Airspace coverage method and device, computer equipment, readable storage medium and program product

Abstract

The invention relates to an airspace coverage method and device, computer equipment, a computer readable storage medium and a computer program product. A target channel is divided into a plurality of channel partitions, a base station is deployed with an antenna array used for transmitting a plurality of beams, and the method comprises the following steps: controlling the antenna array to transmit a plurality of beams respectively used for covering the plurality of channel partitions, the wave beam received by the receiving device is determined according to the position of the receiving device in the target channel. By adopting the method, the communication cost can be reduced, the aircraft safety is improved, and the aircraft resource utilization rate is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of wireless communication technologies, and in particular, to an airspace coverage method, apparatus, computer device, computer-readable storage medium, and computer program product. Background Art

[0002] Existing civil airway coverage solutions consist of a ground base station system and aircraft-borne system equipment. Referring to Figure 1 as shown, the aircraft-borne system includes equipment such as an airborne external CPE (Customer Premises Equipment) terminal or a large-scale antenna array, an airborne internal signal modulation and demodulation server, and indoor distributed small antennas.

[0003] In the existing civil airway coverage solution, a signal is emitted from a signal source, received by a base station, processed by a baseband processing unit and an active radio frequency circuit, and then emitted by a passive antenna. At this time, the conversion from a digital signal to an analog signal (electromagnetic wave) is completed, and then it is received by a receiving device on the aircraft, and after being processed by the CPE, it is converted from an analog signal to a digital signal and transmitted to the crew terminal.

[0004] However, the existing civil airway coverage solution relies on aircraft-borne system equipment. If each aircraft needs to be equipped with the above-mentioned aircraft-borne system equipment, huge costs will be incurred. Moreover, since all the installed equipment is electrical equipment, the transmission cables and the electrical equipment itself will not only increase the safety risks inside the aircraft, but also increase the weight of the aircraft to a certain extent due to the need to install various equipment on the aircraft. Therefore, the passenger capacity may be reduced, resulting in a problem of resource waste. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Based on this, in view of the above technical problems, it is necessary to provide an airspace coverage method, apparatus, computer device, computer-readable storage medium, and computer program product that can reduce communication costs, improve the safety of aircraft, and improve the resource utilization rate of aircraft.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides an airspace coverage method. A target airway is divided into multiple airway partitions, and an antenna array for transmitting multiple beams is deployed at a base station. The method includes:

[0007] Controlling the antenna array to transmit multiple beams respectively used to cover the multiple airway partitions, wherein the beam received by a receiving device in the target airway is determined according to the position of the receiving device in the target airway.

[0008] In one embodiment, the beam received by the receiving device is determined according to the position of the receiving device in the target airway, including:

[0009] The receiving device receives the beam corresponding to the target channel partition, or the base station controls the antenna array to transmit a beam to the target channel partition;

[0010] Wherein, the target channel partition is the channel partition associated with the location of the receiving device.

[0011] In one embodiment, the method further includes:

[0012] Controlling the antenna array to send a beam, and the beam changes according to the position data of the receiving device.

[0013] In one embodiment, the multiple beams access the same cell or the multiple beams access different cells.

[0014] In one embodiment, the method further includes:

[0015] For any one of the channel partitions, based on the location information of the channel partition, determine the radiation pattern of the target array in the antenna array, wherein the target array includes at least one antenna element, and the target array is used to transmit a beam to cover the channel partition;

[0016] Deploy the target array based on the radiation pattern, so that the radiation direction of the target array points to the channel partition, and the radiation field strength meets the communication requirements of the channel partition.

[0017] In one embodiment, the spacing between the antenna elements in the target array needs to be less than or equal to the target spacing, and the target spacing is determined based on the wavelength and the scanning angle corresponding to the target array.

[0018] In one embodiment, the determining the radiation pattern of the target array in the antenna array based on the location information of the channel partition includes:

[0019] Obtain the location information of the receiving device in the channel partition, where the location information includes the radiation distance from the target array to the receiving device, the scanning angle of the target array, and the angle between the electric field vector sent by the target array to the receiving device and the ground;

[0020] Substitute the radiation distance, the scanning angle, and the angle between the electric field vector and the ground into the total field strength calculation formula of the target array, and obtain the radiation pattern of the target array by optimizing the excitation current and spacing of each antenna element in the target array in the total field strength calculation formula.

[0021] In one embodiment, the method further includes:

[0022] For any of the described channel partitions, determine the total link loss corresponding to the channel partition;

[0023] Based on the total link loss and a preset received signal level, determine the transmission power of the target array.

[0024] In a second aspect, the present application also provides an airspace coverage device. The target channel is divided into multiple channel partitions, and an antenna array for transmitting multiple beams is deployed at a base station. The device includes:

[0025] A beam transmitting unit, configured to control the antenna array to transmit multiple beams respectively for covering the multiple channel partitions, wherein the beam received by a receiving device in the target channel is determined according to the position of the receiving device in the target channel.

[0026] In one embodiment, the beam received by the receiving device is determined according to the position of the receiving device in the target channel, including:

[0027] The receiving device receives the beam corresponding to the target channel partition, or the base station controls the antenna array to transmit a beam to the target channel partition;

[0028] wherein the target channel partition is the channel partition associated with the position of the receiving device.

[0029] In one embodiment, the beam transmitting unit is further configured to control the antenna array to send a beam, and the beam changes according to the position data of the receiving device.

[0030] In one embodiment, the multiple beams are connected to the same cell or the multiple beams are connected to different cells.

[0031] In one embodiment, the device further includes:

[0032] A first determination unit, configured to, for any of the described channel partitions, determine the radiation pattern of a target array in the antenna array based on the position information of the channel partition, wherein the target array includes at least one antenna element, and the target array is used to transmit a beam to cover the channel partition;

[0033] A deployment unit, configured to deploy the target array based on the radiation pattern, so that the radiation direction of the target array points to the channel partition and the radiation field strength meets the communication requirements of the channel partition.

[0034] In one embodiment, the spacing between antenna elements in the target array needs to be less than or equal to a target spacing, and the target spacing is determined based on the wavelength and the scanning angle corresponding to the target array.

[0035] In one embodiment, the first determination unit is further configured to:

[0036] Obtain the position information of the receiving device within the channel partition, where the position information includes the radiation distance from the target array to the receiving device, the scanning angle of the target array, and the angle between the electric field vector sent by the target array and pointing to the receiving device and the ground;

[0037] Substitute the radiation distance, the scanning angle, and the angle between the electric field vector and the ground into the total field strength calculation formula of the target array, and by optimizing the excitation currents and spacings of the antenna elements in the target array in the total field strength calculation formula, obtain the radiation pattern of the target array.

[0038] In one embodiment, the device further includes:

[0039] A second determination unit, configured to determine the total link loss corresponding to any one of the channel partitions;

[0040] A third determination unit, configured to determine the transmission power of the target array based on the total link loss and a preset reception level.

[0041] In a third aspect, the present application further provides a computer device, including a memory and a processor, where the memory stores a computer program, and when the processor executes the computer program, it implements the airspace coverage method of any one of the above.

[0042] In a fourth aspect, the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the airspace coverage method of any one of the above.

[0043] In a fifth aspect, the present application further provides a computer program product, including a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the airspace coverage method of any one of the above.

[0044] The above airspace coverage method, apparatus, computer device, computer-readable storage medium, and computer program product divide the target waterway into multiple waterway partitions and use multiple beams to cover each waterway partition respectively. Under this design concept, the antenna array can be controlled to send multiple beams respectively used to cover multiple waterway partitions, wherein the beam received by the receiving device in the target waterway is determined according to the position of the receiving device in the target waterway. By using the airspace coverage method, apparatus, computer device, computer-readable storage medium, and computer program product provided in the embodiments of the present application, blind spot-free coverage of the waterway can be achieved by covering each partition of the waterway with multiple beams respectively. The base station can communicate directly with the communication device on the aircraft without relying on the aircraft's on-board system equipment, thereby reducing communication costs, improving the safety of the aircraft, and effectively improving the utilization rate of aircraft resources. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or related technologies, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments of the present application or related technologies. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0046] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the composition of the on-board system equipment in one embodiment;

[0047] Figure 2 Schematic flow chart of the airspace coverage method in one embodiment;

[0048] Figure 3a Schematic diagram of the division of the target waterway in one embodiment;

[0049] Figure 3b Schematic diagram of the coverage of multiple waterway partitions by multiple beams in one embodiment;

[0050] Figure 4 Schematic flow chart of the airspace coverage method in one embodiment;

[0051] Figure 5 Schematic flow chart of step 502 in one embodiment;

[0052] Figure 6a Schematic diagram of each radiation parameter in one embodiment;

[0053] Figure 6b Schematic diagram of each radiation parameter in one embodiment;

[0054] Figure 7 Schematic flow chart of the airspace coverage method in another embodiment;

[0055] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the relationship among the antenna, radio frequency device and base station cell in one embodiment;

[0056] Figure 9a Variation process of the beam tilt angle of the antenna radiation unit feed point hitting the aircraft during the flight of the aircraft in one embodiment;

[0057] Figure 9b Variation process of the beam tilt angle of the antenna radiation unit feed point hitting the aircraft during the flight of the aircraft in one embodiment;

[0058] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the high - low altitude position relationship in another embodiment;

[0059] Figure 11 Schematic diagram of signal processing in another embodiment;

[0060] Figure 12 Structural block diagram of the airspace coverage device in one embodiment;

[0061] Figure 13 Internal structure diagram of a computer device in one embodiment. Detailed implementation manners

[0062] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and are not used to limit the present application.

[0063] In one embodiment, as Figure 2 shown, an airspace coverage method is provided. In this embodiment, it is exemplified that this method is applied to a base station. In this embodiment, referring to Figure 3a shown, the target waterway is divided into multiple waterway partitions, and the base station is deployed with an antenna array for transmitting multiple beams, and the multiple beams are respectively used to cover the multiple waterway partitions. The method includes the following step 202, where:

[0064] Step 202: Control the antenna array to transmit multiple beams respectively used to cover multiple waterway partitions, where the beam received by the receiving device in the target waterway is determined according to the position of the receiving device in the target waterway.

[0065] In the embodiments of the present application, the target waterway can be divided into multiple waterway areas, where the sizes of the waterway sub-areas can be the same or different. In the embodiments of the present application, no specific limitation is imposed on the division method of the waterway areas. An antenna array for transmitting multiple beams is deployed on the base station side, and the multiple beams are respectively used to cover multiple waterway sub-areas. For example, each beam is respectively used to cover one waterway sub-area, or two beams are used to cover one waterway sub-area, or,..., and so on. In the embodiments of the present application, no specific limitation is imposed on this.

[0066] Exemplarily, refer to Figure 3b as shown. The target waterway is a waterway belt covering a route with a width of a meters and a length of b meters. (Exemplarily, in the figure, a is 20 kilometers, and b is related to the design and gain of the antenna, ranging from dozens of kilometers to hundreds of kilometers. In Figure 3b , b = 200 kilometers is taken as an example). In order to achieve the purpose of increasing the antenna gain, an antenna array is adopted in the embodiments of the present application, and multiple beams are transmitted through the antenna array to complete the signal coverage of multiple sub-areas of the target waterway. Exemplarily, according to the specific gain requirements, the route coverage can be completed by 1, 2, 3,... n beams. The arrangement of the beams can be completed in a single-column or multi-column matrix type. Refer to Figure 3b as shown. The signal coverage of the target waterway is completed by the coverage of two columns of matrix-type beams.

[0067] That is, Figure 3b the antenna array shown includes antennas that can generate n beams, which can be connected to the ports of 1, 2, 3,... n radio frequency devices RRU (Remote Radio Unit). The specific number of radio frequency devices RRU is related to the required base station transmission power. When each beam corresponds to an amplifier of an RRU, the transmission power obtained by the n beams is the largest. When two beams share an amplifier, the transmission power of a single beam is halved, and so on.

[0068] In an exemplary embodiment, multiple beams can be connected to the same cell or multiple beams can be connected to different cells. Exemplarily, when the system capacity is sufficient, 1, 2, 3,... n beams can be connected and configured to a single cell (or sector). When the system capacity needs to be increased, these n beams can be flexibly configured into multiple cells, and then the system capacity is increased through frequency reuse. In the embodiments of the present application, no specific limitation is imposed on the cells to which the beams are configured.

[0069] For any waterway sub-area of the target waterway (hereinafter referred to as the first waterway sub-area for clear description), a target array can be divided in the antenna array for radiating the first waterway sub-area. That is, the multiple beams emitted by the target array can cover the first waterway sub-area, and the target array is composed of at least one antenna unit.

[0070] In an exemplary embodiment, the beam received by the receiving device is determined according to the position of the receiving device in the target waterway, and may include:

[0071] The receiving device receives the beam corresponding to the target waterway partition, or the base station controls the antenna array to transmit a beam to the target waterway partition; wherein, the target waterway partition is the waterway partition associated with the position of the receiving device.

[0072] In an exemplary embodiment, the above method may further include:

[0073] When the receiving device meets the beam transmission condition corresponding to the target waterway partition, control the target linear array to transmit a beam, where the beam transmission condition includes that the receiving device is within the target waterway partition or within the adjacent waterway partition of the target waterway partition.

[0074] In one example, the beam can flexibly transmit signals according to the position of the aircraft. For the beams that cannot cover the aircraft, they may not be transmitted to save power. Exemplarily, the position data of the receiving device can be obtained in real time, and the target waterway partition can be determined based on the position of the receiving device. For example, the waterway partition where the position data of the receiving device is located can be used as the target waterway partition, or the waterway partition where the position information of the receiving device is located and a preset number (such as 1, 2,...) of adjacent waterway partitions before and after this waterway partition can be used as the target waterway partition. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the determination method of the target waterway partition is not specifically limited.

[0075] The base station can control the target array corresponding to the target waterway partition to transmit a beam, and the target arrays corresponding to other waterway partitions except the target waterway partition do not transmit a beam, thereby saving power and communication resources.

[0076] In another example, each target array can transmit a beam. The receiving device can be controlled to receive only part or all of the beams corresponding to the waterway partitions, that is, only receive the beams corresponding to the target waterway partition. Since a certain degree of signal crosstalk will inevitably occur during the transmission and propagation of each beam. By selective reception, the influence of this crosstalk on the target signal can be reduced, thereby improving the quality and clarity of the received signal, that is, effectively reducing the interference from other beams. And the receiving device can concentrate on receiving part of the beams, and the receiving device can concentrate its own signal processing resources on these beams. For example, in links such as signal amplification and demodulation, more resources and processing capabilities can be invested, thereby enhancing the processing effect on the target beam signal, improving the reliability of communication, and reducing the probability of signal loss or error code.

[0077] In an exemplary embodiment, the above method may further include:

[0078] Control the antenna array to transmit a beam, and the beam changes following the position data of the receiving device.

[0079] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the receiving device can obtain its own position information in real time and transmit the position data to the base station. Based on this position data, the base station uses phased array antenna technology or digital beamforming technology to dynamically adjust the direction and angle of the beam so that the beam always points to the receiving device. For example, when the user is moving, the base station beam can continuously track to ensure stable signal transmission.

[0080] In this way, not only can it ensure that the receiving device always maintains a good communication connection during movement, reduce the handover interruption time, and improve the user experience. Moreover, since the beam is concentrated on the receiving device, the influence from interference sources in other directions is reduced, which can improve the reliability and stability of communication and reduce the bit error rate.

[0081] In an exemplary embodiment, referring to Figure 4 as shown, the above method may further include the following steps 402 to 404, where:

[0082] Step 402, for any channel partition, based on the position information of the channel partition, determine the radiation pattern of the target array in the antenna array, where the target array includes at least one antenna element, and the target array is used to emit a beam to cover the channel partition;

[0083] Step 404, deploy the target array based on the radiation pattern so that the radiation direction of the target array points to the channel partition and the radiation field strength meets the communication requirements of the channel partition.

[0084] Exemplarily, based on the position information of any channel partition (for clear description, hereinafter referred to as the first channel partition), the radiation pattern of the target array in the antenna array can be calculated. Among them, the radiation pattern is used to describe the distribution of the signals radiated by the antenna in space, that is, the radiation intensity of the antenna in each direction. That is, in the embodiments of the present application, the radiation direction of the target array in the antenna array can be set according to the position of the first channel partition, so that the beam emitted by the target array can accurately cover the target channel partition. The target array is an array composed of some or all of the antenna elements in the antenna array, and the embodiments of the present disclosure do not make specific limitations on the target array.

[0085] By analogy, the radiation patterns of each array can be determined so that multiple beams transmitted by the antenna array can accurately cover each channel partition with signals.

[0086] In the embodiments of the present application, after obtaining the radiation pattern of the target array, the target array can be deployed based on the radiation pattern of the target array. Exemplarily, the azimuth angle and elevation angle of each antenna element in the target array can be determined through the radiation pattern, and then each antenna element can be set based on the azimuth angle and elevation angle, so that the radiation direction of the target array points to the first airway partition, thereby enabling the beam transmitted by the target array to cover the entire first airway partition. Alternatively, the phase and amplitude of the target array can also be adjusted through the radiation pattern to ensure that the main lobe (the strongest radiation direction) of the antenna array directly aligns with the first airway partition. In this way, the radiation energy of the antenna can be utilized to the maximum extent, and the communication efficiency can be improved.

[0087] That is to say, in the embodiments of the present application, the radiation pattern can be optimized by adjusting the phase and geometric layout of the target array, so that its main lobe points to the first airway partition, and it is ensured that the radiation field strength of the antenna array in the first airway partition can meet the communication requirements, for example: reaching the minimum signal strength requirement or achieving higher communication quality.

[0088] For example: Suppose in an air traffic management system, there is an airway partition due east of the antenna array, and the communication requirement is to have a relatively high signal strength to support high-speed data transmission. Then, the radiation main lobe of the target array can be aligned due east, and the phase and position of each antenna element can be adjusted based on the radiation pattern to maximize the radiation intensity of the main lobe while reducing interference in other directions.

[0089] In the above airspace coverage method, by dividing the target airway into multiple airway partitions and using multiple beams to cover each airway partition respectively, under this design concept, the antenna array can be controlled to transmit multiple beams respectively used to cover multiple airway partitions, wherein the beam received by the receiving device is determined according to the position of the receiving device in the target airway. By adopting the airspace coverage method provided by the embodiments of the present application, through the method of covering each partition of the airway with multiple beams respectively, blind spot-free coverage of the airway can be achieved. The base station can communicate directly with the communication equipment on the aircraft without relying on the aircraft's on-board system equipment, thereby reducing communication costs, improving the safety of the aircraft, and effectively improving the utilization rate of aircraft resources.

[0090] In an exemplary embodiment, the spacing between antenna elements in the target array needs to be less than or equal to the target spacing, and the target spacing is determined based on the wavelength and the scanning angle corresponding to the target array.

[0091] Exemplarily, when the beam tilt angle is fixed, the spacing between antenna elements in the target array can be determined by the main lobe beam width, the first side lobe beam width, and the other grating lobe beam widths. Specifically, the target spacing can be calculated based on the wavelength and the scanning angle corresponding to the target array. The spacing between antenna elements in the target array and the target spacing can be used to construct the following constraint formula (1), that is, the spacing between antenna elements in the target array needs to satisfy this formula (1):

[0092]

[0093] where d represents the spacing between antenna elements, θ represents the scanning angle corresponding to the target array, and λ represents the wavelength, represents the target spacing. In fact, this formula (1) can also have different deformations, which are not enumerated in the embodiments of the present application. For example, formula (1) can be deformed to obtain where and so on for the constraint conditions.

[0094] In the embodiments of the present application, for an antenna array with an ultra-wide scanning angle, in most cases, it is impossible to simultaneously optimize the array topology and the antenna element beam. Because for an array composed of multiple antenna elements, the smaller the antenna element spacing d, the larger the beam coverage range. However, too small a spacing may cause the beam characteristics synthesized by the array to become complex, and may thus introduce side lobes or other interference components. However, if the antenna element spacing d is larger, the beam coverage range will be smaller, that is, the coverage range is limited. Therefore, in order to balance the beam coverage range and the signal strength, it is necessary to limit that the spacing between antenna elements needs to satisfy the constraint of formula (1), that is, when the scanning angle is 90°, d must also be less than or equal to 1 / 2 of the operating wavelength.

[0095] In an exemplary embodiment, referring to Figure 5 as shown, in step 402, based on the position information of the channel partition, determining the radiation pattern of the target array in the antenna array may include the following steps 502 to 504, where:

[0096] Step 502: Obtain the position information of the receiving device in the channel partition, where the position information includes the radiation distance from the target array to the receiving device, the scanning angle of the target linear array, and the angle between the electric field vector sent by the target array pointing to the receiving device and the ground;

[0097] Step 504: Substitute the radiation distance, the scanning angle, and the angle between the electric field vector and the ground into the total field strength calculation formula of the target array, and by optimizing the excitation current and spacing of each antenna element in the target array in the total field strength calculation formula, obtain the radiation pattern of the target array.

[0098] In an embodiment of the present application, the position information of the receiving device within a channel partition (such as the first channel partition) can be obtained. Among them, r represents the radiation distance from the target array (or base station) to the receiving device, and θ represents the scanning angle of the target array. represents the angle between the electric field vector sent by the target array and pointing to the receiving device and the ground.

[0099] The following will introduce the calculation process of the position information of the receiving device within the channel partition. of the receiving device within the channel partition.

[0100] Exemplarily, the coordinate position (x, y, z) of the receiving device within the first channel partition can be obtained through positioning. The specific positioning method for obtaining the coordinate position is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application. It should be noted that the coordinates mentioned in the embodiment of the present application are spherical coordinate systems centered on the base station, and will not be described further below. Among them, z is the height of the first channel partition, x represents the position of the receiving device on the route length, and y represents the position of the receiving device on the route width. Refer to Figure 6a and Figure 6b As shown, where d4 is the radiation distance (km), which can also be expressed as r, d1 is the projection length (km) of the radiation distance at the coordinate position of the receiving device, d2 is the horizontal distance (km) between the base station and the receiving device, which can also be expressed as y, d3 is the position (km) of the receiving device on the route length, which can also be expressed as x, d5 is the route height (km), which can also be expressed as z.

[0101] According to the Pythagorean theorem, the projection length (km) d1 of the radiation distance at the coordinate position of the receiving device can be expressed by formula (2), and the radiation distance (km) d4 can be expressed by formula (3):

[0102] D2 2 +3 2 =1 2 Formula (2)

[0103] d1 2 +5 2 =4 2 Formula (3)

[0104] In this way, the coordinate values of the receiving device on the x-axis and y-axis can be used as d3 and d2 respectively, so that d1 can be calculated. Further, the coordinate value of the receiving device on the z-axis can be used as d5 to calculate d4 (i.e., the radiation distance r). At this time, the values of d1, d2, d3, d4, and d5 are known, and then the radiation angle The magnitude of the radiation angle θ is shown in reference to formula (4) and formula (5):

[0105]

[0106] After being calculated by Formula (4) and Formula (5), it is rounded to one decimal place to obtain and θ.

[0107] After obtaining the position information of the receiving device in the first channel partition it can be further substituted into the total field strength calculation formula of the target array, where the total field strength calculation formula of the target array is shown in the following Formulas (6) to (8).

[0108]

[0109]

[0110]

[0111] Among them, E represents the total field strength of the target array, e -jkr is a complex number, j is the imaginary unit, represents the total pattern factor of the target array, represents the element factor, represents the array factor, A is the loss factor, N is the total number of antenna elements in the target array, I n is the complex vector of the excitation current of the nth antenna element, z n is the coordinate of the nth antenna element on the Z-axis, and k is the propagation coefficient.

[0112] After obtaining the total field strength calculation formula of the target array, the excitation current of each antenna element in the target array and the spacing between the antenna elements can be optimized, so as to obtain the optimal solution of the radiation pattern of the target array at the coordinate position where the receiving device is located. As the pattern of the target array, it can be used to guide the deployment of the target array, so that the target array can cover the entire channel partition and the radiation field strength meets the communication requirements of the channel partition.

[0113] In an exemplary embodiment, referring to Figure 7 as described above, the above method may further include the following steps 702 to 704, where:

[0114] Step 702: For any channel partition, determine the total link loss corresponding to the channel partition;

[0115] Step 704: Based on the total link loss and the preset received level, determine the transmit power of the target array.

[0116] In the embodiments of the present application, when it is calculated that the receiving device is within the channel partition and the radiation distance between the receiving device and the base station is obtained, the distance loss (dBm) e2 can be calculated based on the radiation distance. As shown in formula (IX), and then the total link loss (dBm) value e1 can be calculated based on the distance loss e2, as shown in formula (X):

[0117] e2 = 32.4 + 20log 10 f + 20log 10 d4 Formula (IX)

[0118] e1 = e2 + e3 Formula (X)

[0119] Wherein, d4 is the radiation distance (km), f is the frequency (MHz), e1 is the total link loss (dBm), e2 is the distance loss (dBm), and e3 is the known body penetration loss (dBm). Through the total link loss e1, the actual received level (dBm) of the receiving terminal can be calculated, as shown in formula (XI):

[0120] RSRP = EIRP - e1 Formula (XI)

[0121] Wherein, RSRP is the actual received level value (dBm) of the receiving terminal, e1 is the total link loss (dBm), and EIRP is the transmit power. In this way, the preset received level of the receiving terminal can be preset, and the transmit power required for the target array for the channel partition can be calculated through formula (XI). Furthermore, by increasing the transmit power of the target array, the strength of the signal received by the receiving terminal can be ensured.

[0122] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the embodiments of the present application, the following will illustrate the embodiments of the present application through specific examples.

[0123] The existing communication solution between the base station and the aircraft is to use an airborne CPE as a relay, place the antenna of the airborne CPE outside the fuselage, and reduce the penetration loss caused by the fuselage penetration. The airspace coverage method provided by the embodiments of the present application is to increase the antenna gain through a multi-beam antenna form to compensate for the fuselage penetration loss, thereby eliminating the contradiction of the airborne CPE device.

[0124] Refer to Figure 3b As shown, taking the target channel as a flight route belt with a width of 20 kilometers and a length of 200 kilometers as an example. In the embodiments of the present application, an array antenna is used and completed through a multi-beam design. According to the specific gain requirements, the route coverage can be completed by 1, 2, 3,... n beams. The arrangement of the beams can be completed in a single column or a multi-column matrix form. In the schematic diagram, the signal coverage of a certain channel is completed by the coverage of two columns of matrix-type beams.

[0125] Refer to Figure 8 As shown, the system can generate an antenna with n beams, which can be connected to the ports of 1, 2, 3, … n radio frequency devices RRU. The specific number of radio frequency devices RRU is related to the required base station transmission power. When each beam corresponds to an amplifier of an RRU, the transmission power obtained by the n beams is the largest. When two beams share an amplifier, the transmission power of a single beam is halved, and so on.

[0126] When the system capacity is sufficient, 1, 2, 3, … n beams can be connected and configured to a cell (or sector). When the system capacity needs to be increased, the n beams can be flexibly configured into multiple cells to increase the system capacity through frequency reuse.

[0127] The coverage scheme of zonal coverage is summarized as multiple segments of coverage areas, and multiple beams are used for coverage within each segment. This new type of airway coverage method is applicable to the ground-to-air coverage communication system, which is responsible for transmitting and receiving signals. It can include a base station and the antenna units contained therein, and can effectively achieve zonal coverage and achieve a blind spot-free coverage effect. The communication range is wide, and a base station can transmit and receive signals in a range of 200 km long and 20 km wide. And it effectively reduces the number of base stations while ensuring flight quality and reduces costs. Within the same base station, the zonal antennas are distributed in a gradually changing "domino" pattern from far to near (see Figure 3b shown), and each antenna pointing corresponds to different θ and accurately set θ and in the corresponding area will achieve blind spot-free coverage.

[0128] In the airspace coverage scheme provided in the embodiments of the present application, the transmission power of the base station is adjustable. Exemplarily, the received signal strength RSRP that can be received by on-board passengers is determined by the transmission power of the base station and the total link loss. When the total link loss is certain, by adjusting the transmission power of the base station, the received signal strength received by on-board passengers can be enhanced.

[0129] Refer to Figure 9a And 9bAs shown, the variation process of the beam tilt angle of the antenna radiation unit feeding point hitting the aircraft during the flight of the aircraft is shown. Exemplarily, the beam tilt angle of each antenna radiation unit feeding point hitting the aircraft is determined by the flight altitude and varies with different airway altitudes. The higher the airway altitude, the larger the tilt angle between the feeding direction and the ground. In the case of the same airway altitude, from far to near, for example, when the aircraft is at the position of airway section 1 or N + 1, when flying from far to near to airway section 3 or N + 3, the tilt angle between the feeding direction and the ground continuously increases; from near to far, for example, when the aircraft is on airway N - 1 or 2N - 1, when flying from airway N - 1 or 2N - 1 to airway N or 2N, the tilt angle between the feeding direction and the ground will continuously decrease.

[0130] The deployment process of the antenna array will be introduced below.

[0131] Regarding the element spacing setting of the antenna array: Multiple antenna units for radiating the same airway area are linearly arranged and can form a linear array. For an antenna array with an ultra-wide scanning angle, in most cases, it is impossible to optimize both the array topology and the antenna unit beam simultaneously. Therefore, for an array, the element spacing d must satisfy the above formula (1) to achieve a balance between the coverage range and the signal energy.

[0132] Regarding the settings of the antenna array's pattern beamwidth, excitation current, angle, etc.: First, the antenna unit can be regarded as a point source for ideal state analysis. Exemplarily, when there are two point sources 1 and 2 on the ground and a receiving device exists at a certain position P in the air, let the amplitude (or field strength) of point source 1 be E0, where E0 can be expressed by the following formula (12):

[0133] E 0 =E‘ 0 sin(θ) Formula (12)

[0134] where E‘ 0 is the field strength radiated by the linear array to the position of the receiving device at the scanning angle θ, and E 0 is the field strength corresponding to dot array 1. The amplitude of point source 2 is aE0, where 0 ≤ a ≤ 1; let the phase difference between the two point sources be δ, then the total electric field E radiated by the two point sources can be expressed by the following formulas (13) to (16):

[0135]

[0136]

[0137] where β is the propagation coefficient, is the angle between the electric field vector sent by the ground base station pointing to the receiving device and the ground when the receiving device is at a certain position, is the phase lobe diagram of point source 1, is the phase lobe diagram of point source 2.

[0138] By analogy, the point source can be extended to n point sources, each of which is arranged on the same straight line, and the distance between adjacent point sources is d, so as to form a linear array. Then, when all point sources are isotropic and have equal amplitudes, combined with the above expression, the total field strength E radiated by the linear array to the location of the receiving device can be expressed as shown in the following formula (XVII):

[0139]

[0140] After obtaining this formula, we can further deduce the radiation situation of the antenna array of the ground base station within the coordinate position of the entire receiving device when the array elements have unequal amplitudes, unequal phases, and unequal distances.

[0141] In the following derivation process, the ideal point source is still used to replace the array elements in the array. Assume that the first array element from left to right in the linear array is located at the origin of the imaginary coordinate system, and its coordinate is z0. The excitation current of the antenna is I0. All other array elements are arranged on the Z axis, and the coordinate of the n-1th array element on the Z axis is zn-1. The excitation current complex vector of the n-1th array element is In-1. Assume that the distance between the array and the receiving device is r, then the nth array element is at the coordinate of the receiving device. The electric field generated on the surface is expressed as shown in the following formula (XVIII):

[0142]

[0143] Among them, A is the loss factor related to the array element form, which can be understood as the difference between the array element and the ideal point source caused by the specific structure or specific working mode; is the array element factor, k=β=ω(με) 1 / 2 =2π / λ. Further, according to formula (18), the total field strength E of the linear array can be derived as formula (6) to formula (8).

[0144] This means we are in the direction of the base station antenna. Figure 1 When the positions of various receiving devices with communication functions such as receiving devices can be determined, we can obtain the three variables in the receiving device coordinates. Substituting into formula (six) to formula (eight), by optimizing the excitation current and array element spacing of each array element, the optimal solution of the radiation pattern of the entire array at the coordinate position of the receiving device can be further obtained, and the gain stability, beam width and other data of the radiation pattern can be further calculated, so as to deploy the antenna array so that the multiple beams sent by the antenna array can effectively cover multiple channel partitions.

[0145] As shown in Figure 10 the airspace coverage method provided by the embodiment of the present application can be set at more than one flight path altitude. The flight path altitude in the foregoing example is 10 km. In fact, it can also be divided into multiple flight path altitudes, and multiple coverage schemes can be set simultaneously at multiple flight path altitudes. For example, a low-altitude area and a high-altitude area can be set and set separately. Due to the change of the flight path altitude, the transceiver antenna has also changed accordingly. It has changed from the original single oscillator structure to a combined structure combining a variety of different high- and low-frequency oscillators, which helps to realize and meet the information transceiver requirements at different altitudes. In a possible implementation manner, the position and number of base stations can also be changed for optimal design.

[0146] As shown in Figure 11 the ground-to-air coverage communication system applied to the airspace coverage method provided by the embodiment of the present application can realize the transceiver function without manual control when responsible for transmitting and receiving signals. The signal is emitted from the signal source, reaches the antenna base station, and after being processed by the base station processing unit and the active radio frequency circuit, it is emitted after reaching the antenna array. The signal is directly received by the passengers and crew on the plane and does not require manual processing.

[0147] It can not only realize the communication of the airborne passengers while ensuring the communication of the crew, and the communication between the crew and the passengers does not interfere with each other. Moreover, originally, a CPE device was required to realize signal transceiver from the ground base to the flying object, and the CPE device required manual control. Now, after using the new flight path coverage communication scheme, the communication function can be realized without manual operation. The airspace coverage method provided by the embodiment of the present application has a wider communication range. One base station can transceiver communications in a range of 200 km long and 20 km wide. It effectively reduces the number of base stations while ensuring the flight quality and reduces the cost. In addition, there is no need to install the above-mentioned CPE communication system equipment, which reduces the huge cost generated. Since multiple beams are used in each area, within the same base station, the partition antennas are distributed in a gradient manner from far to near. Compared with the existing flight path coverage scheme, this enables the new coverage scheme to seamlessly cover a larger range of airspace. After the plane flies over the flight path area from far to near, the coordination process between the amplitudes and phases of the feeding points of each antenna radiation unit and the corresponding beam directed at the plane will change accordingly with the different positions of the plane in the partition. Since the system is responsible for transmitting and receiving signals, no communication equipment other than the receiving device needs to be installed on the plane. It greatly reduces the cost of the ground-air coverage system and maintains the flight quality. The base station has a large coverage area, so the number of base stations required for the same coverage area is reduced and the required cost is reduced.

[0148] It should be understood that although the steps in the flowcharts involved in the above-described embodiments are sequentially shown according to the indications of the arrows, these steps are not necessarily executed in the order indicated by the arrows. Unless clearly stated herein, there is no strict order restriction for the execution of these steps, and these steps can be executed in other orders. Moreover, at least a part of the steps in the flowcharts involved in the above-described embodiments may include multiple steps or multiple stages. These steps or stages are not necessarily executed at the same time, but can be executed at different times. The execution order of these steps or stages is not necessarily sequential, but can be executed alternately or in turn with at least a part of other steps or steps or stages in other steps.

[0149] Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present application also provides an airspace coverage device for implementing the above-mentioned airspace coverage method. The solution provided by this device to solve the problem is similar to the solution described in the above method. Therefore, the specific limitations in one or more embodiments of the airspace coverage device provided below can refer to the limitations on the airspace coverage method in the above text, and will not be repeated here.

[0150] In an exemplary embodiment, as Figure 12 shown, an airspace coverage device is provided. The target waterway is divided into multiple waterway partitions, and the base station is deployed with an antenna array for transmitting multiple beams. The device includes: a beam transmitting unit 1202, where

[0151] The beam transmitting unit 1202 is configured to control the antenna array to transmit multiple beams respectively used to cover the multiple waterway partitions, where the beam received by the receiving device in the target waterway is determined according to the position of the receiving device in the target waterway.

[0152] The above airspace coverage device divides the target waterway into multiple waterway partitions and uses multiple beams to cover each waterway partition respectively. Under this design concept, the antenna array can be controlled to send multiple beams respectively used to cover multiple waterway partitions, where the beam received by the receiving device is determined according to the position of the receiving device in the target waterway. By using the airspace coverage device provided by the embodiment of the present application, blind spot-free coverage of the waterway can be achieved by covering each partition of the waterway with multiple beams. The base station can directly communicate with the communication equipment on the aircraft without relying on the aircraft's on-board system equipment, thereby reducing communication costs, improving the safety of the aircraft, and effectively improving the utilization rate of aircraft resources.

[0153] In one of the embodiments, the multiple beams are connected to the same cell or the multiple beams are connected to different cells.

[0154] In one embodiment, the spacing between antenna elements in the target linear array needs to be less than or equal to a target spacing, and the target spacing is determined based on the wavelength and the scanning angle corresponding to the target linear array.

[0155] In one embodiment, the beam received by the receiving device is determined according to the position of the receiving device in the target waterway, including:

[0156] The receiving device receives the beam corresponding to the target waterway partition, or the base station controls the antenna array to transmit a beam to the target waterway partition;

[0157] Wherein, the target waterway partition is the waterway partition associated with the position of the receiving device.

[0158] In one embodiment, the beam transmitting unit is further configured to control the antenna array to send a beam, and the beam changes according to the position data of the receiving device.

[0159] In one embodiment, the multiple beams access the same cell or the multiple beams access different cells.

[0160] In one embodiment, the device further includes:

[0161] A first determining unit, configured to, for any one of the waterway partitions, determine the radiation pattern of a target array in the antenna array based on the position information of the waterway partition, where the target array includes at least one antenna element, and the target array is used to transmit a beam to cover the waterway partition;

[0162] A deployment unit, configured to deploy the target array based on the radiation pattern, so that the radiation direction of the target array points to the waterway partition, and the radiation field strength meets the communication requirements of the waterway partition.

[0163] In one embodiment, the spacing between antenna elements in the target array needs to be less than or equal to a target spacing, and the target spacing is determined based on the wavelength and the scanning angle corresponding to the target array.

[0164] In one embodiment, the first determining unit is further configured to:

[0165] Obtain the position information of the receiving device in the waterway partition, where the position information includes the distance from the target array to the receiving device.

[0166] Each module in the above airspace coverage device can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, or a combination thereof. Each of the above modules can be embedded in or independent of a processor in a computer device in hardware form, or stored in a memory in the computer device in software form, so that the processor can call and execute the operations corresponding to each of the above modules.

[0167] In an exemplary embodiment, a computer device is provided. The computer device can be a terminal, and its internal structure diagram can be as Figure 13 shown. The computer device includes a processor, a memory, an input / output interface, a communication interface, a display unit, and an input device. Among them, the processor, the memory, and the input / output interface are connected through a system bus, and the communication interface, the display unit, and the input device are connected to the system bus through the input / output interface. Among them, the processor of the computer device is used to provide computing and control capabilities. The memory of the computer device includes a non-volatile storage medium and an internal memory. The non-volatile storage medium stores an operating system and a computer program. The internal memory provides an environment for the operation of the operating system and the computer program in the non-volatile storage medium. The input / output interface of the computer device is used for the processor to exchange information with external devices. The communication interface of the computer device is used to communicate with an external terminal in a wired or wireless manner, and the wireless manner can be implemented through WIFI, a mobile cellular network, near field communication (NFC), or other technologies. The computer program, when executed by the processor, implements an airspace coverage method. The display unit of the computer device is used to form a visually visible picture, which can be a display screen, a projection device, or a virtual reality imaging device. The display screen can be a liquid crystal display screen or an electronic ink display screen. The input device of the computer device can be a touch layer covering the display screen, or a button, a trackball, or a touchpad provided on the housing of the computer device, or an external keyboard, touchpad, or mouse, etc.

[0168] Those skilled in the art can understand that Figure 13 the structure shown in

[0169] is only a block diagram of a part of the structure related to the solution of this application, and does not constitute a limitation on the computer device to which the solution of this application is applied. The specific computer device may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine some components, or have a different component layout.

[0170] In one embodiment, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps in the foregoing method embodiments are implemented.

[0171] In one embodiment, a computer program product is provided, including a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps in the foregoing method embodiments are implemented.

[0172] It should be noted that the user information (including but not limited to user device information, user personal information, etc.) and data (including but not limited to data for analysis, stored data, displayed data, etc.) involved in this application are all information and data authorized by the user or fully authorized by all parties, and the collection, use, and processing of relevant data need to comply with relevant regulations.

[0173] Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments can be completed by instructing relevant hardware through a computer program. The computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed, it can include the processes of the embodiments of the above methods. Among them, any reference to a memory, database, or other medium used in the embodiments provided in this application can include at least one of non-volatile memory and volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can include read-only memory (ROM), magnetic tape, floppy disk, flash memory, optical memory, high-density embedded non-volatile memory, resistive random access memory (ReRAM), magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM), phase change memory (PCM), graphene memory, etc. Volatile memory can include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory, etc. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM can be in various forms, such as static random access memory (SRAM) or dynamic random access memory (DRAM), etc. The databases involved in the embodiments provided in this application can include at least one of relational databases and non-relational databases. Non-relational databases can include distributed databases based on blockchain, etc., without limitation. The processors involved in the embodiments provided in this application can be general-purpose processors, central processing units, graphics processing units, digital signal processors, programmable logic devices, data processing logics based on quantum computing, artificial intelligence (AI) processors, etc., without limitation.

[0174] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of concise description, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, it should be considered as the scope recorded in this application.

[0175] The above-described embodiments merely represent several implementation manners of the present application. The description thereof is relatively specific and detailed, but it should not be construed as a limitation to the patent scope of the present application. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the concept of the present application, several modifications and improvements can still be made, and these all fall within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for spatial coverage, characterized in that: The target channel is divided into a plurality of channel partitions, and a base station is deployed with an antenna array for transmitting a plurality of beams. The method comprises: The antenna array is controlled to transmit a plurality of beams respectively used to cover the plurality of channel partitions, wherein the beam received by the receiving device in the target channel is determined according to the position of the receiving device in the target channel.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The beam received by the receiving device is determined according to the position of the receiving device in the target channel, including: The receiving device receives the beam corresponding to the target channel partition, or the base station controls the antenna array to transmit the beam to the target channel partition; The target channel partition is the channel partition associated with the location of the receiving device.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: The antenna array is controlled to transmit a beam, and the beam changes according to the position data of the receiving device.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The multiple beams access the same cell or the multiple beams access different cells.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The method further comprises: For any of the channel partitions, determining a directional pattern of a target array in the antenna array based on the position information of the channel partition, wherein the target array includes at least one antenna unit, and the target array is used to transmit a beam to cover the channel partition; The target array is deployed based on the directional diagram so that the radiation direction of the target array points to the channel partition and the radiation field intensity meets the communication requirements of the channel partition.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The spacing between antenna elements in the target array needs to be less than or equal to the target spacing, and the target spacing is determined based on the wavelength and the scanning angle corresponding to the target array.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The determining, based on the position information of the channel partition, a directional pattern of a target array in the antenna array comprises: Acquire the position information of the receiving device in the channel partition, the position information including the radiation distance from the target array to the receiving device, the scanning angle of the target array, and the angle between the electric field vector sent by the target array and the receiving device and the ground; The radiation distance, the scanning angle and the angle between the electric field vector and the ground are substituted into the total field strength calculation formula of the target array, and the radiation pattern of the target array is obtained by optimizing the excitation current and the spacing of each antenna unit in the target array in the total field strength calculation formula.

8. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The method further comprises: For any of the channel partitions, determining a total link loss corresponding to the channel partition; The transmit power of the target array is determined based on the total link loss and a preset receiving level.

9. An airspace coverage device, characterized in that: The target channel is divided into a plurality of channel partitions, and a base station is deployed with an antenna array for transmitting a plurality of beams. The device comprises: A beam transmitting unit is used to control the antenna array to transmit multiple beams respectively used to cover the multiple channel partitions, wherein the beam received by the receiving device in the target channel is determined according to the position of the receiving device in the target channel.

10. A computer device comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, characterized in that: When the processor executes the computer program, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 are implemented.

11. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 are implemented.

12. A computer program product, comprising a computer program, characterized in that When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 are implemented.

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