5G NR OTA Beamforming Testing Methodology
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Solution Overview
Problem
Testing the beamforming performance of 5G-NR base stations with large antenna arrays is challenging due to the impracticality of traditional cabled setups, as they require over-the-air testing to account for the active and highly integrated nature of antenna elements, and existing methods do not consider channel learning capabilities or 5G-NR specifications.
Innovation Solution
A cost-effective over-the-air (OTA) testing methodology that evaluates the beamforming performance of 5G-NR base stations by isolating components contributing to beamforming, including baseband processing, ADC, amplifiers, and antenna arrays, and uses UE simulators to learn channel information and perform precoding, reducing iterations between design changes and testing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional cabled setups are used for testing, then testing can be performed with discrete antennas, but it becomes impractical when large antenna arrays are used
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical cabled testing setups with over-the-air electromagnetic wave transmission. Instead of using physical cables to connect discrete antennas to test equipment, the system transmits test signals wirelessly through the air interface, enabling testing of large integrated antenna arrays without the physical connection constraints that make traditional methods impractical.
2Adaptability or versatility
If over-the-air testing is implemented, then large antenna arrays can be tested, but channel learning capabilities and 5G-NR specifications must be considered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a test signal transmission mechanism as an intermediary between the base station's antenna array and the test equipment. This intermediary transmits known test signals through the air interface, allowing the system to evaluate beamforming performance by comparing transmitted signals with received signals, thereby accounting for channel effects and 5G-NR specifications without requiring direct physical connections.
3Productivity
If baseband processing and antenna arrays are tested separately, then design iterations are required, but integrated testing reduces iterations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the testing of baseband processing and antenna array functionality into a single integrated over-the-air test setup. Instead of separately testing baseband processing units and antenna arrays with multiple cabled connections, the system combines these tests by transmitting processed signals wirelessly through the antenna array and evaluating the complete signal path in one operation, thereby reducing design iterations.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for performing Over-The-Air (OTA) testing for 5G New Radio (NR) beamforming is presented. In one embodiment the method includes transmitting, by only the User Equipments (UEs) U and Sx, the Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols containing UL Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) that are orthogonal to each other during Uplink (UL) subframes; performing, by a gNB, channel estimation in the same UL subframe, precoding matrix computation, and antenna elements weighting coefficient computations; transmitting, by the gNB in a subsequent Downlink (DL) subframe, known data streams to UEs U and Sx using the massive MU-MIMO beamforming coefficients; collecting by the host PC, the IQ samples from the UE U and all the victim UEs Vx in the DL subframe; and evaluating a performance of the beam that was meant for UE U.