UAV Air-to-Ground Channel Characterization for mmWave Systems

TL;DR

This paper characterizes mmWave air-to-ground channels for UAV communications using ray tracing simulations at 28 GHz and 60 GHz, analyzing signal strength and delay spread across different environments and UAV heights.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of mmWave AG channels at two frequencies and introduces a USRP-based channel sounder for UAV mmWave measurements.

Findings

RSS follows a two-ray model at higher altitudes

Urban environments affect the two-ray propagation due to high-rise scatterers

The USRP-based channel sounder enables practical AG channel measurements at 60 GHz

Abstract

Communication at mmWave bands carries critical importance for 5G wireless networks. In this paper, we study the characterization of mmWave air-to-ground (AG) channels for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) communications. In particular, we use ray tracing simulations using Remcom Wireless InSite software to study the behavior of AG mmWave bands at two different frequencies: 28~GHz and 60~GHz. Received signal strength (RSS) and root mean square delay spread (RMS-DS) of multipath components (MPCs) are analyzed for different UAV heights considering four different environments: urban, suburban, rural, and over sea. It is observed that the RSS mostly follows the two ray propagation model along the UAV flight path for higher altitudes. This two ray propagation model is affected by the presence of high rise scatterers in urban scenario. Moreover, we present details of a universal serial radio peripheral (USRP) based channel sounder that can be used for AG channel measurements for mmWave (60 GHz) UAV communications.