System and method for testing end-to-end performance of user equipment communicating with base stations using dynamic beamforming

A method of testing user equipment as a device under test (DUT) in a test system comprising a channel emulator configured to connect to a base station emulator and a base station through a first radio frequency switch matrix and to connect to a plurality of probes in an anechoic chamber through a second radio frequency switch matrix, the method comprising:

• connecting the base station emulator to the channel emulator via the first radio frequency switch matrix, and deactivating fading in the channel emulator;
• connecting the channel emulator to one of the plurality of probes in the anechoic chamber via the second radio frequency switch matrix to establish a connection between the base station emulator and a user equipment as a device under test in the anechoic chamber;
• measuring downlink antenna patterns of the device under test for different positions of the device under test as measured downlink antenna patterns of the device under test;
• connecting, via the second radio frequency switch matrix, the channel emulator to a number of the plurality of probes that is two or more times a number of transmitter antennas on the device under test;
• measuring, by a receiver of the base station emulator, transmitter antenna patterns of the device under test for different positions of the device under test as measured transmitter antenna patterns of the device under test;
• connecting, via the second radio frequency switch matrix, the channel emulator to a new set of the plurality of probes that is two or more times a maximum number of transmitter antennas of the device under test or a maximum number of receive antennas of the device under test;
• connecting the base station to the channel emulator via the first radio frequency switch matrix, activating fading in the channel emulator, loading a base station antenna pattern into the channel emulator, and loading the measured downlink antenna patterns of the device under test into the channel emulator;
• and
• connecting the base station and the device under test and logging end-to-end throughput of the device under test while changing positions of the device under test in the channel emulator by rotating the downlink antenna patterns of the device under test.

A test system for testing an antenna of a device under test (DUT), the test system comprising:

• a channel emulator configured to support bi-directional channel emulation and configured to emulate wireless channel conditions with fading and without fading in channels of the channel emulator;
• a first radio frequency switch matrix;
• an anechoic chamber connected to the channel emulator via the first radio frequency switch matrix, and containing a plurality of probes and user equipment as a device under test;
• a second radio frequency switch matrix;
• a base station emulator connected to the channel emulator via the second radio frequency switch matrix and configured to perform protocol testing with the device under test via the channel emulator, and performance testing with the device under test via the channel emulator with fading after the protocol testing is performed;
• and
• a test control computer comprising a memory that stores instructions and a processor that executes the instructions, wherein the test control computer controls the channel emulator, the first radio frequency switch matrix, the device under test in the anechoic chamber, the second radio frequency switch matrix, and the base station emulator;
• wherein the test control computer loads the channel emulator with antenna patterns for the base station emulator and for the device under test,
• the channel emulator provides bi-directional channel emulation between the base station emulator and the device under test in the anechoic chamber and emulates transmitter antenna effects and receive antenna effects of the device under test by loading the antenna patterns such that a wireless cabling connection between the channel emulator and the antennas of the device under test is formed, and
• after the wireless cabling connection is formed with the antennas of the device under test, the base station emulator and the device under test establish a connection and perform end-to-end testing under dynamic beamforming as the channels of the channel emulator are changed.