Ultra Wideband Characterization of Through-Wall Propagation Using Transmission and Reflection Measurements

An interesting property of ultra wideband signals is their ability to penetrate walls and obstacles which comes as a result of their lower frequency content. As the signal propagates through these obstacles, it gets attenuated, slows down, and gets dispersed. This work presents frequency-domain transmission and reflection measurements using a Vector Network Analyzer over a frequency range of 1-18 GHz to characterize wave propagation through various building walls. This is done by measuring the insertion transfer function defined as the ratio of two signals measured in presence and absence of the wall. The dielectric constant and propagation loss are extracted from the measured insertion transfer function. The work considers typical indoor walls like glass, wood, and gypsum. Double layer walls and three layer walls are also investigated. Results from transmission and reflection measurements are relatively in good agreement with each other and with literature. The results of this work are very useful in through-wall imaging and tracking application to correct the position and focus the images.