Text preview for : 5991-1351EN Increase Multi-Antenna Array Test Throughput with the Keysight M9703A AXIe Digitizer - A part of
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Keysight Technologies
Increase Multi-Antenna
Array Test Throughput with the
M9703A AXIe Digitizer
Application Note
Abstract
Smart antenna architectures incorporating multiple antenna elements in an array
are used in many applications. Wireless communications standards like 802.11ac,
radio astronomy and array RADARs are all examples of applications where multiple
antennas are employed for various requirements derived from spatial signal pro-
cessing. Though the types of processing used and beamforming techniques differ
by application, there is a common test challenge. It is difficult to align the antennas
in an array in phase and amplitude so they can be used together effectively. As the
number of antennas increase in an array, the test time to do the alignment increases
drastically. This application note addresses the challenge of aligning the antennas
in an array precisely, while reducing test time. The note also provides details on a
multichannel, phase coherent test solution which can be customized to quickly and
precisely align antenna elements in an active array, both in phase and amplitude.
This test solution is built from modular components and is easily scalable to the
number of antennas in the array being tested. Further, it provides parallelism to the
test process to increase test throughput. The test system described offers flexibility
to provide good sensitivity in both the wideband and narrowband measurement
scenarios using the same hardware.
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