Pulsed Tone PIM Test System for Portable Field Measurement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional PIM testing systems are cumbersome and inconvenient due to their large size and high weight, making them unsuitable for field testing applications, as they require high-power continuous wave tones that result in systems weighing over 60 pounds and are dependent on AC power sources.
Innovation Solution
A pulsed tone PIM test system that uses a DC power source, pulsed power amplifiers, bandpass filters, a combiner, directional coupler, notch filter, low noise gain stage, and spectrum analyzer to generate and analyze pulsed stimulus signals, allowing for lighter, battery-powered devices that can measure PIM products and calculate power ratios and distances within the device under test.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If high-power continuous wave tones are used for PIM testing, then measurement accuracy is improved, but system weight increases to over 60 pounds
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic pulsed action instead of continuous wave tones. The system uses pulsed stimulus signals with specific duty cycles to excite the device under test, allowing PIM measurement without requiring continuous high-power amplification. This temporal modulation enables portable battery-operated systems to achieve sufficient measurement accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the power parameter dynamically by using pulsed signals with controlled amplitude and duration. By varying pulse width, repetition rate, and amplitude, the system achieves accurate PIM measurements without requiring the continuous high power output that would necessitate heavy amplifiers and AC power sources.
2Measurement precision
If high-power continuous wave tones are used for PIM testing, then measurement accuracy is improved, but system portability deteriorates due to AC power dependency
Solution Approach 1:
Pulsed operation enables battery-powered portable systems by eliminating the need for continuous high-power delivery. The periodic nature of pulses allows energy accumulation in small capacitors and batteries, making field deployment feasible without AC power infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts pulse parameters (width, frequency, amplitude) based on measurement requirements and device characteristics. This dynamic adaptability allows a single portable unit to handle various testing scenarios that previously required different specialized equipment.
3Measurement precision
If traditional PIM testing systems are designed for high power output, then measurement capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pulsed architecture simplifies the power amplification chain by eliminating the need for linear continuous-wave amplifiers. Switching amplifiers driven by pulses are simpler and more efficient, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining measurement capability through time-domain analysis of PIM products.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces pulsed modulation as an intermediary between the signal source and device under test. This modulation scheme enables the use of simpler electronic components while the pulse processing methodology (envelope detection, time-gating) acts as an intermediary to extract accurate PIM measurements from the pulsed responses.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a passive intermodulation (PIM) test system having a pulsed signal generator configured to generate and apply a pulsed stimulus signal to a device under test. The PIM test system is further configured to measure a power of at least one PIM product generated by a PIM source in the device under test using the pulsed stimulus signal. Also disclosed in a method for evaluating PIM in a device under test, the method includes using a pulsed stimulus signal to measure a power of at least one PIM product generated by a PIM source in the device under test.