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US 7,890,821 B2Granted
Channel impairment emulator systems and methods
AssigneeVeriWave, Inc.
InventorsWayne D. Music, Thomas Alexander
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Abstract
Systems and methods are disclosed herein to provide improved communication system test techniques. For example, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a wireless device test system is disclosed having a channel emulator for multipath and/or MIMO applications to allow the testing of wireless devices (e.g., WLAN devices) in a cabled environment.
Claims33
A communications test system comprising:
- a test traffic generator circuit adapted to generate a first sequence of discrete digital test signals according to a medium access control protocol;
- a test traffic analyzer circuit adapted to process a second sequence of discrete digital test signals according to said medium access control protocol;
- a digital baseband signal generation circuit adapted to convert said first sequence of discrete digital test signals into a first set of digital baseband signals for transmission to a device under test (DUT);
- a digital baseband signal reception circuit adapted to convert a second set of digital baseband signals received from said DUT into said second sequence of discrete digital test signals;
- a first digital channel emulator circuit adapted to accept said first set of digital baseband signals, and is further adapted to condition said first set of digital baseband signals in a digital domain prior to analog conversion,
- a transmit analog converter circuit adapted to accept and convert said first set of digital baseband signals conditioned by said first digital channel emulator circuit to transmitted analog signals, and transmit said transmitted analog signals to said DUT;
- and
- a receive analog converter circuit adapted to receive a set of received analog signals from said DUT, convert said set of received analog signals to said second set of digital baseband signals, and pass said second set of digital baseband signals to said digital baseband signal reception circuit;
- wherein said first digital channel emulator circuit is adapted to introduce effects of transmission channel impairments into said first set of digital baseband signals, and further adapted to be operative without intervening stages of analog-to-digital or digital-to-analog conversion between said first digital channel emulator circuit and said test traffic generator circuit.
6 more elements
A packet wireless communications test system comprising:
- test packet generator means for generating at least a first sequence of packets for transmission to a wireless device;
- test packet analyzer means for processing at least a second sequence of packets received from said wireless device;
- medium access control (MAC) means for imposing a medium access control protocol on said test packet generator means and said test packet analyzer means;
- digital baseband modulation means for converting said at least first sequence of packets to at least a first set of transmitted digital baseband signals;
- digital baseband demodulation means for converting at least a second set of received digital baseband signals to said at least second sequence of packets;
- at least a first digital channel conditioning means for conditioning said at least first set of transmitted digital baseband signals in a digital domain prior to analog conversion;
- radio frequency digital-to-analog and upconversion means for translating said at least first set of transmitted digital baseband signals to an analog radio frequency range for transmission to the wireless device under test;
- and
- radio frequency downconversion and analog-to-digital conversion means for translating said at least second set of received digital baseband signals from an analog radio frequency range, after being received from said wireless device under test, to said at least second set of received digital baseband signals;
- wherein said at least first digital channel conditioning means emulates wireless radio transmission channel effects between said packet wireless communications test system and said wireless device under test without analog-to-digital or digital-to-analog translations intervening between said digital baseband modulation means and said at least first digital channel conditioning means.
7 more elements
A method of testing a wireless device by a packet wireless communications test system, the method comprising:
- generating one or more transmitted packet streams for transmission to the wireless device under test, according to a medium access control protocol, in the form of a transmitted digital baseband signal;
- conditioning the transmitted digital baseband signal in a digital domain prior to any stages of analog upconversion or downconversion to provide a conditioned digital baseband signal to emulate effects of wireless transmission channel impairments;
- converting said conditioned digital baseband signal to a first radio frequency range signal;
- and
- transmitting said first radio frequency range signal to said wireless device under test.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.