Comprehensive design and propagation study of a compact dual band antenna for healthcare applications

In this paper, a dual band planar inverted F antenna (PIFA) has been investigated for cooperative on- and off-body communications. Free space and on-body performance parameters like return loss, bandwidth, radiation pattern and efficiency of this antenna are shown and investigated. The on- and off-body radio propagation channel performance at 2.45 GHz and 1.9 GHz have been investigated, respectively. Experimental investigations are performed both in the anechoic chamber and in an indoor environment. The path loss exponent has been extracted for both on- and off-body radio propagation scenarios. For on-body propagation, the path loss exponent is 2.48 and 2.22 in the anechoic chamber and indoor environment, respectively. The path loss exponent is 1.27 for off-body radio propagation situation. For on-body case, the path loss has been characterized for ten different locations on the body at 2.45 GHz, whereas for off-body case radio channel studies are performed for five different locations at 1.9 GHz. The proposed antenna shows a good on- and off-body radio channel performance

Wideband performance comparison between the 40 GHz and 60 GHz frequency bands for indoor radio channels

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UWB Indoor Radio Propagation Modelling in Presence of Human Body Shadowing Using Ray Tracing Technique

This paper presents a ray-tracing method for modelingUltra Wide Bandwidth indoor propagation channels. Avalidation of the ray tracing model with our indoor measurementis also presented. Based on the validated model, the multipathchannel parameter like the fading statistics and root mean squarerms delay spread for Ultra Wide bandwidth frequencies aresimply extracted. The proposed ray-tracing method is basedon image method. This is used to predict the propagation ofUWB electromagnetic waves. First, we have obtained that thefading statistics can be well fitted by log normal distributionin static case. Second, as in realistic environment we cannotneglect the significant impact of Human Body Shadowing andother objects in motion on indoor UWB propagation channel.Hence, our proposed model allows a simulation of propagationin a dynamic indoor environment. Results of the simulation showthat this tool gives results in agreement with those reported inthe literature. Specially, the effects of people motion on temporalchannel properties. Other features of this approach also areoutlined

Measurement of Ultra Wideband Channel Sounding Using a Vector Network Analyzer

In this paper, we analyze the measurement of ultra wideband (UWB) noise channels in different indoor environments. All measurements are done using a vector network analyzer (VNA) which allows us to measure the noise channel transfer functions. We find that the noise power of the system is decreased by increasing the intermediate frequency (IF) bandwidth which leads to an increase in time taken to perform measurements of the channels. Also, we measure the environmental noise power and find that it is slightly affected by fluorescent light sources inside the measurement environments. In addition, we find that the environmental noise is decreased when enclosed in a Faraday cage (steel shed), within an intense multipath measurement environment. We found that, the Environmental noise decreases slightly by using the LPDA antenna compared to using the Teardrop and Horn antennas. Our results show that the Horn antenna is less suitable for UWB channel measurements compared to the LPDA directional antennas because of lower S11 (Return Loss) values. While foromnidirectional antennas, the Teardrop antenna is much more suitable than the monocone antennas for UWB measurements (due to lower S11 values) and decreases the Environmental noise power. As secondary application, we show how a frequency detection device can be used to re-adjust a maladjusted frequency selection on a remote controller for a garage door, in presence of environmental noise power

Unmanned aerial vehicle-to-wearables (UAV2W) indoor radio propagation channel measurements and modeling

In this paper, off-body ultra-wide band (UWB) channel characterization and modeling are presented between an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and a human subject. The wearable antenna was patched at nine different body locations on a human subject during the experiment campaign. The prime objective of this work was to study and evaluate the distance and frequency dependent path loss factors for different bandwidths corresponding to various carrier frequencies, and also look into the time dispersion properties of such unmanned aerial vehicle-to-wearables (UAV2W) system. The environment under consideration was an indoor warehouse with highly conductive metallic walls and roof. Best fit statistical analysis using Akaike Information Criteria revealed that the Log-normal distribution is the best fit distribution to model the UWB fading statistics. The study in this paper will set up a road map for future UAV2W studies to develop enhanced retail and remote health-care monitoring/diagnostic systems

Wideband performance comparison between the 40 GHz and 60 GHz frequency bands for indoor radio channels

When 5G networks are to be deployed, the usability of millimeter-wave frequency allocations seems to be left out of the debate. However, there is an open question regarding the advantages and disadvantages of the main candidates for this allocation: The use of the licensed spectrum near 40 GHz or the unlicensed band at 60 GHz. Both bands may be adequate for high performance radio communication systems, and this paper provides insight into such alternatives. A large measurement campaign supplied enough data to analyze and to evaluate the network performance for both frequency bands in different types of indoor environments: Both large rooms and narrow corridors, and both line of sight and obstructed line of sight conditions. As a result of such a campaign and after a deep analysis in terms of wideband parameters, the radio channel usability is analyzed with numerical data regarding its performance

Millimeter wave and UWB propagation for high throughput indoor communications

Millimeter-wave systems at 60 GHz and ultra-wideband (UWB) systems in the microwave range of 3-10 GHz have been received with great interest for their high data rate wireless communications. In design, test and optimization of future wireless systems, channel models featuring the relevant characteristics of radiowave propagation are required. Furthermore, detailed understanding of the propagation channel and its interaction with system, creates insights into possible solutions. In this work, both theoretical (ray-tracing) and statistical models of the 60 GHz and UWB channels are studied. Propagation characteristics of the 60 GHz and UWB indoor channels are also compared for providing useful information on design of radio systems. More specifically, based on real-time channel sounder measurements performed in the 60 GHz band, propagation mechanisms including person blocking effect are concluded. Ray-based models in LOS and NLOS indoor corridors are proposed. Multipath power distributions in the 60 GHz band are studied first time. Moreover, propagation interdependencies of path loss, shadowing, number of paths, Rice K-factor and cross polarization discrimination (XPD) with channel delay spread are established. In the UWB propagation channel, frequency- and bandwidth- dependencies are investigated. Multipath and clustering propagation characteristics are analyzed. A new cluster model is proposed and compared with the classical Saleh-Valenzuela model for gaining more understanding of channel general properties. Finally, the performance and capacities of the 60 GHz UWB and MIMO (multiple-in and multiple-out) systems are analyzed for providing reliable parameters for system design and useful information for standardization groups

Ultra Wideband Noise Channel Measurement using a Vector Network Analyzer

In this paper, we analyze the measurement of ultra wideband (UWB) noise channels in different indoor environments. All measurements are done using a vector network analyzer (VNA) which allows us to measure the noise channel transfer functions. We find that the noise power of the system is decreased by increasing the intermediate frequency (IF) bandwidth which leads to an increase in time taken to perform measurements of the channels. Also, we measure the environmental noise power and find that it is slightly affected by fluorescent light sources inside the measurement environments. In addition, we find that the environmental noise is decreased when enclosed in a Faraday cage (steel shed), within an intense multipath measurement environment. As secondary application, we show how a frequency detection device can be used to re-adjust a maladjusted frequency selection on a remote controller for a garage door, in presence of environmental noise power

Characterizing the UAV-to-Machine UWB Radio Channel in Smart Factories

In this work, the results of Ultra-Wideband air-to-ground measurements carried out in a real-world factory environment are presented and discussed. With intelligent industrial deployments in mind, we envision a scenario where the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle can be used as a supplementary tool for factory operation, optimization and control. Measurements address narrow band and wide band characterization of the wireless radio channel, and can be used for link budget calculation, interference studies and time dispersion assessment in real factories, without the usual limitation for both radio terminals to be close to ground. The measurements are performed at different locations and different heights over the 3.1-5.3 GHz band. Some fundamental propagation parameters values are determined vs. distance, height and propagation conditions. The measurements are complemented with, and compared to, conventional ground-to-ground measurements with the same setup. The conducted measurement campaign gives an insight for realizing wireless applications in smart connected factories, including UAV-assisted applications