Summary
International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation
2009
Session Number:3E4
Session:
Number:3E4-2
Practical Considerations on MIMO OTA Testing
A. Scannavini, L.J. Foged, J.P. Nuutinen, P. Heino, L. Durand, M. Abou El Anouar, F. Tchoffo Talom,
pp.1115-1118
Publication Date:2009/10/21
Online ISSN:2188-5079
Summary:
A complete MIMO OTA system can be built as shown in Figure 1 [1-2-3-4-5]. A channel emulator is connected to a test range on which 8 antennas transmit a selected channel models to the device under test (DUT) positioned in the centre of the test range. In this way MIMO enabled terminals can be tested against different scenarios as in a field test with perfect repeatability. The above depicted OTA system emulates radio channel profiles directly inside the anechoic chamber representing realistic MIMO environments in which the terminal will eventually operate. Antennas performances of devices like laptops, handsets and PDAs are strictly dependent on the structure of the device hosting them. This OTA test system can guarantee testing radiated performances of terminals without altering the whole structure of the terminal itself. Accessibility to HW/SW of terminal is sometime difficult for development engineers. Independent test labs can generally access neither HW nor SW of the terminals to be tested. The OTA test system will therefore be required to test "off-the-shelve" HSPA and LTE MIMO capable devices. In this paper, spatial correlation, and feasibility region will be used as figures of merit in order to see if a specific channel model can be emulate at the centre of an antenna test system (StarLab 15). Throughput will then be used as figure of merit for testing OTA radiated performance of a terminal. A CDMA2000 1xEVDO data card has been tested by using different channel profiles scenario. Repeatability of throughput measurements has been observed when channel profiles were changed.