Hybrid model for the personal exposure meter response in an outdoor environment

When a personal exposure meter (PEM) is worn by a human subject, the electric-field strength measured at the PEM is affected by a body shadowing effect. In our study, a hybrid model is proposed for modeling the body shadowing effect for when the PEM is used in an outdoor environment. The hybrid model contains responses to direct and diffused waves, the factors related to the transmission path and cross-polarization discrimination, respectively. To derive the hybrid model, responses for the direct and diffused waves are measured using a human phantom in an anechoic chamber and a reverberation chamber, respectively. Responses are measured at multiple locations in an outdoor environment and compared to the responses of the hybrid model. The hybrid model response has quartiles that deviate by an average of only 2.2 dB (1.29) from the same quartiles of the outdoor responses. Such quartile deviations are significantly smaller than those of the previous model with a body shadowing effect. Bioelectromagnetics. 38:626-647, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.