Measurement-based Channel Characterization Using Virtual Array with Directional Antenna

Obtaining accurate channel characteristics is essential for wireless communication system design and protocols. Directional scan sounding (DSS) achieved by rotating a directional antenna with a turntable, and virtual antenna array (VAA) based sounding achieved by moving the antenna to the pre-designed locations are both popular methods to characterize static radio channel environments. However, the beam-width of the employed directional antenna limits the angular resolution of DSS. The conventional VAA usually employs an omnidirectional antenna which limits its application in millimeter wave bands due to the low antenna gain. In this work, VAA scheme based on directional antennas is presented to characterize the spatial-temporal profiles and omnidirectional pathloss of the channels. This scheme can provide high angular resolution and improve the SNR in the measurements simultaneously. Indoor channel measurements at 28 GHz with four different link distances were conducted to verify the effectiveness of the directional antenna based VAA scheme.