3D compact radiation analyzer for rapid testing of wireless terminals

Rapid characterization and pre-qualification measurements are becoming more and more important for the ever-growing number of small antennas, mobile phones and Bluetooth devices. There is a need driven by the wireless industries for a smart test set-up with reduced dimensions and capable of measuring radiating devices for production pass/fail purpose almost in real time. Satimo has developed a compact and cost-effective measurement platform, which is able to perform rapid 3D testing of the pattern radiated by wireless devices. The 3D radiation analyzer called StarProd is derived from the well-established Satimo spherical test facilities based on multi-sensors technology. This paper describes in detail the 3D radiation analyzer and its different configurations for power, spurious, vector and active measurements. The achieved measurement accuracies are also presented. Measurements performed with the StarProd platform are displayed and illustrate the capabilities of the system.