Abstract This thesis discusses radio channel modelling for evolving radio access and of using the models in practice in a setup for radiated testing of radio devices. New telecommunication systems are constantly being developed to address continuously increasing wireless communication needs. The first pieces of intensively developed fifth generation (5G) networks and devices are planned to be available, in some form, approximately by 2020. An interesting feature of 5G concerning propagation and consequently channel modelling, is the expected utilization of frequencies clearly higher than the legacy cellular systems. This work aims to define a channel model for the simulated evaluation of the coming 5G systems. New requirements for the channel model are identified and addressed. Further, over the air (OTA) testing of 5G devices in fading conditions is examined and a new setup is proposed. The test environment aims to reconstruct a time variant electromagnetic (EM) field around a device under test (DUT) considering the spatial, polarimetric, Doppler, and delay dispersion characteristics specified by the target channel model. Components and key design parameters of the setup are designated. It was found that the proposed map-based channel model is capable of fulfilling the identified requirements. Furthermore, the simulations indicate that the state-of-the-art geometry-based stochastic channel model (GSCM) may give over-optimistic multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) performance in an urban micro-cellular environment. The sectored OTA concept was shown appropriate for device testing. Key parameters, such as the physical dimensions of the multi-probe anechoic chamber (MPAC) OTA configuration and the number of active probes, were determined by simulations. The 3GPP is the main forum working towards 5G standards. A channel model for 5G evaluations has recently (2016) been specified. The base-line model is a GSCM inherited from the 4G models. However, the author expects that the proposed map-based models will gain popularity in the future, despite the current widespread use of GSCMs. In the 3GPP working group RAN4 (Radio performance and protocol aspects) the test methods for 5G user equipment (UE) are currently (2017) under investigation. The proposed sectored MPAC method has been contributed to and is under consideration in 3GPP. Even if it is not approved for UE testing, the author expects it to be useful for performance testing of base stations (BSs). / Tiivistelmä Tämän väitöskirjan sisältönä on radiokanavamallinnus langattomia tiedonsiirtojärjestelmiä varten ja lisäksi mallien käyttöönottoa tulevien radiolaitteiden säteilevässä testauksessa. Uusia tietoliikennejärjestelmiä kehitetään jatkuvasti, yhtä lailla jatkuvasti kasvavien tiedonsiirtotarpeiden tyydyttämiseksi. Ensimmäisten verkkojen ja päätelaitteiden pitäisi olla saatavilla tulevaan viidennen sukupolven (5G) järjestelmään vuoden 2020 tietämillä. Työn tarkoituksena on määritellä kanavamalli 5G-järjestelmän simulointeja varten ja sitä edeltäen tunnistaa kanavamallin vaatimukset. Lisäksi tutkimuksen aiheena on 5G-laitteiden säteilevä (OTA) testaus häipyvässä radiokanavassa ja uuden testijärjestelmän määrittely tätä tarkoitusta varten. Ehdotetun testijärjestelmän keskeisenä toimintona on halutun sähkömagneettisen (EM) kentän tuottaminen testattavan laitteen ympärille. EM-kentän pitää olla kanavamallin mukainen ja toteuttaa sen häipymä-, tila-, polarisaatio-, doppler- ja viiveominaisuudet. Testijärjestelmän komponentit ja tärkeimmän suunnitteluparametrit pyritään selvittämään tässä työssä. Tutkimuksessa havaittiin, että ehdotettu karttapohjainen kanavamalli toteuttaa 5G-mallille asetetut vaatimukset. Simuloinnit osoittavat myös, että tyypillisessä kaupunkiympäristössä suosittu GSCM-malli yliarvioi kanavan kapasiteetin monen käyttäjän MIMO-tekniikka käytettäessä. Lisäksi osoitettiin sektoroidun OTA-järjestelmän, jossa hyödynnetään useita antenneja, radiokanavaemulaattoria sekä radiokaiutonta huonetta (MPAC), käyttökelpoisuus 5G-laitteiden testaukseen. Kyseisen testausjärjestelmän parametrit määriteltiin. 3GPP on tärkein foorumi, jolla 5G-standardeja luodaan. Siellä on hiljattain (2016) sovittu 5G-simulointeja varten kanavamalli, joka ei ole tässä työssä ehdotetun kaltainen. Standardoitu malli on tyypiltään GSCM ja se on johdettu suoraan edellisen sukupolven (4G) kanavamallista. Kirjoittaja olettaa tästä GSCM:n nykyisestä vahvasta asemasta huolimatta, että ehdotettu karttapohjainen kanavamalli lisää suosiotaan tulevaisuudessa. Parhaillaan (2017) on 3GPP:n RAN4-työryhmässä käynnissä 5G-päätelaitteiden (UE) testimenetelmien määrittelyvaihe. Väitöskirjassa tutkittua sektoroitua MPAC-menetelmää on ehdotettu työryhmälle standardoitavaksi. Vaikka mainittua menetelmää ei siellä standardoitaisikaan UE-testaukseen, niin voidaan olettaa menetelmän olevan hyödyllinen erityisesti tukiasemien säteilevään testaukseen.

[pt] Este trabalho apresenta os resultados da investigação da utilização da Técnica de Sondagem em Frequência na estimação de dispersividade Espaço-Temporal do Canal Rádio Móvel. Modifcações na técnica clássica de varredura em frequência foram implementadas: um conjunto de antenas denominado array foi construído e calibrado e um algoritmo de pós-processamento do sinal medido foi testado. Foi realizada uma campanha de medidas em três ambientes diferentes para averiguar a aplicabilidade do conjunto. Foram obtidos bons resultados, demonstrando a efciência da metodologia de medidas aplicada. / [en] This work presents the results of an investigation of the use of the Frequency Sounding technique in Mobile Radio Channel`s Space-Time Dispersion characterization. Hence, some changes in the classical Frequency Sounding Technique were employed: a set of antennas was built and calibrated and an algorithm for signal pos processing was tested. A measurement campaign was carried out on three different environments to test the applicability of the set as a whole. Very good results showed the efficiency of the measurements methodology applied.

Cette thèse a apporté une contribution au défi de la caractérisation des canaux radios en bandes millimétriques ainsi que la validation d'un outil de simulation déterministe à travers un grand nombre de campagnes de mesures réalisées dans divers scénarios représentatives. Des questions de recherche liées à la caractérisation des canaux radio en bandes millimétriques et sa prédiction à travers un outil de simulation déterministe ont été abordées. Fournir des résultats précis et reproductibles est nécessaire dans le développement d'un système de communication. Ce défi peut être relevé en réalisant des campagnes de mesures qui capturent la réalité du canal de propagation constituant le point de départ. Dans cette thèse, les principales motivations scientifiques derrière ces campagnes de mesures étaient d'étudier la variabilité dans le temps et l'effet de l'environnement sur le canal de propagation dans les bandes millimétriques. Les bandes de fréquences adressées dans cette thèse sont identifiées comme étant importantes par l'UIT en vue d'un futur déploiement de la 5G à savoir 15, 28, 32 et 83 GHz. Les environnements considérés sont une conférence room, bureau, bibliothèque et micro-cellulaire. Les campagnes de mesures ont été menées en utilisant un sondage de canal fréquentiel avec l'utilisation d'un analyseur de réseau. L'exploitation des résultats de mesures ont permis d'apporter des éléments de réponses concernant le canal de propagation dans ces bandes de fréquences. D'autre part, les données de mesures ont été utilisés pour évaluer les performances et contribuer à la calibration d’un simulateur de canal radio à tracé de rayons (RT) reposant sur une approche déterministe. Le simulateur de canal déterministe utilisé dans cette thèse incorpore les mécanismes de propagation tels que le LOS, la réflexion et la diffraction. Le RT a permis de prédire le canal de propagation dans les bandes millimétriques avec une concordance acceptable avec les données de mesures. Ces résultats démontrent que le canal de propagation en bandes millimétriques a pour avantage d'être prédit avec de simple outil déterministe. / This thesis has contributed to the challenge of the radio channel characterizations in millimeter wave bands as well as the validation of a deterministic simulation tool through a large number of measurement campaigns carried out in various representative scenarios. Research questions related to the characterization of radio channels in millimetric bands and its prediction through a deterministic simulation tool were discussed. Providing accurate and repeatable results is necessary for the development of a communication system. This challenge can be meet by conducting measurement campaigns that capture the reality of the propagation channel and therefore constituting the starting point. In this thesis, the main scientific motivations behind these measurement campaigns were to study the time variability and the effect of the scattering environment of the propagation channel in the millimetric bands. The frequency bands addressed in this thesis are identified as important by the ITU for a future deployment of 5G, namely 15, 28, 32 and 83 GHz. The environments considered are a conference room, office, library and microcellular. The measurement campaigns were conducted using a frequency channel sounding technique with the use of a vector network analyzer. The exploitation of the measurement data provided some answers about the radio chennel propagation in these frequency bands. On the other hand, the measurements data were used to evaluate the performance and to contribute to the calibration of the ray-tracing tool (RT) based on a deterministic approach. The RT used in this thesis incorporates propagation mechanisms such as LOS, reflection and diffraction. The RT predicted the propagation channel in the millimeter bands with an acceptable level of agreement with respect to the measurement data. These results demonstrate that the propagation channel in millimetric bands has the advantage of being predicted with a simple deterministic tool.

<p>Prediction of the rapidly fading envelope of a mobile radio channel enables a number of capacity improving techniques like fast resource allocation and fast link adaptation. This thesis deals with linear prediction of the complex impulse response of a channel and unbiased quadratic prediction of the power. The design and performance of these predictors depend heavily on the correlation properties of the channel. Models for a channelwhere the multipath is caused by clusters of scatterers are studied. The correlation for the contribution from a cluster can be approximated as a damped complex sinusoid. A suitable model for the dynamics of the channel is an ARMA-process. This motivates the use of linear predictors.</p><p>A limiting factor in the prediction are the estimation errors on the observed channels. This estimation error, caused by measurement noise and time variation, is analyzed for a block based least squares algorithm which operates on a Jakes channel model. Efficient noise reduction on the estimated channel impulse responses can be obtained with Wienersmoothers that are based on simple models for the dynamics of the channel combined with estimates of the variance of the estimation error.</p><p>Power prediction that is based on the squared magnitude of linear prediction of the taps will be biased. Hence, a bias compensated power predictor is proposed and the optimal prediction coefficients are derived for the Rayleigh fading channel. The corresponding probability density functions for the predicted power are also derived. A performance evaluation of the prediction algorithm is carried out on measured broadband mobile radio channels. The performance is highly dependent on the variance of the estimation error and the dynamics of the individual taps.</p>

Prediction of the rapidly fading envelope of a mobile radio channel enables a number of capacity improving techniques like fast resource allocation and fast link adaptation. This thesis deals with linear prediction of the complex impulse response of a channel and unbiased quadratic prediction of the power. The design and performance of these predictors depend heavily on the correlation properties of the channel. Models for a channelwhere the multipath is caused by clusters of scatterers are studied. The correlation for the contribution from a cluster can be approximated as a damped complex sinusoid. A suitable model for the dynamics of the channel is an ARMA-process. This motivates the use of linear predictors. A limiting factor in the prediction are the estimation errors on the observed channels. This estimation error, caused by measurement noise and time variation, is analyzed for a block based least squares algorithm which operates on a Jakes channel model. Efficient noise reduction on the estimated channel impulse responses can be obtained with Wienersmoothers that are based on simple models for the dynamics of the channel combined with estimates of the variance of the estimation error. Power prediction that is based on the squared magnitude of linear prediction of the taps will be biased. Hence, a bias compensated power predictor is proposed and the optimal prediction coefficients are derived for the Rayleigh fading channel. The corresponding probability density functions for the predicted power are also derived. A performance evaluation of the prediction algorithm is carried out on measured broadband mobile radio channels. The performance is highly dependent on the variance of the estimation error and the dynamics of the individual taps.

Nowadays, identification of fake data is an elaboratechallenge that calls for the use of machine learning techniques.This is due to the huge amount of data and its complexity makesthe differences indistinguishable even for the trained eye. In thisproject we use the MATLAB wlanTGnChannel System objectto simulate multipath fading channels that are comparable toreal impulse response measurements made by Ericsson AB of anindoor8×8MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) system.We use an SVM classifier to compare the eigenvalues of theircorrelation covariance matrices, obtaining an accuracy of 84%.Comparing their power delay profiles (PDPs) happens to bea classification task of low complexity due to time resolutionlimitation in the real measurements. We suggest that the proposedMATLAB model strongly differs from the real data we have beenprovided with. / Nu för tiden så är identifiering av fejkad data en svår utmaning som ofta kräver maskininlärningstekniker. Detta beror på den stora mängden data och att komplexiteten i datat gör att skillnaderna kan vara svår att se även för ett tränat öga. I det här projektet använder vi oss av MATLABs systemobjekt wlanTGnChannel för att simulera flervägs fädningskanaler som kan jämföras med riktiga impulssvarsmätningar gjorda av Ericsson AB av ett innomhus 8 X 8 MIMO(Multiple Input Multiple Output) system. Vi använde en SVM (stödvektormaskins) klassificerare för att jämföra egenvärdena av deras korrelationskovariansmatriser, vilket erhåller en noggranhet på 84%. Att jämföra deras power delay profiles (PDP) råkar vara ett klassificeringsproblem av låg svårighetsgrad på grund av tidsupplösningsbegränsningar för de riktiga mätningarna. Vi vill påstå att den tilltänkta MATLAB- modellen aviker mycket från den givna datan. / Kandidatexjobb i elektroteknik 2020, KTH, Stockholm

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering / William B. Kuhn / Balasubramaniam Natarajan / Wireless body area networks (WBANs) are an important part of the developing internet of things (IOT). NASA currently uses space suits with wired sensors to collect limited biomedical data. Continuous monitoring and collecting more extensive body vital signs is important to assess astronaut health. This dissertation investigates wireless biomedical sensor systems that can be easily incorporated into future space suits to enable real time astronaut health monitoring. The focus of the work is on the radio-wave channel and associated antennas. We show that the space suit forms a unique propagation environment where the outer layers of the suit’s thermal micrometeoroid garment are largely radio opaque. This environment can be modeled as a coaxial one in which the body itself plays the role of the coax center conductor while the space suit shielding materials play the role of the outer shield. This model is then validated through simulations and experiments. Selecting the best frequency of operation is a complex mixture of requirements, including frequency allocations, attenuation in propagation, and antenna size. We investigate the propagation characteristics for various frequency bands from 315 MHz to 5.2 GHz. Signal attenuation is analyzed as a function of frequency for various communication pathways through 3D simulations and laboratory experiments. Small-scale radio channel results indicate that using lower frequency results in minimal path loss. On the other hand, measurements conducted on a full-scale model suggest that 433 MHz and 2400 MHz yield acceptable path loss values. Propagation between the left wrist and left ankle yielded the worst overall path loss, but signals were still above –100 dBm in raw measurements for a 0dBm transmission indicating that the intra-suit environment is conducive to wireless propagation. Our findings suggest that the UHF bands are best candidate bands since there is interplay between the body conductivity favoring lower frequencies, and the difficulty of coupling RF energy into and out of the channel using suitably sized antennas favoring higher frequencies. Finally, a new self-shielded folded bow-tie antenna is proposed that can be a promising choice for the general area of WBAN technologies as well as potential new space suit environments.

La nécessité d'une transmission sans fils des données à des débits élevés, à la fois fiables et avec de faible latence a donné lieu à ces dernières années à une succession de normes sans fil, allant de 3G-4G, WLAN à la cinquième génération (5G) des réseaux mobiles. Dans ce contexte, les équipementiers, ainsi que les opérateurs, doivent élaborer des méthodes d'essai standard précises et efficaces pour évaluer les performances des systèmes et des terminaux. Les méthodologies de test en direct par voie aérienne ("Over-The-Air") (OTA) visent à reproduire des environnements multi-trajets radio en laboratoire de manière répétable et contrôlable, en évitant les coûteuses mesures in-situ. L'objectif de cette thèse est de proposer une nouvelle méthodologie d'essai OTA, afin de reproduire la propagation des canaux radio, sur une large bande et d'évaluer les performances des systèmes sans fil dans des environnements réels. La thèse débute en présentant les bases de la chaîne radio et de certains modèles de chaînes présentés dans la littérature. Ensuite, un examen critique des méthodologies OTA existantes dans la littérature est fourni. Parmi les différentes méthodologies, nous avons opté pour l'approche de la chambre anéchoïde multi-sonde, qui consiste à déployer un certain nombre de sondes autour d'un équipement radio sous test et à les alimenter avec un émulateur d’évanouissements (fading). Cette méthodologie fournit une reproduction précise des caractéristiques des canaux spatiaux, qui sont nécessaires pour évaluer la performance des terminaux multi-antennes dans des environnements réels. L'avantage le plus important de cette méthodologie est la capacité d'imiter différents modèles de canaux en termes de résolution spatiale, d’évanouissements angulaire et temporel. Un outil de simulation a été développé pour étudier et déterminer les caractéristiques de l'installation OTA pour différents types de canaux d’intérêt. En particulier, le nombre et la mise en place des antennes nécessaires et la taille de l'installation ont été étudiés en fonction de la taille électrique du dispositif testé. Sur la base des études de dimensionnement, une configuration OTA expérimentale a été réalisée pour reproduire les caractéristiques des canaux dans l'espace tridimensionnel pour une plage de fréquences de 2 à 6 GHz. / The need for high data-rate, reliable and low latency transmission in wireless communication systems motivated a multitude of wireless standards, spanning from 3G-4G, WLAN to the upcoming fifth generation (5G) of mobile networks. In this context, technology providers, as well as operators, need to develop accurate and cost effective standard test methods, to evaluate devices performance. Over-The-Air (OTA) test methodologies aim to reproduce radio multipath environments in laboratory in repeatable and controllable manner, avoiding costly field test. The focus of this thesis is to propose a new OTA test methodology, in order to emulate radio channel propagation, over a wide band, and to evaluate the performance of the wireless systems in real environments. We start our study by introducing the basics of radio channel and some channel models presented in literature. Then a critical review of existing OTA methodologies in literature is provided. Among the different methodologies we opted for the multi-probe anechoic chamber approach, which consists into deploying a number of probes around a device, and feed them with fading emulator. This methodology provides an accurate reproduction of spatial channel characteristics, which are needed to assess the performance of multi-antenna terminals in real environments. The most important advantage of this methodology is the capability to emulate different channel model in term of spatial resolution, angular and temporal fading. A simulation tool was developed to investigate and determine the OTA setup under different channel condition. In particular the number and emplacement of antennas needed and the size of the setup were investigated as a function of the electrical size of the device under test. Based on the dimensioning studies, an experimental OTA setup was realized to reproduce the channel characteristics in the three dimensional space for a frequency range from 2 to 6 GHz.

[pt] Este trabalho apresenta os resultados de uma sondagem em frequencia do canal indoor de faixa larga em 1,8GHz, onde foram testados alguns ambientes na tentativa de simular a mobilidade de um usuário. A técnica de sondagem é baseada na técnica clássica de varredura em frequencia, onde foi implementado um link óptico ao invés de cabos coaxiais, para permitir um maior range de medidas. A completa análise de dispersão temporal em pequena e larga escala foi extraída de medidas da resposta impulsiva, como retardo médio, espalhamento rms de retardos, banda de coerência e suas variações com a mobilidade. Do conjunto de análises efetuadas dois resultados obtiveram destaque: perfis de potência de retardo com a distância , resultando em uma boa representação dos principais espalhadores do ambiente; e a validação de um limitante teórico da relação entre a banda de coerência e o espalhamento rms de retardos, recentemente proposto por outro autor. Este trabalho apresenta os resultados de uma sondagem em frequencia do canal indoor de faixa larga em 1,8GHz, onde foram testados alguns ambientes na tentativa de simular a mobilidade de um usuário. A técnica de sondagem é baseada na técnica clássica de varredura em frequencia, onde foi implementado um link óptico ao invés de cabos coaxiais, para permitir um maior range de medidas. A completa análise de dispersão temporal em pequena e larga escala foi extraída de medidas da resposta impulsiva, como retardo médio, espalhamento rms de retardos, banda de coerência e suas variações com a mobilidade. Do conjunto de análises efetuadas dois resultados obtiveram destaque: perfis de potência de retardo com a distância , resultando em uma boa representação dos principais espalhadores do ambiente; e a validação de um limitante teórico da relação entre a banda de coerência e o espalhamento rms de retardos, recentemente proposto por outro autor. / [en] The results of a 1.8 GHz indoor wide-band channel souding survey at some typical environments, trying to account for pedestrian subscriber mobility, are presented. The sounding technique has been based on the classical frequency domain one, with an optic link instead of coaxial cables provinding an extended path range. Complete small and large- scale time dispersionanalysis have been derived from the impulse responses measured, like mean delay, rms delay spread, coherence bandwidth and its variations with mobility. From the whole analysis carried out, two main results are worth remarking: the power delay profile variation with distance providing a pictorial representation of the main scattering mechanisms of the environment; and the validation of a lower bound relation between the coherence bandwidth and rms delay spread recently proposed by another author.

La sécurité des communications sans fil omniprésentes devient, ces dernières années, de plus en plus une exigence incontournable. Bien que la cryptographie symétrique assure largement la confidentialité des données, la difficulté concerne la génération et la distribution de clés secrètes. Récemment, des études indiquent que les caractéristiques inhérentes du canal de propagation peuvent être exploitées afin de consolider la sécurité. En particulier, le canal radio fournit en effet une source d'aléa commune à deux utilisateurs à partir de laquelle des clés secrètes peuvent être générées. Dans la présente dissertation, nous nous intéressons au processus de génération de clés secrètes (SKG), tout en reliant les propriétés du canal radio à la qualité des clés générées. D'abord nous développons un modèle du canal stochastique, traitant la sécurité du point de vue de l'espion, qui montre une mémoire de canal résiduelle bien au-delà d'une distance de quelques longueurs d'onde (scénarios spatialement non-stationnaires). Ensuite, nous exploitons les degrés de liberté (DOF) du canal et analysons leur impact sur la performance de SKG dans différentes conditions, tout en considérant des canaux plus réalistes en environnements extérieur et intérieur (respectivement grâce à des données déterministes simulées et à des mesures). Les résultats montrent que, même pour des bandes modérées (comme standardisées dans la norme IEEE 802.11), le seul DoF de fréquence ou de son association avec le DoF spatial est souvent suffisant pour générer des longues clés, à condition d'utiliser une méthode efficace de quantification des coefficients complexes du canal. / Nowadays, the security of ubiquitous wireless communications becomes more and more a crucial requirement. Even though data is widely protected via symmetric ciphering keys, a well-known difficulty is the generation and distribution of such keys. In the recent years therefore, a set of works have addressed the exploitation of inherent characteristics of the fading propagation channel for security. In particular, secret keys could be generated from the wireless channel, considered as a shared source of randomness, available merely to a pair of communicating entities. ln the present dissertation, we are interested in the approach of secret key generation (SKG) from wireless channels, especially in relating the radio channel properties to the generated keys quality. We first develop a stochastic channel model, focusing on the security with respect to the eavesdropper side, which shows a residual channel memory weil beyond a few wavelengths distance (spatially nonstationary scenarios). Then, we analyze the channel degrees of freedom (DoF) and their impact on the SKG performance in different channel conditions, especially by considering more realistic channels in both outdoor and indoor environments (respectively through simulated ray tracing data and through measurements). The results show that, even for moderately wide band (such as standardized in IEEE 802.11), the sole frequency DOF or its association with the spatial DOF is often enough for generating long keys, provided an efficient quantization method of the complex channel coefficients is used.