UAV-Correlated MIMO Channels: 3-D Geometrical-Based Polarized Model and Capacity Analysis

The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) communication with the multiple-input–multiple-output (MIMO) system has attracted lots of attention to improve spectral efficiency and channel capacity. The large antenna spacing is often required to reduce the spatial correlation between subchannels. However, this requirement cannot be well satisfied in practical scenarios due to the limited dimension of UAV platforms. Therefore, polarization diversity is a promising approach for UAV MIMO systems. In this work, we propose a three-dimensional (3-D) geometrical-based polarized model for UAV-correlated MIMO channels. By utilizing the geometrical theory of polarization, we describe the channel depolarization caused by the terrestrial scattering environment based on the multicylinder geometrical model and then acquire the channel polarization function and polarized channel impulse response (CIR). Furthermore, we investigate the impact of the key factors, such as the UAV tilt rotation, cross-polarization, and limited antenna spacing on the UAV MIMO channel capacity. To validate the proposed UAV channel model, we compare the spatial correlations of the numerical simulation and UAV field measurement results for the co- and cross-polarized channels, and the close agreements between them are observed. This work can provide useful guidance and support for the design and performance evaluation of UAV communication networks.