Analyzing Radio Scattering Caused by Various Building Elements Using mm-Wave Scale Model Measurements and Ray-Tracing

Interaction of UHF radio waves with a typical office building and the resulting scattering characteristics are studied in this work using mm-wave frequency measurements and ray tracing simulations on a scale model of the building. A ”disaggregation approach” is followed to separately test different structural elements (facade, internal structure, furniture) and to separately simulate different interaction mechanisms (specular reflection, edge diffraction, transmission, diffuse scattering) thus achieving a deeper understanding of the propagation process. Results suggest that scattering from buildings can be modeled neglecting the internal structure of the building, but proper modeling of non-specular propagation is necessary, even with a controlled and completely known environment such as the scale building model.