Industrial Indoor Measurements from 2-6 GHz for the 3GPP-NR and QuaDRiGa Channel Model

Abstract

Providing reliable low latency wireless links for advanced manufacturing and processing systems is a vision of Industry 4.0. Developing, testing and rating requires accurate models of the radio propagation channel. The current 3GPP-NR model as well as the QuaDRiGa model lack the propagation parameters for the industrial indoor scenario. To close this gap, measurements were conducted at 2.37 GHz and 5.4 GHz at operational Siemens premises in Nuremberg, Germany. Furthermore, the campaign was planned to allow the test and parameterization of new features of the QuaDRiGa channel model such as support for device-to-device (D2D) radio links and spatial consistency. A total of 5.9 km measurement track was used to extract the statistical model parameters for line of sight (LOS) and Non-LOS propagation conditions. It was found that the metallic walls and objects in the halls create a rich scattering environment, where a large number of multipath components arrive at the receiver from all directions. This leads to a robust communication link, provided that the transceivers can handle the interference. The extracted parameters can be used in geometric-stochastic channel models such as QuaDRiGa to support simulation studies, both on link and system level.

A Sensitivity Analysis on the Potential of 5G Channel Quality Prediction

“…Simulations are repeated with varying User Equipment (UE) positions such that, every pixel in a 50×50-meter grid with a pixel size of 1×1-meter at a height of 1.5 m from the floor of the factory hall is covered. The channel model is generated using the quasi-deterministic radio channel generator (QuaDRiGa) [8] applying the propagation parameters for industrial indoor scenarios [9]. The simulation conditions are presented in Table I.…”

6G Wireless Systems: Vision, Requirements, Challenges, Insights, and Opportunities

“…sub-6 GHz and mmWave frequencies (see e.g., [65,[205][206][207] for a taxonomy). Naturally, the typical industrial environment is unlike the residential or other indoor environments, since the effects of mechanical and electrical noise, as well as interference are high due to the broad operating temperatures, heavy machinery and ignition systems [65,[205][206][207][208].…”

“…sub-6 GHz and mmWave frequencies (see e.g., [65,[205][206][207] for a taxonomy). Naturally, the typical industrial environment is unlike the residential or other indoor environments, since the effects of mechanical and electrical noise, as well as interference are high due to the broad operating temperatures, heavy machinery and ignition systems [65,[205][206][207][208]. Generally, industrial buildings are taller than ordinary office buildings and are sectioned into several working areas, between which there usually exist straight aisles for transportation of materials or for human traffic.…”

“…A number of propagation measurements and models in various industrial settings have been conducted. The authors in [207] characterize the large-scale parameters of the industrial channel at 2.37 and 5.4 GHz at the Siemens factory in Neumberg, Germany. In both LOS and NLOS conditions, the shadow fading decorrelation distance was approximately 15 m and 30 m -much larger than the corresponding values of 6 m and 10 m in the standardized 3GPP model [63].…”

“…The study in [209] proposes a double-directional model with parameters that are tailored at 5 GHz from measured data. A detailed comparison between propagation characteristics at 3.7 GHz and 28 GHz is presented over a bandwidth of 2 GHz in [206], where LOS and NLOS pathloss exponents different to those seen in [207] are reported due to the environmental differences. No substantial difference in the delay spread is seen across the two bands of 3.7 GHz to 28 GHz.…”