Rohde & Schwarz and Colby Instruments collaborate

Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology relies on the ability of devices to determine their location based on distance, moving direction and relative position to other devices. To meet the UWB ecosystem’s testing needs, Rohde & Schwarz and Colby Instruments have collaborated to offer a concerted test solution that accurately simulates the moving direction of UWB devices.
Rohde & Schwarz, a leading provider of wireless device testing solutions, and Colby Instruments, a leading manufacturer of high-precision programmable delay lines, have joined forces to provide the UWB ecosystem with an extremely accurate test solution for angle of arrival (AoA) and phase difference of arrival (PDoA) characterization.
Engineers testing UWB devices now can combine the R&S CMP200 radio communication tester and WMT software service to implement automated wireless manufacturing testing from Rohde & Schwarz with the high-precision delay lines XT-200 from Colby Instruments to perform measurements in conducted mode including calibration and verification. In UWB technology, the distance between two devices is calculated by accurately measuring the time a UWB signal needs to travel from a transmitter to a receiver (time of flight). By measuring the time or phase difference of a signal received at both UWB receive antennas, it is possible to calculate the angle of arrival. The delay lines let users characterize the DUT with a delay range from 0 to 625 ps and a resolution of 0.50 ps, making it possible to simulate even granular angles and distances. The R&S CMP200 combines the capabilities of a signal analyzer and generator in a single instrument and offers a complete solution for transmitter and receiver measurements in conducted and radiated environments.

Christoph Pointner, Senior Vice President for Mobile Radio Testers at Rohde & Schwarz, says: “With the three core UWB services – hands-free access control, location based services and device-to-device services – determining the location and direction of a device is key for UWB technology. We are happy to have pooled our competencies with those of Colby Instruments to provide the UWB ecosystem with a perfectly matched, highly accurate test solution to master this crucial challenge in UWB device characterization.”

Victor Chinn, President at Colby Instruments, says: “We are excited to partner with Rohde & Schwarz to offer innovative products incorporating our industry-leading precision delay line instruments, fully integrated into a single test system solution. Our X Series instruments offer unparalleled precision and performance to meet the challenging UWB market requirements.”