A signal processing method, a signal sending method and a communication device

Abstract

The application provides a signal processing method, a signal sending method and a communication device. The signal sending method comprises the following steps: a sending device determines K sets of beamforming vectors, performs beamforming on beams according to the K sets of beamforming vectors, obtains K beams after beamforming, and sends reference signals based on the K beams after beamforming at K times respectively. The K sets of beamforming vectors satisfy that the gain of spatial beamforming of an antenna array is located in a preset range. The sending device sends the reference signals according to the method, so that the receiving device can receive spatial field strength after superposition of K beams of the antenna array at K times respectively, and the beamforming gain of the antenna array is relatively flat. That is, a wide beam with relatively flat gain can be obtained by the method.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a signal processing method, a signal transmission method, and a communication device. Background Technology

[0002] Beamforming is a technique that uses antenna arrays to transmit or receive signals in a directional manner. By altering the amplitude and phase of the signals from each antenna in the array, beamforming creates a directional beam. This causes signals in some directions to experience constructive interference, while signals in other directions experience destructive interference, thereby improving communication performance. Generally, a narrower beam results in greater signal gain, but also increases the resource overhead of the reference signal. To reduce the resource overhead of the reference signal, wide beams can be used for communication when signal gain requirements are not high.

[0003] Typically, the amplitude and phase vectors of each beam are calculated based on the number of radiating elements and beams in the antenna array, and a wide beam is generated based on these amplitude and phase vectors. However, the generated wide beam is essentially a multi-beam structure, and the signal gain is not flat. How to obtain a wide beam with flat signal gain is a technical problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a signal processing method, a signal transmission method, and a communication device that can obtain a wide beam with flat signal gain, thereby reducing the resource overhead of detecting reference signals.

[0005] Firstly, a signal processing method is provided, which can be executed by a first communication device. The first communication device can be a communication apparatus, such as a network device or a terminal device, or a communication apparatus capable of supporting the functions required for the method to be implemented, such as a chip system or functional module, which is, for example, disposed within the communication apparatus. The method can also be implemented by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first communication device. The following description uses the communication apparatus as an example of a receiving device. The method includes: The receiving device receives K beams from the antenna array at K time points, obtains a superimposed spatial field strength based on the spatial field strength corresponding to each of the K beams, and processes the reference signals on the K beams according to the superimposed spatial field strength. The K time points and K beams correspond one-to-one, and the superimposed spatial field strength satisfies the requirement that the beamforming gain of the antenna array is within a preset range. The beamforming gain of the antenna array being within the preset range can be understood as having a relatively flat beamforming gain.

[0006] Secondly, a signal transmission method is provided. This method can be executed by a second communication device, which may be a communication apparatus, such as a network device or a terminal device, or a communication apparatus capable of supporting the functions required for the communication apparatus to implement the method, such as a chip system or functional module, which is, for example, disposed within the communication apparatus. The method can also be implemented by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the second communication device. The following description uses the communication apparatus as an example of a transmitting device. The method includes: The transmitting device determines K sets of beamforming vectors, shapes the beam according to these K sets of beamforming vectors to obtain K shaped beams, and transmits reference signals at K time points based on the K shaped beams. The K sets of beamforming vectors correspond one-to-one with the K beams, and the K sets of beamforming vectors ensure that the spatial beamforming gain of the antenna array is within a preset range. This can also be understood as follows: the superposition of the spatial field strengths corresponding to the K shaped beams obtained by shaping the beam using the K sets of beamforming vectors ensures that the beamforming gain of the antenna array is within the preset range.

[0007] It should be understood that the K sets of beamforming vectors correspond one-to-one with the K beams, and the K beams correspond one-to-one with the K time periods. Therefore, the K time periods correspond one-to-one with the K sets of beamforming vectors. This can also be understood as determining the beamforming vectors based on time segmentation. In this embodiment, different beamforming vectors are allowed for different time periods. Compared to the same beamforming vector corresponding to different time periods, the beamforming vector corresponding to each time period can be considered optimal, maximizing the gain of the spatial field strength generated by the corresponding beam. For the transmitting device, for each of the K time periods, the beamforming vector corresponding to that time period can be selected to shape the corresponding beam. This results in a relatively large gain for the spatial field strength of all K beams. For the receiving device, the spatial field strengths corresponding to the received K beams can be superimposed to obtain a wide beam with relatively flat gain. This scheme achieves a wide beam with relatively flat gain, thereby reducing the resource overhead of the detection reference signal.

[0008] In possible implementations of the first or second aspect, the reference signal is a positioning reference signal or a channel estimation reference signal. For example, embodiments of this application may transmit the positioning reference signal based on a wide beam with relatively flat gain, which can improve the recognition rate of the first transmission path among multiple transmission paths traversed by the positioning reference signal, thereby improving positioning accuracy. Similarly, embodiments of this application may transmit the channel estimation reference signal based on a wide beam with relatively flat gain, which can improve the accuracy of channel estimation.

[0009] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the antenna array is a dual-polarized antenna array, and the spatial field strength after superposition in the first direction satisfies the following formula: ,in, The angle between the first direction and the z-axis of the spatial coordinate system is the angle between the first direction and the z-axis, where the origin of the spatial coordinate system is the center of the antenna array. Let x be the angle between the projection of the first direction onto the xy-axis in spatial coordinates and the x-axis. For a beamforming weight vector in a polarization direction, For the beamforming weight vector in the other polarization direction, For Bessel function pairs Approximate intermediate parameters.

[0010] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the K sets of beamforming vectors are obtained through optimization using an objective function that minimizes the difference between the maximum and minimum spatial power values ​​over K time intervals. Minimizing the difference between the maximum and minimum spatial power values ​​over K time intervals can be understood as minimizing the fluctuation in beamforming gain, i.e., achieving the flattest beamforming gain. The objective function can be used to optimize the K sets of beamforming vectors, thereby obtaining beamforming vectors that achieve the flattest beamforming gain.

[0011] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the antenna array is a dual-polarized antenna array, and the objective function satisfies the following formula:

[0012] in, This represents the constraint condition, where P is the spatial power over K time intervals. For a beamforming vector optimized in a polarization direction, For the optimized beamforming vector in the other polarization direction, Gain fluctuation values, i=1,2, Let be the angle between the first direction of an element of the antenna array and the z-axis of the spatial coordinate system. Let be the angle between the projection of the first direction onto the xy-axis of the spatial coordinate system and the x-axis, with the origin of the spatial coordinate system being the center of the antenna array.

[0013] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, before determining the K sets of beamforming vectors, the method further includes: The transmitting device acquires the spatial field strength of the nth element of the antenna array in the first direction. For each of the K time intervals, it superimposes the spatial field strengths of the N elements in the first direction to obtain K superimposed spatial field strengths of the antenna array. Then, it vectorizes these K superimposed spatial field strengths to obtain the initial K sets of beamforming vectors. Here, the center of the antenna array is taken as the origin of the spatial coordinate system, and the angle between the first direction and the z-axis of the spatial coordinate system is θ. The angle between the projection of the first direction onto the xy-axis in spatial coordinates and the x-axis is... n [1, N], where N is the number of elements in the antenna array. [-180°, 180°], [-180°, 180°]. That is, before transmitting K beams, the transmitting device can acquire an initial set of K beamforming vectors within a 360° range, thereby obtaining the K sets of beamforming vectors that maximize beamforming gain within the 360° range. This scheme can generate a wide-gain omnidirectional beam.

[0014] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, before determining the K sets of beamforming vectors, the method further includes: The transmitting device acquires the first height h of the nth element of the antenna array and the spatial field strength in the first direction. For each of the K time intervals, it iterates through h with a step length of one step, superimposing the spatial field strengths of the N elements in the first direction to obtain K superimposed spatial field strengths of the antenna array. Then, it vectorizes these K superimposed spatial field strengths to obtain the initial K sets of beamforming vectors. Here, the center of the antenna array is taken as the origin of the spatial coordinate system, and the angle between the first direction and the z-axis of the spatial coordinate system is θ. The angle between the projection of the first direction onto the xy-axis in spatial coordinates and the x-axis is... n [1, N], where N is the number of elements in the antenna array. [-180°, 180°], [-180°, 180°]. That is, before transmitting K beams, the transmitting device can obtain the initial K sets of beamforming vectors within a 360° range based on altitude information, thereby obtaining the K sets of beamforming vectors that achieve the flattest beamforming gain at a certain altitude within the 360° range. This scheme can generate wide beams with flat gain on different altitude planes.

[0015] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: the transmitting device traversing (with a second step size) , The process involves determining K sets of beamforming weights corresponding to K sets of beamforming vectors; shaping the corresponding beams using these weights to obtain the K beams; and if the spatial beamforming gain of the K beams is within a preset range, then the K sets of beamforming vectors corresponding to the K beams are determined as the K sets of beamforming vectors for the objective function. This scheme optimizes the objective function, enabling the optimized K sets of beamforming vectors to produce wide beams with flat gain.

[0016] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the antenna array is a ring-shaped dual-polarized antenna array.

[0017] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device that has the function of implementing the behavior described in the method embodiment of the first aspect. The beneficial effects can be found in the description of the first aspect, and will not be repeated here. This communication device can be the first device in the first aspect, or it can be an apparatus capable of implementing the method provided in the first aspect, such as a chip or chip system.

[0018] In one possible design, the communication device includes corresponding means or modules for performing the method of the first aspect. For example, the communication device includes a processing unit (sometimes also called a processing module or processor) and / or a transceiver unit (sometimes also called a transceiver module or transceiver). These units (modules) can perform the corresponding functions in the above-described method examples of the first aspect, as detailed in the method examples, and will not be repeated here.

[0019] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device that has the functionality to implement the behavior described in the method example of the second aspect above. The beneficial effects can be found in the description of the second aspect and will not be repeated here. This communication device can be the second device in the second aspect, or it can be a device capable of supporting the second device in the second aspect to implement the functions required by the method provided in the second aspect, such as a chip or chip system.

[0020] In one possible design, the communication device includes corresponding means or modules for performing the method of the second aspect. For example, the communication device includes a processing unit (sometimes also called a processing module or processor) and / or a transceiver unit (sometimes also called a transceiver module or transceiver). These units (modules) can perform the corresponding functions in the above-described method examples of the second aspect, as detailed in the method examples, and will not be repeated here.

[0021] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, which can be the communication device described in the third or fourth aspect of the above embodiments, or a chip or chip system disposed in the communication device described in the third or fourth aspect. The communication device includes a communication interface and a processor, and optionally, a memory. The memory stores a computer program, and the processor is coupled to the memory and the communication interface. When the processor reads the computer program or instructions, it causes the communication device to execute the method executed by the receiving device in the above method embodiments, or to execute the method executed by the sending device in the above method embodiments.

[0022] Sixthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device including an input / output interface and logic circuitry. The input / output interface is used for inputting and / or outputting information. The logic circuitry is used to execute the method described in the first aspect, or the logic circuitry is used to execute the method described in the second aspect.

[0023] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a chip system including a processor, and may further include a memory and / or a communication interface for implementing the methods described in the first or second aspect. In one possible implementation, the chip system further includes a memory for storing a computer program. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0024] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication system comprising the communication device described in the third aspect and the communication device described in the fourth aspect; or the communication system comprising the communication device described in the third aspect and the communication device for performing the method of the second aspect in the fifth aspect; or the communication system comprising the communication device described in the fourth aspect and the communication device for performing the method of the first aspect in the fifth aspect.

[0025] Ninthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed, causes the methods described in the first or second aspect to be performed.

[0026] In a tenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising: computer program code, which, when executed, causes the methods in the first or second aspect described above to be performed.

[0027] The beneficial effects of the third to tenth aspects and their implementation methods mentioned above can be referred to the description of the beneficial effects of the first aspect or the first aspect and its implementation methods. Attached Figure Description

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system to which embodiments of this application are applicable; Figure 2 A schematic flowchart illustrating the signal transmission method and signal processing method provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of spatial coordinates centered on the antenna array, representing an embodiment of this application. Figure 4 The spatial gain of the antenna array provided in the embodiments of this application varies with A three-dimensional diagram showing the changes; Figure 5 The spatial gain of the antenna array provided in the embodiments of this application varies with A changing three-dimensional polar coordinate plot; Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 7 This is another schematic diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as 5th generation (5G) new radio (NR) systems and long term evolution (LTE) systems. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as 6th generation mobile communication systems. Furthermore, the technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), and Internet of Things (IoT) communication systems or other communication systems.

[0030] As an example, please see Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system adapted to the embodiments of this application. Figure 1 The communication system shown may include network equipment and terminal equipment. The terminal equipment connects to the network equipment wirelessly. It should be noted that... Figure 1 This is merely illustrative; the embodiments of this application do not limit the number of network devices and terminal devices included in the communication system. Additionally, the communication system may also include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices, wireless backhaul devices, core network devices, etc.

[0031] In this context, network equipment refers to access devices that enable terminal devices to wirelessly access the mobile communication system. Examples include radio access network (RAN) equipment such as base stations and access points. Network equipment can also refer to devices that communicate with terminals via an air interface, such as other possible terminal devices. For instance, in a V2X technology, the network equipment is a roadside unit (RSU). An RSU can be a fixed infrastructure entity supporting V2X applications and can exchange messages with other entities supporting V2X applications. Network equipment may include evolved Node Bs in LTE systems or Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A), also referred to as eNBs or e-NodeBs; or next-generation node Bs (gNBs) in 5G NR systems; or access nodes in wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) systems; or network equipment may be relay stations, vehicle-mounted equipment, and future Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) equipment, D2D networks, M2M networks, IoT networks, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technologies or equipment forms used in the wireless network equipment. For example, Figure 1 The network equipment in the system can be a base station, and different systems correspond to different equipment, for example... Figure 1 In the fourth-generation (4G) mobile communication technology system, the network equipment can be referred to as eNB, and in the 5G system, it can be referred to as gNB.

[0032] Furthermore, the base station in this application embodiment may include a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU), and multiple DUs may be centrally controlled by a single CU. The CU and DU can be divided according to their respective wireless network protocol layer functions. For example, the functions of the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer and above are located in the CU, while the functions of protocol layers below PDCP, such as the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer and the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, are located in the DU. It should be noted that this protocol layer division is merely an example, and other protocol layer divisions are also possible. The radio frequency device may be located remotely, not in the DU, or integrated into the DU, or partially remote and partially integrated into the DU; this application embodiment does not impose any limitations. Additionally, in some embodiments, the control plane (CP) and user plane (UP) of the CU may be separated and implemented as different entities, namely the control plane CU entity (CU-CP entity) and the user plane CU entity (CU-UP entity). In this network architecture, signaling generated by the CU can be sent to the terminal device via the DU, or signaling generated by the UE can be sent to the CU via the DU. The DU can directly encapsulate the signaling through the protocol layer and transmit it to the UE or CU without parsing it. In this network architecture, the CU is used as a network device on the RAN side. In addition, the CU can also be used as a network device on the core network (CN) side. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0033] In this embodiment, the device for implementing the function of the network device can be the network device itself, or it can be a device that supports the network device in implementing that function, such as a chip system. This device can be installed within the network device. In the technical solutions provided in this embodiment, a network device is used as an example to illustrate the function of the network device.

[0034] A terminal device is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities, capable of sending signals to or receiving signals from network devices. Terminal devices may be referred to as user equipment (UE), and sometimes also as terminals, access stations, UE stations, remote stations, wireless communication devices, or user devices, etc. These terminal devices are used to connect people, objects, and machines, and can be widely used in various scenarios, including but not limited to: cellular communication, D2D, V2X, machine-to-machine / machine-type communications (M2M / MTC), IoT, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, self-driving, remote medical care, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, drones, robots, etc. The terminal device in the embodiments of this application can be a terminal device from the above scenarios. For example, the terminal device can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, a VR terminal, an AR terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in autonomous driving, a smart speaker in an IoT network, a wireless terminal device in telemedicine, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city, or a wireless terminal device in a smart home, etc.

[0035] By way of example and not limitation, in the embodiments of this application, the terminal device can also be a wearable device. Wearable devices can also be called wearable smart devices or smart wearable devices, etc., and are a general term for devices that apply wearable technology to intelligently design and develop everyday wearables, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. The terminal device can also include a relay. For example, the terminal device can be a customer premises equipment (CPE), which can receive signals from network devices and forward the signals to other terminal devices. Alternatively, it can be understood that anything capable of data communication with a base station can be considered a terminal device. The various terminal devices described above, if located in a vehicle (e.g., placed inside or installed inside a vehicle), can be considered as vehicle-mounted terminal devices, which are also called on-board units (OBUs).

[0036] Furthermore, in this application embodiment, "terminal device" can refer to a device used to implement the functions of a terminal device, or it can be a device capable of supporting the terminal device in implementing those functions, such as a chip system, which can be installed in the terminal device. For example, the terminal device can also be a vehicle detector. In this application embodiment, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices. In the technical solutions provided in this application embodiment, the terminal device is used as an example to describe the device used to implement the functions of the terminal device.

[0037] In the embodiments of this application, the number of nouns, unless otherwise specified, refers to "singular nouns or plural nouns," that is, "one or more." "At least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B means: A or B. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c means: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. The ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish multiple objects, and are not used to limit the size, content, order, timing, priority or importance of multiple objects.

[0038] This application's embodiments are related to beamforming. First, we will briefly introduce the relevant content of beamforming.

[0039] Beamforming is a technique that uses antenna arrays to transmit or receive signals in a directional manner. By altering the amplitude and phase of the signals from each antenna in the array, beamforming creates a directional beam. This causes signals in some directions to experience constructive interference, while signals in other directions experience destructive interference, thereby improving communication performance. For example, beamforming can increase the received signal-to-noise ratio, effectively combating path loss.

[0040] Generally, a narrower beam results in greater signal gain, but also higher resource overhead for the reference signal. Conversely, a wider beam results in lower signal gain and lower resource overhead for the reference signal. Therefore, wide beams can be used for communication when signal gain requirements are not high. For example, compared to data signals between base stations and terminal devices, positioning has lower signal-to-noise ratio requirements, and the gain for positioning can accumulate over a period of time. Therefore, wide beams can be used in positioning scenarios to minimize reference signal overhead. It should be noted that the wide beam in this embodiment refers to a beam with a width of approximately 180°, which can also be understood as a beam with flat signal gain, such as a beam with a signal gain of approximately 3dB. For example, when the signal gain is 3dB, the beamwidth is greater than or equal to 178°.

[0041] There are two main methods for generating wide beams. One method involves modifying the antenna structure physically to achieve this. For example, this can be done by designing antennas, using wide- and narrow-beam splitting and reconfiguration microstrip antennas, or employing wide-beam dielectric resonator antennas. Alternatively, multiple antennas can be arranged in a specific manner to modify the antenna structure physically, thus generating a wider beam. However, modifying the antenna structure physically requires designing specialized antenna structures, which is complex and costly. Furthermore, it is difficult to guarantee that the resulting beam will be approximately 180° wide.

[0042] Another approach is to optimize beamforming using beamforming algorithms to generate a wide beam. Typically, beamforming algorithms calculate the amplitude and phase vectors of each beam based on the number of radiating elements and beams in the antenna array, and then generate a wider beam based on these vectors. However, the wide beam generated by this method is essentially a multi-beam beam, achieved by superimposing multiple beams. Therefore, the beam produced by this method is not a beam with an approximate 180° width, and the signal gain is not flat.

[0043] Therefore, the technical solution of this application embodiment is provided. In this application embodiment, the beamforming vectors used for beamforming can be divided into multiple groups according to time, with one group of beamforming vectors corresponding to one time. The transmitting device uses the corresponding beamforming vectors to shape the beam at each time, thereby maximizing the gain of the spatial field strength of the beam at each time. For the receiving device, the spatial field strengths corresponding to the received multiple beams can be superimposed to obtain a wide beam with relatively flat gain, which can reduce the resource overhead of the detection reference signal.

[0044] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that in the various embodiments of this application, terms such as "beam gain," "signal gain," "beamforming gain," and "gain of spatial beamforming" characterize the same feature, that is, the gain used for beam transmission signals, and will not be explicitly distinguished thereafter. A beam with flat gain can be understood as having a beamforming gain within a preset range, or a beamwidth approximately 180°. Furthermore, the antenna array in the embodiments of this application can be a single-polarized antenna or a dual-polarized antenna; the embodiments of this application do not limit the type of antenna array. For example, the antenna array in the embodiments of this application includes circularly polarized loop antennas, circularly polarized microstrip antennas, low-profile circularly polarized antennas, etc.

[0045] The method provided in this application embodiment can be executed by two communication devices, such as a transmitting device and a receiving device. In the following description, the provided method is applied to... Figure 1 The network architecture shown is an example. The transmitting device described in the various embodiments below is, for example, a... Figure 1 The terminal devices or access network devices in the network architecture shown, and the receiving devices described in the various embodiments below, are, for example, [missing information]. Figure 1 The network architecture shown refers to either an access network device or a terminal device. It is understood that when the transmitting device is a terminal device, the receiving device is an access network device; conversely, when the transmitting device is an access network device, the receiving device is a terminal device. For ease of description, unless otherwise specified, the following example assumes the transmitting device is an access network device and the receiving device is a terminal device. Of course, the transmitting device can be an access network device or a communication device capable of supporting the functions required for the access network device to implement this method, or it can be other communication devices, such as a chip system. The receiving device can be a terminal device or a communication device capable of supporting the functions required for the terminal device to implement this method, or it can be other communication devices, such as a chip system. Furthermore, there are no restrictions on the implementation methods of the transmitting and receiving devices. For example, the transmitting device can be an access network device and the receiving device can be a terminal device, or the transmitting device can be an access network device and the receiving device can be a communication device capable of supporting the functions required for the terminal device to implement this method, and so on.

[0046] Please see Figure 2 The flowchart below shows the method provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 2 This involves the process of access network equipment sending signals, and the process of terminal equipment receiving and processing signals. Figure 2 This application illustrates the method using a transmitting device and a receiving device as examples of the entities executing the interaction, but it does not limit the entities executing the interaction. For example, Figure 2The transmitting device in the text can also be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the transmitting device in implementing the method, or it can be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the transmitting device. Figure 2 The receiving device in the text can also be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the implementation of this method, or it can be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the receiving device. Specifically, Figure 2 The process shown includes the following steps.

[0047] S201. The access network device determines K sets of beamforming vectors. These K sets of beamforming vectors are the beamforming vectors of the antenna array at K time points. The K sets of beamforming vectors satisfy that the gain of the spatial beamforming of the antenna array is within a preset range, and K is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0048] Beamforming vectors can be used to shape beams, thereby maximizing the gain of spatial beamforming. In this embodiment, the beamforming vectors used to shape the beam at the antenna can be divided into multiple groups according to time, with one time period corresponding to one group of beamforming vectors. For example, the beamforming vectors can be divided into K groups according to K time periods, resulting in K groups of beamforming vectors. Each of the K groups of beamforming vectors corresponds one-to-one with one of the K time periods. The K time periods can be K instants or K time intervals; this embodiment does not impose any limitations on this.

[0049] The access network device can perform beamforming on the i-th beam among K beams at the i-th time of K time intervals, using the i-th group of beamforming vectors from the K groups of beamforming vectors. It should be understood that i is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to K. Alternatively, it can be understood as determining the beamforming vector based on time segmentation. In this embodiment, beamforming vectors corresponding to different times are allowed to be different. That is, beamforming vectors corresponding to different times can be the same or different. Therefore, the beamforming vectors corresponding to each time interval are optimal, maximizing the gain of the spatial field strength generated by the corresponding beam. For example, beamforming the i-th beam at the i-th time interval using the i-th group of beamforming vectors can result in a larger beamforming gain for the i-th beam, thus ensuring a larger beamforming gain for all beams. Since the spatial beamforming gain of the antenna array is equivalent to the superposition of the spatial beamforming gains of the K beams, using the i-th beamforming vector from the K beamforming vectors to beamform the i-th beam in the K beams at the i-th time of the K time intervals can ensure that the spatial beamforming gain of the antenna array is within a preset range, thus obtaining a wide beam with relatively flat gain.

[0050] Optionally, the K sets of beamforming vectors can be obtained by optimizing the initial K sets of beamforming vectors to maximize the spatial beamforming gain of the beams corresponding to each of the K sets of beamforming vectors. For ease of distinction, the K sets of beamforming vectors before optimization will be referred to as the initial K sets of beamforming vectors below. Unless otherwise specified, in this article, the K sets of beamforming vectors refer to the optimized K sets of beamforming vectors. For example, the access network device can optimize the initial K sets of beamforming vectors through an objective function, that is, the K sets of beamforming vectors are obtained by optimizing the initial K sets of beamforming vectors through an objective function. Maximizing the spatial beamforming gain can also be understood as minimizing the difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​of the spatial power corresponding to the spatial field strength. From this perspective, the objective function can be considered to satisfy the minimum difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​of the spatial power over K time intervals. The content of the objective function will be introduced below.

[0051] First, taking a ring-shaped dual-polarized antenna array as an example, we will introduce how to obtain the optimized K groups of beamforming vectors.

[0052] As an example, the access network device first acquires the spatial superimposed field strength of the antenna array in the first direction, and quantizes the spatial superimposed field strength to obtain a set of beamforming vectors; then, it divides this set of beamforming vectors into K sets of beamforming vectors according to K time intervals, thus obtaining the initial K sets of beamforming vectors. Wherein, the first direction is as follows... Figure 3 As shown, with the center of the antenna array as the origin of the spatial coordinate system, the angle between the first direction and the z-axis of the spatial coordinate system is... The angle between the projection of the first direction onto the xy-axis in spatial coordinates and the x-axis is... Understandably, [-180°, 180°], [-180°, 180°]. The angle between the nth antenna element of the antenna array and the x-axis is... n [1, N], where N is the number of array elements in the antenna array. Figure 3 Taking an antenna array consisting of 16 antenna elements as an example, i.e., N=16.

[0053] Since the spatial fields in the two polarization directions of a dual-polarized antenna are independent, and independent channels are also used in beamforming, the method for obtaining the spatial superposition field strength in the two polarization directions is similar. The following example uses the spatial superposition field strength in one polarization direction to illustrate how to obtain the spatial superposition field strength of the antenna array in the first direction.

[0054] For example, the access network device can obtain the spatial superposition field strength of the nth antenna element of the antenna array in the first direction, which satisfies: .in, Let be the spatial superposition field strength of the nth antenna element in the first direction. Let be the current intensity of the signal transmitted by the nth antenna element. Let be the phase of the signal transmitted by the nth antenna element. The wavelength of the transmitted signal, Where is the radius of the antenna array. .

[0055] By superimposing the spatial superposition field strengths of the N antenna elements (from the first to the Nth) in the first direction, the spatial superposition field strength of the antenna array in the first direction can be obtained. Assuming that the current intensity of the transmitted signals from the N antenna elements is the same, i.e. Then the spatial superposition field strength of the antenna array in the first direction Satisfy the following formula: .

[0056] Spatial superposition of field strength of antenna array in the first direction Vectorization is used to obtain the spatially superimposed field strength vector. For example, the spatially superimposed field strength of the antenna array in the first direction can be obtained using Bessel functions. If we perform a Bezier expansion, then... Satisfy the following formula:

[0057] in, express The first-order Bessel function of the order X. Approximated by M polynomials. For example, let:

[0058] Then we can approximate it using M polynomials. , may include: ,in, , is a beamforming vector along a polarization direction. This represents the order of the Bessel function. It can be understood that this represents the spatial superposition of field strengths. The approximate matrix is: , where T represents the matrix transpose.

[0059] It is understandable that the spatial superposition field strength of a dual-polarized antenna array... The approximate matrix is: ,in, and These are the beamforming vectors in the two polarization directions. Based on the beamforming of the dual-polarization antenna, the beamforming vectors are then applied according to K time intervals. The beamforming vectors are divided to obtain the initial K sets of beamforming vectors. It is understandable that, due to the two polarization directions, each set of beamforming vectors includes two vectors. Therefore, the spatial superposition field strength of the dual-polarized antenna array... The approximate matrix can be: ,in, and They are Beamforming vectors in the two time polarization directions.

[0060] After obtaining the initial K sets of beamforming vectors, the access network device optimizes them. The optimization aims to minimize the difference between the maximum and minimum spatial power of the antenna array over K time intervals, thus making the beamforming gain of the antenna array flatter over those K time intervals. Optionally, the access network device can obtain and optimize the initial K sets of beamforming vectors through a single processing module. Alternatively, the access network device can obtain the initial K sets of beamforming vectors through one processing module and optimize them through another processing module.

[0061] Access network devices can optimize the initial K sets of beamforming vectors using an objective function. The following describes how to obtain the objective function. For example, it can be traversed with a step size of 1°. Assuming the total traversal length is L, approximately The M polynomials S satisfy:

[0062] Divide into K time segments We can obtain a vector Y with L elements, where Y satisfies:

[0063] The power distribution of the antenna array in two polarization directions at K time points is obtained by superimposing the power at both time points. ,in, Satisfy the following formula:

[0064] Will The element values ​​in the algorithm are converted into dB values ​​of spatial power, and the maximum and minimum values ​​of spatial power are obtained. The objective function is obtained by minimizing the absolute value of the difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​of spatial power. This objective function satisfies the following formula:

[0065] in, This represents the constraint condition, where P is the spatial power over K time intervals. For a beamforming vector optimized in a polarization direction, For the optimized beamforming vector in the other polarization direction, Gain fluctuation values, i=1,2. By optimizing the K sets of beamforming vectors using the objective function, the optimized K sets of beamforming vectors can be obtained, i.e. , , .

[0066] The above example is based on obtaining the initial K sets of beamforming vectors on a plane within a 360° range. This allows for the acquisition of the K sets of beamforming vectors that make the beamforming gain flattest within a 360° range, thus generating a wide omnidirectional beam with flat gain.

[0067] Considering that it may be necessary to guarantee beamforming gain on a certain height plane in practice, one possible implementation is to obtain an initial K sets of beamforming vectors containing height information and optimize the initial K sets of beamforming vectors through an objective function.

[0068] It is understandable that the antenna array has a spatially superimposed field strength at height h and in the first direction. Satisfy the following formula: , .

[0069] Similar to optimizing the initial K sets of beamforming vectors on a plane within a 360° range, optimizing the initial K sets of beamforming vectors containing height information can also be done by traversing the plane in 1° increments. By traversing h with a step size of 0.1, a three-dimensional matrix is ​​obtained. For example, in -180° -91°] -89° 89°] }, -180° 180° Within, traverse with a step size of 1°. By traversing h with a step size of 0.1, a three-dimensional matrix is ​​obtained. A three-dimensional matrix can be partitioned over K time intervals. For a dual-polarized antenna array, the three-dimensional matrix is ​​divided into K time segments. 2xM three-dimensional matrices can be obtained. Where m represents the m-th time. This represents the i-th polarization direction.

[0070] The power distribution of the antenna array in two polarization directions at K time points is obtained by superimposing the power at both time points. ,in, Satisfy the following formula:

[0071] The objective function can be: In this context, minimize(.) means taking the minimum value, and max(.) means taking the maximum value.

[0072] By optimizing the initial K sets of beamforming vectors using the objective function, the optimized K sets of beamforming vectors can be obtained. , satisfy:

[0073] Based on obtaining an initial K sets of beamforming vectors containing height information on a plane within a 360° range, optimizing the initial K sets of beamforming vectors through an objective function can make the beamforming gain approximately equal on planes at different heights, thereby obtaining a wide beam with flat gain on planes at different heights.

[0074] S202. The access network equipment shapes the beams according to the K sets of beamforming vectors to obtain the K shaped beams.

[0075] After obtaining the optimized K-beamforming vector, the access network device beamforms the beams according to the optimized K-beamforming vector to obtain K beams. For example, at the i-th time of K time intervals, the access network device uses the i-th group of beamforming vectors from the optimized K groups of beamforming vectors to beamform the i-th beam among the K beams.

[0076] S203. The access network equipment transmits reference signals at K time intervals based on the shaped K beams.

[0077] The access network device obtains K shaped beams and can transmit reference signals at K time points, where each of the K beams corresponds one-to-one with one of the K time points. For example, the access network device transmits a reference signal at the i-th time point based on the i-th beam among the K shaped beams. The reference signal varies in different application scenarios. For example, in positioning applications, the reference signal is a positioning reference signal, such as a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS). In channel estimation scenarios, the reference signal is a reference signal used for channel estimation, such as a sounding reference signal (SRS); another example is a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). The positioning reference signal and the reference signal used for channel estimation described above are merely examples, and the specific type of reference signal is not limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0078] S204. The terminal device receives K beams of the antenna array at K time points, with each of the K time points corresponding to one of the K beams.

[0079] The access network device transmits K beams at K time intervals, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives K beams at K time intervals. For example, the terminal device receives the i-th beam among the K beams at the i-th time interval. Alternatively, the terminal device can scan the K beams and select the beam with the highest gain as the received beam.

[0080] S205. The terminal device obtains the superimposed spatial field strength based on the spatial field strengths corresponding to the K beams respectively. The superimposed spatial field strength satisfies that the beamforming gain of the antenna array is within a preset range.

[0081] After receiving K beams, the terminal device can superimpose the spatial field strengths corresponding to these K beams to obtain the superimposed spatial scene, also known as the spatial superimposed field strength. For example, by sequentially superimposing the spatial field strengths of the beams in the first direction from the 1st beam to the Kth beam, the superimposed spatial field strength satisfies the following formula: ,in, The angle between the first direction and the z-axis of the spatial coordinate system is denoted as . Let x be the angle between the projection of the first direction onto the xy-axis in spatial coordinates and the x-axis. For a beamforming weight vector in a polarization direction, For the beamforming weight vector in the other polarization direction, For Bessel function pairs Approximate intermediate parameters. The origin of the spatial coordinates is the center of the antenna array.

[0082] It is understandable that the spatial beamforming gain of the antenna array is equivalent to the superposition of the spatial beamforming gains of the K beams. When the access network device uses the optimized beamforming vector from the ith group of the K beamforming vectors to beamform the ith beam among the K beams at the ith time point out of the K time points, the beamforming gain of each beam can be made as flat as possible. Therefore, the terminal device superimposes the spatial field strengths corresponding to the K beams to make the spatial beamforming gain of the antenna array relatively flat, thus obtaining a wide beam with relatively flat gain.

[0083] Taking K=3 as an example, assuming the antenna array is a dual-polarized antenna array with 16 antenna elements, then 6 optimized beamforming vectors can be obtained, resulting in a total of 6 × 16 = 96 beamforming weights. Substituting the optimized beamforming weights into the spatial power distribution results described above... You can obtain such as Figure 4 and Figure 5 The diagram shows a three-dimensional representation of the beamforming result. Among them, Figure 4 Is the space gain dependent on A three-dimensional result diagram showing the changes. Figure 5 Is the space gain dependent on A changing three-dimensional polar coordinate plot. Figure 4 The distance between each point and the origin is equal to the beamforming gain value. Figure 4 It can be seen that the overall gain fluctuation of the spatial beamforming of the array antenna with 16 antenna elements within the 180° beam range is about 3.5dB, and the gain in each direction is above 6dB, which is relatively flat. Figure 5 In this context, the distance from the coordinates (0,0,0) to a point on the spherical surface in different directions is equal to the gain in each direction. Figure 5 It can be seen that the three-dimensional polar coordinate diagram of the space beamforming gain is approximately spherical in three-dimensional space, that is, the space beamforming gain is flat.

[0084] S206. The terminal equipment processes the reference signals on the K beams according to the superimposed spatial field strength.

[0085] The terminal device can process the reference signals received from the K beams based on the superimposed spatial field strength. For example, if the reference signal is a positioning reference signal, the terminal device can calculate its location based on the positioning reference signal. As another example, if the reference signal is a channel state information (CSA) reference signal, the terminal device can determine the channel quality of the spatial channel transmitting the reference signal based on the CSA reference signal.

[0086] In this embodiment, the transmitting device can divide the beamforming vectors used for beamforming into multiple groups according to time, with one group of beamforming vectors corresponding to one time period. The transmitting device uses the beamforming vector corresponding to that time period to shape the beam, thereby maximizing the gain of the spatial field strength of the beam at each time period. For the receiving device, the spatial field strengths corresponding to the received multiple beams can be superimposed to obtain a wide beam with relatively flat gain, which can reduce the resource overhead of detecting the reference signal.

[0087] It should be noted that, Figure 2 The illustrated process uses the example of an access network device sending a reference signal and a terminal device receiving the reference signal. In possible implementations, the terminal device can also send a reference signal, and the access network device can receive the reference signal. In other words, Figure 2 In the embodiments shown, the access network device can be replaced by a terminal device, and the terminal device can be replaced by the access network device.

[0088] The method shown in the embodiments of this application can generate a wide beam with flat gain, suitable for scenarios where gain requirements are not high. For example, the method shown in the embodiments of this application can be applied to positioning. For example, the method shown in the embodiments of this application can be applied to downlink positioning, uplink positioning, and joint uplink and downlink positioning. It should be noted that uplink and downlink are relative terms here. If the transmission direction from the access network device to the terminal device is downlink (as used in this example), then the transmission direction from the terminal device to the access network device is uplink. Conversely, if the transmission direction from the access network device to the terminal device is uplink, then the transmission direction from the terminal device to the access network device is downlink.

[0089] Downlink positioning involves the terminal device measuring the downlink positioning reference signal sent by the network side. Based on the measurement results, the terminal device estimates its position, thus achieving downlink positioning. Correspondingly, at the i-th time of K time intervals, the access network device uses the i-th set of beamforming vectors from K sets of beamforming vectors to beamform the i-th beam out of K beams. Then, the access network device sends the downlink positioning reference signal based on the beamformed K beams. At the i-th time of K time intervals, the terminal device receives the i-th beam out of K beams and superimposes the spatial field strength of the received K beams.

[0090] Uplink positioning refers to the measurement of the uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS) sent by the terminal device by the access network device. The access network device estimates the position of the terminal device based on the measurement result, thus achieving uplink positioning. The uplink positioning reference signal can be an SRS or other reference signals that can be used for uplink measurement. This application does not limit this. Accordingly, the terminal device can perform beamforming on the i-th beam among the K beams at the i-th time of the K time intervals using the i-th set of beamforming vectors from the K sets of beamforming vectors. Then, the terminal device sends a downlink positioning reference signal based on the beamformed K beams. The access network device receives the i-th beam among the K beams at the i-th time of the K time intervals and superimposes the spatial field strengths of the received K beams.

[0091] Joint uplink and downlink positioning involves the access network device measuring the uplink positioning signal from the terminal device, and the terminal device measuring the downlink positioning reference signal from the access network device. The location of the terminal device is estimated based on the measurement results from both the access network device and the terminal device. Existing methods for determining the terminal device's location can be referenced and will not be elaborated here. Accordingly, at the i-th time of K time intervals, the access network device uses the i-th set of beamforming vectors from the K sets of beamforming vectors to beamform the i-th beam out of K beams. Then, the access network device transmits the downlink positioning reference signal based on the beamformed K beams. At the i-th time of K time intervals, the terminal device receives the i-th beam out of K beams and superimposes the spatial field strength of the received K beams. Furthermore, the terminal device also uses the i-th set of beamforming vectors from the K sets of beamforming vectors to beamform the i-th beam out of K beams at the i-th time of K time intervals. Subsequently, the terminal device transmits downlink positioning reference signals based on the K beams after beamforming. At the i-th time of the K time intervals, the access network device receives the i-th beam of the K beams and superimposes the spatial field strengths of the received K beams.

[0092] It is understandable that reference signal transmission experiences multipath effects, meaning the reference signal travels through multiple transmission paths before reaching the receiver. It should be understood that due to time delays during reference signal transmission, different paths may have different delays, resulting in the reference signal arriving at the receiver at different times due to these delays. Because the different delays of the multipaths cause phase differences, the combined signals from the multipaths may have stronger frequencies in some areas and weaker frequencies in others. In other words, if the transmission delays corresponding to the transmission paths are different, it will lead to frequency-selective fading of the frequency domain signal, making it impossible to accurately identify the first path in the multipath (referred to as the first path), thus resulting in low positioning accuracy. Furthermore, narrow beams, due to their narrow beamwidth, prevent the transmitting beam from being aligned with the receiving beam, making it impossible to accurately obtain the first path. The method provided in this application, which transmits the reference signal based on a wide beam, allows the transmitting end to be aligned with the receiving end, improving the accuracy of first path identification and thus improving positioning accuracy. In addition, because frequency-selective fading is more severe at high frequencies, first path identification is more difficult at high frequencies. Furthermore, in high-frequency positioning, the large phase offset significantly affects the optical path difference between multiple channels, further complicating angle measurement and making angle-of-arrival-based positioning estimation unsuitable for high-frequency positioning. However, the method provided in this application can improve the accuracy of initial diameter identification even in high-frequency situations and is applicable to angle-of-arrival-based positioning, thus having a wider range of uses.

[0093] The embodiments provided in this application describe the methods from the perspective of the interaction between the transmitting and receiving devices. To implement the functions of the methods provided in the embodiments of this application, the transmitting and receiving devices may include hardware structures and / or software modules, implementing the functions in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or a combination of hardware structures and software modules. Whether a particular function is executed in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or a combination of hardware structures and software modules depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0094] Based on the same concept as the method embodiments, this application provides a communication device. The communication device used to implement the above method in this application embodiment is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0095] Figure 6This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 600 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 600 may include a processing module 610 and a transceiver module 620. Optionally, it may also include a storage unit, which can be used to store instructions (code or program) and / or data. The processing module 610 and the transceiver module 620 may be coupled to the storage unit. For example, the processing module 610 may read instructions (code or program) and / or data from the storage unit to implement a corresponding method. The above modules may be set independently, or partially or completely integrated.

[0096] In some possible implementations, the communication device 600 can correspondingly implement the behavior and functions of the transmitting device in the above method embodiments. The communication device 600 can be a transmitting device, a component (e.g., a chip or circuit) applied in the transmitting device, or a chip or chip group in the transmitting device, or a part of a chip used to perform the relevant method functions. In other possible implementations, the communication device 600 can correspondingly implement the behavior and functions of the receiving device in the above method embodiments. The communication device 600 can be a receiving device, a component (e.g., a chip or circuit) applied in the receiving device, or a chip or chip group in the receiving device, or a part of a chip used to perform the relevant method functions.

[0097] For example, communication device 600 implements Figure 2 The method executed by the transmitting device in the embodiment is as follows. The processing module 610 is used to determine K sets of beamforming vectors and shape the beams according to the K sets of beamforming vectors to obtain K shaped beams. The K sets of beamforming vectors are the beamforming vectors corresponding to the antenna array at K time points, and the K sets of beamforming vectors satisfy the requirement that the spatial beamforming gain of the antenna array is within a preset range, where K is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The transceiver module 620 is used to transmit reference signals at K time points based on the K shaped beams.

[0098] As an optional implementation, the K sets of beamforming vectors are obtained by optimizing an objective function that minimizes the difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​of the spatial power at the K time points.

[0099] As an optional implementation, the antenna array is a dual-polarized antenna array, and the objective function satisfies the following formula:

[0100] in, This represents the constraint condition, where P is the spatial power over K time intervals. For a beamforming vector optimized in a polarization direction, For the optimized beamforming vector in the other polarization direction, Gain fluctuation values, i=1,2, Let be the angle between the first direction of an element of the antenna array and the z-axis of the spatial coordinate system. Let be the angle between the projection of the first direction onto the xy-axis of the spatial coordinate system and the x-axis, where the origin of the spatial coordinate system is the center of the antenna array.

[0101] As an optional implementation, the processing module 610 is further configured to: obtain the spatial field strength of the nth element of the antenna array in the first direction; for each of the K time intervals, superimpose the spatial field strengths of the N elements in the first direction to obtain the K superimposed spatial field strengths of the antenna array; and then vectorize the K superimposed spatial field strengths to obtain the initial K sets of beamforming vectors. Here, the center of the antenna array is taken as the origin of the spatial coordinate system, and the angle between the first direction and the z-axis of the spatial coordinate system is θ. The angle between the projection of the first direction onto the xy-axis in spatial coordinates and the x-axis is... n [1, N], where N is the number of elements in the antenna array. [-180°, 180°], [-180°, 180°].

[0102] As an optional implementation, the processing module 610 is further configured to: obtain the first height h of the nth element of the antenna array, and the spatial field strength in the first direction; for each of the K time intervals, traverse h with a step length, superimpose the spatial field strengths of the N elements in the first direction to obtain the K spatial superimposed field strengths of the antenna array; and then vectorize the K spatial superimposed field strengths to obtain the initial K sets of beamforming vectors. Here, the center of the antenna array is taken as the origin of the spatial coordinate system, and the angle between the first direction and the z-axis of the spatial coordinate system is θ. The angle between the projection of the first direction onto the xy-axis in spatial coordinates and the x-axis is... n [1, N], where N is the number of elements in the antenna array. [-180°, 180°], [-180°, 180°].

[0103] As an optional implementation, processing module 610 is also used to: traverse with a second step length ( , ), determine the K sets of beamforming weights corresponding to the K sets of beamforming vectors respectively; shape the corresponding beams using the K sets of beamforming weights to obtain the K beams after shaping; if the spatial beamforming gain of the K beams is within a preset range, determine the K sets of beamforming vectors corresponding to the K beams as the K sets of beamforming vectors of the objective function.

[0104] As an optional implementation, the antenna array is a dual-polarized antenna array.

[0105] For example, communication device 600 implements... Figure 2 The method executed by the receiving device in the embodiment is as follows: Transceiver module 620 is used to receive K beams of the antenna array at K time intervals. Processing module 610 is used to obtain a superimposed spatial field strength based on the spatial field strengths corresponding to the K beams, and to process the reference signals on the K beams according to the superimposed spatial field strength. The superimposed spatial field strength satisfies that the beamforming gain of the antenna array is within a preset range.

[0106] As an optional implementation, the reference signal can be a positioning reference signal or a channel estimation reference signal.

[0107] As an optional implementation, the antenna array is a dual-polarized antenna array, and the spatial field strength after superposition in the first direction satisfies the following formula: ,in, The angle between the first direction and the z-axis of the spatial coordinate system is the angle between the first direction and the z-axis, where the origin of the spatial coordinate system is the center of the antenna array. Let x be the angle between the projection of the first direction onto the xy-axis in spatial coordinates and the x-axis. For a beamforming weight vector in a polarization direction, For the beamforming weight vector in the other polarization direction, For Bessel function pairs Approximate intermediate parameters.

[0108] Optionally, the communication device 600 is an access network device or a terminal device.

[0109] Figure 7 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 700 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 700 can be a terminal device capable of implementing the functions of the transmitting or receiving device in the method provided in this application. The communication device 700 can also be a device capable of supporting the transmitting or receiving device in implementing the corresponding functions in the method provided in this application. The communication device 700 can be a chip system. In this embodiment, the chip system can be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices. Specific functions can be found in the descriptions of the above method embodiments.

[0110] The communication device 700 includes one or more processors 701 for implementing or supporting the communication device 700 in implementing the functions of the transmitting or receiving device in the methods provided in the embodiments of this application. For details, please refer to the detailed description in the method examples, which will not be repeated here. The processor 701 can also be called a processing unit or processing module, and can implement certain control functions. The processor 701 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, etc. For example, it includes: a central processing unit, an application processor, a modem processor, a graphics processor, an image signal processor, a digital signal processor, a video codec processor, a controller, a memory, and / or a neural network processor, etc. The central processing unit can be used to control the communication device 700, execute software programs, and / or process data. Different processors can be independent devices or integrated into one or more processors, for example, integrated on one or more application-specific integrated circuits.

[0111] Optionally, the communication device 700 includes one or more memories 702 for storing instructions 704, which can be executed on the processor 701 to cause the communication device 700 to perform the method described in the above method embodiments. The memories 702 and the processor 701 can be separately configured or integrated together, or they can be considered coupled. The coupling in this embodiment is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, used for information exchange between devices, units, or modules. The processor 701 may operate in conjunction with the memory 702. At least one of the at least one memories may be included in the processor. It should be noted that the memory 702 is not mandatory, so in... Figure 7 The image is indicated by a dashed line.

[0112] Optionally, the memory 702 may also store data. The processor and memory may be configured separately or integrated together. In this embodiment, the memory 702 may be a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), or it may be volatile memory, such as random-access memory (RAM). Memory is any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures that can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory in this embodiment may also be a circuit or any other device capable of implementing storage functions for storing program instructions and / or data.

[0113] Optionally, the communication device 700 may include instructions 703 (sometimes referred to as code or program) that can be executed on the processor to cause the communication device 700 to perform the methods described in the above embodiments. Data may be stored in the processor 701.

[0114] Optionally, the communication device 700 may further include a transceiver 705 and an antenna 706. The transceiver 705 may be referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver module, transceiver, transceiver circuit, transceiver, input / output interface, etc., and is used to realize the transmission and reception functions of the communication device 700 through the antenna 706.

[0115] The processor 701 and transceiver 705 described in this application can be implemented on integrated circuits (ICs), analog ICs, radio frequency identification (RFID) integrated circuits, mixed-signal ICs, ASICs, printed circuit boards (PCBs), or electronic devices. The communication device described herein can be a standalone device (e.g., a standalone integrated circuit, a mobile phone, etc.) or a part of a larger device (e.g., a module embedded in other devices). For details, please refer to the foregoing descriptions of terminal devices and network devices; further details will not be repeated here.

[0116] Optionally, the communication device 700 may further include one or more of the following components: a wireless communication module, an audio module, an external memory interface, internal memory, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a power management module, an antenna, a speaker, a microphone, an input / output module, a sensor module, a motor, a camera, or a display screen, etc. It is understood that in some embodiments, the communication device 700 may include more or fewer components, or some components may be integrated, or some components may be separated. These components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0117] It should be noted that the communication device in the above embodiments can also be a circuit, a chip applied in a transmitting device (or receiving device), or other combined devices or components having the functions of the transmitting device (or receiving device) described above. When the communication device is a transmitting device (or receiving device), the transceiver module can be a transceiver, which may include an antenna and radio frequency circuits, etc., and the processing module can be a processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU). When the communication device is a component having the functions of the first terminal device (or network device) described above, the transceiver module can be a radio frequency unit, and the processing module can be a processor. When the communication device is a chip system, the communication device can be a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system-on-a-chip (SoC), a CPU, a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD), or other integrated chips. The processing module can be the processor of the chip system. The transceiver module or communication interface can be an input / output interface or interface circuit of a chip system. For example, the interface circuit can be a code / data read / write interface circuit. This interface circuit can be used to receive code instructions (stored in memory, which can be read directly from memory or through other devices) and transmit them to the processor; the processor can then execute the code instructions to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. As another example, the interface circuit can also be a signal transmission interface circuit between a communication processor and a transceiver.

[0118] When the communication device is a chip-based device or circuit, it may include a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The transceiver unit may be an input / output circuit and / or a communication interface; the processing unit may be an integrated processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit.

[0119] This application also provides a communication system, specifically, the communication system includes at least one transmitting device and at least one receiving device. Exemplarily, the communication system includes components for implementing the above... Figure 2 The transmitting and receiving devices for the relevant functions are described in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0120] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, including instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform... Figure 2 The method executed by the transmitting device; or, when it is running on a computer, causing the computer to perform... Figure 2 The method executed by the receiving device.

[0121] This application also provides a computer program product, including instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform... Figure 2 The method executed by the transmitting device; or, when it is running on a computer, causing the computer to perform... Figure 2 The method executed by the receiving device.

[0122] This application provides a chip system including a processor and potentially a memory, for implementing the functions of a transmitting device in the aforementioned method; or for implementing the functions of a receiving device in the aforementioned method. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete components.

[0123] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the order of the above-mentioned processes does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0124] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0125] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0126] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0127] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0128] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the essential contributing part of the technical solution of this application, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0129] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application. If such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application is also intended to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A signal processing method, characterized in that, include: K beams of the antenna array are received at K time points, and the K time points correspond one-to-one with the K beams; Based on the spatial field strengths corresponding to the K beams respectively, the superimposed spatial field strength is obtained. The superimposed spatial field strength satisfies that the beamforming gain of the antenna array is within a preset range, where K is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The reference signals on the K beams are processed according to the superimposed spatial field strength; The antenna array is a dual-polarized antenna array, and the spatial field strength after superposition in the first direction satisfies the following formula: ,in, The angle between the first direction and the z-axis of the spatial coordinate system is the angle between the first direction and the z-axis, where the origin of the spatial coordinate system is the center of the antenna array. The angle between the projection of the first direction onto the xy-axis of the spatial coordinate system and the x-axis is given. For a beamforming weight vector in a polarization direction, For the beamforming weight vector in the other polarization direction, For Bessel function pairs Approximate intermediate parameters.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The reference signal is a positioning reference signal or a channel estimation reference signal.

3. A method for transmitting a signal, characterized in that, include: K sets of beamforming vectors are determined, wherein the K sets of beamforming vectors are the beamforming vectors of the antenna array at K time points, and the K sets of beamforming vectors satisfy that the beamforming gain of the antenna array is within a preset range, and K is an integer greater than or equal to 2; The beam is shaped according to the K sets of beamforming vectors to obtain K shaped beams; Based on the shaped K beams, reference signals are transmitted at the K time points respectively; The K beamforming vectors are obtained through optimization using an objective function. This objective function minimizes the difference between the maximum and minimum spatial power of the antenna array at the K time points. The antenna array is a dual-polarized antenna array, and the objective function satisfies the following formula: in, This represents the constraint condition, where P is the spatial power over the K time intervals. For a beamforming vector optimized in a polarization direction, For the optimized beamforming vector in the other polarization direction, express norm, Gain fluctuation values, i=1,2, Let be the angle between the first direction where one element of the antenna array is located and the z-axis of the spatial coordinate system. Let be the angle between the projection of the first direction onto the xy-axis of the spatial coordinate system and the x-axis, where the origin of the spatial coordinate system is the center of the antenna array.

4. The method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, Before determining the K sets of beamforming vectors, the method further includes: Obtain the spatial field strength of the nth element of the antenna array in the first direction, where the center of the antenna array is taken as the origin of the spatial coordinate system, and the angle between the first direction and the z-axis of the spatial coordinate system is . The angle between the projection of the first direction onto the xy-axis of the spatial coordinate system and the x-axis is . n [1, N], where N is the number of array elements included in the antenna array. [-180°, 180°], [-180°, 180°]; For each of the K time periods, the spatial field strengths of the N array elements in the first direction are superimposed to obtain the K spatial superimposed field strengths of the antenna array; The K spatial superimposed field strengths are vectorized to obtain K sets of beamforming vectors.

5. The method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, Before determining the K sets of beamforming vectors, the method further includes: Obtain the spatial superposition field strength of the nth element of the antenna array at a first height h and in a first direction, wherein the center of the antenna array is taken as the origin of the spatial coordinate system, and the angle between the first direction and the z-axis of the spatial coordinate system is . The angle between the projection of the first direction onto the xy-axis of the spatial coordinate system and the x-axis is . n [1, N], where N is the number of array elements included in the antenna array. [-180°, 180°], [-180°, 180°], h [0.1, 1]; For each of the K time periods, traverse h with a first step length, and superimpose the spatial superposition field strengths of the N array elements in the first direction to obtain the K spatial superposition field strengths of the antenna array. The K spatial superimposed field strengths are vectorized to obtain K sets of beamforming vectors.

6. The method as described in claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: Traverse with the second step length ( , ), and determine the K sets of beamforming weights corresponding to the K sets of beamforming vectors respectively; The K beams are shaped by the beams corresponding to the K sets of beamforming weights; If the spatial beamforming gain of the K beams is within the preset range, the K sets of beamforming vectors corresponding to the K beams are determined as the K sets of beamforming vectors of the objective function.

7. The method as described in claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, The antenna array is a ring-shaped dual-polarized antenna array.

8. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a processing module and a transceiver module; The transceiver module is used to receive K beams of the antenna array at K time points, where each of the K time points corresponds to one of the K beams, and K is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The processing module is used to obtain the superimposed spatial field strength based on the spatial field strength corresponding to the K beams respectively, and to process the reference signals on the K beams respectively according to the superimposed spatial field strength, wherein the superimposed spatial field strength satisfies that the beamforming gain of the antenna array is within a preset range. The antenna array is a dual-polarized antenna array, and the spatial field strength after superposition in the first direction satisfies the following formula: ,in, The angle between the first direction and the z-axis of the spatial coordinate system is the angle between the first direction and the z-axis, where the origin of the spatial coordinate system is the center of the antenna array. The angle between the projection of the first direction onto the xy-axis of the spatial coordinate system and the x-axis is given. For a beamforming weight vector in a polarization direction, For the beamforming weight vector in the other polarization direction, For Bessel function pairs Approximate intermediate parameters.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that, The reference signal is a positioning reference signal or a channel estimation reference signal.

10. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a processing module and a transceiver module; The processing module is used to determine K sets of beamforming vectors and shape the beams according to the K sets of beamforming vectors to obtain K shaped beams. The K sets of beamforming vectors are the beamforming vectors corresponding to the antenna array at K time points. The K sets of beamforming vectors satisfy that the beamforming gain of the antenna array is within a preset range, and K is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The transceiver module is used to transmit reference signals at the K times based on the shaped K beams; The K beamforming vectors are obtained through optimization using an objective function. This objective function minimizes the difference between the maximum and minimum spatial power values ​​over the K time intervals. The antenna array is a dual-polarized antenna array, and the objective function satisfies the following formula: in, This represents the constraint condition, where P is the spatial power over the K time intervals. For a beamforming vector optimized in a polarization direction, For the optimized beamforming vector in the other polarization direction, express norm, , Gain fluctuation values, i=1,2, Let be the angle between the first direction where one element of the antenna array is located and the z-axis of the spatial coordinate system. Let be the angle between the projection of the first direction onto the xy-axis of the spatial coordinate system and the x-axis, where the origin of the spatial coordinate system is the center of the antenna array.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that, The processing module is also used for: Obtain the spatial field strength of the nth element of the antenna array in the first direction, where the center of the antenna array is taken as the origin of the spatial coordinate system, and the angle between the first direction and the z-axis of the spatial coordinate system is . The angle between the projection of the first direction onto the xy-axis of the spatial coordinate system and the x-axis is . n [1, N], where N is the number of array elements included in the antenna array. [-180°, 180°], [-180°, 180°]; For each of the K time periods, the spatial field strengths of the N array elements in the first direction are superimposed to obtain the K spatial superimposed field strengths of the antenna array; The K spatial superimposed field strengths are vectorized to obtain K sets of beamforming vectors.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that, The processing module is also used for: Obtain the spatial superposition field strength of the nth element of the antenna array at a first height h and in a first direction, wherein the center of the antenna array is taken as the origin of the spatial coordinate system, and the angle between the first direction and the z-axis of the spatial coordinate system is . The angle between the projection of the first direction onto the xy-axis of the spatial coordinate system and the x-axis is . n [1, N], where N is the number of array elements included in the antenna array. [-180°, 180°], [-180°, 180°], h [0.1, 1]; For each of the K time periods, traverse h with a first step length, and superimpose the spatial superposition field strengths of the N array elements in the first direction to obtain the K spatial superposition field strengths of the antenna array. The K spatial superimposed field strengths are vectorized to obtain K sets of beamforming vectors.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The processing module is also used for: Traverse with the second step length ( , ), and determine the K sets of beamforming weights corresponding to the K sets of beamforming vectors respectively; The K beams are shaped by the beams corresponding to the K sets of beamforming weights; If the spatial beamforming gain of the K beams is within the preset range, the K sets of beamforming vectors corresponding to the K beams are determined as the K sets of beamforming vectors of the objective function.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The antenna array is a ring-shaped dual-polarized antenna array.

15. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A processor coupled to a memory for storing programs or instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-2.

16. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A processor coupled to a memory for storing programs or instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to perform the method as described in any one of claims 3-7.

17. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions that, when executed, cause the method as described in any one of claims 1-2 to be performed, or cause the method as described in any one of claims 3-7 to be performed.

18. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes a computer program that, when run, causes the method as described in any one of claims 1-2 to be performed, or causes the method as described in any one of claims 3-7 to be performed.

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