PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-8995926-B2
Application Number: US-201213629414-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Methods and apparatus for performing coexistence testing for multi-antenna electronic devices

Abstract:
Radio frequency test systems for characterizing antenna performance in various radio coexistence scenarios are provided. In one suitable arrangement, a test system may be used to perform passive radio coexistence characterization. During passive radio coexistence characterization, at least one signal generator may be used to feed aggressor signals directly to antennas within an electronic device under test (DUT). The aggressor signals may generate undesired interference signals in a victim frequency band, which can then be received and analyzed using a spectrum analyzer. During active radio coexistence characterization, at least one radio communications emulator may be used to communicate with a DUT via a first test antenna. While the DUT is communicating with the at least one radio communications emulator, test signals may also be conveyed between DUT  10  and a second test antenna. Test signals conveyed through the second test antenna may be used in obtaining signal interference level measurements.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for using a test system to test a device under test containing a plurality of device antennas, a first wireless communications circuit that is operable in a first communications band, and a second wireless communications circuit that is operable in a second communications band, the method comprising:
 with a signal generator in the test system, providing first radio-frequency test signals in the first communications band to a given device antenna in the plurality of device antennas for wireless transmission; 
 with a radio-frequency tester in the test system, receiving corresponding second radio-frequency test signals from the device under test, wherein the second radio-frequency test signals include signals in the second communications band that is different than the first communications band, and wherein the second radio-frequency test signals are generated in response to transmission of the first radio-frequency test signals from the given device antenna; and 
 with configurable switching and filtering circuitry having a receive port connected to the radio-frequency tester and a plurality of antenna ports each of which is connected to a respective one of the plurality of device antennas, connecting the receive port to a selected one of the plurality of antenna ports so that the radio-frequency tester receives the second radio-frequency test signals from the DUT through the configurable switching and filtering circuitry. 
 
     
     
       2. The method defined in  claim 1 , wherein the device under test further includes a third wireless communications circuit that is operable in a third communications band, the method further comprising:
 with an additional signal generator in the test system, providing third radio-frequency test signals in the third communications band to another device antenna in the plurality of device antennas for wireless transmission, wherein the first and third radio-frequency signals interact to generate the second radio-frequency test signals in the second communications band. 
 
     
     
       3. The method defined in  claim 1 , wherein the radio-frequency tester comprises a spectrum analyzer, and wherein receiving the second radio-frequency test signals from the device under test comprises receiving the second radio-frequency test signals from the device under test with the spectrum analyzer. 
     
     
       4. The method defined in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 placing the device under test within a radio-frequency shielded enclosure during testing. 
 
     
     
       5. The method defined in  claim 2 , further comprising:
 coupling plurality of device antennas to the signal generator, the additional signal generator, and the radio-frequency tester with a configurable switch circuit. 
 
     
     
       6. The method defined in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 with an amplifier, amplifying the first radio-frequency test signals; and 
 with filter circuitry, selectively filtering the amplified first radio-frequency test signals and feeding the filtered first radio-frequency test signals to the given device antenna. 
 
     
     
       7. A method of using a test system to test a multi-antenna device under containing a plurality of device antennas, a first wireless communications circuit that is operable in a first communications band, and a second wireless communications circuit that is operable in a second communications band, wherein the test system includes a plurality of radio-frequency testers and configurable switching circuitry, the method comprising:
 with at least one radio-frequency tester in the plurality of radio-frequency testers, transmitting first test signals in the first communications band to the device under test via a first test antenna; 
 while the at least one radio-frequency tester is transmitting the first test signals to the device under test, transmitting second test signals in the second communications band that is different than the first communications band to the device under test via a second test antenna, wherein the first test signals interact with other components in the device under test to generate interference signals in the second communications band; and 
 with the configurable switching circuitry having a plurality of tester switch ports each of which is coupled to a respective one of the plurality of radio testers and an antenna switch port coupled to the second test antenna, connecting the antenna switch port to a selected one of the plurality of testers switch ports. 
 
     
     
       8. The method defined in  claim 7 , wherein the at least one radio-frequency tester comprises a base transceiver station emulator, and wherein transmitting the first test signals comprises transmitting the first test signals via a cellular telephone link to the device under test via the first test antenna. 
     
     
       9. The method defined in  claim 7 , wherein the at least one radio-frequency test comprises a wireless local area network device emulator, and wherein transmitting the first test signals comprises transmitting the first test signals via a wireless local area network communications link to the device under test via the first test antenna. 
     
     
       10. The method defined in  claim 7 , wherein the device under test further includes a third wireless communications circuit that is operable in a third communications band, the method further comprising:
 with at least an additional radio-frequency tester in the plurality of testers, transmitting third test signals in the third communications band to the device under test via the first test antenna, wherein the first and third test signals interact with one another to generate interference signals in the second communications band. 
 
     
     
       11. The method defined in  claim 10 , wherein transmitting the first and third test signals to the device under test comprises transmitting the first and third test signals to the first test antenna for wireless transmission via a frequency-based multiplexing circuit. 
     
     
       12. The method defined in  claim 7 , further comprising:
 performing path loss calibration for a wireless path linking the device under test to the second test antenna. 
 
     
     
       13. The method defined in  claim 7 , wherein transmitting the second test signals to the device under test comprises transmitting the second test signals to the device under test with a satellite navigation system emulator. 
     
     
       14. The method defined in  claim 7 , further comprising: placing the device under test within a radio-frequency anechoic chamber. 
     
     
       15. The method defined in  claim 14 , further comprising:
 with a positioner, varying the orientation of the device under test with respect to the first and second test antennas within the anechoic chamber.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     This relates generally to wireless communications circuitry, and more particularly, to electronic devices that have wireless communications circuitry. 
     Electronic devices such as portable computers and cellular telephones are often provided with wireless communications capabilities. For example, electronic devices may use long-range wireless communications circuitry such as cellular telephone circuitry to communicate using cellular telephone bands. Electronic devices may use short-range wireless communications circuitry such as wireless local area network communications circuitry to handle communications with nearby equipment. Electronic devices may also be provided with satellite navigation system receivers and other wireless circuitry. 
     Antenna performance affects the ability of a user to take advantage of the wireless capabilities of an electronic device. If antenna performance is not satisfactory, calls may be dropped, data transfer rates may become undesirably low, or the time to acquire satellite navigation system fixes may be unacceptably long. To ensure that antenna performance meets design criteria, it may sometimes be desirable to provide an electronic device with multiple antennas. In some situations, control circuitry within a device may be able to switch between antennas to ensure that an optimum antenna is being used to handle call traffic. 
     Electronic devices with multiple antennas may be used to handle different types of wireless communications in parallel. For example, consider a scenario in which a multi-antenna device is attempting to use the long-range wireless communications circuitry to communicate in a first communications band while attempting to use the short-range wireless communications circuitry to communicate in a second communications band. In this scenario, it is possible that signals transmitted in the first communications band generate interference that degrades signal reception in the second communications band. High levels of interference among the different wireless communications circuitries can adversely impact wireless performance. 
     It may therefore be desirable to provide ways for characterizing the wireless performance of electronic devices in scenarios in which multiple wireless communications circuitries coexist. 
     SUMMARY 
     This relates generally to wireless electronic devices, and more particularly, to ways for testing wireless electronic devices. A wireless electronic device may be provided with wireless communications circuitry including transceivers operable in various frequency bands and multiple device antennas each of which can be used to transmit/receive radio-frequency signals for a respective one of the transceivers. For example, a wireless electronic device may include at least a first radio circuit operable to handle wireless communications in cellular telephone communications bands, a second radio circuit operable to handle wireless communications in wireless local area network communications bands, and a third radio circuit operable to handle wireless communications in satellite navigation communications bands. The first, second, and third radio circuits may transmit and/or receive radio-frequency (RF) signals using respective antennas in the electronic device. 
     It may be desirable to characterize the performance of a multi-antenna electronic device in which multiple radio circuits are operating in parallel to determine the effect that the operation of one or some of the radio circuits (sometimes referred to as aggressor radios) has on another radio circuit (sometimes referred to as a victim radio). The process of measuring the interference among multiple simultaneously operating radios within a single device under test (DUT) is sometimes referred to as radio coexistence characterization. 
     In one suitable arrangement of the present invention, a test system is provided that can be used to perform passive radio coexistence characterization. During passive radio coexistence testing, at least one RF signal generator may be used to generate aggressor signals in a first communications band that is associated with operation of a first radio in the DUT. Aggressor signals generated in this way may be fed directly to selected device antennas within the device under test (DUT) via a configurable switch circuit (e.g., by entirely bypassing the radio circuitry in the DUT). The aggressor signals may be amplified and selectively filtered prior to being fed to the device antennas. 
     The aggressor signals may in turn generate interference signals in a second communications band that is associated with operation of a second radio in the DUT. These interference signals may be received by a device antenna other than the selected antenna and may be measured using a tester such as a spectrum analyzer. The configurable switch circuit may determine from which device antenna the interference signals are being routed to the spectrum analyzer. 
     In another suitable arrangement of the present invention, a test system is provided that can be used to perform active radio coexistence characterization. During active radio coexistence testing, at least one radio-frequency tester (e.g., a base transceiver station emulator for cellular communications or an access point emulator for wireless local area network communications) may be used to generate test signals in a first communications band that is fed to the DUT via a first test antenna. In scenarios in which two radio-frequency testers generate test signals for transmission through the first test antenna, a frequency-based multiplexing circuit such as a duplexer may be interposed in the path between the two radio-frequency testers and the first test antenna. 
     While test signals are being transmitted to the DUT using the first test antenna (e.g., via a cellular telephone communications link or a wireless local area network communications link), another radio-frequency tester may be used to transmit additional test signals in a second communications band to the DUT via a second test antenna. Signals conveyed on the link between the DUT and the first test antenna may interact with other non-linear device components to generate interference signals in the second communications band. The second test antenna may be coupled to another RF tester via a configurable switch circuit. Path loss calibration techniques may be performed on the wireless path between the second test antenna and the DUT. 
     In yet another suitable arrangement, a test system that is used for performing active radio coexistence characterization may be provided. A DUT may be placed within an anechoic chamber. A single test antenna positioned within the anechoic chamber may be used to communicate with the DUT. The test antenna may be coupled to a plurality of RF testers (e.g., a base transceiver station emulator, a wireless location area network device emulator, and a satellite navigation system emulator) via a frequency-based multiplexing circuit such as an RF triplexer. 
     In each of the embodiments, the DUT may be placed within a radio-frequency test enclosure (e.g., an anechoic chamber, a reverberation chamber, a transverse electromagnetic cell, etc.). A positioner in the test enclosure may be used to vary the orientation of the DUT with respect to the test antenna(s) within the test enclosure. If desired, a phantom object may be placed in the vicinity of the DUT within the test enclosure to simulate various user scenarios. 
     Further features of the present invention, its nature and various advantages will be more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of an illustrative wireless electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram showing how radio-frequency transceiver circuitry may be coupled to one or more antennas within an electronic device of the type shown in  FIG. 1  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram showing various radio coexistence scenarios in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a diagram of an illustrative test system for characterizing radio coexistence scenarios for a wireless electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a diagram of an illustrative test system for performing passive radio coexistence characterization in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a flow chart of illustrative steps involved in performing passive radio coexistence characterization in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  shows plots of radio-frequency measurements that can be gathered during radio coexistence characterization operations in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a diagram of an illustrative test system for performing active radio coexistence characterization using multiple test antennas in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a flow chart of illustrative steps involved in performing active radio coexistence characterization in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a diagram of an illustrative test system for performing active radio coexistence characterization using a single test antenna in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Electronic devices such as device  10  of  FIG. 1  may be provided with wireless communications circuitry. The wireless communications circuitry may be used to support long-range wireless communications such as communications in cellular telephone bands. Examples of long-range (cellular telephone) bands that may be handled by device  10  include the 800 MHz band, the 850 MHz band, the 900 MHz band, the 1800 MHz band, the 1900 MHz band, the 2100 MHz band, the 700 MHz band, and other bands. The long-range bands used by device  10  may include the so-called LTE (Long Term Evolution) bands. The LTE bands are numbered (e.g., 1, 2, 3, etc.) and are sometimes referred to as E-UTRA operating bands. 
     Device  10  may also receive long-range signals such as signals associated with satellite navigation bands. For example, device  10  may use wireless circuitry to receive signals in the 1575 MHz band associated with the Global Positioning System (GPS) and to receive signals in the 1602 MHz band associated with the Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS). Short-range wireless communications may also be supported by the wireless circuitry of device  10 . For example, device  10  may include wireless circuitry for handling local area network links such as WiFi® links at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, Bluetooth® links at 2.4 GHz, etc. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , device  10  may include storage and processing circuitry  28 . Storage and processing circuitry  28  may include storage such as hard disk drive storage, nonvolatile memory (e.g., flash memory or other electrically-programmable-read-only memory configured to form a solid state drive), volatile memory (e.g., static or dynamic random-access-memory), etc. Processing circuitry in storage and processing circuitry  28  may be used to control the operation of device  10 . This processing circuitry may be based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, application specific integrated circuits, etc. 
     Storage and processing circuitry  28  may be used to a wireless local area network device run software on device  10 , such as internet browsing applications, voice-over-internet-protocol (VOIP) telephone call applications, email applications, media playback applications, operating system functions, functions related to communications band selection during radio-frequency transmission and reception operations, etc. To support interactions with external equipment such as base station  21 , storage and processing circuitry  28  may be used in implementing communications protocols. Communications protocols that may be implemented using storage and processing circuitry  28  include internet protocols, wireless local area network protocols (e.g., IEEE 802.11 protocols—sometimes referred to as WiFi®), protocols for other short-range wireless communications links such as the Bluetooth® protocol, IEEE 802.16 (WiMax) protocols, cellular telephone protocols such as the “2G” Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) protocol, the “2G” Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) protocol, the “3G” Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) protocol, and the “4G” Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocol, MIMO (multiple input multiple output) protocols, antenna diversity protocols, etc. Wireless communications operations such as communications band selection operations may be controlled using software stored and running on device  10  (i.e., stored and running on storage and processing circuitry  28  and/or input-output circuitry  30 ). 
     Input-output circuitry  30  may include input-output devices  32 . Input-output devices  32  may be used to allow data to be supplied to device  10  and to allow data to be provided from device  10  to external devices. Input-output devices  32  may include user interface devices, data port devices, and other input-output components. For example, input-output devices may include touch screens, displays without touch sensor capabilities, buttons, joysticks, click wheels, scrolling wheels, touch pads, key pads, keyboards, microphones, cameras, buttons, speakers, status indicators, light sources, audio jacks and other audio port components, digital data port devices, light sensors, motion sensors (accelerometers), capacitance sensors, proximity sensors, etc. 
     Input-output circuitry  30  may include wireless communications circuitry  34  for communicating wirelessly with external equipment. Wireless communications circuitry  34  may include radio-frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry formed from one or more integrated circuits, power amplifier circuitry, low-noise input amplifiers, passive RF components, one or more antennas, transmission lines, and other circuitry for handling RF wireless signals. Wireless signals can also be sent using light (e.g., using infrared communications). 
     Wireless communications circuitry  34  may include radio-frequency transceiver circuitry  90  for handling various radio-frequency communications bands. For example, circuitry  90  may include transceiver circuitry  36 ,  38 , and  35 . Transceiver circuitry  36  may handle 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands for WiFi® (IEEE 802.11) communications and may handle the 2.4 GHz Bluetooth® communications band. Circuitry  34  may use cellular telephone transceiver circuitry  38  for handling wireless communications in cellular telephone bands such as at 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz, and 2100 MHz and/or the LTE bands and other bands (as examples). Circuitry  38  may handle voice data and non-voice data traffic. 
     Transceiver circuitry  90  may include global positioning system (GPS) receiver equipment such as GPS receiver circuitry  35  for receiving GPS signals at 1575 MHz, GLONASS signals at 1602 MHz, signals associated with China&#39;s Compass also known as the Beidou Global navigation system at 1561 MHz, signals associated with Europe&#39;s Galileo positioning system at 1164 MHz, etc. In WiFi® and Bluetooth® links and other short-range wireless links, wireless signals are typically used to convey data over tens or hundreds of feet. In cellular telephone links and other long-range links, wireless signals are typically used to convey data over thousands of feet or miles. 
     Wireless communications circuitry  34  may include one or more antennas  40 . Antennas  40  may be formed using any suitable antenna types. For example, antennas  40  may include antennas with resonating elements that are formed from loop antenna structure, patch antenna structures, inverted-F antenna structures, slot antenna structures, planar inverted-F antenna structures, helical antenna structures, hybrids of these designs, etc. Different types of antennas may be used for different bands and combinations of bands. For example, one type of antenna may be used in forming a local wireless link antenna and another type of antenna may be used in forming a remote wireless link antenna. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , wireless communications circuitry  34  may also include baseband processor  88 . Baseband processor may include memory and processing circuits and may also be considered to form part of storage and processing circuitry  28  of device  10 . 
     Baseband processor  88  may be used to provide data to storage and processing circuitry  28 . Data that is conveyed to circuitry  28  from baseband processor  88  may include raw and processed data associated with wireless (antenna) performance metrics for received signals such as received power, transmitted power, frame error rate, bit error rate, channel quality measurements based on received signal strength indicator (RSSI) information, channel quality measurements based on received signal code power (RSCP) information, channel quality measurements based on reference symbol received power (RSRP) information, channel quality measurements based on signal-to-interference ratio (SINR) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) information, channel quality measurements based on signal quality data such as Ec/Io or Ec/No data, information on whether responses (acknowledgements) are being received from a cellular telephone tower corresponding to requests from the electronic device, information on whether a network access procedure has succeeded, information on how many re-transmissions are being requested over a cellular link between the electronic device and a cellular tower, information on whether a loss of signaling message has been received, information on whether paging signals have been successfully received, and other information that is reflective of the performance of wireless circuitry  34 . This information may be analyzed by storage and processing circuitry  28  and/or processor  88  and, in response, storage and processing circuitry  28  (or, if desired, baseband processor  58 ) may issue control commands for controlling wireless circuitry  34 . For example, baseband processor  88  may issue commands that direct transceiver circuitry  90  to switch into use desired transmitters/receivers and antennas. 
     Antenna diversity schemes may be implemented in which multiple redundant antennas are used in handling communications for a particular band or bands of interest. In an antenna diversity scheme, storage and processing circuitry  28  may select which antenna to use in real time based on signal strength measurements or other data. In multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) schemes, multiple antennas may be used in transmitting and receiving multiple data streams, thereby enhancing data throughput. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , device  10  may communicate with wireless network equipment such as satellites  12  using receiver  35 , base station (or base transceiver station)  14  using transceiver  38 , access point  16  using transceiver  36 , and other wireless network devices. Satellites  12  may, as an example, be Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites. Base station  14  may be associated with a cellular telephone network, whereas access point  16  may be associated with a wireless local area network (WLAN). Device  10  may communicate with these network devices over respective wireless communications links. 
     Illustrative locations in which antennas  40  may be formed in device  10  are shown in  FIG. 2 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , electronic device  10  may have a housing such as housing  12 . Housing  12  may include plastic walls, metal housing structures, structures formed from carbon-fiber materials or other composites, glass, ceramics, or other suitable materials. Housing  12  may be formed using a single piece of material (e.g., using a unibody configuration) or may be formed from a frame, housing walls, and other individual parts that are assembled to form a completed housing structure. The components of device  10  that are shown in  FIG. 1  may be mounted within housing  12 . Antenna structures  40  may be mounted within housing  12  and may, if desired, be formed using parts of housing  12 . For example, housing  12  may include metal housing sidewalls, peripheral conductive members such as band-shaped members (with or without dielectric gaps), conductive bezels, and other conductive structures that may be used in forming antenna structures  40 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , antenna structures  40  may be coupled to transceiver circuitry  90  by paths such as paths  45 . Paths  45  may include transmission line structures such as coaxial cables, microstrip transmission lines, stripline transmission lines, etc. Impedance matching circuitry, filter circuitry, and switching circuitry may be interposed in paths  45  (as examples). Impedance matching circuitry may be used to ensure that antennas  40  are efficiently coupled to transceiver circuitry  90  in desired frequency bands of interest. Filter circuitry may be used to implement frequency-based multiplexing circuits such as diplexers, duplexers, and triplexers. Switching circuitry may be used to selectively couple antennas  40  to desired ports of transceiver circuitry  90 . For example, a switch may be configured to route one of paths  45  to a given antenna in one operating mode. In another operating mode, the switch may be configured to route a different one of paths  45  to the given antenna. The use of switching circuitry between transceiver circuitry  90  and antennas  40  allows device  10  to switch particular antennas  40  in and out of use depending on the current performance associated with each of the antennas. 
     In a device such as a cellular telephone that has an elongated rectangular outline, it may be desirable to place antennas  40  at one or both ends of the device. As shown in  FIG. 2 , for example, some of antennas  40  may be placed in upper end region  42  of housing  12  and some of antennas  40  may be placed in lower end region  44  of housing  12 . The antenna structures in device  10  may include a single antenna in region  42 , a single antenna in region  44 , multiple antennas in region  42 , multiple antennas in region  44 , or may include one or more antennas located elsewhere in housing  12 . 
     Antenna structures  40  may be formed within some or all of regions such as regions  42  and  44 . For example, an antenna such as antenna  40 T- 1  may be located within region  42 - 1  or an antenna such as antenna  40 T- 2  may be formed that fills some or all of region  42 - 2 . Similarly, an antenna such as antenna  40 B- 1  may fill some or all of region  44 - 2  or an antenna such as antenna  40 B- 2  may be formed in region  44 - 1 . These types of arrangements need not be mutually exclusive. For example, region  44  may contain a first antenna such as antenna  40 B- 1  and a second antenna such as antenna  40 B- 2 . 
     Transceiver circuitry  90  may contain transmitters such as radio-frequency transmitters  48  and receivers such as radio-frequency receivers  50 . Transmitters  48  and receivers  50  may be implemented using one or more integrated circuits (e.g., cellular telephone communications circuits, wireless local area network communications circuits, circuits for Bluetooth® communications, circuits for receiving satellite navigation system signals, power amplifier circuits for increasing transmitted signal power, low noise amplifier circuits for increasing signal power in received signals, other suitable wireless communications circuits, and combinations of these circuits). 
     Electronic device  10  having multiple antennas  40  (sometimes referred to as a multi-antenna device) may be used to simultaneously transmit and receive radio-frequency signals in multiple radio-frequency bands using long-range wireless communications circuitry and/or short-range wireless communications circuitry. Such types of scenarios in which transceivers that are responsible for handing different types of radio access technologies coexist (i.e., scenarios in which multiple transceivers transmit and receive wireless signals in separate radio-frequency bands in parallel) may sometimes be referred to as radio “coexistence” scenarios. When multiple transceivers coexist and operate simultaneously, it is possible that signals associated with one or more transceivers interfere with signals associated with another transceiver. Wireless radio circuitry responsible for generating the interference signals may be referred to as “aggressors,” whereas wireless radio circuitry whose performance suffers as a result of aggressor interference may be referred to as “victims.” 
       FIG. 3  is a diagram showing exemplary coexistence scenarios involving various aggressors and victims. As shown in  FIG. 3 , cellular telephone transceiver  38  may transmit aggressor signals that degrade the receive performance of itself (as indicated by arrow  80 ), local area network wireless transceiver  36  (as indicated by arrow  82 ), and satellite navigation receiver  35  (as indicated by arrow  84 ). 
     As an example corresponding to arrow  80 , cellular telephone transceiver  38  transmitting signals in the 3 rd  Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) frequency band VIII (i.e., at 900 MHz) may generate second harmonic aggressor signals that degrade cellular reception in 3GPP band III (i.e., at 1800 MHz). 
     As another example corresponding to arrow  82 , transceiver  38  transmitting signals in 3GPP band II (i.e., at 1900 MHz) may generate third harmonic aggressor signals that degrade WiFi® reception at 5.8 GHz. 
     As another example corresponding to arrow  84 , transceiver  38  transmitting signals in 3GPP band XIII (i.e., at 700 MHz) may generate second harmonic aggressor signals that degrade GPS/GLONASS reception at around 1600 MHz. In general, cellular transceiver circuitry  38  may serve as a lone aggressor that generates harmonic distortion signals that interfere with one of the victim wireless circuitries (e.g., with itself, local area network wireless transceiver  36 , or satellite navigation receiver  35 ). 
     In other scenarios, cellular telephone transceiver  38  and local wireless area network transceiver  36  (e.g., a WiFi® transceiver) may serve as joint aggressors that transmit signals in two different frequency bands, thereby generating undesired spurious emissions at frequencies other than at harmonic frequencies. This phenomenon in which spurious signals are generated at frequencies other than at harmonic frequencies is sometimes referred to as intermodulation distortion (IMD). As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , transceivers  36  and  38  may transmit aggressor signals that generate IMD signals that degrade the receive performance of cellular telephone transceiver  38  (as indicated by arrow  86 ) and satellite navigation receiver  35  (as indicated by arrow  88 ). 
     As an example corresponding to arrow  86 , transceiver  38  transmitting signals in 3GPP band II (i.e., at 1900 MHz) and transceiver  36  transmitting signals in the 5.8 GHz WiFi® communications band may generate third-order intermodulation distortion signals (sometimes referred to as IMD3 product terms) that degrade cellular reception in 3GPP band II (5.8 minus 2*1.9 falls close to band II). 
     As another example corresponding to arrow  88 , transceiver  38  transmitting signals in LTE E-UTRA band III (i.e., at 1800 MHz) and transceiver  36  transmitting signals in the 5 GHz WiFi® communications band may generate IMD3 aggressor signals that degrade GPS reception (5 minus 2*1.8 is relatively close to 1575 MHz). As another example, transceiver  38  transmitting signals in 3GPP band V (i.e., at 850 MHz) and transceiver  36  transmitting signals in the 2.4 GHz Bluetooth® communications band may generate second-order intermodulation (IMD2) aggressor signals that degrade GPS reception (2400 minus 850 is relatively close to 1575 MHz). 
     The different coexistence scenarios shown and described in connection with  FIG. 3  are merely illustrative and do not serve to limit the scope of the present invention. In general, device  10  may include any number of wireless circuitry, each of which may serve as an aggressor and/or a victim. Because interference among the different transceivers can degrade wireless performance, it may be desirable to provide a way of characterizing the level of interference generated during the different possible coexistence scenarios. 
       FIG. 4  is a high-level diagram of an illustrative test system  100  for use in characterizing wireless coexistence performance for a multi-antenna electronic device  10 . An electronic device  10  that is being tested in radio-frequency (RF) test system  100  may sometimes be referred to as a device under test (DUT). As shown in  FIG. 4 , test system  100  may include a test host  202 , a radio-frequency tester  102 , and a test enclosure  240  within which a DUT can be placed during testing. Test host  202  may be a personal computer or a network of computers configured to direct the operation of tester  102  (e.g., by sending commands to tester  102  via path  203 ) and for gathering desired test data. 
     Tester  102  may be a signal generator, a spectrum analyzer, a vector network analyzer, or other testers suitable for generating radio-frequency test signals and for performing radio-frequency measurements on signals received from DUT  10 . In some suitable arrangements, tester  102  may be a radio communications tester of the type that is sometimes referred to as a call box, a base station emulator to test the ability of transceiver  38  in supporting cellular telephone communications protocols, a wireless access point emulator to test the ability of transceiver  36  in supporting the wireless local area network communications protocols and/or other short-range wireless protocols, a satellite navigation system emulator to test the ability of receiver  35  in supporting satellite navigation communications protocols, or other types of network device emulator. Tester  102  may, for example, be the CMU200 Universal Radio Communication Tester available from Rohde &amp; Schwarz. 
     Tester  102  may be operated directly or via computer control. When operated directly, a user may control tester  102  by supplying commands directly to the signal generator using the user input interface of tester  102 . For example, a user may press buttons in a control panel on the signal generator while viewing information that is displayed on a display in tester  102 . In computer controlled configurations, test host  202  (e.g., software running autonomously or semi-autonomously on the computer) may communicate with tester  102  by sending and receiving data over wired path  203  or a wireless path between the computer and the signal generator (as an example). 
     During wireless testing, DUT  10  may be placed within test enclosure  240 . DUT  10  may optionally be coupled to test host  202  via a control line  493 . The connection represented by line  493  may be a Universal Serial Bus (USB) based connection, a Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART) based connection, or other suitable types of connection. During testing, test host  202  may send control signals to DUT  10  and may retrieve test data from DUT  10  via connection  493 . DUT  10  need not be electrically connected to test host  202 . 
     Test enclosure  240  may be a shielded enclosure that can be used to provide radio-frequency isolation when performing electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) radiated tests without experiencing interference from outside environment. The interior of test enclosure  240  may be lined with radio-frequency absorption material such as rubberized foam configured to minimize reflections of wireless signals. In one suitable embodiment, test enclosure  240  may be a test cell sometimes referred to as a transverse electromagnetic (TEM) cell that includes in its interior wireless structures for communicating over short distances using near field electromagnetic coupling (e.g., over ten centimeters or less). In another suitable embodiment, test enclosure  240  may be a test chamber such as an anechoic chamber or a reverberation chamber that includes in its interior wireless structures for conveying test radio-frequency signals over relatively longer distances (e.g., over 5 meters or more, 10 meters or more, 50 meters or more, etc.). 
     DUT  10  may, for example, include at least a first wireless communications circuit (or radio)  49 - 1  operable to handle radio-frequency signals using a first radio access technology, a second wireless communications circuit  49 - 2  operable to handle radio-frequency signals using a second radio access technology that is different than the first radio access technology, and a third wireless communications circuit  49 - 3  operable to handle radio-frequency signals using a third radio access technology that is different than the first and second radio access technologies. 
     Wireless transceiver circuits that are capable of transmitting and receiving radio-frequency signals can potentially serve as wireless aggressors and/or victims (e.g., it is possible for a transceiver to be both an aggressor and a victim), whereas wireless communications circuits that are only capable of receiving radio-frequency signals are only able to serve as wireless victims. As shown in  FIG. 4 , aggressor test signals may be conveyed between tester  102  and at least one of the wireless communications circuits  49  in DUT  10  while tester  102  may receive victim test signals from a corresponding victim wireless communications circuit in DUT  10 . 
     During radio coexistence testing, DUT  10  may be attached to a positioner such as positioner  490  when DUT  10  is placed within test enclosure  240 . Positioner  490  is a computer-controlled or manually-controlled positioning device that can be used to change the position/orientation of DUT  10  within test enclosure  240  during testing. For example, positioner  490  may include actuators for controlling lateral and/or rotational movement of DUT  10  and may therefore sometimes be referred to as a DUT rotator. DUT rotator  490  may be controlled using control signals generated by test host  202  routed over path  492 . 
     If desired, a physical object such as object  104  may be placed in the vicinity of DUT  10  during testing. The presence of object  104  may serve to simulate an actual user scenario in which a users hand or other body part(s) may impact the antenna performance of DUT  10 . Object  104  may therefore sometimes be referred to as a phantom object. Positioner  490  may be used to vary the position and orientation of DUT  10  relative to object  104  during device characterization. If desired, object  104  may be formed using dielectric material, metal, ceramic, plastic, rubber, foam, or other suitable material. If desired, the position/orientation of object  104  may also be adjusted manually or automatically (via commands from test host  202 ) during testing. 
       FIG. 5  shows one suitable arrangement of a test system  200  that is configured to perform passive radio coexistence characterization. During passive testing, transceiver circuitry  90  in DUT  10  is bypassed by coupling test signals directly to the different antennas  40  while transceiver circuitry  90  is placed in inactive mode. As shown in  FIG. 5 , radio-frequency test system  200  may include test host  202 , test enclosure  460 , switching circuitry  252 , a first signal generator  204 - 1 , a second signal generator  204 - 2 , a spectrum analyzer  230 , cabling, and other associated test equipment. If desired, a phantom object such as object  104  may be placed in the vicinity of DUT  10  during passive radio coexistence testing (see, e.g.,  FIG. 4 ). Testers such as signal generators  204 - 1  and  204 - 2  and spectrum analyzer  230  may receive commands from test host  202  via path  203 . 
     DUT  10  having multiple antennas  40  may be placed within test enclosure  240  during characterization operations. In the example of  FIG. 5 , DUT  10  includes transceiver circuitry  90  that is coupled to a first antenna  40 - 1  via a first transmission line path, a second antenna  40 - 2  via a second transmission line path, a third antenna  40 - 3  via a third transmission line path, and a fourth antenna  40 - 4  via a fourth transmission line path. Antenna  40 - 4  may be formed in a lower end region  44  of DUT  10 , whereas antennas  40 - 1 ,  40 - 2 , and  40 - 3  may be formed in an upper end region  42  of DUT  10  (see, e.g.,  FIG. 2 ). Antennas  40  (e.g., antennas  40 - 1 ,  40 - 2 ,  40 - 3 , and  40 - 4 ) may each be used to transmit and/or receive signals for a selected one of remote wireless transceiver  38 , local wireless area network transceiver  36 , and GPS receiver  35 . This is merely illustrative. In general, DUT  10  may include any suitable number of antennas formed in desired regions within DUT  10  for use in supporting any number of radio access technologies. 
     During passive coexistence characterization, DUT  10  may be coupled to configurable switching circuitry  252  via respective radio-frequency cables to perform conducted testing. Switching circuitry  252  may have a first antenna port P 1  that is coupled to a first switch connector  250 - 1  interposed in the first transmission line path between antenna  40 - 1  and transceiver circuitry  90  via a first radio-frequency test cable, a second antenna port P 2  that is coupled to a second switch connector  250 - 2  interposed in the second transmission line path between antenna  40 - 2  and transceiver circuitry  90  via a second radio-frequency test cable, a third antenna port P 3  that is coupled to a third switch connector  250 - 3  interposed in the third transmission line path between antenna  40 - 3  and transceiver circuitry  90  via a third radio-frequency test cable, and a fourth antenna port P 4  that is coupled to a fourth switch connector  250 - 4  interposed in the fourth transmission line path between antenna  40 - 4  and transceiver circuitry  90  via a fourth radio-frequency test cable. 
     When the switch connectors are mated with the corresponding test cables, antennas  40  are effectively decoupled from transceiver circuitry  90 . For example, signals received using antenna  40 - 1  will be fed to port P 1  of switching circuitry  252  via first switch connector  250 - 1  without being conveyed to transceiver circuitry  90 . Similarly, antenna  40 - 1  will only be able to transmit signals coming from port P 1  of switching circuitry  252  instead of signals coming from transceiver circuitry  90 . The switch connectors are therefore sometimes referred to as transceiver bypass circuits. 
     Switching circuitry  252  may also include a first test transmit port Ptx 1 , a second test transmit port Ptx 2 , and a test receive port Prx. Switching circuitry  252  may be configured to couple port Ptx 1  to a selected one of ports P 1 -P 4 , to couple port Ptx 2  to another one of ports P 1 -P 4 , and/or to couple port Prx to yet another one of ports P 1 -P 4  (e.g., ports Ptx 1 , Ptx 2 , and Prx should not share a common antenna port). Circuitry  252  may be controlled using control signals Vc generated using test host  202  and is sometimes referred to as a switch matrix. 
     First signal generator  204 - 1  may be coupled to port Ptx 1  of circuitry  252  via transmit path  220 . First signal generator  204 - 1  may, for example, be used to generate aggressor signals in the cellular telephone bands. Radio-frequency test signals produced using generator  204 - 1  may be amplified using power amplifier  206 - 1 . The amplified test signals may then be fed through a selected low-pass filter to port Ptx 1  (e.g., through one of low-pass filters  212   a  and  212   b ) via the use of associated switching circuits  208 - 1  and  210 - 1 . 
     Low-pass filter  212   a  may have a cutoff frequency fa (i.e., signals exhibiting frequencies greater than fa will be attenuated) that is switched into use when generator  204 - 1  is producing test signals in low-frequency cellular telephone bands (e.g., a first lower frequency band that covers the GSM sub-bands at 850 MHz and 900 MHz, and a second lower frequency band that covers the LTE band at 700 MHz, the GSM sub-bands at 710 MHz and 750 MHz, the UMTS sub-band at 700 MHz, etc.). Cutoff frequency fa may be equal to 1200 MHz (as an example). 
     Alternatively, low-pass filter  212   b  may have a cutoff frequency fb (i.e., signals exhibiting frequencies greater than fb will be attenuated) that is switched into use when generator  204 - 1  is producing test signals in high-frequency cellular telephone bands (e.g., a higher frequency band that covers the GSM sub-bands at 1800 MHz and 1900 MHz and the data sub-band at 2100 MHz). Cutoff frequency fb may be equal to 2300 MHz (as an example). 
     Switches  208 - 1  and  210 - 1  may be single-pole double-throw radio-frequency switches that are used to selectively switch one of filters  212   a  and  212   b  into use while switching the other filter out of use. Switches  208 - 1  and  210 - 1  may be controlled based on signals Vc generated using test host  202 . If desired, more than two low-pass filters may be interposed in path  220  to selectively attenuate high frequency signals. For example, in scenarios in which three low-pass filters  212  are used, switches  208 - 1  and  210 - 1  may be single-pole triple-throw radio-frequency switches. As another example, in scenarios n which four low-pass filters  212  are used, switches  208 - 1  and  210 - 1  may be single-pole quadruple-throw radio-frequency switches. 
     Second signal generator  204 - 2  may be coupled to port Ptx 2  of circuitry  252  via transmit path  222 . Second signal generator  204 - 2  may, for example, be used to generate aggressor signals in the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz WiFi® communications band. Radio-frequency test signals produced using generator  204 - 2  may be amplified using power amplifier  206 - 2 . The amplified test signals may then be fed through a selected band-pass filter (e.g., one of band-pass filters  214   c  and  214   d ) via the use of associated switching circuits  208 - 2  and  210 - 2  to port Ptx 2 . 
     Band-pass filter  214   c  may have a center frequency fc (i.e., signals near frequency fc will not be attenuated) that is switched into use when generator  204 - 2  is producing test signals near an fc of 2.4 GHz. On the other hand, band-pass filter  214   d  may have a center frequency fd (i.e., signals near frequency fd will not be attenuated) that is switched into use when generator  204 - 2  is producing test signals near an fd of 5 GHz. 
     Switches  208 - 2  and  210 - 2  may be single-pole double-throw radio-frequency switches that are used to selectively switch one of filters  214   c  and  214   d  into use while switching the other filter out of use. Switches  208 - 2  and  210 - 2  may be controlled based on signals Vc generated using test host  202 . If desired, more than two band-pass filters may be interposed in path  222  to selectively pass through radio-frequency signals. For example, in scenarios in which three band-pass filters  214  are used, switches  208 - 2  and  210 - 2  may be single-pole triple-throw radio-frequency switches. 
     Spectrum analyzer  230  may be configured to receive test signals associated with the victim radio via a selected one of ports Ptx 1 , Ptx 2 , and Prx. In the example of  FIG. 5 , spectrum analyzer  230  may receive test signals using a radio-frequency switch  236  (e.g., a single-pole triple-throw radio-frequency switch) having a first receive port P 1  that is coupled to Prx via path  258 , a second receive port P 2  that is coupled to Ptx 2  via radio-frequency coupler  256  and path  260 , a third receive port P 3  that is coupled to Ptx 1  via radio-frequency coupler  254  and path  262 , and a fourth port P 4  that can be selectively coupled to one of ports P 1 -P 3  in switch  236 . Signals arriving at port P 4  of switch  236  may then be fed through a selected band-pass filter (e.g., one of band-pass filters  238   x ,  238   y , and  238   z ) via the use of associated switching circuits  234  and  232 . 
     Band-pass filter  238   x  may have a center frequency fx for passing through signals in the cellular telephone bands. Band-pass filter  238   y  may have a center frequency fy for passing through signals in the WiFi® communications bands. Band-pass filter  238   z  may have a center frequency fz for passing through signals in the GPS/GLONASS bands. Since there are three filters  238  (i.e., filters  238   x ,  238   y , and  238   z ), switches  234  and  232  may be single-pole triple-throw radio-frequency switches that are used to selectively switch a selected one of filters  238  into use. Switches  236 ,  234 , and  232  may be controlled using signals Vc generated from test host  202 . If desired, more than three or less than three band-pass filters may be used to selectively pass through victim radio-frequency signals. 
     The example of  FIG. 5  in which filters  212   a  and  212   b  used in conjunction with signal generator  204 - 1  are low-pass filter, in which filters  214   c  and  214   d  used in conjunction with signal generator  204 - 2  are band-pass filters, and in which filters  238   x - z  used in conjunction with spectrum analyzer  230  are band-pass filters is merely illustrative and does not serve to limit the scope of the present invention. If desired, any of these filters may be implemented using low-pass filters, band-pass filters, high-pass filters, notch filters, or other types of filters that provide the desired filtering function. 
       FIG. 6  is a flow chart of illustrative steps for using test system  200  to perform passive radio coexistence characterization. At step  300 , test system  200  may be placed in the desired transmit configuration by coupling signal generator  204 - 1  to a first DUT antenna and/or by coupling signal generator  204 - 2  to a second DUT antenna via switch matrix  252  (e.g., via the use of switch connectors to bypass the radio circuits). Signal generator  204 - 1  and  204 - 2  need not both be in use simultaneously. 
     At step  302 , system  300  may be placed in the desired receive configuration based on the transmit configuration selected for testing during step  300 . For example, spectrum analyzer  230  may either be coupled to port Ptx 1  if victim signals are generated in radio-frequency bands associated with operation of the first DUT antenna, to port Ptx 2  if victim signals are generated in radio-frequency bands associated with operation of the second DUT antenna, or to port Prx if victim signals are generated in radio-frequency bands associated with operation of an additional DUT antenna other than the first and second DUT antennas (i.e., the additional antenna may be coupled to port Prx). 
     At step  304 , signal generators  204 - 1  and  204 - 2  may be used to output aggressor signals at various output power levels (e.g., test host  202  may direct signal generators  204 - 1  and  204 - 2  to output radio-frequency test signals with increasing and/or decreasing frequencies and/or power levels). 
     At step  306 , spectrum analyzer  230  may be used to monitor receive signal quality for the victim radio band. As examples, spectrum analyzer  230  may be configured to measure the interferer power that can be translated to SINR, RSCP, carrier-to-noise (CNO) ratio, bit error rate (BER), and other radio-frequency performance metrics for characterizing interference in the victim band. 
       FIG. 7  illustrates one embodiment of the present invention in which tester  230  is used to measure SINR while the output power levels of generators  204 - 1  and  204 - 2  are being adjusted. As shown in  FIG. 7 , the output power of signal generator  204 - 1  (indicated as P AGG1 ) is initiated to a low power level P LO , whereas the output power of signal generator  204 - 2  (indicated as P AGG2 ) is initiated to a high power level P HI  prior to time t 1 . While P AGG1  is at P LO  and while P AGG2  is at P HI , tester  230  may detect an SINR measurement of SINR INIT  in the victim band (i.e., SINR VIC  may be equal to SINR INIT ). 
     At time t 1 , signal generator  204 - 1  may be adjusted such that P AGG1  begins to rise at a rate of R 1 . Rising aggressors signals will typically result in elevated levels of interference, which decreases SINR levels. Thus, in response to P AGG1  rising, SINR VIC  may begin to decrease at a rate R 1 ′. At time t 2 , SINR VIC  may reach a minimum detectable level SINR LO . 
     At time t 3 , P AGG1  may reach P HI  and remain fixed at P HI  thereafter. At this time, signal generator  204 - 2  may be adjusted such that P AGG2  begins to fall at a rate R 2 . Rate R 2  may be equal to or different than R 1 . Reducing the output power of aggressor signals will typically result in lower levels of interference, which increases SINR levels. Thus, in response to P AGG2  falling, SINR VIC  may begin to increase at a rate R 2 ′ (see, e.g., time t 4 ). At time t 5 , SINR VIC  may reach SINR INIT  and remain fixed at that level thereafter (e.g., SINR INIT  may be dominated by noise and not by the presence of aggressor signals). 
     Monitoring radio-frequency metrics such as SINR as the output power levels of the aggressor signals are being adjusted can be used to characterize the performance and sensitivity of the victim radio. The example illustrated in  FIG. 7  is merely illustrative. If desired, tester  230  may be used to measure any desired radio-frequency metric associated with a victim radio currently under test while using any number of signal generators to produce aggressor signals at various output power levels. 
     After gathering test data for the current transmit configuration, processing may loop back to step  300  to test another transmit configuration (see, e.g., path  308  in  FIG. 6 ). When test data for all the transmit configurations has been obtained, a designer of device  10  may optimize the antenna design based on the obtained test data (step  310 ). For example, steps may be taken to improve isolation between adjacent antennas exhibiting high levels of interference (e.g., by increasing the physical distance between the antennas or by inserting shielding structures between the antennas). Processing may then loop back to step  300  to test the new design, as indicated by path  312 . Multiple iterations may be performed in this way to optimize the antenna design of device  10  until the test measurements satisfy design criteria. 
     In another suitable arrangement, a test system such as test system  400  of  FIG. 8  may be used to perform active radio coexistence characterization. During active testing, DUT  10  may be configured to transmit and receive wireless signals over protocol-compliant communications links (e.g., transceiver circuitry  90  in DUT  10  is fully activated). As shown in  FIG. 8 , radio-frequency test system  400  may include test host  202 , test enclosure  460 , a base transceiver station (BTS) emulator  402  (e.g., a call box configured to emulate signal transmission/reception of a cellular base station), a wireless local area network device emulator  404  (e.g., a device configured to emulate signal transmission/reception of an wireless access point), a satellite navigation system emulator  406  (e.g., a device configured to emulate GPS/GLONASS satellite signal transmission), test antennas such as communications antenna  414  and measurement antenna  440 , cabling, and other associated test equipment. Testers such as emulators  402 ,  404 , and  406  may receive commands from test host  202  via path  203 . 
     DUT  10  may be placed within test enclosure  460  during active radio coexistence testing. Test enclosure  460  may be an anechoic chamber, a reverberation chamber, or other types of radio-frequency test chambers with sufficient capacity to accurately perform radiated testing. DUT  10  may optionally be coupled to test host  202  via a control line  493 . The position of DUT  10  within test chamber may be controlled using positioner  490 . If desired, a phantom object such as phantom object  104  (not shown) may be placed in the vicinity of DUT  10  to emulate various user scenarios. 
     Communications antenna  414  and measurement antenna  440  may be placed at desired locations within test enclosure  460 . Communications antenna  414  may be a circular-polarized spiral antenna (e.g., an antenna that is capable of simultaneously conveying horizontal-polarized RF signals and vertical-polarized RF signals), whereas measurement antenna  440  may be a linear-polarized horn antenna (e.g., an antenna that is capable of conveying horizontal-polarized RF signals and vertical-polarized RF signals in an alternating fashion). 
     It may be desirable to position communications antenna  414  at a first distance from DUT  10  while positioning measurement antenna  440  at a second distance from DUT  10  that is greater than the first distance. Arranged in this way, wireless communications links established via wireless path  410  that connects DUT  10  to antenna  414  may be relatively more stable (i.e., less likely to drop calls/sessions) compared to links established via wireless path  442  that connects DUT  10  to antenna  440 . 
     In general, it is more difficult to calibrate wireless path  420  than to calibrate path  442 . As a result, test data associated with the victim radio may be gathered using measurement antenna  440  via path  442  that is carefully calibrated prior to test operations (e.g., calibration operations may be performed to accurately characterize the path loss associated with path  442 ). 
     BTS emulator  402  and AP emulator  404  may be coupled to communications antenna  414  via a frequency-based multiplexing circuit such as duplexer  412 . Duplexer  412  may have a first port that is coupled to communications antenna  414 , a second port that is coupled to a first (1) input-output port of BTS emulator  402  via adjustable low-pass filter circuitry  408 - 1 , and a third port that is coupled to a first (1) input-output port of AP emulator  404  via adjustable band-pass filter circuitry  410 - 1 . Coupled in this way, wireless signals in the cellular telephone frequency bands f CELL  may be conveyed between emulator  402  and antenna  414 , whereas wireless signals in the WiFi® communications bands f WIFI  may be conveyed between emulator  404  and antenna  414  (e.g., telephone calls and/or active data sessions may be established between DUT  10  and emulators  402  and  404  using communications antenna  414  and the frequency selection function provided by duplexer  412 ). 
     In the example of  FIG. 8 , measurement antenna  440  may be coupled to a single-pole triple-throw radio-frequency switch such as configurable switching circuit  434 . In particular, switch  434  may have a first switch port P 1  that is coupled to a second (2) input-output port of emulator  402  via adjustable low-pass filter  408 - 2  that is interposed in path  436 , a second switch port P 2  that is coupled to a second (2) input-output port of emulator  404  via adjustable band-pass filter  410 - 2  that is interposed in path  438 , a third switch port P 3  that is coupled to satellite navigation emulator  405  via an amplifier  430  and associated filter circuit  432  (e.g., a filter suitable for passing RF signals around 1600 MHz), and a fourth switch port P 4  that is coupled to measurement antenna  440 . Port P 4  of switch  434  may be coupled to a selected one of ports P 1 , P 2 , and P 3  in switch  434 . 
     Adjustable low-pass filter circuitries  408 - 1  and  408 - 2  may include switching circuitry and associated low-pass filters  212  arranged in the configuration described in connection with  FIG. 5 . Similarly, adjustable band-pass filter circuitries  410 - 1  and  410 - 2  may include switching circuitry and associated band pass filters  214  also described in connection with  FIG. 5 . The configuration of switch  434 , low-pass filter circuitries  408 - 1  and  408 - 2 , and band-pass filter circuitries  410 - 1  and  410 - 2  may be controlled using signals Vc generated by test host  202 . 
     During active radio coexistence testing, at least one of emulators  402  and  404  may be used to communicate with DUT  10  via antenna  414  to generate aggressor radio-frequency signals. While DUT  10  is communicating with emulator  402  and/or emulator  404  via communications antenna  414 , additional radio-frequency signals may be conveyed between measurement antenna  440  and DUT  10  via calibrated path  442  to help measure interference signals in the victim band of interest. 
     In one arrangement, test signals may be conveyed between DUT  10  and a second (2) input-output port of BTS emulator  402  via path  436  and measurement antenna  440  to characterize the amount of interference in the cellular telephone bands (e.g., by configuring switch  434  in a first state in which port P 1  is connected to P 4 ). For example, BTS emulator  402  may also be configured to monitor and analyze the signals received from DUT  10  to determine whether the level of interference in the cellular telephone bands satisfies design criteria. 
     In another arrangement, test signals may be conveyed between DUT  10  and a second (2) input-output port of AP emulator  404  via path  438  and measurement antenna  440  to characterize the amount of interference in the WiFi® communications band(s) (e.g., by configuring switch  434  in a second state in which port P 2  is connected to P 4 ). As an example, DUT  10  may receive test signals from AP emulator  404  and may compute desired radio-frequency metrics based on the received test signals. Radio-frequency performance metrics that may be computed and stored internally in DUT  10  may include SINR, CNO, BER, RSSI, and other suitable receive signal quality measurements. 
     In yet another arrangement, test signals may be transmitted from GPS emulator  406  to DUT  10  via measurement antenna  440  to characterize the amount of interference in the GPS band (e.g., by configuring switch  434  in a third state in which port P 3  is connected to P 4 ). As shown in the example of  FIG. 8 , DUT  10  may receive test satellite signals from emulator  406  and may compute desired radio-frequency metrics based on the received test satellite signals. Radio-frequency performance metrics that may be computed and stored internally in DUT  10  may include SINR, CNO, BER, time-to-fix, and other suitable receive performance metrics. 
       FIG. 9  is a flow chart of illustrative steps involved in performing active radio coexistence testing using test system  400  of the type described in connection with  FIG. 8 . At step  500 , the path loss between DUT  10  and the test antenna through which test signals associated with the potential victim radio are to transmitted may be calibrated (e.g., the path loss between DUT  10  and measurement antenna  440  may be carefully calibrated using known path loss calibration techniques). 
     At step  502 , test host  202  may select at least one aggressor radio and a victim radio to be tested. For example, at least one of BTS emulator  402  and AP emulator  404  may be activated to communicate with DUT  10  via communications antenna  414 , thereby generating aggressor signals that can indirectly elevate undesired interference in corresponding victim frequency bands. Depending on the desired victim radio currently selected for testing, measurement antenna  440  may be coupled to one of testers  402 ,  404 , and  406  by placing switch  434  in the desired state. 
     At step  504 , DUT  10  may be configured in a full-signaling test mode (e.g., DUT  10  may be configured to maintain protocol-compliant communications links such as a cellular telephone communications link or a wireless local area network communications link and may also be used to log test data). 
     At step  506 , test host  202  may direct the selected aggressor emulator(s) to output test signals at various output power levels (see, e.g.,  FIG. 7 ). At step  508 , DUT  10  may optionally be used to record receive signal quality measurements associated with the selected victim radio. If desired, tester  402  and/or tester  404  may be used to gather radio-frequency test data from DUT  10  during active radio coexistence testing. 
     Processing may loop back to step  502  if there are additional coexistence scenarios left to be tested (e.g., to test the different radio interference scenarios as described in connection with  FIG. 3 ), as indicated by path  510 . When sufficient test data has been gathered, a designer may optimize the antenna design of device  10  based on the active coexistence measurements (step  512 ). Processing may loop back to step  502  to test whether the new design helps improve antenna performance, as indicated by path  514 . Multiple iterations may be performed in this way to optimize the antenna design of device  10 . 
       FIG. 10  shows another suitable arrangement of test system  400  that can be used for performing active radio coexistence testing. As shown in  FIG. 10 , testers  402 ,  404 , and  406  may be coupled to a single test antenna such as communications antenna  414  positioned within test enclosure  460  via a frequency-based multiplexing circuit such as triplexer  462 . In particular, triplexer  462  may have a first port P 1  that is coupled to BTS emulator  402  via adjustable low-pass filter circuitry  408 , a second port P 2  that is coupled to AP emulator  404  via adjustable band-pass filter circuitry  410 , a third port P 3  that is coupled to GPS emulator  406  via amplifier  430  and associated filter  432 , and a fourth port P 4  that is coupled to communications antenna  414 . 
     Connected in this arrangement, radio-frequency test signals in the cellular telephone frequencies f CELL  may be conveyed between DUT  10  and emulator  402  via triplexer  462  while test signals in the WiFi® communications frequencies f WIFI  may be conveyed between DUT  10  and emulator  404  via triplexer  462  and while test signals at the GPS frequency f GPS  may be transmitted from emulator  406  to DUT  10  via triplexer  462 . In general, any one or both of testers  402  and  404  may contribute to the generation of aggressor signals, whereas any one of testers  402 ,  404 , and  406  may be used in quantifying the level of interference in the victim frequency band. Test data may be gathered using the different testers or may be stored internally within DUT  10 . 
     The foregoing is merely illustrative of the principles of this invention and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The foregoing embodiments may be implemented individually or in any combination.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20120927
Publication Date: 20150331
Grant Date: 20150331
Priority Date: 20120927
Inventors: MOW MATTHEW A.
BIEDKA THOMAS E.
TSAI MING-JU
HAN LIANG
HAN XU
LAKSHMANAN ANAND
JIN NANBO
HU HONGFEI
DARNELL DEAN F.
NICKEL JOSHUA G.
NATH JAYESH
ZHOU YIJUN
XU HAO
OUYANG YUEHUI
SHAH NIRALI
PASCOLINI MATTIA
SCHLUB ROBERT W.
CABALLERO RUBEN
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H04W24/00", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W24/06", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B17/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B17/318", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W24/06", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W24/06", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B17/345", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W24/08", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B17/345", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B17/318", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 50339298