Channel Measurements and Modeling for a 60 GHz Wireless Link Within a Metal Cabinet

This paper presents the channel measurements performed within a closed metal cabinet at 60 GHz covering the frequency range 57-62 GHz. Two different volumes of an empty metal cupboard are considered to emulate the environment of interest (an industrial machine). Furthermore, we have considered a number of scenarios such as line of sight, non line of sight, and placing absorbers. A statistical channel model is provided to aid short-range wireless link design within such a reflective and confined environment. Based on the measurements, the large- and small-scale parameters are extracted and fitted using the standard log-normal and Saleh-Valenzuela models, respectively. The obtained results are characterized by a very small path loss exponent, a single cluster phenomenon, and a significantly large root-mean-square (RMS) delay spread. The results show that covering a wall with absorber material dramatically reduces the RMS delay spread. Finally, the proposed channel model is validated by comparing the measured channel with a simulated channel, where the simulated channel is generated from the extracted parameters.