In-vehicle Antenna Test System

Abstract

Provided is a test system for an in-vehicle antenna. In this test system, when a reflector (14) is connected to the mounting surface (123), or when the reflector (14) protrudes from the mounting surface (123), the test system for the in-vehicle antenna can be used for a semi-anechoic chamber test. When the reflector (14) is not connected to the mounting surface (123), or when the reflector (14) retracts into the mounting surface (123), the test system for the in-vehicle antenna can be used for an anechoic chamber test. That is, the test system for the in-vehicle antenna according to the present disclosure has the functions of an anechoic chamber test and a semi-anechoic chamber test, and these two functions can be easily switched by attaching and detaching or expanding and contracting the reflector, with low cost, and can meet more test requirements, improving the technical problem in the related art that the test system for the in-vehicle antenna cannot combine the anechoic chamber test and the semi-anechoic chamber test.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure belongs to the technical field of communications, and particularly relates to a test system for in-vehicle antennas. (Cross-reference to Related Applications) This application claims priority based on a Chinese application filed with the China National Intellectual Property Administration on June 17, 2022, with an application number of 202210693196.1 and a title of "Test System for In-vehicle Antennas", and all of its content is incorporated herein by reference.

Background Art

[0002] The production vehicle antenna is attached to the production vehicle body. For example, an automotive antenna is attached to the production vehicle body of an automobile, and a tank antenna is attached to the production vehicle body of a tank. Once the production vehicle antenna is attached to the production vehicle, the actual performance (e.g., pattern, gain, etc.) of the production vehicle antenna can be better reflected. Hereinafter, the production vehicle antenna attached to the production vehicle body and in the actual use environment is referred to as an "in-vehicle antenna".

[0003] Currently, in related technologies, spherical tests are often adopted for testing the performance of in-vehicle antennas. The test coordinate system of the spherical test is shown in FIG. 1. As test systems used for testing the performance of in-vehicle antennas, there are a full anechoic chamber test system, a semi-anechoic chamber test system, and an outdoor open space test system. Any of the above three test systems is recognized by the 5GAA Automotive Association.

[0004] The full anechoic chamber test system includes a shielding body 111 and an electromagnetic wave absorbing material 112 (shown in Figure 2). The shielding body 111 is usually made of a metal plate and serves to block external electromagnetic waves and form a test environment without external electromagnetic wave interference. The electromagnetic wave absorbing material 112 is laid on the inner wall of the shielding body 111, and the electromagnetic wave absorbing material 112 absorbs incident electromagnetic waves and reduces the reflection of electromagnetic waves inside the shielding body 111 to the design requirements. The full anechoic chamber test system further includes a rotating table 121 installed horizontally, an elevator 122 is installed on the rotating table, and the elevator 122 is used to lift the completed vehicle to be tested, and the rotating table 121 is used to rotate both the elevator 122 and the completed vehicle to be tested. The reason for installing the elevator 122 is that in a full electromagnetic wave test, in order for the test area to meet the conditions of an anechoic area, it is necessary to maintain a certain distance between the test area and the electromagnetic wave absorbing material 112 on the rotating table 121. The measuring antenna 13 is slidably installed on an arc-shaped rail, thereby realizing sampling along an arc-shaped trajectory. Alternatively, a plurality of measuring antennas 13 are fixedly attached to an antenna support, and the plurality of measuring antennas 13 are distributed in an arc shape, and each measuring antenna is switched by an electronic switch to realize similar sampling. When conducting a test, the rotating table 121 (including the elevator 122) rotates the completed vehicle to be tested, and the measuring antenna 13 performs sampling while moving on the arc-shaped rail, or switches a plurality of measuring antennas 13 at an angle of θ to perform sampling. Thereby, the measuring antenna 13 can perform tests on the in-vehicle antenna at a plurality of spatial positions on a part of the spherical surface surrounding the completed vehicle to be tested. The full anechoic chamber test system has the following characteristics. The center of the test coordinate system for spherical surface testing, that is, the center of the arc-shaped trajectory, is located directly above the rotation center of the rotating table 121. The height from the bottom surface of the shielding body 111 is H1, and the radius of the arc-shaped rail is R. The electromagnetic wave absorbing material 112 is laid on the rotating table 121, and the completed vehicle to be tested is located in the test coordinate system shown in Figure 3. In the coordinate system, when the measuring antenna rotates to the positive direction of the Z axis, θ is 0° in the test coordinate system shown in Figure 1, and when it rotates to the positive direction of the X axis, θ is 90°.In the full anechoic chamber test system, since it is necessary to lay the electromagnetic wave absorbing material 112 under the vehicle to be tested and completed, the elevator 122 is used to lift the vehicle to be tested and completed. The rotation range of the measurement antenna exceeds 90°. If the vehicle to be tested and completed is lifted sufficiently and the arc-shaped rail extends below the X-axis, the θ angle can reach 120°.

[0005] Compared with the full anechoic chamber test system, the electromagnetic wave absorbing material 112 is not laid on the bottom surface of the semi-anechoic chamber test system, and the electromagnetic wave absorbing material 112 is laid on other surfaces (shown in FIG. 4). A turntable 121 is also horizontally installed in the semi-anechoic chamber test system. The installation of the measurement antenna is similar to that of the full anechoic chamber test system, but it is different from the full anechoic chamber test system in the following points. The center of the arc-shaped locus is located at the rotation center of the turntable 121 and on the upper surface of the turntable 121 (or at a certain distance from the upper surface). In the turntable 121, the installation of the elevator 122 is not required. The vehicle to be tested and completed is arranged on the turntable 121 and does not need to be lifted during the test. The semi-anechoic chamber test system has the following characteristics. The center of the arc-shaped locus is located directly above the center of the turntable 121 and on the upper surface of the turntable. The electromagnetic wave absorbing material 112 is not laid on the turntable 121. The vehicle to be tested and completed is directly arranged on the turntable 121, that is, the vehicle to be tested and completed is located in the test coordinate system shown in FIG. 3. Instead of laying the electromagnetic wave absorbing material 112 under and around the vehicle to be tested and completed, according to the test requirements, materials simulating the actual ground for electromagnetic wave reflection are laid on the turntable 121 and the ground around the vehicle to be tested and completed to simulate the actual use scene of the vehicle to be tested and completed. In the semi-anechoic chamber test system, the maximum rotation range of the measurement antenna is at most 90°, and it cannot extend below the X-axis, and the measurement angle cannot exceed 90°.

[0006] In related technologies, in addition to the above test scenes, due to different test needs, there are also other test scenes where the sampling locus of the measurement antenna is not arc-shaped. However, the direction of the measurement antenna needs to point to the center of the test coordinate system, that is, the measurement antenna needs to be directed towards the position of the vehicle to be tested and completed, which is common in various different test scenes. In actual tests, it is often necessary to conduct tests using both the above full anechoic chamber test system and semi-anechoic chamber test system. In the above two types of test systems, it is not possible to perform other types of tests in one type of test system. The reason is that in one type of test system, the position of the test coordinates is fixed, and the measurement antenna is installed so as to face the center of the test coordinates when being attached. After the calibration of the test system, the pointing direction of the measurement antenna is generally difficult to adjust during use. The test coordinate systems of these two types of test systems are not common. Specifically, the test systems shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 will be described as examples. In the full anechoic chamber test system shown in FIG. 2, the center of the arc-shaped rail is located at a position above the center of the turntable by a certain height (H1), and this height is the height that the elevator can rise. In the related art, H1 may exceed 1 meter. In contrast, in the semi-anechoic chamber test system shown in FIG. 4, the center of the arc-shaped rail is located on the upper surface of the center of the turntable, and since the turntable is located on the bottom surface of the anechoic chamber, H1 is close to 0. If the rising height of the elevator in the full anechoic chamber test system shown in FIG. 2 is set to 0 and the electromagnetic wave absorbing material on the ground is removed, the center of the arc-shaped rail is still located at a position above the center of the turntable by a certain height, but the vehicle under test cannot be located at the above center position, that is, the test coordinate system shown in FIG. 3 cannot be obtained, and the test cannot be executed. It is extremely difficult to move the arc-shaped rail downward to lower its center. The reason is that the arc-shaped rail is large in volume and heavy, and firm attachment and fixation are required in any anechoic chamber. After the arrangement, the relative positional relationship cannot be easily changed. That is, the test system of the in-vehicle antenna in the related art cannot easily realize the switching between the full anechoic chamber test and the semi-anechoic chamber test.

Summary of the Invention

[0007] In view of this, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a test system for an in-vehicle antenna that can solve the technical problem that the test system of the in-vehicle antenna in the related art cannot combine the full anechoic chamber test and the semi-anechoic chamber test.

[0008] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a test system for in-vehicle antennas. The test system for in-vehicle antennas includes an anechoic chamber, a lift, a measurement antenna, and a reflector. The anechoic chamber is configured to provide a full anechoic chamber test environment or a semi-anechoic chamber test environment. The lift is fixedly installed in the anechoic chamber, configured to place the vehicle under test with the in-vehicle antenna mounted thereon, and move the vehicle under test to a predetermined height. The measurement antenna is configured to communicate with the in-vehicle antenna to obtain the wireless performance of the in-vehicle antenna. The reflector is removably connected to the mounting surface of the lift on which the vehicle under test is placed, or is integrally installed with the mounting surface. When the reflector is integrally installed with the mounting surface, the reflector can expand and contract with respect to the mounting surface, and the reflector is configured to reflect electromagnetic waves.

[0009] In some embodiments, when the reflector is removably connected to the mounting surface of the lift on which the vehicle under test is placed, the reflector is attached to the mounting surface when performing a semi-anechoic chamber test, and the reflector is removed from the mounting surface when performing a full anechoic chamber test.

[0010] In some embodiments, when the reflector is integrally installed with the mounting surface, the reflector protrudes from the mounting surface when performing a semi-anechoic chamber test, and the reflector retracts into the mounting surface when performing a full anechoic chamber test.

[0011] In some embodiments, the boundary of the orthographic projection of the lift does not exceed the boundary of the orthographic projection of the vehicle under test.

[0012] In some embodiments, the lift is further configured to rotate the vehicle under test in a horizontal plane at the predetermined height. In some embodiments, the lift It includes a turntable, a lift fixedly installed on the turntable, and a placement surface fixedly connected to the lift, or It includes a lift table body, a rotation mechanism built into the lift table body, and a lift built into the lift table body, and the lift table body is the placement surface.

[0013] In some embodiments, the number of the measurement antennas is one or more, The in-vehicle antenna test system further includes a scanning mechanism. The scanning mechanism is configured to fixedly attach one or more of the measurement antennas and drive the measurement antennas to move in an arc shape in the vertical direction, and communicate with the in-vehicle antenna along an arc-shaped trajectory by the measurement antennas, and cooperate with the rotation of the lift table to perform a spherical scanning test on the in-vehicle antenna.

[0014] In some embodiments, the scanning mechanism includes any one of an arc-shaped rail, a swing arm, and an industrial robot arm.

[0015] In some embodiments, the number of the measurement antennas is plural. The in-vehicle antenna test system further includes a scanning mechanism. The scanning mechanism fixedly attaches a plurality of the measurement antennas and spatially distributes the plurality of the measurement antennas in an arc shape, so that the measurement antennas communicate with the in-vehicle antenna along an arc-shaped trajectory, and cooperate with the rotation of the lift table to perform a spherical scanning test on the in-vehicle antenna.

[0016] In some embodiments, when the reflector is removably connected to the placement surface, the form of the reflector includes any one of a form of being integrally installed and a form of being assembled by a plurality of sub-reflectors.

[0017] In some embodiments, when the reflector is removably connected to the placement surface, the reflector is removably connected to the upper surface of the placement surface, or the reflector is removably connected to the side surface of the placement surface.

[0018] In some embodiments, the area of the reflector is expanded outward from the outer boundary of the orthographic projection of the vehicle under test by at least three times the target wavelength, and the target wavelength is the wavelength corresponding to the lowest operating frequency of the vehicle-mounted antenna.

[0019] In some embodiments, the material of the reflector includes at least one of metal, carbon fiber, and composite material.

[0020] In some embodiments, the number of the reflectors is one or more. When the number of the reflectors is more than one, the plurality of reflectors have different electromagnetic parameters and simulate different road surfaces respectively.

[0021] In some embodiments, the anechoic chamber includes a shielding body and an electromagnetic wave absorbing material. When the anechoic chamber provides a full anechoic chamber test environment, the electromagnetic wave absorbing material is laid on all inner walls of the shielding body. When the anechoic chamber provides a semi-anechoic chamber test environment, the electromagnetic wave absorbing material is laid on at least the upper inner wall and the side inner wall of the shielding body. In some embodiments, the shielding body is made of a metal plate and is configured to block external electromagnetic waves.

[0022] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a test system for an in-vehicle antenna is provided. The test system for the in-vehicle antenna includes an anechoic chamber, a lifting platform, a measurement antenna, and a reflector. The anechoic chamber is configured to provide a fully anechoic chamber test environment or a semi-anechoic chamber test environment. The lifting platform is fixedly installed in the anechoic chamber and is configured to place a completed vehicle under test with an in-vehicle antenna and lift the completed vehicle under test to a predetermined height. The measurement antenna is configured to communicate with the in-vehicle antenna to obtain the wireless performance of the in-vehicle antenna. The reflector is removably connected to the placement surface of the lifting platform on which the completed vehicle under test is placed, or is integrally installed with the placement surface. When the reflector is integrally installed with the placement surface, the reflector can expand and contract with respect to the placement surface and is configured to reflect electromagnetic waves. As can be seen from the above, in the test system for the in-vehicle antenna according to the present disclosure, when the reflector is connected to the placement surface or the reflector protrudes from the placement surface, the test system for the in-vehicle antenna can be used for semi-anechoic chamber tests. When the reflector is not connected to the placement surface or the reflector retracts into the placement surface, the test system for the in-vehicle antenna can be used for fully anechoic chamber tests. That is, the test system for the in-vehicle antenna according to the present disclosure has the functions of fully anechoic chamber tests and semi-anechoic chamber tests, and these two functions can be easily switched by attaching and detaching or expanding and contracting the reflector, with low cost, and can meet more test requirements, improving the technical problem that the test system for the in-vehicle antenna in the related art cannot combine fully anechoic chamber tests and semi-anechoic chamber tests.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0023] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present disclosure or the technical solutions in the related art, the following briefly describes the drawings necessary for the description of the specific embodiments or the related art. The drawings to be described show some embodiments of the present disclosure. A person skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without using inventive capabilities.

[0024]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0025] Hereinafter, the technical solution of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described using embodiments. The described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present disclosure, not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without using inventive capabilities also belong to the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0026] In a conventional test system for in-vehicle antennas, other types of tests cannot be performed in one type of test system. Constructing two types of test systems respectively requires a great deal of labor and cost.

[0027] In view of this, in the in-vehicle antenna test system according to the present disclosure, when a reflector is connected to the mounting surface, or when the reflector protrudes from the mounting surface, the in-vehicle antenna test system can be used for a semi-anechoic chamber test. When the reflector is not connected to the mounting surface, or when the reflector retracts into the mounting surface, the in-vehicle antenna test system can be used for an anechoic chamber test. That is, the in-vehicle antenna test system according to the present disclosure has the functions of both an anechoic chamber test and a semi-anechoic chamber test, and these two functions can be easily switched by attaching or detaching the reflector or expanding and contracting it, with low cost and the ability to meet more test requirements.

[0028] To facilitate the understanding of this embodiment, first, the in-vehicle antenna test system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail.

[0029] FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of the in-vehicle antenna test system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 5, the in-vehicle antenna test system includes an anechoic chamber 11, a lifting platform 12, a measurement antenna 13, and a reflector 14.

[0030] The anechoic chamber 11 is configured to provide an anechoic chamber test environment or a semi-anechoic chamber test environment.

[0031] The lifting platform 12 is fixedly installed in the anechoic chamber 11, configured to place the vehicle under test with an in-vehicle antenna mounted thereon and carry the vehicle under test to a predetermined height.

[0032] The measurement antenna 13 is configured to communicate with the in-vehicle antenna to obtain the wireless performance of the in-vehicle antenna.

[0033] The reflector 14 is removably connected to the mounting surface 123 of the lifting platform 12 on which the vehicle under test is placed, or is integrally installed with the mounting surface 123. When the reflector 14 is integrally installed with the mounting surface 123, it can expand and contract with respect to the mounting surface 123, and the reflector 14 is configured to reflect electromagnetic waves.

[0034] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 3, when the lift 12 transports the vehicle under test to a predetermined height, the pointing direction of the above-mentioned measurement antenna 13 is directed towards the center of the test coordinates, that is, towards the position of the vehicle under test, meeting the requirements of the test system coordinate system. Specifically, according to some test standards, when the sampling trajectory of the measurement antenna 13 is arc-shaped, the center of the arc is located at the center of the bottom of the vehicle under test, or, according to some other test standards, the center of the arc is located at the center of the whole vehicle under test.

[0035] When the reflector 14 is removably connected to the mounting surface 123 of the lift 12 on which the vehicle under test is placed, the reflector 14 is attached to the mounting surface 123 when performing a semi-anechoic chamber test. In this case, the reflector 14 is for reflecting electromagnetic waves and is equivalent to the ground in a conventional semi-anechoic chamber test system, thereby realizing the semi-anechoic chamber test of the vehicle-mounted antenna. When performing an anechoic chamber test, the reflector 14 is removed from the mounting surface 123, becoming the same as a conventional anechoic chamber test system, obtaining an environment without reflection, and enabling the anechoic chamber test of the vehicle-mounted antenna to be realized.

[0036] When the reflector 14 is installed integrally with the mounting surface 123, when performing a semi-anechoic chamber test, the reflector 14 is extended from the mounting surface 123. In this case, the reflector 14 is for reflecting electromagnetic waves and is equivalent to the ground in a conventional semi-anechoic chamber test system, thereby realizing the semi-anechoic chamber test of the vehicle-mounted antenna. When performing an anechoic chamber test, the reflector 14 is retracted into the mounting surface 123, becoming the same as a conventional anechoic chamber test system, and enabling the anechoic chamber test of the vehicle-mounted antenna to be realized.

[0037] The above-mentioned vehicle under test may be an automobile to be tested, or may be a tank or the like to be tested. The number of vehicle-mounted antennas attached to the vehicle under test may be plural or may be one. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, an example where the vehicle under test is an automobile to be tested will be described.

[0038] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a test system for an in-vehicle antenna is provided. The test system for the in-vehicle antenna includes an anechoic chamber 11, a lift 12, a measurement antenna 13, and a reflector 14. The anechoic chamber 11 is configured to provide a full anechoic chamber test environment or a semi-anechoic chamber test environment. The lift 12 is fixedly installed in the anechoic chamber 11 and is configured to place a completed vehicle under test with an in-vehicle antenna mounted thereon and move the completed vehicle under test to a predetermined height. The measurement antenna 13 is configured to communicate with the in-vehicle antenna to obtain the wireless performance of the in-vehicle antenna. The reflector 14 is removably connected to the mounting surface 123 of the lift 12 on which the completed vehicle under test is placed, or is installed integrally with the mounting surface 123. When the reflector 14 is installed integrally with the mounting surface 123, the reflector 14 can expand and contract with respect to the mounting surface 123 and is configured to reflect electromagnetic waves. As can be seen from the above, in the test system for the in-vehicle antenna according to the present disclosure, when the reflector 14 is connected to the mounting surface 123, or when the reflector 14 protrudes from the mounting surface 123, the test system for the in-vehicle antenna can be used for semi-anechoic chamber tests. When the reflector 14 is not connected to the mounting surface 123, or when the reflector 14 retracts into the mounting surface 123, the test system for the in-vehicle antenna can be used for full anechoic chamber tests. That is, the test system for the in-vehicle antenna according to the present disclosure has the functions of full anechoic chamber tests and semi-anechoic chamber tests, and these two functions can be easily switched by attaching and detaching or expanding and contracting the reflector 14. It has a low cost, can meet more test requirements, and can improve the technical problem that the test system for the in-vehicle antenna in the related art cannot combine full anechoic chamber tests and semi-anechoic chamber tests.

[0039] The above briefly describes the structure of the test system for the in-vehicle antenna according to the present disclosure. Hereinafter, the specific content thereof will be described in detail.

[0040] In an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 5, the anechoic chamber 11 includes a shielding body 111 and an electromagnetic wave absorbing material 112.

[0041] When the anechoic chamber 11 provides a full anechoic chamber test environment, the electromagnetic wave absorbing material 112 is laid on all inner walls of the shielding body 111.

[0042] When the anechoic chamber 11 provides a semi-anechoic chamber test environment, the electromagnetic wave absorbing material 112 is laid on at least the upper inner wall and the side inner wall of the shielding body 111.

[0043] Specifically, the shielding body 111 is usually made of a metal plate to block external electromagnetic waves. In the case of a full anechoic chamber test environment, the electromagnetic wave absorbing material 112 is laid on all inner walls of the shielding body 111 to absorb the energy of electromagnetic waves. In the case of a semi-anechoic chamber test environment, the electromagnetic wave absorbing material 112 is laid on at least the upper inner wall and the side inner wall of the shielding body 111. Therefore, when switching from a semi-anechoic chamber test environment to a full anechoic chamber test environment, if the electromagnetic wave absorbing material 112 is not laid on the bottom inner wall of the shielding body 111, it is necessary to lay the electromagnetic wave absorbing material 112 on the bottom inner wall. When switching from a full anechoic chamber test environment to a semi-anechoic chamber test environment, the electromagnetic wave absorbing material 112 is laid on all inner walls of the shielding body 111, which does not affect the semi-anechoic chamber test, because in this type of test, the reflecting plate 14 simulates the ground environment required for the test.

[0044] In an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, the boundary of the orthographic projection of the lifting platform 12 does not exceed the boundary of the orthographic projection of the vehicle to be tested and completed.

[0045] Specifically, when the boundary of the orthographic projection of the lifting platform 12 exceeds the boundary of the orthographic projection of the vehicle to be tested and completed, in the case of a full anechoic chamber test, the lifting platform 12 causes a certain degree of electromagnetic wave reflection, the performance of the anechoic region decreases, and the accuracy of the test is impaired. Therefore, by ensuring that the boundary of the orthographic projection of the lifting platform 12 does not exceed the boundary of the orthographic projection of the vehicle to be tested and completed, the influence of electromagnetic wave reflection caused by the excessive size of the lifting platform 12 can be avoided, and the accuracy of the test results can be guaranteed.

[0046] In an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, the lifting platform is further configured to rotate the vehicle to be tested and completed in the horizontal plane at the predetermined height.

[0047] In an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 5, the lifting platform 12 includes a rotating platform 121, a lift 122 fixedly installed on the rotating platform 121, and a placement surface 123 fixedly connected to the lift 122. Alternatively, the lifting platform 12 includes a lifting platform body, a rotating mechanism built into the lifting platform body, and a lift 122 built into the rotating platform body, and the lifting platform body is the placement surface 123.

[0048] Specifically, in the first configuration of the lifting platform 12 described above, the rotating platform 121 (one-dimensional planar rotating platform) can move the vehicle to be tested to realize rotation of the vehicle to be tested in the horizontal plane, the lift 122 can transport the vehicle to be tested to a predetermined height, and the placement surface 123 places the vehicle to be tested. In such a configuration, the lifting platform 12 can be obtained by installing the existing lift 122 of the related art on the existing one-dimensional planar rotating platform 121 of the related art. In the second configuration of the lifting platform 12 described above, the lifting platform 12 is integrally installed and can realize similar functions.

[0049] In an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of measurement antennas 13 is one or more.

[0050] The in-vehicle antenna test system may further include a scanning mechanism 15. The scanning mechanism 15 is configured to fixedly mount one or more measurement antennas 13 and drive the measurement antennas 13 to move in an arc shape in the vertical direction. Accordingly, the measurement antennas 13 communicate with the in-vehicle antenna to scan along an arc-shaped trajectory, and cooperate with the rotation of the lifting platform 12 to perform a spherical scanning test on the in-vehicle antenna.

[0051] Specifically, the above-mentioned spherical scanning test does not necessarily have to be a complete sphere, and depending on the needs of the test, it may be a partial sphere, for example, the upper hemisphere. As an example, when the range of movement along the arc of the measurement antenna 13 is 90°, in cooperation with the 360° rotation of the lifting platform 12 in the horizontal plane, a scanning test of the upper hemisphere with respect to the vehicle-mounted antenna can be realized. As another example, when the range of movement along the arc of the measurement antenna 13 is 180°, in cooperation with the 180° rotation of the lifting platform 12 in the horizontal plane, a scanning test of the upper hemisphere with respect to the vehicle-mounted antenna can be realized.

[0052] Optionally, the above scanning mechanism 15 includes any one of an arc-shaped rail, a swing arm, and an industrial robot arm (FIG. 5 shows an example where the scanning mechanism 15 is an arc-shaped rail). When the scanning mechanism 15 is an arc-shaped rail, the measurement antenna 13 is attached to the arc-shaped rail and is movable along the arc-shaped rail. When the scanning mechanism 15 is a swing arm, the measurement antenna 13 is attached to the swing arm, and by driving the rotating disk motor of the swing arm, the movement of the measurement antenna 13 along the arc is realized. When the scanning mechanism 15 is an industrial robot arm, the measurement antenna 13 is attached to the industrial robot arm, and by driving the industrial robot arm, the movement of the measurement antenna 13 along the arc is realized. Optionally, the measurement antenna 13 is located within the near-field radiation range near the vehicle under test, thereby performing a near-field spherical scanning test on the vehicle-mounted antenna.

[0053] In an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of measurement antennas 13 is plural. The test system for the vehicle-mounted antenna further includes a scanning mechanism 15. The scanning mechanism 15 fixedly attaches a plurality of measurement antennas 13 and spatially distributes the plurality of measurement antennas 13 in an arc shape, thereby communicating such that the measurement antennas 13 scan along an arc-shaped trajectory with respect to the vehicle-mounted antenna, and in cooperation with the rotation of the lifting platform 12, performs a spherical scanning test on the vehicle-mounted antenna.

[0054] In an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, when the reflector 14 is removably connected to the placement surface 123, the form of the reflector 14 includes either a form of being integrally installed or a form of being assembled by a plurality of sub-reflectors 14.

[0055] Specifically, the above-mentioned removable connection may be a connection by engagement or a hinge connection. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the above-mentioned manner of the removable connection is not specifically limited. Further, the reflector 14 may be a reflector 14 integrally installed, or a reflector 14 that is integrally installed and not assembled. As a whole, the reflector 14 may be a plane parallel to the placement surface 123.

[0056] In an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, when the reflector 14 is removably connected to the placement surface 123, the reflector 14 is removably connected to the upper surface of the placement surface 123, or the reflector 14 is removably connected to the side surface of the placement surface 123 (FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram when the reflector 14 is removably connected to the upper surface of the placement surface 123).

[0057] Specifically, the reflector 14 may be attached to the upper surface of the placement surface 123, that is, located between the vehicle under test and the upper surface of the placement surface 123 when the test is performed. The reflector 14 may be attached to the side surface of the placement surface 123, and the upper surface of the reflector 14 is aligned with the placement surface 123, thereby matching the relative position between the simulated ground and the vehicle under test. The advantage when the reflector 14 is attached to the side surface of the placement surface 123 is that even when the vehicle under test is arranged on the placement surface 123, the reflector 14 can be attached and detached without moving the vehicle under test from the placement surface 123. Thereby, the test time can be saved, and a rapid switch between two test functions can be made, or different reflectors 14 can be rapidly exchanged to simulate different road surfaces.

[0058] In an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the area of the reflector 14 is expanded outward from the outer boundary of the orthographic projection of the vehicle under test by at least three times the target wavelength, where the target wavelength corresponds to the wavelength of the lowest operating frequency of the vehicle-mounted antenna.

[0059] Specifically, the larger the reflector 14 is, the better the reflection effect on electromagnetic waves. According to the results of multiple tests by the inventor, when the area of the reflector 14 is expanded outward from the outer boundary of the orthographic projection of the vehicle under test by at least three times the target wavelength, relatively good test results (e.g., radiation pattern) can be obtained. To obtain more accurate test results, the area of the reflector 14 can be set larger. However, after expanding the area of the reflector 14 outward from the outer boundary of the orthographic projection of the vehicle under test by six times the target wavelength, even if the area is further increased, the influence on the test results becomes negligible. Therefore, when actually conducting the test, if the lowest operating frequency of the vehicle-mounted antenna is relatively high, the corresponding target wavelength is relatively short, and the requirement for the accuracy of the test results is relatively high, to ensure the accuracy of the test, it can be expanded outward by six times the target wavelength. If the lowest operating frequency of the vehicle-mounted antenna is relatively low and the corresponding target wavelength is very long, considering cost and the difficulty of realization, the accuracy is sacrificed to a certain extent and it is expanded outward by only three times the target wavelength. The reason is that if it is expanded outward by six times the target wavelength, the area of the reflector 14 will be very large and it is not easy to realize. Specifically, it can be set according to the actual test requirements.

[0060] In an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, the material of the reflector 14 includes at least one of metal, carbon fiber, and composite material.

[0061] Specifically, the reflector 14 may be made of a carbon fiber material. The carbon fiber material has the same reflection characteristics for electromagnetic waves as metal and is lightweight and can simulate metal. The reflector 14 may also be made of a composite material. The composite material can simulate the reflection characteristics of electromagnetic waves on a cement road surface or a gravel road surface according to its reflection characteristics for electromagnetic waves.

[0062] In an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of the reflectors 14 is one or more. When the number of the reflectors 14 is more than one, the plurality of reflectors 14 have different electromagnetic parameters and simulate different road surfaces respectively. Different reflectors 14 are attached or pulled out according to the test requirements. In an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, the shape of the reflector 14 includes any one of circular, rectangular, square, and polygonal.

[0063] The in-vehicle antenna test system according to the present disclosure can perform a test of any one test function on the vehicle to be tested and completed based on the test requirements. Here, two test functions are exemplarily described.

[0064] When performing a full anechoic chamber test, the reflector 14 is removed from the placement surface 123 or retracted into the placement surface 123, and the lift 12 raises the vehicle to be tested and completed to a predetermined height.

[0065] When the anechoic chamber 11 is in a full anechoic chamber test environment, an electromagnetic wave absorbing material 112 is laid at the bottom of the shielding body 111 to meet the test environment and reach the working state of the full anechoic chamber. When the anechoic chamber 11 is in a semi-anechoic chamber test environment, laying the electromagnetic wave absorbing material 112 at the bottom of the shielding body 111 can meet the test environment.

[0066] When performing a semi-anechoic chamber test, the reflector 14 is attached to the placement surface 123 or pulled out from the placement surface 123, and the lift 12 raises the vehicle to be tested and completed to a predetermined height.

[0067] When the anechoic chamber 11 is in a full anechoic chamber test environment, an electromagnetic wave absorbing material 112 is laid at the bottom of the shielding body 111, and the electromagnetic wave absorbing material 112 laid at the bottom does not affect the semi-anechoic test because the reflector 14 can simulate the ground environment required for the test. When the anechoic chamber 11 is in a semi-anechoic chamber test environment, the test environment is met.

[0068] In an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, the in-vehicle antenna test system can perform performance tests on in-vehicle antennas, including antenna patterns, antenna gains, and antenna efficiencies. Furthermore, it can also perform tests on the overall performance of in-vehicle antennas and transceivers, such as radiated power (EIRP), radiated sensitivity (EIS), total radiated power (TRP), and total radiated sensitivity (TRS).

[0069] The in-vehicle antenna test system according to the present disclosure is the same as a general anechoic chamber in terms of the test function of the fully anechoic chamber. In the test function of the semi-anechoic chamber, the additional reflector 14 is located between the vehicle under test and the mounting surface 123, and the reflector 14 simulates the ground of the semi-anechoic chamber. Since the size of the reflector 14 is larger than the orthographic projection size of the vehicle under test (the entire orthographic projection of the vehicle under test is located within the reflector 14) and the size of the reflector 14 is sufficiently large for the operating frequency of the in-vehicle antenna, the main downward radiated energy of the in-vehicle antenna is almost completely reflected by the reflector 14. In this case, the reflector 14 can well simulate the reflection of the electromagnetic waves of the in-vehicle antenna by the ground in the semi-anechoic chamber.

[0070] The reflector 14 may be made of a lightweight carbon fiber material, or may also be realized in a manner of being assembled from multiple sheets, and is easy to install or remove. Therefore, it is very easy to switch between the two test functions. The in-vehicle antenna test system according to the present disclosure has two test functions. According to only one in-vehicle antenna test system of the present disclosure, more test requirements can be met, the cost is low, the switching between the two test functions is easy, and it is a test solution for in-vehicle antennas that is multifunctional and low-cost.

[0071] In addition, in the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, the terms "attachment", "connection", and "coupling" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it may be a fixed connection, a removable connection, or an integral connection. And it may be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection. Also, it may be a direct connection, an indirect connection through an intermediate, or the interiors of two elements may communicate. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present disclosure according to specific situations.

[0072] In the description of the present disclosure, the directions or positional relationships represented by terms such as "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc. are based on the drawings and are only for the purpose of simply and briefly explaining the present disclosure, and do not explicitly or implicitly imply that the corresponding device or component must have a specific direction, be configured in a specific direction, or be operated in a specific direction, so they do not limit the present disclosure. Also, the terms "first", "second", "third" are only for the purpose of explaining the object and do not explicitly or implicitly imply relative importance.

[0073] The above embodiments are only for explaining the technical solutions of the present disclosure and do not limit it. Although the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, as those skilled in the art will understand, the technical solutions described in the above embodiments may be modified, and equivalent substitutions may be made for some or all of their technical features. These modifications or substitutions do not deviate from the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Industrial Applicability

[0074] This application provides a test system for in-vehicle antennas. In this test system, when a reflector is connected to the mounting surface or the reflector protrudes from the mounting surface, the test system for the in-vehicle antenna can be used for semi-anechoic chamber tests. When the reflector is not connected to the mounting surface or the reflector retracts into the mounting surface, the test system for the in-vehicle antenna can be used for anechoic chamber tests. That is, the test system for the in-vehicle antenna according to the present disclosure has the functions of anechoic chamber tests and semi-anechoic chamber tests, and these two functions can be easily switched by attaching or detaching the reflector or by expanding or contracting it. It has a low cost, can meet more test requirements, and can improve the technical problem that the test system for in-vehicle antennas in related technologies cannot combine anechoic chamber tests and semi-anechoic chamber tests.

[0075] In addition, the test system for the in-vehicle antenna according to the present application is feasible and can be used for various industrial applications. For example, the test system for the in-vehicle antenna according to the present application can be applied to the technical field of communication.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0076] 11 Anechoic Chamber 12 Lift 13 Measuring Antenna 14 Reflector 15 Scanning Mechanism 111 Shield 112 Electromagnetic Wave Absorbing Material 121 Rotary Table 122 Hoist 123 Mounting Surface

Claims

1. It includes an anechoic chamber, a lifting platform, a measurement antenna, and a reflector, wherein the anechoic chamber is configured to provide a full anechoic chamber test environment or a semi-anechoic chamber test environment, the lifting platform is fixedly installed in the anechoic chamber, configured to place the tested completed vehicle with the in-vehicle antenna and lift the tested completed vehicle to a predetermined height, the measurement antenna is configured to communicate with the in-vehicle antenna to obtain the wireless performance of the in-vehicle antenna, the reflector is removably connected to the placement surface of the lifting platform on which the tested completed vehicle is placed, or is installed integrally with the placement surface. When the reflector is installed integrally with the placement surface, it can expand and contract with respect to the placement surface, and the reflector is configured to reflect electromagnetic waves A test system for an in-vehicle antenna, characterized in that.

2. When the reflector is removably connected to the placement surface of the lifting platform on which the tested completed vehicle is placed, during a semi-anechoic chamber test, the reflector is attached to the placement surface, and during a full anechoic chamber test, the reflector is removed from the placement surface The test system for an in-vehicle antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that.

3. When the reflector is installed integrally with the placement surface, during a semi-anechoic chamber test, the reflector protrudes from the placement surface, and during a full anechoic chamber test, the reflector retracts into the placement surface The test system for an in-vehicle antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that.

4. The boundary of the orthographic projection of the lifting platform does not exceed the boundary of the orthographic projection of the tested completed vehicle The test system for an in-vehicle antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that.

5. The lifting platform is further configured to rotate the tested completed vehicle in the horizontal plane at the predetermined height The test system for an in-vehicle antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that.

6. The lifting platform includes a rotating platform, a lift fixedly installed on the rotating platform, and a placement surface fixedly connected to the lift, or includes a lifting platform body, a rotation mechanism built into the lifting platform body, and a lift built into the lifting platform body, and the lifting platform body is the placement surface The test system for an in-vehicle antenna according to claim 5, characterized in that.

7. The number of the measurement antennas is one or more, The test system for the in-vehicle antenna further comprises a scanning mechanism, which is configured to fixedly attach one or more of the measurement antennas and drive the measurement antennas to move in an arc shape in the vertical direction, communicate with the in-vehicle antenna along an arc-shaped trajectory by the measurement antennas, and perform a spherical scanning test on the in-vehicle antenna in cooperation with the rotation of the lifting platform. The test system for the in-vehicle antenna according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that.

8. The scanning mechanism includes any one of an arc-shaped rail, a swing arm, and an industrial robot arm. The test system for the in-vehicle antenna according to claim 7, characterized in that.

9. The number of the measurement antennas is plural. The test system for the in-vehicle antenna further comprises a scanning mechanism, which fixedly attaches a plurality of the measurement antennas, spatially distributes the plurality of the measurement antennas in an arc shape, thereby communicating with the in-vehicle antenna along an arc-shaped trajectory by the measurement antennas, and performing a spherical scanning test on the in-vehicle antenna in cooperation with the rotation of the lifting platform. The test system for the in-vehicle antenna according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that.

10. When the reflector is removably connected to the placement surface, the form of the reflector includes any one of a form installed integrally and a form assembled by a plurality of sub-reflectors. The test system for the in-vehicle antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that.

11. When the reflector is removably connected to the placement surface, the reflector is removably connected to the upper surface of the placement surface, or the reflector is removably connected to the side surface of the placement surface. The test system for the in-vehicle antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that.

12. The area of the reflector is expanded at least three times the target wavelength outward from the outer boundary of the orthographic projection of the vehicle under test, and the target wavelength is the wavelength corresponding to the lowest operating frequency of the in-vehicle antenna. The test system for the in-vehicle antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that.

13. The material of the reflector includes at least one of metal, carbon fiber, and composite material. The test system for the in-vehicle antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that.

14. The number of the reflectors is one or more. When the number of the reflectors is more than one, the plurality of reflectors each have different electromagnetic parameters and simulate different road surfaces. The in-vehicle antenna test system according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that.

15. The anechoic chamber includes a shielding body and an electromagnetic wave absorbing material. When the anechoic chamber provides a full anechoic chamber test environment, the electromagnetic wave absorbing material is laid on all inner walls of the shielding body. When the anechoic chamber provides a semi-anechoic chamber test environment, the electromagnetic wave absorbing material is laid on at least the upper inner wall and the side inner wall of the shielding body. The in-vehicle antenna test system according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that.

16. The shielding body is made of a metal plate and is configured to block external electromagnetic waves. The in-vehicle antenna test system according to claim 15, characterized in that.

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