Cone mapping physical optics for design of indoor communication system
AssigneeThe University of Akron
InventorJohn T. Welch
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Abstract
A system of physical optics is provided which is employed in the design of indoor wireless communication systems, where transmitters are placed and oriented within a model of a building complex. The system provides for forward tracing of rays, which makes practical signal coverage displays that respond interactively to communication system design changes. The physical optics system consists of a method of generating semi-rectangular cone elements covering space, and a method of enumerating receiver test points within each cone for accumulation and display of electromagnetic signal coverage.
Claims12
A computerized method for determining the signal coverage provided by a wireless communication system of at least one point source, such as a transmitter, and at least one receiver in a building that is based upon a model, comprising the steps of:
- physically designating locations of the at least one point source and the at least one receiver in the model of the building;
- covering completely and without overlap, the space around a point source by a plurality of cones of about equal size;
- assigning relative signal strength to each of said plurality of cones based on the angular orientation of a transmitter at said point source and a spherical antenna pattern associated with the transmitter;
- processing in a forward direction from said point source to the receiver a center ray segment of each said plurality of cones corresponding to transmitted and reflected portions of said center ray segments in uninterrupted travel between modeled building surfaces;
- providing receiver test points arranged in regularly spaced, rectangular, planar receiver grids on the modeled building surfaces;
- computing the intersection of said cones with said receiver test point grids;
- enumerating the receiver test points within said cone intersections for the accumulation of electromagnetic effect of said ray segment on said receiver test point;
- adjusting the physically designated locations at the at least one point source and the at least one point source and the at least one receiver in the model of the building, as is needed, to ensure adequate signal coverage;
- and
- placing transmitters and receivers within the building based upon the model.
A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method of determining signal coverage of a wireless communication system within a building, the method comprising:
- receiving input of transmissive and reflective properties of at least walls, floors and openings of the building;
- receiving input of antenna patterns associated with at least one type of transmitter;
- generating a model of the building features including at least walls, floors and openings, and associating their transmissive and reflective properties with the building features;
- assigning at least one transmitter and at least one receiver to positions on the model;
- covering the space around said at least one transmitter with a plurality of cones of approximately equal size;
- assigning a center ray segment with a relative signal strength of the antenna pattern to each of said plurality of cones and associating a receiver grid pattern with said at least one receiver;
- processing said center ray segment generated by said transmitter through each of said plurality of cones toward said receiver including a determination of transmission and/or reflection of said center ray segment upon impinging the building features, said processing step tracking said center ray segment until strength thereof is deemed negligible;
- and
- computing an intersection of said plurality of cones with said receiver grid pattern to determine if said relative signal strength is adequate to reach said at least one receiver.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.