Low-Cost Over-The-Air Testing Method to Create a 3D Spatially Dynamic Environment to Evaluate the Performance of 5G Millimeter Wave Devices

To deliver the high capacity and throughput goals for 5G, the effective use of millimeter-wave spectrum is necessary. These high frequencies incur in greater attenuation due to path loss and blockages when compared to sub-6 GHz, necessitating the use of directional antennas at both ends of the communications link. These are most likely to be implemented by means of antenna arrays and beamformers in a highly integrated form within the RF-transceiver. The radio environment at these frequencies is known to be highly dynamic in both spatial and temporal domains. Hence, Over-the-Air conformance testing of such systems will be necessary, since traditional conducted non-spatial test methods will not predict the radiated performance in space. This paper presents a novel OTA test method that facilitates the excitation of a device under test from multiple dynamic angles of illumination in azimuth and elevation planes, thus representing realistic operating propagation conditions