Measurement system

Abstract

To provide a measurement system that can easily identify problems when reception conditions cannot be met.SOLUTION: A measurement system includes a terminal simulation device 2 that simulates a wireless terminal, a DU simulation device 3 that simulates an O-DU, and a control device 4 that, in an uplink test of the DUT100, calculates the signal level and BLER of the uplink packet data output from the DUT100 from IQ data extracted from the uplink packet data output from the DUT100, and displays on a display unit 42 a graph showing the relationship between the calculated signal level and BLER when the level of the signal input to the DUT100 is changed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a measurement system that simulates an O-RAN (Open-Radio Access Network) O-DU (O-RAN Distributed Unit) and a wireless terminal to test an O-RAN (O-RAN Radio Unit). [Background technology]

[0002] In wireless communication networks, one architecture for the Radio Access Network (RAN) that is located between the core network and terminals and consists of base stations that control the wireless layer is the C-RAN (Centralized RAN), which extends multiple wireless units from the baseband processing unit of a centrally installed base station device and connects them via optical fiber or other means.

[0003] In C-RAN, there are insufficient standard specifications for the interface between the baseband processing unit and the radio unit, and many areas are specified independently by each vendor, making it difficult to achieve interoperability between baseband processing units and radio units from different vendors.

[0004] To solve these problems, the O-RAN fronthaul specification was formulated, which divides the functions of the radio access network into the O-DU, which acts as the baseband processing unit, and the O-RU, which acts as the radio unit, and specifies the functions of each.

[0005] The O-RAN fronthaul specifications include the C / U / S-Plane (Control, User and Synchronization Plane) specifications, which define the details of equipment operation, and the M-Plane (Management Plane) specifications.

[0006] Patent Document 1 describes a measurement device that includes a group of control target devices, which includes at least a plurality of emulators that simulate each of the constituent devices of the group of constituent devices that make up Open RAN as control target devices, and that includes a group of device control units that each control the controlled devices of the group of control target devices; the device sets a constituent device selected from the group of constituent devices as a measurement target device; the user is allowed to set the order in which the device control units in the group of device control units that are used to test the measurement target devices are used; and the device control units used for the test are used in the set order of use to execute a test case. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-150092 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] When checking whether an RU (Radio Unit) meets the uplink reception performance standards of the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), it is necessary to input a constant value of power to the input terminal of the RU's RF (Radio Frequency) signal and measure it.

[0009] In this case, the Block Error Rate (BLER) is an indicator of RU performance. Performance can be judged by plotting a BLER curve with the SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) at the RF signal input terminal on the horizontal axis and the BLER on the vertical axis.

[0010] In the case of an O-RU that conforms to the O-RAN standard, the interface with the O-RU downstream is IQ (In-Phase / Quadrature-Phase) data digitized using a specification called Split 7-2x.

[0011] To check whether the O-RU meets the uplink reception performance requirements of the 3GPP standard, it is necessary to demodulate and decode the IQ data output by the O-RU and measure the BLER.

[0012] When looking at the BLER relative to the SNR at the RF signal input terminal, it is difficult to determine the signal loss inside the O-RU, making it difficult to isolate the problem when reception conditions cannot be met.

[0013] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a measurement system that can easily identify problems when reception conditions cannot be met by calculating the level of the signal output by the O-RU. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] The measurement system of the present invention is a measurement system (1) comprising a terminal simulation device (2) that simulates a wireless terminal, a DU simulation device (3) that simulates an O-DU, and a control device (4) that controls the terminal simulation device and the DU simulation device to test an O-RU device (100), wherein the control device calculates the signal level and BLER of the uplink packet data output from the O-RU device from IQ data extracted from the uplink packet data output from the O-RU device in an uplink test of the O-RU device, and displays on a display unit (42) a graph of the relationship between the calculated signal level and BLER when the level of the signal input to the O-RU device is changed.

[0015] This configuration displays a graph of the relationship between the signal level of packet data output from the O-RU and the BLER, making it possible to know the signal level output by the O-RU and easily identify problems when reception conditions are not met.

[0016] In addition, in the measurement system of the present invention, the control device displays on the display unit a graph the relationship between the level of the signal input to the O-RU device when the level of the signal input to the O-RU device is changed and the BLER calculated from the IQ data extracted from the uplink packet data output from the O-RU device.

[0017] This configuration displays a graph of the relationship between the signal level input to the O-RU and the BLER, making it possible to determine the signal loss inside the O-RU and easily isolate the problem when reception conditions cannot be met.

[0018] In addition, in the measurement system of the present invention, the control device is capable of switching between displaying a graph showing the relationship between the signal level of uplink packet data output from the O-RU device and BLER when the level of the signal input to the O-RU device is changed, and displaying a graph showing the relationship between the level of the signal input to the O-RU device and BLER.

[0019] This configuration allows the display to alternate between a graph showing the relationship between the signal level and BLER of packet data output from the O-RU and a graph showing the relationship between the level and BLER of the signal input to the O-RU, making it easy to switch between graphs and see the signal loss inside the O-RU.

[0020] In addition, in the measurement system of the present invention, when a point representing a measured value displayed on the graph is selected, the control device displays the measurement value corresponding to that point in a speech bubble.

[0021] This configuration allows the measurement value to be displayed by selecting a point on the graph, making it easy to check the measurement results from the graph. [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] The present invention can provide a measurement system that can easily identify the problem when reception conditions cannot be met. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a measurement system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a graph showing the relationship between the signal level at the input end of the DUT of the measurement system according to one embodiment of the present invention and the BLER. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a graph showing the relationship between the signal level of the output of the DUT and the BLER of the measurement system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example in which a speech bubble is displayed by selecting a point on a graph of a measurement system according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] Hereinafter, a measurement system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0025] In FIG. 1, a measurement system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention is connected to an O-RU device as a DUT 100 (Device Under Test) via a wired connection such as a coaxial cable or an optical fiber line, and performs measurement tests on the DUT 100 by simulating a wireless terminal and an O-DU.

[0026] The measurement system 1 includes a terminal simulation device 2, a DU simulation device 3, and a control device 4.

[0027] The terminal simulation device 2 simulates a wireless terminal and transmits and receives RF signals to and from the DUT 100 via a wired line.

[0028] The DU simulation device 3 simulates an O-DU and transmits and receives signals to and from the DUT 100 via an optical fiber line.

[0029] The control device 4 is composed of a computer unit having, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, a hard disk drive, an input port, and an output port.

[0030] This computer unit is configured so that the CPU can control devices connected to the input and output ports by executing an OS (Operating System) stored in a hard disk drive, for example.

[0031] The control device 4 includes an operation unit 41 and a display unit 42. The operation unit 41 is configured with input devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch panel, and outputs information input by operation to the CPU.

[0032] The display unit 42 is configured, for example, by an image display device such as a liquid crystal display, and displays images for inputting information necessary for setting up the measurement, images showing the status during the measurement, and the like.

[0033] The control device 4 controls the terminal simulation device 2 and the DU simulation device 3 to perform a measurement test on the DUT 100 .

[0034] When performing an uplink reception test on the DUT 100, the control device 4 causes the terminal simulation device 2 to transmit waveform data created in accordance with parameters set by the user to the DUT 100 as an RF signal.

[0035] The DU pseudo device 3 captures uplink packet data output from the DUT 100 , extracts IQ data from the packet data, and outputs the IQ data to the control device 4 .

[0036] The control device 4 decodes the IQ data, performs a CRC check, compiles the results of the CRC check, calculates the BLER, and displays the BLER results on the display unit 42 as a graph or the like.

[0037] For example, the control device 4 sequentially changes the signal level of the RF signal output from the terminal simulation device 2 at set intervals within a range set by the user, measures the BLER at that time, and displays the relationship between the level of the RF signal output from the terminal simulation device 2 and the BLER in a graph on the display unit 42.

[0038] In this case, the 3GPP standard requires that the level of the RF signal input terminal of the DUT 100 be measured, so the signal loss from the terminal simulation device 2 that generates the signal to the RF signal input terminal of the DUT 100 is measured as PathLoss. PathLoss changes when the cable between the terminal simulation device 2 and the DUT 100 is changed or when the frequency of the RF signal to be measured changes, so it must be measured each time. Measurement requires the time-consuming task of switching the cable between the RF signal input terminal of the DUT 100 and the input terminal of the measurement device. If the DUT 100 has multiple RF signal input terminals, the workload increases accordingly.

[0039] The measured PathLoss is input to the control device 4. The control device 4 subtracts the input PathLoss and specifies the level of the RF signal to be transmitted to the terminal simulation device 2 so that the level of the RF signal at the input end of the DUT 100 becomes the set level.

[0040] 2, the control device 4 displays a graph of the relationship between the RF signal level at the input terminal of the RF signal of the DUT 100 (a value obtained by adding PathLoss to the signal level output from the terminal simulation device 2) and the BLER on the display unit 42. The control device 4 may also display the value of PathLoss at this time together with the graph.

[0041] The black dots in the figure indicate the measured BLER values, and the white diamond dots indicate the upper limit of the BLER that satisfies the standard.

[0042] The control device 4 analyzes the IQ data output from the DU simulation device 3, calculates the signal level of the uplink packet data output from the DUT 100, and displays the relationship between the calculated signal level and BLER in a graph on the display unit 42.

[0043] The control device 4 causes the display unit 42 to display a graph showing the relationship between the signal level of the uplink packet data output from the DUT 100 and the BLER, as shown in FIG.

[0044] The black dots in the figure indicate the measured BLER values, and the white diamond dots indicate the upper limit of the BLER that satisfies the standard.

[0045] The control device 4 switches between the display of the graph in Fig. 2 and the display of the graph in Fig. 3, for example, by selecting a tab at the top of the screen through an operation on the operation unit 41. It is preferable that the control device 4 make the display, such as the color of the selected tab, different from the display of the non-selected tabs.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 4, when a black circle on the graph is selected by, for example, hovering the mouse pointer over it using the mouse of the operation unit 41, the control device 4 displays the measurement value of that point, for example, in a speech bubble.

[0047] As described above, in the above-described embodiment, in an uplink test of the DUT 100, the control device 4 calculates the signal level and BLER of the uplink packet data output from the DUT 100 from the IQ data extracted from the uplink packet data output from the DUT 100, and displays on the display unit 42 a graph showing the relationship between the calculated signal level and BLER when the level of the signal input to the DUT 100 is changed.

[0048] This makes it possible to know the level of the signal output by the DUT 100, making it easier to isolate the problem when the reception conditions are not met.

[0049] Furthermore, since the value of the level of the signal input to the DUT 100 is not required, there is no need to measure PathLoss, which reduces the effort required for testing.

[0050] In addition, the control device 4 causes the display unit 42 to display a graph showing the relationship between the level of the signal input to the DUT 100 when the level of the signal input to the DUT 100 is changed and the BLER calculated from the IQ data extracted from the uplink packet data output from the DUT 100.

[0051] This makes it possible to know the signal loss inside the DUT 100, and makes it easier to isolate the problem when the reception conditions cannot be met.

[0052] In addition, the control device 4 switchably displays a graph showing the relationship between the signal level of the uplink packet data output from the DUT 100 and the BLER when the level of the signal input to the DUT 100 is changed, and a graph showing the relationship between the level of the signal input to the DUT 100 and the BLER.

[0053] This makes it possible to easily switch between a graph showing the relationship between the level of the signal output from DUT100 and the BLER, and a graph showing the relationship between the level of the signal input to DUT100 and the BLER, making it easy to know the signal loss inside DUT100.

[0054] Furthermore, when a point that represents a measured value displayed on the graph is selected, the control device 4 displays the measurement value corresponding to that point in a balloon.

[0055] This allows the measurement results to be easily confirmed from the graph, as the measurement values ​​are displayed by selecting a point on the graph.

[0056] While an embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention, and it is intended that all such modifications and equivalents be included in the following claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1. Measurement System 2 Terminal pseudo-devices 3 DU pseudo device 4. Control device 41 Operation section 42 Display section 100 DUT(O-RU equipment)

Claims

1. a terminal simulation device (2) that simulates a wireless terminal; a DU simulation device (3) that simulates an O-DU; A measurement system (1) comprising a control device (4) that controls the terminal simulation device and the DU simulation device to test an O-RU device (100), The control device calculates the signal level and BLER of the uplink packet data output from the O-RU device from IQ data extracted from the uplink packet data output from the O-RU device in an uplink test of the O-RU device, and displays on a display unit (42) a graph showing the relationship between the calculated signal level and BLER when the level of the signal input to the O-RU device is changed.

2. The measurement system of claim 1, wherein the control device displays on the display unit a graph the relationship between the level of the signal input to the O-RU device when the level of the signal input to the O-RU device is changed and the BLER calculated from IQ data extracted from the uplink packet data output from the O-RU device.

3. The measurement system of claim 2, wherein the control device is capable of switchably displaying a graph showing the relationship between the signal level of uplink packet data output from the O-RU device and the BLER when the level of the signal input to the O-RU device is changed, and a graph showing the relationship between the level of the signal input to the O-RU device and the BLER.

4. The measurement system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when a point representing a measured value displayed on a graph is selected, the control device displays the measurement value corresponding to that point in a speech bubble.

Images