JP2023055325A - Testing device and testing method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a testing device and a testing method that, when measuring transmission characteristics or reception characteristics of an object to be tested in an OTA test environment, can safely and easily arrange the object to be tested at a more accurate measuring point and also reduce cost.SOLUTION: A testing device 1 accommodates an attitude variable mechanism 56 for a DUT 100, antennas for a test 6, and a camera device 8 in an internal space 51 of an OTA chamber 50, and stores in advance QoQZ visualization video data for showing a quality of quiet zone (QoQZ) as a spherical QoQZ visualization video. An AR video processing unit 15g and a display control unit 15h combine a DUT photographic video obtained by photographing the DUT 100 by using the camera device 8 and the spherical QoQZ visualization video generated on the basis of, the QoQZ visualization video data to display the videos in an overlapping manner as an augmented reality (AR) video on a display unit 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention uses an anechoic box in an OTA (Over The Air) environment to measure the transmission characteristics or reception characteristics of a test object using augmented reality (AR) technology. It relates to a test device and a test method that support the work of placing in.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the development of multimedia, wireless terminals (smartphones, etc.) equipped with antennas for wireless communication such as cellular and wireless LAN have been actively produced. In the future, wireless terminals that transmit and receive wireless signals compatible with IEEE 802.11ad, 5G cellular, and the like, which use broadband signals in the millimeter wave band, will be particularly required.

A wireless terminal design and development company or its manufacturing factory measures the output level and reception sensitivity of the transmission radio wave specified for each communication standard for the wireless communication antenna equipped with the wireless terminal, and satisfies the prescribed standards. A performance test is performed to determine whether

With the generation shift from 4G or 4G Advanced to 5G, the test method for the performance test described above is also changing. For example, in a performance test in which a wireless terminal for a 5G NR system (New Radio System) (hereafter referred to as a 5G wireless terminal) is a device under test (DUT), 4G and 4G advanced tests are the mainstream. The method of connecting the antenna terminal of the DUT and the test equipment with a wire is due to the deterioration of the characteristics due to attaching the antenna terminal to the high frequency circuit, or the number of elements of the array antenna is large and attaching the antenna terminal to all elements is space and cost. It cannot be used for reasons such as being impractical considering the aspect. For this reason, the DUT is housed together with the test antenna in an anechoic box that is not affected by the surrounding radio wave environment. A so-called OTA test, in which reception by an antenna is performed by wireless communication, is now being conducted (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In the OTA test, it is desired to place the DUT in the Quality of Quiet Zone in order to enable measurement while suppressing the influence of scattered waves from the surroundings. Here, the Quality of Quiet Zone (hereinafter referred to as QoQZ) means the range of the spatial region in which the DUT is irradiated from the test antenna with substantially uniform amplitude and phase in the anechoic box that constitutes the OTA test environment. It is a concept (for example, see Non-Patent Document 1).

Patent application 2018-223942

3GPP TR 38.810 V16.2.0 (2019-03)

In the OTA test, the DUT is set in the posture variable mechanism (positioner) and measured while rotating the DUT. At that time, if the DUT is not installed in a position suitable for measurement within the QoQZ, the measurement accuracy will decrease. become.

In this type of conventional test equipment, as a mark for arranging the DUT at a position suitable for measurement within the QoQZ (a position that does not cause a decrease in measurement accuracy), for example, the vertical axis and the horizontal axis 2 Some have a mechanism that irradiates two red laser beams and indicates the center of rotation of the positioner by the intersection of the two red laser beams. However, this conventional positioner structure requires a laser device for irradiating two red laser beams, which increases the cost and poses a risk that the red laser beam reflected by the DUT may be seen. There were also safety issues.

In addition, in the structure of the positioner in the above-described conventional test equipment, for a communication terminal such as a smartphone in which the location (mounting location) where the antenna under test is mounted (mounting location) is clear, the above rotation is performed while considering the mounting location of the antenna under test. Although it is relatively easy to place the antenna in QoQZ using the center as a mark, communication terminals such as tablet terminals and laptop PCs, which are larger in size and where the antenna to be tested is often unknown, are often used. However, even if there is a mark of the center of rotation, it is difficult to locate the communication terminal at the optimum position within the QoQZ.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such conventional problems. To provide a test apparatus and a test method which can be safely and easily arranged in a test space and which can also reduce costs.

In order to solve the above problems, a test apparatus according to the present invention is a test apparatus (1, 1B) for measuring transmission characteristics or reception characteristics of a device under test (100) having an antenna under test (110), A radio wave anechoic box (50) having an inner space (51) that is not affected by the surrounding radio wave environment, and a radio signal contained in the inner space for measuring the transmission characteristics or reception characteristics of the test object is transmitted to the antenna under test. and an attitude variable mechanism (56) for sequentially changing the attitude of the test object placed within the quality of quiet zone (QoQZ) in the internal space. a control unit (11) for driving and controlling the test antenna to transmit or receive the radio signal to or from the antenna under test; and a spherical QoQZ visualization image ( 32), a storage unit (16c, 16d) for storing QoQZ visualized image data to be represented as 32), a test object image (31) captured by a camera unit (8, 70a), and the QoQZ visualized image A display control unit (15h, 15h1) that displays an AR (augmented reality) image (30) superimposed on a monitor unit (13, 70b) by combining the QoQZ visualized images generated based on data. Characterized by

With this configuration, the test apparatus according to the present invention does not require a laser device for indicating the placement position of the test object like the conventional apparatus, and by confirming the AR image, the spherical QoQZ visualized image is displayed. The positional relationship of objects can be accurately and easily grasped. As a result, when measuring the object under test in the OTA test environment, the object under test can be easily positioned at an accurate measurement position using the spherical QoQZ visualization image as a guide. In addition, since there is no laser device that handles dangerous laser light, it is possible to safely adjust the position of the test object until the placement is completed, and it is possible to reduce costs.

Further, in the test apparatus according to the present invention, the QoQZ visualization image data may be generated based on simulation data or actual measurement data of transmission characteristics or reception characteristics of the test object. With this configuration, the test apparatus according to the present invention can generate a spherical QoQZ visualization image from either simulation data or actual measurement data of the transmission characteristics or reception characteristics of the test object.

Further, in the test apparatus according to the present invention, the camera section is a camera device (8) installed in the anechoic box, and the display control section displays the AR image on the display section (13). It may be a configuration.

With this configuration, the test apparatus according to the present invention captures an image of the test object with the camera device provided in the anechoic box, and displays an AR image based on the captured image of the test object on the display unit. It is possible to check the placement position of the test object using AR images without requiring major changes to the existing equipment such as the exterior structure of the equipment.

Further, in the test apparatus according to the present invention, the camera section is a camera (70a) incorporated in an external communication terminal (70), and the display control section displays the AR image as the external communication terminal. may be superimposed on the monitor screen (70b).

With this configuration, the test apparatus according to the present invention can shoot an object under test and display an AR image generated based on the image of the object under test obtained by shooting, on an external communication terminal. The usability for confirming the placement position of the test object is improved.

Further, the test apparatus according to the present invention has a reflector (7) for folding back the radio signal at a predetermined position between the antenna for testing and the antenna under test, and the storage section (16d) includes the reflector and the antenna under test. Visualized additional image data for expressing the power distribution of the wireless signal between the object under test and the object under test as a cylindrical visualized additional image (32a) is further stored, and the display control unit controls the image under test and the QoQZ By combining the visualized image with the cylindrical visualized additional image generated based on the visualized additional image data, the AR image may be displayed.

With this configuration, the test apparatus according to the present invention can more accurately determine the subject under test by adding the cylindrical visualization additional image as compared to the case where only the QoQZ visualization image 32 is used as the virtual image added to the AR image. It becomes possible to arrange to the measurement position.

Further, in the test apparatus according to the present invention, the display control unit may display an image (35) indicating the rotation center of the attitude varying mechanism by adding to the AR image.

With this configuration, the test apparatus according to the present invention can easily place the test object at the center of rotation of the posture varying mechanism using the image as a guide.

Further, in the test apparatus according to the present invention, the display control unit may be configured to add and display an image showing a scale (35b) to the AR image.

With this configuration, the test apparatus according to the present invention can easily and accurately place the test object at the rotation center of the posture changing mechanism using the scale added to the AR image as a guide.

A test method according to the present invention is a test method using a test apparatus having any one of the configurations described above, and includes a step (S1) of holding the test object by the posture changing mechanism in the anechoic box. a step (S22) of capturing an image of the subject under test held by the posture varying mechanism with the camera unit and obtaining the image of the subject under test (S22); ), the step (S23) of acquiring the QoQZ visualized video data to be expressed as a and a step (S24) of superimposing and displaying an AR (augmented reality) image (30) on a monitor unit (13, 70b) by combining the visualized images.

With this configuration, the test method according to the present invention does not require a laser device for indicating the arrangement position of the test object like the conventional device in the test device to which this test method is applied, and confirms the AR image. , the positional relationship of the test object with respect to the spherical QoQZ visualized image can be accurately and easily grasped. As a result, when measuring the object under test in the OTA test environment, the object under test can be easily positioned at an accurate measurement position using the spherical QoQZ visualization image as a guide. In addition, since there is no laser device that handles dangerous laser light, it is possible to safely adjust the position of the test object until the placement is completed, and it is possible to reduce costs.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is a testing apparatus that can safely and easily place a device under test at a more accurate measurement position when measuring transmission characteristics or reception characteristics of the device under test in an OTA test environment, and that can also reduce costs. and test methods can be provided.

It is a figure showing a schematic structure of the whole test device concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a test device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the integrated control device of the test apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the NR system simulator in the test device according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the near field and far field in radio wave propagation between an antenna AT and a wireless terminal, (a) showing a radio wave propagation form by the direct far-field method, and (b) having a paraboloid of revolution. It shows the radio wave propagation form when the reflector is arranged. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a signal path structure of a parabola having a paraboloid of revolution similar to the reflector employed in the OTA chamber of the test apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a signal path structure of an offset parabola having a paraboloid of revolution similar to the reflector employed in the OTA chamber of the test apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a table showing the classification of frequencies used by a plurality of test antennas for measuring transmission characteristics and reception characteristics of DUTs employed in the OTA chamber of the test apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an external structure of a posture varying mechanism provided in the OTA chamber of the test apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a camera device provided inside the OTA chamber of the testing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention; 4 is a flow chart showing DUT transmission characteristics and reception characteristics measurement processing in the test apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a flow chart showing placement work assist AR image display processing operation for assisting DUT placement work in the test apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the partially transparent structure of the OTA chamber in the test apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing a DUT and its surroundings photographed by a camera of an external communication terminal in placement work support AR image display processing in the test apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an AR image generation procedure in the placement work support AR image display processing in the test device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, (a) shows the DUT captured image, and (b) shows the QoQZ visualized image. and (c) shows an AR image. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a display form of an AR image by an external communication terminal in placement work support AR image display processing in the test apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of index information displayed in addition to an AR image to facilitate confirmation of the placement position of the DUT in the placement work support AR image display processing in the test apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention; 3A shows a rotation center instruction image indicating the rotation center of a DUT, and FIG. 3B is an enlarged view of three-dimensional coordinate axes forming the rotation center instruction image in FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a display form of an AR image by the display unit of the integrated control device in the arrangement work support AR image display processing in the test device according to the first embodiment of the present invention; Display of the integrated control device in the arrangement work support AR image display processing for the DUT to be tested with the sensor tape attached to the mounting location of the antenna under test in the test device according to the modification of the first embodiment of the present invention FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a display form of an AR image by a unit; FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an integrated control device of the test apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10A is a diagram showing an AR image generation procedure in the arrangement work support AR image display process in the test device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, where (a) shows a DUT captured image, and (b) and (c) are The QoQZ visualized image and the visualized additional image are shown, respectively, and (d) shows the AR image. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a display form of an AR image by the display unit of the integrated control device in the arrangement work support AR image display processing in the test device according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiment of the test apparatus and test method which concerns on this invention is described using drawing. Note that the dimensional ratio of each component on each drawing does not necessarily match the actual dimensional ratio.

(First embodiment)
First, the configuration of a test apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. FIG. The test apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment measures transmission characteristics or reception characteristics of a DUT 100 having an antenna 110, and has an overall appearance structure as shown in FIG. It is composed of such functional blocks. However, FIG. 1 shows the layout of each component in a state in which the OTA chamber 50 is seen through from the side.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the test apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment has an integrated control device 10, an NR system simulator 20, signal processing units 40a and 40b, and an OTA chamber 50. FIG. The test apparatus 1 may be configured to further include an external communication terminal 70 (see FIG. 3).

The integrated control device 10 is connected to the NR system simulator 20 via a network 19 such as Ethernet (registered trademark) so as to be able to communicate with each other. The integrated controller 10 is also connected via a network 19 to control means for controlling the components arranged in the OTA chamber 50 . As control means for the OTA chamber 50, the test apparatus 1 has an automatic antenna placement control section 15c and a DUT attitude control section 15d.

The integrated controller 10 comprehensively controls the control means for the NR system simulator 20 and the OTA chamber 50 via the network 19, and is composed of, for example, a personal computer (PC). Note that the automatic antenna placement control unit 15c and the DUT attitude control unit 15d may be provided in the integrated control device 10 as shown in FIG. 3, for example. In the following description, it is assumed that the integrated control device 10 has the configuration shown in FIG.

The test apparatus 1 uses, for example, a rack structure 90 having a plurality of racks 90a as shown in FIG. FIG. 1 shows an example in which the integrated control device 10, the NR system simulator 20, and the OTA chamber 50 are mounted on each rack 90a of the rack structure 90, respectively.

Here, for the sake of convenience, the configuration of the OTA chamber 50 will be described first. The OTA chamber 50 implements an OTA test environment for performance testing of 5G wireless terminals, and is used as an example of a Compact Antenna Test Range (CATR).

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the OTA chamber 50 is composed of, for example, a metal housing main body 52 having a rectangular parallelepiped internal space 51. The internal space 51 houses the DUT 100 and the antenna 110 of the DUT 100. The opposing test antenna 6 is accommodated in a state that prevents the intrusion of radio waves from the outside and the radiation of radio waves to the outside. As the test antenna 6, for example, a directional millimeter wave antenna such as a horn antenna can be used. Note that the number of test antennas 6 may be one, but the description below assumes that there are a plurality of test antennas. The test antenna 6 transmits or receives radio signals to and from the antenna 110 for measuring transmission characteristics or reception characteristics of the DUT 100 .

The inner space 51 of the OTA chamber 50 further accommodates a reflector 7 and a camera device 8 that realize a radio wave path for returning a radio signal radiated from the antenna 110 of the DUT 100 to the light receiving surface of the test antenna 6 . Further, a radio wave absorber 55 is attached to the entire inner surface of the OTA chamber 50, that is, the entire bottom surface 52a, side surface 52b, and upper surface 52c of the housing body 52, thereby enhancing the function of restricting the emission of radio waves to the outside. there is Thus, the OTA chamber 50 realizes an anechoic box having an inner space 51 that is not affected by the surrounding radio wave environment. The anechoic box used in the first embodiment is, for example, of the Anechoic type.

The DUT 100 to be tested is, for example, a wireless terminal such as a smart phone, a tablet terminal, or a laptop PC. Communication standards for the DUT 100 include cellular (LTE, LTE-A, W-CDMA (registered trademark), GSM (registered trademark), CDMA2000, 1xEV-DO, TD-SCDMA, etc.), wireless LAN (IEEE802.11b/g/ a/n/ac/ad, etc.), Bluetooth®, GNSS (GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou, etc.), FM, and digital broadcasting (DVB-H, ISDB-T, etc.). Also, the DUT 100 may be a wireless terminal that transmits and receives wireless signals in the millimeter waveband compatible with 5G cellular or the like.

In a first embodiment, the DUT 100 is a 5G NR wireless terminal. For 5G NR wireless terminals, in addition to the millimeter wave band, a predetermined frequency band including other frequency bands used in LTE etc. (see "5G NR band" in FIG. It is defined by the NR standard. In short, the antenna 110 of the DUT 100 transmits or receives radio signals in a predetermined frequency band (5G NR band) for measuring transmission or reception characteristics of the DUT 100 . Antenna 110 is, for example, an array antenna such as a Massive-MIMO antenna, and constitutes an antenna under test in the present invention.

A 5G NR radio terminal having the above-described communicable frequency range communicates using one of the bands identified by numbers 1, 2, and 3 in the table shown in FIG. 8, for example, at the time of shipment. After that, the usable frequency band can be switched and set by a predetermined setting change operation. In such wireless terminals, the band that is set to be usable is sometimes called in-band, and the band that is not set to be usable is called out-band. When measuring transmission characteristics and reception characteristics under the OTA environment in the OTA chamber 50 using the wireless terminal as the DUT 100, it is required to measure all the above-described in-band and out-band bands.

FIG. 8 is a table showing usable frequency range classifications of three test antennas 6 placed in the OTA chamber 50 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, three frequency bands identified by numbers 1, 2 and 3 are assigned to 3.3 GHz to 5.0 GHz, 24.25 GHz to 29.5 GHz and 40.5 GHz to 43.5 GHz respectively. It is The frequency bandwidth of 3.3 GHz to 5.0 GHz assigned to number 1 is the frequency of n77, n78, n79, for example, in the well-known 5G NR band list defined by 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) It corresponds to a group of frequency bandwidths (frequency band group) containing bands. Similarly, the frequency bandwidths of 24.25 GHz to 29.5 GHz and 40.5 GHz to 43.5 GHz assigned to numbers 2 and 3 include, for example, the n258 and n257 frequency bands defined in the band list above. It corresponds to a group of frequency bandwidths and a group of frequency bandwidths including the n259 frequency band.

In the first embodiment, the OTA chamber 50 has, for example, three test antennas 6 using frequency bands respectively corresponding to numbers 1, 2 and 3 in the frequency band classification shown in FIG. It is placed in These three test antennas 6 are automatically arranged one by one at the focal position of the reflector 7 (indicated by symbol F in FIG. 1) by the automatic antenna arrangement means 60 shown in FIG. there is On the other hand, the DUT 100 according to the first embodiment has a configuration in which the frequency bands corresponding to the numbers 1, 2, and 3 can be selectively set as usable frequency bands. The DUT 100 is tested during transmission and reception measurements in the OTA chamber 50 through the test antennas 6 sequentially positioned at the focal position F using frequency bands corresponding to the numbers 1, 2, and 3, respectively. It is capable of transmitting and receiving signals and signals under test.

Next, the layout of the attitude varying mechanism 56, the test antenna 6, the reflector 7, and the camera device 8 in the internal space 51 of the OTA chamber 50 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, in the OTA chamber 50, the bottom surface 52a of the housing main body 52 in the internal space 51 is provided with an attitude variable mechanism 56 that sequentially changes the attitude of the DUT 100 arranged in the QoQZ. The attitude variable mechanism 56 is, for example, a biaxial positioner equipped with a rotating mechanism that rotates in biaxial directions. Combined-axes system). Specifically, the posture varying mechanism 56 has a drive section 56a, a turntable 56b, a column 56c, and a DUT mounting section 56d as a test target mounting section.

The driving unit 56a is composed of a driving motor such as a stepping motor that generates a rotational driving force, and is installed on the bottom surface 52a, for example. The turntable 56b is rotated by a predetermined angle around one of the two axes orthogonal to each other by the rotational driving force of the driving portion 56a. The post 56c is connected to the turntable 56b, extends in one axial direction from the turntable 56b, and rotates together with the turntable 56b by the rotational driving force of the driving portion 56a. The DUT mounting portion 56d extends from the side surface of the column 56c in the direction of the other of the two axes, and rotates about the other axis by a predetermined angle by the rotational driving force of the driving portion 56a.

The one axis mentioned above is, for example, a roll axis (y-axis in FIG. 9) extending in a direction perpendicular to the bottom surface 52a. The other axis is, for example, the azimuth axis (z-axis in FIG. 9) extending horizontally from the side surface of the column 56c. The attitude variable mechanism 56 configured in this manner sequentially changes the attitude of the DUT 100 held on the DUT mounting section 56d so that the antenna 110 faces in all three-dimensional directions around the center of the DUT 100, for example, as the rotation center. Allows for variable rotation. That is, the test apparatus 1 of the first embodiment is capable of testing with a "black-box approach" by the attitude variable mechanism 56 as described above.

For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the DUT 100 is mounted on the DUT mounting portion 56d via the DUT holder 56h. The DUT holder 56h is attached to the DUT mounting portion 56d so as to be movable by a predetermined distance, for example, in the arrow a1 direction (y-axis direction) and the arrow a2 direction (z-axis direction) in FIG. As a result, the position of the DUT 100 can be adjusted by moving the DUT holder 56h by a predetermined distance in the y-axis direction and the z-axis direction while the DUT 100 is mounted on the DUT mounting portion 56d. Such a mechanism for finely adjusting the position of the DUT 100 is useful for reliably setting the DUT 100 within QoQZ.

In the OTA chamber 50, two types of link antennas 5 and 9 for establishing or holding a link (call) with the DUT 100 are provided at required positions of the housing main body 52 using holders 57 and 59, respectively. installed. A link antenna 5 is a link antenna for LTE and is used in a non-standalone mode. On the other hand, the link antenna 9 is a link antenna for 5G and is used in standalone mode. The link antennas 5 and 9 are held by holders 57 and 59, respectively, so as to have directivity with respect to the DUT 100 held by the attitude variable mechanism 56. As shown in FIG. Since it is also possible to use the test antenna 6 as a link antenna instead of using the link antennas 5 and 9 described above, the test antenna 6 will be described below as also functioning as a link antenna. do.

Further, in the OTA chamber 50, an antenna holding mechanism 61 is provided below the bottom surface 52a of the housing main body 52, and the antenna holding mechanism 61 holds the plurality of test antennas 6 in a spaced apart state. there is In the first embodiment, the antenna holding mechanism 61 includes, for example, three test antennas 6 capable of transmitting and receiving wireless signals in three measurement target frequency bands identified by numbers 1 to 3 in the table shown in FIG. holding

The antenna holding mechanism 61 is attached to the bottom surface 52 a of the internal space 51 of the OTA chamber 50 via the power section 64 . The antenna holding mechanism 61 constitutes the automatic antenna placement means 60 together with the power section 64 and the automatic antenna placement control section 15c (see FIG. 2).

The automatic antenna placement means 60 mounted on the OTA chamber 50 has, for example, an antenna holding mechanism 61, a power section 64, a cover section 67, and an automatic antenna placement control section 15c, as shown in FIGS. there is The antenna holding mechanism 61 is composed of a rotating body 62 rotatable about a rotating shaft 63. On the rotating body 62, for example, three test antennas 6 are arranged on a circumference about the rotating shaft 63. there is

The power unit 64 has a driving motor 65 that rotationally drives the rotating body 62 via a rotating shaft 63 , and a connecting member 66 such as a gear disposed between the driving motor 65 and the rotating shaft 63 . . The cover portion 67 covers the antenna holding mechanism 61 and the power portion 64 so as to restrict the intrusion of radio waves from the outside and the radiation of radio waves to the outside.

An opening 67 a is formed in the cover portion 67 . The opening 67 a provides a line of sight from the test antenna 6 to the paraboloid of revolution of the reflector 7 when one of the test antennas 6 held by the antenna holding mechanism 61 is placed at the focal position F of the reflector 7 . It is formed in a position where it can be secured.

The automatic antenna arrangement control unit 15c, for example, based on a command from the control unit 11 (see FIG. 3) of the integrated control device 10, each measurement target frequency band identified by numbers 1 to 3 in the table shown in FIG. , the test antennas 6 are sequentially moved to the focal position F of the reflector 7, and the driving motor 65 is driven so as to be stopped.

In the OTA chamber 50, the reflector 7 has an offset parabolic (see FIG. 7) type structure, which will be described later. The reflector 7 is mounted at a desired position on the side surface 52b of the OTA chamber 50 using a reflector holder 58, as shown in FIG. Reflector 7 receives a test signal radiated from one test antenna 6 arranged at a focal point F determined by the paraboloid of rotation, and transmits the signal to DUT 100 held by variable attitude mechanism 56. A position where the DUT 100 that has received the test signal receives the signal under measurement radiated from the antenna 110 by the paraboloid of revolution and reflects the test signal toward the test antenna 6 that radiated it. and are arranged in a posture. That is, the reflector 7 reflects radio waves of radio signals transmitted and received between the test antenna 6 and the antenna 110 via the paraboloid of revolution. In the first embodiment, the three test antennas 6 held by the antenna holding mechanism 61 are sequentially arranged one by one by the automatic antenna arrangement means 60 as the test antennas 6 for transmitting and receiving the test signal and the signal under measurement described above. They are automatically arranged at the focal position F one by one.

Here, the advantages of mounting the reflector 7 on the OTA chamber 50 and the preferred form of the reflector 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7. FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing, for example, how radio waves radiated from an antenna AT equivalent to the test antenna 6 propagate to the wireless terminal 100A. The radio terminal 100A is equivalent to the DUT 100. FIG. In FIG. 5, (a) shows an example in which radio waves are transmitted directly from the antenna AT to the wireless terminal 100A (direct far field), and (b) shows an example in which radio waves travel from the antenna AT through a paraboloid of revolution. An example of the case (CATR) of transmission to the wireless terminal 100A via the reflector 7A is shown.

As shown in FIG. 5(a), radio waves emitted from the antenna AT as a radiation source have the property of propagating while a plane (wavefront) connecting points of the same phase spreads spherically around the radiation source. At this time, interference waves are also generated due to disturbances such as scattering, refraction, and reflection, as indicated by broken lines. Further, the wavefront is a curved spherical surface (spherical wave) at a short distance from the radiation source, but the wavefront becomes closer to a plane (plane wave) at a distance from the radiation source. In general, the area where the wavefront should be considered as a spherical surface is called the near field (NEAR FIELD), and the area where the wavefront can be considered as a plane is called the far field (FAR FIELD). In the radio wave propagation shown in FIG. 5(a), the radio terminal 100A preferably receives plane waves rather than spherical waves for accurate measurement.

In order to receive plane waves, the wireless terminal 100A needs to be placed in the far field. Here, when the maximum straight line size of the wireless terminal 100A is D and the wavelength of the radio wave is λ, the far field is at a distance of 2D2/λ or more from the antenna AT. Specifically, when D = 0.4 m (meters) and wavelength λ = 0.01 m (equivalent to a radio signal in the 28 GHz band), the position approximately 30 m from the antenna AT is the boundary between the near field and the far field. Therefore, it becomes necessary to place the wireless terminal 100A at a position farther than that. In the first embodiment, it is assumed that the DUT 100 having a maximum linear size D of, for example, about 5 cm (centimeter) to 33 cm is measured.

As described above, the direct far-field method shown in FIG. 5(a) has characteristics that the propagation distance between the antenna AT and the wireless terminal 100A is large and the propagation loss is large. Therefore, as a countermeasure, for example, as shown in FIG. There is a way to arrange the mirror 7A. According to this method, not only can the distance between the antenna AT and the radio terminal 100A be shortened, but also the effect of reducing the propagation loss can be expected because the area of the plane wave expands from the distance immediately after being reflected by the mirror surface of the reflector 7A. be able to. The degree of plane waves can be represented by the phase difference between waves in phase. An acceptable phase difference for plane waves is, for example, λ/16. The phase difference can be evaluated with a vector network analyzer (VNA), for example.

For example, a parabola (see FIG. 6) or an offset parabola (see FIG. 7) can be used as the reflecting mirror 7A shown in FIG. 5(b). As shown in FIG. 6, the parabola has a mirror surface (paraboloid of revolution) that is symmetrical with respect to the axis passing through the antenna center O. By installing a primary radiator having directivity, it has a function of reflecting radio waves radiated from the primary radiator in a direction parallel to the axial direction. Conversely, by arranging, for example, the test antenna 6 according to the first embodiment at the focal position F, the parabola can detect radio waves (for example, the DUT 100 ) can be reflected and guided to the test antenna 6 . However, the parabola has a perfect circular planar shape when viewed from the front (z-direction) and is large in structure, making it unsuitable for placement as the reflector 7 of the OTA chamber 50 .

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, the offset parabola has a shape obtained by cutting out a part of the paraboloid of revolution of a mirror surface (perfectly circular parabola (see FIG. 6)) that is asymmetric with respect to the axis of the paraboloid of revolution. ), and by installing the primary radiator with its beam axis inclined at an angle α, for example, with respect to the axis of the paraboloid of revolution, the radio waves radiated from the primary radiator has a function of reflecting in a direction parallel to the axial direction of By arranging, for example, the test antenna 6 according to the first embodiment at the focal position F, this offset parabola is arranged such that radio waves (for example, test signals for the DUT 100) radiated from the test antenna 6 are projected onto a paraboloid of revolution. In addition to reflecting in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the paraboloid of revolution, radio waves incident on the paraboloid of revolution in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the paraboloid of revolution (for example, the measured transmitted from the DUT 100 signal) can be reflected by the paraboloid of revolution and directed to the test antenna 6 . An offset parabola can be positioned so that the mirror surface is nearly vertical, and requires a much smaller structure than a parabola (see FIG. 6).

Based on the findings described above, in the OTA chamber 50 according to the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. are placed in The reflector 7 is attached to the side surface 52b of the housing main body 52 so that the position indicated by reference numeral F in the drawing is the focal position.

The reflector 7 and one of the three test antennas 6 held by the antenna holding mechanism 61 (the one being positioned at the focal point) are aligned with the beam of the test antenna 6 relative to the axis RS1 of the reflector 7. The axis BS1 is in an offset state inclined at a predetermined angle α. The one test antenna 6 mentioned here is the test antenna 6 that can ensure the line of sight from the reflector 7 through the opening 67 a of the cover portion 67 that covers the antenna holding mechanism 61 .

The reflector 7 has a focal position F on the beam axis BS1 of the test antenna 6, and each test antenna 6 held by the rotating body 62 of the antenna holding mechanism 61 is positioned so as to secure the above-described line of sight. The position of the test antenna 6, that is, the focus position F of the reflector 7 can be sequentially passed through. The tilt angle α described above can be set to, for example, 30 degrees. In this case, the test antenna 6 faces the reflector 7 at an elevation angle of 30 degrees, that is, faces the reflector 7 and the receiving surface of the test antenna 6 is at a right angle to the beam axis of the radio signal. It is held by the antenna holding mechanism 61 . By adopting the offset parabolic reflector 7, the size of the reflector 7 itself can be reduced, and the mirror surface can be arranged in an almost vertical position. .

The OTA chamber 50 is further provided with a camera device 8 used as a camera section for photographing the DUT 100 held by the DUT holder 56h of the attitude varying mechanism 56 and its surroundings. The camera device 8 is provided in the internal space 51 (for example, the upper surface 52c) of the housing main body 52 of the OTA chamber 50, and measures the transmission characteristics or reception characteristics of the DUT 100 in order to photograph the DUT 100 and its surroundings. It is designed to be driven at an appropriate timing before the

As shown in FIG. 10, the camera device 8 has a camera body portion 8a, a camera holding portion 8b, and a radio wave absorbing plate 8c. The camera main body 8a includes a light receiving sensor 8a2 provided on one surface of a rectangular parallelepiped housing, a plurality of infrared LEDs 8a1 arranged on the circumference of the light receiving sensor 8a2 so as to surround the light receiving sensor 8a2, and a plurality of infrared LEDs 8a1 provided inside the housing. A power supply unit 8a3 is provided. The infrared LED 8a1 is a light source for emitting infrared rays, and the light receiving sensor 8a2 receives reflected light from the DUT 100 of the emitted infrared rays. The power supply unit 8a3 supplies DC power for driving the infrared LED 8a1 and the like.

The camera holding portion 8b is a metal part having a housing portion 8b1 having a space capable of accommodating the camera main body portion 8a and an extending portion 8b2 integrally formed with the housing portion 8b1 and extending outward. is. The housing portion 8b1 has an opening 8b3 on one surface opposite to the extending portion 8b2, and has a mesh structure in which a plurality of holes 8b4 for heat dissipation are formed on each outer surface. The end portion of the extension portion 8b2 of the housing portion 8b1 has a structure in which the camera holding portion 8b can be screwed and fixed to a fixture 8d fixed to the upper surface 52c of the internal space 51 of the OTA chamber 50, for example.

The camera holding portion 8b can accommodate the camera body portion 8a in the space of the housing portion 8b1 through the opening 8b3. To do this, first, the camera main body 8a is inserted into the space together with the support member 8a4, and then the support member 8a4 is returned to a position where it contacts the inner surface of the space. It is fixed to the outer periphery of 8b3 by screwing. In this state, the surface of the camera main body 8a on which the infrared LED 8a1 and the light receiving sensor 8a2 are provided and the surface of the camera holding portion 8b on which the opening 8b3 is formed are substantially flush with each other.

In this state, an opening 8b3 is formed on the surface of the camera main body 8a on which the infrared LED 8a1 and the light receiving sensor 8a2 are provided and on the surface of the camera holding portion 8b on which the opening 8b3 is formed, except for the area around the infrared LED 8a1 and the light receiving sensor 8a2. A radio wave absorbing plate 8c is attached from a narrower area to the outer peripheral portion of the opening 8b3. The electromagnetic wave absorbing plate 8c has an opening 8c1, and shields electromagnetic waves incident from the front of the infrared LED 8a1 and the light receiving sensor 8a2 except for the opening 8c1, thereby protecting the camera main body 8a and the camera holder 8b from electromagnetic waves. and has a predetermined size to maintain a sufficient electromagnetic wave shielding function.

In the camera device 8, when the camera main body 8a is housed in the casing 8b1 of the camera holding part 8b and the radio wave absorbing plate 8c on one surface of the camera holding part 8b and the camera main body 8a is attached, the infrared LED 8a1 and the light receiving sensor 8a2 can be seen through the opening 8b3. In this state, the OTA chamber 50 can be attached by screwing it to the fixture 8d fixed to the upper surface 52c of the internal space 51 of the OTA chamber 50 with screws 8b5. Here, the angle of the extending portion 8b2 with respect to the housing portion 8b1 is such that the light-receiving sensor 8a2 faces an area where the set state of the DUT 100 with respect to the attitude varying mechanism 56 can be captured when attached to the fixture 8d. formed.

It is desirable that the camera device 8 be attached at a position that does not interfere with the radio wave propagation path between the antenna 110 of the DUT 100 and the reflector 7 . As a specific arrangement mode of the camera device 8, for example, it is positioned between the reflector 7 and the DUT 100 on the radio signal propagation axis RS2 between the reflector 7 and the DUT 100, and in the vertical direction perpendicular to the propagation axis RS2. It is desirable to satisfy the arrangement condition of arranging on the upper surface 52c of the internal space 51 or on one of the four side surfaces 52b of the internal space 51 parallel to the propagation axis so as to be higher than the reflector 7. FIG.

The OTA chamber 50 has an access panel (not shown) at a predetermined location on the outer wall surface of the housing main body 52 . The access panel has a plurality of connection terminals for electrically connecting internal components and external components of the housing body 52 . The camera device 8 attached to the upper surface 52c of the internal space 51 of the OTA chamber 50 is electrically connected to the outside of the OTA chamber 50 through the access panel through the access panel. properly connected.

Specifically, the signal line 8l1 and the power line 8l2 of the camera device 8 are connected to the USB cable 18a (see FIG. 3) extending from the USB port 11d1 of the external interface (I/F) section 11d of the integrated control device 10 via the access panel. )It is connected to the. As a result, the integrated control device 10 can supply DC power and signals to the camera device 8 through the USB cable 18a connected to the USB port 11d1.

In the OTA chamber 50, the signal line of the test antenna 6, the signal lines of the link antennas 5 and 9, the signal line connected to the connection terminal of the DUT 100, the power line of the driving motor 65 of the antenna holding mechanism 61, Internal components such as power supply lines for the drive motors 56f and 56g of the attitude varying mechanism 56, and external components such as the signal output terminal and signal input terminal of the NR system simulator 20, the imaging signal input terminal of the integrated control device 10, and the DUT control terminal. elements are electrically connected via appropriate terminals of the access panel.

As described above, the camera device 8 provided in the OTA chamber 50 is used as a camera section for photographing the DUT 100 held by the DUT holder 56h of the attitude varying mechanism 56 and its surroundings. A captured image captured by the camera device 8 can be displayed on a monitor unit as an augmented reality (AR) image superimposed on a visualized image obtained by visualizing radio waves. As the monitor unit, for example, the display unit 13 (see FIG. 18) provided in the integrated control device 10 can be used.

The test apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment employs the infrared camera described with reference to FIG. Therefore, even when the interior space 51 is completely dark, a clear image of the DUT 100 held by the DUT holder 56h and its surroundings can be obtained. If the DUT 100 and its surroundings are photographed with the lid opened and the inside of the internal space 51 is bright, the camera device 8 may be an ordinary camera instead of an infrared camera.

In this test apparatus 1, as a camera section for photographing the DUT 100 and its surroundings, in addition to the camera device 8 described above, a camera incorporated in a communication terminal 70 (see FIG. 3) external to the integrated control device 10 70a can also be used. As the external communication terminal 70, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smart phone, a tablet terminal, or the like having a monitor screen 70b (see FIG. 16) can be used. In the external communication terminal 70, the monitor screen 70b can also be used as a monitor section similar to the display section 13 described above (however, what is displayed is the captured image of the DUT 100 and its surroundings captured by the camera 70a). be.

Operation of the external communication terminal 70 as the above-described camera unit and monitor unit is, for example, as shown in FIG. It can be realized by connecting an external input/output terminal (not shown) with a USB cable 18b. With this connection mode, the integrated control device 10 can transmit and receive signals to and from the external communication terminal 70 through the USB cable 18b connected to the USB port 11d2.

Here, with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4, the functional configuration of the test apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment will be explained in more detail. In the test apparatus 1 (see FIG. 2) according to the first embodiment, the integrated control device 10 has, for example, a functional configuration as shown in FIG. 3, and the NR system simulator 20 has, for example, the functional configuration. The NR system simulator 20 measures transmission characteristics or reception characteristics of the DUT 100 each time the attitude of the DUT 100 is changed by the attitude varying mechanism 56, and constitutes the test apparatus of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the integrated control device 10 has a control section 11 , an operation section 12 and a display section 13 . The control unit 11 is configured by, for example, a computer device. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, this computer device is a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that performs predetermined information processing for realizing the functions of the test device 1 and overall control of the NR system simulator 20. 11a, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 11b that stores an OS (Operating System) for starting up the CPU 11a, other programs, control parameters, etc., and execution codes and data of the OS and applications that the CPU 11a uses for operation. an external I/F unit 11d having an input interface function for inputting a predetermined signal and an output interface function for outputting a predetermined signal; and various input/output ports. The external I/F section 11 d is communicably connected to the NR system simulator 20 via the network 19 . The external I/F section 11 d is also connected to the driving motor 65 and the posture varying mechanism 56 in the OTA chamber 50 via the network 19 . An operation unit 12 and a display unit 13 are connected to the input/output port. The operation unit 12 is a functional unit for inputting various information such as commands, and the display unit 13 is a functional unit for displaying various information such as an input screen for the various information and measurement results. In the first embodiment, the display unit 13 is used together with the monitor screen 70b of the external communication terminal 70 as a monitor unit that displays AR video.

The computer device described above functions as the control unit 11 by executing the program stored in the ROM 11b by the CPU 11a using the RAM 11c as a work area. As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 11 includes a call connection control unit 15a, a signal transmission/reception control unit 15b, an automatic antenna placement control unit 15c, a DUT attitude control unit 15d, a measurement control unit 15e, a camera control unit 15f, and an AR video processing unit. It has a section 15g and a display control section 15h. The call connection control unit 15a, the signal transmission/reception control unit 15b, the automatic antenna placement control unit 15c, the DUT attitude control unit 15d, the measurement control unit 15e, the camera control unit 15f, the AR image processing unit 15g, and the display control unit 15h are also implemented by the CPU 11a and the RAM 11c. This is realized by executing a predetermined program stored in the ROM 11b in the work area of .

The call connection control unit 15a drives the test antenna 6 automatically placed at the focal position F of the reflector 7 to transmit/receive a control signal (radio signal) to/from the DUT 100, thereby connecting the NR system simulator 20 and the DUT 100. It controls the establishment of a call (a state in which radio signals can be transmitted and received) during

The signal transmission/reception control unit 15b monitors user operations on the operation unit 12, and when the user performs a predetermined measurement start operation for measuring the transmission characteristics and reception characteristics of the DUT 100, the call connection control unit 15a After the call connection control, a signal transmission command is transmitted to the NR system simulator 20 . Further, the signal transmission/reception control unit 15b controls transmission of the test signal via the test antenna 6, transmits a signal reception command, and controls reception of the signal under measurement via the test antenna 6.

The automatic antenna placement control unit 15c performs control for automatically and sequentially placing the plurality of test antennas 6 held by the antenna holding mechanism 61 of the automatic antenna placement means 60 with respect to the focal position F of the reflector 7. conduct. In order to implement this control, for example, the RAM 11c stores in advance an antenna automatic placement control table 16a. For example, when a stepping motor is employed as the driving motor 65, the automatic antenna arrangement control table 16a stores the number of driving pulses (the number of operating pulses) for determining the rotational driving of the stepping motor as control data. is. In the first embodiment, the automatic antenna placement control table 16a sets each test antenna 6 to the focal point of the reflector 7 corresponding to each of the three measurement target frequency bands identified by numbers 1 to 3 shown in FIG. The number of operation pulses of the drive motor 65 for moving to the position F is stored as the control data.

The automatic antenna placement control unit 15c develops the automatic antenna placement control table 16a in the work area of the RAM 11c, and based on the automatic antenna placement control table 16a, according to the measurement target frequency band corresponding to each test antenna 6, Control is performed to rotationally drive the drive motor 65 in the power section 64 of the automatic antenna placement means 60 . This control makes it possible to realize automatic antenna placement control for sequentially stopping (arranging) each test antenna 6 at the focal position F of the reflector 7 . In the first embodiment, the automatic antenna placement control unit 15c rotates the driving motor 65 so that the test antenna 6 rotates in one direction (see FIG. 1). It is good also as a structure which can be rotated in an opposite direction or in both directions.

The DUT attitude control section 15d controls the attitude of the DUT 100 held by the attitude varying mechanism 56 during measurement. To implement this control, for example, the ROM 11b stores in advance a DUT attitude control table 16b. For example, when a stepping motor is employed as the driving unit 56a, the DUT attitude control table 16b stores, as control data, the number of driving pulses (the number of operating pulses) that determines the rotational driving of the stepping motor.

The DUT attitude control unit 15d develops the DUT attitude control table 16b in the work area of the RAM 11c, and based on the DUT attitude control table 16b, as described above, the DUT 100 is moved so that the antenna 110 is sequentially oriented in all three-dimensional directions. It drives and controls the attitude variable mechanism 56 so as to change its attitude.

The measurement control unit 15e instructs the control unit 22 of the NR system simulator 20 to start measurement control, and the control unit 22 determines the transmission characteristics and reception characteristics of the DUT 100 based on the analysis result of the signal under measurement by the analysis processing unit 21h. is controlled so as to carry out the process of measuring

The camera control unit 15f, for example, drives and controls the camera device 8 for photographing the DUT 100 held by the DUT holder 56h of the posture varying mechanism 56 and its surroundings prior to measurement of the DUT 100. FIG. When the external communication terminal 70 is connected to the integrated control device 10, the camera control unit 15f has a function of controlling the shooting operation of the DUT 100 and its surroundings by the camera 70a of the external communication terminal 70. may

The AR image processing unit 15g performs augmented reality ( It is a functional unit that performs image processing for generating and displaying AR images that are virtually augmented by applying AR technology.

Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 15, the AR image processing unit 15g acquires a DUT captured image 31 obtained by capturing the DUT 100 and its surroundings with the camera unit as an actual image, while obtaining a virtual image. It has a video processing function that generates a visualized image visualized as visual information, for example, a QoQZ visualized image 32 obtained by measurement in advance, and displays the DUT captured image 31 and the QoQZ visualized image 32 as an AR image 30 on the monitor unit. are doing.

In order to realize this, for example, QoQZ visualized video data for displaying the QoQZ visualized video 32 is stored (saved) in advance in the visualized video data storage unit 16c provided in the RAM 11c. This QoQZ visualized image data is image data that can express QoQZ as a spherical QoQZ visualized image 32 (see FIG. 15(b)), and for example, simulation data of the transmission characteristics or reception characteristics (obtained by simulation data) or actual measurement data (data obtained by actual measurement). Note that the QoQZ visualized image data is not limited to being stored in advance, and may be generated each time based on actual measurement data. The DUT-captured image 31 described above corresponds to the test object image of the present invention. A procedure for generating the AR image 30 will be described in detail later with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15. FIG.

The display control unit 15h is a control function unit for displaying each information on the monitor unit. The display control unit 15h also performs control to display the AR image 30 generated by the AR image processing unit 15g on the monitor unit (the display unit 13 or the monitor screen 70b of the external communication terminal 70), for example.

In addition, in the test apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the NR system simulator 20 has, for example, a signal measurement section 21, a control section 22, an operation section 23, and a display section 24, as shown in FIG. . The signal measurement unit 21 includes a signal generation function unit including a signal generation unit 21a, a digital/analog converter (DAC) 21b, a modulation unit 21c, and a transmission unit 21e of the RF unit 21d, a reception unit 21f of the RF unit 21d, It has a signal analysis function unit composed of an analog/digital converter (ADC) 21g and an analysis processing unit 21h.

In the signal generation function unit of the signal measurement unit 21, the signal generation unit 21a generates waveform data having a reference waveform, specifically, for example, an I component baseband signal and a Q component baseband signal which is an orthogonal component signal thereof. Generate. The DAC 21b converts the waveform data (I component baseband signal and Q component baseband signal) having the reference waveform output from the signal generator 21a from a digital signal to an analog signal and outputs the analog signal to the modulator 21c. The modulation unit 21c mixes the I component baseband signal and the Q component baseband signal with a local signal, and further combines the signals to perform a modulation process of outputting a digital modulated signal. The RF section 21d generates a test signal corresponding to the frequency of each communication standard from the digital modulated signal output from the modulation section 21c, and outputs the generated test signal toward the DUT 100 by the transmission section 21e.

Further, in the signal analysis function unit of the signal measurement unit 21, the RF unit 21d receives the signal under test transmitted from the DUT 100, which received the test signal through the antenna 110, at the reception unit 21f via the signal processing unit 40b. After that, the signal under measurement is mixed with the local signal to convert it into an intermediate frequency band signal (IF signal). The ADC 21g converts the signal under measurement, which has been converted into an IF signal by the receiving section 21f of the RF section 21d, from an analog signal into a digital signal, and outputs the digital signal to the analysis processing section 21h.

The analysis processing unit 21h digitally processes the signal under measurement, which is a digital signal output from the ADC 21g, to generate waveform data corresponding to the I component baseband signal and the Q component baseband signal, respectively, and converts the waveform data to A process for analyzing the I-component baseband signal and the Q-component baseband signal is performed based on . In measuring the transmission characteristics of the DUT 100, the analysis processing unit 21h measures, for example, equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP), total radiated power (TRP), spurious radiation, modulation accuracy (EVM), Transmission power, constellation, spectrum, etc. can be measured. In addition, the analysis processing unit 21h can measure, for example, reception sensitivity, bit error rate (BER), packet error rate (PER), etc. in measuring the reception characteristics of the DUT 100 . where EIRP is the radio signal strength in the main beam direction of the antenna under test. TRP is the total power radiated into space from the antenna under test.

Like the control unit 11 of the integrated control device 10 described above, the control unit 22 is configured by a computer device including, for example, a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and various input/output interfaces. The CPU performs predetermined information processing and control for realizing each function of the signal generation function section, the signal analysis function section, the operation section 23 and the display section 24 .

The operation unit 23 and the display unit 24 are connected to the input/output interface of the computer device. The operation unit 23 is a functional unit for inputting various information such as commands, and the display unit 24 is a functional unit for displaying various information such as an input screen for the various information and measurement results.

Next, measurement processing of the transmission characteristics and reception characteristics of the DUT 100 by the test apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In FIG. 11, in particular, among the 5G NR bands (see FIG. 8), three test antennas 6 that can use each frequency band indicated by numbers 1, 2, and 3, respectively, are sequentially placed at the focus position F. Assume that the DUT 100 is measured while being placed. In the following description, the frequency band indicated by number 1 is called in-band 1, the frequency band indicated by number 2 is called in-band 2, and the frequency band indicated by number 3 is called in-band 3.

Also, in FIG. 11, a case will be described in which the operation unit 12 of the integrated control device 10 performs a measurement start operation for instructing the start of measurement processing of the transmission characteristics and reception characteristics of the DUT 100 . Note that the measurement start operation may be performed by the operation unit 23 of the NR system simulator 20 .

In order to measure the transmission characteristics and reception characteristics of the DUT 100 in the test apparatus 1 , first, the DUT 100 must be set inside the internal space 51 of the OTA chamber 50 . As a result, in the test apparatus 1, as the first process, the user sets the DUT 100 to be tested on the DUT holder 56h of the attitude varying mechanism 56 of the OTA chamber 50 (step S1). At this time, for the automatic antenna arrangement means 60, a plurality of (in this example, three) test antennas 6 capable of covering three frequency bands to be measured are held by the antenna holding mechanism 61, and each test antenna The antenna holding mechanism 61 must be installed at a position that allows the antenna 6 to pass through the focal position F (see FIG. 7) of the reflector 7 in sequence.

After the setting work of the DUT 100 is performed, in the integrated control device 10, for example, the AR video processing unit 15g monitors whether or not a setting operation for visualizing radio waves has been performed in the operation unit 12 (step S2). Here, if a setting operation for visualizing radio waves has been performed (YES in step S2), the AR image processing unit 15g executes placement work support AR image display processing (step S3) for assisting the placement work of the DUT 100. control to let The arrangement work support AR image display processing will be described in detail later.

On the other hand, if the setting operation for visualizing radio waves has not been performed (NO in step S2), in the integrated control device 10, for example, the control unit 11 causes the operation unit 12 to start measuring the transmission characteristics and reception characteristics of the DUT 100. It monitors whether or not an operation has been performed (step S4).

Here, if it is determined that the measurement start operation has not been performed (NO in step S4), the control unit 11 continues monitoring in step S4. On the other hand, if it is determined that the measurement start operation has been performed (YES in step S4), the automatic antenna placement control unit 15c replaces n, which indicates the measurement order of the frequency band to be measured, with the first frequency band to be measured. is set to n=1 (step S5). Note that the maximum value of n is 3 in this example.

Next, the automatic antenna placement control unit 15c performs control to automatically move (place) the test antenna 6 corresponding to the n-th frequency band to be measured to the focal position F of the reflector 7 (step S6). At this time, the automatic antenna placement control unit 15c reads the number of operating pulses of the test antenna 6 corresponding to the n-th measurement target frequency band (in-band) from the automatic antenna placement control table 16a, and based on the number of operating pulses, to control the rotation of the drive motor 65 .

When automatic placement of the test antenna 6 corresponding to the n-th measurement target frequency band to the focal position F of the reflector 7 is completed by the rotation control, the call connection control unit 15a of the control unit 11 completes the automatic placement. Using the test antenna 6, call connection control is performed by transmitting/receiving a control signal (radio signal) to/from the DUT 100 (step S7). Here, the NR system simulator 20 causes the DUT 100 to wirelessly transmit a control signal (call connection request signal) having a frequency of the n-th transmission/reception measurement target frequency band via the test antenna 6, while the call connection request After receiving the signal, the DUT 100 performs call connection control to receive the control signal (call connection response signal) transmitted after setting the frequency for which the connection is requested. By this call connection control, between the NR system simulator 20 and the DUT 100, a test antenna 6 automatically placed at the focal position F of the reflector 7 and a radio signal of the n-th transmission/reception measurement target frequency band through the reflector 7 are connected. A state is established in which signals can be transmitted and received.

The process of receiving the radio signal sent from the NR system simulator 20 via the test antenna 6 and the reflector 7 is a downlink (DL) process. Processing for transmitting a radio signal to the NR system simulator 20 is defined as uplink (UL) processing. The test antenna 6 is used to perform link (call) establishment processing and downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) processing after link establishment, and also functions as a link antenna. ing.

After the call connection is established in step S7, the DUT attitude control section 15d of the integrated control device 10 controls the attitude of the DUT 100 arranged in the QoQZ to a predetermined attitude by the attitude variable mechanism 56. FIG. After the attitude varying mechanism 56 controls the DUT 100 to a predetermined attitude, the signal transmission/reception control section 15 b of the integrated control device 10 transmits a signal transmission command to the NR system simulator 20 . Based on the signal transmission command, the NR system simulator 20 controls the DUT 100 to transmit the test signal via the test antenna 6 automatically placed at the focal position F of the reflector 7 (step S8).

Test signal transmission control by the NR system simulator 20 is performed as follows. In the NR system simulator 20 (see FIG. 4), the control section 22 that has received the signal transmission command controls the signal generation function section and causes the signal generation section 21a to generate a signal for generating the test signal. Thereafter, this signal is subjected to digital/analog conversion processing by the DAC 21b, and further subjected to modulation processing by the modulation section 21c. A signal (DL data) is output toward the DUT 100 via the test antenna 6 by the transmitter 21e. A signal processing section 40a is provided between the transmitting section 21e and the test antenna 6, and the signal processing section 40a is composed of an upconverter, an amplifier, a frequency filter, and the like. The signal processing unit 40 a performs frequency conversion (up-conversion), amplification, and frequency selection on the test signal to be output to the test antenna 6 . Note that the signal transmission/reception control unit 15b, after starting control of the test signal transmission in step S8, until the measurement of the transmission characteristics and reception characteristics of the DUT 100 in the frequency band corresponding to the test antenna 6 is completed, the test It controls the transmission of signals at appropriate timing.

On the other hand, the DUT 100 receives the test signal (DL data) sent via the test antenna 6 and the reflector 7 with the antenna 110 in different attitude states that sequentially change based on the attitude control. It operates to transmit a signal under measurement that is a response signal to the test signal.

After starting to transmit the test signal in step S8, the signal transmission/reception control unit 15b automatically moves the signal under measurement transmitted from the DUT 100 that received the test signal and reflected by the reflector 7 to the focus position F of the reflector 7. Processing for receiving by the arranged test antenna 6 is performed (step S9).

During this reception process, the signal under measurement received via the test antenna 6 is input to the signal processing section 40b. The signal processing unit 40b is composed of a down converter, an amplifier, a frequency filter, and the like. The signal processing unit 40b subjects the signal under measurement input from the test antenna 6 to frequency conversion (down-conversion), amplification, and frequency selection.

Subsequently, the NR system simulator 20 performs processing for measuring the signal under measurement that has been frequency-converted by the signal processing section 40b (step S10). In this measurement process, the signal under measurement processed by the signal processing section 40b is input to the receiving section 21f of the RF section 21d in the NR system simulator 20 (see FIG. 4).

In the NR system simulator 20, the control section 22 controls the signal analysis function section to first convert the signal under measurement input to the receiving section 21f of the RF section 21d into an IF signal with a lower frequency. Next, the control unit 22 converts the IF signal from an analog signal to a digital signal using the ADC 21g and inputs it to the analysis processing unit 21h. Control to generate corresponding waveform data. Further, the control section 22 controls the analysis processing section 21h to analyze the signal under measurement based on the generated waveform data.

In the NR system simulator 20, the control unit 22 performs control to measure the transmission characteristics and reception characteristics of the DUT 100 based on the analysis result of the signal under measurement by the analysis processing unit 21h. For example, regarding the transmission characteristics of the DUT 100, the control unit 22 causes the NR system simulator 20 to transmit a request frame for uplink signal transmission as a test signal, and in response to the request frame for uplink signal transmission, the DUT 100 transmits the signal under measurement. A process for evaluating the transmission characteristics of the DUT 100 is performed based on the uplink signal frame transmitted as . Also, regarding the reception characteristics of the DUT 100, the control unit 22 controls the number of transmissions of measurement frames transmitted as test signals from the NR system simulator 20, is calculated as the error rate (BER). In accordance with the measurement control of the transmission characteristics and reception characteristics of the DUT 100 in step S10, in the integrated control device 10, for example, the control unit 22 uses the analysis results of the signal under measurement by the NR system simulator 20 as transmission characteristics and reception characteristics. For example, control is performed to store in a predetermined storage area of a storage device such as the RAM 11c.

Subsequently, in the integrated control device 10, for example, the DUT attitude control unit 15d determines whether or not the measurement of the transmission characteristics and reception characteristics of the DUT 100 has been completed with respect to all desired attitudes for the n-th measurement target frequency band. (Step S11). Here, if it is determined that the measurement for the n-th frequency band to be measured has not been completed (NO in step S11), the processing from step S8 onwards is continued.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the measurement for the n-th frequency band to be measured has been completed (YES in step S11), the automatic antenna placement control unit 15c determines that n is the last frequency band to be measured (in-band 3) is determined (step S12). Here, when it is determined that n=3 has not been reached (NO in step S12), the automatic antenna placement control unit 15c proceeds to step S5, increments the value of n, and then continues the processing from step S6 onward. do.

Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S12, and when it is determined that n=3 has not been reached (NO in step S12), the automatic antenna placement control unit 15c executes the processes from step S5 to step S12. .

If it is determined that n=3 has been reached (YES in step S12), the control unit 11 of the integrated control device 10 terminates the above series of measurement processes.

In the first embodiment, an example is given in which transmission and reception measurements of the DUT 100 in three bands (see FIG. 8) within the 5G NR band are covered by, for example, three test antennas 6. However, the present invention However, it is also possible to use any number of test antennas 6 to measure the transmission characteristics and reception characteristics of the DUT 100 for multiple bands within the 5G NR band. Further, the automatic antenna placement means 60 for automatically placing the test antennas 6 is not limited to the mode described in the above embodiment, and various means including manual placement means and means for fixing a plurality of antennas in the vicinity of the focal position F can be used. It cannot be overemphasized that the aspect of is applicable. The present invention can be applied not only to an anechoic chamber but also to an anechoic chamber. In addition, in the above embodiment, the OTA chamber 50 is a chamber adopting the CATR method, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the OTA chamber 50 adopts the direct far-field method shown in FIG. 5(a). It may be the chamber employed.

Next, the arrangement work support AR image display processing operation in step S3 of FIG. 11 will be described. In the test apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, it is necessary to arrange the DUT 100 within the QoQZ in order to carry out the measurement processing of the transmission characteristics and reception characteristics of the DUT 100 (see FIG. 11). In order to support the placement work of the DUT 100 in the QoQZ, the test apparatus 1 performs the setting work (placement work) for holding the DUT 100 in the DUT holder 56h in step S1 of FIG. It has an arrangement work support AR video display control function for displaying an arrangement work support AR video.

With this arrangement work support AR image display control function, the test apparatus 1 can display an image (actual image) of the DUT 100 set in the DUT holder 56h and its surroundings and a visualized QoQZ image (virtual image). can be superimposed and displayed as an AR video using AR technology. The arrangement work support AR image display control function is realized by the camera control unit 15f, the AR image processing unit 15g, the display control unit 15h, etc. in the control unit 11 of the integrated control device 10. FIG.

The operation of the DUT 100 placement work support AR image display processing (see step S3 in FIG. 11) in the integrated control device 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In this arrangement work support AR image display processing, the camera device 8 provided in the internal space 51 of the OTA chamber 50 is used as the camera unit for photographing the DUT 100 and its surroundings, and the monitor unit for displaying the AR image is In addition to being able to use the display unit 13 connected to the integrated control device 10, the camera 70a incorporated in the external communication terminal 70 is used as the camera unit, and the monitor of the external communication terminal 70 is used as the monitor unit. It is assumed that the screen 70b can be used.

This arrangement work support AR image display process receives a setting operation for visualizing radio waves on the operation unit 12 after the DUT 100 is temporarily set on the DUT holder 56h in step S1 of FIG. 11 (YES in step S2). ).

When the arrangement work support AR image display process is started, the camera control unit 15f drives and controls the camera unit so as to photograph the DUT 100 and its surroundings (step S21). As the camera unit, a camera 70a incorporated in the external communication terminal 70 or a camera device 8 provided in the internal space 51 of the OTA chamber 50 can be used. The camera device 8 is set to have a direction and an angle of view capable of photographing an area including QoQZ.

The DUT photographed image data obtained by photographing the DUT 100 and its surroundings is image data that can be displayed as an actual photographed image, and is temporarily stored in a predetermined area of the RAM 11c, for example (step S22). .

Next, the AR image processing unit 15g reads the DUT-captured image data from its storage destination, reads the QoQZ visualized image data from the visualized image data storage unit 16c, and stores the read-out DUT-captured image data and QoQZ visualized image data. AR image data for displaying the AR image 30 (see FIG. 15(c)) is generated based on this (step S23). Specifically, the AR image processing unit 15g reads the QoQZ visualized image data from the visualized image data storage unit 16c and generates the QoQZ visualized image 32 based on the QoQZ visualized image data, while the DUT captured image data read separately. A DUT-captured image 31 is generated based on , and the DUT-captured image 31 and the QoQZ visualized image 32 are combined to generate AR image data for displaying the AR image 30 .

Further, the display control unit 15h superimposes the DUT captured image 31 (see FIG. 15(a)) and the QoQZ visualized image 32 (see FIG. 15(b)) based on the AR image data generated in step S23. The AR image 30 (see FIG. 15(c)) is displayed on the monitor (step S24). As the monitor unit, the display unit 13 connected to the integrated control device 10 or the monitor screen 70b of the external communication terminal 70 can be used.

By checking the AR image 30 displayed on the monitor, the user can check whether the DUT 100 is set at the proper position within the QoQZ from the positional relationship between the position of the DUT 100 in the DUT captured image 31 and the QoQZ visualized image 32. It is possible to easily ascertain whether or not it is by visual observation. Since the QoQZ visualized image 32 has a spherical shape, the current arrangement position of the DUT 100 can be more accurately grasped from the positional relationship between the center of the sphere and the position of the DUT 100 . Here, the user determines whether or not the DUT 100 is set at an appropriate position, and depending on the determination result, operates the operation unit 12 (or the operation unit of the external communication terminal 70) to move the DUT 100. It is possible to indicate whether or not the placement has been completed. Specifically, for example, when the user determines that the DUT 100 is not set at an appropriate position, the user changes the holding position (arrangement position) of the attitude varying mechanism 56 of the DUT 100 in the DUT holder 56h and completes the arrangement. If it is determined that the DUT 100 is set in the proper position, it is instructed that the placement has been completed.

After the DUT captured image 31 and the QoQZ visualized image 32 are superimposed and displayed as the AR image 30 in step S24, the camera control unit 15f then monitors the input of the instruction to determine whether or not the placement of the DUT 100 has been completed. is determined (step S25).

If it is determined that the placement of the DUT 100 has not been completed (NO in step S25), the process returns to step S21, and the processes after step S21 are continued.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the placement of the DUT 100 has been completed (YES in step S25), the measurement control unit 15e controls to proceed to step S4 and subsequent steps in FIG.

Next, a specific processing example of the placement work assistance AR image display processing shown in FIG. 12 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 13 to 18. FIG.

The arrangement work support AR image display processing shown in FIG. This is done in order to support the work of arranging the DUT 100 at an appropriate position within the QoQZ when performing the measurement processing of the transmission characteristics and reception characteristics (see FIG. 11).

QoQZ is, for example, in the internal space 51 of the housing body 52 of the OTA chamber 50 shown in FIG. , points P4 and P5 on the y-axis, and points P6 and P7 on the z-axis.

The DUT 100 is set in the posture varying mechanism 56 in the internal space 51 of the OTA chamber 50 while being aware of the arrangement in the QoQZ having the above shape, and the DUT 100 and its surroundings are photographed by the camera unit (see step S21 in FIG. 12). ). FIG. 14 shows a photographing mode when the DUT 100 and its surroundings are photographed using a camera 70a (see FIG. 3) mounted on an external communication terminal 70 as a camera section. In the arrangement work support AR image display process shown in FIG. 12, in the AR image display process of step S24, the image of the area including the QoQZ where the DUT 100 is arranged in the form shown in FIG. , the spherical QoQZ visualized image 32 generated based on the QoQZ visualized image data stored in advance is superimposed and displayed as the AR image 30 on the monitor screen 70b of the external communication terminal 70, thereby making the DUT 100 more appropriate. We support the work of arranging to the position. A camera 70a and a monitor screen 70b of the external communication terminal constitute a camera section and a monitor section of the present invention, respectively.

FIG. 15 shows an AR video generation procedure in the arrangement work support AR video display process in the test apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment when the external communication terminal 70 is used as the camera section and the monitor section. Here, FIG. 15(a) shows a DUT-captured image 31 (image based on the DUT-captured image data in step S23 of FIG. 12) in the OTA chamber 50 in the set state of the DUT 100, and FIG. A QoQZ visualized image 32 (virtual image) generated based on the QoQZ visualized image data set is shown, and FIG. 15(c) shows an AR image 30 (step Augmented reality image based on the AR image data of S24).

In the procedure for generating the AR image 30, first, as shown in FIG. 15A, the DUT captured image is generated based on the DUT captured image data of QoQZ in the OTA chamber 50 in the set state of the DUT 100 (see step S23 in FIG. 12). 31 is generated. Next, as shown in FIG. 15(b), a QoQZ visualized image 32 is generated based on QoQZ visualized image data stored in advance (see step S23 in FIG. 12). Furthermore, in FIG. 15(c), the DUT captured image 31 shown in FIG. 15(a) and the QoQZ visualized image 32 shown in FIG. I am trying to generate.

FIG. 16 shows the display form of the AR image 30 on the monitor screen 70b of the external communication terminal 70 in the arrangement work support AR image display processing in the test apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 16 (see also FIGS. 15(b) and 15(c)), the QoQZ visualized image 32 based on the QoQZ visualized image data has a spherical shape. By checking the AR image 30 including the QoQZ visualized image 32 and the DUT captured image 31, the user can determine whether the DUT 100 is placed within the QoQZ or is out of the QoQZ based on the positional relationship between the DUT 100 and the QoQZ visualized image 32. You can see at a glance whether it is placed in the correct position.

The AR video 30 generated by the placement work support AR video display processing may further include index information for facilitating determination of whether the DUT 100 is placed within the QoQZ. The index information includes a coordinate axis as information for indicating the rotation center of the posture varying mechanism 56, a scale provided on the coordinate axis, and the like.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of index information added to facilitate confirmation of the placement position of the DUT 100 whether it is placed within the QoQZ. 17 shows a DUT captured image 31 and a QoQZ visualized image 32 when the DUT 100 and its surroundings are captured from an angle different from the example shown in FIG. 16 (for example, captured by the camera device 8 in the OTA chamber 50) shows a main part video of an AR video 30A superimposed with . Here, FIG. 17(a) shows a display form of an AR image 30A to which a three-dimensional coordinate axis 35a indicating the rotation center P0 of the DUT 100 is added as the rotation center instruction image 35, and FIG. ) is an enlarged view of the three-dimensional coordinate axes 35a forming the AR image 30A.

As shown in FIG. 17A, in the AR image 30, as the DUT shot image 31, a laptop PC, which is the DUT 100 set in the DUT holder 56h, and a shot image of its surroundings are displayed. In FIG. 17A, a spherical visualized radio wave is displayed as the QoQZ visualized image 32 on the display screen in front of the laptop PC. In this example, the QoQZ visualized image 32 is composed of an image consisting of two concentric spherical parts with different diameters, that is, an outer spherical part 33a with a large diameter and an inner spherical part 33b with a small diameter. there is The two spherical portions 33a and 33b have different ranges of guaranteed measurement accuracy. For example, the inner spherical portion 33b has a better range of guaranteed measurement accuracy than the outer spherical portion 33a.

The QoQZ visualized image 32 further includes a rotation center indication image 35 indicating the rotation center of the attitude varying mechanism 56, which coincides with the centers of the spherical portions 33a and 33b. For example, as shown in FIG. 17A, the rotation center instruction image 35 is composed of an image showing a three-dimensional coordinate axis 35a composed of x-, y-, and z-axes that intersect at the rotation center P0. For example, as shown in FIG. 17(b), the rotation center instruction image 35 may be image content to which an image showing a suitable pitch scale 35b with respect to the three-dimensional coordinate axis 35a is added.

As described above, according to the test apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, which displays the AR image 30 in the display form shown in FIGS. ) and the arrow a2 direction (z direction), the DUT 100 set in the DUT holder 56h is re-set so as to be within QoQZ with the rotation center P0 of the posture varying mechanism 56 as a mark. becomes possible. In this case, since the QoQZ visualized image 32 has a spherical shape, the current arrangement position of the DUT 100 can be grasped more accurately from the positional relationship between the center of the sphere and the position of the DUT 100 . As a result, the center of the sphere can be used as a guide to place the DUT 100 in a more accurate position for measurements within the QoQZ.

14 to 16, the camera 70a (see FIG. 3) incorporated in the external communication terminal 70 is used as the camera section, and the AR image including the DUT captured image 31 acquired by the camera 70a is captured. 30 is displayed on the monitor screen 70b of the external communication terminal 70, which is the monitor unit. Operation using the display unit 13 of the device 10 is also possible. In this operation as well, the procedures for acquiring the DUT captured image 31 and the QoQZ visualized image 32, generating the AR image 30, and processing the AR image display are the same as the procedures described with reference to FIGS. It can be implemented in steps.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a display form of the AR image 30 by the display unit 13 of the integrated control device 10 in the arrangement work support AR image display processing (see step S3 in FIG. 11) in the test device 1 according to the first embodiment. is. Also in this case, as in the case of using the external communication terminal 70 as the camera unit and the monitor unit, for example, the AR image 30A (Fig. 17) can of course be configured to display.

(Modification)
The arrangement work support AR image display control function according to the present invention is for making it possible to easily grasp whether or not the DUT 100 is set within the QoQZ. In a DUT 100 having a relatively large size such as a top PC, for example, not all parts are necessarily contained within the cross-sectional shape (circle) of the spherical QoQZ visualized image 32 . In the case of such a large-sized DUT 100, the placement condition is satisfied as long as the required location, especially the location (mounting location) where the antenna 110 is built in, is within the QoQZ.

On the other hand, in the DUT 100 having a large size as described above, since the mounting target area of the antenna 110 is wide, it is difficult to specify the mounting location of the antenna 110, and the mounting location is often unknown. For this reason, in testing this type of DUT 100, it tends to be difficult to determine whether or not the built-in portion of the antenna 110 is within the QoQZ compared to a small mobile terminal such as a smart phone.

Therefore, in the modification of the first embodiment, a tape is attached to a position corresponding to the mounting location of the antenna 110 on the housing surface of the DUT 100 so as to function as a sensor tape indicating the location of the antenna 110. is.

FIG. 19 shows an integrated control device in placement work support AR video display processing for a DUT 100 to be tested, with a sensor tape 120 attached to a mounting location of an antenna 110 in a test device 1A according to a modification of the first embodiment. 10 is a diagram showing a display form of an AR image 30 by a display unit 13 of 10. FIG. In the test apparatus 1A shown in FIG. 19, the same reference numerals are given to the parts that perform the same functions as those of the test apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment (for example, see FIG. 18).

In the test apparatus 1A according to this modified example, the sensor tape 120 is attached to a portion of the DUT 100 to be tested, for example, on the surface of the cover (display) corresponding to the mounting location of the antenna 110 . In this example, sensor tapes 120 are attached at seven locations. The sensor tape can be composed of, for example, a light reflecting adhesive tape made of resin.

In the test apparatus 1A according to this modified example, the DUT 100 to which the sensor tape 120 is attached is set in the posture varying mechanism 56, and in this state AR image display control is executed according to the flowchart shown in FIG. By this AR image display control, the AR image 30 as shown in FIG. 19 is displayed on the display unit 13 . By checking this AR image 30, the user can check whether the necessary part of the DUT 100, that is, the antenna 110 is within the QoQZ from the positional relationship between the QoQZ visualized image 32 and the sensor tape 120 attached to the DUT 100. Therefore, it is possible to easily adjust the set position of the DUT 100 so as to be within QoQZ.

Also in the modified example, the camera 70a (see FIG. 3) incorporated in the external communication terminal 70 is used as the camera unit, and the AR image 30A including the DUT-captured image 31 acquired by the camera 70a is monitored. Needless to say, it is possible to display on the monitor screen 70b of the external communication terminal 70, which is the department.

As described above, the test apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment includes the OTA chamber 50 having the internal space 51 that is not affected by the surrounding radio wave environment, and the internal space 51 that accommodates the DUT 100 transmission characteristics or reception characteristics. A test antenna 6 for transmitting or receiving a radio signal for measurement to or from the antenna 110 , an attitude variable mechanism 56 for sequentially changing the attitude of the DUT 100 placed within the QoQZ in the internal space 51 , and the test antenna 6 A control unit 11 that drives and controls to transmit or receive a wireless signal to and from the antenna 110 of the DUT 100, and a visualization video data storage that stores QoQZ visualization video data for representing QoQZ as a spherical QoQZ visualization video 32 a display control unit 15h that combines a DUT captured image 31 obtained by capturing the DUT 100 with the camera unit and a QoQZ visualized image 32 generated based on the QoQZ visualized image data to display an AR image 30 superimposed on the monitor unit; , has a configuration.

With this configuration, the test apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment does not require a laser device for indicating the arrangement position of the DUT 100 unlike the conventional apparatus, and by checking the AR image 30, the spherical QoQZ visualized image 32 can be accurately and easily grasped. As a result, when measuring the DUT 100 in an OTA test environment, the DUT 100 can be easily placed at an accurate measurement position using the spherical QoQZ visualization image 32 as a guide. Moreover, since no laser device that handles dangerous laser light is mounted, the position adjustment work of the DUT 100 can be safely performed until the placement is completed, and cost can be reduced.

Also, in the test apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the QoQZ visualized video data may be generated based on simulation data or actual measurement data of the transmission characteristics or reception characteristics of the DUT 100 . With this configuration, the test apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment can generate a spherical QoQZ visualized image 32 from either simulation data or actual measurement data of transmission characteristics or reception characteristics of the DUT 100 .

Further, in the test apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the camera unit is the camera device 8 installed in the OTA chamber 50, and the display control unit 15h displays the AR image 30 on the display unit 13 as a monitor unit. This is the configuration to display.

With this configuration, the test apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment photographs the DUT 100 with the camera device 8 provided in the OTA chamber 50, and displays the AR image 30 based on the DUT photographed image 31 obtained by photographing on the display unit 13. Since it is displayed, it is possible to check the arrangement position of the DUT 100 using the AR image 30 without requiring a large change in the existing equipment such as the external structure of the OTA chamber 50 .

Further, in the test apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the camera unit is the camera 70a incorporated in the external communication terminal 70, and the display control unit 15h uses the AR video 30 as the monitor unit for external communication. It has a configuration for superimposed display on the monitor screen 70b of the terminal.

With this configuration, the test apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment can shoot the DUT 100 and display the AR image 30 generated based on the DUT shot image 31 obtained by shooting using the external communication terminal 70. Therefore, the usability for confirming the arrangement position of the DUT 100 using the AR image 30 is improved.

In addition, in the test apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the display control unit 15h has a configuration for adding and displaying a rotation center instruction image 35 indicating the rotation center of the posture changing mechanism 56 to the AR image 30. there is With this configuration, the test apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment can easily place the DUT 100 at the center of rotation of the attitude varying mechanism 56 using the image indicating the center of rotation as a guide.

In addition, in the test apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the display control unit 15h has a configuration for adding an image showing the scale 35b to the AR image 30 for display. With this configuration, the test apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment can easily and accurately place the DUT 100 at the center of rotation of the attitude varying mechanism 56 using the scale 35b added to the AR image 30 as a guide. .

Further, the test method according to the first embodiment is a test method using the test apparatus 1 having any of the configurations described above, and includes a step of holding the DUT 100 in the attitude varying mechanism 56 in the OTA chamber 50 (S1). Then, a step (S22) of capturing the DUT 100 held by the posture varying mechanism 56 with the camera unit and acquiring it as a DUT captured image 31, and visualizing the QoQZ visualization image data for expressing QoQZ as a spherical QoQZ visualization image 32. By combining the step (S23) acquired from the image data storage unit 16c, the DUT captured image 31 captured by the camera unit, and the QoQZ visualized image 32 generated based on the acquired QoQZ visualized image data, the AR image 30 is displayed on the monitor unit and a step (S24) of superimposing and displaying.

With this configuration, the test method according to the first embodiment does not require a laser device for indicating the arrangement position of the DUT 100 unlike the conventional device in the test apparatus 1 to which this test method is applied, and displays the AR image 30. By checking, it becomes possible to accurately and easily grasp the positional relationship of the DUT 100 with respect to the spherical QoQZ visualized image 32 . As a result, when measuring the DUT 100 in an OTA test environment, the DUT 100 can be easily positioned at an accurate measurement position using the spherical QoQZ visualization image 32 as a guide. Moreover, since no laser device that handles dangerous laser light is mounted, the position adjustment work of the DUT 100 can be safely performed until the placement is completed, and cost can be reduced.

(Second embodiment)
Next, the configuration of the test apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 20, the test apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment has a basic configuration equivalent to that of the test apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 20, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components as those of the test apparatus 1 (see FIG. 3) according to the first embodiment.

The test apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment stores the spherical QoQZ visualized image 32 described above in the visualized image data storage unit 16d (see FIG. 3) as a configuration different from that of the test apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. In addition to the QoQZ visualized video data that can be displayed, additional visualized video data that can display a visualized additional video different from the QoQZ visualized video 32 is stored. Specifically, the visualized image data storage unit 16d stores, as the visualized additional image data, for example, the power distribution of the wireless signal between the reflector 7 and the DUT 100 into a cylindrical visualized additional image 32a (FIGS. 21(c) and (d)). ) stores video data that can be represented as ). This visualization additional image data can be created based on simulation data or actual measurement data of the power distribution of the radio signal between the reflector 7 and the DUT 100 described above.

The visualization additional video data will be described. The additional visualization image data can be generated, for example, based on simulation data (data obtained by simulation) or actual measurement data (data obtained by actual measurement) of the power distribution of the radio signal between the reflector 7 and the DUT 100. , for example, video data that can represent (visualize) the power distribution in a cylindrical shape.

The simulation data or measured data for generating the above-described visualized additional image data includes, for example, plane wave simulation data or measured plane wave data. Plane wave simulation data and plane wave actual measurement data will be described, for example, with reference to FIG. 5(b). , simulation data and measurement data corresponding to radio waves in a plane wave region (region where the phase difference is less than λ/16) spreading after being reflected on the mirror surface of the reflecting mirror 7A.

In the second embodiment, the reflector 7 (reflecting mirror It is possible to visualize plane wave simulation data (or plane wave actual measurement data) from the position immediately after reflection on the mirror surface of 7A) to the position reaching the DUT 100 (wireless terminal 100A) and display it in a cylindrical shape. It is assumed that the visualization additional video data is stored in advance in the visualization video data storage unit 16d together with the QoQZ visualization video data. Note that the additional visualization video data and the QoQZ visualization video data are not limited to being stored in advance, and may be generated each time based on actual measurement data.

Further, as a configuration different from that of the test apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the QoQZ visualized image stored in the visualized image data storage unit 16d A QoQZ visualized image 32 and a cylindrical visualized additional image 32a are generated based on the data and the visualized additional image data, respectively, and the QoQZ visualized image 32 and the visualized additional image 32a are combined with the DUT captured image data to generate AR image data. It has an AR video processing function that generates

Further, the display control unit 15h1 further combines the QoQZ visualized image 32 generated based on the QoQZ visualized image data with the cylindrical visualized additional image 32a generated based on the visualized additional image data (FIG. 15(b), ( c)), it has an AR video display control function for displaying as an AR image 30b (see FIG. 15(d)).

Next, operation of the test apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment will be described. As with the test apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the test apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment performs measurement processing of the transmission characteristics and reception characteristics of the DUT 100 according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

During the execution of the measurement process, after once setting the DUT 100 on the DUT holder 56h in step S1 of FIG. Arrangement work assistance AR image display processing for assisting the arrangement of the DUT 100 at the proper QoQZ position is started. This placement work support AR image display processing will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 12 .

When the placement work support AR image display process is started in the test apparatus 1B, the camera control unit 15f drives and controls the camera unit so as to photograph the DUT 100 and its surroundings (step S21). As the camera unit, a camera 70a incorporated in the external communication terminal 70 or a camera device 8 provided in the internal space 51 of the OTA chamber 50 can be used.

The DUT image data obtained by photographing the DUT 100 and its surroundings is temporarily stored in, for example, a predetermined area of the RAM 11c (step S22).

Next, the AR image processing unit 15g1 reads the DUT-captured image data from its storage location, reads the visualized image data from the visualized image data storage unit 16d, and based on the read DUT-captured image data and the visualized image data, AR image data for displaying the AR image 30b (see FIG. 21(d)) is generated (step S23).

Here, in the visualized image data storage unit 16d, QoQZ visualized image data for expressing as a spherical QoQZ visualized image 32 (see FIGS. 21(c) and 21(d)) and radio signals between the reflector 7 and the DUT 100 Visualized additional image data capable of representing the power distribution as a cylindrical visualized additional image 32a (see FIGS. 21(c) and (d)) is stored. The AR video processing unit 15g1 generates a QoQZ visualized video 32 based on the QoQZ visualized video data, generates a visualized additional video 32a based on the visualized additional video data, and generates the QoQZ visualized video 32 and the visualized additional video 32a. AR video data is generated by combining with the DUT captured video data.

Further, the display control unit 15h1 generates a DUT captured image 31 (see FIG. 21(a)), a QoQZ visualized image 32 (see FIG. 21(b)), and a visualization addition image based on the AR image data generated in step S23. The AR image 30b superimposed with the image 32a (see FIG. 21(c)) is displayed on the monitor (step S24). As the monitor unit, the display unit 13 connected to the integrated control device 10 or the monitor screen 70b of the external communication terminal 70 can be used.

After the DUT captured image 31, the QoQZ visualized image 32, and the visualized additional image 32a are superimposed and displayed as the AR image 30b in step S24, the camera control unit 15f then monitors the input of the instruction, and the DUT 100 It is determined whether or not the placement is completed (step S25).

If it is determined that the placement of the DUT 100 has not been completed (NO in step S25), the process returns to step S21 to continue the processing from step S21 onward, while it is determined that the placement of the DUT 100 has been completed. If so (YES in step S25), the measurement control unit 15e controls to proceed to step S4 and subsequent steps in FIG.

Next, a specific processing example of the arrangement work support AR image display processing (see FIG. 12) in the test apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 21 and 22. FIG.

First, the procedure for generating the AR video 30b will be described with reference to FIG. In the procedure for generating the AR image 30b, first, as shown in FIG. 21A, DUT imaging is performed based on DUT imaging image data including QoQZ in the OTA chamber 50 in the set state of the DUT 100 (see step S23 in FIG. 12). A video 31 is generated.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 21(b) and 21(c), a visualized image is generated based on the previously stored visualized image data (see step S23 in FIG. 12). In the second embodiment, QoQZ visualized image data and additional visualization image data are stored as visualized image data. A spherical QoQZ visualized image 32 is generated, and a cylindrical visualized additional image 32a as shown in FIG. 21C, for example, is generated based on the visualized additional image data.

Further, as shown in FIG. 21(d), the display control unit 15h1 controls the DUT captured image 31 shown in FIG. 21(a), the QoQZ visualized image 32 shown in FIG. The AR image 30b is superimposed on the additional visualization image 32a and displayed on the monitor unit.

FIG. 22 shows the display form of the AR image 30b on the monitor screen 70b of the external communication terminal 70 in the arrangement work support AR image display processing in the test apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 22 (see also FIGS. 21(b) to 21(d)), QoQZ visualized image 32 based on QoQZ visualized image data, which is visualized image data, has a spherical shape, and another visualization The visualized additional image 32a based on the visualized additional image data, which is image data, has a cylindrical shape. By checking the spherical QoQZ visualized image 32, the cylindrical visualized additional image 32a, and the AR image 30b including the DUT captured image 31, the user can determine the positional relationship between the DUT 100, the QoQZ visualized image 32, and the visualized additional image 32a. It can be seen at a glance whether the DUT 100 is placed at the correct position within the QoQZ or at a position outside the QoQZ. This makes it possible to arrange the DUT 100 at a position (accurate position) more suitable for measurement within the QoQZ than when either the QoQZ visualization image 32 or the visualization additional image 32a is used as the radio wave visualization image. becomes possible.

In FIGS. 21 and 22, a camera 70a (see FIG. 3) incorporated in an external communication terminal 70 is used as a camera unit, and an AR image 30b including a DUT-captured image 31 acquired by the camera 70a is captured. An example of displaying on a monitor screen 70b of an external communication terminal 70, which is a monitor unit, is given. Also in the test apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment, it is possible to use the camera device 8 provided in the internal space 51 of the OTA chamber 50 as the camera section and the display section 13 of the integrated control device 10 as the monitor section. It goes without saying that there is.

The test apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment may also be configured to display index information for making it easy to determine whether the DUT 100 is placed within the QoQZ for the AR image 30b. As the index information, as described in the first embodiment, the coordinate axes (see FIG. 17A) as information for indicating the rotation center of the posture varying mechanism 56, and the scales provided on the coordinate axes (FIG. 17 (b) reference) etc. are mentioned.

Further, in the test apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment, when measuring the transmission characteristics or reception characteristics of the DUT 100, for example, as in the modification shown in FIG. It is also possible to stick a tape 120 to indicate the mounting position of the antenna 110 .

As described above, the test apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment has the reflector 7 that returns the radio signal at a predetermined position between the test antenna 6 and the antenna 110 of the DUT 100, and the visualized image data storage unit 16d includes the reflector 7 and the DUT 100 further stores visualization additional image data for expressing the power distribution of the radio signal between the DUT 100 and the DUT captured image 31 and the QoQZ visualization image 32, By further combining the cylindrical visualized additional image 32a generated based on the visualized additional image data, it is configured to be displayed as the AR image 30b.

With this configuration, the test apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment can also add the cylindrical visualization additional image 32a as a virtual image to be added to the AR image 30b, compared to the case where only the QoQZ visualization image 32 is used. It is possible to position the test object to a more precise measurement position.

A test apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment has a basic configuration other than additionally displaying a cylindrical visualized additional image 32a as an AR image 30b. This is the same as the test apparatus 1A according to the example. Therefore, the test apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment can achieve the same effect as the test apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment by having the basic configuration described above.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, the test apparatus and test method according to the present invention can safely and easily place a device under test at a more accurate measurement position when measuring the transmission characteristics or reception characteristics of the device under test in an OTA test environment. This has the effect of reducing costs, and is useful for general testing equipment and testing methods for measuring transmission and reception of wireless terminals capable of using the 5G NR band.

1, 1A, 1B test device 6 test antenna 7 reflector 8 camera device (camera section)
11 control unit 13 display unit (monitor unit)
15h, 15h1 Display control unit (control unit)
16c, 16d Visualized video data storage unit (storage unit)
30, 30b, 30A AR (Augmented Reality) video 31 DUT captured video (video to be tested)
32 QoQZ (Quality of quiet zone) visualization image 32a Visualization additional image 35 Rotation center instruction image (image indicating the rotation center of the attitude varying mechanism)
35a three-dimensional coordinate axis 35b scale 50 OTA chamber (anechoic box)
51 Internal space 56 Attitude varying mechanism 70 External communication terminal 70a Camera (camera section)
70b Monitor screen (monitor section)
100 DUTs (objects under test)
110 DUT antenna (antenna under test)

Claims (8)

A test apparatus (1, 1B) for measuring transmission characteristics or reception characteristics of a device under test (100) having an antenna under test (110),
an anechoic box (50) having an internal space (51) unaffected by the surrounding radio wave environment;
a test antenna (6) that is accommodated in the internal space and that transmits or receives a radio signal to and from the antenna under test for measuring transmission characteristics or reception characteristics of the test object;
an attitude variable mechanism (56) for sequentially varying the attitude of the test subject placed within the quality of quiet zone (QoQZ) in the internal space;
a control unit (11) for driving and controlling the test antenna so as to transmit or receive the radio signal to/from the antenna under test;
Storage units (16c, 16d) for storing QoQZ visualization image data for representing the quality of quiet zone as a spherical QoQZ visualization image (32);
AR (augmented reality) video (30) is generated by combining the video (31) of the test target captured by the camera (8, 70a) and the QoQZ visualized video generated based on the QoQZ visualized video data. ) as superimposed on the monitor unit (13, 70b), a display control unit (15h, 15h1),
A testing device characterized by comprising: 2. The test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said QoQZ visualized image data is generated based on simulation data or actual measurement data of transmission characteristics or reception characteristics of said test object. The camera unit is a camera device (8) installed in the anechoic box,
3. The test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control section displays the AR image on a display section (13). The camera unit is a camera (70a) incorporated in an external communication terminal (70),
3. The test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit displays the AR image superimposed on a monitor screen (70b) of the external communication terminal. Having a reflector (7) for folding back the radio signal at a predetermined position between the test antenna and the antenna under test,
The storage unit (16d) further stores visualization additional image data for representing the power distribution of the wireless signal between the reflector and the test object as a cylindrical visualization additional image (32a),
The display control unit displays the AR image by further combining the image to be tested and the QoQZ visualized image with the cylindrical additional visualization image generated based on the additional visualization image data. The testing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 6. The test apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the display control unit adds an image (35) indicating a rotation center of the attitude varying mechanism to the AR image for display. . 7. The test apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the display control unit adds an image showing a scale (35b) to the AR image for display. A test method using the test apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
a step (S1) of causing the attitude varying mechanism to hold the test object in the anechoic box;
a step (S22) of capturing an image of the test object held by the posture changing mechanism with the camera unit and acquiring the test object image;
obtaining the QoQZ visualization image data for expressing the quality of quiet zone as a spherical QoQZ visualization image (32) from the storage unit (S23);
By combining the video to be tested captured by the camera unit and the QoQZ visualized video generated based on the acquired QoQZ visualized video data, a monitor unit (13, 70b) as an AR (augmented reality) video (30) a step (S24) of displaying superimposed on
A test method comprising:

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