On the benefits of ray-based modeling for analyzing on-body MmWave systems

Abstract

While optimizing the system-level performance in a network of advanced high-end wearables, millimeter-wave (mmWave) medium access protocols may benefit from leveraging the information on the spatial and temporal dynamics of the radio channel. In this paper, we aim to bridge the existing gap in mmWave on-body propagation studies by analyzing the channel structure based on an extensive shooting-and-bouncing ray simulations. Particularly, we model a set of on-body trajectories and illustrate the evolution of the core channel parameters as well as address the specifics of their dynamics, which can be exploited in subsequent protocol development. As a key contribution of this study, we propose a methodology for processing and applying the simulation data as well as illustrate our approach through an example of estimating the effects of directionality and antenna beam misalignment. Our results and data, also available online, facilitate the system-level analysis and performance evaluation of various on-body mmWave systems.