multipath reflections is the same technology used to create echo returns in a radar, McCarthy notes. Similar technology has been used in the automotive industry for several years to functionally test radars in a development and manufacturing environment and it has been used on military radar systems only within the last year or two, McCarthy says. “It has been starting to take off for people to functionally test the radar.” With military radars, for example, “you can benchmark the radar and conduct a full functional performance validation of the radar by putting in different echo returns,” says Darren McCarthy, A&D technical marketing manager at Rohde & Schwarz USA in Beaverton, Oregon. “If your radar has the ability to receive a signal of -120 decibel-milliwatts (dBm) you can emulate ten targets offset in frequency, amplitude, and distance with ten returns. “A couple dB each step and then you can test this sensitivity or selectivity of the radar as you introduced coexistent
›
Figure 1 | The SMW200 and the FSW43 can create radar echoes up to 40 GHz. Photo courtesy of Rohde & Schwarz.
networks such as an LTE user device at a certain channel or frequency offset from that radar,” he continues. “By varying the frequency offset and amplitude, a complete evaluation of the radar’s performance and its susceptibility can be determined. By physically moving the coexistence signal to other angles of incidence, you can fully characterize the radar/antenna combination and come up with performance guidelines for the radar.” An issue is that “radars don’t conform to any standard and so they don’t really have set guidelines of how close a cellular network can be in frequency and not impact the radar,” continues McCarthy. Rohde & Schwarz has commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) vector signal generators and spectrum analyzers, such as the SMW200 and the FSW43 (Figure 1), that “basically receive a signal, loop it back, and then allow users to control offsets and targets using
Cobham’s New Products for Your New Designs The most important thing we build is trust Cobham Semiconductor Solutions has been providing products for your HiRel applications for over 35 years.
CAN FD Transceiver Sensor Monitoring, System Telemetry, Command & Control
Bus Switch Family - Interface Solutions to Address Bus Loading and Isolation/Redundancy (smaller packages are available)
Our latest products, all designed with your input, help solve your problems throughout your design cycle.
ManyGate Logic - Dual and Triple Multifunctional Configurable Logic Gates (packaged or die level)
Voltage Reference - Optimal for Data Converters and Power Regulation Linear Regulators Quiet Signal Chain Power
www.mil-embedded.com
Temperature Monitor - Ideal for Spacecraft Health Monitoring
All 15 new products are available with the best radiation levels on the market, and are QML qualified with SMD numbers. Call today for your production needs and join Cobham in flight this new year!
800-645-8862 www.cobham.com/HiRel Formerly Aeroflex Microelectronic Solutions – HiRel
MILITARY EMBEDDED SYSTEMS RESOURCE GUIDE
September 2016 31