A 2-D ray tracing model for the characterization of spatial and time-domain properties of the indoor propagation channel

The rapid growth in the field of wireless communications technology has spawned an ever increasing need for an understanding of the propagation channel. This paper describes a 2-D ray tracing algorithm that gives results in agreement with previously published experimental work. The 2-D ray tracing method outlined is a simple and efficient means of calculating the statistical properties of a simple rectangular room. The results can also be seen to lend themselves to a generalization to more complex spaces thus giving an insight into the methods of propagation in enclosed rooms. The effect of wall parameters on the propagation of radio waves in an enclosed space has been documented previously. The 2D ray tracing program is used to vary the parameters of a standard room over a large range to show the relation between room statistics and these variables. A second parameter documented in the literature is the sector averaged signal strength which is also modeled using the simulation program developed. A final effect studied is that of the clustering of individual rays arriving at the receiver. This effect is shown to be replicated by the ray tracing method and mirrors the experimental results.