Radio frequency automatic test system and method

Abstract

The invention provides a radio frequency automatic test system and method. The radio frequency automatic test system comprises a control device, a signal generator and a signal detector, wherein the signal generator and the signal detector are connected with the control device; wherein a serial port module and a driving module are arranged in the control equipment; the driving module is used for packaging and sending a packaged test program to the signal generator, the signal detector and the frequency conversion equipment to be detected through the serial port module; the signal generator is used for providing an input signal for the to-be-detected frequency conversion equipment according to the test program; the signal detector is used for detecting test data output by the to-be-detected frequency conversion equipment and sending the test data to the control equipment; and the control equipment is also used for recording and displaying the test data. According to the invention, the automation degree of the radio frequency test can be improved, and the flexibility and efficiency of the test are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of data transmission, and more specifically, to a radio frequency automatic testing system and method. Background Art

[0002] At present, the testing process of frequency conversion equipment requires full automation testing of multiple items at many frequency points of a device, such as gain, spurious, flatness, etc. Among them, when testing frequency conversion equipment, it is usually necessary to use a computer to control the device under test through the serial port, frequently switch the tested frequency points, and manually operate the spectrum analyzer and signal generator to read and record the test results.

[0003] It can be seen that this method not only requires a long period of manual work, but also there will be differences and errors in the process of manually operating the test equipment and reading, making the accuracy of the test impossible to guarantee. In addition, with the rise of the civil aerospace industry, the demand for frequency conversion equipment has gradually increased, and the existing manual testing method cannot meet the needs of large-scale testing scenarios.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for an automatic RF testing solution to achieve automatic testing and recording of all frequency points of frequency conversion equipment. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a radio frequency automatic testing system and method to solve the problems of low automation, poor accuracy, time-consuming and labor-intensive existing radio frequency testing.

[0006] The radio frequency automatic test system provided by the present invention comprises a control device, a signal generator and a signal detector connected to the control device; wherein: A serial port module and a drive module are provided in the control device; The driving module is used to package and send the encapsulated test program to the signal generator, the signal detector and the frequency conversion device to be detected through the serial port module; The signal generator is used to provide an input signal to the frequency conversion device to be detected according to the test program; the signal detector is used to detect the test data output by the frequency conversion device to be detected and send it to the control device; The control device is also used to record and display the test data.

[0007] In addition, an optional technical solution is that the control device includes a host and at least two computers connected to the host, and the host is remotely connected to each computer via a local area network; The host is used to set the test system in the computer according to the test requirements of the frequency conversion device to be tested, and obtain the test data fed back by the signal detector.

[0008] In addition, an optional technical solution is that the computer writes the test result of each frequency point in the test data into a designated file through the VISA protocol module provided by the Labview, and stores the designated file in a shared folder of the local area network; wherein, The host is used to directly display the test result of each frequency point of the frequency conversion device to be detected, and to display the test results of all frequency points of all frequency conversion devices to be detected through the host.

[0009] In addition, an optional technical solution is that the host includes a display screen and a memory; wherein, The display screen is used to display the test results, and the memory is used to store the test results.

[0010] In addition, an optional technical solution is that the at least two computers are connected in parallel with each other; The number of the computers matches the number of the frequency conversion devices to be detected.

[0011] In addition, an optional technical solution is that the signal detector includes a spectrum analyzer, an oscilloscope and spectrum analysis software.

[0012] In addition, an optional technical solution is that the serial port module is constructed based on Labview, and the driver module is constructed based on the GPIB bus.

[0013] In addition, an optional technical solution is that the formation of the test program includes: Based on the architecture within Labview, the subroutines of the test program are integrated and connected in series according to events and execution order, and the data transmission outlets and data transmission inlets of each module composed of the subroutines are defined; and, based on the data transmission outlets and data transmission inlets of each module, the entire Labview platform is encapsulated into an independent test program.

[0014] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a radio frequency automatic testing method, using the above radio frequency automatic testing system to test the frequency conversion device, the method comprising: Setting the initial parameters of the signal generator and the signal detector according to the test requirements of the frequency conversion device to be tested through the control device; Packing the test requirements of the frequency conversion device to be detected, the initial parameters of the signal generator and the signal detector and sending them to the signal generator, the signal detector and the frequency conversion device to be detected; The encapsulated test program is packaged and sent to the signal generator, the signal detector and the frequency conversion device to be detected through the serial port module by the driver module; Sending an input signal to the frequency conversion device to be tested according to a test procedure by the signal generator; Detecting the test data output by the frequency conversion device to be detected by the signal detector and sending it to the control device; The test data is recorded and displayed through the control device.

[0015] In addition, an optional technical solution is that the process of displaying the test data includes: displaying the test results of any frequency point and all frequency points of the frequency conversion device to be detected, and displaying the test results of any frequency point and all frequency points of all frequency conversion devices to be detected.

[0016] By utilizing the above-mentioned RF automatic testing system and method, by setting up a driver module, the packaged test program is packaged and sent to the signal generator, signal detector and frequency conversion device to be tested through the serial port module, so as to realize automatic control of the device under test, and integrate and display the test results through the control device. The configuration and operation of the test system are more intuitive and easy to understand, with strong flexibility and high test efficiency. In order to achieve the above and related purposes, one or more aspects of the present invention include the features that will be described in detail later. The following description and the accompanying drawings describe some exemplary aspects of the present invention in detail. However, these aspects indicate only some of the various ways in which the principles of the present invention can be used. In addition, the present invention is intended to include all these aspects and their equivalents. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] By referring to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and with a more comprehensive understanding of the present invention, other objects and results of the present invention will become more apparent and easy to understand. In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a radio frequency automatic test system according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a radio frequency automatic testing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] In the following description, for the purpose of illustration, in order to provide a comprehensive understanding of one or more embodiments, many specific details are set forth. However, it is apparent that these embodiments may also be implemented without these specific details. In other examples, for ease of describing one or more embodiments, known structures and devices are shown in the form of block diagrams.

[0019] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0020] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, unless otherwise stated, the singular forms "a", "an", "said" and "the" used herein may also include plural forms. It should be further understood that the term "comprising" used in the specification of the present invention refers to the presence of the features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or groups thereof. It should be understood that the term "and / or" used herein includes any unit and all combinations of one or more associated listed items.

[0021] Those skilled in the art will understand that, unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as those generally understood by those skilled in the art in the field to which the present invention belongs. It should also be understood that terms such as those defined in common dictionaries should be understood to have meanings consistent with the meanings in the context of the prior art, and will not be interpreted with idealized or overly formal meanings unless defined as herein.

[0022] To describe the radio frequency automatic test system and method of the present invention in detail, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023] Figure 1 The schematic principle of the radio frequency automatic test system according to the embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0024] like Figure 1As shown, the radio frequency automatic test system of the embodiment of the present invention includes a control device, a signal generator and a signal detector connected to the control device; wherein a serial port module and a driver module are arranged in the control device, and the driver module can package the encapsulated test program through the serial port module and send it to the signal generator, the signal detector and the frequency conversion device to be detected, so as to realize the unified configuration and management of the equipment, and then provide the input signal to the frequency conversion device to be detected according to the test instruction or the test program through the signal generator, and detect the test data corresponding to the input signal output by the frequency conversion device to be detected through the signal detector, and send it to the control device, and finally record and display the test data through the control device, so as to facilitate the test personnel to intuitively understand the test results.

[0025] Among them, the control device further includes a host and at least two computers connected to the host. The host is remotely connected to each computer through a local area network. The host can set up a test system in the computer according to the test requirements of the frequency conversion device to be tested, and obtain test data fed back by the signal detector. After integrating and summarizing the test data, the test results are displayed in various ways such as tables or curves, so that test personnel can timely understand the test results of each frequency point of the frequency conversion device, or the test results of multiple frequency conversion devices.

[0026] Specifically, each computer writes the test result of each frequency point in the test data into a designated file through the VISA protocol module provided by Labview, and stores the designated file in a shared folder in the local area network to realize the sharing of the test results; wherein, the test result of each frequency point of the frequency conversion device to be detected is directly displayed through the host or computer, and the test results of all frequency points of all frequency conversion devices to be detected are displayed through the host or computer, etc. Specifically, the data of each test process can be retrieved and displayed according to needs.

[0027] In the radio frequency automatic test system of the present invention, the signal detector may include various types of detection devices such as a spectrum analyzer, an oscilloscope and spectrum analysis software, which is connected to the frequency conversion device to be detected, detects the output signal of the frequency conversion device, and feeds it back to the computer.

[0028] In addition, to facilitate the independent use of the test system, the packaging process of the test program includes: based on Labview, the driver module can be built based on the GPIB bus, the computer is connected to the spectrum analyzer and other signal detectors and signal generators through the GPIB acquisition card, and through the GPIB bus technology and the various data commands encapsulated based on the VISA protocol in Labview, that is, the test instructions to control each instrument and read the test data, and through the serial port module encapsulated by the VISA protocol to send codes to the frequency conversion device to be tested to control the operation of the frequency conversion device to be tested. Labview supports a variety of hardware interfaces, can communicate with a variety of RF devices, and supports a variety of international standard protocols, which facilitates the interoperability of RF equipment from different manufacturers.

[0029] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the host further includes a display screen and a memory; wherein the display screen is used to display each test result, and the memory is used to store each test result, so as to facilitate the test personnel to retrieve and analyze the data later.

[0030] In addition, the computers connected to the host are connected in parallel with each other, and the number of computers set is adapted to the number of frequency conversion devices to be detected. The host can control and monitor multiple computers, and then test multiple frequency conversion devices to be detected through multiple computers respectively, so that independent testing of multiple devices can be achieved. In the process of displaying the test results, the test results of one frequency point of a device can be displayed, and the test results of all frequency points of the first device can also be displayed, and the test results of multiple devices can be displayed simultaneously, and compared and analyzed, etc. It has high efficiency and strong flexibility, and can be suitable for RF testing scenarios for large quantities of equipment.

[0031] In the specific application process, based on the architecture within Labview, the subroutines of the test program can be integrated and connected in series according to events and execution order, and the data transmission outlets and data transmission inlets of each module composed of subroutines can be defined; finally, according to the data transmission outlets and data transmission inlets of each module, the entire Labview platform is encapsulated into an independent test program. This test program is easy to use and has strong flexibility. It can take advantage of Labview graphical programming to quickly modify or adjust the test system.

[0032] Corresponding to the above-mentioned radio frequency automatic testing system, the present invention further provides a radio frequency automatic testing method, which uses the above-mentioned radio frequency automatic testing system to test the frequency conversion device.

[0033] Specifically, Figure 2 The schematic flow of the radio frequency automatic testing method according to the embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0034] like Figure 2As shown, the radio frequency automatic testing method of the embodiment of the present invention at least includes: S100: setting initial parameters of a signal generator and a signal detector according to the test requirements of the frequency conversion device to be tested through a control device; S200: Packing and sending the test requirements of the frequency conversion device to be detected, the initial parameters of the signal generator and the signal detector to the signal generator, the signal detector and the frequency conversion device to be detected; S300: Packaging and sending the packaged test program to the signal generator, the signal detector and the frequency conversion device to be detected through the serial port module via the driver module; S400: sending an input signal to the frequency conversion device to be tested according to the test procedure through a signal generator; S500: Detecting the test data output by the frequency conversion device to be detected through the signal detector, and sending the test data to the control device; S600: Record and display the test data through the control device.

[0035] Specifically, after the test starts, first confirm the serial port data of the frequency conversion device to be detected, the bus address and serial port number of the signal detector, and the bus address and serial port number of the signal generator; then, set the relevant parameters of the signal generator, such as frequency and power, etc.; and set the relevant parameters of the signal detector, such as center frequency, RBW, reference level, etc. After all the relevant parameters are set, set the number of sweep points of the signal generator, as well as the starting frequency and cutoff frequency of the sweep according to the test instructions, send the instruction code to the frequency conversion device to be detected for testing, obtain the detection results through the signal detector and send them to the control device for storage and processing.

[0036] In addition, the process of displaying the test data includes: displaying the test results of any frequency point and all frequency points of the frequency conversion device to be tested, and displaying the test results of any frequency point and all frequency points of all frequency conversion devices to be tested, etc., which can be flexibly set according to the needs of the tester.

[0037] It should be noted that the embodiments of the above-mentioned radio frequency automatic test method can refer to the description in the embodiment of the radio frequency automatic test system, which will not be described in detail here.

[0038] The current test systems all perform single tests based on certain specified standards, and a new system must be made for different standards. However, according to the above-mentioned radio frequency automatic test system and method of the present invention, different devices and different test indicators can be directly adjusted on the system's operation panel, which is more flexible and versatile, and joint control can be achieved through a local area network, and multiple test systems can be processed at the same time to improve test efficiency; in addition, by using Labview for development, its graphical programming advantages can be utilized to quickly modify the test system, support customized test sequences and data processing algorithms, and adapt to the test requirements of different radio frequency devices. The automated test system can quickly and automatically complete the test of the radio frequency module, reducing the time and errors of manual operation, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the test results, and can perform real-time data processing and online analysis, timely discover and handle abnormal situations in the test, and improve the reliability of the test. The system is easy to expand and upgrade, and maintenance and modification are also more convenient. The radio frequency automatic test system and method according to the present invention are described above by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, those skilled in the art should understand that various improvements can be made to the radio frequency automatic test system and method proposed by the present invention without departing from the content of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be determined by the content of the attached claims.

Claims

1. A radio frequency automatic test system, characterized in that: It includes a control device, a signal generator and a signal detector connected to the control device; wherein, A serial port module and a drive module are provided in the control device; The driving module is used to package and send the encapsulated test program to the signal generator, the signal detector and the frequency conversion device to be detected through the serial port module; The signal generator is used to provide an input signal to the frequency conversion device to be detected according to the test program; the signal detector is used to detect the test data output by the frequency conversion device to be detected and send it to the control device; The control device is also used to record and display the test data.

2. The radio frequency automatic test system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control device includes a host and at least two computers connected to the host, and the host is remotely connected to each computer via a local area network; The host is used to set the test system in the computer according to the test requirements of the frequency conversion device to be tested, and obtain the test data fed back by the signal detector.

3. The radio frequency automatic test system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The computer writes the test result of each frequency point in the test data into a designated file through the VISA protocol module provided by Labview, and stores the designated file in a shared folder of the local area network; wherein, The host is used to directly display the test result of each frequency point of the frequency conversion device to be detected, and to display the test results of all frequency points of all frequency conversion devices to be detected through the host.

4. The radio frequency automatic test system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The host includes a display screen and a memory; wherein, The display screen is used to display the test results, and the memory is used to store the test results.

5. The radio frequency automatic test system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The at least two computers are connected in parallel with each other; The number of the computers matches the number of the frequency conversion devices to be detected.

6. The radio frequency automatic test system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The signal detector includes a spectrum analyzer, an oscilloscope and spectrum analysis software.

7. The radio frequency automatic test system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The serial port module is constructed based on Labview, and the driver module is constructed based on GPIB bus.

8. The radio frequency automatic test system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The development of the test program includes: Based on the architecture within Labview, the subroutines of the test program are integrated and connected in series according to events and execution order, and the data transmission outlets and data transmission inlets of each module composed of the subroutines are defined; and, based on the data transmission outlets and data transmission inlets of each module, the entire Labview platform is encapsulated into an independent test program.

9. A radio frequency automatic testing method, using the radio frequency automatic testing system according to any one of claims 1 to 8 to test a frequency conversion device, the method comprising: Setting the initial parameters of the signal generator and the signal detector according to the test requirements of the frequency conversion device to be tested through the control device; Packing the test requirements of the frequency conversion device to be detected, the initial parameters of the signal generator and the signal detector and sending them to the signal generator, the signal detector and the frequency conversion device to be detected; The encapsulated test program is packaged and sent to the signal generator, the signal detector and the frequency conversion device to be detected through the serial port module by the driver module; The signal generator sends an input signal to the frequency conversion device to be tested according to a test procedure; Detecting the test data output by the frequency conversion device to be detected by the signal detector and sending it to the control device; The test data is recorded and displayed through the control device.

10. The radio frequency automatic testing method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The process of displaying the test data includes: The test results of any one frequency point and all frequency points of the frequency conversion device to be detected are displayed, and the test results of any one frequency point and all frequency points of all frequency conversion devices to be detected are displayed.

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