Characterization of Single- and Multi-antenna Wireless Channels

The wireless propagation channel significantly influences the received signal, so that it needs to be modeled effectively. Extensive measurements and analysis are required for investigating the validity of theoretical models and postulating new models based on measurements. Such measurements, analysis, and modeling are the topic of this thesis. The focus of the included contributions are Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) propagation channels and radio channels for sensor network applications. Paper I presents results from one of the first MIMO measurements for a double-directional characterization of the outdoor-to-indoor wireless propagation channel. Such channels are of interest for both cellular and wireless LAN applications. We discuss physical aspects of building penetration, and also provide statistics of angle and delay spreads in the channel. The paper also investigates the coupling between DOD and DOA and the two spectra are found to have non-negligible dependence. We test the applicability of three analytical channel models that make different assumptions on the coupling between DODs and DOAs. Our results indicate that analytical models, that impose fewer restrictions on the DOD to DOA coupling, should be used preferrably over models such as the Kronecker model that have more restrictive assumptions. Paper II presents a cluster-based analysis of the outdoor-to-indoor MIMO measurements analyzed in Paper I. A subset of parameters of the COST 273 channel model, a generic model for MIMO propagation channels, are characterized for the outdoor-to-indoor scenario. MPC parameters are extracted at each measured location using a high-resolution algorithm and clusters of MPCs are identified with an automated clustering approach. In particular, the adopted clustering approach requires that all MPC parameters must be similar in order for the MPCs to form a cluster. A statistical analysis of the identified clusters is performed for both the intra- and inter-cluster properties. Paper III analyzes the spatial fading distribution for a range of canonical sensor deployment scenarios. The presented results are relevant to communicating within, and between, clusters of nodes. Contrary to the widely accepted assumption in published literature that the channel is AWGN at a small-enough distance, our measurements indicate that values of the Rice factor do not, in general, increase monotonically as the Tx-Rx distance is reduced. A probability mixture model is presented, with distance dependent parameters, to account for the distance dependent variations of the Rice factor. A simulation model that includes small- and large-scale fading effects is presented. According to the modeling approach, a sensor node placed anywhere within the spatial extent of a small-scale region will experience the channel statistics applicable to that region. Paper IV presents results characterizing a radio channel for outdoor short-range sensor networks. A number of antennas are placed on the ground in an open area and time-variation of the channel is induced by a person moving in the vicinity of the nodes. The channel statistics of both the LOS path and the overall narrowband signal are non-stationary. We investigate the stationarity interval length to be used for small-scale analysis. Our analysis of the various measured links shows that the Rx signal strength is significantly influenced by a moving person only when the person blocks the LOS path. We present a generic approach for modeling the LOS blockage, and also model the time-variant Doppler spectrum of the channel's scattered components

Clustered Jamming in Aerial HetNets with Decoupled Access

The tremendous increase in wireless connectivity demand will result in the degradation of the service quality and the scarcity of network capacity and coverage in the beyond 5 th generation era. To ensure reliable connectivity and enhance the network’s performance, the evolution of heterogeneous networks (HetNets) must incorporate aerial platforms in addition to traditional terrestrial base stations. The performance of Aerial-HetNets (A-HetNets) is largely dependent on the users’ association. The conventional user-association scheme based on downlink received power provides sub-optimal performance for the edge users. For this reason, decoupled user-association along with the reverse frequency allocation (RFA) strategy has been employed in A-HetNets. The performance of A-HetNets is also affected if wide-band jammers (WBJs) are present in the vicinity and impose jamming interference. In this paper, a two-tier A-HetNet with RFA and decoupled access is analyzed in the presence of jamming interference. The obtained results show that for a signal-to-interference ratio threshold of −20 dBm, the percentage decrease in the coverage probability of the decoupled access due to WBJ activity is up to 7.4%, 13.5%, and 19.7%, for the average number of WBJs equal to 2, 4, and 6, respectively. The performance of the decoupled access in A-HetNets is further decreased by increasing the transmit power of the WBJs while it is increased by increasing the radius of the WBJ’s cluster

On mm-Wave Multi-path Clustering and Channel Modeling

Efficient and realistic mm-wave channel models are of vital importance for the development of novel mm-wave wireless technologies. Though many of the current 60 GHz channel models are based on the useful concept of multi-path clusters, only a limited number of 60 GHz channel measurements have been reported in the literature for this purpose. Therefore, there is still a need for further measurement based analyses of multi-path clustering in the 60 GHz band. This paper presents clustering results for a double-directional 60 GHz MIMO channel model. Based on these results, we derive a model which is validated with measured data. Statistical cluster parameters are evaluated and compared with existing channel models. It is shown that the cluster angular characteristics are closely related to the room geometry and environment, making it infeasible to model the delay and angular domains independently. We also show that when using ray tracing to model the channel, it is insufficient to only consider walls, ceiling, floor and tables; finer structures such as ceiling lamps, chairs and bookshelves need to be taken into account as well

Decoupled Downlink and Uplink Access for Aerial Terrestrial Heterogeneous Cellular Networks

To enable reliable connectivity in highly dynamic and dense communication environments, aerial-terrestrial heterogeneous cellular networks (AT-HCNs) have been proposed as a plausible enhancement to the conventional terrestrial HCNs (T-HCNs). In dense urban scenarios, users are often located in clusters and demand high bandwidth in both downlink (DL) and uplink (UL). We investigate this scenario and model the spatial distribution of clustered users using a Matern cluster process (MCP). Based on our analysis we then argue that decoupling of DL and UL in such a setting can significantly improve coverage performance and spectral efficiency. We further obtain closed-form expressions for the system coverage probability, spectral efficiency, and energy efficiency by using the Fox H-function. The obtained results confirm the validity of the proposed analytical model. Our simulations further indicate a significant performance improvement using decoupled access and provide quantitative insights on AT-HCN system design

UWB channel measurements in an industrial environment

In this paper, we present the (to our knowledge) first measurement results for ultra-wideband channels in industrial environments, i.e., a factory hall. The measurements are done with virtual arrays, which allows analysis of the small-scale fading statistics, as well as a directional analysis. We find that there is dense multipath scattering due to the abundance of metallic scatterers in the considered environment. Multiple scatterer clusters can be identified both in the delay and the angular domain. Typical rms delay spreads lie between 30 ns for LOS scenarios and 40 ns for NLOS scenarios. For non-LOS scenarios at large distances, the maximum of the power delay profile is observed some 40 ns after the arrival of the first multipath components. We also draw conclusions about the behavior of typical UWB system designs in the measured channel

Statistical analysis of the UWB channel in an industrial environment

In this paper, we present a statistical model for the ultra-wideband (UWB) channel in an industrial environment. Based on a set of measurements in a factory hall, we find that the abundance of metallic scatterers causes dense multipath scattering. This can be seen to produce mostly a Rayleigh distributed small-scale fading signal, with only a few paths exhibiting Nakagami distributions. For the power delay profile, we suggest a generalization of the Saleh-Valenzuela model where clusters with different excess delays have different ray power decay constants; the decay constants follow a linear dependence on the delay. This model provides an excellent fit to the measured data. We also note that for non-line-of-sight scenarios at larger distances, several hundred multipath components need to be collected to capture 50% of the available energ