Test & Test-modes for Wireless - NMI

Test & Test-modes for Wireless Devices. June 2, 2015

Tim Masson

Application Engineer

Keysight Technologies

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Six bands, Seven radios and Eight standards –

you want to test it - - - How Fast?!!

Objective If you are responsible for RF test of WLAN, cellular, or

other wireless connectivity based devices...

This presentation will show you ways to increase your

testing throughput (faster), while maintaining high

quality product (better), at the lowest long term cost

(cheaper).

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Agenda – RF testing background

– Make your testing faster

– Make your testing better

– Make your testing less expensive

– Keysight can help

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The Need for RF Test

– How do we ensure devices play well together?

– How do we ensure devices will work in a wide range of (RF)

environments?

– How do we do this quickly and inexpensively given the

volumes of products and consumer cost demands?

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– With Billions & Billions of “Things” connecting by 2020

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Test Occurs Throughout the Product Lifecycle

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– Each phase has unique test & test equipment needs

Product

Development Production Test Conformance Testing

Design/develop device with

desired parameters such as:

• Leading edge technology

features

• Long battery life

• Low cost

Ensure device will work in a

variety of user environments

In cellular:

• Ensure device conforms to

standards / network

requirements

In WLAN / unlicensed bands:

• Ensure device will meet

applicable FCC/ETSI (or

other regulatory authority)

standards

• Final device calibration,

if required

• Verification that no

manufacturing defects

are present

• Fast measurements to

keep costs down

• Measurement accuracy

to keep yield up

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Testing can be simple Testing can be thorough

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But does it ensure the quality? But will it be cost effective?

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Balance between Quality and Cost

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Testing used to seem so simple …

“One- Box” test set did almost everything.

– Base station Emulation – controlled the DUT using OTA signalling protocols

– Power-up the DUT and it registers & attaches to the Test Set

– Set-up a ‘call’ to get DUT to transmit

• Handover/Hand-off to change channel

• Power-control to set transmit levels

• Loopback to enable BER/Sensitivity Test

• Audio generation & analysis to check microphone/earpiece/loudspeaker

5G and IoT 7

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One-box Tester …

5G and IoT 8

Agilent/Keysight ‘8960’ – over 30000 units installed in mobile phone

manufacturing test (circa 2008 …)

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Handset testing 2001 - 2011

– Supports major standards

• CDMA/CDMA2000/1xEVDO

• GSM/GPRS/EGPRS

• WCDMA/HSPA

• TD-SCDMA

– All manufacturing tests required

– Test ‘primitives’ to support Handset ‘Calibration’

– Designed for a factory environment

5G and IoT 9

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So what went wrong …

Nothing!

The world just moved on ….

5G and IoT 10

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The world just moved on ….

Multi-band – multi-format – multi-standard

GSM/GPRS/WCDMA/HSPA/LTE/LTE-A (4G)

The Smart-phone revolution

Staggering growth in production volumes

Consumer demand for M O R E -- but expect to pay LESS

DATA services – increasing complexity

Standardisation of CHIPSETS

5G and IoT 11

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and we wanted …

Our Music

WLAN connectivity

Navigation – GPS & Gallileo & Beidou & & & …

Cameras

Bluetooth connectivity

Large high, resolution true colour displays

Thinner, but Larger

And above all Better Battery Life!

5G and IoT 12

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As devices gained in complexity...

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– Test times, and costs, rocketed higher

Increasing

Device

Complexity

Co

st

of

Test

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Increasing

Device

Complexity

Co

st

of

Test

No

n-s

ign

ali

ng

Fa

st

Seq

ue

nced

No

n-s

ign

ali

ng

New manufacturing test

techniques

• Non-signaling Test

• Chipset-enhanced

Sequencing

New Techniques were needed To slow and reverse the trend

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Signalling vs non-signalling Test Signalling Non-signalling

Control

RF RF & Control Automation

Embedded

Automation

Multi-channel test-set supports

Higher density, multiway tests

& virtually any format

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Boot-up time … DUT needs to power-up from ‘cold’?

Sync-to-network

Registration & Authentication tasks

Call–set-up – Answer – Connect

Now you can start ‘testing’

DUT State Changes: Power/Channel/Band/Format

Test the next format

DUT State Changes: Power/Channel/Band/Format

… and so on

What ‘kills’ test throughtput?

5G and IoT 16

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Signaling => Non-signaling => Fast Sequenced NS

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System

Search

Device

Registration

Device

Configuration

Change

Config Measure Measure

Change

Config Measure

Change

Config Measure

Change

Config Measure

Setup Measure/Measure Setup Measure Setup Measure/Measure

Setup Measure/Measure/Measure/Measure/Measure

...

...

Signaling

Non-Signaling

RF based + Fast Sequenced Non-Signaling

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We need to evolve to faster non-signaling test

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Basic Non-

signaling

Sync/

Sequence

RF + Multi-

sequence

Basic RF

stimulus/

measure

Sequencer

RF Based

Sequence /

Multi-Format

Test Equipment

Capability

Chipset

Capability

Non-Signaling Test

Non-Signaling PLUS

Sequence

Measurements

Non-Signaling PLUS

RF Based Fast

Sequence

Measurements

Te

st T

ime

Re

du

ctio

n

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De

ve

lop

me

nt E

ffo

rt

Go

es U

p

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Make Your Testing Faster

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– Considerations for maximum throughput

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Chipset test capabilities

Maximize system uptime

Test equipment capabilities &

speed Test techniques

How much you test

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Chipset Test Capabilities

Select chipsets with fast test modes

Focus design access on chipset control modes

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– There used to be dozens of Chipset manufacturers

Now there are only a few

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Basic Non-signaling

Add Sequence Capability

Add Multi-sequence

Add RF Based / Multi-

format / Multi-sequence

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Test Equipment Speed

– Measurement and analysis speed

– Computer/processor power and the ability for future upgrades

– Ensure your test equipment is able to use the fastest chipset test

modes (e.g. high speed source and analyzer sequencer capability)

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What is important?

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Test Optimization Techniques

– Ping Pong - Overlap testing and load/unload time

– Pipeline - Overlap testing of DUT receiver and DUT

transmitter where independent operation is allowed

– Combination techniques

– Smart Scheduling Instruments

– Single instruction – multiple measurement

– ‘Calibrate-then-test’ or Calibrate from Test Data?

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TRX1

Ping-Pong

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Summary:

Connect 4 two-antenna DUTs

Test these while connecting 4 additional DUTs

repeat

DUT 2

1 2

Boot up

Calibration

Tx test

Rx test

Rx Diversity test

Tx

Tx

Rx

Rx

Rx Tx

RxD

RxD

RxD

Boot

Boot

Boot

Boot

Cal

Cal

Cal

Cal Tx Rx RxD DUT 1

Next

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Unload / Load

Unload / Load Unload / Load

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Pipeline

time

Time saved

DUT1

RFI|O3

DUT2

RFIO|4

Tx-DUT1 Rx-DUT1 Boot/DUT2 Tx-DUT2 Rx-DUT2

Rx-DUT1 Tx-DUT1

Rx-DUT2 Tx-DUT2

Pipeline: test DUT1 Tx, DUT2 Rx in parallel; then swap

Boot-DUT1

Boot-DUT1

Boot/DUT2

Serial Test: 2 DUTs

DUT1

RFI|O3

DUT2

DUT1

Summary:

DUT1 Rx is tested while DUT2 Tx is tested

I/O is switched then

DUT1 Tx is tested while DUT2 Rx is tested

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TRX1

Combination: Ping Pong & Pipeline

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Connect 16 single antenna DUT, Ping Pong + Pipeline

DUT 1

DUT 2

DUT 3

DUT 4

DUT1/DUT2 Pipeline

DUT3/DUT4 Pipeline

Boot up Boot

Cal WiCon Cal

Boot

Tx WiCon Tx

Rx WiCon Rx

Cal

Boot Cal

Boot Tx

Tx Boot

Rx

Rx

Boot Cal Boot Tx Rx

Boot Cal Tx Boot Rx

Next Unload / Load

Unload / Load

Unload / Load

Unload / Load

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3

1

4

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TRX1

Single Instruction Multi-format Testing

Connect 1 device per TRX

(1 Tx/Rx &1 Rx for cellular, 1 Tx/Rx for WiCON, 1 Rx for GNSS)

1 2

Tx Rx RxD Boot Cal DUT 1

Cellular

Next

Tx Rx Cal Rx Tx Boot Cal

WiCon

1

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Favored Technique when:

Load and Handling time is long

compared to test time

Test Equipment Requirements:

Number or ports to handle antennas

Support of all required formats

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Making Test Faster Summary

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Chipset Test Capability:

• Select chipsets with fastest test modes

Test Equipment Capability:

• Computer/processor horsepower and the ability for future upgrades

• Ensure test equipment supports the fastest chipset test modes

Test Techniques:

• Optimize throughput based on device test needs

How much you test:

• Eliminate tests that do not catch unique faults

Plan proactively for system uptime requirements

• Consider your support requirements to maximize your system

uptime and optimize your budget