Signal testing system

• US 20060252419A1
• Filed: 10/07/2005
• Published: 11/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arcadyan Technology Corporation (Compal Electronics Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Arcadyan Technology Corporation (Compal Electronics Incorporated)
• Inventors: Liu, I-Ru
• Granted Patent: US 7,395,060 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/423
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/06 Testing, supervising or monitoring using simulated traffic

Abstract

A signal testing system is disclosed, which is capable of achieving a bi-directional wireless transmission measurement enabling mutual testing between device-under-tests and reference devices by configuring a symmetrical structure with circulators and multiplexers. Moreover, the signal testing system not only is capable of fetching signal out of a test path by the use of power dividers and then transmitting the fetched signal to a signal analyzer to be analyzed so as to enable the system to support multiple testing, but also is capable of generating a signal used for referencing by a signal synthesizer so as to enable the system to support numerous tests. In addition, both the signal analyzer and the signal synthesizer have a switch control integrated therein, which enables the signal analyzer to perform analysis on signals of different frequency bandwidth, and enables the signal synthesizer to generate signals of different frequency bandwidth as require.

Claims

1. A signal testing system, adapted for testing at least a device-under-test while selectively connecting the system to a reference device externally, the signal testing system comprising:

a first circulator, being connected to the reference device for receiving a reference signal transmitting therefrom;

a second circulator, being connected to the device-under-test for receiving a testing signal transmitting therefrom;

a first channel emulator, receiving a signal transmitted from the first circulator for simulating a first wireless transmission environment;

a first power divider, receiving a signal transmitted from the first channel emulator for performing an operation of power assignment thereon while transmitting the divided signal to the second circulator;

a second channel emulator, receiving a signal transmitted from the second circulator for simulating a second wireless transmission environment;

a second power divider, receiving a signal transmitted from the second channel emulator for performing an operation of power assignment thereon while transmitting the divided signal to the first circulator;

a first duplexer, for receiving signals transmitted from the first power divider and the second power divider in respective; and

a signal analyzer, receiving and analyzing signals transmitted from the first duplexer;

wherein, the first circulator generates a signal to be received by the reference device while receiving the divided signal transmitted from the second power divider; and

the second circulator generates a signal to be received by the device-under-test while receiving the divided signal transmitted from the first power divider.

2. The signal testing system of claim 1, wherein the signal testing system is connected externally to a plurality of reference devices while the system further comprises:

a first multiplexer, selectively receiving signals transmitted from the plural reference devices while combining the received signals to generated a signal to be received by the first circulator; and

a second multiplexer, selectively receiving signals transmitted from the plural device-under-tests while combining the received signals to generated a signal to be received by the second circulator;

wherein the first multiplexer separate a signal transmitted from the first circulator so as to generates signals to be received by the plural reference devices; and

the second multiplexer separate a signal transmitted from the second circulator so as to generates signals to be received by the plural device-under-tests.

3. The signal testing system of claim 1, wherein the signal analyzer further comprises:

an amplifier, connected to the first duplexer for amplifying the signals transmitted therefrom;

a signal receiver, connected to the amplifier, capable of power-dividing, filtering and converting the signals outputted from the amplifier;

a switch control, connected to the signal receiver for, capable of power-dividing the signals transmitted from the signal receiver while selectively switching on/off the conducting of the divided signals so as to generate a plurality of combined signals, each being formed by selectively combining at least a divided signal selected from the group of the conducting signals; and

a signal processor, for receiving and analyzing the plural combined signals.

4. The signal testing system of claim 3, wherein the signal receiver further comprises:

a power divider, connected to the amplifier, for performing an operation of power assignment to the signal outputted from the amplifier;

a plurality of filters, each being connected to a corresponding signal transmitted from the power divider in a one-to-one manner for filtering the same to generated a corresponding filtered signal; and

a plurality of converters, each being connected to a corresponding filter out of the plural filters in a one-to-one manner for converting the corresponding filtered signal into an output signal of the signal receiver.

5. The signal testing system of claim 3, wherein the amplifier is a low-noise amplifier.

6. The signal testing system of claim 4, wherein the plural filters are band-pass filters.

7. The signal testing system of claim 3, wherein the output signal of the signal receiver is an intermediate frequency (IF) signal.

8. The signal testing system of claim 1, wherein the first channel emulator and the second channel emulator respectively comprises a transmission line, an attenuator, a delay line, an equalizer, a filter, a limiter and a channel simulator.

9. The signal testing system of claim 3, wherein the switch control further comprises:

a plurality of power dividers, each being enabled to received a corresponding signal outputted from the signal receiver in a one-to-one manner for performing an operation of power assignment on the same;

a plurality of switch units, each being connected to a number of corresponding power dividers out of the plural power dividers for receiving signals outputted from the corresponding power dividers while selectively switching on/off the conducting of the received signals with respect to a control signal; and

a plurality of power combiners, each being connected to a corresponding switch unit out of the plurality switch units in a one-to-one manner for generating a combined signal by combining the received signals controlled to be conducted.

10. The signal testing system of claim 9, wherein each switch unit comprises a plurality of switches, each being connected to a corresponding power divider out of the plural power dividers in a one-to-one manner, for receiving a corresponding signal outputted from the corresponding power divider while selectively switching on/off the conducting of the received signal.

11. The signal testing system of claim 9, wherein the signal analyzer further comprises a power detector, comprising:

a power transducer, connected to receive and detect a plurality of filtered signals outputted from filters of the signal receiver for generating a power detection signal accordingly;

an analog-to-digital converter, for receiving and converting the power detection signal into a digital signal; and

a level meter, for receiving the digital signal while comparing the digital signal with a reference of the level meter so as to generate a level signal to be employed as the control signal.

12. The signal testing system of claim 11, wherein the power detection signal is a voltage signal.

13. The signal testing system of claim 9, wherein the signal processor is capable of analyzing the plural combined signals for generating a de-spreading signal to be employed as the control signal.

14. The signal testing system of claim 11, wherein the signal analyzer includes a switch device, further comprising:

a first signal analyzing unit, for receiving the level signal;

a second signal analyzing unit, for receiving a de-spreading signal generated by the signal processor; and

a switch, for controlling the on/off of the first and the second signal analyzing units so as to correspondingly select an output signal of the switch device from the group consisting of the level signal and the de-spreading signal while employing the selected output signal as the control signal.

15. The signal testing system of claim 1, further comprising:

a signal synthesizer, for generating a pulse signal; and

a second duplexer, connected to the signal synthesizer, for enabling a situation selected from one of the following;

transmitting the pulse signal to the first multiplexer for using the same as the signal outputted from the reference device, and transmitting the pulse signal to the second multiplexer for using the same as the signal outputted from the device-under-test.

16. The signal testing system of claim 15, wherein the signal synthesizer further comprises:

a signal generator;

a switch control, connected to the signal generator for receiving a plurality of signals outputted from the same, capable of power-dividing the plural signals transmitted from the signal generator while selectively switching on/off the conducting of the divided signals so as to generate a plurality of combined signals, each being formed by selectively combining at least a divided signal selected from the group of the conducting signals;

a signal transmitter, for receiving the signals outputted from the switch control so as to perform operations of filtering, converting and power-combining on the received signals; and

an amplifier, for receiving and amplifying a signal outputted from the signal transmitter so as to generate the pulse signal.

17. The signal testing system of claim 16, wherein the switch control further comprises:

a power transducer, connected to receive and detect a plurality of filtered signals outputted from filters of the signal receiver for generating a power detection signal accordingly;

a plurality of switch units, each being connected to a number of corresponding power dividers out of the plural power dividers for receiving signals outputted from the corresponding power dividers while selectively switching on/off the conducting of the received signals with respect to a control signal; and

a plurality of power combiners, each being connected to a corresponding switch unit out of the plurality switch units in a one-to-one manner for generating a combined signal by combining the received signals controlled to be conducted.

18. The signal testing system of claim 17, wherein each switch unit comprises a plurality of switches, each being connected to a corresponding power divider out of the plural power dividers in a one-to-one manner, for receiving a corresponding signal outputted from the corresponding power divider while selectively switching on/off the conducting of the received signal.

19. The signal testing system of claim 16, wherein the signal transmitter further comprises:

a plurality of converters, each being connected to a corresponding signal outputted from the switch control in a one-to-one manner for converting the corresponding received signal;

a plurality of filters, each being connected to a corresponding converted signal transmitted from the corresponding converter in a one-to-one manner for filtering the same to generated a corresponding filtered signal; and

a power combiner, connected to the plural filters, for combining the power of the plural filtered signals to form an output signal of the signal transmitter.

20. The signal testing system of claim 19, wherein the converted signal outputted from the signal transmitter is a high frequency signal.

21. The signal testing system of claim 19, wherein the plural filters are band-pass filters.

22. The signal testing system of claim 17, wherein the signal synthesizer further comprises a power detector, comprising:

a power transducer, connected to receive and detect a plurality of filtered signals outputted from filters of the signal receiver for generating a power detection signal accordingly;

an analog-to-digital converter, for receiving and converting the power detection signal into a digital signal; and

a level meter, for receiving the digital signal while comparing the digital signal with a reference of the level meter so as to generate a level signal to be employed as the control signal.

23. The signal testing system of claim 17, wherein the signal generator generates an estimate signal to be employed as the control signal.

24. The signal testing system of claim 22, wherein the power detection signal is a voltage signal.

25. The signal testing system of claim 22, wherein the signal generator comprises a switch device, further comprising:

a first signal analyzing unit, for receiving the level signal;

a second signal analyzing unit, for receiving the estimate signal 1 generated by the signal generator; and

a switch, for controlling the on/off of the first and the second signal analyzing units so as to correspondingly select an output signal of the switch device from the group consisting of the level signal and the estimate signal while employing the selected output signal as the control signal.