Investigation of Waveguide Effects in Intra-Vehicular Environments

Supporting intra-vehicular sensing using wireless communication is beneficial for eliminating wires and saving costs. The traditional approach is using transmit and receive antennas radiating into the car's open space. Radiated signals are exposed to strong fading due to shadowing and the dynamic nature of the wireless channel. Preliminary experimental observations of the feasibility of propagating a signal over the surface of the car lead to the motivation of the present work. Simulations using CST microwave studio is used to determine the level of wave propagation through a layer of paint and compared to experimental results. A study has been performed for analyzing the surface wave hypothesis at different frequencies.