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In this paper, we introduce an approach to analyze the interaction between antennas and the propagation channel. We study both the antennas and the propagation channel by means of the spherical vector wave mode expansion of the electromagnetic field. Then we use the expansion coefficients to study some properties of general antennas in those fields by means of the antenna scattering matrix. The focus is on the spatio-polar characterization of antennas, channels and their interactions. We provide closed form expressions for the covariance of the field multimodes as function of the power angle spectrum (PAS) and the channel cross-polarization ratio (XPR). A new interpretation of the mean effective gains (MEG) of antennas is also provided. The maximum MEG is obtained by conjugate mode matching between the antennas and the channel; we also prove the (intuitive) results that the optimum decorrelation of the antenna signals is obtained by the excitation of orthogonal spherical vector modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of efficient vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications systems requires an understanding of the underlying propagation channels. In this paper, we present results on pathloss, power-delay profiles (PDPs), and delay-Doppler spectra from a high speed measurement campaign on a highway in Lund, Sweden. Measurements were performed at a carrier frequency of 5.2 GHz with the communicating vehicles traveling on the highway in opposite directions. A pathloss coefficient of 1.8 shows the best fit in the mean square sense with our measurement. The average root mean square (RMS) delay spread is between 263 ns and 376 ns, depending on the noise threshold. We investigate and describe selected paths in the delay-Doppler domain, where we observe Doppler shifts of more than 1,000 Hz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outdoor-to-indoor wireless propagation channel is of interest for cellular and wireless local area network applications. This paper presents the measurement results and analysis based on our multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) measurement campaign, which is one of the first to characterize the outdoor-to-indoor channel. The measurements were performed at 5.2 GHz; the receiver was placed indoors at 53 different locations in an office building, and the transmitter was placed at three "base station" positions on a nearby rooftop. We report on the root-mean-square (RMS) angular spread, building penetration, and other statistical parameters that characterize the channel. Our analysis is focused on three MIMO channel assumptions often used in stochastic models. 1) It is commonly assumed that the channel matrix can be represented as, a sum of a line-of-sight (LOS) contribution and a zero-mean complex Gaussian distribution. Our investigation shows that this model does not adequately represent our measurement data. 2) It is often assumed that the Rician K-factor is equal to the power ratio of the LOS component and the other multipath components (MPCs). We show that this is not the case, and we highlight the difference between the Rician K-factor often associated with LOS channels and a similar power ratio for the estimated LOS MPC. 3) A widespread assumption is that the full correlation matrix of the channel can be decomposed into a Kronecker product of the correlation matrices at the transmit and receive array. Our investigations show that the direction-of-arrival (DOA) spectrum noticeably depends on the direction-of-departure (DOD); therefore, the Kronecker model is not applicable, and models with less-restrictive assumptions on the channel, e.g., the Weichselberger model or the full correlation model, should be used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fourth-generation (4G) systems arc expected to support data rates of the order of 100 Mb/s in the outdoor environment and 1 Gb/s in the indoor/stationary environment. In order to support such large payloads, the radio physical layer must employ receiver algorithms that provide a significant increase in spectrum efficiency land, hence, capacity) over current wireless systems. Recently, an explosion of multiple-input--multiple-output (MIMO) studies have appeared with many journals presenting special issues on this subject. This has occurred due to the potential of MIMO to provide a linear increase in capacity with antenna numbers. Environmental considerations and tower loads will often restrict the placing of large antenna spans on base stations (BSs). Similarly, customer device form factors also place a limit on the antenna numbers that can be placed with a mutual spacing of 0.5 wavelength. The use of cross-polarized antennas is widely used in modern cellular installations as it reduces spacing needs and tower loads on BSs. Hence, this approach is also receiving considerable attention in MIMO systems. In order to study and compare various receiver architectures that are based on MIMO techniques, one needs to have an accurate knowledge of the MIMO channel. However, very few studies have appeared that characterize the cross-polarized MIMO channel. Recently, the third-generation partnership standards bodies (3GPP/3GPP2) have defined a cross-polarized channel model for MIMO systems but this model neglects the elevation spectrum. In this paper, we provide a deeper understanding of the channel model for cross-polarized systems for different environments and propose a composite channel impulse model for the cross-polarized channel that takes into account both azimuth and elevation spectrum. We use the resulting channel impulse response to derive closed-form expressions for the spatial correlation. We also present models to describe the dependence of cross-polarization discrimination (XPD) on distance, azimuth and elevation and delay spread. In addition, we study the impact of array width, signal-to-noise ratio, and antenna slant angle on the mutual information (MI) of the system. In particular, we present an analytical model for large system mean mutual information values and consider the impact of elevation spectrum on MI. Finally, the impact of multipath delays on XPD and MI is also explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coherent demodulation results in good detection performance but requires channel estimation. Fading pre-compensation (precoding) at the transmitter can lead to low-complex receiver structures with good performance capabilities, without the need for channel estimation. Time division duplex systems based on orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) are particularly suited to this because intersymbol interference effects can be neglected, simplifying transmitter adjustments. Methods that involve amplitude and/or phase pre-compensation are compared in terms of resulting bit error rate and increase in peak-to-average power ratio. Dynamic channels degrade the performance as the block lengths get longer. For a certain block length the performance degrades below that of traditional differential decoding. A block length of up to 40 times that used in the Digital European Cordless Telephone system, DECT, is possible using channel estimation and ideal Wiener prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the author discusses various reports within the issue on topics including difference between microwave and millimeter wave propagation on 5G systems, impact of body and blockage for millimeter wave, and millimeter-wave versus synthetic beamwidth.

The non line-of-sight (NLOS) scenario in urban intersections is critical in terms of traffic safety—a scenario where Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communication really can make a difference by enabling communication and detection of vehicles around building corners. A few NLOS V2V channel models exist in the literature but they all have some form of limitation, and therefore further research is need. In this paper, we present an alternative NLOS path loss model based on analysis from measured V2V communication channels at 5.9 GHz between six vehicles in two urban intersections. We analyze the auto-correlation of the large scale fading process and the influence of the path loss model on this. In cases where a proper model for the path loss and the antenna pattern is included, the de-correlation distance for the auto-correlation is as low as 2–4 m, and the cross-correlation for the large scale fading between different links can be neglected. Otherwise, the de-correlation distance has to be much longer and the cross-correlation between the different communication links needs to be considered separately, causing the computational complexity to be unnecessarily large. With these findings, we stress that vehicular ad-hoc network (VANET) simulations should be based on the current geometry, i.e., a proper path loss model should be applied depending on whether the V2V communication is blocked or not by other vehicles or buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many concepts for future generations of wireless communication systems use coherent processing of signals from many distributed antennas. The aim is to improve communication reliability, capacity, and energy efficiency and provide possibilities for new applications through integrated communication and sensing. The large bandwidths available in the higher bands have inspired much work regarding sensing in the millimeter-wave (mmWave) and sub-THz bands; however, the sub-6 GHz cellular bands will still be the main provider of wide cellular coverage due to the more favorable propagation conditions. In this paper, we present a measurement system and results of sub-6 GHz distributed multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) measurements performed in an industrial environment. From the measurements, we evaluated the diversity for both large-scale and small-scale fading and characterized the link reliability. We also analyzed the possibility of multistatic sensing and positioning of users in the environment, with the initial results showing a mean-square error below 20  c m on the estimated position. Further, the results clearly showed that new channel models are needed that are spatially consistent and deal with the nonstationary channel properties among the antennas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Realistic propagation modeling requires a detailed understanding and characterization of the radio channel properties. This paper is based on channel sounder measurements with 1-GHz bandwidth at a carrier frequency of 5.7 GHz and particular tracking methods. We present statistical models for the number of, birth rate, lifetime, excess delay, and relative Doppler frequency of individual multipath components. Our findings are concluded from 72 measurement runs in eight relevant vehicular communication scenarios and reveal wide insights into the dynamic propagation process in vehicular communication scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A detailed understanding of the dynamic processes of vehicular radio channels is crucial for its realistic modeling. In this paper, we present multipath components (MPCs) tracking results from a channel sounder measurement with 1-GHz bandwidth at a carrier frequency of 5.7 GHz. We describe in detail the applied algorithms and perform a tracking performance evaluation based on artificial channels and on measurement data from a tunnel scenario. The tracking performance of the proposed algorithm is comparable to the tracking performance of the state-of-the-art Gaussian mixture probability hypothesis density filter but with a significantly lower complexity. The fluctuation of the measured channel gain is followed very well by the proposed tracking algorithm, with a power loss of only 2.5 dB. We present statistical distributions for the number of MPCs and the birth/death rate. The applied algorithms and tracking results can be used to enhance the development of geometry-based channel models. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Millimeter-wave (mmWave) massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) has been considered as a key enabler for the fifth-generation (5G) communications. It is essential to design and test mmWave 5G devices under various realistic scenarios since the radio propagation channels pose intrinsic limitations on the performance. This requires emulating realistic dynamic mmWave channels in a reproducible manner in laboratories, which is the goal of this article. In this contribution, we first illustrate the dominant-cluster(s) concept, where the nondominant clusters in the mmWave channels are pruned, for mmWave 5G devices applying massive MIMO beamforming. This demonstrates the importance and necessity to accurately emulate the mmWave channels at a cluster level rather than the composite-channel level. Thus, an over-the-air (OTA) emulation strategy for dynamic mmWave channels is proposed based on the concept of the dominant cluster(s) in a sectored multiprobe anechoic chamber (SMPAC). The key design parameters, including the probe number and the angular spacing of probes, are investigated through comprehensive simulations. A cost-effective switch circuit is also designed for this purpose and validated in the simulation. Furthermore, a dynamic mmWave channel measured in an indoor scenario at 28–30 GHz is presented, where the proposed emulation strategy is also validated by reproducing the measured reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a shared vision among stakeholders across the value chain on the use of radio positioning and sensing for road safety in the 5G ecosystem. The key enabling technologies and architectural functionalities are explored, focusing on the extremely stringent localization and communication requirements. A case study for joint radar and communication using experimental data showcases the potential of the new enablers that are paving the way toward enhanced road safety in beyond 5G scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Propagation models constitute a fundamental building block of wireless communications research. Before we build and operate real systems, we must understand the science of radio propagation, and develop channel models that both reflect the important propagation processes and allow a fair comparison of different systems. In the past five decades, wireless systems have gone through five generations, from supporting voice applications to enhanced mobile broadband. To meet the ever increasing data rate demands of wireless systems, frequency bands covering a wide range from 800 MHz to 100 GHz have been allocated for use. The standardization of these systems started in the early/mid 1980s in Europe by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute with the advent of Global System for Mobile Communications. This motivated the development of the first standardized propagation model by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) 207 working group. These standardization activities were continued and expanded for the third, fourth, and fifth generations of COST, as well as by the Third Generation Partnership Project, and the International Telecommnunication Union. This paper presents a historical overview of the standardized propagation models covering first to fifth-generation systems. In particular, we discuss the evolution and standardization of pathloss models, as well as large and small-scale fading parameters for single antenna and multiple antenna systems. Furthermore, we present insights into the progress of deterministic modelling across the five generations of systems, as well as discuss more advanced modelling components needed for the detailed simulations of millimeter-wave channels. A comprehensive bibliography at the end of the paper will aid the interested reader to dig deeper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) wireless communications can improve traffic safety at road intersections and enable congestion avoidance. However, detailed knowledge about the wireless propagation channel is needed for the development and realistic assessment of V2V communication systems. We present a novel geometry-based stochastic MIMO channel model with support for frequencies in the band of 5.2–6.2 GHz. The model is based on extensive high-resolution measurements at different road intersections in the city of Berlin, Germany. We extend existing models, by including the effects of various obstructions, higher order interactions, and by introducing an angular gain function for the scatterers. Scatterer locations have been identified and mapped to measured multi-path trajectories using a measurement-based ray tracing method and a subsequent RANSAC algorithm. The developed model is parameterized, and using the measured propagation paths that have been mapped to scatterer locations, model parameters are estimated. The time variant power fading of individual multi-path components is found to be best modeled by a Gamma process with an exponential autocorrelation. The path coherence distance is estimated to be in the range of 0–2 m. The model is also validated against measurement data, showing that the developed model accurately captures the behavior of the measured channel gain, Doppler spread, and delay spread. This is also the case for intersections that have not been used when estimating model parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) over-the-air (OTA) testing is a standardized procedure to evaluate the performance of MIMO-capable devices such as mobile phones and laptops. With the growth of the vehicle-to-everything (V2X) service, the need for vehicular communication testing is expected to increase significantly. The so-called multi-probe anechoic chamber (MPAC) setup is standardized for MIMO OTA testing. Typically, a test zone of 0.85 wavelength in diameter can be achieved with an 8-probe MPAC setup, which can encompass device-under-test (DUT) of small form factors. However, a test zone of this size may not be large enough to encompass DUTs such as cars. In this article, the sufficient number of OTA probes for the MPAC setup for car testing is investigated with respect to the emulation accuracy. Our investigation shows that the effective antenna distance of the DUT is more critical than its physical dimensions to determine the required number of OTA probes. In addition, throughput measurements are performed under the standard SCME UMa and UMi channel models with the 8-probe MPAC setup and the wireless cable setup, i.e. another standardized testing setup. The results show reasonably good agreement between the two setups for MIMO OTA testing with cars under the standard channel models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In massive MIMO systems the uplink pilot signals transmitted by a terminal define the channel seen by the base station. This gives the terminal some degree of freedom selecting an uplink pilot transmission strategy. In this paper, we investigate the benefit of different pilot transmission strategies when increasing the number of antennas in the terminal. Building on previous work on a simulation framework for Multiple-antenna terminals in 5G massive MIMO systems, this paper presents simulated performance results for various transmission schemes. The results are calibrated to reflect a real communication situation in a large auditorium. Emulating the measurement set-up, we show that the framework can be tuned to generate channel distributions that match measured data. Under generalized conditions, we perform simulations for different terminal transmission-strategies, both related to single stream and multiple streams. All evaluations are based on terminals with four antennas integrated into real Sony Xperia smartphone-chassis, tuned to 3.7 GHz. The measurements are conducted by using the Lund University Massive MIMO testbed with its 100 antennas. The results clearly show the advantage of increasing the antenna-count also at the terminal side in massive MIMO systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper generalizes a propagation graph model to polarized indoor wireless channels. In the original contribution, the channel is modeled as a propagation graph in which vertices represent transmitters, receivers, and scatterers, while edges represent the propagation conditions between vertices. Each edge is characterized by an edge transfer function accounting for the attenuation, delay spread, and the phase shift on the edge. In this contribution, we extend this modeling formalism to polarized channels by incorporating depolarization effects into the edge transfer functions and hence, the channel transfer matrix. We derive closed form expressions for the polarimetric power delay spectrum and cross-polarization ratio of the indoor channel. The expressions are derived considering average signal propagation in a graph and relate these statistics to model parameters, thereby providing a useful approach to investigate the averaged effect of these parameters on the channel statistics. Furthermore, we present a procedure for calibrating the model based on method of moments. Simulations were performed to validate the proposed model and the derived approximate expressions using both synthetic data and channel measurements at 15 GHz and 60 GHz. We observe that the model and approximate expressions provide good fit to the measurement data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reliable wireless communication links are a critical but challenging aspect for high-speed railway (HSR). To develop and analyze such systems, accurate models for the propagation channel are required. The radio channel properties in HSR scenarios are different from those in cellular scenarios not only due to the high velocity, but also due to the special construction elements and the type of surroundings along the train lines. We performed a measurement campaign at a carrier frequency of 2.4 GHz on the Guangzhou–Shenzhen dedicated high-speed train line in China. Motivated by the results from these measurements, we propose the concept of active scatterer region as an improvement for geometry-based stochastic channel models for HSR, to better describe the non-stationary properties of such channels. Further contributions to the total channel impulse response are also studied, including the line-of-sight component and the scattering component from overhead line poles. Each type of component is modeled and fully parameterized based on the measurement results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Connected autonomous vehicles and industry 4.0 production scenarios require ultrareliable low-latency communication links. The varying positions of transmitter, reflecting objects, and receiver cause a nonstationary time- and frequency-selective fading process. In this paper, we present the necessary hardware architecture and signal processing algorithms for a real-time geometry-based channel emulator, that is needed for testing of wireless control systems. We partition the nonstationary fading process into a sequence of local stationarity regions and model the channel impulse response as sum of propagation paths with time-varying attenuation, delay, and Doppler shift. We implement a subspace projection of the propagation path parameters, to compress the time-variant channel impulse response. This enables a low data-rate link from the host computer, which computes the geometry-based propagation paths, to the software defined radio unit, that implements the convolution on a field programmable gate array (FPGA). With our new architecture, the complexity of the FPGA implementation becomes independent of the number of propagation paths. Our channel emulator can be parametrized by all known channel models. Without loss of generality, we use a parameterization by a geometry-based stochastic channel model, due to its nonstationary nature. We provide channel impulse response measurements of the channel emulator, using the RUSK Lund channel sounder for a vehicular scenario with 617 propagation paths. A comparison of the time-variant power delay profile and Doppler spectral density of simulated and emulated channel impulse response showed a close match with an error smaller than $-35$ dB. The results demonstrate that our channel emulator is able to accurately emulate nonstationary fading channels with continuously changing path delays and Doppler shifts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fifth generation cellular systems will be deployed in the microwave and millimeterwave (mmWave) frequency bands (i.e., between 0.5100 GHz). Propagation characteristics at these bands have a fundamental impact on each aspect of the cellular architecture, ranging from equipment design to real-time performance in the field. While we have a reasonable understanding of the propagation characteristics at microwave (< 6 GHz) frequencies, the same cannot be said for mmWave. This article explains key differences in the propagation characteristics between the microwave and mmWave bands, and further gives examples of how these differences impact 5G system design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shadowing from vehicles can significantly degrade the performance of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication in multilink systems, e.g., vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs). It is, thus, important to characterize and model the influence of common shadowing objects like cars properly when designing these VANETs. Despite the fact that for multilink systems it is essential to model the joint effects on the different links, the multilink shadowing effects of V2V channels on VANET simulations are not yet well understood. In this paper, we present a measurement-based analysis of multilink shadowing effects in a V2V communication system with cars as blocking objects. In particular, we analyze, characterize, and model the large scale fading, both regarding the autocorrelation and the joint multilink cross-correlation process, for communication at 5.9 GHz between four cars in a highway convoy scenario. The results show that it is essential to separate the instantaneous propagation condition into line-of-sight (LOS) and obstructed LOS (OLOS), by other cars, and then apply an appropriate pathloss model for each of the two cases. The choice of the pathloss model not only influences the autocorrelation but also changes the cross correlation of the large scale fading process between different links. By this, we conclude that it is important that VANET simulators should use geometry-based models, that distinguish between LOS and OLOS communication. Otherwise, the VANET simulators need to consider the cross correlation between different communication links to achieve results close to reality. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper describes an extensive propagation channel measurement campaign in a warehouse environment for line-of-sight (LOS) and nonline-of-sight (NLOS) scenarios. The measurement setup employs a vector network analyzer operating in the 2–8-GHz frequency band combined with an $8 \times 8$ virtual multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna array. We develop a comprehensive statistical propagation channel model based on high-resolution extraction of multipath components and subsequent spatiotemporal clustering analysis. The intracluster direction of departure (DoD), direction of arrival (DoA), and the time of arrival (ToA) are independent, both for the LOS and NLOS scenarios. The intracluster DoD and DoA can be approximated by the Laplace distribution, and the intracluster ToA can be approximated by an exponential mixture distribution. The intercluster analysis, however, shows a dependency between the cluster DoD, DoA, and ToA. To capture this dependency, we separately model the clusters caused by single and multiple bounce scattering along the aisles in the warehouse. The intercluster DoD distribution follows a Laplace distribution, while the cluster DoA conditioned on the DoD is approximated by a Gaussian mixture distribution. The model was validated using the capacity and delay-spread values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radio-based localization is an active research topic with a range of applications. In this paper, we focus on localization of a radio receiver equipped with an inertial measurement unit. The localization is performed while simultaneously constructing a map of the small-scale fading pattern in the local radio environment. The map in our case is a ray-trace-based multipath channel model. This solution is enabled by sensor fusion of information from the channel estimation data and the inertial sensors, and it does not assume knowledge of, e.g., transmitter locations. The sensor data are fused in a recursive state space model that combines the kinematic motion model with the ray-based radio channel model, and the state vector is estimated using a particle filter. The choice of the particle filter is justified by the multimodal characteristics of the posterior likelihood distributions that follow from the nonlinearities of the problem. The work is assuming a single receiver antenna, but the approach can be transferred to multiple-antenna systems. We study the performance of the approach under realistic assumptions, based on the performance of today?s low-cost inertial sensors and radio systems, including accelerometer and gyroscope noise and radio receiver frequency error and noise. Simulations show significant improvement in long-term positioning performance, evaluated against dead reckoning. The work is concluded with experiments that serve as the proof of concept for the proposed technique, using no extra equipment compared to what can be found in a modern cellular phone. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Over-the-air (OTA) multiprobe setups provide an efficient way to characterize the performance of today's advanced wireless communication systems. In this paper, the measurement uncertainty of such a setup using a car as a test object is characterized through three experiments: measurement system analysis, channel sounder measurements, and probe coupling measurements. Four issues were in focus for the analysis: precision, realization of the wireless communication channel, coupling between the probes, and the influence of the test object size. The analysis shows that a large test object such as a car in an OTA multiprobe ring will affect the measurement uncertainty, but only to a small degree. The measurement uncertainty expressed as expanded uncertainty was below +/−1 dB, which is a level that would not violate best practice total uncertainty levels for comparable OTA methods. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]