Spirent Testing and Simulation
Spirent Communications offers a wide range of simulation and test systems to help you produce better, faster and more cost effective solutions through the elimination of test uncertainties.
Why Simulate GNSS signals?
The use of a simulator enables controlled, repeatable performance testing at nominal and extreme or error state conditions. By using an RF simulator it is possible fully to characterise receiver performance in all conditions; and integrating a simulator with other equipment makes it possible to test and optimise application performance and experiment with new technology areas.
A simulator is, in effect, the “sky-in-a-box”. It is able to provide radio frequency signals to a GNSS receiver, as if it were looking at the actual live satellites (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, MSAS, EGNOS, WAAS and Compass). Indeed, the ability to test using signals from as yet unavailable live satellites provides a powerful argument for the use of hardware simulators.
Using an RF GNSS satellite simulator
You can simulate:
- Positions anywhere in the world.
- Any time, historic, present and future,
- Any 3-dimensional motion that the user wishes to test including very high levels of velocity, with associated extreme levels of acceleration and jerk.
It can simulate the environment in which the system must operate with effects such as:
- signal fading
- multipath
- corrupted satellite messages
- satellite clock drift
- user-antenna pattern effects
- Tropospheric and ionospheric refraction and atmospheric scintillation effects
The simulation is completely repeatable every time it is run and the scenario is easily shared between simulators of the same type.
Dynamic testing can be performed outside the normal performance envelope to determine failure modes and limits. This can include manoeuvres that would be dangerous or impossible with a live test.
CBIL offers assistance with the development of simulation and test strategies, and can help in the development of the simulation scenarios which drive the simulator hardware.
