Abstract: A deterministic channel modeling method using geometrical optics and ray tracing technique is introduced into the ultra-wide band (UWB) channel characterization inside the passenger cabin of a commercial aircraft. The main algorithm is based on a method named ray density normalization (RDN) which uses the ray density concept to determine the contribution of each ray to the total field at the receiver. To validate the algorithm, a simulation test in a simplified cabin model of Boeing 737-200 is set up. Receivers are placed at the headrest, armrest and footrest levels of passenger seats throughout the aircraft cabin to find out the differences of channels at different heights. Two large scale aspects of the channel characteristics are addressed in the simulation results: ① the distance dependence of path loss, ② the root mean square (RMS) delay spread. Part of the simulation results is compared with the measurements of some experiments cited. The comparison shows that the channel characteristics extracted from the simulation and the measurements are matched, thus demonstrating the fidelity and validity of the simulation tool.

Key words: ultra-wide band, electromagnetic wave propagation, geometrical optics, ray tracing, cabins (aircraft)