Vector signal analyzer
Encyclopedia
A vector signal analyzer is an instrument that measures the magnitude and phase of the input signal at a single frequency within the IF
bandwidth
of the instrument. The primary use is to make in-channel measurements, such as error vector magnitude
, code domain power, and spectral flatness
, on known signals.
Vector signal analyzers are useful in measuring and demodulating
digitally modulated signals like W-CDMA
, LTE
, and WLAN
. These measurements are used to determine the quality of modulation
and can be used for design validation and compliance testing of electronic devices.
& display stage.
.
A portion of the input signal spectrum is down-converted (using a voltage-controlled oscillator
and a mixer
) to the center frequency of a band-pass filter
. The use of a voltage-controlled oscillator
allows for consideration of different carrier frequencies.
After the conversion to an intermediate frequency
, the signal is filtered
in order to band-limit the signal and prevent aliasing
. The signal is then digitized
using an analog-to-digital converter
. Sampling rate
is often varied in relation to the frequency span under consideration.
processes, such as the ones below
Signal Spectrum from FFT
Constellation Diagram
Error Vector Magnitude
of the signal measured within the IF
bandwidth
, a constellation diagram
of the demodulated signal, error vector magnitude
measurements, and a time domain
plot of the signal. Many more measurement results can be displayed depending on the type of modulation being used (symbol decoding, MIMO
measurements, radio frame summary, etc.).
Intermediate frequency
In communications and electronic engineering, an intermediate frequency is a frequency to which a carrier frequency is shifted as an intermediate step in transmission or reception. The intermediate frequency is created by mixing the carrier signal with a local oscillator signal in a process called...
bandwidth
Bandwidth
Bandwidth is the difference between the upper and lower frequencies in a contiguous set of frequencies. It is typically measured in hertz, and may sometimes refer to passband bandwidth, sometimes to baseband bandwidth, depending on context...
of the instrument. The primary use is to make in-channel measurements, such as error vector magnitude
Error vector magnitude
The error vector magnitude or EVM is a measure used to quantify the performance of a digital radio transmitter or receiver...
, code domain power, and spectral flatness
Spectral flatness
Spectral flatness or tonality coefficient, also known as Wiener entropy, is a measure used in digital signal processing to characterize an audio spectrum. Spectral flatness, measured in decibels, provides a way to quantify how tone-like a sound is, as opposed to being noise-like...
, on known signals.
Vector signal analyzers are useful in measuring and demodulating
Demodulation
Demodulation is the act of extracting the original information-bearing signal from a modulated carrier wave.A demodulator is an electronic circuit that is used to recover the information content from the modulated carrier wave.These terms are traditionally used in connection with radio receivers,...
digitally modulated signals like W-CDMA
W-CDMA (UMTS)
W-CDMA , UMTS-FDD, UTRA-FDD, or IMT-2000 CDMA Direct Spread is an air interface standard found in 3G mobile telecommunications networks. It is the basis of Japan's NTT DoCoMo's FOMA service and the most-commonly used member of the UMTS family and sometimes used as a synonym for UMTS...
, LTE
3GPP Long Term Evolution
3GPP Long Term Evolution, usually referred to as LTE, is a standard for wireless communication of high-speed data for mobile phones and data terminals. It is based on the GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA network technologies, increasing the capacity and speed using new modulation techniques...
, and WLAN
Wireless LAN
A wireless local area network links two or more devices using some wireless distribution method , and usually providing a connection through an access point to the wider internet. This gives users the mobility to move around within a local coverage area and still be connected to the network...
. These measurements are used to determine the quality of modulation
Modulation
In electronics and telecommunications, modulation is the process of varying one or more properties of a high-frequency periodic waveform, called the carrier signal, with a modulating signal which typically contains information to be transmitted...
and can be used for design validation and compliance testing of electronic devices.
Operation
The vector signal analyzer spectrum analysis process typically has a down-convert & digitizing stage and a DSPDigital signal processing
Digital signal processing is concerned with the representation of discrete time signals by a sequence of numbers or symbols and the processing of these signals. Digital signal processing and analog signal processing are subfields of signal processing...
& display stage.
Down Convert & Digitize Stage
A vector signal analyzer operates by first down converting the signal spectra by using superheterodyne techniquesSuperheterodyne receiver
In electronics, a superheterodyne receiver uses frequency mixing or heterodyning to convert a received signal to a fixed intermediate frequency, which can be more conveniently processed than the original radio carrier frequency...
.
A portion of the input signal spectrum is down-converted (using a voltage-controlled oscillator
Voltage-controlled oscillator
A voltage-controlled oscillator or VCO is an electronic oscillator designed to be controlled in oscillation frequency by a voltage input. The frequency of oscillation is varied by the applied DC voltage, while modulating signals may also be fed into the VCO to cause frequency modulation or phase...
and a mixer
Frequency mixer
In electronics a mixer or frequency mixer is a nonlinear electrical circuit that creates new frequencies from two signals applied to it. In its most common application, two signals at frequencies f1 and f2 are applied to a mixer, and it produces new signals at the sum f1 + f2 and difference f1 -...
) to the center frequency of a band-pass filter
Band-pass filter
A band-pass filter is a device that passes frequencies within a certain range and rejects frequencies outside that range.Optical band-pass filters are of common usage....
. The use of a voltage-controlled oscillator
Voltage-controlled oscillator
A voltage-controlled oscillator or VCO is an electronic oscillator designed to be controlled in oscillation frequency by a voltage input. The frequency of oscillation is varied by the applied DC voltage, while modulating signals may also be fed into the VCO to cause frequency modulation or phase...
allows for consideration of different carrier frequencies.
After the conversion to an intermediate frequency
Intermediate frequency
In communications and electronic engineering, an intermediate frequency is a frequency to which a carrier frequency is shifted as an intermediate step in transmission or reception. The intermediate frequency is created by mixing the carrier signal with a local oscillator signal in a process called...
, the signal is filtered
Electronic filter
Electronic filters are electronic circuits which perform signal processing functions, specifically to remove unwanted frequency components from the signal, to enhance wanted ones, or both...
in order to band-limit the signal and prevent aliasing
Aliasing
In signal processing and related disciplines, aliasing refers to an effect that causes different signals to become indistinguishable when sampled...
. The signal is then digitized
Digitizing
Digitizing or digitization is the representation of an object, image, sound, document or a signal by a discrete set of its points or samples. The result is called digital representation or, more specifically, a digital image, for the object, and digital form, for the signal...
using an analog-to-digital converter
Analog-to-digital converter
An analog-to-digital converter is a device that converts a continuous quantity to a discrete time digital representation. An ADC may also provide an isolated measurement...
. Sampling rate
Sampling rate
The sampling rate, sample rate, or sampling frequency defines the number of samples per unit of time taken from a continuous signal to make a discrete signal. For time-domain signals, the unit for sampling rate is hertz , sometimes noted as Sa/s...
is often varied in relation to the frequency span under consideration.
DSP & Display stage
Once the signal is digitized, it is separated into quadrature and in-phase components using a quadrature detector, which is typically implemented with a discrete Hilbert transform. Several measurements are made and displayed using these signal components and various DSPDigital signal processing
Digital signal processing is concerned with the representation of discrete time signals by a sequence of numbers or symbols and the processing of these signals. Digital signal processing and analog signal processing are subfields of signal processing...
processes, such as the ones below
Signal Spectrum from FFT
- A FFTFast Fourier transformA fast Fourier transform is an efficient algorithm to compute the discrete Fourier transform and its inverse. "The FFT has been called the most important numerical algorithm of our lifetime ." There are many distinct FFT algorithms involving a wide range of mathematics, from simple...
is used to compute the frequency spectrum of the signal. Usually there is a windowing functionWindow functionIn signal processing, a window function is a mathematical function that is zero-valued outside of some chosen interval. For instance, a function that is constant inside the interval and zero elsewhere is called a rectangular window, which describes the shape of its graphical representation...
option to limit spectral leakageSpectral leakageSpectral leakage is an effect in the frequency analysis of finite-length signals or finite-length segments of infinite signals where it appears as if some energy has "leaked" out of the original signal spectrum into other frequencies....
and enhance frequency resolution. This window is implemented by multiplying it with the digitized values of the sample period before computing the FFT.
Constellation Diagram
- A constellation diagramConstellation diagramA constellation diagram is a representation of a signal modulated by a digital modulation scheme such as quadrature amplitude modulation or phase-shift keying. It displays the signal as a two-dimensional scatter diagram in the complex plane at symbol sampling instants...
represents a signal modulated by a digital modulationModulationIn electronics and telecommunications, modulation is the process of varying one or more properties of a high-frequency periodic waveform, called the carrier signal, with a modulating signal which typically contains information to be transmitted...
scheme such as quadrature amplitude modulationQuadrature amplitude modulationQuadrature amplitude modulation is both an analog and a digital modulation scheme. It conveys two analog message signals, or two digital bit streams, by changing the amplitudes of two carrier waves, using the amplitude-shift keying digital modulation scheme or amplitude modulation analog...
or phase-shift keyingPhase-shift keyingPhase-shift keying is a digital modulation scheme that conveys data by changing, or modulating, the phase of a reference signal ....
. This diagram maps the magnitude of the quadratureQuadratureQuadrature may refer to:In signal processing:*Quadrature amplitude modulation , a modulation method of using both an carrier wave and a 'quadrature' carrier wave that is 90° out of phase with the main, or in-phase, carrier...
and in-phase components to the vertical and horizontal directions, respectively. Qualitative assessments of signal integrity can be made based on interpretation of this diagram.
Error Vector Magnitude
- By representing the quadrature and in-phase components as the vertical and horizontal axes, the error vector magnitudeError vector magnitudeThe error vector magnitude or EVM is a measure used to quantify the performance of a digital radio transmitter or receiver...
can be computed as the distance between the ideal and measured constellation points on the diagram. This requires knowledge of the modulated signal in order to compare the received signal with the ideal signal.
Typical Functionality
Typical vector signal analyzer displays feature the spectrumSpectrum
A spectrum is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary infinitely within a continuum. The word saw its first scientific use within the field of optics to describe the rainbow of colors in visible light when separated using a prism; it has since been applied by...
of the signal measured within the IF
Intermediate frequency
In communications and electronic engineering, an intermediate frequency is a frequency to which a carrier frequency is shifted as an intermediate step in transmission or reception. The intermediate frequency is created by mixing the carrier signal with a local oscillator signal in a process called...
bandwidth
Bandwidth
Bandwidth is the difference between the upper and lower frequencies in a contiguous set of frequencies. It is typically measured in hertz, and may sometimes refer to passband bandwidth, sometimes to baseband bandwidth, depending on context...
, a constellation diagram
Quadrature amplitude modulation
Quadrature amplitude modulation is both an analog and a digital modulation scheme. It conveys two analog message signals, or two digital bit streams, by changing the amplitudes of two carrier waves, using the amplitude-shift keying digital modulation scheme or amplitude modulation analog...
of the demodulated signal, error vector magnitude
Error vector magnitude
The error vector magnitude or EVM is a measure used to quantify the performance of a digital radio transmitter or receiver...
measurements, and a time domain
Time domain
Time domain is a term used to describe the analysis of mathematical functions, physical signals or time series of economic or environmental data, with respect to time. In the time domain, the signal or function's value is known for all real numbers, for the case of continuous time, or at various...
plot of the signal. Many more measurement results can be displayed depending on the type of modulation being used (symbol decoding, MIMO
MIMO
In radio, multiple-input and multiple-output, or MIMO , is the use of multiple antennas at both the transmitter and receiver to improve communication performance. It is one of several forms of smart antenna technology...
measurements, radio frame summary, etc.).