Test system and method for virtual far-field range

Abstract

Provided in the present application is a test system for a virtual far-field range. The test system comprises an electromagnetic shielding cabinet and a plurality of compact antenna test ranges in the electromagnetic shielding cabinet, wherein each compact antenna test range is formed by a reflecting surface and a feed source, and the plurality of compact antenna test ranges may move along an arc-shaped guide rail, so as to simulate electromagnetic waves in different directions and at different angles to perform a performance test on a signal transceiving assembly to be tested. In addition, a wave absorbing baffle is arranged between adjacent compact antenna test ranges, and a wave absorbing baffle is also arranged on a side surface of the feed source, so as to prevent signal interference. By means of the solution, in a scenario in which the number of active antenna elements for millimeter waves is continuously increased, the miniaturization of the test system for a virtual far-field range is realized by means of compact antenna test ranges, thereby effectively reducing the occupied area of the test system for a virtual far-field range and reducing the costs.

Description

Virtual field test system and method

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on February 29, 2024, with application number 202410232202.2 and application name “Virtual Field Test System and Method”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to a virtual field testing system and method. Background Art

[0003] The fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication technology uses two frequency bands: frequency range 1 (FR1), a lower frequency band covering 410MHz-7125MHz and also known as the Sub-6GHz band; and frequency range 2 (FR2), a higher frequency band covering 24250MHz-52600MHz and also known as the millimeter wave band. The total available millimeter wave spectrum for 5G is tens of gigahertz, representing a vast abundance of spectrum resources. Recognizing the abundance of millimeter wave spectrum resources, the 3GPP protocol defines a larger sub-carrier spacing (SCS) and wider cell bandwidth for millimeter wave than in the Sub-6GHz band, maximizing millimeter wave peak rates. Furthermore, the use of large carrier bandwidths of several hundred megabits can carry large amounts of data, potentially enabling even higher speeds for 5G.

[0004] However, the propagation of electromagnetic waves in the air is related to the frequency of the electromagnetic waves. The frequency of millimeter waves is high and the wavelength is short. The energy loss when propagating in the air cannot be ignored. The signal transmission of millimeter waves attenuates quickly and the coverage range is limited.

[0005] Given the significant propagation loss associated with millimeter-wave transmission, improving millimeter-wave coverage requires building a multi-antenna system to overcome the challenges of free propagation loss. Related technologies integrate multiple antennas into a small chip (e.g., 10 cm x 10 cm) to create an antenna-in-package (AIP). This increases antenna integration and simplifies system design and reduces costs. Over-the-air (OTA) testing is typically used for these AIPs.

[0006] A virtual field used in over-the-air testing is a lab-built environment that resembles a real-world wireless transmission scenario. This involves receiving wireless signals from packaged antennas, processing the signals' amplitude and phase, and then transmitting them to the terminal. Because virtual fields offer controllable and repeatable environmental variations, researchers often test wireless networks in them to evaluate network performance. For example, they test key performance indicators (KPIs) such as accessibility, maintainability, mobility, and throughput.

[0007] When conducting virtual field tests on millimeter-wave base stations, it is necessary to build multiple test environments. How to cover more test scenarios through the same virtual field test system is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The present application provides a virtual field test system and method, which can simulate electromagnetic waves in multiple directions through the combined design of multiple movable compact fields, and realize multi-directional signal testing of the same base station through the same virtual field test system.

[0009] In a first aspect, a virtual field test system is provided, comprising an electromagnetic shielding cabinet and the following devices within the electromagnetic shielding cabinet: N reflecting surfaces and N feed sources, which together form N compact fields, the N reflecting surfaces corresponding one-to-one to the N feed sources, each of the N reflecting surfaces and the corresponding feed source forming one of the N compact fields, each of the N feed sources being fixed to a focal position of the corresponding reflecting surface via a first connecting component, absorbing baffles being provided between adjacent reflecting surfaces among the N reflecting surfaces, absorbing baffles being provided on all sides of the feed source except the side facing the corresponding reflecting surface, each of the N compact fields corresponding to a quiet zone; a signal transceiver component being provided in an overlapping area of ​​the N quiet zones of the N compact fields; an arcuate guide rail, connected to the N reflecting surfaces respectively via N second connecting components, wherein the N quiet zones of the N compact fields remain unchanged when the N reflecting surfaces move respectively along the arcuate guide rails.

[0010] The above solution enables multi-directional signal testing of the same base station through multiple compact ranges. These ranges can be moved along curved rails to different directions of the signal transceiver components under test. Compared to linear rails, this allows the compact ranges to be moved to any position on the rails while maintaining the center of the quiet zone of the multiple compact ranges. Furthermore, to suppress mutual interference and edge diffraction between the multiple compact ranges, absorbing baffles are installed between adjacent reflective surfaces, enabling simultaneous multi-beam, non-frequency SU-MIMO, or simultaneous, same-frequency MU-MIMO performance testing on the same base station.

[0011] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the virtual field test system also includes: a turntable device for adjusting the movement of the signal transceiver component in at least one of the following dimensions: azimuth rotation, pitch angle rotation, polarization rotation, up and down movement, front and back movement, and left and right movement.

[0012] Through the above solution, the turntable device moves in azimuth or elevation, which can construct a scenario in which the user equipment UE switches the beam within the cell due to changes in the wireless signal.

[0013] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the turntable device includes a fixed component and a movable component, the fixed component is connected to the electromagnetic shielding cabinet, one end of the movable component is connected to the fixed component, and the other end is connected to the signal transceiver component;

[0014] The movable component can adjust the horizontal movement of the signal transceiver component, and / or the movable component can adjust the vertical movement of the signal transceiver component, and / or the movable component can adjust the rotation of the signal transceiver component around a reference axis parallel to the vertical direction, and / or the movable component can adjust the rotation of the signal transceiver component around a reference axis parallel to the horizontal direction.

[0015] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the virtual field test system further includes: a feeder connected to N feed sources, and the N feed sources transmit signals to other devices outside the electromagnetic shielding cabinet through the feeder.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the arcuate guide rail is fixed to the bottom of the electromagnetic shielding cabinet, one end of the second connecting component is clamped in the arcuate guide rail, and the other end is connected to the first connecting component.

[0017] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the reflective surface is a square curled-edge reflective surface.

[0018] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the side length of the square curled-edge reflective surface is between 600 mm and 900 mm.

[0019] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the N quiet zones are shaped like cylinders, and the diameter of the cylinders is between 400 mm and 500 mm.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, absorbing materials are deployed inside the electromagnetic shielding cabinet.

[0021] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the virtual field test system further includes: a signal processing component, which is arranged outside the electromagnetic shielding cabinet, and the signal processing component is connected to the N feed sources through feed lines.

[0022] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the signal processing component includes at least one of a signal amplitude phase controller, a channel emulator, or a signal amplitude controller.

[0023] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the virtual field test system further includes: other communication devices connected to the N feed sources via signal processing components and feed lines.

[0024] In a second aspect, a virtual field test method is provided. The method is performed using the virtual field test system in the first aspect or any implementation of the first aspect. The virtual field test method includes:

[0025] Move the N reflective surfaces to different directions along the arc guide rail through the first connecting component and the second connecting component respectively;

[0026] By sending signals from N feed sources, the signal receiving performance of the signal transceiver component is tested by simulating incoming waves from multiple directions; or, by receiving the signal sending signals of the signal transceiver component through N feed sources, the performance of the signal transceiver component's multi-angle signal transmission is tested.

[0027] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes:

[0028] The signal transceiver components are moved by adjusting the turntable device to simulate the beam switching scenario within the cell caused by changes in wireless signals, and the signal transceiver components are tested. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the layout of a compact antenna measurement system.

[0030] FIG2 is a schematic top view of the layout inside an electromagnetic shielding cabinet provided in this application.

[0031] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a virtual field test system provided by the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0033] In view of the large propagation loss of millimeter waves, in order to improve the coverage of millimeter waves, it is necessary to build a multi-antenna system to overcome the problem of large free propagation loss. In this context, the integrated packaged antenna AIP integrates the antenna into the chip. Its advantages are that it can simplify the system design, low cost, and can integrate enough antenna arrays in a very small area (such as 10cm*10cm). It is the development trend of 5G millimeter wave antennas (also called 5G millimeter wave active antennas). For the 5G millimeter wave active antenna unit (AAU) with integrated RF and antenna, the traditional conduction test method is no longer applicable, and the OTA test method is usually used. For the batch virtual field system-level performance test of millimeter wave antenna modules with a quiet zone size of more than 200mm*200mm, the industry has no mature response plan, so this application needs to solve how to build a virtual field test technology at a low cost under the OTA test technology, and propose an evolutionary OTA virtual field test technology for the increasing number of millimeter wave active antenna arrays.

[0034] A key component of the virtual field test system is the virtual field test system. The RF signal from the remote radio unit (RRU) / AAU is processed by the virtual field system to determine its amplitude and phase. The processed signal is then input to the terminal, simulating the signal received by terminals at different locations.

[0035] For 5G millimeter-wave active base station antennas, the antenna and RRU are integrated together, and the virtual field test system uses an integrated OTA testing method. Various system-level performance tests require obtaining beams corresponding to multiple angles of the millimeter-wave base station for related performance testing. In related technologies, a packaged antenna, antenna probe, and terminal are fixedly installed in the virtual field. The packaged antenna is used to obtain the signal from the baseband unit and send it to the antenna probe, which transmits the signal to the terminal via a signal line. The signal received by the terminal is then detected to test the wireless network. The present application provides a virtual field test system for a multi-feed compact field. Through a movable compact field reflector and a movable packaged antenna, it simulates the network transmission scenario formed in a real network due to the movement of the packaged antenna or the terminal. It can solve the problem of the continuous expansion of the floor space occupied by OTA virtual field tests caused by the increasing number of millimeter-wave base station antenna equipment arrays. At the same time, through the design of the feed absorbing baffle between the reflecting surfaces, the interference problem between the reflecting surfaces is suppressed, and the millimeter-wave virtual field system-level performance test can be realized. It can support network KPI testing (such as accessibility testing, maintainability testing, mobility testing, throughput testing), and gain evaluation of performance characteristics such as multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO). At the same time, facing the increasing number of millimeter-wave active antenna arrays, this technical solution has the characteristics of batch replication and evolution.

[0036] First, some concepts or terms involved in this application are introduced.

[0037] 1. Tight field

[0038] Compact field technology is a commonly used electromagnetic measurement technique. It uses the principle of near-field focusing to generate plane electromagnetic waves at close range, enabling the measurement of antenna parameters or target scattering characteristics. Compact fields can provide the plane wave environment required for antenna measurement at close range and have become a common method for antenna measurement. Figure 1 shows the layout of a compact field antenna measurement system. The compact field feed emits a spherical wave, which strikes the compact field reflector and is converted into a plane wave after reflection. The antenna under test (UUT) located in the test area receives this plane wave. Alternatively, the antenna under test transmits a plane wave, which is reflected by the compact field reflector and then received by the feed. The test area (typically the compact field quiet zone) is where the compact field plane wave quality is best. The compact field feed transmits electromagnetic waves, and the antenna under test receives them in the form of a plane wave. Alternatively, the antenna under test transmits electromagnetic waves, and the compact field feed receives them. These measurements can obtain electromagnetic characteristics such as the distribution of the main lobe, side lobes, and back lobes of the antenna under test's radiation pattern.

[0039] Figure 2 is a top view schematic diagram of the layout of an electromagnetic shielding cabinet provided by the present application. The virtual field test system provided by the present application includes the electromagnetic shielding cabinet and the signal transceiver component to be tested in the cabinet (for simulating a base station), N reflective surfaces, N feed sources and arc-shaped guide rails. The electromagnetic shielding cabinet can prevent signals outside the cabinet from entering the cabinet in the form of wireless signals, and can also prevent signals inside the cabinet from being transmitted to the outside of the cabinet in the form of wireless signals. It should be understood that Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the layout of the electromagnetic shielding cabinet when N=3.

[0040] It should be understood that the signal transceiver component to be tested includes a packaged antenna, which can be used to obtain input signals (for example: the packaged antenna can obtain the signal of the baseband unit through connection with the baseband unit) and send the signal wirelessly to multiple reflecting surfaces. The signal reaches the corresponding feed source through the reflecting surface, and then sends the signal to the terminal or spectrum analyzer outside the cabinet through the feeder. At this time, the signal received by the terminal or spectrum analyzer can be detected to achieve the test of the signal emitted by the packaged antenna.

[0041] Among them, N reflecting surfaces and N feed sources together form N compact fields, and the N reflecting surfaces correspond to the N feed sources one-to-one, wherein each reflecting surface and the corresponding feed source form one compact field among the N compact fields, for example, reflecting surface 1 and feed source 1 form compact field 1, and reflecting surface 2 and feed source 2 form compact field 2. Each feed source is fixed to the focal position of the corresponding reflecting surface by a first connecting component, and the first connecting component is used to connect the fixed reflecting surface bracket and the feed source bracket position to keep the relative position relationship between the reflecting surface and the feed source unchanged, for example, feed source 1 is fixed to the focal position of reflecting surface 1 by the first connecting component, and feed source 2 is fixed to the focal position of reflecting surface 2 by the first connecting component. Optionally, the N feed sources transmit signals to other devices outside the electromagnetic shielding cabinet through feeders. In the present application, the compact field is equivalent to the reflecting surface compact field.

[0042] The signal transceiver assembly is arranged in an overlapping area (referred to as a quiet area) of the N quiet zones of the N compact ranges. The overlapping area may also be referred to as a test area.

[0043] Optionally, the typical number of reflective surface compact fields is 2 to 4. Increasing the number of reflective surfaces requires increasing the size of the OTA cabinet.

[0044] Optionally, the center angle between the reflecting surfaces is ≥20°. The angle here means the angle between the center point of the quiet zone and the center points of two adjacent reflecting surfaces. Properly increasing the angle can reduce signal interference between the compact fields of the reflecting surfaces.

[0045] The curved guide rail is connected to N reflective surfaces via N second connecting components. Before each test, the reflective surfaces can be moved to any position on the guide rail according to the test design. When the N reflective surfaces are moved along the curved guide rail via the second connecting components, the N quiet zones of the N compact fields remain unchanged. For example, reflective surface 1 is connected to the curved guide rail via the second connecting component, and reflective surface 2 is connected to the curved guide rail via the second connecting component. During testing, with the signal transceiver component to be tested as the center, the multiple reflective surfaces are moved along the curved guide rail to any position on the curved guide rail. The reflective surfaces are then adjusted and installed at multiple target test angles of the packaged antenna via the curved guide rail.

[0046] The reflecting surface 1 is connected to the curved guide rail through the second connecting component, which can be understood as: the reflecting surface 1 is directly connected to the curved guide rail through the second connecting component; or, since the reflecting surface 1 and the feed source 1 are connected and fixed through the first connecting component, the reflecting surface 1 can also be indirectly connected to the curved guide rail through the feed source 1 or the first connecting component. For example, the feed source 1 is connected to the curved guide rail through the second connecting component, or the first connecting component is connected to the curved guide rail through the second connecting component, or the mounting bracket of the reflecting surface 1 is connected to the curved guide rail through the second connecting component, or the mounting bracket of the feed source 1 is connected to the curved guide rail through the second connecting component.

[0047] Optionally, the arc guide rail is fixed to the bottom of the electromagnetic shielding cabinet, one end of the second connecting component is clamped in the arc guide rail, and the other end is connected to the reflecting surface / reflecting surface or feed source mounting bracket / feed source / first connecting component.

[0048] The reflector surface compact field guide rail is an arc-shaped guide rail with the center of the quiet zone as the center of the circle. Compared with the linear guide rail, it can ensure that the reflector surface compact field can be moved to any position of the guide rail, and can ensure that the center position of the quiet zone of multiple reflector surface compact fields remains unchanged. It can realize that the packaged antenna is located in the overlapping area of ​​the quiet zones of multiple reflector surface compact fields without being affected by the movement of the reflector surface.

[0049] Optionally, a wave-absorbing baffle is provided between adjacent reflecting surfaces among the N reflecting surfaces, for example, a wave-absorbing baffle is provided between reflecting surface 1 and reflecting surface 2.

[0050] Optionally, a wave-absorbing baffle is also provided between adjacent feed sources, for example, a wave-absorbing baffle is provided between feed source 1 and feed source 2.

[0051] Optionally, an absorbing baffle is provided between the signal path 1 between the reflecting surface 1 and the feed source 1 and the signal path 2 between the reflecting surface 2 and the feed source 2 .

[0052] It should be understood that the aforementioned absorbing baffles can be considered as absorbing baffles between adjacent compact bays. The aforementioned absorbing baffles can be a single absorbing baffle or multiple separate absorbing baffles. This application does not limit the form of the absorbing baffles, as long as they can prevent signal interference between compact bays.

[0053] Wave-absorbing baffles are installed between adjacent compact fields, and the angle between the reflecting surfaces is greater than or equal to 20°. This can suppress the mutual interference and edge diffraction between the multiple reflecting surface compact fields, and achieve support for the performance testing of single-user multiple-input multiple-output (SU-MIMO) or multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) with multiple beams from the same base station and at different frequencies.

[0054] In addition, optionally, a wave-absorbing baffle is provided between each feed source and the signal transceiver component. For example, a wave-absorbing baffle is provided on the side of the feed source 1 facing the signal transceiver component. The wave-absorbing baffles between multiple feed sources and the signal transceiver components can be the same wave-absorbing baffle or multiple separate wave-absorbing baffles. The present application does not limit the shape of the wave-absorbing baffle, as long as it can avoid signal interference between the feed source and the signal transceiver component.

[0055] Optionally, in addition to the above-mentioned absorbing baffles between adjacent feed sources and the absorbing baffles between the feed source and the signal transceiver assembly, each feed source is also provided with absorbing baffles on all sides except the side facing the reflecting surface to prevent signal interference from other directions.

[0056] The above solution places the antenna under test in the overlapping quiet zones of a multi-reflector compact range. The corresponding feed for each reflector compact range is fixed at the focal point. The multiple reflectors are horizontally distributed, and absorbing baffles are installed between the reflectors to suppress signal interference between the multiple reflector compact ranges. This allows for SU-MIMO / MU-MIMO millimeter-wave system performance testing at multiple beam angles. The relative angles between the reflectors can be adjusted to various angles according to the test design, allowing base station performance testing to be conducted with waves arriving at different angles across multiple compact ranges.

[0057] In the aforementioned virtual field test system, the signal transceiver component to be tested is fixed. Optionally, the present application also provides another virtual field test system, which further includes a turntable device, on which the signal transceiver component is mounted, and the turntable device is capable of adjusting the movement of the signal transceiver component in at least one of the following dimensions: azimuth rotation, pitch rotation, polarization rotation, up and down movement, front and back movement, and left and right movement, thereby simulating the movement of the signal transceiver component in a real network.

[0058] In one implementation, the turntable device includes a fixed component and a movable component, the fixed component is connected to the electromagnetic shielding cabinet, one end of the movable component is connected to the fixed component, and the other end is connected to the signal transceiver component; the movable component can adjust the horizontal movement of the signal transceiver component (such as forward and backward movement, left and right movement), and / or, the movable component can adjust the vertical movement of the signal transceiver component (such as up and down movement), and / or, the movable component can adjust the rotation of the signal transceiver component around a reference axis parallel to the vertical direction (such as azimuth rotation), and / or, the movable component can adjust the rotation of the signal transceiver component around a reference axis parallel to the horizontal direction (such as pitch angle rotation, polarization rotation).

[0059] For example, the center position of the packaged antenna can be adjusted to the center of the quiet zone of the compact field by moving the turntable device in three dimensions: up and down, left and right, and front and back, and the azimuth is set to 0°. During the actual test, the turntable device remains stationary, and the movement of the terminal device is simulated by moving the reflective surface along the curved guide rail in the compact field.

[0060] For example, during the test, the reflective surface compression field and the feed source remain stationary. By moving the RF device (for example, moving within an azimuth of 120°, 360°, or a pitch of 60°), the strength and phase of the signal received or sent by the signal transceiver component to be tested will change accordingly. Therefore, it is possible to simulate the scenario of signal strength and phase changes caused by the movement of the signal transceiver component in the real network, and then construct a scenario of beam switching of the signal transceiver component within the cell simulated by the signal change. This can provide multiple scenarios for virtual field testing, thereby improving the accuracy of virtual field testing and the completeness of the test scenarios.

[0061] Through the above scheme, the antenna equipment to be tested is placed in the quiet zone overlapping area of ​​the multi-reflection surface compact field. The feed source corresponding to each reflector compact field is fixed at the focus. The multiple reflectors are distributed horizontally, and the RF module moves in azimuth or elevation. This can construct a UE beam switching performance test caused by changes in wireless signals within the cell.

[0062] Optionally, the above-mentioned reflective surface is a square curled edge reflective surface, and its surface is in the form of a parabola. The reason for using a curled edge reflective surface is that it can reduce the low-frequency cutoff frequency of the test system to 6GHz, and can effectively reduce edge diffraction and scattering, and can keep the size of the reflective surface small, making the entire test system more compact. The average root mean square value of the surface roughness of the curled edge reflective surface after surface processing can be less than 1.6μm, so that the high-frequency cutoff frequency of the test system reaches more than 200GH. Optionally, the side length of the square curled edge reflective surface is between 600mm and 900mm.

[0063] Optionally, the feed in this application is a dual-polarization broadband feed, and the frequency range of the feed can cover the 5G FR2 frequency range, and can support FR2 frequency band measurements at the same time and frequency.

[0064] Optionally, the shape of the test area is a cylinder, and the diameter of the cylinder is between 400 mm and 500 mm.

[0065] When a signal is transmitted to the inner wall of the electromagnetic shielding cabinet, if the signal is reflected by the inner wall, the reflected signal will interfere with other signals transmitted inside the shielding cabinet.

[0066] Optionally, an absorbing material may be deployed within the electromagnetic shielding cabinet to prevent the signal emitted from the inner wall from being reflected, thereby ensuring the quality of the signal transmitted within the shielding cabinet. The absorbing material has a high absorption rate for electromagnetic waves within a wide frequency band. The absorbing material may be a carbon-based absorbing material, an iron-based absorbing material, a ceramic-based absorbing material, or other types of materials. For example, the carbon-based absorbing material may be graphene, graphite, carbon black, carbon fiber, or carbon nanotubes; the iron-based absorbing material may be ferrite or magnetic iron nanomaterials; the ceramic-based absorbing material may be silicon carbide; and other types of materials may be conductive polymers, chiral materials, or plasma materials, which are not specifically limited in the present embodiment. For example, the absorbing material may be an FR2 frequency band absorbing material.

[0067] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a virtual field test system provided by the present application, wherein the virtual field test system includes the electromagnetic shielding cabinet shown in FIG2 and signal processing components and other communication devices outside the cabinet.

[0068] The signal processing component is disposed outside the electromagnetic shielding cabinet and connected to N feed sources via feeder lines. The signal processing component is used to load the wireless channel and further simulate changes in the wireless signal. Optionally, the signal processing component includes at least one of a signal amplitude and phase controller, a channel emulator, or a signal amplitude controller.

[0069] Using signal processing components to process signals can simulate changes in signals during actual transmission, making the signals received by other communication devices closer to the signals during actual transmission, improving the similarity between the signals and the actual mobile communication network, and further improving the accuracy of virtual field testing. For example, when the other communication devices include terminals, using signal processing components to adjust the signal amplitude and / or phase can simulate the effect of adjusting the amplitude or phase difference between the antennas in the terminal on the signal received by the terminal, making the signals received by the terminal closer to the signals during actual transmission, and improving the similarity between the signals and the actual mobile communication network.

[0070] Other communication devices (such as terminals, spectrum analyzers, or another electromagnetic shielding cabinet as shown in FIG2 ) are connected to the N feed sources through signal processing components and feed lines, so that the wireless signals received and sent by other communication devices are more similar to the real external field.

[0071] The present application also provides a virtual field test method, which is performed using the virtual field test system shown in FIG3 , and includes:

[0072] In step S410, the N reflecting surfaces are moved to different directions along the arc guide rail through the second connecting component; and / or, in step S420, the movement of the signal transceiver component is adjusted through the turntable device to simulate the scenario of intra-cell beam switching caused by changes in wireless signals, and the signal transceiver component is tested.

[0073] In step S430, the signal transmission signals of N feed sources are used to simulate the incoming waves from multiple directions to perform a receiving performance test on the signal transceiver component; and / or, in step S440, the signal transmission signals of the signal transceiver component are received by N feed sources to perform a multi-angle signal transmission performance test on the signal transceiver component.

[0074] For example, N reflecting surfaces are moved along the arc guide rail, and the receiving performance test of the signal transceiver component at multiple different angles in the compact field is performed by transmitting signals from N feed sources; or, the transmission signal of the signal transceiver component is received by N feed sources, and the performance test of the signal transmission at different angles is performed on the signal transceiver component.

[0075] For another example, the movement of the signal transceiver component is adjusted by a turntable device to simulate the beam switching within the cell caused by the change of the wireless signal, and the receiving performance of the signal transceiver component is tested by simulating the incoming waves in multiple directions through the sending signals of N feed sources; or the sending signals of the signal transceiver component are received by N feed sources to test the multi-angle signal transmission performance of the signal transceiver component.

[0076] It should be noted that the signal transmission device and system provided by the exemplary embodiments of the present application are not only applicable to packaged antenna modules with high frequencies and no radio frequency interface such as 5G, but can also be applied to other signal transmission scenarios. The exemplary embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on them. For example, they can also be applied to antennas or active antenna processing units (Active Antenna Unit; AAU) in standards such as time division duplexing (Time Division Duplexing; TDD) and frequency division duplexing (Frequency Division Duplexing; FDD).

[0077] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps to implement the above embodiments may be accomplished by hardware, or by a program to instruct the relevant hardware, and the program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, which may be a read-only memory, a disk, or an optical disk, etc.

[0078] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A virtual field test system, characterized in that: It includes an electromagnetic shielding cabinet and the following devices inside the electromagnetic shielding cabinet: N reflecting surfaces and N feed sources, which together form N compact fields, wherein the N reflecting surfaces correspond to the N feed sources one-to-one, and each of the N reflecting surfaces and the corresponding feed source form one of the N compact fields, and each of the N feed sources is fixed to a focal position of the corresponding reflecting surface via a first connecting assembly, and wave-absorbing baffles are provided between adjacent reflecting surfaces of the N reflecting surfaces, and wave-absorbing baffles are provided on all sides of the feed source except a side facing the corresponding reflecting surface, and each of the N compact fields of the N feed sources corresponds to a quiet zone area; a signal transceiver component, disposed in an overlapping area of ​​the N quiet zones of the N compact fields; The arc-shaped guide rail is connected to the N reflecting surfaces respectively through N second connecting components. When the N reflecting surfaces move along the arc-shaped guide rail respectively, the N quiet zones of the N compact fields remain unchanged.

2. The virtual field test system according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: The turntable device is used to adjust the movement of the signal transceiver component in at least one of the following dimensions: azimuth rotation, pitch angle rotation, polarization rotation, up and down movement, front and back movement, and left and right movement.

3. The virtual field test system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The turntable device includes a fixed component and a movable component, the fixed component is connected to the electromagnetic shielding cabinet, one end of the movable component is connected to the fixed component, and the other end is connected to the signal transceiver component; The movable component can adjust the horizontal movement of the signal transceiver component. And / or, the movable component can adjust the vertical movement of the signal transceiver component, And / or, the movable component can adjust the signal transceiver component to rotate around a reference axis parallel to the vertical direction, And / or, the movable component can adjust the signal transceiver component to rotate around a reference axis parallel to the horizontal direction.

4. The virtual field test system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: Also includes: A feeder is connected to the N feed sources, and the N feed sources transmit signals to other devices outside the electromagnetic shielding cabinet through the feeder.

5. The virtual field test system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The arc-shaped guide rail is fixed to the bottom of the electromagnetic shielding cabinet. One end of the second connecting component is clamped in the arc-shaped guide rail, and the other end is connected to the first connecting component.

6. The virtual field test system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The reflecting surface is a square curled reflecting surface.

7. The virtual field test system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The side length of the square curled reflective surface is between 600 mm and 900 mm.

8. The virtual field test system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The N quiet zones are in the shape of cylinders, and the diameter of the cylinders is between 400 mm and 500 mm.

9. The virtual field test system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: Wave-absorbing materials are deployed inside the electromagnetic shielding cabinet.

10. The virtual field test system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: Also includes: A signal processing component is arranged outside the electromagnetic shielding cabinet, and the signal processing component is connected to the N feed sources through a feeder line.

11. The virtual field test system according to claim 10, wherein: The signal processing component includes at least one of a signal amplitude phase controller, a channel emulator, or a signal amplitude controller.

12. The virtual field test system according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that: Also includes: Other communication devices are connected to the N feed sources through the signal processing components and the feed lines.

13. A virtual field test method, characterized in that: The virtual field test system according to any one of claims 1 to 12 is used, and the virtual field test method comprises: Moving the N reflecting surfaces to different directions along the arc-shaped guide rail through the first connecting assembly and the second connecting assembly respectively; By sending signals from the N feed sources, simulating incoming waves from multiple directions to test the receiving performance of the signal transceiver component; or, The transmission signals of the signal transceiver component are received by the N feed sources, and a multi-angle signal transmission performance test is performed on the signal transceiver component.

14. The virtual field test method according to claim 13, wherein: Also includes: The signal transceiver component is moved by adjusting the turntable device to simulate a beam switching scenario within a cell caused by a change in wireless signals, and the signal transceiver component is tested.

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