Multi-probe Anechoic Chamber Method Research Articles

OTA Throughput Prediction of MIMO Antennas for Wireless Devices by Simulated Realistic Channel Model

A cost-effective and accurate method for predicting over-the-air (OTA) data throughput of multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) wireless devices in the antenna design stage is proposed. The method incorporates passive characteristics of MIMO antennas, realistic channel model, and conductive measurement results in a computer simulation framework. With extracted relation between received power and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of a wireless device at antenna ports by a conductive test and measured passive characteristics of MIMO antennas, OTA throughput versus received power in a realistic channel model is obtained by the Monte Carlo simulation of Shannon’s law. The unique features of this method include: no channel emulator equipment is required; a wide variety of precoding schemes can be applied; passive characteristics of antennas are fully incorporated; and frequency-selective fading channel can be adopted. The method has been intensively validated by comparing the calculated OTA throughputs with those measured by a multiprobe anechoic chamber method under spatial channel model extension (SCME) in three aspects: spatial correlation, radiation efficiency, and mutual coupling, showing as low as 0.2–0.3 dB discrepancy in power level in most cases. The method can be used to evaluate a MIMO array antenna design of a wireless device with respect to OTA performance.

Throughput Modeling and Validations for MIMO-OTA Testing With Arbitrary Multipath

A simple throughput model for multiple-input–multiple-output (MIMO) systems has been proposed in the literature. The model takes the MIMO antenna effects into account and shows good agreement with measured throughputs in a reverberation chamber (RC). The RC emulates a multipath environment with isotropic incoming angular distribution and Rayleigh (or Rician) fading channel. In this work, we extend the throughput model to arbitrary multipath environments and verify it using (synthesized) multiprobe anechoic chamber method and two-stage method with various channel models. The throughput model can well predict the measured throughputs of all the cases.

Novel physical probe configurations in a multi-probe based 3D MIMO OTA setup

In this paper, channel spatial characteristics which mainly depend on the spatial correlation are selected as the significant factors in over-the-air (OTA) testing for multiple input multiple output (MIMO) devices. The multi-probe anechoic chamber method, a promising candidate of the MIMO OTA testing methods, can reproduce the multipath environments in a controllable manner. A novel physical configuration based on the variation of relative positions of probes in a MIMO OTA setup is put forward to obtain better spatial characteristics. Two physical configurations are presented to make a comparison with the typical configuration in this paper. The simulation results show that by making a proper probe configuration, good channel simulation accuracy can be achieved. Meanwhile, in order to get better performance of emulating channel spatial characteristics, probes in the first and the last probe rings should be placed symmetrically in three dimensional (3D) physical probe configuration.

Over-the-Air Testing of MIMO-Capable Terminals: Evaluation of Multiple-Antenna Systems in Realistic Multipath Propagation Environments Using an OTA Method

A new over-the-air (OTA) testing method is required for evaluating multiple-antenna systems in realistic multipath propagation environments. Antenna design and propagation channels are the two key parameters that ultimately determine the multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) device performance. As antennas are inherently included in OTA testing, it is important to also consider realistic channel models for MIMO device-performance evaluation. This article shows that the multiprobe anechoic chamber (MPAC) setup is capable of emulating realistic and accurate multipath environments, making it a suitable method for testing terminals equipped with multiple antennas. In comparison to the mode-stirred reverberation chamber (RC) setup that represents an isotropic multipath environment, the MPAC method is capable of generating arbitrary spatial channel models with polarization characteristics.