Antenna multiplexing method and related device

Abstract

The invention provides an antenna multiplexing method and a related device. In the method, a GPS L5 front end and an MHB Div front end in the electronic equipment can be connected to an antenna through a switch, and the antenna is subjected to time division multiplexing. Wherein, when the GPS L5 front end is idle, the electronic device can allocate the shared antenna to the cellular front end; when operating at the GPS L5 front end, the cellular front end occupies the first antenna, and the cellular front end has other available antennas, the electronic device may allocate the first antenna to the GPS L5 front end.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of terminals, and in particular to antenna multiplexing methods and related devices. Background Art

[0002] With the development of design orientations such as full screens, multi-camera modules, large batteries, and large-area fingerprint recognition, the space left for antennas in terminal devices is getting smaller and smaller, while the number of antennas is increasing. This leads to a continuous decrease in the clearance of a single antenna, affecting antenna efficiency, which in turn leads to problems such as reduced transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) performance and poor connection signals. It is necessary to design an antenna reuse strategy to reduce the number of antennas in terminal devices and increase the clearance of a single antenna. Summary of the invention

[0003] In the first aspect, the present application provides a chip system, which includes a cellular front end, a global positioning system GPS L5 front end, a first switch, and a first controller; the cellular front end and the GPS L5 front end select to connect to a first antenna (a shared antenna, such as antenna T3) through the first switch; the first controller is used to control the first switch to connect the cellular front end and the first antenna, or to control the first switch to connect the GPS L5 front end and the first antenna.

[0004] Including terminal electronic devices such as mobile phones with the above chip system, the first controller can control the GPS L5 front end and the cellular front end to reuse an antenna, thereby reducing the number of antennas in electronic devices such as mobile phones, increasing the clearance of a single antenna, and then increasing the efficiency of each antenna and improving the communication quality. Among them, the cellular front end includes one or more of the following: a transmitting front end, a cellular medium and high frequency main set front end, and a cellular medium and high frequency diversity front end.

[0005] In the chip system provided in the first aspect, the first controller is specifically used to control the first switch to connect the GPS L5 front end and the first antenna after determining that the GPS L5 front end is working, the cellular front end occupies the first antenna, and the cellular front end has other available antennas. The cellular front end occupies the first antenna, including: the cellular front end occupies the first antenna to transmit and the cellular front end occupies the first antenna to receive.

[0006] In the chip system provided in the above embodiment, the first controller is specifically used to control the first switch to connect the cellular front end and the first antenna after determining that the GPS L5 front end is working, the cellular front end occupies the first antenna, the cellular front end has no other available antennas, and the priority of the first service processed by the cellular front end is higher than the priority of the second service processed by the GPS L5 front end; and control the first switch to connect the GPS L5 front end and the first antenna after determining that the GPS L5 front end is working, the cellular front end occupies the first antenna, the cellular front end has no other available antennas, and the priority of the first service processed by the cellular front end is lower than the priority of the second service processed by the GPS L5 front end.

[0007] Optionally, the cellular service with smaller latency and larger data throughput has a higher priority. Optionally, the cellular service with lower current signal strength has a higher priority. In this way, electronic devices using the above chip system can give priority to services with smaller latency, larger data throughput and lower current signal strength, meeting the needs that users care about more.

[0008] In the chip system provided in the above embodiment, the first controller is further specifically used to control the first switch to connect the cellular front end and the first antenna after determining that the GPS L5 front end is idle.

[0009] In the chip system provided in the above embodiment, the first controller is further specifically used to control the first switch to connect the GPS L5 front end and the first antenna after determining that the GPS L5 front end is working and the cellular front end is idle.

[0010] In the chip system provided in the above embodiment, the first controller is also specifically used to connect the cellular front end and the second antenna (for example, antennas T1 and T2) after determining that the GPS L5 front end is working, the cellular front end occupies the first antenna, and the cellular front end has other available antennas, and the second antenna is different from the first antenna.

[0011] At this time, after determining to allocate the shared antenna originally occupied by the cellular front end to the GPS L5 front end, the electronic device can also connect the cellular front end and other available antennas through the first controller so that the service on the cellular front end is not interrupted.

[0012] In the chip system provided in the above embodiment, the first controller is also specifically used to control the cellular front end to enter a low power consumption mode after determining that the GPS L5 front end is working, the cellular front end occupies the first antenna, the cellular front end has no other available antennas, and the priority of the first service processed by the cellular front end is lower than the priority of the second service processed by the GPS L5 front end.

[0013] At this time, in a scenario where there are no other available antennas in the cellular front end, after allocating the shared antenna to the GPS L5 front end, the electronic device can also control the cellular front end to enter a low power consumption mode, operate with low power consumption, or suspend the cellular front end through the first controller.

[0014] In the chip system provided in the above embodiment, an antenna mapping table is stored in the first controller, which records the working frequency band of the cellular front end and one or more antennas supporting the working frequency band; the first controller is specifically used to determine whether the cellular front end has other available antennas based on one or more antennas supporting the working frequency band.

[0015] Optionally, the antenna mapping table may also be stored in a modem. In this case, the first controller may obtain the antenna mapping table from the modem.

[0016] In the chip system provided in the above embodiment, the chip system also includes a modem, the first controller is arranged outside the modem, the first controller is connected to the modem, and the first controller is also connected to the GPS L5 front end; the first controller is specifically used to obtain the level of the control signal of the low noise amplifier LNA of the GPS L5 front end sent by the radio frequency integrated circuit RFIC; when the level of the control signal is high, it is determined that the GPS L5 front end is working; when the level of the control signal is low, it is determined that the GPS L5 front end is idle.

[0017] In the chip system provided in the above embodiment, the first controller is connected to the RFIC; the first controller is specifically used to obtain the front-end control instruction issued by the RFIC; and determine whether the cellular front end occupies the first antenna according to the front-end control instruction.

[0018] In the chip system provided in the above embodiment, the chip system also includes a tuner, which is arranged between the first switch and the first antenna, and the first controller is connected to the tuner; the first controller is also used to set the tuner to match the working frequency band of the cellular front end when controlling the first switch to connect the cellular front end and the first antenna; when controlling the first switch to connect the GPS L5 front end and the first antenna, the tuner is set to match the working frequency band of the GPS L5 front end.

[0019] In the chip system provided in the above embodiment, the chip system further includes a modem, and the first controller is arranged in the modem. The first controller is specifically used to obtain the status of the cellular front end and the GPS L5 front end from the modem.

[0020] In the chip system provided in the above embodiment, the chip system also includes a tuner, which is arranged between the first switch and the first antenna, and the modem is connected to the tuner; the modem is also used to set the tuner to match the working frequency band of the cellular front end when controlling the first switch to connect the cellular front end and the first antenna; when controlling the first switch to connect the GPS L5 front end and the first antenna, the tuner is set to match the working frequency band of the GPS L5 front end.

[0021] In a second aspect, the present application provides an electronic device, comprising a chip system and one or more memories described in the first aspect and any possible implementation method of the first aspect; wherein the chip system is coupled to one or more processors, and the one or more memories are used to store computer programs.

[0022] It can be understood that the electronic device provided in the second aspect includes the chip system provided in the present application. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can refer to the beneficial effects in the corresponding method, which will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1A This is a schematic diagram of the antenna distribution of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 1B This is another schematic diagram of terminal device antenna distribution provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of a radio frequency front end of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 3A-3D is a schematic diagram of a group of radio frequency front-end multiplexing antennas provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of a flow chart of an antenna multiplexing controller controlling antenna multiplexing provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 5A-Figure 5B It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the radio frequency front end of two other terminal devices provided in the embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The terms used in the following embodiments of the present application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present application.

[0030] With the evolution of communication technology, terminal devices require more antennas to meet the increasing RF requirements.

[0031] Figure 1A This is a schematic diagram of the antenna distribution of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0032] like Figure 1A As shown, the terminal equipment supporting cellular communication such as 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth (BT), near field communication (NFC), ultrawide band (UWB) and other near field wireless communication, and global positioning system (GPS) includes at least:

[0033] Cellular medium and high frequency main (MHB Main) antenna, cellular medium and high frequency diversity (MHB Div) antenna;

[0034] Cellular mid-high frequency multiple-input multiple-output main set (MHB MIMO PRX) antenna, cellular mid-high frequency multiple-input multiple-output diversity (MHB MIMO DRX) antenna;

[0035] N78 diversity (N78 DRX) antenna, N78 multiple-input multiple-output diversity (N78 MIMO DRX) antenna;

[0036] N79 diversity (N79 DRX) antenna, N79 multiple-input multiple-output diversity (N79 MIMO DRX) antenna;

[0037] Low-frequency main (LB Main) antenna, low-frequency diversity (LB Div) antenna;

[0038] Global Positioning System L1 Band (GPS L1) Antenna, Global Positioning System L5 Band (GPS L5) Antenna.

[0039] Among them, the MHB Main antenna can also be connected to the Sub6 Main RF front end (hereinafter referred to as the front end). Therefore, this antenna can also be called the Sub6 Main antenna; similarly, the MHB MIMO PRX antenna can also be connected to the Sub6 Multiple Input Multiple Output Main Set (Sub6 MIMO PRX) front end, and this antenna can also be called the Sub6 MIMO PRX antenna.

[0040] With the development of design orientations such as full screens, multi-camera modules, large batteries, and large-area fingerprint recognition, the space left for antennas in terminal devices is getting smaller and smaller, while the number of antennas is increasing. This leads to a continuous decrease in the clearance of a single antenna, affecting antenna efficiency, which in turn leads to reduced transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) performance, poor connection signals, and other problems.

[0041] Therefore, it is necessary to design an antenna reuse strategy to reduce the number of antennas in the terminal device and increase the clearance of a single antenna.

[0042] In the scenario where the structures of the existing antennas are not changed, the GPS L5 front end can reuse an antenna with the MHB Div front end. In view of this, the present application provides an antenna reuse method for the GPS L5 front end and the MHB Div front end.

[0043] In this method, the GPS L5 front end and the MHB Div front end can be connected to one antenna through a switch. Figure 1BAs shown, the terminal device can cancel the independent GPS L5 antenna on the left edge of the original device. The antenna on the upper edge of the original device used for MHB Div is also used for GPS L5. On this basis, the terminal device can control the switch to connect the GPS L5 RF front end and the antenna to allocate the antenna to the GPS L5 front end, or control the switch to connect the MHB Div front end and the antenna to allocate the antenna to the MHB Div RF front end, so as to achieve time division multiplexing of GPS L5 and MHB Div using one antenna.

[0044] In this way, the terminal device can reduce the total number of antennas, increase the clearance of a single antenna, and then improve the efficiency of each antenna, improve the performance of Tx and Rx, and ultimately improve the communication quality.

[0045] The terminal device is not limited to mobile phones, and can also be a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a cellular phone, a wearable device, a vehicle-mounted device, a smart home device and / or a smart city device. The embodiments of the present application do not impose any special restrictions on the specific type of the electronic device.

[0046] Figure 2 It is a structural diagram of a radio frequency front end of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0047] like Figure 2 As shown, the terminal device may include an application processor (AP, also known as a system on a chip SoC), a modem, an antenna multiplexing controller (ant controller), a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), a radio frequency front end and an antenna.

[0048] Among them, the RF front end includes a transmitting front end, a cellular medium and high frequency main set (MHB Main) receiving front end, a cellular medium and high frequency diversity (MHB Div) receiving front end and a GPS L5 front end.

[0049] like Figure 2 As shown, the transmitting front end includes "RFIC-power amplifier (PA)-RF switch-filter-antenna routing"; the MHB Main receiving front end includes "RFIC-low noise amplifier (LNA)-filter-antenna routing"; the MHB Div receiving front end includes "RFIC-LNA-filter"; the GPS L5 front end includes "RFIC-filter-LNA-filter". The side of the RF front end away from the RFIC is connected to the antenna, and then receives / transmits signals through the antenna.

[0050] Services based on cellular communications such as 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G can be called cellular services (first services). Cellular services specifically include cellular uplink services and cellular downlink services. The transmitting front end can be used to process cellular uplink services. The MHB Main receiving front end and the MHB Div receiving front end can be used to process cellular downlink services. Therefore, the transmitting front end, the MHB Main receiving front end and the MHBDiv receiving front end can be collectively referred to as the cellular front end. When the terminal device processes cellular services, the cellular front end needs to be connected to the antenna to receive / transmit through the antenna.

[0051] The positioning and navigation service based on GPS may be referred to as the GPS service (second service). In some embodiments, when the terminal device processes the GPS service, by default, the GPS L5 front end needs to be connected to the antenna. The terminal device may improve the accuracy of the GPS service based on the signal on the L5 frequency band. In other embodiments, the GPS service may be specifically divided into ordinary service and high-precision service. Among them, the high-precision service depends on the GPS L5 front end. That is, when the terminal device processes the high-precision service, the GPS L5 front end needs to be connected to the antenna.

[0052] like Figure 2 As shown, the antenna includes antenna T1, antenna T2, and antenna T3. Antenna T1 can be Figure 1A The MHB Main antenna is shown. Antenna T2 can be Figure 1A The MHB MIMO PRX antenna shown in Figure 1 is a shared antenna between the MHB Div front end and the GPS L5 front end. Figure 1B The MHB Div+L5 antenna at the upper edge of the device is shown as a shared antenna.

[0053] A plurality of antenna switches are provided between the RF front end and the antenna, such as switches K1, K2, and K3 (first switch). The switches K1, K2, and K3 are, for example, single-pole double-throw (SPDT) switches. Through one or more of the switches K1 to K3, the transmitting front end can occupy any one of antennas T2 and T3 to transmit uplink signals, the MHB Main receiving front end can occupy any one of antennas T2 and T3 to receive downlink signals, and the MHB Div receiving front end and the GPS L5 front end can choose to connect to antenna T3 and occupy antenna T3 in a time-sharing manner.

[0054] Specifically, Figure 3A As shown, when ports a1 and a2 are connected, the transmitting front end / cellular MHB Main receiving front end can be connected to antenna T2 through switch K1. At this time, the transmitting front end can occupy antenna T2 to transmit uplink signals, and the cellular MHB Main receiving front end can occupy antenna T2 to receive downlink signals. Figure 3BAs shown, when ports a1 and a3 are connected, b1 and b3 are connected, and c1 and c3 are connected, the transmitting front end / cellular MHB Main receiving front end can be connected to antenna T3 through switches K1 to K3. At this time, the transmitting front end can occupy antenna T3 to transmit uplink signals, and the cellular MHB Main receiving front end can occupy antenna T3 to receive downlink signals. Figure 3C As shown, when ports b2 and b3 are connected, and c1 and c3 are connected, the cellular MHB Div receiving front end can be connected to antenna T3 through switches K2 and K3, occupying antenna T3 to receive downlink signals. Figure 3D As shown, when ports c2 and c3 are connected, the front end of GPS L5 can be connected to antenna T3 through switch K3, occupying antenna T3 to receive downlink signals.

[0055] The antenna multiplexing controller can obtain the following information: cellular front-end status, GPS L5 front-end status, antenna mapping table, cellular service priority, GPS service priority, and set switches K1~K3 according to the above information to achieve Figure 3A-3D The different combinations of the RF front end and the antenna shown realize the reuse of the antenna T3 (shared antenna). The antenna reuse controller is also called the first controller.

[0056] The cellular front-end status first includes working and idle. In the scenario where the cellular front-end is working, the cellular front-end status also specifically includes: working with a shared antenna and working without a shared antenna. Since the usable antennas of the GPS L5 front-end only include shared antennas, the GPS L5 front-end status only includes working and idle. The GPS L5 front-end working means that the GPS L5 front-end occupies the shared antenna to work.

[0057] The modem can set the cellular front-end status and the GPS L5 front-end status through the RFIC. The instruction sent by the modem to the RFIC to instruct the RFIC to set the cellular front-end status and the GPS L5 front-end status can be called an RFIC control instruction. The instruction sent by the RFIC to the radio frequency front end to set the cellular front-end status and the GPS L5 front-end status can be called a front-end control instruction. Among them, the front-end control instruction for setting the cellular front-end status can be called a cellular front-end control instruction, and the front-end control instruction for setting the GPS L5 front-end status can be called a GPS L5 front-end control instruction.

[0058] The antenna multiplexing controller can obtain RFIC control instructions from the modem, and / or obtain cellular front-end control instructions from RFIC, and determine the cellular front-end status according to the above RFIC control instructions and / or cellular front-end control instructions: idle / working but not occupying the shared antenna, working and occupying the shared antenna. Among them, occupying the shared antenna includes occupying the shared antenna to transmit and occupying the shared antenna to receive. Similarly, the antenna multiplexing controller can obtain RFIC control instructions from the modem, and / or obtain GPS L5 front-end control instructions from RFIC, and determine the GPS L5 front-end status according to the above RFIC control instructions and / or GPS L5 front-end control instructions: idle / working.

[0059] The modem stores an antenna mapping table. The antenna mapping table records multiple operating frequency bands of the cellular front end and the available antennas corresponding to each operating frequency band. Table 1 is an antenna mapping table provided exemplarily in an embodiment of the present application.

[0060] Table 1

[0061]

[0062] Band 1 may be an operating frequency band of the cellular front end. As shown in Table 1, when the cellular front end operates in Band 1, the cellular front end may receive / transmit using any one of antennas 0 to 4.

[0063] The antenna reuse controller can obtain the antenna mapping table from the modem. When it is identified that the cellular front end occupies the shared antenna, the antenna reuse controller can further determine whether the cellular front end has other available antennas based on the antenna mapping table. When the working frequency band of the cellular front end has multiple available antennas, and there is at least one idle antenna in addition to the shared antenna currently occupied by the cellular front end, the antenna reuse controller can determine that the cellular front end has other available antennas, and can control the cellular front end to connect to other available antennas, thereby releasing the shared antenna.

[0064] In some embodiments, the antenna mapping table may also be preset in the antenna multiplexing controller. In this case, the antenna multiplexing controller does not need to obtain the antenna mapping table from the modem.

[0065] The priority of each communication service is recorded in the AP / modem. The priority can be represented by a floating point number from 0 to 1 (0 means the lowest priority and 1 means the highest priority). The antenna multiplexing controller can obtain the priority of cellular services and GPS services from the modem / AP. It can be understood that when there is no cellular service to be processed, the cellular front end is idle and the priority of the cellular service is 0 or an invalid value. Similarly, when there is no GPS service or high-precision service to be processed, the GPS L5 front end is idle and the priority of the GPS service or high-precision service is 0 or an invalid value.

[0066] like Figure 2 As shown, the AP may also include a policy module (Policy). The policy module stores a shared antenna arbitration policy. The antenna reuse controller may obtain the shared antenna arbitration policy from the policy module. Table 2 is a shared antenna arbitration policy provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0067] Table 2

[0068]

[0069] The antenna multiplexing controller can decide to allocate the shared antenna to the cellular front end or the GPS L5 front end based on the acquired information such as the cellular front end status, the GPS L5 front end status, the antenna mapping table, the cellular service priority, the GPS service priority and the shared antenna arbitration strategy, and then set K1~K3 according to the above arbitration results, so that the cellular front end or the GPS L5 front end is connected to the shared antenna and occupies the shared antenna.

[0070] After deciding to allocate the shared antenna to the cellular front end, the antenna multiplexing controller can set switches K1 to K3 through channels 3 to 5 to couple the shared antenna to the cellular front end (refer to Figure 3B and Figure 3C ). At the same time, the antenna multiplexing controller can set the tuner state through channel 6 to adapt it to the cellular operating frequency band.

[0071] After deciding to allocate the shared antenna to the GPS L5 front end, the antenna multiplexing controller can set switches K1 to K3 through channels 3 to 5 to couple the shared antenna to the GPS L5 front end (refer to Figure 3D At the same time, the antenna multiplexing controller can set the tuner status through channel 6 to adapt it to the GPS L5 working frequency band; send a low power mode (LPM) switching instruction to the cellular front end through channels 1 and 2 to control the cellular front end to enter LPM, or control the cellular front end to connect to other antennas through channels 1 to 4 to use other antennas for transmission and reception.

[0072] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of a flow chart of an antenna multiplexing controller controlling antenna multiplexing provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0073] S101: Determine the cellular front end status.

[0074] The antenna multiplexing controller can obtain RFIC control instructions from the modem and / or obtain cellular front-end control instructions from RFIC, and determine the cellular front-end status according to the above RFIC control instructions and / or cellular front-end control instructions: idle / working but not occupying the shared antenna, working and occupying the shared antenna.

[0075] RFIC can determine whether the cellular front end is working and the working parameters of the cellular front end according to the RFIC control instructions sent by the modem. After confirming that the cellular front end is working, RFIC can send control instructions to one or more devices in the cellular front end (such as RF switches, filters, antenna routing) and switches K1~K3, so that the data packets output by the modem are transmitted through antenna T1 / T2 / T3 after being processed by the cellular front end (transmitting front end); or (MHB Main receiving front end, MHB Div receiving front end) processes the signals received by antenna T1 / T2 / T3 and reports them to the modem. When the cellular front end is idle, RFIC can set the devices in the cellular front end to enter LPM.

[0076] Based on different instructions corresponding to different states, the antenna multiplexing controller determines the cellular front-end state through the above instructions: working / idle, and specifically determines whether the cellular front-end in the working state occupies the shared antenna (T3) to work. For example, when the PA, RF switch, filter, and antenna routing are all turned on, and switches K1 to K3 are kept Figure 3B When the LNA and filter in the MHB Div receiving front end are turned on and switches K1 to K3 are kept Figure 3C When the cellular front ends are in the connected state shown, the antenna reuse controller can determine that the cellular front ends occupy the shared antenna for reception. When the cellular front ends are all in LPM, the antenna reuse controller can determine that the cellular front ends are idle.

[0077] S102: Determine the GPS L5 front-end status.

[0078] The antenna multiplexing controller may obtain RFIC control instructions from the modem and / or obtain GPS L5 front-end control instructions from the RFIC, and determine the GPS L5 front-end state: idle / working according to the above RFIC control instructions and / or GPS L5 front-end control instructions.

[0079] Compared with the cellular front end, the GPS L5 front end has a simple structure. Therefore, preferably, the antenna multiplexing controller can obtain the level of the control signal sent by the RFIC to any device in the GPS L5 front end (such as LNA, filter, etc.), and determine the state of the GPS L5 front end by the level of the above control signal. Taking LNA as an example, when the level of the control signal sent by the RFIC to the LNA is high, the antenna multiplexing controller can determine that the GPS L5 front end is in a working state; conversely, when the level of the control signal sent by the RFIC to the LNA is low, the antenna multiplexing controller can determine that the GPS L5 front end is in an idle state. The working state corresponds to the GPS L5 front end occupying the shared antenna. The idle state corresponds to the GPS L5 front end not needing to occupy the shared antenna.

[0080] The antenna multiplexing controller can obtain the output level of the GPS L5 front-end device through the General Purpose Input / Output (GPIO) interface or the mobile industry processor interface (MIPI) to determine the GPS L5 front-end state. Not limited to GPIO and MIPI, the antenna multiplexing controller can also obtain the GPS L5 front-end state through the inter-integrated circuit (I2C) interface, the universal asynchronous receiver / transmitter (UART) interface, the serial peripheral interface (SPI), etc. to determine whether the GPS L5 front-end is working or idle. The embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0081] S103: Obtain an antenna mapping table to determine whether the shared antenna is the only transceiver antenna of the cellular front end.

[0082] The antenna multiplexing controller can obtain the antenna mapping table from the modem / antenna multiplexing controller, and determine whether the shared antenna (T3) is the only transceiver antenna of the cellular front end through the antenna mapping table, that is, whether the cellular front end has other available antennas.

[0083] Referring to Table 1, assuming that the current operating frequency band of the cellular front end is Band 1, the cellular front end is using antenna 3 (i.e. antenna T3, also known as the shared antenna) for transmission / reception. As shown in Table 1, the antennas supporting Band 1 also include antennas 0 to 2, and antennas 0 to 2 are not occupied by other front ends. At this time, the antenna multiplexing controller can determine that the shared antenna is not the only transceiver antenna of the cellular front end, and the cellular front end can also use any one of antennas 0 to 2 for transmission / reception.

[0084] S104: Obtain cellular service priority and GPS service priority.

[0085] According to the service scenarios, cellular services can be further divided into voice call services, video call services, game services, audio and video on demand services, web access services, file download services, etc. Cellular services in different service scenarios have different latency requirements and data throughput, so the urgency of the demand for antennas is also different, that is, the priority is different.

[0086] The AP / modem can determine the priority of cellular services according to the service scenarios of the cellular services. Among them, the cellular services with smaller latency and larger data throughput have higher priority.

[0087] On the other hand, the AP / modem can also determine the priority of the cellular service based on the current signal strength. Among them, the cellular service with lower current signal strength has higher priority. The signal strength can be determined by one or more of the carrier received signal strength (Received Signal Strength Indication, RSSI), signal to interference plus noise ratio (Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio, SINR), reference signal received power (Reference Signal Receiving Power, RSRP), and reference signal received quality (Reference Signal Receiving Quality, RSRQ).

[0088] For example, the AP / modem may determine that the priority of the video call service with low current cellular signal strength is 1.0, the priority of the video call service with high cellular signal strength is 0.8, the priority of the audio and video on-demand service with low cellular signal strength is 0.4, the priority of the audio and video on-demand service with high cellular signal strength is 0.1... and so on. I will not list them one by one here.

[0089] The AP / modem can determine the priority of GPS services based on the service scenario (normal service / high-precision service) and accuracy of the GPS service. In the normal service scenario (no GPS L5 signal is required), the priority of GPS services can be 0. In the high-precision service scenario, the higher the accuracy, the higher the priority of GPS services. For example, the priority of precise positioning within an error of 10 meters can be 0.6; the priority of precise positioning within an error of 1 meter can be 0.9... and so on. I will not list them one by one here.

[0090] S105: Determine to allocate the shared antenna to the GPS L5 front end or the cellular front end.

[0091] According to the cellular front-end status, GPS L5 front-end status, antenna mapping table, cellular service priority, GPS service priority and shared antenna arbitration strategy shown in Table 2 obtained in S101 to S104, the antenna multiplexing controller can determine whether to allocate the shared antenna to the GPS L5 front-end or the cellular front-end.

[0092] As shown in Table 2, when the GPS L5 front end status indicates that the GPS L5 front end is idle, the antenna multiplexing controller can determine to allocate the shared antenna to the cellular front end. When the GPS L5 front end status indicates that the GPS L5 front end is working, the antenna multiplexing controller can further confirm the cellular front end status, the antenna mapping table and the priority of the cellular service and the GPS service.

[0093] Specifically, when the GPS L5 front-end status indicates that the GPS L5 front-end is working, the cellular front-end status indicates that the cellular occupies the shared antenna (transmit / receive), and the antenna mapping table indicates that the cellular front-end has other available antennas, the antenna multiplexing controller may determine to allocate the shared antenna to the GPS L5 front-end. When the GPS L5 front-end status indicates that the GPS L5 front-end is working, the cellular front-end status indicates that the cellular is occupied, and the antenna mapping table indicates that the cellular front-end has no other available antennas, the antenna multiplexing controller may determine to allocate the shared antenna to the front-end that handles high-priority services. For example, when the priority of the cellular service is higher than the priority of the GPS service, the antenna multiplexing controller may determine to allocate the shared antenna to the GPS L5 front-end that handles the GPS service, otherwise, the antenna multiplexing controller may determine to allocate the shared antenna to the cellular front-end that handles the cellular service.

[0094] S106: After determining to allocate the shared antenna to the GPS L5 front end, set switches K1-K3 to couple the shared antenna to the GPS L5 front end.

[0095] The antenna multiplexing controller can set switches K1 to K3 through channels 3 to 5 to couple the shared antenna to the GPS L5 front end (reference Figure 3D At the same time, the antenna multiplexing controller can set the tuner state through channel 6 to adapt it to the GPSL5 working frequency band; send a low power mode (LPM) switching instruction to the cellular front end through channels 1 and 2 to control the cellular front end to enter LPM, or control the cellular front end to connect to other antennas through channels 1 to 4 to use other antennas for transmission and reception.

[0096] When the antenna mapping table indicates that the cellular front end has other available antennas, the antenna reuse controller can control the cellular front end to connect to other antennas through channels 1 to 4 and use other antennas for transceiving. For example, the antenna reuse controller can set the cellular front end to connect to antenna T2 through channels 2 and 3, so that the cellular front end can continue to use antenna T2 for receiving / transmitting.

[0097] When the antenna mapping table indicates that the cellular front end has no other available antennas, the line multiplexing controller can send LPM switching instructions to the cellular front end through channels 1 and 2 to control the cellular front end to enter LPM. After that, the antenna multiplexing controller no longer transparently transmits the cellular front end control instructions from the RFIC to the cellular front end, but sends the LPM instructions preset in the antenna multiplexing controller to the cellular front end.

[0098] S107: After determining to allocate the shared antenna to the cellular front end, setting switches K1 to K3 to couple the shared antenna to the cellular front end.

[0099] The antenna multiplexing controller can set switches K1 to K3 through channels 3 to 5 to couple the shared antenna to the cellular front end (reference Figure 3B and Figure 3C ). At the same time, the antenna multiplexing controller can set the tuner state through channel 6 to adapt it to the cellular operating frequency band.

[0100] When the transmitting front end / MHB Main front end is working, the antenna multiplexing controller can set switches K1 to K3 to make them Figure 3B In the connected state shown, the shared antenna is coupled to the transmitting front end / MHB Main front end for use by the transmitting front end / MHB Main front end. When the MHB Div front end is working, the antenna multiplexing controller can set switches K2 to K3 to make them Figure 3C The connected state shown couples the shared antenna to the MHB Div front end for use by the MHB Div front end.

[0101] Figure 5A It is a structural schematic diagram of another terminal device radio frequency front end provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0102] like Figure 5A As shown, the antenna multiplexing controller can also be integrated into the modem. In this case, based on the modem's own RF front-end management capabilities and existing signaling, the modem can directly send control instructions to the RFIC to control the RFIC to set the RF front end, connect the cellular front end with the shared antenna, or connect the GPS L5 front end with the shared antenna. At the same time, the modem can send control instructions to the tuner to adapt it to the cellular operating frequency band or the GPS L5 operating frequency band. Figure 5B In some embodiments, the modem may also send a control instruction for setting a tuner to the RFIC instead of directly setting the tuner.

[0103] At this time, the antenna multiplexing controller does not need to take over and replace the control instructions issued by the modem and RFIC. It only needs to perform antenna arbitration according to the shared antenna arbitration strategy to determine whether the shared antenna will be allocated to the cellular front end or the GPS L5 front end, which is conducive to reducing signaling development costs.

[0104] On the other hand, based on internal communication, the antenna multiplexing controller can more easily obtain the cellular front-end status, GPS L5 front-end status, antenna mapping table, cellular service priority, and GPS service priority from the modem.

[0105] like Figure 5A and Figure 5BAs shown, the policy module (Policy) can also be set in the modem. In this case, the antenna reuse controller can obtain the shared antenna arbitration strategy from the modem. Similarly, the shared antenna arbitration strategy can also be preset in the antenna reuse controller.

[0106] As used in the specification and appended claims of the present application, the singular expressions "a", "an", "said", "above", "the" and "this" are intended to also include plural expressions, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" used in the present application refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more of the listed items. As used in the above embodiments, the term "when..." may be interpreted to mean "if..." or "after..." or "in response to determining..." or "in response to detecting...", depending on the context. Similarly, the phrase "when determining..." or "if (stated condition or event) is detected" may be interpreted to mean "if determining..." or "in response to determining..." or "when (stated condition or event) is detected" or "in response to detecting (stated condition or event)", depending on the context.

[0107] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from a website site, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode to another website site, computer, server or data center. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that contains one or more available media integration. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid-state hard disk), etc.

[0108] Those skilled in the art can understand that to implement all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiments, the processes can be completed by computer programs to instruct related hardware, and the programs can be stored in computer-readable storage media. When the programs are executed, they can include the processes of the above-mentioned method embodiments. The aforementioned storage media include: ROM or random access memory RAM, magnetic disk or optical disk and other media that can store program codes.

Claims

1. A chip system, wherein the chip system is applied to electronic equipment, It is characterized in that The chip system includes a cellular front end, a global positioning system GPS L5 front end, a first switch, and a first controller; The cellular front end and the GPS L5 front end select to connect to the first antenna through the first switch; The first controller is used to control the first switch to connect the cellular front end and the first antenna, or control the first switch to connect the GPS L5 front end and the first antenna.

2. The chip system according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The first controller is specifically used for: After determining that the GPS L5 front end is working, the cellular front end occupies the first antenna, and the cellular front end has other available antennas, the first switch is controlled to connect the GPS L5 front end and the first antenna.

3. The chip system according to claim 1 or 2, It is characterized in that The first controller is further specifically configured to: After determining that the GPS L5 front end is working, the cellular front end occupies the first antenna, the cellular front end has no other available antennas, and the priority of the first service processed by the cellular front end is higher than the priority of the second service processed by the GPS L5 front end, controlling the first switch to connect the cellular front end and the first antenna; After determining that the GPS L5 front end is working, the cellular front end occupies the first antenna, the cellular front end has no other available antennas, and the priority of the first service processed by the cellular front end is lower than the priority of the second service processed by the GPS L5 front end, the first switch is controlled to connect the GPS L5 front end and the first antenna.

4. The chip system according to claim 2, It is characterized in that The first controller is further specifically configured to: After determining that the GPS L5 front end is working, the cellular front end occupies the first antenna, and the cellular front end has other available antennas, the cellular front end and a second antenna are connected, and the second antenna is different from the first antenna.

5. The chip system according to claim 3, It is characterized in that The first controller is further specifically configured to: After determining that the GPS L5 front end is working, the cellular front end occupies the first antenna, the cellular front end has no other available antennas, and the priority of the first service processed by the cellular front end is lower than the priority of the second service processed by the GPS L5 front end, the cellular front end is controlled to enter a low power consumption mode.

6. The chip system according to any one of claims 2 to 5, It is characterized in that The first controller stores an antenna mapping table, wherein the antenna mapping table records the working frequency band of the cellular front end and one or more antennas supporting the working frequency band; The first controller is specifically configured to determine whether the cellular front end has other available antennas according to the one or more antennas supporting the working frequency band.

7. The chip system according to any one of claims 2 to 6, It is characterized in that The chip system further includes a modem, the first controller is arranged outside the modem, the first controller is connected to the modem, and the first controller is also connected to the GPS L5 front end; The first controller is specifically used for: Obtaining the level of a control signal sent by a radio frequency integrated circuit RFIC to a low noise amplifier LNA of the GPS L5 front end; When the level of the control signal is at a high level, it is determined that the GPS L5 front end is working; when the level of the control signal is at a low level, it is determined that the GPS L5 front end is idle.

8. The chip system according to claim 7, It is characterized in that The first controller is in communication with the RFIC; The first controller is specifically used for: Obtaining a front-end control instruction issued by the RFIC; Determine whether the cellular front end occupies the first antenna according to the front end control instruction.

9. The chip system according to claim 7 or 8, It is characterized in that The chip system further includes a tuner, which is disposed between the first switch and the first antenna, and the first controller is in communication with the tuner; The first controller is further configured to: When controlling the first switch to connect the cellular front end and the first antenna, setting a tuner to match the operating frequency band of the cellular front end; When the first switch is controlled to connect the GPS L5 front end and the first antenna, a tuner is set to match the working frequency band of the GPS L5 front end.

10. The chip system according to any one of claims 2 to 6, It is characterized in that The chip system further includes a modem, and the first controller is arranged in the modem. The first controller is specifically used for: The status of the cellular front end and the GPS L5 front end are obtained from the modem.

11. The chip system according to claim 10, It is characterized in that The chip system further includes a tuner, which is disposed between the first switch and the first antenna, and the modem is connected to the tuner; The modem is also used to: When controlling the first switch to connect the cellular front end and the first antenna, setting a tuner to match the operating frequency band of the cellular front end; When the first switch is controlled to connect the GPS L5 front end and the first antenna, a tuner is set to match the working frequency band of the GPS L5 front end.

12. The chip system according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The cellular front end includes one or more of the following: a transmitting front end, a cellular medium-high frequency main set front end, and a cellular medium-high frequency diversity front end.

13. An electronic device, It is characterized in that It comprises a chip system as described in any one of claims 1-12 and one or more memories; wherein the chip system is coupled to the one or more processors, and the one or more memories are used to store computer programs.

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