Measuring device and measuring method for systematic error detection

• US 10,278,149 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2016
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Bartko, Hendrik
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Chi Tang P
• Application Number:
  US15/246,482
• Publication Number:
  US 20170094626A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 370329
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/023 Monitoring or calibrating
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/005 of common pilots, i.e. pilots destined for multiple users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0035 detecting errors in frequency or phase
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference

Abstract

A measuring device comprises a processing unit, a first antenna adapted to receive a first signal, and a second antenna, adapted to receive a second signal. The processing unit comprises a baseline unit adapted to determine a baseline variance of a first variable and/or a second variable. Moreover, it comprises a variance unit adapted to determine a variance of the first variable and/or the second variable. The first variable and the second variable are each at least initially derived from at least the first signal and the second signal. The processing unit furthermore comprises an error unit, adapted to determine if a systematic error is present, based on the baseline variance and the variance of the first variable and/or the second variable.

Claims

1. A measuring device comprising:

a first antenna configured to receive a first signal, and a second antenna configured to receive a second signal; and

a processor configured to determine a first variable and a second variable based at least in part on the first signal and the second signal, to determine a baseline variance of each of one or more of the first variable and the second variable, to determine a variance of each of one or more of the first variable and the second variable, and to determine a presence or absence of at least one systematic error of the received first signal and the received second signal, based on the determined baseline variances of the first variable and the second variable and the determined variances of the first variable and the second variable; and

wherein the measuring device is configured to measure an electromagnetic signal, and wherein the first antenna is configured to receive the electromagnetic signal as the first signal, and the second antenna is configured to receive the electromagnetic signal as the second signal, and wherein the presence or absence of the at least one systematic error is determined with respect to the electromagnetic signal,

wherein the processor is further configured to determine one or more of a first variance quotient by dividing the variance of the first variable by the baseline variance of the first variable, and a second variance quotient by dividing the variance of the second variable by the baseline variance of the second variable, and to compare each of the one or more first and second variance quotients with a respective variance threshold,

wherein, when the comparison reveals that at least one of the first and second variance quotients is above the respective variance threshold, the processor determines that at least one systematic error is present in the electromagnetic signal, and, when the comparison reveals that at least one of the first and second variance quotients is below the respective variance threshold, the processor determines that no systematic errors are present in the electromagnetic signal, and

wherein the first variable is a ratio of a power of a measuring point of the first signal and a power of a measuring point of the second signal simultaneous with the measuring point of the first signal, and wherein the second variable is a phase difference of the measuring point of the first signal and the measuring point of the second signal.

2. The measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the determination of the baseline variance of each of one or more of the first variable and the second variable is performed before receipt of the electromagnetic signal, and wherein the determination of the variance of each of one or more of the first variable and the second variable is performed once the electromagnetic signal is received.

3. The measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to determine the respective variance thresholds based on one or more of a power of one or more of the first signal and the second signal, a number of simultaneously received signals, a number of determined locations of origin of received signals, an availability of computational resources, a type of surrounding of the measuring device, and an orientation of the measuring device.

4. The measuring device according to claim 1, wherein:

the baseline variance of the first variable is determined as

5. The measuring device according to claim 1, wherein:

the variance of the first variable is determined as

6. The measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the measuring device further comprises:

a third antenna configured to receive the electromagnetic signal as a third signal; and

wherein the one or more of the first variable and the second variable are derived from the first signal, the second signal and the third signal.

7. The measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the measuring device further comprises one or more of:

a display configured to display a graphic reflecting a result of the determination of the presence or absence of the at least one systematic error of the electromagnetic signal; and

an interface component configured to output information reflecting a result of the determination of the presence or absence of the at least one systematic error of the electromagnetic signal to an external device.

8. The measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine, based on at least the first signal and the second signal, a direction of origin of the electromagnetic signal.

9. The measuring device according to claim 8, wherein the measuring device further comprises:

a display configured to display an image reflecting the direction of origin of the electromagnetic signal, and an image reflecting a result of the determination of the presence or absence of the at least one systematic error of the electromagnetic signal.

10. The measuring device according to claim 9, wherein the display is configured display the direction of origin of the electromagnetic signal, only if the processor determines the absence of systematic errors in the electromagnetic signal.

11. A measuring method comprising:

receiving, by a first antenna of a measuring device, a first signal;

receiving, by a second antenna of a measuring device, a second signal;

determining, by the measuring device, a first variable and a second variable based at least in part on the first signal and the second signal;

determining, by the measuring device, a baseline variance of each of one or more of the first variable and the second variable;

determining, by the measuring device, a variance of each of one or more of the first variable and the second variable; and

determining, by the measuring device, a presence or absence of at least one systematic error of the received first signal and the received second signal based on the determined baseline variances of the first variable and the second variable and the determined variances of the first variable and the second variable; and

wherein the first antenna receives an electromagnetic signal as the first signal, and the second antenna receives the electromagnetic signal as the second signal, and wherein the presence or absence of the at least one systematic error is determined with respect to the electromagnetic signal,

wherein the method further comprises determining one or more of a first variance quotient by dividing the variance of the first variable by the baseline variance of the first variable, and a second variance quotient by dividing the variance of the second variable by the baseline variance of the second variable, and comparing each of the one or more first and second variance quotients with a respective variance threshold,

wherein, when the comparison reveals that at least one of the first and second variance quotients is above the respective variance threshold, it is determined that at least one systematic error is present in the electromagnetic signal, and, when the comparison reveals that at least one of the first and second variance quotients is below the respective variance threshold, it is determined that no systematic errors are present in the electromagnetic signal, and

wherein the first variable is a ratio of a power of a measuring point of the first signal and a power of a measuring point of the second signal simultaneous with the measuring point of the first signal, and wherein the second variable is a phase difference of the measuring point of the first signal and the measuring point of the second signal.