KR20230073584A - System for fast antenna testing with efficient test environment setting and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An antenna high-speed measurement system and method enabling efficient environment setting are disclosed. The antenna high-speed measurement system includes a fixing unit for fixing a target antenna to be tested, a positioner for controlling rotation of the target antenna by controlling the fixing unit, and a fixing unit for measuring a phase of a radiation pattern of the target antenna. It includes a reference probe connected at a predetermined position through a reference probe connector and installed to perform rotation in association with the rotation of the target antenna.

Description

System for fast antenna testing with efficient test environment setting and method thereof

The present invention relates to a high-speed antenna measurement system and method applicable to multiple bands.

More specifically, it relates to a system and method capable of measuring antenna performance in multiple bands at high speed.

It also relates to a system and method capable of efficiently setting up a test environment.

The present invention is the result of research conducted as part of a research and development project (development project for high-speed measurement technology for antennas applying new technology) of the National Radio Research Agency of the Ministry of Science and ICT.

As the demand for radio resources such as wireless traffic increase and large-capacity data transmission rapidly increases, the need for a technology capable of measuring antenna performance in a short time at high speed is increasing.

In particular, new technology antennas in a recent communication environment such as 5G have a characteristic of performing multi-beamforming based on a plurality of antenna elements.

However, for such an antenna measurement (test), a method of measuring signal radiation performance of an antenna while moving one or a small number of probes as in the conventional method inevitably takes considerable time and resources.

1 is a diagram for explaining an example of a conventional antenna measurement method.

1 illustrates an antenna performance measurement method of a Near Field to Far Field Transform (NFTF) method, which is widely used for antenna measurement in a recent high frequency band.

As shown in FIG. 1, NFTF antenna measurement methods include planar, cylindrical, and spherical performance measurement methods.

This method can be selectively used according to the directivity or radiation pattern of the antenna.

In the conventional method, the probe for receiving the signal output by the antenna under test (AUT) is received and analyzed by moving the probe for each predetermined grid point, and then analyzing the radiation performance (radiation pattern). , signal strength, etc.) is being used.

In addition, in the case of the cylinder type or sphere type measurement method, the measurement is performed by rotating the antenna under test (AUT) along with the movement of the probe. A probe is installed to perform signal reception for each grid point corresponding to the entire sphere.

However, this conventional method inevitably requires considerable time and resources as described above, and only antennas corresponding to one frequency band can be tested, and in order to test antennas of other bands, it is necessary to measure other bands. There is a problem of performing the test in a separate measurement system.

In addition, the output may be different for each antenna, but at this time, there was a problem that it was not easy to change the test environment adaptively. There are also problems with deploying and using them effectively.

Korean Patent Publication No. 1020200093759 "Method for measuring antenna performance and chamber for the same"

The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the prior art, and provides a multi-band antenna high-speed measurement system and method capable of high-speed measurement of antenna performance in a plurality of frequency bands.

It is also to provide a system and method for efficiently measuring a reference phase for measuring the performance of an antenna (or device) that independently radiates a signal.

In addition, it is to provide a system and method capable of effectively measuring performance by variably adjusting the size of an arc according to the output of an antenna.

An antenna high-speed measurement system according to an aspect of the present invention includes a fixing unit for fixing a target antenna to be tested, a positioner for controlling rotation of the target antenna by controlling the fixing unit, and measuring a radiation pattern phase of the target antenna. In order to do this, a reference probe connected to the fixing unit through a reference probe connection body and installed to rotate in association with the rotation of the target antenna is included.

The reference probe connecting body may be connected to a predetermined position of the rotating shaft of the fixing unit and movable in an elevation direction on the rotating shaft.

In addition, the reference probe connection body may be connected to a predetermined position of the rotation axis of the fixing unit and rotatably connected in an azimuth direction or an elevation direction on the rotation axis.

The antenna high-speed measurement system includes a first arc and a second arc that intersect each other at a predetermined intersection point, and an arc structure for forming a sphere space inside the first arc and the second arc, A first probe set including a plurality of first probes disposed at a predetermined interval on the sphere space side of the first arc, and a plurality of first probes disposed at a predetermined interval at the sphere space side of the second arc. A second probe set including 2 probes may be further included.

At least one of the probes included in the first probe set or the second probe set may be provided so as to extend from a corresponding arc toward the sphere space.

Each of the first probes included in the first probe set or the second probes included in the second probe set extends from a corresponding arc to form a variable arc in the sphere space. there is.

At least one of the probes included in the first probe set or the second probe set may be provided to adjust a probe angle within the sphere space.

An antenna high-speed measurement system according to another aspect includes a first arc and a second arc crossing each other at a predetermined intersection point, and an arc structure such that a sphere space is formed inside the first arc and the second arc, the A first probe set including a plurality of first probes spaced apart from each other at predetermined intervals on the sphere space side of the first arc on the sphere space, and spaced apart from each other at predetermined intervals from the sphere space side of the second arc a second probe set including a plurality of second probes, a fixing unit for fixing a target antenna to be tested, and a positioner for controlling rotation of the target antenna by controlling the fixing unit; The set or at least one of the probes included in the second probe set is characterized in that it is provided so that a position can extend from a corresponding arc toward the sphere space.

In addition, at least one of the probes included in the first probe set or the second probe set may be provided to adjust a probe angle within the sphere space.

In addition, the first probes included in the first probe set or the second probes included in the second probe set extend from an arc corresponding to each position to form a variable arc in the sphere space. can do.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for testing a target antenna includes the steps of rotating the target antenna, which is a test target, by a high-speed antenna measurement system through a positioner in a state where the target antenna to be tested is fixed to a fixed part, while the antenna high-speed measurement system rotates the target antenna. An input signal received from a plurality of probes and a reference probe-the reference probe is connected through a reference probe connection body at a predetermined position of the fixing part to measure the radiation pattern phase of the target antenna, and the rotation of the target antenna Checking a reference signal received from the installed to perform rotation in conjunction with the antenna, the high-speed antenna measurement system utilizes the phase of the reference signal as a reference phase, based on the input signals received from the plurality of probes. and deriving the radiation performance of the target antenna.

According to another aspect of the method, a high-speed antenna measurement system includes a first probe set including a first arc and a second arc intersecting each other at a predetermined intersection point and including a plurality of first probes installed in the first arc. Alternatively, by controlling any one of the second probe sets including a plurality of second probes installed in the second arc, the position of each of the first probes or the second probes extends from the corresponding arc to form the sphere. Forming a variable arc in space, and the antenna high-speed measurement system receives signal data corresponding to an input signal from each of the probes sequentially selected from among the first probes and the second probes through a signal analyzer, and the target It may include deriving the radiation performance of the antenna.

The above methods may be implemented by a computer program stored in a computer readable recording medium.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of arcs installed to be suitable for performance measurement of a specific signal band are provided, and a plurality of probes are disposed on each of the plurality of arcs to measure antennas of a plurality of bands or broadband antennas. It has the effect of enabling high-speed performance measurement (test) for

In addition, a reference probe for measuring a reference phase is required to measure the performance of an antenna (or device) that independently radiates a signal. By linking the reference probe to the rotation of the target antenna, efficient performance measurement is possible.

In addition, since the size of the arc can be variably adjusted according to the output of the antenna, efficient performance measurement is possible.

In order to more fully understand the drawings cited in the detailed description of the present invention, a brief description of each drawing is provided.
1 is a diagram for explaining a conventional antenna measurement method.
2 is a diagram for showing a schematic structure of a multi-band antenna high-speed measurement system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of a multi-band antenna high-speed measurement system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view for explaining an arc structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view for explaining an embodiment of an intersection point of an arc structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a view for explaining an example of a fixing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a view for explaining this example of a positioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment of a reference probe according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment of a reference probe according to another embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a diagram for explaining an example of probes according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a diagram for explaining an example of probes according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Since the present invention can apply various transformations and have various embodiments, specific embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. However, it should be understood that this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and includes all transformations, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention. In describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of related known technologies may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

Terms such as first and second may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. These terms are only used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

Terms used in this application are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In this specification, terms such as "include" or "have" are intended to designate that there is a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but one or more other It should be understood that the presence or addition of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof is not precluded.

In addition, in the present specification, when one component 'transmits' data to another component, the component may directly transmit the data to the other component, or through at least one other component. It means that the data can be transmitted to the other component. Conversely, when one component 'directly transmits' data to another component, it means that the data is transmitted from the component to the other component without going through the other component.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, focusing on embodiments of the present invention. Like reference numerals in each figure indicate like members.

2 is a diagram for showing a schematic structure of a multi-band antenna high-speed measurement system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, in order to implement a high-speed antenna measurement method in multiple bands according to the technical concept of the present invention, a multi-band antenna high-speed measurement system (hereinafter, 'antenna high-speed measurement system', 1000) may be provided.

The antenna high-speed measurement system 1000 may be provided in a predetermined chamber, and as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of radio wave absorbers (eg, pyramidal radio wave absorbers) are installed on the inner wall of the chamber to test the antenna (AUT, 10) can prevent the emitted signal from being reflected in the chamber.

The antenna high-speed measurement system 1000 may include an arc structure 100.

The arc structure 100 may form a plurality of arcs, and a sphere space may be formed inside by the plurality of arcs.

In one embodiment of the present invention, for convenience of explanation, a case in which the arc structure 100 includes two arcs is exemplarily described, but the technical idea of the present invention can be easily applied even when it has three or more arcs. An average expert in the art of the present invention will be able to easily infer that it can be. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

Likewise, a radio wave absorber may be installed on an outer wall of the arc structure 100 to suppress reflection of a signal output from the antenna 10 under test.

Each of the arcs provided in the arc structure 100 may correspond to the outer circumference of the sphere space formed inwardly by the arc structure 100, and each of the arcs may be provided to correspond to any one frequency band.

The fact that each of the arcs corresponds to a certain frequency band may mean that one arc may be used for a test of a specific frequency band and another arc may be used for a test of a different frequency band.

To this end, a plurality of probes 400 and 500 designed to effectively receive a signal of a corresponding frequency band may be disposed in each of the arcs.

4 is a diagram for explaining an arc structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the arc structure 100 includes at least a first arc 110 and a second arc 120. can do.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the arc structure 100 illustrates a case including two arcs, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto as described above.

The first arc 110 and the second arc 120 may be formed to intersect at a predetermined intersection 130 .

In addition, a support for supporting the first arc 100 and the second arc 120 may be provided as shown in FIG. 3 .

A first probe set including a plurality of first probes 400 may be disposed inside the first arc.

Also, a second probe set including a plurality of second probes 500 may be disposed inside the second arc.

A radio wave absorber may be attached to the outside of the arc structure 100 as shown in FIG. 4 to have a shape as shown in FIG. 2 .

Positions at which probes can be disposed may be predetermined in each arc. At each position, a probe coupling structure may be formed so that the front side of the probe for receiving signals is disposed toward the sphere space, and a signal line through which signals input to the probe are transmitted may be installed outside the sphere space.

The coupling structure may be possible in various embodiments, such as a method in which a probe can be inserted or mounted or fastened in a predetermined manner.

Also, as will be described later, the position of the probe may be varied and extended toward the sphere space. In this case, each of the arc and the probes is connected through a predetermined connecting body, and the connecting body may be provided so that its length may be extended or its angle may be changed.

The position of the probe coupling structure may be fixed. In addition, the positions where the probes are coupled to each of the arcs 110 and 120 may be determined to have a predetermined fixed interval.

According to another embodiment, coupling positions of probes may be implemented to be variable. For example, a predetermined groove is formed inside each of the arcs 110 and 120 in the longitudinal direction of the arc, and a position where a portion of each of the probes is coupled to the arc by sliding along the groove while being fastened to the groove may be implemented so that is variably selected. Alternatively, the positions of the probes may be moved in various other ways.

As a result, the position of each of the probes may be varied on a corresponding arc or in a sphere space. In addition, the direction of the probes (direction facing the front side) may also be varied according to embodiments.

On the other hand, the test target antenna 10 is located inside the sphere space formed by the arc structure 100, and can radiate a signal under the control of the multi-band antenna high-speed measurement system 1000 or voluntarily.

A signal radiated by the antenna under test 10 is received by each of the probes disposed on each of the arcs, and the received input signal may be transmitted to the control unit through a signal processing device to be described later.

Then, a test of the antenna in which radiation performance (e.g., radiation pattern and signal strength) is measured may be performed by the control unit.

The test target antenna 10 is fixed by a predetermined fixing part 200, and the fixing part 200 can be rotated by the positioner 300.

The fixing part 200 suffices if the antenna 10 to be tested is mounted, attached, or fastened so as to be fixed, and the fixing part 200 is also preferably attached to the outside of the radio wave absorber or the reflection characteristics of radio waves. It can be implemented with this low material.

The movement of the fixing part 200 may be controlled by the positioner 300 .

As will be described later, the positioner 300 controls the fixing part 200 so that the test target antenna 10 rotates in an azimuth direction (eg, the horizontal direction of the arc structure 100) or elevation It may be rotated in an elevation direction (eg, a vertical direction of the arc structure 100).

The positioner 300 may perform the test while rotating the test target antenna 10 in the azimuth direction under the control of the control unit, and when the sampling interval on the sphere is wide, the positioner 300 tests in the elevation direction. By rotating the target antenna 10 at a certain angle to tilt the test target antenna 10 and then rotating it in the azimuth direction, it may have an effect of acquiring input signals at locations having narrower sampling intervals in space.

Meanwhile, in the chamber, as shown in FIG. 2, a walkway 20 for a person's movement path should be disposed, and such a walkway 20 is also preferably implemented as a radio wave absorber.

At this time, the walkway 20 may be designed to have a wedge shape between the arc structures 100, as shown in FIG. 2, through which accessibility to the center of the arc structure 100 is improved. can

The high-speed antenna measurement system 1000 shown in FIG. 2 has been described mainly for the structure in the chamber, and the configuration from the viewpoint of data processing for performance measurement may be the same as that shown in FIG.

3 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of a multi-band antenna high-speed measurement system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, a multi-band antenna high-speed measurement system 1000 according to the technical idea of the present invention includes the arc structure 100, the fixing part 200, and the positioner 300 described in FIG. 2, as well as a control unit 800 ) may be included.

In addition, the multi-band antenna high-speed measurement system 1000 may further include a signal analyzer 700.

The control unit 800 includes other components provided in the multi-band antenna high-speed measurement system 1000 to implement the multi-band antenna high-speed measurement method according to the technical idea of the present invention (eg, the positioner 300, the signal analyzer) 700, the band selection switch 600, and/or the probe selection switches 610 and 620, etc.) can be controlled.

To this end, the control unit 800 may include a processor and a storage medium for implementing the functions defined in this specification. The processor may refer to an arithmetic device capable of executing a predetermined program (software code), and may be referred to by various names such as an implementation example of the data processing device or a vendor mobile processor, microprocessor, CPU, single processor, and multiprocessor. can be named

An average expert in the technical field of the present invention can easily infer that the processor can drive the program to perform data processing (eg, control of other configurations, derivation of radiation performance, etc.) necessary for the technical idea of the present invention. You will be able to.

The storage medium may refer to a device in which a program for implementing the technical idea of the present invention is stored/installed. According to an implementation example, the storage medium may be divided into a plurality of different physical devices, and a part of the storage medium may exist inside the processor. The storage medium may be implemented as a hard disk, a solid state disk (SSD), an optical disk, a random access memory (RAM), and/or other various types of storage media according to an implementation example. It may also be implemented in a detachable manner in 800.

The control unit 800 may be implemented as a data processing device such as a computer, laptop, server, etc., but is not limited thereto, and is implemented in any data processing device (eg, mobile terminal, etc.) capable of processing data to execute the program. It can be.

In addition, the control unit 800 is configured to connect the processor, the storage medium, and various peripheral devices (eg, an input/output device, a display device, an audio device, etc.) provided in the control unit 800 to these devices. That a communication interface (eg, a communication bus, etc.) may be provided will be readily inferred by an average expert in the art of the present invention.

The control unit 800 may perform a multi-band antenna high-speed measurement method according to the technical idea of the present invention while communicating with a predetermined manager terminal 900 .

Although FIG. 3 shows an example in which the control unit 800 and the manager terminal 900 are implemented as separate devices, the manager terminal 900 and the control unit 800 may be configured as one physical An average expert in the art of the present invention will readily be able to infer that it can be implemented as a device.

The control unit 800 may control the band selection switch 600 to select a frequency band to be tested, that is, an arc. For example, one of the first arc 110 and the second arc 120 may correspond to the first band (eg, 3.5 GHz), and the other may correspond to the second band (28 GHz).

The control unit 800 may select a frequency band corresponding to the antenna 10 under test through the band selection switch 600 . Then, the first arc 110 corresponding to the selected frequency band (eg, the first band) may be selected.

Then, the control unit 800 sequentially receives input signals from probes included in the first probe set 400 corresponding to the selected arc (eg, the first arc 110) through the signal analyzer 700. can do.

The control unit 800 may control the probe selection switches 610 and 620 to sequentially select probes.

The first probe selection switch 610 may be configured to select any one probe from the first probe set 400, and the second probe selection switch 620 may select any one probe from the second probe set 500. It may be a configuration for selecting a probe.

An input signal received by each of the probes may be transmitted to the signal analyzer 700 through the probe selection switches 610 and 620 . Of course, each of the probes may transmit input signals corresponding to two channels (H-pol and V-pol).

In addition, the transmitted input signal may be amplified through the low noise amplifiers 640 and 650 and transmitted to the signal analyzer 700 as needed.

The signal analyzer 700 may extract data for measuring radiation performance by processing input signals received from the probes and transmit the data to the control unit 800 .

Then, the control unit 800 may derive the radiation performance (eg, radiation pattern, intensity, etc.) of the antenna under test 10 based on the data received from the signal analyzer 700 .

Since the function or operation of the signal analyzer 700 for extracting necessary data from input signals received from a plurality of probes and the algorithm for deriving radiation performance from these data are well known, a detailed description thereof will be omitted in this specification. do.

Meanwhile, the control unit 800 may control the signal analyzer 700 and transmit the output signal output from the antenna 10 under test. Even in this case, a predetermined low noise amplifier 630 may be provided between the signal analyzer 700 and the antenna 10 under test.

Also, in this method, the control unit 800 can know the phase of the output signal transmitted by itself, so a separate reference phase is not required. However, for an antenna that independently outputs a signal in an Over The Air (OTA) method, an accurate reference phase may be required to measure radiation performance. Further, phase information of an input signal received from each probe may be estimated based on the reference phase.

To this end, the multi-band antenna high-speed measurement system 1000 may further include at least one phase reference probe 510 or 510-1.

The phase reference probes 510 and 510 - 1 may be installed in a chamber and at a predetermined location outside the arc structure 100 .

The phase reference probes 510 and 510-1 can also receive a signal generated by the antenna under test 10 and transmit it to the signal analyzer 700, and the signal analyzer 700 measures phase information and controls the signal. It can be delivered to the unit 800.

According to an embodiment, the multi-band antenna high-speed measurement system 1000 may include a plurality of phase reference probes 510 and 510-1, and each phase reference probe 510 and 510-1 is constant to each other. They can be placed more than a distance apart.

In this case, the control unit 800 may utilize the phase of a signal having higher power among signals received by each of the plurality of phase reference probes 510 and 510-1 as reference phase information. In the case where a plurality of phase reference probes 510 and 510-1 are provided, there is an effect of preventing the risk that the phase reference probes 510 and 510-1 exist in a null direction/position.

In addition, each of the phase reference probes 510 and 510-1 may also be connected to a driving device (not shown) capable of performing a predetermined rotational motion.

The control unit 800 may control rotation of the phase reference probes 510 and 510-1 by controlling the driving device (not shown).

For example, the control unit 800 may control the driving device (not shown) to perform the same rotation as that of the antenna 10 under test. In this case, even when the antenna under test 10 rotates The phase reference probes 510 and 510-1 can be controlled to be located at the same point in the radiation pattern of the antenna under test 10.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the phase reference probes 510 and 510-1 may be connected to the fixing part 200. In this case, even if a separate driving device (not shown) for the phase reference probes 510 and 510-1 is not provided, the phase reference probes 510 and 510-1 with respect to the test target antenna 10 in space There is an effect of maintaining the relative position substantially the same.

Such an example will be described later through FIGS. 8 and 9 .

Meanwhile, in order to measure the performance of the antenna under test 10, the control unit 800 may first select an arc corresponding to the antenna under test 10 through the band selection switch 600.

For example, when the first arc 110 is selected, the control unit 800 sequentially selects probes included in the first probe set 400 using the first probe selection switch 610, and the signal analyzer ( 700) may receive input data.

When input data is received from all of the probes included in the 1-probe set 400, the control unit 800 can control the positioner 300 to rotate the antenna under test 10 at a certain angle in the elevation direction. . In addition, the test target antenna 10 may be rotated at a predetermined angle in the azimuth direction. The order of rotation in the elevation direction and rotation in the azimuth direction may be changed. Then, probes included in the first probe set 400 are sequentially selected to receive input data from the signal analyzer 700 .

In this way, while repeatedly performing reception of input data after performing rotation of the target antenna in the elevation direction and/or azimuth direction, the control unit 800 determines the radiation performance when sufficient input data is collected for grid points in the sphere space. You can derive it and complete the test.

Thereafter, when testing the same antenna or another antenna, if a test for the second band is required, the control unit 800 can also perform the test for the second band by simply selecting the second band.

Referring back to FIG. 3 , in the arc structure 100, the first arc 110 and the second arc 120 intersect at the intersection point 130, and at this time, a predetermined probe is located at the intersection point 130. When is installed, the probe preferably corresponds to both the first band and the second band.

To this end, the probe disposed at the intersection point 130 may be a wideband probe capable of receiving signals corresponding to both the first band and the second band.

Meanwhile, since the frequency band difference between the first band and the second band is large, it may not be easy to implement a probe covering both. For various other reasons, it may not be desirable or easy to place a broadband probe at the intersection 130 .

In this case, the probe coupling structure of the arc structure 100 corresponding to the intersection point 130 may be implemented so that the probe can be easily replaced. For example, in order to selectively and easily replace the probe, the probe coupling structure corresponding to the intersection point 130 has a groove for inserting and removing the probe, a mounting structure for easy attachment and detachment, and various other methods. Replacement can be easily implemented.

The probe may be connected to the arc through a predetermined probe connector. In this case, as will be described later, in a state in which the probe connection body is connected to the arc, the probe connection body itself is implemented such that its length is extended and/or shortened, or the probe connection body can be slid in the direction toward the sphere space in the arc. can be implemented Through this, the antenna high-speed measurement system 1000 can be implemented so that the position of the probe in the sphere space can be varied, and in this case, the size of the sphere space can be adaptively adjusted according to the output of the antenna 10 under test. It has an adjustable effect.

The probe connection body may be implemented such that its length is extended or shortened by, for example, being composed of multiple bars so that one bar is drawn in and out of another bar, but there are various embodiments for extending or shortening the length. An average expert in the art of the present invention will readily be able to infer that it can. In addition, the probe connection body may be implemented to change the direction (angle) of one end of the probe side. Through this, when the signal reception performance of a specific probe is degraded depending on the test environment, the direction of the probe can be adjusted.

These specific examples will be described later in FIGS. 10 and 11 .

When a coupling structure in which a probe can be easily replaced is adopted at the intersection point 130, a probe corresponding to the first band is disposed at the intersection point 130 when an antenna corresponding to the first band is tested. When testing antennas corresponding to two bands, since probes corresponding to the second band are disposed, tests for antennas of multiple bands can be quickly performed only by replacing probes at positions corresponding to the intersection points 130.

According to another embodiment, the first probes 400 disposed on the first arc 110 and the second probes 500 disposed on the second arc 120 are spaced apart from each other at predetermined intervals. can Of course, the distance between the first probes 400 and the distance between the second probes 500 may be different.

In this case, no probes may be disposed at the intersection 130 through the arrangement of the probes with respect to the interval. This is because the arc intersection point 130 has a difference in physical/spatial characteristics due to the intersection of structures compared to other locations, and because of this problem, it is more preferable not to measure the signal at a location corresponding to the intersection point 130 if possible. Because you can.

In addition, during the test of the antenna under test 10 , it may be desirable to ensure that the direction of the main beam of the antenna under test 10 is not directed toward the intersection point 130 .

To this end, the fixing unit 200 may be arranged such that the direction of the antenna under test 10 (ie, the main beam direction) is orthogonal to the intersection point 130 . For example, in FIG. 2, the antenna under test 10 is orthogonal to the line connecting the intersection point 130 and the antenna when the intersection point 130 is located vertically above the antenna under test 10 on the drawing. It may be installed in a direction (eg, a predetermined direction on a horizontal surface).

Meanwhile, an embodiment of the intersection point 130 is shown in FIG. 5 .

5 is a view for explaining an embodiment of an intersection point of an arc structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 shows an enlarged photograph of the first arc 110 and the second arc 120 and the intersection 130 of the first arc 110 and the second arc 120, in FIG. As shown, the first probes are arranged at regular intervals on the first arc 110, and the second probes are arranged at regular intervals on the second arc 120, but no probes are placed at the intersection point 130. may not be placed.

Through this, there is an effect of reducing the inconvenience of replacing the probe or the occurrence of errors due to physical/spatial specificity at the corresponding location even when a broadband probe is used.

6 is a view for explaining an example of a fixing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6 , the fixing part 200 includes an attachment structure (eg, a disk-shaped structure of FIG. 6 ) to which an antenna 10 under test can be added, as shown in FIG. It may include a vertical support supported by.

Since such a vertical support may affect radiation of radio waves in the case of an omnidirectional antenna, it may be desirable to implement the vertical support to have a narrow width as much as possible.

In addition, since there is a problem in that the rotation of the antenna under test 10 occurs only in an excessively limited range when the vertical support is parallel to the axis of rotation of the positioner 300, as shown in FIG. 6, in order to expand the rotation radius A horizontal support may be further provided, and one end of the horizontal support may have a structure in which one end is connected to the rotary shaft of the positioner 300 and the other end is connected to the vertical support.

Of course, other embodiments of the fixing part 200 may vary.

Also, as will be described later, the phase reference probe may be connected to the fixing part 200. In this case, the phase reference probe may be connected to a predetermined position of the vertical support. Of course, depending on the embodiment, it may be connected to a predetermined position of the horizontal support.

7 is a view for explaining an example of a positioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the positioner 300 may be a mechanical device that controls rotation of the fixing part 200 according to the control of the control unit 800 .

That is, the rotation of the antenna under test 10 is controlled, the antenna under test 10 can be rotated in the azimuth direction (AZ Axis), and the antenna under test 10 can be rotated in the elevation direction (Tilt Axis). A device capable of doing this is sufficient.

According to an embodiment, the positioner 300 may include an upper positioner 310 to which the fixing part 200 is coupled and a lower positioner 320 driving rotation of the upper positioner 310.

The upper positioner 310 may be implemented to rotate the antenna under test 10 in an azimuth direction when a test is performed, and may be implemented to rotate separately from the lower positioner 320 .

In addition, the lower positioner 320 is implemented to rotate the upper positioner 310 to a position suitable for the corresponding arc when an arc is selected, and the upper positioner 310 is moved in the vertical direction, that is, in the elevation direction (Tilt Axis). It can also be rotated at a certain angle.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, a predetermined radio wave absorber may be provided on the outside of the lower positioner 320.

As a result, according to the technical concept of the present invention, each arc is provided for a plurality of bands, and a plurality of probes are disposed in each arc to measure antenna performance for different bands at high speed through these.

8 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment of a reference probe according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8 , a phase reference probe (eg, 510) is connected to a predetermined position of the fixing part 200 so that when the antenna to be tested 10 is rotated by the positioner 300, the antenna to be tested 10 ) It may be arranged to rotate in conjunction with (interlocking) with the rotation of.

As shown in FIG. 8 , the phase reference probe (eg, 510) connects to the fixing part 200 through the reference probe connector 520 at a predetermined position of the vertical support 210 of the fixing part 200. can be connected

The reference probe connection body 520 may connect the phase reference probe and the fixing part 200 .

Of course, depending on the embodiment, the horizontal support of the fixing part 200 and the reference probe connection body 520 may be connected, and various embodiments are possible.

In any case, the phase reference probe (eg, 510) and the fixing part 200 are connected through the reference probe connecting body 520, and the phase reference probe (eg, 510) is rotated according to the rotation of the fixing part 200. 510) may also be implemented to perform rotation associated with rotation of the fixing part 200 (eg, rotation at the same angle).

Through this, the phase reference probe (eg, 510) can be directed in the same direction as the phase reference probe (eg, 510) even when the antenna 10 under test is rotated, thereby receiving a stable reference signal. This is a possible effect. In addition, as described above, a separate driving device for driving the phase reference probe (eg, 510) does not need to be provided, and a stable reference process is not separately performed to drive the driving device in synchronization with the positioner 300. There is an effect that can receive the signal.

Meanwhile, when the phase reference probe (eg, 510) is fixedly connected to the fixing part 200, the phase reference probe (eg, 510) rotates in association with the rotation of the antenna 10 under test. For example, since the same rotation as the rotation of the antenna under test 10 is performed, if the position of the phase reference probe (eg, 510) is initially located in the shaded area of the antenna under test 10, it is continuously located in the shaded area. There may be a possibility to do so.

To solve this problem, the phase reference probe (eg, 510) may be connected to the fixing part 200 so that its position or direction can be changed while connected to the fixing part 200.

An example of this will be described with reference to FIG. 9 .

9 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment of a reference probe according to another embodiment of the present invention.

First, as shown in FIG. 9A, the reference probe connection body 520 is connected to a predetermined position of the rotation axis (eg, vertical support 210) of the fixing part 200, and moves in an elevation direction (eg, vertical support 210) on the rotation axis. direction) can be connected to be movable.

For example, one end of the reference probe connection body 520 may be connected to a rotating shaft (eg, vertical support 210) of the fixing part 200 so as to be slidable in an elevation direction. To this end, the reference probe connection body 520 The one end of ) may be provided with a protrusion and a sliding groove may be provided on the rotating shaft (eg, the vertical support 210). An average expert in the art of the present invention can easily infer that the reference probe connector 520 can be connected to be movable in the elevation direction on the rotation axis in various other ways.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 9B, the reference probe connection body 520 is connected in an elevation direction (eg, vertical direction) or an azimuth direction (eg, horizontal direction) at a predetermined position connected to the reference probe connection body 520. ) may be implemented so that the angle connected to it is changed. To this end, one end of the reference probe connection body 520 may be implemented in various ways, such as a joint structure in which an angle can be rotated.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 9C , the phase reference probe (eg, 510) may be connected to the other end of the reference probe connection body 520, and the phase reference probe (eg, 510 ) may be rotatably connected at the other end. For example, the phase reference probe (eg 510) side end of the reference probe connection body 520 and the phase reference probe (eg 510) can be rotated in various ways such as screw coupling. can be connected to

In this case, it may be difficult to receive electromagnetic waves at a specific angle depending on the polarization of electromagnetic waves. Rotation degree when maximum received power is obtained by allowing the phase reference probe (e.g., 510) to rotate on the reference probe connector 520. can also be selected.

Of course, as shown in FIG. 9C, the reference probe connector 520 can be bent at a predetermined angle at a predetermined position on the phase reference probe (e.g., 510) side of the reference probe connector 520. A connector 520 may be implemented.

As described above, according to the technical idea of the present invention, a safe reference signal is connected to a predetermined position of the fixing part 200 so that the phase reference probe (eg, 510) can be rotated in association with the rotation of the antenna under test 10. While reception of , the position, angle, or degree of rotation of the phase reference probe (eg, 510) in space can be adaptively varied, thereby enabling reception of a high-quality reference signal.

Meanwhile, while the arc structure 100 as described above has a fixed shape and size, the size or output of the antenna under test 10 may vary.

In addition, when the size or output of the antenna to be tested 10 is relatively small, it may not be easy to change the size of the arc structure 100 accordingly, and the arc compared to the size or output of the antenna to be tested 10 In a relatively large case (when the sphere space is relatively large), there is a problem in that a smooth test cannot be performed because the magnitude of the signal received from the probes is low.

To this end, according to the technical idea of the present invention, each of the probes 400 and 500 disposed in the arc can vary the length (hereinafter referred to as mounting length) spaced apart from the arc toward the sphere space, thereby reducing power loss due to spatial diffusion. allow it to be removed.

An example of this will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 11 .

10 is a diagram for explaining an example of probes according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 10 , the first probes 400 disposed in a predetermined arc (eg, the first arc 110) are positioned at a first position toward the sphere space from the corresponding arc (eg, the first arc 110). (eg, positions corresponding to 410, 420, 430, 440, and 450 in FIG. 10).

Further, the first probes 400 may be provided so that a position extending from a corresponding arc (eg, 110) toward the sphere space, that is, a mounting length thereof may be extended.

For example, as shown in FIG. 10, each of the first probes 400 is disposed at a second position (eg, 410-1, 420-1, 430-1, 440-1, 450-1 in FIG. 10). The mounting length may be extended by a predetermined length.

In FIG. 10 , each position of the first probes 400 may be extended by a predetermined length from a corresponding arc to form a variable arc 130 in the sphere space.

In this case, the variable arc 130 becomes a new effective arc, and signal reception performance of each of the first probes 400 can be improved.

To this end, each of the probes may be connected to the arc through a probe connector, and the length of the probe connector may be extended or shortened. In addition, a predetermined driving motor may be further provided so that the length of the probe connection body may be extended or shortened through the driving motor.

In this case, the control unit 800 controls the driving motor corresponding to each of the first probes 400 to collectively extend or shorten the mounting length of the first probes 400, thereby creating a variable arc (e.g., 130) can be formed.

The control unit 800 may set the size of the variable arc in several stages, and each of the first probes 400 may reduce the size of the variable arc in stages according to the size or output of the antenna 10 under test. Corresponding driving motors can be collectively controlled. At this time, the degree of extension of the mounting length of the first probes 400 may be the same or different depending on the curvature of the variable arc.

In addition, according to the technical concept of the present invention, not only the mounting length of each of the first probes 400 can be varied, but also the probe angle (signal reception direction) of each of the first probes 400 can be varied. there is. To this end, an average expert in the technical spirit of the present invention can easily infer that various methods may be possible, such as forming a predetermined joint structure in each probe connector or implementing a material that can be fixed with a variable angle. There will be.

An example of this is shown in FIG. 11 .

11 is a diagram for explaining an example of probes according to another embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 11 , according to an embodiment, all or some of the first probes 400 may be implemented such that the probe angle may be changed.

For example, as shown in FIG. 11, any one probe 410 may be disposed at the second position 410-1 with an extended mounting length.

Also, in this state, the probe angle of the probe 410 may be changed (eg, 410-2) so that the signal receiving direction may be changed.

Such angle change may also be controlled by a predetermined driving motor, and the control unit 800 may control the driving motor to collectively or selectively change the angles of the first probes 400 as needed.

As described above, according to the technical concept of the present invention, the separation distance from the arc of the probes receiving the radiation signal output from the test target antenna 10, that is, the installation length can be adaptively varied or the signal receiving direction, that is, the probe angle can be adjusted. By making it adaptively variable, it is possible to easily build a more diverse test environment, and through this, there is an effect that the performance test of the antenna can be efficiently performed.

In addition, in FIGS. 10 and 11, only the first probes 400 arranged or connected to the first arc 110 have been described for convenience of description, but the same technical description is given to probes arranged or connected to a plurality of other arcs. Of course, ideas can be applied.

In addition, the technical concept described through FIGS. 8 to 10 is not necessarily applied only when a plurality of arcs for performance measurement in multiple bands are provided, and can be applied even when a single arc is provided. An average expert in the art will be able to reason easily.

When this technical idea is applied, the antenna high-speed measurement system 1000 can rotate the target antenna 10 to be tested through the positioner 300 while being fixed to the fixing unit 200 .

In addition, an input signal and a reference probe received from the plurality of probes 400 and 500 while the antenna high-speed measurement system 1000 rotates the target antenna 10 - the reference probe (eg, 510) is the target antenna ( In order to measure the phase of the radiation pattern of 10), it is installed at a predetermined position of the fixing part 200 through the reference probe connector 520 so that it can rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the target antenna 10 You can check the reference signal received from -.

Then, the antenna high-speed measurement system 1000 can derive the radiation performance of the target antenna based on the input signals received from the plurality of probes 400 and 500 by using the phase of the reference signal as a reference phase. .

In addition, according to another aspect, the antenna high-speed measurement system 1000 includes a first arc 110 and a second arc 120 crossing each other at a predetermined intersection point, and a plurality of arcs installed on the first arc 110. By controlling any one of a first probe set including the first probes 400 of or a second probe set including a plurality of second probes 500 installed in the second arc 120, the Each position of the first probes 400 or the second probes 500 may extend from a corresponding arc to form a variable arc (eg, 130) in the sphere space.

Then, the antenna high-speed measurement system 100 sequentially selects an input signal from each of the first probes 400 or the second probes 500 forming a variable arc (eg, 130) through a signal analyzer. It is possible to derive the radiation performance of the target antenna by receiving signal data corresponding to .

Meanwhile, the high-speed antenna measurement method according to an embodiment of the present invention may be implemented in the form of computer-readable program instructions and stored in a computer-readable recording medium, and the control program and target program according to the embodiment of the present invention It can also be stored in a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium includes all types of recording devices in which data that can be read by a computer system is stored.

Program commands recorded on the recording medium may be specially designed and configured for the present invention, or may be known and usable to those skilled in the software field.

Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tapes, optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, floptical disks and hardware devices specially configured to store and execute program instructions, such as magneto-optical media and ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. In addition, the computer-readable recording medium is distributed in computer systems connected through a network, so that computer-readable codes can be stored and executed in a distributed manner.

Examples of program instructions include high-level language codes that can be executed by a device that electronically processes information using an interpreter, for example, a computer, as well as machine language codes generated by a compiler.

The hardware device described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the present invention, and vice versa.

The above description of the present invention is for illustrative purposes, and those skilled in the art can understand that it can be easily modified into other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. will be. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not limiting. For example, each component described as a single type may be implemented in a distributed manner, and similarly, components described as distributed may be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present invention is indicated by the following claims rather than the detailed description above, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and equivalent concepts thereof should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention. .

Claims (13)

a fixing unit for fixing a target antenna to be tested;
a positioner for controlling rotation of the target antenna by controlling the fixing unit; and
In order to measure the phase of the radiation pattern of the target antenna, the high-speed antenna includes a reference probe connected through a reference probe connector at a predetermined position of the fixing part and installed to rotate in connection with the rotation of the target antenna. measurement system.
The method of claim 1, wherein the reference probe connection body,
The antenna high-speed measurement system, characterized in that connected to a predetermined position of the rotating shaft of the fixing unit, and connected to be movable in an elevation direction on the rotating shaft.
The method of claim 1, wherein the reference probe connection body,
The antenna high-speed measurement system, characterized in that connected to a predetermined position of the rotation shaft of the fixing unit, and rotatably connected in an azimuth direction or an elevation direction on the rotation shaft.
The method of claim 1, wherein the antenna high-speed measurement system,
an arc structure including a first arc and a second arc intersecting each other at a predetermined intersection point and forming a sphere space inside the first arc and the second arc;
a first probe set including a plurality of first probes spaced apart from each other at predetermined intervals on the sphere space side of the first arc on the sphere space; and
The antenna high-speed measurement system further comprises a second probe set including a plurality of second probes spaced apart from each other at predetermined intervals on the sphere space side of the second arc.
The method of claim 4, wherein at least one of the probes included in the first probe set or the second probe set,
The antenna high-speed measurement system, characterized in that provided so that the position can be extended from the corresponding arc to the sphere space side.
The method of claim 5, wherein the first probes included in the first probe set or the second probes included in the second probe set,
The antenna high-speed measurement system, characterized in that each position extends from the corresponding arc to form a variable arc in the sphere space.
The method of claim 4, wherein at least one of the probes included in the first probe set or the second probe set,
Antenna high-speed measurement system, characterized in that provided so that the probe angle can be adjusted in the sphere space.
an arc structure including a first arc and a second arc intersecting each other at a predetermined intersection point and forming a sphere space inside the first arc and the second arc;
a first probe set including a plurality of first probes spaced apart from each other at predetermined intervals on the sphere space side of the first arc on the sphere space; and
a second probe set including a plurality of second probes spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval on the sphere space side of the second arc;
a fixing unit for fixing a target antenna to be tested; and
A positioner for controlling rotation of the target antenna by controlling the fixing unit;
At least one of the probes included in the first probe set or the second probe set,
The antenna high-speed measurement system, characterized in that provided so that the position can be extended from the corresponding arc to the sphere space side.
The method of claim 8, wherein at least one of the probes included in the first probe set or the second probe set,
Antenna high-speed measurement system, characterized in that provided so that the probe angle can be adjusted in the sphere space.
The method of claim 8, wherein the first probes included in the first probe set or the second probes included in the second probe set,
The antenna high-speed measurement system, characterized in that each position extends from the corresponding arc to form a variable arc in the sphere space.
In the method for testing a target antenna,
Rotating, by the high-speed antenna measurement system, a target antenna to be tested through a positioner while being fixed to a fixing unit;
An input signal and a reference probe received from a plurality of probes while the antenna high-speed measurement system rotates the target antenna - the reference probe is a reference probe at a predetermined position of the fixing part to measure the phase of the radiation pattern of the target antenna. Checking a reference signal received from an installation connected through a connecting body to perform rotation in association with rotation of the target antenna;
and deriving radiation performance of the target antenna based on input signals received from the plurality of probes by using the phase of the reference signal as a reference phase by the antenna high-speed measurement system.
The antenna high-speed measurement system includes a first arc and a second arc that intersect each other at a predetermined intersection point and is installed in a first probe set including a plurality of first probes installed in the first arc or in the second arc Controlling any one of a second probe set including a plurality of second probes so that a position of each of the first probes or the second probes extends from a corresponding arc to form a variable arc in the sphere space. step; and
The antenna high-speed measurement system receives signal data corresponding to an input signal through a signal analyzer from each of the probes sequentially selected from among the first probes or the second probes forming a variable arc, and measures the radiation performance of the target antenna. An antenna high-speed measurement method comprising the step of deriving.
A computer program installed in a data processing device and stored in a medium for performing the method according to any one of claims 8 to 12.

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