Calibrating a programmable phase matrix and channel emulator and performing massive MIMO array testing using the calibrated phase matrix and channel emulator

1. A method of phase and amplitude calibration of a signal generation path that emulates interaction between a massive MIMO antenna array and a MIMO mobile unit, the method including:

path-by-path phase calibration of a programmable radio phase shifter and combining matrix (PSM) that passes multiple channels of signals through a channel emulator and onto antennas of the MIMO mobile unit, without using the channel emulator to mix channels;

the PSM passively shifting a phase of each radio signal input routed to each radio signal output, according to input-paired-to-output phase parameters; and

then implementing the PSM to path-by-path calibrate a static channel model in the channel emulator without fading.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

the PSM passively attenuating each radio signal input routed to each radio signal output, according to input-paired-to-output attenuation parameters;

adjusting an input amplitude using the channel emulator in an amplitude equalization mode to reduce a difference in amplitude to within a predetermined spread; and

then path-by-path phase calibrating the channel emulator while the channel emulator is in the amplitude equalization mode.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

after the path-by-path calibration of the PSM and after the calibration of the channel emulator, programming the PSM with a first cascaded phase matrix and programming the channel emulator with a second cascaded phase matrix, such that a resulting phase matrix adheres to a Butler matrix structure while emulating signals from the MIMO mobile unit to a massive MIMO base station transceiver or while emulating signals from the massive MIMO base station transceiver to the MIMO mobile unit.

4. A system including:

a processor and memory, coupled to the processor, the memory holding computer program instructions that, when executed on the processor, implement the method of claim 1 .

5. A non-transitory computer readable memory including:

computer program instructions loaded into the memory that, when executed by computer hardware, implement the method of claim 1 .

6. A method of emulating signals from a massive MIMO base station transceiver to a MIMO mobile unit, the method including:

at a programmable radio phase shifter and combining matrix (PSM), conductively receiving antenna element driver signals from the massive MIMO base station transceiver and constructing virtual probe signals that represent line-of-sight and multi-pathing from an antenna array of the massive MIMO base station transceiver to the MIMO mobile unit, and then

at a channel emulator, combining and applying spatial and temporal correlation to the virtual probe signals for conductive transmission to the MIMO mobile unit according to a static channel model without fading;

the PSM constructing the virtual probe signals from the antenna element driver signals, by applying phase shifting and attenuation functions to produce the virtual probe signals at PSM outputs; and

conductively relaying channel emulator outputs to antennas of the MIMO mobile unit.

7. A system including:

a processor and memory, coupled to the processor;

the PSM coupled in communication with the processor;

the channel emulator coupled in communication with the processor; and

the memory holding computer program instructions that, when executed on the processor, implement the method of claim 6 .

8. A non-transitory computer readable memory including:

computer program instructions loaded into the memory that, when executed by a system including a processor, memory, the PSM and the channel emulator, implement the method of claim 6 .

9. A method of emulating signals from a MIMO mobile unit to a massive MIMO base station transceiver, the method including:

at a channel emulator, conductively receiving outputs of the MIMO mobile unit and then applying spatial and temporal correlation to separate combined outputs from the MIMO mobile unit as dictated by a static channel model without fading, thereby forming virtual probe signals that represent line-of-sight and multi-pathing transmission from the MIMO mobile unit to base station antenna elements, and then

at a programmable radio phase shifter and combining matrix (PSM), decomposing the virtual probe signals into components that emulate responses of respective base station antenna elements to individual virtual probe signals, by applying phase and attenuation functions to produce multi-element input signals that emulate responses of the respective base station antenna elements to combined virtual probe signals; and

conductively relaying the multi-element input signals to the massive MIMO base station transceiver.

10. A system including:

a processor and memory, coupled to the processor;

the PSM coupled in communication with the processor;

the channel emulator coupled in communication with the processor; and

the memory holding computer program instructions that, when executed on the processor, implement the method of claim 9 .

11. A non-transitory computer readable memory including:

computer program instructions loaded into the memory that, when executed by a system including a processor, memory, the PSM and the channel emulator, implement the method of claim 9 .

12. A method of emulating signals from a massive MIMO base station transceiver to a MIMO mobile unit, the method including:

at a programmable radio phase shifter and combining matrix (PSM), conductively receiving antenna element driver signals from the massive MIMO base station transceiver and constructing virtual probe signals that represent line-of-sight and multi-pathing from an antenna array of the massive MIMO base station transceiver to the MIMO mobile unit, as dictated by a first cascaded phase matrix, and then

at a channel emulator, combining and applying spatial and temporal correlation to the virtual probe signals for conductive transmission to the MIMO mobile unit, as dictated by a second cascaded phase matrix,

wherein a phase matrix, resulting from the first cascaded phase matrix and the second cascaded phase matrix, as respectively implemented by the PSM and the channel emulator to provide phase shifting and channel emulator output, adheres to a Butler matrix structure; and

conductively relaying channel emulator outputs to antennas of the MIMO mobile unit.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the phase matrix is a rank X Butler matrix, where X represents a number of layers supported by the MIMO base station, X being an integer.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein X varies between 1 and min (number of transmit antennas currently implemented, number of receive antennas currently implemented).

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the phase matrix that adheres to a Butler matrix structure results in a channel emulator output that is oriented toward an arbitrary point in a three-dimensional (3D) space.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the 3D space is defined using spherical coordinates.

17. A method of emulating signals from a MIMO mobile unit to a massive MIMO base station transceiver, the method including:

at a channel emulator, conductively receiving outputs of the MIMO mobile unit and then applying spatial and temporal correlation to separate combined outputs from the MIMO mobile unit as dictated by a second cascaded phase matrix, thereby forming virtual probe signals that represent line-of-sight and multi-pathing transmission from the MIMO mobile unit to base station antenna elements, and then

at a programmable radio phase shifter and combining matrix (PSM), decomposing the virtual probe signals into components that emulate responses of respective base station antenna elements to individual virtual probe signals, as dictated by a first cascaded phase matrix, to produce multi-element input signals that emulate responses of the respective base station antenna elements to combined virtual probe signals

wherein a phase matrix, resulting from the first cascaded phase matrix and the second cascaded phase matrix, as respectively implemented by the PSM and the channel emulator to provide phase shifting and channel emulator output, adheres to a Butler matrix structure; and

conductively relaying the multi-element input signals to the massive MIMO base station transceiver.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the phase matrix is a rank X Butler matrix, where X represents a number of layers supported by the MIMO base station, X being an integer.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein X varies between 1 and min (number of transmit antennas currently implemented, number of receive antennas currently implemented).

20. A method of phase and amplitude calibration of a signal generation path that emulates interaction between a massive MIMO antenna array and a MIMO mobile unit, the method including:

path-by-path phase calibration of a first programmable radio phase shifter and combining matrix (PSM) that passes multiple channels of signals through a first channel emulator and onto antennas of the MIMO mobile unit;

path-by-path phase calibration of a second PSM that passes multiple channels of interference signals through a second channel emulator and onto antennas of the MIMO mobile unit

wherein the first PSM passively shifts phase of each radio signal input routed to each radio signal output, according to input-paired-to-output phase parameters; and

then implementing the first PSM to path-by-path phase calibrate the first channel emulator.

21. The method of claim 20 , further comprising:

implementing the second PSM to path-by-path phase calibrate the second channel emulator.