Communication method and communication device

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention discloses a communication method and a communication device, which are applied to the field of communication. The method provided by the embodiment of the invention comprises the following steps: a first communication device obtains a channel detection result, wherein the channel detection result comprises channel state information of a first region; the first communication device determines an area mode mapping relationship according to the channel detection result and a plurality of antenna modes, the area mode mapping relationship comprising a mapping relationship between the first area and a first antenna mode set, the antenna modes in the first antenna mode set are antenna modes suitable for the channel environment of the first area; and the first communication device performs detection feedback based on the first antenna mode set. According to the embodiment of the invention, the complexity of signal processing can be reduced, and the communication efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a communication method and a communication device. Background Art

[0002] In order to improve the spectrum efficiency of wireless communication systems, space division multiplexing (SDM) technology is used to multiplex signals in the spatial dimension. By forming multiple independent beams in space, each beam can use the same frequency and time resources to transmit different data streams, thereby achieving efficient use of the spectrum.

[0003] In the current communication process, the scattering parameters of all ports in the antenna array are obtained, and the array structure of the antenna array is analyzed for orthogonal modes. The ports in the antenna array are excited to generate characteristic mode currents, thereby generating orthogonal beam patterns. Multi-path signals can be transmitted through different beam patterns.

[0004] However, during the communication process, the impact of the channel on the orthogonality of the orthogonal modes must also be considered. In addition, the characteristic mode analysis of the antenna array is relatively complicated. Therefore, how to obtain higher communication performance is an urgent problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and a communication device, which can optimize the channel estimation process and improve the communication performance.

[0006] The first aspect of the present application provides a communication method, comprising:

[0007] The first communication device obtains a channel detection result of at least one area, and the channel detection result includes channel state information of the first area; the first communication device determines a regional pattern mapping relationship between the area and the antenna pattern according to the channel detection result and multiple antenna patterns, and the regional pattern mapping relationship includes a mapping relationship between the first area and a first antenna pattern set, and the antenna patterns in the first antenna pattern set are all antenna patterns suitable for the channel environment of the first area; the first communication device performs detection feedback based on the first antenna pattern set.

[0008] The method can be performed by a first communication device. Unless otherwise specified, the "first communication device" in this application can refer to the first communication device itself (for example, a base station, a terminal device), or a component in the first communication device (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first communication device. The channel detection result can be the result obtained by the first communication device (for example, a base station) by analyzing a reference signal received historically, such as a sounding reference signal (SRS), or it can be the result obtained by the first communication device (for example, a base station or a terminal) receiving a reference signal sent by a second communication device, which is not limited here.

[0009] In addition, the regional mode mapping relationship may also include more regions and corresponding antenna mode sets. For example, depending on the channel environment, the corresponding applicable antenna mode is also different. Exemplarily, there may be a second region, a third region, etc., and an antenna mode set corresponding to each partition.

[0010] By adopting the above method, according to the detection result, the detection area is divided based on the channel environment and the antenna mode suitable for the channel environment, and the regional mode mapping mode is determined, and the partition corresponds to the antenna mode set one by one. In the channel detection process of the first communication device communicating with the second communication device, the antenna mode suitable for communication can be selected within the limited search space, which reduces the complexity of signal processing and improves the efficiency of communication.

[0011] In some optional embodiments, the multiple antenna modes include at least three antenna modes, each antenna mode corresponds to a characteristic current distribution, and a characteristic current distribution corresponds to a beam pattern.

[0012] In the present application, the antenna mode is to generate a characteristic current by exciting the antenna port of the antenna unit to generate a beam pattern, and compared with the traditional dual-polarized antenna, only two orthogonal antenna modes can be provided in one antenna unit. The antenna unit provided in the present application is an antenna unit with a port number greater than or equal to three. Based on the regulation of the port phase and amplitude, the multi-port antenna unit provided in the present application can provide at least three antenna modes. The above method is adopted to improve the flexibility and diversity of the first communication device in selecting antenna modes during communication, and more antenna modes can also improve the coverage and transmission rate of the signal.

[0013] In some optional implementations, the method further includes: the first communication device sending an area mode mapping relationship.

[0014] In the present application, the first communication device can send out the regional pattern mapping relationship, so that the second communication device communicating with the first communication device can determine its own region and the corresponding antenna pattern set according to the regional pattern mapping mode. In addition, the transmission form can be in the form of periodic broadcast or other forms, which are not limited here.

[0015] By adopting the above method, the first communication device sends the regional mode mapping relationship to the second communication device communicating with it, which can reduce the redundancy and repetition of the applicable antenna mode calculation process during the communication between the two parties and increase the reliability and stability of the communication between the two parties.

[0016] In some optional implementations, before the first communication device sends the regional mode mapping relationship, the method further includes: the first communication device receives a first request, where the first request is used to obtain the regional mode mapping relationship.

[0017] In the present application, the first communication device may also send the area mode mapping relationship to the second communication device in the connected state after the second communication device completes the initial access. Compared with broadcast transmission, point-to-point transmission can improve the energy efficiency of the network.

[0018] In some optional implementations, after the first communication device sends the regional mode mapping relationship, the method further includes: the first communication device receives a mode identifier, where the mode identifier is used to represent a second antenna mode set in the regional mode mapping relationship.

[0019] In the present application, the second communication device determines a suitable second antenna mode set between the second communication device and the first communication device based on its own equipment capabilities and detection results, and sends the identifier of the second antenna mode set to the first communication device. Exemplarily, the identifier can be an antenna mode set identifier or a regional identifier within the regional mode mapping relationship, which is sent after the specific area is determined based on the positioning capability of the second communication device's own equipment; it can also be an applicable antenna mode identifier, which is sent after the applicable antenna mode is determined based on the receiving capability of the second communication device's own equipment, and the specifics are not limited here.

[0020] By adopting the above method, a suitable set of antenna modes is selected according to the device capability and the detection result, so as to better adapt to different communication scenarios and requirements, thereby improving signal quality and reliability.

[0021] In some optional implementations, the second antenna pattern set is the first antenna pattern set.

[0022] In the present application, if the second antenna mode set is the same as the first antenna mode set initially determined by the first communication device, it means that the antenna modes in the antenna mode set are more suitable for both communicating parties.

[0023] In some optional implementations, the method further includes: the first communication device sending data or a reference signal based on the second antenna mode set.

[0024] In some optional embodiments, the first communication device sends a reference signal based on the second antenna mode set, including: corresponding to the first reference signal received by the first communication device, such as the sounding reference signal SRS, the first communication device sends a second reference signal based on the second antenna mode set, such as a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0025] In some optional implementations, the frequency bands used by the first reference signal and the second reference signal are related to an operating mode of the first communication device, and the operating mode includes time division duplex (TDD) or frequency division duplex (FDD).

[0026] In the present application, when the first communication device is a communication device with a base station function, it is necessary to determine the uplink channel and the downlink channel before sending data to the terminal. In the process of channel detection, it is necessary to receive and send various reference signals, such as SRS and CSI-RS. The reference signals can be sent and received using the various antenna modes provided in the present application. Exemplarily, different antenna modes can be used to send reference signals, and then the differences between these signals are compared at the receiving end to estimate the characteristics of the channel.

[0027] Using the above method, compared with the traditional dual-polarized antenna, which can only provide at most two antenna modes in one antenna unit, the multiple antenna modes provided in the present application can provide more flexible signal processing capabilities, so that stable communication can still be maintained in complex environments, thereby improving the spectrum efficiency of multiple input multiple output (MIMO).

[0028] In some optional embodiments, the method further includes: the first communication device receives feedback information, the feedback information includes one or more of a channel quality indicator (CQI), a rank indication (RI), a precoding matrix indicator (PMI), and a layer indication (LI). The first communication device determines a third antenna mode set based on the feedback information.

[0029] By adopting the above method, the first communication device can confirm the antenna pattern set applicable to communication according to the feedback information, which helps to ensure the correctness and consistency of the antenna pattern, thereby improving the quality and efficiency of communication.

[0030] In some optional embodiments, the antenna pattern is generated based on an array pattern of an antenna array and a unit pattern of multiple antenna units in the antenna array, wherein a first antenna unit among the multiple antenna units includes at least three ports, and the unit pattern of the first antenna unit corresponds one-to-one to the port of the first antenna unit.

[0031] In this application, based on the orthogonal mode theory and array theory, an orthogonal mode analysis is performed on the antenna unit to obtain the antenna mode of the antenna unit; then the amplitude and phase are controlled between different antenna units of the antenna array, and the antenna modes of multiple antenna units are synthesized into the antenna mode of the antenna array.

[0032] By adopting the above method, orthogonal mode analysis is performed on the antenna unit, and there is no need to perform orthogonal mode analysis on the entire antenna array, which reduces the complexity of calculation. Combined with array theory, the amplitude and phase can be controlled within the antenna unit or between different antenna units, which enhances the flexibility of antenna array control, can more flexibly adapt to different application scenarios and needs, and improve the overall performance of the system. In addition, due to the use of multi-port antenna units, the number of independent ports is increased compared to traditional dual-polarization antenna units, which can provide more orthogonal beam patterns, thereby supporting more data streams and improving the spectrum efficiency of MIMO.

[0033] In some optional embodiments, the antenna array includes a first antenna unit group and a second antenna unit group, and the number of ports of the antenna units in the second antenna unit group is less than or equal to the number of ports of the antenna units in the first antenna unit group.

[0034] In some optional implementations, the degree of coupling between the antenna units in the second antenna unit group and the adjacent antenna units is higher than the degree of coupling between the antenna units in the first antenna unit group and the adjacent antenna units.

[0035] With the above method, since aliasing may occur with some antenna modes of adjacent antenna units, for antenna units with a high degree of coupling, the number of ports can be appropriately reduced to reduce mutual interference.

[0036] In some optional implementations, the first antenna unit corresponds to at least one radio frequency channel, and each radio frequency channel is used to generate at least one antenna mode.

[0037] In some optional implementations, when the first antenna unit corresponds to a radio frequency channel, at least three ports correspond to the same radio frequency channel.

[0038] In some optional embodiments, when the first antenna unit corresponds to at least two RF channels; if the number of ports of the first antenna unit is greater than the number of RF channels, at least three ports include ports corresponding to the same RF channel; if the number of ports of the first antenna unit is equal to the number of RF channels, each of the at least three ports corresponds to a different RF channel.

[0039] In this application, part or all of the antenna patterns are mapped to the RF channel by combining a digital beamforming architecture or a digital-analog hybrid architecture, so that the RF channel can simulate and generate at least one antenna pattern. In the actual antenna device setting, one antenna unit can correspond to one RF channel, and the RF channel corresponds to all ports of the antenna unit, which can reduce the connection between different antenna units; or one RF channel can correspond to the same mode in multiple antenna units, for example, RF channel 1 connects port 1 of multiple antenna units, and the same mode can be used for similar coverage ranges, which is not limited here. Using the above method, the number of RF channels can be reduced accordingly in the design of the antenna device, reducing the complexity and energy consumption of the antenna design.

[0040] A second aspect of the present application provides a communication device, including:

[0041] A transceiver module, configured to obtain a channel detection result, wherein the channel detection result includes channel state information of the first area;

[0042] a processing module, configured to determine a regional pattern mapping relationship according to the channel detection result and a plurality of antenna patterns, wherein the regional pattern mapping relationship includes a mapping relationship between the first region and a first antenna pattern set, and the antenna patterns in the first antenna pattern set are antenna patterns suitable for a channel environment of the first region;

[0043] The transceiver module is also used to perform detection feedback based on the first antenna mode set.

[0044] In some optional embodiments, the multiple antenna modes include at least three antenna modes, each antenna mode corresponds to a characteristic current distribution, and a characteristic current distribution corresponds to a beam pattern.

[0045] In some optional implementations, the transceiver module is further used to: send the area mode mapping relationship.

[0046] In some optional implementations, the transceiver module is further used to: receive a first request, where the first request is used to obtain an area mode mapping relationship.

[0047] In some optional implementations, after the transceiver module sends the regional mode mapping relationship, the transceiver module is further used to: receive a mode identifier, where the mode identifier is used to represent the second antenna mode set in the regional mode mapping relationship.

[0048] In some optional implementations, the second antenna pattern set is the first antenna pattern set.

[0049] In some optional implementations, the transceiver module is further configured to: send data or a reference signal based on the second antenna mode set.

[0050] In some optional implementations, corresponding to the first reference signal received by the transceiver module, the transceiver module is specifically configured to: send a second reference signal based on a second antenna mode set.

[0051] In some optional implementations, the frequency bands used by the first reference signal and the second reference signal are related to an operating mode of the device, and the operating mode includes time division duplex TDD or frequency division duplex FDD.

[0052] In some optional implementations, the transceiver module is further used to: receive feedback information, the feedback information including one or more of a channel quality indication CQI, a rank indication RI, a precoding matrix indication PMI, and a layer indication LI. The transceiver module is specifically used to determine a third antenna mode set based on the feedback information.

[0053] In some optional embodiments, the antenna pattern is generated based on an array pattern of an antenna array and a unit pattern of multiple antenna units in the antenna array, wherein a first antenna unit among the multiple antenna units includes at least three ports, and the unit pattern of the first antenna unit corresponds one-to-one to the port of the first antenna unit.

[0054] In some optional embodiments, the antenna array includes a first antenna unit group and a second antenna unit group, and the number of ports of the antenna units in the second antenna unit group is less than or equal to the number of ports of the antenna units in the first antenna unit group.

[0055] In some optional implementations, the coupling degree of the second antenna unit group is higher than the coupling degree of the first antenna unit group.

[0056] In some optional implementations, the first antenna unit corresponds to at least one radio frequency channel, and each radio frequency channel is used to generate at least one antenna mode.

[0057] In some optional implementations, when the first antenna unit corresponds to a radio frequency channel, at least three ports correspond to the same radio frequency channel.

[0058] In some optional embodiments, when the first antenna unit corresponds to at least two RF channels; if the number of ports of the first antenna unit is greater than the number of RF channels, at least three ports include ports corresponding to the same RF channel; if the number of ports of the first antenna unit is equal to the number of RF channels, each of the at least three ports corresponds to a different RF channel.

[0059] The third aspect of the present application provides a communication device, which includes: a processor, a memory, and a transceiver. The memory stores a computer program or a computer instruction, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program or the computer instruction stored in the memory, so that the processor implements the processing operation in the first aspect and any one of the implementations of the first aspect, and the transceiver is used to send and receive signals, such as: implementing the receiving and sending operations in the first aspect and any one of the implementations of the first aspect.

[0060] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program is stored. When the computer-readable storage medium is run on a computer, the computer executes the above-mentioned first aspect and any optional method thereof.

[0061] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the above-mentioned first aspect and any optional method thereof.

[0062] A sixth aspect provides a communication system, which includes a first communication device and a second communication device, the first communication device is used to execute the method described in the first aspect and any one of the implementation methods of the first aspect, and the second communication device is used to communicate with the first communication device.

[0063] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a chip system, which includes a processor for supporting an execution device or a training device to implement the functions involved in the above aspects, such as sending or processing the data involved in the above methods; or, information. In a possible design, the chip system also includes a memory, which is used to store program instructions and data necessary for the execution device or the training device. The chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0064] As mentioned above, the technical effects of the second, third and fourth aspects of the present application can be understood in conjunction with the technical effects of the first aspect and any implementation method of the first aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0065] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0066] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a multi-port antenna unit provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] Figure 3 The mapping relationship between the antenna port, characteristic current distribution and beam pattern provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0069] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of an antenna array topology structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the antenna array structure of a hybrid antenna unit provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] Fig. 6A A schematic diagram of the structure of a multi-port antenna device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0072] Figure 6B Another schematic diagram of the structure of the multi-port antenna device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] Figure 6C Another schematic diagram of the structure of the multi-port antenna device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] Fig.6D Another schematic diagram of the structure of the multi-port antenna device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0075] Figure 7 A flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0076] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the cell division provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0077] Fig. 9 A flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0078] Fig.10 Another schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0079] Fig.11Another schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0080] Fig.12 A schematic diagram of a system simulation provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0081] Fig.13A A schematic diagram of simulation results of a multi-port antenna unit provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0082] Fig. 13B A schematic diagram of simulation results of a multi-port antenna array provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0083] Fig.14 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0084] Fig.15 Another structural schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0085] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0086] The terms "first", "second", "third", "fourth", etc. (if any) in the specification and claims of the present application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchangeable where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present application described herein can, for example, be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any of their variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, for example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units that are clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0087] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a possible, non-limiting system. Figure 1 As shown, the communication system 10 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (e.g. Figure 1 110a and 110b, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (such as Figure 1 RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay equipment and / or wireless backhaul equipment ( Figure 1 The terminal 120 is connected to the RAN node 110 in a wireless manner. The RAN node 110 is connected to the core network 200 in a wireless or wired manner. The core network device in the core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 100 may be different physical devices, or may be the same physical device that integrates the core network logical function and the radio access network logical function.

[0088] RAN 100 may be a long term evolution (LTE) system, an LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, an LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, a fifth generation (5G) system, a new generation (NR) communication system or a future sixth generation communication system. RAN 100 may also be an open access network (openRAN, O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. RAN 100 may also be a communication system in which two or more of the above systems are integrated.

[0089] The RAN node 110, which may also be sometimes referred to as an access network device, a RAN entity or an access node, constitutes a part of the communication system to help the terminal achieve wireless access. The multiple RAN nodes 110 in the communication system 10 may be nodes of the same type or nodes of different types. In some scenarios, the roles of the RAN node 110 and the terminal 120 are relative, for example, Figure 1 The network element 120i may be a helicopter or a drone, which may be configured as a mobile base station. For the terminals 120j that access the RAN 100 through the network element 120i, the network element 120i is a base station; but for the base station 110a, the network element 120i is a terminal. The RAN node 110 and the terminal 120 are sometimes referred to as communication devices, for example Figure 1The network elements 110a and 110b may be understood as communication devices having base station functions, and the network elements 120a-120j may be understood as communication devices having terminal functions.

[0090] In one possible scenario, a RAN node may be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a next generation base station in a sixth generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. A RAN node may be a macro base station (e.g. Figure 1 110a in), micro base stations or indoor stations (such as Figure 1 110b in the description), a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the RAN node may also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or an on-board device, etc. For example, the access network device in the vehicle to everything (V2X) technology may be a road side unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the RAN node in the present application may also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform). The RAN node in the present application may also be a logical node, a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the RAN node.

[0091] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the RAN node can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU can be set separately, or can also be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU) or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0092] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. For the convenience of description, CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU are described as examples in this application. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0093] The terminal may also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. The terminal can be widely used in various scenarios, for example, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IOT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a wearable device, a vehicle, a drone, a helicopter, an airplane, a ship, a robot, a robotic arm, a smart home device, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the device form of the terminal.

[0094] In a communication system, a communication device needs to use an antenna (antenna unit) to convert high-frequency electromagnetic wave energy in space into high-frequency electromagnetic wave energy in a circuit or convert high-frequency electromagnetic waves in a circuit into high-frequency electromagnetic wave energy in space to realize the signal transmission and reception conversion function, such as tightly coupled array antennas (TCA) or current sheet antennas (CSA). An antenna array is an array composed of multiple antenna units, and the beamforming and directivity can be controlled by a specific feeding method. It enhances the reception and transmission capabilities of wireless signals and improves the performance of the communication system. It can also be used to achieve functions such as signal gain, signal interference suppression, spatial diversity and MIMO.

[0095] The following first introduces the antenna array related terms and related concepts involved in the embodiments of the present application.

[0096] 1. Beam pattern: Also known as radiation pattern, it refers to the radiation characteristics of antennas and antenna arrays in different directions, usually represented by graphs or diagrams. Antenna array patterns can be used to describe the radiation direction, gain, main lobe width, side lobe level and other characteristics of antennas in space.

[0097] 2. Antenna port: The physical port on the antenna unit. The radiation structure of the antenna port includes: vibrator, reflector, matching network and packaging shell, etc. These components work together to enable the antenna to effectively radiate electromagnetic waves in a specific direction in space or to effectively receive electromagnetic waves from a specific direction in space. By stimulating an antenna port, a radiation pattern can be generated.

[0098] It should be noted that the multi-port antenna unit or multi-port antenna array mentioned in the embodiments of the present application includes antenna units with a port number greater than or equal to 3.

[0099] The applicant has found that the multi-port antenna unit can generate multiple (greater than or equal to 3) orthogonal radiation patterns by adjusting the phase and excitation amplitude of each port. Figure 2 , Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a possible multi-port antenna unit structure. The antenna unit 201 has three antenna ports, namely port 1, port 2 and port 3.

[0100] See also Figure 3 , an orthogonal mode analysis is performed on the electromagnetic structure corresponding to the antenna unit 201, and a mapping relationship between the port of the antenna unit and the characteristic current distribution direction schematic diagram and the orthogonal beam pattern generated by it can be obtained. Each orthogonal beam pattern can be understood as an antenna mode of the antenna unit 201. The characteristic current refers to the current generated on the surface of the antenna unit. These currents can be provided by a signal source or induced by electromagnetic waves in the environment.

[0101] like Figure 3 As described above, the excitation port 1' can generate a characteristic current 301 upward in the vertical direction on the surface of the antenna unit 201, and the distribution of the electromagnetic waves generated in space is such as a beam pattern 311, corresponding to antenna mode 1; the excitation port 2' can generate a characteristic current 302 to the right in the horizontal direction on the surface of the antenna unit 201, and the distribution of the electromagnetic waves generated in space is such as a beam pattern 312, corresponding to antenna mode 2; the excitation port 3' can generate a characteristic current 303 that diffuses outward from the center as a whole on the surface of the antenna unit 201, and the distribution of the electromagnetic waves generated in space is such as a beam pattern 313, corresponding to antenna mode 3. Among them, port 1', port 2' and port 3' are generated by exciting port 1, port 2 and port 3 with appropriate amplitude and phase.

[0102] In addition, if the antenna unit 201 is a four-port antenna unit, the excitation port 4' can generate a characteristic current 304 along the radiation edge on the surface of the antenna unit 201, and the distribution of the electromagnetic waves generated in space is such as a beam pattern 314, corresponding to antenna mode 4. It should be noted that by adjusting the radiation structure and excitation method of the three-port antenna unit, the three-port antenna can also generate antenna mode 4. That is, the three-port antenna can also support any three antenna mode combinations among antenna modes 1-4, such as antenna modes 1, 2 and 4 or antenna modes 1, 3 and 4 or antenna modes 2, 3 and 4. Since the linear combination of antenna modes is also orthogonal to other modes, the three-port antenna can also support modes 1, 2, 3 and 4 at the same time. However, only three orthogonal directional patterns can be generated by exciting the three-port antenna, that is, at least one of the directional patterns is a linear combination of at least two modes.

[0103] Figure 3 The characteristic current distribution and beam pattern shown are only one possible implementation, which introduces that by applying different excitation amplitudes or different phase shifts to each port of the three-port antenna unit, multiple orthogonal beam patterns can be generated. In addition, when the number of ports of the antenna unit is greater than 3, such as a four-port antenna unit, a five-port antenna unit, or an antenna unit with more ports, more orthogonal beam patterns may be generated. Figure 2 The multi-port antenna unit structure shown is only an exemplary introduction, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit the form of the antenna unit structure.

[0104] 3. Eigenmode analysis: It is a new method that combines the method of moments with the analytical eigenmode theory to solve electromagnetic problems. This method provides an effective design tool for antenna designers. In eigenmode analysis, the current distribution on the target object is assumed to be decomposed into an infinite number of modal currents, each of which radiates a unique eigenmode mode that is independent of other modes. These modal modes are orthogonal at a specific frequency, so a complete set of modes can be constructed, which can be used to describe the current distribution on the target object. In antenna design, eigenmode analysis can be used to optimize the performance of the antenna. By adjusting the modal components of the current distribution on the antenna, the key parameters of the antenna, such as radiation direction, gain, impedance matching, etc., can be changed. In addition, eigenmode analysis can also be used to predict the performance of the antenna in complex environments, such as electromagnetic interference, multipath reflection and other complex conditions.

[0105] 4. Scattering parameters: also known as S parameters, can be directly measured with a network analyzer and are one of the important indicators for describing the characteristics of a transmission channel. Scattering parameters include reflection coefficient S11, transmission coefficient S21, scattering coefficients S12 and S22. These parameters can be used to describe the signal transmission characteristics of an antenna from port 1 to port 2. For example, S11 is the coefficient that indicates the reflection of a signal at port 1 after it is injected from port 1, and S21 is the coefficient that indicates the transmission of a signal at port 2 after it is injected from port 1. In high-frequency networks, S parameters are more intuitive than impedance and admittance parameters and are more suitable for the analysis of distributed parameter circuits. S parameters are network parameters based on the relationship between incident waves and reflected waves. They are suitable for microwave circuit analysis and describe the circuit network using the reflected signal at the device port and the signal transmitted from the port to another port.

[0106] 5. Orthogonal mode analysis: It is an electromagnetic field analysis method used to describe the independence and non-influence between the antenna elements in the antenna array. The orthogonal mode analysis of the antenna array determines the influence of each antenna element on other antenna elements by analyzing the electric field distribution and magnetic field distribution of each antenna element in space and the orthogonality relationship between them, thereby evaluating the overall performance of the entire antenna array and analyzing at least one antenna mode used by the antenna for communication.

[0107] 6. Antenna mode: Also known as orthogonal antenna mode, it uses two or more antennas to send and receive signals to increase the coverage and transmission speed of the signal. The principle of the orthogonal antenna mode is that the signals sent by each antenna are orthogonal to each other in space, that is, their waveforms are perpendicular to each other in space, so there is no interference. At the same time, since the signals sent by each antenna are in different directions in space, the coverage of the signal can be increased. In addition, the orthogonal antenna mode can also increase the reception speed and accuracy of the signal by using multiple receiving antennas.

[0108] 7. RF channel: The RF channel is connected to the antenna array through a feed network. It is usually composed of a series of signal distributors, mixers, power amplifiers (PA) and low noise amplifiers (LNA). It is used to up-convert the baseband signal to a RF signal and send it to space through the antenna, or down-convert the RF signal received from the antenna to a baseband signal for digital processing. Through the RF channel, the signal strength and phase of each antenna unit can be adjusted at the RF end. By adjusting the port excitation amplitude and phase of each antenna unit, a specific antenna pattern can be formed.

[0109] 8. Fully digital antenna architecture: The transceiver components independently control the signal input of each RF channel, and the signal strength and phase information are determined by signal detection and calibration of each RF channel through a coupled calibration network. Finally, the amplitude and phase weight configuration of the transceiver unit excitation to each RF channel is adjusted through the system digital shaping algorithm to achieve precise 3D beam pattern and 3D scanning of large-scale antennas.

[0110] At present, when a communication device is communicating, it is necessary to obtain the S parameters of all ports in the antenna array and perform orthogonal mode analysis on the array structure of the entire antenna array to obtain at least one orthogonal beam pattern for MIMO transmission. However, these beam patterns are only orthogonal at the antenna end. In the actual communication process, the influence of the channel state needs to be considered. The channel state will affect the orthogonality of some orthogonal beam patterns. For example, in the beam direction Figure 3 Orthogonality can only be better maintained when the integral is in a dimensional space and the scatterers are evenly distributed, so there is no need to calculate all the orthogonal modes of the entire antenna array.

[0111] The applicant has found that based on orthogonal mode theory and array theory, the antenna units of an antenna array or between different antenna units can be regulated in amplitude and phase, and the antenna patterns of multiple antenna units can be synthesized into the antenna pattern of the antenna array. Specifically, the radiation field of each antenna unit can be changed by adjusting the signal amplitude and phase of each antenna unit, thereby changing the radiation field of the entire antenna array. For example, the signal amplitude of each antenna unit can be adjusted to change the radiation intensity of each antenna unit, thereby changing the radiation intensity of the entire antenna array. Similarly, the signal phase of each antenna unit can be adjusted to change the radiation direction of each antenna unit, thereby changing the radiation direction of the entire antenna array.

[0112] Based on this, the embodiment of the present application proposes a dense multi-port antenna array. According to the orthogonal mode theory, the electromagnetic structure corresponding to the antenna unit is analyzed by orthogonal mode, and a multi-port antenna unit is constructed based on the orthogonal mode, and all ports of an antenna unit share the same radiation structure.

[0113] See also Figure 4 , Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a possible antenna array topology. Figure 4 The antenna array shown includes multiple Figure 2 The antenna unit 201 is shown. Exemplarily, the specific structure of the antenna array can be that the antenna units are spaced 0.5 wavelengths horizontally and 0.67 wavelengths vertically, the array scale is 8 rows and 5 columns, the size of the antenna unit can be half a wavelength by half a wavelength, and each antenna port corresponds to one or more antenna modes.

[0114] It should be understood that Figure 4What is provided is only one possible antenna array topology. In actual applications, there may be multiple antenna array topologies, and there are also multiple possible designs for the size and shape of the antenna units and the spacing between the antenna units, which are not specifically limited here.

[0115] In the embodiment of the present application, by performing orthogonal pattern analysis on the antenna units in a dense multi-port antenna array, there is no need to perform orthogonal pattern analysis on the entire antenna array, thereby reducing the complexity of calculations. Combined with array theory, the amplitude and phase can be controlled within the antenna unit or between different antenna units, which enhances the flexibility of antenna array control, can more flexibly adapt to different application scenarios and requirements, and improves the overall performance of the system. In addition, due to the use of multi-port antenna units, the number of independent ports is increased compared to traditional dual-polarization antenna units, and more orthogonal beam patterns can be provided, thereby supporting more data streams and improving the spectrum efficiency of MIMO.

[0116] Furthermore, due to the characteristic mode analysis of the antenna unit, the antenna mode within the antenna unit can ensure a certain degree of orthogonality; while in the antenna array, after considering the coupling factor, some modes in one antenna unit will be aliased with some antenna modes of adjacent units, resulting in strong pattern coupling. This situation generally occurs at the center unit of the antenna array, so the antenna array can be constructed using mixed antenna units.

[0117] Combination Figure 4 ,like Figure 5 As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides a schematic diagram of a dense multi-port antenna array structure of a hybrid antenna unit. According to the position of the antenna unit in the antenna array and the degree of coupling with the connected units, the antenna units can be roughly divided into the following three groups:

[0118] Unit group 1: Located in the corner of the array, there are two sides with no adjacent unit coupling or two sides with weak coupling;

[0119] Unit group 2: Located on the side of the array, one side has no coupling with adjacent units or one side has a weak coupling degree;

[0120] Unit group 3: Located in the center of the array, all sides are coupled to adjacent units.

[0121] Among them, unit group 3 can be further subdivided according to the number of coupling units. Units in different groups can use different numbers of ports and orthogonal mode sets. Specifically, the antenna unit structure can be analyzed while considering the coupling between antenna units to determine the orthogonal mode set of the antenna unit and the coupling relationship between different modes supported by adjacent antenna units, and finally determine the number of antenna unit ports and the supported orthogonal mode set under a specific isolation degree. The coupling between the antenna units means that the electric field or magnetic field excited on one antenna unit has an impact on another antenna unit, and the isolation degree is an important indicator to measure the impact. The greater the isolation degree, the smaller the impact of one antenna unit on another antenna unit, that is, the smaller the degree of coupling between the two antenna units.

[0122] The coupling between antenna elements will affect the radiation pattern of the antenna elements, reducing their gain in certain directions. In order to optimize the performance of the antenna array, the number of ports of each antenna element can be adjusted according to the degree of coupling between the antenna elements. Generally speaking, the number of ports of the above three groups of elements has the following relationship:

[0123] N 1 ≥N 2 ≥N 3

[0124] N 1 is the number of ports of each antenna unit in unit group 1, N 2 is the number of ports of each antenna unit in unit group 2, N 3 is the number of ports of each antenna unit in unit group 3.

[0125] In the embodiment of the present application, due to aliasing with some antenna modes of adjacent antenna units, the number of ports of antenna units with a higher degree of coupling can be appropriately reduced to reduce mutual interference and reduce the complexity of the design of the entire antenna array. It should be noted that reducing the number of ports does not mean completely eliminating coupling. In order to achieve better antenna performance, other measures need to be taken to reduce the degree of coupling, such as using isolators, optimizing antenna layout, or adopting other anti-interference technologies, which are not limited here.

[0126] like Fig. 6AAs shown, a dense multi-port antenna device based on a digital beamforming architecture is introduced below. Through the antenna all-digital architecture, the data stream is mapped to the communication mode through the data mapping module, and then mapped to the orthogonal antenna mode through the mode mapping module to transmit or receive wireless signals. The orthogonal antenna mode is based on the antenna mode determined after the orthogonal mode analysis of the multiple antenna units in the array. Then, the baseband signal is up-converted to the required RF transmission frequency through the RF channel 601, and then the port of the antenna unit is excited by the feeding network to transform the modulated carrier signal into an electromagnetic wave that can propagate in free space, that is, to generate a beam pattern. The feeding network converts the antenna modes of all antenna units into at least one orthogonal antenna mode of an antenna array. Among them, the feeding network part may include one or more of a power divider, an amplitude adjustment structure, a phase adjustment structure, a combiner and an impedance matching structure.

[0127] Due to the use of digital architecture, the number of RF channels is the same as the number of orthogonal antenna patterns, and each RF channel is connected to the antenna port of the antenna unit through a feed network. Specifically, for example, antenna unit 1 includes 3 ports, antenna unit 1 corresponds to 3 RF channels, and each RF channel corresponds to an antenna port.

[0128] Furthermore, the applicant has found that the number of RF channels can be further reduced by combining a digital-analog hybrid architecture. Figure 6B As shown, Figure 6B It is a dense multi-port antenna device based on a hybrid digital-analog architecture. The communication mode is mapped to the orthogonal antenna mode in digital and analog ways to transmit or receive wireless signals. In this embodiment, an analog mapping module is added between the RF channel 601 and the orthogonal antenna mode. The analog mapping module maps all orthogonal antenna modes to the RF channel, so the number of RF channels is generally less than or equal to the number of antenna modes. The analog mapping module can also adjust the orthogonal antenna mode in combination with the channel environment characteristics. In addition, since the analog mapping module and the feeding network both process signals in the analog domain, in some designs, the two can also be combined into one.

[0129] Exemplarily, a non-regular sub-array may be used to connect the same or different numbers of antenna ports to different radio frequency channels through a feed network. The confirmation method of the non-regular sub-array may be determined by statistical channel information.

[0130] For example, a regular sub-array method may also be used. Figure 6CAs shown, RF channel 1 corresponds to port 1 of antenna unit 1 and antenna unit 2, and RF channel 1 generates antenna mode 1 corresponding to port 1; RF channel 2 corresponds to port 2 of antenna unit 1 and antenna unit 2, and RF channel 2 generates antenna mode 2 corresponding to port 2; RF channel n corresponds to port n, and antenna mode n can be generated; RF channel m corresponds to port m, and antenna mode m can be generated; the same antenna port corresponds to the same RF channel, because the same antenna mode has a similar coverage range. By adjusting the amplitude and phase between the same modes corresponding to different units, beam scanning within the same angle range is achieved.

[0131] You can also Fig.6D As shown, RF channel 1 corresponds to n ports of antenna unit 1, and RF channel 2 corresponds to m ports of antenna unit 2. Each RF channel can generate antenna patterns corresponding to all ports. The same antenna uses the same RF channel, which can reduce the connection between different antenna units and reduce the complexity of analog circuit design.

[0132] In the embodiments of the present application, by combining a digital beamforming architecture or a digital-analog hybrid architecture, an amplitude-adjustable or phase-adjustable beamforming is used at the analog end to map part or all of the antenna modes to the RF channel, thereby reducing the number of RF channels of the antenna device, and the complexity and cost of this architecture are relatively low. Since each RF channel requires a certain amount of power to drive, reducing the number of RF channels can also reduce energy consumption, simplify the design, and improve the maintainability and scalability of the entire antenna device.

[0133] In conjunction with the aforementioned dense multi-port antenna array, a communication method for a first communication device and a second communication device to communicate with each other is described below. The first communication device and the second communication device may be Figure 1 The communication devices 110a and 110b having base station functions may also be Figure 1 When the first communication device is configured with the aforementioned dense multi-port antenna array, the second communication device is not limited to whether to configure the dense multi-port antenna array.

[0134] like Figure 7 As shown, Figure 7 A flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0135] 701. The first communication device obtains a channel detection result;

[0136] Before the first communication device and the second communication device communicate, they need to measure the communication channel between the two parties. The first communication device obtains the channel detection result, which includes the channel state information of multiple areas, including the channel state information of the area (first area) where the second communication device is located. Specifically, the channel detection result may include information such as the signal strength, interference level, and available bandwidth of each area.

[0137] Exemplarily, the channel detection result may be a result obtained by the base station by analyzing a historically received SRS, or a result obtained by analyzing a reference signal sent by the second communication device or a third communication device in the first area to the first communication device, which is not limited here.

[0138] 702. The first communication device determines a regional mode mapping relationship according to the channel detection result and multiple antenna modes;

[0139] The first communication device partitions the detection area according to the channel state information of multiple areas in the channel detection result. The area with the same channel environment characteristics is divided into one area. Then, combined with the multiple orthogonal antenna modes provided by the configured dense multi-port antenna array, the partition is determined and the appropriate antenna mode is selected as the mode set corresponding to the partition, that is, the regional mode mapping relationship is determined. The regional mode includes a first antenna mode set corresponding to the first area, and each antenna mode in the first antenna mode set is an antenna mode suitable for communication in the first area.

[0140] When the first communication device is a communication device with a base station function, the cell channel state information within the coverage area of ​​the base station signal can be obtained. Figure 8 , Figure 8 The figure is a possible cell partition diagram. The cell partition can be divided into high signal-to-noise ratio area and low signal-to-noise ratio area according to signal-to-noise ratio; it can be divided into dense user area and sparse user area according to user distribution; it can be divided into scattering-rich area and edge user area according to scatterer distribution and antenna coverage.

[0141] When selecting antenna patterns that match the partitions, the base station can follow several choices, including modal significance, the degree of mode coupling between connected units or the signal-to-interference ratio at the receiver, different angles of departure (AoD) / angles of arrival (AoA), and the number of users connected at the same time. This is because basic antenna patterns, such as patterns with the main beam pointing in the broadside direction, have a limited number of patterns and are suitable for AoD / AoA mainly distributed in broadside directions or near small angles, low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) or low signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR) areas, or areas with a small number of users. In contrast, high-order antenna patterns, with the main beam pointing in directions other than broadside, have a larger number of patterns and are suitable for AoD / AoA mainly distributed in large angles, such as near ±45°, high SNR or high SINR areas, or areas with a large number of users. Among them, the basic antenna mode can be understood as the aforementioned antenna mode 1 and antenna mode 2, and the high-order antenna mode can be understood as the aforementioned antenna mode 3 and antenna mode 4.

[0142] Exemplarily, the first communication device can use three antenna modes for MIMO signal transmission, namely antenna mode 1, antenna mode 2 and antenna mode 3. After analyzing the channel state of each area of ​​the cell, it is divided into two partitions, namely partition A and partition B. Partition A can be suitable for multiple antenna modes for communication, for example, the antenna mode set applicable to partition A includes antenna mode 1, antenna mode 2 and antenna mode 3; while partition B can only use some antenna modes for communication, for example, the antenna mode set applicable to partition B includes antenna mode 1 and antenna mode 2.

[0143] It is understandable that the above is only one possible regional pattern mapping relationship. In actual applications, there may be more possibilities for the antenna mode that the first communication device can use for MIMO signal transmission, and there may be more possibilities for cell partitioning, which are not specifically limited here.

[0144] It is worth noting that when the first communication device is a communication device with a terminal function, the channel state information obtained in step 701 may be the channel state information of the area (first area) where the base station is located. Correspondingly, step 702 is to determine the antenna mode set suitable for communication with the base station.

[0145] 703. The first communication device performs detection feedback based on the first antenna mode set.

[0146] The first communication device determines the communication mode based on the first antenna mode set and performs detection feedback. The communication mode may be point-to-point communication, broadcast communication, or multi-address communication, etc. It is worth noting that the communication mode may also be determined based on other factors, such as signal modulation mode, coding mode, transmission rate, etc. The antenna mode is only one of the factors in determining the communication mode.

[0147] Taking the first communication device as a communication device with a base station function as an example, the first communication device can send the regional mode mapping relationship. The specific sending method can be to send it in the form of periodic broadcast during the initial access phase of the terminal (second communication device), or to send it after the terminal completes the initial access and receives a request sent by a terminal in a connected state.

[0148] After receiving the regional mode mapping relationship, the terminal determines that its own area belongs to the partition in the regional mode mapping relationship based on the positioning function of its own device, and then sends the mode identifier corresponding to the partition to the first communication device.

[0149] Exemplarily, what is sent may be the identifier of the antenna mode set corresponding to the partition, or the identifier of the antenna mode in the antenna mode set, or the identifier of the partition, which is not limited here.

[0150] In an embodiment of the present application, the detection area is divided based on the channel environment and the antenna mode suitable for the channel environment, and the regional pattern mapping mode is determined. In the channel detection process in which the first communication device communicates with the second communication device, an antenna mode suitable for communication can be selected within a limited search space, which reduces the complexity of signal processing and improves the efficiency of processing. At the same time, due to the use of an antenna array with a greater number of independent ports, more orthogonal antenna modes can be generated, thereby supporting the transmission of multiple data streams at the same time. This not only improves the flexibility of communication, but also can significantly improve the transmission rate. Moreover, as the diversity of antenna modes increases, the coverage of the signal will also expand accordingly, thereby improving the stability and reliability of communication.

[0151] Furthermore, the first communication device can also dynamically adjust the selection of partitions and antenna modes as needed. For example, when the channel environment changes, the first communication device can re-evaluate the channel state information and adjust the selection of partitions and antenna modes accordingly. This dynamic adjustment enables the first communication device to adapt to different communication environments, further improving communication performance and robustness.

[0152] Exemplarily, the first communication device initially matches the first antenna mode set for partition A (first area) based on historical SRS information, which includes antenna modes 1, antenna mode 2, and antenna mode 3. After the first communication device sends the regional mode mapping relationship to the second communication device in the first area, the second communication device finds that it can only support some of the antenna modes to communicate with the first communication device based on some factors, for example, only antenna mode 1 and antenna mode 2 are supported. At this time, a new mode identifier needs to be sent to the first communication device so that the first communication device makes corresponding adjustments. The influencing factors may be that the channel environment has changed, or it may be that the second communication device itself cannot receive signals of some antenna modes due to its receiving capability. The specifics are not limited here.

[0153] In combination with the aforementioned embodiment, the following describes how to use the area pattern mapping relationship determined in the aforementioned communication method to implement uplink channel measurement and downlink channel measurement for both communicating parties when the first communication device is a base station.

[0154] like Fig. 9 As shown, Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of the detection process of the base station for the downlink channel when the working mode is TDD.

[0155] 901. The terminal sends an SRS to the base station;

[0156] SRS sent by the terminal to the base station. Since the terminal's transmission links are often less than its reception links, in order to obtain accurate downlink channel information, the UE is supported to send SRS using different antennas at different times according to predefined rules.

[0157] 902. The base station estimates the uplink channel according to the SRS, and determines the downlink channel and antenna mode;

[0158] Since the uplink and downlink in TDD mode use the same frequency band and the uplink and downlink transmissions are distinguished by time slot configuration, the uplink and downlink channels are reciprocal within the coherence time. The terminal sends an uplink SRS, and the base station determines the downlink channel based on the uplink channel estimation and selects the appropriate antenna mode from multiple orthogonal antenna modes to send or receive data to the terminal.

[0159] 903. The base station sends or receives data according to the antenna mode.

[0160] In the embodiment of the present application, since the antenna modes of the base station that can be used for communication are increased, the signal coverage range is also increased, which can improve the performance of the communication system.

[0161] like Fig.10 As shown, Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of the detection process of the base station for the uplink channel when the working mode is TDD.

[0162] 1001. The base station determines the antenna mode for communicating with the newly connected terminal according to the number of terminal users accessing the same frequency at the same time;

[0163] The base station communicates with multiple end users simultaneously and can dynamically adjust the antenna pattern based on each user's signal quality, location, and interference.

[0164] Exemplarily, the base station may determine the antenna mode for communicating with multiple terminals based on a maximum signal-to-interference ratio (Maximal Ratio Transmission, MRT), based on zero interference (Zero-Interference, ZIF), or based on a maximum ratio combining (Maximal Ratio Combining, MRC), etc., which is not limited here.

[0165] Prior to this, step 1000 may also be performed. The base station sends a wake-up signal (WUS) to the terminal, triggering the terminal to wake up during a discontinuous reception (DRX) activation period.

[0166] 1002. The base station sends a CSI-RS to the terminal;

[0167] The base station can send CSI-RS periodically, semi-statically, or non-periodically, and instruct the terminal to report channel state information in an appropriate manner. The selection of CSI-RS mode is related to the number of users accessing the same frequency at the same time. The base station sends CSI-RS according to the antenna mode. When the number of users is small, the basic mode of the antenna unit can be selected for channel detection. When the number of users is large, the high-order mode of the antenna unit can be selected for channel detection. The number of CSI-RS is increased by using multi-port antennas.

[0168] 1003. The terminal estimates the downlink channel according to the CSI-RS and determines the uplink channel;

[0169] Similar to the measurement of the downlink channel of the TDD system, since the uplink and downlink channels are reciprocal, the terminal determines the uplink channel and the precoding matrix of the uplink transmission based on the downlink channel estimation.

[0170] 1004. The terminal sends an SRS to the base station;

[0171] The terminal determines a precoding beam according to the determined precoding matrix, and sends an SRS on each precoding beam.

[0172] Furthermore, in the scheduling authorization phase, the base station can also determine the best receiving mode and its corresponding terminal precoding matrix SRI according to the determined uplink channel. The terminal uses the modified precoding to perform physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission.

[0173] 1005. The base station sends or receives data according to the antenna mode.

[0174] In the embodiment of the present application, due to the increase in orthogonal antenna modes, more CSI-RS can be sent and more SRS can be received. Therefore, wireless resources can be allocated more flexibly. This helps to optimize the utilization efficiency of wireless resources. In addition, the terminal can also more accurately grasp the characteristics of the channel, which helps to improve the reliability and stability of wireless communication.

[0175] like Fig.11 As shown, Fig.11 The figure is a flow chart of the detection of uplink and downlink channels by the base station when the working mode is FDD. Since the uplink and downlink in FDD mode use different frequency bands, the channels do not have instantaneous reciprocity, and the uplink and downlink channels need to be detected separately.

[0176] 1101. The terminal sends a pilot SRS to the base station;

[0177] The terminal sends SRS via uplink, and the base station receives and analyzes these sequences.

[0178] 1102. The base station estimates the uplink channel according to the SRS, and determines the downlink broadband CSI and the corresponding antenna mode;

[0179] On the other hand, there is long-term channel reciprocity between downlink and uplink in FDD systems, that is, broadband CSI information can be obtained from uplink channel estimation. Such information contains large-scale information such as angular power spectrum and delay, allowing the base station to pre-adjust the CSI-RS.

[0180] 1103. The base station sends a CSI-RS to the terminal;

[0181] Step 1103 in this embodiment is similar to the aforementioned Fig.10 Step 1002 in the illustrated embodiment is similar and will not be described in detail here.

[0182] 1104. The terminal estimates the downlink channel according to the CSI-RS;

[0183] 1105. The terminal sends feedback information to the base station;

[0184] The terminal estimates and feeds back the coefficient of each layer of data stream relative to the broadband CSI_ according to the downlink channel. The coefficient relative to the broadband CSI includes: signal 1106. The base station determines the uplink and downlink channels and antenna mode set according to the feedback information;

[0185] The base station may determine the antenna mode set to be finally used according to the feedback information.

[0186] In actual applications, the base station may also instruct the terminal through a codebook, that is, the base station sends SRI, Rank and precoding information to the terminal, so that the terminal selects a corresponding precoding to send an uplink signal, which is not limited here.

[0187] 1107. The base station sends or receives data according to the antenna mode.

[0188] In the embodiment of the present application, the feedback overhead of the terminal can be effectively reduced and the accuracy of the downlink channel estimation of the base station can be improved through the uplink estimation assistance and broadband CSI.

[0189] In order to verify the performance of the multi-port antenna array in the wireless communication system, the embodiment of the present application uses full-wave simulation of the directional diagram of the multi-port antenna unit or array and the dual-polarized antenna unit or array, and then brings it into the Quadriga channel model, and finally combines Shannon's theorem to calculate the spectrum efficiency of single-user multiple input multiple output (SU-MIMO) or multi-user multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO). The system performance of the three-port antenna unit and array is compared with the system performance of the dual-polarized unit and array to verify the performance advantage of the multi-port antenna.

[0190] First, in order to evaluate the SU-MIMO performance of a single antenna, full-wave simulation is used to obtain the radiation performance of a single multi-port antenna unit and a dual-polarized antenna unit. Comparing the number of antenna ports, the multi-port antenna unit has 3 ports, while the traditional dual-polarized antenna unit has 2 ports, and the number of ports has increased by 50%. Comparing the average realized gain when each port is excited separately, the multi-port antenna unit is 2.1dB smaller than the dual-polarized antenna unit. Comparing the average total efficiency when each port in the antenna unit is excited separately, the multi-port antenna unit is 0.18dB smaller than the dual-polarized antenna unit.

[0191] System simulation scenarios such as Fig.12As shown, the directional patterns of the two antenna units are respectively brought into the Quadriga channel, and the channel model is selected as 3GPP-38.901-Uma-NloS channel, single sector, sector angle 120°, center frequency 2.9GHz, carrier bandwidth 10MHz, base station 1201 is at a height of 25 meters, and terminal 1202 is identified by several user positions (Rx-Position) and user antenna positions (Rx-Antenna), where Rx-Position and Rx-Antenna identifications can overlap. The user height is 1.5 meters, and the user posture is random. Each time, one user is randomly selected to calculate the spectrum efficiency, and each user supports 2 layers (dual-polarization antenna unit) or 3 layers (three-port antenna unit) of data streams. For each channel realization, the user is randomly selected 100 times. Finally, the results of 10 random channel generation are averaged.

[0192] like Fig.13A As shown, Fig.13A The following are the system simulation results of two antenna units in cell diameters of 150m and 550m respectively. The X-axis is the transmit power and the Y-axis is the average spectrum efficiency. The solid line in the figure is the simulation result of the multi-port antenna unit, and the dotted line in the figure is the simulation result of the dual-polarization antenna unit. When the transmit power is 50dBm, the multi-port antenna unit can support more data streams, and the spectrum efficiency is improved by 38.5% and 33.7% respectively compared with the dual-polarization antenna unit.

[0193] Furthermore, in order to obtain the MU-MIMO performance of the multi-port antenna array, the radiation performance of the multi-port antenna array is first obtained by full-wave simulation. The antenna units are spaced 0.5 wavelengths horizontally and 0.67 wavelengths vertically, and the array scale is 8 rows and 5 columns. Comparing the number of antenna ports, the multi-port array has 120 ports and the dual-polarization array has 80 ports, which is a 50% increase in the number of ports. Comparing the average realized gain when each port in the array is excited individually, the multi-port array is 1dB smaller than the dual-polarization array. For the average total efficiency when each port in the array is excited individually, the multi-port array is 0.8dB smaller than the dual-polarization array.

[0194] System simulation scenarios such as Fig.12 As shown in the figure, the directional patterns of the two antenna arrays are respectively brought into the Quadriga channel. N users are randomly selected from the 200 randomly determined users to calculate the spectrum efficiency, and each user supports 1 layer of data stream. Among them, the maximum value of N is the same as the total number of antenna ports, that is, for a multi-port antenna array, the maximum value of N is 120, and for a dual-polarized antenna array, the maximum value of N is 80. For each channel realization, the user is randomly selected 100 times. Finally, the results of 10 random channel generation are averaged.

[0195] like Fig. 13B As shown, Fig. 13B The simulation results of two antenna arrays in cell diameters of 150m and 550m respectively. The X-axis is the number of users accessing at the same time, that is, the number of users in the user group, and the Y-axis is the average spectrum efficiency. The solid line in the figure is the simulation result of a single multi-port antenna array at 50dBm, 40dBm and 30dBm transmission power, and the dotted line in the figure is the simulation result of a single dual-polarization antenna array at 50dBm, 40dBm and 30dBm transmission power. With the increase of transmission power and the increase of the number of users in the user group, the gain of the multi-port array is more prominent compared with the dual-polarization array. It shows that in the high signal-to-noise ratio range and the range with more users, the multi-port array has a performance advantage of up to 35% compared with the traditional dual-polarization array due to the support of more data streams.

[0196] When obtaining the antenna pattern, the array size cannot be too large due to computing resource limitations. In order to reduce the computing resources occupied by full-wave simulation of large-scale arrays and ensure the accuracy of the results, an approximate simulation method is used to determine the pattern of such arrays. First, through full-wave simulation of 3x3 three-port antennas and dual-polarized antenna arrays, the pattern of the middle unit is read as the unit pattern of the large-scale array and substituted into the system simulation platform. When there are 16x10 units in the antenna array, the characteristic mode array has 480 ports, while the dual-polarized array has 320 ports. When the transmit power is 50dBm, the multi-port array still has a performance advantage of up to 15.9% over the traditional dual-polarized array.

[0197] The communication method and communication system provided by the embodiments of the present application are described above. The communication device provided by the embodiments of the present application is described below. Fig.14 , Fig.14 1400 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1400 can be used to perform Figures 7 to 11 For the steps performed by the first communication device in the embodiment shown in , please refer to the relevant introduction in the above method embodiment for details.

[0198] The communication device 1400 includes a transceiver module 1401 and a processing module 1402. The transceiver module 1401 can implement corresponding communication functions, and the processing module 1402 is used for data processing. The transceiver module 1401 can also be called a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0199] Optionally, the communication device 1400 may further include a storage unit, which may be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing module 1402 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit so that the network device implements the aforementioned method embodiment.

[0200] The communication device 1400 can be used to perform the actions in the above method embodiment. The communication device 1400 can be a network device or a component that can be configured in a network device. The transceiver module 1401 is used to perform the reception-related operations in the above method embodiment, and the processing module 1402 is used to perform the processing-related operations in the above method embodiment.

[0201] Optionally, the transceiver module 1401 may include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module is used to perform the sending operation in the above method embodiment. The receiving module is used to perform the receiving operation in the above method embodiment.

[0202] As an example, the communication device 1400 is used to perform the above Figure 7 Actions performed by the first communication device in the illustrated embodiment.

[0203] The transceiver module 1401 is used to obtain a channel detection result, where the channel detection result includes channel state information of the first area;

[0204] A processing module 1402 is configured to determine a regional pattern mapping relationship according to the channel detection result and multiple antenna patterns, where the regional pattern mapping relationship includes a mapping relationship between the first region and a first antenna pattern set, where the antenna patterns in the first antenna pattern set are antenna patterns suitable for a channel environment of the first region;

[0205] The transceiver module 1401 is further configured to perform detection feedback based on the first antenna mode set.

[0206] The processing module 1402 in the above embodiment can be implemented by at least one processor or processor-related circuit. The transceiver module 1401 can be implemented by a transceiver or a transceiver-related circuit. The transceiver module 1401 can also be called a communication unit or a communication interface. The storage unit can be implemented by at least one memory.

[0207] The present application embodiment also provides a communication device 1500. Fig.15 As shown, the communication device 1500 includes a processor 1501, which is coupled to a memory 1502. The memory 1502 is used to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The processor 1501 is used to execute the computer programs or instructions and / or data stored in the memory 1502, so that the method in the above method embodiment is executed.

[0208] Optionally, the communication device 1500 includes one or more processors 1501.

[0209] Alternatively, if Fig.15 As shown, the communication device 1500 may further include a memory 1502 .

[0210] Optionally, the communication device 1500 may include one or more memories 1502 .

[0211] Optionally, the memory 1502 may be integrated with the processor 1501 or provided separately.

[0212] Alternatively, if Fig.15 As shown, the communication device 1500 may further include a transceiver 1503, and the transceiver 1503 is used to receive and / or send messages. For example, the processor 1501 is used to control the transceiver 1503 to receive and / or send signals.

[0213] As a solution, the communication device 1500 is used to implement the operations of the network device in the above method embodiment.

[0214] For example, the processor 1501 is used to implement the processing-related operations performed by the network device in the above method embodiment, and the transceiver 1503 is used to implement the sending and receiving-related operations performed by the network device in the above method embodiment.

[0215] When the communication device 1500 is a chip, the chip includes a processor, a memory and a transceiver. The transceiver may be an input / output circuit or a communication interface; the processor may be a processing unit or a microprocessor or an integrated circuit integrated on the chip. The sending operation of the network device in the above method embodiment may be the output of the chip, and the receiving operation of the network device in the above method embodiment may be the input of the chip.

[0216] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0217] In several embodiments provided in the present application, the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0218] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0219] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

[0220] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The part that essentially contributes to the technical solution of the present application or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or an access network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory, a random access memory, a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

Claims

1. A communication method, It is characterized in that include: The first communication device obtains a channel detection result, where the channel detection result includes channel state information of the first area; The first communication device determines a regional pattern mapping relationship according to the channel detection result and multiple antenna patterns, wherein the regional pattern mapping relationship includes a mapping relationship between the first region and a first antenna pattern set, and the antenna patterns in the first antenna pattern set are antenna patterns suitable for a channel environment of the first region; The first communication device performs detection feedback based on the first antenna mode set.

2. The method according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The multiple antenna modes include at least three antenna modes, each of the antenna modes corresponds to a characteristic current distribution, and the characteristic current distribution corresponds to a beam pattern.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, It is characterized in that The method further comprises: The first communication device sends the area mode mapping relationship.

4. The method according to claim 3, It is characterized in that Before the first communication device sends the area mode mapping relationship, the method further includes: The first communication device receives a first request, where the first request is used to obtain the area mode mapping relationship.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, It is characterized in that After the first communication device sends the area mode mapping relationship, the method further includes: The first communication device receives a mode identifier, where the mode identifier is used to represent a second antenna mode set in the area mode mapping relationship.

6. The method according to claim 5, It is characterized in that The second antenna pattern set is the first antenna pattern set.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, It is characterized in that The method further comprises: The first communication device sends data or a reference signal based on the second antenna mode set.

8. The method according to claim 7, It is characterized in that The first communication device sending a reference signal based on the second antenna pattern set includes: In response to the first reference signal received by the first communication device, the first communication device sends a second reference signal based on the second antenna mode set.

9. The method according to claim 8, It is characterized in that The frequency bands used by the first reference signal and the second reference signal are related to a working mode of the first communication device, and the working mode includes time division duplex TDD or frequency division duplex FDD.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, It is characterized in that The method further comprises: The first communication device receives feedback information, where the feedback information includes one or more of a channel quality indication CQI, a rank indication RI, a precoding matrix indication PMI, and a layer indication LI; The first communication device determines a third antenna pattern set based on the feedback information.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, It is characterized in that The antenna pattern is generated based on the array pattern of the antenna array and the unit pattern of multiple antenna units in the antenna array, the first antenna unit among the multiple antenna units includes at least three ports, and the unit pattern of the first antenna unit corresponds one-to-one to the port of the first antenna unit.

12. The method according to claim 11, It is characterized in that The antenna array includes a first antenna unit group and a second antenna unit group, and the number of ports of the antenna units in the second antenna unit group is less than or equal to the number of ports of the antenna units in the first antenna unit group.

13. The method according to claim 12, It is characterized in that The coupling degree of the second antenna element group is higher than the coupling degree of the first antenna element group.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, It is characterized in that The first antenna unit corresponds to at least one radio frequency channel, and each of the radio frequency channels is used to generate at least one antenna mode.

15. The method according to claim 14, It is characterized in that When the first antenna unit corresponds to one of the radio frequency channels, the at least three ports correspond to the same radio frequency channel.

16. The method according to claim 14, It is characterized in that When the first antenna unit corresponds to at least two radio frequency channels; If the number of ports of the first antenna unit is greater than the number of the radio frequency channels, the at least three ports include ports corresponding to the same radio frequency channel; If the number of ports of the first antenna unit is equal to the number of the radio frequency channels, each of the at least three ports corresponds to a different radio frequency channel.

17. A communication device, It is characterized in that include: A transceiver module, configured to obtain a channel detection result, wherein the channel detection result includes channel state information of the first area; a processing module, configured to determine a regional pattern mapping relationship according to the channel detection result and a plurality of antenna patterns, wherein the regional pattern mapping relationship includes a mapping relationship between the first region and a first antenna pattern set, and the antenna patterns in the first antenna pattern set are antenna patterns suitable for a channel environment of the first region; The transceiver module is further used to perform detection feedback based on the first antenna mode set.

18. The device according to claim 17, It is characterized in that The multiple antenna modes include at least three antenna modes, each of the antenna modes corresponds to a characteristic current distribution, and the characteristic current distribution corresponds to a beam pattern.

19. The device according to claim 17 or 18, It is characterized in that The transceiver module is also used for: The area mode mapping relationship is sent.

20. The device according to claim 19, It is characterized in that The transceiver module is also used for: A first request is received, where the first request is used to obtain the area mode mapping relationship.

21. The device according to claim 19 or 20, It is characterized in that After the transceiver module sends the area mode mapping relationship, the transceiver module is further used to: A mode identifier is received, where the mode identifier is used to represent a second antenna mode set in the area mode mapping relationship.

22. The device according to claim 21, It is characterized in that The second antenna pattern set is the first antenna pattern set.

23. The device according to claim 21 or 22, It is characterized in that The transceiver module is also used for: Data or a reference signal is sent based on the second antenna pattern set.

24. The device according to claim 23, It is characterized in that Corresponding to the first reference signal received by the transceiver module, the transceiver module is specifically configured to: A second reference signal is sent based on the second antenna pattern set.

25. The device according to claim 24, It is characterized in that The frequency bands used by the first reference signal and the second reference signal are related to a working mode of the device, and the working mode includes time division duplex TDD or frequency division duplex FDD.

26. The device according to any one of claims 23 to 25, It is characterized in that The transceiver module is also used for: receiving feedback information, where the feedback information includes one or more of a channel quality indicator CQI, a rank indicator RI, a precoding matrix indicator PMI, and a layer indicator LI; The transceiver module is specifically configured to determine a third antenna mode set based on the feedback information.

27. The device according to any one of claims 17 to 26, It is characterized in that The antenna pattern is generated based on the array pattern of the antenna array and the unit pattern of multiple antenna units in the antenna array, the first antenna unit among the multiple antenna units includes at least three ports, and the unit pattern of the first antenna unit corresponds one-to-one to the port of the first antenna unit.

28. The device according to claim 27, It is characterized in that The antenna array includes a first antenna unit group and a second antenna unit group, and the number of ports of the antenna units in the second antenna unit group is less than or equal to the number of ports of the antenna units in the first antenna unit group.

29. The device according to claim 28, It is characterized in that The coupling degree of the second antenna element group is higher than the coupling degree of the first antenna element group.

30. The device according to any one of claims 27 to 29, It is characterized in that The first antenna unit corresponds to at least one radio frequency channel, and each of the radio frequency channels is used to generate at least one antenna mode.

31. The device according to claim 30, It is characterized in that When the first antenna unit corresponds to one of the radio frequency channels, the at least three ports correspond to the same radio frequency channel.

32. The device according to claim 30, It is characterized in that When the first antenna unit corresponds to at least two radio frequency channels; If the number of ports of the first antenna unit is greater than the number of the radio frequency channels, the at least three ports include ports corresponding to the same radio frequency channel; If the number of ports of the first antenna unit is equal to the number of the radio frequency channels, each of the at least three ports corresponds to a different radio frequency channel.

33. A communication device, It is characterized in that comprising at least one processor coupled to the memory; The memory is used to store programs or instructions; The at least one processor is configured to execute part or all of the program or instruction so that the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16 is executed.

34. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the method of any one of claims 1 to 16 to be performed.

35. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the method of any one of claims 1 to 16 to be performed.

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