Study on enhanced test methods for Frequency Range 2 (FR2) NR User Equipment (UE)
The objectives of this study are to enhance the FR2 RF testing methodology and to quantify the impact of the enhancements on the UE performance, as related to the polarization basis mismatch between the test equipment and UE and to add support for testing under extreme temperature conditions.
The development of testing methodology enhancements proceeds within the following scope:
- In general
- Target the testing and calibration aspects of the permitted methods for FR2 UE RF testing and the preliminary assessment of measurement uncertainty (Clause 5.2 and Annex B of TR38.810)
- The test methodologies and procedures shall be applicable for different device types and power classes with DUT size defined in the TR 38.810. Prioritize the study to PC3 for aspects related to DUT size, and limit the study to free space conditions
- The study item outcomes shall capture the efficacy of the enhancements
- Objectives related to regulatory test cases shall be prioritized
The detailed objectives are:
1. Define test methodology for high DL power and low UL power test cases
- Considering path loss reduction, measurement antenna gain improvement, DUT positioning improvement, and MU improvement
- Considering NFTF (defined in Clause 5.2 of TR38.810) and direct near field test methodologies as possible alternative methods
- Other approaches are not precluded
- Study preliminary assessment of measurement uncertainty of new alternative methods
2. Define solutions to minimize the impact of polarization basis mismatch between the TE and DUT on the RF testing
- Considering polarization basis mismatch between the test equipment and UE and UE implementations which may be impacted by this mismatch
- Study EIS test metric which can apply to different UE RF implementations considering downlink polarization sweep enhancement
- Limit the study of this objective to the permitted UE RF methods defined in Clause 5.2 of TR38.810
- Possible enhancements may be described as
- Downlink polarization sweeping by the test equipment (i.e. introducing an additional degree of freedom for polarization alignment of the measurement antenna)
- The use of circular polarization to perform measurements
- Coherent combining and demodulation of orthogonally polarized received signals in the test equipment
- Uplink polarization sweeping by the test equipment to search for the optimal polarization angle to receive and demodulate the signal transmitted by the UE
- Considering NFTF (defined in Clause 5.2 of TR38.810) test methodology for EIS measurement
- TPMI side condition method, where TPMI side conditions are applicable to Rel-16 (and higher) UEs
- Test mode to trigger TX diversity
- Other approaches are not precluded
3. Study testability enhancements to support the verification of RF requirements for inter-band (FR2+FR2) CA
- Work on inter-band DL CA is prioritized
- Whether the test setup shall be restricted to emulating the signal from the same direction for the aggregated bands shall be aligned with the UE RF architecture assumption taken in the work item on NR RF Requirement Enhancements for FR2 [UID 830189]
4. Support extreme temperature conditions for all applicable FR2 UE RF test cases
- Considering beam peak search, spherical coverage, and total radiated power procedures
- Limit the study of this objective to the permitted UE RF methods defined in Clause 5.2 of TR38.810
- Study preliminary impacts on system measurement uncertainty under extreme temperature conditions
5. Study testability enhancements to reduce test time
- Including RF test method enhancement with reduced test time, and possible test time saving approach for UE Demodulation test and RRM test
6. Study testability aspects for the introduction of the new band n262
- Considering the extension of frequency applicability of the permitted methods in TR38.810 from 43.5 GHz up to at least 48.2 GHz
- Considering the extension of frequency applicability of the test methodology enhancements in Objectives 1 through 5 above