5g radio frequency test interface box

Abstract

The application discloses a 5G radio frequency test interface box, comprising: a 5G base station simulator interface group, a measured 5G terminal interface group, an extended test interface group and a path switching component for connecting the 5G base station simulator interface group and the measured 5G terminal interface group, wherein the 5G base station simulator interface group comprises a plurality of first interfaces for connecting with a 5G base station simulator; the measured 5G terminal interface group comprises a plurality of second interfaces for connecting with a measured terminal; the extended test interface group comprises a CW interference source interface, an AWGN noise source interface and a spectrum analyzer interface; the path switching component comprises a switch unit arranged between the plurality of first interfaces and the plurality of second interfaces, for switching a channel formed between the plurality of first interfaces and the plurality of second interfaces and different test modes of the extended test interface group; and the 5G radio frequency test interface box further comprises an adjustable attenuator arranged on each channel, and the adjustable attenuator is used for realizing attenuation control of signals in each channel according to a received control signal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of 5G radio frequency terminal testing technology, and in particular to a 5G radio frequency testing interface box. Background Technology

[0002] With the advent of the 5G era, base stations adopt massive MIMO antenna arrays, and mobile phones also use multi-antenna designs to meet beamforming requirements; therefore, the requirements for mobile phone RF testing have changed accordingly. In the 4G era and earlier, most mobile phones had a single antenna, and even those with multiple antennas used different antennas for different frequency bands, operators, and regions; therefore, 4G RF testing was conducted in SISO (single transmit, single receive) mode. Beamforming, starting with 5G, requires multiple antennas to operate simultaneously, i.e., MIMO mode, with each antenna having a different phase. This technology was first used in military phased array radar and is now being gradually promoted in the civilian field. In MIMO mode, one of the multiple channels cannot be disconnected for measurement; it is also best not to set the loss of one channel to a value different from other channels. While doing so facilitates RF testing, it violates the basic operating principles of beamforming and MIMO. Therefore, a requirement for 5G RF boxes is to ensure channel balance while achieving testing functions to meet the above requirements.

[0003] In the past, under SISO mode, when conducting RF testing on mobile phones using the RF test interface box, the single channel would be switched to different states, each with varying interference and loss. However, for base stations, these changes are normal. Just as a mobile phone can be near a base station or 10 kilometers away, in a city, in a rural area, or in the mountains, the base station's service will not change based on the phone's state. This is the same reason why people hope for the same internet speed on Mount Everest as in Beijing.

[0004] However, in MIMO mode, for example, a mobile phone has eight antenna channels. These eight antennas work together to perform beamforming and channel diversity. If there is no equalization, and one channel is used for RF testing, the insertion loss increases, interference is introduced into the tested channel, the beamforming algorithm is disrupted, and the channel's data error rate rises. For a 5G system, this is as if the RF channel is faulty. Therefore, this channel will be degraded by both the mobile phone and the base station, failing to meet the relevant test specifications. Thus, simple RF test interface boxes will suffer from channel imbalance issues when performing multi-channel extended testing.

[0005] There is currently no effective solution to the technical problem of channel imbalance in existing RF test interface boxes when performing multi-channel extended testing. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This invention provides a 5G radio frequency test interface box to at least solve the technical problem of channel imbalance in existing radio frequency test interface boxes when performing multi-channel extended tests.

[0007] According to one aspect of this application, a 5G radio frequency test interface box is provided for performing radio frequency tests on 5G radio frequency terminals, comprising: a 5G base station simulator interface group, a 5G terminal under test interface group, an extended test interface group, and a path switching component for connecting the 5G base station simulator interface group and the 5G terminal under test interface group, wherein the 5G base station simulator interface group includes multiple first interfaces for connecting to a 5G base station simulator; the 5G terminal under test interface group includes multiple second interfaces for connecting to a 5G terminal under test; the extended test interface group includes a CW interference source interface, an AWGN noise source interface, and a spectrum analyzer interface; and the path switching component includes... The 5G RF test interface box includes a switching unit disposed between the plurality of first interfaces and the plurality of second interfaces, used to switch different test modes of the channels and extended test interface groups formed between the plurality of first interfaces and the plurality of second interfaces; and an adjustable attenuator disposed on each channel, the adjustable attenuator being used to control the attenuation of the signal in each channel according to the received control signal, wherein the 5G RF test interface box obtains the corresponding test mode and channel compensation data by querying a preset internal compensation table according to the received switching command for switching test modes and channels, and generates the control signal according to the compensation data.

[0008] Optionally, the path switching component is located between the 5G base station simulator interface group and the 5G terminal under test interface group, including multiple first lines and multiple first switch units connecting the multiple first lines. By setting the switching states of the multiple first switch units, the test link between the 5G base station simulator interface group and the 5G terminal under test interface group can be switched. The test link between the 5G base station simulator interface group and the 5G terminal under test interface group includes a first test link and a second test link. In SA mode, the test link is the first test link, in which multiple first interfaces are connected to corresponding multiple second interfaces one by one to form an independent channel. In NSA mode, the test link is the second test link, in which a portion of the interfaces of multiple first interfaces are connected to a portion of the interfaces of corresponding multiple second interfaces one by one to form an independent channel, and another portion of the multiple first interfaces is connected to another portion of the interfaces of corresponding multiple second interfaces through a hybrid splitting module.

[0009] Optionally, the 5G base station simulator interface group includes eight first interfaces, and the 5G terminal under test interface group includes eight second interfaces. In the first test link, the eight first interfaces are connected to the eight second interfaces one by one to form eight independent channels; and in the second test link, the first six interfaces of the eight first interfaces are connected to the first six interfaces of the corresponding eight second interfaces one by one to form six independent channels, and the last two interfaces of the eight first interfaces are connected to the last two interfaces of the corresponding eight second interfaces through a hybrid splitting module.

[0010] Optionally, in SA mode, the test link between the 5G base station simulator interface group, the 5G terminal under test interface group and the extended test interface group includes a third test link. In the third test link, the extended test interface group is connected to each of the eight first interfaces and eight second interfaces, and the eight independent channels are switched to the coupling function module one by one.

[0011] Optionally, in NSA mode, the test link between the 5G base station simulator interface group, the 5G terminal under test interface group, and the extended test interface group includes a fourth test link. In the fourth test link, the extended test interface group is connected one by one to the first six interfaces of the eight first interfaces and the first six interfaces of the eight second interfaces, switching the six independent channels one by one to the coupling function module. At the same time, the extended test interface group is connected to the hybrid splitting module and one by one to the last two interfaces of the eight second interfaces.

[0012] Optionally, the path switching component also includes a harmonic interference filtering unit disposed between the extended test interface group and multiple first interfaces and multiple second interfaces, for preventing the DUT signal from causing secondary interference to the noise source signal or the interference source signal.

[0013] Optionally, the path switching component also includes an RF test topology, which includes two input interfaces and two output interfaces, forming independent channels and mixed channels between the two input interfaces and the two output interfaces.

[0014] The 5G RF test interface box proposed in this invention solves the technical problem of channel imbalance during multi-channel extended testing by employing a pre-test, post-lookup table method. During the production phase of the 5G RF test interface box, a network analyzer scans and records the data in each channel. Each channel includes those between the 5G base station simulator interface group and the 5G terminal under test interface group, as well as those formed between the base station interface group, the 5G terminal under test interface group, and the extended test interface group during extended function testing. The data recorded by the network analyzer is calculated and stored in the storage module of the 5G RF test interface box, forming an internal compensation table. When the 5G RF test interface box is delivered to the customer, the customer can send commands to switch test modes and channels via the software system. When the 5G RF test interface box receives a switching command, it retrieves the corresponding test mode and channel compensation data by querying a preset internal compensation table. Based on this data, it generates control signals and sends them to the adjustable attenuators on each channel. The attenuators then control the signal attenuation in each channel according to the received control signals. After completing these operations, the 5G RF test interface box returns the results to the upper-layer software, thus achieving insertion loss equalization across multiple channels. This solves the channel imbalance problem present in existing RF test interface boxes during multi-channel extended testing.

[0015] The above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of specific embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The following sections will describe some specific embodiments of this application in detail by way of example and not limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar parts or components. Those skilled in the art should understand that these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the drawings:

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the 5G RF test interface box in SA mode in this application;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the 5G RF test interface box in NSA mode in this application;

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the 5G radio frequency test interface box in this application;

[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the 5G RF test interface box in this application, which connects to noise and interference sources.

[0021] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the 5G RF test interface box connected to the spectrum analyzer in this application;

[0022] Figures 6a to 6b This is a schematic diagram of the 5G RF test interface box in this application implementing extended test functions in SA mode;

[0023] Figures 7a to 7b This is a schematic diagram of the 5G RF test interface box in this application implementing extended test functions in NSA mode; and

[0024] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the internal circuitry of the 5G RF test interface box in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0025] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in the present invention can be combined with each other. The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0026] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present invention, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0027] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this invention are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such terms can be used interchangeably where appropriate for the embodiments of the invention described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0028] It should be noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to this application. As used herein, the singular form is intended to include the plural form as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0029] First, some nouns or terms that appear in the description of the embodiments of this disclosure shall be interpreted as follows:

[0030] Term 1: SA mode is 5G standalone networking;

[0031] Term 2: NSA mode refers to 5G non-standalone networking, including LTE;

[0032] Term 3: Functional testing, used to test various operational functions of the mobile phone. For example, when playing a game, if a call comes in, the phone should be able to ring smoothly, rather than ignoring the call because the game level is high;

[0033] Term 4: 5G terminal under test refers to the 5G terminal being tested.

[0034] Reference Figures 3 to 5 and Figure 8 As shown, this embodiment provides a 5G RF test interface box for performing RF tests on 5G RF terminals. It includes: a 5G base station simulator interface group 100, a 5G terminal under test interface group 200, extended test interface groups 510-530, and a path switching component 600 for connecting the 5G base station simulator interface group 100 and the 5G terminal under test interface group 200. The 5G base station simulator interface group 100 includes multiple first interfaces 110-180 for connecting to the 5G base station simulator. The 5G terminal under test interface group 200 includes multiple second interfaces 210-280 for connecting to the 5G terminal under test. The extended test interface groups 510-530 include a CW interference source interface 510, an AWGN noise source interface 520, and a spectrum analyzer interface 530. The path switching component 600 includes a switching unit disposed between multiple first interfaces 110-180 and multiple second interfaces 210-280, used to switch different test modes of the channels formed between the multiple first interfaces 110-180 and multiple second interfaces 210-280 and the extended test interface groups 510-530. The 5G RF test interface box also includes an adjustable attenuator disposed on each channel. The adjustable attenuator is used to control the attenuation of the signal in each channel according to the received control signal. The 5G RF test interface box obtains the corresponding test mode and channel compensation data by querying a preset internal compensation table according to the received switching command for switching test modes and channels, and then generates a control signal based on the compensation data.

[0035] As described in the background section, there is a technical problem in the prior art where the RF test interface box has channel imbalance when performing multi-channel extended testing.

[0036] To address the technical problems mentioned above, this application provides a 5G RF test interface box, including a 5G base station simulator interface group 100, a 5G terminal under test interface group 200, extended test interface groups 510-530, and a path switching component 600. The 5G base station simulator interface group 100 is connected to a 5G base station simulator, and the 5G terminal under test interface group 200 is connected to the 5G terminal to be tested. The CW interference source interface 510 can connect to a CW interference source, the AWGN noise source interface 520 can connect to an AWGN noise source, and the spectrum analyzer interface 530 can connect to a spectrum analyzer. The switching unit in the path switching component 600 allows for extended function testing of the signal under test connected to the 5G RF test interface box.

[0037] Specifically, refer to Figure 8As shown, for example, when one of the eight channels of 5G base station 1 to DUT1 is subjected to RF testing, while the other channels are in a direct connection state, the eight channels are unbalanced. For simple tests, the channel under test, due to its long path and high loss, as well as the addition of interference, will be degraded by the mobile phone and base station, transmitting only a small amount of signal for channel quality testing. In this case, the channel under test itself is degraded by the mobile phone, which fails to meet the relevant requirements of the test specification. For example, the test specification requires the mobile phone under test to transmit at maximum power on the channel under test. However, now the degraded signal of this channel is transferred to the other seven channels, and the power of the channel under test itself decreases, which violates the requirements of the test specification. For example, in the interference immunity test of the mobile phone, the insertion loss of the other seven channels in the test environment is tested. The insertion loss of the interfered channel is large, with a difference of at least 10dB between the two. Thus, the eight signals arriving at the mobile phone have too large a difference in strength. The data quality of seven channels is constant, and the weakest signal in the test channel carries interference. The measured receiver sensitivity will be invalid and false data. For communication systems employing multiple antennas, whether 8, 4, or 2 antennas, whether dual-band Wi-Fi or multi-frequency OFDM technology from 4G to 5G, automatic adjustment between multiple antennas will encounter test channel degradation issues during simple testing. Therefore, to solve the testing of multiple antenna channels, channel equalization must be introduced. The MIMO section of this 5G RF test interface box is primarily responsible for solving the problem of dynamic equalization of channel attenuation. Channel equalization, as defined here, means that the 8 channels will automatically adjust according to the maximum attenuation. Regardless of which test case the test software needs to perform, or what path changes the test channel needs to traverse, the 8 channels are balanced for both the base station and the mobile phone. During equalization, the maximum transmit power condition for spurious emission testing can be met, and the mobile phone will transmit at maximum power evenly across the 8 channels. In this case, spurious emission testing will not interfere with communication between the two. During equalization, the 8 channels for interference testing will synchronously reduce power. Only the tested channel will have an added interference signal. The processing result after the mobile phone receives the signal can objectively reflect the receiver sensitivity performance parameters of a channel under interference conditions.

[0038] Therefore, the 5G RF test interface box in this application can solve the technical problem of channel imbalance during multi-channel extended testing by adopting a pre-test and post-lookup table method. During the production phase of the 5G RF test interface box, a network analyzer is used to scan and record data from each channel. Each channel includes every channel between the 5G base station simulator interface group 100 and the 5G terminal under test interface group 200, and the channels formed between the base station interface group 100, the 5G terminal under test interface group 200, and the extended test interface groups 510-530 during extended function testing. The data recorded by the network analyzer is calculated and stored in the internal storage module of the 5G RF test interface box, forming an internal compensation table. When the 5G RF test interface box is delivered to the customer, the customer can send switching commands for test modes and channels through the software system. When the 5G RF test interface box receives a switching command, it retrieves the corresponding test mode and channel compensation data by querying a preset internal compensation table. Based on this data, it generates control signals and sends them to the adjustable attenuators on each channel. The attenuators then control the signal attenuation in each channel according to the received control signals. After completing these operations, the 5G RF test interface box returns the results to the upper-layer software, thus achieving insertion loss equalization across multiple channels. This solves the channel imbalance problem present in existing RF test interface boxes during multi-channel extended testing.

[0039] Optionally, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The path switching component 600 is disposed between the 5G base station simulator interface group 100 and the 5G terminal interface group 200 under test, and includes multiple first lines and multiple first switch units connecting the multiple first lines. By setting the switching states of the multiple first switch units, the test link between the 5G base station simulator interface group 100 and the 5G terminal interface group 200 under test can be switched. The test link between the 5G base station simulator interface group 100 and the 5G terminal interface group 200 under test includes a first test link and a second test link. In SA mode, the test link is the first test link. In a test link, multiple first interfaces 110-180 are connected to multiple corresponding second interfaces 210-280 one by one to form an independent channel. In NSA mode, the test link is a second test link. In the second test link, a portion of the interfaces of multiple first interfaces 110-180 are connected to a portion of the interfaces of multiple corresponding second interfaces 210-280 one by one to form an independent channel. The other portion of multiple first interfaces 110-180 is connected to the other portion of the interfaces of multiple corresponding second interfaces 210-280 through the hybrid splitting module 300 (i.e., the Mix module).

[0040] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the 5G RF test interface box includes a 5G base station simulator interface group 100, a 5G terminal under test interface group 200, and a path switching component 600 for connecting the 5G base station simulator interface group and the 5G terminal under test interface group. In SA mode (5G Standalone), the 5G base station simulator interface group 100 is connected to the 5G base station simulator, and the test link between the 5G base station simulator interface group 100 and the 5G terminal under test interface group 200 is the first test link. In the first test link, multiple first interfaces 110-180 of the 5G base station simulator interface group 100 are respectively connected to the corresponding second interfaces 210-280 of the 5G terminal under test interface group 200, forming independent channels to achieve testing of the 5G RF terminal. In NSA mode (5G Non-Standalone, including LTE), the 5G base station simulator interface group 100 is connected to the 5G base station simulator, and the test link between the 5G base station simulator interface group 100 and the 5G terminal under test interface group 200 is the second test link. In the second test link, a portion of the first interfaces of the 5G base station simulator interface group (e.g., but not limited to the first six first interfaces 110-160) are connected one by one to a portion of the second interfaces of the corresponding 5G terminal under test interface group (corresponding to the first six second interfaces 210-260), forming independent channels. Furthermore, another portion of the first interfaces of the 5G base station simulator interface group (e.g., the last two first interfaces 170-180) are connected via the hybrid splitting module 300 (i.e., the Mix module) to another portion of the second interfaces of the corresponding 5G terminal under test interface group (i.e., the last two second interfaces 270-280). This enables the testing of 4G and 5G radio frequency terminals.

[0041] Furthermore, the path switching component includes multiple lines and multiple switching units connecting these lines. Thus, by setting the switching states of the multiple switching units, the test links of the 5G base station simulator interface group and the 5G terminal under test interface group can be switched. Specifically, when multi-channel testing of a 5G RF terminal is required, the test links of the 5G base station simulator interface group and the 5G terminal under test interface group are switched to the first test link by setting the switching states of the multiple switching units. When multi-channel testing of a 4G and 5G compatible RF terminal is required, the test links of the 5G base station simulator interface group and the 5G terminal under test interface group are switched to the second test link by setting the switching states of the multiple switching units. In this way, a complete RF test system is formed, enabling compatibility with and support for multi-channel testing of both 4G and 5G. This solves the technical problem that the RF test interface box cannot be compatible with multi-channel testing of both 4G and 5G.

[0042] Optionally, the 5G base station simulator interface group 100 includes eight first interfaces 110-180, and the 5G terminal under test interface group 200 includes eight second interfaces 210-280. In the first test link, the eight first interfaces 110-180 are connected to the eight second interfaces 210-280 one by one to form eight independent channels. In the second test link, the first six interfaces 110-160 of the eight first interfaces 110-180 are connected to the first six interfaces 210-260 of the corresponding eight second interfaces 210-280 one by one to form six independent channels. The last two interfaces 270-280 of the eight first interfaces 110-180 are connected to the last two interfaces 260-280 of the corresponding eight second interfaces 210-280 through the hybrid splitting module 300 (i.e., the Mix module).

[0043] Reference Figure 1 As shown, in the first test link, interface 110 of the eight first interfaces 110-180 of the 5G base station simulator interface group is connected to the corresponding second interface 210 of the 5G terminal interface group under test 200, thus forming an independent channel. The connection method between the remaining seven first interfaces 120-180 and the corresponding seven second interfaces 220-280 is the same as the connection method between the first interface 110 and the second interface 210, thus forming another seven independent channels. This method ensures a high degree of isolation between the channels. Furthermore, the use of automatic equalization in the 5G RF test interface box ensures that all channels maintain a uniform insertion loss, with an inter-channel error of less than 0.25dB. This method is suitable for multi-channel SA networking, i.e., 5G standalone networking.

[0044] Reference Figure 2As shown, in the second test link, the first six of the eight first interfaces 110-180 (110-160) are connected one-to-one with the first six of the eight corresponding second interfaces 210-280 (210-260), in the same way as the connection method of the first interface 110 and the second interface 210 mentioned above, and will not be repeated here. The last two first interfaces 170-180 are connected to the second interfaces 270 and 280 of the second interfaces 210-280 after passing through the mixing and splitting module 300 (i.e., the Mix module). Thus, independent channels are directly established between the six ports connected to the 5G base station simulator and the six ports connected to the mobile phone under test in the 5G RF test interface box, and the other two channels are mixed and split by the Mix module. This method ensures a high degree of isolation between the channels. Furthermore, the use of automatic equalization in the 5G RF test interface box can maintain a uniform insertion loss for all channels, with an inter-channel error of less than 0.25dB. This approach is applicable to multi-channel NSA networking, i.e., 5G non-standalone networking, including LTE.

[0045] Optionally, in SA mode, the test link between the 5G base station simulator interface group 100, the 5G terminal under test interface group 200, and the extended test interface groups 510-530 includes a third test link. In the third test link, the extended test interface groups 510-530 are connected one by one to eight first interfaces 110-180 and eight second interfaces 210-280, and the eight independent channels are switched one by one to the coupling function module 400.

[0046] Specifically, refer to Figure 6a and Figure 6b As shown, in the third test link, interface 110 of the first interface 110-180 of the 5G base station simulator interface group 100 is connected to interface 210 of the second interface 210-280 of the corresponding 5G terminal under test interface group 200 through the coupling function module 400. The remaining first interfaces 120-180 are connected one by one to the corresponding second interfaces 220-280 through the coupling function module 400, and the connection method is the same as that of the first interface 110 and the second interface 210, which will not be described again here. In this way, the extended test function of the channel switched to the coupling function module in SA mode (5G standalone networking) is realized. The remaining channels not switched to the coupling function module directly establish independent channels between the 5G base station simulator port and the port of the mobile phone under test, which can ensure a high degree of isolation between channels. In addition, automatic equalization is used in the 5G RF test interface box, and all channels maintain a uniform insertion loss with an inter-channel error of less than 0.25dB.

[0047] Optionally, in NSA mode, the test link between the 5G base station simulator interface group 100, the 5G terminal under test interface group 200, and the extended test interface groups 510-530 includes a fourth test link. In the fourth test link, each of the extended test interface groups 510-530 is connected to the first six interfaces 110-160 of the eight first interfaces 110-180 and the first six interfaces 210-260 of the eight second interfaces 210-280, switching the six independent channels to the coupling function module 400 one by one. At the same time, each of the extended test interface groups 510-530 is connected to the hybrid splitting module 300 and the last two interfaces 270-280 of the eight second interfaces 210-280.

[0048] Specifically, refer to Figure 7a and Figure 7b As shown, in the fourth test link, the first interface 110 of the first interfaces 110-180 of the 5G base station simulator interface group 100 is connected to the second interface 210 of the second interfaces 210-280 of the corresponding 5G terminal under test interface group 200 through the coupling function module 400. The remaining first interfaces 120-160 are connected one by one to the corresponding second interfaces 220-260 through the coupling function module 400, and the connection method is the same as that of the first interface 110 and the second interface 210, which will not be described again here. The last two interfaces 170-180 of the first interfaces 110-180 are connected to the hybrid segmentation module 300 (i.e., the Mix module) and then connected to the second interfaces 270-280 of the corresponding 5G terminal under test interface group through the coupling function module 400. In this way, the extended test function under NSA mode (5G non-standalone networking, including LTE) is realized. Furthermore, the 5G RF test interface box maintains impedance matching at all times and uses automatic equalization to ensure that all channels maintain a uniform insertion loss with an inter-channel error of less than 0.25dB.

[0049] Optionally, the path switching component 600 also includes a harmonic interference filtering unit disposed between the extended test interface group 510-530 and the plurality of first interfaces 110-180 and the plurality of second interfaces 210-280, for preventing the DUT signal from causing secondary interference to the noise source signal or the interference source signal.

[0050] Specifically, refer to Figures 3 to 5As shown, during extended function testing, the signal is affected by harmonic interference. When the extended test interface group 510-530 is connected to the CW signal (interference source signal), the CW signal has second and third harmonics. These harmonics will fall into the frequency band of the phone under test during the scanning process, affecting the test results. Secondly, the DUT's transmit power is very high, and if it is not suppressed, it will enter the CW signal source, directly interfering with the CW signal source, and thus generating a large amount of unwanted noise, interfering with the test results. Moreover, the CW signal has a wide frequency sweep range, requiring scanning from 100kHz to 26GHz, necessitating necessary segmentation processing to reduce costs. Therefore, the 5G RF test interface box has set up 8 sub-modes in the CW interference source channel, divided according to frequency, to solve the above problems. Similar problems exist when the extended test interface group 510-530 is connected to a broadband noise source. First, the DUT's transmit power is very high, and if it is not suppressed, it will enter the broadband noise source, directly interfering with the broadband noise source, and thus generating a large amount of unwanted noise, interfering with the test results. Secondly, the numerous frequency bands currently allocated for mobile phones globally result in a wide frequency sweep range for test signals, necessitating segmentation processing to meet technical requirements. Therefore, the 5G RF test interface box incorporates four sub-modes in its broadband noise source channel, divided according to frequency, to address this issue. When the extended test interface groups 510-530 are connected to a spectrum analyzer, the spectrum of the signal under test can be measured.

[0051] Optionally, the path switching component 600 also includes an RF test topology, which includes two input interfaces and two output interfaces, forming an independent channel and a mixed channel between the two input interfaces and the two output interfaces.

[0052] Specifically, refer to Figure 8 In NSA mode (5G non-standalone networking, including LTE), the phone contains both 4G and 5G modules, and the switching between 4G and 5G is frequent. This further complicates testing, making it impossible to test using a purely 4G system or a purely 5G system. In NSA mode (5G non-standalone networking, including LTE), the 5G RF test interface box is compatible with both 4G and 5G, allowing the phone to work normally with the base station simulator and perform tests.

[0053] In NSA mode (5G non-standalone networking, including LTE) outside of testing (excluding SA mode), after the phone powers on (or after a signal handover), it first searches for 4G base station signals and then communicates with them. Since the phone has multiple antennas, the antennas used for searching for 4G signals and communicating with 4G base stations are allowed to switch. The phone then requests 5G communication from the network. When an available 5G base station is nearby, it will form a beam to communicate with the phone. At this point, the phone may abandon the 4G signal and use all antennas to communicate with 5G, or it may continue to maintain 4G. During data transmission and communication, the phone will also frequently switch antennas depending on the situation. In 5G SA mode (5G standalone networking), each antenna in a multi-antenna phone functions independently, while in NSA mode (5G non-standalone networking, including LTE), each antenna port undertakes varying tasks. Therefore, the functional design of the 5G RF test interface box must meet the above requirements.

[0054] like Figure 8 As shown, the RF topology is compatible with two 4G antenna interfaces, with inputs DUT7 and DUT8, and outputs BS7 and BS8. Permissible topologies include: DUT7~BS7, DUT8~BS8, DUT7+DUT8~BS7+BS8, DUT7~(BS7 and BS8), DUT8~(BS7 and BS8), (DUT7 and DUT8)~BS7, and (DUT7 and DUT8)~BS8. This topology is 2-input, 2-output. Internally, it contains two parts: an independent channel and a hybrid "splitter-combiner" channel. Either of the 2-input, 2-output channels can be switched to an independent or hybrid channel as needed. During operation, the two ports of the base station can be configured as independent ports (one port for 4G and one port for 5G), or the base station can be directly configured as a hybrid signal (both ports contain both 4G and 5G signals). If the search or switching process after a mobile phone powers on is too complex, a hybrid mode of the 5G RF test interface box can be used. Once the signaling between the base station and the mobile phone is clear, it switches to the appropriate communication state. This method ensures the design of the 5G RF test interface box meets the aforementioned requirements. Furthermore, all ports have built-in automatic impedance matching, guaranteeing 50 Ohms of matching in any topology mode. This solves the problem of false test data caused by signal reflection.

[0055] Therefore, the 5G RF test interface box proposed in this application can not only be used with software to achieve automated testing, but also has excellent consistency, very small data distribution error in multiple tests, and the following beneficial effects:

[0056] 1. This application can support up to 8 channels, solving the need for multi-channel testing of 5G, that is, MIMO testing.

[0057] 2. This application addresses the testing of the terminal under test when SA mode (5G standalone network) and NSA (5G non-standalone network, including LTE) modes coexist.

[0058] 3. This application solves the channel imbalance problem in MIMO mode and can guarantee balance in any test mode.

[0059] 4. This application solves the problem of interference from the large signal of the test terminal to CW interference signal sources and AWGN broadband noise sources.

[0060] This application addresses the problem of additional interference to the test terminal caused by the second and third harmonics of the CW interference signal source during broadband scanning.

[0061] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions, and values ​​of the components and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention. It should also be understood that, for ease of description, the dimensions of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn to actual scale. Techniques, methods, and devices known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and devices should be considered part of the specification. In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limitations. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters in the following figures denote similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further discussed in subsequent figures.

[0062] For ease of description, spatial relative terms such as "above," "on top of," "on the upper surface of," "above," etc., are used herein to describe the spatial positional relationship of a device or feature as shown in the figures to other devices or features. It should be understood that spatial relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations in use or operation beyond the orientation of the device as described in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures were inverted, a device described as "above" or "on top of" other devices or structures would subsequently be positioned as "below" or "under" other devices or structures. Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below." The device may also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatial relative descriptions used herein will be interpreted accordingly.

[0063] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by directional terms such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "horizontal, vertical, horizontal" and "top, bottom" is generally based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description. Unless otherwise stated, these directional terms do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of protection of this invention; the directional terms "inner" and "outer" refer to the inner and outer contours relative to the outline of each component itself.

[0064] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A 5G radio frequency test interface box for performing radio frequency tests on 5G radio frequency terminals, characterized in that, It includes: a 5G base station simulator interface group, a 5G terminal under test interface group, an extended test interface group, and a path switching component for connecting the 5G base station simulator interface group and the 5G terminal under test interface group, wherein... The 5G base station simulator interface group includes multiple first interfaces for connecting to the 5G base station simulator. The interface group of the 5G terminal under test includes multiple second interfaces for connecting to the 5G terminal under test. The extended test interface group includes a CW interference source interface, an AWGN noise source interface, and a spectrum analyzer interface; The path switching component includes a switching unit disposed between the plurality of first interfaces and the plurality of second interfaces, used to switch different test modes of the channel and extended test interface group formed between the plurality of first interfaces and the plurality of second interfaces; as well as The 5G RF test interface box also includes adjustable attenuators set on each channel. The adjustable attenuators are used to control the attenuation of signals in each channel according to the received control signals. The 5G RF test interface box obtains the corresponding test mode and channel compensation data by querying a preset internal compensation table according to the received switching test mode and channel switching instructions, and then generates the control signals according to the compensation data. The path switching component is disposed between the 5G base station simulator interface group and the 5G terminal under test interface group, and includes multiple first lines and multiple first switch units connecting the multiple first lines. By setting the switching state of the multiple first switch units, the test link between the 5G base station simulator interface group and the 5G terminal under test interface group can be switched, and the test link between the 5G base station simulator interface group and the 5G terminal under test interface group includes a first test link and a second test link. The 5G base station simulator interface group includes eight first interfaces, and the 5G terminal under test interface group includes eight second interfaces. In the first test link, the eight first interfaces are connected to the eight second interfaces one by one to form eight independent channels. as well as In the second test link, the first six of the eight first interfaces are connected one by one to the first six of the corresponding eight second interfaces to form six independent channels, and the last two of the eight first interfaces are connected to the last two of the corresponding eight second interfaces through a hybrid splitting module.

2. The 5G RF test interface box according to claim 1, characterized in that, In SA mode, the test link between the 5G base station simulator interface group, the 5G terminal under test interface group, and the extended test interface group includes a third test link, and In the third test link, each of the extended test interface groups is connected to one of the eight first interfaces and eight second interfaces, and the eight independent channels are switched to the coupling function module one by one.

3. The 5G RF test interface box according to claim 1, characterized in that, In NSA mode, the test link between the 5G base station simulator interface group, the 5G terminal under test interface group, and the extended test interface group includes a fourth test link, and In the fourth test link, each of the extended test interface groups is connected to the first six interfaces of the eight first interfaces and the first six interfaces of the eight second interfaces one by one, switching the six independent channels one by one to the coupling function module. At the same time, each of the extended test interface groups is connected to the hybrid splitting module and then to the last two interfaces of the eight second interfaces one by one.

4. The 5G RF test interface box according to claim 1, characterized in that, The path switching component also includes a harmonic interference filtering unit disposed between the extended test interface group and the multiple first interfaces and the multiple second interfaces, for preventing the DUT signal from causing secondary interference to the noise source signal or the interference source signal.

5. The 5G RF test interface box according to claim 1, characterized in that, The path switching component also includes an RF test topology, which includes two input interfaces and two output interfaces, forming an independent channel and a mixed channel between the two input interfaces and the two output interfaces.

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