Optimizing Arrays of Randomly Placed Wireless Transmitters for Receivers Located Within the Array Volume

We investigate the potential of using arbitrarily placed wireless transceivers to increase the probability of maintaining a communication link in an electrically harsh environment. Specifically, we adapt a well-known matrix-based array optimization technique to the case when the transmitting elements exist in a complex environment and the receiver is not in the far-field of the array. Study of array performance in a non-ideal setting represents an important step in determining the feasibility of using this optimization technique for ad hoc wireless arrays within a building. Measures of array performance consist of median values for the directivity or gain, the total power at the receiver location, and the power per transmitter. The simulation results include array performance in the presence of a lossy dielectric corner to study the effects of building floors and walls. Our results show the median of the optimized directivity or gain for the frequencies of interest with simple boundaries is within 3 dB of that for the optimized configuration in free space