Advanced antenna measurement and circuit debugging using Near-Field methods

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The 5th generation mobile network (5G) operates at higher frequencies and data rates with new challenges in the evolution of the standard, mm-wave adoption, and controlling the time and cost of tests. Therefore, low-cost fast characterization and diagnosis methods are required to improve and certify the quality of products. These methods will contribute to the development of current and future wireless devices. Between various antenna measurement methods, Near-Field (NF) is widely used since it can be conducted in a small and controllable environment. NF data is mainly used for antenna parameters calculation or circuit diagnostics. The measured field close to the surface of a device under test (DUT) can be used to calculate the far-field radiation pattern of the DUT in free space or to detect manufacturing problems and tuning the system. However, the two main drawbacks of the NF evaluation are the required time to scan the whole radiative area of the DUT and the error of couplings between the DUT and probe in the measured data. In this project, a novel near-field measurement system would be developed to reduce the time and error by introducing the reconfigurable probes and machine learning (ML)-assisted error correction methods. The electronic reconfigurability of the probe and the correction algorithms would be employed to minimize the physical movements and to reduce distortions in the measured data, respectively. Furthermore, the system would be extended by ML-assisted algorithms to implement automated fault detection of antennas and circuits. This system is particularly suitable for 5G devices evaluation, calibration, and certification.The industrial Partner of this project, DVTEST Inc, is a wireless test company specializing in the design and production of RF test enclosures and wireless test systems. DVTEST would endeavor to enable prototyping and proofs of concept to commercialize and deploy this technology for the benefit of DVTEST customers and Canadians in general. Specifically, the developed fast 5G test system would empower the production and qualification lines by providing real-time fault detection and calibration services.