The channel sounder uniquely captures channel measurements where all the data is acquired and processed in real-time. Other channel sounding approaches capture raw data and post-process to characterize the channel while only giving one measurement every 15 minutes. The “Porcupine” on the other hand can provide about 6,000 measurements in that time. It’s like capturing 15-minutes of action with a video instead of a still photo. A video tells the whole story, while a photo just shows a moment.
The capability of real-time measurement eliminates the need to repeat experiments or to adjust the equipment to take multiple measurements from one location. Since parameter extraction is done in real-time, the integrity of collected data can also be evaluated in real-time. Thus inaccurate data can be replaced immediately with a new set of measurements at the time of evaluation. Using other approaches, an entire evaluation day could potentially be lost if the collected data is post-processed.
To AT&T and NI’s knowledge, the speed and accuracy of this mmWave channel sounder make it uniquely capable of making fast measurements of a channel. Thus, for example, the “Porcupine” allows the measurement of 5G mmWave frequencies via drive testing. This capability has previously remained out of reach for other mmWave channel sounders. As the 5G ecosystem looks at new use cases for 5G such as assisted driving, connected car, self-driving cars and more, the ability to study and model vehicular channels will become ever more critical.
“The NI mmWave Transceiver System and LabVIEW system design software enabled AT&T and NI to define and develop a channel measurement system unmatched in the industry today,” said James Kimery, director of RF research and SDR marketing at NI. “The combination of PXIe and LabVIEW FPGA provided the bandwidth, data and signal processing capability, and flexibility necessary to meet the requirements of mmWave and expedite 5G deployment.”
