Use of a Cavity Loaded With a Conductive Liquid to Simulate In-Vehicle Wireless Multipath Channels

Abstract

In this paper, we describe how we can finely adjust the electromagnetic losses inside a mode-stirred reverberation chamber (MSRC) using a device containing a variable quantity of conductive liquid. This device can be used for several applications such as decreasing the lowest usable frequency in MSRCs for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) tests or controlling the root-mean-square (rms) delay spread inside a configured MSRC to reproduce the wireless multipath channel of different electromagnetic (EM) environments such as those inside vehicles. In this study, we will focus on wireless environment simulation applications. The rms delay spread is determined inside a cavity provided with apertures and a stirrer and loaded with a conductive liquid. It is compared to that obtained inside an automotive vehicle for different positions of a couple of wireless communication antennas. The comparisons show that, in our case, the static wireless multipath channel of a complex EM environment of a vehicle may be simulated inside such a cavity.