Abstract:
To address the challenge that traditional hardware emulation techniques struggle to accurately reproduce the dynamic and smooth evolution characteristics of low-altitude channels, this paper proposed an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array)-based hardware emulation technique for smoothly evolving channels in low-altitude scenarios. First, an improved Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) clustering algorithm combined with a cluster birth-death tracking algorithm was employed to achieve continuous multipath clustering for the dynamic time-varying channel. Then, a dynamic polyphase filter and a cluster amplitude linear interpolator, based on cluster movement and birth-death decisions, were utilized to perform smooth filtering on the input signal. An evolution control module was used to manipulate these components, thereby achieving a smooth evolution of the channel’s delay and power parameters while accounting for cluster birth and death. The test results indicated that the Power Delay Profile (PDP) generated by the proposed method exhibited a trend consistent with field measurement results. Furthermore, the correlation between clustering results at adjacent time instants was improved compared to the previous method, and the smooth evolution characteristic of the channel’s power-delay parameters was significantly enhanced. This work provides an effective means for the future optimization, verification, and evaluation of low-altitude communication systems.