METHOD FOR MEASURING MULTIPLE PARAMETERS OF A SIGNAL TRANSMITTED BY A SIGNAL GENERATOR

• US 20070036208A1
• Filed: 08/12/2005
• Published: 02/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LitePoint Corporation (Teradyne Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: LitePoint Corporation (Teradyne Incorporated)
• Inventors: Olgaard, Christian
• Granted Patent: US 7,564,896 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/21 for calibration; for correcting measurements

Abstract

A method is disclosed for measuring one or more parameters of a signal generated by a signal generator. The method employs capturing and analyzing a train of data packets or other forms of signals from a single transmission to obtain measured values for the one or more parameters. The obtained measured values may be used in valuing a calibration of a signal generator or in verifying the already calibrated values of the signal generator. In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the train of data packets contains packets having different properties.

Claims

1. A method for measuring one or more properties of an output signal generated by a signal generator, comprising:

generating a plurality of signals by the signal generator, a portion of said plurality of signals having at least one property that varies in value over a calibrated range of the signal generator;

receiving the portion of said plurality of signals from the signal generator for analysis; and

measuring the value of the at least one property for the received portion of said plurality of signals to produce a plurality of measured values.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising mapping the plurality of measured values to the calibrated range.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising comparing values of the calibrated range of the signal generator against the plurality of measured values of the at least one property.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the plurality of measured values corresponds to one of output power, spectral mask, and signal quality.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein at least first and second ones of said plurality of signals include first and second data packet signals with first and second unequal data rates and first and second unequal power levels respectively.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least first and second ones of said plurality of signals include first and second unequal values of said at least one property respectively.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one property includes at least one of output power, spectral mask, and signal quality.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein each one of said portion of said plurality of generated signals includes a predetermined plurality of data.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least first and second ones of said plurality of generated signals include first and second pluralities of different data respectively.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least first and second ones of said plurality of signals include first and second data packet signals with first and second equal data rates respectively.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

said plurality of signals include a plurality of data packet signals; and

said generating, receiving, and measuring are repeated for each of a plurality of predetermined data rates.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least first and second ones of said plurality of data packet signals include first and second data packet signals with first and second unequal data rates and first and second unequal power levels respectively.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising storing the received portion of said plurality of signals in memory.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising retrieving the stored portion from the memory.

15. A method for testing a data signal receiver supporting multiple data rates, comprising:

receiving by the data signal receiver a plurality of data signals, wherein at least first and second ones of a portion of the plurality of data signals have first and second ones respectively of at least two receiver-supported data rates;

determining from the received portion a total number of correctly received data signals; and

comparing the total number of correctly received data signals to a predetermined number.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein said receiving includes receiving at least first and second data signals of the received portion of the plurality of data signals at first and second substantially equal power levels respectively.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein said receiving includes receiving at least first and second data signals of the received portion of the plurality of data signals at first and second different power levels at first and second different receiver-supported data rates, respectively.