Double Directional Channel Measurements in an Arched Tunnel and Interpretation Using Ray Tracing in a Rectangular Tunnel

The objective of this paper is to study the wideband characteristics of the radio channel in a tunnel environment, not only the delay spread, but also the angle of departure/arrival of the rays, their relative weights and their delays, which are important values for Multiple-Input Multiple-Output applications. In order to achieve this goal, a measurement campaign has been carried out in a straight arched tunnel over a frequency band extending from 2.8 to 5.0GHz and distance varying from 50m up to 500m. First, the variations of the channel impulse response and of the delay spread versus the distance between the transmitter and the receiver are analyzed. Then, the bidirectional channel characteristics have been extracted from the measured channel matrices using a high resolution estimation algorithm. The main contribution of this paper is to clearly show the quantitative variation of the delay spread and the angle of departure/arrival of the rays along a real tunnel and to investigate the possibility of using the ray theory in a rectangular tunnel to interpret experimental results obtained in an arched tunnel.

[1]  R.S. Thoma,et al.  Joint maximum likelihood estimation of specular paths and distributed diffuse scattering , 2005, 2005 IEEE 61st Vehicular Technology Conference.

[2]  Andreas F. Molisch,et al.  Wireless Communications , 2005 .

[3]  M. Liénard,et al.  On the Possibility of Interpreting Field Variations and Polarization in Arched Tunnels Using a Model for Propagation in Rectangular or Circular Tunnels , 2008, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

[4]  Werner Wiesbeck,et al.  Ray-density normalization for ray-optical wave propagation modeling in arbitrarily shaped tunnels , 2000 .

[5]  Patrick C. F. Eggers.  Angular Propagation Descriptions Relevant for Base Station Adaptive Antenna Operations , 1999, Wirel. Pers. Commun..

[6]  Ian F. Akyildiz,et al.  Channel modeling and analysis for wireless networks in underground mines and road tunnels , 2010, IEEE Transactions on Communications.

[7]  Te-Shun Wang,et al.  Simulations and measurements of wave propagations in curved road tunnels for signals from GSM base stations , 2003, IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium. Digest. Held in conjunction with: USNC/CNC/URSI North American Radio Sci. Meeting (Cat. No.03CH37450).

[8]  S. F. Mahmoud,et al.  Modal Propagation of High Frequency Electromagnetic Waves in Straight and Curved Tunnels Within the Earth , 2005 .

[9]  S. Affes,et al.  Radio Wave Characterization and Modeling in Underground Mine Tunnels , 2008, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

[10]  Guoxin Zheng,et al.  Radio propagation at 900 MHz in underground coal mines , 2001 .

[11]  Andreas Richter,et al.  Estimation of Radio Channel Parameters , 2005 .

[12]  P. Degauque,et al.  Natural wave propagation in mine environments , 2000 .

[13]  S.F. Mahmoud,et al.  Modeling wireless propagation in a rectangular tunnel with the Compact-FDTD method , 2008, 2008 IEEE Radio and Wireless Symposium.

[14]  A. G. Emslie,et al.  Theory of the propagation of UHF radio waves in coal mine tunnels , 1975 .

[15]  A. V. Popov,et al.  Modeling radio wave propagation in tunnels with a vectorial parabolic equation , 2000 .

[16]  Martine Lienard,et al.  Propagation in Tunnels: Experimental Investigations and Channel Modeling in a Wide Frequency Band for MIMO Applications , 2009, EURASIP J. Wirel. Commun. Netw..

[17]  D. Hill,et al.  Radio wave propagation characteristics in lossy circular waveguides such as tunnels, mine shafts, and boreholes , 2000 .

[18]  Samir F. Mahmoud,et al.  Linear Source in a Circular Tunnel , 2006 .

[19]  P. Degauque,et al.  On MIMO Channel Capacity in Tunnels , 2009, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

[20]  Fernando Obelleiro Basteiro,et al.  Modeling High Frequency Propagation in Tunnel Environments by Iterative Physical Optics Method , 2002, Wirel. Pers. Commun..

[21]  Theodore S. Rappaport,et al.  Wireless communications - principles and practice , 1996 .

[22]  P. Degauque,et al.  Propagation in wide tunnels at 2 GHz: a statistical analysis , 1998 .

[23]  Moïse Ndoh,et al.  A novel approach to propagation prediction in confined and diffracting rough surfaces , 2003 .

[24]  J A Valdesueiro,et al.  On 2$\,\times\,$ 2 MIMO Observable Capacity in Subway Tunnels at $C$-Band: An Experimental Approach , 2010, IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters.

[25]  Y. P. Zhang,et al.  Characterization of UHF radio propagation channels in tunnel environments for microcellular and personal communications , 1998 .

[26]  S. Mahmoud,et al.  Wireless Transmission in Tunnels With Non-Circular Cross Section , 2010, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

[27]  Zhang Yao.  Radio propagation at 900 MHz in underground coal mines , 2002 .

[28]  W. Wiesbeck,et al.  Subway tunnel guided electromagnetic wave propagation at mobile communications frequencies , 2001 .

[29]  James R. Wait,et al.  Geometrical optical approach for electromagnetic wave propagation in rectangular mine tunnels , 1974 .