Rohde & Schwarz offers fast production tests for GNSS
Munich, Germany. Rohde & Schwarz now offers a new, speed-optimized production tester—the R&S SMBV100A vector signal generator equipped with the R&S SMBV-P101 option. During production testing of modules and receivers for satellite-based communications, the basic GNSS signal reception and the connection between the antenna and GNSS chipset need to be checked.
The GNSS production tester simulates separate satellites for the GPS, Glonass, BeiDou, and Galileo navigation standards in the L1/E1 band specifically for these production tests. The four satellite simulations can be activated individually, each with a high dynamic range of 34 dB.
Level changes can be made on the fly without interrupting the signal, enabling users to simultaneously perform independent sensitivity tests for each navigation system. The 1-PPS (pulse per second) or 10-PPS GNSS marker allows exact time synchronization between the tester and the DUT. Pure, level-stable CW signals can also be generated to calibrate the test setup or to simulate interferers.
The R&S SMBV-P101 option additionally offers test functions for efficient characterization of GNSS chipsets. As a result, a receiver’s ability to handle high movement dynamics can be verified quickly and cost-effectively. To do this, users can access both predefined and user-defined Doppler profiles, from which the R&S SMBV100A automatically generates the appropriate satellite signal.
About the Author
Rick Nelson
Contributing Editor
Rick is currently Contributing Technical Editor. He was Executive Editor for EE in 2011-2018. Previously he served on several publications, including EDN and Vision Systems Design, and has received awards for signed editorials from the American Society of Business Publication Editors. He began as a design engineer at General Electric and Litton Industries and earned a BSEE degree from Penn State.