OTA Temperature Test Housing Geometry for Accurate Antenna Measurement
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing temperature test apparatuses for wireless communication devices in OTA environments suffer from measurement result deterioration due to heat-insulating housings, especially when testing devices with large sizes or unknown antenna locations, as the housing material affects radio wave transmission and reception characteristics.
Innovation Solution
A temperature test apparatus with a heat-insulating housing featuring a flat plate-shaped part perpendicular to the radio wave path, combined with a 2-axis orientation changing mechanism and a reflector with a paraboloid surface, to minimize radio wave absorption and reflection, ensuring accurate measurement of transmission and reception characteristics across various orientations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a heat-insulating housing is attached around the DUT to maintain temperature, then temperature control is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to radio wave reflection and absorption by the housing material
Solution Approach 1:
The heat-insulating housing is divided into multiple flat plate-shaped sections arranged in specific orientations. Each section is positioned to minimize radio wave reflection toward the measurement path, segmenting the housing structure to reduce overall interference with the electromagnetic field while maintaining thermal insulation functionality.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the antenna under test deviates from the center of rotation, then orientation changing capability is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates as the heat-insulating housing surface becomes inclined relative to radio wave direction
Solution Approach 1:
Different sections of the heat-insulating housing are designed with specific local qualities - flat plate shapes positioned at specific locations and orientations. Each local section is optimized to be perpendicular to or angled away from the radio wave propagation path, ensuring that regardless of DUT orientation, the housing surfaces do not create excessive reflections or absorption that would degrade measurement precision.
3Temperature
If the distance radio waves pass through heat-insulating housing material increases, then temperature insulation is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to increased absorption and reflection
Solution Approach 1:
The housing structure incorporates dynamic orientation considerations - flat plate sections are positioned and angled to adapt to different radio wave incident angles. This dynamic geometric arrangement ensures that as the DUT rotates to different orientations, the housing surfaces maintain optimal angles relative to the radio wave paths, minimizing the effective path length through insulating material and reducing absorption and reflection losses.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration reduces radio wave loss and interference, maintaining the quality of measurement results by minimizing the distance radio waves travel through the heat-insulating housing and allowing for precise orientation of antennas in all three-dimensional directions, thus suppressing measurement deterioration.
Implementation Method 1
a heat-insulating housing housed in the internal space and made of heat-insulating material surrounding a space region including the quiet zone
Implementation Method 2
the ratio of specular reflection increases
Implementation Method 3
the distance that the radio waves pass through the material of the heat-insulating housing becomes longer
Implementation Method 4
the flat plate shaped part being perpendicular to the traveling direction of the radio waves of the radio signal entering the quiet zone
Implementation Method 5
an anechoic chamber having an internal space unaffected by a surrounding radio wave environment
Implementation Method 6
an orientation changing mechanism configured to sequentially change an orientation of the device under test placed in a quiet zone in the internal space
Implementation Method 7
a temperature control device capable of controlling temperature of the space region
Data Source
AI summary
A temperature test apparatus 1 includes a test antenna 6 configured to transmit or receive a radio signal to or from the antennas 110 in order to measure reception characteristics or transmission characteristics of the DUT 100, a heat-insulating housing 70 made of heat-insulating material surrounding a space region 71 including a quiet zone QZ, and a measuring device 20 configured to measure the transmission characteristics or the reception characteristics of the DUT 100. The heat-insulating housing 70 has a flat plate shaped part 70a in a region through which radio waves of a radio signal transmitted from the test antenna 6 passes before entering the quiet zone QZ. The flat plate shaped part 70a is perpendicular to the traveling direction of the radio waves of the radio signal entering the quiet zone QZ.