Indoor MIMO Channel Modeling by Rigorous GO/UTD-Based Ray Tracing

This paper presents a multiple-input-multiple- output (MIMO) channel model based on rigorous ray-tracing techniques, which is based on a full 3-D implementation of geometric optics and the uniform theory of diffraction (3-D GO/ UTD). Results obtained from measurements and simulations of the correlation matrix and capacity of a 2 times 2 MIMO system in specific indoor environments at a frequency of 2 GHz are presented. The channel capacity has been calculated for the different local areas considered in open- and office-area scenarios, starting from the measurements carried out there, as well as from the ray-tracing simulated channels. The rigorous and quantitative comparison between measurements and simulations shows that the model accuracy is sufficient for the analysis and design of the different aspects of the full MIMO system. The results from the ray-tracing model can also be used to extract general statistical characteristics and parameterize statistical models for different types of environments, without the need to carry out large and costly measurement campaigns. In addition, the measured data are used to study the impact of the channel on the achievable capacity of a 2 times 2 MIMO system in typical indoor scenarios at 2 GHz.