Anritsu Company and AeroGT Labs have partnered to provide best-in-class 5G Multiple-In Multiple-Out (MIMO) Over-the-Air (OTA) test platforms to characterize, test, and optimize antennas.
The platforms perform single- or multiple-use antenna performance and reliability tests on products, such as vehicles, mobile devices, and similar designs, in a simulated environment before commercialization. Vehicle antenna performance is vital in advanced autonomous driving vehicles and critical automotive safety features, such as eCall. In modern vehicles, there is a minimum of 15 onboard antennas that link communications, entertainment, self-driving, and safety subsystems. They must be tested singularly and simultaneously to ensure proper operation and their ability to coexist.
The China Intelligent and Connected Vehicles (CICV) Research Institute in Beijing standardized on an OTA MIMO measurement system utilizing an automotive communication performance measurement system developed by GTS, the Anritsu MT8000A and MT8821C instruments, and integrated by TOYO Corporation. It supports CICV's efforts to codify wireless communication standards for intelligent connected vehicles (ICV).
The system employs GTS' patented RTS method, a technology approved by 3GPP as a test method for mobile terminals and base stations for the measurement of in-vehicle wireless communication performance for connected vehicles. The GTS RTS implementation accelerates the measurement cycle without sacrificing accuracy.
These 5G MIMO OTA solutions can be used at many different product development stages – from research and development to quality assurance and production test. Industry professionals seeking OTA testing capabilities can contact experts at AeroGT or Anritsu for more information or a product demonstration.
Steve Wong, Chief Marketing Officer for AeroGT
The millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequency range is characterized by high-performance and robust reliability and is ideal for 5G MIMO OTA applications. While performing OTA MIMO measurements in a mmWave anechoic chamber is necessary to obtain reliable and accurate measurements, a myriad of other instrumentation, such as vector network analyzers, signal generators, and automation software, is required and must be integrated to form a fully functional system.
Adnan Khan, Director of Technology and Market Development for Anritsu
Anritsu's Radio Communication Analyzer MT8821C and Radio Communication Test Station MT8000A are field-proven and critically important solutions for MIMO OTA test. The high dynamic range RF performance of the MT8000A and MT8821C enables successful 3GPP-specified Radiated Two-Stage (RTS) testing in a MIMO environment.
