RF performance of USRP TwinRX daughterboard under influence of strong interferers. - In: 16th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation, (2022), insges. 5 S.
In this paper, we investigate the sensitivity of the software-defined radio (SDR) universal software radio peripheral (USRP) X310 with a TwinRX daughterboard to strong interferers. In a conducted test setup, the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) is measured under the influence of a mock-up Long-Term Evolution (LTE) base station. The frequency of the interferer is varied to analyze the effects over a wide frequency band, whereby a distinction is made between signals inside and outside the intermediate frequency (IF) band. The former can cause clipping at the analog-to-digital converter (ADC), while the latter are to be suppressed in the analog part of the software-defined radio. Here, leakage and higher-order mixing products make the receiver sensitive to spurious frequencies, whereby the performance degradation is particularly noticeable near the first intermediate frequency (IF1) of 1.25 GHz. At this point, even an interference signal with −28 dBm peak envelope power (PEP) causes an SINR loss of 3 dB.
https://doi.org/10.23919/EuCAP53622.2022.9769615
A frequency domain approach for estimating the angular dependent delay of an UWB antenna. - In: 16th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation, (2022), insges. 5 S.
The procedure of estimating the angular dependent delay of an Ultra Wideband (UWB) antenna, directly in frequency domain, is presented. It is shown that in this approach any occurrences that can lead to inaccurate results, such as the windowing effect, can be entirely avoided. It alleviates the need to design a specific pulse, since the transfer function can be obtained by a frequency sweep. Moreover, polarization mismatch is accounted in the analysis. To this end, an UWB monopole antenna is designed and it is simulated with time and frequency domain solvers. The simulation results demonstrate that only frequency domain analysis is sufficient for the delay estimation. The outcome of this work provides a clear procedure for obtaining the angular dependent delay of an antenna in an accurate way.
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9769534
Concept for virtual drive testing on the basis of challenging V2X and LTE link scenarios. - In: 16th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation, (2022), insges. 5 S.
Virtual drive tests using the over-the-air/vehicle-in-the-loop method are becoming an essential part of testing vehicular radio systems. Different approaches address the question which link scenarios and channel environments are relevant, and should be tested. Up to now, this question has not been fully answered. This paper deals with the identification of challenging scenarios for the wireless transmission standards LTE and ITS-G5 based on jointly performed drive tests, and how these can be transferred into a virtual test concept. In the case of LTE, the focus is on the transition region between different mobile radio cells (cell edge). We have reproducibly observed that the achievable data throughput drops significantly at cell edges compared to the cell centers. For ITS-G5, the communication limit was examined as a function of the distance and visibility conditions between two communicating vehicles.
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9768972
Analysis of instantaneous and maximal RF exposure in 4G/5G networks with dynamic spectrum sharing. - In: 16th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation, (2022), insges. 5 S.
From mid of 2020 to mid of 2021, the 3G mobile radio network in Germany was gradually replaced by the successor technologies 4G and 5G. Therefore, dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) was introduced in the 2100 MHz band, which allows a parallel operation of 4G and 5G. There is an increasing need of public information with regard to a possible change in human RF exposure associated with 5G and DSS. Hence, investigations were carried out to study the instantaneous and maximal exposure of persons to base stations in the 2100 MHz band. Our study shows, that the instantaneous exposure has remained comparable before and after the introduction of 4G/5G with DSS. Regarding the maximal RF exposure, code-selective measurements of 3G and 4G with DSS show no significant change in exposure. To analyze the maximal exposure to 5G with DSS, code-selective measurements have been applied for the first time and compared with the 4G exposure in the same band. The results show no significant difference in maximal exposure between 4G and 5G. Furthermore, the need of code-selective measurements in comparison with the frequency-selective method for 5G is demonstrated if different parts of the electromagnetic field that contribute to exposure have to be assigned to selected base stations.
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9769680
Robustness testing of a compact distributed automotive GNSS array in virtual environment. - In: 16th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation, (2022), insges. 5 S.
To develop a compact distributed array for safe and robust automotive satellite navigation, considerable work on testing prototypes is in progress. Before scheduling resource-hungry outdoor tests, functionality and robustness of a Galileo-compatible compact distributed 4-element L-shaped array receiver has been tested against interference in a virtual environment at E5a frequency band. Such an array consisting of compact quarter wavelength sub-arrays distributed over many wavelengths, fed with a decoupling network, mounted in side mirrors of a mock-up car was measured and evaluated with and without a jammer. The effects of automotive mounting location and robustness of the receiver against the jammer have been analyzed in terms of measured radiation patterns and achieved carrier-to-noise-density ratio of the received satellite signals.
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9769032
From sub-6 GHz to mm-wave: simultaneous multi-band characterization of propagation from measurements in industry scenarios. - In: 16th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation, (2022), insges. 5 S.
In the present paper we introduce simultaneous multi-band measurements at sub-6 GHz and two mm-wave bands with the objective of characterizing propagation for multi-band channel modelling purposes in industry scenarios. The marginal power profiles show that the dominant scatterers are common in the different frequencies. In addition, a relation of decreasing average delay and angular spreads with increasing frequency is observed. The different measured parameters are contrasted with the 3GPP model for indoor factories.
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9768944
Level measurement of low-permittivity material using an M-sequence UWB radar. - In: 16th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation, (2022), insges. 5 S.
Due to increasingly complex and automated manufacturing processes, the demands on the control parameters of these processes are also increasing. One parameter is the fill quantity of e.g. liquids in production plants, whose precise determination is of ever growing importance. Up to now, the exact level determination under difficult conditions, such as high ambient temperatures, has been a particular challenge. This paper demonstrates a novel method by which an M-sequence UWB radar can determine levels of low-permittivity materials in small metal containers. For this purpose, hot melt is used as an example. Thus, the influence of large temperature differences on the long-term stability of level measurement can also be investigated. The measurements show that the level of hot melt can be measured long-term stable with an accuracy of better than 3 mm.
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9769405
Verification of THz channel sounder and delay estimation with over-the-air multipath artifact. - In: 16th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation, (2022), insges. 5 S.
In the present paper we introduce the empirical results of measurements with an over-the-air based propagation artifact for verification and validation of sub-THz and THz channel sounders and parameter estimation algorithms. This experiment produces a fixed number of multipath components with traceable propagation properties in the different domains that can be used to test resolution and performance. Because of the inherent characteristics of the measurement hardware, we have introduced an adaptation on a parametric high resolution estimation algorithm to account the imperfections of the channel sounder. The results have shown to account for a relative good performance of the sounder and the tested parametric and non-parametric estimation algorithms.
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9769269
Automotive antenna measurements in the installed state under variable boundary conditions. - In: 16th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation, (2022), insges. 4 S.
Automotive antenna measurements are typically performed in an anechoic (free-space) or semi-anechoic (reflective ground) environment. Even though measurements under these conditions provide sufficient knowledge about antenna performance, the automotive industry often desires to evaluate installed automotive antennas under practical road conditions. This requires a combined approach to test and qualify vehicular antennas; however, facilities deploying variable boundary conditions for measurements are challenging to devise. Alternatively, numerical simulations can be used to perform such investigations; nevertheless, it is essential to verify such simulations through measurements. In the Virtual Road Simulation and Test Area (VISTA) of the Thuringian Center of Innovation in Mobility at the Technische Universität Ilmenau, a new approach to provide variable boundary conditions for antenna measurements is realized to evaluate the impact of different electromagnetic boundary conditions and to bridge the gap between numerical simulations and measurements. It consists of a modular and mechanically robust plastic frame carrying a customizable fabric substituting a ground plane. This paper presents and discusses the initial measurement results of a reference antenna and an installed automotive antenna performed over the conducting fabric. The convincingly good correlation of more than 74% between the measured data and numerical simulations shows the validity of the proposed method.
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9769602
Analysis of microwave absorber scattering using ray-tracing and advanced measurement techniques. - In: 16th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation, (2022), insges. 5 S.
Ray-tracing methods can be applied to evaluate the wave propagation in anechoic electromagnetic environments, in order to improve measurement concepts, or to address the increasing demands on test concepts for new radio wireless transmission functionalities. The accuracy of the data obtained from such a chamber model depends crucially on the modeling of the microwave absorbers. Often the scattering off the absorbers is simplified by specular reflections, ignoring the actual direction-dependent scattering properties of the absorbers resulting from their geometry, arrangement, and material. As this may cause significant misconceptions, improved ray-tracing models of absorbers based on their scattering character are needed. In this paper, the scattering of two types of 18″ absorbers with pyramidal and wedge geometries is analyzed and expected scattering patterns are described. Based on an existing shooting-and-bouncing-rays software, a simulation approach is introduced and used to relate the analytical findings with results of measurements of the angle-dependent reflectivity. In addition to the primarily specular reflection for wedge absorbers and scattering in many directions off the pyramidal absorbers, the results show that nearfield effects influence this scattering pattern, as eventually confirmed by the simulations.
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9769577