A Metrology-Driven Approach to Distilling Live Wireless Signals Into Immunity Test Signals

In the era of ubiquitous electronic devices, immunity testing is essential to ensure these devices’ operational efficacy and safety. This study focuses on the growing challenge of assessing immunity in the context of modern wireless communication technologies, such as 5G and WLAN, which are not yet fully addressed by current international standards. We propose a metrology-driven methodology to develop immunity test signals by distilling live wireless signals into simplified; representative test signals that capture key electromagnetic characteristics. The methodology involves simulating various configurations of the wireless technologies, analyzing duty cycle and pulse repetition rate distributions, and identifying common modes. These common modes guide the design of pulse-modulated immunity test signals, which are validated experimentally by testing their impact on a device under test. Our results demonstrate that these test signals effectively replicate the electromagnetic disturbances caused by live 5G and WLAN signals, enabling more realistic immunity testing for electronic devices, including medical equipment. This comprehensive approach supports future research and standardization efforts in developing more representative immunity tests of live wireless signals. We demonstrate its application to 5G cellular and WLAN protocols, showcasing its potential to address the unique challenges posed by these emerging technologies.