On the Distribution of Signal Phase in Body Area Networks

In this letter, we investigate the distribution of the phase component of the complex received signal observed in practical experiments using body area networks. Two phase distributions, the recently proposed κ-μ and η-μ probability densities, which together encompass the most widely used fading models, namely Semi-Gaussian, Rayleigh, Hoyt, Rice, and Nakagami-m, have been compared with measurement data. The κ-μ distribution has been found to provide the best fit over a range of on-body links, while the user was mobile. The experiments were carried out in two dissimilar indoor environments at opposite ends of the multipath spectrum. It has also been found that the uniform phase distribution has not arisen in anyone of the experiments.