Grid-Based Channel Modeling Technique for Scenario-Specific Wireless Channel Emulator Based on Path Parameters Interpolation

Channel model is one of the key components of a wireless channel emulator (WCE) to realistically examine and assert a wireless communication system. The deterministic channel model (DM) enables the simulation of site-specific propagation with high accuracy. However, it is less preferable for WCE due to computational complexity, especially in a non-stationary environment. In this paper, a grid-based channel modeling technique is formulated to realize a site- and scenario-specific channel response in WCE. To address DM’s computational complexity, path parameters are pre-computed at reference locations (e.g., grid nodes) and stored in WCE database. Then, the time-variant channel response is synthesized via path parameters interpolating from those of the adjacent grid nodes. The applicability of the path interpolation technique is investigated analytically. The proposed channel modeling technique is rigorously validated with the ray tracing simulation result at sub-6 GHz and millimeter wave bands. The effects of antenna types, path clustering, and association algorithm to the interpolated channel are investigated. The performance in the rich multipath environment is evaluated in the office space at sub-6 GHz band.