Socket device adapted to send, receive, and loopback test signals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10429493-B2
Application number	US-201615005638-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2016
Priority date	May 12, 2015
Publication date	Oct 1, 2019
Grant date	Oct 1, 2019

Abstract

A method includes: generating, via a testing signal source, a test transmission signal; receiving the test transmission signal at an input port of a socket device having the input port, an input coupler, a divider, a combiner, an output coupler and an output port; providing, via the input coupler, an input signal based on the test transmission signal; providing, via the divider, portions of the input signal to each of respective inputs of m receivers of a transceiver having n transmitters and the m receivers; combining, via the combiner, signals provided at the respective outputs of the n transmitters into a combined output signal; providing a coupled output signal to the input coupler; providing a measured output signal to the output port; providing, via the output port, the measured output signal to a receiving signal measuring device; and testing, via the receiving signal measuring device, the measured output signal.

First claim

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A socket device comprising:
a signal generator input port adapted to receive a test transmission signal;
an input coupler having a coupler input coupled to the signal generator input port and having an input signal output;
a power divider having a divider input coupled to the input signal output and having plural splitter outputs, the plural splitter outputs being adapted to be coupled to receivers of a transceiver;
a power combiner having plural inputs adapted to receive transmitted signals from transmitters of the transceiver and having a combined output;
an output coupler having an input coupled to the combined output and having an output signal output; and
an output port coupled to the output signal output and having a port output adapted to be coupled to a signal tester.

2. The socket device of claim 1 in which the input coupler is configured to provide a transfer function from the coupler input to the input signal output, the transfer function being one of amplitude, phase, frequency and combinations thereof.

3. The socket device of claim 1 in which the power divider is configured to equally split an input signal received on the divider input to each of the splitter outputs.

4. The socket device of claim 1 in which the power combiner is configured to combine transmitted signals received on the plural input into a combined signal on the combined output.

5. The socket device of claim 1 in which the power combiner is configured to symmetrically combine signals received at the plural inputs into a combined output signal.

6. The socket device of claim 1 in which:
the input coupler has a loopback line output; and
the output coupler has a loopback line input coupled to the loopback line output.

7. A method of operating a socket device comprising:
receiving a test transmission signal at an input port of the socket device;
receiving the test transmission signal at a test input of an input coupler and providing an input signal at an input signal output;
receiving the input signal at a divider input coupled to the input signal output and splitting the input signal to plural splitter outputs adapted to be coupled to receivers of a transceiver;
receiving transmitted signals at plural inputs of a power combiner adapted to receive transmitted signals from the transceiver and combining the received transmitted signals into a combined signal at a combined output;
receiving the combined signal at an input of an output coupler and providing a measured output signal at an output of the output coupler; and
receiving the measured output signal from the output of the output coupler at an output port.

8. The method of claim 7 in which splitting the input signal to plural splitter outputs includes splitting the input signal equally to each of the splitter outputs.

9. The method of claim 8 including providing the measured output signal from the output port to a measuring device and sequentially enabling transmitters to produce the received transmitted signals at plural inputs of the power combiner.

10. The method of claim 7 including:
generating, via a controller, a control signal;
generating a loopback test transmission signal, based on the control signal from a transmitter of a transmitter array;
the receiving transmitted signals at plural inputs of a power combiner includes receiving the loopback test transmission signal;
outputting, from the combiner, a loopback combined output signal based on the test transmission signal;
outputting, from the output coupler to the input coupler, a loopback coupled output signal;
outputting, from the input coupler and based on the loopback coupled output signal, a loopback input signal;
providing, via the divider, portions of the loopback input signal to an array of receivers;
providing, via the receiver array, a loopback received signal; and
testing, via the controller, the loopback received signal.

Assignees

• Texas Instruments Inc

Inventors

• Ginsburg Brian P
• Jung Guor-Chaur

Classifications

• G01S7/4056

  specially adapted to FMCW · CPC title

• G01S7/4004 Primary

  of parts of a radar system · CPC title