A Bandwidth Scalable Millimetre Wave Over-The-Air Test System with Low Complexity

Abstract

In this work, we show the design and validation of a testbed for over-the-air testing millimetre waves equipments. We have extended the frequency capabilities of a baseband channel emulator which is capable of emulating non-stationary channels, to higher frequencies. To assure that the propagation between devices-under-test and the RF-frontend of the emulator is only a line-of-sight link, we have isolated the devices-under-test in two anechoic chambers. We characterize the testbed at 57 GHz by means of frequency sweeps for two artificial cases: when the emulator is replicating a one-tap channel and a two-tap channel. Finally we demonstrate the system functionality through reproduction of channels which were acquired during a vehicular millimetre wave measurement campaign conducted in Vienna in 2018.

In this work, we show the design and validation of a testbed for over-the-air testing millimetre waves equipments. We have extended the frequency capabilities of a baseband channel emulator which is capable of emulating non-stationary channels, to higher frequencies. To assure that the propagation between devices-under-test and the RF-frontend of the emulator is only a line-of-sight link, we have isolated the devices-under-test in two anechoic chambers. We characterize the testbed at 57 GHz by means of frequency sweeps for two artificial cases: when the emulator is replicating a one-tap channel and a two-tap channel. Finally we demonstrate the system functionality through reproduction of channels which were acquired during a vehicular millimetre wave measurement campaign conducted in Vienna in 2018.