A communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The application relates to a communication method and device, and relates to the technical field of wireless communication. The method comprises the following steps: communicating with a mobile device based on a first beam shaped by a communication device, the communication device is used for shaping at least two beams and communicating with the mobile device based on one of the beams, and the related parameters of shaping the at least two beams are pre-configured. Then, according to the relative position of the mobile device and the communication device, a first angle in the horizontal direction at which the communication device points to the mobile device is determined. When the angle of the communication device in the horizontal direction changes, a second beam is determined from the at least two beams according to a second angle in the horizontal direction changed by the communication device and the first angle. Finally, the communication device communicates with the mobile device based on the second beam shaped by the communication device. Therefore, the mobile device is covered according to the beam shaping technology, directional communication is realized, and the signal coverage distance and communication gain of the mobile device are improved.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] With the continuous development of the intelligent vehicle industry, automobiles are no longer simply a means of transportation. Their application technologies and usage scenarios are becoming increasingly diversified, transforming them into carriers that integrate lifestyle and service functions. For example, vehicle-mounted drones combine a car and a drone, using a mobile drone cabin (or simply cabin) mounted on the vehicle to enable autonomous takeoff and landing. The cabin is used for communication with the drone. Users can then use vehicle-mounted drones for video recording and other purposes, fulfilling more functional needs and enhancing the user experience.

[0003] Currently, to ensure a sufficiently large signal coverage area for drones, omnidirectional antenna technology is generally used for communication between vehicles and drones. This involves mounting an omnidirectional antenna (such as a whip antenna) on the vehicle's cabin. Because an omnidirectional antenna has a 360° uniform radiation characteristic in the horizontal plane and exhibits vertical polarization, its radiation pattern is circular or similar in shape in the horizontal plane, but may have a certain beamwidth limitation in the vertical plane. This means that while omnidirectional antennas have a large signal coverage area, the signal coverage distance is relatively short, and the gain is relatively low.

[0004] Therefore, improving the signal coverage distance and communication gain of drones is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and apparatus for improving the signal coverage distance and communication gain of mobile devices, thereby ensuring the user's experience when using mobile devices.

[0006] In a first aspect, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to devices on a vehicle. These devices include, but are not limited to, vehicle control units (VCU), vehicle integrated units (VIU), vehicle domain controllers (VDC), cockpit domain controllers (CDC), mobile data centers (MDC), electronic control units (ECU), and other devices used to implement intelligent driving or assisted driving functions. Their specific forms are not limited.

[0007] The method includes: communicating with a mobile device based on a first beam shaped by a communication device, wherein the communication device is used to shape at least two beams and communicate with the mobile device based on one of the beams, any two of the at least two beams have different pointing angles in the horizontal direction, and the relevant parameters for shaping the at least two beams are pre-configured, with the first beam being any one of the at least two beams. Then, based on the relative position of the mobile device and the communication device, a first angle in the horizontal direction is determined by the communication device pointing towards the mobile device. When the angle of the communication device in the horizontal direction changes, a second beam is determined from the at least two beams based on the second angle of the communication device in the horizontal direction and the first angle, with the second beam being any one of the at least two beams. Finally, communication is performed with the mobile device based on the second beam shaped by the communication device.

[0008] In the above scheme, the communication between the communication device and the mobile device is based on the first beam formed by the beamforming of the communication device. This can be understood as the first beam formed by the communication device covering the mobile device, thereby achieving directional communication and improving the signal coverage distance and communication gain of the mobile device. The relevant parameters of at least one of the two beams are pre-configured, including but not limited to: beam direction, phase, phase difference, and compensation phase. In other words, the relevant parameters used during beamforming are directly selected from the pre-configured parameters, rather than being calculated in real time. Therefore, based on the second angle of the communication device changing in the horizontal direction and the first angle of the communication device pointing towards the mobile device before changing in the horizontal direction, a suitable second beam is matched. Then, beamforming is performed directly based on the relevant parameters corresponding to the second beam, thereby quickly forming the second beam to achieve the purpose of switching the first beam to the second beam, improving the simplicity and efficiency of beamforming.

[0009] Furthermore, beamforming in related technologies typically involves acquiring the angle at which the communication device points towards the mobile device in real time, calculating relevant parameters based on that angle, and then shaping the beam with the direction of that angle based on these parameters. In the solution of this application, it is not necessary to calculate these parameters in real time when shaping the second beam, thus reducing the required computing resources and simplifying the beamforming process.

[0010] Optionally, the communication equipment can be a modular drone mobile cabin (hereinafter referred to as cabin) mounted on the vehicle, and the mobile device can be a drone.

[0011] One possible design is that the first beam can be determined in the following way.

[0012] Method 1: The first beam is determined from at least two beams based on the signal strength or signal quality of the communication between the mobile device and the communication device.

[0013] In this method, using signal strength or signal quality as the factor for determining the first beam can ensure the stability and reliability of communication between mobile devices and communication devices based on the first beam.

[0014] One possible design is that the first beam is determined from at least two beams based on the signal strength or signal quality of communication between the mobile device and the communication device, including: determining the signal strength or signal quality of communication between the mobile device and the communication device based on each of the at least two beams; and selecting the beam with the best signal strength or signal quality as the first beam.

[0015] In this design, the beam with the best signal strength or signal quality is selected from at least two beams as the first beam based on the signal strength or signal quality corresponding to each beam, so as to ensure the reliability of the selection of the first beam, and thus ensure the stability and reliability of communication between the mobile device and the communication device based on the first beam.

[0016] One possible design, wherein determining the signal strength or signal quality of the mobile device and the communication device based on each beam communication includes: determining the signal strength or signal quality of the mobile device and the communication device based on each beam communication within a first duration, wherein the first duration is within the interval of sending adjacent data frames and is less than the interval of sending adjacent data frames.

[0017] In this design, the first duration is located within the interval between sending adjacent data frames, and the first duration is less than the interval between sending adjacent data frames. This ensures the complete transmission and reception of data frames, avoids data loss, and the subsequent beam switching (i.e., shaping the second beam) will not cause communication interruption, thus ensuring the continuity of communication between the communication device and the mobile device.

[0018] Method 2: The first beam is determined from at least two beams based on the relative positions of the mobile device and the communication device.

[0019] In this method, the relative position of the mobile device and the communication device is used as the factor to determine the first beam. The computational load is relatively small, which can improve the efficiency of determining the first beam.

[0020] One possible design is that the first beam is determined from the at least two beams based on the relative position of the mobile device and the communication device, including: determining the angle from which the communication device points to the mobile device based on the relative position; and selecting the beam whose beam direction differs least from the angle from which the communication device points to the mobile device as the first beam.

[0021] In this design, by matching the beam direction corresponding to each beam with the angle at which the communication device points to the mobile device (which can be simply referred to as the pointing direction), the beam whose beam direction is the same as or approximately the same as the pointing direction is selected from at least two beams as the first beam. It can be seen that this method of selecting the first beam is simple, has relatively low computational complexity, can improve the efficiency of determining the first beam, and reduces the required computational resources.

[0022] One possible design involves the communication device being mounted on a vehicle, where the second angle is the vehicle's front-end rotation angle, determined based on inertial navigation. When the communication device changes angle in the horizontal direction, a second beam is determined from the at least two beams based on the second angle and the first angle. This includes: when the vehicle turns, determining a third angle in the horizontal direction at which the communication device points towards the mobile device after the turn, based on the front-end rotation angle and the first angle; and determining the second beam from the at least two beams based on the third angle.

[0023] In this design, the vehicle's front rotation angle can be determined based on the vehicle's inertial navigation. The third angle can be understood as the angle at which the communication device points to the mobile device after the vehicle turns, i.e., the real-time angle at which the communication device points to the mobile device in the horizontal direction. This achieves the linkage between beamforming and vehicle attitude, simplifies the beamforming calculation process, and thus improves beamforming efficiency.

[0024] One possible design, wherein determining the second beam from the at least two beams based on the third angle, includes: selecting the beam whose horizontal pointing angle differs least from the third angle as the second beam.

[0025] In this design, the beam whose direction is the same as or approximately the same as the third angle is matched from at least two beams as the second beam. This design is simple, has a relatively small computational load, can improve the efficiency of determining the second beam, and reduce the required computational resources.

[0026] One possible design is that any two of the at least two beams have different coverage angle ranges in the horizontal direction. Determining the second beam from the at least two beams based on the third angle includes: dividing the third angle modulo 360° to obtain a remainder angle; and selecting the beam corresponding to the coverage angle range containing the remainder angle as the second beam.

[0027] In this design, the 0-360° range is divided according to the number of beams to obtain multiple coverage angle ranges, and each beam corresponds to a coverage angle range. In this way, the coverage angle range to which the third angle belongs can be determined by modulo division operation, and then the beam corresponding to the coverage angle range is used as the second beam. This design is simple, has a relatively small amount of computation, and can improve the efficiency of determining the second beam.

[0028] One possible design includes an antenna array in the communication device, comprising multiple antenna elements. The compensation phase of the multiple antenna elements corresponding to any one of the at least two beams is related to the number of the at least two beams. The method further includes: for any beam, determining the phase and phase difference corresponding to the multiple antenna elements based on the beam direction; determining a first compensation phase corresponding to the multiple antenna elements based on the phase and phase difference; for any antenna element, mapping the first compensation phase to 0-360° to obtain a second compensation phase corresponding to the antenna element; determining a phase interval containing the second compensation phase from multiple phase intervals, wherein the multiple phase intervals are obtained by dividing 0-360° according to the number of at least two beams; and using the median of the phase interval as the compensation phase of the antenna element.

[0029] In this design, the beam direction of any beam is pre-configured, so the phase distribution and phase difference of the antenna elements corresponding to each beam can be pre-calculated. The phase distribution refers to determining the phase corresponding to each antenna element, and the phase difference refers to the relevant parameters required during beamforming. For any beam, the first compensation phase of each antenna element can be calculated based on the phase distribution and phase difference of the antenna elements corresponding to that beam. Since the first compensation phase may be negative, based on the operating requirements of the phase shifter, the first compensation phase needs to be mapped to 0-360° to obtain the second compensation phase of the antenna element. Generally, the second compensation phase of the antenna element can be any degree between 0-360°. Considering that the antenna array includes multiple antenna elements, if the second compensation phase of the antenna element is arbitrary, the phase shifting operation of the antenna elements during beam switching becomes complex and cumbersome. Therefore, this application simplifies and unifies the compensation phase of the antenna elements through multiple phase intervals, that is, setting the compensation phase of multiple antenna elements whose second compensation phase belongs to the same phase interval to the same value (such as the median of the phase interval), thereby reducing the complexity of the phase shifting operation, hardware complexity, and cost.

[0030] In one possible design, after the second beam, shaped by the communication device, communicates with the mobile device, the method further includes: determining the signal quality of the communication between the mobile device and the communication device based on the second beam; when the signal quality of the communication between the mobile device and the communication device based on the second beam is lower than a first threshold, determining a third beam from the at least two beams based on the signal strength or signal quality of the communication between the mobile device and the communication device, wherein the third beam is any one of the at least two beams; and communicating with the mobile device based on the third beam shaped by the communication device.

[0031] In this design, a signal quality below a first threshold indicates poor communication quality. Therefore, based on the signal strength or quality corresponding to each beam, the beam with the optimal signal strength or quality from at least two beams is selected as the third beam to ensure the stability and reliability of subsequent communication between mobile devices and communication equipment.

[0032] Secondly, this application provides an apparatus for performing the method as described in the first aspect or any of the designs in the first aspect above. The apparatus includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit. Referring to the method in the first aspect above, the transceiver unit is configured to communicate with a mobile device based on a first beam shaped by a communication device. The communication device is configured to shape at least two beams and communicate with the mobile device based on one of the beams. Any two of the at least two beams have different pointing angles in the horizontal direction. The relevant parameters for shaping the at least two beams are pre-configured. The first beam is any one of the at least two beams. The processing unit is configured to determine a first angle in the horizontal direction from which the communication device points to the mobile device based on the relative position of the mobile device and the communication device. When the angle of the communication device changes in the horizontal direction, a second beam is determined from the at least two beams based on the second angle of the change in the horizontal direction and the first angle. The second beam is any one of the at least two beams. The processing unit controls the transceiver unit to communicate with the mobile device based on the second beam shaped by the communication device.

[0033] Referring to the method in the first aspect above, the first beam is determined from the at least two beams based on the signal strength or signal quality of the communication between the mobile device and the communication device; or, the first beam is determined from the at least two beams based on the relative position of the mobile device and the communication device.

[0034] Referring to the method in the first aspect above, the processing unit is specifically used to: determine the signal strength or signal quality of communication between the mobile device and the communication device based on each of the at least two beams; and select the beam with the best signal strength or signal quality as the first beam.

[0035] Referring to the method in the first aspect above, the processing unit is specifically used to: within a first duration, determine the signal strength or signal quality of the mobile device and the communication device based on each beam communication, wherein the first duration is within the interval of sending adjacent data frames, and the first duration is less than the interval of sending adjacent data frames.

[0036] Referring to the method in the first aspect above, the processing unit is specifically used to: determine the angle at which the communication device points to the mobile device based on the relative position; and select the beam whose beam direction has the smallest difference from the angle at which the communication device points to the mobile device as the first beam.

[0037] Referring to the method in the first aspect above, the communication device is installed in the vehicle, and the second angle is the vehicle's front rotation angle, which is determined based on inertial navigation. Specifically, the processing unit is used to: when the vehicle turns, determine, based on the front rotation angle and the first angle, a third angle in the horizontal direction at which the communication device points towards the mobile device after the vehicle turns; and determine a second beam from the at least two beams based on the third angle.

[0038] Referring to the method in the first aspect above, the processing unit is specifically used to: select the beam whose beam direction pointing angle in the horizontal direction differs the least from the third angle as the second beam.

[0039] Referring to the method in the first aspect above, any two of the at least two beams have different coverage angle ranges in the horizontal direction. Specifically, the processing unit is used to: divide the third angle modulo 360° to obtain the remainder angle; and use the beam corresponding to the coverage angle range containing the remainder angle as the second beam.

[0040] Referring to the method in the first aspect above, the communication device is provided with an antenna array, the antenna array including multiple antenna elements, and the compensation phase of the multiple antenna elements corresponding to any one of the at least two beams is related to the number of the at least two beams. The processing unit is further configured to: for any beam, determine the phase and phase difference corresponding to the multiple antenna elements according to the beam direction corresponding to the beam; determine the first compensation phase corresponding to the multiple antenna elements according to the phase and the phase difference; for any antenna element, map the first compensation phase corresponding to the antenna element to 0-360° to obtain the second compensation phase corresponding to the antenna element; determine a phase interval containing the second compensation phase from multiple phase intervals according to the second compensation phase corresponding to the antenna element, the multiple phase intervals being obtained by dividing 0-360° according to the number of the at least two beams; and use the median of the phase interval as the compensation phase of the antenna element.

[0041] Referring to the method in the first aspect above, after the second beam based on the communication device communicates with the mobile device, the processing unit is further configured to: determine the signal quality of the communication between the mobile device and the communication device based on the second beam; when the signal quality of the communication between the mobile device and the communication device based on the second beam is lower than a first threshold, determine a third beam from the at least two beams according to the signal strength or signal quality of the communication between the mobile device and the communication device, wherein the third beam is any one of the at least two beams; and control the transceiver unit to communicate with the mobile device based on the third beam based on the communication device.

[0042] Thirdly, this application provides an apparatus including a processor coupled to a memory; the processor is configured to execute a computer program or instructions stored in the memory to cause the electronic device to perform the method as described in the first aspect or any of the designs in the first aspect.

[0043] Fourthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing program code that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method as described in the first aspect or any of the designs in the first aspect.

[0044] Fifthly, this application provides a computer program product that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method as described in the first aspect and any one of the designs in the first aspect.

[0045] In a sixth aspect, this application provides a chip including a processor and a data interface. The processor reads instructions stored in a memory through the data interface and executes the methods described in the first aspect or any of the designs in the first aspect.

[0046] In one possible design, the chip may also include a memory containing instructions, which the processor executes. When the instructions are executed, the processor performs the method described in the first aspect or any of the designs in the first aspect.

[0047] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a vehicle comprising the apparatus, communication device, and mobile device as described in the second aspect or any of the designs in the second aspect; wherein the apparatus is configured to perform the method as described in the first aspect or any of the designs in the first aspect, the communication device is configured to shape at least two beams and communicate with the mobile device based on one of the beams, the mobile device being a drone, and the communication device being a drone mobile cabin.

[0048] In some embodiments, the vehicle includes a new energy vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, a range-extended electric vehicle, or a fuel vehicle, which is not limited herein.

[0049] The technical effects achievable by any of the second to seventh aspects described above can be described with reference to the technical effects achievable by any design in the first aspect described above, and repetitions will not be discussed. Based on the implementations provided in the above aspects, this application can also make further combinations to provide more implementations. Attached Figure Description

[0050] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of communication between a drone and a vehicle in related technologies; Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of an antenna array provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a beam provided for an embodiment of this application; Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the phase distribution of different beams provided for an embodiment of this application; Figure 6 A schematic diagram illustrating a vehicle turning, provided as an embodiment of this application; Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating a drone communication method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a device provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of another device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0051] To better illustrate the methods provided in the embodiments of this application, the concepts and terms involved in the embodiments of this application will be briefly explained first.

[0052] An antenna array is a radiating system composed of two or more individual antenna elements (also called array elements) operating at the same frequency, arranged in a specific geometric pattern and fed by a specific method. Its function is to enhance the directivity of radiation, increase gain, and achieve flexible control of the beam direction through the spatial phase superposition effect of electromagnetic waves, rather than relying on mechanical rotation. Antenna arrays can also be called array antennas, or simply antenna arrays.

[0053] Beamforming, also known as beamforming or spatial filtering, is a signal processing technique that uses antenna arrays to transmit and receive signals in a directional manner. It adjusts the phase and amplitude of each antenna element in the array to create constructive interference (enhancement) in a specific direction and destructive interference (suppression) in other directions, thereby achieving directional energy transmission or reception. Beamforming can be used at both the transmitting and receiving ends of a signal.

[0054] Phase compensation is a signal processing technique used in beamforming to apply a specific phase delay or advance to the signals of different antenna elements. This causes constructive interference (peaks superimposed) in a specific direction, enhancing signal strength, while destructive interference (peaks canceling out) occurs in other directions, suppressing signal radiation. As a result, the antenna array can generate a directional beam pointing in a specific direction.

[0055] With the continuous development of the intelligent vehicle industry, automobiles are no longer simply a means of transportation; their application technologies and usage scenarios are becoming increasingly diversified, transforming them into a carrier integrating lifestyle and service functions. For example, please refer to [link to relevant documentation / reference]. Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a drone-vehicle communication method in related technologies. For example... Figure 1 As shown, a vehicle-mounted drone refers to a product that combines a car and a drone. By mounting a mobile drone cabin (referred to as the cabin) on the car, the drone can autonomously take off and land. The cabin is used for communication with the drone. Therefore, users can use the vehicle-mounted drone for video recording and other purposes, fulfilling more functional needs and enhancing the user experience. In this context, the drone is a mobile device, and the cabin is a communication device.

[0056] Currently, to ensure a sufficiently large signal coverage area for drones, omnidirectional antenna technology is generally used for communication between vehicles and drones. This involves mounting an omnidirectional antenna (such as a whip antenna) on the vehicle's cabin. Because an omnidirectional antenna has a 360° uniform radiation characteristic in the horizontal plane and exhibits vertical polarization, its radiation pattern is circular or similar in shape in the horizontal plane, but may have a certain beamwidth limitation in the vertical plane. This means that while omnidirectional antennas have a large signal coverage area, the signal coverage distance is relatively short, and the gain is relatively low.

[0057] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a communication method and apparatus, which aim to cover mobile devices with directional beams (hereinafter referred to as beams) based on beamforming technology, thereby improving the signal coverage distance and communication gain of mobile devices and ensuring the user's experience when using mobile devices.

[0058] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0059] In the following embodiments, the terminology used is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of this application. As used in the specification and appended claims of this application, the singular expressions “a,” “an,” “the,” “the,” “the,” and “this” are intended to also include expressions such as “one or more,” unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that in the embodiments of this application, “one or more” means one, two, or more; “and / or” describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships may exist; for example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character “ / ” generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an “or” relationship.

[0060] In the description of this specification, references to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments," etc., mean that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification, do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0061] The "multiple" mentioned in the embodiments of this application refers to two or more. It should be noted that in the description of the embodiments of this application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used only for the purpose of distinguishing descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, nor should they be construed as indicating or implying order.

[0062] In some embodiments, the communication method provided in this application can be applied to devices on a vehicle, including but not limited to Vehicle Control Unit (VCU), Vehicle Integrated Unit (VIU), Vehicle Domain Controller (VDC), Cockpit Domain Controller (CDC), Mobile Data Center (MDC), Electronic Control Unit (ECU), and other devices used to implement intelligent driving or assisted driving functions, and their specific forms are not limited.

[0063] Optionally, vehicles may include: road vehicles, water vehicles, air vehicles, industrial equipment, agricultural equipment, or entertainment equipment, etc. For example, vehicles may be means of transportation (such as commercial vehicles, passenger cars, motorcycles, flying cars, trains, etc.), industrial vehicles (such as forklifts, trailers, tractors, etc.), engineering vehicles (such as excavators, bulldozers, cranes, etc.), agricultural equipment (such as lawnmowers, harvesters, etc.), amusement equipment, toy vehicles, etc. The specific form of the vehicle is not limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0064] Please see Figure 2 , Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. For ease of understanding, this embodiment uses a vehicle controller (hereinafter referred to as the controller) as the execution subject for example, but this is not a limitation. Figure 2 As shown, the process includes the following steps: Step 201: The controller communicates with the mobile device based on the first beam shaped by the communication device, wherein the first beam is any one of at least two beams.

[0065] In this embodiment, the communication device includes an antenna array, which comprises multiple antenna elements. (See also...) Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of an antenna array provided as an embodiment of this application. Figure 3As shown, the antenna array includes four antenna elements: antenna element 1, antenna element 2, antenna element 3, and antenna element 4. It should be noted that... Figure 3 Only four antenna elements are shown as an example. In some embodiments, the number of antenna elements may be more or less. This application does not limit the number of antenna elements.

[0066] Optionally, the multiple antenna elements may be arranged with equal spacing or with non-equal spacing, and this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0067] Optionally, the antenna array may operate at a frequency of 2.4 GHz or 5.8 GHz, but this embodiment is not limited to these frequencies.

[0068] Optionally, the antenna array may employ, but is not limited to, microstrip patch antennas, etc., which are not limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0069] Based on the above description of beamforming, it is clear that beams can be generated by controlling the phase of antenna elements. For a detailed description, please refer to the above content; the embodiments in this application will not be repeated here. Therefore, communication equipment is used to shape beams and communicate with mobile devices based on these beams.

[0070] In this embodiment of the application, the communication device is specifically used to shape at least two beams and communicate with a mobile device based on one of the beams. The beam direction (or pointing direction) of any one of the at least two beams is pre-configured, and any two of the at least two beams have different pointing angles (i.e., pointing directions) in the horizontal direction. See also... Figure 4 , Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a beam provided in an embodiment of this application. (As shown...) Figure 4 As shown, the communication equipment can shape four beams: beam 1, beam 2, beam 3, and beam 4. It should be noted that... Figure 4 Only four beams are shown as an example. In some embodiments, the number of beams may be more or fewer, and this application does not limit the number of beams. In addition, the beamwidth may be a value preset based on experience, and this application does not limit it.

[0071] based on Figure 4 It can be seen that any two of the four beams have different pointing angles in the horizontal direction. Here, the horizontal direction refers to the direction parallel to the ground. Optionally, at least two beams may have the same or different pointing angles in the vertical direction; this embodiment of the application does not impose such a limitation. Here, the vertical direction refers to the direction perpendicular to the ground.

[0072] As is known from beamforming technology, since the beam direction of any one of the at least two beams is pre-configured, the relevant parameters of any one of the at least two beams can be pre-calculated, eliminating the need for real-time calculation by the communication equipment during operation. In other words, the relevant parameters of any one of the at least two beams are pre-configured during beamforming. It can be understood that the calculation method for the relevant parameters of each beam is the same; therefore, this embodiment uses the calculation of the relevant parameters of one beam as an example, without further elaboration.

[0073] Optionally, the following example uses the phase of the antenna element as a relevant parameter.

[0074] Please see Figure 5 , Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the phase distribution of different beams provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 5 As shown, the phase distribution for beam 1 is as follows: antenna element 1 has a phase of 0°, antenna element 2 has a phase of 0°, antenna element 3 has a phase of 0°, and antenna element 4 has a phase of 0°. The phase distribution for beam 2 is as follows: antenna element 1 has a phase of 90°, antenna element 2 has a phase of 90°, antenna element 3 has a phase of 0°, and antenna element 4 has a phase of 0°. Figure 5 It can be seen that different beams can be shaped based on the phase of different antenna elements, and the different beams have different pointing directions.

[0075] Optionally, the following example uses the relevant parameters of the shaped beam as the compensation phase of the antenna element, which can be calculated using the following example.

[0076] Example 1: Based on the beam pointing angle (i.e. beam direction angle), calculate the phase (referred to as phase distribution) of each antenna element in the antenna array and the phase difference between antenna elements. Then, select the reference phase in the antenna array based on this. Finally, calculate the compensation phase of each antenna element based on the reference phase and phase difference.

[0077] In Example 1, the compensated phase is the final compensated phase of the antenna element. Based on the operating requirements of the phase shifter, the range of this compensated phase is generally 0-360°. It should be noted that the method in Example 1 is a well-known technical solution to those skilled in the art, and this application does not impose any limitation on it. It can be understood that, based on the magnitude of the phase difference, the compensated phase of the antenna element can be any degree within the range of 0-360°. For example, the compensated phase of the antenna element can include multiple values, such as 10, 20, ..., 100, 110, ... etc.

[0078] Example 2: The beam direction corresponding to the beam determines the phase and phase difference of multiple antenna elements. Based on the phase and phase difference of these multiple antenna elements, a first compensation phase is determined. Then, for any antenna element, the first compensation phase is mapped to 0-360° to obtain the second compensation phase. Next, based on the second compensation phase, a phase interval containing the second compensation phase is determined from multiple phase intervals. These multiple phase intervals are obtained by dividing 0-360° according to the number of at least two beams. Finally, the median of this phase interval is used as the compensation phase of the antenna element.

[0079] In Example 2, the compensation phase of each antenna element is the median of its corresponding phase interval. Each antenna element's phase interval includes its corresponding second compensation phase. It can be understood that two or more antenna elements corresponding to the same phase interval have the same compensation phase.

[0080] It should be noted that the second compensation phase in Example 2 is equivalent to the compensation phase in Example 1. In other words, the process of calculating the first and second compensation phases in Example 2 is the same as the process of calculating the compensation phase in Example 1, and therefore will not be described in detail here. However, in Example 2, the second compensation phase is not the final compensation phase.

[0081] Optionally, the number of multiple phase intervals is the same as the number of at least two beams. That is, in Example 2, the compensation phase of the multiple antenna elements corresponding to the beam is related to the number of at least two beams. For better understanding, the embodiments of this application use... Figure 4 For example, there are at least two beams, totaling four beams, and multiple phase intervals, totaling four: (0, 90°), (90, 180°), (180, 270°), and (270, 360°). Assuming the second compensation phase for an antenna element is 30°, and the phase interval containing 30° is (0, 90°), then the median of (0, 90°), 45°, is taken as the final compensation phase for that antenna element. Similarly, the final compensation phase for each antenna element can only be one of the following values: 0°, 45°, 90°, 135°, 180°, 225°, 270°, or 315°.

[0082] In some embodiments, the minimum, maximum or any value of the phase interval can be used as the compensation phase of the antenna element. This application embodiment only uses the median as an example, but it is not limited thereto.

[0083] Based on the above description, considering that the antenna array includes multiple antenna elements, the compensation phase of the antenna elements in Example 1 can be any degree. This makes the phase shifting operation of the antenna elements during beamforming quite complex and cumbersome. In Example 2, the compensation phase of the antenna elements is simplified and unified by using multiple phase intervals. That is, the compensation phase of multiple antenna elements belonging to the same phase interval is set to the same value (such as the median of the phase interval), thereby reducing the complexity of the phase shifting operation during subsequent beamforming and reducing hardware complexity and cost.

[0084] It is understood that for any beam, the relevant parameters required for beamforming can be pre-calculated. These parameters include, but are not limited to, beam direction, phase, phase difference, and compensation phase, etc., which are not limited in this embodiment. Therefore, each beam corresponds to a set of relevant parameters, meaning at least two beams correspond to at least two sets of relevant parameters. When beamforming, communication devices typically select one set of relevant parameters and then perform beamforming to cover the mobile device with one of the at least two beams.

[0085] In some embodiments, the first beam is selected by the controller from at least two beams, and then the communication device is controlled to shape the first beam. Optionally, the first beam can be determined in the following manner.

[0086] Method 1: The first beam is determined from at least two beams based on the signal strength or signal quality of the communication between the mobile device and the communication device. Signal strength refers to the power of the received wireless signal, and signal quality refers to the "purity" or "accuracy" of the received wireless signal.

[0087] In this first method, signal strength can be the signal strength received by the communication device from the mobile device, or the signal strength received by the mobile device from the communication device. Similarly, signal quality can be the signal quality received by the communication device from the mobile device, or the signal quality received by the mobile device from the communication device. This application does not limit the objects of signal strength and signal quality detection. Furthermore, the methods for detecting signal strength and signal quality are well-known to those skilled in the art, and will not be described in detail here.

[0088] It is understandable that, because different beams have different beam directions, the signal strength or signal quality of mobile devices and communication devices communicating based on different beams are generally different. Figure 4 or Figure 5In this scenario, the signal strength of communication between the mobile device and the communication device based on beam 1 is higher than that based on beam 2. Therefore, the controller needs to traverse at least two beams, determining the signal strength or signal quality of communication between the mobile device and the communication device based on each beam, and then selecting the beam with the optimal signal strength or signal quality as the first beam. For example, given that the signal strength of communication between the mobile device and the communication device based on beam 1 is greater than that based on other beams (such as beams 2, 3, and 4), beam 1 is chosen as the first beam to ensure the reliability of the first beam selection, thereby guaranteeing the stability and reliability of communication between the mobile device and the communication device based on the first beam.

[0089] In some embodiments, the time taken to traverse at least two beams is within a first duration, i.e., within the first duration, the signal strength or signal quality of communication between the mobile device and the communication device based on each beam is determined. The first duration is located within the interval between transmitting adjacent data frames and is shorter than the interval between transmitting adjacent data frames. A data frame refers to a complete set of data to be transmitted. This ensures the complete transmission and reception of data frames, avoids data loss, and prevents subsequent beam switching (i.e., beamforming the second beam) from causing communication interruption, thus guaranteeing the continuity of communication between the communication device and the mobile device.

[0090] Method 2: The first beam is determined from at least two beams based on the relative positions of the mobile device and the communication device.

[0091] In this second method, the relative position between the mobile device and the communication device can be determined based on their coordinate positions. For example, the coordinate position of the communication device is (x0, y0, z0), the coordinate position of the mobile device is (x1, y1, z1), and the coordinate position of the mobile device relative to the communication device is (x1-x0, y1-x0, z1-x0). Therefore, the controller can determine the angle from which the communication device points to the mobile device based on the relative position, and then select the beam whose beam direction differs least from the angle from which the communication device points to the mobile device as the first beam. Using the aforementioned coordinate position (x1-x0, y1-x0, z1-x0) as an example, the angle from which the communication device points to the mobile device can be calculated mathematically.

[0092] Optionally, the coordinates of the mobile device and the communication device can be determined based on the positioning function built into the communication device and the mobile device, which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0093] In this embodiment, the beam direction has the smallest difference from the angle at which the communication device points to the mobile device; this can be understood as the beam direction being closest to the angle at which the communication device points to the mobile device in the horizontal direction. For example, taking... Figure 4For example, beam 1 has a horizontal beam direction of 45°, beam 2 has a horizontal beam direction of 135°, beam 3 has a horizontal beam direction of 225°, and beam 4 has a horizontal beam direction of 315°. The communication device points at a horizontal angle of 30° towards the mobile device. It can be understood that the smaller the difference between the beam direction and the angle between the communication device and the mobile device, the better the coverage of the mobile device by that beam; that is, the better the communication effect is assumed. Therefore, beam 1 is chosen as the first beam. It can be seen that this method of selecting the first beam is simple, has relatively low computational requirements, improves the efficiency of determining the first beam, and reduces the required computational resources.

[0094] Step 202: The controller determines the first angle at which the communication device points to the mobile device in the horizontal direction, based on the relative position of the mobile device and the communication device.

[0095] In this step, the first angle from which the communication device points to the mobile device in the horizontal direction is determined based on the relative positions of the mobile device and the communication device. This can be referred to the description in Method Two above, and will not be repeated here. For example, if the horizontal coordinates of the communication device are (x0, y0) and the horizontal coordinates of the mobile device are (x1, y1), and the coordinates of the mobile device relative to the communication device are (x1 - x0, y1 - x0), then the first angle from which the communication device points to the mobile device in the horizontal direction can be determined by calculating (x1 - x0, y1 - x0) based on mathematical relationships.

[0096] Step 203: When the angle of the communication device changes in the horizontal direction, determine the second beam from at least two beams based on the second angle of the change in the horizontal direction of the communication device and the first angle.

[0097] In this application embodiment, the change in the horizontal angle of the communication device can be due to the carrier of the communication device. In some embodiments, the carrier of the communication device is a vehicle, that is, the communication device is mounted on a vehicle. Therefore, the second angle can be understood as the rotation angle of the vehicle, such as the rotation angle of the front of the vehicle.

[0098] Optionally, the vehicle's front rotation angle is determined using inertial navigation. Inertial navigation refers to the technology of using inertial sensors (accelerometers and gyroscopes) to measure the vehicle's acceleration and angular velocity, and then calculating its position, velocity, and attitude. It should be noted that inertial navigation is a well-known technology to those skilled in the art, and will not be described in detail in this application.

[0099] Optionally, the scenario in which the vehicle changes angle in the horizontal direction is a vehicle turning scenario, which is not limited in this embodiment of the application.

[0100] Based on the above description, when a vehicle turns, the rotation angle of the vehicle's front end can be determined using inertial navigation. Then, based on the vehicle's front end rotation angle and the first angle, the third angle at which the communication device points to the mobile device in the horizontal direction after the vehicle turns can be determined. Furthermore, the second beam is determined from at least two beams based on the third angle. Here, the third angle can be understood as the angle at which the communication device points to the mobile device after the vehicle turns, i.e., the real-time angle at which the communication device points to the mobile device in the horizontal direction.

[0101] Optionally, before the vehicle turns, the direction of the vehicle's front is predefined as 90° horizontally, and the direction of the right side of the vehicle is defined as 0° horizontally. If the vehicle turns right (or clockwise), the third angle is the sum of the vehicle's front rotation angle and the first angle; if the vehicle turns left (or counterclockwise), the third angle is the difference between the first angle and the vehicle's front rotation angle. For example, the first angle of the communication device pointing at the mobile device in the horizontal direction is θ1, and the vehicle's front rotation angle is Δθ. If the vehicle turns right, the third angle of the communication device pointing at the mobile device in the horizontal direction is θ1 + Δθ. If the vehicle turns left, the third angle of the communication device pointing at the mobile device in the horizontal direction is θ1 - Δθ.

[0102] Similarly, before the vehicle turns, the direction of the front of the vehicle is predefined as 90° horizontally, and the left side of the vehicle is defined as 0° horizontally. If the vehicle turns left, the third angle is the sum of the front rotation angle and the first angle; if the vehicle turns right, the third angle is the difference between the first angle and the front rotation angle.

[0103] Please see Figure 6 , Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a vehicle turning according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in the figure, the direction of the vehicle's front is predefined as 90° horizontally, the right side of the vehicle is defined as 0° horizontally, and the mobile device is a drone. For the vehicle before turning, the communication device installed on the vehicle points to the drone at a first angle of 45° horizontally. The vehicle turns 90° to the right, that is, the front of the vehicle rotates 90°. For the vehicle after turning right, the communication device installed on the vehicle points to the drone at a third angle of 135° horizontally.

[0104] It should be noted that the horizontal and vertical coordinates can be defined based on iconic components such as the front, rear, and body of the vehicle, and this embodiment of the application does not impose such limitations.

[0105] The above features enable the linkage between beamforming and vehicle attitude (i.e., vehicle turning direction), simplifying the beam determination process and improving beamforming efficiency.

[0106] In some embodiments, determining the second beam from at least two beams based on the third angle can refer to the content of Method 2 described above. Specifically, this includes: selecting the beam from the at least two beams whose horizontal pointing angle differs least from the third angle as the second beam. For example, using... Figure 4 For example, with the third angle being 100°, beam 2 is used as the first beam. It can be seen that this method of selecting the second beam is simple, requires relatively little computation, improves the efficiency of determining the second beam, and reduces the required computational resources.

[0107] In some embodiments, any two of the at least two beams have different coverage angle ranges in the horizontal direction. The coverage angle range is obtained by dividing 0-360° according to the number of at least two beams. Referring to the phase interval described in Example 2 above, similarly, there are multiple coverage angle ranges, and the number of these multiple coverage angle ranges is the same as the number of at least two beams. For better understanding, embodiments of this application are used... Figure 4 For example, there are at least two beams, totaling four beams, and multiple coverage angle ranges, totaling four beams: beam 1 (coverage angle range [0, 90°]), beam 2 (coverage angle range [90°, 180°]), beam 3 (coverage angle range [180°, 270°]), and beam 4 (coverage angle range [270°, 360°]).

[0108] Based on the aforementioned coverage angle range, the third angle can be divided modulo 360° to obtain the remainder angle. Then, the beam corresponding to the coverage angle range containing the remainder angle is selected as the second beam. Referring to the above example, if the third angle is 100°, dividing 100° modulo 360° yields a remainder of 100°. The coverage angle range containing 100° is [90°, 180°), therefore beam 2 is selected as the second beam. This method of selecting the second beam is simple, has relatively low computational cost, and can improve the efficiency of determining the second beam.

[0109] Step 204: The controller communicates with the mobile device based on the second beam shaped by the communication device.

[0110] In this step, after the controller determines the second beam, it can send a command to the communication device via the CAN bus, or instruct the communication device to shape the second beam via a switch combination switching method; this embodiment of the application does not limit this. After receiving the command to shape the second beam, the communication device selects the relevant parameters corresponding to the second beam for beamforming, thereby generating a second beam to cover the mobile device. Based on the above, it can be seen that the relevant parameters corresponding to the second beam are pre-configured. Therefore, when beamforming, the communication device directly selects the parameters corresponding to the second beam from the pre-configured parameters, rather than calculating them in real time. Therefore, the second beam can be quickly shaped to achieve the purpose of switching the first beam to the second beam, improving the simplicity and efficiency of beamforming.

[0111] In some embodiments, after the controller communicates with the mobile device based on the second beam shaped by the communication device, it can determine the signal quality of the communication between the mobile device and the communication device based on the second beam. When the signal quality of the communication between the mobile device and the communication device based on the second beam is lower than a first threshold, a third beam is determined from at least two beams based on the signal strength or signal quality of the communication between the mobile device and the communication device, and then communication is performed with the mobile device based on the third beam shaped by the communication device. The first threshold is a value preset based on experience, and is not limited in this embodiment. The description of determining the signal quality and the third beam can be found in the above-described method one, and will not be repeated here.

[0112] It is understood that the third beam can be any of the at least two beams. If the signal quality is below the first threshold, it indicates that the current communication quality is poor. Therefore, based on the signal strength or signal quality corresponding to each beam, the beam with the best signal strength or signal quality is selected from at least two beams as the third beam to ensure the stability and reliability of subsequent communication between mobile devices and communication devices.

[0113] In some scenarios, the mobile device is a drone, and the communication device is a drone mobile pod mounted on a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the pod). Based on the above description, when a vehicle uses a drone, it can flexibly adjust the beam according to the vehicle's attitude to ensure that the beam covers the drone in real time, thereby enhancing communication, expanding the drone's cruising range, and improving communication quality. Furthermore, when the pod performs beamforming, it directly selects the relevant parameters corresponding to the beam from pre-configured parameters, rather than calculating the relevant parameters corresponding to the beam in real time, thus improving the efficiency and simplicity of beamforming.

[0114] To better illustrate the above method, Figure 7This is a flowchart illustrating a drone communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. In this process, the mobile device is a drone, the communication device is a cabin mounted on a vehicle, the device executing the process is an onboard controller (hereinafter referred to as the controller), and the cabin is used for shaping... Figure 4 The four beams shown are for reference only. It should be noted that, depending on the application scenario, traffic requirements, and other factors, the following beams may be used: Figure 7 Add one or more steps, or omit / change them. Figure 7 One or more steps in the process, Figure 7 The example only uses a drone with four beams for coverage, but there are no limitations.

[0115] like Figure 7 As shown, the method flow includes the following steps: Step 701: The drone begins operation.

[0116] In this step, the drone starting to work can be understood as the drone flying out of the cabin to perform corresponding tasks, such as taking pictures or recording videos.

[0117] Step 702: Poll each beam within the first time period.

[0118] In this step, polling refers to controlling the cabin to shape four beams sequentially in a certain order, and communicating with the UAV based on each beam, to determine the signal strength and / or signal quality of the cabin communicating with the UAV based on each beam.

[0119] The first duration is within the interval between adjacent data frames transmitted between the cabin and the UAV, and the first duration is less than the interval between adjacent data frames. Here, a data frame refers to a complete set of data that needs to be transmitted. This ensures the complete transmission and reception of data frames during polling, avoids data loss, and guarantees the continuity of communication between the communication device and the mobile device.

[0120] Optionally, the signal strength and / or signal quality can be the average value over a second duration, which refers to the stable communication duration. This is to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the calculation. It should be noted that the second duration is shorter than the first duration, and the second duration can be a value preset based on experience; this embodiment of the application does not impose such limitations.

[0121] Step 703: Calculate the difference between the signal strength corresponding to beam a and the signal strength corresponding to other beams.

[0122] In this step, beam a refers to any one of the four beams, for example, beam a is beam 1. It can be understood that each beam has three differences from the other beams.

[0123] Step 704: Determine whether the difference is greater than the second threshold. If yes, proceed to step 705; otherwise, return to step 703.

[0124] In this step, a difference greater than the second threshold means that all three differences between beam a and other beams are greater than the second threshold. Generally, when all three differences between beam a and other beams are greater than the second threshold, it indicates that beam a has the best signal strength or signal quality. In other words, this step can be understood as implementing the operation of selecting the optimal beam in Method 1 above.

[0125] Taking beam a as beam 1 as an example, if the three differences between beam 1 and other beams are all greater than the second threshold, then step 705 is executed based on beam 1; if the three differences between beam 1 and other beams are not all greater than the second threshold, then step 703 is returned, and step 703 is executed with beam 2 until the condition of this step is met.

[0126] Step 705: Cover the UAV based on beam a.

[0127] In this step, after the controller determines beam a, it can send a command to the nacelle via the CAN bus, or instruct the nacelle to shape beam a using a switch combination. For a detailed description, please refer to step 204 above; this embodiment will not be repeated here. After receiving the command to shape beam a, the nacelle selects the relevant parameters corresponding to beam a for beamforming, thereby generating beam a to cover the UAV, enabling the controller to communicate with the UAV based on the beam a shaped by the nacelle.

[0128] Step 706: Determine whether the signal quality corresponding to beam a is lower than the first threshold. If yes, proceed to step 707; otherwise, return to step 702.

[0129] In this step, if the signal quality is below the first threshold, it indicates that the cabin's communication quality with the UAV based on beam a is poor.

[0130] Step 707: Determine if the number of polling attempts is less than the third threshold. If yes, return to step 707; otherwise, proceed to step 708.

[0131] In this step, the third threshold can be a value preset based on experience, such as 5. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0132] Step 708: Determine beam b based on the angle at which the vehicle points at the drone and the turning angle of the vehicle's front end, and cover the drone based on beam b.

[0133] This step can refer to steps 203 and 204 above, and will not be repeated here in the embodiments of this application.

[0134] In summary, when using drones, vehicles can flexibly adjust the beam according to the vehicle's attitude to ensure real-time beam coverage of the drone, thereby enhancing communication, expanding the drone's cruising range, and improving communication quality. Furthermore, when performing beamforming in the cabin, the relevant parameters corresponding to the beam are directly selected from pre-configured parameters, rather than being calculated in real time, thus improving the efficiency and simplicity of beamforming.

[0135] Based on the above description Figures 2-7 In addition to the above method, this application can also provide an apparatus. This apparatus can perform the above... Figures 2-7 The method and related features can be found in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here. Please refer to... Figure 8 , Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a device provided in an embodiment of this application. The device 800 includes a transceiver unit 810 and a processing unit 820.

[0136] It should be noted that the aforementioned transceiver unit 810 and processing unit 820 can be implemented using virtual modules. For example, transceiver unit 810 can be implemented using software functional units or virtual devices, and processing unit 820 can be implemented using software functions or virtual devices. Alternatively, transceiver unit 810 and processing unit 820 can also be implemented using physical devices. For example, if the device 800 is implemented using chip / chip circuitry, transceiver unit 810 and processing unit 820 can be integrated processors, microprocessors, or integrated circuits.

[0137] The unit division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used. Furthermore, the functional units in each embodiment of this application can be integrated into a single processor, exist as separate physical units, or two or more units can be integrated into a single module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module.

[0138] The specific operations of the transceiver unit 810 and the processing unit 820 are described below.

[0139] The transceiver unit 810 is used to communicate with the mobile device based on a first beam shaped by the communication device. The communication device is used to shape at least two beams and communicate with the mobile device based on one of the beams. Any two of the at least two beams have different pointing angles in the horizontal direction. The relevant parameters for shaping the at least two beams are pre-configured. The first beam is any one of the at least two beams. The processing unit 820 is used to determine a first angle in the horizontal direction of the communication device pointing at the mobile device based on the relative position of the mobile device and the communication device. When the angle of the communication device changes in the horizontal direction, a second beam is determined from the at least two beams based on the second angle of the communication device in the horizontal direction and the first angle. The second beam is any one of the at least two beams. The transceiver unit 810 is controlled to communicate with the mobile device based on the second beam shaped by the communication device.

[0140] In one possible implementation, the first beam is determined from the at least two beams based on the signal strength or signal quality of the communication between the mobile device and the communication device; or, the first beam is determined from the at least two beams based on the relative position of the mobile device and the communication device.

[0141] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 820 is specifically configured to: determine the signal strength or signal quality of communication between the mobile device and the communication device based on each of the at least two beams; and select the beam with the optimal signal strength or signal quality as the first beam.

[0142] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 820 is specifically used to: determine the signal strength or signal quality of the mobile device and the communication device based on each beam communication within a first duration, wherein the first duration is within the interval of sending adjacent data frames, and the first duration is less than the interval of sending adjacent data frames.

[0143] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 820 is specifically configured to: determine the angle at which the communication device points to the mobile device based on the relative position; and select the beam whose beam direction differs least from the angle at which the communication device points to the mobile device as the first beam.

[0144] In one possible implementation, the communication device is mounted on a vehicle, and the second angle is the vehicle's front-end rotation angle, which is determined based on inertial navigation. Specifically, the processing unit 820 is configured to: when the vehicle turns, determine a third angle in the horizontal direction from which the communication device points to the mobile device after the vehicle turns, based on the front-end rotation angle and the first angle; and determine a second beam from the at least two beams based on the third angle.

[0145] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 820 is specifically used to: select the beam whose beam direction pointing angle in the horizontal direction differs the least from the third angle as the second beam.

[0146] In one possible implementation, any two of the at least two beams have different coverage angle ranges in the horizontal direction. The processing unit 820 is specifically configured to: divide the third angle modulo 360° to obtain a remainder angle; and use the beam corresponding to the coverage angle range containing the remainder angle as the second beam.

[0147] In one possible implementation, the communication device includes an antenna array comprising multiple antenna elements. The compensation phase of the multiple antenna elements corresponding to any one of the at least two beams is related to the number of the at least two beams. The processing unit 820 is further configured to: for any beam, determine the phase and phase difference corresponding to the multiple antenna elements based on the beam direction corresponding to the beam; determine a first compensation phase corresponding to the multiple antenna elements based on the phase and phase difference; for any antenna element, map the first compensation phase corresponding to the antenna element to 0-360° to obtain a second compensation phase corresponding to the antenna element; determine a phase interval containing the second compensation phase from multiple phase intervals based on the second compensation phase corresponding to the antenna element, wherein the multiple phase intervals are obtained by dividing 0-360° according to the number of the at least two beams; and use the median of the phase intervals as the compensation phase of the antenna element.

[0148] In one possible implementation, after the second beam, shaped by the communication device, communicates with the mobile device, the processing unit 820 is further configured to: determine the signal quality of the communication between the mobile device and the communication device based on the second beam; when the signal quality of the communication between the mobile device and the communication device based on the second beam is lower than a first threshold, determine a third beam from the at least two beams based on the signal strength or signal quality of the communication between the mobile device and the communication device, wherein the third beam is any one of the at least two beams; and control the transceiver unit 810 to communicate with the mobile device based on the third beam shaped by the communication device.

[0149] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of another device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0150] The device 900 includes a memory 910, a processor 920, and a communication interface 930. The memory 910, processor 920, and communication interface 930 are connected via an internal connection path. The memory 910 stores instructions, and the processor 920 executes the instructions stored in the memory 910 to control the communication interface 930 to acquire information, enabling the device 900 to implement the aforementioned method. Optionally, the memory 910 can be coupled to the processor 920 via an interface, or it can be integrated with the processor 920.

[0151] It should be noted that the communication interface 930 described above uses a transceiver device, such as, but not limited to, a transceiver. The communication interface 930 may also include an input / output interface.

[0152] The processor 920 stores one or more computer programs, which include instructions. When the instructions are executed by the processor 920, the device 900 performs the methods described in the above embodiments.

[0153] In implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by the integrated logic circuitry of the hardware in the processor 920 or by instructions in software form. The method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly implemented by the hardware processor, or by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software modules can reside in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory 910, and the processor 920 reads the information in memory 910 and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method. To avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are not provided here.

[0154] As one possible implementation, device 900 can be a physical device, such as including one or more of the following modules: central processing unit (CPU), microprocessor unit (MPU), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), complex programmable logic device (CPLD), coprocessor (assisting the central processing unit in completing corresponding processing and applications), microcontroller unit (MCU), domain controller (DC), vehicle domain controller (VDC), electronic control unit (ECU), cockpit domain controller (CDC), vehicle integrated unit (VIU), vehicle domain controller (VDC), motor control unit (MCU), etc. Furthermore, device 900 includes at least one processor integrated in the form of a system-on-a-chip (SOC), commonly referred to by those skilled in the art as an SOC. The SOC may include at least one processor, and when the SOC includes multiple processors, the types of processors may be different.

[0155] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing program code that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the methods described in the above embodiments.

[0156] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program that, when run, causes a computer to perform any of the methods described in the above embodiments.

[0157] This application also provides a chip, including: a circuit for performing any of the methods in the above embodiments.

[0158] This application embodiment also provides a vehicle, including as follows: Figure 7 or Figure 8 Any of the apparatuses shown, as well as communication devices and mobile devices, wherein the communication device is used to shape at least two beams and communicate with the mobile device based on one of the beams, the mobile device is a drone, and the communication device is a mobile cabin of the drone. The relevant features can be found in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0159] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units 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.

[0160] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0161] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, 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 apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0162] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0163] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into a processing module, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0164] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0165] It should be noted that the personal information and data processing (e.g., collection, storage, use, processing, transmission, provision and disclosure) involved in this application that are protected by the laws and regulations of the relevant countries and regions comply with the relevant laws and regulations of the relevant countries and regions.

[0166] 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 communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: The communication device communicates with the mobile device based on a first beam shaped by the communication device. The communication device is used to shape at least two beams and communicate with the mobile device based on one of the beams. Any two of the at least two beams have different pointing angles in the horizontal direction. The relevant parameters for shaping the at least two beams are pre-configured. The first beam is any one of the at least two beams. Based on the relative positions of the mobile device and the communication device, a first angle is determined in the horizontal direction by which the communication device points towards the mobile device; When the communication device changes angle in the horizontal direction, a second beam is determined from the at least two beams based on the second angle of the change in the horizontal direction and the first angle, wherein the second beam is any one of the at least two beams; The second beam, shaped by the communication device, communicates with the mobile device.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first beam is determined from the at least two beams based on the signal strength or signal quality of the communication between the mobile device and the communication device; Alternatively, the first beam may be determined from the at least two beams based on the relative positions of the mobile device and the communication device.

3. The communication method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first beam is determined from the at least two beams based on the signal strength or signal quality of the communication between the mobile device and the communication device, including: For each of the at least two beams, determine the signal strength or signal quality of the communication between the mobile device and the communication device based on each beam; The beam with the best signal strength or signal quality is selected as the first beam.

4. The communication method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The step of determining the signal strength or signal quality of the mobile device and the communication device based on each beam communication includes: Within a first duration, the signal strength or signal quality of the mobile device and the communication device based on each beam communication are determined respectively. The first duration is within the interval of sending adjacent data frames, and the first duration is less than the interval of sending adjacent data frames.

5. The communication method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first beam is determined from the at least two beams based on the relative position of the mobile device and the communication device, including: The angle at which the communication device points to the mobile device is determined based on the relative position; The beam whose beam direction differs the least from the angle at which the communication device points to the mobile device is taken as the first beam.

6. The communication method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The communication device is installed in the vehicle, and the second angle is the rotation angle of the vehicle's front end, which is determined based on inertial navigation. When the communication device changes angle in the horizontal direction, determining a second beam from the at least two beams based on the second angle of the horizontal change of the communication device and the first angle includes: When the vehicle turns, based on the vehicle's front rotation angle and the first angle, a third angle is determined in the horizontal direction at which the communication device points to the mobile device after the vehicle turns. The second beam is determined from the at least two beams based on the third angle.

7. The communication method according to claim 6, characterized in that, Determining the second beam from the at least two beams based on the third angle includes: The beam whose horizontal pointing angle differs the least from the third angle is selected as the second beam.

8. The communication method according to claim 6, characterized in that, Any two of the at least two beams have different coverage angle ranges in the horizontal direction; Determining the second beam from the at least two beams based on the third angle includes: Divide the third angle modulo 360° to obtain the remainder angle; The beam corresponding to the coverage angle range including the remainder angle is taken as the second beam.

9. The communication method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The communication device is provided with an antenna array, which includes multiple antenna elements. The compensation phase of the multiple antenna elements corresponding to any one of the at least two beams is related to the number of the at least two beams. The method further includes: For any beam, the phase and phase difference corresponding to the plurality of antenna elements are determined according to the beam direction corresponding to the beam; The first compensation phase corresponding to the plurality of antenna elements is determined based on the phase corresponding to the plurality of antenna elements and the phase difference; For any antenna element, the first compensation phase corresponding to the antenna element is mapped to 0-360° to obtain the second compensation phase corresponding to the antenna element; Based on the second compensation phase corresponding to the antenna element, a phase interval containing the second compensation phase is determined from multiple phase intervals, wherein the multiple phase intervals are obtained by dividing 0-360° according to the number of the at least two beams; The median of the phase interval is used as the compensation phase of the antenna element.

10. The communication method according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, After the second beam, based on the beamforming of the communication device, communicates with the mobile device, the method further includes: Determine the signal quality of the mobile device and the communication device based on the second beam communication; When the signal quality of the communication between the mobile device and the communication device based on the second beam is lower than a first threshold, a third beam is determined from the at least two beams according to the signal strength or signal quality of the communication between the mobile device and the communication device. The third beam is any one of the at least two beams. The communication device communicates with the mobile device based on the third beam shaped by the communication device.

11. An apparatus, characterized in that, The device includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit; The transceiver unit is used to communicate with the mobile device based on a first beam shaped by the communication device. The communication device is used to shape at least two beams and communicate with the mobile device based on one of the beams. Any two of the at least two beams have different pointing angles in the horizontal direction. The relevant parameters for shaping the at least two beams are pre-configured. The first beam is any one of the at least two beams. The processing unit is configured to determine a first angle in the horizontal direction from which the communication device points to the mobile device based on the relative position of the mobile device and the communication device; when the angle of the communication device changes in the horizontal direction, a second beam is determined from the at least two beams based on the second angle of the communication device in the horizontal direction and the first angle, wherein the second beam is any one of the at least two beams; and to control the transceiver unit to communicate with the mobile device based on the second beam shaped by the communication device.

12. A device, characterized in that, The method includes a processor coupled to a memory storing program instructions that, when executed by the processor, implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 10.

13. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable medium stores program code that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-10.

14. A computer program product, characterized in that, When the computer program product is run on a computer, it causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-10.

15. A chip, characterized in that, The chip includes circuitry for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10.

16. A vehicle, characterized in that, It includes a communication device and a mobile device, wherein the communication device is used to shape at least two beams and communicate with the mobile device based on one of the beams, the mobile device being a drone, and the communication device being a drone mobile cabin.

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