Developing T&M capabilities for ultra-wideband tech

24th February 2020

Alex Lynn

0 0

Rohde & Schwarz and Decawave have jointly developed test and measurement capabilites for production line testing of UWB functions in chipsets and complete devices. As part of the cooperation, Decawave provided knowledge of the required test strategy and test methods, as well as the Decawave DW3000 as test device.

Rohde & Schwarz has added UWB test capabilities to their R&S CMP200 radio communication tester, making it the only test platform on the market able to provide R&D and production RF tests for both 5G FR2 and UWB functions.

UWB technology, based on the IEEE 802.15.4a and 802.15.4z standards, enables centimetre-accurate location measurements at distances up to 75 meters. UWB also includes secure data communication at rates up to 27 Mbps, with very low power requirements. UWB is a well suited candidate for implementing low latency, highly accurate, reliable, and secure local area location services. UWB opens new doors in the fields of mobile communication, automotive, IoT and industry 4.0 applications. The very wide bandwidth and very low power density make it possible for UWB signals to share spectrum with other narrowband and wideband systems without causing interference.

The 802.15.4a/z standards include several frequency bands; Decawave as a founding member of the UWB Alliance already supply products using frequencies from 3.5 to 6.5GHz. However, interest is now concentrating on the high band, with channels defined between 5.8 and 10.6GHz, supporting higher power transmission, leading to longer range. The DW3000 chipset shall operate using UWB channels five and nine in the high band, with a bandwidth of 500MHz.

Anton Messmer, Vice President Mobile Radio Testers at Rohde & Schwarz, said: “As OEM and ODM customers get ready to deploy their UWB products, they expect test equipment to be ready and capable to meet their manufacturing needs.”

Jeff Clancy, Vice President of Engineering at Decawave, added: “This joint cooperation enables our customers to efficiently manufacture high volume products with reduced time to market. We are happy to work together with Rohde & Schwarz by enabling their solutions to meet the testing requirements of the UWB eco systems.”

The R&S CMP200 radio communication tester is designed to meet RF test requirements for devices operating from six to 20GHz in stand-alone mode, and for all essential 5G FR2 bands including 28 and 39GHz when used with the remote radio head, the R&S CMPHEAD30. This solution from Rohde & Schwarz is the only test instrument available with the necessary specification to support R&D and production test for UWB and 5G FR2 technologies in a single device.