Optoelectronic hybrid beamforming transmitter, receiver and signal processing method

Abstract

The present invention provides a transmitter, a receiver and a signal processing method for optoelectronic hybrid beamforming. The transmitter includes (but is not limited to) two optoelectronic converters, two adjustment circuits, and an antenna array. The optoelectronic converter is used to convert optical signals into initial electrical signals respectively. The adjustment circuit is coupled to the optoelectronic converter and is used to delay the initial electrical signals respectively according to the beam pattern formed by the antenna array to output an adjustment electrical signal. The antenna array includes two antennas. The antennas are coupled to the adjustment circuit. The antenna array radiates electromagnetic waves according to the adjustment electrical signal. In this way, the phase can be easily adjusted and the components can be reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication technology, and in particular to a transmitter, a receiver and a signal processing method of an optoelectronic hybrid beamforming. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of wireless communication technology, the demand for related application services (e.g., high-definition image or music streaming, movie downloads, virtual reality (VR), etc.) is also gradually increasing. In order to meet the bandwidth requirements of these services, antenna arrays with high energy gain and directivity are proposed to improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

[0003] On the other hand, radio frequency resources are becoming increasingly scarce. For example, the microwave frequency band used in the fifth generation (5G) mobile communication is difficult to meet the high bandwidth requirements. If combined with optical fiber communication, the problem of bandwidth and spectrum resources can be solved. In addition, if further combined with the characteristics of antenna arrays, optical antenna arrays can further improve antenna gain.

[0004] Figure 1 is a block diagram of components of a conventional optical array antenna structure 10. Figure 1 , the optical array antenna architecture 10 includes a wavelength division multiplexer (WDM) 11, a coupler (CPL) 12, a variable delay line (VDL) 13 and an optical antenna array 14. Among them, different variable delay lines 13 are used to cause phase differences in the wavelengths of light in different paths, thereby achieving the purpose of beamforming. However, the shortcomings of optical beamforming in actual implementation are as follows: the wavelengths λ1 and λ2 of the light waves need to be accurately adjusted to achieve the expected phase difference, making the implementation difficult; the true delay method needs to be used to make the phases of the two paths / channels equal, which is relatively difficult to implement. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention is directed to a transmitter, a receiver and a signal processing method of an optoelectronic hybrid beamforming, which can easily adjust the phase of each path.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a transmitter of optoelectronic hybrid beamforming includes (but is not limited to) two optoelectronic converters, two adjustment circuits and an antenna array. The two optoelectronic converters are used to convert two optical signals into two initial electrical signals respectively. The two adjustment circuits are respectively coupled to the two optoelectronic converters and are used to delay the two initial electrical signals respectively according to the beam pattern (beampattern) formed by the antenna array to output two adjustment electrical signals. The antenna array includes two antennas. The two antennas are respectively coupled to two adjustment circuits. The antenna array radiates electromagnetic waves according to the two adjustment electrical signals.

[0007] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a receiver of optoelectronic hybrid beamforming includes (but is not limited to) an antenna array, two adjustment circuits, and two electro-optical converters. The antenna array includes two antennas. The two antennas are used to receive two received electrical signals respectively. The two adjustment circuits are respectively coupled to the two antennas, and are used to delay the two received electrical signals respectively according to the beam pattern formed by the antenna array to output two adjusted electrical signals. The electro-optical converter is coupled to the adjustment circuit, and is used to convert the two electrical signals into two optical signals respectively.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a signal processing method for optoelectronic hybrid beamforming is applicable to a transmitter and includes (but is not limited to) the following steps: converting two optical signals into two initial electrical signals respectively. Delaying the two electrical signals respectively according to the beam pattern formed by the desired antenna array to output two adjusted electrical signals. Radiating electromagnetic waves through the antenna array according to the two adjusted electrical signals. The antenna array includes two antennas corresponding to the two adjusted electrical signals respectively.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a signal processing method for optoelectronic hybrid beamforming is applicable to a receiver and includes (but is not limited to) the following steps: receiving two received electrical signals respectively through two antennas of an antenna array. Delaying the two received electrical signals respectively according to a beam pattern formed by the antenna array to output two adjusted electrical signals. Converting the two adjusted electrical signals respectively into two optical signals.

[0010] Based on the above, in the transmitter, receiver and signal processing method of the optoelectronic hybrid beamforming of the embodiment of the present invention, an optoelectronic converter is provided for each antenna of the transmitter, and an electro-optical converter is provided for each antenna of the receiver to adjust the phase of the electrical signal (i.e., delay the signal) and make the phase of the signal of each channel meet the requirements of the antenna beam pattern. In this way, compared with the conventional architecture, there is no need to set up a wavelength division multiplexer and a variable delay line, thereby reducing components. In addition, compared with the conventional optical beamforming, the architecture of the optoelectronic hybrid beamforming of the embodiment of the present invention can be easily adjusted to the specified phase and complete the phase correction.

[0011] However, it should be understood that this overview may not contain all aspects and embodiments of the invention, is not intended to be limiting or restrictive in any way, and the invention as disclosed herein is and will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to encompass obvious improvements and modifications thereto. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the present invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 1 is a block diagram of components of a conventional optical array antenna architecture;

[0014] Figure 2 is a block diagram of components of a transmitter for optical-electrical hybrid beamforming according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a transmitter with optoelectronic hybrid beamforming according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a light generator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 5A A schematic diagram of modularization of components according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 5B A schematic diagram of modularization of components according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 6 is a flow chart of a signal processing method for optoelectronic hybrid beamforming according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 7 A block diagram of components of a receiver for optoelectronic hybrid beamforming according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a receiver of optoelectronic hybrid beamforming according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Fig. 9 FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a signal processing method for optoelectronic hybrid beamforming according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Description of Figure Numbers

[0024] 10: Optical array antenna architecture;

[0025] 11: Wavelength Division Multiplexer (WDM);

[0026] 12: Coupler (CPL);

[0027] 13: variable delay line (VDL);

[0028] 14: optical antenna array;

[0029] λ1, λ2, λ3, λ4: wavelength;

[0030] 100, 200: teleporter;

[0031] 111, 113, 210: photoelectric converter;

[0032] 131, 133, 230, 751, 753, 850: adjustment circuit;

[0033] 151, 153, 250, 731, 733, 830: amplifier circuit;

[0034] 170, 270, 710, 810: antenna array;

[0035] 171, 173, 711, 713: antenna;

[0036] 190, 290, 790, 890: controller;

[0037] o1~o6, L1~L5: optical signal;

[0038] ie1~ie3: initial electrical signal;

[0039] aj1~aj6: adjust the electrical signal;

[0040] am1~am6: amplify electrical signals;

[0041] vi: voltage signal;

[0042] re1~re3: receiving electrical signals;

[0043] C1~C4: adjustment instructions;

[0044] 205: light generator;

[0045] 220: transimpedance amplifier;

[0046] TLS: variable wavelength light source;

[0047] MUX: multiplexer;

[0048] IM: Modulator;

[0049] LO: local oscillator;

[0050] EDFA: Erbium-doped fiber amplifier;

[0051] DEMUX: division multiplexer;

[0052] CS: reference signal;

[0053] M1~M3: module;

[0054] S610-S670, S910-S970: steps;

[0055] 700, 800: receiver;

[0056] 771, 773, 870: electro-optical converter. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0057] Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Whenever possible, the same reference numerals are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.

[0058] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a block diagram of components of a transmitter 100 for optical-electrical hybrid beamforming according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 The transmitter 100 includes (but is not limited to) optical-to-electrical converters 111 , 113 , adjustment circuits 131 , 133 , an antenna array 170 and a controller 190 .

[0059] The photoelectric converters 111 and 113 may be photodiodes (PD), photodetectors or other optical sensors that convert light into current or voltage signals. In one embodiment, the photoelectric converters 111 and 113 convert the optical signals o1 and o2 into initial electrical signals ie1 and ie2, respectively.

[0060] The adjustment circuits 131 and 133 are respectively coupled to the photoelectric converters 111 and 113. The adjustment circuits 131 and 133 may be chips, application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), microcontrollers or other types of circuits.

[0061] In one embodiment, the adjustment circuits 131, 133 include phase shifters and are used to delay the initial electrical signals ie1, ie2 (i.e., adjust the phase) according to the desired beam pattern formed by the antenna array 170 (for example, by switching the transmission line, load, or high-pass or low-pass filter through a mechanical switch, relay, PIN diode, Field Effect Transistor (FET) or Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) or other switching components to generate a phase shift).

[0062] In another embodiment, the adjustment circuits 131 , 133 , in addition to the aforementioned components for adjusting the phase of the input signal, further include an amplitude attenuator for adjusting the amplitude of the initial electrical signals ie1 , ie2 according to the beam pattern.

[0063] In some embodiments, the adjustment circuits 131, 133 may only include amplitude attenuators. That is, the phases corresponding to some or all channels in the adjustment circuits 131, 133 are fixed. Thus, the initial electrical signals ie1, ie2 with delayed and / or changed amplitudes can be output as adjusted electrical signals aj1, aj2.

[0064] The antenna array 170 includes two antennas 171 and 173. The antennas 171 and 173 are respectively coupled to the adjustment circuits 131 and 133. In one embodiment, the antenna array 170 is used to radiate electromagnetic waves according to the adjustment electrical signals aj1 and aj2.

[0065] It should be noted that by changing the phase and amplitude corresponding to each antenna 171, 173, electromagnetic waves can be superimposed in specific directions and offset in some directions based on constructive and destructive interference, so that a far field pattern formed by the radiation of the antenna array 170 is equivalent to a specific beam pattern (a pattern formed by parameters such as main beam direction, beam width, directional gain, and side beam level).

[0066] The controller 190 is coupled to the adjustment circuits 131 and 133 . The controller 190 may be a chip, an ASIC, an FPGA, a microcontroller or other types of circuits. In one embodiment, the controller 190 outputs an adjustment instruction C1 so that the adjustment circuits 131 and 133 are controlled by the controller 190 .

[0067] In some embodiments, the transmitter 100 further includes amplifier circuits 151, 153. The amplifier circuits 151, 153 are coupled to the adjustment circuits 131, 133. The amplifier circuit 150 includes one or more amplifiers. The amplifier is, for example, a low noise amplifier or a power amplifier. In one embodiment, the amplifier circuits 151, 153 are used to control the waveform of the output signal to be consistent with the input signal, but the output signal may have a larger amplitude. In one embodiment, the amplifier circuits 151, 153 respectively amplify the adjustment electrical signals aj1, aj2 to output amplified electrical signals am1, am2.

[0068] In addition, the embodiments of the present invention may also be applied to architectures with more channels.

[0069] Figure 3 FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a transmitter 200 with optical-electrical hybrid beamforming according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 , the transmitter 200 includes (but is not limited to) an optical generator 205, three or more optical-to-electrical converters 210, three or more transimpedance amplifiers (TIA) 220, three or more adjustment circuits 230, three or more amplification circuits 250, an antenna array 270 (including three or more antennas) and a controller 290. Each channel corresponds to an optical generator 205, an optical-to-electrical converter 210, a transimpedance amplifier 220, an adjustment circuit 230, an amplification circuit 250 and an antenna in the antenna array 270 connected in series.

[0070] The implementation of the photoelectric converter 210, the adjustment circuit 230, the amplifier circuit 250, the antenna array 270 and the controller 290 can be respectively referred to Figure 1 The description of the photoelectric converters 111 , 113 , the adjustment circuits 131 , 133 , the amplification circuits 151 , 153 , the antenna array 170 and the controller 190 will not be repeated here.

[0071] The optical generator 205 is coupled to the photoelectric converter 210. In one embodiment, the optical generator 205 is used to generate a plurality of optical signals o3. For example, Figure 4 FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a light generator 205 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4The optical generator 205 includes (but is not limited to) a tunable light source (TLS), a multiplexer (MUX), a modulator (IM), a local oscillator (LO), an erbium-doped optical fiber amplifier (EDFA), and a demultiplexer (DEMUX).

[0072] Two variable wavelength light sources TLS generate optical signals L1 and L2 according to wavelengths λ3 and λ4 respectively. The multiplexer MUX combines the two optical signals L1 and L2 of different wavelengths λ3 and λ4 into an optical signal L3. The modulator IM mixes the optical signal L3 according to the reference signal CS provided by the local oscillator LO to output an optical signal L4. The erbium-doped fiber amplifier EDFA amplifies the optical signal L4 to output an optical signal L5. The demultiplexer DEMUX demultiplexes the optical signal L5 to form a plurality of optical signals Sp2 on different channels.

[0073] It should be noted that the light generator 205 may have other implementations, and the user may modify it according to the needs, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0074] In addition, the transimpedance amplifier 220 is coupled between the photoelectric converter 210 and the adjustment circuit 230. In one embodiment, the transimpedance amplifier 220 is used to convert the current signal output by the photoelectric converter 210 into a voltage signal, so as to make the impedance matching when converting the optical signal to the radio frequency domain more efficient.

[0075] It is worth noting that the number of channels of the transmitter 200 may exceed ten groups. For example, 16 groups, 32 groups, or 64 groups. However, the embodiment of the present invention does not limit the number of channels. In some embodiments, the more antennas in the antenna array 270, the better the beamforming effect may be. For example, the shape of the main beam is relatively narrow and the directional gain is relatively large, and the amplitude of the side beam is also relatively low, but it is not limited to this.

[0076] Please refer to Figure 3 The transmitter 200 of the embodiment of the present invention provides an optical-electrical hybrid (or Radio Over Fiber (RoF)) beamforming architecture. The optical generator 205 and the optical-electrical converter 210 form an optical beamforming architecture in the optical domain; the adjustment circuit 230, the amplifier circuit 250 and the antenna array 270 form an analog beamforming architecture in the radio frequency domain.

[0077] In one embodiment, multiple components in the transmitter 200 may be packaged together. Figure 5AThis is a schematic diagram of modular components according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5A Taking one channel as an example, the photoelectric converter 210 can be packaged into a module M1, and the adjustment circuit 230 and the amplifier circuit 250 can be packaged into a module M2.

[0078] Figure 5B This is a schematic diagram of component modularization according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5B , the photoelectric converter 210, the transimpedance amplifier 220, the adjustment circuit 230 and the amplifier circuit 250 are packaged together into a module M3. By adopting a new packaging form and adding the transimpedance amplifier 220 after the photoelectric converter 210, better impedance matching can be achieved, thereby improving efficiency. In addition, after the overall packaging, the loss of module integration can be reduced, thereby improving the overall performance.

[0079] It should be noted that Figure 5A and Figure 5B It is packaged in a single channel manner. However, in other embodiments, it can be packaged in an array manner (multi-channel manner) to meet the module requirements of multiple channels. That is, two or more photoelectric converters 210, two or more transimpedance amplifiers 220, two or more adjustment circuits 230 and two or more amplification circuits 250 are packaged together. For example, 1×4 (i.e., 4-channel), 1×8 (i.e., 8-channel) or 1×16 (i.e., 16-channel) arrays are packaged together.

[0080] The following will describe the operation process of the transmitters 100 and 200. For ease of reading, the following will take the transmitter 200 as the main body. The same or corresponding components in the transmitter 100 can refer to the description of the transmitter 200 and will not be repeated.

[0081] Figure 6 FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a signal processing method for optoelectronic hybrid beamforming according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 , each photoelectric converter 210 receives the optical signal o3 from the optical generator 205, and converts the optical signal o3 into an initial electrical signal ie3 (step S610). The photoelectric converter 210 may convert the optical signal o3 into an initial electrical signal ie3 of current or voltage. In one embodiment, if the initial electrical signal ie3 is in the form of current, the transimpedance amplifier 220 may convert the initial electrical signal ie3 into a voltage form to generate a voltage signal vi. In another embodiment, if the initial electrical signal ie3 is in the form of voltage, the transimpedance amplifier 220 may be ignored.

[0082] Each adjustment circuit 230 may delay the initial electrical signal ie3 according to the beam pattern formed by the corresponding antenna array 270 to output the adjusted electrical signal am3 (step S630). Specifically, the beamforming formed by the radiation of multiple antennas in the antenna array 270 may have different patterns (for example, different radiation directions, gains or shapes) due to different phases or phase differences with adjacent channels. Figure 3 The right side is an example of a beamforming. In some embodiments, in order to achieve a specific direction or gain (i.e., amplitude) for the antenna array 270, the corresponding phase (i.e., delay time) of each channel may be different, so the adjustment circuit 230 on all or part of the channels will adjust the phase of the initial electrical signal ie3 or voltage signal vi input thereto. In this way, the signal can be delayed so that the phases of the adjusted electrical signals aj3 on different channels are different, thereby forming a phase difference, thereby achieving beamforming with different directions. In addition, all or part of the adjustment circuit 230 can also adjust the amplitude of the initial electrical signal ie3 or voltage signal vi input thereto, thereby changing the width or gain of the beam.

[0083] In one embodiment, the controller 290 may set the beam pattern corresponding to the antenna array 270 (i.e., the desired beamforming, including the beam direction and pattern), and form an adjustment instruction C2 accordingly. Each adjustment circuit 230 may generate an adjustment electrical signal aj3 according to the adjustment instruction C2. In other words, the control of the amplitude and / or phase of the initial electrical signal ie3 or the voltage signal vi is performed by the controller 290 issuing instructions to all or part of the adjustment circuits 230, thereby adjusting the phase and / or gain.

[0084] In some embodiments, the amplitude or phase of the initial electrical signal ie3 or voltage signal vi of some channels is fixed, and only the amplitude or phase of the initial electrical signal ie3 or voltage signal vi of other channels can be adjusted.

[0085] In addition, the same components on different channels may still cause phase differences. Therefore, phase correction is required. In another embodiment, the controller 290 can set the initial phase and form another adjustment instruction C2 related to the correction. Each adjustment circuit 230 can be corrected to this initial phase according to the adjustment instruction C2 to make the initial phase consistent. In this way, the subsequent phase adjustment of each channel can be accurately adjusted to the specified beam pattern.

[0086] In some embodiments, the controller 290 may provide an internal transmission interface (e.g., Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI), Universal Synchronous Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter (UART), or I2C) to connect and control the adjustment circuits 230 accordingly. In addition, an external computing device (e.g., a personal computer, a laptop, or a smart phone) may be connected via an external transmission interface (e.g., Ethernet, or USB) to control the controller 290 accordingly. The computing device may provide a window interface to facilitate operator settings, and to modify, read, or store data related to instructions or beam pattern settings. The calibration data stored in the non-volatile memory will be read into the memory by the controller 290 after each system restart, and the data will be written into the register of the adjustment circuit 230 through the internal transmission interface to achieve the calibration function. In addition, the computing device may dynamically load a library to provide software development and calibration automation functions.

[0087] It is worth noting that the phase difference generated in the optical end link is adjusted by the adjustment circuit 230 in the analog beamforming architecture to further perform phase matching correction. After phase correction, the purpose of front-end beamforming can also be achieved through the analog beamforming architecture. The back-end optical beamforming architecture can achieve fine-tuning, allowing the overall beamforming to achieve more efficient and more extensive adjustments.

[0088] In one embodiment, each amplifier circuit 250 can amplify the adjustment electrical signal aj3 to output the amplified electrical signal am3. In other words, the amplitude of the amplified electrical signal am3 may be greater than the adjustment electrical signal aj3.

[0089] Next, the antenna array 270 may radiate electromagnetic waves according to the adjustment electrical signals aj3 (step S650). It is worth noting that the adjustment electrical signals aj3 with different phases and / or amplitudes assigned to multiple channels will cause the antenna array 270 to form a phased array, thereby strengthening the intensity of the electromagnetic wave in a specified direction and suppressing the intensity in other directions. In this way, a far-field pattern of the antenna array 270 may be equivalent to the aforementioned desired beam pattern.

[0090] In some embodiments, if the amplifying circuit 250 is provided, the antenna array 270 may radiate electromagnetic waves according to the amplified electrical signals am3.

[0091] In addition to the transmitting end, similar inventive concepts can also be applied to the receiving end.

[0092] Figure 7FIG. 7 is a block diagram of components of a receiver 700 for optical-electrical hybrid beamforming according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 , the receiver 700 includes (but is not limited to) an antenna array 710, adjustment circuits 751, 753, electro-optical converters 771, 773, and a controller 790. In some embodiments, the receiver 700 may further include amplifier circuits 731, 733. The implementation of the antenna array 710, the amplifier circuits 731, 733, the adjustment circuits 751, 753, and the controller 790 may refer to the description of the antenna arrays 170, 270, the amplifier circuits 151, 153, 250, the adjustment circuits 131, 133, 230, and the controllers 190, 290 of the transmitters 100, 200, respectively, and will not be repeated here.

[0093] The main difference between the transmitter 100 and the transmitter 100 is that the amplifying circuits 731 , 733 and the adjusting circuits 751 , 753 are reversed, and the photoelectric converters 111 , 113 are replaced by electro-optical converters 771 , 773 .

[0094] Specifically, the antenna array 710 includes two antennas 711 and 713. The two antennas 711 and 713 radiate and receive two receiving electrical signals re1 and re2.

[0095] The amplifier circuits 731 , 733 are respectively coupled to the two antennas 711 , 713 of the antenna array 710 , and are used to amplify the received electrical signals re1 , re2 to output amplified electrical signals am4 , am5 .

[0096] The adjustment circuits 751, 753 are coupled to the antennas 711, 713 or the amplification circuits 731, 733, and are used to delay and amplify the electrical signals am4, am5 or the received electrical signals re1, re2 respectively according to the beam pattern (ie, the designated beam pattern) formed by the antenna array 710 to output the adjusted electrical signals aj4, aj5.

[0097] In some embodiments, the adjustment circuits 751 , 753 further adjust the amplitudes of the amplified electrical signals am4 , am5 or the received electrical signals re1 , re2 according to the beam pattern.

[0098] The electro-optical converters 771, 773 are coupled to the adjustment circuits 751, 753. The electro-optical converters 771, 773 may be laser diodes (LD), laser generators or other generators that convert electrical energy into light energy. In one embodiment, the electro-optical converters 771, 773 are used to convert the adjustment electrical signals aj4, aj5 into optical signals o4, o5, respectively.

[0099] In addition, in one embodiment, the controller 790 is coupled to the adjustment circuits 751 and 753 and is used to set the beam pattern corresponding to the antenna array 710 and form an adjustment instruction C3 accordingly. The adjustment circuits 751 and 753 can generate adjustment electrical signals aj4 and aj5 according to the adjustment instruction C3.

[0100] In another embodiment, for phase calibration, the controller 790 may be used to set the initial phase and generate another adjustment instruction C3 related to phase calibration. The adjustment circuits 751 and 753 may be adjusted to the initial phase according to the phase-related adjustment instruction C3 to make the initial phases consistent.

[0101] In addition, the embodiments of the present invention may also be applied to architectures with more channels.

[0102] Figure 8 FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a receiver 800 for optical-electrical hybrid beamforming according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 , the receiver 800 includes (but is not limited to) multiple antenna arrays 810, multiple amplifier circuits 830, multiple adjustment circuits 850 and multiple electro-optical converters 870. Each channel corresponds to one antenna, one amplifier circuit 830, one adjustment circuit 850 and one electro-optical converter 870 in the antenna array 810 connected in series.

[0103] The implementation forms of the antenna array 810, the amplifier circuit 830, the adjustment circuit 850 and the electro-optical converter 870 can be respectively referred to Figure 7 The description of the antenna array 710, the amplifying circuits 731, 733, the adjusting circuits 751, 753 and the electro-optical converters 771, 773 will not be repeated here.

[0104] It is worth noting that the number of channels of the receiver 800 may exceed ten groups, for example, 16 groups, 32 groups or 64 groups. However, the embodiment of the present invention does not limit the number of channels. In some embodiments, the more antennas in the antenna array 810, the better the beamforming effect may be.

[0105] Similarly, the receiver 800 of the embodiment of the present invention provides an optical-electrical hybrid (or RoF) beamforming architecture, wherein the electro-optical converter 870 forms an optical beamforming architecture in the optical domain, and the amplifier circuit 830, the adjustment circuit 850 and the electro-optical converter 870 form an analog beamforming architecture in the radio frequency domain.

[0106] The following will describe the operation process of the receivers 700 and 800. For ease of reading, the following will take the receiver 800 as the main body. The same or corresponding components in the receiver 700 can refer to the description of the receiver 800 and will not be repeated.

[0107] Fig. 9FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a signal processing method for optoelectronic hybrid beamforming according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 9 , those antennas in the antenna array 810 respectively receive the corresponding received electrical signal re3 (step S910).

[0108] In one embodiment, each amplifier circuit 830 amplifies the corresponding received electrical signal re3 to output a corresponding amplified electrical signal am6.

[0109] Each adjustment circuit 850 delays the corresponding received electrical signal re3 according to the beam pattern formed by the corresponding antenna array 810 to output the corresponding adjusted electrical signal aj6 (step S930). Different phase delays are given to each antenna of the antenna array 810 to compensate for the difference in the arrival time of the wave front of the radio signal. In this way, a corresponding receiving beam pattern can be provided according to the direction of arrival (DoA) of the wave front of the radio signal.

[0110] In some embodiments, if the amplifier circuit 830 is provided, the adjustment circuit 850 can delay the amplified electrical signals am6 respectively.

[0111] Each electro-optical converter 870 converts the corresponding adjusted electrical signal aj6 into a corresponding optical signal o6 (step S950 ).

[0112] In addition, the controller 890 can set the beam pattern or initial phase corresponding to the antenna array 810 and generate an adjustment instruction C4 accordingly. Thus, each adjustment circuit 850 can generate an adjustment electrical signal aj6 or calibrate to the initial phase according to the adjustment instruction C4.

[0113] It should be noted that the details of the above steps can be referred to separately Figures 2 to 4 and Figure 7 Similarly, after the adjustment circuit 850 on each channel performs phase correction, it is adjusted to the phase and / or amplitude corresponding to the specified beam pattern to achieve the specified beamforming.

[0114] In summary, in the transmitter, receiver and signal processing method of the optoelectronic hybrid beamforming of the embodiment of the present invention, the optoelectronic hybrid beamforming architecture is implemented in the transmitter and the receiver. Among them, the phase of the electrical signal is adjusted, and the phase of the signal of each channel can meet the requirements of the beam pattern of the antenna array. In addition, the specified phase difference can be accurately formed for multiple channels to achieve beamforming. Compared with the conventional architecture, there is no need to set up a wavelength division multiplexer and a variable delay line, thereby reducing components. In addition, the architecture of the optoelectronic hybrid beamforming of the embodiment of the present invention can be easily adjusted to the specified phase and complete the phase correction.

[0115] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein with equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A transmitter with optoelectronic hybrid beamforming, characterized in that: include: A first photoelectric converter, used to convert the first optical signal into a first initial electrical signal; A first adjustment circuit, coupled to the first photoelectric converter, and used to delay the first initial electrical signal according to a beam pattern formed by the antenna array to output a first adjustment electrical signal; A second photoelectric converter, used for converting the second optical signal into a second initial electrical signal; A second adjustment circuit is coupled to the second photoelectric converter and is used to delay the second initial electrical signal according to the beam pattern to output a second adjustment electrical signal, wherein Correcting the first adjustment circuit and the second adjustment circuit to initial phases, so that the initial phase of the first adjustment circuit is consistent with the initial phase of the second adjustment circuit; as well as In response to the correction of the initial phase, performing subsequent phase adjustment of the first initial electrical signal and the second initial electrical signal for the beam pattern to be formed by the antenna array; as well as The antenna array comprises: A first antenna, coupled to the first adjustment circuit; as well as The second antenna is coupled to the second adjustment circuit, wherein the antenna array radiates electromagnetic waves according to the first adjustment electrical signal and the second adjustment electrical signal.

2. The optoelectronic hybrid beamforming transmitter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first adjustment circuit further adjusts the amplitude of the first initial electrical signal according to the beam pattern.

3. The optical-electrical hybrid beamforming transmitter according to claim 1, further comprising: The amplifying circuit is coupled to the first adjusting circuit and the first antenna, and is used to amplify the first adjusting electrical signal to output an amplified electrical signal, wherein the first antenna radiates according to the amplified electrical signal.

4. The optoelectronic hybrid beamforming transmitter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first adjustment electrical signal and the second adjustment electrical signal have different phases.

5. The optoelectronic hybrid beamforming transmitter according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: A controller is coupled to the first adjustment circuit and the second adjustment circuit, and is used to set the beam pattern formed by the antenna array and form an adjustment instruction accordingly, wherein The first adjustment circuit and the second adjustment circuit generate the first adjustment electrical signal and the second adjustment electrical signal respectively according to the adjustment instruction.

6. The optoelectronic hybrid beamforming transmitter according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: A controller is coupled to the first adjustment circuit and the second adjustment circuit to set the initial phase and form a second adjustment instruction accordingly, wherein The first adjustment circuit and the second adjustment circuit are calibrated to the initial phase according to the second adjustment instruction.

7. The optoelectronic hybrid beamforming transmitter according to claim 3, characterized in that: Also includes: The transimpedance amplifier is coupled between the first photoelectric converter and the first adjustment circuit, wherein the first photoelectric converter, the transimpedance amplifier, the adjustment circuit and the amplification circuit are packaged together.

8. An optoelectronic hybrid beamforming receiver, characterized in that: include: Antenna array, including: A first antenna, used to receive a first received electrical signal; and A second antenna, used to receive a second received electrical signal; A first adjustment circuit, coupled to the first antenna, and used to delay the first received electrical signal according to a beam pattern to be formed by the antenna array, so as to output a first adjustment electrical signal; A first electro-optical converter, coupled to the first adjustment circuit and used to convert the first adjustment electrical signal into a first optical signal; a second adjustment circuit coupled to the second antenna and used for delaying the second received electrical signal according to the beam pattern to output a second adjusted electrical signal, wherein the first adjustment circuit and the second adjustment circuit are corrected to an initial phase so that the initial phase of the first adjustment circuit and the initial phase of the second adjustment circuit are consistent, and in response to the correction of the initial phase, subsequent phase adjustment of the first received electrical signal and the second received electrical signal is performed for the beam pattern to be formed by the antenna array; and The second electro-optical converter is coupled to the second adjustment circuit and is used for converting the second adjustment electrical signal into a second optical signal.

9. The optoelectronic hybrid beamforming receiver according to claim 8, characterized in that: The first adjustment circuit further adjusts the amplitude of the first received electrical signal according to the beam pattern.

10. The optoelectronic hybrid beamforming receiver according to claim 8, characterized in that: Also includes: The amplifying circuit is coupled to the first antenna and the first adjusting circuit, and is used to amplify the first received electrical signal to output an amplified electrical signal, wherein the first adjusting circuit delays the amplified electrical signal.

11. The optoelectronic hybrid beamforming receiver according to claim 8, characterized in that: The first adjustment electrical signal and the second adjustment electrical signal have different phases.

12. The optoelectronic hybrid beamforming receiver according to claim 8, characterized in that: Also includes: A controller is coupled to the first adjustment circuit and the second adjustment circuit, and is used to set the beam pattern formed by the antenna array and form an adjustment instruction accordingly, wherein The first adjustment circuit and the second adjustment circuit generate the first adjustment electrical signal and the second adjustment electrical signal respectively according to the adjustment instruction.

13. The optoelectronic hybrid beamforming receiver according to claim 9, characterized in that: Also includes: A controller is coupled to the first adjustment circuit and the second adjustment circuit to set the initial phase and form a second adjustment instruction accordingly, wherein The first adjustment circuit and the second adjustment circuit are calibrated to the initial phase according to the second adjustment instruction.

14. A signal processing method for optoelectronic hybrid beamforming, suitable for a transmitter, characterized in that: include: Converting a first optical signal and a second optical signal into a first initial electrical signal and a second initial electrical signal respectively; Correcting to an initial phase so that the initial phase of the first initial electrical signal is consistent with the initial phase of the second initial electrical signal; In response to the correction of the initial phase, performing subsequent phase adjustment of the first initial electrical signal and the second initial electrical signal for a beam pattern formed by a desired antenna array; Delaying the first initial electrical signal and the second initial electrical signal respectively according to the beam pattern to be formed by the antenna array to output a first adjusted electrical signal and a second adjusted electrical signal; as well as Electromagnetic waves are radiated through the antenna array according to the first adjustment electrical signal and the second adjustment electrical signal, wherein the antenna array includes two antennas corresponding to the first adjustment electrical signal and the second adjustment electrical signal respectively.

15. A signal processing method for optoelectronic hybrid beamforming, applicable to a receiver, characterized in that: include: Receiving a first receiving electrical signal and a second receiving electrical signal respectively through two antennas of the antenna array; Correcting to an initial phase so that the initial phase of the first received electrical signal is consistent with the initial phase of the second received electrical signal; In response to the correction of the initial phase, performing subsequent phase adjustment of the first received electrical signal and the second received electrical signal for a beam pattern to be formed by the antenna array; Delaying the first received electrical signal and the second received electrical signal respectively according to the beam pattern formed by the antenna array to output a first adjusted electrical signal and a second adjusted electrical signal; as well as The first adjusted electrical signal and the second adjusted electrical signal are converted into a first optical signal and a second optical signal respectively.

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