Subband-Based Modulation Tester for Broadband Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high cost of test equipment for modern communication systems, particularly those with wide bandwidth channels, poses a challenge as they require costly components to match the fidelity of the equipment under test, and existing solutions do not efficiently utilize lower-cost hardware or legacy systems.
Innovation Solution
A radio frequency system that segments the channel bandwidth into subbands, using a radio receiver with lower bandwidth than the equipment under test, to measure and aggregate performance parameters, allowing for the use of lower-cost hardware and legacy systems by calculating and aggregating performance metrics across subbands.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If test equipment uses high-bandwidth components to match the channel bandwidth of modern communication systems, then measurement precision is improved, but device cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the wide channel bandwidth into multiple narrower subbands. Each subband is tested separately using a receiver with limited bandwidth, and the results are aggregated to obtain overall performance metrics. This allows the use of lower-cost, lower-bandwidth hardware while maintaining measurement accuracy across the full bandwidth through mathematical aggregation of subband results.
2Ease of manufacture
If test equipment bandwidth is reduced to use lower-cost hardware, then device cost decreases, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The wide bandwidth channel is divided into multiple subbands that can each be measured by a receiver with limited bandwidth. The performance parameters measured in each subband are then aggregated using mathematical operations to reconstruct the overall channel performance, thereby maintaining measurement precision while using cost-effective hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms a single wideband measurement problem into multiple narrowband measurements by adding the frequency dimension. Instead of measuring all frequencies simultaneously requiring high-bandwidth hardware, the system measures different frequency subbands sequentially and aggregates results, effectively using time-multiplexed measurements to achieve what would require parallel high-bandwidth capability.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems are disclosed which allow testing essential performance parameters of broadband communications systems, while using test channels of lower bandwidth, allowing thus lower cost hardware (or use of legacy test system). In particular, the methods and systems allow testing of EVM in digital systems, especially OFDM systems. The methods and systems readily apply to test equipment for production lines, such as IC testers of final product testers.