Over-the-Air MIMO Channel Emulation for Automotive LTE Radio Systems Using Software Defined Radio

Abstract

Modern automobiles provide more and more on-board high data rate internet communication via cellular wireless networks like Long Term Evolution (LTE). Due to this intimate relation between automobiles and mobile communication systems, these complex systems need to be tested repeatably and under realistic conditions. We pursue the approach of cluster-based channel emulation, implemented in a simplified setup employing a commercial software defined radio module. This paper provides an overview of the implementation of the channel emulator and in detail its experimental verification by over-the-air LTE measurements in the virtual road simulation and test area of the Thuringian Center of Innovation in Mobility. The goal is to study the feasibility and applicability of the SDR channel emulator implementation and to compare the performance with emulation by a commercial powerful communication testing device. The SDR implementation is based on a dedicated 3GPP standardized channel propagation profile. This paper augments the current research about realization of cluster-based channel emulation in anechoic chambers, implementation on SDR modules and its verification and evaluation of the achieved emulation performance.