Antenna switching method, chip, network equipment and computer readable storage medium

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides an antenna switching method, a chip, network equipment and a computer readable storage medium, relates to the technical field of communication, and aims to solve the problem of how to switch antennas in time. The antenna switching method is applied to an access point (AP), the access point (AP) comprises multiple antennas, the multiple antennas form at least two groups of antenna combinations, and the method comprises the following steps: traversing the at least two groups of antenna combinations on the basis that a current antenna combination meets a period triggering condition or a parameter triggering condition, and obtaining performance parameters of each group of antenna combinations. And comparing the performance parameters of each antenna combination, switching to a first antenna combination, the performance parameter of the first antenna combination being the maximum value of the performance parameters of the at least two antenna combinations in the first time period. An access point (AP) can timely perceive and dynamically adjust position change and environment change of a station (STA) through a mixed parameter triggering mechanism and a periodic triggering mechanism, so that timely switching of an antenna is realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technology, and specifically to an antenna switching method, a chip, a network device, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] In a wireless local area network (WLAN), an antenna is a component used to transmit or receive electromagnetic wave signals, which can convert current in a transmission line and electromagnetic waves in space. Antennas can be divided into omnidirectional antennas and directional antennas according to their directivity. Access points (APs) usually use omnidirectional antennas to meet the needs of wide coverage, but under the constraint of limited power, the coverage range is small. With the development of wireless communication technology, users have higher requirements for the service quality and coverage range of wireless communication, and omnidirectional antennas alone can no longer meet user needs. Directional antennas have the characteristics of strong directivity and high gain, which can effectively increase the service range of AP wireless communication, especially for stations (STAs) where omnidirectional antennas cannot provide better services. APs use directional antennas to compensate for the communication service quality of STAs. However, the coverage range of omnidirectional antennas and directional antennas is fixed. Once the position of the STA changes, the performance of the wireless communication system may be affected due to weak signal strength of the STA or no signal received at all. Summary of the invention

[0003] The embodiments of the present application provide an antenna switching method, a chip, a network device, and a computer-readable storage medium, aiming to solve the problem of how to switch antennas in a timely manner.

[0004] The first aspect of the embodiment of the present application provides an antenna switching method, which is applied to an access point AP, and the access point AP includes multiple antennas, and the multiple antennas constitute at least two antenna combinations. The method includes: based on the current antenna combination satisfying a periodic trigger condition or a parameter trigger condition, traversing at least two antenna combinations, and obtaining performance parameters of each antenna combination. Comparing the performance parameters of each antenna combination, switching to a first antenna combination, the performance parameter of the first antenna combination is the maximum value of the performance parameters of at least two antenna combinations in a first time period.

[0005] In this embodiment, the periodic trigger mechanism can select antennas at fixed periodic trigger points, but cannot respond to environmental changes in a timely manner. Although the parameter trigger mechanism can sense changes in the surrounding environment based on antenna performance parameters to switch antennas in a timely manner, it cannot cope with the situation where the antenna performance parameters do not change significantly, but there is a better antenna combination. In view of the limitations of the separate periodic trigger mechanism and parameter trigger mechanism, the AP can timely detect and dynamically adjust STA position changes and environmental changes through a hybrid parameter trigger mechanism and periodic trigger mechanism, thereby achieving timely switching of antennas.

[0006] In one embodiment, after switching to the first antenna combination, the method further includes: based on the first antenna combination satisfying the parameter trigger condition, traversing at least two antenna combinations and obtaining the performance parameters of each antenna combination. Comparing the performance parameters of each antenna combination, switching to the second antenna combination, the performance parameter of the second antenna combination being the maximum value of the performance parameters of at least two antenna combinations in the second time period.

[0007] In another embodiment, the method further includes: based on the first antenna combination not satisfying the parameter trigger condition but satisfying the period trigger condition, traversing at least two antenna combinations and obtaining performance parameters of each antenna combination, comparing the performance parameters of each antenna combination, and switching to the second antenna combination.

[0008] In another embodiment, the method further includes: executing a protection mechanism based on switching from the first antenna combination to the second antenna combination; the protection mechanism is prohibiting triggering antenna selection until the prohibition duration reaches the protection duration.

[0009] In this embodiment, the AP prohibits triggering antenna selection within a period of time after selecting the antenna combination through a protection mechanism, thereby avoiding frequent triggering of the antenna combination and reducing unnecessary algorithm overhead.

[0010] In another embodiment, the method further includes: switching back to the first antenna combination based on switching from the first antenna combination to the second antenna combination and a performance parameter degradation ratio of the second antenna combination reaching a supervision trigger threshold.

[0011] In this embodiment, the AP monitors the selection result of the antenna combination through a supervision mechanism, and promptly detects and adjusts the selection error, which can improve the accuracy of selecting the antenna combination and is conducive to improving the performance of the wireless communication system.

[0012] In another embodiment, the method further includes: restarting timing based on switching from the first antenna combination to the second antenna combination to determine whether the timing duration reaches the protection duration and whether the period triggering condition is met.

[0013] In another embodiment, satisfying the periodic trigger condition includes: the periodic trigger timing reaches a periodic trigger threshold, and the protection mechanism fails.

[0014] In another embodiment, satisfying the parameter triggering condition includes: a performance parameter reduction ratio of the antenna combination reaches a parameter triggering threshold, and a protection mechanism fails.

[0015] A second aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a chip for controlling multiple antennas, where the multiple antennas constitute at least two antenna combinations. The chip includes a memory and a processor, where the memory is used to store instructions, and the processor is used to run the instructions stored in the memory, so that the chip executes the antenna switching method of the embodiment of the present application.

[0016] A third aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a network device, which includes a memory, a processor and multiple antennas, the processor is connected to the memory and the multiple antennas, the multiple antennas constitute at least two groups of antenna combinations, the memory is used to store instructions, and the processor is used to run the instructions stored in the memory, so that the network device executes the antenna switching method of the embodiment of the present application.

[0017] A fourth aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores instructions. When the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer executes the antenna switching method of an embodiment of the present application.

[0018] The technical effects brought about by the second to fourth aspects of the embodiments of the present application can be found in the relevant description of the antenna switching method of the first aspect above, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 The following is a schematic diagram of a Wi-Fi application scenario based on WLAN provided by way of example.

[0020] Figure 2 It is a flow chart of an antenna switching method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0021] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the supervision mechanism provided by an example.

[0022] Figure 4 The following is a schematic diagram of the software structure of an AP provided as an example.

[0023] Figure 5 The following is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of an AP provided as an example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] It should be noted that, in the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, " / " means or, for example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in the text is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, in the description of the embodiments of the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more than two. The terms "first" and "second" are used to distinguish similar objects and cannot be understood as implying or suggesting relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated.

[0025] In addition, the method disclosed in the embodiment of the present application or the method shown in the flowchart includes one or more steps for implementing the method. Without departing from the scope of the claims, the execution order of multiple steps can be interchanged with each other, and some of the steps can also be deleted.

[0026] The access point (AP) involved in the embodiments of the present application may be a network device for communicating with a station (STA) or a chip provided in the network device. Network devices include, but are not limited to switches, routers, gateways, modems, base stations (BS), etc. BS includes, but is not limited to, base transceiver stations (BTS) in time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems, evolved Node B (eNB) in long term evolution (LTE) systems, and next generation Node B (gNB) in 5G new radio (NR) systems.

[0027] In a wireless local area network (WLAN), an AP can connect to at least one STA. A STA can be any electronic device with wireless transceiver functions or a chip set in an electronic device. Electronic devices include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, tablet computers, personal computers (PCs), handheld computers, netbooks, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wearable devices, virtual reality devices, etc. For example, a STA can be a smartphone with a built-in wireless communication module, or a computer equipped with a wireless network card.

[0028] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the technical problems to be solved by the embodiments of the present application and the corresponding application scenarios are described in detail below.

[0029] With the evolution of WLAN standards, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) standard 6 (802.11ax) technology has been implemented, and the IEEE 802.11 working group has released the first draft 1.0 of the next-generation Wi-Fi standard 7. As a leader in short-range communications, Wi-Fi has always received great attention. With the development of Wi-Fi technology, new applications are gradually increasing their requirements for throughput and latency.

[0030] In the process of wireless communication, antennas are components used to transmit or receive electromagnetic wave signals, which can convert currents in transmission lines and electromagnetic waves in space. Antennas can be divided into omnidirectional antennas and directional antennas according to their directivity. APs usually use omnidirectional antennas to meet the needs of wide coverage, but under the constraint of limited power, the coverage range is small. With the development of wireless communication technology, users have higher requirements for the service quality and coverage range of wireless communication, and omnidirectional antennas alone can no longer meet user needs. Directional antennas have the characteristics of strong directivity and high gain, which can effectively increase the service range of AP wireless communication. In particular, for STAs that cannot be provided with better services by omnidirectional antennas, APs use directional antennas to compensate for the communication service quality of STAs. However, the coverage range of omnidirectional antennas and directional antennas is fixed. Once the position of the STA changes, the performance of the wireless communication system may be affected due to weak signal strength or no signal reception at all.

[0031] Figure 1 The following is a schematic diagram of a Wi-Fi application scenario based on WLAN provided by way of example.

[0032] like Figure 1 As shown in the figure, the application scenario includes an AP that provides Wi-Fi services and STA1, STA2, and STA3 that support the Wi-Fi protocol. The antennas of the AP include omnidirectional antennas and directional antennas. Area 1 represents the coverage of the omnidirectional antenna, and areas 2, 3, and 4 represent the coverage of directional antennas in three different directions. STA1 is located in the interval area between the coverage areas of two directional antennas, STA2 is located in the coverage area of ​​the omnidirectional antenna, and STA3 is located in the coverage area of ​​a directional antenna. In order to realize that the antenna changes with the position of the STA, the AP introduces smart antenna technology to solve the coverage problem caused by the complex wireless communication environment. The smart antenna can adjust the antenna's directional pattern in real time according to the actual wireless channel environment, so that the wireless communication system maintains better performance.

[0033] There are usually two ways for AP to implement smart antennas. One is to implement it in the chip part, where multiple ordinary antennas are used in the antenna part, that is, beamforming or beamforming technology is used to send signals to STAs in an energy-concentrated and directional manner. The other is to implement it through an antenna array in conjunction with an antenna selection algorithm, that is, the antenna selection algorithm selects different antenna combinations from the antenna array to form a directional beam, providing high-quality signals for STAs in different locations. The propagation paths and distances of signals emitted by different antennas in the same antenna array may be inconsistent in space, resulting in differences in the signals received by the STA. Therefore, the differences in the received signals can be used to select a group of antenna combinations with better signal superposition effects from multiple groups of antenna combinations. In actual environments, the position of the STA is constantly changing, and the AP needs to dynamically switch the antenna combination according to the position of the STA. The timely triggering of the smart antenna is the key to improving the performance of the wireless communication system. When the STA is located in the interval area covered by two directional antennas (such as Figure 1 When STA1 is in the middle and wanders in the interval area, the AP is prone to frequent switching of antenna combinations, which will increase unnecessary algorithm overhead. In addition, due to the influence of channel randomness and some environmental interference, the AP may trigger antenna selection when it is not necessary and switch to another antenna combination, that is, the antenna combination is switched incorrectly. Frequent switching and incorrect switching of antenna combinations will have an adverse effect on the performance of the wireless communication system.

[0034] Based on this, the embodiments of the present application provide an antenna switching method, a chip, a network device and a computer-readable storage medium, aiming to solve the problem of how to switch antennas in time. In addition, it also solves the problem of how to effectively avoid frequent switching and erroneous switching of antenna combinations.

[0035] The antenna switching method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below.

[0036] Figure 2 It is a flow chart of an antenna switching method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0037] The antenna switching method of the embodiment of the present application can be applied to an AP. Figure 2 As shown, the antenna switching method includes the following steps:

[0038] S201, based on communicating with a STA using an initial antenna combination, determine whether the initial antenna combination meets a period trigger condition or a parameter trigger condition.

[0039] In this embodiment, the initial antenna combination may be an omnidirectional antenna combination, which includes only omnidirectional antennas. Since the AP may be associated with multiple STAs, and the access of multiple STAs is random, the AP can use the wide coverage of the omnidirectional antenna to ensure that all associated STAs can access as much as possible.

[0040] In other embodiments, the initial antenna combination may include an omnidirectional antenna and a directional antenna. The AP ensures access to associated STAs through the omnidirectional antenna, and then increases the service range of AP wireless communication through the directional antenna to compensate for the communication service quality of the STA.

[0041] In this embodiment, satisfying the periodic trigger condition means that the periodic trigger timing reaches the periodic trigger threshold and the protection mechanism fails. The periodic trigger timing is the timing duration of the timer in one cycle, and the periodic trigger threshold is the timing duration corresponding to one cycle of the timer. When the AP selects the antenna combination, it starts the timer. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the type of timer.

[0042] Meeting the parameter trigger condition means that the performance parameter reduction ratio of the antenna combination reaches the parameter trigger threshold and the protection mechanism fails. The performance parameter reduction ratio is calculated as shown in formula (1).

[0043] α=ΔQ / Q=(Q0-Q1) / Q0 (1)

[0044] Among them, α is the performance parameter decrease rate, Q is the performance parameter value, ΔQ is the performance parameter change value, Q0 is the original performance parameter value, and Q1 is the changed performance parameter value.

[0045] It can be understood that both the period trigger threshold and the parameter trigger threshold can be set as needed.

[0046] The performance parameters are used to characterize the communication performance of the antenna combination. The performance parameters may include, but are not limited to, reachability and rate, received signal strength indicator (RSSI), bit error rate (BER), etc.

[0047] The protection mechanism means that the antenna selection is not allowed to be triggered within a period of time after the AP selects the antenna combination. The duration of this period is called the protection period. That is, during the protection period, the AP no longer determines whether the antenna combination meets the periodic trigger condition or the parameter trigger condition. The failure of the protection mechanism means that the antenna selection is allowed to be triggered after a period of time has passed after the AP selects the antenna combination. That is, after the protection period, the AP again determines whether the antenna combination meets the periodic trigger condition or the parameter trigger condition.

[0048] When it is determined that the initial antenna combination meets the periodic trigger condition or the parameter trigger condition, steps S202 to S205 are executed. When it is determined that the initial antenna combination does not meet the periodic trigger condition or the parameter trigger condition, step S213 is executed.

[0049] S202, traverse all antenna combinations and obtain performance parameters of each antenna combination.

[0050] In this embodiment, the AP may store an antenna lookup table, which includes all antenna combinations. For example, if the number of omnidirectional antennas of the AP is M, the number of directional antennas is D, and the number of RF ports is S, then the number of antenna combinations in the antenna lookup table is

[0051] In other embodiments, the number of antenna combinations in the antenna lookup table may be reduced accordingly according to the actual environment. That is, the AP may delete currently unavailable antenna combinations from the antenna lookup table according to the actual environment, thereby reducing the traversal time.

[0052] S203, comparing the performance parameters of each antenna combination, and switching to the target antenna combination.

[0053] In this embodiment, the performance parameter of the target antenna combination is the maximum value among the performance parameters of all antenna combinations.

[0054] In other embodiments, antenna combinations whose performance parameters are greater than the target threshold are all target antenna combinations. The target threshold can be set as needed. When there are multiple target antenna combinations, the AP can randomly select one from the multiple target antenna combinations.

[0055] S204: Restart timing based on switching to the target antenna combination.

[0056] In this embodiment, after switching the antenna combination, the AP resets the timer to zero and restarts the timer. The re-timing has two functions: one is to determine whether the timing duration reaches the protection duration, and the other is to determine whether the period trigger condition is met.

[0057] S205, executing protection mechanism.

[0058] In this embodiment, after switching the antenna combination, the AP prohibits triggering antenna selection until the prohibition duration reaches the protection duration. The protection duration can be set as needed. By executing the protection mechanism, frequent switching of the antenna combination can be effectively avoided.

[0059] After executing step S205, execute step S206 or S211.

[0060] S206: Determine whether the target antenna combination has changed.

[0061] In this embodiment, during the protection time, the AP is prohibited from triggering antenna selection, but due to the influence of some random interference, the antenna combination may be switched incorrectly. For example, after the protection mechanism is executed, the performance of the first antenna combination is reduced due to environmental interference, thereby triggering antenna selection and switching to the second antenna combination. After the environmental interference is eliminated, as the performance of the first antenna combination recovers, the performance of the first antenna combination is better than that of the second antenna combination, but the AP cannot switch back to the first antenna combination in time, resulting in the incorrect switching of the antenna combination.

[0062] When it is determined that the target antenna combination has changed, step S207 is executed. When it is determined that the target antenna combination has not changed, step S211 is executed.

[0063] S207, determining whether the current antenna combination meets the supervision triggering condition.

[0064] In this embodiment, satisfying the supervision trigger condition means that the performance parameter decline ratio of the antenna combination reaches the supervision trigger threshold, and the protection mechanism is effective. The supervision trigger threshold can be set as needed. The protection mechanism is effective when the prohibition duration of the AP prohibiting triggering antenna selection does not reach the protection duration. By monitoring whether the antenna combination meets the supervision trigger condition within the protection duration, it can be determined whether the antenna combination has an erroneous switching in the current scene.

[0065] When it is determined that the current antenna combination meets the supervision triggering condition, steps S208 to S209 are executed. When it is determined that the current antenna combination does not meet the supervision triggering condition, step S211 is executed.

[0066] S208, switching back to the target antenna combination.

[0067] In this embodiment, the AP compares the performance parameters before and after the antenna combination is changed. Since the performance parameters of the changed antenna combination decrease to a certain extent, it can be determined that the antenna combination has been switched incorrectly in the current scenario. By switching back to the target antenna combination, the STA performance degradation caused by the incorrect switching of the antenna combination can be avoided.

[0068] S209: Determine whether the current switching times is greater than a times threshold.

[0069] In this embodiment, the AP switches back to the target antenna combination, which is recorded as one switching.

[0070] When it is determined that the current number of switching times is greater than the number threshold, step S210 is executed. When it is determined that the current number of switching times is less than or equal to the number threshold, step S207 is returned to be executed.

[0071] S210, switching back to the target antenna combination.

[0072] In this embodiment, the AP counts the number of switching times. When the number of switching times is greater than the number threshold, it indicates that frequent switching of antenna combinations has occurred in the current scenario. By switching back to the target antenna combination, STA performance degradation caused by frequent switching of antenna combinations can be avoided.

[0073] For example, Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the supervision mechanism provided by an example. Figure 3 As shown, when the target antenna combination changes, for example, switching from antenna combination 1 to antenna combination 2, the supervision mechanism is triggered. The supervision mechanism is used to supervise whether the selection of the target antenna combination is correct. The supervision mechanism includes: comparing the performance parameters before and after the antenna combination changes to determine whether the supervision triggering condition is met. When the supervision triggering condition is not met, exit the supervision mechanism. When the supervision triggering condition is met, switch back to antenna combination 1, record the number of switches, and continue to monitor and compare the performance parameters before and after the antenna combination changes, thereby determining whether it is necessary to switch again. When the number of switches is greater than the number threshold, it is determined that the supervision mechanism has failed, and the antenna combination before the supervision mechanism is triggered, that is, antenna combination 1, is restored.

[0074] After executing step S210, execute step S211.

[0075] S211, based on the failure of the protection mechanism, determining whether the target antenna combination meets the parameter triggering condition.

[0076] In this embodiment, after the protection mechanism fails, the AP allows triggering antenna selection. Before the timer expires, that is, before reaching the timing duration corresponding to one cycle of the timer, the AP determines whether the target antenna combination meets the parameter triggering condition.

[0077] When it is determined that the target antenna combination meets the parameter triggering condition, the process returns to steps S202 to S205. When it is determined that the target antenna combination does not meet the parameter triggering condition, the process proceeds to step S212.

[0078] S212, determining whether the target antenna combination meets the periodic trigger condition.

[0079] In this embodiment, after the protection mechanism fails, based on the target antenna combination not satisfying the parameter triggering condition, the AP monitors whether the timer expires, thereby determining whether the target antenna combination satisfies the periodic triggering condition.

[0080] When it is determined that the target antenna combination meets the periodic trigger condition, the process returns to step S202 to step S205. When it is determined that the target antenna combination does not meet the periodic trigger condition, the process returns to step S211.

[0081] S213: Determine whether the initial antenna combination meets the parameter trigger condition.

[0082] In this embodiment, based on the fact that the initial antenna combination does not meet the periodic trigger condition or the parameter trigger condition, before the timer expires, the AP continuously monitors the performance parameters of the initial antenna combination to determine whether the initial antenna combination meets the parameter trigger condition.

[0083] When it is determined that the initial antenna combination meets the parameter triggering condition, the process returns to steps S202 to S205. When it is determined that the initial antenna combination does not meet the parameter triggering condition, the process proceeds to step S214.

[0084] S214, determining whether the initial antenna combination meets the periodic triggering condition.

[0085] In this embodiment, based on the fact that the initial antenna combination does not meet the parameter triggering condition, the AP monitors whether the timer expires, thereby determining whether the initial antenna combination meets the periodic triggering condition.

[0086] When it is determined that the initial antenna combination meets the periodic triggering condition, the process returns to step S202 to step S205. When it is determined that the initial antenna combination does not meet the periodic triggering condition, the process returns to step S213.

[0087] In the above embodiment, in order to solve the problem of untimely switching of smart antennas, the AP can timely detect and dynamically adjust the STA position changes and environmental changes through a hybrid parameter trigger mechanism and a periodic trigger mechanism, thereby realizing timely triggering of smart antennas. In order to solve the problem of frequent triggering and false triggering of smart antennas, the AP prohibits triggering antenna selection for a period of time after selecting the antenna combination through a protection mechanism, thereby avoiding frequent triggering of the antenna combination and reducing unnecessary algorithm overhead. And through the supervision mechanism, the selection result of the target antenna combination is supervised, and the selection error is detected and adjusted in time, which can improve the accuracy of selecting the target antenna combination and help improve the performance of the wireless communication system.

[0088] The AP of the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below.

[0089] Figure 4 The following is a schematic diagram of the software structure of an AP provided as an example.

[0090] The software system of the AP can adopt a layered architecture, an event-driven architecture, a micro-kernel architecture, a microservice architecture, or a cloud architecture. This embodiment takes the Android system of the layered architecture as an example to illustrate the software structure of the AP. The layered architecture divides the software system of the AP into several layers, each layer has a clear role and division of labor, and the layers communicate with each other through software interfaces.

[0091] like Figure 4As shown in the figure, the software system of AP is divided into four layers, namely, application (Application, APP) layer, framework (Framework) layer, kernel (Kernel) layer and hardware (Hardware) layer from top to bottom. Among them, the APP layer includes a series of application packages, which may include application market, calendar, clock, settings, camera, gallery, call and short message applications. The Framework layer provides application programming interface (Application Programming Interface, API) for each application of the APP layer, such as WiFi API. The Kernel layer includes various drivers, such as display driver, WiFi driver, camera driver and sensor driver. The Hardware layer includes various hardware components, such as display screen, WiFi firmware, camera and sensor module.

[0092] In this embodiment, the APP layer includes a WiFi Setting module, which is used to set and manage the WiFi antenna. The Framework layer includes a WiFi Service module, which is used to implement the call of the WiFi API. The WiFi driver of the Kernel layer is used to drive the WiFi firmware of the Hardware layer, so that the WiFi firmware performs various functions and data processing, such as executing the various steps of the antenna switching method of the embodiment of the present application.

[0093] Figure 5 The following is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of an AP provided as an example.

[0094] Take network equipment as an example. Figure 5 As shown, the AP includes a processor 110, an external memory interface 120, an internal memory 121, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface 130, a charging management module 140, a power management module 141, a battery 142, an antenna 1, an antenna 2, a mobile communication module 150, a wireless communication module 160, an audio module 170, a speaker 170A, a receiver 170B, a microphone 170C, an earphone interface 170D, a sensor module 180, a button 190, a motor 191, an indicator 192, a camera 193, a display screen 194, and a Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card interface 195, etc.

[0095] The processor 110 may execute instructions stored in the internal memory 121, so that the AP executes each step of the antenna switching method of the embodiment of the present application.

[0096] The processor 110 may include one or more processing units, for example, the processor 110 may include an application processor (AP), a modem processor, a graphics processor (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a controller, a video codec, a digital signal processor (DSP), a baseband processor, and / or a neural network processor (NPU), etc. Different processing units may be independent devices or integrated into one or more processors.

[0097] The controller can generate operation control signals according to the instruction operation code and timing signal to complete the control of instruction fetching and execution.

[0098] The processor 110 may also be provided with a memory for storing instructions and data. In some embodiments, the memory in the processor 110 is a cache memory. The memory may store instructions or data that the processor 110 has just used or cyclically used. If the processor 110 needs to use the instruction or data again, it may be directly called from the memory. This avoids repeated access, reduces the waiting time of the processor 110, and thus improves the efficiency of the system.

[0099] In some embodiments, the processor 110 may include one or more interfaces. The interface may include an Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C) interface, an Inter-Integrated Circuit Sound (I2S) interface, a Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) interface, a Universal Asynchronous Receiver / Transmitter (UART) interface, a Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI), a General-Purpose Input / Output (GPIO) interface, a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) interface, and / or a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, etc.

[0100] The I2C interface is a bidirectional synchronous serial bus, including a serial data line (SDA) and a serial clock line (SCL). In some embodiments, the processor 110 may include multiple groups of I2C buses. The processor 110 may be coupled to the touch sensor 180K, the charger, the flash, the camera 193, etc. through different I2C bus interfaces. For example: the processor 110 may be coupled to the touch sensor 180K through the I2C interface, so that the processor 110 communicates with the touch sensor 180K through the I2C bus interface to realize the touch function of the AP.

[0101] The I2S interface can be used for audio communication. In some embodiments, the processor 110 can include multiple I2S buses. The processor 110 can be coupled to the audio module 170 via the I2S bus to achieve communication between the processor 110 and the audio module 170. In some embodiments, the audio module 170 can transmit an audio signal to the wireless communication module 160 via the I2S interface to achieve the function of answering a call through a Bluetooth headset.

[0102] The PCM interface can also be used for audio communication, sampling, quantizing and encoding analog signals. In some embodiments, the audio module 170 and the wireless communication module 160 can be coupled via a PCM bus interface. In some embodiments, the audio module 170 can also transmit audio signals to the wireless communication module 160 via the PCM interface to implement the function of answering calls via a Bluetooth headset. Both the I2S interface and the PCM interface can be used for audio communication.

[0103] The UART interface is a universal serial data bus for asynchronous communication. The bus can be a bidirectional communication bus. It converts the data to be transmitted between serial communication and parallel communication. In some embodiments, the UART interface is generally used to connect the processor 110 and the wireless communication module 160. For example, the processor 110 communicates with the Bluetooth module in the wireless communication module 160 through the UART interface to implement the Bluetooth function. In some embodiments, the audio module 170 can transmit an audio signal to the wireless communication module 160 through the UART interface to implement the function of playing music through a Bluetooth headset.

[0104] The MIPI interface can be used to connect the processor 110 with peripheral devices such as the display screen 194 and the camera 193. The MIPI interface includes the camera serial interface (CSI), the display serial interface (DSI), etc. In some embodiments, the processor 110 and the camera 193 communicate through the CSI interface to realize the shooting function of the AP. The processor 110 and the display screen 194 communicate through the DSI interface to realize the display function of the AP.

[0105] The GPIO interface can be configured by software. The GPIO interface can be configured as a control signal or as a data signal. In some embodiments, the GPIO interface can be used to connect the processor 110 with the camera 193, the display 194, the wireless communication module 160, the audio module 170, the sensor module 180, etc. The GPIO interface can also be configured as an I2C interface, an I2S interface, a UART interface, a MIPI interface, etc.

[0106] The USB interface 130 is an interface that complies with the USB standard specification, and can be a Mini USB interface, a Micro USB interface, a USB Type C interface, etc. The USB interface 130 can be used to connect a charger to charge the AP, and can also be used to transfer data between the AP and peripheral devices. It can also be used to connect headphones to play audio through the headphones. The interface can also be used to connect other electronic devices, such as AR devices, etc.

[0107] It is understandable that the interface connection relationship between the modules illustrated in the embodiment of the present invention is only a schematic illustration and does not constitute a structural limitation of the AP. In other embodiments of the present application, the AP may also adopt different interface connection methods in the above embodiments, or a combination of multiple interface connection methods.

[0108] The charging management module 140 is used to receive charging input from a charger. The charger can be a wireless charger or a wired charger. In some wired charging embodiments, the charging management module 140 can receive charging input from a wired charger through the USB interface 130. In some wireless charging embodiments, the charging management module 140 can receive wireless charging input through the wireless charging coil of the AP. While the charging management module 140 is charging the battery 142, it can also power the AP through the power management module 141.

[0109] The power management module 141 is used to connect the battery 142, the charging management module 140 and the processor 110. The power management module 141 receives input from the battery 142 and / or the charging management module 140, and supplies power to the processor 110, the internal memory 121, the display screen 194, the camera 193 and the wireless communication module 160. The power management module 141 can also be used to monitor parameters such as battery capacity, battery cycle number, battery health status (leakage, impedance), etc. In some other embodiments, the power management module 141 can also be set in the processor 110. In other embodiments, the power management module 141 and the charging management module 140 can also be set in the same device.

[0110] The wireless communication function of the AP can be implemented through antenna 1, antenna 2, mobile communication module 150, wireless communication module 160, modem processor, baseband processor, etc.

[0111] Antenna 1 and antenna 2 are used to transmit and receive electromagnetic wave signals. Each antenna in the AP can be used to cover a single or multiple communication frequency bands. Different antennas can also be reused to improve the utilization of the antennas. For example, antenna 1 can be reused as a diversity antenna for a wireless local area network. In some other embodiments, the antenna can be used in combination with a tuning switch.

[0112] The mobile communication module 150 can provide solutions for wireless communications including 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G applied on the AP. The mobile communication module 150 may include at least one filter, a switch, a power amplifier, a low noise amplifier (LowNoise Amplifier, LNA), etc. The mobile communication module 150 can receive electromagnetic waves from the antenna 1, and filter, amplify, and process the received electromagnetic waves, and transmit them to the modulation and demodulation processor for demodulation. The mobile communication module 150 can also amplify the signal modulated by the modulation and demodulation processor, and convert it into electromagnetic waves for radiation through the antenna 1. In some embodiments, at least some of the functional modules of the mobile communication module 150 can be set in the processor 110. In some embodiments, at least some of the functional modules of the mobile communication module 150 can be set in the same device as at least some of the modules of the processor 110.

[0113] The modem processor may include a modulator and a demodulator. Among them, the modulator is used to modulate the low-frequency baseband signal to be sent into a medium-high frequency signal. The demodulator is used to demodulate the received electromagnetic wave signal into a low-frequency baseband signal. The demodulator then transmits the demodulated low-frequency baseband signal to the baseband processor for processing. After the low-frequency baseband signal is processed by the baseband processor, it is passed to the application processor. The application processor outputs a sound signal through an audio device (not limited to a speaker 170A, a receiver 170B, etc.), or displays an image or video through a display screen 194. In some embodiments, the modem processor may be an independent device. In other embodiments, the modem processor may be independent of the processor 110 and be set in the same device as the mobile communication module 150 or other functional modules.

[0114] The wireless communication module 160 can provide wireless communication solutions including wireless local area network (WLAN) (such as WiFi network), Bluetooth (BT), global navigation satellite system (GNSS), frequency modulation (FM), near field communication (NFC), infrared (IR), etc. applied on AP. In this embodiment, the wireless communication module 160 includes WiFi firmware. The wireless communication module 160 can be one or more devices integrating at least one communication processing module. The wireless communication module 160 receives electromagnetic waves via antenna 2, modulates and filters the electromagnetic wave signals, and sends the processed signals to the processor 110. The wireless communication module 160 can also receive the signal to be sent from the processor 110, modulate and amplify it, and convert it into electromagnetic waves for radiation through antenna 2.

[0115] In some embodiments, the antenna 1 of the AP is coupled to the mobile communication module 150, and the antenna 2 is coupled to the wireless communication module 160, so that the AP can communicate with the network and other devices through wireless communication technology. The wireless communication technology may include Global System For Mobile Communication (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Time-Division Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), BT, GNSS, WLAN, NFC, FM and / or IR technology, etc. GNSS may include Global Positioning System (GPS), Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) and / or Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS).

[0116] The AP implements the display function through the GPU, the display screen 194, and the application processor. The GPU is a microprocessor for image processing, which connects the display screen 194 and the application processor. The GPU is used to perform mathematical and geometric calculations for graphics rendering. The processor 110 may include one or more GPUs, which execute program instructions to generate or change display information.

[0117] The display screen 194 is used to display images, videos, etc. The display screen 194 includes a display panel. The display panel can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), an active-matrix organic light-emitting diode or an active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED), a flexible light-emitting diode (FLED), a Miniled, a MicroLed, a Micro-oLed, a quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED), etc. In some embodiments, the AP may include 1 or N display screens 194, where N is a positive integer greater than 1.

[0118] The AP can realize the shooting function through the ISP, the camera 193, the video codec, the GPU, the display screen 194 and the application processor.

[0119] The ISP is used to process the data fed back by the camera 193. For example, when taking a photo, the shutter is opened, and the light is transmitted to the camera photosensitive element through the lens. The light signal is converted into an electrical signal, and the camera photosensitive element transmits the electrical signal to the ISP for processing and converts it into an image visible to the naked eye. The ISP can also perform algorithm optimization on the noise, brightness, and skin color of the image. The ISP can also optimize the exposure, color temperature and other parameters of the shooting scene. In some embodiments, the ISP can be set in the camera 193.

[0120] The camera 193 is used to capture still images or videos. The object generates an optical image through the lens and projects it onto the photosensitive element. The photosensitive element may be a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) phototransistor. The photosensitive element converts the optical signal into an electrical signal, which is then passed to the ISP for conversion into a digital image signal. The ISP outputs the digital image signal to the DSP for processing. The DSP converts the digital image signal into an image signal in a standard RGB, YUV or other format. In some embodiments, the AP may include 1 or N cameras 193, where N is a positive integer greater than 1.

[0121] The digital signal processor is used to process digital signals. In addition to processing digital image signals, it can also process other digital signals. For example, when the AP is selecting a frequency point, the digital signal processor is used to perform Fourier transform on the frequency point energy.

[0122] Video codecs are used to compress or decompress digital videos. An AP can support one or more video codecs. In this way, an AP can play or record videos in multiple encoding formats, such as Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) 1, MPEG2, MPEG3, MPEG4, etc.

[0123] NPU is a neural network (NN) computing processor. It can quickly process input information and continuously self-learn by drawing on the structure of biological neural networks, such as the transmission mode between neurons in the human brain. NPU can realize applications such as intelligent cognition of AP, such as image recognition, face recognition, voice recognition, text understanding, etc.

[0124] The external memory interface 120 can be used to connect an external memory card, such as a Micro SD card, to expand the storage capacity of the AP. The external memory card communicates with the processor 110 through the external memory interface 120 to implement a data storage function. For example, files such as music and videos can be stored in the external memory card.

[0125] The internal memory 121 can be used to store computer executable program codes, and the executable program codes include instructions. The internal memory 121 may include a program storage area and a data storage area. Among them, the program storage area may store an operating system, an application required for at least one function (such as a sound playback function, an image playback function, etc.), etc. The data storage area may store data created during the use of the AP (such as audio data, a phone book, etc.), etc. In addition, the internal memory 121 may include a high-speed random access memory, and may also include a non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device, a flash memory device, a universal flash storage (Universal Flash Storage, UFS), etc. The processor 110 executes various functional applications and data processing of the AP by running instructions stored in the internal memory 121 and / or instructions stored in a memory provided in the processor.

[0126] The AP can implement audio functions such as music playing and recording through the audio module 170, the speaker 170A, the receiver 170B, the microphone 170C, the earphone interface 170D, and the application processor.

[0127] The audio module 170 is used to convert digital audio information into analog audio signal output, and is also used to convert analog audio input into digital audio signals. The audio module 170 can also be used to encode and decode audio signals. In some embodiments, the audio module 170 can be arranged in the processor 110, or some functional modules of the audio module 170 can be arranged in the processor 110.

[0128] The speaker 170A, also called a "speaker", is used to convert an audio electrical signal into a sound signal. The AP can listen to music or listen to a hands-free call through the speaker 170A.

[0129] The receiver 170B, also called a "handset", is used to convert audio electrical signals into sound signals. When the AP receives a call or voice message, the AP can receive the voice by placing the receiver 170B close to the human ear.

[0130] Microphone 170C, also called "microphone" or "microphone", is used to convert sound signals into electrical signals. When making a call or sending a voice message, the user can make a sound by putting their mouth close to the microphone 170C to input the sound signal into the microphone 170C. The AP can be provided with at least one microphone 170C. In other embodiments, the AP can be provided with two microphones 170C, which can not only collect sound signals but also realize noise reduction function. In other embodiments, the AP can also be provided with three, four or more microphones 170C to realize the collection of sound signals, noise reduction, identification of sound sources, realization of directional recording function, etc.

[0131] The earphone interface 170D is used to connect a wired earphone and can be a USB interface 130 or a 3.5 mm Open Mobile Terminal Platform (OMTP) standard interface or a Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association of the USA (CTIA) standard interface.

[0132] The key 190 includes a power key, a volume key, etc. The key 190 may be a mechanical key or a touch key. The AP may receive key input and generate key signal input related to user settings and function control of the AP.

[0133] Motor 191 can generate vibration prompts. Motor 191 can be used for incoming call vibration prompts, and can also be used for touch vibration feedback. For example, touch operations acting on different applications (such as taking pictures, audio playback, etc.) can correspond to different vibration feedback effects. For touch operations acting on different areas of the display screen 194, motor 191 can also correspond to different vibration feedback effects. Different application scenarios (for example: time reminders, receiving messages, alarm clocks, games, etc.) can also correspond to different vibration feedback effects. The touch vibration feedback effect can also support customization.

[0134] The indicator 192 may be an indicator light, which may be used to indicate the charging status, power changes, messages, missed calls, notifications, etc.

[0135] The SIM card interface 195 is used to connect a SIM card. The SIM card can be connected to and separated from the AP by inserting it into the SIM card interface 195 or pulling it out from the SIM card interface 195. The AP can support 1 or N SIM card interfaces, where N is a positive integer greater than 1. The SIM card interface 195 can support Nano SIM cards, Micro SIM cards, SIM cards, and the like. Multiple cards can be inserted into the same SIM card interface 195 at the same time. The types of the multiple cards can be the same or different. The SIM card interface 195 can also be compatible with different types of SIM cards. The SIM card interface 195 can also be compatible with external memory cards. The AP interacts with the network through the SIM card to implement functions such as calls and data communications. In some embodiments, the AP uses an eSIM, i.e., an embedded SIM card. The eSIM card can be embedded in the AP and cannot be separated from the AP.

[0136] It is understood that the structure illustrated in the embodiments of the present application does not constitute a specific limitation on the AP. In other embodiments, the AP may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine some components, or split some components, or arrange the components differently. The components shown in the figure may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0137] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores instructions. When the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer executes each step of the antenna switching method of the embodiment of the present application.

[0138] Computer-readable storage media include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storing information (such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data). Computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, random access memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), read-only memory (Read-Only Memory, ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory, EEPROM), flash memory or other memory, compact disc read-only memory (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory, CD-ROM), digital versatile disc (Digital Versatile Disc, DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tapes, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired information and can be accessed by a computer.

[0139] The embodiments of the present application are described in detail above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present application is not limited to the above embodiments, and various changes can be made within the knowledge scope of ordinary technicians in the relevant technical field without departing from the purpose of the present application.

Claims

1. An antenna switching method, applied to an access point, wherein the access point includes multiple antennas, and the multiple antennas constitute at least two groups of antenna combinations, characterized in that: The method comprises: Based on the current antenna combination satisfying the periodic trigger condition or the parameter trigger condition, traversing the at least two groups of antenna combinations and obtaining the performance parameters of each group of antenna combinations; The performance parameters of each antenna combination are compared, and a first antenna combination is switched to, wherein the performance parameter of the first antenna combination is a maximum value of the performance parameters of the at least two antenna combinations in a first time period.

2. The antenna switching method according to claim 1, characterized in that: After switching to the first antenna combination, the method further includes: Based on the first antenna combination satisfying the parameter triggering condition, traversing the at least two groups of antenna combinations, and acquiring the performance parameter of each group of antenna combinations; The performance parameters of each antenna combination are compared, and a second antenna combination is switched, wherein the performance parameter of the second antenna combination is a maximum value of the performance parameters of the at least two antenna combinations in a second time period.

3. The antenna switching method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Based on the fact that the first antenna combination does not satisfy the parameter trigger condition but satisfies the period trigger condition, traversing the at least two groups of antenna combinations and acquiring the performance parameter of each group of antenna combinations; The performance parameters of each antenna combination are compared, and switching to the second antenna combination is performed.

4. The antenna switching method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Based on switching from the first antenna combination to the second antenna combination, a protection mechanism is executed; the protection mechanism is prohibiting triggering antenna selection until the prohibition time reaches the protection time.

5. The antenna switching method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Based on switching from the first antenna combination to the second antenna combination and a performance parameter reduction ratio of the second antenna combination reaching a supervision trigger threshold, switching back to the first antenna combination.

6. The antenna switching method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The method further comprises: During the supervision period, the number of antenna switching is counted; Based on the antenna switching times being greater than a times threshold, switch back to the first antenna combination.

7. The antenna switching method according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Based on switching from the first antenna combination to the second antenna combination, the timing is restarted to determine whether the timing duration reaches the protection duration, and to determine whether the period triggering condition is met.

8. The antenna switching method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: Meeting the period triggering condition includes: The periodic trigger timing reaches the periodic trigger threshold and the protection mechanism becomes invalid.

9. The antenna switching method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: Satisfying the parameter triggering conditions includes: The performance parameter degradation rate of the antenna combination reaches the parameter trigger threshold and the protection mechanism fails.

10. A chip for controlling multiple antennas, wherein the multiple antennas constitute at least two antenna combinations, characterized in that: The chip includes a memory and a processor, the memory is used to store instructions, and the processor is used to run the instructions stored in the memory, so that the chip executes the antenna switching method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. A network device, characterized in that: The network device includes a memory, a processor and multiple antennas, the processor is connected to the memory and the multiple antennas, the multiple antennas constitute at least two groups of antenna combinations, the memory is used to store instructions, and the processor is used to run the instructions stored in the memory, so that the network device performs the antenna switching method as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

12. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer is caused to perform the antenna switching method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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