Phased array system, method, device and communication system

Abstract

Provided are a phased array system, method, device and communication system, the phased array system comprising: a radio frequency chain for generating a radio frequency signal; the one or more radio frequency filters are connected with the radio frequency chain and are used for decomposing the radio frequency signal into a plurality of sub-band signals; the antenna channel comprises a plurality of sub-channels, the plurality of sub-channels are connected with the radio frequency filter respectively, and the plurality of sub-channels are used for modulating the plurality of sub-band signals entering the plurality of sub-channels respectively to generate a plurality of modulated sub-signals; the antenna channel also comprises a combiner which is arranged at the output ends of the plurality of sub-channels and is used for combining the plurality of modulation sub-signals generated by the plurality of sub-channels. And the antenna array is arranged at the output end of the combiner and is used for transmitting the combined signal. According to the invention, the influence of beam offset or splitting caused by the broadband effect is reduced, the transmitting beam and the working bandwidth are decoupled, and the flexibility of beam and bandwidth combination is improved.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] With the rapid development of the communications industry, especially personal mobile communications, the low-end frequencies of the radio spectrum are becoming saturated. Even using Gaussian-filtered minimum shift keying modulation or various multiple access technologies to expand communication system capacity and improve spectrum utilization cannot meet the needs of future communications development. Therefore, achieving high-speed, broadband wireless communications will inevitably require the development of new spectrum resources in the microwave high-frequency band. Millimeter waves, with their short wavelength and wide bandwidth, can effectively solve many problems facing high-speed, broadband wireless access, and therefore have broad application prospects in short-range wireless communications.

[0003] In practical applications, the advantages of millimeter waves (high frequencies) are high capacity (large bandwidth), low latency, and high resolution. However, their disadvantage is severe path loss. Therefore, millimeter wave (high frequency) communication systems require beamforming to achieve high diversity gain to combat path loss. Currently, millimeter wave communication systems typically use hybrid beamforming, which includes both digital and analog components. Analog beamforming is implemented using phased arrays. Phased arrays typically refer to electronically scanned arrays (ESAs), a computer-controlled antenna array that generates radio beams and can be electronically directed in different directions without moving the antennas.

[0004] Phased array AiP (Antenna in Package) modules overcome the low output and efficiency issues of high-frequency amplifiers by using the same number (or proportional number) of amplifiers as the antenna elements. However, the broadband effect caused by the increased analog signal bandwidth or the increased number of antennas corresponding to a single RF chain cannot be avoided, resulting in severe beam deviation or splitting. Beam deviation or splitting further leads to array gain loss in ultra-wideband communication systems, limiting their achievable capacity. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The main purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a phased array system, method, device and communication system to reduce the impact of beam deviation or splitting caused by broadband effects, decouple the transmit beam from the operating bandwidth, and improve the flexibility of beam and bandwidth combinations.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a phased array system, comprising:

[0007] One or more radio frequency chains for generating radio frequency signals;

[0008] a radio frequency filter, connected to the radio frequency chain, and configured to decompose the radio frequency signal into a plurality of sub-band signals;

[0009] an antenna channel, the antenna channel comprising a plurality of sub-channels, the plurality of sub-channels being respectively connected to the radio frequency filters, the plurality of sub-channels being used to respectively modulate the plurality of sub-band signals respectively entering the plurality of sub-channels to generate a plurality of modulated sub-signals;

[0010] The antenna channel further includes a combiner, which is provided at the output end of the plurality of sub-channels and is used for combining the plurality of modulated sub-signals generated by the plurality of sub-channels;

[0011] The antenna array is arranged at the output end of the combiner and is used to transmit the combined signals.

[0012] In one embodiment, the RF filter includes a first RF filter and a second RF filter, and the output signal frequency of the first RF filter is greater than the output signal frequency of the second RF filter; the output signals of the first RF filter and the second RF filter are respectively modulated by corresponding sub-channels, and then combined by the combiner to generate a combined signal.

[0013] In one embodiment, each of the plurality of sub-channels is configured with a phase shifter; the phase shifter is used to perform phase modulation processing on the sub-band signal entering the corresponding sub-channel, so as to respectively adjust the beam direction of the sub-band signal.

[0014] In one embodiment, the multiple sub-channels are respectively configured with attenuators; the attenuators are connected to the phase shifters of the corresponding sub-channels, and are used to perform amplitude modulation processing on the sub-band signals after phase modulation processing, so as to respectively adjust the main-sidelobe ratio of the beam of the sub-band signal.

[0015] In one embodiment, the multiple sub-channels are respectively configured with a power amplifier; the power amplifier is used to perform power amplification processing on the modulated sub-signals generated by the corresponding sub-channels; and / or the power amplifier is connected to the input end of the combiner.

[0016] In one embodiment, the antenna channel is configured with a power amplifier; the power amplifier is connected to the output end of the combiner and is used to perform power amplification processing on the combined signal.

[0017] In one embodiment, the antenna channel is configured with an attenuator; the attenuator is connected to the output end of the combiner and is used to perform amplitude modulation processing on the combined signal to adjust the main-side lobe ratio of the beam of the combined signal.

[0018] In one embodiment, the phased array system is configured with initial analog weights, which are determined based on a first wavelength corresponding to a highest frequency supported by an operating bandwidth of the phased array system. The phased array system is further configured to perform phase reduction on the initial analog weights based on a second wavelength corresponding to a highest carrier frequency of an instantaneous bandwidth and a third wavelength corresponding to a center frequency of the instantaneous bandwidth to obtain current analog weights corresponding to the subband signals. Furthermore, the analog weights corresponding to different frequency points within the same instantaneous bandwidth of the phased array system are the same.

[0019] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a beam scanning method, which is applied to a network device including a phased array system as described in any of the above aspects, the method comprising: generating an original beam of a preset bandwidth through the RF chain; decomposing the original beam into a plurality of narrow beams with different emission bandwidths and different spatial directions through the antenna channel, the total bandwidth of the plurality of narrow beams being equal to the preset bandwidth of the original beam; emitting the plurality of narrow beams through the antenna array to form a beam scan in a specific spatial area; wherein the plurality of narrow beams are used to provide beam scanning for a terminal device, so that the terminal determines a target narrow beam matching the terminal device based on the scanning results of the plurality of narrow beams.

[0020] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an information transmission method, applied to a network device including a phased array system as described in any of the above aspects, the method comprising: generating an original beam of a preset bandwidth through the RF chain; splitting the original beam according to the preset bandwidth through the antenna channel to form frequency domain multi-peak beams of different bandwidths, and transmitting the frequency domain multi-peak beam through the antenna array;

[0021] Frequency domain beams with different bandwidths are used to transmit the information of terminal devices in different channels.

[0022] In one embodiment, the method further includes: the network device performing spatial isolation on the multi-peak beams of the same frequency band.

[0023] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, including:

[0024] at least one processor; and

[0025] a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor;

[0026] The memory stores instructions that can be executed by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor to enable the electronic device to execute the method described in any one of the above aspects.

[0027] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, comprising the phased array system described in any of the above aspects.

[0028] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions. When a processor executes the computer-executable instructions, the method described in any one of the above aspects is implemented.

[0029] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, including a computer program, which implements the method described in any of the above aspects when executed by a processor.

[0030] The phased array system, method, device, and communication system provided in the embodiments of the present application decompose the original RF signal into multiple sub-band signals by configuring an RF filter in the phased array, and configure a sub-channel for each sub-band signal in the antenna channel. Each sub-band signal is modulated and processed by the corresponding antenna sub-channel. The modulated sub-signals are combined and processed by the antenna channel before being transmitted through the antenna array. By decomposing the original RF signal into multiple sub-band signals, not only can the beam offset or splitting caused by the broadband effect be reduced when the original RF signal bandwidth is large, but the sub-band signals are modulated by their respective antenna sub-channels to form different beams in different carrier frequency bands, thereby decoupling the transmit beam from the operating bandwidth and improving the flexibility of beam and bandwidth combination. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The accompanying drawings are incorporated into and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present application, and together with the specification, are used to explain the principles of the present application. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention, and it is clear that those skilled in the art can derive other drawings based on these drawings without inventive effort.

[0032] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the architecture of a phased array system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of beam deviation or splitting caused by a broadband effect provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the architecture of a phased array system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the architecture of a phased array system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the architecture of a phased array system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the architecture of a phased array system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a flow chart of a beam scanning method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of beam scanning provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of beam scanning provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 10 A flowchart of an information transmission method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of information transmission in an NR millimeter wave system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 12 A schematic diagram of information transmission in an NR millimeter wave system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 13 A schematic diagram of information transmission in a MU-MIMO system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 14 A schematic diagram of information transmission during exercise provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 15 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Figure 16 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0048] The above drawings illustrate specific embodiments of the present application, which will be described in more detail below. These drawings and the textual description are not intended to limit the scope of the present application in any way, but rather to illustrate the concepts of the present application to those skilled in the art by reference to specific embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] Exemplary embodiments are described in detail herein, with examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, identical numerals in different drawings represent identical or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments are not intended to represent all embodiments consistent with this application.

[0050] The term "and / or" in this article is used to describe the association relationship of associated objects, specifically indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone.

[0051] It should be noted that the user information (including but not limited to user device information, user personal information, etc.) and data (including but not limited to data used for analysis, stored data, displayed data, etc.) involved in this application are all information and data authorized by the user or fully authorized by all parties, and the collection, use and processing of relevant data must comply with the relevant laws, regulations and standards of relevant countries and regions, and provide corresponding operation entrances for users to choose to authorize or refuse.

[0052] In order to clearly describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following definitions are given first:

[0053] OFDM orthogonal frequency divisition multiplexing. OFDM technology has a frequency division characteristic, that is, the carrier is split into many subcarriers in OFDM technology (which can be understood as splitting a wide frequency into many small frequencies), and the data to be transmitted is mapped on each subcarrier. OFDM technology has a multiplexing characteristic, that is, the data on each subcarrier in the OFDM system is transmitted simultaneously, which is called time multiplexing. The multiple subcarriers in the OFDM system have an orthogonal characteristic, that is, multiple subcarriers coexist in the OFDM system, and each subcarrier is independent of each other.

[0054] Beamforming is a signal preprocessing technology based on antenna arrays. Beamforming generates a directional beam by adjusting the weighting coefficients of each element in the antenna array, thereby achieving significant array gain. Therefore, beamforming offers significant advantages in expanding coverage, improving edge throughput, and mitigating interference. Simply put, beamforming involves changing the amplitude and phase of each transmitting antenna in an antenna array, concentrating the energy of the transmitted signal from all antennas in a certain direction and minimizing it in other directions.

[0055] Analog beam: Multiple antennas in a multi-antenna array share a digital link channel, but each antenna has an independent RF link channel (i.e., antenna channel). Therefore, each antenna channel needs to independently adjust the amplitude and phase of the transmitted signal on this channel. An analog beam is a beam that is generated after the phase and amplitude of the signal sent by the antenna are adjusted in the RF channel.

[0056] PS: Phase Shifter, phase shifter.

[0057] PA: Power Amplifier, power amplifier.

[0058] DA: Digital Attenuator, digital attenuator.

[0059] QAM: Quadrature Amplitude Modulation, orthogonal amplitude modulation.

[0060] OBW: Operation BandWidth, operating bandwidth, refers to the maximum operable bandwidth of a communication system.

[0061] IBW: Instantaneous BandWidth, instantaneous bandwidth, refers to the frequency band in which the RF module can simultaneously receive or transmit signals.

[0062] CC: Component Carrier.

[0063] LTCC: Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic, low temperature co-fired ceramic.

[0064] RSRP: Reference Signal Receiving Power, reference signal receiving power.

[0065] PUSCH: Physical Uplink Shared Channel, physical uplink shared channel.

[0066] PUCCH: Physical Uplink Control Channel, physical uplink control channel.

[0067] NR: New Radio.

[0068] MU-MIMO (Multi-User Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) refers to a wireless communication system in which a base station serves multiple mobile terminals simultaneously, making full use of the antenna's spatial resources to communicate with multiple users simultaneously.

[0069] EIRP: equivalent isotropically radiated power.

[0070] TRX: Tx / Rx (transmit / receive) antenna array, abbreviated as TRX.

[0071] The solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) systems, long term evolution (LTE) systems, fifth-generation (5G) communication systems, LTE and 5G hybrid architectures, 5G new radio (NR) systems, and new communication systems that will emerge in future communication developments.

[0072] The terminal device involved in the embodiments of the present application is an entity on the user side for receiving or transmitting signals. The terminal device may be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to the user, for example, a handheld device, a vehicle-mounted device, etc. with wireless connection function. The terminal device may also be other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. In different systems, the name of the terminal device may also be different. For example, in a 5G system, the terminal device may be called a user equipment (UE). The wireless terminal device can communicate with one or more core networks (CN) via a radio access network (RAN). The wireless terminal device may be a mobile terminal device, such as a mobile phone (or "cellular" phone) and a computer with a mobile terminal device, for example, a portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-built-in or vehicle-mounted mobile device, which exchanges language and / or data with the radio access network.

[0073] The network device (or access network device) involved in the embodiments of the present application is an entity on the network side for transmitting or receiving signals, which can be used to convert received air frames into Internet Protocol (IP) packets and serve as a router between the terminal device and the rest of the access network, wherein the rest of the access network may include an IP network, etc. The access network device can also coordinate the attribute management of the air interface. For example, the access network device can be an evolutionary Node B (eNB or e-NodeB) in LTE, a new radio controller (NR controller), a gNode B (referred to as "gNB") in a 5G system, a centralized unit, a new wireless base station, a radio remote module, a micro base station, a relay, a distributed unit, a transmission reception point (TRP) or a transmission point (TP) or any other wireless access device, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0074] With the rapid development of the communications industry, especially personal mobile communications, the low-end frequencies of the radio spectrum are becoming saturated. Even using Gaussian-filtered minimum shift keying modulation or various multiple access technologies to expand communication system capacity and improve spectrum utilization cannot meet the needs of future communications development. Therefore, achieving high-speed, broadband wireless communications will inevitably require the development of new spectrum resources in the microwave high-frequency band. Millimeter waves, with their short wavelength and wide bandwidth, can effectively solve many problems facing high-speed, broadband wireless access, and therefore have broad application prospects in short-range wireless communications.

[0075] In practical applications, the advantages of millimeter waves are high capacity, large bandwidth, low latency, and high resolution. However, their disadvantage is severe path loss. Therefore, millimeter-wave-based communication systems require beamforming to achieve high diversity gain and combat path loss. In related technologies, millimeter-wave communication systems typically use hybrid beamforming, which includes both digital and analog components. Analog beamforming can be implemented using phased arrays. Phased arrays typically refer to electronically scanned arrays (ESAs), a computer-controlled antenna array that generates radio beams and can be electronically directed in different directions without moving the antennas.

[0076] like Figure 1As shown in the figure, it is a schematic diagram of the phased array architecture in the related art. The phased array can use a partial connection structure. The antenna is connected to the RF chain through the corresponding antenna channel. Each antenna channel may include: a phase shifter PS, a digital attenuator DA, and a power amplifier PA. After processing the signal s(t) transmitted by the RF chain, a beamforming is formed and an analog beam is emitted through the antenna.

[0077] In related technologies, phased array AiP modules overcome the low output and efficiency issues of high-frequency amplifiers by using the same number (or proportional number) of amplifiers as antenna elements. However, the inevitable problem remains the broadband effect caused by the increased bandwidth of the analog signal s(t) or the increase in the number of antennas corresponding to a single RF chain, which can lead to severe beam deviation or splitting.

[0078] like Figure 2 The figure shows the beam deviation or splitting caused by the broadband effect. The horizontal axis θ (°) represents the angle of the simulated beam emitted by the antenna, and the vertical axis represents the radiation signal strength of the antenna array. c represents the carrier center frequency, and B represents the signal bandwidth.

[0079] Beam deviation or splitting further leads to array gain loss in ultra-wideband communication systems, limiting their achievable capacity.

[0080] Furthermore, current millimeter wave communication systems suffer from issues such as inflexible beams and deep bandwidth-beam binding. Mobile scenarios, in particular, require communication systems to transmit multiple beams concurrently to alleviate 5G's legacy beam management challenges and enhance user experience. Several technical solutions have been proposed to address millimeter wave beam inflexibility, but these solutions suffer from high hardware complexity and low antenna gain.

[0081] In order to solve the above problems, an embodiment of the present application provides a phased array solution, which decomposes the original RF signal into multiple sub-band signals by configuring an RF filter in the phased array, and configures a sub-channel for each sub-band signal in the antenna channel. Each sub-band signal is modulated and processed by the corresponding antenna sub-channel. The modulated sub-signal is combined and processed by the antenna channel and then transmitted through the antenna array. In this way, by decomposing the original RF signal into multiple sub-band signals, not only can the beam offset or splitting effect caused by the broadband effect be reduced when the bandwidth of the original RF signal is large, but the sub-band signals are modulated by their respective antenna sub-channels, and different beams can be formed in different carrier frequency bands, thereby decoupling the transmit beam from the working bandwidth and improving the flexibility of the beam and bandwidth combination.

[0082] The following detailed description of some embodiments of the present application is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments and features thereof may be combined with one another unless they conflict with each other. Furthermore, the sequence of steps in the following method embodiments is provided for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be a strict limitation.

[0083] Please see Figure 3 , which is a schematic diagram of a phased array system 400 according to an embodiment of the present application, mainly comprising: a radio frequency chain, one or more radio frequency filters, an antenna channel, and a corresponding antenna array; wherein:

[0084] The radio frequency chain is used to generate a radio frequency signal s(t); the radio frequency chain can be implemented using OFDM technology, and the radio frequency signal s(t) can be a broadband signal, such as a millimeter wave signal.

[0085] RF filters, connected to the RF chain, are used to decompose the RF signal into multiple sub-band signals. The sub-band signals can be carrier-level narrowband signals. In actual scenarios, each RF chain can be configured with a set of RF filters. The number of filters included in a set of RF filters can be determined by the number of sub-band signals that need to be decomposed. For example, if a sub-band signal is configured with an independent RF filter, and the broadband RF signal emitted by the RF chain needs to be decomposed into s narrowband sub-band signals, then the RF chain can be configured with s RF filters. The RF filter can divide the broadband signal into carrier-level narrowband signals (for example, 200M / 100M) to eliminate beam squint and achieve flexible control of the carrier-level beam.

[0086] In an optional embodiment, the radio frequency chain can use OFDM guard interval to transmit radio frequency signals. The working principle of OFDM guard interval is that during the transmission of radio signals, a certain amount of frequency bands are used to protect radio signals. These frequency bands will be used to receive and transmit radio signals, thereby effectively preventing radio signals from being interfered with by the outside world and improving the transmission efficiency of radio signals. OFDM guard interval can facilitate the design of radio frequency filter transition bands, and at the same time, adjust the number of effective RBs (Resource Blocks) within the carrier, which can further relax the design requirements of radio frequency filters. Compared with the related art Figure 1 In the phased array architecture shown, a set of RF filters is added to each RF chain. Assuming that the broadband signal is divided into s narrowband signals, a total of s RF filters are added.

[0087] Antenna channels may include one or more, Figure 3 Taking an antenna channel as an example, the antenna channel includes multiple sub-channels. The multiple sub-channels are respectively connected to RF filters, and the multiple sub-channels are used to modulate the multiple sub-band signals entering the multiple sub-channels respectively to generate multiple modulated sub-signals;

[0088] The antenna channel also includes a combiner, which is set at the output end of the multiple sub-channels and is used to combine the multiple modulated sub-signals generated by the multiple sub-channels; the combiner can be implemented by a duplexer, such as an LTTC duplex filter, which combines the modulated sub-signals after phase and amplitude modulation of the s-channel sub-band signals into one broadband signal. Figure 1 In the phased array architecture shown, the number of new duplexers added per RF chain (or per antenna) is one.

[0089] The antenna array is set at the output end of the combiner to transmit the combined signal. The array spacing in the antenna array can be selected as half of the wavelength corresponding to the highest carrier frequency of the system operating bandwidth OBW. Figure 1 In the phased array architecture shown, the number of antennas can remain unchanged.

[0090] In one embodiment, the RF filter includes a first RF filter and a second RF filter, and the output signal frequency of the first RF filter is greater than the output signal frequency of the second RF filter; the output signals of the first RF filter and the second RF filter are respectively modulated by corresponding sub-channels, and then combined by a combiner to generate a combined signal.

[0091] In this embodiment, two RF filters may be included. The first RF filter may be a high-band filter, and the second RF filter may be a low-band filter. A subchannel of each of the first and second RF filters forms an antenna channel, which is combined into an antenna array. The output signals of the first and second RF filters are modulated by their respective subchannels and then combined by a combiner into an antenna array for transmission.

[0092] In one embodiment, each of the plurality of sub-channels is configured with a phase shifter; the phase shifter is used to perform phase modulation processing on the sub-band signal entering the corresponding sub-channel, so as to adjust the beam direction of the sub-band signal.

[0093] In this embodiment, an independent phase shifter PS may be configured in each antenna subchannel. The phase shifter PS is used to adjust the phase of the subband signal entering the corresponding subchannel according to actual needs, so as to control the beam direction of the subband signal of each carrier level.

[0094] In real-world scenarios, controlling the beam directions of all subbands to be consistent can eliminate adverse effects such as beam drift. For example, if only one UE in a communication system needs to access a base station, the base station can control the beam directions of all subbands to be consistent, eliminating the adverse effects of beam drift on the UE.

[0095] In practical scenarios, controlling the direction of each sub-band beam can be used to form frequency-domain multi-peak beams or multi-beams. For example, in a communication system with multiple UEs requiring data transmission, the base station can control the direction of each sub-band beam to be different to form frequency-domain multi-peak beams or multi-beams. Different beam directions can serve different UEs, fully utilizing working bandwidth resources and improving data transmission efficiency.

[0096] In one embodiment, multiple sub-channels are respectively configured with attenuators; the attenuators are connected to the phase shifters of the corresponding sub-channels to perform amplitude modulation on the sub-band signals after phase modulation processing to respectively adjust the main-sidelobe ratio of the beam of the sub-band signals.

[0097] In this embodiment, the attenuator DA can be used to amplitude modulate the narrowband signal, and the attenuator DA can be configured for each sub-channel so that each sub-band signal is configured with a DA for independently controlling the main-side lobe and side lobe of each sub-band signal to form a beam. In this way, the main-side lobe ratio of each sub-band signal to form a beam can be independently adjusted so that the main-side lobe ratios of multiple sub-band signals to form beams can be different. Assuming that the broadband RF signal is decomposed into two narrowband sub-band signals, namely a high carrier frequency signal and a low carrier frequency signal, then by using an attenuator for each sub-band signal, the main-side lobe ratio of the high carrier frequency signal to form a beam can be different from the main-side lobe ratio of the low carrier frequency signal to form a beam, thereby improving application flexibility. Assuming that the broadband signal is divided into s narrowband signals, this embodiment is compared with Figure 1 In the phased array architecture shown, the number of DAs added per RF chain is s-1.

[0098] In one embodiment, multiple sub-channels are respectively configured with power amplifiers; the power amplifiers are used to power amplify the modulated sub-signals generated by the corresponding sub-channels; and / or the power amplifiers are connected to the input end of the combiner, and the combiner is also used to combine the multiple modulated sub-signals after power amplification.

[0099] In this embodiment, the power amplifier PA can help solve the problem of low antenna output efficiency. A power amplifier can be configured for each sub-channel of the antenna so that each sub-band signal uses the power amplifier PA. In practical applications, the sub-band signal is a narrowband signal relative to the original RF signal, and the PA selection bandwidth requirement is reduced. Assuming that the broadband signal is divided into s narrowband signals, compared with Figure 1 In the phased array architecture shown, the number of new PAs added per RF chain is s-1.

[0100] In a practical scenario, taking the OFDM signal s(t) emitted by the RF chain as an example, we first obtain the signal expression of the OFDM signal s(t) after beamforming, and then give the improved beam architecture of this application based on it. Assume that the OFDM signal s(t) is:

[0101]

[0102] in, is the constellation point of the transmitted QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation) symbol, and are the in-phase component (I path) and the quadrature component (Q path); f i =f c +iΔf=f c +i / T s is the carrier frequency of the i-th subcarrier, i = 0, 1, ..., N-1; T s represents the OFDM symbol period; g(t) is the impulse response of the pulse shaping filter, which is a rectangular pulse in the OFDM system. In the phased array architecture of the related art, the OFDM signal s(t) above, after beamforming and antenna array, emits a signal Y:

[0103]

[0104] Among them, f n represents the carrier frequency of the nth subcarrier, N represents the number of subcarriers, M represents the number of antennas in the linear antenna array, and the factor k n =2π / λ n ,λ n =c / f n , β represents the angle between the outgoing wave or the incident wave and the antenna array, and the antenna spacing d = λ D / 2,λ D Indicates the wavelength corresponding to the highest carrier frequency of the antenna array design, α m represents the phase value of the mth phase shifter, A n Indicates the constellation point of the QAM symbol carried by the nth carrier. It can be seen that the subcarrier signal A n Independent of the array pattern, various encodings in the subcarrier domain in related technologies do not change the array pattern, and therefore the effects are not very good.

[0105] like Figure 4 As shown, it is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a phased array system provided in an embodiment of the present application, including an RF chain, a first RF filter HHB, a second RF filter LHB, and multiple antenna sub-channels. Each sub-channel is configured with a phase shifter PS, an attenuator DA, a power amplifier PA, a duplexer and a corresponding antenna array.

[0106] The embodiment of the present application is illustrated with the simplest example: assuming that the OFDM signal s(t) output by the RF chain passes through a set of filter groups (i.e., the first RF filter HHB and the second RF filter LHB), the broadband signal s(t) is decomposed into two sub-band signals (i.e., low-frequency narrowband signals 0~N1-1, high-frequency narrowband signals N1~N-1, assuming that the total number of carriers of the broadband signal is N), and then the narrowband signals are modulated and processed through their respective antenna sub-channels and transmitted through the corresponding antennas, where H represents the sub-channel through which the high-frequency narrowband signal passes, and L represents the sub-channel through which the low-frequency narrowband signal passes. The analog beam Y transmitted by the antenna can be expressed as follows:

[0107]

[0108] The number of subcarriers N1 is selected according to the number of carriers and the actual application. If the phase of the phase shifter PS changes evenly, then α p =pα D0 ,α q =qα D1 , where α D0 =k D0 dcosβ D0 and α D1 =k D1 dcosβ D1 ,β D0 represents the beam direction of the first low-frequency band (D0) in the above formula, β D1 Indicates the beam direction of the second high frequency band (D1). p Represents the phase of the low-frequency signal passing through the pth phase shifter, α q Indicates the phase of the high-frequency signal passing through the qth phase shifter, α D0 Indicates the reference phase of the phase shifter corresponding to the low frequency band number, α D1 Indicates the reference phase of the phase shifter corresponding to the high-frequency signal.

[0109] exist Figure 4 In the phased array architecture shown, the broadband signal s(t) can be split into two narrowband signals at the carrier level to eliminate beam squint and enable flexible carrier-level beam control.

[0110] In one embodiment, the antenna channel is configured with a power amplifier; the power amplifier is connected to the output end of the combiner and is used to perform power amplification processing on the combined signal.

[0111] In this embodiment, power amplifiers (PAs) are one of the main heat-generating components in a phased array architecture. A large number of PAs can hinder heat dissipation in the phased array system. Therefore, a PA can be connected to the output of a combiner in an antenna channel to amplify the combined signal. This allows all sub-channels within the same antenna channel to share a single PA, effectively reducing the number of PAs and lowering heat dissipation costs.

[0112] for example Figure 4 The phased array architecture shown in the figure has a relatively high hardware cost because each sub-channel is equipped with a PA. In addition, a large number of PAs are used, which leads to serious heat dissipation problems. In order to reduce hardware costs and alleviate heat dissipation problems, the following can be adopted: Figure 5 The phased array architecture shown in the figure combines narrowband signals and then amplifies the combined broadband signal.

[0113] like Figure 5 As shown, it is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a phased array system provided in an embodiment of the present application. Taking the division of a broadband signal s(t) into two narrowband signals at the carrier level as an example, the system may include an RF chain, an RF filter HHB, an RF filter LHB, and multiple antenna sub-channels. Each sub-channel is configured with a phase shifter PS and an attenuator DA. After the narrowband signal passes through the attenuator DA, it directly enters the duplexer and is combined into a broadband signal. Multiple sub-channels belonging to the same antenna channel share a power amplifier PA, which is connected to the output end of the duplexer to amplify the broadband signal after the duplexer is combined.

[0114] and Figure 4 Compared to the phased array architecture scheme shown, Figure 5 In the phased array architecture shown, the positions of the PA and duplexer are changed. The PA is generally placed on the surface, so multiple (s) narrowband signals share a single PA. Although this embodiment increases the PA bandwidth requirement, it not only reduces the heat dissipation requirements of the phased array design, but also controls the hardware cost of the newly added PA. Figure 1 The phased array architecture shown, Figure 5 The scheme shown does not add PA; compared to Figure 4 The technical solution shown, Figure 5 The scheme shown corresponds to a reduction in the number of PAs by a factor of s-1.

[0115] In one embodiment, the antenna channel is configured with an attenuator; the attenuator is connected to the output end of the combiner and is used to perform amplitude modulation processing on the combined signal to adjust the main-to-side lobe ratio of the beam of the combined signal.

[0116] In this embodiment, attenuators are one of the primary heat-generating components in a phased array architecture. The presence of a large number of attenuators (DAs) can hinder heat dissipation in the phased array system. Therefore, an attenuator (DA) can be connected to the output of a combiner in an antenna channel to perform amplitude modulation on the combined signal, thereby adjusting the mainlobe to sidelobe ratio of the combined signal beam. This allows all sub-channels within the same antenna channel to share a single attenuator (DA), effectively reducing the number of attenuators and lowering heat dissipation costs.

[0117] for example Figure 4 or Figure 5 The phased array architecture shown in the figure has a relatively high hardware cost because each sub-channel is equipped with a DA. In addition, a large number of DAs are used, which leads to serious heat dissipation problems. In order to reduce hardware costs and reduce heat dissipation problems, the following can be adopted: Figure 6 The phased array architecture shown in the figure combines narrowband signals and then performs signal attenuation and phase modulation on the combined broadband signal. The broadband signal after phase modulation is then power amplified.

[0118] like Figure 6 As shown, it is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a phased array system provided in an embodiment of the present application. Taking the division of a broadband signal s(t) into two narrowband signals at the carrier level as an example, the system may include an RF chain, an RF filter HHB, an RF filter LHB, and multiple antenna sub-channels. Each sub-channel is configured with a phase shifter PS and an attenuator DA. After the narrowband signal passes through the attenuator DA, it directly enters the duplexer and is combined into a broadband signal. Multiple sub-channels belonging to the same antenna channel share a power amplifier PA, which is connected to the output end of the duplexer to amplify the broadband signal after the duplexer is combined.

[0119] compared to Figure 5 The plan, Figure 6 In the phased array architecture shown, the number of DAs is reduced by s-1 times, which reduces the hardware cost. Figure 1 The phased array architecture shown, Figure 6 The scheme shown does not include any new DA. Figure 5 The scheme shown, Figure 6 In the solution shown, the main-to-sidelobe ratio of each narrowband signal cannot usually be independently controlled, that is, cannot be independently amplitude modulated, so each narrowband signal at the carrier level has the same main-to-sidelobe ratio.

[0120] In one embodiment, the phased array system is configured with initial analog weights, which are determined based on a first wavelength corresponding to a highest frequency supported by an operating bandwidth of the phased array system. The phased array system is further configured to perform phase reduction on the initial analog weights based on a second wavelength corresponding to a highest carrier frequency of the instantaneous bandwidth and a third wavelength corresponding to a center frequency of the instantaneous bandwidth to obtain current analog weights corresponding to the subband signal.

[0121] In this embodiment, the analog weights can represent the phase value of the phase shifter and the attenuation value of the digital attenuator, respectively representing the adjustment of the antenna channel to the signal phase and amplitude. For example, the adjustment result of the analog weight of the i-th antenna channel on the antenna channel input signal s(t) is: The simulation weight d i Represents the adjustment of the signal amplitude of the i-th antenna channel by the attenuator, and the analog weight α i Represents the adjustment of the signal phase of the i-th antenna channel by the phase shifter.

[0122] Therefore, the design of the phased array system also needs to consider the analog weight storage requirements, and the weight storage can mainly consider storing the analog weights of the phase shifter PS and the attenuator DA. Compared with the phased array architecture shown in Figure 1, Figure 5 The storage requirements of the PS simulation weights and DA simulation weights corresponding to the embodiment shown are increased by s-1 times. Figure 6 The PS simulation weight storage requirement corresponding to the embodiment shown increases by s-1 times, while the DA simulation weight storage requirement remains unchanged.

[0123] In actual applications, the operating bandwidth (OBW) of millimeter wave systems is usually large. Some designs include the entire millimeter wave band, such as the N258 band (24.25-27.5 GHz, a total of 3.25 GHz), while half of the actual instantaneous bandwidth (IBW) is 800 MHz (the maximum possible is 1.2 GHz). Regarding analog weight configuration, related technologies use the highest frequency supported by the operating bandwidth as the benchmark, such as the N258 band, which uses 27.5 GHz as the benchmark. However, in actual applications, one OBW can have different IBMs, and the analog weights corresponding to different IBWs should generally be different. Therefore, different IBWs require re-analog weight design and darkroom calibration, which increases costs. This problem can be considered in two steps. First, different IBWs correspond to different analog weights. Taking the working bandwidth OBW of the phased array system as the N258 frequency band as an example, assuming that there are IBW 24.25~25.05GHz and IBW 26.7~27.5GHz in the working bandwidth, and the frequency interval between the two IBWs is 2.45GHz, the analog weights corresponding to the two IBWs are different. In the embodiment of the present application, the first wavelength λ corresponding to the highest frequency supported by the working bandwidth N258 frequency band of the phased array system can be pre-set. UDetermine the initial analog weight, which is configured based on the highest frequency point of the working bandwidth N258 frequency band. Then, when the phased array system operates in the IBW 26.7~27.5GHz, the initial analog weight can be used directly. When the phased array system operates in the IBW 24.25~25.05GHz, the phase of the initial analog weight can be reduced based on the highest carrier frequency and center frequency supported by the IBW 24.25~25.05GHz to determine the current analog weight of the IBW 24.25~25.05GHz. For example, the phase can be reduced to λ0 / λ of the initial analog weight. H The multiplied value is used as the current analog weight of the IBW 24.25-25.05 GHz, where λ0 represents the second wavelength corresponding to the highest carrier frequency supported by the IBW 24.25-25.05 GHz, and λ H Indicates the third wavelength corresponding to the center frequency of the IBW 24.25-25.05 GHz. In this way, the workload of analog weight design for IBW systems with different instantaneous bandwidths can be reduced while ensuring the accuracy of the analog weights.

[0124] In one embodiment, the analog weights corresponding to different frequency points within the same instantaneous bandwidth of the phased array system are the same.

[0125] In this embodiment, the analog weights corresponding to different frequency points within the same IBW are kept consistent to reduce the analog weight storage requirements. Figure 5 The illustrated embodiments and Figure 6 The analog weights of PS and DA corresponding to the embodiment shown can read different weights of the same set of weights according to the beam pointing, thereby reducing the weight storage requirements. Figure 1 The phased array architecture shown, Figure 5 The illustrated embodiments and Figure 6 The storage requirements of the simulation weights in the embodiment shown remain unchanged. In practical applications, after the above two weight adjustments, the beam pointing error can be less than 1 degree.

[0126] The above phased array system implementation uses two carriers (2CCs) as an example. Similar phased array methods are used for other numbers of carriers. For example, with 4CCs, decomposing the wideband signal into four narrowband signals or two narrowband signals is feasible. The number of narrowband signals, s, chosen depends on the performance and cost trade-offs required in the application.

[0127] Please see Figure 7 , which is a beam scanning method according to an embodiment of the present application, which can be applied to include Figures 3 to 6 The network device of the phased array system shown in FIG is used to improve the beam scanning efficiency. The method includes the following steps:

[0128] Step 701: Generate an original beam of a preset bandwidth through a radio frequency chain;

[0129] Step 702: Decompose the original beam into multiple narrow beams with different emission bandwidths and different spatial directions through antenna channels, where the total bandwidth of the multiple narrow beams is equal to the preset bandwidth of the original beam;

[0130] Step 703: transmitting multiple narrow beams through the antenna array to form a wide spatial beam scan in a specific spatial area;

[0131] The multiple narrow beams are used to provide beam scanning for the terminal device, so that the terminal determines a target narrow beam that matches the terminal device based on the scanning results of the multiple narrow beams.

[0132] In this embodiment, based on the improved phased array architecture of the embodiment of the present application, multiple frequency domain beams can be used concurrently during beam scanning to form a spatial wide beam scan, giving full play to the large bandwidth advantage of millimeter waves and improving beam scanning efficiency.

[0133] like Figure 8 As shown, this embodiment of the present application provides a method based on Figure 1 The following figure shows a schematic diagram of beam scanning implemented by a phased array architecture. The network device is a base station, and the terminal device is a user equipment (UE). Communication between the base station gNB and the UE requires a two-level scanning process:

[0134] P1 process: gNB uses wide beams S1, S2, S3, S4 ( Figure 8 In this example, the gNB assumes four wide beams (more wide beams are possible) to scan the entire coverage space. The UE scans using beams U1, U2, U3, and U4 (assuming four wide beams). The optimal beam pair is determined to be S2-U1.

[0135] P2 process: The gNB uses coarse beam S2 to sequentially scan narrow beams a2, b2, c2, and d2. The UE receives using wide beam U1. The optimal beam pair b2-U1 is determined. The beam mapping is shown in Table 1.

[0136] Table 1 Scanning correspondence

[0137]

[0138] like Figure 9 As shown, the embodiment of the present application provides Figures 3 to 6A schematic diagram of the phased array system architecture corresponding to any embodiment of the present invention for implementing beam scanning is provided. Assume that the RF chain generates an original beam of a preset bandwidth of 800M. The original beam is decomposed into multiple narrow beams with different bandwidths and different spatial directions through the antenna channel. For example, each carrier forms an independent narrow beam: 0-200MHz forms a narrow beam a, 200-400MHz forms a narrow beam b, 400-600MHz forms a narrow beam c, and 600-800MHz forms a narrow beam d. Each narrow beam corresponds to a CC (200MHz), that is, an independent cell, with its own broadcast information and synchronization information. The base station can use narrow beams a, b, c, and d to simultaneously form a wide spatial beam in a specific spatial area. Different narrow beams correspond to different frequencies and spatial angles (i.e., spatial directions). The terminal detects the specific spatial area covered by the 800M bandwidth and determines the best narrow beam from narrow beams a, b, c, and d based on the RSRP value. Assume that the best narrow beam determined by the terminal UE is beam b, and the terminal feeds back information to the base station through the corresponding narrow beam b.

[0139] Communication between the gNB and the UE is accomplished through a single-stage scan: In the P1 process, the gNB sequentially uses: narrow beams a1, b1, c1, and d1 corresponding to wide beam S1 are simultaneously emitted to form a spatially wide beam with the same spatial coverage area as S1; narrow beams a2, b2, c2, and d2 corresponding to wide beam S2 are simultaneously emitted to form a spatially wide beam with the same spatial coverage area as S2; narrow beams a3, b3, c3, and d3 corresponding to wide beam S3 are simultaneously emitted to form a spatially wide beam with the same spatial coverage area as S3; narrow beams a4, b4, c4, and d4 corresponding to wide beam S4 are simultaneously emitted to form a spatially wide beam with the same spatial coverage area as S4. The UE sequentially scans using U1, U2, U3, and U4 (assuming 4 wide beams for the UE). The optimal beam pair is determined to be b2-U1. No need Figure 8 This corresponds to the P2 process of the embodiment.

[0140] As can be seen, in this embodiment, the base station uses a, b, c, and d to simultaneously generate carrier-level narrow frequency-domain beams to form a wide spatial-domain beam. A single-stage scan completes the link between the base station and the UE, eliminating the need for a two-stage scan. This improves beam scanning efficiency.

[0141] Please see Figure 10 , which is an information transmission method of an embodiment of the present application, which can be applied to include Figures 3 to 6 The network device of the phased array system shown in FIG is used to improve the efficiency of information transmission. The method includes the following steps:

[0142] Step 1001: Generate an original beam of a preset bandwidth through a radio frequency chain;

[0143] Step 1002: Splitting the original beam according to a preset bandwidth through antenna channels to form frequency-domain multi-peak beams with different bandwidths, and transmitting the frequency-domain multi-peak beams through an antenna array;

[0144] Step 1003: Use frequency domain beams with different bandwidths to transmit information of the terminal device on different channels.

[0145] In this embodiment, in response to the information transmission needs of terminal devices in different directions, the phased array system of any of the above embodiments is used to split the original beam according to the working bandwidth (i.e., the preset bandwidth) to form frequency domain multi-peak beams with different bandwidths, which are respectively directed to terminal devices in different directions, so that the information transmission needs of terminal devices in different directions can be met at the same time, which not only improves the utilization rate of network resources but also improves the user experience.

[0146] like Figure 11 The figure shows the information transmission diagram of the NR millimeter wave system based on the traditional phased array architecture. The NR millimeter wave system with the traditional architecture is constrained by the analog beamforming structure: (1) an analog beam usually has only one peak; (2) at the same time, an analog beam occupies all carrier bandwidths, with 2CC, 4CC, and 8CC being the most common. In other words, at the same time, an analog beam can only be aimed in one direction (for example, at one UE) and monopolize all bandwidth resources. Therefore, if the user in the current direction occupies a small amount of frequency domain resources but a large amount of time domain resources, it will cause a huge waste of system bandwidth resources; at the same time, the scheduling opportunities for users in other directions are reduced, causing network congestion.

[0147] Taking the NR uplink transmission scenario as an example, the PUCCH F0 / F2 short format occupies a symbol length of 1-2 symbols in the time domain, while the PUCCH F1 / F3 / F4 long format occupies a symbol length of 4-14 symbols in the time domain. Regardless of the long or short format, PUCCH occupies fewer frequency domain resources. In the same time slot, when PUSCH and PUCCH are directed towards different users, they are transmitted using time division, that is, using different analog beams in the time domain. This results in a waste of system bandwidth resources.

[0148] Assume there are two users UE1 and UE2, UE1 transmits PUSCH and UE2 transmits PUCCH (assuming 4 symbols). UE1 and UE2 are in different positions. The situation for more users is similar, and the number of users is less than the number of CCs. During the entire time slot, UE1 transmits PUSCH and UE2 only transmits PUCCH. Figure 11As shown in FIG, since the amount of PUCCH frequency domain data is small, for example, the entire bandwidth resource is 800M, and the PUCCH data only occupies 200M, the remaining 600M bandwidth resource is wasted during the transmission of 4 PUCCH symbols.

[0149] like Figure 12 As shown, it is a schematic diagram of information transmission of the NR millimeter wave system based on the phased array system architecture provided in the embodiment of the present application. Still taking the above-mentioned NR uplink transmission scenario as an example, the NR system based on the phased array system architecture of the embodiment of the present application can split the original beam into a frequency domain beam of a smaller frequency band according to the working bandwidth during PUCCH transmission for PUCCH transmission. For example, during PUCCH transmission, a 200MHz bandwidth is used to form beam 2 to transmit the PUCCH signal of UE2, and a 600MHz bandwidth is used to form beam 1 to continue to transmit the PUSCH signal of UE1. In this way, based on the frequency domain multi-peak beam scheduling scheme, the system capacity is improved and the transmission delay is reduced compared with the traditional time division multiplexing beam scheme.

[0150] In one embodiment, the method further includes: the network device spatially isolating multi-peak beams in the same frequency band.

[0151] In this embodiment, in real-world scenarios, when beam spacing is small, side lobes significantly impact adjacent main lobes, affecting communication system performance. This embodiment spatially isolates multi-peak beams in the same frequency band to reduce the impact of side lobes on the main lobe, ensuring communication system performance while increasing the number of scheduled users.

[0152] Taking the MU-MIMO communication system as an example, in related technologies, MU-MIMO based on phased array architecture can rely on dismantling TRX, such as Figure 13 As shown in the figure, the TRX is split into two multi-peak beams, TRX1 and TRX2, where TRX1 and TRX2 carry the same 800MHz signal frequency. In this case, when the TRX is split for MU-MIMO, if the beam spacing between TRX1 and TRX2 is small, the side lobes significantly affect the adjacent main lobes, significantly degrading MU-MIMO performance.

[0153] Based on the MU-MIMO of the phased array system architecture of the embodiment of the present application, frequency domain multi-peak beams can be introduced to isolate the multi-peak beams of the same frequency band in the spatial domain, reduce the impact of side lobes on adjacent main lobes, and ensure MU-MIMO performance. Figure 13As shown, beam TRX1 (0-400 MHz) forms a MU-MIMO pair with beam TRX2 (0-400 MHz). Beam TRX1 (400-800 MHz) forms another MU-MIMO pair with beam TR2 (400-800 MHz), used for data transmission for UE1, UE2, UE3, and UE4, respectively. Adjacent TRX beams use different frequencies, creating a certain degree of isolation in the spatial domain. This reduces the impact of TRX sidelobes on the mainlobe, ensuring MU-MIMO performance while increasing the number of scheduled users.

[0154] In one embodiment, for a beam tracking scenario when a UE is moving in a communication system, such as Figure 14 As shown, by using the phased array system of the present application, the base station gNB can emit three beams with different spatial angles in three different frequency ranges, and the UE can emit three beams with the same angle in three different frequency ranges to achieve beam tracking during movement and improve communication quality during movement.

[0155] It should be noted that in addition to being applicable to the phased array design and its application for 5G NR, the embodiments of the present application can also be extended to the phased array design and its application for other millimeter wave machine high-frequency systems. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the application scenarios.

[0156] The above-mentioned phased array system implementation solution divides the original broadband signal into multiple carrier-level narrowband signals, which not only eliminates beam deviation or beam splitting caused by broadband effects, but also unbinds the beam from the bandwidth to form a flexible beam solution. Specifically:

[0157] In the technical solution of the traditional phased array architecture, one beam occupies the entire bandwidth, for example, 800MHz. When the traditional solution uses a portion of the 800MHz bandwidth, for example, 40MHz, the remaining bandwidth of 760MHz is wasted. The bandwidth is deeply bound to the beam, and the advantages and flexibility of the large bandwidth of millimeter waves cannot be fully utilized. Compared with the traditional phased array architecture, the embodiments of the present application have at least the following advantages:

[0158] (1) The phase shifter itself is a narrowband device. The technical solution of the embodiment of the present application reduces the beam deviation or splitting effect caused by broadband effects (wideband or multi-antenna array) by decomposing a broadband signal into multiple narrowband signals.

[0159] (2) The solution of the embodiment of the present application decouples the beam from the bandwidth, decomposing the original broadband signal into carrier-level narrowband signals, which are passed through respective phase shifter arrays, thereby forming different beams in different carrier frequency bands. By decoupling the beam from the bandwidth, the beam and bandwidth can be flexibly combined to fully utilize the large bandwidth advantage of millimeter waves. Generally, the larger the bandwidth and the more carriers there are, the more frequency domain beams can be formed, and the more flexible the access to users.

[0160] (3) The solution of the embodiment of the present application can use a duplexer to combine narrowband signals into a broadband signal, and each antenna channel can share a PA, reducing heat dissipation requirements and costs. In addition, the carrier-level beam decoupling solution does not affect the original signal processing flow of the physical layer.

[0161] (4) In traditional spatial multi-peak beam or TRX removal solutions, doubling the number of multi-peak beams results in a 6dB decrease in gain. In the frequency-domain multi-peak beam solution of the present embodiment, doubling the number of multi-peak beams results in the same EIRP, with no gain decrease. Compared to traditional multi-peak beam solutions, the technical solution based on the phased array architecture of the present embodiment offers a greater coverage distance or range.

[0162] (5) To achieve the same coverage, the traditional multi-peak beam solution requires an increase in the number of antennas and antenna channels. When the IBW is small, the solution of the embodiment of the present application requires less weight storage space than the traditional multi-peak beam solution. The interference of the beam sidelobes on the mainlobe is reduced. The frequency domain multi-peak beam solution of the embodiment of the present application is used in combination with the traditional multi-peak beam solution to form a more flexible beam coverage solution.

[0163] like Figure 15 As shown, this embodiment provides an electronic device 15, including: at least one processor 151 and a memory 152, Figure 15 In the example, a processor is used. Processor 151 and memory 152 are connected via bus 150. Memory 152 stores instructions executable by processor 151. These instructions are executed by processor 151 to enable electronic device 15 to perform all or part of the method described in the following embodiments, thereby reducing the effects of beam shift or splitting caused by broadband effects, decoupling the transmit beam from the operating bandwidth, and improving the flexibility of beam and bandwidth combinations.

[0164] In one embodiment, the electronic device 15 may be a network device such as a base station, a switch, a router, a gateway, or the like, or may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, or a large computing system composed of multiple computers.

[0165] The method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be implemented by the electronic device 15 executing corresponding software codes.

[0166] like Figure 16 As shown, this embodiment provides a communication system 1600, including: the phased array system 300 of any of the aforementioned embodiments. The communication system can be a 5G system or other millimeter wave machine high-frequency system, and has at least the same technical effects as the phased array system 300 of the aforementioned embodiment. Please refer to the relevant description in the above embodiments. The implementation principles and technical effects are similar and will not be repeated here in this embodiment.

[0167] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which computer-executable instructions are stored. When a processor executes the computer-executable instructions, the method of any of the aforementioned embodiments is implemented.

[0168] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program, which implements the method of any of the aforementioned embodiments when executed by a processor.

[0169] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the module division is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used. For example, multiple modules can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not implemented.

[0170] The above-mentioned integrated module implemented in the form of a software functional module can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The above-mentioned software functional module is stored in a storage medium and includes a number of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) or a processor to perform some steps of the methods of various embodiments of the present application.

[0171] It should be understood that the above-mentioned processor can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the method disclosed in the application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The memory may include high-speed RAM (Random Access Memory) memory, and may also include non-volatile storage NVM (Nonvolatile memory, NVM for short), such as at least one disk memory, and can also be a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory, a disk or an optical disk, etc.

[0172] The storage medium may be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof, such as static random-access memory (SRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic storage, flash memory, magnetic disk, or optical disk. The storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0173] An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Of course, the processor and the storage medium can also exist as discrete components in an electronic device or a main control device.

[0174] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprises," "includes," or any other variations thereof are intended to encompass non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus comprising the element.

[0175] The serial numbers of the above-mentioned embodiments of the present application are for description only and do not represent the advantages or disadvantages of the embodiments.

[0176] Through the description of the above implementation methods, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the above-mentioned embodiment methods can be implemented by means of software plus the necessary general hardware platform, and of course can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk), and includes a number of instructions for enabling a terminal device (which can be a mobile phone, computer, server, air conditioner, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods of each embodiment of the present application.

[0177] In the technical solution of this application, the collection, storage, use, processing, transmission, provision and disclosure of user data and other information involved comply with the provisions of relevant laws and regulations and do not violate public order and good morals.

[0178] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present application and do not limit the patent scope of the present application. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made using the contents of the present application specification and drawings, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A phased array system, characterized in that: include: A radio frequency chain for generating radio frequency signals; One or more radio frequency filters, connected to the radio frequency chain, for decomposing the radio frequency signal into a plurality of sub-band signals; an antenna channel, the antenna channel comprising a plurality of sub-channels, the plurality of sub-channels being respectively connected to the radio frequency filters, the plurality of sub-channels being used to respectively modulate the plurality of sub-band signals respectively entering the plurality of sub-channels to generate a plurality of modulated sub-signals; The antenna channel further includes a combiner, which is provided at the output end of the plurality of sub-channels and is used to combine the plurality of modulated sub-signals generated by the plurality of sub-channels to generate a combined signal; The antenna array is arranged at the output end of the combiner and is used to transmit the combined signal.

2. The phased array system according to claim 1, wherein: The RF filter includes a first RF filter and a second RF filter, and the output signal frequency of the first RF filter is greater than the output signal frequency of the second RF filter; the output signals of the first RF filter and the second RF filter are respectively modulated by corresponding sub-channels, and then combined by the combiner to generate a combined signal.

3. The phased array system according to claim 1, wherein: The multiple sub-channels are respectively configured with a phase shifter; the phase shifter is used to perform phase modulation processing on the sub-band signals entering the corresponding sub-channel, so as to respectively adjust the beam direction of the sub-band signals.

4. The phased array system according to claim 3, wherein: The multiple sub-channels are respectively configured with attenuators; the attenuators are connected to the phase shifters of the corresponding sub-channels, and are used to perform amplitude modulation processing on the sub-band signals after phase modulation processing, so as to respectively adjust the main-side lobe ratio of the beam of the sub-band signal.

5. The phased array system according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: The multiple sub-channels are respectively configured with a power amplifier; the power amplifier is used to perform power amplification processing on the modulated sub-signal generated by the corresponding sub-channel; and / or, The power amplifier is connected to the input end of the combiner.

6. The phased array system according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: The antenna channel is equipped with a power amplifier; the power amplifier is connected to the output end of the combiner and is used to perform power amplification processing on the combined signal.

7. The phased array system according to claim 3, wherein: The antenna channel is configured with an attenuator; The attenuator is connected to the output end of the combiner and is used to perform amplitude modulation processing on the combined signal to adjust the main-to-side lobe ratio of the beam of the combined signal.

8. The phased array system according to claim 1, wherein: The phased array system is configured with an initial simulation weight, wherein the initial simulation weight is determined according to a first wavelength corresponding to a highest frequency supported by an operating bandwidth of the phased array system; The phased array system is further configured to perform phase reduction on the initial analog weight according to a second wavelength corresponding to the highest carrier frequency of the instantaneous bandwidth and a third wavelength corresponding to the center frequency of the instantaneous bandwidth, to obtain a current analog weight corresponding to the sub-band signal; And / or, the analog weights corresponding to different frequency points within the same instantaneous bandwidth of the phased array system are the same.

9. A beam scanning method, characterized in that: Applied to a network device including the phased array system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, the method comprises: Generate an original beam of a preset bandwidth through the radio frequency chain; Decomposing the original beam into a plurality of narrow beams with different bandwidths and different spatial directions through the antenna channels, wherein the total bandwidth of the plurality of narrow beams is equal to the preset bandwidth of the original beam; The multiple narrow beams are emitted through the antenna array to form a beam scan in a specific spatial area; wherein the multiple narrow beams are used to provide beam scanning for the terminal device, so that the terminal determines the target narrow beam that matches the terminal device based on the scanning results of the multiple narrow beams.

10. An information transmission method, characterized in that: Applied to a network device including the phased array system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, the method comprises: Generate an original beam of a preset bandwidth through the radio frequency chain; Splitting the original beam according to the preset bandwidth to form frequency-domain multi-peak beams with different bandwidths through the antenna channel, and transmitting the frequency-domain multi-peak beams through the antenna array; Frequency domain beams with different bandwidths are used to transmit the information of terminal devices in different channels.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The method further comprises: The multi-peak beams in the same frequency band are spatially isolated.

12. An electronic device, characterized in that: include: at least one processor; as well as a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor; The memory stores instructions that can be executed by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor to enable the electronic device to perform the method according to any one of claims 9 to 11.

13. A communication system, characterized in that: The method comprises the phased array system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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