Radio frequency module, radio frequency calibration system, method and terminal

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention discloses a radio frequency module, a radio frequency calibration system, a radio frequency calibration method and a terminal, and belongs to the technical field of radio frequency calibration. The radio frequency module comprises a radio frequency chip, a radio frequency front end module and an antenna pedestal; the radio frequency chip is connected with the radio frequency front-end module, and the radio frequency front-end module is connected with the antenna pedestal; the radio frequency chip comprises N radio frequency transmitting circuits, M radio frequency receiving circuits and a calibration circuit, and N and M are positive integers; the calibration circuit is used for generating a calibration signal in a radio frequency calibration process, and the calibration signal is used for downlink calibration; the radio frequency front end module is used for receiving the calibration signal through the antenna pedestal and outputting the calibration signal processed by the radio frequency front end to the radio frequency receiving circuit; and the radio frequency receiving circuit is used for receiving and processing the calibration signal processed by the radio frequency front end. According to the scheme provided by the embodiment of the invention, downlink self-calibration can be realized under the condition of not interacting with a radio frequency test instrument, the downlink calibration process is simplified, and the downlink calibration efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of radio frequency calibration technology, and in particular to a radio frequency module, a radio frequency calibration system, a method and a terminal. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous development of terminal technology, the number of network standards and frequency bands supported by terminals is increasing. As a result, the number of RF frequency bands that need to be calibrated and tested by terminals is also increasing.

[0003] In the related art, terminal RF calibration is mainly divided into uplink and downlink calibration. In the uplink calibration, the terminal transmits RF signals, which are received and calibrated by the RF test instrument; in the downlink calibration, the RF test instrument transmits RF signals, which are received and calibrated by the terminal. Summary of the invention

[0004] The embodiment of the present application provides a radio frequency module, a radio frequency calibration system, a method and a terminal. The technical solution is as follows:

[0005] On the one hand, an embodiment of the present application provides a radio frequency module, the radio frequency module comprising:

[0006] RF chip, RF front-end module and antenna base;

[0007] The radio frequency chip is connected to the radio frequency front-end module, and the radio frequency front-end module is connected to the antenna base;

[0008] The radio frequency chip comprises N radio frequency transmitting circuits, M radio frequency receiving circuits and a calibration circuit, where N and M are positive integers;

[0009] The calibration circuit is used to generate a calibration signal during the radio frequency calibration process, and the calibration signal is used for downlink calibration;

[0010] The RF front-end module is used to receive the calibration signal through the antenna base and output the calibration signal processed by the RF front-end to the RF receiving circuit;

[0011] The radio frequency receiving circuit is used to receive and process the calibration signal processed by the radio frequency front end.

[0012] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application provides a radio frequency calibration method, which is used for a device to be calibrated, wherein the device to be calibrated is provided with the radio frequency module described in the above aspect, and the method includes:

[0013] Based on the calibration parameters, configure the calibration circuit and RF receiving circuit in the RF chip, as well as the RF front-end module;

[0014] Generate a calibration signal through the configured calibration circuit, wherein the calibration signal is used for downlink calibration;

[0015] receiving the calibration signal through the configured RF front-end module, and outputting the calibration signal processed by the RF front-end to the RF receiving circuit;

[0016] The configured RF receiving circuit receives and processes the calibration signal processed by the RF front end.

[0017] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application provides a radio frequency calibration system, the radio frequency calibration system comprising: a device to be calibrated, a control device, and a radio frequency calibration fixture;

[0018] The device to be calibrated is provided with a radio frequency module as described in the above aspect;

[0019] The control device is connected to the device to be calibrated and the radio frequency calibration fixture respectively;

[0020] The control device is used to control the device to be calibrated and the radio frequency calibration fixture during the radio frequency calibration process to perform radio frequency calibration.

[0021] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application provides a terminal, which includes a baseband chip, a radio frequency module and an antenna, the baseband chip is connected to the radio frequency module, the antenna is connected to the antenna base of the radio frequency module, and the radio frequency module includes the radio frequency module described in the above aspects.

[0022] In an embodiment of the present application, a calibration circuit is additionally provided in the RF chip of the RF module. During the RF calibration process, a calibration signal for downlink calibration is generated by the calibration circuit, and the calibration signal is transmitted to the RF front-end module through the antenna seat on the RF module. The RF front-end module further processes the calibration signal and transmits it to the RF receiving circuit, and finally the RF receiving circuit processes the calibration signal. Since the calibration signal is sent and received by the RF module itself, downlink self-calibration can be achieved without interacting with the RF test instrument, which simplifies the downlink calibration process and improves the efficiency of downlink calibration. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a terminal downlink calibration process in the related art;

[0024] Figure 2 is a structural diagram of a radio frequency module provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing a connection relationship between a radio frequency module and a radio frequency calibration fixture according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 4is a schematic diagram showing the connection relationship between the radio frequency module and the radio frequency calibration fixture according to another exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a calibration circuit shown in an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of an uplink self-calibration circuit shown in an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 7 is a flow chart of a radio frequency calibration method provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 8 This is a flow chart of an exemplary embodiment of the present application providing a device to be calibrated interacting with a control device to implement downlink radio frequency calibration;

[0031] Fig. 9 is a flow chart of a device to be calibrated implementing downlink radio frequency calibration provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Fig.10 A system architecture diagram of a radio frequency calibration system provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0033] Fig.11 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the implementation methods of the present application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0035] The term "multiple" as used herein refers to two or more than two. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0036] In order to ensure the stability and compliance of the terminal's wireless communication performance, the terminal needs to be calibrated before leaving the factory. In the related art, the terminal, the control device, and the RF test instrument need to interact to achieve the downlink calibration of the terminal. Schematically, the downlink calibration process of the terminal in the related art is as follows: Figure 1 shown.

[0037] Step 101: A control device sends configuration information to a terminal and a radio frequency test instrument.

[0038] The configuration information is used to indicate the frequency band, frequency point, power and other information for downlink calibration.

[0039] Step 102: After receiving the configuration information, the terminal sends a confirmation message to the control device.

[0040] Step 103: After receiving the configuration information, the radio frequency test instrument sends a confirmation message to the control device.

[0041] Step 104: The control device sends a calibration instruction to the radio frequency test instrument.

[0042] Step 105: The radio frequency test instrument generates and transmits a downlink radio frequency signal according to the configuration information.

[0043] Step 106: The terminal receives and processes the downlink radio frequency signal.

[0044] The above steps 105 and 106 need to be repeatedly performed during the downlink calibration process until the transmission and reception of all downlink radio frequency signals (with different frequencies and different powers) are completed.

[0045] Step 107: The terminal reports the processing result of the downlink radio frequency signal to the control device.

[0046] Step 108: The control device generates a calibration result based on the processing result of the downlink radio frequency signal, and writes the calibration result into the terminal.

[0047] Obviously, in the above-mentioned downlink calibration process, multi-party interaction is required between the terminal, the control device and the RF test instrument. Multi-party communication and interaction take a long time, resulting in low efficiency of RF calibration; and with the increase in frequency bands, the frequency bands and standards that the RF test instrument needs to adapt to are also increasing, resulting in the continuous increase in the cost of RF test instruments.

[0048] In order to improve the efficiency of RF calibration, a calibration circuit is additionally provided in the RF module provided in the embodiment of the present application. During the RF calibration process, the calibration circuit can realize the self-transmission and self-reception of the downlink signal of the RF module, that is, the downlink self-calibration can be realized without interacting with the RF test instrument, which simplifies the downlink calibration process and improves the efficiency of the downlink calibration.

[0049] Please refer to Figure 2 , which shows a structural diagram of a radio frequency module provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The radio frequency module 200 may include: a radio frequency chip 210, a radio frequency front-end module 220 and an antenna base 230.

[0050] The RF chip (Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit, RFIC) 210 is a chip used to convert baseband signals into RF signals (uplink process) and convert RF signals into baseband signals (downlink process); the RF front-end modules (Front-End Modules, FEM) are modules located between the RF chip 210 and the antenna, and are used to implement functions such as RF signal amplification, power detection, and RF link selection switch; the antenna base 230 is a component used to connect the antenna, and the RF module 200 can be provided with multiple antenna bases 230, so as to receive and transmit signals of different frequency bands through antennas connected to different antenna bases 230.

[0051] Among them, the RF chip 210 is connected to the RF front-end module 220, and the RF front-end module 220 is connected to the antenna base 230.

[0052] During the uplink transmission process, the RF chip 210 is used to transmit the uplink RF signal to the RF front-end module 220, which amplifies the power of the uplink RF signal and then transmits it to the antenna base 230, and then transmits it through the antenna connected to the antenna base 230.

[0053] During the downlink reception process, the downlink RF signal received by the antenna is transmitted to the RF front-end module 220 through the antenna base 230 , and the RF front-end module 220 amplifies the power of the downlink RF signal and then transmits it to the RF chip 210 .

[0054] In the embodiment of the present application, the RF chip 210 includes N RF transmitting circuits (Transmitter, Tx) 211 and M RF receiving circuits (Receiver, Rx) 212, and also includes a calibration circuit 213, where N and M are positive integers. The RF transmitting circuit 211 is used to generate and transmit uplink RF signals, and the RF receiving circuit 212 is used to receive downlink RF signals, and usually, the number of RF transmitting and receiving circuits 212 is greater than the number of RF transmitting circuits 211.

[0055] The calibration circuit 213 in the embodiment of the present application can also be called a supplementary RF transmission circuit, which generates and transmits RF signals during the RF calibration process, and the RF signals are used to implement downlink self-calibration. The specific circuit structure of the calibration circuit will be described in detail in the following embodiment.

[0056] In some embodiments, the calibration circuit 213 is used to generate a calibration signal during the RF calibration process, and the calibration signal is used for downlink calibration. The calibration signal is a RF signal, and the downlink calibration is used to calibrate the power, frequency, etc. of the downlink RF signal, which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0057] In some embodiments, the calibration circuit 213 has the function of generating radio frequency signals of various network standards and frequency bands to meet the calibration requirements of radio frequency signals of different network standards and frequency bands.

[0058] Optionally, the calibration circuit 213 has the function of generating radio frequency signals in an FDD (Frequency Division Duplexing) frequency band and a TDD (Time Division Duplexing) frequency band.

[0059] In the embodiment of the present application, the RF module 200 has the function of automatically transmitting and receiving downlink signals, that is, the calibration signal generated by the calibration circuit 213 will be received by the RF module 200.

[0060] In some embodiments, during the RF calibration process, the RF front-end module 220 is used to receive the calibration signal through the antenna base 230 and output the calibration signal processed by the RF front-end to the RF receiving circuit 212 .

[0061] The calibration signal generated by the calibration circuit 213 is not radiated by the antenna, but is directly transmitted to the antenna base 230. Optionally, for the downlink calibration process of different frequency bands, the calibration signal is transmitted to different antenna bases 230, and accordingly, the RF front-end module 220 receives the calibration signal through different antenna bases 230 to achieve downlink calibration of different frequency bands.

[0062] The RF front-end module 220 is usually provided with a power amplifier (PA), a filter (Filter) and a low noise amplifier (LNA), wherein the power amplifier is used to amplify the power of the uplink RF signal, and the low noise amplifier is used to amplify the power of the downlink RF signal.

[0063] The way in which the RF front-end module 220 processes the calibration signal is consistent with the way in which the downlink signal is processed during the actual signal reception process. In some embodiments, the RF front-end module performs low-noise amplification and filtering on the calibration signal.

[0064] In addition, during the RF calibration process, the RF front-end module 220 also needs to perform tuning (signal channel impedance matching), signal selection (isolating the transmit signal and the receive signal), channel switching (realizing the switching of signal receive and transmit channels, and switching between different channels) and other operations, which are not limited in this embodiment.

[0065] After completing the signal processing, the RF front-end module 220 further transmits the calibration signal processed by the RF front-end to the RF receiving circuit 212 .

[0066] Optionally, the RF front-end module 220 transmits the calibration signal processed by the RF front-end to a designated RF receiving circuit in the multi-channel RF receiving circuit 212, and the signal frequency corresponding to the designated RF receiving circuit is consistent with the frequency of the calibration signal.

[0067] Correspondingly, the RF receiving circuit 212 is used to receive and process the calibration signal processed by the RF front end.

[0068] In some embodiments, the RF receiving circuit 212 is used to convert the calibration signal processed by the RF front end into a baseband signal for subsequent processing.

[0069] Optionally, the RF receiving circuit 212 processes the calibration signal processed by the RF front end to obtain the signal power of the calibration signal, and subsequently the signal power can be used to perform downlink power self-calibration.

[0070] In summary, in the embodiment of the present application, a calibration circuit is additionally provided in the RF chip of the RF module. During the RF calibration process, a calibration signal for downlink calibration is generated by the calibration circuit, and the calibration signal is transmitted to the RF front-end module through the antenna seat on the RF module. The RF front-end module further processes the calibration signal and transmits it to the RF receiving circuit, and finally the RF receiving circuit processes the calibration signal. Since the calibration signal is sent and received by the RF module itself, downlink self-calibration can be achieved without interacting with the RF test instrument, which simplifies the downlink calibration process and improves the efficiency of downlink calibration.

[0071] In some embodiments, in addition to generating a calibration signal during the downlink calibration process, the calibration circuit can also implement a radio frequency tag (RFID Tag) function during the application process. Since the calibration circuit is independent of the radio frequency transmitting circuit in the radio frequency chip, the implementation of the radio frequency tag function does not affect the uplink signal transmission of the radio frequency transmitting circuit.

[0072] Realization of automatic transmission and reception of calibration signals

[0073] In a possible implementation, the calibration circuit has a signal output end. During the RF calibration process, the calibration circuit outputs a calibration signal to a connector of the RF calibration fixture through the signal output end, wherein the connector of the RF calibration fixture is used to connect to an antenna seat.

[0074] exist Figure 2 On the basis of Figure 3As shown, the calibration circuit 213 is provided with a signal output terminal 2131. During the RF calibration process, the signal output terminal 2131 is connected to the connector 241 of the RF calibration fixture 240, and is used to output a calibration signal to the connector 241. During the RF calibration process, the connector 241 of the RF calibration fixture 240 is connected to the antenna base 230, so that the calibration signal is transmitted to the RF front-end module 220 through the antenna base 230.

[0075] In some embodiments, the RF calibration fixture 240 has the function of controlling the on / off state between the connector 241 and different antenna pedestals 230. That is, the RF calibration fixture connects the connector to a specific antenna pedestal according to the RF calibration requirements, and disconnects the connector from other antenna pedestals except the specific antenna pedestal, simulating the process of receiving downlink signals through the antenna pedestal of a specific frequency band antenna.

[0076] Regarding the way of controlling the connector of the radio frequency calibration fixture to communicate with different antenna bases, in a possible implementation manner, as Figure 3 As shown, the RF calibration fixture 240 is provided with a switch 242, and the switch 242 is used to switch the antenna base 230 connected to the connector 241. In some embodiments, during the RF calibration process, the RF calibration fixture is connected to the control device, and the switch 242 is controlled by the control device, or, during the RF calibration process, the switch is automatically controlled by the RF calibration fixture.

[0077] In another possible implementation, the connector 241 of the RF calibration fixture 240 is connected to the antenna seat 230 via a spring clip, wherein a first connection end of the spring clip is connected to the connector 241, and a second connection end is connected to the antenna seat 230. The second connection end of the spring clip is a free end, and the RF calibration fixture 240 can realize the connection of the connector 241 to different antenna seats 230 by controlling the movement of the second connection end of the spring clip.

[0078] Of course, the radio frequency calibration fixture can also control the connection and disconnection between the connector and different antenna seats in other ways, which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0079] The connection method between the signal output terminal of the calibration circuit and the connector of the RF calibration fixture can include the following two methods:

[0080] Connection method 1: The signal output end of the calibration circuit is directly connected to the connector of the RF calibration fixture.

[0081] In some embodiments, since the power of the downlink signal received in actual scenarios is usually small, the calibration signal output by the calibration circuit does not need to undergo additional power amplification like the uplink RF signal output by the RF transmitting circuit. Therefore, the signal output end of the calibration circuit can be directly connected to the connector of the RF calibration fixture.

[0082] like Figure 3 As shown, during the RF calibration process, the signal output terminal 2131 of the calibration circuit 213 is directly connected to the connector 241 of the RF calibration fixture 240. The calibration signal is directly transmitted to the connector 241 through the signal output terminal 2131.

[0083] Connection method 2: The signal output end of the calibration circuit is connected to the connector of the RF calibration fixture through the front-end processing circuit in the RF front-end module.

[0084] In some embodiments, in order to meet the calibration requirements of more diverse downlink RF signals (such as calibrating high-power downlink RF signals), and / or to improve the calibration accuracy, the RF front-end module includes a front-end processing circuit corresponding to the calibration circuit. Accordingly, the signal output end of the calibration circuit is not directly connected to the connector of the RF calibration fixture, but is indirectly connected through the front-end processing circuit. The calibration signal output by the subsequent calibration circuit needs to be processed by the front-end processing circuit and then input into the connector of the RF calibration fixture.

[0085] Indicatively, in Figure 2 On the basis of Figure 4 As shown, a front-end processing circuit 221 is provided in the RF front-end module 220. The signal output terminal 2131 of the calibration circuit 213 is connected to the connector 241 of the RF calibration fixture 240 through the front-end processing circuit 221.

[0086] In some embodiments, the front-end processing circuit includes at least one of a first power amplifier and a filter, wherein the first power amplifier is used to amplify the power of the calibration signal; and the filter is used to filter the calibration signal.

[0087] The filter may be a surface acoustic wave (SAW) filter or other acoustic filters. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the types of the first power amplifier and the filter in the front-end processing circuit.

[0088] In a possible scenario, when there is a need to calibrate a high-power downlink radio frequency signal, a first power amplifier may be provided in the front-end processing circuit. The front-end processing circuit amplifies the power of the calibration signal output by the calibration circuit through the first power amplifier, thereby outputting the power-amplified calibration signal to the connector.

[0089] In another possible scenario, considering environmental interference and other signal interference on the PCB (Printed Circuit Board), a filter can be set in the front-end processing circuit. The front-end processing circuit filters the calibration signal output by the calibration circuit through the filter, thereby outputting the filtered calibration signal to the connector, reducing the impact of other signal interference on the downlink calibration.

[0090] In another possible scenario, a first power amplifier and a filter may be provided in the front-end processing circuit. Figure 4 As shown, the front-end processing circuit 221 includes a first power amplifier 2211 and a filter 2212. The calibration signal is transmitted to the connector 241 after being power amplified and filtered.

[0091] Optionally, the RF front-end module can enable some components in the front-end processing circuit according to the calibration requirements. For example, in the scenario of calibrating a high-power downlink RF signal, the first power amplifier and filter in the front-end processing circuit are enabled (i.e., the calibration signal needs to be power amplified and filtered); while in other calibration scenarios, the first power amplifier in the front-end processing circuit is disabled, and only the filter in the front-end processing circuit is enabled (i.e., the calibration signal is only filtered, but not power amplified).

[0092] It should be noted that, in addition to the above components, other components related to uplink RF signal processing may also be provided in the front-end processing circuit, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0093] In some embodiments, the calibration circuit includes a second power amplifier, which is used to perform preliminary power amplification on the generated calibration signal (the power amplification effect is lower than that of the power amplifier in the RF front-end module).

[0094] When the connection mode 1 is adopted, when the signal output end of the calibration circuit is directly connected to the connector of the RF calibration fixture, the second power amplifier is used to amplify the calibration signal to the calibration power, wherein the calibration power is the power of the downlink RF signal to be calibrated.

[0095] When the above-mentioned method 2 is adopted, since it needs to undergo secondary power amplification by the first power amplifier in the front-end processing circuit, the first power amplifier and the second power amplifier are used to cooperate with each other to amplify the calibration signal to the calibration power.

[0096] In this embodiment, the signal output end of the calibration circuit is connected to the connector of the RF calibration fixture, and the antenna seat is selected by the connector of the RF calibration fixture to simulate the process of receiving downlink RF signals through different antenna seats. This can realize the calibration of downlink RF signals in different frequency bands and ensure the comprehensiveness of the downlink calibration.

[0097] In addition, by setting a front-end processing circuit corresponding to the calibration circuit in the RF front-end module, the power amplifier set in the front-end processing circuit can be used to amplify the power of the calibration signal to meet the needs of the high-power downlink RF signal calibration scenario; the filter set in the front-end processing circuit can be used to filter the calibration signal to reduce the impact of interference signals on the calibration signal and improve the accuracy of downlink calibration.

[0098] Composition of the calibration circuit

[0099] In a possible implementation, the calibration circuit includes a mixer, a second power amplifier, and a local oscillator. The mixer is used to convert the calibration signal to a calibration frequency, the second power amplifier is used to amplify the power of the calibration signal, and the local oscillator (LO) is used to generate a local oscillation signal.

[0100] The mixer has two inputs and one output, and has two working modes: up-conversion and down-conversion. In the up-conversion mode, one of the two inputs is a baseband signal (output by the baseband chip), and the other is a local oscillation signal output by a local oscillator (the frequency of the local oscillation signal is higher than the frequency of the baseband signal). The output is a radio frequency signal (calibration signal), and the frequency of the radio frequency signal is the sum of the frequencies of the baseband signal and the local oscillation signal. In the down-conversion mode, one of the two inputs is a radio frequency signal, and the other is a local oscillation signal output by a local oscillator (the frequency of the local oscillation signal is lower than the frequency of the radio frequency signal). The output is a baseband signal, and the frequency of the baseband signal is the difference between the frequencies of the radio frequency signal and the local oscillation signal.

[0101] The second power amplifier, as a primary power amplifier, is usually located at the output end of the mixer and is used to perform preliminary power amplification on the radio frequency signal generated by the mixer.

[0102] The local oscillator is actually a self-excited sine wave oscillator, which is used to generate a high-frequency constant-amplitude sine wave signal with an intermediate frequency (such as 37MHz) higher than the received signal, and inject this signal into the mixer.

[0103] The local oscillator usually needs to be combined with a phase-locked loop (PLL) to achieve precise frequency control and stable output. The function of the phase-locked loop is to ensure that the output frequency of the local oscillator can accurately follow the reference frequency and maintain a stable phase relationship. Among them, the output of the phase-locked loop is used as the input of the local oscillator, and the frequency of the local oscillator can change according to the voltage applied to it. The phase-locked loop changes the frequency of the local oscillator by adjusting this control voltage, thereby achieving precise control of the frequency of the local oscillator. Through the phase-locked loop, the frequency of the local oscillator can be flexibly adjusted within a certain range to adapt to different communication channels or frequency requirements. In addition, the phase-locked loop ensures that the output frequency of the local oscillator maintains a constant phase angle with the reference frequency, thereby ensuring that the output signal is stable and synchronized with the reference signal.

[0104] Indicatively, Figure 5 As shown, the calibration circuit 500 is provided with a mixer 501, a local oscillator 502 and a second power amplifier 503. One input of the mixer 501 is a baseband signal, the other input is a local oscillation signal output by the local oscillator 502, and the output is a calibration signal. The calibration signal is used as the input of the second power amplifier 503 and is finally output after power amplification.

[0105] In the case where the calibration circuit has two baseband signal inputs, the calibration circuit 500 is provided with two mixers 501 , and the two mixers 501 may share the same local oscillator 502 .

[0106] It should be noted that the above embodiment only takes the calibration circuit having two baseband signal inputs as an example. In other possible implementations, the calibration circuit may have one baseband signal, or more than two baseband signal inputs, which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0107] In addition, in addition to the above components, the calibration circuit 500 may also be provided with a filter 504 and a matching circuit 505. The filter 504 is used to perform bandpass filtering on the baseband signal input by the baseband chip, and the matching circuit 505 is used to perform impedance matching on the calibration signal after power amplification.

[0108] Regarding the setting manner of the local oscillator, in a possible implementation manner, the local oscillator of the calibration circuit is independent of the local oscillator of the radio frequency receiving circuit, that is, the calibration circuit and the radio frequency receiving circuit generate local oscillation signals through their respective local oscillators.

[0109] In another possible implementation, since the calibration signal output by the calibration circuit is a downlink RF signal received by a subsequent RF receiving circuit, and the frequencies of the two are consistent, the calibration circuit and the RF receiving circuit can share a local oscillator, that is, the local oscillator is used to output a local oscillation signal to the calibration circuit and the RF receiving circuit.

[0110] Since the calibration circuit, the RF front-end module and the RF receiving circuit all participate in the RF downlink calibration, in order to ensure the accuracy of the calibration, in one possible implementation, during the RF calibration process, the calibration circuit is used to generate a calibration signal based on a first configuration instruction during the RF calibration process; the RF front-end module is used to process the calibration signal based on the second configuration instruction; and the RF receiving circuit is used to receive and process the calibration signal based on a third configuration instruction.

[0111] The first configuration instruction, the second configuration instruction and the third configuration instruction are generated based on calibration parameters, and the calibration parameters include calibration frequency and calibration power.

[0112] In some embodiments, the baseband chip sends configuration instructions to the calibration circuit, the RF front-end module and the RF receiving circuit respectively based on the calibration parameters, so that the configured calibration circuit generates a calibration signal that conforms to the calibration frequency and the calibration power, and the configured RF front-end module performs front-end signal processing on the received calibration signal, and the configured RF receiving circuit down-converts the calibration signal based on the calibration frequency.

[0113] The calibration circuit includes a mixer, a second power amplifier and a local oscillator. The calibration circuit is used to configure the mixer, the second power amplifier and the local oscillator based on a first configuration instruction.

[0114] Among them, the calibration circuit configures the signal frequency of the local oscillation signal output by the local oscillator based on the first configuration instruction, configures the mixer to perform up-conversion processing based on the local oscillation signal and the baseband signal to generate a calibration signal of the calibration frequency, and configures the second power amplifier to power amplify the calibration signal to generate a calibration signal of the calibration power.

[0115] In this embodiment, during the RF calibration process, the calibration circuit, the RF front-end module, and the RF receiving circuit are synchronously configured to ensure the accuracy of the frequency and power of the self-transmitted and self-received calibration signal, which helps to improve the calibration accuracy of the downlink calibration. In addition, the local oscillator can be reused to provide a local oscillation signal for the calibration circuit and the RF receiving circuit, which helps to reduce the components required to be added when adding a new calibration circuit, thereby reducing the calibration cost.

[0116] In the above embodiment, the calibration circuit, the RF receiving circuit and the RF front-end module cooperate with each other to achieve downlink self-calibration. In order to further simplify the calibration process and improve the calibration efficiency, in a possible implementation, the RF chip further includes a feedback receiving circuit, and the RF front-end module includes a power coupler.

[0117] The power coupler is used to couple the transmission signal of the radio frequency transmission circuit to the feedback receiving circuit during the radio frequency calibration process. The feedback receiving circuit is used to receive the transmission signal in the coupled loop.

[0118] In some embodiments, during the uplink RF calibration process, the RF transmission circuit is configured to generate an uplink signal and transmit it to the RF front-end module, which performs front-end processing (including power amplification, filtering, etc.) on the uplink signal and inputs it to the antenna base to simulate the uplink signal transmission process. The power coupler in the RF front-end module couples the transmission signal back to the feedback receiving circuit.

[0119] The feedback receiving circuit can process the coupled looped transmission signal to obtain the signal parameters of the transmission signal, thereby realizing uplink self-calibration based on the signal parameters.

[0120] For example, the feedback receiving circuit may process the coupled looped-back transmission signal to obtain a power value, and then perform uplink transmission power self-calibration based on the power value.

[0121] exist Figure 2 Based on, schematically, Figure 6 As shown, the RF chip 210 is also provided with a feedback receiving circuit 214, and the RF front-end module 220 is provided with a power coupler 222. During the uplink calibration process, the RF transmitting circuit 211, the RF front-end module 220 and the feedback receiving circuit 214 cooperate with each other to achieve uplink self-calibration.

[0122] Regarding the composition of the feedback receiving circuit, in some embodiments, the feedback receiving circuit includes a low noise amplifier, a local oscillator, and a mixer.

[0123] The low noise amplifier is used to perform low noise amplification processing on the coupled looped transmission signal, and input the processed transmission signal into the mixer.

[0124] One input of the mixer is the transmission signal output by the low noise amplifier, and the other input is the local oscillation signal output by the local oscillator, and the output is the baseband signal (the frequency of the baseband signal is the difference between the frequency of the local oscillation signal and the transmission signal). The optional feedback receiving circuit can have one or more outputs, and accordingly, the feedback receiving circuit can be provided with one or more mixers.

[0125] Optionally, the feedback receiving circuit may further include a matching circuit (for impedance matching) arranged before the low noise amplifier, and a filter (for band-pass filtering the signal) arranged at the output end of the mixer.

[0126] In this embodiment, by setting a feedback receiving circuit and a calibration circuit in the RF chip, the RF module can use the feedback receiving circuit and the calibration circuit to achieve uplink self-calibration and downlink self-calibration without interacting with the RF test instrument, which helps to improve the efficiency of RF calibration.

[0127] Please refer to Figure 7 , which shows a flow chart of a radio frequency calibration method provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The method is used for a device to be calibrated, and the device to be calibrated is provided with a radio frequency module as described in the above embodiment. The method may include the following steps:

[0128] Step 701, based on the calibration parameters, configure the calibration circuit and the RF receiving circuit in the RF chip, and the RF front-end module.

[0129] In a possible implementation, a baseband chip is provided in the device to be calibrated. During the downlink calibration process, the baseband chip configures the calibration circuit and the RF receiving circuit in the RF chip based on the calibration parameters, and configures the RF front-end module. The calibration parameters include the calibration frequency and the calibration power. The calibration frequency is the frequency of the signal used for downlink calibration, and the calibration power is the power of the signal used for downlink calibration.

[0130] In some embodiments, the device to be calibrated sends a first configuration instruction to the RF chip, and the calibration circuit generates a calibration signal based on the first configuration instruction; the device to be calibrated sends a second configuration instruction to the RF front-end module, and the RF front-end module processes the calibration signal based on the second configuration instruction; the device to be calibrated sends a third configuration instruction to the RF chip, and the RF receiving circuit receives and processes the calibration signal based on the third configuration instruction.

[0131] Step 702: Generate a calibration signal through the configured calibration circuit, and the calibration signal is used for downlink calibration.

[0132] After completing the configuration, the device to be calibrated generates a calibration signal for downlink calibration through the configured calibration circuit, wherein the frequency of the calibration signal is the calibration frequency indicated by the calibration parameter, and the power of the calibration signal is the calibration parameter indicated by the calibration parameter.

[0133] In some embodiments, the signal output end of the calibration circuit is connected to the connector of the radio frequency calibration fixture. The generated calibration signal is transmitted to the connector of the radio frequency calibration fixture through the signal output end, and the connector further transmits the calibration signal to the connected antenna seat.

[0134] The specific manner in which the calibration circuit generates and transmits the calibration signal can be referred to the above embodiment, and will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0135] Step 703: receive the calibration signal through the configured RF front-end module, and output the calibration signal processed by the RF front-end to the RF receiving circuit.

[0136] The RF front-end module receives the calibration signal generated by the calibration circuit through the antenna base and performs RF front-end processing on the calibration signal. Since the calibration signal is used for downlink calibration, in some embodiments, the RF front-end module filters and performs low-noise amplification processing on the calibration signal.

[0137] After completing the RF front-end processing, the RF front-end module transmits the calibration signal processed by the RF front-end to the RF receiving circuit for further processing. The RF receiving circuit is a circuit for processing the downlink signal using the calibration frequency.

[0138] The process of the RF front-end module processing the calibration signal can refer to the above embodiment, and this embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0139] Step 704: Receive and process the calibration signal processed by the RF front end through the configured RF receiving circuit.

[0140] After receiving the calibration signal, the radio frequency receiving circuit processes the calibration signal to obtain signal parameters, so as to subsequently perform downlink calibration based on the signal parameters.

[0141] In some embodiments, the RF receiving circuit is configured to convert the calibration signal into a baseband signal so that the baseband chip can process the baseband signal. The process of the RF receiving circuit processing the calibration signal can refer to the above embodiment, which will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0142] It should be noted that, during the downlink calibration process, the device to be calibrated needs to repeatedly execute the above steps 701 to 704 to complete the downlink calibration of signals with different frequencies and powers.

[0143] In summary, in the embodiment of the present application, a calibration circuit is additionally provided in the RF chip of the RF module. During the RF calibration process, a calibration signal for downlink calibration is generated by the calibration circuit, and the calibration signal is transmitted to the RF front-end module through the antenna seat on the RF module. The RF front-end module further processes the calibration signal and transmits it to the RF receiving circuit, and finally the RF receiving circuit processes the calibration signal. Since the calibration signal is sent and received by the RF module itself, downlink self-calibration can be achieved without interacting with the RF test instrument, which simplifies the downlink calibration process and improves the efficiency of downlink calibration.

[0144] In a possible implementation, Figure 8 As shown, the control device (used for performing radio frequency calibration control) can interact with the device to be calibrated to implement downlink calibration.

[0145] Step 801: The control device sends calibration configuration information to the device to be calibrated.

[0146] The calibration configuration information includes calibration parameters.

[0147] Step 802: After receiving the calibration configuration information, the device to be calibrated sends confirmation information to the control device.

[0148] Step 803: The device to be calibrated generates a calibration signal based on the calibration parameters.

[0149] Step 804: The device to be calibrated receives and processes a calibration signal based on the calibration parameters.

[0150] The above steps 803 and 804 need to be repeatedly performed during the downlink calibration process until the transmission and reception of all downlink radio frequency signals (with different frequencies and different powers) are completed.

[0151] Step 805: The device to be calibrated reports the processing result of the calibration signal to the control device.

[0152] Step 806: The control device generates a calibration result based on the processing result of the calibration signal, and writes the result into the device to be calibrated.

[0153] In another possible implementation, in order to further reduce the interaction with the control device to improve the downlink calibration efficiency, such as Fig. 9 As shown, the configuration of the calibration configuration information and the determination of the calibration result can be performed by the device to be calibrated itself.

[0154] Step 901, configure calibration configuration information.

[0155] Step 902: Generate a calibration signal based on the calibration parameters.

[0156] Step 903: Receive and process a calibration signal based on the calibration parameters.

[0157] The above steps 902 and 903 need to be repeatedly performed during the downlink calibration process until the transmission and reception of all downlink radio frequency signals (with different frequencies and different powers) are completed.

[0158] Step 904: Generate and write a calibration result based on the processing result of the calibration signal.

[0159] Compared with the downlink calibration process implemented by RF test instruments in related technologies, Figure 8 and Fig. 9The downlink self-calibration process shown is more concise, and the efficiency of downlink calibration is also improved because the interactive process is reduced.

[0160] Please refer to Fig.10 , which shows a system architecture diagram of a radio frequency calibration system provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The radio frequency calibration system includes: a device to be calibrated 1010 , a control device 1020 and a radio frequency calibration fixture 1030 .

[0161] The device to be calibrated 1010 may be an electronic device with uplink and downlink RF signal transceiving functions, such as a smart phone, a tablet computer, or a smart wearable device, and the device to be calibrated 1010 is provided with the RF module described in the above embodiment. During the RF calibration process, the uplink and downlink RF signal transceiving functions of the RF module are calibrated.

[0162] The control device 1020 is connected to the device to be calibrated 1010 and the radio frequency calibration fixture 1030 respectively.

[0163] The control device 1020 is an electronic device for controlling the RF calibration process, which may be a personal computer, a workstation, etc. In some embodiments, the control device 1020 runs a RF calibration control system, and the control device 1020 implements the management and control of the RF calibration process by running the system.

[0164] In some embodiments, the control device 1020 and the device to be calibrated 1010 are connected via a wire (such as a USB connection) or wirelessly, and the control device 1020 and the RF calibration fixture 1030 are connected via a wire or wirelessly.

[0165] In some embodiments, the RF calibration fixture 1030 can be a device set on a test machine to fix the device to be calibrated 1010. In the RF calibration process, the RF calibration fixture 1030 can be connected to different antenna sockets in the RF module of the device to be calibrated 1010 according to the frequency band of the RF signal to be calibrated.

[0166] The control device 1020 is used to control the device to be calibrated 1010 and the RF calibration fixture 1030 to perform RF calibration during the RF calibration process.

[0167] In some embodiments, during the downlink calibration process, the control device 1020 is used to control the device to be calibrated 1010 to generate a calibration signal for downlink calibration, and control the RF calibration fixture 1030 to transmit the calibration signal to the device to be calibrated 1010, thereby realizing self-transmission and self-reception of the calibration signal.

[0168] In order to realize the self-transmission and self-reception of the calibration signal, in a possible implementation manner, the calibration circuit of the RF chip in the RF module has a signal output end, and the signal output end is connected to the connector of the RF calibration fixture 1030 .

[0169] During the RF calibration process, the calibration circuit is used to output a calibration signal to the connector of the RF calibration fixture through the signal output terminal. The RF calibration fixture is used to control the on / off state between the connector and the antenna seat in the RF module under the control of the control device.

[0170] When the connector is connected to the antenna base in the RF module, the calibration signal is transmitted to the RF front-end module of the RF module through the antenna base, and is further transmitted to the RF receiving circuit of the RF module after being processed by the RF front-end module.

[0171] In some embodiments, the control device 1020 sends an instruction to the RF calibration fixture 1030 based on the frequency of the downlink signal to be calibrated, and the RF calibration fixture 1030 connects the connector to the antenna seat corresponding to the frequency based on the instruction. During the calibration of downlink signals of different frequencies, the RF calibration fixture 1030 continuously adjusts the on-off state between the antenna seats corresponding to different frequency bands based on the instructions sent by the control device 1020.

[0172] Indicative, such as Fig.10 As shown, the device to be calibrated 1010 includes a baseband chip 1012 (for generating and processing baseband signals), and the RF module 1011 includes a RF chip 10111, a RF front-end module 10112 and an antenna base 10113.

[0173] During the downlink calibration process, the baseband chip 1012 configures the calibration circuit and the RF receiving circuit in the RF chip 10111 according to the calibration configuration information sent by the control device 1020, and configures the RF front-end module 10112. The configured calibration circuit generates a calibration signal of the calibration frequency and the calibration power, and transmits it to the connector 1031 of the RF calibration fixture 1030 through the signal output terminal 10111A.

[0174] Under the control of the control device 1020, the RF calibration fixture 1030 connects the connector 1031 to the antenna base 10113 corresponding to the frequency band of the calibration frequency, thereby transmitting the calibration signal to the RF front-end module 10112 through the antenna base 10113. The RF front-end module 10112 transmits the processed calibration signal to the RF receiving circuit, which is further processed by the RF receiving circuit.

[0175] It should be noted that the specific process of implementing downlink calibration by the above components can refer to the above embodiments, which will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0176] See also Fig.11 , Fig.1111 is a schematic diagram of a terminal structure provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present application. The terminal may also include one or more of the following components: a processor 1110 , a memory 1120 , and a radio frequency module 1130 .

[0177] Optionally, the processor 1110 uses various interfaces and lines to connect various parts of the entire electronic device, and executes various functions of the electronic device and processes data by running or executing instructions, programs, code sets or instruction sets stored in the memory 1120, and calling data stored in the memory 1120. Optionally, the processor 1110 can be implemented in at least one hardware form of digital signal processing (Digital Signal Processing, DSP), field programmable gate array (Field-Programmable Gate Array, FPGA), and programmable logic array (Programmable Logic Array, PLA).

[0178] The processor 1110 may integrate one or a combination of a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a neural network processor (NPU), and a baseband chip. Among them, the CPU mainly processes the operating system, user interface, and application programs; the GPU is responsible for rendering and drawing the content to be displayed on the touch screen; the NPU is used to implement artificial intelligence (AI) functions; and the baseband chip is used to process wireless communications. It is understandable that the above-mentioned baseband chip may not be integrated into the processor 1110, but may be implemented by a single chip.

[0179] The memory 1120 may include a random access memory (RAM) or a read-only memory (ROM). Optionally, the memory 1120 includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The memory 1120 may be used to store instructions, programs, codes, code sets, or instruction sets. The memory 1120 may include a program storage area and a data storage area, wherein the program storage area may store instructions for implementing an operating system, instructions for at least one function, instructions for implementing the following various method embodiments, etc.; the data storage area may store data created according to the use of the electronic device, etc.

[0180] The RF module 1130 is used to convert the baseband signal output by the baseband chip into a RF signal and transmit it; convert the received RF signal into a baseband signal and feed it back to the baseband chip for processing. The specific structure of the RF module 1130 can refer to the above embodiment.

[0181] In addition, those skilled in the art will understand that the structure of the terminal shown in the above figures does not constitute a limitation on the terminal, and the terminal may include more (such as a power supply component, a display component, an antenna) or fewer components than shown in the figure, or a combination of certain components, or a different arrangement of components.

[0182] Those skilled in the art should be aware that in one or more of the above examples, the functions described in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented with hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, these functions can be stored in a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, wherein the communication media include any media that facilitates the transmission of a computer program from one place to another. The storage medium can be any available medium that a general or special-purpose computer can access.

[0183] The above description is only an optional embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A radio frequency module, characterized in that: The radio frequency module comprises: RF chip, RF front-end module and antenna base; The radio frequency chip is connected to the radio frequency front-end module, and the radio frequency front-end module is connected to the antenna base; The radio frequency chip comprises N radio frequency transmitting circuits, M radio frequency receiving circuits and a calibration circuit, where N and M are positive integers; The calibration circuit is used to generate a calibration signal during the radio frequency calibration process, and the calibration signal is used for downlink calibration; The RF front-end module is used to receive the calibration signal through the antenna base and output the calibration signal processed by the RF front-end to the RF receiving circuit; The radio frequency receiving circuit is used to receive and process the calibration signal processed by the radio frequency front end.

2. The radio frequency module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The calibration circuit has a signal output terminal; The calibration circuit is used to output the calibration signal to the connector of the radio frequency calibration fixture through the signal output end during the radio frequency calibration process, and the connector of the radio frequency calibration fixture is used to connect to the antenna seat.

3. The radio frequency module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The signal output end of the calibration circuit is directly connected to the connector of the radio frequency calibration fixture; or, The RF front-end module includes a front-end processing circuit corresponding to the calibration circuit, and the signal output end of the calibration circuit is connected to the connector of the RF calibration fixture through the front-end processing circuit.

4. The radio frequency module according to claim 3, characterized in that: The front-end processing circuit includes at least one of a first power amplifier and a filter; The first power amplifier is used to amplify the power of the calibration signal; The filter is used to filter the calibration signal.

5. The radio frequency module according to claim 4, characterized in that: The calibration circuit includes a second power amplifier; In a case where the signal output end of the calibration circuit is directly connected to the connector of the radio frequency calibration fixture, the second power amplifier is used to amplify the calibration signal to a calibration power; When the signal output end of the calibration circuit is connected to the connector of the RF calibration fixture through the front-end processing circuit, the first power amplifier and the second power amplifier are used to cooperate with each other to amplify the calibration signal to the calibration power.

6. The radio frequency module according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The calibration circuit is used to generate the calibration signal based on the first configuration instruction during the radio frequency calibration process; The RF front-end module is used to process the calibration signal based on the second configuration instruction; The radio frequency receiving circuit is used to receive and process the calibration signal based on a third configuration instruction; The first configuration instruction, the second configuration instruction and the third configuration instruction are generated based on calibration parameters, and the calibration parameters include calibration frequency and calibration power.

7. The radio frequency module according to claim 6, characterized in that: The calibration circuit comprises a mixer, a second power amplifier and a local oscillator, wherein the mixer is used to convert the calibration signal to the calibration frequency, the second power amplifier is used to amplify the power of the calibration signal, and the local oscillator is used to generate a local oscillation signal; The calibration circuit is used to configure the mixer, the second power amplifier and the local oscillator based on the first configuration instruction.

8. The radio frequency module according to claim 7, characterized in that: The local oscillator of the calibration circuit is independent of the local oscillator of the radio frequency receiving circuit, or, The calibration circuit and the radio frequency receiving circuit share a local oscillator.

9. The radio frequency module according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The radio frequency chip also includes a feedback receiving circuit, and the radio frequency front-end module includes a power coupler; The power coupler is used to couple the transmission signal of the radio frequency transmission circuit back to the feedback receiving circuit during the radio frequency calibration process; The feedback receiving circuit is used to receive the transmission signal in the coupling loop.

10. A radio frequency calibration method, characterized in that: The method is used for a device to be calibrated, wherein the device to be calibrated is provided with a radio frequency module according to any one of claims 1 to 9, and the method comprises: Based on the calibration parameters, configure the calibration circuit and RF receiving circuit in the RF chip, as well as the RF front-end module; Generate a calibration signal through the configured calibration circuit, wherein the calibration signal is used for downlink calibration; receiving the calibration signal through the configured RF front-end module, and outputting the calibration signal processed by the RF front-end to the RF receiving circuit; The configured RF receiving circuit receives and processes the calibration signal processed by the RF front end.

11. A radio frequency calibration system, characterized in that: The radio frequency calibration system comprises: a device to be calibrated, a control device and a radio frequency calibration fixture; The device to be calibrated is provided with a radio frequency module as described in any one of claims 1 to 9; The control device is connected to the device to be calibrated and the radio frequency calibration fixture respectively; The control device is used to control the device to be calibrated and the radio frequency calibration fixture during the radio frequency calibration process to perform radio frequency calibration.

12. The radio frequency calibration system according to claim 11, characterized in that: The calibration circuit of the radio frequency chip in the radio frequency module has a signal output terminal; The calibration circuit is used to output a calibration signal to the connector of the radio frequency calibration fixture through the signal output end during the radio frequency calibration process, and the calibration signal is used for downlink calibration; The radio frequency calibration fixture is used to control the on / off state between the connector and the antenna seat in the radio frequency module under the control of the control device.

13. A terminal, characterized in that: The terminal includes a baseband chip, a radio frequency module and an antenna. The baseband chip is connected to the radio frequency module, and the antenna is connected to the antenna base of the radio frequency module. The radio frequency module comprises the radio frequency module according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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