Channel characterization for wireless propagation in reverberant environments

The need to reduce weight, installation and maintenance costs in mobile systems demands that serious thought is given to reducing the use of wire bundles for signal transmission. Alternatives are, the use of communication-centric techniques to multiplex several signals on a single transmission line (e.g. PLC), optical fibre transmission, or, wireless systems. Each has advantages and disadvantages which will are briefly outlined. Focus is directed at the problems associated with wireless propagation in highly resonant environments (e.g. vehicles) where multiple reflections occur. Approaches to channel characterization in such environments are described which involve sophisticated simulation techniques based on hybrid grids and multi-scale methods, simplified circuit-based methods, and the impact of stochastic effects. Illustrative results from the work of GGIEMR are presented showing the state of the art in simulation techniques in this challenging area.