SYSTEM FOR TESTING MULTI-ANTENNA DEVICES USING BIDIRECTIONAL FADED CHANNELS

• US 20120100813A1
• Filed: 03/21/2011
• Published: 04/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Mow, Matt A., Schlub, Robert W., Dragone, Rocco V. Jr., Caballero, Ruben, Biedka, Thomas E.
• Application Number:
  US13/052,381
• Publication Number:
  US 20120100813A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/67.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/12 of transmit antennas, e.g. of the amplitude or phase
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/16 Test equipment located at the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/3911 Fading models or fading generators
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/10 Polarisation diversity; Directional diversity

Abstract

A test system for testing multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) systems is provided. The test system may convey radio-frequency (RF) signals bidirectionally between a device under test (DUT) and at least one base station. The DUT may be placed within a test chamber during testing. An antenna mounting structure may surround the DUT. Multiple antennas may be mounted on the antenna mounting structure to transmit and receive RF signals to and from the DUT. A first group of dual-polarized antennas may be coupled to the base station through downlink circuitry. A second group of dual-polarized antennas may be coupled to the base station through uplink circuitry. The uplink and downlink circuitry may each include a splitter/combiner, channel emulators, amplifier circuits, and switch circuitry. The channel emulators and amplifier circuits may be configured to provide desired path loss, spatial interference, and channel characteristics to model real-world wireless network transmission.

Claims

1. A wireless test system with a test chamber in which at least one device under test is tested, comprising:

a first plurality of test antennas;

a second plurality of test antennas;

a plurality of base stations;

downlink circuitry coupled between the first plurality of test antennas and a portion of the base stations; and

uplink circuitry coupled between the second plurality of test antennas and the portion of the base stations, wherein the uplink circuitry is configured to provide predetermined uplink path loss.

2. The wireless test system defined in claim 1, further comprising:

an antenna mounting structure having first and second ring-shaped portions, wherein the first plurality of test antennas comprise dual-polarized antennas mounted on the first ring-shaped portion and wherein the second plurality of test antennas comprise dual-polarized antennas mounted on the second ring-shaped portion.

3. The wireless test system defined in claim 1, wherein the downlink circuitry comprises a plurality of downlink channel emulators configured to emulate a fading downlink channel and wherein the uplink circuitry comprises a plurality of uplink channel emulators configured to emulate a fading uplink channel.

4. The wireless test system defined in claim 3, wherein the downlink circuitry further comprises a plurality of radio-frequency splitters coupled between the portion of the base stations and the downlink channel emulators and wherein the uplink circuitry further comprises a plurality of radio-frequency combiners coupled between the portion of the base stations and the uplink channel emulators.

5. The wireless test system defined in claim 4, wherein the downlink circuitry further comprises downlink amplifier circuits coupled between the downlink channel emulators and the first plurality of test antennas, wherein the uplink circuitry further comprises uplink amplifier circuits coupled between the uplink channel emulators and the second plurality of test antennas, wherein the downlink amplifier circuits are configured to provide predetermined downlink path loss, and wherein the uplink amplifier circuits are configured to provided the predetermined uplink path loss.

6. The wireless test system defined in claim 5, further comprising:

a plurality of duplexing circuits, wherein a portion of the duplexing circuits is coupled between the radio-frequency splitters and the portion of the base stations, and wherein the portion of the duplexing circuits is coupled between the radio-frequency combiners and the portion of the base stations.

7. The wireless test system defined in claim 6, further comprising:

a switch circuit, wherein the switch circuit is configured to connect the portion of the base stations to the portion of the duplexing circuits.

8. The wireless test system defined in claim 7, further comprising:

at least one signal generator, wherein the switch circuit is operable to connect the at least one signal generator to the portion of the duplexing circuits.

9. The wireless test system defined in claim 6, wherein the plurality of duplexing circuits comprises a plurality of multiband isolator circuits.

10. The wireless test system defined in claim 3, wherein each of the uplink channel emulators comprises a filter configured to attenuate downlink radio-frequency signals.

11. The wireless test system defined in claim 3, wherein the test chamber provides a chamber response for each of the first and second plurality of test antennas, wherein the uplink and downlink channel emulators are configured to provide an inverse chamber response that equalizes the chamber response, and wherein radio-frequency signals propagating within the test chamber are altered according to the inverse chamber response.

12. The wireless test system defined in claim 1, further comprising:

an additional device under test placed within the test chamber.

13. A wireless test system with a test chamber in which a device under test is tested, comprising:

a plurality of antennas in the test chamber;

downlink circuitry coupled to a first portion of the antennas; and

uplink circuitry coupled to a second portion of the antennas, wherein the uplink circuitry is configured to provide a predetermined signal to interference-plus-noise ratio.

14. The wireless test system defined in claim 13, further comprising:

at least one base station coupled to the downlink and uplink circuitry, wherein the base station is configured to transmit downlink radio-frequency signals through the downlink circuitry to the first portion of the antennas, and wherein the base station is configured to receive uplink radio-frequency signals through the uplink circuitry from the second portion of the antennas.

15. The wireless test system defined in claim 14, wherein the downlink circuitry comprises a plurality of downlink channel emulators coupled between the base station and the first portion of the antennas, wherein the uplink circuitry comprises a plurality of uplink channel emulators coupled between the base station and the second portion of the antennas, wherein the downlink channel emulators are configured to emulate a downlink fading channel, and wherein the uplink channel emulators are configured to emulate an uplink fading channel and are configured to provide the predetermined signal to interference-plus-noise ratio.

16. The wireless test system defined in claim 15, wherein the downlink circuitry further comprises a plurality of radio-frequency splitters coupled between the base station and of downlink channel emulators, and wherein the uplink circuitry further comprises a plurality of radio-frequency combiners coupled between the base station and of uplink channel emulators.

17. The wireless test system defined in claim 16, further comprising:

a plurality of signal generators each of which is connected to a respective one of the radio-frequency combiners, wherein the plurality of signal generators are configured to generate predetermined uplink interference signals.

18. The wireless test system defined in claim 16, wherein the downlink circuitry further comprises a plurality of downlink amplifier circuits coupled between the downlink channel emulators and the first portion of the antennas, wherein the uplink circuitry further comprises a plurality of uplink amplifier circuits coupled between the uplink channel emulators and the second portion of the antennas, wherein the downlink amplifier circuits are configured to provide predetermined downlink path loss, and wherein the uplink amplifier circuits are configured to provided predetermined uplink path loss.

19. The wireless test system defined in claim 15, wherein each of the uplink channel emulators comprises a filter configured to attenuate the downlink radio-frequency signals received by the second portion of the antennas.

20. The wireless test system defined in claim 13, wherein the plurality of antennas comprises a plurality of dual-polarized antennas.

21. A wireless test system for testing a plurality of devices under test, comprising:

a test chamber in which the plurality of devices under test is tested; and

a ring of test antennas within the test chamber that surrounds the device under test, wherein the test antennas in the ring comprise a first group of dual-polarized antennas configured to transmit radio-frequency signals and a second group of dual-polarized antennas configured to receive radio-frequency signals.

22. The wireless test system defined in claim 21, further comprising:

a plurality of base stations;

downlink circuitry coupled between the base stations and the first group of dual-polarized antennas, wherein the downlink circuitry is configured to provide predetermined downlink path loss; and

uplink circuitry coupled between the base stations and the second group of dual-polarized antennas, wherein the uplink circuitry is configured to provide predetermined uplink path loss.

23. The wireless test system defined in claim 22, further comprising:

a plurality of radio-frequency duplexers, wherein the radio-frequency duplexers are coupled between the base stations and the downlink circuitry, and wherein the plurality of radio-frequency duplexers are coupled between the base stations and the uplink circuitry.

24. The wireless test system defined in claim 22, further comprising:

a plurality of radio-frequency isolators, wherein the radio-frequency isolators are coupled between the base stations and the downlink circuitry, and wherein the radio-frequency isolators are coupled between the base stations and the uplink circuitry.

25. The wireless test system defined in claim 21, further comprising:

a plurality of base station emulators;

downlink circuitry coupled between the base station emulators and the first group of dual-polarized antennas, wherein the downlink circuitry is configured to emulate a fading downlink channel; and

uplink circuitry coupled between the base station emulators and the second group of dual-polarized antennas, wherein the uplink circuitry is configured to emulate a fading uplink channel.