Millimeter-Wave Radio Channels vs. Synthetic Beamwidth

Area of Science:

• Wireless communication
• Electromagnetics
• Signal processing

Background:

• Millimeter-wave (mmWave) bands and 5G systems necessitate high-gain, narrow-beam antennas to overcome high path loss.
• The mmWave radio channel's characteristics are heavily influenced by the beamwidth, orientation, and shape of narrow beams, as multipath components can be excluded.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a procedure for measuring and modeling mmWave radio channels based on synthetic beamwidth.
• To analyze the impact of narrow beams on channel characteristics like multipath components and delay dispersion.
• To investigate the effect of beam-center orientation on path loss.

Main Methods:

• Experimental data collection at 60 GHz in an indoor hallway/lobby environment.
• Development of a procedure to measure and model radio channels against varying synthetic beamwidths.
• Analysis of channel parameters including the number of multipath components, delay dispersion, and path loss.

Main Results:

• Narrow beams significantly reduce the number of multipath components and delay dispersion in the mmWave channel.
• Optimized beam-center orientation can lead to a path loss reduction exceeding 20 dB.
• Channel characteristics are demonstrably dependent on beamwidth and orientation.

Conclusions:

• The study validates the effectiveness of narrow beams in improving mmWave channel performance for 5G.
• Findings provide crucial insights for 5G mmWave system design, including frequency reuse, antenna and receiver design, equalization, and link budget optimization.
• The proposed measurement and modeling procedure offers a valuable tool for future mmWave channel characterization.