What you'll learn:
- The growing demand for sensing technologies using millimeter-wave radar.
- How Anritsu’s mid-range benchtop signal analyzers address this need.
Sensing technologies that use millimeter-wave (mmWave) technology, particularly in the 60-GHz band, are increasingly needed for advanced applications in medical systems, facial-recognition security systems, and automotive. This demand is further complicated by advances such as the development of wideband 79-GHz band radar for high-resolution detection of small targets such as pedestrians and bicycles.
In medical applications, mmWave sensing can detect subtle changes in human body surfaces caused by breathing and heartbeat, and in security or smart-home situations, it identifies the position of people and objects. To accurately evaluate the sensors created for such applications using ultra-wideband mmWave signals, test solutions are needed to measure the transmission signal characteristics of said devices.
To enable this testing, Anritsu released enhanced software functionality in its mid-range benchtop signal analyzers, giving the analyzers the ability to extend the spectrum measurement frequency range to address the mmWave band. On the hardware side, this is accomplished by connecting VDI or Eravant external mixers.
Mid-Range Signal Analyzers Deliver the Performance
The MS2830A, MS2840A, and MS2850A signal analyzers offer high-performance capabilities along with a variety of options for wireless signal measurements to serve diverse applications. The devices span the RF spectrum up to microwave/mmWave frequency bands while accommodating narrowband to wideband signals for spectrum, signal, and phase-noise measurements.
The measurement frequency range can be extended by installing Anritsu’s MX284090A External Mixer Connection Function. It supports connection of a recommended external mixer from Eravant or VDI to the signal analyzer’s first Local Output port.
To avoid the image response that may occur when using external mixers without preselectors to
eliminate unwanted signals, which can cause erroneous reception, the signal analyzers offer intermediate frequencies of 1.875 GHz (MS2830A) and 1.8755 GHz (MS2840A/MS2850A). This enables the conversion to manageable frequencies for processing. It suppresses image-response effects up to 7.5 GHz using Anritsu’s proprietary Preselector Simulation function, allowing for the measurement of difficult-to-distinguish variable signals.
A single coaxial-cable connection between the signal analyzer and external mixer increases flexibility in positioning while enabling the external mixer to be placed close to the device under test. The cost-effective MS2830A suits a broad range of applications, such as R&D, manufacturing, and maintenance. The MS2840A offers exceptional phase-noise performance along with a range of options for higher-performance measurements, which include 2-dB attenuator resolution and noise-floor suppression. The MS2850A signal-analyzer function can support analysis at bandwidths up to 1 GHz.
