Standards Development

Scope

This document specifies protocols and test procedures for repeatable and reproducible measurements of the absorbed power density (APD) that provide conservative estimates of the exposure of the human head or body to radio-frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMF) emitted by wireless communication devices, with a specified measurement uncertainty. These protocols and procedures apply to the evaluation of the exposure of the significant majority of the population during the use of hand-held and body-worn RF transmitting wireless communication devices. The methods apply to devices, with single or multiple transmitters or antennas, that operate with their radiating structure(s) at distances up to 200 mm from the human head or body.

The methods of this document can be used to evaluate compliance with applicable APD limits of different types of RF transmitting wireless communication devices used in close proximity to the head and body, with or without RF transmitting or non-transmitting accessories, or of devices embedded in garments. The overall applicable frequency range of the specified protocols and procedures is from 6 GHz to 300 GHz.

The categories of wireless communication device covered in this document include but are not limited to mobile telephones, radio transmitters in personal computers, desktop and laptop devices, and multi-band and multi-antenna devices. The procedures of this document do not apply to APD evaluation of electromagnetic fields emitted or altered by devices or objects intended to be implanted in the body.

Purpose

Until the publication of the IEEE C95.1-2019 and ICNIRP 2020 guidelines, the only recommended limit for electromagnetic exposure above 6 GHz was a restriction on the incident power density (IPD). Consequently, the two standards IEC/IEEE 63195-1 and -2 define the measurement and computational evaluation methods and procedures for the IPD in free space on an evaluation surface that corresponds to the surface of the exposed body.

Later, these guidelines introduced a new basic restriction that is applicable above 6 GHz and is defined in terms of the absorbed power density (APD), which is also referred to as epithelial power density. Since this quantity better represents the actual exposure of the head or body, specifically in near field conditions, many regulators have expressed interest in defining their exposure limits based on the APD. This also eliminates possible ambiguities of applying the IPD on exposure assessment in the reactive near-field, accounts for back scattering between the device and the exposed head or body, and reduces the risk of over- or underestimation of the exposure that may depend on the source structure.

The objective of this international standard is to specify measurement protocols and test procedures for assessing the APD in the frequency range of 6 GHz to 300 GHz. Both industry and consumers will benefit by the methods it provides for compliance assessment with the basic restrictions in terms of the APD.

This work is partly based on IEC/IEEE TR 63572 ED1