Experimental identification of an image source distribution on an indoor map

A methodology to construct radio source distribution map using antenna arrays distributed in indoor environments is proposed. The map is constructed based on the image method of field prediction and shows locations of the primary (original) and secondary (mirrored) sources with their intensity. The map provides in-depth description of propagation mechanisms including specular reflection and diffused scattering by fine spatial focusing with the resolution of 6 and 50 cm in the near and far field regions of the antenna arrays, respectively. The map constructed from the measured propagation channels revealed clear focusing of many mirror sources attributed to specular reflections in the environments. Furthermore, sources correspond to the distributed scattering was also clearly visible, giving insights for its spatial distribution and power level. The map is a fingerprint of the spatial propagation characteristics of the room and hence is directly applicable to indoor localization and geometry-based channel modeling.