Emulation of Realistic GNSS Scenarios Over 3D Wave Field Synthesis and Over-The-Air Testing

Over-the-air (OTA) tests have become an essential tool to assess the performance of a wireless device under controllable and repeatable conditions. Such benefits provide a deep insight into the device under test (DUT) performance; nevertheless, the realism achieved by OTA tests is still moderate in comparison to open-field tests. This contribution takes the OTA testing method for wireless devices and combines it with the wave field synthesis (WFS) technique to increase the efficiency, reliability and especially the realism of the tests. The main focus of this contribution is to use the aforementioned method to emulate realistic GNSS scenarios inside an anechoic chamber, where multiple virtual satellite signals are electronically generated in the far field along with their individual trajectories. For the validation and verification of the method, a commercial GNSS antenna and receiver are placed as the DUT inside the chamber. The WFS calibration methods implemented in an OTA testbed are described in detail along with the performance analysis obtained by each method. This study strives to establish the foundation for a forthcoming standardisation of the proposed methodology, applicable not only to GNSS devices but also to any variety of wireless devices.