Lucent Technologies Inc.

Harold Urey Baranger

Denis Jacques Ullmo

Steven Herbert Simon

Aris Leonidas Moustakas

Leon Michael Balents

Anirvan Mayukh Sengupta

Method and apparatus for modeling the propagation of wireless signals in buildings

A method of designing, fabricating and operating antennas is disclosed that considers the diffusive nature of the environment in which the antennas are to operate. Furthermore, the antennas can be designed, fabricated and operated so as to provide the optimal channel capacity possible given the diffusive nature of the environment in which they are to operate. The illustrative embodiment of the present invention comprises: describing an environment; describing a candidate antenna; determining a performance characteristic based on the candidate antenna with respect to the environment; and fabricating a first antenna in accordance with the candidate antenna.

Design, fabrication and operation of antennas for diffusive environments

Techniques for predicting RF signal propagation in indoor environments are disclosed. A typical technique comprises six distinct phases. In one phase, the mean wall separation, d, of one floor of a building is estimated. In a second phase, a reflection coefficient, s, is estimated for the floor in general. In a third phase, a number of trial RF propagation measurements are made to gather empirical data about the RF propagation characteristics of the floor. In the fourth phase, the mean wall separation, d, the reflection coefficient, s, and the trial RF propagation measurements are fit, using well-known techniques, into a wireless propagation model, such as ##EQU1## where P(r) is the measured or predicted power at a distance, r, from the transmitter, ##EQU2## and .xi. is the parameter that is fit to the empirical data. In the fifth phase the wireless propagation model is used to predict the RF signal strength throughout the floor from a base station at a given location, and in the six phase one or more base stations are installed in the building based on the results predicted by the wireless propagation model. The fifth and sixth phases can be thereafter repeated for other building with sufficiently similar characteristics.

Method and apparatus for modeling the propagation of wireless signals in

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Highland Park, NJ, United States of America

Harold Urey Baranger