The latest software update of the plane wave converter
Increases the measurement precision and improves its usability thanks to a new calibration procedure. With these updates, Rohde & Schwarz expands the possible use cases of its 5G base station test solution using massive MIMO technology. This solution is used in R&D, quality assurance, production and conformity testing. The software will come pre-installed on the new R&S PWC200, and older models will have the option to upgrade.
The level of integration of base stations in the FR1 frequency range is increasing thanks to a new generation of base stations, called type 1-O, which is becoming more and more common. These base stations operate in the FR1 frequency range and have antenna arrays with integrated transceivers without access to internal RF ports. This causes any and all compliance and production testing to be done over-the-air (OTA), however, OTA testing can be technically challenging.
signal waves
To make accurate OTA measurements, the signal waves sent from the antenna must be smooth when they reach the device under test (DUT). The area around the DUT where the waves are flat is called the stealth zone (QZ). This is achieved by creating a long distance between the antenna and the DUT, which requires large and expensive shielded cameras. Rohde & Schwarz has an extensive portfolio of OTA test solutions designed to answer these challenges. Some of these solutions are based on CATR (compact antenna test range) technology in which a gold-wrapped reflector is used to create smooth waves facilitating the placement of the DUT partially close to the antenna. However, for large DUTs such as base stations, for example, the size of the high-precision speculum would be impressively large and would increase the cost of the system significantly. Rohde & Schwarz expands the free options for users, especially for huge DUTs, with the solution based on PWC technology from its OTA test catalogue.
The R&S PWC200 requires 4 times less space than solutions based on other OTA technologies such as CATR. The R&S PWC200 is based on a phased array consisting of 5 broadband Vivaldi antennas that form smooth waves on a scalable QZ and are positioned in the near-field radiation zone close to the DUT. It works as a plane wave synthesizer and near-field scanner, and is developed to monitor 200G base stations using massive MIMO technology and measure transceivers and radiated power in real time (EVM, ACLR, SEM, etc.) in a controlled environment. anechoic chamber. The R&S PWC200 has an internal RF verification solution that allows the R&S PWCXNUMX antenna to be accurately tracked and corrected without the need for an external antenna.
The R&S PWC200 was initially introduced a couple of years ago and was the first PWC-based solution on the market. It has been admitted as a methodology for OTA measurements of base stations by 3GPP in the conformance test specifications for NR (3GPP TS thirty-eight and one hundred and forty-one-two) and as an advanced antenna system (AAS) for LTE and WCDMA (3GPP TS thirty-seven and one hundred and forty-five-two). The latest updates improve different aspects of the solution. As 5G frequency bands change from country to country, the R&S PWC200's original frequency range of 3 GHz to 3 GHz was extended to cover today from XNUMX GHz to XNUMX GHz. This increases the possible applications for users all over the planet. In addition to this, thanks to a fresh approach to PWC calibration, the accuracy of the plane wave synthesizer has been further increased to now allow XNUMX times greater accuracy in magnitude and phase uniformity compared to the previous solution.
Dr. Adam Tankielun, Senior Antenna Test System Development Specialist at Rohde & Schwarz, says: “Our creative and enthusiastic development team absolutely redefined the calibration procedure for the R&S PWC200. Thanks to this, we can now offer our service customers the opportunity to test their products for the new generations of base stations with the least possible insecurity in the measurements and with the maximum use of the PWC test system. Now they can get a turnkey solution from a single vendor, a complete solution with all the support and service that can be customized to their needs.”
The R&S PWC200 plane wave converter is now available from Rohde & Schwarz. For more information, visit our website.
