Accurate ray-tracing/UTD-based model for indoor stairwells at 10 GHz

In this paper, a new model that combines the ray-tracing method and the uniform theory of diffraction (UTD) for accurate electromagnetic waves propagation characterization in stairwells at 10 GHz is proposed. The ray-tracing method was used to find all the possible reflected and diffracted waves from the stairs' surfaces and edges, respectively. The diffracted waves were calculated using the UTD. The model considers the incident wave angles, reflected wave angles, diffracted wave angles, radiation patterns, gains and heights of the receiver and transmitter antennas in the calculations. Theoretical and measured results have a very good agreement which validates the importance of considering the diffraction effect. The new model can be used to characterize wireless channels in other periodic environments.