Beam forming method and device, equipment and storage medium

Abstract

The invention provides a beam forming method and device, equipment and a storage medium, and the method comprises the steps: determining a first beam forming vector corresponding to each array unit in a transmitting array of a transmitting end, and enabling the first beam forming vector to be used for adjusting the transmitting beam direction of the array unit, so as to enable the direction of the beam transmitted by each array unit to be adjustable; determining a second beamforming vector corresponding to each array unit, wherein the second beamforming vector is used for forming an orbital angular momentum OAM beam; and beamforming the transmitted signal based on the first beamforming vector and the second beamforming vector. According to the method provided by the invention, the emission beam divergence is avoided, the divergence angle of the emission beam is reduced, the problem that receiving end UCA arrays with different sizes need to be designed for different transmission distances due to the divergence characteristic of the OAM beam is further avoided, the manufacturing cost is reduced, and the production efficiency is improved. And the problem that long-distance transmission cannot be realized due to the divergence angle of the OAM system is also solved.

Description

Beamforming method, device, equipment and storage medium Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a beamforming method, apparatus, device, and storage medium. Background Art

[0002] In order to solve the problem of spectrum resource shortage, a uniform circular array (UCA) is usually used to establish an orbital angular momentum (OAM) communication system.

[0003] In related technologies, OAM communication systems typically use an uncoupled cell array (UCA) to transmit an OAM beam between the transmitter and receiver. When receiving an OAM beam, the size of the UCA array at the receiving end must match the annular size of the OAM beam.

[0004] However, due to the inherent characteristics of the OAM beam, the center of the OAM beam is concave and divergent. Furthermore, the degree of divergence during transmission is affected by the transmission distance. Different transmission distances will result in different degrees of divergence of the OAM beam, and thus different ring sizes of the OAM beam. Therefore, to ensure that the receiving UCA array can accurately receive the OAM beam, it is usually necessary to design receiving UCA arrays of different sizes for different transmission distances, which increases manufacturing costs. Furthermore, if the OAM beam in the OAM system is transmitted over long distances, its large divergence angle may prevent successful transmission.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The beamforming method, device, equipment and storage medium proposed in the present disclosure are intended to solve the technical problems of high manufacturing costs and inability to transmit over long distances caused by beamforming methods in related technologies.

[0007] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a beamforming method, which is performed by a transmitting end and includes:

[0008] Determining a first beamforming vector corresponding to each array element in a transmit array of the transmitting end, wherein the first beamforming vector is used to adjust a transmit beam direction of the array element so that the beam direction transmitted by each array element is adjustable;

[0009] determining a second beamforming vector corresponding to each array element, where the second beamforming vector is used to form an orbital angular momentum (OAM) beam;

[0010] Beamforming is performed on a transmit signal based on the first beamforming vector and the second beamforming vector.

[0011] The present disclosure provides a beamforming method, wherein a transmitter determines a first beamforming vector corresponding to each array element in a transmitting array, wherein the first beamforming vector is used to adjust the transmit beam direction of the array element so that the transmit beam direction of each array element is adjustable; and the transmitter also determines a second beamforming vector corresponding to each array element, wherein the second beamforming vector is used to form an OAM beam; and then the transmitter beamforms the transmit signal based on the first beamforming vector and the second beamforming vector. It can be seen that the present disclosure adjusts the transmit beam direction of each array element by multiplying the transmit signal by the first beamforming vector during beamforming, thereby making the transmit beam direction of each array element freely adjustable, avoiding transmit beam divergence, and reducing the divergence angle of the transmit beam, thereby avoiding the problem of "due to the divergence characteristics of the OAM beam, it is necessary to design different sizes of receiving end UCA arrays for different transmission distances", reducing production costs, and solving the problem that the OAM system cannot transmit over long distances due to the divergence angle.

[0012] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication device, which is configured in a network device, including:

[0013] a processing module, configured to determine a first beamforming vector corresponding to each array element in a transmit array of the transmitting end, wherein the first beamforming vector is used to adjust a transmit beam direction of the array element so that the beam direction transmitted by each array element is adjustable;

[0014] The processing module is further configured to determine a second beamforming vector corresponding to each array element, where the second beamforming vector is used to form an orbital angular momentum (OAM) beam;

[0015] The processing module is further configured to perform beamforming on the transmit signal based on the first beamforming vector and the second beamforming vector.

[0016] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication device, which includes a processor. When the processor calls a computer program in a memory, the method described in the first aspect is executed.

[0017] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication device, which includes a processor and a memory, in which a computer program is stored; the processor executes the computer program stored in the memory so that the communication device executes the method described in the first aspect above.

[0018] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication device, which includes a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to receive code instructions and transmit them to the processor, and the processor is used to run the code instructions to enable the device to execute the method described in the first aspect above.

[0019] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication system, which includes the communication device described in the third aspect, or the system includes the communication device described in the third aspect, or the system includes the communication device described in the fourth aspect, or the system includes the communication device described in the fifth aspect.

[0020] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing instructions used for the above-mentioned network device and / or the above-mentioned terminal device. When the instructions are executed, the network device executes the method described in the first aspect.

[0021] In an eighth aspect, the present disclosure further provides a computer program product comprising a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in the first aspect above.

[0022] In a ninth aspect, the present disclosure provides a chip system comprising at least one processor and an interface for supporting a network device in implementing the functions described in aspects 1 to 3, such as determining or processing at least one of the data and information involved in the aforementioned methods. In one possible design, the chip system further comprises a memory for storing computer programs and data necessary for the source slave node. The chip system may consist of a chip or may include a chip and other discrete components.

[0023] In a tenth aspect, the present disclosure provides a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in the first aspect above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent and readily understood from the following description of the embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0025] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] FIG2a is a schematic flow chart of a beamforming method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] FIG2 b is a diagram of an antenna topology structure of a transmitting array provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] FIG3 is a schematic flow chart of a beamforming method provided in yet another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] FIG4 is a schematic flow chart of a beamforming method provided in yet another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] FIG5 is a schematic flow chart of a beamforming method provided in another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided by another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] FIG7 is a block diagram of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] FIG8 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, with examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following description, when referring to the drawings, identical numerals in different figures represent identical or similar elements, unless otherwise indicated. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments are not intended to represent all possible implementations consistent with the present disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with certain aspects of the present disclosure, as detailed in the appended claims.

[0035] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present disclosure. The singular forms "a," "an," and "the" used in the embodiments of the present disclosure and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" as used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more associated listed items.

[0036] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used to describe various information in the embodiments of the present disclosure, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from each other. For example, without departing from the scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first information may also be referred to as the second information, and similarly, the second information may also be referred to as the first information. Depending on the context, the words "if" and "if" as used herein may be interpreted as "at the time of" or "when" or "in response to determining".

[0037] The embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are intended to be used to explain the present disclosure, and should not be understood as limiting the present disclosure.

[0038] To facilitate understanding, the terms involved in this application are first introduced.

[0039] 1. OAM

[0040] Angular momentum due to the spiral phase structure of the light beam.

[0041] It should be noted that in the present application, the beamforming method provided in any embodiment can be executed alone, and any implementation method in the embodiment can also be executed alone, or combined with other embodiments, or possible implementation methods in other embodiments, and can also be executed together with any technical solution in the related technology.

[0042] In order to better understand the beamforming method disclosed in an embodiment of the present application, the communication system to which the embodiment of the present application is applicable is first described below.

[0043] Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication system may include but is not limited to a transmitting device and a receiving device. The transmitting device may be a network device or a terminal device, and the receiving device may be a network device or a terminal device. Figure 1 takes the transmitting device as a network device and the receiving device as a terminal device as an example for explanation. The number and form of the devices shown in Figure 1 are only for example and do not constitute a limitation on the embodiment of the present disclosure. In actual applications, two or more transmitting devices and two or more receiving devices may be included. The communication system shown in Figure 1 takes a network device 11 as a transmitting end and a terminal device 12 as a receiving end as an example.

[0044] It should be noted that the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems, such as long-term evolution (LTE) systems, fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication systems, 5G new radio (NR) systems, or other future new mobile communication systems.

[0045] The network device 11 in the embodiment of the present disclosure is an entity on the network side for transmitting or receiving signals. For example, the network device 11 can be an evolved NodeB (eNB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB) in an NR system, a base station in other future mobile communication systems, or an access node in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. The embodiment of the present disclosure does not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network device. The network device provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure can be composed of a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU), wherein the CU can also be called a control unit. The CU-DU structure can be used to split the protocol layer of the network device, such as the base station, and the functions of some protocol layers are placed in the CU for centralized control, and the functions of the remaining part or all of the protocol layers are distributed in the DU, and the DU is centrally controlled by the CU.

[0046] The terminal device 12 in the embodiment of the present disclosure can be an entity on the user side for receiving or transmitting signals, such as a mobile phone. The terminal device can also be called a terminal device (terminal), user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal device (MT), etc. The terminal device can be a car with communication function, a smart car, a mobile phone, a wearable device, a tablet computer (Pad), a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control (industrial control), a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal device in smart grid (smart grid), a wireless terminal device in transportation safety (transportation safety), a wireless terminal device in smart city (smart city), a wireless terminal device in smart home (smart home), etc. The embodiment of the present disclosure does not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal device.

[0047] It can be understood that the communication system described in the embodiment of the present disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solution of the embodiment of the present disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of the system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure is also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0048] The beamforming method, apparatus, device, and storage medium provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0049] FIG2a is a flow chart of a beamforming method provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method is executed by a transmitting end. As shown in FIG2a , the beamforming method may include the following steps:

[0050] Step 201: Determine a first beamforming vector corresponding to each array element in a transmitting array of a transmitting end.

[0051] FIG2b is a diagram of an antenna topology structure of a transmitting array provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG2b , the transmitting array may include at least one array unit, wherein the array units in the transmitting array are arranged in a uniform planar array (UCA) (e.g., referring to FIG2b , the array units are evenly distributed on a UCA with a radius R). Furthermore, each array unit includes at least one antenna element, and the antenna elements in the array element may be arranged in a uniform planar array (UPA) or a UCA (see FIG2b ).

[0052] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the above-mentioned first beamforming vector can be specifically used to adjust the transmit beam direction of the array unit so that the beam direction transmitted by each array unit is adjustable. The first beamforming vector includes at least one element value, and each element value included in the first beamforming vector indicates a first beamforming coefficient corresponding to each antenna element of the array unit. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first beamforming coefficients of different antenna elements in the same array unit can be the same or different, and the purpose of adjusting the beam direction transmitted by each array unit can be achieved by adjusting the corresponding first beamforming coefficients of each antenna element of the array unit.

[0053] The specific calculation method of the first beamforming coefficient and the first beamforming vector will be introduced in subsequent embodiments.

[0054] Step 202: Determine a second beamforming vector corresponding to each array element.

[0055] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the second beamforming vector can be used to form an OAM beam.

[0056] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the second beamforming vector includes at least one element value, wherein each element value included in the second beamforming vector is a second beamforming coefficient corresponding to each antenna element of the array unit, wherein each element value in the second beamforming vector is the same, that is, the second beamforming coefficients of different antenna elements in the same array unit are the same.

[0057] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method for determining the second beamforming vector corresponding to each array element may include the following steps:

[0058] The second beamforming vector corresponding to the array element is determined based on the total number of array elements included in the transmission array, the arrangement sequence number of the array element in the transmission array, and the OAM mode value.

[0059] The second beamforming vector corresponding to the array element may be determined based on the following formula 1.

[0060]

[0061]

[0062] X n is the second beamforming vector corresponding to the nth array element, j represents the imaginary unit, is the phase information of the second beamforming vector of the nth array element, l represents the OAM mode value of the beam, N represents the total number of array elements included in the transmit array, and n is the arrangement sequence of the array element in the transmit array. Assuming that the nth array element includes M antenna elements, the second beamforming vector X n There should be M elements in it, where the value of each element is

[0063] Step 203: Perform beamforming on the transmit signal based on the first beamforming vector and the second beamforming vector.

[0064] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the transmit signal may be multiplied by a first beamforming vector and a second beamforming vector to perform beamforming.

[0065] It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present disclosure, there is no restriction on the order in which the transmit signal is multiplied by the first beamforming vector and the second beamforming vector. For example, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the transmit signal may be first multiplied by the first beamforming vector to adjust the transmit beam direction of each array element, and then multiplied by the second beamforming vector to form an OAM beam. Alternatively, in another embodiment of the present disclosure, the transmit signal may be first multiplied by the second beamforming vector to form an OAM beam, and then multiplied by the first beamforming vector to adjust the transmit beam direction of each array element.

[0066] It can be seen from this that the present invention adjusts the transmit beam direction of each array unit by multiplying the transmit signal by the first beamforming vector during beamforming, so that the transmit beam direction of each array unit can be freely adjusted, thereby avoiding transmit beam divergence and reducing the divergence angle of the transmit beam.

[0067] In summary, in the beamforming method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, the transmitter determines a first beamforming vector corresponding to each array unit in the transmitting array, wherein the first beamforming vector is used to adjust the transmit beam direction of the array unit so that the beam direction transmitted by each array unit is adjustable; and the transmitter also determines a second beamforming vector corresponding to each array unit, wherein the second beamforming vector is used to form an OAM beam; thereafter, the transmitter beamforms the transmit signal based on the first beamforming vector and the second beamforming vector. It can be seen that the present disclosure adjusts the transmit beam direction of each array unit by multiplying the transmit signal by the first beamforming vector during beamforming, thereby making the transmit beam direction of each array unit freely adjustable, thereby avoiding transmit beam divergence and reducing the divergence angle of the transmit beam, thereby avoiding the problem of "due to the divergence characteristics of the OAM beam, it is necessary to design different sizes of receiving end UCA arrays for different transmission distances", reducing the production cost, and solving the problem that the OAM system cannot transmit over long distances due to the divergence angle.

[0068] FIG3 is a flow chart of a beamforming method provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method may be implemented in combination with any embodiment of the present disclosure or independently. The method is executed by a transmitting end. As shown in FIG3 , the beamforming method may include the following steps:

[0069] Step 301: Determine a first-dimensional beam steering vector and a second-dimensional beam steering vector corresponding to each array element.

[0070] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first-dimensional beam steering vector and the second-dimensional beam steering vector are specifically used to determine a first beamforming vector. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first-dimensional beam steering vector includes at least one element value, each element value in the first-dimensional beam steering vector being a first-dimensional beam steering coefficient for each antenna element in the array unit; and the second-dimensional beam steering vector includes at least one element value, each element value in the second-dimensional beam steering vector being a second-dimensional beam steering coefficient for each antenna element in the array unit.

[0071] Among them, when the arrangement of the antenna elements in the array unit is different, the method for determining the first-dimensional beam steering vector and the second-dimensional beam steering vector will also be different. This part will be introduced in detail in the subsequent embodiments.

[0072] Step 302: Determine a first beamforming vector corresponding to each array element based on the first-dimensional beam steering vector and the second-dimensional beam steering vector of each array element.

[0073] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a Kronecker product may be performed on the first-dimensional beam steering vector and the second-dimensional beam steering vector to obtain a first beamforming vector corresponding to the array element.

[0074] Step 303: Determine a second beamforming vector corresponding to each array element.

[0075] Step 304: Perform beamforming on the transmit signal based on the first beamforming vector and the second beamforming vector.

[0076] For detailed description of steps 303 - 304 , please refer to the above embodiment.

[0077] In summary, in the beamforming method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, the transmitter determines a first beamforming vector corresponding to each array unit in the transmitting array, wherein the first beamforming vector is used to adjust the transmit beam direction of the array unit so that the beam direction transmitted by each array unit is adjustable; and the transmitter also determines a second beamforming vector corresponding to each array unit, wherein the second beamforming vector is used to form an OAM beam; thereafter, the transmitter beamforms the transmit signal based on the first beamforming vector and the second beamforming vector. It can be seen that the present disclosure adjusts the transmit beam direction of each array unit by multiplying the transmit signal by the first beamforming vector during beamforming, thereby making the transmit beam direction of each array unit freely adjustable, thereby avoiding transmit beam divergence and reducing the divergence angle of the transmit beam, thereby avoiding the problem of "due to the divergence characteristics of the OAM beam, it is necessary to design different sizes of receiving end UCA arrays for different transmission distances", reducing the production cost, and solving the problem that the OAM system cannot transmit over long distances due to the divergence angle.

[0078] FIG4 is a flow chart of a beamforming method provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method may be implemented in combination with any embodiment of the present disclosure or independently. The method is executed by a transmitting end. As shown in FIG4 , the beamforming method may include the following steps:

[0079] Step 401: In response to the antenna elements in the array unit being arranged in a UPA, a first-dimensional beam steering vector and a second-dimensional beam steering vector corresponding to each array unit are determined based on Formula 2 (Formula 2 is shown in the subsequent content).

[0080] Specifically, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the antenna elements in the array unit are arranged in UPA, the first dimension may be a horizontal dimension, and the second dimension may be a vertical dimension; and, assuming that the UPA is in the form of O×P, O represents the number of antenna elements in the horizontal dimension, and P represents the number of antenna elements in the vertical dimension.

[0081] Based on this, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, Formula 2 can be as follows:

[0082]

[0083]

[0084] Where λ represents the wavelength, d u ,d v Represents the distance between antenna elements in the horizontal and vertical dimensions, θ n represents the horizontal deflection angle of the transmitted beam of the nth array element, σ nIndicates the vertical deflection angle of the transmitted beam of the nth array element; represents the first-dimensional beam steering vector of the nth array element, The included elements are the first-dimensional beam control coefficients corresponding to each row of antenna elements from the first row to the Oth row of the nth array element; represents the second-dimensional beam steering vector of the nth array element, The included elements are the second-dimensional beam control coefficients corresponding to each column of antenna elements from the first column to the P column of the n-th array unit.

[0085] Step 402: Determine a first beamforming vector corresponding to each array element based on the first-dimensional beam steering vector and the second-dimensional beam steering vector of each array element.

[0086] Among them, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first-dimensional beam steering vector of the nth array element can be specifically and the second-dimensional beam steering vector Perform the Kronecker product to obtain the first beamforming vector W corresponding to the nth array element n ,in, If the UPA composed of antenna elements in the nth array unit is in the form of O×P, then W n It should be an O*P dimensional phase shift matrix, in which each element corresponds to the first beamforming coefficient of an antenna element.

[0087] For example, assuming that the antenna elements in the nth array element are arranged in a UPA, and the coordinates of the mth antenna element of the nth array element in the UPA are (o, p), where o indicates that the mth antenna element is located in the oth row of the UPA, o = 0, 1, 2 ... O-1, and p indicates that the mth antenna element is located in the pth column of the UPA, p = 0, 1, 2 ... P-1, then the first beamforming coefficient W on the mth antenna element in the nth array element is n m for:

[0088]

[0089] Step 403: Determine a second beamforming vector corresponding to each array element.

[0090] Step 404: Perform beamforming on the transmit signal based on the first beamforming vector and the second beamforming vector.

[0091] For example, assuming that the antenna elements in the nth array element are arranged in a UPA, wherein the coordinates of the mth antenna element of the nth array element in the UPA are (o, p), where o indicates that the mth antenna element is located in the oth row of the UPA, o = 0, 1, 2…O-1, and p indicates that the mth antenna element is located in the pth column of the UPA, p = 0, 1, 2…P-1. Then, the mth antenna element in the nth array element beamforms the transmit signal based on the first beamforming vector and the second beamforming vector to obtain the formed transmit signal z n，m for:

[0092]

[0093] Among them, S l It represents the unshaped transmit signal carried by the mth antenna element in the nth array unit when the OAM mode is 1.

[0094] Thus, the transmit signal carried by each antenna element is shaped based on the first beamforming vector and the second beamforming vector to ultimately obtain an OAM transmit beam.

[0095] For further detailed description of steps 403 - 404 , please refer to the above embodiment.

[0096] In summary, in the beamforming method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, the transmitter determines a first beamforming vector corresponding to each array unit in the transmitting array, wherein the first beamforming vector is used to adjust the transmit beam direction of the array unit so that the beam direction transmitted by each array unit is adjustable; and the transmitter also determines a second beamforming vector corresponding to each array unit, wherein the second beamforming vector is used to form an OAM beam; thereafter, the transmitter beamforms the transmit signal based on the first beamforming vector and the second beamforming vector. It can be seen that the present disclosure adjusts the transmit beam direction of each array unit by multiplying the transmit signal by the first beamforming vector during beamforming, thereby making the transmit beam direction of each array unit freely adjustable, thereby avoiding transmit beam divergence and reducing the divergence angle of the transmit beam, thereby avoiding the problem of "due to the divergence characteristics of the OAM beam, it is necessary to design different sizes of receiving end UCA arrays for different transmission distances", reducing the production cost, and solving the problem that the OAM system cannot transmit over long distances due to the divergence angle.

[0097] FIG5 is a flow chart of a beamforming method provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method is executed by a transmitting end. As shown in FIG5 , the beamforming method may include the following steps:

[0098] Step 501: In response to the antenna elements in the array unit being arranged in a UCA, a first-dimensional beam steering vector and a second-dimensional beam steering vector corresponding to each array unit are determined based on Formula 3 (Formula 3 is shown in the subsequent content).

[0099] Specifically, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the antenna elements in the array unit are arranged in a UCA, assuming that the array unit includes M antenna elements, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, Formula 3 can be as follows:

[0100]

[0101]

[0102] Where λ represents the wavelength, R t Indicates the radius of the UCA composed of antenna elements in the array unit, It represents the sum of the beam azimuth and depression angles, and θ represents the difference between the beam azimuth and depression angles. The azimuth angle represents the angle between the projection of the beam axis on the transmitting UCA plane and the coordinate axis. The depression angle represents the angle between the beam axis and the UCA axis. represents the first-dimensional beam steering vector of the nth array element, The included elements are the first-dimensional beam control coefficients corresponding to each antenna element of the n-th array unit in sequence; represents the second-dimensional beam steering vector of the nth array element, The included elements are the second-dimensional beam control coefficients corresponding to each antenna element of the n-th array unit.

[0103] Step 502: Determine a first beamforming vector corresponding to each array element based on the first-dimensional beam steering vector and the second-dimensional beam steering vector of each array element.

[0104] Among them, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first-dimensional beam steering vector of the nth array element can be specifically and the second-dimensional beam steering vector Perform the Kronecker product to obtain the first beamforming vector W corresponding to the nth array element n ,in,

[0105] For example, assuming that the antenna elements in the nth array element are arranged in UCA, the first beamforming coefficient W on the mth antenna element in the nth array element is n m for:

[0106]

[0107] Step 503: Determine a second beamforming vector corresponding to each array element.

[0108] Step 504: Perform beamforming on the transmit signal based on the first beamforming vector and the second beamforming vector.

[0109] For further detailed description of steps 503 - 504 , please refer to the above embodiment.

[0110] In summary, in the beamforming method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, the transmitter determines a first beamforming vector corresponding to each array unit in the transmitting array, wherein the first beamforming vector is used to adjust the transmit beam direction of the array unit so that the beam direction transmitted by each array unit is adjustable; and the transmitter also determines a second beamforming vector corresponding to each array unit, wherein the second beamforming vector is used to form an OAM beam; thereafter, the transmitter beamforms the transmit signal based on the first beamforming vector and the second beamforming vector. It can be seen that the present disclosure adjusts the transmit beam direction of each array unit by multiplying the transmit signal by the first beamforming vector during beamforming, thereby making the transmit beam direction of each array unit freely adjustable, thereby avoiding transmit beam divergence and reducing the divergence angle of the transmit beam, thereby avoiding the problem of "due to the divergence characteristics of the OAM beam, it is necessary to design different sizes of receiving end UCA arrays for different transmission distances", reducing the production cost, and solving the problem that the OAM system cannot transmit over long distances due to the divergence angle.

[0111] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG6 , the device may include:

[0112] a processing module, configured to determine a first beamforming vector corresponding to each array element in a transmit array of the transmitting end, wherein the first beamforming vector is used to adjust a transmit beam direction of the array element so that the beam direction transmitted by each array element is adjustable;

[0113] The processing module is further configured to determine a second beamforming vector corresponding to each array element, where the second beamforming vector is used to form an orbital angular momentum (OAM) beam;

[0114] The processing module is further configured to perform beamforming on the transmit signal based on the first beamforming vector and the second beamforming vector.

[0115] In summary, in the communication device provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, the transmitting end will determine the first beamforming vector corresponding to each array unit in the transmitting array, wherein the first beamforming vector is used to adjust the transmit beam direction of the array unit so that the beam direction transmitted by each array unit is adjustable; and the transmitting end will also determine the second beamforming vector corresponding to each array unit, and the second beamforming vector is used to form an OAM beam; thereafter, the transmitting end will beamform the transmit signal based on the first beamforming vector and the second beamforming vector. It can be seen that the present disclosure adjusts the transmit beam direction of each array unit by multiplying the transmit signal by the first beamforming vector during beamforming, so that the transmit beam direction of each array unit can be freely adjusted, thereby avoiding the divergence of the transmit beam and reducing the divergence angle of the transmit beam, thereby avoiding the problem of "due to the divergence characteristics of the OAM beam, it is necessary to design different sizes of receiving end UCA arrays for different transmission distances", reducing the production cost, and solving the problem that the OAM system cannot transmit over long distances due to the divergence angle.

[0116] Optionally, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the transmitting array includes at least one array unit, and the array units in the transmitting array are arranged in a uniform circular phased antenna array (UCA);

[0117] The array unit includes at least one antenna element, and the antenna elements in the array unit are arranged in a uniform planar array (UPA) or a UCA.

[0118] Optionally, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first beamforming vector includes at least one element value, and each element value in the first beamforming vector respectively indicates a first beamforming coefficient corresponding to each antenna element of the array unit;

[0119] The second beamforming vector includes at least one element value, and each element value included in the second beamforming vector is a second beamforming coefficient corresponding to each antenna element of the array unit, wherein each element value in the second beamforming vector is the same.

[0120] Optionally, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the processing module is further configured to:

[0121] Determine a first-dimensional beam steering vector and a second-dimensional beam steering vector corresponding to each array element, wherein the first-dimensional beam steering vector includes at least one element value, and each element value in the first-dimensional beam steering vector is a first-dimensional beam steering coefficient of each antenna element in the array element; and the second-dimensional beam steering vector includes at least one element value, and each element value in the second-dimensional beam steering vector is a second-dimensional beam steering coefficient of each antenna element in the array element;

[0122] A first beamforming vector corresponding to each array element is determined based on the first-dimensional beam steering vector and the second-dimensional beam steering vector of each array element.

[0123] Optionally, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the processing module is further configured to:

[0124] Performing a Kronecker product on the first-dimensional beam steering vector and the second-dimensional beam steering vector to obtain a first beamforming vector corresponding to the array element.

[0125] Optionally, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the processing module is further configured to:

[0126] A second beamforming vector corresponding to the array element is determined based on the total number of array elements included in the transmitting array, an arrangement sequence number of the array element in the transmitting array, and an OAM mode value.

[0127] Optionally, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the processing module is further configured to:

[0128] The transmit signal is multiplied by the first beamforming vector and the second beamforming vector to perform beamforming.

[0129] Please refer to Figure 7, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 700 provided in an embodiment of the present application. Communication device 700 can be a network device or a terminal device, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the network device to implement the above method, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the terminal device to implement the above method. This device can be used to implement the method described in the above method embodiment. For details, please refer to the description of the above method embodiment.

[0130] The communication device 700 may include one or more processors 701. The processor 701 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor. For example, it may be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor may be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit may be used to control the communication device (e.g., a base station, a baseband chip, a terminal device, a terminal device chip, a DU or CU, etc.), execute computer programs, and process computer program data.

[0131] Optionally, the communication device 700 may further include one or more memories 702, on which a computer program 704 may be stored. The processor 701 executes the computer program 704 to cause the communication device 700 to perform the method described in the above method embodiment. Optionally, the memory 702 may also store data. The communication device 700 and the memory 702 may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0132] Optionally, the communication device 700 may further include a transceiver 705 and an antenna 706. The transceiver 705 may be referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver, or a transceiver circuit, etc., and is configured to implement transceiver functions. The transceiver 705 may include a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver may be referred to as a receiver or a receiving circuit, etc., and is configured to implement a receiving function; the transmitter may be referred to as a transmitter or a transmitting circuit, etc., and is configured to implement a transmitting function.

[0133] Optionally, the communication device 700 may further include one or more interface circuits 707. The interface circuit 707 is configured to receive code instructions and transmit the code instructions to the processor 701. The processor 701 executes the code instructions to enable the communication device 700 to perform the method described in the above method embodiment.

[0134] In one implementation, the processor 701 may include a transceiver for implementing receiving and transmitting functions. For example, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit, an interface, or an interface circuit. The transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit for implementing the receiving and transmitting functions may be separate or integrated. The transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit may be used for reading and writing code / data, or may be used for transmitting or delivering signals.

[0135] In one implementation, processor 701 may store a computer program 703. Computer program 703, when executed on processor 701, enables communication device 700 to perform the method described in the above method embodiment. Computer program 703 may be embedded in processor 701, in which case processor 701 may be implemented by hardware.

[0136] In one implementation, the communication device 700 may include a circuit that can implement the functions of sending, receiving, or communicating in the aforementioned method embodiments. The processor and transceiver described in this application can be implemented on an integrated circuit (IC), an analog IC, a radio frequency integrated circuit RFIC, a mixed signal IC, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a printed circuit board (PCB), an electronic device, etc. The processor and transceiver can also be manufactured using various IC process technologies, such as complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), N-type metal oxide semiconductor (nMetal-oxide-semiconductor, NMOS), P-type metal oxide semiconductor (positive channel metal oxide semiconductor, PMOS), bipolar junction transistor (bipolar junction transistor, BJT), bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS), silicon germanium (SiGe), gallium arsenide (GaAs), etc.

[0137] The communication device described in the above embodiments may be a network device or a terminal device, but the scope of the communication device described in this application is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device may not be limited to FIG7 . The communication device may be an independent device or may be part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be:

[0138] (1) An independent integrated circuit (IC), or chip, or chip system or subsystem;

[0139] (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally including a storage component for storing data and computer programs;

[0140] (3) ASIC, such as modem;

[0141] (4) Modules that can be embedded in other devices;

[0142] (5) Receivers, terminal devices, intelligent terminal devices, cellular phones, wireless devices, handheld devices, mobile units, vehicle-mounted devices, network devices, cloud devices, artificial intelligence devices, etc.;

[0143] (6)Others, etc.

[0144] If the communication device can be a chip or a chip system, please refer to the schematic diagram of the chip structure shown in Figure 8. The chip shown in Figure 8 includes a processor 801 and an interface 802. The number of processors 801 can be one or more, and the number of interfaces 802 can be multiple.

[0145] Optionally, the chip further includes a memory 803, which is used to store necessary computer programs and data.

[0146] Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps listed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. Whether such functions are implemented by hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design requirements of the entire system. Those skilled in the art may use various methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be construed as exceeding the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application.

[0147] The present application also provides a readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, which implement the functions of any of the above method embodiments when executed by a computer.

[0148] The present application also provides a computer program product, which implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments when executed by a computer.

[0149] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs. When the computer program is loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer program can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a high-density digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0150] Those skilled in the art will understand that the various numerical numbers such as first and second involved in this application are only for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application, and also indicate the order of precedence.

[0151] In this application, at least one can also be described as one or more, and multiple can be two, three, four or more, which is not limited in this application. In the embodiments of this application, for a technical feature, the technical features in the technical feature are distinguished by "first", "second", "third", "A", "B", "C" and "D", and there is no order of precedence or size between the technical features described by "first", "second", "third", "A", "B", "C" and "D".

[0152] The correspondences shown in the tables in this application can be configured or predefined. The values ​​of the information in each table are examples only and can be configured to other values, which are not limited by this application. When configuring the correspondence between information and parameters, it is not necessarily required to configure all the correspondences shown in each table. For example, in the tables in this application, the correspondences shown in certain rows may not be configured. For another example, appropriate deformation adjustments can be made based on the above tables, such as splitting, merging, etc. The names of the parameters shown in the titles of the above tables can also use other names that can be understood by the communication device, and the values ​​or representations of the parameters can also use other values ​​or representations that can be understood by the communication device. When implementing the above tables, other data structures can also be used, such as arrays, queues, containers, stacks, linear lists, pointers, linked lists, trees, graphs, structures, classes, heaps, hash tables or hash tables, etc.

[0153] The predefined in this application may be understood as defined, predefined, stored, pre-stored, pre-negotiated, pre-configured, solidified, or pre-burned.

[0154] Those skilled 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. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0155] Those skilled in the art will 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.

[0156] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A beamforming method, characterized in that: The method is executed by a sending end, and the method includes: Determining a first beamforming vector corresponding to each array element in a transmit array of the transmitting end, wherein the first beamforming vector is used to adjust a transmit beam direction of the array element so that the beam direction transmitted by each array element is adjustable; determining a second beamforming vector corresponding to each array element, where the second beamforming vector is used to form an orbital angular momentum (OAM) beam; Beamforming is performed on a transmit signal based on the first beamforming vector and the second beamforming vector.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The transmitting array includes at least one array unit, and the array units in the transmitting array are arranged in a uniform circular phased antenna array (UCA); The array unit includes at least one antenna element, and the antenna elements in the array unit are arranged in a uniform planar array (UPA) or a UCA.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The first beamforming vector includes at least one element value, and each element value in the first beamforming vector indicates a first beamforming coefficient corresponding to each antenna element of the array unit; The second beamforming vector includes at least one element value, and each element value included in the second beamforming vector is a second beamforming coefficient corresponding to each antenna element of the array unit, wherein each element value in the second beamforming vector is the same.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The determining a first beamforming vector corresponding to each array element in the transmitting array of the transmitting end includes: Determine a first-dimensional beam steering vector and a second-dimensional beam steering vector corresponding to each array element, wherein the first-dimensional beam steering vector includes at least one element value, and each element value in the first-dimensional beam steering vector is a first-dimensional beam steering coefficient of each antenna element in the array element; and the second-dimensional beam steering vector includes at least one element value, and each element value in the second-dimensional beam steering vector is a second-dimensional beam steering coefficient of each antenna element in the array element; A first beamforming vector corresponding to each array element is determined based on the first-dimensional beam steering vector and the second-dimensional beam steering vector of each array element.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The determining the first beamforming vector corresponding to each array element based on the first-dimensional beam steering vector and the second-dimensional beam steering vector of each array element includes: Performing a Kronecker product on the first-dimensional beam steering vector and the second-dimensional beam steering vector to obtain a first beamforming vector corresponding to the array element.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The determining the second beamforming vector corresponding to each array element includes: A second beamforming vector corresponding to the array element is determined based on the total number of array elements included in the transmitting array, an arrangement sequence number of the array element in the transmitting array, and an OAM mode value.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein The performing beamforming on the transmit signal based on the first beamforming vector and the second beamforming vector includes: The transmit signal is multiplied by the first beamforming vector and the second beamforming vector to perform beamforming.

8. A communication device, characterized in that: The device is configured in a transmitting end and includes: a processing module, configured to determine a first beamforming vector corresponding to each array element in a transmit array of the transmitting end, wherein the first beamforming vector is used to adjust a transmit beam direction of the array element so that the beam direction transmitted by each array element is adjustable; The processing module is further configured to determine a second beamforming vector corresponding to each array element, where the second beamforming vector is used to form an orbital angular momentum (OAM) beam; The processing module is further configured to perform beamforming on the transmit signal based on the first beamforming vector and the second beamforming vector.

9. A communication device, characterized in that: The device includes a processor and a memory, wherein a computer program is stored in the memory, and the processor executes the computer program stored in the memory to enable the device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. A communication device, characterized in that: include: processor and interface circuitry, wherein The interface circuit is used to receive code instructions and transmit them to the processor; The processor is configured to run the code instructions to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

11. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, which, when executed, enable the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 to be implemented.

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