A Novel Channel Sounding Method Based on Pulsed LFM Signal for mm-Wave Application: Instrumentation, Measurement, and Analysis

Abstract

Recently, there has been increasing demand to exploit a wider spectrum in higher frequency bands to improve the performance of new wireless communication devices and systems for millimeter-wave (mm-Wave) communications and fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks. Channel measurement and modeling are crucial for the design and development of such 5G devices and systems. In general, among various channel sounding methods, the most appropriate method has been selectively used depending on the channel characteristics to be measured. In this article, we propose an advanced sounding technique based on linear frequency modulation (LFM) pulse signal to strengthen channel sounding capabilities fitting well in higher frequency bands. The unique property of the LFM signal, where the instant frequency change corresponds to the sweep time, ensures that the output of the proposed channel sounder is proportional to the scattering parameter. Using this, we present an extended capability of the proposed sounding technique to measure channel characteristics such as delay spread, Doppler spread (DS), and Rician-K factor of small-scale fading channels emulated in a reverberation chamber (RC).