WO2011094988A1

WO2011094988A1 - Method and system for testing multi-antenna terminal

Info

Publication number: WO2011094988A1
Application number: PCT/CN2010/074271
Authority: WO
Inventors: 郭阳; 郑欣宇; 禹忠
Original assignee: 中兴通讯股份有限公司
Priority date: 2010-02-05
Filing date: 2010-06-22
Publication date: 2011-08-11
Also published as: CN102148885A

Abstract

The present invention discloses a system for testing a multi-antenna terminal, which includes: a Base Station (BS) emulator, a channel emulator, a mapping module and an anechoic chamber; a Device Under Test (DUT) and N testing antennas are set in the anechoic chamber; wherein the BS emulator is used for outputting m-road emission signals to the channel emulator; the channel emulator is used for simulating to obtain n-road signals by utilizing a channel modeling and outputting them to the mapping module according to the received m-road transmission signals; the mapping module is used for mapping the received n-road signals to the N testing antennas in the anechoic chamber and executing spatial transmission; the DUT is used for receiving the signal from the space, processing the received signal and accomplishing the test of spatial radio frequency (RF) performance(Over The Air). The present invention also discloses a method for testing a multi-antenna terminal. By the method and the system of the present invention, the test and the evaluation of the spatial RF performance for the multi-antenna terminal are enabled.

Description

Method and system for testing multi-antenna terminal

The present invention relates to the field of radio frequency testing technologies for wireless communication devices, and in particular, to a method and system for testing multi-antenna terminals. Background technique

With the development of modern industry, all kinds of wireless communication equipment can only guarantee the communication quality if it has good transmitting and receiving performance, that is, Total Radiated Power (TRP) needs to be higher than a certain limit, total radiation sensitivity (TRS, Total Radiated Sensitivity ) needs to be below a certain limit, which means that the OTA (Over The Air) test index is required.

In order to ensure the normal use of mobile terminal equipment in the network, the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) has established a test standard for the spatial radio frequency performance of mobile terminals. At present, most operators require mobile terminals that enter their networks to perform spatial RF performance tests in accordance with the requirements of the CTIA standard. TRP and TRS must meet certain limit requirements.

For the traditional single-antenna terminal, TRP, TRS and other indicators are tested in the traditional darkroom. With the current industrialization of systems such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), traditional single-antenna devices will gradually become over-communication devices with multiple antennas with multiple input multiple output (MIMO). However, the conventional darkroom cannot test and evaluate the spatial performance of the multi-antenna terminal, which brings inconvenience to practical applications. Summary of the invention

In view of this, the main object of the present invention is to provide a test method for a multi-antenna terminal and The system solves the problem that the traditional darkroom cannot test and evaluate the spatial RF performance of the multi-antenna terminal.

In order to achieve the above object, the technical solution of the present invention is achieved as follows:

A method for testing a multi-antenna terminal provided by the present invention, the method comprising:

The base station simulator outputs an m-channel transmit signal to the channel simulator;

The channel simulator obtains n signals by using a channel model simulation according to the received m-channel transmission signals, and outputs the signals to the mapping module;

The mapping module maps the received n-channel signals to the N test antennas of the anechoic chamber for spatial transmission;

The device under test (DUT) receives the signal from space and processes the received signal to complete the spatial radio frequency performance (OTA) test.

The number N of test antennas in the anechoic chamber is greater than or equal to the number n of main paths of the channel models employed.

The DUT is located at the center of the anechoic chamber, and the N test antennas are evenly distributed on the circumference centered on the DUT in an equally spaced manner.

The DUT is located at the center of the anechoic chamber, and the N test antennas are distributed in an asymmetrical manner on a circumference centered on the DUT, specifically:

Determining the angle according to the angle required for the extension angle, the angle of arrival, and the number of simplified sub-paths of the main path in the channel model

The distribution of the N test antennas on a circumference centered on the DUT constitutes a center angle of N-1 and a central angle of 2 r-(N-1)*^.

The DUT is located at the center of the anechoic chamber, and the root test antennas are distributed in an asymmetrical manner on a circumference centered on the DUT, specifically:

Determining the angle according to the angle required for the extension angle, the angle of arrival and the number of simplified sub-paths of the main path in the channel model and selecting and , ^ _ι + ₂ = 2π - (Ν - 2) ^ ; The distribution of the N test antennas on a circumference centered on the DUT constitutes N-2 center angles of size ^, a central angle of one size, and a central angle of size ^.

The invention also provides a test system for a multi-antenna terminal, the system comprising: a base station simulator, a channel simulator, a mapping module and an anechoic chamber, wherein the anechoic chamber is provided with a device under test (DUT) and N roots Test antenna, where

The base station simulator is configured to output an m-channel transmit signal to the channel simulator, and the channel simulator is configured to: according to the received m-channel transmit signal, use a channel model to simulate and obtain an n-channel signal and output the signal to the map. Module

The mapping module is configured to map the received n-channel signals to the N test antennas of the anechoic chamber for spatial transmission;

The DUT is configured to receive a signal from a space and process the received signal to complete an OTA test.

The distribution of the N test antennas on a circumference centered on the DUT constitutes N-1 central angles of size ^ and a central angle of 2 r - (N - 1) *.

a clip required for the expansion angle, the angle of arrival, and the number of simplified sub-paths of the main path in the channel model Determine the angle and select and ^ _ι + ₂ = 2π- (Ν-2)^ ;

The root-test antennas are distributed on a circumference centered on the DUT to form Ν-2 square angles of size ^, a central angle of one size, and a central angle of one size.

The invention provides a multi-antenna terminal testing method and system, and the base station simulator outputs m-channel transmitting signals to the channel simulator; the channel simulator uses the channel model to simulate and obtain n-channel signals according to the received m-channel transmitting signals and outputs To the mapping module; the mapping module maps the received n-channel signals to the N test antennas of the anechoic chamber for spatial transmission; the device under test (DUT) receives signals from the space, and processes the received signals to complete the space. RF performance (OTA) testing. Through the method and system of the invention, the spatial RF performance test and evaluation of the multi-antenna terminal is realized to meet the requirements of the MIMO OTA. DRAWINGS

1 is a schematic structural diagram of a test system for a multi-antenna terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a test method for a multi-antenna terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a schematic diagram showing symmetric distribution of N test antennas in an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a schematic diagram showing asymmetric distribution of N test antennas in an embodiment of the present invention. detailed description

The technical solutions of the present invention are further elaborated below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. In order to implement the spatial performance test and evaluation of the multi-antenna terminal, the embodiment of the present invention provides a test environment based on a channel simulator and an anechoic chamber (also referred to as a full-wave absorption darkroom), which can meet the requirements of the MIMO OTA. Among them, there are a certain number of test antennas in the anechoic chamber, these test antennas are located at different positions in the anechoic chamber, and send signals with certain time and space characteristics to test the multi-antenna terminal; DUT, Device Under Test ) is located in the center of the anechoic chamber. Each test antenna is located on the circumference centered on the DUT. This is to ensure that the signals sent by each test antenna reach the DUT at the same time. The test system of the multi-antenna terminal based on the above test environment, as shown in FIG. 1, includes: a base station simulator (BS emulator), a channel emulator, a mapping module, and an anechoic chamber, and the DUT and the N are provided in the anechoic chamber. Test the antenna.

The test method of the multi-antenna terminal implemented by the test system shown in FIG. 1 , as shown in FIG. 2 , mainly includes the following steps:

Step 201: The base station simulator outputs an m-channel transmit signal to the channel simulator.

The base station simulator is used to simulate the transmitting signal of the base station, and outputs the signal transmitted by the m base station, that is, the transmitting signal of the m base station antenna, where m is a positive integer.

Step 202: The channel simulator obtains the n-channel signal by using the channel model to generate and output the signal to the mapping module according to the received m-channel transmission signal.

The output signal of the base station simulator is input to the channel simulator to simulate the case where the base station signal passes through the spatial channel, and the channel simulator simulates the output of the n signal to the mapping module, where n is a positive integer. Among them, the channel simulator uses the selected channel model to simulate the n-channel signal, and the number of main paths of the channel model is n, then the n-channel signal can be simulated.

Step 203: The mapping module maps the received n-channel signals to the N test antennas of the anechoic chamber for spatial transmission.

The n-channel signals are mapped to the N test antennas of the anechoic chamber in a certain mapping relationship by the mapping module, and the N test antennas spatially transmit the signals, and N takes a positive integer.

The number N of test antennas in the anechoic chamber needs to be greater than or equal to the number n of main paths of the adopted channel model, and the preferred value of N is chosen to be equal to n. After determining the channel model used by the OTA, the test antenna can be determined. The preferred value of the quantity. For example: Based on Spatial Channel Modeling (SCM), Extended Spatial Channel Modeling (SCME), the number of main paths defined by Winner I & II is 6 or 8, so the preferred single The number of polarization test antennas N is 6 or 8. For the dual-polarization case, two antennas that are cross-polarized with each other are arranged at the same antenna position, which is V&H or oblique X-cross polarization. The preferred value of the required number of test antennas N corresponds to 6x2 or 8x2 roots, ie 12 or 16. The number of test antennas in the darkroom may be equal to, but not limited to, the preferred value.

Step 204, the DUT receives the signal from the space, and processes the received signal to complete the OTA test.

The DUT is located in the center of the darkroom. The root test antennas are arranged in a regular order on the circumference with the DUT as the center and R as the radius. The DUT receives the signal from the space and processes the received signal or transmits it through the cable for subsequent processing. , the received signal is verified to complete the ΟΤΑ test.

There are many ways to arrange the antenna for the test root. One arrangement is as follows: The DUT is located in the center of the anechoic chamber, and the root test antenna is distributed on the circumference centered on the DUT with R as the radius, and the center angle α between the test antennas is equal, both are 2 r / N, as shown in Fig. 3; that is, the N test antennas are evenly distributed on the circumference with the DUT as the center and R as the radius in an equally spaced manner.

For this arrangement, since the commonly used preferred values of N are 6 or 8, both are even numbers, so the central angle α of the interval between the test antennas is π, which is an integer π, and the test antennas are accurately symmetrical between the two. This kind of precise symmetry may cause mutual interference between the symmetrical test antennas. Therefore, it is necessary to design an asymmetric test antenna arrangement, that is, the test antennas are distributed at the center of the DUT and the radius of R is On the circumference, and the central angles between the test antennas are not completely equal.

An asymmetric test antenna arrangement is: according to the angle of the main path in the channel model, the angle of arrival and the angle required to simplify the number of sub-paths, first determine an angle, then the root test antenna is in the DUT The distribution on the circumference of the center, which constitutes the center angle of N-1, and a central angle of 2 r - (N - 1) *, that is, the central angles of all the test antennas , contains N-1 center angles of a size and a center angle of 2 r—(N—1), where * means multiplication.

This asymmetric arrangement can solve the interference problem of the above symmetrical antenna, however When <^_, if N-1 sizes are still used, and 1 size is N + \

The central angle of 2π-(N-1)*^ will cause 2π-(N-1)*^ to be greater than 2^, resulting in a more severe imbalance, which may adversely affect subsequent signal mapping.

Therefore, based on the improvement of the asymmetric arrangement, the present invention also provides another asymmetric arrangement, as shown in FIG. 4, that is, according to the expansion angle of the main path in the channel model, The angle required for the angle of arrival and the number of simplified sub-paths is first determined by an angle and the sum is chosen such that ι+ ₂ = 2π-(Ν-2)^; then the root test antenna is distributed over the circumference centered on the DUT, It constitutes a central angle of Ν-2 sizes, a central angle of one size, and a central angle of size ^, that is, N of the N central angles formed by all N test antennas, including N-2 sizes The central angle of the circle, the central angle of one size, and the central angle of one size. Among them, the selection of and can be based on actual needs, as long as + = 2r - (N - 2) * ^ can be satisfied, of course, better, you can choose the size of ^ is relatively close.

It can be seen from the above that the improvement of the asymmetric arrangement can avoid the problem of the imbalance of the above-mentioned central angles.

The above is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

Claims

Claim

A method for testing a multi-antenna terminal, the method comprising: the base station simulator outputting an m-channel transmission signal to a channel simulator;

The method for testing a multi-antenna terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that the number N of test antennas in the anechoic chamber is greater than or equal to the number n of main paths of the channel models used.

The method for testing a multi-antenna terminal according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the DUT is located at a center of the anechoic chamber, and the N test antennas are evenly distributed at equal intervals in the DUT. On the circumference of the center of the circle.

The method for testing a multi-antenna terminal according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the DUT is located at the center of the anechoic chamber, and the N test antennas are distributed in an asymmetrical manner at a center of the DUT. On the circumference, specifically:

The distribution of the N test antennas on a circumference centered on the DUT constitutes a center angle of N-1 and a central angle of 2π-(N-1)*^.

The method for testing a multi-antenna terminal according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the DUT is located at a center of the anechoic chamber, and the root test antenna is distributed in an asymmetrical manner at a center of the DUT. On the circumference, specifically:

a clip required for the expansion angle, the angle of arrival, and the number of simplified sub-paths of the main path in the channel model Determine the angle and select and ^ _ι + ₂ = 2π - (Ν - 2) ^ ;

The root-test antennas are distributed on a circumference centered on the DUT to form a central angle of Ν-2, a central angle of one size, and a central angle of one size.

A test system for a multi-antenna terminal, the system comprising: a base station simulator, a channel simulator, a mapping module, and an anechoic chamber, wherein the anechoic chamber is provided with a DUT and a root test antenna, wherein ,

The test system for a multi-antenna terminal according to claim 6, wherein the number N of test antennas in the anechoic chamber is greater than or equal to the number n of main paths of the adopted channel model.

The test system of the multi-antenna terminal according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the DUT is located at the center of the anechoic chamber, and the N test antennas are evenly distributed at equal intervals in the DUT On the circumference of the center of the circle.

The test system for a multi-antenna terminal according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the DUT is located at the center of the anechoic chamber, and the N test antennas are distributed in an asymmetrical manner at a center of the DUT. On the circumference, specifically:

The distribution of the N test antennas on a circumference centered on the DUT constitutes a center angle of N-1 sizes, and a central angle of 2π—(N−1)*^.

10. The test system for a multi-antenna terminal according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the DUT is located at the center of the anechoic chamber, and the N test antennas are distributed in an asymmetrical manner at a center of the DUT. On the circumference, specifically:

Determining the angle according to the angle required for the extension angle, the angle of arrival, and the number of simplified sub-paths in the channel model, and selecting and making A+A=2r—(N—2)*