Millimeter Wave Propagation in Long Corridors and Tunnels—Theoretical Model and Experimental Verification

• Main Authors: Liat Rapaport, Gad A. Pinhasi, Yosef Pinhasi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-04-01
• Series: Electronics
• Subjects: indoor millimeter wave propagation; 5G; ray tracing model; MMW
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9292/9/5/707

The development of the Fifth-Generation (5G) of cellular communications considers bands in millimeter waves (MMW) for indoor, short-range links. The propagation of MMW is affected by atmospheric and weather conditions, specular reflections from surfaces, and the directivity of the antennas. The short wavelength enables utilization of a quasi-optical propagation model for the description of indoor multi-path scenarios. A study of MMW propagation in tunnels, long corridors, or canyons is carried out using ray-tracing to evaluate the link budget and group delay. The analysis considers radiation patterns of both transmitting and receiving antennas, deriving a criterion for the number of dominating rays. Error analysis demonstrates the convergence of the method, while using a finite number of reflected rays. Experiments in a small-scale tunnel model demonstrate the accuracy of the analysis.