Satellite Test in The Laboratory HIL Platform Emulates RF Channels With Up To 4 GHz in Real Time

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Field tests in the aerospace industry are extremely expensive and logistically complex. With a new software-defined approach for hardware-in-the-loop testing, Emerson brings real RF conditions directly to the lab bench. The aim: to find faults earlier and create reproducibility.

Anyone developing communication systems for aerospace, satellites or the defense sector knows the problem: ground-to-orbit, ground-to-air or air-to-air connections can only be tested under real conditions late in the development process. Such field tests are not only associated with enormous costs and logistical effort, they are also extremely difficult to reproduce exactly. If a fault only occurs at this late stage, there is a risk of massive project delays.

This is precisely the pain point Emerson is addressing with the new NI CHESS (Channel Emulator System Software) platform. The software-defined approach aims to fully validate mission-critical radio frequency connections in the laboratory. Long before the system goes into the field for the first time.

Dynamic HF Environments In Real Time

Previous test methods in the laboratory often failed due to simplified channel approximations that do not do justice to the behavior of modern, highly complex systems. NI CHESS takes a different approach here: the platform combines model-based simulations with a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) execution model.

The system works in conjunction with the PXI vector signal transceivers (VST) from NI. This hardware offers an instantaneous bandwidth of up to 4 GHz for transmitting and receiving. Using high-speed FPGA co-processing, the software generates dynamic RF environments in real time and imposes real physical effects on the signal path. These include, among others:

• Signal delays / transit times (delay). This is a critical parameter for long satellite links.
• Doppler shifts (e.g. with LEO satellites or hypersonic objects)
• Multipath fading (multipath propagation)
• Signal path losses
• Interference (targeted or random)

The system also supports third-party scenario tools, which facilitates integration into existing simulation toolchains.

Another focus is on the architecture: Since NI CHESS is strongly software-based and based on the modular PXI Express standard (PXIe), the system can be directly integrated into existing NI infrastructures. The multi-channel broadband architecture scales easily to test even highly complex MIMO and SISO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) configurations without the need to redesign test benches from scratch.

Engineers can run through edge cases and validate RF behavior as often as required until the system is robust. "Modern communication systems are becoming increasingly complex, while field tests are associated with ever-increasing costs and limitations," summarizes Chris Behnke, Head of RF Test and Validation Systems (Aerospace/Defense) at Emerson. "With NI CHESS, we are giving engineers a practical way to check RF performance data early, regularly and, above all, realistically. This drastically reduces risks and keeps costs under control." (heh)

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