Power sharing method and device

Abstract

The invention provides a power sharing method and device, which can realize power sharing among different power amplifiers. The method comprises the following steps: determining a first required power of the first power amplifier and a second required power of the second power amplifier; transmitting a first signal as a first required power according to the output power of the first power amplifier, and transmitting a second signal as a second required power according to the output power of the second power amplifier, the first required power being greater than or equal to the nominal power, and the second required power being less than or equal to the nominal power, the nominal power is the average maximum output power of all the power amplifiers in the radio frequency unit, the radio frequency unit comprises the first power amplifier and the second power amplifier, and the nominal power is the average maximum output power of all the power amplifiers in the radio frequency unit. The first power amplifier and the second power amplifier respectively correspond to different radio frequency channels.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a method and device for power sharing. Background Art

[0002] The number of channels of RF units in multi-antenna systems is increasing, the number of independent power amplifiers in a RF unit is increasing, and the number of frequency bands supported by a power amplifier is increasing. Furthermore, the power requirements of different power amplifiers are different, or the power requirements of multiple frequency bands supported by a power amplifier are different. Therefore, power sharing between multiple power amplifiers or power sharing between multiple frequency bands in a power amplifier has become an effective means to improve the efficiency of the power amplifier.

[0003] At present, the power sharing solution between multiple frequency bands in a power amplifier realizes power sharing within a power amplifier. If power sharing between different power amplifiers is to be realized, a power sharing solution between multiple power amplifiers based on a bridge is required. This solution adds hardware circuits such as digital bridges and analog bridges to the RF unit, introduces additional insertion loss, and increases additional power loss; in addition, the introduction of digital bridges and analog bridges makes it easy to introduce leakage interference between different power amplifiers. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application provides a power sharing method and device, which can realize power sharing between different power amplifiers.

[0005] In a first aspect, a power sharing method is provided, which can be executed by a network device or a chip or chip system on the network device side. The network device includes a radio frequency unit, and the radio frequency unit includes a first power amplifier and a second power amplifier, wherein the first power amplifier and the second power amplifier correspond to different radio frequency channels respectively, and the method includes: determining a first required power of the first power amplifier and a second required power of the second power amplifier; transmitting a first signal according to the output power of the first power amplifier as the first required power, and transmitting a second signal according to the output power of the second power amplifier as the second required power, wherein the first required power is greater than or equal to the nominal power, the second required power is less than or equal to the nominal power, and the heat dissipation index of the first power amplifier is higher than the heat dissipation index of the second power amplifier, wherein the nominal power is the average maximum output power of all power amplifiers in the radio frequency unit.

[0006] Based on the above technical scheme, the second required power of the second power amplifier is lower, and the heat dissipation index of the second power amplifier when the output power is the second required power is redundant with respect to the heat dissipation index of the second power amplifier when the output power is the nominal power; while the first required power of the first power amplifier is higher, and the heat dissipation index of the first power amplifier when the output power is the first required power is insufficient with respect to the heat dissipation index of the first power amplifier when the output power is the nominal power. The technical scheme of the embodiment of the present application is equivalent to the first power amplifier "borrowing" the heat dissipation index of the second power amplifier, which can ensure that the heat dissipation of the entire RF unit is maintained within a safe range; therefore, the embodiment of the present application achieves power sharing between different power amplifiers by sharing heat dissipation indicators between different power amplifiers.

[0007] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the determining of the first required power of the first power amplifier and the second required power of the second power amplifier includes: determining the first required power according to the position of the first antenna subarray corresponding to the first power amplifier in the antenna array, wherein the antenna array is an equidistant beamforming antenna array; determining the second required power according to the position of the second antenna subarray corresponding to the second power amplifier in the antenna array. In an equidistant beamforming antenna array, the required power of the power amplifier connected to the antenna subarray located in the center column of the antenna array is relatively high and may be greater than the nominal power; the required power of the power amplifier connected to the antenna subarray located in the side column of the antenna array is relatively low and may be less than the nominal power.

[0008] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the position of the first antenna subarray in the antenna array is a center column of the antenna array, and the position of the second antenna subarray in the antenna array is a side column of the antenna array.

[0009] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, determining the first required power of the first power amplifier and the second required power of the second power amplifier includes: determining the first required power according to the type of the first signal; and determining the second required power according to the type of the second signal. In a signal heterogeneous transmitting antenna array, the type of the signal sent by the antenna subarray corresponding to the power amplifier determines the required power of the power amplifier.

[0010] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the type of the first signal is a broadcast signal, and the type of the second signal is a unicast signal.

[0011] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the clipping threshold corresponding to the first power amplifier is greater than the clipping threshold corresponding to the second power amplifier. This can prevent the error vector magnitude (EVM) of the output signal of the first power amplifier from being too large, thereby preventing the output signal of the first power amplifier from being distorted.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the sum of the first required power and the second required power is less than or equal to twice the nominal power. This can prevent the total required power of the first power amplifier and the second power amplifier from being too large, thereby ensuring the safety of the radio frequency unit.

[0013] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first required power is less than or equal to a first threshold, and the first threshold is the maximum output power of the first power amplifier. The first threshold can also be understood as the maximum output power allowed for the first power amplifier; this implementation can prevent the first required power of the first power amplifier from exceeding the maximum output power allowed for the first power amplifier, thereby preventing damage to the first power amplifier.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the sum of the heat dissipation requirement when the output power of the first power amplifier is the first required power and the heat dissipation requirement when the output power of the second power amplifier is the second required power is less than or equal to a second threshold, and the second threshold is the total heat dissipation requirement when the output powers of the first power amplifier and the second power amplifier are respectively the nominal powers.

[0015] Based on this possible implementation scheme, the sum of the heat dissipation requirement when the output power of the first power amplifier is the first required power and the heat dissipation requirement when the output power of the second power amplifier is the second required power is less than or equal to the second threshold, which can ensure that the heat dissipation of the entire RF unit is maintained within a safe range, thereby ensuring the safety of the RF unit.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the heat dissipation index of the first power amplifier is less than or equal to a third threshold, and the third threshold is a maximum heat dissipation actually allowed for the first power amplifier. This can prevent the heat dissipation index of the first power amplifier from being too large, thereby ensuring that the heat dissipation of the entire radio frequency unit is maintained within a safe range, thereby ensuring the safety of the radio frequency unit.

[0017] In a second aspect, a communication device is provided, which can be applied to the network device described in the first aspect, and the device includes a processing unit, a first power amplifier and a second power amplifier, wherein the first power amplifier and the second power amplifier correspond to different radio frequency channels respectively; the processing unit is used to determine a first required power of the first power amplifier and a second required power of the second power amplifier; the processing unit is also used to transmit a first signal according to the output power of the first power amplifier as the first required power, and to transmit a second signal according to the output power of the second power amplifier as the second required power, wherein the first required power is greater than or equal to the nominal power, the second required power is less than or equal to the nominal power, and the heat dissipation index of the first power amplifier is higher than the heat dissipation index of the second power amplifier, wherein the nominal power is the average maximum output power of all power amplifiers in the communication device. In a possible implementation, the communication device can be a radio frequency unit in a network device, and the processing unit includes a power management unit.

[0018] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the processing unit is specifically used to: determine the first required power based on the position of the first antenna subarray corresponding to the first power amplifier in the antenna array, wherein the antenna array is an equally spaced beamforming antenna array; determine the second required power based on the position of the second antenna subarray corresponding to the second power amplifier in the antenna array.

[0019] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the position of the first antenna subarray in the antenna array is the center column of the antenna array, and the position of the second antenna subarray in the antenna array is the side column of the antenna array.

[0020] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the processing unit is specifically used to: determine the first required power according to the type of the first signal; and determine the second required power according to the type of the second signal.

[0021] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the type of the first signal is a broadcast signal, and the type of the second signal is a unicast signal.

[0022] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, a clipping threshold corresponding to the first power amplifier is greater than a clipping threshold corresponding to the second power amplifier.

[0023] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the sum of the first required power and the second required power is less than or equal to twice the nominal power.

[0024] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first required power is less than or equal to a first threshold, and the first threshold is the maximum output power of the first power amplifier.

[0025] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the sum of the heat dissipation requirement when the output power of the first power amplifier is the first required power and the heat dissipation requirement when the output power of the second power amplifier is the second required power is less than or equal to a second threshold, and the second threshold is the total heat dissipation requirement when the output powers of the first power amplifier and the second power amplifier are respectively the nominal powers.

[0026] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the heat dissipation index of the first power amplifier is less than or equal to a third threshold, and the third threshold is the maximum heat dissipation actually allowed for the first power amplifier.

[0027] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to execute the computer program stored in the memory, so that the communication device executes the method in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0028] According to a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a unit for executing the method in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0029] In a fifth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable medium stores a computer program; when the computer program runs on a computer, the computer executes the method in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0030] According to a sixth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, wherein when the instructions are executed by a computer, a communication device implements the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0031] The solutions provided in the second to sixth aspects are used to implement or cooperate with the method provided in the first aspect, and therefore can achieve the same or corresponding beneficial effects as the first aspect, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of an equally spaced beamforming antenna array;

[0034] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of a signal heterogeneous transmission antenna array;

[0035] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the connection between the power management unit and the power amplifier;

[0036] Figure 5 is a schematic flow chart of a power sharing method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a first clipping threshold corresponding to a first power amplifier and a second clipping threshold corresponding to a second power amplifier;

[0038] Figure 7 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 8 It is a schematic block diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The technical solution in this application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0041] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as wireless local area network (WLAN), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), global system for mobile communications (GSM), enhanced data rate for GSM evolution (EDGE), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), code division multiple access 2000 (CDMA2000), time division-synchronization code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA), long term evolution (LTE), satellite communication, fifth generation (5G) system, and three major application scenarios of 5G communication system: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra reliable and low latency communications (URLLC) and massive machine type communications (mMTC).

[0042] The communication system applicable to the present application includes one or more transmitting ends and one or more receiving ends. The signal transmission between the transmitting end and the receiving end may be transmitted through radio waves or through transmission media such as visible light, laser, infrared and optical fiber. Exemplarily, one of the transmitting end and the receiving end may be a terminal device, and the other may be a radio access network (RAN) node.

[0043] The terminal devices involved in the embodiments of the present application may include various handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem with wireless communication functions. The terminal may be a mobile station (MS), a subscriber unit, a user equipment (UE), a cellular phone, a smart phone, a wireless data card, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a wireless modem, a handheld device (handset), a laptop computer, a machine type communication (MTC) terminal, etc. Among them, the user equipment includes a vehicle user equipment.

[0044] In one possible scenario, the RAN node may be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a next generation base station in a sixth generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. The RAN node may be a macro base station, a micro base station or an indoor station, a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the RAN node may also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or an onboard device. For example, the access network device in the vehicle to everything (V2X) technology may be a road side unit (RSU).

[0045] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the RAN node can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU can be set separately, or can also be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU) or a remote radio head (RRH). Figure 1 The schematic structural diagram of the network device of the embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. DU is connected to a power amplifier (PA) in a radio frequency unit, which may be a RU, and the radio frequency unit is connected to an antenna array via a cable.

[0046] In order to facilitate the understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the concepts involved in the embodiments of the present application are first explained:

[0047] Beamforming technology: also known as beamforming and spatial filtering, is a signal processing technology for array directional transmission and / or reception of signals. It can be applied to both the signal transmitting end and the signal receiving end. Beamforming technology adjusts the parameters of the basic unit of the phase array so that signals at certain angles obtain constructive interference and signals at other angles obtain destructive interference, thereby generating a beam. In a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system, beamforming can improve the quality of the received signal and increase the throughput of the system. Depending on the location of the beamforming in the signal path, beamforming technology can be divided into digital beamforming technology and analog beamforming technology.

[0048] Equally spaced beamforming antenna array: It is composed of multiple columns of antenna subarrays, each of which includes at least one antenna element. The antenna subarrays are equally spaced, and different antenna subarrays are symmetrical structures with respect to the center of the column. The antenna subarrays close to the center line of the column are called the center column, and the antenna subarrays far from the center line of the column are called the side column. A possible way to divide the side column and the center column is to take the midpoint from the center point of the antenna array to the edge of the antenna. The antenna subarray between this midpoint and the center point of the linear array is the center column, and the antenna subarray between this midpoint and the edge of the antenna is the side column. Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an equally spaced beamforming antenna array is shown in FIG. 4 , taking an example in which each antenna subarray includes two antenna elements.

[0049] Signal heterogeneous transmitting antenna array: It is composed of multiple columns of antenna subarrays, each of which includes at least one antenna element; the antenna subarrays are equidistant from each other, and different antenna subarrays are column-centre symmetrical structures; different types of signals are sent by different antenna subarrays. Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a signal heterogeneous transmission antenna array, for example, the signal type sent by the middle two antenna subarrays is a broadcast signal, and the signal type sent by the other two antenna subarrays is a unicast signal.

[0050] In order to facilitate the understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the technical solutions related to the embodiments of the present application are briefly introduced below.

[0051] Multi-antenna systems have become one of the main means to improve communication performance now and in the future. In a multi-antenna system, the base station needs to send multiple data streams to multiple RF channels of a RF unit. Generally, a RF channel contains a power amplifier, which amplifies the signal of the data stream to sufficient power before sending it out from the antenna to ensure that the signal meets coverage and other performance indicators; therefore, the power amplifier is an important component in wireless communication systems, and accordingly, improving the efficiency of power amplifiers has always been a research hotspot.

[0052] As the frequency bands of wireless communication systems become wider and wider, the corresponding frequency bands increase; the number of channels of RF units in multi-antenna systems increases, resulting in an increasing number of independent power amplifiers in a RF unit, and an increasing number of frequency bands supported by a power amplifier at the same time; further, the power requirements between different power amplifiers are different, or the power requirements between multiple frequency bands supported by a power amplifier are different. Therefore, power sharing between multiple power amplifiers or power sharing between multiple frequency bands within a power amplifier has become an effective means to improve the efficiency of the power amplifier.

[0053] The power sharing solution between multiple frequency bands in a single power amplifier is mainly based on the different power requirements corresponding to the actual services in different frequency bands, and dynamically allocates power to different frequency bands. The specific implementation process includes: the power allocation control unit analyzes the power requirements corresponding to the real-time services of each frequency band, and a power amplifier supports both frequency band 1 and frequency band 2; the power allocation control unit shares the redundant power of frequency band 1 with frequency band 2 with additional power requirements. This solution can only realize power sharing within a power amplifier, and cannot share its own power with other power amplifiers.

[0054] The power sharing scheme between multiple power amplifiers based on the bridge mainly uses multiple power amplifiers to send the same data, so that the equivalent power of sending one data exceeds the nominal power of one power amplifier, thereby achieving power sharing between power amplifiers; the nominal power refers to the average maximum output power of all power amplifiers in the radio frequency unit. In addition, the nominal power can also be called the rated power, which is not limited in this application.

[0055] Power sharing among multiple bridge-based power amplifiers requires the addition of new hardware circuits such as digital bridges and analog bridges in the RF unit, which introduces additional insertion loss and increases additional power loss. In addition, the introduction of digital bridges and analog bridges will easily introduce leakage interference between different power amplifiers.

[0056] To this end, an embodiment of the present application proposes a power sharing method, which can achieve power sharing between different power amplifiers, avoid additional power loss, and reduce leakage interference between different power amplifiers.

[0057] Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a device applicable to the function sharing method of the present application. The radio frequency unit in the figure can refer to the description of the RU above, such as Figure 4 As shown, the RU includes a plurality of different power amplifiers, and different power amplifiers may correspond to different RF channels. For example, the RU includes a first power amplifier and a second power amplifier, and the first power amplifier and the second power amplifier correspond to different RF channels, respectively. In a possible implementation, the RU may include a power management unit. It should be understood that the power management unit may also be located in other devices or units other than the RU, such as a DU, a CU or other devices, and the present application is not limited thereto.

[0058] Figure 5 A schematic flow chart of a power sharing method provided in the present application. The method may include the following steps:

[0059] 510 , determine a first required power of a first power amplifier and a second required power of a second power amplifier.

[0060] This step may be performed by the RU, or by a power management unit. The power management unit may be located in the RU or may be a unit independently provided from the RU, which is not limited in the present application.

[0061] Take the execution subject of this step as a power management unit as an example.

[0062] In a possible implementation, the power management unit may determine the first required power of the first power amplifier according to the position of the first antenna subarray corresponding to the first power amplifier in the antenna array. The power management unit may determine the second required power of the second power amplifier according to the position of the second antenna subarray corresponding to the second power amplifier in the antenna array. For example, the antenna array is an equidistant beamforming antenna array. In an equidistant beamforming antenna array, the required power of the power amplifier connected to the antenna subarray located in the center column of the antenna array is relatively high and may be greater than the nominal power. The required power of the power amplifier connected to the antenna subarray located in the side column of the antenna array is relatively low and may be less than the nominal power. The nominal power is the average maximum output power of all power amplifiers in the radio frequency unit, and the nominal powers of different power amplifiers in the radio frequency unit are the same. For example, when the traffic volume is higher than a certain threshold, the required power of the power amplifier connected to the antenna subarray located in the center column of the antenna array is greater than its nominal power.

[0063] It can be understood that the first required power is the required output power of the first power amplifier, and the subsequent second required power is similar, which will not be described in detail.

[0064] In a possible implementation, the power management unit may determine the first required power of the first power amplifier according to the type of the first signal sent by the first antenna subarray corresponding to the first power amplifier. The power management unit may determine the second required power of the second power amplifier according to the type of the second signal sent by the second antenna subarray corresponding to the second power amplifier. In a signal heterogeneous transmitting antenna array, the type of signal sent by the antenna subarray determines the required power of the power amplifier connected to the antenna subarray; the type of signal sent by the antenna subarray includes a broadcast signal, a unicast signal, a multicast signal, or other specific types of signals, etc., which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application. Among them, the broadcast signal needs to be sent to multiple users, the unicast signal needs to be sent to a single user, and the multicast signal needs to be sent to some of the multiple users. In general, the required power of the power amplifier connected to the antenna subarray that sends the broadcast signal is higher and may be greater than the nominal power; the required power of the power amplifier connected to the antenna subarray that sends the unicast signal is lower and may be less than the nominal power.

[0065] In a possible implementation, the power management unit may determine the first required power of the first power amplifier based on the position of the first antenna subarray corresponding to the first power amplifier in the antenna array and the type of the first signal sent by the first antenna subarray. The power management unit may determine the second required power of the second power amplifier based on the position of the second antenna subarray corresponding to the second power amplifier in the antenna array and the type of the second signal sent by the second antenna subarray. The type of signal sent by the antenna subarray may be related to the position of the antenna subarray in the antenna array; for example, the antenna subarray located in the center column of the antenna array may send a broadcast signal or a multicast signal, and the antenna subarray located in the side column of the antenna array may send a unicast signal.

[0066] 520, transmitting a first signal according to a first required power at the output power of the first power amplifier, and transmitting a second signal according to a second required power at the output power of the second power amplifier, the first required power of the first power amplifier is greater than or equal to the nominal power, the second required power of the second power amplifier is less than or equal to the nominal power, and the heat dissipation index of the first power amplifier is higher than the heat dissipation index of the second power amplifier.

[0067] This step can be performed by RU.

[0068] The heat dissipation index in this application can be understood as heat dissipation capacity, or can also be understood as the rated value of the maximum allowable heat dissipation. The rated value of the maximum allowable heat dissipation can be the heat dissipation when the power amplifier works at the nominal power. In a possible case, the rated value of the maximum allowable heat dissipation can be the average value of the heat dissipation per unit time within a certain measurement period. The higher the required power of the power amplifier, the higher the heat dissipation capacity requirement of the power amplifier.

[0069] It can be understood that, since the first required power of the first power amplifier is greater than the nominal power and the second required power of the second power amplifier is less than the nominal power, the output power of the first power amplifier is greater than the output power of the second power amplifier.

[0070] Among them, the heat dissipation index of the first power amplifier is higher than the heat dissipation index of the second power amplifier, which can be understood as that the heat dissipation capacity of the first power amplifier is greater than the heat dissipation capacity of the second power amplifier, and the heat dissipation capacity refers to the maximum heat dissipation that the power amplifier can withstand; or, it can be understood as that the heat dissipation capacity of the first power amplifier is greater than the heat dissipation capacity of the second power amplifier, and the maximum heat dissipation allowed for the first power amplifier is greater than the maximum heat dissipation allowed for the second power amplifier; or, it can be understood as that the maximum heat dissipation allowed for the first power amplifier is greater than the maximum heat dissipation allowed for the second power amplifier.

[0071] Exemplarily, in an equally spaced beamforming antenna array, a first antenna subarray corresponding to a first power amplifier is located in a center column of the antenna array, and a second antenna subarray corresponding to a second power amplifier is located in a side column of the antenna array, and it is determined that a first required power of the first power amplifier is greater than or equal to a nominal power, and a second required power of the second power amplifier is greater than or equal to the nominal power.

[0072] Exemplarily, in a signal heterogeneous transmitting antenna array, the type of a first signal sent by a first antenna subarray corresponding to a first power amplifier is a broadcast signal, and the type of a second signal sent by a second antenna subarray corresponding to a second power amplifier is a unicast signal, and it is determined that the first required power of the first power amplifier is greater than or equal to the nominal power, and the second required power of the second power amplifier is greater than or equal to the nominal power.

[0073] Exemplarily, the first antenna subarray corresponding to the first power amplifier is located in the center column of the antenna array, and the type of the first signal sent by the first antenna subarray is a broadcast signal; the second antenna subarray corresponding to the second power amplifier is located in the side column of the antenna array, and the type of the second signal sent by the second antenna subarray is a unicast signal; it is determined that the first required power of the first power amplifier is greater than or equal to the nominal power, and the second required power of the second power amplifier is greater than or equal to the nominal power.

[0074] In a possible implementation, the sum of the first required power of the first power amplifier and the second required power of the second power amplifier is less than or equal to twice the nominal power. This method can prevent the total required power of the first power amplifier and the second power amplifier from being too large, thereby ensuring the safety of the radio frequency unit.

[0075] In a possible implementation, the first required power is less than or equal to a first threshold value, and the first threshold value is the maximum output power of the first power amplifier. The first threshold value can also be understood as the maximum output power allowed for the first power amplifier. Specifically, the first required power of the first power amplifier is greater than the nominal power and less than or equal to the first threshold value. Exemplarily, the first threshold value may be 1.2 to 1.3 times the nominal power. If the first required power of the first power amplifier exceeds the maximum output power allowed for the first power amplifier, the first power amplifier will be damaged. Therefore, the solution provided by this implementation can avoid damaging the first power amplifier.

[0076] In a possible implementation, the sum of the heat dissipation requirement when the output power of the first power amplifier is the first required power and the heat dissipation requirement when the output power of the second power amplifier is the second required power is less than or equal to a second threshold. The second threshold is the total heat dissipation requirement when the output powers of the first power amplifier and the second power amplifier are respectively nominal powers; it can be understood that the second threshold is the maximum total heat dissipation when the output powers of the first power amplifier and the second power amplifier are respectively nominal powers.

[0077] The sum of the heat dissipation requirement when the output power of the first power amplifier is the first required power and the heat dissipation requirement when the output power of the second power amplifier is the second required power is less than or equal to the second threshold, which can ensure that the heat dissipation of the entire RF unit is maintained within a safe range, thereby ensuring the safety of the RF unit.

[0078] For example, the maximum heat dissipation when the output power allowed by the first power amplifier is the first required power H , the maximum heat dissipation when the output power allowed by the second power amplifier is the second required power L , and when the output powers of the first power amplifier and the second power amplifier are both nominal powers, the total heat dissipation requirement / maximum total heat dissipation is the second threshold value Therma T Satisfies the following formula (1):

[0079] Therma H +Therma L ≤Therma T (1)

[0080] Exemplarily, the heat dissipation index of the first power amplifier is less than or equal to a third threshold value, and the third threshold value is the maximum heat dissipation actually allowed for the first power amplifier. When the heat generated by the first power amplifier when transmitting a signal at a certain power exceeds the third threshold value, the first power amplifier will be burned out. Specifically, the heat dissipation index of the first power amplifier is higher than the heat dissipation index of the second power amplifier and is less than the third threshold value; it is possible to avoid the heat dissipation index of the first power amplifier being too large, so as to ensure that the heat dissipation of the entire radio frequency unit is maintained within a safe range, thereby ensuring the safety of the radio frequency unit.

[0081] In the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, the second required power of the second power amplifier is lower, and the heat dissipation index of the second power amplifier when the output power is the second required power is redundant with respect to the heat dissipation index when the output power of the second power amplifier is the nominal power, while the first required power of the first power amplifier is higher, and the heat dissipation index of the first power amplifier when the output power is the first required power is insufficient with respect to the heat dissipation index when the output power of the first power amplifier is the nominal power. The technical solution of the embodiment of the present application is equivalent to the first power amplifier borrowing the heat dissipation index of the second power amplifier, which can ensure that the heat dissipation of the entire RF unit is maintained within a safe range; therefore, the embodiment of the present application equivalently realizes power sharing between different power amplifiers by sharing heat dissipation indicators between different power amplifiers.

[0082] In a possible implementation, the clipping threshold corresponding to the first power amplifier is greater than the clipping threshold corresponding to the second power amplifier. The clipping threshold is used to limit the signal in the fluctuation signal that exceeds the clipping threshold to ensure that the maximum amplitude of the fluctuation signal does not exceed the clipping threshold; the fluctuation signal refers to a signal whose amplitude changes over time. Since the clipping threshold corresponding to the first power amplifier is greater than the clipping threshold corresponding to the second power amplifier, when the output power of the first power amplifier is greater than the output power of the second power amplifier, the design of the clipping threshold can avoid the error vector amplitude EVM of the output signal of the first power amplifier from being too large, thereby avoiding distortion of the output signal of the first power amplifier. Figure 6 The figure is a schematic diagram of a first clipping threshold corresponding to a first power amplifier and a second clipping threshold corresponding to a second power amplifier; the horizontal axis represents the output amplitude of the fluctuation signal, in dB; the vertical axis represents time, in ns. The first power amplifier performs clipping processing on the first fluctuation signal using the first clipping threshold, and the average amplitude of the first fluctuation signal is the first average amplitude; the second power amplifier performs clipping processing on the second fluctuation signal using the second clipping threshold, and the average amplitude of the second fluctuation signal is the second average amplitude.

[0083] In the existing technical solution, the nominal powers of different power amplifiers corresponding to different RF channels are the same, and the clipping thresholds corresponding to different power amplifiers are also the same. In the power sharing method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the output power of the first power amplifier is higher than the output power of the second power amplifier, and the instantaneous power P of the fluctuation signal output by the first power amplifier is ist =P avg +PAPR,P avgis the nominal power, and PAPR is the degree of fluctuation of the "peak power" of the fluctuation signal relative to the average power of the fluctuation signal. When the average output power of the first power amplifier is higher than the nominal power, the instantaneous power of the fluctuation signal output by the first power amplifier will be significantly increased. If the fluctuation signal is processed based on the clipping threshold in the prior art solution, the EVM of the output fluctuation signal will be significantly improved, thereby causing the output signal of the first power amplifier to be seriously distorted. To this end, the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application adjusts the clipping threshold corresponding to the first power amplifier so that the clipping threshold corresponding to the first power amplifier is greater than the clipping threshold corresponding to the second power amplifier, thereby avoiding distortion of the output signal of the first power amplifier.

[0084] The power sharing method provided in the embodiment of the present application is introduced above, and the execution subject used to execute the power sharing method will be introduced below.

[0085] Figure 7 Schematic block diagram of a communication device 700 of an embodiment of the present application. The device can be applied to a network device / RF unit of an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 700 includes: the communication device includes a processing unit 710, a first power amplifier 720 and a second power amplifier 730, the first power amplifier 720 and the second power amplifier 730 correspond to different RF channels respectively;

[0086] The processing unit 710 is configured to determine a first required power of the first power amplifier and a second required power of the second power amplifier;

[0087] The processing unit 710 is further configured to transmit a first signal according to the output power of the first power amplifier being the first required power, and transmit a second signal according to the output power of the second power amplifier being the second required power, wherein the first required power is greater than or equal to the nominal power, the second required power is less than or equal to the nominal power, and the heat dissipation index of the first power amplifier is higher than the heat dissipation index of the second power amplifier, wherein the nominal power is the average maximum output power of all power amplifiers in the communication device. Exemplarily, the processing unit 710 is the above-mentioned power management unit.

[0088] In a possible implementation, the processing unit 710 is specifically used to: determine the first required power based on the position of the first antenna subarray corresponding to the first power amplifier in the antenna array, wherein the antenna array is an equidistant beamforming antenna array; and determine the second required power based on the position of the second antenna subarray corresponding to the second power amplifier in the antenna array.

[0089] In a possible implementation manner, the position of the first antenna subarray in the antenna array is a center column of the antenna array, and the position of the second antenna subarray in the antenna array is a side column of the antenna array.

[0090] In a possible implementation, the processing unit 710 is specifically configured to: determine the first required power according to the type of the first signal; and determine the second required power according to the type of the second signal.

[0091] In a possible implementation manner, the type of the first signal is a broadcast signal, and the type of the second signal is a unicast signal.

[0092] In a possible implementation manner, a clipping threshold corresponding to the first power amplifier is greater than a clipping threshold corresponding to the second power amplifier.

[0093] In a possible implementation manner, the sum of the first required power and the second required power is less than or equal to twice the nominal power.

[0094] In a possible implementation manner, the first required power is less than or equal to a first threshold, and the first threshold is the maximum output power of the first power amplifier.

[0095] In one possible implementation, the sum of the heat dissipation requirement when the output power of the first power amplifier is the first required power and the heat dissipation requirement when the output power of the second power amplifier is the second required power is less than or equal to a second threshold, and the second threshold is the total heat dissipation requirement when the output powers of the first power amplifier and the second power amplifier are respectively the nominal powers.

[0096] In a possible implementation manner, a heat dissipation index of the first power amplifier is less than or equal to a third threshold, and the third threshold is a maximum heat dissipation allowed for the first power amplifier.

[0097] Figure 8 8 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 800 according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 800 includes: a processor 810, a memory 820, and a communication interface 830;

[0098] The memory 820 is used to store executable instructions;

[0099] The processor 810 is coupled to the memory 820 via the communication interface 830, and the processor 810 is used to call and run the executable instructions in the memory 820 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application. The communication device can be applied to the network device / radio unit in the embodiment of the present application. In a possible implementation, the processor 810 and the memory 820 are integrated together.

[0100] The processor 810 described above may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method embodiment can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of hardware in the processor or an instruction in the form of software. The above processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components. The methods, steps and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may also be any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application may be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in a decoding processor. The software module may be located in a mature storage medium in the art such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium is located in a memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0101] As a possible implementation, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device, which includes a unit for executing the method in the above method embodiment.

[0102] As a possible implementation method, an embodiment of the present application also provides a communication device, which includes an input and output interface and a logic circuit. The input and output interface is used to obtain input information and / or output information; the logic circuit is used to execute the method in the above method embodiment, and process and / or generate output information according to the input information.

[0103] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium on which a computer program for implementing the method in the above method embodiment is stored. When the computer program is run on a computer, the computer can implement the method in the above method embodiment.

[0104] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program code. When the computer program code runs on a computer, the method in the above method embodiment is executed.

[0105] An embodiment of the present application also provides a chip, including a processor, wherein the processor is connected to a memory, the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to execute the computer program stored in the memory, so that the chip executes the method in the above method embodiment.

[0106] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the numbers "first", "second"... are only for distinguishing different objects, such as distinguishing different power amplifiers or thresholds, and do not constitute a limitation on the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0107] In addition, the term "and / or" in this application is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there may be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this article generally indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship; the term "at least one" in this application can mean "one" and "two or more". For example, A, B and C can represent seven situations: A exists alone, B exists alone, C exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, A and C exist at the same time, C and B exist at the same time, and A, B and C exist at the same time.

[0108] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example 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 performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art may use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0109] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0110] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0111] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0112] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0113] If the functions are implemented in the form of 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 technical solution of the present application can be essentially or partly embodied in the form of a software product that contributes to the prior art. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage media include: various media that can store program codes, such as USB flash drives, mobile hard disks, read-only memories (ROM), random access memories (RAM), magnetic disks or optical disks.

[0114] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who is familiar with the present technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A power sharing method, characterized in that: The radio frequency unit includes a first power amplifier and a second power amplifier, the first power amplifier and the second power amplifier correspond to different radio frequency channels respectively, and the method includes: Determining a first required power of the first power amplifier and a second required power of the second power amplifier; A first signal is transmitted according to the output power of the first power amplifier being the first required power, and a second signal is transmitted according to the output power of the second power amplifier being the second required power, the first required power is greater than or equal to the nominal power, the second required power is less than or equal to the nominal power, and the heat dissipation index of the first power amplifier is higher than the heat dissipation index of the second power amplifier, wherein the nominal power is the average maximum output power of all power amplifiers in the radio frequency unit.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The determining a first required power of the first power amplifier and a second required power of the second power amplifier includes: Determine the first required power according to a position of a first antenna subarray corresponding to the first power amplifier in an antenna array, wherein the antenna array is an equidistant beamforming antenna array; The second required power is determined according to a position of a second antenna subarray corresponding to the second power amplifier in the antenna array.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The position where the first antenna subarray is located in the antenna array is the center column of the antenna array, and the position where the second antenna subarray is located in the antenna array is the side column of the antenna array.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The determining a first required power of the first power amplifier and a second required power of the second power amplifier includes: determining the first required power according to the type of the first signal; The second required power is determined according to the type of the second signal.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The type of the first signal is a broadcast signal, and the type of the second signal is a unicast signal.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The clipping threshold corresponding to the first power amplifier is greater than the clipping threshold corresponding to the second power amplifier.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The sum of the first required power and the second required power is less than or equal to twice the nominal power.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The first required power is less than or equal to a first threshold, and the first threshold is the maximum output power of the first power amplifier.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The sum of the heat dissipation requirement when the output power of the first power amplifier is the first required power and the heat dissipation requirement when the output power of the second power amplifier is the second required power is less than or equal to a second threshold, and the second threshold is the total heat dissipation requirement when the output powers of the first power amplifier and the second power amplifier are respectively the nominal powers.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that The heat dissipation index of the first power amplifier is less than or equal to a third threshold, and the third threshold is a maximum heat dissipation allowed for the first power amplifier.

11. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device includes a processing unit, a first power amplifier and a second power amplifier, wherein the first power amplifier and the second power amplifier correspond to different radio frequency channels respectively; The processing unit is used to determine a first required power of the first power amplifier and a second required power of the second power amplifier; The processing unit is also used to transmit a first signal according to the output power of the first power amplifier being the first required power, and to transmit a second signal according to the output power of the second power amplifier being the second required power, wherein the first required power is greater than or equal to the nominal power, the second required power is less than or equal to the nominal power, and the heat dissipation index of the first power amplifier is higher than the heat dissipation index of the second power amplifier, wherein the nominal power is the average maximum output power of all power amplifiers in the communication device.

12. The device according to claim 11, characterized in that The processing unit is specifically used for: Determine the first required power according to a position of a first antenna subarray corresponding to the first power amplifier in an antenna array, wherein the antenna array is an equidistant beamforming antenna array; The second required power is determined according to a position of a second antenna subarray corresponding to the second power amplifier in the antenna array.

13. The device according to claim 12, characterized in that The position where the first antenna subarray is located in the antenna array is the center column of the antenna array, and the position where the second antenna subarray is located in the antenna array is the side column of the antenna array.

14. The device according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that The processing unit is specifically used for: determining the first required power according to the type of the first signal; The second required power is determined according to the type of the second signal.

15. The device according to claim 14, characterized in that The type of the first signal is a broadcast signal, and the type of the second signal is a unicast signal.

16. The device according to any one of claims 11 to 15, characterized in that The clipping threshold corresponding to the first power amplifier is greater than the clipping threshold corresponding to the second power amplifier.

17. The device according to any one of claims 11 to 16, characterized in that The sum of the first required power and the second required power is less than or equal to twice the nominal power.

18. The device according to any one of claims 11 to 17, characterized in that The first required power is less than or equal to a first threshold, and the first threshold is the maximum output power of the first power amplifier.

19. The device according to any one of claims 11 to 18, characterized in that The sum of the heat dissipation requirement when the output power of the first power amplifier is the first required power and the heat dissipation requirement when the output power of the second power amplifier is the second required power is less than or equal to a second threshold, and the second threshold is the total heat dissipation requirement when the output powers of the first power amplifier and the second power amplifier are respectively the nominal powers.

20. The device according to any one of claims 11 to 19, characterized in that The heat dissipation index of the first power amplifier is less than or equal to a third threshold, and the third threshold is a maximum heat dissipation allowed for the first power amplifier.

21. The device according to any one of claims 11 to 20, characterized in that The processing unit includes a power management unit.

22. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises means for performing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10.

23. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: include: The computer readable medium stores a computer program; When the computer program is executed on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

24. A computer program product, characterized in that A computer program is included which, when executed, enables the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 to be implemented.

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