Method and device for testing radio frequency index and wireless index of active antenna system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9596039-B2
Application number	US-201314409521-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 25, 2013
Priority date	Jul 27, 2012
Publication date	Mar 14, 2017
Grant date	Mar 14, 2017

Abstract

A method and apparatus for testing a radio frequency index and a wireless index of an active antenna system are provided. A probe-type testing cover based on a near field coupling mode is adopted to test the radio frequency index of the tested active antenna system. The method comprises testing cover monomer calibration, testing cover environment calibration, radio frequency index test, putting the tested active antenna system into the testing cover, wherein the test environment is the same as the calibration environment, and performing radio frequency test on the tested active antenna system through a radio frequency port of a test probe after compensating the test environment according to a calibration result obtained from the calibration. Further a comprehensive testing method is provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for testing a radio frequency index of an active antenna system, which adopts a testing cover to test the radio frequency index of a tested active antenna system, the method comprising:
a testing cover monomer calibration, performing a cable loss calibration to a radio frequency line of each antenna of the testing cover through a vector network analyzer;
a testing cover environment calibration, putting an antenna part in the testing cover after the monomer calibration, and fixing a spatial relationship between the antenna part and a test probe, and calibrating for a near field coupling environment between each dipole of the antenna part and the testing cover through moving the test probe; wherein, an dipole structure and composition mode of the antenna part are same as an antenna feeder part of the tested active antenna system, and the test probe is a standard antenna dipole; and
a radio frequency index test, putting the tested active antenna system into the testing cover after an environment calibration, and fixing a spatial relationship between a dipole corresponding to the tested active antenna system and the test probe, wherein the test environment thereof is the same as a test environment after the testing cover environment calibration, performing radio frequency test on the tested active antenna system through a radio frequency port of the test probe after compensating the test environment according to a calibration result obtained from the calibration, and obtaining the radio frequency index of the radio frequency port of the tested active antenna system.

2. The testing method according to claim 1 , wherein, the step of compensating the test environment according to a calibration result obtained from the calibration comprises:
compensating the test environment according to a testing cover monomer calibration table obtained by the testing cover monomer calibration and a test environment calibration table obtained by the testing cover environment calibration.

3. The testing method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
testing antenna electrical performance of the tested active antenna system by adopting the antenna part.

4. The testing method according to claim 1 , wherein, the step of fixing a spatial relationship between a dipole corresponding to the tested active antenna system and the test probe comprises:
making a polarization direction of the test probe be a same direction as a polarization direction of the dipole corresponding to the tested active antenna system.

5. A method for testing a wireless index of an active antenna system, comprising a radio frequency index test described in claim 1 , further comprising:
testing a spatial characteristic index of the tested active antenna system by adopting an over the air (OTA) test.

6. The testing method according to claim 5 , wherein,
the OTA test is conducted in a darkroom or a simulation freedom space environment, to test a directional diagram of the tested active antenna system.

7. The testing method according to claim 6 , further comprising:
calibrating a test environment of the OTA.

8. The testing method according to claim 5 , wherein, the OTA test comprises:
a downlink space characteristic test of the tested active antenna system: obtaining an Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) through compensating the directional diagram of the tested active antenna system.

9. The testing method according to claim 5 , wherein, the OTA test comprises:
an uplink space characteristic test of the tested active antenna system: obtaining an Effective Isotropic Reference Sensitivity (EIRS) through compensating the directional diagram of the tested active antenna system.

10. An apparatus for testing a radio frequency index of an active antenna system, comprising a shielding box, a positioning bracket, an antenna part, an antenna radio frequency line, a test probe, a probe location adjustment unit and a retractable absorbing plate, wherein:
the antenna part has a dipole structure and composition mode same as an antenna feeder part of the tested active antenna system, configured to be used for calibration of the testing apparatus and an antenna array test of the tested active antenna system; a monomer calibration as a cable loss calibration for the antenna radio frequency line of each antenna of the testing apparatus is performed through a vector network analyzer;
a testing environment calibration is performed by putting the antenna part in the testing apparatus after the monomer calibration, and fixing a spatial relationship between the antenna part and a test probe, and calibrating for a near field coupling environment between each dipole of the antenna part and the testing apparatus through moving the test probe; wherein, an dipole structure and composition mode of the antenna part are same as an antenna feeder part of the tested active antenna system, and the test probe is a standard antenna dipole;
the test probe is a standard antenna dipole;
the shielding box is configured to: form a space electromagnetic environment between the testing apparatus and the tested active antenna system;
the absorbing plate is located between the positioning bracket and the test probe; and
the positioning bracket is configured to: fix the antenna part or the tested active antenna system, and adjust orientation of the antenna part or the tested active antenna system.

11. The testing apparatus according to claim 10 , further comprising a probe location adjustment unit, wherein:
the probe location adjustment unit is configured to: fix and adjust the orientation of the test probe.

12. The testing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein,
the probe location adjustment unit comprises a slide guide rail set on a body of the shielding box.

13. The testing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein,
when testing a branch of the tested active antenna, the absorbing plate between the test probe and the dipole corresponding to the branch is unfolded, and the microwave plates at other locations are folded.

14. The testing method according to claim 6 , wherein, the OTA test comprises:
a downlink space characteristic test of the tested active antenna system: obtaining an Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) through compensating the directional diagram of the tested active antenna system.

15. The testing method according to claim 7 , wherein, the OTA test comprises:
a downlink space characteristic test of the tested active antenna system: obtaining an Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) through compensating the directional diagram of the tested active antenna system.

16. The testing method according to claim 6 , wherein, the OTA test comprises:
an uplink space characteristic test of the tested active antenna system: obtaining an Effective Isotropic Reference Sensitivity (EIRS) through compensating the directional diagram of the tested active antenna system.

17. The testing method according to claim 7 , wherein, the OTA test comprises:
an uplink space characteristic test of the tested active antenna system: obtaining an Effective Isotropic Reference Sensitivity (EIRS) through compensating the directional diagram of the tested active antenna system.

18. The testing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein,
when testing a branch of the tested active antenna, the absorbing plate between the test probe and the dipole corresponding to the branch is unfolded, and the microwave plates at other locations are folded.

19. The testing apparatus accor

Assignees

• Zte Corp

Inventors

• Wang Boming
• Li Xiangling
• Guo Xianfeng
• Wang Peng

Classifications

• G01R35/005

  Calibrating; Standards or reference devices, e.g. voltage or resistance standards, "golden" references (G01R33/0035, G01R35/002 take precedence) · CPC title

• H04B17/11 Primary

  for calibration · CPC title

• H04B17/00

  Monitoring; Testing (of line transmission systems H04B3/46; arrangements for monitoring or testing transmission systems employing electromagnetic waves other than radio waves H04B10/07) · CPC title

• H01Q3/267

  Phased-array testing or checking devices · CPC title

• H04B17/191 Primary

  Over-the-air testing · CPC title