Renewal of the Existing EMC Test Chamber Including a Measuring Receiver

• Subject Area: Electrical Engineering and Information Technology
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 584882870

This proposal aims at the sustainable refurbishment and modernization of the existing electromagnetic measurement infrastructure at Offenburg University to ensure long-term operational reliability and to enable future-oriented research in electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and wireless communication systems. Due to their age, increasing failure rates, and limited functionality, the currently available EMI receivers no longer provide accurate or reliable measurements across their full frequency ranges. In addition, the aging absorbers of the EMC chamber exhibit insufficient absorption performance and no longer allow reproducible measurements. As a result, reliable and high-quality EMC measurements have not been feasible for some time. The proposed instrumentation comprises a high-performance EMI measurement receiver and the refurbishment of the EMC chamber through the renewal of the pyramidal absorbers. This upgrade will restore a controlled, isolated, and reproducible electromagnetic environment and will provide a sustainable research infrastructure for advanced experimental studies. The modernized infrastructure will support a broad range of future-oriented research topics. These include the development and characterization of innovative low-frequency antennas, experimental investigations of ground-penetrating radar systems, and the detection and analysis of unintentional radio-frequency emissions from autonomous systems such as drones. Closely related, the infrastructure will support research on deterministic drone control using time-sensitive networking over 5G in electromagnetically harsh environments, addressing key challenges for safety-critical applications in industrial and smart factory scenarios. In addition, the proposed equipment will enable the electromagnetic characterization of drones acting as aerial 5G base stations, a concept of growing interest for temporary or emergency communication networks. Finally, the infrastructure will support Bluetooth channel sounding experiments, allowing precise investigation of propagation characteristics, multipath effects, and channel dynamics in a controlled and reproducible environment.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Erneuerung der bestehenden EMV-Messkammer einschließlich eines Messempfängers
• Instrumentation Group: 6420 Meßempfänger, Feldstärkemeßgeräte
• Applicant Institution: Hochschule Offenburg
• Leader: Professorin Dr.-Ing. Marlene Harter