Path Loss Simulation of an Infrared Optical Wireless System for Aircrafts

In this paper, the infrared optical wireless path loss inside an aircraft cabin is estimated. To this end, a Monte Carlo ray-tracing (MCRT) simulation is performed in a geometric computer-aided design (CAD) cabin model. Position, azimuth (AZ), elevation (EL) and field of view (FOV) properties of transmitters and receivers are defined. Key path loss parameters such as the path loss exponent and the standard deviation of the shadowing component are determined for particular line-of-sight (LOS) and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) cases. A LOS path loss exponent of 1.92 and a shadowing standard deviation of 0.81 dB are obtained. In NLOS conditions, however, the path loss exponent varies depending on the nature of the particular NLOS case considered. The presented scenarios yield NLOS path loss exponent values of 2.26 and 1.28, and shadowing standard deviation values of 1.27 dB and 0.7 dB, respectively.