depth, 2) the worst case fade distribution follows a Rayleigh distribution, 3) the unavailability of a typical 6 GHz path during multipath propagation is unacceptably high without the use of an adaptive amplitude slope equalizer.     

Multipath routing in mobile ad hoc network with probabilistic splitting of traffic

Multipath routing is a burning issue in mobile ad hoc network due to its various advantages over single path routing. Some of these advantages are load balancing, bandwidth aggregation, and fault tolerance. Multipath routing means multiple paths exist between source and destination pair. Many works discussed in section 2 addressed queuing delays, but none of them suggested queuing delay for multiple path deliveries of data in mobile ad hoc network context. In this paper, we have designed a mathematical model to compute delay and throughput for multipath. Our model follow the network of M/M/1 queues, and we have applied Burke’s theorem to calculate the queuing delay of the packet in mobile network scenario. This model can be used to estimate delay and throughput of an individual path. Further, through the analysis the best path for data delivery out of available multiple paths as well as the multipath path can be used simultaneously for data delivery to the destination. Simulation result shows that splitted traffic multiple paths outperform splitted traffic. Therefore, our model is useful for design and analysis of ad hoc network. The simulation work has been carried out in Qualnet simulator.     

A channel model for multipath interference on terrestrialline-of-sight digital radio

A comprehensive system model for characterizing the effects of multipath propagation on digital radio systems in the 4-6-GHz band is shown in this paper. The effects of terrain-induced multipath propagation in the presence of atmospheric anomalies are studied using data from experimental microwave links in the field and in the laboratory. This technique, which treats multipath propagation as digital signal distortions caused by interference from ground reflections, has not been shown previously. A forward multipath propagation model is used to identify the critical propagation parameters for a quadrature amplitude modulated (QAM) signal. A normalized two-ray channel model is developed to approximate the frequency response produced by interference from a ground reflection in a narrow band. The effectiveness of this channel model is evaluated using measured data from the test radio link in the laboratory and in the field     

陆地高速移动环境下电波传播特性的建模与分析

采用有限状态的马尔克夫链得出陆地高速移动环境下电波传播路径的动态仿真模型。将模型与真实的陆地高速移动电波传播环境相结合,建立了更符合实际传播环境的电波传播仿真模型,通过该传播模型得出陆地高速移动环境下的电波传播特性。将得出的模型运用于较平坦地理环境,基站信号覆盖区域约为3km,存在视距(LOS)路径。通过仿真给出了高速列车在沿线不同位置和不同速度时的电波路径数目、各电波路径的衰减系数、延迟时间等,以及由此分析计算出的在该环境下的多普勒频谱、电平通过率等电波特性。最后,对这些仿真数据进行统计分析,证实了该传播模型的有效性。     

有限空间液态场中声发射信号时延估计方法

石油储罐罐底腐蚀的定位可利用声发射信号的时延估计实现,但在有限空间液态场中信号的传播会产生严重的多途效应,对准确进行时延估计产生不利影响.提出一种基于信号截取的广义互相关时延估计方法.采用曲线拟合法对每路传感器采集信号进行波达时刻估计,然后进行信号截取,对两路传感器截取信号进行基于相位变换的广义互相关,实现信号的时延估计.实验结果表明,该方法能有效克服多途干扰,提高时延估计性能.     

基于TDOA 的室内定位系统中多径抑制方法

多径传播能显著降低基于到达时间差(TDOA)的定位精度。文中介绍了一种使用波束指向圆极化天线(BSCPA)抑制室内多径传播的方法。BSCPA 由一个波束开关网络、四个相同的六边形贴片单元及其馈电网络组成。通过控制波束开关网络中的射频(RF)开关的状态,可以分别激励四个指向圆极化波束以实现方位角全向覆盖。根据BSCPA 的指向波束和圆极化,可以减轻由室内多径造成的定位误差。在面积为10. 8 m×6. 6 m、视距(LOS)、复杂多径的室内环境中,当测试信号为20MHz 带宽的WLAN 时,得到的2D 定位平均误差为0. 71 m。与传统的全向线性极化天线(OLPA)相比,BSCPA 可以将定位精度提高52. 5%。该改进表明,所提出的方法可以显著抑制基于TDOA 的室内定位的多径传播。     

Angles-of-arrival and delay times on terrestrial line-of-sight microwave links

A ray-tracing approach is used to generate quantitative information on the ranges of angles-of-arrival, delay times, and amplitudes associated with individual paths in a multipath propagation situation as expected on typical terrestrial microwave links. Some experimental evidence relating to, and confirming, the predicted values is considered.     

Effective earth radius for refraction of radio waves at altitudes above 1 km

Atmospheric refractivity gradients are responsible for the bending of radio and microwave propagation paths such that the electromagnetic line-of-sight deviates from the geometrical line-of-sight. Such refraction effects must be accounted for when the performance of airborne surveillance radar systems is modeled. For propagation paths within 1 km of the earth's surface, the effective earth radius model is normally valid and commonly used. In the present work, a ray trace method for determination of propagation paths in a semi-empirical, stratified atmosphere is described. Results obtained from the ray trace model are employed to show that the effective earth radius method (EERM) can be used for approximate determinations of grazing angle, ground range and slant range for higher altitude paths. Effective earth radius scale factors are given as functions of transmitter altitude for selected values of surface refractivity.     

大气波导对无源定位差分时延精度的影响

利用泰勒级数近似的射线追踪算法,针对1 000 km范围内的超视距目标时差定位系统进行传播路径仿真建模,计算分析了不同波导环境下的差分时延误差和多径相对时延,评估了时差定位系统对大气波导超视距目标的时延差精度.计算结果表明,由于大气折射环境随距离的变化,无源定位系统的差分时延误差会随着通信距离的增大而增大.当系统通信距离达到近1 000 km时,较强的表面波导环境可使差分时延误差达到近30 ns,多径相对时延可达近20 ns;蒸发波导可使时延误差达近40 ns,多径相对时延同样可达近20 ns.通过对实际波导环境超视距链路时延效应的定量分析,为无源时差定位系统的工作性能和参数设计提供了环境保障和技术支撑.     

Effects of antenna directivity and polarization on indoor multipathpropagation characteristics at 60 GHz

In millimeter-wave indoor communications systems, the radiation patterns and polarizations of the antennas at base stations and remote terminals have a significant influence on channel characteristics. The work reported in this paper investigated the effects of the radiation patterns of the antennas at remote terminals on multipath propagation characteristics. These effects were investigated by indoor propagation measurements at 60 GHz conducted in a modern office room and by ray-tracing simulations based on geometrical optics. Multipath channel characteristics are compared in terms of impulse responses and their root-mean-square (rms) delay spreads for an omnidirectional antenna and for three directive antennas with different beam widths. From the results of measurements and ray-tracing simulations, the use of a directive antenna at the remote terminal is demonstrated to be an effective method of reducing the effects of multipath propagation. Further reduction in the multipath effects is found to be achieved by the use of circular polarization instead of linear polarization with the directive antennas     

A stochastic multipath channel model including path directions for indoor environments

A novel stochastic channel model for the indoor propagation channel is presented. It is especially for, but not limited to future communication systems with multiple antennas like space division multiple access (SDMA), spatial filtering for interference reduction (SFIR), or multiple-input/multiple-output (MIMO). The model is designed for indoor scenarios, straight forward extendable to urban environments. It is based on physical wave propagation. The new approach describes the channel by multipath components, each characterized by its transfer matrix (including loss), delay, direction of arrival, and departure. The appearance and disappearance of multipath components over time is modeled as a birth and death process, a marked Poisson process. This enables first-time the correct modeling of spatial and temporal correlations. In each modeling step, path properties change according to the motion of transmitter and receiver. The changing delay times of propagation paths yield a realistic Doppler behavior of the channel. Deterministic ray tracing results are used to produce the huge data sets required for the statistical evaluation of the parameters of the proposed model. This method enables an automated parameter extraction for new environments or frequencies. The ray tracing tool has been verified by narrowband, wideband, and directional channel measurements. The novel stochastic spatial channel model allows the simulation of third-generation broadband radio systems including arbitrary antenna configurations and patterns. System simulations for the bit-error rate of radio links can be performed including intelligent antenna configurations like SDMA, SFIR, or MIMO. Furthermore, the capacity of complete systems can be investigated.     

Spatial and temporal characteristics of 60-GHz indoor channels

This article presents measurement results and models for 60-GHz channels. Multipath components were resolved in time by using a sliding correlator with 10-ns resolution and in space by sweeping a directional antenna with 7° half power beamwidth in the azimuthal direction. Power delay profiles (PDPs) and power angle profiles (PAPs) were measured in various indoor and short-range outdoor environments. Detailed multipath structure was retrieved from PDPs and PAPs and was related to site-specific environments. Results show an excellent correlation between the propagation environments and the multipath channel structures. The measurement results confirm that the majority of the multipath components can be determined from image based ray tracing techniques for line-of-sight (LOS) applications. For non-LOS (NLOS) propagation through walls, the metallic structure of composite walls must be considered. From the recorded PDPs and PAPs, received signal power and statistical parameters of angle-of-arrival and time-of-arrival were also calculated. These parameters accurately describe the spatial and temporal properties of millimeter-wave channels and can be used as empirical values for broadband wireless system design for 60-GHz short-range channels     

Wideband radio propagation modeling for indoor geolocationapplications

A framework for statistical modeling of the wideband characteristics of the frequency-selective fading multipath indoor radio channel for geolocation applications is presented. Multipath characteristics of the channel are divided into three classes according to availability and the strength of the direct line of sight (DLOS) path with respect to the other paths. Statistics of the error in estimating the time of arrival of the DLOS path in a building is related to the receiver's sensitivity and dynamic range. The effects of external walls on estimating the location of the DLOS path are analyzed     

The double-directional radio channel

We introduce the concept of the double-directional mobile radio channel. It is called this because it includes angular information at both link ends, e.g., at the base station and at the mobile station. We show that this angular information can be obtained with synchronized antenna arrays at both link ends. In wideband high-resolution measurements, we use a switched linear array at the receiver and a virtual-cross array at the transmitter. We evaluate the raw measurement data with a technique that alternately used estimation and beamforming, and that relied on ESPRIT (estimation of signal parameters via rotational invariance techniques) to obtain superresolution in both angular domains and in the delay domain. In sample microcellular scenarios (open and closed courtyard, line-of-sight and obstructed line-of-sight), up to 50 individual propagation paths are determined. The major multipath components are matched precisely to the physical environment by geometrical considerations. Up to three reflection/scattering points per propagation path are identified and localized, lending insight into the multipath spreading properties in a microcell. The extracted multipath parameters allow unambiguous scatterer identification and channel characterization, independently of a specific antenna, its configuration (single/array), and its pattern. The measurement results demonstrate a considerable amount of power being carried via multiply reflected components, thus suggesting revisiting the popular single-bounce propagation models. It turns out that the wideband double-directional evaluation is a most complete method for separating multipath components. Due to its excellent spatial resolution, the double-directional concept provides accurate estimates of the channel's multipath-richness, which is the important parameter for the capacity of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channels     

A Minimum Dispersion Combiner for High Capacity Digital Microwave Radio

A new minimum-dispersion (MID) combiner, which reduces multipath degradation in a high capacity digital microwave radio, is proposed. A high capacity digital microwave radio is inherently very sensitive to waveform distortion caused by multipath in-band delay dispersion and in-band amplitude dispersion. To minimize the in-band dispersion, the combined-signal spectrum shape from the two antennas is monitored before and after a small change takes place in the combining phase. The phase shifter rotates in the direction of the flatter of the spectrum shapes, either the one before or the one after monitoring. Performance evaluations through simulation calculation and theoretical estimation using in-band amplitude dispersion probability density are given. More improvement can be obtained when the MID combiner is used instead of the maximum power (MAP) combiner currently in use. Laboratory and field experiments, using a 200 Mbit/ s 16-QAM signal, verify these analyses and show an additional outage reduction factor of more than 5.