Ultra-wideband non-reflective front end in multi-band systems

Abstract

A network node operating in a communication network may divide a broadband signal into a plurality of sub-bands using a broadband multiplexer. The network node may further pass portions of the sub-bands of the plurality of sub-bands to an antenna or processing circuit through a broadband circulator and a second multiplexer of the network node.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to wireless communication systems, and more particularly to an ultra-wideband non-reflective front end in a multi-band system. Background Art

[0002] Figure 1 An example of a fifth generation (“5G”) network is shown that includes a 5G base station (“gNB”) 102 and a plurality of communication devices 104 , also referred to as user equipment (“UE”).

[0003] Figure 2 An example of a broadband front end for a transmitter system is shown. Driver 210 feeds a power amplifier ("PA") 220, which inputs a broadband signal into a multi-port network that divides the broadband signal into n parts. Each part passes through a circulator 240a-n and a corresponding bandpass filter ("BPF") 250a-n to produce Figure 3 Since the system is a multi-band system, the harmonics and intermodulation products can be very wide in the spectrum. The in-band signals will be transmitted to the antenna 260 and the out-of-band signals will be reflected by the BPF 250a-n back to the PA 220. Summary of the invention

[0004] According to some embodiments, a method of operating a network node in a communication network is provided. The method includes dividing a broadband signal into a plurality of sub-bands using a broadband multiplexer of the network node. The method further includes passing portions of the sub-bands of the plurality of sub-bands to an antenna or processing circuit of the network node through a broadband circulator and a second multiplexer of the network node.

[0005] According to other embodiments, a network node, a computer program and / or a computer program product for performing the above method is provided.

[0006] In various embodiments described herein, a broadband multiplexer and a broadband circulator produce a non-reflective front end. In some embodiments, the broadband multiplexer includes a cascaded low pass filter ("LPF") and a high pass filter ("HPF") that can be matched. The broadband multiplexer can divide a broadband signal into sub-bands with a relative bandwidth exceeding 100% of the broadband signal. The insertion loss of the broadband multiplexer can be very low and the operating frequency band can cover from DC to very high frequencies. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate certain non-limiting embodiments of the inventive concept. In the drawings:

[0008] Figure 1is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a fifth generation (“5G”) network (also referred to as a New Radio (“NR”) network);

[0009] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a wide multi-band transmitter system;

[0010] Figure 3 It is shown by Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an example of a channel provided by a transmitter system;

[0011] Figure 4 is a circuit diagram showing an example of an ultra-wideband feed-forward circuit;

[0012] Figure 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a non-reflective front end having a band pass filter ("BPF") consisting of a low pass filter ("LPF") and a high pass filter ("HPF");

[0013] Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a broadband front end according to some embodiments;

[0014] Figure 7 is a block diagram showing an example of how low pass and high pass filters may be cascaded according to some embodiments;

[0015] Figure 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a non-reflective cascaded front end according to some embodiments;

[0016] Fig. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a communication device according to some embodiments;

[0017] Fig.10 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a radio access network ("RAN") node according to some embodiments;

[0018] Figure 11-12 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a process performed by a network node having an ultra-wideband non-reflective front end according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The inventive concept will now be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which examples of embodiments of the inventive concept are shown. However, the inventive concept can be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the inventive concept to those skilled in the art. It should also be noted that these embodiments are not mutually exclusive. Components from one embodiment may be assumed by default to be presented in / used in another embodiment.

[0020] Figure 4An example of an ultra-wideband feed-forward circuit is shown. In this example, the reflected signal may be amplified again and again by the error amplifier and this will cause the system to have reliability issues, or degrade the performance of the front-end system. Therefore, a non-reflective front end may be used to improve performance. A non-reflective front end used with a transmitter may cause all in-band signals to be transmitted to the antenna port and out-of-band signals to be absorbed by the front end itself.

[0021] Figure 5 An example of connecting bandpass, lowpass, and highpass filters together is shown. A broadband signal 510 is divided and provided to a lowpass filter ("LPF") 520, a bandpass filter ("BPF") 530a-n, and a highpass filter ("HPF") 540. Each of the filters associated with a desired channel (e.g., operating bands 1-n) is coupled to a corresponding circulator 560a-n, while each of the undesired channels is connected to a load. This can result in the multiplexer operating only in the desired channel without the signal being reflected back to the PA.

[0022] However, matching the LPF 520, BPF 530a-c, and HPF 540 can be difficult. The BPF will introduce a large reactive component into the terminal impedance seen by the LPF / HPF in the passband of the LPF / HPF. The LPF / HPF will also introduce a large reactive component into the terminals seen by the BPF in the passband of the BPF. These reactive components can make matching between the BPF, LPF, and HPF difficult.

[0023] Determining whether the relative bandwidth of BPF is greater than 100% may also be difficult.

[0024] Various embodiments described herein include a multiplexer consisting of a cascaded LPF and HPF and a broadband circulator. The multiplexer can separate the entire broadband signal into many sub-bands. The bandwidth of the sub-band can exceed one octave. The working sub-bands are each connected to a broadband circulator and the unused sub-bands are each connected to a broadband load. The BPF can be connected in parallel with the broadband circulator. Signals between the working frequency bands can be reflected by the BPF and absorbed by the broadband circulator. If all the working frequency bands are within one octave, only one circulator is required. The unused sub-bands can be very wide (more than one octave), but due to the limitations of the circulator, the working sub-bands will not be larger than one octave.

[0025] Fig. 9900 (also referred to as a mobile terminal, a mobile communication terminal, a wireless device, a wireless communication device, a wireless terminal, a mobile device, a wireless communication terminal, a user equipment, a UE, a user equipment node / terminal / device, etc.) configured to provide wireless communication according to an embodiment of the inventive concept. As shown, the communication device 900 may include an antenna 907 and a transceiver 901 (also referred to as a transceiver circuit), the transceiver circuit including a transmitter and a receiver configured to provide uplink and downlink radio communications with (one or more) base stations of a radio access network (also referred to as RAN nodes). The communication device 900 may also include a processing circuit 903 (also referred to as a processor) coupled to the transceiver circuit and a memory circuit 905 (also referred to as a memory) coupled to the processing circuit. The memory circuit 905 may include a computer-readable program code that, when executed by the processing circuit 903, causes the processing circuit to perform operations according to the embodiments disclosed herein. According to other embodiments, the processing circuit 903 may be defined to include a memory so that a separate memory circuit is not required. The communication device 900 may further include an interface (such as a user interface) coupled to the processing circuit 903, and / or a communication device UE that may be incorporated into a vehicle.

[0026] As discussed herein, the operations of the communication device 900 may be performed by the processing circuit 903 and / or the transceiver 901. For example, the processing circuit 903 may control the transceiver 901 to transmit communications to a radio access network node (also referred to as a base station) through the transceiver 901 over a radio interface and / or to receive communications from a RAN node through the transceiver 901 over a radio interface. In addition, modules may be stored in the memory circuit 905, and these modules may provide instructions so that when the instructions of the modules are executed by the processing circuit 903, the processing circuit 903 performs the corresponding operations.

[0027] Fig.10is a block diagram illustrating elements of a radio access network ("RAN") node 1000 (also referred to as a network node, base station, eNodeB / eNB, gNodeB / gNB, etc.) of a radio access network (RAN) configured to provide cellular communications according to embodiments of the inventive concepts. As shown, the RAN node 1000 may include a transceiver circuit 1001 (also referred to as a transceiver) including a transmitter and a receiver configured to provide uplink and downlink radio communications with a mobile terminal. The RAN node 1000 may include a network interface circuit 1007 (also referred to as a network interface) configured to provide communications with a core network CN and / or other nodes of the RAN (e.g., with other base stations). The RAN node 1000 may also include a processing circuit 1003 (also referred to as a processor) coupled to the transceiver circuit and a memory 1005 (also referred to as a memory circuit) coupled to the processing circuit. The memory 1005 may include computer-readable program code that, when executed by the processing circuit 1003, causes the processing circuit to perform operations according to the embodiments disclosed herein. According to other embodiments, the processing circuit 1003 may be defined to include a memory, such that a separate memory circuit is not required.

[0028] As discussed herein, the operations of the RAN node 1000 may be performed by the processing circuit 1003, the network interface 1007, and / or the transceiver 1001. For example, the processing circuit 1003 may control the transceiver 1001 to transmit downlink communications to one or more mobile terminals UE through the radio interface through the transceiver 1001 and / or to receive uplink communications from one or more mobile terminals UE through the radio interface through the transceiver 1001. Similarly, the processing circuit 1003 may control the network interface 1007 to transmit communications to one or more other network nodes through the network interface 1007 and / or to receive communications from one or more other network nodes through the network interface. In addition, modules may be stored in the memory 1005, and these modules may provide instructions so that when the instructions of the modules are executed by the processing circuit 1003, the processing circuit 1003 performs corresponding operations (e.g., the operations discussed below with respect to example embodiments related to network nodes).

[0029] Figure 6 An example of a broadband front end with a broadband multiplexer 620 is shown. The broadband multiplexer 620 can receive a broadband signal from a broadband signal source 610 and divide the broadband signal into n sub-bands. Undesired sub-bands can be delivered to loads 640a-n. Desired sub-bands can be delivered to first ports of corresponding circulators 650a-n. A second port of each of the circulators 650a-n can be coupled to a unique set of BPFs 662a-n, 664a-n, and 666a-n, the outputs of which can be provided to a broadband signal output 670.

[0030] In some embodiments, the broadband front end is part of a transmitter.The broadband signal source 610 may include a driver and a power amplifier for generating a broadband signal.The broadband signal output 670 may include an antenna for transmitting the desired portion of the sub-band.

[0031] In additional or alternative embodiments, the wideband front end is part of a receiver.The wideband signal source 610 may include an antenna and the wideband signal output 670 may include processing circuitry for processing a desired portion of the sub-band.

[0032] Figure 7 7. The use of cascaded LPFs 710a-n and HPFs 720a-n to implement a broadband multiplexer (e.g., Figure 6 7. An example of a circuit of a broadband multiplexer 620 in FIG. 7. A broadband signal 700 (having a frequency range from DC to fn) can be input to both LPF 710a and HPF 720a. HPF 720a can have a cutoff frequency of fn, so that any portion of the broadband signal 700 having a higher frequency than fn is output by HPF 720a. LPF 710 can have a cutoff frequency of fn, so that any portion of the broadband signal 700 having a frequency less than fn is output by LPF 710a.

[0033] The output of LPF 710a may be provided as an input to LPF 710b and HPF 720b (cascaded). HPF 720b may have a cutoff frequency of f(n-1) such that any portion of the output of LPF 710a that is higher than f(n-1) is output by HPF 720b. Thus, HPF 720b outputs a portion of broadband signal 700 having a frequency between f(n-1) and fn. LPF 710b may have a cutoff frequency of f(n-1) such that any portion of the output of LPF 710a that is less than f(n-1) is output by LPF 710b.

[0034] The output of LPF 710b may be passed through a series of LPFs and HPFs (cascaded) and portions of the output of LPF 710b (e.g., portions having frequencies less than f2) may be provided to LPF 710n and HPF 720n. HPF 720n may have a cutoff frequency of f1 such that any portion of the remaining signal input to HPF 720n that is higher than f(1) is output by HPF 720n. Thus, HPF 720n outputs portions of broadband signal 700 having frequencies between f1 and f2. LPF 710n may have a cutoff frequency of f1 such that any portion of the remaining signal input to LPF 710n that is lower than f1 is output by LPF 710n. Thus, LPF 710n outputs portions of broadband signal 700 having frequencies from 0 (DC) to f1.

[0035] Figure 8 An example of a front-end system that processes a wideband signal having a frequency from 0.1 to 8 GHz, where the desired channel is from 2.2 to 4.4 GHz, is shown. A wideband signal 810 is provided to an HPF 820 and an LPF 840. The HPF 820 has a 4.4 GHz cutoff frequency and passes a portion of the wideband signal from 4.4 to 8 GHz (undesired channel) to a load 830. The LPF 840 has a 4.4 GHz cutoff frequency and passes a portion of the wideband signal from 0.1 to 4.4 GHz to an LPF 850 ​​and an HPF 870. The LPF 850 ​​has a 2.2 GHz cutoff frequency and passes a portion of the wideband signal from 0.1 to 2.2 GHz (undesired channel) to a load 860. The HPF 870 has a 2.2 GHz cutoff frequency and passes a portion of the wideband signal from 2.2 to 4.4 GHz (desired channel) to a first port of a wideband circulator 880. The wideband circulator may be configured to process a portion of the wideband signal including frequencies from 2.2 to 4.4 GHz and pass the portion to a multiplexer 890. Multiplexer 890 may include a series of BPFs and any reflected portion of the signal provided to multiplexer 890 is provided to a second port of wideband circulator 880, which may pass the portion to a third port of the wideband circulator coupled to a load 885. The non-reflected (desired) portion of the signal provided to multiplexer 890 may be provided to an antenna or processing circuit as an output of the front end system.

[0036] Figure 11-12 An example of a process performed by a network node (eg, communication device 900 or RAN node 1000 ) is shown. Figure 11-12 In the following it will be described as being performed by the front end 600 (using Figure 6 The structure of the block diagram is implemented) executed.

[0037] Fig.11 An example of operations performed by the front end 600 implemented in a transmitter is shown.

[0038] At block 1120, the broadband multiplexer 620 divides the broadband signal into a plurality of sub-bands. In some embodiments, the broadband multiplexer 620 may include a series of cascaded HPFs and LPFs (e.g., Figure 7 In an additional or alternative embodiment, dividing the wideband signal into a plurality of sub-bands includes: generating a first sub-band of the plurality of sub-bands by passing the wideband signal through a first HPF; generating a second sub-band of the plurality of sub-bands by passing the wideband signal through a first LPF followed by a second HPF; and generating a third sub-band of the plurality of sub-bands by passing the wideband signal through a first LPF followed by a second LPF followed by a third HPF.

[0039] At block 1130, the circulator 650a-n transmits the signal to the circulator 650a-n via the second port and through a second multiplexer (e.g., Figure 6 BPF662a-n or Figure 8 The multiplexer 890 in FIG. 1 passes a portion of a sub-band in the plurality of sub-bands from the first port to the antenna (eg, Fig. 9 Antenna 907 or Fig.10 In some embodiments, the portion of the sub-band may be a first portion of the sub-band. In some embodiments, passing the portion of the sub-band from the first port of the broadband circulator 650a-n to the antenna via the second port of the broadband circulator 650a-n includes passing the sub-band from the first port of the broadband circulator 650a-n to the second port of the broadband circulator 650a-n, and providing the sub-band to a second multiplexer in response to passing the sub-band from the first port of the broadband circulator 650a-n to the second port of the broadband circulator 650a-n. In response to providing the sub-band to the second multiplexer, the second multiplexer may divide the sub-band into the first portion and the second portion.

[0040] In additional or alternative embodiments, in response to dividing the sub-band into the first portion of the sub-band and the second portion of the sub-band, the second multiplexer may reflect the second portion of the sub-band to the second port of the broadband circulator 650a-n. In response to the second portion of the sub-band being reflected to the second port of the broadband circulator 650a-n, the broadband circulator 650a-n may pass the second portion of the sub-band from the second port to the load via a third port of the broadband circulator 650a-n.

[0041] In additional or alternative embodiments, in response to dividing the sub-band into the first portion of the sub-band, the second multiplexer may pass the first portion of the sub-band to the antenna.

[0042] At block 1140, the antenna transmits the portion of the subband via the antenna.

[0043] Fig.12 An example of operations performed by the front end 600 implemented in a receiver is shown. At block 1210, an antenna (e.g., Fig. 9 Antenna 907 or Fig.10 The transceiver 1001 of FIG. 110 receives the broadband signal. Fig.11 The broadband multiplexer 620 divides the broadband signal into a plurality of sub-bands. At block 1230, the circulator 650a-n passes portions of the sub-bands of the plurality of sub-bands from the first port to the processing circuit (e.g., Fig. 9 The processing circuit 903 or Fig.10 In some embodiments, the processing circuit 1003 of FIG. 120 may be executed at block 1230. Fig.11 The processing circuitry may perform operations similar to those described in block 1130 of FIG. 1240 , and the processing circuitry may process portions of the sub-band.

[0044] Regarding some embodiments of related methods and network nodes, Figure 11-12 Various operations may be optional. For example, in some methods, Fig.11 The box 1140 and Fig.12 The operations of blocks 1210 and 1240 may be optional. Figure 11-12 The various operations may be combined or arranged in any suitable order and are within the intended scope of the present disclosure.

[0045] Example embodiments are included below.The embodiments described below may be included, omitted, combined, or arranged in any suitable order or combination and are within the intended scope of the present disclosure.

[0046] Embodiment 1. A method for operating a network node in a communication network, the method comprising:

[0047] dividing (1120) a broadband signal into a plurality of sub-bands using a broadband multiplexer of the network node; and

[0048] Portions of the subbands of the plurality of subbands are delivered (1130, 1230) to an antenna or processing circuit of the network node through a broadband circulator of the network node and a second multiplexer of the network node.

[0049] Embodiment 2. The method as described in Embodiment 1, wherein the broadband multiplexer comprises a series of cascaded high pass filters HPF and low pass filters LPF for dividing the broadband signal into the plurality of sub-bands.

[0050] Embodiment 3. The method of embodiment 2, wherein dividing the broadband signal comprises:

[0051] generating a first subband of the plurality of subbands by passing the wideband signal through a first HPF;

[0052] generating a second sub-band of the plurality of sub-bands by passing the wideband signal through a first LPF followed by a second HPF; and

[0053] A third subband of the plurality of subbands is generated by passing the wideband signal through a first LPF followed by a second LPF followed by a third HPF.

[0054] Embodiment 4. The method of any one of embodiments 1-3, wherein the portion of the sub-band is a first portion of the sub-band,

[0055] Wherein delivering the portion of the sub-band to the antenna or the processing circuit comprises:

[0056] passing the sub-band from the first port of the wideband circulator to the second port of the wideband circulator;

[0057] providing the sub-band to the second multiplexer in response to passing the sub-band from the first port of the broadband circulator to the second port of the broadband circulator; and

[0058] In response to providing the sub-band to the second multiplexer, the sub-band is divided into the first portion and a second portion using the second multiplexer.

[0059] Embodiment 5. The method of embodiment 4, wherein delivering the first portion of the subband to the antenna or the processing circuit further comprises:

[0060] In response to dividing the sub-band into the first portion of the sub-band and the second portion of the sub-band, reflecting the second portion of the sub-band to the second port of the broadband circulator; and

[0061] In response to reflecting the second portion of the sub-band to the second port of the broadband circulator, the second portion of the sub-band is passed from the second port to a load via a third port of the broadband circulator.

[0062] Embodiment 6. The method of any one of embodiments 4-5, wherein delivering the first portion of the subband to the antenna or the processing circuit further comprises:

[0063] In response to dividing the subband into the first portion of the subband, the first portion of the subband is communicated to the antenna or the processing circuit.

[0064] Embodiment 7. The method of any one of embodiments 1-6, wherein the network node comprises a transmitter, and

[0065] wherein the portion of the subbands of the plurality of subbands is delivered to the antenna of the network node,

[0066] The method further comprises:

[0067] The portion of the subband is transmitted (1140) via the antenna.

[0068] Embodiment 8. A method as described in any one of embodiments 1-7, wherein the network node includes a receiver, and

[0069] wherein the portion of the sub-bands of the plurality of sub-bands is communicated to the processing circuitry of the network node,

[0070] The method further comprises:

[0071] The wideband signal is received (1210) via the antenna of the receiver before dividing the wideband signal.

[0072] Embodiment 9. The method as described in any one of embodiments 1-8, wherein the network node comprises a radio access network RAN ​​node, and

[0073] The communication network includes a new radio NR network.

[0074] Embodiment 10. A method as described in any one of embodiments 1-8, wherein the network node includes a communication device and

[0075] The communication network includes a new radio NR network.

[0076] Embodiment 11. A network node (900, 1000) operating in a communication network, the network node comprising:

[0077] a broadband multiplexer configured to divide (1120) the broadband signal into a plurality of sub-bands;

[0078] a broadband circulator coupled to the output of the broadband multiplexer and comprising a first port and a second port, the broadband circulator being configured to pass (1130, 1230) a sub-band of the plurality of sub-bands from the first port to the second port; and

[0079] A second multiplexer coupled to the second port of the broadband circulator and configured to divide the sub-band into a first portion and a second portion.

[0080] Embodiment 12 The network node as described in Embodiment 11, wherein the broadband multiplexer comprises a series of cascaded high pass filters (HPF) and low pass filters (LPF) configured to divide the broadband signal into the plurality of sub-bands.

[0081] Embodiment 13. The network node according to embodiment 12, wherein the series of cascaded HPFs and LPFs comprises:

[0082] a first HPF configured to receive the wideband signal and generate a first sub-band of the plurality of sub-bands;

[0083] a first LPF configured to receive the wideband signal and generate a first temporary subband;

[0084] a second HPF configured to receive the first temporary sub-band and generate a second sub-band of the plurality of sub-bands;

[0085] a second LPF configured to receive the first temporary subband and generate a second temporary subband; and

[0086] A third HPF is configured to receive the second temporary sub-band and generate a third sub-band of the plurality of sub-bands.

[0087] Embodiment 14. The network node as recited in any one of Embodiments 11-13, wherein the second multiplexer is a narrowband multiplexer comprising a plurality of bandpass filters configured to divide the subband into the first portion and the second portion.

[0088] Embodiment 15. The network node of embodiment 14, wherein the second multiplexer is further configured to reflect the second portion of the sub-band to the second port of the broadband circulator, and

[0089] Wherein the broadband circulator further comprises a third port and is further configured to transfer the second portion of the sub-band to a load via the third port.

[0090] Embodiment 16. The network node as recited in any one of Embodiments 14-15, wherein an antenna or a processing circuit is coupled to the second port of the broadband circulator via the second multiplexer, and

[0091] Wherein the second multiplexer is further configured to pass the first portion of the sub-band to the antenna or the processing circuit.

[0092] Embodiment 17. A network node as described in any one of embodiments 11-16, wherein the network node includes a transceiver (901, 1001), and the transceiver includes:

[0093] An antenna coupled to the second multiplexer and configured to transmit (1140) the first portion of the subband.

[0094] Embodiment 18. A network node as described in any one of embodiments 11-16, wherein the network node includes a transceiver (901, 1001), and the transceiver includes:

[0095] an antenna configured to receive (1210) the broadband signal; and

[0096] A processing circuit is coupled to the second multiplexer and configured to process (1240) the first portion of the sub-band.

[0097] Embodiment 19. The network node as described in any one of embodiments 11-18, wherein the network node is a radio access network RAN ​​node, and

[0098] The communication network includes a new radio NR network.

[0099] Embodiment 20. A network node as described in any one of embodiments 11-18, wherein the network node is a communication device and

[0100] The communication network includes a new radio NR network.

[0101] Embodiment 21. A network node (900, 1000) operating in a communication network to perform an operation, the operation comprising:

[0102] dividing (1120) a broadband signal into a plurality of sub-bands using a broadband multiplexer of the network node; and

[0103] Portions of the subbands of the plurality of subbands are delivered (1130, 1230) to an antenna or processing circuit of the network node through a broadband circulator of the network node and a second multiplexer of the network node.

[0104] Embodiment 22. A network node (900, 1000) operating in a communication network and adapted to perform any one of embodiments 1-10.

[0105] Embodiment 23. A computer program comprising program code to be executed by a processing circuit (903, 1003) of a network node (900, 1000), the network node operating in a communication network, whereby execution of the program code causes the network node to perform operations comprising:

[0106] dividing (1210) a broadband signal into a plurality of sub-bands using a broadband multiplexer of the network node; and

[0107] Portions of the subbands of the plurality of subbands are delivered (1220) to an antenna or processing circuit of the network node through a broadband circulator and a second multiplexer of the network node.

[0108] Embodiment 24. A computer program comprising program code to be executed by a processing circuit (903, 1003) of a network node (900, 1000), the network node operating in a communication network, whereby execution of the program code causes the network node to perform operations according to any one of embodiments 1-10.

[0109] Embodiment 25. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium, the non-transitory storage medium comprising program code to be executed by processing circuitry (903, 1003) of a network node (900, 1000), the network node operating in a communication network, whereby execution of the program code causes the network node to perform operations comprising:

[0110] dividing (1120) a broadband signal into a plurality of sub-bands using a broadband multiplexer of the network node;

[0111] Portions of the subbands of the plurality of subbands are delivered (1130, 1230) to an antenna or processing circuit of the network node through a broadband circulator and a second multiplexer of the network node.

[0112] Embodiment 26. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium, wherein the non-transitory storage medium comprises a program code to be executed by a processing circuit (903, 1003) of a network node (900, 1000), wherein the network node operates in a communication network, whereby execution of the program code causes the network node to perform operations according to any one of embodiments 1-10.

[0113] Additional explanation is provided below.

[0114] In general, all terms used in this article are to be interpreted according to their common meaning in the relevant technical field, unless clearly given and / or implied different meanings from the context in which the term is used. Unless otherwise clearly stated, all references to (a / an) / (the) element, equipment, assembly, part, step, etc. are to be openly interpreted as referring to at least one instance of an element, equipment, assembly, part, step, etc. Unless a step is clearly described as following or prior to another step, and / or it is implied that a step must follow or precede another step, the steps of any method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed. In any appropriate case, any feature of any embodiment in the embodiments disclosed herein may be applied to any other embodiment. Similarly, any advantage of any embodiment in the embodiment may be applied to any other embodiment, and vice versa.

[0115] Any suitable steps, methods, features, functions or benefits disclosed herein may be performed by one or more functional units or modules of one or more virtual devices. Each virtual device may include a plurality of these functional units. These functional units may be implemented via processing circuits and other digital hardware, the processing circuits may include one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers, the other digital hardware may include digital signal processors (DSPs), dedicated digital logic, etc. The processing circuit may be configured to execute program codes stored in a memory, the memory may include one or more types of memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), cache memory, flash memory device, optical storage device, etc. The program code stored in the memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and / or data communication protocols and instructions for implementing one or more of the technologies described herein. In some implementations, the processing circuit may be used to cause the corresponding functional units to perform the corresponding functions according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0116] The term unit may have a conventional meaning in the field of electronics, electrical devices and / or electronic devices, and may include, for example, electrical and / or electronic circuits, devices, modules, processors, memories, logical solid-state and / or discrete devices, computer programs or instructions for performing corresponding tasks, processes, calculations, output and / or display functions, etc., such as those described herein.

[0117] At least some of the following abbreviations may be used in the present disclosure. If there is an inconsistency between abbreviations, then how it is used above should take precedence. If listed multiple times below, the first listing should take precedence over any subsequent listing(s).

[0118] 1xRTT CDMA2000 1x Radio Transmission Technology

[0119] 3GPP Third Generation Partnership Project

[0120] 5G Fifth Generation

[0121] ABS Almost Blank Subframe

[0122] ARQ Automatic Repeat Request

[0123] AWGN Additive White Gaussian Noise

[0124] BCCH Broadcast Control Channel

[0125] BCH Broadcast Channel

[0126] CA Carrier Aggregation

[0127] CC Carrier Component

[0128] CCCH SDU Common Control Channel SDU

[0129] CDMA Code Division Multiple Access

[0130] CGI Cell Global Identifier

[0131] CIR Channel Impulse Response

[0132] CP Cyclic Prefix

[0133] CPICH Common Pilot Channel

[0134] CPICH Ec / No The CPICH received energy per chip divided by the power density in the band

[0135] CQI channel quality information

[0136] C-RNTICell RNTI

[0137] CSI Channel State Information

[0138] DCCH Dedicated Control Channel

[0139] DL Downlink

[0140] DM Demodulation

[0141] DMRS Demodulation Reference Signal

[0142] DRX Discontinuous Reception

[0143] DTX Discontinuous Transmission

[0144] DTCH Dedicated Traffic Channel

[0145] DUT Device Under Test

[0146] E-CID Enhanced Cell-ID (positioning method)

[0147] E-SMLC Evolution Service Mobile Location Center

[0148] ECGI Evolution CGI

[0149] eNB E-UTRAN NodeB

[0150] ePDCCH enhanced physical downlink control channel

[0151] E-SMLC Evolution Service Mobile Location Center

[0152] E-UTRA Evolved UTRA

[0153] E-UTRAN Evolved UTRAN

[0154] FDD Frequency Division Duplex

[0155] FFS needs further study

[0156] GERAN GSM EDGE Radio Access Network

[0157] Base stations in gNB NR

[0158] GNSS Global Navigation Satellite System

[0159] GSM Global System for Mobile Communications

[0160] HARQ Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request

[0161] HO Handover

[0162] HSPA High Speed ​​Packet Access

[0163] HRPD High Rate Packet Data

[0164] LOS Line of Sight

[0165] LPP LTE Positioning Protocol

[0166] LTE Long Term Evolution

[0167] MAC Medium Access Control

[0168] MBMS Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service

[0169] MBSFN Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service Single Frequency Network

[0170] MBSFN ABS MBSFN Almost Blank Subframe

[0171] MDT Minimization of Drive Test

[0172] MIB Master Information Block

[0173] MME mobility management entity

[0174] MSC Mobile Switching Center

[0175] NPDCCH Narrowband Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0176] NR New Radio

[0177] OCNG OFDMA Channel Noise Generator

[0178] OFDM Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing

[0179] OFDMA Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access

[0180] OSS Operation Support System

[0181] OTDOA Observed Time Difference of Arrival

[0182] O&M Operation and Maintenance

[0183] PBCH Physical Broadcast Channel

[0184] P-CCPCH Primary Common Control Physical Channel

[0185] PCell Primary Cell

[0186] PCFICH Physical Control Format Indicator Channel

[0187] PDCCH Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0188] PDP Profile Delay Profile

[0189] PDSCH Physical Downlink Shared Channel

[0190] PGW Packet Gateway

[0191] PHICH Physical Hybrid-ARQ Indicator Channel

[0192] PLMN Public Land Mobile Network

[0193] PMI precoder matrix indicator

[0194] PRACH Physical Random Access Channel

[0195] PRS Positioning Reference Signal

[0196] PSS primary synchronization signal

[0197] PUCCH Physical Uplink Control Channel

[0198] PUSCH Physical Uplink Shared Channel

[0199] RACH Random Access Channel

[0200] QAM Quadrature Amplitude Modulation

[0201] RAN Radio Access Network

[0202] RAT Radio Access Technology

[0203] RLM Radio Link Management

[0204] RNC Radio Network Controller

[0205] RNTI Radio Network Temporary Identifier

[0206] RRC Radio Resource Control

[0207] RRM Radio Resource Management

[0208] RS reference signal

[0209] RSCP received signal code power

[0210] RSRP reference symbol received power or reference signal received power

[0211] RSRQ reference signal reception quality or reference symbol reception quality

[0212] RSSI Received Signal Strength Indicator

[0213] RSTD Reference Signal Time Difference

[0214] SCH synchronization channel

[0215] SCell secondary cell

[0216] SDU Service Data Unit

[0217] SFN system frame number

[0218] SGW Service Gateway

[0219] SI System Information

[0220] SIB System Information Block

[0221] SN Signal-to-Noise Ratio

[0222] SON Self-Optimizing Network

[0223] SS sync signal

[0224] SSS secondary synchronization signal

[0225] TDD Time Division Duplex

[0226] TDOA Time Difference of Arrival

[0227] TOA Arrival Time

[0228] TSS ternary synchronization signal

[0229] TTI transmission time interval

[0230] UE User Equipment

[0231] UL Uplink

[0232] UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunications System

[0233] USIM Universal Subscriber Identity Module

[0234] UTDOA Uplink Time Difference of Arrival

[0235] UTRA Universal Terrestrial Radio Access

[0236] UTRAN Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network

[0237] WCDMA Wide CDMA

[0238] WLAN wide area network

[0239] Additional definitions and embodiments are discussed below.

[0240] In the above description of various embodiments of the inventive concept, it is to be understood that the terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the inventive concept. Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meanings as those commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the inventive concept belongs. It will be further understood that terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having meanings consistent with their meanings in the context of this specification and the relevant art, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly rigid sense unless explicitly defined herein.

[0241] When an element is referred to as being "connected", "coupled", "responsive" to another element or a variation thereof, it may be directly connected to, coupled to or responsive to other elements, or there may be an intermediate element. On the contrary, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected", "directly coupled", "directly responsive" to another element or a variation thereof, there is no intermediate element. Similar reference numerals refer to similar elements throughout the text. In addition, "coupling", "connection", "response" or its variations used herein may include wireless coupling, connection or response. As used herein, the singular forms of "a, an" and "the" are also intended to include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. For the sake of brevity and / or clarity, well-known functions or structures may not be described in detail. The term "and / or" (abbreviated " / ") includes any and all combinations of one or more items in the associated listed items.

[0242] It will be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. can be used herein to describe various elements / operations, these elements / operations should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element / operation from another element / operation. Therefore, the first element / operation in some embodiments may be referred to as the second element / operation in other embodiments without departing from the teaching of the present invention concept. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals or the same reference designators represent the same or similar elements.

[0243] As used herein, the terms "comprise / comprising / comprises", "include / including / includes", "have / has / having" or variations thereof are open ended and include one or more stated features, integers, elements, steps, components or functions, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, elements, steps, components, functions or groups thereof. In addition, as used herein, the common abbreviation "eg" (derived from the Latin phrase "exempli gratia") may be used to introduce or specify one or more general examples of previously mentioned items, and is not intended to limit such items. The common abbreviation "ie" (derived from the Latin phrase "id est") may be used to specify a specific item from a more general description.

[0244] Example embodiments are described herein with reference to block diagrams and / or flowchart illustrations of computer-implemented methods, devices (systems and / or apparatuses), and / or computer program products. It is to be understood that the blocks of the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustrations and the combination of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustrations can be implemented by computer program instructions executed by one or more computer circuits. These computer program instructions can be provided to a general-purpose computer circuit, a processor circuit of a special-purpose computer circuit, and / or other programmable data processing circuits to produce a machine, so that instructions executed via a processor of a computer and / or other programmable data processing device transform and control transistors, values ​​stored in memory locations, and other hardware components within such circuits to implement the functions / actions specified in one or more block diagrams and / or flowchart boxes, and thereby create components (functionality) and / or structures for implementing the functions / actions specified in (one or more) block diagrams and / or flowchart boxes.

[0245] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a tangible computer-readable medium, which may direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable medium produce an article of manufacture, which includes instructions for implementing the functions / actions specified in one or more block diagrams and / or flowchart blocks. Therefore, embodiments of the inventive concept may be embodied in hardware and / or software (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.), which runs on a processor (such as a digital signal processor), which may be collectively referred to as a "circuit", "module" or variations thereof.

[0246] It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the function / action indicated in the frame may not occur in the order indicated in the flow chart. For example, the two frames shown in succession can actually be performed substantially simultaneously, or the frames can sometimes be performed in reverse order, depending on the functionality / action involved. In addition, the functionality of a given frame of a flow chart and / or block diagram can be separated into multiple frames, and / or the functionality of two or more frames of a flow chart and / or block diagram can be at least partially integrated. Finally, without departing from the scope of the inventive concept, other frames can be added / inserted between the frames shown, and / or frames / operations can be omitted. In addition, although some of the figures in the figure include arrows showing the main direction of communication on the communication path, it is to be understood that communication can occur in the direction opposite to the arrows depicted.

[0247] Without departing from the principle of the inventive concept substantially, many changes and modifications may be made to the embodiments. All such changes and modifications are intended to be included in the scope of the inventive concept herein. Therefore, the subject matter disclosed above is to be considered illustrative, and is not restrictive, and the examples of the embodiments are intended to cover all such modifications, enhancements and other embodiments that fall within the spirit and scope of the inventive concept. Therefore, to the maximum extent permitted by law, the scope of the inventive concept is to be determined by the most widely permissible interpretation of the disclosure (including examples of embodiments and their equivalents), and should not be constrained or limited by the aforementioned detailed description.

Claims

1. A method of operating a network node in a communication network, the method comprising: Using a broadband multiplexer of the network node to divide the broadband signal into a plurality of sub-bands, wherein the broadband multiplexer comprises a series of cascaded high pass filters HPF and low pass filters LPF for dividing the broadband signal into the plurality of sub-bands; as well as Portions of the sub-bands of the plurality of sub-bands are delivered to an antenna or processing circuit of the network node through a broadband circulator of the network node and a second multiplexer of the network node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein: Dividing the broadband signal comprises: generating a first subband of the plurality of subbands by passing the wideband signal through a first HPF; generating a second sub-band of the plurality of sub-bands by passing the wideband signal through a first LPF followed by a second HPF; and A third subband of the plurality of subbands is generated by passing the wideband signal through a first LPF followed by a second LPF followed by a third HPF.

3. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein: the portion of the sub-band is a first portion of the sub-band, Wherein delivering the portion of the sub-band to the antenna or the processing circuit comprises: passing the sub-band from the first port of the broadband circulator to the second port of the broadband circulator; providing the sub-band to the second multiplexer in response to passing the sub-band from the first port of the broadband circulator to the second port of the broadband circulator; and In response to providing the sub-band to the second multiplexer, the sub-band is divided into the first portion and a second portion using the second multiplexer.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein: Passing the first portion of the subband to the antenna or the processing circuit further comprises: In response to dividing the sub-band into the first portion of the sub-band and the second portion of the sub-band, reflecting the second portion of the sub-band to the second port of the broadband circulator; and In response to reflecting the second portion of the sub-band to the second port of the broadband circulator, the second portion of the sub-band is passed from the second port to a load via a third port of the broadband circulator.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein: Passing the first portion of the subband to the antenna or the processing circuit further comprises: In response to dividing the subband into the first portion of the subband, the first portion of the subband is communicated to the antenna or the processing circuit.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein: The network node comprises a transmitter, and wherein the portion of the subbands of the plurality of subbands is delivered to the antenna of the network node, The method further comprises: The portion of the subband is transmitted via the antenna.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein: The network node comprises a receiver, and wherein the portion of the sub-bands of the plurality of sub-bands is communicated to the processing circuitry of the network node, The method further comprises: The broadband signal is received via the antenna of the receiver before dividing the broadband signal.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein: The network nodes include Radio Access Network RAN ​​nodes, and The communication network includes a new radio NR network.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein: The network node comprises a communication device and The communication network includes a new radio NR network.

10. A network node operating in a communication network, the network node comprising: a broadband multiplexer configured to divide the broadband signal into a plurality of sub-bands; a broadband circulator coupled to an output of the broadband multiplexer and comprising a first port and a second port, the broadband circulator configured to pass a sub-band of the plurality of sub-bands from the first port to the second port; as well as A second multiplexer coupled to the second port of the broadband circulator and configured to divide the sub-band into a first portion and a second portion.

11. The network node according to claim 10, wherein: The wideband multiplexer comprises a series of cascaded high pass filters HPF and low pass filters LPF configured to divide the wideband signal into the plurality of sub-bands.

12. The network node according to claim 11, wherein: The series of cascaded HPFs and LPFs includes: a first HPF configured to receive the wideband signal and generate a first subband of the plurality of subbands; a first LPF configured to receive the wideband signal and generate a first temporary subband; a second HPF configured to receive the first temporary sub-band and generate a second sub-band of the plurality of sub-bands; a second LPF configured to receive the first temporary subband and generate a second temporary subband; and A third HPF is configured to receive the second temporary sub-band and generate a third sub-band of the plurality of sub-bands.

13. The network node according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein: The second multiplexer is a narrowband multiplexer and comprises a bandpass filter configured to divide the sub-band into the first part and the second part.

14. The network node according to claim 13, wherein: The second multiplexer is further configured to reflect the second portion of the sub-band to the second port of the broadband circulator, and Wherein the broadband circulator further comprises a third port and is further configured to transfer the second portion of the sub-band to a load via the third port.

15. The network node of claim 13, wherein: an antenna or processing circuit coupled to the second port of the broadband circulator via the second multiplexer, and Wherein the second multiplexer is further configured to pass the first portion of the sub-band to the antenna or the processing circuit.

16. The network node according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein: The network node comprises a transmitter, wherein the transmitter comprises: An antenna coupled to the second multiplexer and configured to transmit the first portion of the subband.

17. The network node according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein: The network node comprises a receiver, the receiver comprising: an antenna configured to receive the broadband signal; and A processing circuit is coupled to the second multiplexer and configured to process the first portion of the sub-band.

18. The network node according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein: The network node is a Radio Access Network RAN ​​node, and The communication network includes a new radio NR network.

19. The network node according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein: The network node is a communication device and The communication network includes a new radio NR network.

20. A network node operating in a communication network, the network node comprising a processor to perform operations comprising: Using a broadband multiplexer of the network node to divide the broadband signal into a plurality of sub-bands, wherein the broadband multiplexer comprises a series of cascaded high pass filters HPF and low pass filters LPF for dividing the broadband signal into the plurality of sub-bands; as well as Portions of the sub-bands of the plurality of sub-bands are delivered to an antenna or processing circuit of the network node through a broadband circulator of the network node and a second multiplexer of the network node.

21. The network node of claim 20, wherein: The operations further include operations according to the method of any of claims 2-9.

22. A non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising program code to be executed by processing circuitry of a network node, the network node operating in a communications network, whereby execution of the program code causes the network node to perform operations comprising: Using a broadband multiplexer of the network node to divide the broadband signal into a plurality of sub-bands, wherein the broadband multiplexer comprises a series of cascaded high pass filters HPF and low pass filters LPF for dividing the broadband signal into the plurality of sub-bands; as well as Portions of the sub-bands of the plurality of sub-bands are delivered to an antenna or processing circuit of the network node through a broadband circulator of the network node and a second multiplexer of the network node.

23. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 22, wherein: The operations further include operations according to the method of any of claims 2-9.

24. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium, the non-transitory storage medium comprising program code to be executed by processing circuitry of a network node, the network node operating in a communications network, whereby execution of the program code causes the network node to perform operations comprising: Using a first broadband multiplexer of the network node to divide the broadband signal into a plurality of sub-bands, wherein the broadband multiplexer comprises a series of cascaded high pass filters HPF and low pass filters LPF for dividing the broadband signal into the plurality of sub-bands; Portions of the sub-bands of the plurality of sub-bands are delivered to an antenna or processing circuit of the network node through a broadband circulator of the network node and a second multiplexer of the network node.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein: The operations further include operations according to the method of any of claims 2-9.

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