Development Of Laboratory Test Methods For Rf Based Electronic Safety Equipment

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) with support from the Department of Homeland Security has been working with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to develop standards and test methods for radio-frequency personal alert safety systems (RF PASS). The RF PASS systems are incorporated into a firefighter's gear and are used to alert a base station when the firefighter is in distress, has been motionless for more than 30 seconds, or to alert the firefighter in case an evacuation is necessary. The material here covers the development of several test methods either already adopted by the NFPA or targeted for future revisions of NFPA 1982 Personal Alert Safety Systems. These test methods represent five RF PASS deployment conditions: a highly reflective (high multipath) RF environment; a prescribed amount of attenuation in a point- to-point communication link; a multi-hop connection path; in-band wireless activity; and temporary exposure to high-power, in-band RF interference. The data and developed testing are based on currently used RF PASS frequencies: 450 MHz, 900 MHz, and 2.4 GHz.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been involved in a multi-year project to support the development of performance metrics and test methods for radio-frequency (RF)-based electronic safety equipment used by the public-safety community. The work reported here focuses on side-by-side measurements of radio-propagation environment characteristics and actual wireless-device performance in representative emergency responder environments. Identifying the radio-channel characteristics that significantly impair wireless-device performance in various environments enables the development of standardized laboratory-based test methods that simulate the conditions under which electronic safety equipment will be used in the field. The test methods can then be incorporated into consensus standards for this equipment.

We analyze data from NIST field tests in which radio-propagation channel path loss values were measured at approximately the same physical locations where the performance of various RF-based firefighter distress beacons were tested. These side-by-side tests were made in two key representative emergency responder environments, a New York subway station and the Empire State Building. These environments contain propagation features that may impair radio communications, including stairwells, tunnels, and rooms deep within buildings, among others. The goal of this work is to determine appropriate performance metrics for use in the development of laboratory-based test methods for RF-based electronic safety equipment. The analysis supports the classification of structures into categories of attenuation values that can be used in laboratory-based test methods to verify the performance of the RF-based alarm systems. The environments, tests, and measured data are discussed in detail. The RF propagation-channel data also provide insight into the expected attenuation in high-rise buildings and below-ground structures.

We analyze data from NIST field tests in which radio-propagation channel path loss values were measured at approximately the same physical locations where the performance of various RF-based firefighter distress beacons were tested. These side-by-side tests were made in two key representative emergency responder environments, a New York subway station and the Empire State Building. These environments contain propagation features that may impair radio communications, including stairwells, tunnels, and rooms deep within buildings, among others. The goal of this work is to determine appropriate performance metrics for use in the development of laboratory-based test methods for RF-based electronic safety equipment. The analysis supports the classification of structures into categories of attenuation values that can be used in laboratory-based test methods to verify the performance of the RF-based alarm systems. The environments, tests, and measured data are discussed in detail. The RF propagation-channel data also provide insight into the expected attenuation in high-rise buildings and below-ground structures.

Excerpt from Analysis of Radio-Propagation Environments to Support Standards Development for Rf-Based Electronic Safety Equipment The National Institute of Standards and Technology (nist) has been involved in a multi-year project to support the development of performance metrics and test methods for radio-frequency (rf) - based electronic safety equipment used by the public safety community. The work reported here focuses on side-by - side measurements of radio-propagation environment characteristics and actual wireless-device performance in representative emergency responder environments. Identifying the radio-channel characteristics that significantly impair wireless-device performance in various environments enables the development of standardized Iaboratory-based test methods that simulate the conditions under which electronic safety equipment will be used in the field. The test methods can then be incorporated into consensus standards for this equipment. The analysis presented here has been funded by the u.s. Department of Homeland Security's Standards Branch. The work reported here has focused on RF based personal alert safety systems (pass), used by firefighters to indicate when a firefighter is motionless or in distress. However, the methodology and analysis presented here could easily be extended to apply to other types of wireless devices that operate in a point - to - point mode. In the propagation-channel studies, nist engineers measured path loss (attenuation) and the level of reflectivity (or multipath, here quantified by the root mean-square delay spread) in large public structures and environments where radio communications could be difficult. These environments include multi-story buildings; buildings with subterranean floors and tunnels; buildings with deep interior spaces; those with few windows; and outdoor urban canyons, consisting of city streets surrounded by tall buildings. The nist public-safety Communications Research Lab has funded the measurements of the propagation channel. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

We analyze data from NIST field tests in which radio-propagation channel characteristics were measured at approximately the same physical locations where the performance of various RF-based firefighter distress beacons was tested. These side-by-side tests were made in representative emergency responder environments, including an apartment building, four types of office buildings, a convention center, and an urban canyon. These environments contain propagation features that often impair radio communications, including stairwells, basements, and rooms deep within buildings, among others. The goal of this work is to determine appropriate performance metrics for use in the development of laboratory-based test methods for RF-based electronic safety equipment. For the structures we studied, we found that attenuation, rather than multipath, plays a more significant role in determining whether or not a remote distress alarm is received outside the structure. The analysis has enabled rough classification of structures into categories of attenuation values that can be used in laboratory-based test methods to verify the performance of the RF-based alarm system that we tested. The environments, tests, and measured data are discussed in detail.

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