JP2018096739A - Shield box for testing radio terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a shield box for testing a radio terminal, the shield box allowing various different tests to be done easily and highly reliably while the shield box is connected to the antenna of the radio terminal in a non-contact manner.SOLUTION: In a structure including a shield box 110 and a probe antenna 115 in the shield box 110, an absorber for electric waves is contained in a metal box. The probe antenna 115 is a patch antenna. Each metal box is made of a metal upper case 111 and a metal lower case 121 and is openable. The upper and lower cases 111 and 121 are connected together at the back surfaces by a hinge 130. The upper case 111 and the lower case 121 have a first absorber 112 for electric waves on the inner surfaces thereof to prevent electric waves emitted from a terminal antenna 14b from being reflected in the shield box.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to a shield box for a wireless terminal test, and in particular, a wireless terminal test that can perform various tests easily and with high reliability even in a non-contact (wireless) connection state with a wireless terminal antenna. It relates to a shield box.

The wireless terminal is one element of the mobile communication system, and when the mobile communication system is tested, it is a direct test target (DUT; Device Under Test) or is in charge of one element of the test system. When a wireless terminal is used for testing purposes, the test system and the wireless terminal are generally connected via a wired RF port provided by the terminal.

FIG. 1 is a schematic rear view in which a back cover of a smartphone, which is a representative device of a wireless terminal, is removed. As shown in FIG. 1, a battery 18 is detachably disposed at the central portion of the back surface 12 of the normal smartphone 10 with the back cover removed, and above and below the battery 18, respectively. One or more antennas 14a and 14b, for example, a MIMO (Multiple Input & Multiple Output) antenna (in the case of an LTE terminal), and test RF ports 16a and 16b connected to the respective antennas 14a and 14b in a wired manner are provided. It is done. Various camera modules and the like are disposed above the battery 18, but illustration thereof is omitted here. Furthermore, the smartphone 10 is provided with a WCDMA antenna (not shown) and the like together with its wired RF port.

FIG. 2 is a physical configuration diagram of a wireless terminal test system adopting the wireless terminal shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the conventional wireless terminal test system is largely divided into a shield box 20 in which the wireless terminal 10 is housed, an internal RF cable 30 that connects the wireless terminal 10 and the shield box 20, and a shield box. 20 and a test apparatus 50 connected via an external RF cable 40.

In the above-described configuration, the shield box 20 is usually composed of a rectangular metal case 22 having a structure that can be opened and closed so that the wireless terminal 10 can be accommodated, and wireless terminals of various sizes such as smartphones and smart pads can be used. A storage space 26 having a volume sufficient for storage is secured. With such a structure, when the wireless terminal 10 such as a smartphone is housed in the shield box 20, the electromagnetic wave radiated from the antennas 14a and 14b is reflected depending on the housing position, and the characteristics change or the standing wave In order to prevent the occurrence of problems such as the generation of electromagnetic waves, an electromagnetic wave absorbing material 24 that absorbs the electromagnetic waves radiated from the wireless terminal 10 is attached in the metal case 22.

In the drawing, reference numeral 28 denotes a box-attached RF connector provided so as to penetrate through the inside and outside of the metal case 22. Each of the internal RF cable 30 and the external RF cable 40 includes a coaxial cable and RF connectors connected to both ends thereof, and one of the RF connectors of the internal RF cable 30 is connected to the RF ports 16a and 16b of the wireless terminal 20. The remaining one is connected to the inner connector of the box attachment connector 28.

In the conventional wireless terminal test system as described above, since the antenna and the test apparatus of the wireless terminal are connected by wire through the wired RF port, the test accuracy and consistency are high. There was an inconvenience that the preparation process was complicated. That is, for the wired connection, the back cover of the wireless terminal must be opened, and the wireless terminal and the connector with the box must be accurately connected via the RF cable in the shield box. Attention is required.

In addition, some smartphones released in recent years do not provide a wired port. In order to test this, conventionally, a plastic case on the back of the smartphone has been manually drilled and then soldered. There was a trouble that the RF cable had to be connected. In addition, in the case of an LTE terminal having two MIMO antennas, an environment in which multi-path fading exists is necessary for insulation between the two antennas, but in the shield box, Since it is exclusively a direct free space path (line of sight) environment, there was a problem that the reliability of the test results could not be guaranteed.

Published Patent Publication No. 10-2012-0096927 (Title of Invention: Antenna system providing high insulation between antennas in an electronic device) Published patent publication No. 10-1442557 registered patent publication (Title of Invention: Wireless smart device sensitivity test system using reverberation chamber capable of reconfiguring radio wave environment)

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and various tests can be performed easily and with high reliability without difficulty even when connected to the antenna of a wireless terminal in a non-contact (wireless) manner. An object of the present invention is to provide a shield box for wireless terminal testing that can be performed with high performance.

A wireless terminal test shield box of the present invention for achieving the object is a metal box having a wireless terminal storage space therein, and is housed in the metal box and stored in the metal box. And a probe antenna that is located immediately above or directly below the antenna portion of the wireless terminal and transmits a signal from the wireless terminal antenna in a non-contact manner.

A radio wave absorber is built in the metal box.

The probe antenna is a patch antenna.

Each of the metal boxes is composed of two parts, a metal upper case and a lower case, and can be opened.

The upper case and the lower case are hinged on the back.

A first radio wave absorber for preventing radio waves radiated from the radio terminal antenna from reflecting in the shield box is attached to the inner surfaces of the upper case and the lower case.

When the upper case and the lower case are closed with the back surface of the wireless terminal stored in the upward direction, the probe antenna is located in the upper case at a position facing the wireless terminal antenna part. The probe antenna remains attached to the second radio wave absorber, and faces the radio terminal antenna. The probe antenna has two or more, and a third radio wave absorption that fills a space between all the probe antennas. In this case, the radio wave absorption performance between the first to third radio wave absorbers is as follows: third radio wave absorber ≧ first radio wave absorber ≧ second radio wave absorber In this case, an RF connector to be connected to a test apparatus is formed on the side surface or the back surface of the lower case, and the RF connector is connected to the probe antenna by wire through an RF cable. It is.

When the upper case and the lower case are closed with the back surface of the wireless terminal stored downward, the probe antenna is located in the lower case at a position facing the wireless terminal antenna part. The probe antenna remains attached to the second radio wave absorber, and faces the radio terminal antenna. The probe antenna has two or more, and a third radio wave absorption that fills a space between all the probe antennas. And a radio wave absorption performance between the first to third radio wave absorbers is as follows: third radio wave absorber ≧ first radio wave absorber ≧ second radio wave absorber, and the lower case An RF connector to be connected to a test apparatus is formed on the side surface or the back surface of the sensor, and the RF connector is connected to the probe antenna by wire via an RF cable.

According to the shield box for wireless terminal test of the present invention, since the wireless terminal and the RF connector of the shield box are not connected by wire, it is not necessary to remove the back cover of the wireless terminal, for example, preparation work for the test Is significantly simplified, and can be tested against wireless terminals that do not provide a wired RF port.

Furthermore, since the environment of the free space path is not provided directly in the shield box, the reliability of the test result can be ensured when testing a wireless terminal adopting two or more MIMO antennas.

FIG. 1 is a schematic rear view in which a back cover of a smartphone, which is a representative device of a wireless terminal, is removed. FIG. 2 is a physical configuration diagram of a wireless terminal test system adopting the wireless terminal in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the wireless terminal test shield box of the present invention in a closed state. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the wireless terminal test shield box of FIG. 3 in an open state. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along А-А in FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of FIG.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a shield box for wireless terminal test of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the wireless terminal test shield box of the present invention in a closed state, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the wireless terminal test shield box of FIG. 3 in an open state. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line А-А in FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 6, the shield box 100 for wireless terminal test of the present invention is large and includes a box having a wireless terminal storage space therein, such as a square box and a wireless terminal 10 ′. Installed corresponding to the antenna parts 14a, 14b, for example, positioned directly above or directly below them, signals from wireless terminal antennas (hereinafter referred to as 'terminal antennas') 14a, 14b are contactless (wireless) And a probe antenna 115 transmitted at the same time.

In the above configuration, the probe antenna 115 can be realized by a patch antenna (also referred to as a microstrip antenna) made of a metal pattern on a microstrip substrate.

Next, it is desirable that the square box further comprises two upper and lower parts and can be opened. In this case, each of the upper box 110 and the lower box 120 includes a metal upper case 111 and a lower case 121 that block radio waves from the outside, and is connected to the hinge 130 on the back surface thereof. On the other hand, on the inner surfaces of the upper case 111 and the lower case 121, similarly to the conventional shield box, radio waves radiated from the terminal antennas 14a and 14b are reflected in the shield box so that various characteristics are not distorted. Radio wave absorbers (hereinafter referred to as “first radio wave absorbers”) 112 and 123 are attached.

In this case, the internal space of the lower case 121 and the storage space provided by the first radio wave absorber 123 are substantially the same as the size of the wireless terminal 10 ′ to be tested. It is desirable not to provide a direct line of sight environment by being formed to be within 5 mm with each face of 10 '.

On the other hand, when closed, the probe antenna 115 is located in the upper case 111 at a position facing the terminal antennas 14a and 14b. When the terminal antennas 14a and 14b face the probe antenna 115 with free space, The antenna 115 changes the radiation characteristics of the terminal antennas 14a and 14b. For example, the signal radiated from the terminal antennas 14a and 14b is reflected by the probe antenna 115 and re-enters the terminal antennas 14a and 14b. May change. In order to prevent this, the probe antenna 115 is attached to a matching radio wave absorber (hereinafter referred to as a “second radio wave absorber”) 114, that is, the terminal antenna 14 a via the second radio wave absorber 114. , 14b, and signal attenuation due to this can be sufficiently compensated by subsequent amplification.

The second radio wave absorber 114 is preferably slightly larger in size than the probe antenna 115 and the terminal antennas 14a and 14b. For this reason, as in the present embodiment, two or more terminals are included in the radio terminal 10 ′. When the antennas 14a and 14b, for example, two or more MIMO antennas are provided, a free space can be formed between the two second radio wave absorbers 114, and this space can be formed with respect to the two probe antennas 115. Acting as a direct free space path may result in the breakdown of the insulation between the two MIMO antennas. In order to prevent this, a radio wave absorber (hereinafter referred to as “third radio wave absorber”) 113 that fills the entire space between the two probe antennas 115 is further provided.

Of course, all of the first to third radio wave absorbers 112, 114, and 113 can be implemented with the same material. However, the more expensive the radio wave absorber, the higher the cost. In view of this, it is desirable that the first to third radio wave absorbers 112, 114, and 113 are all implemented with different materials or at least one of them with another material. When the first to third radio wave absorbers 112, 114, and 113 are implemented with different materials, the radio wave absorption performance is as follows: 3rd radio wave absorber 113 ≧ first radio wave absorber 112 ≧ second radio wave absorber 114 is desirable.

In the drawing, reference numeral 117 denotes a position where the path loss of the probe antenna 115 is minimized, for example, through the rear surface of the upper case 111 of the shield box, so that the shield box 100 and the test apparatus are connected by an RF cable. An RF connector to be connected is shown, and such an RF connector 117 is connected to the probe antenna 115 by an RF cable 116, for example, a coaxial cable. When the number of the RF cables 116 is two or more, that is, when the number of the probe antennas (or RF connectors) 115 is two or more, it is preferable to use the RF cables 116 having the same length so that the path loss caused thereby is the same. desirable. In the drawing, reference numeral 118 denotes a handle provided on the upper case 111 to facilitate opening and closing of the upper case 111. Reference numeral 129 denotes a USB terminal provided at an appropriate position of the shield box, for example, the side surface of the lower case 121. The USB terminal 129 is connected to the cable 127 and the end thereof, and is connected to the wireless terminal 10 ′. A USB connector (not shown) connected to the USB terminal is provided.

7 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment in FIG. 5, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, according to the shield box 100 ′ for testing a radio terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention, the shield box 100 ′ is arranged so that the back surface of the radio terminal 10 ′ is positioned downward. Accordingly, the probe antenna 125 ′ and the first to third radio wave absorbers 123 ′, 124 ′, and 122 ′ are built in the lower case 121 ′, and the upper case 111 ′ Only the first radio wave absorber 112 ′ is built in. With such a structure, the volume of the lower case 121 ′ is formed larger than the volume of the upper case 111 ′, and the RF connector 127 ′ is also provided at an appropriate position of the lower case 121 ′, for example, the rear surface. The arrangement relationship between the probe antenna 125 ′ and the first to third radio wave absorbers 123 ′, 124 ′, and 122 ′ is symmetrical with respect to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 with respect to the horizontal line. That is, the second radio wave absorber 124 ′ is opposed to the terminal antenna, and the probe antenna 125 ′ is disposed below the second radio wave absorber 124 ′, so that the entire second radio wave absorber 124 ′ and the probe antenna 125 ′ are disposed. The third radio wave absorber 122 ′ is disposed so as to cover the first radio wave absorber 123 ′, and the first radio wave absorber 123 ′ is disposed so as to surround the third radio wave absorber 122 ′.

According to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, since the front surface of the wireless terminal 10 ′ is directed upward, the wireless terminal is operated, that is, touched with the upper case 111 ′ of the shield box 100 ′ opened. There is an advantage that the screen can be operated.

The preferred embodiments of the wireless terminal test shield box of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this is merely an example, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. Variations and changes are possible. For example, in the above-described embodiment, it has been described that there are two terminal antennas, but it may be 1 or 3 or more, and in this case, the number of probe antennas increases corresponding to the number of terminal antennas one to one. Will do.

10, 10 ': Radio terminal 12: Back surface 14a, 14b: Terminal antenna 16a, 16b: RF port 18: Battery 20: Shield box 22: Metal case 24: Radio wave absorber 26: Storage space 28: RF connector 30 with box 40: RF cable 50: Test apparatus 100, 100 ': Shield box 110, 110': Upper box 111, 111 ': Upper case 112, 112': First radio wave absorber 113: Third radio wave absorber 114: Second radio wave absorber 115: Probe antenna 116: RF cable 117: RF connector 118: Handle 120, 120 ': Lower box 121, 121': Lower case 122 ': Third radio wave absorber 123, 123': First 1 radio wave absorber 124 ': second radio wave absorber 125': probe antenna 126 ': RF cable 127: cable 127': RF Connector 129: USB port 130: Hinge

Claims (14)

A metal box with a wireless terminal storage space inside,
A probe antenna that is built in the metal box and is located directly above or directly below the antenna portion of the wireless terminal housed in the metal box, and transmits a signal from the wireless terminal antenna in a non-contact manner; A shield box for wireless terminal testing, comprising: The radio terminal test shield box according to claim 1, wherein a radio wave absorber is incorporated in the metal box. The radio terminal test shield box according to claim 2, wherein the probe antenna is a patch antenna. The radio terminal test shield box according to claim 2, wherein each of the metal boxes comprises two parts, a metal upper case and a lower case, which can be opened. The radio terminal test shield box according to claim 4, wherein the upper case and the lower case are hinge-coupled on the back surface. 5. The first radio wave absorber for preventing radio waves radiated from a radio terminal antenna from being reflected in a shield box is attached to the inner surfaces of the upper case and the lower case. Shield box for wireless terminal test as described. When the upper case and the lower case are closed with the back surface of the wireless terminal stored in the upward direction, the probe antenna is located in the upper case at a position facing the wireless terminal antenna part.
The radio terminal test shield box according to claim 6, wherein the probe antenna is attached to the second radio wave absorber and faces the radio terminal antenna. The probe antenna is 2 or more,
The radio terminal test shield box according to claim 7, further comprising a third radio wave absorber that fills a space between all the probe antennas. 9. The radio wave absorption performance between the first to third radio wave absorbers is expressed as follows: third radio wave absorber ≧ first radio wave absorber ≧ second radio wave absorber. Shield box for testing wireless terminals. An RF connector connected to a test device is formed on the side or back of the lower case,
The radio terminal test shield box according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the RF connector is connected to the probe antenna by wire via an RF cable. When the upper case and the lower case are closed with the back surface of the wireless terminal stored downward, the probe antenna is located in the lower case at a position facing the wireless terminal antenna part.
The shield terminal for a wireless terminal test according to claim 10, wherein the probe antenna faces the wireless terminal antenna while being attached to the second radio wave absorber. The probe antenna is 2 or more,
The radio terminal test shield box according to claim 11, further comprising a third radio wave absorber that fills a space between all of the probe antennas. The radio wave absorption performance between the first to third radio wave absorbers is expressed as follows: third radio wave absorber ≥first radio wave absorber ≥second radio wave absorber. Shield box for testing wireless terminals. An RF connector connected to a test device is formed on the side or back of the lower case,
The radio terminal test shield box according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the RF connector is connected to the probe antenna by wire via an RF cable.