Channel Measurements and Modeling for a 60 GHz Wireless Link Within a Metal Cabinet

This paper presents the channel measurements performed within a closed metal cabinet at 60 GHz covering the frequency range 57–62 GHz. Two different volumes of an empty metal cupboard are considered to emulate the environment of interest (an industrial machine). Furthermore, we have considered a number of scenarios such as line of sight, non line of sight, and placing absorbers. A statistical channel model is provided to aid short-range wireless link design within such a reflective and confined environment. Based on the measurements, the large- and small-scale parameters are extracted and fitted using the standard log-normal and Saleh–Valenzuela models, respectively. The obtained results are characterized by a very small path loss exponent, a single cluster phenomenon, and a significantly large root-mean-square (RMS) delay spread. The results show that covering a wall with absorber material dramatically reduces the RMS delay spread. Finally, the proposed channel model is validated by comparing the measured channel with a simulated channel, where the simulated channel is generated from the extracted parameters.