Experimental investigation on channel characteristics in tunnel environment for time reversal ultra wide band techniques

摘要

The objective of this paper is to investigate the potential advantages of the Time Reversal (TR) technique applied to Impulse Radio Ultra Wide Band (UWB) signals for communications in tunnels. Indeed, in an environment with significant multipaths, it has already been outlined that this technique allows mitigating intersymbol interference and increases the peak power received at a target antenna. However, in a tunnel, as a result of the guiding effect of the structure, the spatial diversity degree decreases as the distance between the transmitter and receiver increases. An in-depth analysis is therefore needed, and we first thus present the main characteristics of the UWB channel deduced from measurements made in a long straight arched tunnel and for a frequency band extending from 2.8 to 5 GHz. In the time domain, waveforms of the impulse radio signal are obtained through an inverse Fourier transform of the measured frequency response and examples are given for different distances varying from 50 m to 500 m. Delay spread and peak-to-peak gain are then studied, depending on the communication range. The case for multiple antenna transmission is also considered.