Positioning device, test system and test method

Abstract

The invention provides a positioning device, a test system and a test method. The positioning device is used for testing the air interface radiation performance of a tested piece, and comprises a rotary supporting mechanism which is used for rotating around a first rotating shaft so as to change the pitch angle of an antenna of the tested piece; and the positioning ring is used for fixing the tested piece and driving the tested piece to rotate around the second rotating shaft so as to change the azimuth angle of the antenna of the tested piece, and the positioning ring is supported above the rotating supporting mechanism and synchronously rotates along with the first rotating shaft. Compared with the scheme that three-dimensional positioning is completed through combination of two orthogonal rotating shafts and the two orthogonal rotating shafts are connected and supported through a stand column, the rotary supporting mechanism can be used as the rotating shaft to achieve rotary positioning and used as a stand column connecting and supporting positioning ring at the same time. The rotary supporting mechanism is located below the tested piece at any testing angle, so that the problem that the stand column is blocked can be relieved or avoided.

Description

Positioning device, test system and test method Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication testing technology, and more specifically, to a positioning device, a testing system and a testing method. Background Art

[0002] Over-the-air (OTA) antenna testing is primarily used to measure the over-the-air radiation performance of the device under test (DUT). During OTA testing, a positioning device is required to locate the DUT (for example, by determining its angular position in three-dimensional space) so that the DUT's over-the-air radiation performance can be measured at that location.

[0003] In related art, the positioning device described above achieves three-dimensional positioning by combining two orthogonal rotating shafts, which are connected and supported by columns. However, in some cases, this positioning device may affect the DUT's air interface radiation performance testing due to obstruction of the wireless signal propagation path between the DUT and the measurement antenna.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a positioning device, a test system and a test method. The following introduces various aspects of the present application.

[0006] In a first aspect, a positioning device is provided for testing the air-interface radiation performance of a device under test, the positioning device comprising: a rotating support mechanism for rotating about a first rotation axis to change the elevation angle of the antenna of the device under test; a positioning ring for fixing the device under test and driving the device under test to rotate about a second rotation axis to change the azimuth angle of the antenna of the device under test, the positioning ring being supported above the rotating support mechanism and rotating synchronously with the first rotation axis.

[0007] In a second aspect, a test system is provided for testing the air-interface radiation performance of a device under test, the test system comprising: a darkroom; a measuring antenna disposed in the darkroom; and a positioning device disposed in the darkroom and on one side of the measuring antenna, for positioning the device under test during the test; wherein the positioning device comprises: a rotating support mechanism for rotating around a first rotation axis to change the pitch angle of the antenna of the device under test; a positioning ring for fixing the device under test and driving the device under test to rotate around a second rotation axis to change the azimuth angle of the antenna of the device under test, the positioning ring being supported above the rotating support mechanism and rotating synchronously with the first rotation axis.

[0008] According to a third aspect, a test method is provided, which is applied to a test system for testing the air interface radiation performance of a device under test, the test system comprising: a darkroom; a measuring antenna arranged in the darkroom; and a positioning device arranged in the darkroom and on one side of the measuring antenna, for positioning the device under test during the test; wherein the positioning device comprises: a rotating support mechanism for rotating around a first rotation axis to change the elevation angle of the antenna of the device under test; a positioning ring for fixing the device under test and driving the device under test to rotate around a second rotation axis to change the azimuth angle of the antenna of the device under test, the positioning ring being supported above the rotating support mechanism and rotating synchronously with the first rotation axis; the test method comprises: controlling the rotating support mechanism to rotate around the first rotation axis to change the elevation angle of the antenna of the device under test; and controlling the positioning mechanism to rotate around the second rotation axis to change the azimuth angle of the antenna of the device under test.

[0009] In a fourth aspect, a device is provided, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store one or more computer programs, and the processor is used to call the computer program in the memory so that the device executes part or all of the steps in the method of the third aspect.

[0010] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program, and the computer program enables a computer to execute some or all of the steps in the methods of the above aspects.

[0011] In a sixth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a computer program product, wherein the computer program product includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program is operable to cause a computer to perform some or all of the steps of the methods described in each of the above aspects. In some implementations, the computer program product may be a software installation package.

[0012] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip, which includes a memory and a processor. The processor can call and run a computer program from the memory to implement some or all of the steps described in the methods of the above aspects.

[0013] In the embodiment of the present application, a positioning ring is used to achieve rotation of the test piece around a second rotation axis, and the positioning ring is able to rotate synchronously with the first rotation axis, so that the test piece can also rotate along with the first rotation axis, thereby achieving three-dimensional positioning of the test piece. Compared to the solution of achieving three-dimensional positioning by combining two orthogonal rotation axes, and these two orthogonal rotation axes are connected and supported by columns, the rotation support mechanism of the embodiment of the present application can simultaneously serve as a rotation axis to achieve rotational positioning and as a column to connect and support the positioning ring. In this way, the rotation support mechanism is always below the test piece at any test angle, thereby reducing or avoiding the problem of column obstruction. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] FIG1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system architecture of a test system to which an embodiment of the present application may be applied.

[0015] FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of a positioning device provided by the related art.

[0016] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the positioning device in FIG2 after being horizontally rotated 180°.

[0017] FIG4 is a schematic structural diagram of a positioning device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0018] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of an implementation method of the positioning device provided in an embodiment of the present application for performing three-dimensional rotational positioning.

[0019] FIG6 is an example diagram of a test system provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0020] FIG7 is a flow chart of the testing method provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments.

[0022] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: fifth generation (5G) system or new radio (NR), long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, etc. The technical solutions provided by the present application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as the sixth generation mobile communication system, satellite communication system, etc.

[0023] With the advancement of communication technology, users are placing increasingly higher demands on the air interface radiation performance of communication equipment (e.g., terminal devices). For example, requirements for performance such as radiated power (or transmit power) and receive sensitivity are increasing. This is because poor air interface radiation performance can lead to issues such as poor signal quality, poor voice call quality, and frequent dropped calls. To address this, some communication systems (e.g., NR systems) have introduced OTA testing to test (or measure, evaluate, etc.) the air interface radiation performance of communication equipment to ensure that the transmit and receive performance of the communication equipment meet the requirements.

[0024] OTA testing can simulate the transmission scenario of wireless signals (such as electromagnetic wave signals) of communication equipment in the air. It is a comprehensive test method that can test the air interface radiation performance of communication equipment in free space. In addition, when using OTA testing to test the air interface radiation performance of communication equipment, OTA testing can comprehensively consider factors such as the internal radiation interference of the communication equipment, equipment structure, antenna factors, RF chip transceiver algorithm, and human influence. This makes OTA testing very close to the actual application scenario of the communication equipment and the test results are more accurate. Therefore, compared with conduction testing or other test solutions, OTA testing has been widely used in testing the air interface radiation performance of communication equipment.

[0025] For ease of understanding, the OTA test system (or OTA test environment) is first introduced below with reference to FIG1 .

[0026] Figure 1 shows an example diagram of the system architecture of an OTA test system. As shown in Figure 1, the OTA test system 100 is configured to test the air interface radiation performance of the device under test 110. The device under test 110 may be, for example, the communication device described above. The device under test 110 may include an antenna to transmit or receive wireless signals to communicate with other devices. In some embodiments, the number of antennas included in the device under test 110 may be one or more (two or more). When the device under test 110 includes multiple antennas, the multiple antennas may be referred to as an antenna array.

[0027] In some embodiments, the device under test 110 may be a terminal device. The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user device. The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application may be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user and can be used to connect people, objects, and machines, such as a handheld device with wireless connection function, a vehicle-mounted device, etc. The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a PDA, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, etc.

[0028] As an example and not a limitation, the terminal device may be a wearable device. Wearable devices may also be referred to as wearable smart devices, which are a general term for wearable devices that are intelligently designed and developed using wearable technology for daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. A wearable device is a portable device that can be worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. Wearable devices are not just hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable devices include devices that are fully functional, large in size, and can achieve complete or partial functions without relying on smartphones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, as well as devices that only focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0029] The OTA test system 100 may include a darkroom (eg, a microwave darkroom) 120 , a measurement antenna 130 , and a positioning device 140 .

[0030] To simulate the transmission of wireless signals from the device under test 110 in the air, an open test site can be considered as a test site for wireless signal radiation (e.g., electromagnetic radiation). However, since ideal open sites are difficult to find, darkrooms 120 are widely used to simulate the transmission of wireless signals from the device under test 110 in the air. Darkrooms 120 can be lined with absorbing materials (radio-absorbing materials) to reduce reflections from the darkroom walls, thereby simulating an open test site and improving test accuracy.

[0031] A certain area within the anechoic chamber 120 can form an echo-free zone that resembles "space." This area is called the quiet zone of the anechoic chamber 120. In other words, within the anechoic chamber 120, the quiet zone is the area with minimal interference from stray waves (e.g., reflected waves). The size and location of the quiet zone depend on various factors, such as the size and shape of the anechoic chamber 120, the operating frequencies of the device under test 110 and the measurement antenna 130, and the electrical properties of the absorbing materials used in the anechoic chamber 120.

[0032] The measurement antenna 130 can be used to wirelessly communicate with the device under test 110. In other words, the measurement antenna 130 can transmit wireless signals to the device under test 110 or receive wireless signals transmitted by the device under test 110, depending on the test objective. For example, when the test objective is to measure the transmission performance of the device under test 110, the measurement antenna 130 can be used to receive wireless signals transmitted by the device under test 110; when the test objective is to measure the reception performance of the device under test 110, the measurement antenna 130 can be used to transmit wireless signals to the device under test 110.

[0033] The measurement antenna 130 may be disposed in the darkroom 120 . After the device under test 110 is placed in the darkroom 120 , the OTA test system may perform wireless communication with the device under test 110 based on the measurement antenna 130 .

[0034] The embodiment of the present application does not limit the number of the measuring antennas 130 . In some embodiments, the number of the measuring antenna 130 may be one. In some embodiments, the number of the measuring antenna 130 may be multiple.

[0035] The positioning device 140 can be used to position the device under test 110 (e.g., three-dimensional positioning) to test the air-interface radiation performance of the device under test 110 at the corresponding position. For example, the positioning device 140 can be used to locate the angular position of the device under test 110 in three-dimensional space to test the air-interface radiation performance of the device under test 110 at the corresponding angular direction.

[0036] The positioning device 140 can be located in the darkroom 120 and disposed on one side of the measurement antenna 130. During OTA testing, the device under test 110 can be fixed to the positioning device 140. Movement (e.g., rotation) of the positioning device 140 can change the position of the device under test 110, thereby enabling testing with the measurement antenna 130 and the device under test 110 in different positional relationships (e.g., at different angular positions).

[0037] As an implementation, the positioning device 140 can be implemented as a three-dimensional turntable to achieve three-dimensional positioning of the test piece 110. An implementation of the positioning device 140 is given below in conjunction with FIG2. In the example of FIG2, the positioning device 140 can be called a three-dimensional turntable.

[0038] As shown in FIG2 , the positioning device 140 is composed of two orthogonal rotation axes (e.g., the Theta axis and the Phi axis) combined to achieve three-dimensional positioning. Specifically, referring to FIG2 , the positioning device 140 may include a horizontal turntable 1401, a Phi axis column 1402, and a Phi axis 1403. Driven by the Theta axis, the horizontal turntable 1401 can rotate about the Theta axis to change the elevation angle of the antenna of the device under test. In some embodiments, the rotation of the horizontal turntable 1401 about the Theta axis can also be understood as the rotation of the horizontal turntable 1401 in the horizontal plane or the rotation direction of the horizontal turntable 1401 being parallel to the horizontal plane. The Phi axis column 1402 is fixed to the edge of the horizontal turntable 1401 and rotates synchronously with the horizontal turntable 1401. The connection between the Phi axis 1403 and the Phi axis column 1402 allows the Phi axis 1403 to rotate synchronously when the Phi axis column 1402 rotates about the Theta axis. In addition, the Phi axis 1403 can also rotate around the axis of the Phi axis to change the azimuth angle of the antenna of the device under test. In some embodiments, the rotation of the Phi axis 1403 around the axis of the Phi axis can also be understood as the rotation of the Phi axis 1403 in the vertical plane or the rotation direction of the Phi axis 1403 is perpendicular to the horizontal plane.

[0039] The device under test can be fixed at the front end of the Phi axis 1403, i.e., the coordinate origin shown in Figure 2. In this way, the pitch angle and / or azimuth angle of the device under test can be changed by rotating the horizontal turntable 1401 and / or the Phi axis 1403, thereby enabling the air interface radiation performance of the device under test to be tested at different positions.

[0040] The positioning device shown in FIG2 is currently widely used. For example, when standard organizations such as the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) formulate OTA-related specifications, they all introduce the positioning device.

[0041] However, this positioning device may affect the test of the air-interface radiation performance of the device under test in some cases. This will be described below in conjunction with Figure 3. As shown in Figure 3, when the horizontal turntable 1401 rotates around the Theta axis, if it rotates to the position shown in Figure 3 (that is, the horizontal turntable 1401 rotates around the Theta axis to 180° or close to 180°), the Phi-axis column 1402 is located between the device under test and the measurement antenna. In this case, the wireless signal propagation path between the device under test and the measurement antenna will be blocked by the Phi-axis column, thereby affecting the test of the air-interface radiation performance of the device under test. That is to say, in some cases, the positioning device mentioned above may affect the test of the air-interface radiation performance of the device under test because the wireless signal propagation path between the device under test and the measurement antenna is blocked. This problem can be called a column blocking problem.

[0042] In order to solve the above problems, the embodiments of the present application provide a positioning device, a testing system and a testing method, which are helpful in reducing or avoiding the problem of column obstruction.

[0043] It should be understood that the positioning device 400 provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to the test system shown in FIG. 1 . For example, the positioning device 400 can be the positioning device 140 in the test system shown in FIG. 1 .

[0044] In the first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a positioning device. The positioning device provided in the embodiment of the present application is introduced below with reference to FIG4 . The positioning device 400 shown in FIG4 can be used to test the air interface radiation performance of the device under test, or in other words, the positioning device 400 can be used to perform OTA testing. Specifically, the positioning device 400 can be used to position the device under test during the test process so as to test the air interface radiation performance of the device under test at the corresponding position. The device under test can be, for example, the terminal device mentioned above, such as a mobile phone, a computer, a wearable device, etc.

[0045] As an implementation method, the air interface radiation performance of the device under test can be determined by measuring parameters used to characterize the air interface radiation performance of the device under test, so that subsequent operations can be performed based on the measurement results. For example, when the measurement results show that the air interface radiation performance of the device under test is good or meets relevant requirements, the device under test can be sold subsequently.

[0046] In the embodiment of the present application, there may be multiple parameters for characterizing the air interface radiation performance of the device under test, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this. Exemplarily, the parameters for characterizing the air interface radiation performance of the device under test may include parameters characterizing the transmission performance of the device under test and / or parameters characterizing the receiving performance of the device under test. For example, the parameters for characterizing the transmission performance of the device under test may include total radiated power (TRP), near horizon partial radiated power (NHPRP), etc.; the parameters for characterizing the receiving performance of the device under test may include total isotropic sensitivity (TIS), near horizon partial isotropic sensitivity (NHPIS), etc. In some embodiments, in addition to the parameters listed above, the parameters for characterizing the air interface radiation performance of the device under test may also include other parameters characterizing antenna performance, such as equivalent isotropic radiated power (EIRP), effective radiated power (ERP), etc.

[0047] In the embodiment of the present application, the positioning device 400 can achieve three-dimensional positioning using a combination of two rotation axes (i.e., a first rotation axis and a second rotation axis), where the two rotation axes are orthogonal. The first rotation axis can be used to control the rotation of the positioning device 400 in a first plane (e.g., a horizontal plane) to change the elevation angle of the antenna of the device under test; the second rotation axis can be used to control the rotation of the positioning device 400 in a second plane (e.g., a plane perpendicular to the horizontal plane) to change the azimuth angle of the antenna of the device under test.

[0048] Taking the positioning device 400 as an example of being used to achieve angular position positioning of the device under test in three-dimensional space, the positioning device 400 can be used to determine the Theta angle positioning and Phi angle positioning of the device under test. In this case, the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis mentioned in the embodiment of the present application may refer to the Theta axis and the Phi axis, respectively. The Theta axis can be used to control the rotation of the positioning device 400 in the horizontal plane to achieve Theta angle positioning (i.e., the Theta angle positioning is achieved by changing the pitch angle of the antenna of the device under test). The Phi axis can be used to control the rotation of the positioning device 400 in a plane perpendicular to the horizontal plane to achieve Phi angle positioning (i.e., the Phi angle positioning is achieved by changing the azimuth angle of the antenna of the device under test).

[0049] The positioning device 400 shown in FIG. 4 may include a rotation support mechanism 410 and a positioning ring 420 . The rotation support mechanism 410 and the positioning ring 420 are respectively introduced below.

[0050] The rotation support mechanism 410 can rotate about a first rotation axis (e.g., the Theta axis) to change the elevation angle of the antenna of the device under test. As an implementation, the rotation support mechanism 410 can be driven by a drive device to rotate about the first rotation axis. In some embodiments, the rotation support mechanism 410 can also be understood as a horizontal turntable of the positioning device 400, which can rotate about the first rotation axis.

[0051] The rotation support mechanism 410 may also be used to support the positioning ring 420 , so as to support the positioning ring 420 above the rotation support mechanism 410 .

[0052] The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the shape of the rotation support mechanism 410. For example, the rotation support mechanism 410 can be cylindrical, truncated cone, cube, cuboid, or other irregular shapes.

[0053] The present embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the material of the rotation support mechanism 410. For example, the rotation support mechanism 410 can be made of a material that meets the mechanical requirements for OTA testing. In some embodiments, a material with a relatively low dielectric constant can be selected to form the rotation support mechanism 410, provided that the mechanical requirements for OTA testing are met.

[0054] The positioning ring 420 can be used to fix the device under test and drive the device under test to rotate around a second rotation axis (eg, the Phi axis) to change the azimuth angle of the antenna of the device under test.

[0055] In some embodiments, the positioning ring 420 can be used to fix the device under test at the center of the positioning ring 420. As an implementation method, the positioning ring 420 can be provided with a support structure for the device under test to fix the device under test at the center of the positioning ring 420. Specifically, the positioning ring 420 can have an annular outer wall, and the support structure for the device under test can be provided inside the outer wall. In the embodiments of the present application, by providing a support structure for the device under test at the positioning ring, the positioning ring can provide positioning support for the device under test from the circumference to the center of the circle, thereby ensuring that the provided positioning support is more stable and reliable.

[0056] As an implementation manner, the positioning ring 420 can drive the measured object to rotate around the second rotation axis under the drive of the driving device.

[0057] In some embodiments, the driving device that drives the positioning ring 420 to rotate around the second rotation axis and the driving device that drives the rotating support mechanism 410 to rotate around the first rotation axis can be different driving devices, so as to flexibly control the three-dimensional positioning of the test piece through different driving devices, thereby improving the flexibility of the test.

[0058] In some embodiments, the positioning ring 420 may be made of a radio frequency transparent material, so that even when the positioning ring 420 is located between the device under test and the measuring antenna, radio frequency shielding will not occur.

[0059] In some embodiments, the positioning ring 420 being made of a radio frequency transparent material can be understood as being substantially transparent (transmissive) to wireless signals (e.g., electromagnetic wave signals) propagating between the device under test and the measurement antenna. Alternatively, the positioning ring 420 being made of a radio frequency transparent material can be understood as being made of a material with propagation characteristics close to those of air.

[0060] As an implementation manner, the positioning ring 420 can be made of a material with a dielectric constant close to 1, or in other words, the positioning ring 420 can be made of a material with a lower dielectric constant, such as polymethyl methacrylate, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyimide, etc.

[0061] As mentioned above, the rotating support mechanism 410 can be used to support the positioning ring 420, supporting the positioning ring 420 above the rotating support mechanism 410. In this case, the connection between the rotating support mechanism 410 and the positioning ring 420 enables the positioning ring 420 to rotate synchronously around the first rotating axis when the rotating support mechanism 410 rotates around the first rotating axis.

[0062] The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the implementation method of the rotating support mechanism 410 driving the positioning ring 420 to rotate synchronously around the first rotation axis. For example, the driving device that drives the positioning ring 420 to rotate around the second rotation axis can rotate around the first rotation axis along with the rotating support mechanism 410, and drive the positioning ring 420 to rotate synchronously around the first rotation axis. As an implementation method, the rotating support mechanism 410 and the positioning ring 420 can be connected by meshing or snap connection to achieve the rotating support mechanism 410 driving the positioning ring 420 to rotate synchronously around the first rotation axis, and can also ensure that the positioning ring 420 can rotate around the second rotation axis. The preferred implementation scheme will be given later in conjunction with Figure 5, which will not be described here.

[0063] The embodiment of the present application realizes the rotation of the test piece around the second rotation axis through a positioning ring, and the positioning ring can rotate synchronously with the first rotation axis, so that the test piece can also rotate with the first rotation axis, thereby realizing three-dimensional positioning of the test piece. Compared with the solution of achieving three-dimensional positioning by combining two orthogonal rotation axes and connecting and supporting the two orthogonal rotation axes through columns, the positioning device provided by the embodiment of the present application can omit the column for connecting and supporting the two orthogonal rotation axes, or in other words, the rotation support mechanism of the embodiment of the present application can be used as a rotation axis to achieve rotational positioning and as a column to connect and support the positioning ring. In this way, the rotation support mechanism is below the test piece at any test angle, thereby reducing or avoiding the problem of column obstruction. In addition, the rotation angle range that can be achieved by the positioning device provided by the embodiment of the present application can fully meet the use requirements of OTA testing.

[0064] In other words, the embodiment of the present application can realize the complete function of Theta axis positioning through the rotating support mechanism, and realize the complete function of Phi axis positioning through the positioning ring, thereby providing precise positioning of the Theta axis and the Phi axis, and the entire implementation scheme is simple, stable and reliable.

[0065] In the case where the rotating support mechanism of the embodiment of the present application can be used simultaneously as a rotating shaft to achieve rotational positioning and as a column to connect and support the positioning ring, it can be considered that the column used to support the rotation of the positioning ring is located at the center of the horizontal turntable (the column and the horizontal turntable are combined into a rotating support mechanism), and the axis of the column coincides with the first rotation axis.

[0066] 5 , a method is provided for realizing that the rotation support mechanism 410 drives the positioning ring 420 to rotate synchronously around the first rotation axis, while also ensuring that the positioning ring 420 can rotate around the second rotation axis.

[0067] As shown in Figure 5, the rotary support mechanism 410 has a positioning track, and the positioning ring 420 has a positioning gear that meshes (or bites) with the positioning track. On the one hand, when the rotary support mechanism 410 rotates around the first rotation axis, the positioning gear on the positioning ring 420 meshes with the positioning track on the rotary support mechanism 410, so the rotary support mechanism 410 can drive the positioning ring 420 to rotate synchronously around the first rotation axis. On the other hand, the positioning track can serve as a driving device for driving the positioning ring 420 to rotate around the second rotation axis. When the positioning track rotates around the second rotation axis, the positioning gear on the positioning ring 420 meshes with the positioning track. Therefore, driven by the positioning track, the positioning ring 420 can rotate around the second rotation axis.

[0068] It should be understood that Figure 5 is described by taking the example of mutually meshing positioning gears and positioning tracks distributed on the rotating support mechanism 410 and the positioning ring 420, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this. For example, the rotating support mechanism 410 and the positioning ring 420 are distributed with mutually meshing positioning gears and positioning racks, etc., as long as the driving device (for example, the positioning track) can simultaneously drive the positioning ring 420 to rotate around the second rotation axis and drive the positioning ring 420 to rotate synchronously around the first rotation axis.

[0069] In the above example, the driving device can simultaneously drive the positioning device to rotate around the second rotation axis and drive the positioning device to rotate synchronously around the first rotation axis, which is more convenient to implement and can save costs.

[0070] In a second aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a test system. The test system can be used to test the air interface radiation performance of a device under test. For details about the device under test and its air interface radiation performance, please refer to the relevant introduction above.

[0071] FIG6 is an example diagram of a test system provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG6 , the test system 600 can be used to test the air interface radiation performance of a device under test 610. The test system 600 can include a darkroom 620, a measurement antenna 630, and a positioning device 640.

[0072] Darkroom 620 can be used to simulate the transmission scenario of wireless signals of the device under test 610 in the air. This embodiment of the application does not specifically limit the shape (structural form) of darkroom 620. For example, darkroom 620 can be rectangular, trumpet-shaped, conical, semicircular, or a combination of shapes.

[0073] The darkroom 620 may include a quiet zone, and the device under test 610 may be placed in the quiet zone of the darkroom to perform air interface radiation performance testing to ensure the accuracy of the test results.

[0074] In some embodiments, the inner walls of the darkroom 620 may be paved with an absorbing material to reduce reflections from the inner walls. The present embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the type of absorbing material used in the darkroom 620, as long as it can absorb radio waves. For example, the absorbing material may be a paper absorbing material, a foam plastic absorbing material, a rubber absorbing material, etc.

[0075] For other relevant descriptions of the darkroom 620 , reference may be made to the above description of the darkroom 120 , or to the relevant descriptions of the prior art, which will not be repeated here.

[0076] The measurement antenna 630 may be disposed in the darkroom 620 to wirelessly communicate with the device under test 610. For a description of the measurement antenna 630, please refer to the description of the measurement antenna 130 above or to the description of the prior art, which will not be repeated here.

[0077] Positioning device 640 can be disposed within darkroom 620 and on one side of measurement antenna 630 to position the device under test 610 during testing. Positioning device 640 can be any of the positioning devices 400 described above. For a description of positioning device 640, please refer to the description of positioning device 400 above and will not be repeated here.

[0078] In some embodiments, the test system mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may also include a controller (not shown in the figure) in addition to the above-mentioned devices. The controller can be used to control the rotation of the positioning device (for example, control the rotation of the rotating support mechanism and / or the rotation of the positioning ring), the transmission and reception of wireless signals of the test piece, and the transmission and reception of signals of the measuring antenna, etc.

[0079] In some embodiments, the device under test 610 may be positioned at the center of a positioning ring in the positioning device 640 .

[0080] In some embodiments, the center of the positioning ring may be the center of the quiet zone of the darkroom 620. In this way, the device under test can be positioned at the center of the quiet zone of the darkroom, thereby reducing or avoiding the interference of stray waves on the measurement results and improving the accuracy of the test.

[0081] In some embodiments, the positioning ring and the measurement antenna are arranged such that, when the elevation angle of the DUT antenna is zero, that is, when the rotating support mechanism and the positioning ring are in their initial positions, the annular surface of the positioning ring is perpendicular to a line connecting the measurement antenna and the center of the quiet zone of the darkroom. It should be understood that when the elevation angle of the DUT antenna is zero or when the rotating support mechanism and the positioning ring are in their initial positions, the DUT antenna is directly opposite the measurement antenna. As shown in FIG6 , in the example of FIG6 , the elevation angle of the DUT antenna is zero, or in other words, the rotating support mechanism and the positioning ring are in their initial positions.

[0082] The above describes the device embodiment of the present application in detail in conjunction with Figures 1 to 6. The following describes the method embodiment of the present application in detail in conjunction with Figure 7. It should be understood that the description of the method embodiment corresponds to the description of the device embodiment. Therefore, for parts not described in detail, reference can be made to the above device embodiment.

[0083] Figure 7 is a flow chart of a test method according to an embodiment of the present application. The test method shown in Figure 7 can be applied to a test system for testing the air interface radiation performance of a device under test, such as the test system 600 mentioned above.

[0084] The test system may include: a darkroom; a measuring antenna disposed in the darkroom; and a positioning device disposed in the darkroom and on one side of the measuring antenna for positioning the device under test during testing. The positioning device may be any positioning device 400 described above.

[0085] The testing method shown in FIG. 7 may be executed by a controller in a testing system, and the testing method may include step S710 and step S720 .

[0086] In step S710, the rotation support mechanism is controlled to rotate around a first rotation axis to change the elevation angle of the antenna of the device under test.

[0087] As an implementation, the controller may control the first rotation axis to rotate, so as to drive the rotation support mechanism to rotate around the first rotation axis. As another implementation, the controller may control the driving device to drive the rotation support mechanism to rotate around the first rotation axis.

[0088] In step S720 , the positioning device is controlled to rotate around the second rotation axis to change the azimuth angle of the antenna of the device under test.

[0089] As an implementation method, the controller can control the driving device to drive the positioning device to rotate around the second rotation axis. For example, the controller can control the positioning crawler to rotate to drive the positioning device to rotate around the second rotation axis.

[0090] Optionally, the positioning ring and the measuring antenna are arranged so that: when the pitch angle is 0, the annular surface of the positioning ring is perpendicular to a line connecting the measuring antenna and the center of the quiet zone of the darkroom.

[0091] Optionally, the rotating support mechanism has a positioning track, the positioning ring has a positioning gear engaged with the positioning track, and the controlling of the positioning to rotate around the second rotating axis includes: controlling the rotation of the positioning track so that the positioning ring rotates around the second rotating axis driven by the positioning track.

[0092] Optionally, the positioning ring has an annular outer wall, and a support structure for the measured object is provided inside the outer wall.

[0093] Optionally, the positioning ring is made of radio frequency transparent material.

[0094] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a program. The computer-readable storage medium can be applied to a terminal or network device provided in the present application, and the program enables a computer to execute the method performed by the terminal or network device in each embodiment of the present application.

[0095] The present application also provides a computer program product. The computer program product includes a program. The computer program product can be applied to a terminal or network device provided in the present application, and the program causes a computer to execute the method performed by the terminal or network device in each embodiment of the present application.

[0096] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program. The computer program can be applied to the terminal or network device provided in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program enables a computer to execute the method performed by the terminal or network device in each embodiment of the present application.

[0097] It should be understood that in the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "connection" and "fixed" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication between two elements or the interaction between two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0098] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the terms "horizontal plane", "vertical plane", "up", "down", etc. indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of description and simplified description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0099] It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" in this application can be used interchangeably. In addition, the terms used in this application are only used to explain the specific embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application. The terms "first", "second", "third", and "fourth" in the specification and claims of this application and the accompanying drawings are used to distinguish different objects rather than to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions.

[0100] In the embodiments of this application, the term "indication" may refer to a direct indication, an indirect indication, or an indication of an association. For example, "A indicates B" may refer to a direct indication of B, e.g., B can obtain information through A; it may refer to an indirect indication of B, e.g., A indicates C, e.g., B can obtain information through C; or it may refer to an association between A and B.

[0101] In the embodiment of the present application, "B corresponding to A" means that B is associated with A and B can be determined based on A. However, it should be understood that determining B based on A does not mean determining B based solely on A, but B can also be determined based on A and / or other information.

[0102] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "corresponding" may indicate a direct or indirect correspondence between the two, or an association relationship between the two, or a relationship between indication and indication, configuration and configuration, etc.

[0103] In the embodiments of the present application, "pre-definition" or "pre-configuration" may be implemented by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables, or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in a device (e.g., a terminal device and a network device). The present application does not limit the specific implementation method. For example, pre-definition may refer to information defined in a protocol.

[0104] In the embodiments of the present application, the “protocol” may refer to a standard protocol in the communications field, for example, it may include an LTE protocol, an NR protocol, and related protocols used in future communication systems, and the present application does not limit this.

[0105] In the embodiments of this application, the term "and / or" is simply a description of the association relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0106] In various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0107] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0108] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0109] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0110] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be read by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated therein. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a digital versatile disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0111] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A positioning device, characterized in that: Used to test the air interface radiation performance of the device under test, the positioning device includes: A rotating support mechanism, configured to rotate about a first rotation axis to change the elevation angle of the antenna of the device under test; The positioning ring is used to fix the device under test and drive the device under test to rotate around the second rotation axis to change the azimuth angle of the antenna of the device under test. The positioning ring is supported above the rotation support mechanism and rotates synchronously with the first rotation axis.

2. The positioning device according to claim 1, characterized in that The rotation support mechanism has a positioning crawler, and the positioning ring has a positioning gear engaged with the positioning crawler. Driven by the positioning crawler, the positioning ring rotates around the second rotation axis.

3. The positioning device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The positioning ring has an annular outer wall, and a support structure of the measured object is arranged inside the outer wall.

4. The positioning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The positioning ring is made of radio frequency transparent material.

5. A testing system, characterized in that: Used to test the air interface radiation performance of the device under test, the test system includes: darkroom; a measuring antenna, disposed in the darkroom; and A positioning device, disposed in the darkroom and on one side of the measuring antenna, for positioning the device under test during the test; Wherein, the positioning device includes: A rotating support mechanism, configured to rotate about a first rotation axis to change the elevation angle of the antenna of the device under test; The positioning ring is used to fix the device under test and drive the device under test to rotate around the second rotation axis to change the azimuth angle of the antenna of the device under test. The positioning ring is supported above the rotation support mechanism and rotates synchronously with the first rotation axis.

6. The test system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The measured object is positioned at the center of the positioning ring, and the center of the positioning ring is the center of the quiet zone of the darkroom.

7. The test system according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: The positioning ring and the measuring antenna are arranged so that, when the pitch angle is 0, the annular surface of the positioning ring is perpendicular to a line connecting the measuring antenna and the center of the quiet zone of the darkroom.

8. The test system according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that: The rotation support mechanism has a positioning crawler, and the positioning ring has a positioning gear engaged with the positioning crawler. Driven by the positioning crawler, the positioning ring rotates around the second rotation axis.

9. The test system according to any one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that: The positioning ring has an annular outer wall, and a support structure of the measured object is arranged inside the outer wall.

10. The test system according to any one of claims 5 to 9, characterized in that: The positioning ring is made of radio frequency transparent material.

11. A testing method, characterized in that: The test method is applied to a test system for testing the air interface radiation performance of a device under test, the test system comprising: darkroom; a measuring antenna, disposed in the darkroom; and A positioning device, disposed in the darkroom and on one side of the measuring antenna, for positioning the device under test during the test; Wherein, the positioning device includes: A rotating support mechanism, configured to rotate about a first rotation axis to change the elevation angle of the antenna of the device under test; a positioning ring, used to fix the device under test and drive the device under test to rotate about a second rotation axis to change the azimuth angle of the antenna of the device under test, wherein the positioning ring is supported above the rotation support mechanism and rotates synchronously with the first rotation axis; The test method includes: Controlling the rotation support mechanism to rotate around the first rotation axis to change the elevation angle of the antenna of the device under test; The positioning device is controlled to rotate around the second rotation axis to change the azimuth angle of the antenna of the device under test.

12. The testing method according to claim 11, characterized in that: The measured object is positioned at the center of the positioning ring, and the center of the positioning ring is the center of the quiet zone of the darkroom.

13. The testing method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: The positioning ring and the measuring antenna are arranged so that, when the pitch angle is 0, the annular surface of the positioning ring is perpendicular to a line connecting the measuring antenna and the center of the quiet zone of the darkroom.

14. The testing method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that: The rotary support mechanism has a positioning crawler, and the positioning ring has a positioning gear meshing with the positioning crawler. The controlling the positioning device to rotate around the second rotation axis includes: The positioning crawler is controlled to rotate so that the positioning ring rotates around the second rotation axis under the drive of the positioning crawler.

15. The testing method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that: The positioning ring has an annular outer wall, and a support structure of the measured object is arranged inside the outer wall.

16. The testing method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, characterized in that: The positioning ring is made of radio frequency transparent material.

17. A device, characterized in that The device comprises a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store a program, and the processor is used to call the program in the memory so that the device executes the method according to any one of claims 11 to 16.

18. A chip, characterized in that: The device comprises a processor configured to call a program from a memory so that a device equipped with the chip executes the method according to any one of claims 11 to 16.

19. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that A program is stored thereon, the program causing a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 11 to 16.

20. A computer program product, characterized in that The method comprises a program for causing a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 11 to 16.

21. A computer program, characterized in that The computer program causes a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 11 to 16.

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