UTD-PO Solution for Estimating the Propagation Loss due to the Diffraction at the Top of a Rectangular Obstacle When Illuminated From a Low Source

A new method based on a hybrid uniform theory of diffraction-physical optics (UTD-PO) formulation for the analysis of the propagation loss due to the diffraction that takes place at the top of a rectangular obstacle that is illuminated from a low source (i.e., the transmitter height is smaller than the obstacle height) is presented. The receiver is considered to be located at the shadow boundary of the second wedge of the plateau so that the solution is valid to estimate the mentioned diffraction loss in order to be incorporated into more general propagation models. In such models, for example, both the free space losses and the typical urban final diffraction loss down to street level (occurring at the receiving point due to an eventual final diffracting obstacle) will be considered. In this sense, it should be noted that the proposed formulation is not a general formalism to estimate radiowave propagation over plateaux (as the receiver is not arbitrarily located). The method, which is mathematically less complex than existing techniques, applies Babinet's principle, and is validated through the solid agreement obtained with measurements at 60 GHz and the comparison with a method which is based on the evaluation of a Fresnel surface integral.