Antenna Device and Measurement Method

Abstract

The present invention provides an antenna device and a measurement method that avoid the need for a large-scale radio dark box and the complication of the replacement operation of a receiving antenna, and that can achieve wide-band effective spurious measurement for a device under test (DUT) that transmits and receives millimeter-wave wireless signals. The antenna device comprises a radio dark box (50) having an internal space (51) that is not affected by the surrounding radio wave environment, and further comprises: a plurality of antennas (6) that respectively use wireless signals of a plurality of pre-set divided frequency bands; a reflector (7) housed in the internal space and having a predetermined rotating parabola, through which the wireless signal transmitted or received by the antenna (110) of the device under test (100) is reflected; and an antenna arrangement member (60) that sequentially arranges the plurality of antennas (6) at predetermined focal positions (F) from the rotating parabola according to the divided frequency bands.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application with the application date of October 10, 2019, application number 201910957147.2, and invention name “Antenna device and measurement method”. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to an antenna device and a measurement method for measuring spurious signals near a wireless signal used by an antenna under test using an anechoic chamber in an OTA (Over The Air) environment. Background Art

[0003] In recent years, with the development of multimedia, wireless terminals (such as smartphones) equipped with antennas for wireless communications such as cellular and wireless LAN have been mass-produced. In the future, there will be a particular demand for wireless terminals that can transmit and receive wireless signals compatible with IEEE 802.11ad and 5G cellular, which use wideband millimeter-wave signals.

[0004] In wireless terminal manufacturing factories, wireless communication antennas included in wireless terminals are subjected to performance tests to measure the output level of transmitted radio waves or the reception sensitivity specified for each communication standard and to determine whether they meet the specified standards.

[0005] The test methods for these performance tests are also changing with the transition from 4G or 4G evolution to 5G. For example, in performance tests using wireless terminals for 5G NR systems (hereinafter referred to as 5G wireless terminals) as the device under test (DUT), the wired connection between the DUT antenna terminals and the test equipment, which was the mainstream in 4G or 4G evolution tests, cannot be used. Therefore, so-called OTA testing is performed, in which the DUT and the test antenna are housed in a box that is not affected by the surrounding radio wave environment. Test signals are transmitted from the test antenna to the DUT via wireless communication, and the test antenna receives the measured signal from the DUT, which has received the test signal.

[0006] Furthermore, revisions to the 5G NR standard for 5G wireless terminals mandate spurious emissions measurements in addition to the aforementioned performance tests. Spurious emissions measurements measure the extent of unwanted radio waves, or spurious waves, emitted during communications at frequencies other than the target oscillation frequency of a 5G wireless terminal.

[0007] In the performance test of 5G wireless terminals, as a test equipment for realizing the above-mentioned OTA test environment and spurious measurement environment, a compact antenna test range (CATR) is known. CATR is composed of a radio wave dark box called an OTA darkroom, and accommodates a DUT, a test antenna, and multiple receiving antennas for spurious measurement in a manner that prevents the intrusion of external radio waves and the emission of radio waves to the outside. In addition, CATR is characterized in that a reflector with a rotating parabola is arranged in the signal propagation path between the DUT antenna and the test antenna. Compared with the case where the reflector is not used, the signal propagation path can be shortened, and compared with the OTA test in the conventional far-field environment, it can be made compact as the name suggests.

[0008] In a measurement setup using a CATR, the aforementioned performance test is conducted within an OTA anechoic chamber by transmitting a test signal from a test antenna to the DUT, which then receives the test signal. Furthermore, the measurement setup uses multiple receiving antennas to receive the test signal and, simultaneously, wireless signals in spurious frequency bands emitted by the DUT, and analyzes them for each frequency band corresponding to each receiving antenna.

[0009] Regarding previous antenna measurement devices using multiple test antennas, the following technology is known, namely, multiple beams of the same frequency with different symbols superimposed are transmitted simultaneously via a multi-beam antenna, suppressing the influence of useless waves caused by the encoding of multiple beams of the same frequency, and simultaneously measuring all beams emitted from the multi-beam antenna (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

[0010] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-147687

[0011] In a conventional CATR, a single receiving antenna for spurious signal measurement is positioned at the focal point of the reflector within an internal space (anechoic chamber) protected from the surrounding radio wave environment. This allows measurement of wireless signals in the spurious frequency band emitted simultaneously with the measured signal from the DUT antenna. To measure the wideband spurious signals specified in the 5G NR standard, the spurious frequency band is subdivided into multiple sub-bands, requiring multiple receiving antennas corresponding to each sub-band. Measuring spurious signals across all sub-bands requires individually replacing the receiving antenna at the reflector's focal point.

[0012] Therefore, in conventional CATR-based measurement equipment, spurious emission measurements require multiple receiving antennas housed within an anechoic chamber and interchanged. This requires manual replacement of each receiving antenna at the focal point of the reflector within the anechoic chamber. This method requires securing space within the anechoic chamber to store the multiple receiving antennas, and the time and effort required to remove one antenna from its location and place it at the focal point. This results in an increased size of the anechoic chamber, the cumbersome process of replacing the receiving antenna, and the inherent complexity of the measurement process.

[0013] Furthermore, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for measuring the radio waves emitted from each antenna constituting a multi-beam antenna by reflecting them off a mirror, and a technique for rotating each antenna. However, this technique does not involve switching each antenna to the focal position of the mirror. Furthermore, the technique described in Patent Document 1 merely rotates each antenna to change its position, and does not involve sequentially placing each antenna at the focal position of the mirror. Summary of the Invention

[0014] The present invention is completed to solve this previous problem. Its purpose is to provide an antenna device and measurement method that avoids the enlargement of the radio wave dark box and the complication of the replacement operation of the receiving antenna, and can achieve effective wide-band spurious measurement of the DUT that transmits and receives millimeter-wave wireless signals.

[0015] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the antenna device involved in technical solution 1 of the present invention has the following structure, that is, it has a radio wave dark box, which has an internal space that is not affected by the surrounding radio wave environment, and the antenna device also has: multiple antennas, each corresponding to a wireless signal of a plurality of pre-set divided frequency bands; a reflector, accommodated in the internal space, and having a specified rotating parabola, and the wireless signal sent or received by the test object antenna possessed by the test object is reflected via the rotating parabola; and an antenna configuration component, which sequentially configures the multiple antennas at a specified focal position away from the rotating parabola according to the divided frequency bands.

[0016] According to this configuration, the antenna device according to claim 1 of the present invention includes antenna placement components within the anechoic chamber. This eliminates the need for the user to sequentially replace the multiple antennas at the reflector's focal point during spurious emission measurements. Furthermore, the addition of the antenna placement components, while shortening the signal propagation path by providing the reflector, does not significantly hinder the compactness of the anechoic chamber. Furthermore, the effort required to configure each antenna can be reduced, and spurious emission measurements can be performed continuously across each divided frequency band, thereby improving measurement efficiency.

[0017] Furthermore, the antenna device involved in technical solution 2 of the present invention has the following structure, that is, the antenna under test uses a wireless signal of a prescribed frequency band, the divided frequency band is a part of a prescribed spurious frequency band from a frequency band lower than the prescribed frequency band to a high frequency band, and the anechoic chamber further includes: a test antenna, which uses a wireless signal of the prescribed frequency band; an analog measurement device, which outputs a test signal to the test object via the test antenna, and receives a measured signal output from the test object to which the test signal is input by the test antenna, and measures the wireless signal of the prescribed frequency band based on the received measured signal; and a signal analysis device, which receives a wireless signal of the spurious frequency band output simultaneously with the measured signal output from the test object to which the test signal is input, via each of the antennas corresponding to each of the divided frequency bands, and analyzes the frequency distribution and power of the received wireless signal of the spurious frequency band.

[0018] With this configuration, the antenna device according to claim 2 of the present invention can easily measure spurious signals in a predetermined spurious frequency band from a frequency band lower than the predetermined frequency band to a high frequency band emitted by a DUT having a test antenna using a wireless signal in a predetermined frequency band.

[0019] Furthermore, the antenna device according to the third embodiment of the present invention has the following structure, that is, the antenna arrangement member automatically operates, and the antenna device comprises: an antenna holding mechanism, in which the antennas are arranged on a circumference centered on a rotating body capable of rotating about a rotating axis, the focal position being located on the circumference, and the antennas are arranged in the internal space of the radio wave darkroom in such a manner that the antennas pass through the focal position due to the rotation of the rotating body; a power unit having a driving motor for rotating the rotating body via the rotating axis; and

[0020] The antenna automatic arrangement control unit controls the driving motor so that each of the antennas stops at the focal position in sequence according to the divided frequency bands.

[0021] According to this structure, the antenna device involved in technical solution 3 of the present invention adopts an antenna holding mechanism in which each antenna is arranged on a circle centered on the rotation axis for a rotating body that can rotate around the rotation axis. Therefore, while maintaining the compactness of the radio wave darkroom, the installation space of the antenna holding mechanism can be reduced.

[0022] Furthermore, in the antenna device according to claim 4 of the present invention, the antenna holding mechanism is provided on the bottom surface of the internal space of the anechoic chamber and is composed of the rotating body rotatable along a horizontal surface along the rotating axis along the vertical direction.

[0023] According to this configuration, the antenna device according to claim 4 of the present invention ensures a space horizontal to the bottom surface of the internal space of the anechoic box as an installation space for the antenna holding mechanism, thereby preventing an increase in the height of the anechoic box.

[0024] Furthermore, the antenna device according to claim 5 of the present invention is configured such that the antenna holding mechanism holds each antenna such that the receiving surface of each antenna faces the rotation axis side.

[0025] According to this structure, the antenna device involved in technical solution 5 of the present invention arranges the antenna holding mechanism in the central part of the bottom surface of the internal space of the anechoic chamber, thereby reducing the diameter of the circle where each antenna is arranged and maintaining the compactness of the antenna holding mechanism and the anechoic chamber.

[0026] Furthermore, the antenna device according to claim 6 of the present invention is configured such that the antenna holding mechanism holds each antenna such that the receiving surface of each antenna faces the side opposite to the rotation axis.

[0027] According to this structure, the antenna device involved in technical solution 6 of the present invention arranges the antenna holding mechanism at a position close to the side surface of the central part of the bottom surface of the internal space of the radio wave dark box, thereby reducing the diameter of the circle on which each antenna is arranged and maintaining the compactness of the antenna holding mechanism and the radio wave dark box.

[0028] Furthermore, the antenna device involved in technical solution 7 of the present invention has the following structure, namely, the antenna holding mechanism makes the antenna opposite to the reflector when the antenna stops at the focal position, and holds the antenna at an angle such that the receiving surface of the antenna is perpendicular to the beam axis of the wireless signal.

[0029] According to this configuration, the antenna device according to claim 7 of the present invention improves the reception accuracy of each antenna arranged at the focal position of the reflector and can also improve the spurious measurement accuracy.

[0030] Furthermore, in the antenna device according to claim 8 of the present invention, the antenna holding mechanism is provided on the bottom surface of the internal space of the anechoic chamber and is composed of the rotating body rotatable along a vertical surface along the horizontal rotation axis.

[0031] According to this configuration, the antenna device according to claim 8 of the present invention ensures a space perpendicular to the bottom surface of the internal space of the anechoic box as the installation space for the antenna holding mechanism, thereby preventing an increase in the width of the anechoic box.

[0032] Furthermore, the antenna device according to claim 9 of the present invention has a structure in which the antenna placement member includes an antenna holding mechanism having a first sliding mechanism for holding a plurality of antenna bases on which the antennas are mounted so as to be slidable in one direction while maintaining a predetermined interval therebetween, and a second sliding mechanism for holding the first sliding mechanism so as to be slidable in another direction orthogonal to the one direction via a base portion, and the antenna placement member is arranged in the internal space of the anechoic chamber so that the antennas can pass through the focal position.

[0033] A power unit includes a first driving motor for rotating a first driving shaft for causing the antenna bases to slide in the one direction and a second driving motor for rotating a second driving shaft for causing the base portion to slide in the orthogonal direction; and an antenna automatic configuration control unit for controlling the first and second driving motors in such a manner that the antennas stop at the focal position in sequence according to the divided frequency bands.

[0034] With this configuration, the antenna device according to claim 9 of the present invention secures space horizontal to the bottom of the interior of the anechoic chamber as the installation space for the antenna holding mechanism, thereby preventing the anechoic chamber from increasing in height. Furthermore, since each antenna slides in directions perpendicular to each other on a horizontal plane, stable movement toward a focal position is possible.

[0035] Furthermore, the measurement method according to technical solution 10 of the present invention is as follows, that is, it is a measurement method using an antenna device having an anechoic chamber, the anechoic chamber having an internal space that is not affected by the surrounding radio wave environment, the antenna device comprising: a plurality of antennas corresponding to wireless signals of a plurality of pre-set divided frequency bands, respectively; a reflector housed in the internal space and having a predetermined rotating parabola, through which wireless signals transmitted or received by the antenna of the test object possessed by the test object are reflected; and an antenna configuration member, which sequentially configures the plurality of antennas at predetermined focal positions away from the rotating parabola according to the divided frequency bands, the measurement method comprising: a holding step, The test object is held in the test object holding portion in the radio wave darkroom; an antenna configuration step is performed, according to a specified spurious measurement start instruction, and according to the divided frequency bands, the multiple antennas are sequentially configured at the focal position; a test signal output step is performed, through an analog measurement device, to output the test signal to the test object via the test antenna; a signal receiving step is performed, through the antennas corresponding to the divided frequency bands, receiving the wireless signal of the spurious frequency band outputted simultaneously with the measured signal outputted from the test object to which the test signal is inputted; and an analysis step is performed, analyzing the frequency distribution and power of the wireless signal of the spurious frequency band received in the signal receiving step.

[0036] With this configuration, the measurement method according to claim 10 of the present invention uses an antenna device having an anechoic chamber equipped with antenna placement members. Therefore, during spurious emission measurements, the user does not need to sequentially replace the multiple antennas at the reflector's focal point. Furthermore, the effort required to configure each antenna can be reduced, and spurious emission measurements can be performed continuously for each divided frequency band, thereby improving measurement efficiency.

[0037] Furthermore, the antenna device involved in technical solution 11 of the present invention has the following structure, that is, the antenna configuration component automatically operates, and the antenna configuration component includes an antenna automatic configuration control unit, an antenna holding mechanism, multiple antenna bases on which the multiple antennas are respectively installed, and a power unit, the antenna holding mechanism includes a sliding mechanism that holds the multiple antenna bases along a guide rail in a manner that allows them to slide while maintaining a specified interval, and the antenna automatic configuration control unit controls the power unit in accordance with the measurement object frequency band so that the antennas stop at the focal position in turn.

[0038] Effects of the Invention

[0039] The present invention can provide an antenna device and a measurement method that avoid the enlargement of the radio wave dark box and the complication of the replacement operation of the receiving antenna, and can achieve effective wide-band spurious measurement of a DUT that transmits and receives millimeter-wave wireless signals. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the entire measuring device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 2 This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the measurement device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 3 This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the integrated control device for the measuring device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 4 This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an NR system simulator and a signal analysis device in the measurement device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram for explaining the near field and far field in radio wave propagation between the antenna AT and the wireless terminal.

[0045] Figure 6 Schematic diagram showing a signal path configuration of a parabolic reflector having a parabola of rotation similar to the reflector used in the OTA anechoic chamber of the measurement device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] Figure 7 Schematic diagram showing a signal path configuration of an offset parabolic reflector having a parabola of rotation similar to the reflector used in the OTA anechoic chamber of the measurement device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] Figure 8 This is a graph showing the classification of usage frequencies of a plurality of receiving antennas for spurious emission measurements employed in the OTA anechoic chamber of the measurement device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] Figure 9 This is a flowchart showing a spurious measurement process of a test object in the measurement device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] Figure 10 This is a side view schematically showing the structure of an automatic antenna placement unit employed in an OTA anechoic chamber of a measurement device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] Figure 11 This is a schematic structural diagram of an automatic antenna placement unit employed in an OTA anechoic chamber of a measurement device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] Figure 12 This is a perspective view schematically showing the structure of an automatic antenna placement unit employed in an OTA anechoic chamber of a measurement device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] Hereinafter, embodiments of the measuring device and the measuring method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0053] (First embodiment)

[0054] First, refer to Figures 1 to 8 The structure of the measuring device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The measuring device 1 corresponds to the antenna device of the present invention. The measuring device 1 according to this embodiment has the following features as a whole: Figure 1 The appearance structure shown in FIG. Figure 2 The functional blocks shown are as follows. Figure 1 5 shows the arrangement of the components in a state where the OTA darkroom 50 is viewed from the side.

[0055] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the measurement device 1 according to the present embodiment includes an integrated control device 10 , an NR system simulator 20 , a signal analysis device 30 , a spurious signal processing unit 40 , and an OTA anechoic chamber 50 .

[0056] The integrated control device 10 is connected to the NR system simulator 20 and the signal analysis device 30 via a network 19 such as Ethernet (registered trademark), enabling communication therewith. Furthermore, the integrated control device 10 is also connected to the controlled system components in the OTA anechoic chamber 50 via the network 19. The measurement device 1 includes an antenna automatic configuration control unit 16 and a DUT posture control unit 17 as controlled system components in the OTA anechoic chamber 50.

[0057] The integrated control device 10 is a device that centrally controls the NR system simulator 20, the signal analysis device 30, and the controlled system elements in the OTA darkroom 50 via the network 19, and is composed of, for example, a personal computer (PC). Figure 3 As shown, the antenna automatic configuration control unit 16 and the DUT posture control unit 17 can also be provided in the integrated control device 10. Figure 3 The structure shown is an example for explanation.

[0058] The measuring device 1 uses, for example, Figure 1 The rack structure 90 shown in FIG. 1 is a rack structure 90 having a plurality of racks 90a, and is used in a manner such that each component is placed on each rack 90a. Figure 1 In FIG. 1 , an example is given in which the integrated control device 10 , the NR system simulator 20 , the signal analysis device 30 , and the OTA darkroom 50 are respectively mounted on each rack 90 a of the rack structure 90 .

[0059] For ease of explanation, the following will first describe the structure of the OTA darkroom 50. The OTA darkroom 50 is a part that realizes the OTA test environment and the spurious measurement environment when conducting 5G wireless terminal tests, and is used as an example of the above-mentioned CATR.

[0060] like Figure 1 、 Figure 2As shown, the OTA anechoic chamber 50 is comprised of, for example, a metal housing 52 having a rectangular interior space 51. Within this interior space 51, the DUT 100, a test antenna 5 facing the DUT 100's antenna 110, and multiple receiving antennas 6 for spurious emission measurements are housed, preventing the intrusion of external radio waves and the emission of these waves. Furthermore, a reflector 7 is disposed within the interior space 51 of the OTA anechoic chamber 50, which reflects the radio wave path of the radio signal transmitted from the DUT 100's antenna 110 back toward the light-receiving surface of the receiving antenna 6. The receiving antenna 6 constitutes the multiple antennas of the present invention. Furthermore, a radio wave absorber 55 is attached to the entire interior of the OTA anechoic chamber 50, namely, the entire bottom 52a, side 52b, and top 52c of the housing 52, thereby enhancing the function of limiting the emission of radio waves. Thus, the OTA anechoic chamber 50 realizes an anechoic chamber having an interior space 51 that is unaffected by the surrounding radio wave environment. The anechoic chamber used in this embodiment is, for example, an Anechoic type anechoic chamber.

[0061] The DUT 100 considered as the test object is, for example, a wireless terminal such as a smartphone. Examples of communication standards for the DUT 100 include cellular (LTE, LTE-A, W-CDMA (registered trademark), GSM (registered trademark), CDMA2000, 1xEV-DO, TD-SCDMA, etc.), wireless LAN (IEEE802.11b / g / a / n / ac / ad, etc.), Bluetooth (registered trademark), GNSS (GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou, etc.), FM and digital broadcasting (DVB-H, ISDB-T, etc.). Furthermore, the DUT 100 may be a wireless terminal that transmits and receives millimeter wave wireless signals corresponding to IEEE802.11ad or 5G cellular, etc.

[0062] In this embodiment, antenna 110 of DUT 100 uses a wireless signal in a specified frequency band (millimeter wave) compliant with the 5G NR standard, for example. Test antenna 5, located within OTA chamber 50, uses a wireless signal in the same frequency band as antenna 110 of DUT 100. In contrast, multiple receiving antennas 6 each use wireless signals in a plurality of pre-defined frequency bands, ranging from a frequency band below the specified frequency band to a specified spurious frequency band in the high-frequency band.

[0063] Figure 8 : is a chart showing the usage frequency classification of the plurality of receiving antennas 6 arranged in the OTA anechoic chamber 50 according to this embodiment. Figure 8In the figure, the full frequency band of 6GHz to 90GHz used by multiple receiving antennas 6 is divided into multiple frequency bands (divided frequency bands) such as 6GHz to 18GHz, 18GHz to 26GHz, 26GHz to 40GHz, 40GHz to 60GHz, 60GHz to 76GHz, 76GHz to 90GHz, ... corresponding to numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, ...

[0064] In this embodiment, the OTA darkroom 50 is, for example, Figure 8 Six receiving antennas 6 of the divided frequency bands corresponding to the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are arranged in the internal space 51. In addition, the OTA darkroom 50 can also be used as a test antenna 5. Figure 8 In the illustrated usage frequency classification, the antenna configuration uses the frequency band of 24.25 GHz to 43.5 GHz as the predetermined frequency band.

[0065] Next, the arrangement of the test antenna 5, the receiving antenna 6, and the reflector 7 in the internal space 51 of the OTA darkroom 50 will be described. In the OTA darkroom 50, a DUT holding portion 56 extending in the vertical direction is provided on the bottom surface 52a of the frame body main body 52 in the internal space 51. The DUT holding portion 56 has a driving portion 56a provided on the bottom surface 52a, a support platform 56b connected to the driving portion 56a, and a DUT placing portion 56c extending from the side surface of the support platform 56b, for example, in the horizontal direction. The driving portion 56a is composed of, for example, a 2-axis positioner having a rotating mechanism that rotates in 2-axis directions. Hereinafter, the driving portion 56a is sometimes also referred to as a 2-axis positioner (refer to Figure 3 Thus, the DUT holding portion 56 can rotate the DUT 100 held on the DUT placement portion 56 c, for example, so that the state in which the antenna 110 faces all points on the surface of the sphere at the center of the sphere is sequentially changed.

[0066] In the OTA anechoic chamber 50, the test antenna 5 is mounted at a desired position on the side surface 52b of the housing body 52 using a holder 57. The test antenna 5 is held by the holder 57 so as to have directivity with respect to the DUT 100 held by the DUT holding portion 56.

[0067] In the OTA darkroom 50, a plurality of receiving antennas 6 are held by an antenna holding mechanism 61 in a manner separated from each other. Figure 8 The six receiving antennas 6 corresponding to the divided frequency bands shown are held by the antenna holding mechanism 61. The antenna holding mechanism 61 is installed on the bottom surface 52a of the internal space 51 of the OTA darkroom 50 via the power unit 64. The antenna holding mechanism 61, the power unit 64, and the antenna automatic configuration control unit 16 (see Figure 2) together constitute the antenna automatic configuration member 60. The antenna automatic configuration member 60 constitutes the antenna configuration member of the present invention. In addition, the structure of the antenna automatic configuration member 60 will be described in detail later.

[0068] In the OTA darkroom 50, the reflector 7 has a biased parabolic reflector (see Figure 7 ) type structure. Figure 1 As shown, the reflector 7 is mounted at a desired position on the side surface 52b of the OTA chamber 50 using a reflector holder 58. The reflector 7 is held by the reflector holder 58 in a position that allows the radio signal from the antenna 110 of the DUT 100 held by the DUT holder 56 to be incident on the parabola of revolution. The reflector 7 is arranged in a position and position such that the DUT 100, having received the test signal, receives the measured signal through the parabola of revolution while also receiving the radio signal in the spurious frequency band transmitted from the antenna 110, and can reflect the signal toward the receiving antenna 6 located at the focal position F of the parabola of revolution.

[0069] Here, reference Figures 5 to 7 Advantages of installing the reflector 7 in the OTA darkroom 50 and preferred aspects of the reflector 7 will be described. Figure 5 For example, this is a schematic diagram showing a propagation method of radio waves from the wireless terminal 100A to radio waves emitted from the antenna AT which is equivalent to the test antenna 5. The wireless terminal 100A is equivalent to the DUT 100. Figure 5 middle, Figure 5 (a) shows an example of a case where radio waves propagate directly from the antenna AT to the wireless terminal 100A (Direct FAR Field). Figure 5 (b) shows an example in which radio waves propagate from the antenna AT to the wireless terminal 100A via the reflector 7A having a rotational parabola.

[0070] like Figure 5 As shown in (a), the radio waves emitted by the antenna AT have the property of propagating while the wavefront spreads out in a spherical shape with the emission source as the center. In addition, it is known that at a distance closer to the emission source, the surface (wavefront) connecting the points of the wave with the same phase is a curved spherical surface (spherical wave), but if it is far away from the emission source, the wavefront approaches a plane (plane wave). Generally, the area where the wavefront needs to be considered as a spherical surface is called the near field (NEAR FIELD), and the area where the wavefront is not considered as a plane is called the far field (FARFIELD). In Figure 5 In the propagation of the radio waves shown in (a), the wireless terminal 100A preferably receives a plane wave rather than a spherical wave in order to achieve good reception.

[0071] To receive plane waves, the wireless terminal 100A must be installed so that it exists in the far field. Here, if the maximum linear dimension of the wireless terminal 100A is D and the wavelength is λ, the far field is 2D from the antenna AT. 2 / λ or greater. Specifically, when D = 0.4 m (meters) and wavelength λ = 0.01 m (equivalent to a 28 GHz wireless signal), a distance approximately 30 m from antenna AT becomes the boundary between the near field and the far field, necessitating the placement of wireless terminal 100A at a greater distance. Furthermore, this embodiment assumes measurement of a DUT 100 having a maximum linear dimension D ranging from approximately 5 cm (centimeter) to 33 cm.

[0072] So, in Figure 5 The Direct Far Field method shown in (a) has the characteristics that the propagation distance between the antenna AT and the wireless terminal 100A is large and the propagation loss is large. Therefore, as a processing method, for example, Figure 5 As shown in (b), there is a method of placing a reflector 7A having a rotating parabola at a position where it can reflect radio waves from antenna AT and direct them to wireless terminal 100A. This method not only shortens the distance between antenna AT and wireless terminal 100A, but also expands the range of plane waves from the distance immediately after reflection from the mirror surface of reflector 7A, thereby also predicting a reduction in propagation loss. Propagation loss can be expressed as the phase difference between waves with the same phase. The permissible phase difference as propagation loss is, for example, λ / 16. The phase difference is evaluated using, for example, a vector network analyzer (VNA).

[0073] As a Figure 5 The reflector 7A shown in (a) is a device such as a parabolic reflector (refer to Figure 6 ) or offset parabolic reflector (reference Figure 7 ).like Figure 6 As shown, the parabolic reflector has a mirror surface (a parabola of rotation) that is symmetrical about an axis passing through the antenna center O. By placing a primary transmitter with directivity along the direction of the parabola of rotation at a predetermined focal position F away from the parabola of rotation, it has the function of reflecting radio waves emitted from the primary transmitter in a direction parallel to the aforementioned axis. Conversely, by placing, for example, the receiving antenna 6 of this embodiment at the focal position F, the parabolic reflector can reflect radio waves (e.g., wireless signals transmitted by the DUT 100) incident on the parabola of rotation in a direction parallel to the aforementioned axis and direct them toward the receiving antenna 6. However, the planar shape of the parabolic reflector when viewed from the front (Z direction) is a perfect circle, and the structure is relatively large, making it unsuitable for use as the reflector 7 in the OTA anechoic chamber 50.

[0074] In contrast, Figure 7 As shown, the offset parabolic reflector has a mirror surface that is asymmetric with respect to the axis of the rotating parabola (a perfect circular parabolic reflector (refer to Figure 6 ) is a shape of a portion of a rotating parabola), and has a function of reflecting the radio waves emitted from the primary transmitter in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the rotating parabola by setting the primary transmitter with its beam axis at an inclined angle α relative to the axis of the rotating parabola, for example. It can be understood that the offset parabola reflector can reflect the radio waves (for example, wireless signals transmitted by the DUT 100) incident on the rotating parabola in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the rotating parabola by placing the receiving antenna 6 involved in this embodiment at the focal position F, for example. The offset parabola reflector can be configured in a manner close to a mirror in a vertical direction, and is similar to the parabola reflector (reference Figure 6 ) compared, the structure can be greatly reduced.

[0075] Based on the above findings, in the OTA darkroom 50 according to this embodiment, Figure 1 As shown, an offset parabolic reflector (reference Figure 7 ) is arranged on the radio wave propagation path between the DUT 100 and the receiving antenna 6. In the figure, the reflector 7 is arranged on the side surface 52b of the housing main body 52 so that the position indicated by the symbol F becomes the focal position.

[0076] The reflector 7 and the single receiving antenna 6 held by the antenna holding mechanism 61 are in an offset state in which the beam axis BS1 of the receiving antenna 6 is tilted by a predetermined angle α relative to the axis RS1 of the reflector 7. The single receiving antenna 6 referred to here is a receiving antenna 6 that can be ensured to be visible from the reflector 7 through the opening 67a of the cover 67 covering the antenna holding mechanism 61.

[0077] Reflector 7 has a focal position F on beam axis BS1 of receiving antenna 6. Each receiving antenna 6 held on rotating body 62 of antenna holding mechanism 61 can sequentially pass through the position of one receiving antenna 6, i.e., the focal position F of reflector 7, at which visibility is ensured. The aforementioned tilt angle α can be set to, for example, 30 degrees. In this case, receiving antenna 6 is positioned opposite reflector 7 at an elevation angle of 30 degrees. In other words, it is positioned opposite reflector 7 and held by antenna holding mechanism 61 at an angle such that the receiving surface of receiving antenna 6 is perpendicular to the beam axis of the wireless signal. Employing an offset parabolic reflector type reflector 7 not only allows the reflector 7 itself to be smaller, but also enables it to be arranged in a mirror-like configuration, resulting in a smaller OTA chamber 50.

[0078] Next, the structure of the antenna automatic arrangement means 60 for automatically and sequentially arranging the plurality of receiving antennas 6 at the focal position F of the reflector 7 will be described in detail.

[0079] like Figure 1 As shown, the antenna automatic placement unit 60 installed in the OTA anechoic chamber 50 includes, for example, an antenna holding mechanism 61, a power unit 64, a cover 67, and an antenna automatic placement control unit 16. The antenna holding mechanism 61 is composed of a rotating body 62 that is rotatable about a rotation axis 63. Within the rotating body 62, for example, six receiving antennas 6 are arranged along a circumference centered on the rotation axis 63. More specifically, within the rotating body 62, the receiving antennas 6 are arranged at equal intervals along the outer circumference of a circle defining the aforementioned circumference, that is, at intervals of 60 degrees on a horizontal plane centered on the rotation axis 63. The antenna holding mechanism 61 is positioned within the internal space 51 such that the receiving surfaces of the receiving antennas 6, which are moved (or rotated) along the circumference of the circle by the rotation of the rotating body 62, pass through the focal point F of the reflector 7.

[0080] The power unit 64 includes a drive motor 65 that rotationally drives the rotating body 62 via a rotating shaft 63, and a coupling member 66 such as a gear disposed between the drive motor 65 and the rotating shaft 63. A cover 67 covers the antenna holding mechanism 61 and the power unit 64 to limit the intrusion of radio waves from the outside and the emission of radio waves to the outside.

[0081] An opening 67a is formed in the cover portion 67. The opening 67a is formed at a position where, when one of the receiving antennas 6 held by the antenna holding mechanism 61 is positioned at the focal position F of the reflector 7, visibility of the rotational parabola of the reflector 7 from the receiving antenna 6 is ensured.

[0082] The antenna automatic arrangement control unit 16 drives the driving motor 65 in accordance with the control unit 11 (see FIG. 1 ) of the integrated control device 10. Figure 3 ) instructions, and in accordance with Figure 8 The frequency bands are divided as shown, and each receiving antenna 6 is sequentially moved to the focal position F of the reflector 7 and then stopped.

[0083] Here, reference Figures 2 to 4 The functional structure of the measuring device 1 according to this embodiment will be described in detail again. Figure 2 ), the integrated control device 10 has, for example, Figure 3 The functional structure shown in FIG. 1 is as follows: the NR system simulator 20 and the signal analysis device 30 have, for example, Figure 4 The NR system simulator 20 constitutes the simulation measurement device of the present invention.

[0084] like Figure 3 As shown in FIG. 1 , the integrated control device 10 includes a control unit 11, an operation unit 12, and a display unit 13. The control unit 11 is composed of, for example, a computer device. Figure 3 As shown, the computer device includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11a that performs predetermined information processing to implement the functions of the measurement device 1 and performs centralized control of the NR system simulator 20 and the signal analysis device 30; a ROM (Read Only Memory) 11b that stores the operating system (OS) used to start the CPU 11a, other programs, and control parameters; a RAM (Random Access Memory) 11c that stores the execution code and data of the OS and application programs used by the CPU 11a during operation; an external interface (I / F) unit 11d that has input and output functions for inputting and outputting predetermined signals; a non-volatile storage medium such as a hard disk device (not shown); and various input and output ports. The external I / F unit 11d is communicatively connected to the NR system simulator 20 and the signal analysis device 30 via a network 19. Furthermore, the external I / F unit 11d is also connected to the drive motor 65 and the two-axis positioner 56a in the OTA chamber 50 via the network 19. The input / output port is connected to an operation unit 12 and a display unit 13. The operation unit 12 is a functional unit for inputting various information such as commands, and the display unit 13 is a functional unit for displaying various information such as input screens and measurement results.

[0085] The computer device described above functions as the control unit 11 by executing the program stored in the ROM 11b by the CPU 11a using the RAM 11c as a work area. Figure 3 As shown, the control unit 11 includes a signal transmission control unit 15, an antenna automatic configuration control unit 16, and a DUT posture control unit 17. The signal transmission control unit 15, the antenna automatic configuration control unit 16, and the DUT posture control unit 17 are also implemented by the CPU 11a executing a predetermined program stored in the ROM 11b in the work area of the RAM 11c.

[0086] The signal transmission control unit 15 monitors the user operation on the operation unit 12 and, when the user performs a predetermined spurious measurement start operation, sends a signal transmission instruction to the NR system simulator 20 to transmit a test signal via the test antenna 5 .

[0087] The antenna automatic configuration control unit 16 performs the following control, i.e., automatically configuring the plurality of receiving antennas 6 held by the antenna holding mechanism 61 of the antenna automatic configuration member 60 in sequence with respect to the focal position F of the reflector 7. In order to realize this control, for example, an antenna automatic configuration control table 16a is pre-stored in the ROM 11b. For example, when a stepping motor is used as the driving motor 65, the antenna automatic configuration control table 16a stores the number of driving pulses (operating pulses) for determining the rotational drive of the stepping motor as control data. In this embodiment, the antenna automatic configuration control table 16a is used, for example, to store the number of driving pulses (operating pulses) for determining the rotational drive of the stepping motor. Figure 8 The number of operating pulses of the drive motor 65 for moving each receiving antenna 6 to the focal position F of the reflector 7 in correspondence with the six divided frequency bands shown is stored as the control data.

[0088] The antenna automatic configuration control unit 16 controls the following: it expands the antenna automatic configuration control table 16a into the work area of the RAM 11c, and rotates the drive motor 65 in the power unit 64 of the antenna automatic configuration member 60 based on the antenna automatic configuration control table 16a and the divided frequency bands corresponding to the respective receiving antennas 6. This control enables the antenna automatic configuration control to sequentially stop (or position) the respective receiving antennas 6 at the focal position F of the reflector 7.

[0089] The DUT posture control unit 17 controls the posture of the DUT 100 held in the DUT holding unit 56 during measurement. To implement this control, a DUT posture control table 17a is pre-stored in the ROM 11b, for example. The DUT posture control table 17a stores, for example, control data for the two-axis positioner 56b constituting the DUT holding unit 56.

[0090] The DUT posture control unit 17 drives and controls the two-axis positioner 56b in the following manner, that is, the DUT posture control table 17a is expanded in the working area of RAM11c, and according to the DUT posture control table 17a, the posture of the DUT100 is changed in such a manner that the antenna 110 faces all points on the surface of the sphere in sequence as described above.

[0091] Furthermore, in the measurement device 1 according to this embodiment, the NR system simulator 20 has, for example, Figure 4 (a) shows a functional structure, the signal analysis device 30 has, for example, Figure 4 (b) The functional structure shown.

[0092] like Figure 4As shown in (a), the NR system simulator 20 includes a signal measurement unit 21, a control unit 22, an operation unit 23, and a display unit 24. The signal measurement unit 21 includes a signal generation function unit consisting of a signal generation unit 21a, a digital / analog converter (DAC) 21b, a modulation unit 21c, and a transmission unit 21e of an RF unit 21d; and a signal analysis function unit consisting of a reception unit 21f of the RF unit 21d, an analog / digital converter (ADC) 21g, and an analysis processing unit 21h.

[0093] In the signal generation function section of the signal measurement unit 21, the signal generator 21a generates waveform data having a reference waveform. Specifically, for example, it generates an I-component baseband signal and its quadrature component, the Q-component baseband signal. The DAC 21b converts the waveform data having the reference waveform (the I-component baseband signal and the Q-component baseband signal) output from the signal generator 21a from digital to analog and outputs it to the modulator 21c. The modulator 21c performs modulation processing by mixing the local signal with the I-component baseband signal and the Q-component baseband signal, combining the two signals, and outputting them as a digitally modulated frequency. The RF unit 21d generates a test signal whose digitally modulated frequency output from the modulator 21c corresponds to the frequency of each communication standard and transmits this test signal to the DUT 100 via the transmitter 21e.

[0094] Furthermore, within the signal analysis function section of the signal measurement unit 21, the RF unit 21d receives the measured signal transmitted from the DUT 100, which has received the test signal via the antenna 110, through the receiving unit 21f. The measured signal is then mixed with the local signal to convert the signal into an intermediate frequency band signal (IF signal). The ADC 21g converts the measured signal, converted into the IF signal by the receiving unit 21f of the RF unit 21d, from an analog signal to a digital signal, and outputs the digital signal to the analysis processing unit 21h.

[0095] The analysis processing unit 21h performs the following processing, namely, after generating waveform data corresponding to the I component baseband signal and the Q component baseband signal respectively by digitally processing the digital signal output by the ADC 21g, i.e., the measured signal, the analysis processing unit 21h analyzes the I component baseband signal and the Q component baseband signal based on the waveform data.

[0096] The control unit 22, similar to the control unit 11 of the integrated control device 10, is comprised of, for example, a computer device including a CPU, RAM, ROM, and various input / output interfaces. The CPU performs predetermined information processing and control to implement the functions of the signal generation unit, signal analysis unit, operation unit 23, and display unit 24.

[0097] The operation unit 23 and the display unit 24 are connected to the input and output interface of the computer device. The operation unit 23 is a functional unit for inputting various information such as commands, and the display unit 24 is a functional unit for displaying various information such as input screens and measurement results.

[0098] like Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 3(b), the signal analysis device 30 includes a signal analysis unit 31, a control unit 32, an operation unit 33, and a display unit 34. The signal analysis unit 31 includes an RF unit 31a, an ADC 31b, and an analysis processing unit 31c. It performs analysis processing equivalent to that performed by the signal analysis function unit of the NR system simulator 20 on the spurious signals input from the spurious signal processing unit 40. Furthermore, the spurious signal processing unit 40 includes a downconverter, an amplifier, and a filter. The spurious signal processing unit 40 performs frequency conversion, amplification, and frequency selection on the wireless signals (spurious signals) of each divided frequency band received by each receiving antenna 6, and then transmits the wireless signals to the RF unit 31a of the signal analysis unit 31. The signal analysis device 30 may also incorporate a spurious signal processing unit 40.

[0099] Next, refer to Figure 9 The spurious measurement process in the measurement device 1 according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 9 In the embodiment, the antenna holding mechanism 61 of the antenna automatic arrangement means 60 is described as being able to automatically arrange and hold six receiving antennas 6 corresponding to different divided frequency bands of the spurious frequency band at the focal position F of the reflector 7. Figure 9 Here, the case where the spurious measurement start operation of instructing the start of spurious measurement is performed through the operation unit 12 of the integrated control device 10 will be described. The spurious measurement start operation may also be performed through the operation unit 33 of the signal analysis device 30.

[0100] In the measurement device 1, when performing spurious measurement, the DUT 100 must first be placed in the internal space 51 of the OTA chamber 50. Therefore, in the measurement device 1, as the initial process of spurious measurement, the user places the DUT 100 to be tested on the DUT placement portion 56c of the DUT holding portion 56 of the OTA chamber 50 (step S1). At this time, regarding the antenna automatic placement unit 60, a plurality of (six in this example) receiving antennas 6 that can cover the spurious measurement frequency band of the measurement target are held in the antenna holding mechanism 61, and it is necessary to position each receiving antenna 6 so that it can sequentially pass through the focal position F of the reflector 7 (refer to FIG. 1 ). Figure 7 ) is provided at the position of the antenna holding mechanism 61.

[0101] After the installation operation of the DUT 100 is performed, the integrated control device 10 monitors whether the antenna automatic configuration control unit 16 has performed a spurious measurement start operation on the operation unit 12 (step S2 ).

[0102] Here, if it is determined that the spurious measurement start operation has not been performed ("No" in step S2), the antenna automatic configuration control unit 16 continues the monitoring in step S1 described above. On the other hand, if it is determined that the spurious measurement start operation has been performed ("Yes" in step S2), the antenna automatic configuration control unit 16 sets n, which indicates the measurement order of the spurious measurement frequency bands, to n = 1, indicating the first frequency band (step S3). In this example, the maximum value of n is 6.

[0103] Next, the antenna automatic configuration control unit 16 controls the receiving antenna 6 corresponding to the first divided frequency band corresponding to n=1 to be automatically moved (positioned) to the focal position F of the reflector 7 (step S4). At this time, the antenna automatic configuration control unit 16 reads the number of operating pulses of the receiving antenna 6 corresponding to the first divided frequency band corresponding to n=1 from the antenna automatic configuration control table 16a and controls the rotation of the driving motor 65 based on the number of operating pulses.

[0104] After executing the automatic configuration control of the receiving antenna 6 in step S4, the signal transmission control unit 15 sends a signal transmission instruction to the NR system simulator 20. The NR system simulator 20 controls the transmission of a test signal to the DUT 100 via the test antenna 5 according to the signal transmission instruction (step S5).

[0105] The test signal transmission control here is implemented as follows by the NR system simulator 20. Figure 4 In step (a), the control unit 22, having received the signal transmission instruction, controls the signal generation function unit to generate a signal for generating a test signal in the signal generation unit 21a. This signal is then subjected to digital / analog conversion by the DAC 21b and modulation by the modulation unit 21c. A test signal is generated, having been digitally modulated by the RF unit 21d at a frequency corresponding to the frequency of each communication standard. This test signal is then output to the DUT 100 via the test antenna 5 by the transmission unit 21e. Furthermore, after the signal transmission control unit 15 begins control of test signal transmission in step S5, it controls the transmission of the test signal until the spurious emission measurements for all sub-bands of the spurious emission band to be measured are completed. Furthermore, during this period, the DUT posture control unit 17 in the integrated control device 10 continuously controls the two-axis positioner 56b to maintain the aforementioned posture of the DUT 100 placed on the DUT placement unit 56c.

[0106] After the test signal transmission begins in step S5, signal analysis device 30 then performs reception processing for the spurious frequency band signal received by receiving antenna 6 automatically positioned at focal position F of reflector 7 in step S4 (step S6). In this reception processing, the signal received by automatically positioned receiving antenna 6 is input to spurious signal processing unit 40. After frequency conversion, amplification, and frequency selection are performed by spurious signal processing unit 40, the signal is input to signal analysis unit 31 of signal analysis device 30.

[0107] Next, the signal analysis device 30 analyzes the signal input from the spurious signal processing unit 40 (the received signal from the receiving antenna 6) and controls the storage of the analysis results (step S7). In this process, the control unit 32 in the signal analysis device 30 controls the signal analysis unit 31 to read the received signal input from the spurious signal processing unit 40 via the RF unit 31a and ADC 31b. The analysis processing unit 31c then controls the received signal, for example, to analyze the frequency band and power. Furthermore, the control unit 32 controls the storage of the received signal analysis results in a storage area such as RAM (not shown).

[0108] Next, in the integrated control device 10, for example, the antenna automatic configuration control unit 16 determines whether the spurious emission measurement for the first sub-band corresponding to n=1 has been completed (step S8). If it is determined that the spurious emission measurement for the first sub-band has not been completed ("No" in step S8), the processing from step S5 onwards is continued.

[0109] On the other hand, when it is determined that the spurious measurement for the first divided frequency band has been completed ("Yes" in step S8), the antenna automatic configuration control unit 16 determines whether n has reached n = 6, which indicates the last divided frequency band (step S9). If it is determined that n has not reached 6 ("No" in step S9), the antenna automatic configuration control unit 16 proceeds to step S3 and sets n to n = 2, which indicates the second frequency band (step S3).

[0110] As a result, the antenna automatic configuration control unit 16 automatically controls the receiving antenna 6 corresponding to the second divided frequency band corresponding to n = 2 to the focal position F of the reflector 7 (step S4), using the method described for step S2 when n = 1. The integrated control device 10 then performs the processing steps S5 to S9 on the received signals from the receiving antenna 6 corresponding to the second divided frequency band corresponding to n = 2, as it did on the received signals from the receiving antenna 6 corresponding to the first divided frequency band corresponding to n = 1. In this example, after the integrated control device 10 has been configured for n = 2, it performs the processing steps S5 to S9 on the received signals from the receiving antennas 6 corresponding to the first to sixth divided frequency bands corresponding to n = 3 to 6.

[0111] During this period, when it is determined in step S9 that n=6 has been reached ("Yes" in step S9), the antenna automatic arrangement control unit 16 ends the operation. Figure 9 A series of spurious measurement processes are shown.

[0112] In addition, in the measurement device 1 according to the present embodiment, after the test signal is transmitted from the NR system simulator 20 in step S5, the control unit 22 in the NR system simulator 20 controls the measurement of the measured signal transmitted from the antenna 110 by the DUT 100 that has received the test signal. When this control is performed, the measured signal received via the test antenna 5 is input to the NR system simulator 20 (see Figure 4 (a)) The receiving unit 21f of the RF unit 21d in the NR system simulator 20. In the NR system simulator 20, the control unit 22 controls the signal generating function unit, and first converts the measured signal input to the receiving unit 21f of the RF unit 21d into an IF signal. Then, the following processing is performed, that is, the analog signal is converted into a digital signal by the ADC 21g and input to the analysis processing unit 21h, and the waveform data corresponding to the I component baseband signal and the Q component baseband signal are generated by the analysis processing unit 21h, and the I component baseband signal and the Q component baseband signal are analyzed based on the waveform data. The measurement processing of the test signal based on the NR system simulator 20 can be compared with Figure 9 It is apparent that the spurious measurement processing shown is performed independently at any time.

[0113] As described above, the measuring device (antenna device) 1 involved in this embodiment includes: a radio wave darkroom 50, which has an internal space 51 that is not affected by the surrounding radio wave environment; a plurality of receiving antennas 6, which respectively use wireless signals of a plurality of pre-set divided frequency bands; a reflector 7, which is accommodated in the internal space and has a specified rotating parabola, and the wireless signal sent or received by the antenna 110 of the DUT 100 is reflected by the rotating parabola; and an antenna automatic configuration component 60, which automatically configures the plurality of receiving antennas 6 in sequence at a specified focal position F from the rotating parabola according to the divided frequency bands.

[0114] With this configuration, the measurement device 1 according to this embodiment eliminates the need for the user to sequentially replace the receiving antennas 6 at the focal point F of the reflector 7 during spurious emission measurements using the OTA anechoic chamber 50. Furthermore, the addition of the automatic antenna placement unit 60, while shortening the signal propagation path by providing the reflector 7, does not significantly hinder the compactness of the OTA anechoic chamber 50. Furthermore, the ability to automatically place the receiving antennas 6 allows for uninterrupted spurious emission measurements in each divided frequency band, thereby improving measurement efficiency.

[0115] Furthermore, in the measurement device 1 according to the present embodiment, the antenna 110 of the DUT 100 uses a wireless signal of a predetermined frequency band, and the frequency band is divided into a predetermined spurious frequency band from a frequency band lower than the predetermined frequency band to a high frequency band (see Figure 8 ), the anechoic chamber 50 further comprises: a test antenna 5, which uses a wireless signal of a prescribed frequency band; an NR system simulator 20, which inputs a test signal to the DUT 100 via the test antenna 5, receives a measured signal output from the DUT 100 to which the test signal is input, and measures the wireless signal of the prescribed frequency band based on the received measured signal; and a signal analysis device 30, which receives a wireless signal of a spurious frequency band output simultaneously with the measured signal output from the DUT 100 to which the test signal is input, via each receiving antenna 6 corresponding to each divided frequency band, and analyzes the frequency distribution and power of the received wireless signal of the spurious frequency band.

[0116] With this configuration, the measurement device according to this embodiment can easily measure spurious signals in a predetermined spurious frequency band from a frequency band lower than the predetermined frequency band to a high frequency band emitted by the DUT 100 having the antenna 110 using a wireless signal in a predetermined frequency band.

[0117] Furthermore, the measuring device 1 involved in this embodiment has the following structure, that is, the antenna automatic configuration component 60 includes: an antenna holding mechanism 61, in which each receiving antenna 6 is arranged on a circumference centered on the rotating shaft 63 in a rotating body 62 that can rotate around the rotating shaft 63, and the receiving antenna 6 is arranged in the internal space 51 of the OTA darkroom 50 in such a manner that the receiving surface of each receiving antenna 6 passes through the focal position F of the reflector 7 due to the rotation of the rotating body 62; a power unit 64, which has a driving motor 65 for rotating and driving the rotating body 62 via the rotating shaft 63; and an antenna automatic configuration control unit 16, which controls the driving motor 65 in such a manner that each receiving antenna 6 stops at the focal position F in sequence according to the divided frequency band.

[0118] With this configuration, the measurement device 1 according to this embodiment employs the antenna holding mechanism 61 in which the receiving antennas 6 are arranged on a circle centered on the rotation axis 63 . This allows for reducing the installation space for the antenna holding mechanism 61 while maintaining the compactness of the OTA anechoic chamber 50 .

[0119] Furthermore, in the measurement device 1 according to this embodiment, the antenna holding mechanism 61 is provided on the bottom surface 52a of the internal space 51 of the OTA anechoic chamber 50 and comprises a rotating body 62 that is rotatable along a horizontal plane about a rotation axis 63 extending in the vertical direction. With this configuration, the measurement device 1 according to this embodiment ensures that the antenna holding mechanism 61 is installed in a space horizontal to the bottom surface 52a of the internal space 51 of the OTA anechoic chamber 50, thereby preventing an increase in the height of the OTA anechoic chamber 50.

[0120] Furthermore, the measurement device 1 according to this embodiment is configured such that the antenna holding mechanism 61 holds each receiving antenna 6 so that its receiving surface faces the rotation axis 63. With this configuration, the measurement device 1 according to this embodiment arranges the antenna holding mechanism 61 at the center of the bottom surface 52a of the internal space 51 of the OTA chamber 50. This reduces the diameter of the circle in which the receiving antennas 6 are arranged, and maintains the compactness of the antenna holding mechanism 61 and the OTA chamber 50.

[0121] Furthermore, the measurement device 1 according to this embodiment is configured such that, when the receiving antenna 6 is stopped at the focal position F of the reflector 7, the antenna holding mechanism 61 positions the receiving antenna 6 opposite the reflector 7 and holds the receiving antenna 6 such that the receiving surface of the receiving antenna 6 is perpendicular to the beam axis of the wireless signal, for example, at an elevation angle of 30 degrees. This configuration improves the reception accuracy of the receiving antenna 6 positioned at the focal position F of the reflector 7 and also improves the accuracy of spurious emission measurements.

[0122] Furthermore, the measuring method according to this embodiment is a measuring method using the measuring device 1 having the above-mentioned structure, comprising: a holding step ( Figure 9 Step S1 in the above example) holds the DUT 100 in the DUT holding portion 56 in the internal space 51 of the OTA darkroom 50; and the antenna automatic configuration step ( Figure 9 In steps S3 and S4), according to the specified spurious measurement start instruction, and according to the divided frequency bands, the multiple receiving antennas 6 are automatically configured in sequence at the focus position F of the reflector 7; the test signal output step ( Figure 9 In step S5), the test signal is output to the DUT 100 via the test antenna 5 through the NR system simulator 20; the signal receiving step ( Figure 9 Step S6 in the step), receiving the wireless signal of the spurious frequency band outputted from the DUT100 to which the test signal is inputted and the measured signal is outputted at the same time via each receiving antenna 6 corresponding to each divided frequency band; and analyzing step ( Figure 9 In step S7), the frequency distribution and power of the wireless signal in the spurious frequency band received in the signal receiving step are analyzed.

[0123] With this configuration, the measurement method according to this embodiment uses a measurement device 1 having an OTA anechoic chamber 50 equipped with an automatic antenna placement mechanism 60. Therefore, during spurious emission measurements, the user does not need to sequentially replace receiving antennas 6 at the focal position F of reflector 7. Furthermore, since each receiving antenna 6 is automatically placed, spurious emission measurements can be performed continuously for each divided frequency band, thereby improving measurement efficiency.

[0124] (Second embodiment)

[0125] like Figure 10 As shown, the measuring apparatus 1A according to the second embodiment of the present invention uses an OTA anechoic chamber 50A using an automatic antenna placement unit 60A instead of the OTA anechoic chamber 50 used in the measuring apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. In the automatic antenna placement unit 60A, the automatic antenna placement unit 60 (see FIG. 1 ) mounted on the OTA anechoic chamber 50 according to the first embodiment is used. Figure 1 、 Figure 2 ) The same components are marked with the same symbols.

[0126] like Figure 10 As shown, the automatic antenna placement device 60A according to this embodiment, like the automatic antenna placement device 60 according to the first embodiment, comprises: an antenna holding mechanism 61, wherein each receiving antenna 6 is arranged on a circumference centered on a rotating body 62 rotatable about a rotating axis 63, and is disposed within the interior space of the OTA chamber 50A such that the receiving surface of each receiving antenna 6 passes through the focal position F of the reflector 7 as the rotating body 62 rotates; and a power unit 64 having a drive motor 65 that rotationally drives the rotating body 62 via the rotating axis 63. Specifically, in the automatic antenna placement device 60A according to this embodiment, the antenna holding mechanism 61 is also disposed on the bottom surface of the interior space 51 of the OTA chamber 50A and comprises the rotating body 62 rotatable along a horizontal plane about the rotating axis 63 extending in the vertical direction.

[0127] The antenna automatic placement member 60A of this embodiment differs from the antenna automatic placement member 60 of the first embodiment in the arrangement of the receiving antenna 6 relative to the rotating body 62. The remaining structure is the same as that of the antenna automatic placement member 60 of the first embodiment. In the antenna automatic placement member 60 of the first embodiment, the antenna holding mechanism 61 holds each receiving antenna 6 in such a manner that the receiving surface of each receiving antenna 6 faces the rotating shaft 63 (inward). Figure 1 ), compared to this, Figure 10As shown, in the antenna automatic dispositioning device 60A according to this embodiment, the antenna holding mechanism 61 holds each receiving antenna 6 so that the receiving surface of each receiving antenna 6 faces the side opposite to the rotation axis 63 (outward).

[0128] In the antenna automatic configuration unit 60A according to this embodiment, the driving motor 65 constituting the power unit 64 is also connected to the antenna automatic configuration control unit 16. In addition, in this embodiment, an antenna automatic configuration control table 16a is also prepared in advance, which stores the number of operating pulses (but a value different from that of the first embodiment) that can be respectively configured at the focal position F of the reflector 7 corresponding to each receiving antenna 6. Therefore, in the measurement device 1A according to this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, Figure 9 As shown in the flowchart, the antenna automatic configuration control unit 16 reads the number of operating pulses of each receiving antenna 6 from the antenna automatic configuration control table 16a, and controls the rotation of the driving motor 65 according to the number of pulses, so that each receiving antenna 6 can be sequentially configured at the focus position F of the reflector 7 (refer to FIG. Figure 9 Step S4).

[0129] The measurement device (antenna device) 1A according to this embodiment includes an automatic antenna placement unit 60A that automatically and sequentially positions the receiving antennas 6 at the focal position F of the reflector 7. As with the first embodiment, this eliminates the need for the user to be urged to replace multiple receiving antennas 6, thereby facilitating spurious emission measurements. In particular, the structure of the OTA anechoic chamber 50A including the automatic antenna placement unit 60A according to this embodiment is particularly useful for miniaturizing the antenna holding mechanism 61A, for example, by positioning the antenna holding mechanism 61A away from the center of the bottom surface 52a of the internal space 51, thereby reducing the diameter of the circle around which the receiving antennas 6 are positioned.

[0130] (Third embodiment)

[0131] like Figure 11 As shown, a measuring apparatus 1B according to the third embodiment of the present invention uses an OTA anechoic chamber 50B using an antenna automatic arrangement unit 60B, instead of the OTA anechoic chambers 50 and 50A used in the measuring apparatuses 1 and 1A according to the first and second embodiments. Figure 11 (a) shows the schematic structure of the antenna automatic configuration member 60B as viewed from the front, Figure 11 (b) means from Figure 11 The right side of (a) shows the schematic structure of the antenna automatic dispositioning unit 60B.

[0132] The antenna automatic arrangement means 60, 60A of the measuring apparatus 1, 1A according to the first and second embodiments includes an antenna holding mechanism 61 for holding a plurality of receiving antennas 6 on the circumference of a rotating body 62 rotatable in a horizontal plane via a rotating shaft 63 perpendicular to the horizontal plane. Figure 11 As shown, the antenna automatic placement member 60B according to this embodiment includes an antenna holding mechanism 61B that circumferentially holds a plurality of receiving antennas 6 along the outer circumference of a rotating body 62B that is rotatable along a plane in the vertical direction via a rotating shaft 63B extending horizontally. Furthermore, the power unit 64B of the antenna automatic placement member 60B is composed of a drive motor 65B equivalent to the drive motor 65 according to the first and second embodiments, and a connecting member 66B interposed between the drive motor 65B and the rotating shaft 63B of the rotating body 62B.

[0133] In the antenna automatic configuration component 60B involved in this embodiment, the multiple receiving antennas 6 held by the antenna holding mechanism 61B are different from the first and second embodiments in that they are arranged in a circle along the surface in the vertical direction as the rotating body 62B rotates. However, if each receiving antenna 6 is to be moved to a specified position on the circle, especially to the focal position F of the reflector 7, it can be controlled by the rotation amount of the driving motor 65B, that is, the number of operating pulses provided to the driving motor 65B, which is the same as the first and second embodiments.

[0134] Therefore, in this embodiment, an antenna automatic configuration control table 16a is also prepared in advance, which stores the number of operating pulses (but different from the first and second embodiments) that can be respectively configured at the focal position F of the reflector 7 corresponding to each receiving antenna 6. Moreover, in the antenna automatic configuration control unit 16 connected to the driving motor 65B of the power unit 64B constituting the antenna automatic configuration component 60B, the driving motor 65B is driven and controlled according to the antenna automatic configuration control table 16a. In this case, the antenna automatic configuration control unit 16 reads the number of operating pulses of each receiving antenna 6 from the antenna automatic configuration control table 16a, and by rotating and controlling the driving motor 65B according to the pulse number, each receiving antenna 6 can be sequentially configured at the focal position F of the reflector 7 (refer to Figure 9 Step S4).

[0135] The measurement device (antenna device) 1B according to this embodiment includes an automatic antenna placement mechanism 60B that automatically and sequentially positions the receiving antennas 6 at the focal position F of the reflector 7. As in the first embodiment, this eliminates the need for the user to be urged to replace multiple receiving antennas 6, thereby facilitating easy spurious measurement. In particular, the structure of the OTA anechoic chamber 50B including the automatic antenna placement mechanism 60B according to this embodiment ensures space perpendicular to the bottom surface 52a of the internal space 51 for the antenna holding mechanism 61B, thereby preventing an increase in the width of the housing main body 52.

[0136] (Fourth embodiment)

[0137] like Figure 12 As shown, a measuring apparatus 1C according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention uses an OTA anechoic chamber 50C using an antenna automatic arrangement unit 80 instead of the OTA anechoic chamber 50 used in the measuring apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0138] like Figure 12 As shown, the antenna automatic placement device 80 according to this embodiment includes an antenna holding mechanism 81 and a power unit 87. The antenna holding mechanism 81 is composed of a plurality of first sliding mechanisms 81a, 81b, and 81c, and a second sliding mechanism 84 arranged orthogonally to the first sliding mechanisms 81a, 81b, and 81c. The first sliding mechanisms 81a, 81b, and 81c include a plurality of antenna bases 82, each of which is configured to be slidable in one direction along a pair of guide rails 83 while maintaining a predetermined spacing. Here, the "one direction" refers to, for example, the Y-axis direction on a plane formed by the orthogonal X-axis and Y-axis. A receiving antenna 6 is mounted on each of the antenna bases 82.

[0139] On the other hand, the second sliding mechanism 84 has a base portion 85 on which the first sliding mechanisms 81a, 81b, 81c are placed, and holds the first sliding mechanisms 81a, 81b, 81c slidably in another direction perpendicular to the Y-axis direction, for example, along a pair of guide rails 86.

[0140] The power unit 87 includes drive shafts 87a, 87b, and 87c extending along the Y-axis through the through-holes 82a of the antenna bases 82 constituting the first sliding mechanisms 81a, 81b, and 81c, and first drive motors 88a, 88b, and 88c for rotationally driving the drive shafts 87a, 87b, and 87c. The power unit 87 also includes a drive shaft 89a extending along the X-axis through the through-hole 85a of the base portion 85 constituting the second sliding mechanism 84, and a second drive motor 89b for rotationally driving the drive shaft 89a. Furthermore, threads are formed in the through-holes 82a of the antenna bases 82 and the through-holes 85a of the base portion 85, respectively, to engage with threads formed on the drive shafts 87a, 87b, and 87c and the drive shaft 89a. Thus, in the power unit 87, by rotating the first drive motors 88a, 88b, and 88c in both forward and reverse directions and rotating the drive shafts 87a, 87b, and 87c in the same directions, each antenna base 82 can be moved in both directions along the Y-axis direction corresponding to the forward and reverse rotation directions. Similarly, by rotating the second drive motor 89b in both forward and reverse directions and rotating the drive shaft 89a in the same direction, each base unit 85 can be moved in both directions along the X-axis direction corresponding to the forward and reverse rotation directions.

[0141] exist Figure 12 In the antenna automatic arrangement member 80 shown, the antenna holding mechanism 81 is provided on, for example, the bottom surface 52a in the internal space 51 of the OTA darkroom 50C so that each receiving antenna 6 mounted on each antenna base 82 can pass through the focal position F of the reflector 7. Figure 12 In the structure, the focal position F of the reflector 7 can be expressed as coordinates on the XY plane. Furthermore, the movement amount of the base portion 85 in the X-axis direction corresponds to the number of operating pulses of the second drive motor 89b, and the movement amount of the antenna base 82 in the Y-axis direction corresponds to the number of operating pulses of the first drive motors 88a, 88b, and 88c.

[0142] Based on these conditions, the measurement device 1C according to this embodiment stores, as control data, the number of operating pulses of the first drive motors 88a, 88b, and 88c and the number of operating pulses of the second drive motor 89b, which enable each receiving antenna 6 to be positioned at the focal position F of the reflector 7, respectively, as an antenna automatic configuration control table 16a. Thus, the antenna automatic configuration control unit 16 can control the driving of the first drive motors 88a, 88b, and 88c and the second drive motor 89b, respectively, based on the antenna automatic configuration control table 16a. In this drive control, the antenna automatic configuration control unit 16 reads the number of operating pulses of the first drive motors 88a, 88b, 88c and the number of operating pulses of the second drive motor 89b corresponding to each receiving antenna 6 from the antenna automatic configuration control table 16a, and rotates and drives the first drive motors 88a, 88b, 88c and the second drive motor 89b according to the pulse numbers, thereby enabling each receiving antenna 6 to be sequentially configured at the focal position F of the reflector 7 (refer to FIG. Figure 9 Step S4).

[0143] The measurement device (antenna device) 1C according to this embodiment includes an automatic antenna placement mechanism 80 that automatically and sequentially positions the receiving antennas 6 at the focal position F of the reflector 7 on the XY plane. As with the first to third embodiments, this eliminates the need for users to supervise the replacement of multiple receiving antennas 6, thereby facilitating easy spurious measurement. In particular, the structure of the OTA chamber 50C equipped with the automatic antenna placement mechanism 80 according to this embodiment ensures that the antenna holding mechanism 81 is installed in a space horizontal to the bottom 52a of the interior space 51 of the OTA chamber 50C. This prevents the OTA chamber 50C (main frame portion 52) from expanding in the height direction. Furthermore, each receiving antenna 6 slides in directions orthogonal to one another on the horizontal plane, enabling stable movement toward the focal position F of the reflector 7.

[0144] In the measurement device 1C according to this embodiment, a plurality of first sliding mechanisms 81a, 81b, and 81c are arranged side by side in the Y-axis direction and spaced apart at predetermined intervals along the X-axis direction. The power unit 87 includes first drive motors 88a, 88b, and 88c corresponding to the first sliding mechanisms 81a, 81b, and 81c, respectively. This configuration allows the measurement device 1 to maximize the horizontal space on the bottom surface 52a of the main housing 52 of the OTA chamber 50C, while also allowing for easy installation of additional receiving antennas 6 without increasing the size of the OTA chamber 50C. In this embodiment, multiple first sliding mechanisms and first drive motors are not required; a single first sliding mechanism and a single first drive motor may be provided.

[0145] In the above-mentioned embodiments, for example, six receiving antennas 6 are used to cover the spurious measurement frequency band of 6 GHz to 90 GHz (see FIG. Figure 8 ), the present invention is not limited thereto, and any number of receiving antennas 6 may be used to cover any spurious measurement frequency band. Furthermore, the means (60, 60A, 60B, 60C) for automatically configuring the receiving antennas 6 are not limited to those described in the above embodiments, and it is apparent that various methods, including manual configuration, are applicable.

[0146] Furthermore, the present invention is applicable not only to anechoic boxes but also to anechoic chambers.

[0147] Industrial applicability

[0148] As described above, the antenna device and measurement method involved in the present invention avoid the enlargement of the radio wave darkroom and the complication of the replacement operation of the receiving antenna, and achieve the effect of enabling effective wide-band spurious measurement of the DUT that transmits and receives millimeter-wave wireless signals. It is useful in the entire antenna device and measurement method for performing spurious measurement of wireless terminals with high-speed communication capabilities such as 5G wireless terminals.

[0149] Explanation of symbols

[0150] 1, 1A, 1B, 1C - measuring device (antenna device), 5 - test antenna, 6 - receiving antenna (antenna), 7 - reflector, 10 - integrated control device, 16 - antenna automatic configuration control unit, 20 - NR system simulator (simulation measurement device), 30 - signal analysis device, 40 - spurious signal processing unit, 50O - TA anechoic chamber (radio wave darkroom), 60, 60A, 60B - antenna automatic configuration member (antenna configuration member), 61, 61B - antenna holding mechanism, 62, 62B -rotating body, 63, 63B-rotating shaft, 64, 64B-power unit, 65, 65B-driving motor, 80-antenna automatic configuration component, 81-antenna holding mechanism, 81a, 81b, 81c-first sliding mechanism, 82-antenna base, 84-second sliding mechanism, 85-base part, 87-power unit, 87a, 87b, 87c-first driving shaft, 88a, 88b, 88c-first driving motor, 89a-second driving shaft, 89b-second driving motor.

Claims

1. An antenna device comprising a darkroom (50), wherein the darkroom (50) has an inner space (51) that is not affected by the surrounding radio wave environment, wherein the antenna device further comprises: A plurality of antennas (6), each corresponding to a plurality of pre-set divided frequency band wireless signals; a reflector (7) housed in the internal space and having a predetermined parabola of rotation, wherein a wireless signal transmitted or received by a test subject antenna (110) provided by a test subject (100) is reflected via the parabola of rotation, wherein the test subject antenna uses a wireless signal of a predetermined frequency band; and The antenna arrangement means (60, 60A, 60B, 80) sequentially arranges the plurality of antennas at predetermined focal positions (F) from the rotational parabola according to the divided frequency bands. The antenna configuration component includes an antenna automatic configuration control unit, an antenna holding mechanism (81), a plurality of antenna bases (82) on which the plurality of antennas are respectively mounted, and a power unit (87). The antenna automatic configuration control unit controls the driving motor in the power unit so that each antenna stops at the focal position in sequence according to the divided frequency band, wherein the divided frequency band is a portion of a frequency band from a frequency band lower than the specified frequency band to a specified spurious frequency band of a high frequency band. The antenna holding mechanism positions the antenna opposite to the reflector when the antenna stops at the focal position, and holds the antenna at an angle such that the receiving surface of the antenna is perpendicular to the beam axis of the wireless signal.

2. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein The radio dark box also has: A test antenna (5) that uses a wireless signal in the prescribed frequency band; an analog measurement device (20) that outputs a test signal to the test object via the test antenna, receives a measured signal output from the test object to which the test signal is input, and measures a wireless signal in the prescribed frequency band based on the received measured signal; and A signal analysis device (30) receives, via each of the antennas corresponding to the divided frequency bands, the wireless signal of the spurious frequency band outputted simultaneously with the measured signal outputted from the test object to which the test signal is inputted, and analyzes the frequency distribution and power of the received wireless signal of the spurious frequency band.

3. The antenna device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The antenna configuration component automatically operates. The antenna holding mechanism includes a sliding mechanism (81a) for holding the plurality of antenna bases (82) along a guide rail in a manner that allows sliding while maintaining a predetermined interval.

4. A measurement method using an antenna device having an anechoic chamber (50), wherein the anechoic chamber (50) has an internal space (51) that is not affected by the surrounding radio wave environment, wherein the measurement method is characterized in that: The antenna device comprises: A plurality of antennas (6), each corresponding to a plurality of pre-set divided frequency band wireless signals; a reflector (7) housed in the internal space and having a predetermined rotational parabola, wherein a wireless signal transmitted or received by a test subject antenna (110) provided by a test subject (100) is reflected via the rotational parabola, wherein the test subject antenna uses a wireless signal of a predetermined frequency band; and The antenna arrangement means (60, 60A, 60B, 80) sequentially arranges the plurality of antennas at predetermined focal positions (F) from the rotational parabola according to the divided frequency bands. The measuring method comprises: A holding step (S1) of holding the test subject in a test subject holding portion within the anechoic chamber; Antenna configuration steps (S3, S4), according to a specified spurious measurement start instruction and according to the divided frequency bands, sequentially configuring the plurality of antennas at the focal position; a test signal output step (S5), outputting a test signal to the test object via a test antenna by means of an analog measurement device; a signal receiving step (S6) of receiving, via the antennas corresponding to the divided frequency bands, a wireless signal in the spurious frequency band outputted from the test object to which the test signal is inputted and at the same time as the measured signal; and an analyzing step (S7) of analyzing the frequency distribution and power of the wireless signal in the spurious frequency band received in the signal receiving step, The antenna configuration component includes an antenna automatic configuration control unit, an antenna holding mechanism (81), a plurality of antenna bases (82) on which the plurality of antennas are respectively mounted, and a power unit (87). The antenna automatic configuration control unit controls the driving motor in the power unit so that each antenna stops at the focal position in sequence according to the divided frequency band, wherein the divided frequency band is a portion of a frequency band from a frequency band lower than the specified frequency band to a specified spurious frequency band of a high frequency band. The antenna holding mechanism positions the antenna opposite to the reflector when the antenna stops at the focal position, and holds the antenna at an angle such that the receiving surface of the antenna is perpendicular to the beam axis of the wireless signal.

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