Downlink hybrid beam precoding method, apparatus and active antenna unit (AAU)

Abstract

This application discloses a downlink hybrid beamforming precoding method, apparatus, and active antenna unit (AAU). The method involves: obtaining a first channel estimation matrix from the uplink signals transmitted by a terminal device using antenna units connected to multiple digital receiving channels. This achieves uplink channel estimation in a single uplink channel measurement, reducing resource consumption compared to related technologies that require multiple analog beam switching measurements. Then, the analog beamforming weights are obtained from the hybrid digital-analog precoding matrix obtained through matrix decomposition. The channel estimation for the corresponding analog beam is removed from the first channel estimation matrix to obtain a second channel estimation matrix. Beamforming is performed based on the second channel estimation matrix to obtain the digital beamforming weights. Downlink hybrid beamforming precoding is then performed on at least one hybrid digital-analog transmit channel based on the digital and analog beamforming weights, reducing complexity and achieving superior hybrid beamforming performance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, specifically to a downlink hybrid beam precoding method, apparatus, and active antenna unit (AAU). Background Technology

[0002] The existing symmetrical transceiver architecture of the Active Antenna Unit (AAU) has the same number of radio frequency channels for both transmission and reception. When performing beam management, it consumes a lot of time and frequency resources and the process is cumbersome. Therefore, how to determine the downlink hybrid beam precoding while reducing resource overhead and complexity is an urgent technical problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a downlink hybrid beam precoding method, apparatus, and active antenna unit (AAU).

[0004] According to one aspect of this application, a downlink hybrid beamforming precoding method is provided, performed by an active antenna unit (AAU). The AAU includes multiple antenna elements, multiple digital receive channels connected one-to-one with the multiple antenna elements, and at least one hybrid digital-analog transmit channel. Each hybrid digital-analog transmit channel is connected to at least two antenna elements among the multiple antenna elements. The method includes:

[0005] The antenna unit, which is connected by the multiple digital receiving channels, receives the uplink signal sent by the terminal device to obtain the first channel estimation matrix.

[0006] Based on the first channel estimation matrix, matrix decomposition is performed to obtain the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix;

[0007] The phase component of each element is extracted from the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix to obtain the shaping weights of the analog beam;

[0008] Based on the shaping weights of the analog beam, the channel estimate corresponding to the analog beam is removed from the first channel estimation matrix to obtain a second channel estimation matrix for indicating the channel estimate of the digital beam.

[0009] Beamforming is performed based on the second channel estimation matrix to obtain the beamforming weights of the digital beam;

[0010] Based on the shaping weights of the digital beam and the shaping weights of the analog beam, downlink hybrid beam precoding is performed on the at least one digital-analog hybrid transmit channel.

[0011] According to another aspect of this application, an active antenna unit (AAU) is provided, the AAU comprising a plurality of antenna elements, a plurality of digital receiving channels connected one-to-one with the plurality of antenna elements, and at least one mixed-signal transmitting channel, each of the mixed-signal transmitting channels being connected to at least two of the plurality of antenna elements, and including a memory and a processor:

[0012] A memory for storing computer programs; a processor for reading the computer programs from the memory and performing the following operations:

[0013] The antenna unit, which is connected by the multiple digital receiving channels, receives the uplink signal sent by the terminal device to obtain the first channel estimation matrix.

[0014] Based on the first channel estimation matrix, matrix decomposition is performed to obtain the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix;

[0015] The phase component of each element is extracted from the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix to obtain the shaping weights of the analog beam;

[0016] Based on the shaping weights of the analog beam, the channel estimate corresponding to the analog beam is removed from the first channel estimation matrix to obtain a second channel estimation matrix for indicating the channel estimate of the digital beam.

[0017] Beamforming is performed based on the second channel estimation matrix to obtain the beamforming weights of the digital beam;

[0018] Based on the shaping weights of the digital beam and the shaping weights of the analog beam, downlink hybrid beam precoding is performed on the at least one digital-analog hybrid transmit channel.

[0019] According to another aspect of this application, a downlink hybrid beamforming precoding apparatus is provided, applied to an active antenna unit (AAU). The AAU includes multiple antenna elements, multiple digital receiving channels connected one-to-one with the multiple antenna elements, and at least one mixed-signal transmit channel. Each mixed-signal transmit channel is connected to at least two antenna elements among the multiple antenna elements. The apparatus includes:

[0020] The receiving module is used to receive the uplink signal sent by the terminal device through the antenna unit connected by the multiple digital receiving channels, so as to obtain the first channel estimation matrix.

[0021] The decomposition module is used to perform matrix decomposition based on the first channel estimation matrix to obtain a mixed digital-analog precoding matrix;

[0022] The extraction module is used to extract the phase part of each element from the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix to obtain the shaping weights of the analog beam;

[0023] The processing module is configured to remove the channel estimate corresponding to the analog beam from the first channel estimation matrix according to the shaping weight of the analog beam, so as to obtain a second channel estimation matrix for indicating the channel estimate of the digital beam.

[0024] A beamforming module is used to perform beamforming based on the second channel estimation matrix to obtain the beamforming weights of the digital beam;

[0025] The encoding module is used to perform downlink hybrid beam precoding on the at least one digital-analog hybrid transmission channel based on the shaping weights of the digital beam and the shaping weights of the analog beam.

[0026] According to another aspect of this application, a processor-readable storage medium is provided, the processor-readable storage medium storing a computer program for causing the processor to perform the method described in the first aspect.

[0027] The downlink hybrid beam precoding method, apparatus, and active antenna unit (AAU) provided in this application embodiment obtain a first channel estimation matrix based on the uplink signal received by the antenna unit connected to multiple digital receiving channels from the terminal device. This enables the uplink channel estimation to be obtained with a single uplink channel measurement, which is a process that would otherwise require multiple analog beam switching measurements, thus reducing resource consumption. Furthermore, matrix decomposition is performed to obtain a hybrid digital-analog precoding matrix. The phase portion of each element is extracted from the hybrid digital-analog precoding matrix to obtain the shaping weights of the analog beams. Based on the shaping weights of the analog beams, the channel estimation of the corresponding analog beam is removed from the first channel estimation matrix to obtain a second channel estimation matrix for indicating the channel estimation of the digital beams. Beamforming is performed based on the second channel estimation matrix to obtain the shaping weights of the digital beams. Based on the shaping weights of the digital beams and the analog beams, downlink hybrid beam precoding is performed on at least one hybrid digital-analog transmit channel to achieve a superior hybrid beamforming effect, resulting in a hybrid precoding matrix.

[0028] It should be understood that the description in this section is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of this application, nor is it intended to limit the scope of this application. Other features of this application will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0029] The accompanying drawings are provided for a better understanding of this solution and do not constitute a limitation of this application. Wherein:

[0030] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating a downlink hybrid beam precoding method provided in this application embodiment;

[0031] Figure 2One of the structural schematic diagrams of an asymmetric AAU unit provided in this application;

[0032] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating another downlink hybrid beam precoding method provided in this application embodiment;

[0033] Figure 4 A second schematic diagram of an asymmetric AAU unit provided in this application;

[0034] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an active antenna unit (AAU) provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0035] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a downlink hybrid beam precoding device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0036] In the embodiments of this application, the term "and / or" describes the relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent three cases: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following associated objects have an "or" relationship.

[0037] In the embodiments of this application, the term "multiple" refers to two or more, and other quantifiers are similar.

[0038] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0039] This application provides an analog beamforming method and an active antenna unit (AAU) for downlink transmission.

[0040] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various systems, especially 5G systems. For example, applicable systems include Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD), Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), and 5G New Radio (NR). All of these systems include terminal equipment and network equipment. The systems may also include a core network component, such as Evolved Packet System (EPS) and 5G system (5GS).

[0041] The following detailed description of the downlink hybrid beam precoding method, apparatus, and active antenna unit (AAU) of this application, with reference to embodiments, provides a detailed explanation.

[0042] In related technologies, in the 5G New Radio (NR) Sub-6GHz band, a fully digital beamforming RF transceiver structure is typically adopted. The AAU unit is a symmetrical transceiver architecture, with each antenna unit corresponding to a digital transceiver channel. In this system architecture, the transceiver beam is fully digitally beamformed during baseband signal processing based on the transceiver channels. However, this type of base station system has a high cost, requiring significant upfront investment and high energy consumption as the number of antennas increases. Under this symmetrical AAU unit architecture, downlink hybrid beam precoding typically requires multiple measurements of uplink channel information under different analog beam states to obtain multiple channel estimation matrices. However, multiple uplink channel estimation measurements consume a large amount of time-frequency resources. While simplified non-codebook beamforming based on user-camp analog beams only requires one uplink channel estimation measurement, a single uplink channel estimation cannot find the optimal hybrid beamforming result. Furthermore, determining the digital beamforming weights in related technologies requires optimization or traversal algorithms, which are computationally intensive and complex. Therefore, in order to obtain good downlink hybrid beam precoding results without consuming too much time-frequency domain resources and reducing the complexity of the algorithm, this application proposes a downlink hybrid beam precoding method. Based on an asymmetric active antenna unit (AAU), a first channel estimation matrix is ​​obtained by receiving uplink signals transmitted by the terminal device from antenna units connected to multiple digital receiving channels. Based on the first channel estimation matrix, the shaping weights of the digital beam and the analog beam are determined. Based on the shaping weights of the digital beam and the analog beam, downlink hybrid beam precoding is performed on at least one digital-analog hybrid transmit channel.

[0043] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating a downlink hybrid beam precoding method provided in an embodiment of this application, as shown below. Figure 1 As shown, the method includes the following steps:

[0044] Step 101: Using an antenna unit connected by multiple digital receiving channels, the uplink signal sent by the terminal device is received to obtain the first channel estimation matrix.

[0045] The implementing entity in this application embodiment is an active antenna unit (AAU). The AAU is an asymmetric transceiver architecture, meaning that the number of digital receiving channels and mixed-signal transmitting channels contained in the AAU unit differs. The AAU of this application includes multiple antenna elements, multiple digital receiving channels connected one-to-one with each of the multiple antenna elements, and at least one mixed-signal transmitting channel. Each mixed-signal transmitting channel is connected to at least two of the multiple antenna elements. As an example, Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an asymmetric AAU unit provided in this application is shown below. Figure 2As shown, each antenna element is connected to a digital receiving channel, which is a radio frequency link used to receive data. It is used to receive uplink signals sent by terminal devices and realize fully digital receiving beamforming. That is, when it is necessary to receive uplink signals sent by terminal devices, the control switch is switched to the radio frequency link corresponding to the digital receiving channel, so that the uplink signals sent by terminal devices can be received through multiple digital receiving channels connected by multiple antenna elements. From the received system information, the uplink channel estimate containing complete spatial information of the cell is obtained to obtain the first channel estimation matrix. Based on fully digital uplink reception, the first channel estimation matrix obtained by traditional multiple analog beam switching measurements can be obtained with a single uplink channel measurement.

[0046] Among them, such as Figure 2 As shown, the hybrid digital-analog transmission channel is a radio frequency link used for transmitting data. After determining the shaping weights of the digital beam and the analog beam, the control switch is switched to the radio frequency link corresponding to the hybrid digital-analog transmission channel. The phase of the analog beam is changed by the analog phase shifter to perform beamforming. That is to say, the analog beamforming mainly affects the phase part. Therefore, in this application, when obtaining the shaping weights of the analog beam based on the hybrid digital-analog precoding matrix obtained from the first channel estimation matrix, the shaping weights of the analog beam are also determined based on phase extraction.

[0047] Step 102: Perform matrix decomposition based on the first channel estimation matrix to obtain the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix.

[0048] In this embodiment, the first channel estimation matrix is ​​decomposed to obtain a mixed digital-analog precoding matrix, wherein digital beam weight information and analog beam weight information are superimposed in the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix. The matrix decomposition method includes singular value decomposition, power iteration, etc., and is not limited to this embodiment.

[0049] In one implementation of this application, an antenna unit connected by multiple digital receiving channels is used to receive uplink signals sent by a terminal device to obtain a first channel estimation matrix of the terminal device. Singular value decomposition is then used to decompose the first channel estimation matrix to obtain a mixed digital-analog precoding matrix.

[0050] Step 103: Extract the phase part of each element from the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix to obtain the shaping weights of the analog beam.

[0051] For each beam, its azimuth angle, downtilt angle, horizontal beamwidth, and vertical beamwidth can be configured. These parameters are called the shaping weights of the simulated beam.

[0052] In this embodiment, the mixed analog-digital precoding matrix contains both analog beamforming weight information and digital beamforming weight information. Decoupling is required from the mixed analog-digital precoding matrix to obtain the analog beamforming weights. One implementation involves normalizing the element modulus of the elements in the mixed analog-digital precoding matrix, i.e., extracting the phase portion of each element to obtain the analog beamforming weights. This is because each element includes both modulus and phase components. Normalizing the modulus makes it equal to 1, thus removing the modulus and retaining only the phase of each element, thereby shielding the coupling effect of the digital beamforming weights.

[0053] Step 104: Based on the shaping weights of the analog beam, remove the channel estimate of the corresponding analog beam from the first channel estimation matrix to obtain a second channel estimation matrix for indicating the channel estimate of the digital beam.

[0054] In this embodiment, the shaping weights of the simulated beam are superimposed on the first channel estimation matrix to obtain a first channel estimation matrix with superimposed simulated beam. Thus, the first channel estimation matrix with superimposed simulated beam is a new first channel estimation matrix containing air interface multipath information and the shaping weights of the simulated beam. Furthermore, based on at least two antenna elements connected to the same mixed digital-analog transmission channel, the row vectors corresponding to at least two antenna elements in the first channel estimation matrix with superimposed simulated beam are superimposed to obtain a second channel estimation matrix. This achieves the reconstruction of a lower-dimensional channel estimation matrix and reduces the subsequent computational load.

[0055] Step 105: Beamforming is performed based on the second channel estimation matrix to obtain the beamforming weights of the digital beam.

[0056] For each beam, its azimuth angle, downtilt angle, horizontal beamwidth, and vertical beamwidth can be configured. These parameters are called the shaping weights of the digital beam.

[0057] In this embodiment of the application, the second channel estimation matrix after dimensionality reduction is beamformed using a beamforming algorithm to obtain the beamforming weights of the digital beam. The beamforming algorithm can be a power iteration method or a singular value decomposition method.

[0058] Step 106: Based on the shaping weights of the digital beam and the shaping weights of the analog beam, perform downlink hybrid beam precoding on at least one hybrid digital-analog transmission channel.

[0059] In this embodiment, downlink hybrid beam precoding is performed on at least one mixed digital-analog transmission channel based on the determined shaping weights of the digital beam and the analog beam, thereby realizing hybrid beamforming and performing downlink transmission based on downlink hybrid beam precoding, which improves the accuracy of downlink transmission.

[0060] The downlink hybrid beam precoding method of this application obtains a first channel estimation matrix by receiving uplink signals transmitted by a terminal device using antenna elements connected to multiple digital receiving channels. This enables the uplink channel estimation to be obtained with a single uplink channel measurement, which is the traditional method requiring multiple analog beam switching measurements, thus reducing resource consumption. Furthermore, the analog beam shaping weights are obtained from the hybrid digital-analog precoding matrix obtained by matrix decomposition. Based on the analog beam shaping weights, the channel estimation of the corresponding analog beam is removed from the first channel estimation matrix to obtain a second channel estimation matrix. Beamforming is then performed based on the second channel estimation matrix to obtain the digital beam shaping weights. Based on the digital beam shaping weights and the analog beam shaping weights, downlink hybrid beam precoding is performed on at least one hybrid digital-analog transmit channel, reducing complexity and achieving a superior hybrid beam shaping effect.

[0061] Based on the above embodiments, this application provides another downlink hybrid beam precoding method. Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating another downlink hybrid beam precoding method provided in this application embodiment is shown below. Figure 3 As shown, the method includes the following steps:

[0062] Step 301: Using an antenna unit connected by multiple digital receiving channels, the uplink signal sent by the terminal device is received to obtain the first channel estimation matrix.

[0063] Step 301 can be explained in the foregoing embodiments, as the principle is the same, and will not be repeated here.

[0064] Step 302: Perform matrix decomposition based on the first channel estimation matrix to obtain the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix.

[0065] As an example, this application embodiment uses an asymmetric architecture with an AAU of 32-channel hybrid digital-analog transmission and 64-channel digital reception links. Figure 4 As shown, the AAU contains 64 antenna elements, each connected to a digital receiving channel. In the vertical dimension, two antennas perform analog beamforming, corresponding to a mixed digital-analog transmission channel.

[0066] If the terminal device has 4 antenna elements, the first channel estimation matrix H(64, 4) is obtained by importing the uplink channel estimation of the 4 antenna ports into the data obtained by receiving the uplink signal sent by the terminal device from the antenna elements connected to multiple digital receiving channels, where 64 corresponds to 64 digital receiving channels and 4 is the number of antennas of the terminal device.

[0067] The singular value decomposition method is used to decompose the first channel estimation matrix to obtain the mixed-signal precoding matrix, as follows:

[0068] [u, λ, v] = svd(H);

[0069] Here, the function svd represents the singular value decomposition of the first channel estimation matrix, where u represents the left singular vector, λ represents the singular value, and v represents the right singular vector in the decomposition result.

[0070] Furthermore, according to the formula u1=u(:,1), the first left singular vector u1 is determined from the left singular vector u, and u1 is used as the digital-analog hybrid precoding matrix, where u1 corresponds to the largest singular value, reflecting the requirement of maximizing channel gain.

[0071] The explanation in step 101 also applies to step 301, and will not be repeated here.

[0072] Step 303: Normalize the corresponding elements in the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix according to the modulus of each element, so that the normalized elements can be used as the shaping weights of the analog beam.

[0073] As an example, the elements in the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix u1 are normalized so that the normalized elements can be used as the shaping weights w of the analog beam. A :

[0074] w A =u1. / abs(u1);

[0075] Here, the `abs` function calculates the magnitude of each element of `u1`, and `. / ` represents the element-wise division between `u1` and `abs(u1)`. The beamforming weights `w` are used to simulate the beamforming. A It contains 64 elements, and the value of each element corresponds to the simulated beamforming weights on the 64 shifters.

[0076] It should be noted that the simulated beamforming weights obtained in this application differ from those set by traditional methods for simulated beam scanning. In the traditional method, the simulated beam pointing is calculated using the same value for each channel, while in this application, no such restriction is imposed, and the simulated beam pointing for each channel can be different. This feature makes the matching with the channel more accurate, resulting in better overall performance.

[0077] Step 304: The shaping weights of the simulated beam are superimposed on the first channel estimation matrix to obtain the third channel estimation matrix of the superimposed simulated beam.

[0078] In one implementation of this application, a first matrix is ​​generated based on the shaping weights of the simulated beam. The column vectors of each column in the first matrix are the shaping weights of the simulated beam. The number of columns in the first matrix is ​​the same as the number of columns in the first channel estimation matrix before superimposing the simulated beam. The column vectors of each column in the first matrix correspond to the antenna elements of the terminal device. The product between the first matrix and the first channel estimation matrix is ​​used as the third channel estimation matrix for superimposing the simulated beam.

[0079] As an example, the shaping weights of the simulated beam are copied four times and combined to obtain matrix C with dimensions (64, 4): C = [w A w A w A w A ];

[0080] The matrix C is superimposed onto the first channel estimation matrix, which is obtained by multiplying corresponding elements of matrix C and matrix H, to obtain the third channel estimation matrix superimposed with the simulated beam.

[0081]

[0082] Step 305: Based on at least two antenna elements connected to the same mixed analog-digital transmission channel, the row vectors corresponding to at least two antenna elements in the third channel estimation matrix of the superimposed analog beam are superimposed to obtain the second channel estimation matrix.

[0083] Furthermore, the third channel estimation matrix of the superimposed simulated beams is... The row vectors corresponding to at least two antenna elements are superimposed to obtain the second channel estimation matrix. The dimension was reduced to (32,4), compared to Figure 4 The topology diagram of the AAU antenna element is shown below, with the calculation method of the first column of elements as an example:

[0084]

[0085] Similarly, the calculation method for the elements in the remaining columns is the same, and will not be repeated here.

[0086] Step 306: Beamforming is performed based on the second channel estimation matrix to obtain the beamforming weights of the digital beam.

[0087] As an example, beamforming calculations are performed on the reduced-dimensional second channel estimation matrix to obtain the beamforming weights w for the downlink digital beam. D Its dimension is (32, L), where L≤4 represents the number of downlink transmissions. Taking singular value decomposition as an example:

[0088]

[0089] Here, the function svd represents the matrix Perform singular value decomposition, and in the decomposition results Represents a left singular vector. Represents singular values, The right singular vector is represented by the first L left singular vectors, which are then used as the shaping weights w for the downlink digital beam. D :

[0090]

[0091] Step 307: Based on the shaping weights of the digital beam and the shaping weights of the analog beam, perform downlink hybrid beam precoding on at least one hybrid digital-analog transmission channel.

[0092] Step 307 can be explained in the foregoing embodiments, and the principle is the same, so it will not be repeated here.

[0093] In the downlink hybrid beam precoding method of this application embodiment, the first channel estimation matrix obtained by receiving uplink signals transmitted by the terminal device from antenna units connected to multiple digital receiving channels realizes the uplink channel estimation that requires multiple analog beam switching measurements in related technologies with a single uplink channel measurement, reducing resource consumption. Then, the shaping weights of the analog beam are obtained from the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix obtained by matrix decomposition. Based on the shaping weights of the analog beam, the channel estimation of the corresponding analog beam is removed from the first channel estimation matrix to obtain the second channel estimation matrix. Beamforming is performed based on the second channel estimation matrix to obtain the shaping weights of the digital beam. Based on the shaping weights of the digital beam and the shaping weights of the analog beam, downlink hybrid beam precoding is performed on at least one mixed digital-analog transmission channel. Compared with the prior art, which requires the use of optimization algorithms or traversal to determine the digital beam shaping weights, the complexity is reduced, and better hybrid beamforming effect can be obtained.

[0094] Based on the above embodiments, this application provides an active antenna unit (AAU). Figure 5 This application provides a schematic diagram of the structure of an active antenna unit (AAU) according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 5 As shown, the AAU includes multiple antenna elements 55, multiple digital receiving channels 54 connected one-to-one with the multiple antenna elements 55, and at least one mixed digital-analog transmitting channel 53, each mixed digital-analog transmitting channel 53 being connected to at least two of the multiple antenna elements 55; and includes a memory 51 and a processor 52.

[0095] It should be noted that, Figure 5 Only a portion of the antenna elements, mixed-signal transmission channels, and digital reception channels are shown in this paper, but this does not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of this application.

[0096] Among them, memory 51 is used to store computer programs;

[0097] Processor 52 is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations:

[0098] The antenna unit, which is connected by the multiple digital receiving channels, receives the uplink signal sent by the terminal device to obtain the first channel estimation matrix.

[0099] Based on the first channel estimation matrix, matrix decomposition is performed to obtain the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix;

[0100] The phase component of each element is extracted from the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix to obtain the shaping weights of the analog beam;

[0101] Based on the shaping weights of the analog beams, the channel estimates of the corresponding analog beams are removed from the first channel estimation matrix to obtain a second channel estimation matrix for indicating the channel estimates of the digital beams.

[0102] Beamforming is performed based on the second channel estimation matrix to obtain the beamforming weights for the digital beam;

[0103] Downlink hybrid beam precoding is performed on at least one hybrid digital-analog transmit channel based on the shaping weights of digital beams and analog beams.

[0104] Furthermore, in one implementation of this application embodiment, the step of removing the channel estimate corresponding to the analog beam from the first channel estimation matrix based on the shaping weights of the analog beam to obtain a second channel estimation matrix for indicating the channel estimate of the digital beam includes:

[0105] The shaping weights of the simulated beams are superimposed on the first channel estimation matrix to obtain a third channel estimation matrix with superimposed simulated beams.

[0106] Based on the at least two antenna elements connected to the same mixed analog-digital transmission channel, the row vectors corresponding to the at least two antenna elements in the third channel estimation matrix of the superimposed analog beam are superimposed to obtain the second channel estimation matrix.

[0107] In one implementation of this application, the step of superimposing the shaping weights of the simulated beam onto the first channel estimation matrix to obtain a first channel estimation matrix with superimposed simulated beams includes:

[0108] A first matrix is ​​generated based on the shaping weights of the simulated beam, wherein the column vectors of each column in the first matrix are the shaping weights of the simulated beam, the number of columns in the first matrix is ​​the same as the number of columns in the first channel estimation matrix before the superimposed simulated beam, and the column vectors of each column in the first matrix correspond to the antenna elements of the terminal device.

[0109] The product of the first matrix and the first channel estimation matrix is ​​used as the first channel estimation matrix of the superimposed simulated beam.

[0110] In one implementation of this application, the step of extracting the phase portion of each element from the mixed-signal precoding matrix to obtain the shaping weights of the analog beam includes:

[0111] Based on the modulus of each element in the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix, the corresponding elements in the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix are normalized, and the normalized elements are used as the shaping weights of the analog beam.

[0112] In one implementation of this application, the step of performing matrix decomposition on the first channel estimation matrix obtained by receiving uplink signals transmitted by the terminal device from the antenna units connected to the plurality of digital receiving channels to obtain a mixed digital-analog precoding matrix includes:

[0113] The antenna unit, which is connected by the multiple digital receiving channels, receives the uplink signal sent by the terminal device to obtain the first channel estimation matrix of the terminal device.

[0114] The singular value decomposition method is used to decompose the first channel estimation matrix to obtain the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix.

[0115] It should be noted that the active antenna unit AAU provided in this application embodiment can implement all the method steps implemented in the above method embodiment and can achieve the same technical effect. Here, the parts that are the same as those in the method embodiment and the beneficial effects will not be described in detail.

[0116] Based on the above embodiments, this application provides a downlink hybrid beam precoding device applied to an active antenna unit (AAU). The AAU includes multiple antenna units, multiple digital receiving channels connected one-to-one with the multiple antenna units, and at least one digital-analog hybrid transmitting channel connected to at least two of the multiple antenna units.

[0117] Based on the above embodiments, Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a downlink hybrid beam precoding device provided in an embodiment of this application, as shown below. Figure 6 As shown, the device includes:

[0118] The transmitting module 61 is used to receive the uplink signal transmitted by the terminal device through the antenna unit connected by the plurality of digital receiving channels, so as to obtain the first channel estimation matrix.

[0119] The decomposition module 62 is used to perform matrix decomposition based on the first channel estimation matrix to obtain a mixed digital-analog precoding matrix.

[0120] Extraction module 63 is used to extract the phase part of each element from the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix to obtain the shaping weights of the analog beam.

[0121] The processing module 64 is configured to remove the channel estimate corresponding to the analog beam from the first channel estimation matrix according to the shaping weight of the analog beam, so as to obtain a second channel estimation matrix for indicating the channel estimate of the digital beam.

[0122] Beamforming module 65 is used to perform beamforming based on the second channel estimation matrix to obtain the beamforming weights of the digital beam.

[0123] The encoding module 66 is used to perform downlink hybrid beam precoding on the at least one digital-analog hybrid transmission channel based on the shaping weights of the digital beam and the shaping weights of the analog beam.

[0124] Furthermore, in one implementation of this application embodiment, the processing module 64 is specifically used for:

[0125] The shaping weights of the simulated beams are superimposed on the first channel estimation matrix to obtain a third channel estimation matrix with superimposed simulated beams.

[0126] Based on the at least two antenna elements connected to the same mixed analog-digital transmission channel, the row vectors corresponding to the at least two antenna elements in the third channel estimation matrix of the superimposed analog beam are superimposed to obtain the second channel estimation matrix.

[0127] In one implementation of this application embodiment, the processing module 64 is further configured to:

[0128] A first matrix is ​​generated based on the shaping weights of the simulated beam, wherein the column vectors of each column in the first matrix are the shaping weights of the simulated beam, the number of columns in the first matrix is ​​the same as the number of columns in the first channel estimation matrix before the superimposed simulated beam, and the column vectors of each column in the first matrix correspond to the antenna elements of the terminal device.

[0129] The product of the first matrix and the first channel estimation matrix is ​​used as the first channel estimation matrix of the superimposed simulated beam.

[0130] In one implementation of this application embodiment, the extraction module 63 is specifically used for:

[0131] Based on the modulus of each element in the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix, the corresponding elements in the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix are normalized, and the normalized elements are used as the shaping weights of the analog beam.

[0132] In one implementation of this application embodiment, the decomposition module 62 is specifically used for:

[0133] The antenna unit, which is connected by the multiple digital receiving channels, receives the uplink signal sent by the terminal device to obtain the first channel estimation matrix of the terminal device.

[0134] The singular value decomposition method is used to decompose the first channel estimation matrix to obtain the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix.

[0135] It should be noted that the apparatus provided in this application embodiment can implement all the method steps implemented in the above method embodiment and can achieve the same technical effect. Here, the parts that are the same as those in the method embodiment and the beneficial effects will not be described in detail.

[0136] The terminal devices involved in this application embodiment can be devices that provide voice and / or data connectivity to users, handheld devices with wireless connectivity, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. The names of the terminal devices may differ in different systems; for example, in a 5G system, a terminal device can be called User Equipment (UE). Wireless terminal devices can communicate with one or more core networks (CNs) via a Radio Access Network (RAN). Wireless terminal devices can be mobile terminal devices, such as mobile phones (or "cellular" phones) and computers with mobile terminal devices, for example, portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-embedded, or vehicle-mounted mobile devices that exchange voice and / or data with the RAN. Examples include Personal Communication Service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, Session Initiated Protocol (SIP) phones, Wireless Local Loop (WLL) stations, and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). Wireless terminal equipment can also be referred to as a system, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, access point, remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, user agent, or user device, but is not limited to these terms in the embodiments of this application.

[0137] It should be noted that the module division in the embodiments of this application is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. Furthermore, the functional modules in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing module, or each module can exist physically separately, or two or more modules can be integrated into one module. The integrated modules described above can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules.

[0138] If the integrated module is implemented as a software functional module and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a processor-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part 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.) or processor 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), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0139] To implement the above embodiments, this application provides a processor-readable storage medium storing a computer program for causing the processor to perform the method described in the foregoing aspect.

[0140] To implement the above embodiments, this application provides a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method described in the above embodiments.

[0141] The processor-readable storage medium can be any available medium or data storage device that the processor can access, including but not limited to magnetic memory (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, magneto-optical disk (MO)), optical memory (e.g., CD, DVD, BD, HVD), and semiconductor memory (e.g., ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, non-volatile memory (NAND FLASH), solid-state drive (SSD)).

[0142] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage and optical storage) containing computer-usable program code.

[0143] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of this application. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer-executable instructions. These computer-executable instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, generate instructions for implementing the flowchart... Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0144] These processor-executable instructions may also be stored in a processor-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the processor-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means, which are implemented in a process Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0145] These processors can execute instructions that can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device, causing a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable device for implementing the process. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps of the function specified in one or more boxes.

[0146] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include such modifications and variations.

[0147] It should be understood that the various forms of processes shown above can be used to rearrange, add, or delete steps. For example, the steps described in this application can be executed in parallel, sequentially, or in different orders, as long as the desired result of the technical solution disclosed in this application can be achieved, and this is not limited herein.

[0148] The specific embodiments described above do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations, and substitutions can be made according to design requirements and other factors. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A downlink hybrid beam precoding method, characterized in that, The method is executed by an active antenna unit (AAU), wherein the AAU includes multiple antenna elements, multiple digital receiving channels connected one-to-one with the multiple antenna elements, and at least one mixed-signal transmitting channel, each of the mixed-signal transmitting channels being connected to at least two antenna elements among the multiple antenna elements; the method includes: The antenna unit, which is connected by the multiple digital receiving channels, receives the uplink signal sent by the terminal device to obtain the first channel estimation matrix. Based on the first channel estimation matrix, matrix decomposition is performed to obtain the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix; The phase component of each element is extracted from the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix to obtain the shaping weights of the analog beam; Based on the shaping weights of the analog beam, the channel estimate corresponding to the analog beam is removed from the first channel estimation matrix to obtain a second channel estimation matrix for indicating the channel estimate of the digital beam. Beamforming is performed based on the second channel estimation matrix to obtain the beamforming weights of the digital beam; Based on the shaping weights of the digital beam and the shaping weights of the analog beam, downlink hybrid beam precoding is performed on the at least one mixed digital-analog transmission channel; The step of removing the channel estimate corresponding to the analog beam from the first channel estimation matrix based on the shaping weights of the analog beam to obtain a second channel estimation matrix for indicating the channel estimate of the digital beam includes: The shaping weights of the simulated beams are superimposed on the first channel estimation matrix to obtain a third channel estimation matrix with superimposed simulated beams. Based on the at least two antenna elements connected to the same mixed analog-digital transmission channel, the row vectors corresponding to the at least two antenna elements in the third channel estimation matrix of the superimposed analog beam are superimposed to obtain the second channel estimation matrix.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of superimposing the shaping weights of the simulated beam onto the first channel estimation matrix to obtain a third channel estimation matrix with superimposed simulated beams includes: A first matrix is ​​generated based on the shaping weights of the simulated beam, wherein the column vectors of each column in the first matrix are the shaping weights of the simulated beam, the number of columns in the first matrix is ​​the same as the number of columns in the first channel estimation matrix before the superimposed simulated beam, and the column vectors of each column in the first matrix correspond to the antenna elements of the terminal device. The product of the first matrix and the first channel estimation matrix is ​​used as the third channel estimation matrix of the superimposed simulated beam.

3. The method according to any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that, The step of extracting the phase portion of each element from the mixed-signal precoding matrix to obtain the shaping weights of the analog beam includes: Based on the modulus of each element in the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix, the corresponding elements in the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix are normalized, and the normalized elements are used as the shaping weights of the analog beam.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that, The first channel estimation matrix obtained by receiving uplink signals transmitted by the terminal device based on the antenna units connected to the plurality of digital receiving channels is decomposed into a mixed digital-analog precoding matrix, including: The antenna unit, which is connected by the multiple digital receiving channels, receives the uplink signal sent by the terminal device to obtain the first channel estimation matrix of the terminal device. The singular value decomposition method is used to decompose the first channel estimation matrix to obtain the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix.

5. An active antenna unit (AAU), characterized in that, The AAU includes multiple antenna elements, multiple digital receiving channels connected one-to-one with the multiple antenna elements, and at least one mixed-signal transmitting channel. Each mixed-signal transmitting channel is connected to at least two antenna elements among the multiple antenna elements, and includes a memory and a processor. Memory, used to store computer programs; Processor, configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations: The antenna unit, which is connected by the multiple digital receiving channels, receives the uplink signal sent by the terminal device to obtain the first channel estimation matrix. The first channel estimation matrix obtained by receiving the uplink signal sent by the terminal device from the antenna units connected to the multiple digital receiving channels is decomposed to obtain the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix. The phase component of each element is extracted from the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix to obtain the shaping weights of the analog beam; Based on the shaping weights of the analog beam, the channel estimate corresponding to the analog beam is removed from the first channel estimation matrix to obtain a second channel estimation matrix for indicating the channel estimate of the digital beam. Beamforming is performed based on the second channel estimation matrix to obtain the beamforming weights of the digital beam; Based on the shaping weights of the digital beam and the shaping weights of the analog beam, downlink hybrid beam precoding is performed on the at least one mixed digital-analog transmission channel; The step of removing the channel estimate corresponding to the analog beam from the first channel estimation matrix based on the shaping weights of the analog beam to obtain a second channel estimation matrix for indicating the channel estimate of the digital beam includes: The shaping weights of the simulated beams are superimposed on the first channel estimation matrix to obtain a third channel estimation matrix with superimposed simulated beams. Based on the at least two antenna elements connected to the same mixed analog-digital transmission channel, the row vectors corresponding to the at least two antenna elements in the third channel estimation matrix of the superimposed analog beam are superimposed to obtain the second channel estimation matrix.

6. The active antenna unit AAU according to claim 5, characterized in that, The step of superimposing the shaping weights of the simulated beam onto the first channel estimation matrix to obtain a third channel estimation matrix with superimposed simulated beams includes: A first matrix is ​​generated based on the shaping weights of the simulated beam, wherein the column vectors of each column in the first matrix are the shaping weights of the simulated beam, the number of columns in the first matrix is ​​the same as the number of columns in the first channel estimation matrix before the superimposed simulated beam, and the column vectors of each column in the first matrix correspond to the antenna elements of the terminal device. The product of the first matrix and the first channel estimation matrix is ​​used as the third channel estimation matrix of the superimposed simulated beam.

7. The active antenna unit AAU according to any one of claims 5-6, characterized in that, The step of extracting the phase portion of each element from the mixed-signal precoding matrix to obtain the shaping weights of the analog beam includes: Based on the modulus of each element in the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix, the corresponding elements in the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix are normalized, and the normalized elements are used as the shaping weights of the analog beam.

8. The active antenna element AAU according to any one of claims 5-6, characterized in that, The first channel estimation matrix obtained by receiving uplink signals transmitted by the terminal device based on the antenna units connected to the plurality of digital receiving channels is decomposed into a mixed digital-analog precoding matrix, including: The antenna unit, which is connected by the multiple digital receiving channels, receives the uplink signal sent by the terminal device to obtain the first channel estimation matrix of the terminal device. The singular value decomposition method is used to decompose the first channel estimation matrix to obtain the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix.

9. A downlink hybrid beam precoding device, characterized in that, An active antenna unit (AAU) is applied, the AAU comprising multiple antenna elements, multiple digital receiving channels connected one-to-one with the multiple antenna elements, and at least one mixed-signal transmitting channel, each of the mixed-signal transmitting channels being connected to at least two antenna elements; the device includes: The receiving module is used to receive the uplink signal sent by the terminal device through the antenna unit connected by the multiple digital receiving channels, so as to obtain the first channel estimation matrix. The decomposition module is used to perform matrix decomposition based on the first channel estimation matrix to obtain a mixed digital-analog precoding matrix; The extraction module is used to extract the phase part of each element from the mixed digital-analog precoding matrix to obtain the shaping weights of the analog beam; The processing module is configured to remove the channel estimate corresponding to the analog beam from the first channel estimation matrix according to the shaping weight of the analog beam, so as to obtain a second channel estimation matrix for indicating the channel estimate of the digital beam. A beamforming module is used to perform beamforming based on the second channel estimation matrix to obtain the beamforming weights of the digital beam; The encoding module is used to perform downlink hybrid beam precoding on the at least one digital-analog hybrid transmission channel based on the shaping weights of the digital beam and the shaping weights of the analog beam. The processing module is further configured to: The shaping weights of the simulated beam are superimposed on the first channel estimation matrix to obtain a third channel estimation matrix of superimposed simulated beams; based on the at least two antenna elements connected to the same digital-analog hybrid transmission channel, the row vectors corresponding to the at least two antenna elements in the third channel estimation matrix of superimposed simulated beams are superimposed to obtain a second channel estimation matrix.

10. A processor-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The processor-readable storage medium stores a computer program for causing the processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1-4.

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