Abstract: A measurement system is provided that has a digital edge trigger circuit that is capable of operating at the full signal bandwidth of the measurement system. The digital edge trigger circuit comprises a plurality of processors that process time-interleaved digital data samples output from respective time-interleaved ADCs to perform edge trigger detection. The processors share edge detection information with one another to increase the speed at which edge trigger detection is performed to enable the digital edge trigger circuit to operate at the full signal bandwidth of the measurement system.

Abstract: A handheld differential contact probe includes a housing configured to be held in a hand of a user, a pair of probe arms carried by the housing, and a pair of opposing probe tip assemblies each carried by one of the respective probe arms and each having a probe tip circuit coupled to a probe tip at a distal end thereof. A probe tip span adjustment mechanism is carried by the housing and coupled to the pair of probe arms, and configured to adjust a span between the probe tips. A ground path mechanism is coupled between the probe tip circuits of the respective probe tip assemblies, and includes a pair of curved conductive ribbon springs each coupled at an outer end thereof to a respective probe tip circuit, and each curved conductive ribbon spring slidably engaging each other at a respective inner end thereof.

Abstract: Systems and methods for testing a wireless device having a beamforming circuit are disclosed herein. An exemplary system includes a shielded test enclosure, a wireless channel emulator, and a test instrument. The shielded test enclosure provides a cable-free connection between the wireless device and the wireless channel emulator, thereby allowing for testing of various types of wireless devices, particularly those that do not have radio-frequency (RF) connectors. The shielded test enclosure is smaller in size and less-expensive than traditional multi-probe anechoic chambers. In one example application, the shielded test enclosure is used to house a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna array of a wireless device and a probe antenna array. The probe antenna array is coupled to the wireless channel emulator and used to receive signals from MIMO antenna arrays of various sizes thereby eliminating the need to uniquely tailor the probe antenna array to any specific MIMO antenna array.

Abstract: A system for testing a DUT having an AAS transceiver. The system includes a scanning array divided into first and partial scanning arrays including first and second probe antennas, respectively, the first partial scanning array determining a first portion and the second partial scanning array determining a second portion of a near field pattern of the DUT. A test transceiver receives an RF signal from the DUT via the scanning array while testing the DUT in a transmit mode. A processing unit selects a first reference probe antenna from the first probe antennas and a second reference probe antenna from the second probe antennas to provide reference signals, and to alternate between consecutively scanning first signals from the first probe antennas and comparing them to the second reference signal, and consecutively scanning second signals from the second probe antennas and comparing them to the first reference signal.

Abstract: A method of operating a measurement instrument, such as a digital oscilloscope, includes receiving multiple analog input signals from a measurement target over respective channels, converting the analog input signal on each channel into a respective digital signal, and comparing signal values of the digital signal on each channel to at least one threshold to generate a stream of levels for each channel. The method includes combining the stream of levels for each channel into a combined stream of levels that reflects combined features of the multiple analog input signals, detecting a pattern in the combined stream of levels using a combined-feature matching procedure implemented by hardware, such as a Finite State Machine (FSM), and triggering the measurement instrument according to a result of the combined-feature matching procedure.

Abstract: A test device for simulating analog beams applied to a DUT includes a memory that stores instructions and a processor that executes the instructions. When executed by the processor, the instructions cause the test device to perform a process that includes obtaining, from the memory and based on instructions received for testing the DUT, a predetermined power level for a beam to be simulated for the DUT and a predetermined time delay for the beam to be simulated for the DUT. The process also includes applying the predetermined power level for the beam and the predetermined time delay for the beam to a set of subcarriers and cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (CP-OFDM) symbol to obtain simulated characteristics of the beam from the perspective of the DUT. The process also includes sending, over a wired connection, the simulated characteristics of the beam from the processor to the DUT.

Abstract: A measurement instrument configured to perform an associated method separates two signals which are present on the same signal line at the same time (e.g., an incident signal and a reflected signal) so that it can measure each signal by itself. In an example, the method may include: receiving a first probed waveform from a first location on a signal line between a source device and a destination device while an output of the source device sends an incident signal to an input of the destination device via the signal line; receiving a second probed waveform from a second location on the signal line, while the output of the source device sends the incident signal to the input of the destination device via the signal line; and ascertaining from the first probed waveform and the second probed waveform the reflection coefficient at the input of the destination device.

Abstract: A method for wide bus pattern matching includes, receiving, in a first clock cycle, a bus width of data from a data bus. The method further includes using pattern compare blocks to compare each n-bit portion of data from the data bus to a plurality of different n-bit pattern portions, n being an integer equal to a smallest boundary in which a pattern can start on the data bus. The method further includes detecting, using a plurality of diagonal detectors, matching pattern portions across the pattern compare blocks that are arranged in a diagonal. The method further includes detecting, using a packet boundary detector, when the matching pattern portions arranged in a diagonal indicate a matching pattern that falls within a set of packet boundaries. The method further includes indicating a positive match when the packet boundary detector indicates that the matching.

Abstract: A method provides modeling a DUT and generating a simulated response. The method includes receiving a first portion of a stimulus signal generated by a signal generator, a second portion of the stimulus signal being input to the DUT; receiving a response signal output by the DUT in response to a second portion of the stimulus signal; digitizing the received first portion and the received response signal; correcting the digitized signals; measuring training input series data of the digitized first portion of the stimulus signal and training output series data of the digitized response signal; and utilizing kernel adaptive filtering for extracting a device model from the training input and output series data, and for generating simulated responses of the DUT to subsequent stimulus inputs, respectively. The kernel adaptive filtering may include a kernel least mean squares algorithm, a kernel Affine projection algorithm or a recursive least squares algorithm.

Abstract: A test generator that determines an amplification level of an amplifier within a DFE and a method for determining the amplification level are disclosed. The test generator includes a signal generator that generates a test pattern signal characterized by a repeating digital test pattern and an offset voltage and an input signal port adapted to receive a digital DFE output signal from the DFE, the digital DFE output signal depending on the amplification level. The test generator includes an output control port that communicates a digital command word specifying a gain to be used by the amplifier in the DFE and a threshold for determining if a signal in the DFE is a logical one or logical zero. A controller determines the amplification level by measuring a BER between the test pattern and the digital DFE output signal as a function of the threshold and the offset voltage.

Abstract: A system and method for detecting passive intermodulation (PIM) interference in cellular networks are provided that do not require the base station or any sectors of it to be taken offline, that eliminate the need for a technician to make a visit to the cellular site to perform PIM testing, that enable multiple uplink connections to be remotely tested simultaneously, that enable cellular networks to be tested that do not have an accessible connection point to the RF chain, and that enable gradually deteriorating performance due to PIM interference and intermittent PIM interference problems to be detected.

Abstract: Various illustrative embodiments disclosed herein generally pertain to detecting defects by using a radio-frequency debugging signal transmitted by a transmitting antenna array towards a receiving antenna located in a far-field region of the transmitting antenna array. The radio-frequency debugging signal, which is configured to provide information pertaining to a signal radiation distribution of the transmitting antenna array, is received in the receiving antenna and conveyed to a test unit. The test unit digitizes the received radio-frequency debugging signal to obtain a digital dataset and applies a back-propagation algorithm to the digital dataset for deriving a reconstructed near-field representation of the transmitting array.

Abstract: A testing system tests a device under test (DUT) by emulating at least one radio access protocol. The testing system includes at least one transmitter, multiple receivers, multiple radio frequency (RF) heads, multiple horns, and multiple combiners. The transmitter(s) are configured to use an intermediate frequency for transmission. The receiver(s) are configured to use an intermediate frequency for reception. The RF heads up-convert the intermediate frequency from the transmitter(s) to RF used by the DUT and down-convert the RF used by the DUT to the intermediate frequency used by the receiver(s). The combiners each correspond to a different receiver and combine beamformed signals received from the DUT via two different RF heads and via the horns. The horns transmit RF signals to the DUT and receive RF signals from the DUT using two different polarizations.

Abstract: Illustrative embodiments disclosed herein pertain to a thermal imaging system that includes a thermal imaging sheet having an array of thermal unit cells for generating a thermal footprint in response to receiving an RF signal. The thermal footprint is composed of an array of hotspots having a first set of hotspots indicative of a radiation characteristic of a first polarization component of the RF signal, and a second set of hotspots indicative of a radiation characteristic of a second polarization component of the RF signal. Each thermal unit cell includes a first RF antenna and a second RF antenna oriented orthogonal with respect to each other. The first RF antenna includes a terminating resistor that generates a hotspot among the first set of hotspots and the second RF antenna includes another terminating resistor that generates a hotspot in the second set of hotspots.

Abstract: A flexible planar antenna device and method for using the same is disclosed. In some embodiments, the flexible planar antenna device includes a planar body comprising a flexible dielectric material that enables the planar antenna device to be flexibly shapeable to a surface of a wireless device under test (DUT). The flexible planar antenna device further includes an antenna element contained within the planar body and for communicatively coupling with at least one antenna of the wireless DUT and at least one adhesive element that enables the planar body to attach to and conform to the surface of the DUT.

Abstract: A method for efficient generation of a narrowband IoT uplink signal includes generating an under-sampled sequence of samples of a narrowband IoT uplink signal, identifying symbol boundaries in the sequence of samples that do not correspond to sample times, for each symbol boundary that does not correspond to one of the sample times: extrapolating, from a signal phase value for a sample at a last sample time before the symbol boundary, a signal phase value for a sample at a first sample time after the symbol boundary; calculating and applying a phase jump to the sample at the first sample time after the symbol boundary to generate a new phase value for the sample at the first sample time after the symbol boundary, wherein the phase jump is applied from the phase value extrapolated from the last sample time before the symbol boundary; and using the new phase value for the first sample time after the symbol boundary to calculate amplitude of the sample at the first sample time after the symbol boundary.

Abstract: A method of operating a data processing system to generate a diagram indicative of an experimental setup includes a device to be tested (DUT) and a plurality of test instruments is disclosed. The method includes detecting a first test instrument that is connected to the data processing system and determining connection points to the first test instrument. A script that specifies tests for the DUT using the plurality of test instruments and includes instructions specifying measurements to be made by the first test instrument is examined. A first connection between the DUT and the first test instrument is determined. An initial diagram on a display controlled by the data processing system is generated. The initial diagram includes a first node representing the first test instrument, a second node representing the DUT and a line representing the first connection between the first and second nodes.

Abstract: A signal transmission line, includes: a coaxial electrical connector comprising a coaxial electrical connector inner conductor and a coaxial outer conductor; a coaxial cable comprising a coaxial inner conductor and a coaxial outer conductor; and a section of resistive cable disposed between the coaxial cable and the coaxial connector, the section of resistive cable comprising an electrically thin resistive layer disposed between the coaxial cable inner conductor and a section outer conductor. The coaxial cable inner conductor is fastened to the coaxial electrical connector inner conductor.

Abstract: A system and method employ an exclusive-OR gate having a first input configured to receive an RF carrier signal having an RF carrier, and a second input configured to receive a square wave signal having a square wave frequency, to output to a signal processing channel under test a binary phase shift keying (BPSK) signal comprising the RF carrier signal modulated by the square wave signal. A digital signal processor is configured to receive from the signal processing channel in-phase (I) and quadrature-phase (Q) data produced by the signal processing channel in response to the BPSK signal, and to process the I and Q data to determine an amplitude response and phase response of the signal processing channel as a function of frequency.

Abstract: A method executable by a computer processor is provided for determining stability of non-linear radio frequency (RF) circuit. The method includes identifying key devices of the RF circuit which open feedback loops when turned off; defining a generalized Bode's return ratio matrix with respect to the key devices over a range of small signal frequencies at a large signal operating point; determining stability margins for gain and phase of the RF circuit based on eigenvalues of the Bode's return ratio matrix; and determining overall stability of RF circuit using the Nyquist locus of a normalized determinant function based on the determinant of the generalized Bode's return ratio matrix.