A Framework for Developing Algorithms for Estimating Propagation Parameters from Measurements

A framework is proposed for developing and evaluating algorithms for extracting multipath propagation components (MPCs) from measurements collected by sounders at millimeter-wave (mmW) frequencies. To focus on algorithmic performance, an idealized model is proposed for the spatial frequency response of the propagation environment measured by a sounder. The input to the sounder model is a pre-determined set of MPC parameters that serve as the ``ground truth''. A three-dimensional angle-delay beamspace representation of the measured spatial frequency response serves as a natural domain for implementing and analyzing MPC extraction algorithms. A cost metric for quantifying the error in estimated MPC parameters is introduced for assessing performance. Initial results are presented for a greedy matching pursuit algorithm that performs a least-squares (LS) reconstruction of the MPC path gains within the iterations. The results indicate that the simple greedy-LS algorithm yields promising performance and offer new avenues for further improving performance through extensions of the greedy-LS algorithm as well as by incorporating features of other promising algorithms, such as SAGE and RIMAX.