Analysis of electromagnetic coupling between two compartments of an aircraft cabin through an aperture

Wireless communication technology has emerged as a significant development direction in the aerospace domain. Different compartments in an aircraft are typically physically separated by metal partitions, which makes electromagnetic (EM) coupling unattainable. In this study, we propose using a small aperture on the partition to establish an EM connection instead of cables. The effect of the aperture on the partition can be represented by an electric dipole and a magnetic dipole, which are mutually orthogonal and parallel to the partition, respectively. Analytical expressions for the electromagnetic field within the two compartments are derived, incorporating both spatial and frequency dispersion. The theoretical analysis indicates that the EM filed exhibits typical multi-resonant characteristics. Furthermore, simulation analysis is performed using Ansys HFSS, the electric field distribution in two compartments for both single-mode or multi-mode are extracted. A remarkable agreement between the simulation data and the theoretical predictions is observed. In addition, the relationship between the electromagnetic (EM) field and transmission curve between a radiator and receiver in the compartments is discussed, a positive correlation has been demonstrated. The findings presented in this paper establishes a solid theoretical basis for enabling wireless communication between two compartments within an aircraft cabin.