Antenna multiplexing method and related apparatuses

Abstract

The application provides an antenna multiplexing method and a related device. The method can be applied to a mobile phone, a tablet computer or other electronic device which is configured with multiple communication chips and needs to multiplex antennas. When a main chip needs to use a shared antenna, the main chip can send a state control signal to a sub-chip. In response to the state control signal, the sub-chip can send a switch control signal to an antenna multiplexing switch after waiting for a preset PA closing time to end, thereby avoiding the problem that the PA of the sub-chip continues to output signals but lacks antenna bearing signals, and reducing damage to the PA of the sub-chip.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of terminals, and in particular to antenna multiplexing methods and related apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of mobile communication technology and the widespread use of terminal devices, equipment manufacturers have gradually developed a need for streamlined and customized communication chips in terminal devices. However, due to the significant investment of human and material resources required for chip customization, chip manufacturers often do not provide corresponding customization services to equipment manufacturers. In practical applications, equipment manufacturers can meet this need by adding a communication chip. In this case, the mobile terminal has two communication chips; the original communication chip is referred to as the main chip, and the added communication chip is referred to as the secondary chip. Due to space constraints, it is difficult for electronic devices to add an antenna for the secondary chip.

[0003] Currently, main chips and secondary chips typically share an antenna to meet the transmit and receive requirements of the secondary chip. However, when the antenna switches from the secondary chip to the main chip, the signal amplified by the power amplifier (PA) in the RF front-end is not available for output during the shutdown process. This can cause some damage to the PA of the secondary chip, thereby affecting the device's lifespan and impacting the user experience. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides an antenna multiplexing method and related apparatus.

[0005] In a first aspect, this application provides an antenna multiplexing method applied to an electronic device including a main chip and a sub-chip. The sub-chip is coupled to the main chip, and the sub-chip and the main chip are connected to a first antenna via a gating switch. The gating switch is used to select whether to connect the main chip to the first antenna or the sub-chip to the first antenna. The gating switch is used to disconnect the main chip from the first antenna and connect the sub-chip to the first antenna when a first service arrives. The sub-chip includes a power amplifier (PA) of an RF front end. The method includes: controlling the gating switch to connect the sub-chip to the first antenna for transmitting a first service; detecting the arrival of a second service, turning off the PA of the sub-chip, and timing a first time; waiting for the first time, and then controlling the gating switch to connect the main chip to the first antenna for transmitting the second service.

[0006] Implementing the method provided in the first aspect, when the secondary chip receives a service (i.e., the first service), the electronic device can provide a shared antenna (i.e., the first antenna) to the secondary chip for use by controlling an antenna multiplexing switch (i.e., a gating switch). When a service is detected on the main chip, the electronic device turns off the PA of the secondary chip and waits for a preset PA off time (i.e., a first time). After the preset PA off time has elapsed, the electronic device controls the antenna multiplexing switch to switch the shared antenna from the secondary chip to the main chip, and the main chip can use the shared antenna to process the service on the main chip (i.e., the second service).

[0007] Compared to the existing antenna multiplexing method that directly switches the shared antenna from the secondary chip to the main chip, this antenna multiplexing method, which waits for a preset PA shutdown time before switching the antenna, can effectively avoid the problem that the secondary chip's PA continues to output signals but lacks antenna-carrying signals, thus reducing damage to the secondary chip's PA.

[0008] In conjunction with the embodiments provided in the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first time is used to indicate the time required for the PA to drop from being turned off to its output power dropping to 0. Preferably, the first time is 2 microseconds.

[0009] In conjunction with the embodiments provided in the first aspect, in some embodiments, before turning off the PA of the secondary chip, the method further includes: determining that the secondary chip can no longer occupy the first antenna.

[0010] Implementing the method provided in the above embodiments, the electronic device first determines whether the secondary chip can preempt the shared antenna before the secondary chip returns it. Only when the secondary chip is determined to be unable to preempt the shared antenna does it need to return it. Compared to the antenna multiplexing method where the secondary chip immediately relinquishes the shared antenna when the main chip requests antenna resources, determining whether the secondary chip can preempt the antenna first ensures that the secondary chip will not be interrupted when performing some important services because the main chip needs antenna resources.

[0011] In conjunction with the embodiments provided in the first aspect, in some embodiments, the sub-chip can no longer occupy the first antenna including: the sub-chip has occupied the first antenna for a period of time equal to the time when the first preemption ratio is indicated.

[0012] In conjunction with the embodiments provided in the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first preemption percentage is determined according to the priority of the second service; the higher the priority of the second service, the smaller the first preemption percentage.

[0013] For example, the priority module in the framework layer can determine the priority of Bss2 (i.e., the second service) as P10 based on the service type, latency requirements, and service throughput of the service Bss2 on the main chip. Then, the coexistence strategy determination module can determine the preemption ratio PR = 0 (i.e., the first preemption ratio is 0) based on the priority of Bss2 as P10. In this unit of time, the secondary chip cannot continue to occupy the shared antenna.

[0014] For example, the priority module in the framework layer can determine the priority of Bss2 (i.e., the second service) as P8 based on the service type, latency requirements, and throughput of Bss2 on the main chip. Then, the coexistence strategy determination module can determine the preemption ratio PR = 0.1 based on the priority of Bss2 as P8. Taking a communication frame consisting of 10 time slots (unit time) as an example, if the secondary chip has already occupied the first antenna in one time slot of a communication frame, reaching the time indicated by PR for occupying the first antenna, then the secondary chip cannot continue to occupy the shared antenna within that unit time.

[0015] In conjunction with the embodiments provided in the first aspect, in some embodiments, the main chip is also connected to a second antenna. After detecting the arrival of the second service, the method further includes: determining that the secondary chip can continue to occupy the first antenna, the secondary chip continuing to transmit the first service through the first antenna, and the main chip transmitting the second service through the second antenna.

[0016] Implementing the method provided in the above embodiments, when the main chip requires antenna resources (i.e., after detecting the arrival of a second service), the electronic device determines that the secondary chip can continue to use the shared antenna. Based on this, the secondary chip can refuse to return the shared antenna and continue to use the shared antenna to process the service currently in progress on the secondary chip.

[0017] Specifically, when the first controller receives a status control signal from the main chip, the electronic device detects the arrival of a second service. This status control signal may include a TX status signal indicating uplink operation of the main chip or an RX status signal indicating downlink operation of the main chip.

[0018] For example, when PR = 0.1, if the secondary chip has not occupied the first antenna within a communication frame (i.e., the time allowed to occupy the first antenna as indicated by PR has not been reached), then the secondary chip can continue to occupy the shared antenna within that communication frame. At this time, the main chip can use antenna 0 (i.e., the second antenna) connected to the main chip to process the services on the main chip, thereby enabling concurrent processing of services by the main and secondary chips while the secondary chip continues to occupy the shared antenna, thus improving the efficiency of service processing.

[0019] In conjunction with the embodiments provided in the first aspect, in some embodiments, the main chip is also connected to a second antenna. Before controlling the gating switch to connect the secondary chip and the first antenna, the method further includes: controlling the gating switch to connect the main chip and the first antenna for transmitting a second service; after controlling the gating switch to connect the secondary chip and the first antenna, the method further includes: controlling the main chip to connect to the second antenna for transmitting the remaining second service through the second antenna.

[0020] By implementing the method provided in the above embodiments, when the main chip is using the shared antenna to process the service being executed on the main chip, the secondary chip can acquire the right to use the shared antenna through preemption. After the shared antenna is switched from the main chip to the secondary chip, the main chip can use antenna 0 to continue processing the service currently being executed on the main chip, thereby realizing concurrent processing of services by the main and secondary chips after the shared antenna is switched from the main chip to the secondary chip, improving the efficiency of service processing.

[0021] In conjunction with the embodiments provided in the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first service includes private services and / or low-power services, the private services being applied between devices provided by the equipment manufacturer, and the low-power services supporting execution in low-power mode; the second service includes communication services other than the first service.

[0022] For example, the device discovery service and resource sharing service belong to the private services in the first service mentioned above, while the regular services based on the Wi-Fi protocol belong to the second service mentioned above.

[0023] In conjunction with the embodiments provided in the first aspect, in some embodiments, the electronic device further includes a first controller that turns off the PA of the secondary chip and times a first time, specifically including: the first controller sending a first notification to the secondary chip; in response to the first notification, the secondary chip turning off the PA; after sending the first notification, the first controller starts timing and waits for the first time.

[0024] Implementing the method provided in the above embodiments, the antenna preemption control module (i.e., the first controller) sends a notification message rf_dis (i.e., the first notification) to the secondary chip. Upon receiving the rf_dis, the secondary chip shuts down its PA. Specifically, the data packet transmission arbitration module in the secondary chip can send a shutdown command to the baseband and radio frequency (RF) to control the shutdown of the baseband and RF (shut down the PA). Taking Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) as an example, after receiving rf_dis, the data packet transmission arbitration module can send a shutdown command to the BLE baseband and BLE RF. In response to the above command, the BLE baseband and BLE RF enter a sleep state or are powered off. After sending the notification message rf_dis to the PTA, the antenna preemption control module can start a timer X. The duration of timer X is the preset PA shutdown time (i.e., the first time).

[0025] In conjunction with the embodiments provided in the first aspect, in some embodiments, after waiting for a first time, the control gating switch selects to connect the main chip and the first antenna, specifically including: after the first time ends, the first controller sends a switch control signal to the gating switch; after receiving the switch control signal, the gating switch selects to connect the main chip and the first antenna.

[0026] Secondly, this application provides an antenna multiplexing method applied to an electronic device including a main chip and a sub-chip. The sub-chip is coupled to the main chip, and the sub-chip and the main chip are connected to a first antenna via a gating switch. The gating switch is used to select whether to connect the main chip to the first antenna or the sub-chip to the first antenna. The gating switch is used to disconnect the main chip from the first antenna and connect the sub-chip to the first antenna when a first service arrives. The sub-chip includes a power amplifier (PA) of an RF front-end. The method includes: controlling the gating switch to connect the sub-chip to the first antenna for transmitting a first service; detecting that the received power of the first antenna is greater than or equal to a first threshold and reducing the output power of the PA of the sub-chip; detecting that a second service arrives and controlling the gating switch to connect the main chip to the first antenna for transmitting the second service.

[0027] Implementing the method provided in the second aspect, the electronic device can provide a shared antenna to the secondary chip when the secondary chip receives a service by controlling the antenna multiplexing switch. The secondary chip can determine whether to wait for the preset PA shutdown time to end based on its own operating environment. When the secondary chip determines that it is operating in a strong field environment (i.e., the received power of the detected first antenna is greater than or equal to the first threshold), the secondary chip can first reduce the output power of the PA. Then, when a service is detected on the main chip, if the secondary chip is operating in a strong field environment and the output power of the secondary chip's PA is low, the secondary chip can immediately control the antenna multiplexing switch to switch the shared antenna from the secondary chip to the main chip, so that the main chip can quickly obtain the right to use the shared antenna and perform data transmission and reception without first performing the operation of shutting down the PA and other related devices, and without waiting for the preset PA shutdown time.

[0028] In conjunction with the embodiments provided in the second aspect, in some embodiments, after detecting the arrival of the second service, the method further includes: turning off the PA of the secondary chip.

[0029] By implementing the method provided in the above embodiments, when a service is detected on the main chip, since the secondary chip operates in a strong field environment and the output power of the secondary chip PA is low, the electronic device can turn off the secondary chip PA and directly control the antenna multiplexing switch to switch the shared antenna from the secondary chip to the main chip, thereby avoiding the situation where the secondary chip PA continues to output signals when there is no antenna support, and thus reducing the power consumption of the secondary chip.

[0030] In conjunction with the embodiments provided in the second aspect, in some embodiments, before controlling the gating switch to connect the main chip and the first antenna, the method further includes: determining that the sub-chip can no longer occupy the first antenna.

[0031] Implementing the method provided in the above embodiments, the electronic device first determines whether the secondary chip can continue to use the shared antenna before the secondary chip returns the shared antenna. Only when the secondary chip is determined to be unable to continue occupying the shared antenna does it need to return the shared antenna, thereby ensuring that the secondary chip is not interrupted when performing some important services because the main chip needs antenna resources.

[0032] In conjunction with the embodiments provided in the second aspect, in some embodiments, the sub-chip cannot continue to occupy the first antenna including: the sub-chip has occupied the first antenna for a period of time equal to the time when the first preemption ratio is indicated.

[0033] In conjunction with the embodiments provided in the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first preemption percentage is determined according to the priority of the second service; the higher the priority of the second service, the smaller the first preemption percentage.

[0034] In conjunction with the embodiments provided in the second aspect, in some embodiments, the main chip is also connected to a second antenna. After detecting the arrival of the second service, the method further includes: determining that the secondary chip can continue to occupy the first antenna, the secondary chip continuing to transmit the first service through the first antenna, and the main chip transmitting the second service through the second antenna.

[0035] Implementing the method provided in the above embodiments, when the main chip requires antenna resources, the electronic device determines that the secondary chip can continue to use the shared antenna. Based on this, the secondary chip can refuse to return the shared antenna and continue to use the shared antenna to process the currently running service on the secondary chip. At this time, the main chip can use antenna 0 (i.e., the second antenna) connected to the main chip to process the service on the main chip, thereby realizing concurrent processing of services by the main and secondary chips while the secondary chip continues to occupy the shared antenna, improving the efficiency of service processing.

[0036] In conjunction with the embodiments provided in the second aspect, in some embodiments, the main chip is also connected to a second antenna. Before the gating switch is controlled to connect the secondary chip and the first antenna, the method further includes: controlling the gating switch to connect the main chip and the first antenna for transmitting a second service; after the gating switch is controlled to connect the secondary chip and the first antenna, the method further includes: controlling the main chip to connect to the second antenna for transmitting the remaining second service through the second antenna.

[0037] By implementing the method provided in the above embodiments, when the main chip is using the shared antenna to process the service being executed on the main chip, the secondary chip can acquire the right to use the shared antenna through preemption. At this time, the main chip can use antenna 0 to continue processing the service currently being executed on the main chip, thereby realizing concurrent processing of services by the main and secondary chips after the shared antenna is switched from the main chip to the secondary chip, improving the efficiency of service processing.

[0038] In conjunction with the embodiments provided in the second aspect, in some embodiments, a first flag bit is provided on the sub-chip. After detecting that the received power of the first antenna is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the method further includes: setting the first flag bit to a first value, the first value corresponding to the received power of the first antenna being greater than or equal to the first threshold; reducing the output power of the PA, specifically including: the sub-chip reducing the output power of the PA to a first power according to the first value, when the output power of the PA is the first power, the packet loss rate of the first service is less than a second threshold.

[0039] Implementing the method provided in the above embodiments, the secondary chip can be equipped with an environment flag bit Surd (i.e., a first flag bit). The value of Surd can indicate the operating environment of the secondary chip in real time. When the value of Surd indicates that the secondary chip is operating in a strong field environment, the secondary chip can reduce the output power of the PA to below a preset PA safety threshold (i.e., a first power), thereby ensuring the normal execution of services on the secondary chip while reducing the damage to the secondary chip PA caused by excessive PA output power when there is a lack of antenna carrying signal.

[0040] For example, the secondary chip can obtain Surd=1 (i.e., the secondary chip is operating in a strong field environment). At this time, the link control module in the secondary chip can send a PA down-adjustment command to the RF module through the baseband module. After receiving the above PA down-adjustment command, the RF module reduces the PA output power to a preset PA safety threshold.

[0041] In some embodiments, the first power can also be dynamically generated based on the packet loss rate during business data transmission.

[0042] Thirdly, this application provides a chip system including a first controller, a main chip, and a sub-chip. The sub-chip is coupled to the main chip, and the sub-chip and the main chip are connected to a first antenna via a gating switch. The gating switch is used to select whether to connect the main chip to the first antenna or the sub-chip to the first antenna. When a first service arrives, the gating switch disconnects the main chip from the first antenna and connects the sub-chip to the first antenna. The sub-chip includes a power amplifier (PA) in the radio frequency front end. The first controller controls the gating switch to connect the sub-chip to the first antenna for transmitting the first service. When a second service arrives, the first controller turns off the PA of the sub-chip and times a first time. After waiting for the first time, the first controller controls the gating switch to connect the main chip to the first antenna for transmitting the second service.

[0043] In conjunction with the embodiments provided in the third aspect, in some embodiments, the first controller is integrated in a secondary chip.

[0044] In conjunction with the embodiments provided in the third aspect, in some embodiments, the first time is used to indicate the time required for the PA to drop from being turned off to the output power dropping to 0.

[0045] In conjunction with the embodiments provided in the third aspect, in some embodiments, the secondary chip is determined to be no longer able to occupy the first antenna before the PA of the secondary chip is turned off.

[0046] In conjunction with the embodiments provided in the third aspect, in some embodiments, the main chip is also connected to a second antenna. After the arrival of the second service, the secondary chip is determined to continue to occupy the first antenna. The secondary chip is used to continue to transmit the first service through the first antenna, and the main chip is used to transmit the second service through the second antenna.

[0047] It is understandable that the chip system provided in the third aspect corresponds to the antenna multiplexing method provided in the first aspect. Therefore, the beneficial effects it can achieve can be referred to the beneficial effects of the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0048] Fourthly, this application provides a chip system including a first controller, a main chip, and a sub-chip. The sub-chip is coupled to the main chip, and the sub-chip and the main chip are connected to a first antenna via a gating switch. The gating switch is used to select whether to connect the main chip to the first antenna or the sub-chip to the first antenna. When a first service arrives, the gating switch disconnects the main chip from the first antenna and connects the sub-chip to the first antenna. The sub-chip includes a power amplifier (PA) of an RF front end. The first controller controls the gating switch to select whether to connect the sub-chip to the first antenna for transmitting the first service. When the received power of the first antenna is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the sub-chip reduces the output power of the PA. When a second service arrives, the first controller controls the gating switch to select whether to connect the main chip to the first antenna for transmitting the second service.

[0049] In conjunction with the embodiments provided in the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the first controller is integrated in a secondary chip.

[0050] In conjunction with the embodiments provided in the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, after the arrival of the second service, the first controller is used to shut down the PA of the sub-chip.

[0051] In conjunction with the embodiments provided in the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the secondary chip is determined to be unable to continue occupying the first antenna before the control gating switch selects to connect the main chip and the first antenna.

[0052] In conjunction with the embodiments provided in the fourth aspect, in some embodiments, the main chip is also connected to a second antenna. After the arrival of the second service, the secondary chip is determined to continue to occupy the first antenna. The secondary chip is used to continue to transmit the first service through the first antenna, and the main chip is used to transmit the second service through the second antenna.

[0053] It is understandable that the chip system provided in the fourth aspect corresponds to the antenna multiplexing method provided in the second aspect. Therefore, the beneficial effects it can achieve can be referred to the beneficial effects of the second aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0054] Fifthly, this application provides an electronic device including one or more processors and one or more memories; wherein the one or more memories are coupled to one or more processors, and the one or more memories are used to store computer program code, the computer program code including computer instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the electronic device to perform as described in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof, or to perform the method described in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0055] In a sixth aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium including a computer-executable program that, when run on an electronic device, causes the electronic device to perform the method described in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof, or to perform the method described in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0056] It is understood that the electronic device provided in the fifth aspect and the computer storage medium provided in the sixth aspect are both used to execute the method provided in this application. Therefore, the beneficial effects they can achieve can be referred to the beneficial effects in the corresponding methods, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0057] Figure 1A This is a schematic diagram of a multi-device communication connection provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0058] Figure 1BThis is a schematic diagram of another multi-device communication connection provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0059] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the power change during PA shutdown provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0060] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the system structure of an electronic device 100 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0061] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a chip structure provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0062] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of module interaction for a sub-chip provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0063] Figure 6A This is a schematic diagram of module interaction for another sub-chip provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0064] Figure 6B This is a schematic diagram of module interaction for another sub-chip provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0065] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of the electronic device 100 is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0066] The terminology used in the following embodiments of this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be a limitation of this application.

[0067] Electronic devices may be equipped with communication chips. These chips enable short-range communication connections with other electronic devices. Such devices include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, tablets, laptops, watches, headphones, mice, keyboards, and routers.

[0068] like Figure 1AAs shown, the router can establish Wi-Fi connections with devices such as mobile phones, tablets, and laptops. Mobile phones can establish peer-to-peer (P2P) connections with tablets and laptops. Mobile phones and tablets can then establish Bluetooth (BT) connections with devices such as watches and headphones. Tablets and laptops can also establish Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connections with devices such as mice and keyboards. Beyond P2P, Wi-Fi, BT, and BLE, the aforementioned communication chip also supports communication protocols such as ZigBee, Near Field Communication (NFC), and Infrared (IR). Correspondingly, electronic devices can establish ZigBee, NFC, and other communication connections with other electronic devices based on communication protocols such as ZigBee and NFC. Examples of these embodiments are not listed here.

[0069] As shown above, communication chips typically integrate multiple communication capabilities, each a standard version compatible with current standards. However, different types of electronic devices often require different communication capabilities. For example, headphones may only support BitTorrent, mice may only support BLE, while mobile phones, tablets, and other devices need to support multiple communication capabilities such as BitTorrent, BLE, and Wi-Fi. On the other hand, standard versions of communication capabilities often have redundancy in processes and signaling, affecting communication efficiency and power consumption requirements, and failing to meet the personalized needs of device manufacturers (device manufacturers often need to extend signaling according to their personalized needs, i.e., design proprietary signaling).

[0070] Therefore, preferably, chip manufacturers can adjust and optimize communication chips according to different types of electronic devices, the main services running on the electronic devices, and the personalized needs of the equipment manufacturers, so as to provide segmented communication chips with simplified processes and expanded capabilities for different electronic devices to meet the needs of equipment manufacturers.

[0071] The aforementioned "adjusting and optimizing communication chips according to different types of electronic devices, the main services running on those devices, and the personalized needs of equipment manufacturers" is also known as chip customization. Chip customization requires significant investment of human and material resources. Therefore, chip manufacturers typically do not provide this customization service to equipment manufacturers. In such cases, equipment manufacturers can add another communication chip themselves. This communication chip can integrate one or more customized communication capabilities based on the aforementioned simplification and expansion requirements, thereby meeting the personalized needs of the equipment manufacturer.

[0072] A chip provided by a chip manufacturer that integrates multiple standard communication capabilities is denoted as chip A. A separate communication chip added by the equipment manufacturer to meet its specific needs is denoted as chip B. For some electronic devices with simple functions and no requirement for concurrent processing capabilities, the equipment manufacturer can directly replace the original chip A with chip B, eliminating the need for two communication chips. For example... Figure 1B As shown, electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and routers can be configured with both chip A and chip B simultaneously, while electronic devices such as headphones, watches, mice, and keyboards can be configured with only chip B.

[0073] Preferably, after adding chip B, the electronic device should provide an additional antenna for chip B for uplink and downlink transmission. However, due to space constraints, it is difficult for the electronic device to provide an additional antenna for chip B. In this case, chip B needs to share an antenna with chip A to meet chip B's transmission and reception requirements.

[0074] In an electronic device configured with chip A and chip B, chip A is also called the main chip, and chip B is also called the secondary chip. When sharing a set of antennas, the electronic device can prioritize responding to the antenna usage requests of the main chip. Therefore, when the main chip requests to use an antenna, but the antenna is currently occupied by the secondary chip, the electronic device needs to control the secondary chip to relinquish the antenna. During this process, the secondary chip needs to shut down its RF front-end and simultaneously control the antenna multiplexing switch to close the path between the antenna and the secondary chip, while opening the path between the antenna and the main chip. However, it takes some time for the power amplifier (PA) in the RF front-end to completely shut down. Figure 2 As shown, t0 is the time required for the PA to completely turn off. Before the PA is completely turned off, the signal amplified by the PA but without an antenna to output will cause some damage to the PA, thus affecting the device's lifespan and the user experience.

[0075] In view of this, this application provides an antenna multiplexing method.

[0076] This method can be applied to electronic devices such as mobile phones and tablets that are equipped with multiple communication chips and require antenna multiplexing, denoted as electronic device 100. Electronic device 100 includes a main chip and at least one sub-chip, and the main chip and sub-chip multiplex at least one antenna. The multiplexed antenna can be called a shared antenna. Figure 1B As shown, the electronic device 100 is not limited to mobile phones and tablets; it can also be a laptop computer, etc. This application embodiment does not impose any special restrictions on the specific type of the electronic device 100.

[0077] Implementing the antenna multiplexing method provided in this application, when the main chip needs to use a shared antenna, the main chip can send a status control signal to the secondary chip. In response to the status control signal, the secondary chip can first turn off the PA (Power Amplifier) ​​and stop uplinking. After a preset PA-off time has elapsed, the secondary chip can send a switch control signal to the antenna multiplexing switch. In response to this switch control signal, the antenna multiplexing switch can switch the antenna connection path, returning the shared antenna previously occupied by the secondary chip to the main chip.

[0078] By implementing the above method, the secondary chip can temporarily delay sending switching control signals to the antenna multiplexing switch, thereby avoiding the problem that the PA of the secondary chip continues to output signals but lacks antenna-borne signals, and reducing damage to the PA of the secondary chip.

[0079] In some embodiments, the electronic device 100 can also identify the operating environment of the secondary chip. The operating environment of the secondary chip includes a high-power environment and a low-power environment. A high-power environment refers to a situation where the received power of the shared antenna is greater than or equal to a preset value when the chip is performing a service. A high-power environment is also called a strong-field environment. A low-power environment refers to a situation where the received power of the shared antenna is less than a preset value when the chip is performing a service. A low-power environment is also called a weak-field environment. A strong-field environment means that the distance between communication devices is short and the communication quality is high. In this case, reducing the transmit power within a certain range will not significantly affect the communication between the devices. Therefore, after identifying a strong-field environment, the secondary chip can automatically reduce the transmit power, i.e., reduce the PA gain. Thus, even if the PA's output signal is not carried by the antenna after switching antennas, it will not cause significant damage to the PA. At this time, after receiving the status control signal, the secondary chip does not need to wait for the preset PA shutdown time and can immediately send a switch control signal to the antenna multiplexing switch, so that the main chip can obtain the shared antenna as soon as possible for data transmission and reception.

[0080] Conversely, if the secondary chip is in a weak field environment when it receives the status control signal, the secondary chip has a high transmit power, that is, the PA has a high output power. In this case, the secondary chip needs to wait for the preset time to turn off the PA to end before sending a switch control signal to the antenna multiplexing switch after the time ends, so as to avoid the PA's output signal not being carried by the antenna and causing significant damage to the PA.

[0081] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the system structure of an electronic device 100 provided in this application.

[0082] The system architecture of electronic device 100 includes a software system architecture and a hardware system architecture. The software system of electronic device 100 can adopt a layered architecture. This application embodiment takes the layered architecture Android system as an example to illustrate the software system architecture of electronic device 100.

[0083] Layered architecture divides a software system into several layers, which communicate with each other through software interfaces. For example... Figure 3 As shown, in some embodiments, the Android system may include an application layer, a framework layer, a hardware abstraction layer, and a kernel layer.

[0084] The application layer may include one or more applications. For example, the application layer may include applications such as audio and video calls, games, multi-device management, and browsers.

[0085] The framework layer includes, but is not limited to, a service type identification module, a priority identification module, a coexistence strategy determination module, and an environment identification module. The service type identification module identifies the type of communication service issued by the upper-layer application. Communication services include, but are not limited to, voice call services, video call services, gaming services, audio / video on-demand services, web page access services, file download services, device discovery services, and resource (gallery, documents, camera, audio, etc.) sharing services. Communication services between devices provided by device manufacturers can be called private services (based on extended private signaling), such as device discovery services and resource sharing services. Services executed in the device's low-power mode can be called low-power services (based on simplified processes). Communication services other than private services and low-power services can be collectively referred to as ordinary services. The priority identification module marks the priority of each service issued by the upper-layer application. The coexistence strategy determination module generates a coexistence strategy based on the priority of the services currently being processed by the primary and secondary chips, indicating whether the secondary chip can preempt the shared antenna, and the specific preemption ratio. The environment identification module identifies the operating environment of the secondary chip: strong field environment or weak field environment.

[0086] The hardware abstraction layer includes, but is not limited to, a chip link control module. This chip link control module can specifically determine the chip that processes the service based on the service type.

[0087] The kernel layer includes, but is not limited to, a main chip driver module and a secondary chip driver module. The main chip driver module can be used to drive the main chip, and the secondary chip driver module can be used to drive the secondary chip.

[0088] The aforementioned software system is implemented through an application processor (AP).

[0089] In addition to the AP, the hardware system of the electronic device 100 also includes a chip system consisting of a main chip and a sub-chip, an antenna multiplexing switch, and antennas (including antenna 0 and antenna 1). Antenna 1 is a shared antenna, also known as the first antenna. Antenna 0 is also known as the second antenna. The antenna multiplexing switch is also known as a selection switch.

[0090] like Figure 4As shown, any communication chip (main chip / sub-chip) specifically includes a baseband processor, a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), an RF front-end (PA), and a low noise amplifier (LNA). Depending on the communication capability, there may be multiple baseband processors, such as BLE baseband and Wi-Fi baseband. Similarly, the RFIC and RF front-end also exist. In some embodiments, different communication capabilities can reuse a single set of baseband processors, RFICs, and RF front-ends.

[0091] In the main chip, the PA and LNA are connected to antenna 0 / antenna 1 via Core0 / Core1. In the secondary chip, the PA and LNA are connected to antenna 1 via the ANT interface. The antenna multiplexing switch can be a single-pole double-throw (SPDT) switch. Core1 and ANT are selectively connected to antenna 1 via the antenna multiplexing switch.

[0092] Not limited to the form of a switch, the aforementioned antenna multiplexing switch can also be a selective circuit module with selective conduction function, such as a diode. Here, selective conduction means that the circuit is only in a conducting state when certain conditions are met, and in an open-circuit state under other circumstances.

[0093] The following section describes the specific process of upper-layer applications issuing communication services, using the aforementioned hardware and software system architecture as an example:

[0094] When an application in the application layer generates a communication service, the service is transmitted through an interface to the chip link control module in the hardware abstraction layer. During the downward transmission of the communication service, the service type identification module in the framework layer can identify the communication service, determine its specific type, and classify it as a private service, a low-power service, or a general service.

[0095] After receiving the communication service from the application layer, the chip link control module can determine the specific chip to process the communication service based on the service type identification module. That is, it determines whether to send the communication service to the main chip or the sub-chip, and then calls the corresponding chip driver module in the kernel layer to control the corresponding chip to process the communication service.

[0096] Specifically, when the service type identification module indicates that the communication service issued by the application layer is a private service or a low-power service (such as device discovery service or resource sharing service), the chip link control module can determine to issue the aforementioned service to the secondary chip; when the service type identification module indicates that the aforementioned communication service is a normal service (such as gaming service or audio / video on demand service), the chip link control module can determine to issue the aforementioned communication service to the primary chip. The service issued to the secondary chip is also referred to as the first service; the service issued to the primary chip is also referred to as the second service.

[0097] For example, during the use of a multi-device management application, the application may generate a device discovery service, denoted as Bss1, and distribute it to the chip link control module through the application layer and framework layer interfaces. The service type identification module can mark Bss1 as a device discovery service or a private service. The chip link control module can then distribute Bss1 to the secondary chip according to the aforementioned allocation strategy.

[0098] After receiving a pending service (e.g., Bss1), the secondary chip can determine whether to use the shared antenna (antenna 1) based on the operating status of the primary chip.

[0099] The main chip's operating status can include an occupied state and an idle state. The occupied state refers to the main chip using the shared antenna to process communication services; the idle state refers to the main chip not using the shared antenna. The main chip can have a status field, Status_M, to indicate its operating status in real time. Preferably, Status_M can be a Boolean value (0 / 1). Status_M = 0 indicates an idle state, and Status_M = 1 indicates an occupied state.

[0100] The secondary chip can obtain Status_M to determine whether the main chip is currently using the shared antenna, and thus determine whether it itself should use the shared antenna. Specifically, when the main chip is in an idle state (Status_M = 0), the secondary chip can determine whether to use the shared antenna; conversely, when the main chip is in an occupied state (Status_M = 1), the secondary chip can first wait for the main chip to become idle, and then use the shared antenna.

[0101] Assuming the main chip is in an idle state when Bss1 is received, the secondary chip can control the antenna multiplexing switch to connect ANT and antenna 1, obtain the right to use the shared antenna, and then use the shared antenna to transmit and receive data and process Bss1.

[0102] While the secondary chip is processing BSS1, the application layer can continue to issue various other services.

[0103] For example, a game application can generate a game service, denoted as Bss2. Similarly, the chip link control module can receive Bss2 through the application layer and framework layer interfaces. The service type identification module can mark Bss2 as a game service or a normal service. At this time, according to the preset allocation strategy, the chip link control module can send Bss2 to the main chip.

[0104] After the main chip receives a service (such as Bss2 mentioned above), it can update the status field Status_M. At this time, the main chip can change the value of Status_M from 0 to 1, indicating that the main chip needs to occupy the shared antenna. The Status_M indicating the occupancy status (i.e., Status_M = 1) is the status control signal. In response to the status control signal, the secondary chip can pause Bss1, shut down the baseband processor, RFIC, RF front-end (including PA, LNA), and control the antenna multiplexing switch to switch the antenna connection path: connecting Core1 and antenna 1, disconnecting ANT and antenna 1, thereby returning the shared antenna previously occupied by the secondary chip to the main chip for the main chip to execute Bss2.

[0105] In this embodiment, particularly in the scenario where the PA is operating, the sub-chip first shuts down related devices, including the PA, and waits for a preset PA shutdown time to expire before sending a switch control signal to the antenna multiplexing switch, instructing the antenna multiplexing switch to switch the antenna connection path. The preset PA shutdown time is also referred to as the first time.

[0106] Not limited to Figure 3 The general purpose input / output port (GPIO) shown can also be used by the main chip to synchronize Status_M with the secondary chip via the mobile industry processor interface (MIPI), inter-integrated circuit (I2C) interface, or universal asynchronous receiver / transmitter (UART) interface. Similarly, the secondary chip can send switching control signals to the antenna multiplexing switch through any of the following interfaces: GPIO, MIPI, I2C, or UART. This application does not limit the interface type.

[0107] In some embodiments, the sub-chip can also determine whether to wait for the preset time to turn off the PA to end, depending on its own operating environment (strong field environment or weak field environment).

[0108] When the secondary chip is in a strong field environment, it can immediately reduce the output power of the PA. Conversely, when the secondary chip is in a weak field environment, it can maintain the current PA output power. Therefore, if the secondary chip is in a strong field environment and its PA output power is low when the status control signal is received, the secondary chip can immediately send a switching control signal to the antenna multiplexing switch, allowing the main chip to quickly obtain access to the shared antenna for data transmission and reception without first shutting down the PA and other related devices, or waiting for the preset PA shutdown time. Conversely, if the secondary chip is in a weak field environment and its PA output power is high when the status control signal is received, after shutting down the PA and other related devices, the secondary chip must wait for the preset PA shutdown time to end before sending the switching control signal to the antenna multiplexing switch.

[0109] like Figure 3 As shown, the framework layer also includes an environment identification module. This module can determine whether the sub-chip is currently in a strong or weak field environment based on one or more of the following: Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI), Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR), Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), and Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ). Specifically, when the current value of one or more of RSSI, SINR, RSRP, and RSRQ is higher than their corresponding threshold, the environment identification module can determine that the sub-chip is in a strong field environment. This threshold is also called the first threshold. Taking RSSI as an example, when the RSSI value is higher than the RSSI threshold, the environment identification module can determine that the sub-chip is operating in a strong field environment; conversely, when it is lower, the module can determine that the sub-chip is operating in a weak field environment. These thresholds can be set by the developers based on experience.

[0110] The secondary chip can acquire the recognition results from the environment recognition module in real time. For example, the secondary chip may be equipped with an environment flag bit Surd, also known as the first flag bit. This flag bit indicates the current recognition result of the environment recognition module, i.e., the current operating environment of the secondary chip: a strong field environment or a weak field environment. The value of Surd representing a strong field environment is also called the first value. For example, Surd = 1 indicates a strong field environment, and Surd = 0 indicates a weak field environment. Here, 1 represents the aforementioned first value.

[0111] During secondary chip processing (e.g., Bss1), upon detecting a strong field environment (Surd=1), the secondary chip can immediately reduce the PA gain and output power. Specifically, the secondary chip can reduce the PA gain below the PA safety threshold. The PA safety threshold is set empirically to ensure that it will not cause significant damage to the PA when there is no antenna support, while maintaining the PA gain for communication. For example, the PA safety threshold can be set based on empirical data loss rates during data packet transmission under various communication protocols. In this case, upon receiving the status control signal (Status_M=1), the secondary chip can immediately send a switching control signal to the antenna multiplexing switch. Conversely, upon receiving the status control signal but currently in a weak field environment (Surd=0), the secondary chip will first shut down related devices, including the PA, wait for the preset PA shutdown time to end, and then send a switching control signal to the antenna multiplexing switch.

[0112] In one embodiment, the secondary chip may also include the aforementioned environment recognition module. Based on this module, the secondary chip can directly determine whether it is operating in a strong or weak field environment through one or more of RSSI, SINR, RSRP, and RSRQ, thereby enabling it to quickly respond to program instructions and reduce the PA's output power as soon as possible.

[0113] In some embodiments, after detecting that the main chip is about to use the shared antenna (i.e., receiving a status control signal), the secondary chip may first conduct a preemptive arbitration to determine whether to return the shared antenna to the main chip.

[0114] In response to a status control signal, the secondary chip suspends the currently processed service (e.g., BSS1), shuts down related devices including the PA, and controls the antenna multiplexing switch to switch the antenna connection path, returning the shared antenna to the primary chip. Conversely, if the arbitration result indicates preemption, the secondary chip can continue to occupy the shared antenna to process the current service. This continued occupation refers to the situation where, when both the primary and secondary chips need to use the shared antenna, the chip does not relinquish the shared antenna it is currently using.

[0115] like Figure 3As shown in the figure, the framework layer further includes a priority recognition module and a coexistence policy determination module. The priority recognition module can mark the priority of a service according to parameters such as service type, latency requirement, and service throughput. Among them, the higher the real-time performance, the lower the latency, and the greater the throughput of a service, the higher its priority. The coexistence policy determination module can generate a coexistence policy based on the priorities of the services currently being processed by the primary and secondary chips, indicating whether the secondary chip can preempt the shared antenna and the specific preemption ratio. The above preemption ratio is also called the first preemption ratio. Among them, the secondary chip can preempt the shared antenna includes the situation where the secondary chip can preempt the shared antenna that the primary chip is using, and can also include the situation where the secondary chip continues to occupy the shared antenna when the primary chip requests the secondary chip to return the shared antenna.

[0116] Specifically, according to the priorities of the services currently being processed by the primary and secondary chips, the coexistence policy determination module can generate a floating-point number between 0 and 1. This floating-point number is the preemption ratio (PR), that is, the coexistence policy. PR = 0 can be used to indicate non-preemption. 0 < PR ≤ 1 can specifically indicate the time that can occupy the first antenna within a unit time. Not limited to the floating-point preemption ratio, the coexistence policy can also be reflected by other data structures, and the embodiments of this application do not limit this. Taking a communication frame (unit time) composed of 10 time slots as an example, PR = 0.2 can indicate that the secondary chip can preempt the shared antenna at most for 2 time slots in a communication frame. If the time occupied by the first antenna within a communication frame reaches the time that can occupy the first antenna indicated by PR, the secondary chip cannot continue to occupy the shared antenna and needs to unconditionally return the shared antenna to the primary chip.

[0117] Taking the aforementioned Bss1 and Bss2 as examples, when Bss1 is sent down, the priority recognition module can determine the priority P1 of Bss1 according to the service type, latency requirement, service throughput, etc. of Bss1; when Bss2 is sent down, the priority recognition module can determine the priority P8 of Bss2 according to the service type, latency requirement, service throughput, etc. of Bss1. Among them, P8 > P1, that is, the priority of Bss2 is higher than that of Bss1 (the latency of the game service Bss2 is lower, the throughput is greater, and the processing priority is higher). Exemplarily, according to the priority P1 of Bss1 and the priority P8 of Bss2, the coexistence policy determination module can determine that PR = 0.1.

[0118] Not limited to the priorities of the services currently being processed by the primary and secondary chips, the coexistence policy determination module can also generate the above coexistence policy only through the priority of the service currently being processed by the primary chip. Exemplarily, if the priority of the service currently being processed on the primary chip is the highest level, the coexistence policy determination module can also generate PR = 0 only based on the priority of the service currently being processed on the above primary chip. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific formula for determining the priority and determining PR according to the priority.

[0119] The secondary chip can obtain the latest PR (Profile). After detecting that the main chip is about to use the shared antenna (i.e., receiving a status control signal), the secondary chip can check the PR to determine whether it can preempt the shared antenna. If the time the secondary chip has occupied the first antenna in the current unit time has not reached the time the PR indicates when the primary chip can occupy the first antenna, then the secondary chip can preempt the shared antenna (i.e., the arbitration result indicates preemption). Conversely, if the time the secondary chip has occupied the first antenna in the current unit time has reached the time the PR indicates when the primary chip can occupy the first antenna, then the secondary chip cannot preempt the shared antenna (i.e., the arbitration result indicates return).

[0120] For example, when the secondary chip receives the status control signal, the time PT of the first antenna already occupied is 0.1 (per unit time). In the scenario where PR = 0.1, the secondary chip can determine that it is not preemptible. Therefore, the secondary chip can first turn off the relevant devices, including the PA, wait for the preset PA shutdown time to end, and then send a switch control signal to the antenna multiplexing switch to return the shared antenna to the main chip. If the time PT of the first antenna already occupied by the secondary chip when it receives the status control signal is 0, in the scenario where PR = 0.1, the secondary chip can determine that it is preemptible. In this case, the secondary chip can refuse to turn off the relevant devices, including the PA, and refuse to send a switch control signal to the antenna multiplexing switch. In this case, the antenna multiplexing switch will not switch the antenna path. Therefore, the secondary chip can continue to occupy the shared antenna to process the current service. At this time, the main chip can use antenna 0 to concurrently process the received service (e.g., Bss2).

[0121] In some embodiments, the secondary chip returning the shared antenna can occur after the secondary chip has preempted the primary chip from using the shared antenna. Specifically, while the primary chip is processing a service using the shared antenna, the secondary chip receives the sent service. Similarly, the secondary chip can obtain the latest PR (Presentation Page). If the secondary chip determines that it can preempt the shared antenna by checking the PR, it can control the antenna multiplexing switch to switch the shared antenna from the primary chip to the secondary chip. At this time, the primary chip can use antenna 0 to continue processing the service currently being executed on the primary chip, allowing the service currently being executed by the primary chip to continue even if the secondary chip preempts the shared antenna, thereby achieving concurrent processing of services by the primary and secondary chips. When the time PT that the secondary chip has occupied the first antenna is equal to the PR, the secondary chip can return the shared antenna to the primary chip.

[0122] In some embodiments, the priority identification module can also identify whether the service issued by the application is a short-term service. The priority identification module can determine whether the service is a short-term service based on the service's throughput. Services with throughput less than a threshold can be called short-term services. After identifying the service on the main chip as a short-term service, the coexistence strategy determination module can lower the PR (Priority Ratio) or directly set the PR to 0 (i.e., non-preemptible) to prioritize meeting the needs of the main chip's short-term services.

[0123] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the module interaction of the sub-chip provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0124] like Figure 5 As shown, the secondary chip may include an application task module (APP TASK), an interrupt service routine (ISR), a Bluetooth Low Energy host (BLE host), an upper media access control (UMAC) module, a coexistence service routine (dual_chip_coex), a link layer controller (LLC) module, a low media access control (LMAC) module, an antenna preemption control (ant_occupy_ctrl) module, a packet traffic arbiter (PTA) module, a Bluetooth Low Energy baseband (BLE baseband), a Bluetooth Low Energy radio frequency (BLE RF) module, a Wi-Fi baseband module, and a Wi-Fi radio frequency (Wi-Fi RF) module. Among these, the Wi-Fi RF module can be further divided into 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi RF and 5 GHz Wi-Fi RF, depending on the frequency band. The antenna preemption control module mentioned above is also referred to as the first controller.

[0125] in, Figure 5 The radio frequency modules shown, such as BLE RF and Wi-Fi RF, include an RFIC and a radio frequency front-end. The radio frequency front-end includes a PA and an LNA.

[0126] Not limited to the secondary chip, the antenna preemption control (ant_occupy_ctrl) module can also be integrated into the main chip, or the antenna preemption control (ant_occupy_ctrl) module can also be a single module independent of the main chip and the secondary chip.

[0127] Taking the antenna preemption control (ant_occupy_ctrl) module integrated into the secondary chip as an example, such as Figure 5As shown, firstly, the antenna preemption control (ant_occupy_ctrl) module can obtain Status_M from the main chip, and then determine the working status of the main chip based on the value of Status_M, that is, whether the main chip is using a shared antenna.

[0128] In response to Status_M = 1 (i.e., the status control signal), ant_occupy_ctrl can send a notification message rf_dis to the PTA, instructing the PTA to shut down related devices, including the PA. This rf_dis is also called the first notification. Similarly, rf_dis can include 2g_rf_dis and 5g_rf_dis for different frequency bands. In response to rf_dis, the PTA can send a shutdown command to the baseband and RF, controlling the shutdown of the baseband and RF (shutting down the PA). Taking BLE as an example, after receiving rf_dis, the PTA can send a shutdown command to the BLE baseband and BLE RF. In response to the above command, the BLE baseband and BLE RF enter sleep mode or are powered off.

[0129] After sending the notification message `rf_dis` to the PTA, `ant_occupy_ctrl` can start timer X. The duration of timer X is the preset time to turn off the PA, i.e. Figure 2 The timer duration is shown as t0. Preferably, the timing duration is 2 microseconds (μs). After timer X finishes timing, ant_occupy_ctrl can send a switch control signal to the antenna multiplexing switch. In response to the switch control signal, the antenna multiplexing switch can switch the antenna connection path, for example, connecting Core1 and antenna 1, disconnecting ANT and antenna 1, and returning the shared antenna previously occupied by the secondary chip to the main chip.

[0130] The secondary chip's PTA can send its operating status, denoted as Status_D, to ant_occupy_ctrl. ant_occupy_ctrl can then determine whether the secondary chip is using the shared antenna based on Status_D. For example, Status_D = 0 indicates that the secondary chip is idle, i.e., not occupying the shared antenna; Status_D = 1 indicates that the secondary chip is occupying the shared antenna.

[0131] Furthermore, such as Figure 5As shown, Status_D can include wifi_ble_sel, 2g_rf_tx_status, 2g_rf_rx_status, 5g_rf_tx_status, and 5g_rf_tx_status. Among them, wifi_ble_sel can be used to indicate that Wi-Fi or BLE is working. In the scenario where wifi_ble_sel indicates Wi-Fi is working, 2g_rf_tx_status = 1 (5g_rf_tx_status = 1) can be used to indicate that Wi-Fi radio frequency is uplinking, and 2g_rf_rx_status = 1 (5g_rf_rx_status = 1) can be used to indicate that Wi-Fi radio frequency is downlinking. When only one antenna is configured, tx_status and rx_status are not both 1. At this point, based on wifi_ble_sel, 2g_rf_tx_status, 2g_rf_rx_status, 5g_rf_tx_status, and 5g_rf_tx_status, the secondary chip can specifically determine which baseband and radio frequency are using the shared antenna.

[0132] Upon receiving the status control signal (Status_M = 1), ant_occupy_ctrl first determines whether the secondary chip is currently occupying the shared antenna based on Status_D. After confirming this, ant_occupy_ctrl sends a notification message rf_dis to the PTA, instructing it to shut down related devices, including the PA. Subsequently, ant_occupy_ctrl starts timer X. After timer X completes, it sends a switch control signal to the antenna multiplexing switch, controlling it to switch the antenna connection path and return the shared antenna previously occupied by the secondary chip to the main chip.

[0133] refer to Figure 6A The `ant_occupy_ctrl` function can be configured with an environment flag, `Surd`. `ant_occupy_ctrl` can modify the value of `Surd` based on the identification results from the environment recognition module, thereby providing real-time indication of the sub-chip's operating environment.

[0134] By default, Surd = 0 (weak field). After the environment identification module determines that the sub-chip is operating in a strong field environment based on one or more of RSSI, SINR, RSRP, and RSRQ, ant_occupy_ctrl can modify the value of Surd to 1 (Surd = 1). After detecting Surd = 1, the upper-layer access control module can reduce the PA gain in the corresponding RF front-end, thus reducing the output power. Taking BLE as an example, the BLE host can send a PA down-adjustment command to the BLE RF via LLC and BLE Baseband. In response to the above command, optionally, the BLE RF can reduce the PA gain below a preset PA safety threshold. The above-mentioned preset PA safety threshold is also called the first power.

[0135] Understandably, different short-range communication methods support different communication ranges. Therefore, the PA safety threshold for maintaining communication differs for each short-range communication method. Taking BLE and Wi-Fi as examples, in response to a PA downsampling command, the BLE RF can reduce the PA gain to PA1. PA1 is the PA safety threshold for maintaining BLE communication, set based on the BLE communication range and without significant damage to the PA when there is no antenna support. Conversely, in response to a PA downsampling command, the Wi-Fi RF can reduce the PA gain to PA2. PA2 is not equal to PA1. PA2 is the PA safety threshold for maintaining Wi-Fi communication, set based on the Wi-Fi communication range and without significant damage to the PA when there is no antenna support.

[0136] In some embodiments, the BLE RF can also dynamically reduce the PA's output power based on the packet loss rate during service data transmission.

[0137] For example, upon receiving the aforementioned PA power reduction instruction, the BLE RF reduces the PA's output power in 5dBm increments and maintains this reduction for a detection period. During this detection period, the transport layer monitors the packet loss rate during service transmission. If the transport layer detects that the packet loss rate is less than a stable transmission threshold, it instructs the BLE RF to further reduce the PA's output power by one level. This stable transmission threshold is also known as the second threshold. If the transport layer detects that the packet loss rate is greater than or equal to the stable transmission threshold, it instructs the BLE RF to adjust the PA's output power back one level and maintain this adjustment. The maintained output power of the PA at this point can also be referred to as the first power.

[0138] Based on the above settings, after receiving a status control signal (Status_M = 1) and Status_D indicating that the secondary chip is occupying the shared antenna, ant_occupy_ctrl can first check Surd to determine the current operating environment of the secondary chip. For example... Figure 6AAs shown, in the scenario where Surd = 1 (strong field), ant_occupy_ctrl can immediately send a switch control signal to the antenna multiplexing switch to control the antenna multiplexing switch to switch the antenna connection path, returning the shared antenna previously occupied by the secondary chip to the main chip, without sending a notification message rf_dis message to the PTA, and without starting timer X.

[0139] Optionally, after determining Surd=1 (strong field), ant_occupy_ctrl can also send a notification message rf_dis to the PTA to stop the service being processed and shut down related devices, including the PA.

[0140] like Figure 6B As shown, in a scenario where Surd = 0 (weak field), ant_occupy_ctrl can send a notification message rf_dis via PTA to control the shutdown of baseband and RF. After sending rf_dis, ant_occupy_ctrl can start timer X, and after timer X finishes counting, it sends a switch control signal to the antenna multiplexing switch to control the antenna multiplexing switch to switch the antenna connection path, returning the shared antenna previously occupied by the secondary chip to the main chip.

[0141] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of the electronic device 100 is shown.

[0142] like Figure 7 As shown, the electronic device 100 may include a processor 211, a memory 212, a chip system 213, a power switch 214, a display screen 215, an audio module 216, and a camera 219. The components in the electronic device 100 are connected to each other via a bus and communicate based on the bus.

[0143] The chip system 213 may include a main chip and a sub-chip. The chip system 213 is connected to an antenna (e.g., antenna 0, antenna 1). The main chip and sub-chip multiplex one or more antennas via an antenna multiplexing switch. Through the electromagnetic wave transmission and reception capabilities provided by the antennas, the main chip and sub-chip in the chip system 213 provide the electronic device 100 with various communication capabilities, including BT, BLE, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, NFC, and IR. For details regarding the connection relationship between the main chip and sub-chip in the chip system 213, the composition of the main chip and sub-chip, and the connection relationship between the chip system 213 and the antenna, please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 5 , Figures 6A-6B The details of the introduction will not be repeated here.

[0144] Processor 211 may include one or more processing units, such as application processor, modem processor, graphics processing unit (GPU), image signal processor (ISP), controller, video codec, digital signal processor (DSP), baseband processor and / or neural network processing unit (NPU), etc. Figure 3 The software system shown, including the application layer, framework layer, hardware abstraction layer, and kernel layer, can be implemented using an application processor. Different processing units can be independent devices or integrated into one or more processors. The controller can generate operation control signals based on the instruction opcode and timing signals to control instruction fetching and execution.

[0145] Memory 212 is coupled to processor 211 and is used to store various software programs and / or multiple sets of instructions. Memory 212 can be used to store computer executable program code, which includes instructions. Processor 211 executes various functional applications and data processing of electronic device 100 by running the instructions stored in memory 212. Memory may also be provided in processor 211 for storing instructions and data.

[0146] The memory 212 may include one or more random access memory (RAM) and one or more non-volatile memory (NVM). The RAM can be directly read and written by the processor 211. The RAM can be used to store executable programs (e.g., machine instructions) of the operating system or other running programs. The NVM can also store executable programs and user and application data. Executable programs, i.e., user data, stored in the NVM can be pre-loaded into the RAM for direct reading and writing by the processor 211.

[0147] The executable program code and data used to implement the antenna multiplexing method provided in the embodiments of this application can be stored in non-volatile memory. During the implementation of the antenna multiplexing method, the electronic device 100 can load the executable program code and data from the non-volatile memory into random access memory to reduce damage to the PA during antenna multiplexing.

[0148] The power switch 214 can be used to control the power supply to the electronic device 100, thereby supplying power to the processor 211, memory 212, chip system 213, display screen 215, audio module 216, camera 219, etc.

[0149] Display screen 215 can be used for display. A touch sensor can be installed in display screen 215. The touch sensor is used to detect touch operations applied to or near it. Electronic device 100 can realize display functions and display-based user interaction functions through GPU, display screen 215, touch sensor, and application processor, etc.

[0150] Audio module 216 can be used to convert digital audio signals into analog audio signals for output, and can also be used to convert analog audio input into digital audio signals. Audio module 216 includes, but is not limited to, speakers, microphones, handsets, receivers, etc.

[0151] Camera 219 can be used to capture still images or videos. Electronic device 100 can also provide shooting services to users based on the shooting capabilities provided by camera 219.

[0152] It is understood that the structures illustrated in the embodiments of the present invention do not constitute a specific limitation on the electronic device 100. In other embodiments of this application, the electronic device 100 may include more or fewer components than illustrated, or combine some components, or split some components, or have different component arrangements. For example, the electronic device 100 may also include a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a charging management module, a power management module, a battery, a mobile communication module (providing cellular communication solutions including 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G, etc.), a sensor module, buttons, a motor, an indicator, and a subscriber identification module (SIM) card interface, etc. The sensor module may include pressure sensors, gyroscope sensors, barometric pressure sensors, magnetic sensors, accelerometers, distance sensors, proximity sensors, fingerprint sensors, temperature sensors, touch sensors, ambient light sensors, bone conduction sensors, etc. Components can be implemented using a combination of software and hardware.

[0153] As used in the specification and appended claims of this application, the singular expressions “a,” “an,” “the,” “the,” “the,” and “this” are intended to include the plural expressions as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more of the listed items. As used in the above embodiments, depending on the context, the term “when” can be interpreted as meaning “if…” or “after…” or “in response to determining…” or “in response to detecting…”. Similarly, depending on the context, the phrase “when…” or “if (the stated condition or event) is interpreted as meaning “if…” or “in response to determining…” or “when (the stated condition or event) is detected” or “in response to detecting (the stated condition or event)”.

[0154] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state drive), etc.

[0155] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. This program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when executed, it can include the processes described in the above method embodiments. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as ROM or random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

Claims

1. A method for antenna multiplexing, characterized in that, The method is applied to an electronic device including a main chip and a sub-chip, wherein the sub-chip is coupled to the main chip, and the sub-chip and the main chip are connected to a first antenna via a gating switch. The gating switch is used to selectively connect the main chip to the first antenna, or the sub-chip to the first antenna. The gating switch is used to disconnect the main chip from the first antenna and connect the sub-chip to the first antenna when a first service arrives. The sub-chip includes a power amplifier (PA) at the radio frequency front end. The method includes: The selection switch is controlled to connect the sub-chip to the first antenna for transmitting the first service. Upon detecting the arrival of a second service, the PA of the secondary chip is turned off, and the timer is started immediately. After waiting for the first time period, the gating switch is controlled to connect the main chip and the first antenna for transmitting the second service.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first time is used to indicate the time required for the PA to drop from being turned off to having its output power drop to 0.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Before shutting down the PA of the sub-chip, the method further includes: determining that the sub-chip can no longer occupy the first antenna.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The statement that the secondary chip can no longer occupy the first antenna includes: the time that the secondary chip has occupied the first antenna within a unit of time has reached the time that can be occupied by the first preemption ratio indication.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first preemption percentage is determined based on the priority of the second service. The higher the priority of the second service, the smaller the first preemption percentage.

6. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The main chip is also connected to a second antenna. After the arrival of the second service is detected, the method further includes: determining that the sub-chip can continue to occupy the first antenna, the sub-chip continues to transmit the first service through the first antenna, and the main chip transmits the second service through the second antenna.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main chip is also connected to a second antenna. Before controlling the selection switch to connect the sub-chip to the first antenna, the method further includes: The gating switch is controlled to connect the main chip and the first antenna for transmitting the second service; After controlling the selection switch to connect the sub-chip and the first antenna, the method further includes: The main chip is controlled to connect to the second antenna for transmitting the remaining second service through the second antenna.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first service includes private services and / or low-power services. The private services are applied between devices provided by the equipment manufacturer, and the low-power services support execution in low-power mode. The second service includes communication services other than the first service.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The electronic device further includes a first controller, wherein turning off the PA of the sub-chip and timing a first time specifically includes: The first controller sends a first notification to the sub-chip; In response to the first notification, the secondary chip shuts down the PA; After sending the first notification, the first controller starts timing and waits for the first time.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, After waiting for the first time period, controlling the gating switch to connect the main chip and the first antenna specifically includes: After the first time period ends, the first controller sends a switch control signal to the gating switch; Upon receiving the switch control signal, the gating switch selects to connect the main chip and the first antenna.

11. A chip system, characterized in that, The system includes a first controller, a main chip, and a sub-chip. The sub-chip is coupled to the main chip. The sub-chip and the main chip are connected to a first antenna via a gating switch. The gating switch is used to selectively connect the main chip to the first antenna, or the sub-chip to the first antenna. When a first service arrives, the gating switch disconnects the main chip from the first antenna and connects the sub-chip to the first antenna. The sub-chip includes a power amplifier (PA) at the radio frequency front end. The first controller is used to control the gating switch to select and connect the sub-chip and the first antenna for transmitting the first service; When the second service arrives, the first controller is used to turn off the PA of the sub-chip and start timing for the first time; After waiting for the first time period, the first controller controls the gating switch to connect the main chip and the first antenna to transmit the second service.

12. The chip system according to claim 11, characterized in that, The first controller is integrated into the sub-chip.

13. The chip system according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The first time is used to indicate the time required for the PA to drop from being turned off to having its output power drop to 0.

14. The chip system according to claim 11, characterized in that, Before the PA of the sub-chip is turned off, the sub-chip is determined to be no longer able to occupy the first antenna.

15. The chip system according to claim 11, characterized in that, The main chip is also connected to a second antenna. After the second service arrives, the secondary chip is determined to continue to occupy the first antenna. The secondary chip is used to continue to transmit the first service through the first antenna, and the main chip is used to transmit the second service through the second antenna.

16. An electronic device, characterized in that, It includes one or more processors and one or more memories; wherein the one or more memories are coupled to the one or more processors, and the one or more memories are used to store a computer program that, when the one or more processors execute the computer program, causes the electronic device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-10.

17. A computer-readable storage medium comprising a computer program, characterized in that, When the computer program is run on an electronic device, it causes the electronic device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-10.

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