Title: Ultra-wideband (UWB) communications channel measurements – a tutorial review

Authors: Javad Ahmadi-Shokouh, Robert Caiming Qiu

Addresses: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada; E1-551A, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. ' Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Center for Manufacturing Research, Tennessee Tech University, Cookeville, Tennessee 38505, USA

Abstract: This paper presents a comprehensive overview of ultra-wideband (UWB) measurements of all empirical data available on various fading properties of indoor radiowave communication channels. Our focus is on the essential propagation channel parameters mostly used in the physics-based models. This overview is based on more than 50 measurement campaigns from 24 working groups in different countries including North-American, European and Asian, and more than 100 references (in total) mostly books and journals articles on the UWB propagation channels. The measurement campaigns utilise different multipath propagation measurement techniques in various environments office, laboratory, corridor, open areas (classroom, reading room, auditorium) and residential building to measure the propagation channel metrics including power-loss, temporal and spatial characteristics and frequency characteristics. This tutorial overview is supported by an integrated summary on measurement results on each category. These analytic summaries lead to insights on UWB fading channel characterisation and modelling.

Keywords: communication channels; dispersive channels; multipath channels; radio propagation; fading channels; microwave communication; mobile communications; ultra-wide bandwidth; ultra wideband; UWB communications; path-loss; physics-based models; channel measurements; UWB measurements.

DOI: 10.1504/IJUWBCS.2009.026447

International Journal of Ultra Wideband Communications and Systems, 2009 Vol.1 No.1, pp.11 - 31

Published online: 11 Jun 2009 *

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