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MIMO OTA Testing in Small Multiprobe Anechoic Chamber Setups | IEEE Journals & Magazine | IEEE Xplore

MIMO OTA Testing in Small Multiprobe Anechoic Chamber Setups


Abstract:

Over-the-air (OTA) testing of multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO)-capable terminals is often performed in large anechoic chambers, where planar waves impinging the test...Show More

Abstract:

Over-the-air (OTA) testing of multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO)-capable terminals is often performed in large anechoic chambers, where planar waves impinging the test area are assumed. Furthermore, reflections from the chamber and probe coupling are often considered negligible due to the large dimensions of the chamber. This letter investigates the feasibility of reducing the physical dimension of 2-D multiprobe anechoic chamber setups for MIMO OTA testing, with the purpose of reducing the cost and space of the setup. In the letter, a channel emulation algorithm and chamber compensation technique are proposed for MIMO OTA testing in small anechoic chambers. The performance deterioration in a small anechoic chamber, i.e., with a ring radius of 0.5 m, is demonstrated via simulations.
Page(s): 1167 - 1170
Date of Publication: 03 November 2015

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I. Introduction

The purpose of over-the-air (OTA) testing is to assess the performance of wireless devices including antenna performance. Multiple-input–multiple-output (MIMO)-capable devices should be tested under realistic channel conditions, so that their true performance is assessed. The multiprobe anechoic chamber (MPAC) method is a promising solution to achieve this. In this method, a number of source antennas, referred to as probe antennas, are placed inside an anechoic chamber surrounding the device under test (DUT). Through the use of a channel emulator connected to the probe antennas, various spatial channels can be created [1]. The main disadvantage of the MPAC method is its cost. A sufficient number of probe antennas is required to accurately emulate the channel, which leads to costly designs [2]. In addition, the radius of the ring where the probes are placed is typically assumed to be sufficiently large so that waves radiated from the probe antennas are planar in the test area. Typical ring radius in practical OTA setups reported in the literature is, for example, 2 m in Aalborg University and ETS-Lindgren setups, to name a few [3]. A large multiprobe setup and consequently a large anechoic chamber are often cost-prohibitive.

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1.
P. Kyösti, T. Jämsä and J.-P. Nuutinen, "Channel modelling for multiprobe over-the-air MIMO testing", Int. J. Antennas Propag., vol. 2012, pp. 615954, 2012.
2.
A. Khatun, T. Laitinen, V.-M. Kolmonen and P. Vainikainen, "Dependence of error level on the number of probes in over-the-air multiprobe test systems", Int. J. Antennas Propag., vol. 2012, pp. 624174, 2012.
3.
W. Fan, I. J. Szini, M. D. Foegelle, J. Ø. Nielsen and G. F. Pedersen, "Measurement uncertainty investigation in the multi-probe OTA setups", Proc. 8th EuCAP, pp. 1068-1072, Apr. 2014.
4.
StarMIMO, [online] Available: http://www.satimo.com/content/products/starmimo-hu.
5.
A. Alayon Glazunov, S. Prasad, P. Handel, T. Bolin and K. Prytz, "Impact of scattering within a multipath simulator antenna array on the ricean fading distribution parameters in OTA testing", IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., vol. 62, no. 6, pp. 3257-3269, Jun. 2014.
6.
Plane wave generation within a small volume of space for evaluation of wireless devices, Aug. 2012.
7.
P. Kyösti and L. Hentilä, "Criteria for physical dimensions of MIMO OTA multi-probe test setup", Proc. 6th EuCAP, pp. 2055-2059, Mar. 2012.
8.
W. Fan et al., "Emulating spatial characteristics of MIMO channel for OTA testing", IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., vol. 61, no. 8, pp. 4306-4314, Aug. 2013.
9.
D. Parvegi, T. Laitinen, A. Khatun, V.-M. Kolmonen and P. Vainikainen, "Calibration procedure for 2-D MIMO over-the-air multi-probe test system", Proc. 6th EuCAP, pp. 1594-1598, Mar. 2012.

References

References is not available for this document.