Terminal equipment and communication method

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides terminal equipment and a communication method, and is applied to the technical field of wireless communication. The terminal device comprises a radio frequency integrated chip, a first switch assembly and an antenna module. The radio frequency integrated chip comprises a first power amplifier and a second power amplifier, and the first power amplifier and the second power amplifier work at the same time. The antenna module comprises a first antenna structure, a second antenna structure and an array antenna structure. The array antenna structure comprises a plurality of first sub-antennas. The radio frequency integrated chip is coupled with the first switch assembly through the first power amplifier, and the first switch assembly is respectively coupled with the first antenna structure and the plurality of first sub-antennas. And the radio frequency chip is coupled with the second antenna structure through the second power amplifier. And the first switch assembly is used for selecting the first antenna structure to be connected and conducted with the first power amplifier, or selecting the plurality of first sub-antennas to be connected and conducted with the first power amplifier. According to the embodiment of the invention, the communication quality between the terminal equipment and the target base station is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a terminal device and a communication method. Background Technology

[0002] In wireless communication systems, communication devices (such as base stations, routers, and Bluetooth communication devices) are used to enable communication interaction. User equipment (UE) can interact with target communication devices in its environment. In practical applications, one or more communication devices may be deployed within the same environmental area, and these devices may be located in different places. Each communication device can transmit radio frequency signal clusters based on different directional areas to achieve communication interaction with terminal devices within its coverage area. In this scenario, the different locations of terminal devices within the environmental area can lead to communication quality degradation for various reasons. Therefore, improving the communication quality between terminal devices and target communication devices is a significant challenge. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a terminal device and a communication method that improves the communication quality between the terminal device and the target communication device.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of this application adopt the following technical solutions:

[0005] In a first aspect, a terminal device is provided, comprising a radio frequency (RF) integrated chip, a first switching assembly, and an antenna module. The RF integrated chip includes a first power amplifier and a second power amplifier, which operate simultaneously. The antenna module includes a first antenna structure, a second antenna structure, and an array antenna structure. The array antenna structure includes multiple first sub-antennas. The RF integrated chip is coupled to the first switching assembly via the first power amplifier, and the first switching assembly is coupled to both the first antenna structure and the multiple first sub-antennas. The RF chip is coupled to the second antenna structure via a second power amplifier. The first switching assembly is used to select either the first antenna structure to be connected and turned on by the first power amplifier, or to select either the multiple first sub-antennas to be connected and turned on by the first power amplifier.

[0006] In this embodiment, both the first antenna structure and the array antenna structure are connected to the first power amplifier. There is no difference in communication mode between the first antenna structure and the array antenna structure; their selection is a switching choice within the same communication mode. In traditional millimeter-wave array antenna technology, a single millimeter-wave array antenna has multiple sub-antennas connected to the same power amplifier, and these multiple sub-antennas need to operate simultaneously. Typically, traditional terminal devices use one antenna structure corresponding to one power amplifier to transmit radio frequency signals. An exception is when multiple millimeter-wave array antennas operate simultaneously, but this is because the characteristics of the millimeter-wave band result in a narrow coverage area for each millimeter-wave array antenna's radio frequency signal cluster. Therefore, multiple millimeter-wave array antennas need to cover different directions to achieve a wider signal coverage. However, compared to traditional millimeter-wave array antennas, the first antenna structure and the array antenna structure in this embodiment cannot be considered as a single millimeter-wave array antenna connected to a power amplifier. This is because there is no simultaneous operation between the first antenna structure and the array antenna structure. Meanwhile, depending on the actual design of the terminal device's area, the first antenna structure and the array antenna structure can be placed in different or the same areas of the terminal device. Compared to the millimeter-wave array antenna method described above, the position design of the two antenna structures is more flexible. In addition, this embodiment designs two power amplifiers (a first power amplifier and a second power amplifier), which operate simultaneously to transmit radio frequency (RF) signals to the same target communication device. The RF signals transmitted by the first antenna structure and the array antenna structure differ in the coverage area of ​​the RF signal cluster (i.e., the RF radiation pattern). This allows the terminal device to select either the first antenna structure or the array antenna structure to transmit the RF signal provided by the first power amplifier, and to transmit the RF signal provided by the second power amplifier based on the second antenna structure, according to actual application requirements. The RF signals provided by the first and second power amplifiers will meet in space after transmission, thereby enhancing the gain. Furthermore, the flexibility in choosing between the first antenna structure and the array antenna structure allows for a wider range of signal coverage options. Moreover, because the array antenna structure has multiple first sub-antennas to transmit the RF signals provided by the first power amplifier, the multiple RF signals transmitted by the multiple first sub-antennas can also achieve beamforming. Therefore, when choosing a scheme that combines an array antenna structure with a second antenna structure, the terminal device can achieve beamforming of the RF signal provided by the first power amplifier, and then enhance the RF signal provided by the second power amplifier in free space. In this way, a very large signal gain can be obtained.

[0007] In some possible implementations, the array antenna structure further includes a first phase-shifting network. At least one of the plurality of first sub-antennas is connected to a first switching assembly via the first phase-shifting network. The first phase-shifting network is used to change the phase of the transmitted radio frequency signal. In embodiments of this application, by phase-shifting the radio frequency signal transmitted by at least one first sub-antenna, multiple first sub-antennas can transmit multiple radio frequency signals at different phases, thereby achieving beamforming.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the array antenna structure has multiple signal transmission direction regions. The first phase-shifting network is further used to: change the phase of the transmitted radio frequency signal based on different phase shift magnitudes, so as to select a signal transmission direction region from the multiple signal transmission direction regions of the array antenna structure. In the embodiments of this application, when beamforming of the first radio frequency signal is implemented based on the array antenna structure, if the first phase-shifting network is a phase-shifting network with adjustable phase shift magnitude, the switching selection of different signal transmission direction regions can be achieved by adjusting the phase shift magnitude corresponding to at least one first sub-antenna, thereby improving the coverage capability and signal gain of the radio frequency signal cluster of the beamformed radio frequency signal with respect to the target communication device. It also improves the coverage capability and signal gain of the radio frequency signal cluster after the radio frequency signals provided by the first power amplifier and the second power amplifier overlap and enhance in free space with respect to the target communication device.

[0009] In one example, the first phase-shifting network includes at least one first phase shifter. At least one of the plurality of first sub-antennas is connected to a first power amplifier via a corresponding first phase shifter. Each first phase shifter is used to change the phase of a corresponding transmitted first radio frequency signal. In embodiments of this application, the switching selection of the signal transmission direction region can be achieved by assigning a first phase shifter to at least one of the plurality of first sub-antennas and controlling the magnitude of the phase shift of the first phase shifter.

[0010] In one example, the first phase-shifting network includes a distributed transmission structure. The distributed transmission structure includes multiple transmission paths, and multiple first sub-antennas are connected to a first power amplifier through corresponding transmission paths. At least one of the multiple transmission paths is an adjustable structure, which includes an adjustment switch and multiple path segments. The adjustment switch is used to select one or more path segments to connect and form a transmission path for the corresponding first radio frequency (RF) signal. Different transmission path lengths result in different phase changes for the corresponding transmitted RF signals. In this embodiment, the output of the first power amplifier needs to be connected to multiple first sub-antennas through the distributed transmission structure. Each first sub-antenna is connected to the first power amplifier through a corresponding transmission path. In RF communication scenarios, transmission paths are used to transmit RF signals. Typically, transmission lines or similar structures are used as the transmission medium for RF signals. However, in the microwave field, transmission lines have a certain signal delay, which can cause phase shifting of the transmitted RF signal. Therefore, in the distributed transmission structure, by setting transmission paths of corresponding lengths for different first sub-antennas, the corresponding phase can be configured. Simultaneously, for the first sub-antenna requiring phase shift adjustment, the corresponding transmission path can be configured as a path-adjustable structure with adjustable phase shift, thereby achieving phase shift adjustment for at least one transmission path. In addition, components with phase shift characteristics (such as capacitors, inductors, and resistors) can be designed on the corresponding transmission path to adjust the phase shift magnitude. When a distributed transmission structure is used, there are certain requirements on the available area of ​​the terminal equipment; in this case, the terminal equipment can be devices such as tablet computers.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the antenna module includes multiple first antenna structures. The aforementioned selection of a first antenna structure to connect and conduct with a first power amplifier includes: selecting one first antenna structure from the multiple first antenna structures to connect and conduct with the first power amplifier. In this embodiment, the number of first antenna structures can be increased; different first antenna structures can provide different antenna states to transmit the radio frequency signal provided by the first power amplifier. By selecting different first antenna structures from the multiple first antenna structures, it is also possible to adapt to more complex application scenarios and improve signal gain.

[0012] For example, the above-mentioned selection of the first antenna structure to be connected and conducted with the first power amplifier, or selection of multiple first sub-antennas to be connected and conducted with the first power amplifier, includes: selecting the first antenna structure to be connected and conducted with the first power amplifier based on the channel state information of the first antenna structure and the channel state information of the array antenna structure, or selecting multiple first sub-antennas to be connected and conducted with the first power amplifier. In the embodiments of this application, the communication quality under the corresponding antenna state can be judged based on the channel state information of the first antenna structure and the channel state information of the array antenna structure. Based on the judgment result, the antenna with better communication quality is selected to achieve precise control of communication performance optimization.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the antenna module further includes a second switching assembly and a third antenna structure. The second power amplifier is connected to both the second and third antenna structures via the second switching assembly. The second switching assembly is used to select whether the second antenna structure or the third antenna structure is connected to the second power amplifier. In this embodiment, in addition to providing multiple antenna structures for transmitting radio frequency signals to the first power amplifier, multiple antenna structures for transmitting radio frequency signals can also be provided to the second power amplifier, such as a second antenna structure and a third antenna structure. Depending on the actual application, a suitable antenna architecture is selected from the second and third antenna structures to improve the transmission performance of the radio frequency signals provided by the second power amplifier, and to improve the superposition and enhancement performance of the radio frequency signals provided by the first and second power amplifiers in free space.

[0014] For example, the above-mentioned selection of the second antenna structure to be connected to the second power amplifier, or selection of the third antenna structure to be connected to the second power amplifier, includes: selecting the second antenna structure to be connected to the second power amplifier, or selecting the third antenna structure to be connected to the second power amplifier, based on the channel state information of the second antenna structure and the channel state information of the third antenna structure. In this embodiment, the communication quality under the corresponding antenna state can be judged based on the channel state information of the second antenna structure and the channel state information of the third antenna structure. Based on the judgment result, the antenna with better communication quality is selected to achieve precise control of communication performance optimization.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the second antenna structure further includes a second phase-shifting network and a plurality of second sub-antennas. At least one of the plurality of second sub-antennas is connected to the second power amplifier via the second phase-shifting network. The second phase-shifting network is used to change the phase of the transmitted radio frequency signal. In embodiments of this application, an array-structured second antenna structure can also be used to transmit the radio frequency signal provided by the second power amplifier. In this case, when transmitting the radio frequency signal, the second antenna structure can also achieve beamforming of the radio frequency signal provided by the second power amplifier, thereby improving the signal gain of transmitting the radio frequency signal provided by the second power amplifier. Furthermore, it can improve the signal gain superimposed between the radio frequency signals provided by the first power amplifier and the second power amplifier.

[0016] For example, the second antenna structure has multiple signal transmission direction regions. The second phase-shifting network is also used to: change the phase of the transmitted radio frequency signal based on different phase shift magnitudes, so as to select a signal transmission direction region from the multiple signal transmission direction regions of the second antenna structure. In the embodiments of this application, when the second antenna structure with an array structure transmits a second radio frequency signal, the phase shift magnitude of at least one second sub-antenna can also be adjusted based on the second phase-shifting network, thereby realizing the switching selection of the signal transmission direction region of the second antenna structure. This improves the coverage and signal gain of the radio frequency signal cluster provided by the second power amplifier with respect to the target communication device, and also improves the coverage and signal gain of the radio frequency signal cluster provided by the first power amplifier and the second power amplifier with respect to the target communication device.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the terminal device further includes a mid-frame and a back cover; the back cover is disposed on the back side of the mid-frame; the back cover and the mid-frame form the device body of the terminal device, and the radio frequency integrated chip is disposed within the device body; any one of the first antenna structure, the second antenna structure, and the array antenna structure is a frame antenna structure or a back cover antenna structure, with the radiator of the frame antenna structure disposed on the mid-frame and the radiator of the back cover antenna structure disposed on the back cover. In this embodiment, the placement of the antenna structures is not limited. Multiple antenna structures can be placed in different locations according to different design requirements. In this implementation, compared to a millimeter-wave array antenna structure that stacks more sub-antennas in the same location, this solution offers greater design flexibility and less restriction on the available antenna design area of ​​the terminal device.

[0018] In one possible implementation, before selecting the first antenna structure and connecting it to the first power amplifier, or selecting multiple first sub-antennas and connecting them to the first power amplifier, the terminal device is further configured to: send first indication signals to the target communication device through different antenna structures in the antenna module, each first indication signal being used to instruct the target communication device to provide channel state information corresponding to the antenna structure. Each channel state information includes at least one of the following information for the corresponding antenna structure: communication signal strength and communication signal-to-noise ratio. The terminal device also receives channel state information corresponding to different antenna structures. In this embodiment, when the terminal device and the target communication device interact, the target communication device can calculate the channel state information of the antenna structure upon which the terminal device is based. Therefore, the terminal device can directly request channel state information of the relevant antenna structure or antenna state from the target communication device, and make a selection judgment on different antenna structures based on the obtained channel state information.

[0019] For example, a sounding reference signal (SRS) can be used as the first indication signal. In this embodiment, the SRS, as a pilot signal defined in a communication standard, represents a valid signal transmitted by a terminal device on the uplink for a period of time. The bandwidth of the SRS is larger than the bandwidth allocated to a single terminal device, aiming to provide a reference for uplink channel estimation across the full bandwidth. The terminal device transmits the SRS at the last symbol of each subframe of the uplink communication signal. Since in practical applications, all terminal devices transmit SRS to their corresponding target communication devices, the SRS can be used as the first indication signal to obtain channel state information. In other examples, other forms of indication signals besides SRS can also be designed, which are not limited in this embodiment.

[0020] In one possible implementation, a first power amplifier is used to output a first radio frequency (RF) signal, and a second power amplifier is used to output a second RF signal. The first and second RF signals are coherent communication signals. In this embodiment, the first and second RF signals can be coherent communication signals. When transmitting these two RF signals to the target communication device, the two RF signals can achieve coherent enhancement to improve signal gain.

[0021] In some examples, the phase values ​​of the first and second radio frequency signals are calculated by the terminal device.

[0022] In some examples, the phasing values ​​of the first and second radio frequency (RF) signals are calculated by the target communication device. In this case, before selecting the first antenna structure to connect and conduct with the first power amplifier, or selecting multiple first sub-antennas to connect and conduct with the first power amplifier, the terminal device is further configured to: receive a phasing indication signal from the target communication device, the phasing indication signal indicating the phase configuration values ​​of the first and second RF signals. In embodiments of this application, the target communication device can calculate a more optimized phasing value based on the communication state. The terminal device performs phasing settings for the first and second RF signals under coherent communication based on the phasing values ​​calculated and determined by the target communication device, so that the first and second RF signals can have higher signal gain during coherent enhancement, and better signal directivity towards the target communication device, etc.

[0023] In some possible implementations, the frequency range of the first and second radio frequency signals is within the 400MHz-6GHz band. In traditional millimeter-wave applications, the millimeter-wave radio frequency signals emitted by millimeter-wave array antennas are typically within the 24GHz-100GHz band. However, in this embodiment, the first and second radio frequency signals can be radio frequency signals under a cellular network or under a Wi-Fi network. Taking a cellular network as an example, the first and second radio frequency signals can be based on Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology and New Radio (5G NR) technology, etc. For example, using LTE technology, the frequencies of the first and second radio frequency signals can be 700MHz, 850MHz, and 1900MHz, etc. Using 5G... Taking NR technology as an example, it can operate in the following frequency bands: n1 (uplink range 1920MHz-1980MHz), n2 (uplink range 1850MHz-1910MHz), n3 (uplink range 1710MHz-1785MHz), n5 (uplink range 824MHz-849MHz), n7 (uplink range 2500MHz-2570MHz), n8 (uplink range 880MHz-915MHz), n20 (uplink range 832MHz-862MHz), n28 (uplink range 703MHz-748MHz), and n3... The frequency bands include n8 (uplink range 2570MHz-2620MHz), n41 (uplink range 2496MHz-2690MHz), n50 (uplink range 1432MHz-1517MHz), n51 (uplink range 1427MHz-1432MHz), n66 (uplink range 1710MHz-1780MHz), n70 (uplink range 1695MHz-1710MHz), n77 (uplink range 3300MHz-4200MHz), and n78 (uplink range 3300MHz-3800MHz). For example, taking WiFi technology as an example, the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal can be in the WiFi-2G band or the WiFi-5G band (including the 5.15GHz-5.25GHz sub-band, the 5.25GHz-5.35GHz sub-band, the 5.47GHz-5.725GHz sub-band and the 5.725GHz-5.875GHz sub-band).

[0024] Secondly, embodiments of this application also provide a communication method applied to a terminal device, the terminal device including a radio frequency integrated chip, a first switching component, and an antenna module. The radio frequency integrated chip includes a first power amplifier and a second power amplifier, which operate simultaneously. The antenna module includes a first antenna structure, a second antenna structure, and an array antenna structure. The array antenna structure includes multiple first sub-antennas. The radio frequency integrated chip is coupled to the first switching component via the first power amplifier, and the first switching component is coupled to the first antenna structure and the multiple first sub-antennas respectively. The radio frequency chip is coupled to the second antenna structure via a second power amplifier. The method includes:

[0025] The control first switch assembly can select the first antenna structure to be connected and turned on by the first power amplifier, or select multiple first sub-antennas to be connected and turned on by the first power amplifier.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the array antenna structure further includes a first phase-shifting network. At least one of the plurality of first sub-antennas is connected to a first switching assembly via the first phase-shifting network. The first phase-shifting network is used to change the phase of the transmitted radio frequency signal. The method further includes: changing the phase of the transmitted radio frequency signal based on different phase shift magnitudes to select a signal transmission direction region from a plurality of signal transmission direction regions of the array antenna structure.

[0027] In one possible implementation, the antenna module includes a plurality of first antenna structures. The selection of a first antenna structure to be connected to the first power amplifier includes: selecting one first antenna structure from the plurality of first antenna structures and connecting it to the first power amplifier.

[0028] In one possible implementation, the control of the first switching component to select the first antenna structure to be connected and turned on with the first power amplifier, or to select multiple first sub-antennas to be connected and turned on with the first power amplifier, includes: controlling the first switching component to select the first antenna structure to be connected and turned on with the first power amplifier, or to select multiple first sub-antennas to be connected and turned on with the first power amplifier, based on the channel state information of the first antenna structure and the channel state information of the array antenna structure.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the antenna module further includes a second switching assembly and a third antenna structure. The second power amplifier is connected to the second antenna structure and the third antenna structure respectively via the second switching assembly. The method further includes controlling the second switching assembly to select the second antenna structure to be connected and turned on with the second power amplifier, or to select the third antenna structure to be connected and turned on with the second power amplifier.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the control of the second switch component to select the second antenna structure to be connected to the second power amplifier, or to select the third antenna structure to be connected to the second power amplifier, includes: selecting the second antenna structure to be connected to the second power amplifier, or selecting the third antenna structure to be connected to the second power amplifier, based on the channel state information of the second antenna structure and the channel state information of the third antenna structure.

[0031] In one possible implementation, the second antenna structure further includes a second phase-shifting network and a plurality of second sub-antennas. At least one of the plurality of second sub-antennas is connected to a second power amplifier via the second phase-shifting network. The second phase-shifting network is used to change the phase of the transmitted radio frequency signal. The second antenna structure has multiple signal transmission direction regions. The method further includes: changing the phase of the radio frequency signal transmitted by the second phase-shifting network based on different phase shift magnitudes to select a signal transmission direction region from the plurality of signal transmission direction regions of the second antenna structure.

[0032] In one possible implementation, before the control of the first switching component to select the first antenna structure and connect it to the first power amplifier, or to select multiple first sub-antennas to connect to the first power amplifier, the method further includes: sending first indication signals to the target communication device through different antenna structures in the antenna module, each first indication signal instructing the target communication device to provide channel state information corresponding to the antenna structure. Each channel state information includes at least one of the following information for the corresponding antenna structure: communication signal strength and communication signal-to-noise ratio. The method also involves receiving the channel state information corresponding to different antenna structures.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the first indication signal is a probe reference signal.

[0034] In one possible implementation, a first power amplifier is used to output a first radio frequency (RF) signal, and a second power amplifier is used to output a second RF signal. The first RF signal and the second RF signal are coherent communication signals.

[0035] In one possible implementation, before the control of the first switching component to select the first antenna structure to be connected and turned on with the first power amplifier, or to select multiple first sub-antennas to be connected and turned on with the first power amplifier, the method further includes: receiving a phase alignment indication signal from the target communication device, the phase alignment indication signal being used to indicate the phase configuration value of the first radio frequency signal and the phase configuration value of the second radio frequency signal.

[0036] In one possible implementation, the frequency range of the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal is within the 400MHz-6GHz band.

[0037] Thirdly, embodiments of this application also provide a computer-readable storage medium including instructions. When the instructions are executed on a terminal device, the terminal device performs the communication method as described in the second aspect above.

[0038] The technical principles and beneficial effects of the second and third aspects mentioned above can be referred to the relevant description of the first aspect, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0039] Figure 1 This application provides a schematic diagram of the structure of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0040] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the operation of a first terminal device;

[0041] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a second terminal device Figure 1 ;

[0042] Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating the principle of beamforming for a millimeter-wave array antenna;

[0043] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a second terminal device Figure 2 ;

[0044] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a third terminal device;

[0045] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of a fourth terminal device provided in this application embodiment. Figure 1 ;

[0046] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of a fourth terminal device provided in this application embodiment. Figure 2 ;

[0047] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of a fourth terminal device provided in this application embodiment. Figure 3 ;

[0048] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of the structure of a fourth terminal device provided in this application embodiment. Figure 4 ;

[0049] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of the structure of a fourth terminal device provided in this application embodiment. Figure 5 ;

[0050] Figure 12 A schematic diagram of the structure of a fourth terminal device provided in this application embodiment. Figure 6 ;

[0051] Figure 13 A schematic diagram of the structure of a fourth terminal device provided in this application embodiment. Figure 7 ;

[0052] Figure 14 A schematic diagram of the structure of a fourth terminal device provided in this application embodiment. Figure 8 ;

[0053] Figure 15 A schematic diagram of the structure of a fourth terminal device provided in this application embodiment. Figure 9 ;

[0054] Figure 16 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 ;

[0055] Figure 17 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 ;

[0056] Figure 18 A schematic diagram illustrating an optional combination of transmitting a first radio frequency signal and a second radio frequency signal based on different antenna states, provided as an embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 19 A method based on the embodiments of this application is provided. Figure 13 A schematic diagram of the gain signal effect of the structure shown;

[0058] Figure 20 An application provided for the embodiments of this application Figure 15 A schematic diagram of the gain signal effect of the structure shown;

[0059] Figure 21 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 3 . Detailed Implementation

[0060] It should be noted that the terms "first" and "second" used in the embodiments of this application are only used to distinguish features of the same type and should not be construed as indicating relative importance, quantity, order, etc.

[0061] The terms "exemplary" or "for example" used in the embodiments of this application are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0062] The terms "coupling" and "connection" used in the embodiments of this application should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a physical direct connection or an indirect connection achieved through electronic devices, such as a connection achieved through resistors, inductors, capacitors or other electronic devices.

[0063] This application provides a wireless communication system that may include one or more communication devices. A terminal device can interact with a target communication device in the wireless communication system by exchanging communication signals. Exemplarily, the communication device may be a base station, a wireless router, a repeater, or a Bluetooth communication device, etc.

[0064] Figure 1 An example wireless communication system using a base station as a communication device is given. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the wireless communication system 1000 includes multiple base stations 100. Within a certain environmental area, the multiple base stations 100 are distributed at different locations. Each base station 100 transmits radio frequency signal clusters based on a different directional area. When the terminal device UE1 is located in a sub-area within this environmental area, that sub-area may be covered by the radio frequency signal clusters of at least one base station 100. The terminal device UE1 can communicate with a target base station 100A among the at least one base station 100 corresponding to that sub-area to complete wireless communication.

[0065] Regarding the directional region of the transmitted radio frequency (RF) signal cluster, it can be understood that each base station 100 can transmit RF signals within a certain range, but the signal strength varies within this range. If a certain signal strength threshold is set, it is possible to detect RF signals with higher signal strength transmitted by the base station 100 into a concentrated directional region. Since wireless communication has certain signal strength requirements, the RF signals with higher signal strength transmitted by the base station 100 within a concentrated directional region can be considered valid communication signals; that is, this portion of the RF signals constitutes the RF signal cluster transmitted by the base station 100. Based on this, we can plot the RF radiation pattern of the base station 100 or the terminal device UE1 according to the correlation between the radiation direction and radiation intensity of the RF signal cluster. The RF radiation pattern is then used to evaluate the antenna's radiation performance and signal propagation characteristics.

[0066] based on Figure 1It can be seen that within this environment, some sub-regions are covered by radio frequency signal clusters from multiple base stations 100, while some sub-regions are covered by the radio frequency signal cluster of a single base station 100, but are far from that base station 100. Depending on the location of the terminal device UE1, it may exist in any sub-region within this environment. For example, sub-region 1, sub-region 2, sub-region 3, sub-region 4, sub-region 5, and sub-region 6. When the terminal device UE1 is located in sub-regions 4, 5, and 6, these sub-regions are covered by only one radio frequency signal cluster from a single base station 100, and these sub-regions are far from the corresponding base station 100. In areas far from the target base station, the transmitted signal of the antenna module of the terminal device UE1 needs to have a high gain signal strength in the direction pointing towards the target base station to improve the coverage of the target base station by the transmitted signal of the terminal device UE1. When the terminal device UE1 is located in sub-regions 1, 2, and 3, these sub-regions are covered by the radio frequency signal clusters of at least two base stations 100, which constitutes an overlapping coverage area. In areas with overlapping coverage, the antenna module of terminal device UE1 needs to have a high-gain signal strength in the direction pointing to the target base station, and its transmitted signal needs to have low sidelobes relative to other interfering base stations. Only in this way can the coverage of the target base station by the transmitted signal of terminal device UE1 be improved, while also preventing interference from other nearby interfering base stations during reception.

[0067] In other examples, taking one or more wireless routers as communication devices, when these routers are installed in a home, workplace, or outdoor environment, there are many possibilities for obstruction in different environments. Furthermore, the terminal device within its spatial range will be covered by the radio frequency signal clusters of one or more wireless routers. Depending on the relative position between the terminal device and the wireless router serving as the target communication device, the aforementioned issues may also arise. Figure 1 The aforementioned problem.

[0068] To optimize and improve the communication quality between terminal device UE1 and the target communication device, a first terminal device based on a location positioning demand pattern is proposed in related technologies. For example, Figure 2As shown, the first terminal device UE1A measures the relative position between itself and the target communication device using position sensors. Based on the measured relative position, the direct direction from UE1A to the target communication device can be calculated. This direct direction can then be used to obtain the target radiation pattern required by UE1A. Transmitting the corresponding radio frequency (RF) signal to the target communication device based on the target radiation pattern can improve the communication quality between UE1A and the target communication device. However, in practical applications, different transmission paths exist between UE1A and the target communication device, primarily including line-of-sight (LOS) and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) paths. On the LOS path, the RF signal is transmitted directly between UE1A and the target communication device without obstruction or reflection. On the NLOS path, the RF signal encounters obstacles or experiences reflection and scattering during propagation, requiring multiple reflections and scattering before reaching the receiving end. Therefore, in... Figure 2 In this implementation, the direct direction of the calculation corresponds to the LOS path transmission scenario. However, most actual application scenarios are NLOS paths, and the optimal communication direction for the first terminal device UE1A needs to be determined by considering other factors. Therefore, Figure 2 The calculated target radiation pattern under the implementation method is likely not the actual optimal radiation pattern. In addition, on the first terminal device UE1A, when the operating mode of the antenna module differs significantly from the calculated target radiation pattern, it is also difficult to calculate the antenna module parameters required for communication with the target communication device from the target radiation pattern.

[0069] In another related technology, a second terminal device for setting up a millimeter-wave array antenna is proposed. For example... Figure 3As shown, the second terminal device UE1B is equipped with a power amplifier PA and a millimeter-wave array antenna H. The millimeter-wave array antenna H includes multiple sub-antennas H1. Each sub-antenna H1 is connected to the power amplifier PA. The second terminal device UE1B outputs radio frequency (RF) signals to the multiple sub-antennas H1 through the power amplifier PA, and transmits RF signals to the target communication device based on the multiple sub-antennas H1. The RF signals transmitted by the multiple sub-antennas H1 form a cluster of RF signals oriented towards the target communication device based on beamforming, thereby improving the transmission gain of the second terminal device UE1B to the target communication device. In this embodiment, millimeter-wave band RF wireless communication has the characteristics of high communication rate and low latency, but the communication distance of millimeter-wave band RF signals is also greatly limited. To improve the RF communication distance of the millimeter-wave band, multiple millimeter-wave band RF signals with different phases are typically transmitted based on the millimeter-wave array antenna H. These multiple RF signals form a stronger directional beam in the air based on the principle of wave interference, and communication is performed towards the target communication device based on the formed beam. Figure 4 As shown in Figure (a), when electromagnetic waves of two radio frequency signals meet in space, if the crests of the two electromagnetic waves meet, a peak-enhanced electromagnetic wave signal will be obtained. Similarly, if the troughs meet, the troughs will also be enhanced, exhibiting a coherent constructive characteristic. Conversely, if the crests and troughs of two electromagnetic waves meet, they will cancel each other out, exhibiting a coherent destructive characteristic. When electromagnetic waves of two radio frequency signals meet in space, as... Figure 4 As shown in Figure (b), taking the transmission of radio frequency (RF) signals by two sub-antennas H1 as an example, the dashed waveform represents the trough of the RF signal, and the solid waveform represents the peak of the RF signal. It can be seen that the RF signals transmitted by the two sub-antennas H1 exhibit a beamforming effect in the transmission direction, thus forming a directional antenna. However, in the application scenario of the millimeter-wave array antenna H, the beam is relatively concentrated, sacrificing a certain coverage range of the RF signal cluster transmitted by the second terminal device UE1B.

[0070] In some possible implementations, in order to improve Figure 3 The coverage area of ​​the radio frequency signal cluster in the illustrated embodiment is as follows: Figure 5 As shown in Figures (a) and (b), multiple power amplifiers and multiple millimeter-wave array antennas H can be set in the second terminal device UE1B.

[0071] For example, multiple millimeter-wave array antennas H can operate simultaneously. In such cases... Figure 5In the embodiment shown in Figure (a), in millimeter-wave beamforming applications, to improve the radio frequency signal coverage of the second terminal device UE1B, multiple millimeter-wave array antennas H can transmit radio frequency signals to different directional regions. In this implementation, the radio frequency patterns of different millimeter-wave array antennas H typically do not overlap, thus achieving the largest possible scanning coverage. For example, Figure 5 Figure (a) shows that, taking the second terminal device UE1B as a mobile phone as an example, a corresponding millimeter-wave array antenna H can be set on some or all of the four frame sides of the second terminal device UE1B. By transmitting radio frequency signals to different directional areas simultaneously through the millimeter-wave array antennas on different frame sides, the coverage range of radio frequency signals can be improved.

[0072] For example, different millimeter-wave array antennas H can be used to transmit radio frequency signals in different operating modes of the second terminal device UE1B. In such cases... Figure 5 In the embodiment shown in Figure (b), taking the second terminal device UE1B as a mobile phone as an example, millimeter-wave array antennas H are respectively set on the top side of the frame and the side of the back cover of the second terminal device UE1B. When the second terminal device UE1B is in data communication mode, the user's hands may block the side of the back cover of the second terminal device UE1B, and radio frequency signals can be transmitted through the millimeter-wave array antenna H on the top side of the frame of the second terminal device UE1B. When the second terminal device UE1B is in voice call mode, the user will place the second terminal device UE1B on the side of the ear. The user's head may block the top side of the frame of the second terminal device UE1B and cause radiation interference, etc., and radio frequency signals can be transmitted through the millimeter-wave array antenna H on the side of the back cover of the second terminal device UE1B. In this implementation, the different millimeter-wave array antennas H do not work simultaneously, but they work in different working modes, and the transmitted radio frequency signals may correspond to radio frequency signals under different standards.

[0073] In this application, Figure 3 and Figure 5In the illustrated embodiment, although beamforming of the millimeter-wave array antenna H can improve the signal strength of the transmitted radio frequency signal, thereby enhancing communication quality with the target communication device, achieving high signal gain through beamforming requires a certain number of sub-antennas H1 within the millimeter-wave array antenna H. Furthermore, to achieve high beamforming gains among multiple sub-antennas H1, they need to be as close as possible while ensuring the distance between adjacent sub-antennas H1 is greater than one-quarter of the transmission radio frequency signal wavelength. However, in actual product design, it is difficult to reserve a large usable design area in many terminal devices (UE1) to accommodate a large number of sub-antennas H1. If the sub-antennas H1 are distributed across different areas, beamforming places high demands on the initial transmission distance of the radio frequency signals transmitted by each sub-antenna H1. At greater distribution distances, the radio frequency signals transmitted by each sub-antenna H1 already experience significant transmission loss before beamforming in space, making it difficult to achieve high-gain beamforming design. Therefore, beamforming based on millimeter-wave array antenna H can be used in terminal device UE1 to improve communication quality, but due to the area limitation of terminal device UE1, it is difficult to achieve higher revenue requirements in the design.

[0074] In another related technology, such as Figure 6 As shown, a third terminal device UE1C with an added back cover antenna is proposed. Taking the third terminal device UE1C as a mobile phone as an example, Figure 6 This is a rear view of the third-party terminal device UE1C. The UE1C has a frame antenna ANT_F on its side. To improve the RF radiation pattern coverage of the UE1C in the back cover direction, a back cover antenna ANT_B can be installed on the back cover. The UE1C uses sensors to detect different scenarios and switches between the frame antenna ANT_F and the back cover antenna ANT_B to transmit RF signals depending on the usage scenario. For example, taking the UE1C as a mobile phone, in scenarios where the phone is used in landscape or portrait mode, the user's hand position may obstruct the frame antenna ANT_F, or the user's head may interfere with the frame antenna ANT_F when making a call. The back cover antenna ANT_B can transmit RF signals to improve communication quality with the target communication device in these scenarios. However, the RF radiation pattern coverage angle of the back cover antenna ANT_B is usually limited, and its signal gain is inferior to that of the frame antenna ANT_F. In addition, the ANT_B back cover antenna has a relatively wide beamwidth, making it difficult to adapt to... Figure 1 The performance improvement shown in the scenario.

[0075] To enable terminal device UE1 to achieve higher-gain communication more flexibly in different scenarios, embodiments of this application provide a fourth terminal device, such as... Figure 7 As shown, the fourth terminal device UE1D includes a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) RFIC1, a first switching component S1, and an antenna module. The RFIC1 includes a first power amplifier PA1 and a second power amplifier PA1, which operate simultaneously. The antenna module includes a first antenna structure ANT1, a second antenna structure ANT2, and an array antenna structure ANTA. The array antenna structure ANTA includes multiple first sub-antennas ANTA1. The RFIC1 is coupled to the first switching component S1 via the first power amplifier PA1, and the first switching component S1 is coupled to both the first antenna structure ANT1 and the multiple first sub-antennas ANTA1. The RFIC1 is coupled to the second antenna structure ANT2 via the second power amplifier PA1. The first switching component S1 is used to select either the first antenna structure ANT1 to be connected and turned on with the first power amplifier PA1, or to select either the multiple first sub-antennas ANTA1 to be connected and turned on with the first power amplifier PA1.

[0076] It should be understood that the above-mentioned "first power amplifier PA1 and second power amplifier PA1 work simultaneously" is not intended to limit the terminal device in the embodiments of this application to only provide a scenario where both work simultaneously, but rather to indicate that the terminal device in the embodiments of this application has a scenario where both work simultaneously, and when both work simultaneously, the above-mentioned antenna structure can be selected based on the switching component to support the operation of the antenna module.

[0077] For example, the first power amplifier PA1 is used to output a first radio frequency signal, and the second power amplifier PA1 is used to output a second radio frequency signal.

[0078] In this application, Figure 7 In the illustrated embodiment, the first antenna structure ANT1 and the array antenna structure ANTA are respectively connected to the first power amplifier PA1, and one of the first antenna structure ANT1 and the array antenna structure ANTA is selected to transmit the first radio frequency signal output by the first power amplifier PA1. Compared to Figure 5 The embodiment shown in Figure (b) Figure 7 Both the first antenna structure ANT1 and the array antenna structure ANTA are connected to the first power amplifier PA1. There is no difference in communication mode between the first antenna structure ANT1 and the array antenna structure ANTA; the selection between them is a switching choice within the same communication mode. Meanwhile, with... Figure 5Compared to the millimeter-wave array antenna H shown, the first antenna structure ANT1 and the array antenna structure ANTA cannot be considered as a whole millimeter-wave array antenna H connected to a power amplifier PA. This is because, when the millimeter-wave array antenna H is working, all its sub-antennas H1 need to work together to achieve beamforming. However, the first antenna structure ANT1 and the array antenna structure ANTA do not work simultaneously. In this embodiment, depending on the actual design of the device area of ​​the fourth terminal device UE1D, the first antenna structure ANT1 and the array antenna structure ANTA can be placed in different or the same areas on the fourth terminal device UE1D. Compared to using the millimeter-wave array antenna H described above, the position design of the two antenna structures is more flexible. Furthermore, typically, the terminal device UE1 uses one antenna structure corresponding to one power amplifier PA to transmit radio frequency signals, with one exception being... Figure 5 Figure (a) shows multiple millimeter-wave array antennas H operating simultaneously. However, Figure 5 In the scheme shown in Figure (a), the characteristics of the millimeter-wave band result in a narrow coverage area for the radio frequency signal clusters of each millimeter-wave array antenna H. Therefore, multiple millimeter-wave array antennas H are needed to cover different directions to achieve a wider signal coverage. However, in this application… Figure 7 In the illustrated embodiment, two power amplifiers (a first power amplifier PA1 and a second power amplifier PA2) are designed, both for transmitting radio frequency (RF) signals to a target communication device. The coverage areas of the RF signal clusters output by the two power amplifiers overlap. This causes signal enhancement when the first and second RF signals meet at their overlap point in free space after transmission. Figure 7In the illustrated embodiment, the radio frequency (RF) transmission parameters of the first antenna structure ANT1 and the array antenna structure ANTA are different, resulting in differences in the coverage area (i.e., RF pattern) of the RF signal clusters transmitted by the two structures. This allows the fourth terminal device UE1D to select either the first antenna structure ANT1 or the array antenna structure ANTA to transmit the first RF signal, and to transmit the second RF signal based on the second antenna structure ANT2, according to actual application requirements. The transmitted first and second RF signals can also be enhanced after meeting in space to improve gain. Furthermore, the flexibility in choosing between the first antenna structure ANT1 and the array antenna structure ANTA allows for a wider range of signal coverage options. Moreover, because the array antenna structure ANTA has multiple first sub-antennas, the multiple first RF signals transmitted by ANTA can achieve beamforming. Therefore, when choosing the scheme of combining the array antenna structure ANTA with the second antenna structure ANT2, the fourth terminal device UE1D can achieve beamforming of the first RF signal and then enhance the second RF signal in free space, resulting in a very large signal gain.

[0079] In some possible implementations, the array antenna structure ANTA has multiple signal transmission direction regions. A signal transmission direction region can be selected from these multiple regions, and a first radio frequency (RF) signal is transmitted to the target communication device through multiple first sub-antennas ANTA1 based on the selected signal transmission direction region. In this embodiment, the multiple first RF signals transmitted by the multiple first sub-antennas ANTA1 of the array antenna structure ANTA can achieve beamforming in free space. Therefore, by designing the array antenna structure ANTA, it is possible to achieve the transmission of first RF signals with different phases by the multiple first sub-antennas ANTA. When the phase of the first RF signals transmitted by some or all of the multiple first sub-antennas ANTA changes, the array antenna structure ANTA can have multiple signal transmission direction regions. Therefore, when selecting the array antenna structure ANTA to transmit the first RF signal, the signal transmission direction region of the array antenna structure ANTA can also be selected to achieve scanning of the first RF signal in different coverage direction regions. By selecting the scanning direction of the first RF signal and combining it with the second RF signal, better adaptation can be achieved in different application scenarios to improve communication performance with the target communication device.

[0080] For example, such as Figure 8As shown, the array antenna structure ANTA also includes a first phase-shifting network PS1. At least one of the multiple first sub-antennas ANTA1 is connected to the first switching assembly S1 via the first phase-shifting network PS1. The first phase-shifting network PS1 is used to change the phase of the transmitted radio frequency signal. In this embodiment, the first phase-shifting network PS1 can be used to configure the corresponding phase of the first radio frequency signal of at least one first sub-antenna ANTA1 to achieve beamforming of multiple first radio frequency signals. In addition, the first phase shifter PS11 can also adjust the amount of phase shift of the first radio frequency signal transmitted by at least one of the multiple first sub-antennas ANTA1, thereby achieving switching selection of the signal transmission direction region.

[0081] In one example, the first phase-shifting network PS1 can adjust the amount of phase shift of the first radio frequency signal transmitted by at least one first sub-antenna ANTA1 based on an integrated phase shifter. At this time, as... Figure 9 As shown in Figure (a), the first phase-shifting network PS1 includes at least one first phase shifter PS11. At least one of the plurality of first sub-antennas ANTA1 is connected to the first power amplifier PA1 via a one-to-one corresponding first phase shifter PS11. Adjusting the phase shift of the first phase-shifting network PS1 includes adjusting the phase shift of at least one first phase shifter PS11. In this application, as... Figure 9 In the embodiment shown in Figure (a), a first phase shifter PS11 can be set for at least one of the multiple first sub-antennas ANTA1, and the switching selection of the signal transmission direction region can be achieved by controlling the magnitude of the phase shift of the first phase shifter PS11.

[0082] In one example, the first phase-shifting network PS1 can adjust the phase shift magnitude based on a distributed transmission structure. At this point, as... Figure 9As shown in Figure (b), the first phase-shifting network PS1 is a distributed transmission structure. The distributed transmission structure includes multiple transmission paths, and multiple first sub-antennas ANTA1 are connected to the first power amplifier PA1 through corresponding transmission paths. At least one of the multiple transmission paths is an adjustable structure, which includes an adjustment switch and multiple path segments. The adjustment switch is used to select one or more path segments to connect and form the transmission path for the corresponding first radio frequency signal; transmission paths of different lengths result in different phase changes for the corresponding transmitted first radio frequency signal. In this embodiment, the output of the first power amplifier PA1 needs to be connected to multiple first sub-antennas ANTA1 through the distributed transmission structure. Each first sub-antenna ANTA1 is connected to the first power amplifier PA1 through a corresponding transmission path. In radio frequency communication scenarios, transmission paths are used to transmit radio frequency signals. Typically, transmission lines or similar structures are used as the transmission medium for radio frequency signals. However, in the microwave field, transmission lines have a certain signal delay, which will cause phase shifting of the transmitted radio frequency signal. Therefore, in a distributed transmission structure, different phase configurations can be achieved by setting transmission paths of different lengths for different first sub-antennas ANTA1. Simultaneously, for the first sub-antenna ANTA1 whose phase shift needs adjustment, the corresponding transmission path can be set to have an adjustable phase shift, thereby achieving adjustment of the phase shift magnitude of at least one transmission path. Specifically, the corresponding transmission path can be designed with an adjustable transmission length to achieve phase shift adjustment. In addition, components with phase shift characteristics (such as capacitors, inductors, and resistors) can be designed on the corresponding transmission path to achieve adjustment of the phase shift magnitude on the transmission path. When using... Figure 9 When the distributed transmission structure shown in Figure (b) is used, there are certain requirements on the available area of ​​the fourth terminal device UE1D. In this case, the fourth terminal device UE1D can be a tablet computer or other devices.

[0083] In some examples, the output of the first power amplifier PA1 is divided into multiple branches by a power divider. These multiple branches are connected to the first phase-shifting network PS1 and the first antenna structure ANT1 respectively through the first switching component S1, and are also connected to multiple first sub-antennas ANTA1 of the array antenna structure ANTA based on the first phase-shifting network PS1.

[0084] In other examples, multiple branches can be branched off at the output of the first power amplifier PA1 via transmission lines. These branches are connected to the first phase-shifting network PS1 and the first antenna structure ANT1 via the first switching component S1, and are also connected to multiple first sub-antennas ANTA1 of the array antenna structure ANTA based on the first phase-shifting network PS1.

[0085] In some examples, when the first phase-shifting network PS1 is used to adjust the phase shift of the first RF signal based on the first phase shifter PS11, some selected phase shifters inherently have a splitting function. In this case, both phase shift adjustment and power splitting functions can be achieved based on the phase shifter with splitting capabilities. For example, a coupler with four ports will output RF signals from the corresponding coupled and through ports when an RF signal is input from any port of the coupler, with a phase difference between the two output RF signals. When using a coupler as a phase shifter, the coupler can achieve both power splitting and phase shift adjustment functions.

[0086] In some possible implementations, the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal are coherent communication signals. In the embodiments of this application, coherent communication and beamforming are similar in principle, and can be understood as described above. Figure 4 The principle explained is as follows. The difference between the two lies in the fact that coherent communication determines and adjusts the phase of radio frequency (RF) signals in the digital domain. For example, the controller of the fourth terminal device UE1D calculates the required phase value between the first and second RF signals in the digital domain, and controls the relevant RF generation and processing devices of the fourth terminal device UE1D in the digital domain, so that these devices generate and process the first and second RF signals with the target phase values. After the first RF signal is amplified by the first power amplifier PA1 and the second RF signal is amplified by the second power amplifier PA2, the first and second RF signals with the target phase values ​​are transmitted through the selected corresponding antenna structure. This allows the first and second RF signals to meet and amplify in free space, while the amplified beam (i.e., the RF signal cluster obtained after overlapping amplification) can be directed towards the pre-calculated target direction region. Beamforming is processed in the analog domain. For example, the fourth terminal device UE1D outputs a first radio frequency (RF) signal with a defined phase value through a first power amplifier PA1. When transmitting the first RF signal based on an array antenna structure ANTA, since the array antenna structure ANTA has multiple first sub-antennas ANTA1, each of the multiple first sub-antennas ANTA outputs one first RF signal. The multiple transmitted first RF signals can achieve beamforming. Through the above... Figure 9 The first phase-shifting network PS1 described in the embodiment changes the transmission phase of the radio frequency signal, thereby achieving the purpose of adjusting the phase shift.

[0087] In one example, the fourth terminal device UE1D can calculate the phase values ​​of the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal, and implement phase control of the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal in the digital domain.

[0088] In another example, the target communication device can calculate the phase values ​​of the first and second radio frequency signals. The fourth terminal device UE1D implements phase control of the first and second radio frequency signals in the digital domain based on the phase values ​​calculated by the target communication device. In this case, before transmitting the first and second radio frequency signals, the fourth terminal device UE1D is also configured to: receive a phase indication signal from the target communication device, the phase indication signal indicating the phase configuration values ​​of the first and second radio frequency signals.

[0089] In some possible implementations, such as Figure 10 As shown, the antenna module may include multiple first antenna structures ANT1. At this time, the above... Figure 7 The method described in this embodiment for selecting a first antenna structure ANT1 to transmit a first radio frequency signal to a target communication device includes: selecting one first antenna structure ANT1 from a plurality of first antenna structures ANT1 to transmit the first radio frequency signal to the target communication device. In this embodiment, multiple first antenna structures ANT1 can be connected to a first power amplifier PA1 respectively, and different first antenna structures ANT1 can have different device parameters. In this case, the fourth terminal device UE1D can select from the array antenna structure ANTA and the plurality of first antenna structures ANT1 to select one antenna structure to transmit the first radio frequency signal. Increasing the number of first antenna structures ANT1 provides more selectable antenna states for transmitting the first radio frequency signal, thereby enabling more selectable enhancement states for the first and second radio frequency signals to meet different application requirements.

[0090] For example, such as Figure 10 As shown, taking two first antenna structures ANT1 as an example, the first switching component S1 includes a first switching switch S11 and a second switching switch S12, which enables the selection of one of the three antenna structures ANTA and the two first antenna structures ANT1 through the first switching switch S11 and the second switching switch S12.

[0091] In the above Figure 7 , Figure 8 , Figure 9 and Figure 10 In the illustrated embodiment, the first radio frequency signal is transmitted by selecting antenna states corresponding to different antenna structures or by selecting different antenna states corresponding to the same antenna structure, and the second radio frequency signal is transmitted by selecting the second antenna structure ANT2.

[0092] In other possible implementations, different antenna states can be configured for the second antenna structure ANT2, and a second radio frequency signal can be transmitted by selecting different antenna states of the second antenna structure ANT2. In this case, such as... Figure 11As shown, the second antenna structure ANT2 includes multiple second sub-antennas ANT21, and the second antenna structure ANT2 has multiple signal transmission direction regions. The above... Figure 7 The embodiment described herein describes the selection of a second antenna structure ANT2 to transmit a second radio frequency signal to a target communication device, including: selecting a signal transmission direction region from a plurality of signal transmission directions corresponding to the second antenna structure ANT2, and transmitting the second radio frequency signal to the target communication device through a plurality of second sub-antennas ANT21 based on the selected signal transmission direction region. In this application, as shown... Figure 11 In the illustrated embodiment, the second antenna structure ANT2 can also be configured as an array structure including multiple second sub-antennas ANT21. In this case, the second antenna structure ANT2 can also transmit multiple second radio frequency signals based on the multiple second sub-antennas ANT21. The multiple second radio frequency signals are beamformed in free space and then coherently enhanced with the first radio frequency signal.

[0093] For example, such as Figure 11 As shown, the second antenna structure ANT2 also includes a second phase-shifting network PS2. At least one of the multiple second sub-antennas ANT21 is connected to the second power amplifier PA2 via the second phase-shifting network PS2. The aforementioned selection of a signal transmission direction region from the multiple signal transmission directions corresponding to the second antenna structure ANT2 includes: selecting a signal transmission direction region from the multiple signal transmission directions corresponding to the second antenna structure ANT2 by adjusting the phase shift amount of the second phase-shifting network PS2. For a description of how the second phase-shifting network PS2 in the second antenna structure ANT2 implements beamforming and signal coverage scanning of the second radio frequency signal, please refer to the relevant description of the first phase-shifting network PS1 mentioned above, which will not be repeated here.

[0094] In some other possible implementations, more antenna structures capable of transmitting the second radio frequency signal can be provided, and one of these antenna structures can be selected to transmit the second radio frequency signal. In this case, such as... Figure 12As shown, the antenna module also includes a third antenna structure ANT3. The third antenna structure ANT3 is connected to the second power amplifier PA2. The aforementioned selection of the second antenna structure ANT2 to transmit a second radio frequency signal to the target communication device includes: selecting the second antenna structure ANT2 to transmit the second radio frequency signal to the target communication device or selecting the third antenna structure ANT3 to transmit the second radio frequency signal to the target communication device. In this embodiment, when multiple antenna structures can transmit the second radio frequency signal, the fourth terminal UE1D has the ability to transmit the second radio frequency signal in different antenna states. According to actual application requirements, an antenna state can be selected to transmit the second radio frequency signal, and coherent enhancement can be performed based on the transmitted second radio frequency signal and the first radio frequency signal. Through this implementation, the signal gain adaptation capability under different application scenarios and application requirements can be improved.

[0095] For example, such as Figure 12 As shown, the second switch component S2 can be used to select and switch between the second antenna structure ANT2 and the third antenna structure ANT3.

[0096] In some possible implementations, any one of the first antenna structure ANT1, the second antenna structure ANT2, the third antenna structure ANT3, and the array antenna structure ANTA is a frame antenna structure or a back cover antenna structure.

[0097] In the first example, such as Figure 13 As shown, taking the fourth terminal device UE1D as a mobile phone as an example (the first switch component S1 and the first phase-shifting network PS1 are omitted in the figure), the fourth terminal device UE1D can be equipped with two first antenna structures ANT2, one array antenna structure ANTA, one second antenna structure ANT2, and one third antenna structure ANT3, and the array antenna structure ANTA includes two first sub-antennas ANTA1. The two first sub-antennas ANTA1 of the array antenna structure ANTA can be back cover antennas. The two first antenna structures ANT1 can be frame antennas set in different positions. The second antenna structure ANT2 is a frame antenna. The third antenna structure ANT3 is a back cover antenna.

[0098] For example, in Figure 13 In some embodiments, the phase shift of the first sub-antenna ANTA1 is between -135° and 135°. In some examples, the phase shift values ​​for the two first sub-antennas ANTA1 can be 0°, 135°, and -135°. In the embodiments of this application, the finer the adjustable step of the phase shifter, the higher the design difficulty and complexity of the device. Therefore, phase shifters are typically designed to have multiple discrete adjustable phase shift values ​​at a certain step phase shift difference. Figure 13In the illustrated embodiment, multiple first sub-antennas ANTA1 are positioned on the back cover. These first sub-antennas ANTA1, acting as back cover antennas, can compensate for the lack of coverage in the back cover direction provided by other frame antennas. However, the directional area in the back cover direction is relatively wide. When designing the adjustable phase shift amount of the first phase-shifting network PS1, the coverage range and signal gain must be considered. If the adjustable phase shift amount is small, the coverage area in the back cover direction will be small. Conversely, if the adjustable phase shift amount is large, the beam of the first radio frequency signal will be too divergent, resulting in significant signal loss. Through comprehensive design considerations, phase shift adjustment is achieved within the range of -135° to 135°, ensuring that signal loss does not affect the implementation of the solution while maintaining a large beam scanning range.

[0099] In the second example, such as Figure 14 As shown, taking the fourth terminal device UE1D as a mobile phone as an example, the fourth terminal device UE1D can be equipped with two first antenna structures ANT2, one array antenna structure ANTA, one second antenna structure ANT2, and one third antenna structure ANT3. The array antenna structure ANTA includes two first sub-antennas ANTA1, and the second antenna structure ANT2 can also be an array structure including two second sub-antennas ANT21. The two first antenna structures ANT1 and the third antenna structure ANT3 can be frame antennas located at different positions. The two first sub-antennas ANTA1 of the array antenna structure ANTA and the two second sub-antennas ANT21 of the second antenna structure ANT2 are the back cover antennas on the fourth terminal device UE1D.

[0100] exist Figure 13 and Figure 14 In the embodiments, for array structures used to implement beamforming (e.g.) Figure 13 and Figure 14 The array antenna structure ANTA, or, Figure 14 In the second antenna structure (ANT2), multiple sub-antennas in an array structure need to be positioned relatively close together. Typically, the distance between sub-antennas should be set to be greater than a quarter wavelength and close to half a wavelength.

[0101] In the third example, such as Figure 15As shown, taking the fourth terminal device UE1D as a mobile phone as an example, the fourth terminal device UE1D can have two first antenna structures ANT2, one array antenna structure ANTA, one second antenna structure ANT2, and one third antenna structure ANT3. The array antenna structure ANTA includes four first sub-antennas ANTA1. The four first sub-antennas ANTA1 of the array antenna structure ANTA can be back cover antennas, distributed on different sides of the back cover of the fourth terminal device UE1D. The two first antenna structures ANT1, the second antenna structure ANT2, and the third antenna structure ANT3 can be frame antennas set in different positions. Due to the limitations of the area design of the terminal device UE1D, when it is impossible to set more first sub-antennas ANTA1 within a certain area, a... Figure 15 As shown, the first sub-antennas ANTA1 of the ANTA array antenna structure are distributed in different locations. In this implementation, although the distance between some of the first sub-antennas ANTA1 is relatively far, which increases the signal loss of the first radio frequency signal before beamforming, it can still maintain a certain degree of gain.

[0102] For example, the fourth terminal device UE1D can be a mobile phone, laptop computer, or tablet computer, etc.

[0103] For example, the first antenna structure ANT1, the second antenna structure ANT2, the third antenna structure ANT3, and the array antenna structure ANTA can be based on 4G and 5G standards, etc. For example, it can be a 5G standard based on Wi-Fi, or a 5G standard based on the N78 frequency band, etc. The above-mentioned implementation scheme of the fourth terminal device UE1D can be compatible with different technical standards, and its working principle is the same.

[0104] The above Figure 13 , Figure 14 and Figure 15 The embodiments shown are illustrative and do not constitute a limitation on the location of each antenna structure. For example, if the frame location of the fourth terminal device UE1D allows, the array antenna structure ANTA can also be located on the frame.

[0105] Based on the above Figure 7 , Figure 8 , Figure 9 , Figure 10 , Figure 11 , Figure 12 , Figure 13 , Figure 14 and Figure 15 The fourth terminal device in the architecture shown can perform the following: Figure 16 The communication method shown includes steps S300-S400:

[0106] S300, the first power amplifier PA1, and the second power amplifier PA2 operate simultaneously.

[0107] For example, a first radio frequency (RF) signal is output based on a first power amplifier PA1 and a second RF signal is output based on a second power amplifier PA2. In this embodiment, when the fourth terminal device UE1D needs to communicate wirelessly with the target communication device, the first power amplifier PA1 and the second power amplifier PA2 can work simultaneously to output the first RF signal and the second RF signal respectively.

[0108] In some possible implementations, the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal can be coherent communication signals. Coherent communication signals refer to signals whose frequency changes are consistent and whose phase changes are consistent (though the phase values ​​may differ). The fourth terminal device UE1D, by configuring the phase values ​​of the first and second radio frequency signals, can enable them to achieve coherent and constructive phase in free space after transmission (see...). Figure 4 (The principle of the embodiment shown is explained), thereby achieving signal gain enhancement based on the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal to improve communication performance with the target communication device.

[0109] In some possible implementations, the frequency range of the first and second radio frequency signals is within the 400MHz-6GHz band. In traditional millimeter-wave applications, the millimeter-wave radio frequency signals emitted by millimeter-wave array antennas are typically within the 24GHz-100GHz band. However, in this embodiment, the first and second radio frequency signals can be radio frequency signals under a cellular network or under a Wi-Fi network. Taking a cellular network as an example, the first and second radio frequency signals can be based on Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology and New Radio (5G NR) technology, etc. For example, using LTE technology, the frequencies of the first and second radio frequency signals can be 700MHz, 850MHz, and 1900MHz, etc. Using 5G... Taking NR technology as an example, it can operate in the following frequency bands: n1 (uplink range 1920MHz-1980MHz), n2 (uplink range 1850MHz-1910MHz), n3 (uplink range 1710MHz-1785MHz), n5 (uplink range 824MHz-849MHz), n7 (uplink range 2500MHz-2570MHz), n8 (uplink range 880MHz-915MHz), n20 (uplink range 832MHz-862MHz), n28 (uplink range 703MHz-748MHz), and n3... The frequency bands include n8 (uplink range 2570MHz-2620MHz), n41 (uplink range 2496MHz-2690MHz), n50 (uplink range 1432MHz-1517MHz), n51 (uplink range 1427MHz-1432MHz), n66 (uplink range 1710MHz-1780MHz), n70 (uplink range 1695MHz-1710MHz), n77 (uplink range 3300MHz-4200MHz), and n78 (uplink range 3300MHz-3800MHz). For example, taking WiFi technology as an example, the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal can be in the WiFi-2G band or the WiFi-5G band (including the 5.15GHz-5.25GHz sub-band, the 5.25GHz-5.35GHz sub-band, the 5.47GHz-5.725GHz sub-band and the 5.725GHz-5.875GHz sub-band).

[0110] S400 uses a switching component to select different antenna structures and connect them to a power amplifier to transmit radio frequency signals.

[0111] It should be understood that the above-mentioned "first power amplifier PA1 and second power amplifier PA1 working simultaneously" is not intended to limit the communication method in the embodiments of this application to only provide a scenario where both work simultaneously, but rather to indicate that the communication method in the embodiments of this application includes a scenario where both work simultaneously, and that when both work simultaneously, the antenna structure can be selected based on the switching component to support the operation of the antenna module.

[0112] In some possible implementations, such as Figure 7 , Figure 8 , Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, the control first switch component S1 selects either the first antenna structure ANT1 to be connected and turned on with the first power amplifier PA1, or selects multiple first sub-antennas ANTA1 to be connected and turned on with the first power amplifier PA1. In this embodiment, the first antenna structure ANT1 can be selected to transmit a first radio frequency signal to the target communication device, or multiple first sub-antennas ANTA1 can be selected to transmit a first radio frequency signal to the target communication device, and a second radio frequency signal can be transmitted to the target communication device based on the second antenna structure ANT2.

[0113] In the first example, the array antenna structure ANTA has multiple signal transmission direction regions. When multiple first sub-antennas ANTA1 are selected to transmit a first radio frequency signal to a target communication device, a signal transmission direction region can also be selected from the multiple signal transmission directions corresponding to the array antenna structure ANTA, and the first radio frequency signal can be transmitted to the target communication device through the multiple first sub-antennas ANTA1 based on the selected signal transmission direction region.

[0114] In the second example, such as Figure 10 As shown, the antenna module includes multiple first antenna structures ANT1. When a first antenna structure ANT1 is selected to transmit a first radio frequency signal to a target communication device, a first antenna structure ANT1 can also be selected from the multiple first antenna structures ANT1 to transmit the first radio frequency signal to the target communication device.

[0115] In the third example, such as Figure 11 As shown, the second antenna structure ANT2 includes multiple second sub-antennas ANT21, and the second antenna structure ANT2 has multiple signal transmission direction regions. When the second antenna structure ANT2 is selected to transmit a second radio frequency signal, a signal transmission direction region can also be selected from the multiple signal transmission directions corresponding to the second antenna structure ANT2, and the second radio frequency signal is transmitted to the target communication device through the multiple second sub-antennas ANT21 based on the selected signal transmission direction region.

[0116] In some possible implementations, such as Figure 12As shown, the antenna module also includes a third antenna structure ANT3. The third antenna structure ANT3 is connected to the second power amplifier PA2. In this case, based on the first switching component S1 of the fourth terminal device UE1D, the first antenna structure ANT1 can be selected to transmit a first radio frequency signal to the target communication device, or multiple first sub-antennas ANTA1 can be selected to transmit a first radio frequency signal to the target communication device, and based on the second switching component S2, the third antenna structure ANT3 can be selected to transmit a second radio frequency signal to the target communication device. In this embodiment, besides the antenna structure for transmitting the first radio frequency signal being optional, the antenna structure for transmitting the second radio frequency signal is also optional. In addition to using... Figure 7 , Figure 8 , Figure 9 and Figure 10 In addition to transmitting a second radio frequency signal, the second antenna structure ANT2 shown can also be selected. Figure 12 The third antenna structure ANT3 shown transmits a second radio frequency signal. This implementation approach increases the adaptability for different scenarios.

[0117] In some possible implementations, when the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal are coherent communication signals, if the phase alignment values ​​of the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal are confirmed by the target communication device, then step S300 further includes: receiving a phase alignment indication signal from the target communication device, the phase alignment indication signal being used to indicate the phase alignment values ​​of the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal. The phase alignment phases of the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal are determined based on the phase alignment indication signal.

[0118] In some possible implementations, different algorithms can be designed to determine the antenna structure. In one example, different antenna structures or antenna states can be selected based on channel state information under different antenna states. In this case, the fourth terminal device UE1D can perform actions such as... Figure 17 The communication method shown includes steps S100-S400:

[0119] S100: Send the first indication signal to the target communication device through different antenna structures in the antenna module.

[0120] In this embodiment of the application, each first indication signal is used to instruct the target communication device to feed back channel state information of the corresponding antenna structure; each channel state information includes at least one of the following information of the corresponding antenna structure: communication signal strength and communication signal-to-noise ratio.

[0121] For example, for a non-array antenna structure, one antenna structure corresponds to one antenna state. For an array antenna structure, each signal transmission direction region can correspond to one antenna state. In step S100, the antenna module transmits a first indication signal to the target communication device once based on each antenna state. In response to each first indication signal, the target communication device feeds back the channel state information of the corresponding antenna structure in the current antenna state.

[0122] For example, a sounding reference signal (SRS) can be used as the first indication signal. In this embodiment, SRS, as a pilot signal defined in a communication standard, is a valid signal transmitted by the terminal device on the uplink for a period of time. The bandwidth of SRS is larger than the bandwidth allocated to a single UE, and its purpose is to provide a reference for uplink channel estimation across the full bandwidth. The terminal device transmits SRS at the last symbol of each subframe of the uplink communication signal. Since in practical applications, all terminal devices will send SRS to the corresponding target communication device, SRS can be used as the first indication signal to obtain channel state information. In other examples, other forms of indication signals besides SRS can also be designed, and this embodiment does not limit this.

[0123] S200: Receive channel state information corresponding to different antenna structures.

[0124] In this embodiment, after transmitting a first indication signal to the target communication device based on the antenna states corresponding to different antenna structures, channel state information corresponding to each antenna state of all antenna structures can be received. In the subsequent step S400, the selection of different antenna structures and different antenna states of the same antenna structure can be realized based on the channel state information.

[0125] S300, the first power amplifier PA1, and the second power amplifier PA2 operate simultaneously.

[0126] S400 uses a switching component to select different antenna structures and connect them to a power amplifier to transmit radio frequency signals.

[0127] In this embodiment, the fourth terminal device UE1D selects different antenna structures based on the channel state information corresponding to each antenna state. For example, the channel state information can be communication signal strength or signal-to-noise ratio, or other parameters that reflect communication quality.

[0128] For example, as Figure 13Taking multiple antenna structures as examples, the two first antenna structures ANT1 correspond to antenna state 1 and antenna state 2, respectively. In the array antenna structure ANTA, one of the two first sub-antennas ANTA1 has a phase shift of 0, while the other can have a phase shift of -135°, 0°, or 135°. Therefore, the array antenna structure ANTA can transmit first radio frequency signals in three different signal transmission direction regions, corresponding to the phase shift values ​​of the two first sub-antennas ANTA1 being (0°, -135°), (0°, 0°), and (0°, 135°), respectively. These three signal transmission direction regions can correspond to antenna state 3, antenna state 4, and antenna state 5 of the array antenna structure ANTA1. Therefore, the fourth terminal device UE1D can transmit the first radio frequency signal based on five different antenna states: antenna state 1, antenna state 2, antenna state 3, antenna state 4, and antenna state 5. Similarly, the second antenna structure ANT2 corresponds to antenna state 6, and the third antenna structure ANT3 corresponds to antenna state 7. For example... Figure 18 As shown, different antenna states for the first radio frequency signal and different antenna states for the second radio frequency signal can be paired and selected to transmit the first or second radio frequency signal under different antenna states. This achieves signal gain enhancement adapted to different scenarios. Figure 18 The embodiment is illustrated with an array antenna structure ANTA having three signal transmission direction regions. However, in practical applications, depending on the number of first sub-antennas ANTA1 and the number of adjustable phase shift values ​​selected, the array antenna structure ANTA can also have more antenna states.

[0129] For example, to adopt Figure 18 Communication performance and in the described implementation Figure 6 The communication performance of the illustrated embodiments is compared. Figure 13 The structure shown is in Figure 18 The application shown has 10 antenna combination states. For example... Figure 19 Figure (a) shows the communication signal envelope under free space based on the 10 antenna combination states minus Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the signal envelope after the communication signal envelope in the illustrated embodiment. Figure 19 In Figure (a), the left side shows the distribution of the revenue difference under the two implementation directions. The horizontal axis represents the angle of the horizontal plane (also known as the azimuth plane), ranging from 0° to 360°; the vertical axis represents the angle of the vertical plane (also known as the pitch plane), ranging from 0° to 180°. The right side of the figure is used to express the revenue comparison values ​​in each spatial region on the left. Figure 19 As can be seen from Figure (a), this application Figure 18 Compared to the embodiments Figure 6 In the illustrated embodiment, in free space, more than 25.14% of the region has a signal gain improvement of greater than 1 dB, more than 15.14% of the region has a signal gain improvement of greater than 1.5 dB, and more than 4.48% of the region has a signal gain improvement of greater than 2 dB. Figure 19 Figure (b) shows the communication signal envelope under the 10 antenna combinations in the hand-held state, minus... Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the channel envelope after the communication signal envelope in the illustrated embodiment. At this time, compared to... Figure 6 The embodiment shown, Figure 18 In the illustrated embodiment, when held in hand, the signal gain improvement is greater than 1dB in more than 32.06% of the area, greater than 1.5dB in more than 24.25% of the area, greater than 2dB in more than 17.25% of the area, and greater than 3dB in more than 8.15% of the area.

[0130] For example, with Figure 15 Taking the combination of antenna states as an example, the array antenna structure ANTA includes four first sub-antennas ANTA1. The four first sub-antennas ANTA1 can have various phase shift value combinations. Here are 15 combinations: (0°,0°,0°,0°), (0°,135°,0°,135°), (135°,0°,135°,0°), (135°,135°,0°), (0°,0°,135°,0°), (0°,0°,135°,135°).

[0131] (0°, 135°, 135°, 135°), (135°, 0°, 135°, 135°), (135°, 135°, 0°, 135°), (135°, 135°, 135°, 0°), (0°, 0°, 0°, 135°), (0°, 0°, 135°, 0°), (0°, 135°, 0°, 0°), (135°, 0°, 0°), (0°, 135°, 135°, 0°), and (135°, 0°, 0°, 135°). At this point, the array antenna structure ANTA has 15 antenna states, and the two first antenna structures ANT1 have 2 antenna states each. The first radio frequency signal corresponds to 17 antenna states. The second antenna structure ANT2 and the third antenna structure ANT3 together have 2 antenna states. Based on this, there are three possible antenna structure selection schemes: Scheme 1: Using the first 5 antenna states of the array antenna structure ANTA and the 2 antenna states of the two first antenna structures ANT1 as the selectable antenna states for the first radio frequency (RF) signal, and using the 2 antenna states of the second antenna structure ANT2 and the third antenna structure ANT3 as the selectable antenna states for the second RF signal, the antenna structure is selected and switched. Scheme 2: Using the first 15 antenna states of the array antenna structure ANTA and the 2 antenna states of the two first antenna structures ANT1 as the selectable antenna states for the first RF signal, and using the 2 antenna states of the second antenna structure ANT2 and the third antenna structure ANT3 as the selectable antenna states for the second RF signal, the antenna structure is selected and switched. Scheme 3: Using the 2 antenna states of the two first antenna structures ANT1 as the selectable antenna states for the first RF signal, and using the 2 antenna states of the second antenna structure ANT2 and the third antenna structure ANT3 as the selectable antenna states for the second RF signal, the antenna structure is selected and switched. Figure 20 Figure (a) shows a schematic diagram of the signal envelope after subtracting the communication signal envelope under Scheme 3 from that under Scheme 1. It can be seen that the signal gain improvement is greater than 2dB in more than 23.55% of the area, and greater than 3dB in more than 20.07% of the area. Figure 20 Figure (b) shows a schematic diagram of the signal envelope after subtracting the communication signal envelope under Scheme 3 from that under Scheme 2. It can be seen that the signal gain improvement value is greater than 2dB in more than 25.73% of the area, and the signal gain improvement value is greater than 3dB in more than 21.58% of the area.

[0132] For example, when the fourth terminal device UE1D selects antenna structures based on channel state information corresponding to multiple antenna states, it may incur significant computational resource overhead and computational complexity when there is a large amount of channel state information. Therefore, to reduce the consumption of computing resources and simplify computational complexity, some antenna states with lower returns can be filtered out and discarded. Similarly, combinations of antenna states with lower returns can also be filtered out and discarded. This can improve processing efficiency without affecting the performance of the solution. For instance, before the fourth terminal device UE1D leaves the factory, simulation design can be performed for each antenna state, and the returns of all antenna states can be ranked. A certain number of antenna states with the highest returns can be selected for transmitting the first or second radio frequency signal.

[0133] In some possible implementations, in many conventional application scenarios, good communication quality can be obtained by using a non-array antenna structure to transmit the first and second radio frequency signals for coherent communication. In this case, it is unnecessary to use an array antenna structure such as ANTA to beamform the first radio frequency signal, nor is it necessary to perform beamforming processing on the second radio frequency signal for the second array antenna structure ANT2. Therefore, to reduce the computational load based on channel state information, step S400 may include, for example... Figure 21 The sub-operations of steps S400A and S400B shown are as follows:

[0134] S400A, based on the first switch component S1, selects the first antenna structure ANT1 to transmit the first radio frequency signal.

[0135] In this embodiment, when the communication quality is below a certain level, the antenna structure can be selected based on the acquired channel state parameters. An antenna structure other than the array antenna structure ANTA can be selected to transmit the first radio frequency signal; for example, one first antenna structure ANTA can be selected from multiple ANTA structures. Similarly, if there are multiple non-array antenna structures for transmitting the second radio frequency signal, one non-array antenna structure can be selected to transmit the second radio frequency signal. Figure 13 For example, based on the channel state information of the two first antenna structures ANT1, one first antenna structure ANT1 can be selected to transmit the first radio frequency signal. Then, one of the second antenna structures ANT2 and the third antenna structure ANT3 can be selected to transmit the second radio frequency signal.

[0136] After completing step S400A, if the communication quality is higher than or equal to a certain value, the currently selected antenna structure can be maintained. Communication quality can be determined based on parameters such as communication signal strength and signal-to-noise ratio.

[0137] S400B selects the array antenna structure ANTA to transmit a first radio frequency signal based on the first switching component S1.

[0138] In this embodiment, after step S400A is completed, if the communication quality is lower than a certain value, the ANTA array can be selected to transmit the first radio frequency signal based on the channel state information of the ANTA array. Because the ANTA array can achieve beamforming, it can provide greater signal gain.

[0139] For example, based on the channel state information corresponding to different signal transmission direction regions of the ANTA array antenna structure, a signal transmission direction region can be selected from the different signal transmission direction regions of the ANTA array antenna structure to transmit the first radio frequency signal. By selecting the signal transmission region, the adaptability of the coverage scanning range of the first radio frequency signal can be improved.

[0140] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium including instructions. When the instructions are executed on a terminal device, the terminal device performs the communication method described in the above embodiments (e.g., Figure 16 , Figure 17 , Figure 18 and Figure 21 (The communication methods described).

[0141] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the order of the above-mentioned processes does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0142] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the modules and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0143] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and modules described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0144] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of modules is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple modules or components may be combined or integrated into another device, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or modules may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0145] The modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as modules may or may not be physical modules; that is, they may be located on one device or distributed across multiple devices. Some or all of the modules can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0146] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A terminal device, characterized in that, The device includes a radio frequency (RF) integrated chip, a first switching component, and an antenna module. The RF integrated chip includes a first power amplifier and a second power amplifier, which operate simultaneously. The antenna module includes a first antenna structure, a second antenna structure, and an array antenna structure. The array antenna structure includes multiple first sub-antennas. The RF integrated chip is coupled to the first switching component via the first power amplifier, and the first switching component is coupled to both the first antenna structure and the multiple first sub-antennas. The RF chip is coupled to the second antenna structure via the second power amplifier. The first switching component is used to select either the first antenna structure to be connected to the first power amplifier for conduction, or to select either the multiple first sub-antennas to be connected to the first power amplifier for conduction.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The array antenna structure further includes a first phase-shifting network; at least one of the plurality of first sub-antennas is connected to the first switching assembly through the first phase-shifting network; the first phase-shifting network is used to change the phase of the transmitted radio frequency signal.

3. The terminal device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The array antenna structure has multiple signal transmission direction regions; the first phase-shifting network is also used for: The phase of the transmitted radio frequency signal is changed by different phase shift amounts to select a signal transmission direction region from multiple signal transmission direction regions of the array antenna structure.

4. The terminal device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The first phase-shifting network includes at least one first phase shifter; at least one of the plurality of first sub-antennas is connected to the first power amplifier via a corresponding first phase shifter; each first phase shifter is used to change the phase of the corresponding transmitted first radio frequency signal; or, The first phase-shifting network includes a distributed transmission structure; the distributed transmission structure includes multiple transmission paths, and the multiple first sub-antennas are respectively connected to the first power amplifier through the multiple transmission paths in a one-to-one correspondence; at least one of the multiple transmission paths is a path-adjustable structure, the path-adjustable structure includes an adjustment switch and multiple path segments, the adjustment switch is used to select one or more path segments among the multiple path segments to connect and form a transmission path for the corresponding first radio frequency signal; Different transmission paths of different lengths result in different phase changes for the corresponding first radio frequency signal.

5. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The antenna module includes multiple first antenna structures, and the step of selecting the first antenna structure to be connected to the first power amplifier includes: Select one of the multiple first antenna structures and connect it to the first power amplifier.

6. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The step of selecting the first antenna structure to be connected and turned on with the first power amplifier, or selecting the plurality of first sub-antennas to be connected and turned on with the first power amplifier, includes: Based on the channel state information of the first antenna structure and the channel state information of the array antenna structure, the first antenna structure is selected to be connected to the first power amplifier, or the plurality of first sub-antennas are selected to be connected to the first power amplifier.

7. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The antenna module further includes a second switch assembly and a third antenna structure; the second power amplifier is connected to the second antenna structure and the third antenna structure respectively through the second switch assembly; the second switch assembly is used to select the second antenna structure to be connected to the second power amplifier, or to select the third antenna structure to be connected to the second power amplifier.

8. The terminal device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The step of selecting the second antenna structure to be connected to the second power amplifier, or selecting the third antenna structure to be connected to the second power amplifier, includes: Based on the channel state information of the second antenna structure and the channel state information of the third antenna structure, the second antenna structure is selected to be connected to the second power amplifier, or the third antenna structure is selected to be connected to the second power amplifier.

9. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The second antenna structure further includes a second phase-shifting network and a plurality of second sub-antennas; at least one of the plurality of second sub-antennas is connected to the second power amplifier through the second phase-shifting network; the second phase-shifting network is used to change the phase of the transmitted radio frequency signal.

10. The terminal device according to claim 9, characterized in that, The second antenna structure has multiple signal transmission direction regions; the second phase-shifting network is also used for: The phase of the transmitted radio frequency signal is changed by different phase shift amounts to select a signal transmission direction region from multiple signal transmission direction regions of the second antenna structure.

11. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, The terminal device further includes a mid-frame and a back cover; the back cover is disposed on the back side of the mid-frame; the back cover and the mid-frame form the device body of the terminal device, and the radio frequency integrated chip is disposed within the device body; any one of the first antenna structure, the second antenna structure, and the array antenna structure is a frame antenna structure or a back cover antenna structure, the radiator of the frame antenna structure is disposed on the mid-frame, and the radiator of the back cover antenna structure is disposed on the back cover.

12. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1-11, characterized in that, Before selecting the first antenna structure to be connected and turned on with the first power amplifier, or selecting the plurality of first sub-antennas to be connected and turned on with the first power amplifier, the terminal device is further configured to: The antenna module transmits a first indication signal to the target communication device through different antenna structures. Each first indication signal is used to instruct the target communication device to feed back channel state information of the corresponding antenna structure. Each channel state information includes at least one of the following information for the corresponding antenna structure: communication signal strength and communication signal-to-noise ratio. Receive channel state information corresponding to the different antenna structures.

13. The terminal device according to claim 12, characterized in that, The first indication signal is a detection reference signal.

14. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1-13, characterized in that, The first power amplifier is used to output a first radio frequency signal, and the second power amplifier is used to output a second radio frequency signal; the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal are coherent communication signals.

15. The terminal device according to claim 14, characterized in that, Before selecting the first antenna structure to be connected and turned on with the first power amplifier, or before selecting the plurality of first sub-antennas to be connected and turned on with the first power amplifier, the terminal device is further configured to: Receive a phase alignment indication signal from the target communication device, the phase alignment indication signal being used to indicate the phase configuration value of the first radio frequency signal and the phase configuration value of the second radio frequency signal.

16. The terminal device according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that, The frequency range of the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal is within the 400MHz-6GHz frequency band.

17. A communication method, characterized in that, The invention is applied to a terminal device, which includes a radio frequency integrated chip, a first switching component, and an antenna module. The radio frequency integrated chip includes a first power amplifier and a second power amplifier, which operate simultaneously. The antenna module includes a first antenna structure, a second antenna structure, and an array antenna structure. The array antenna structure includes multiple first sub-antennas. The radio frequency integrated chip is coupled to the first switching component through the first power amplifier, and the first switching component is coupled to the first antenna structure and the multiple first sub-antennas. The radio frequency chip is coupled to the second antenna structure via the second power amplifier; the method includes: The first switch assembly can be controlled to select the first antenna structure to be connected and turned on with the first power amplifier, or to select the plurality of first sub-antennas to be connected and turned on with the first power amplifier.

18. The communication method according to claim 17, characterized in that, The array antenna structure further includes a first phase-shifting network; at least one of the plurality of first sub-antennas is connected to the first switching assembly through the first phase-shifting network. The first phase-shifting network is used to change the phase of the transmitted radio frequency signal; The method further includes: The phase of the transmitted radio frequency signal is changed by different phase shift amounts to select a signal transmission direction region from multiple signal transmission direction regions of the array antenna structure.

19. The communication method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that, The antenna module includes multiple first antenna structures, and the step of selecting the first antenna structure to be connected to the first power amplifier includes: Select one of the multiple first antenna structures and connect it to the first power amplifier.

20. The communication method according to any one of claims 17-19, characterized in that, The control of the first switching component to select the first antenna structure to be connected and turned on with the first power amplifier, or to select the plurality of first sub-antennas to be connected and turned on with the first power amplifier, includes: Based on the channel state information of the first antenna structure and the channel state information of the array antenna structure, the first switching component is controlled to select the first antenna structure to be connected and turned on with the first power amplifier, or to select the plurality of first sub-antennas to be connected and turned on with the first power amplifier.

21. The communication method according to any one of claims 17-20, characterized in that, The antenna module further includes a second switching assembly and a third antenna structure; the second power amplifier is connected to the second antenna structure and the third antenna structure respectively via the second switching assembly; the method further includes: The second switch assembly is controlled to select the second antenna structure to be connected and turned on with the second power amplifier, or to select the third antenna structure to be connected and turned on with the second power amplifier.

22. The communication method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The control of the second switching component to select the second antenna structure to be connected and turned on with the second power amplifier, or to select the third antenna structure to be connected and turned on with the second power amplifier, includes: Based on the channel state information of the second antenna structure and the channel state information of the third antenna structure, the second antenna structure is selected to be connected to the second power amplifier, or the third antenna structure is selected to be connected to the second power amplifier.

23. The communication method according to any one of claims 17-22, characterized in that, The second antenna structure further includes a second phase-shifting network and a plurality of second sub-antennas; at least one of the plurality of second sub-antennas is connected to the second power amplifier through the second phase-shifting network; the second phase-shifting network is used to change the phase of the transmitted radio frequency signal; The second antenna structure has multiple signal transmission direction regions; The method further includes: The phase of the radio frequency signal transmitted by the second phase-shifting network is changed by different phase shift amounts to select a signal transmission direction region from multiple signal transmission direction regions of the second antenna structure.

24. The communication method according to any one of claims 17-23, characterized in that, Before controlling the first switch assembly to select the first antenna structure to be connected and turned on with the first power amplifier, or to select the plurality of first sub-antennas to be connected and turned on with the first power amplifier, the method is further configured to: The antenna module transmits a first indication signal to the target communication device through different antenna structures. Each first indication signal is used to instruct the target communication device to feed back channel state information of the corresponding antenna structure. Each channel state information includes at least one of the following information for the corresponding antenna structure: communication signal strength and communication signal-to-noise ratio. Receive channel state information corresponding to the different antenna structures.

25. The communication method according to claim 24, characterized in that, The first indication signal is a detection reference signal.

26. The communication method according to any one of claims 17-25, characterized in that, The first power amplifier is used to output a first radio frequency signal, and the second power amplifier is used to output a second radio frequency signal; the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal are coherent communication signals.

27. The communication method according to claim 26, characterized in that, Before controlling the first switch assembly to select the first antenna structure to be connected and turned on with the first power amplifier, or to select the plurality of first sub-antennas to be connected and turned on with the first power amplifier, the method further includes: Receive a phase alignment indication signal from the target communication device, the phase alignment indication signal being used to indicate the phase configuration value of the first radio frequency signal and the phase configuration value of the second radio frequency signal.

28. The communication method according to claim 26 or 27, characterized in that, The frequency range of the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal is within the 400MHz-6GHz frequency band.

29. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium includes instructions; when the instructions are executed on a terminal device, the terminal device causes the terminal device to perform the communication method as described in any one of claims 17-28.

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