KR20230073585A - System for fast efficeint antenna testing and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are an antenna high-speed measurement system for efficient performance measurement and a method thereof. The antenna high-speed measurement system comprises: a probe device for receiving a radiation signal output from a wireless device which independently emits signals; a reference probe which is provided to detect a phase from the radiation signal and can receive both vertically polarized signals and horizontally polarized signals; a signal combiner for receiving and combining the vertically polarized signals and the horizontally polarized signals, detected by the reference probe unit, to output a combined signal; a first signal analyzer for detecting a signal magnitude value based on a first signal output from the probe device; a second signal analyzer for detecting a reference phase based on the first signal output from the probe device and the combined signal output from the signal combiner; and a control unit for calculating radiation performance based on data output from the first signal analyzer and the second signal analyzer.

Description

Antenna high-speed measurement system and method for efficient performance measurement

The present invention relates to an antenna measurement system and method.

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 performing efficient and accurate performance measurement for an antenna (eg, a wireless device) that independently radiates radio waves.

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.

Meanwhile, in general, in order to test an antenna, an input signal is applied to an antenna to be tested, and when the antenna to be tested emits a radio wave corresponding to the input signal, the probe receives it. In addition, the radiation performance can be measured by comparing the magnitude and phase of the input signal and the received signal.

However, an antenna (eg, a wireless communication device, etc.) that independently (independently) outputs a radiation signal has a problem in that the test system cannot apply an input signal. This may require a separate phase reference probe to be installed.

However, the location where these phase reference probes are installed has a problem in that there is a difference in the reception performance or characteristics of the signal depending on the characteristics of the radiation signal of the antenna that outputs the radiation signal. By solving this problem, the performance of the antenna under test can be relatively accurately A technical idea that can be performed is required.

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.

In addition, it is to provide a system and method capable of effectively performing a test for an antenna (eg, a wireless communication device) independently outputting a signal.

An antenna high-speed measurement system for efficient performance measurement according to an aspect of the present invention includes a probe device for receiving a radiation signal output from a wireless device independently radiating a signal, and a vertical polarization for detecting a phase from the radiation signal. A reference probe capable of receiving both a signal and a horizontal polarization signal, a signal combiner for receiving and combining the vertical polarization signal and the horizontal polarization signal detected by the reference probe and outputting a combined signal, output from the probe device A first signal analyzer for detecting a signal magnitude value based on a first signal, a second signal analyzer for detecting a reference phase based on the first signal output from the probe device and a combined signal output from the signal combiner , and a control unit for calculating radiation performance based on data output from the first signal analyzer and the second signal analyzer.

The antenna high-speed measurement system receives the first signal output from the probe device, distributes the first signal, outputs a first distribution signal to the first signal analyzer, and outputs a second distribution signal to the second signal analyzer. It may further include a signal splitter for outputting.

The antenna high-speed measurement system may further include a first automatic gain adjuster provided between the signal combiner and the second signal analyzer and configured to automatically gain adjust the combined signal output from the signal coupler.

The antenna high-speed measurement system may further include a second automatic gain adjuster provided between the signal distributor and the second signal analyzer and configured to automatically gain control the second distribution signal output from the signal distributor.

The second signal analyzer calculates an average value of signals detected for each time for each of a first input signal input based on the combined signal and a second input signal input based on the first signal, and calculates an average value obtained by calculating the average value. It may be characterized in that the reference phase is detected using

The probe device includes a plurality of first probes spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval to receive a signal of a first band in the first arc of the first arc and the second arc crossing each other at a predetermined intersection point. It may include a first probe set and a second probe set including a plurality of second probes spaced apart from each other at predetermined intervals in the second arc to receive signals of the second band.

The antenna high-speed measurement system includes a band selection switch for selecting one of the first probe set and the second probe set and a probe for selecting one of probes included in the probe set selected by the band selection switch. A selection switch may be further included, and the control unit may control the band selection switch and the probe selection switch to control the probe device to output the first signal from the selected probe.

An antenna high-speed measurement system according to another aspect includes a probe device for receiving a radiation signal output from a wireless device independently emitting a signal, a reference probe provided to detect a phase from the radiation signal, and output from the probe device. A first signal analyzer for detecting a signal magnitude value based on a first signal, a second signal analyzer for detecting a reference phase based on the first signal output from the probe device and a reference signal output from the reference probe , A signal for receiving the first signal output from the probe device, distributing the first signal, outputting a first distribution signal to the first signal analyzer, and outputting a second distribution signal to the second signal analyzer. A divider, and a first automatic gain adjuster disposed between the reference probe and the second signal analyzer to automatically adjust the gain of the reference signal, provided between the signal divider and the second signal analyzer, and output from the signal divider and a second automatic gain controller for automatically controlling the gain of the second distribution signal, wherein the second signal analyzer detects a reference phase based on the automatically gain-adjusted reference signal and the automatically-gain-adjusted second distribution signal. do.

On the other hand, in the high-speed antenna measurement method according to the technical concept of the present invention, the antenna high-speed measurement system is based on the signal magnitude value based on the first signal output from the probe device for receiving the radiation signal output from the wireless device that independently radiates the signal. Detecting, the antenna high-speed measurement system is provided to detect the phase from the radiation signal and receives a vertical polarization signal and a horizontal polarization signal detected by a reference probe capable of receiving both a vertical polarization signal and a horizontal polarization signal. and detecting a reference phase based on the combined signal and the first signal, and calculating radiation performance based on the detected signal magnitude value and the reference phase by the antenna high-speed measurement system.

An antenna high-speed measurement method according to another aspect includes detecting a signal magnitude value based on a first signal output from a probe device for receiving a radiation signal output from a wireless device that independently radiates a signal by an antenna high-speed measurement system; Acquiring, by the antenna high-speed measurement system, a signal of which the reference signal is automatically gain-adjusted and the first signal is automatically gain-adjusted, output from a reference probe provided for detecting a phase from the radiation signal, the antenna high-speed measurement The system includes detecting a reference phase based on the automatically gain-adjusted signal of the reference signal and the automatically-gained signal of the first signal.

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, even in a test for an antenna (eg, a wireless communication device) that independently outputs a signal, reception performance can be improved by using a reference probe, and a relatively accurate test can be performed using this effect.

In addition, there is an effect of enabling accurate phase measurement by relatively reducing a difference in magnitude between the radiation signal received from the probe and the reference signal to measure the reference phase.

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 an antenna high-speed measurement system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a diagram for explaining a configuration diagram of an 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 showing a schematic structure of an antenna high-speed measurement system 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 elements.

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

Referring to FIG. 2 , a high-speed antenna measurement system 1000 may be provided to implement a high-speed antenna measurement method according to the technical idea of the present invention.

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 includes 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 pre-determined in each arc. At each position, a probe coupling structure may be formed such that a front side 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.

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.

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 antenna high-speed measurement system 1000 or spontaneously.

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

Then, a test of the antenna for which radiation performance (radiation pattern, total radiated power (TRP), equivalent radiated effective power (EIRP), etc.) 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 a configuration diagram of an antenna high-speed measurement system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the antenna high-speed measurement system 1000 according to the technical concept of the present invention includes the arc structure 100, the fixing part 200, and the positioner 300 described in FIG. 2, and a control unit 800. can include

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

In addition, as will be described later, the signal analyzer 700 may separately include a first signal analyzer for analyzing the magnitude of the radiation signal and a second signal analyzer for measuring the phase.

The control unit 800 includes other components (eg, a positioner 300, a 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 high-speed antenna 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 necessary.

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 controls the radiation performance (e.g., radiation pattern, total radiated power (TRP), equivalent radiated effective power (EIRP), etc. of the antenna under test 10 based on the data received from the signal analyzer 700). ) can be derived.

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 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 (eg, a wireless communication device) 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 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, that is, a reference signal, and transmit the signal to the signal analyzer 700, and the signal analyzer 700 converts the phase information. It may be measured and transmitted to the control unit 800 .

According to an example, the signal analyzer 700 includes a first signal analyzer for measuring the magnitude of a radiation signal output from the antenna under test 10 based on signals received by probes (eg, 400 and 500). can be provided

Separately, a second signal analyzer for measuring a reference phase based on a reference signal received by the phase reference probe (eg, 510) and a signal received by the probe (eg, 400 or 500) may be provided. .

In addition, the phase reference probe (eg, 510) may be implemented as a probe capable of receiving both vertical polarization and horizontal polarization of a radiation signal output from the antenna 10 under test. The phase reference probe (eg, 510) may be implemented as a dual polarization probe or one or more single polarization probes. Hereinafter, the phase reference probe (eg, 510) of the present invention will be mainly described in the case of being implemented as a dual polarization probe, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

This means that the signal size of the vertical polarization or horizontal polarization that can be received by the phase reference probe (eg, 510) varies depending on the characteristics of the radiation signal of the antenna under test 10 or the position of the phase reference probe (eg, 510). Accordingly, when the phase reference probe (eg, 510) receives only a single polarized wave, the magnitude of the reference signal may vary greatly depending on the position or direction of the phase reference probe (eg, 510). Therefore, there is a problem in that it is necessary to repeatedly set the environment (eg, setting the position or direction of the phase reference probe (eg, 510), etc.) in order to generate the magnitude of the reference signal at or above a certain level.

Therefore, according to the technical idea of the present invention, by implementing the phase reference probe (eg, 510) as a probe capable of receiving vertical polarization and horizontal polarization, it is possible to receive a reference signal having a magnitude higher than a certain level in a less sensitive environment. . The case where the phase reference probe (eg, 510) is implemented as a probe will be described later in detail with reference to FIG. 8 .

Meanwhile, according to another embodiment, the 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 mutually They can be placed more than a certain 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, one of the phase reference probes 510 and 510-1 may be connected to the fixing part 200 and rotated in conjunction with the rotation of the antenna 10 under test. In this case, the phase reference probe (eg, 510) is also rotated according to the rotation of the antenna 10 to be tested, so that it can be viewed in the same direction, so that a stable reference signal can be received.

In order for the control unit 800 to measure the performance of the antenna under test 10 , first of all, an arc corresponding to the antenna under test 10 may be selected 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.

In this way, 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 the antenna corresponding to the first band is tested, When testing the antenna corresponding to the second band, the probe corresponding to the second band is arranged, so that the test of the antenna of multiple bands can be quickly performed only by replacing the probe at the position corresponding to the intersection point 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.

7 is a view for explaining this 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 so 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.

Meanwhile, as described above, when the test target antenna 10 independently outputs a radiation signal, a phase reference probe (eg, 510) needs to be provided. At this time, according to the technical idea of the present invention, the phase reference probe (eg, 510) may be implemented as a single or dual polarization probe. In any case, it can be implemented as a probe capable of receiving both vertical polarization and horizontal polarization signals. An example of this will be described with reference to FIG. 8 .

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

Referring to FIG. 8 , the high-speed antenna measurement system 1000 according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a probe device 1100 for receiving a radiation signal output from an antenna 10 under test as shown in FIG. 8 . and a phase reference probe (eg, 510).

In addition, a first signal analyzer 740 for analyzing the magnitude of the radiation signal based on the signal received by the probe device 100 and the phase reference probe (eg, 510) and a second signal analyzer 750 for measuring the phase ) may be included.

In addition, radiation performance (e.g., radiation pattern, total radiated power (TRP), equivalent radiated effective power (EIRP), etc.) is measured based on the analysis results of the first signal analyzer 700 and the second signal analyzer 750. It may be provided with a control unit 800 for.

Comparing the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 with the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, it can be seen that the signal analyzer 700 shown in FIG. 2 is divided into a first signal analyzer 740 and a second signal analyzer 750. Able to know.

By implementing a phase reference probe (e.g., 510) as a probe capable of receiving both vertical and horizontal polarizations, the magnitude of the reference signal can be received at a certain level or higher while being less dependent on the test environment, and at the same time, the phase can be more accurately measured. may be used to measure

In addition, the probe device 100 shown in FIG. 8 means a plurality of probes 400 and 500 installed in an arc structure 100 having a plurality of arcs 110 and 120 as described in FIGS. 2 to 7 You may. However, it is not necessarily limited thereto, and at least one probe that receives a radiation signal while moving one or a plurality of probes in a certain space (eg, cylinder, sphere shape) as in the prior art may be implemented as the probe device 100. there is.

Of course, as described above, when the probe device 100 is implemented as the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 7 , a multi-band test can be performed more effectively.

Hereinafter, a case in which the phase reference probe (eg, 510) is implemented as a dual polarization probe and the test target antenna 10 is a wireless communication device that independently outputs a radiation signal will be described as an example.

The test target antenna 10 may be a wireless communication device. The wireless communication device may be a device that outputs a digitally modulated signal such as QPSK or QAM, or may be a device that outputs a signal without modulating it. In the former case, the first signal analyzer 740 and the second signal analyzer 750 may include a function of demodulating a modulated signal, and in the latter case, this function may not be included. In addition, the wireless communication device need not be limited to a terminal and may include a base station or the like.

The probe device 100 may receive a radiation signal output from the wireless communication device 10 . The probe device 100 may be implemented as one or a plurality of probes and may be a device capable of receiving a single polarized wave.

According to an embodiment, the probe device 100 includes a plurality of probes 400 and 500 installed in an arc structure 100 having a plurality of arcs 110 and 120 as described in FIGS. 2 to 7 . could mean In this case, the probe device 100 may be any one of the plurality of probes 400 and 500 sequentially and selectively selected by the control unit 800 .

For example, the probe device 100 has a predetermined interval to receive a signal of a first band in the first arc 110 of the first arc 110 and the second arc 120 crossing each other at a predetermined intersection point. A first probe set including a plurality of first probes 400 disposed spaced apart from each other and a plurality of second probes disposed spaced apart from each other at predetermined intervals in the second arc 120 to receive signals of a second band. A second probe set including the probes 500 may be included.

In addition, the antenna high-speed measurement system 1000 includes a band selection switch 600 for selecting either the first probe set or the second probe set and a probe set selected by the band selection switch 600 Probe selection switches 610 and 620 for selecting one of the probes may be further included.

Then, the control unit 800 controls the band selection switch 600 and the probe selection switches 610 and 620 so that the probe device 1100 outputs the radiation signal detected from the selected probe, that is, the first signal. You can control it.

On the other hand, as described above, the phase reference probe (eg, 510) is provided to detect the phase from the radiation signal output from the wireless communication device 10, and is a reference capable of receiving both a vertical polarization signal and a horizontal polarization signal may be a probe.

Also, in this embodiment, the phase reference probe 510 may be fixed and positioned in a predetermined space.

By having the phase reference probe 510 as described above, there is an effect of stably detecting the magnitude of the reference signal above a certain level while being less dependent on the test environment. (eg, setting the position or direction of 510, etc.) can be solved.

The high-speed antenna measurement system 1000 may include a signal combiner 520 for generating a combined signal by combining the vertical polarization signal and the horizontal polarization signal detected by the reference probe 510 .

Then, the combined signal may be input to the second signal analyzer 750 as a reference signal.

The second signal analyzer 750 may detect a reference phase based on the combined signal and a signal detected from the probe device 100 .

The second signal analyzer 750 is also called a normal network analyzer, and the normal network analyzer includes an output terminal for applying an input signal to the antenna under test 10 and an input terminal for receiving a signal detected from a probe. It performs a function of measuring the ratio of the magnitude and phase of the signal of the output terminal and the input terminal. However, in the embodiment of the present invention, since the wireless communication device 10 independently outputs a radiation signal, the second signal analyzer 750 inputs the combined signal detected from the reference probe 510 to probe device 100. It may be provided to measure the reference phase by comparing the signal detected from and the combined signal.

Meanwhile, the antenna high-speed measurement system 1000 may further include a signal distributor 710.

The signal distributor 710 distributes the radiation signal (hereinafter referred to as a first signal) detected from the probe device 100, outputs the first distribution signal to the first signal analyzer 740, and generates a second distribution signal. It can be output to the second signal analyzer 750 side.

That is, the first signal detected by the probe device 100 may be delivered to both the first signal analyzer 740 and the second signal analyzer 750 .

The first signal analyzer 740 may analyze or detect the first distribution signal, that is, the signal magnitude value of the radiation signal detected based on the first signal.

After all, according to the technical concept of the present invention, the first signal analyzer 740 can analyze the magnitude of the detected radiation signal, and the second signal analyzer (also called a phase detector, 750) can analyze the detected radiation signal. position can be analyzed.

Then, the control unit 800 receives the analysis results of the first signal analyzer 740 and the second signal analyzer 750, and based on the received data, the radiation performance (eg, radiation pattern, total radiation power, and/or equivalent radiated effective power (EIRP), etc.).

Since a specific algorithm for measuring the radiation performance is widely known, a detailed description thereof will be omitted in the present specification.

Meanwhile, the antenna high-speed measurement system 1000 may further include either a first automatic gain adjuster 920 or a second automatic gain adjuster 910 . Depending on the embodiment, the first automatic gain adjuster 920 and the second automatic gain adjuster 910 may be included.

The first automatic gain adjuster 920 is provided between the signal combiner 520 and the second signal analyzer 750 and can automatically adjust the gain of a combined signal output from the signal combiner 520.

In addition, the second automatic gain controller 910 is provided between the signal distributor 710 and the second signal analyzer 750 and can automatically gain control the second distribution signal output from the signal distributor 710. there is.

In this way, when the first automatic gain adjuster 920 and/or the second automatic gain adjuster 910 are provided, more accurate phase detection is possible compared to cases where the first automatic gain adjuster 920 and/or the second automatic gain adjuster 910 are provided. This is because the radiation signal detected by the probe device 100, that is, the first signal and the reference signal detected by the phase reference probe (e.g., 510) depend on the output environment, characteristics, or rotation of the wireless communication device 10. Its size may vary.

However, the reference phase analyzed by the second signal analyzer 750 has an effect of enabling more accurate detection as the difference between the magnitudes of the reference signal and the first signal is smaller.

Therefore, when the magnitude of the combined signal and/or the first signal is smaller than a predetermined reference value, the high-speed antenna measurement system 1000 automatically adjusts the gain and amplifies the magnitude to a certain level, thereby amplifying the magnitude of the reference signal and the first signal. The difference in the size of one signal can be made relatively small. Based on this, the second signal analyzer 750 analyzes the reference phase, thereby enabling more accurate phase detection.

Meanwhile, the second signal analyzer 750 includes a first input signal (eg, the combined signal or a signal amplified by the second automatic gain adjuster 920) input based on the combined signal and the first signal The average value of the signals detected for each time for each second input signal (eg, the first signal (second distribution signal) or the signal amplified by the first automatic gain adjuster 910) input based on The reference phase may be detected by calculating and comparing each calculated average value.

This is because the radiation signal output by the wireless communication device 10 changes over time, and accordingly, the first input signal and the second input signal input to the second signal analyzer 750 also continue over time. It can change.

At this time, the second signal analyzer 750 should detect two input signals simultaneously and compare the phases of the two signals. When the rate of change of the second input signal is more rapid, an error may occur in phase comparison between signals.

Therefore, the second signal analyzer 750 calculates statistics for a predetermined time for each of the first input signal and the second input signal, and compares the average value of the two input signals for a predetermined time using the calculated average value. This has the effect of enabling more accurate phase detection.

As a result, according to the technical idea of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the accuracy and time of performance measurement by receiving a reference signal at a level independent of the test environment and stable by using the reference probe 510, and the first automatic gain adjuster ( 910) and/or the second automatic gain adjuster 920 may be provided to increase the phase measurement accuracy. In addition, by comparing the phases using the average value of each of the input signals input to the second signal analyzer 750, there is an effect of increasing the phase measurement accuracy.

In addition, even if the phase reference probe (eg, 510) is not a probe capable of receiving both vertical polarization and horizontal polarization, a first automatic gain adjuster ( 910) and/or when the second automatic gain adjuster 920 is provided between the phase reference probe (e.g., 510) and the second signal analyzer 750, the phase detection accuracy can be increased. The average expert in a technical field of .

The method performed for the antenna high-speed measurement system 1000 is the output from the probe device 1100 for receiving the radiation signal output from the wireless device 10 that independently radiates the signal. A step of detecting a signal magnitude value based on the first signal may be included.

In addition, the antenna high-speed measurement system 1000 is provided to detect the phase from the radiation signal, and the vertical polarization signal and the horizontal polarization signal detected by the reference probe 510 capable of receiving both the vertical polarization signal and the horizontal polarization signal It may include a step of detecting a reference phase based on a combined signal obtained by receiving and combining signals and the first signal. Of course, the order of the process of detecting the signal magnitude value and the process of detecting the reference phase may be changed.

In addition, the process of detecting the reference phase as described above is a process in which the antenna high-speed measurement system 1000 detects the reference phase based on the automatic gain-adjusted signal of the reference signal and the automatically-gain-adjusted signal of the first signal. It can be as described above.

Then, the antenna high-speed measurement system 1000 may calculate the radiation performance based on the detected signal magnitude value and the reference phase. For example, the control unit 800 may convert a near-field pattern into a far-field pattern, and calculate total radiated power (TRP) and/or equivalent radiated effective power (EIRP) from the converted far-field pattern. For this process, for example, total summation of far-field patterns, a direct method, or a comparison method algorithm may be used.

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 (11)

a probe device for receiving a radiation signal output from a wireless device independently radiating a signal;
a reference probe provided to detect a phase from the radiation signal and capable of receiving both a vertical polarization signal and a horizontal polarization signal;
a signal combiner for receiving and combining the vertical polarization signal and the horizontal polarization signal detected by the reference probe and outputting a combined signal;
a first signal analyzer for detecting a signal magnitude value based on the first signal output from the probe device;
a second signal analyzer for detecting a reference phase based on the first signal output from the probe device and the combined signal output from the signal combiner; and
and a control unit for calculating radiation performance based on data output from the first signal analyzer and the second signal analyzer.
The method of claim 1, wherein the antenna high-speed measurement system,
A signal distributor for receiving the first signal output from the probe device, distributing the first signal, outputting a first distribution signal to the first signal analyzer, and outputting a second distribution signal to the second signal analyzer Antenna high-speed measurement system further comprising a.
In claim 1, the antenna high-speed measurement system,
The antenna high-speed measurement system further comprises a first automatic gain adjuster provided between the signal combiner and the second signal analyzer and configured to automatically gain adjust the combined signal output from the signal coupler.
The method of claim 2, wherein the antenna high-speed measurement system,
and a second automatic gain controller provided between the signal distributor and the second signal analyzer and configured to automatically gain control the second distribution signal output from the signal distributor.
The method of claim 1, wherein the second signal analyzer,
For each of the first input signal input based on the combined signal and the second input signal input based on the first signal, a statistical amount of signals detected per time is calculated and a reference phase is detected using the calculated average value. Antenna high-speed measurement system, characterized in that.
The method of claim 1, wherein the probe device,
a first probe set including a plurality of first probes spaced apart from each other at predetermined intervals to receive signals of a first band in the first arc of the first arc and the second arc crossing each other at a predetermined intersection point; and
A high-speed antenna measurement system comprising a second probe set including a plurality of second probes spaced apart from each other at predetermined intervals in the second arc to receive signals of a second band.
The method of claim 6, wherein the antenna high-speed measurement system,
A band selection switch for selecting one of the first probe set and the second probe set; and
Further comprising a probe selection switch for selecting one of the probes included in the probe set selected by the band selection switch,
The control unit,
The antenna high-speed measurement system for controlling the probe device to output the first signal from the selected probe by controlling the band selection switch and the probe selection switch.

a probe device for receiving a radiation signal output from a wireless device independently radiating a signal;
a reference probe provided to detect a phase from the radiation signal;
a first signal analyzer for detecting a signal magnitude value based on the first signal output from the probe device;
a second signal analyzer for detecting a reference phase based on the first signal output from the probe device and the reference signal output from the reference probe;
A signal distributor for receiving the first signal output from the probe device, distributing the first signal, outputting a first distribution signal to the first signal analyzer, and outputting a second distribution signal to the second signal analyzer ; and
A first automatic gain adjuster disposed between the reference probe and the second signal analyzer for automatically controlling the gain of the reference signal, and provided between the signal divider and the second signal analyzer and output from the signal divider. A second automatic gain adjuster for automatically adjusting the gain of the distribution signal;
The second signal analyzer,
An antenna high-speed measurement system for detecting a reference phase based on the automatically gain-adjusted reference signal and the automatically-gain-adjusted second distribution signal.
Detecting a signal magnitude value based on a first signal output from a probe device for receiving a radiation signal output from a wireless device independently radiating a signal by an antenna high-speed measurement system;
The antenna high-speed measurement system is provided to detect the phase from the radiation signal, and the vertical polarization signal and the horizontal polarization signal detected by the reference probe capable of receiving both the vertical polarization signal and the horizontal polarization signal are received and combined. detecting a reference phase based on the first signal; and
The high-speed antenna measurement method comprising the step of calculating the radiation performance based on the detected signal magnitude value and the reference phase by the antenna high-speed measurement system.
Detecting a signal magnitude value based on a first signal output from a probe device for receiving a radiation signal output from a wireless device independently radiating a signal by an antenna high-speed measurement system;
acquiring a signal of which the automatic gain of the first signal and the automatic gain of the first signal are outputted from a reference probe provided for the antenna high-speed measurement system to detect a phase from the radiation signal;
and detecting, by the antenna high-speed measurement system, a reference phase based on a signal of which the reference signal is automatically gain-adjusted and the signal of which the first signal is automatically gain-adjusted.
A computer program installed in a data processing device and stored in a medium for performing the method according to claim 9 or 10.

Images