Beam broadening methods, apparatuses, and devices

Abstract

The application provides a beam widening method, device and equipment, and relates to the technical field of computers.The method comprises the following steps: acquiring a preset beam angle coverage range of an antenna system, the antenna system comprising N*M antenna units; determining a target beam combination according to M and N; the target beam combination comprising N horizontal target beams and M vertical target beams; a phase difference of the horizontal target beam is positively correlated with a first serial number; a phase difference of the vertical target beam is positively correlated with a second serial number; a peak angle of each target beam is within the beam angle coverage range; a difference between a first peak angle and a first angle is less than a first threshold value; a difference between a second peak angle and a second angle is less than a second threshold value; and the antenna system is subjected to beam widening according to the target beam combination.The application can widen the beam of the antenna system without sacrificing the antenna power.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] In cellular and satellite communication systems, the use of massive MIMO antennas has led to increasingly narrow beamwidths and smaller beam angle coverage, resulting in some public or service signals failing to meet beam coverage requirements in certain scenarios.

[0003] Currently, beamwidth is achieved by sacrificing antenna power, which affects signal transmission. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a beam widening method, apparatus, and device to solve the technical problem that current methods of achieving beam widening by sacrificing antenna power affect signal transmission.

[0005] In a first aspect, this application provides a beam widening method, which includes:

[0006] Obtain the preset beam angle coverage range of the antenna system. The antenna system includes N×M antenna elements. The number of antenna elements in each row in the horizontal direction is M, and the number of antenna elements in each column in the vertical direction is N. M and N are both positive integers.

[0007] Based on M and N, a target beam combination is determined, comprising: N horizontal target beams and M vertical target beams. Each horizontal target beam corresponds to a first index, and each vertical target beam corresponds to a second index. The phase difference of the horizontal target beams is positively correlated with the first index, and the phase difference of the vertical target beams is positively correlated with the second index. The peak angle of each target beam is within the beam angle coverage range. The difference between the first peak angle and the first angle is less than a first threshold, and the difference between the second peak angle and the second angle is less than a second threshold. The first peak angle is the smallest peak angle among the multiple peak angles of the N horizontal target beams, and the second peak angle is the largest peak angle among the multiple peak angles. The first angle is the smallest angle of the beam angle coverage range in the horizontal direction, and the second angle is the largest angle of the beam angle coverage range in the horizontal direction.

[0008] Beam broadening of the antenna system is performed based on the target beam combination.

[0009] In some optional implementations, the beam angle coverage range includes: a first beam angle coverage sub-range in the horizontal direction, and determining the target beam combination based on M and N, including:

[0010] Construct a first beam combination, which includes: l×P×N first horizontal beams in the horizontal direction, each first horizontal beam corresponding to a third number. The first horizontal beams are determined according to M, N, l, P and the third number. The phase difference of the first horizontal beams is positively correlated with the third number, and l and P are positive integers.

[0011] Among l×P×N first horizontal beams, N first horizontal beams are determined as N first target horizontal beams. The peak angles of the N first target horizontal beams are all within the coverage area of ​​the first beam angle. The difference between the minimum peak angle and the first angle among the N first target horizontal beams is less than a first threshold. The difference between the maximum peak angle and the second angle among the N first target horizontal beams is less than a second threshold.

[0012] Based on N horizontal beams of the first target, determine M vertical beams of the first target;

[0013] The target beam combination is determined based on N first target horizontal beams and M first target vertical beams.

[0014] In some alternative implementations, the method further includes determining the P value according to the following iterative steps:

[0015] Construct a second beam combination, which includes N×r second horizontal beams in the horizontal direction and M second vertical beams in the vertical direction, where r is a coefficient and r is a positive integer;

[0016] If the current N×r second horizontal beams contain N second horizontal beams, and the peak angles of the N second horizontal beams are all within the coverage area of ​​the first beam angle, then the current r value is determined to be the P value.

[0017] If the current N×r second horizontal beams contain X second horizontal beams, and the peak angles of the X second horizontal beams are all within the coverage area of ​​the first beam angle, update the value of r and continue to execute the step of constructing the second beam combination, where X is less than N, and the updated value of r is greater than the current value of r.

[0018] In some optional implementations, among the l×P×N first horizontal beams, N first horizontal beams are determined as N first target horizontal beams, including:

[0019] Among l×P×N first horizontal beams, determine the l×N first horizontal beams whose peak angle is within the first beam angle coverage sub-range;

[0020] Among the l×N first horizontal beams, N first horizontal beams are determined as N first target horizontal beams.

[0021] In some optional implementations, among the l×N first horizontal beams, N first horizontal beams are determined as N first target horizontal beams, including:

[0022] Among the l×N first horizontal beams, in ascending order of the third sequence number, one first horizontal beam is selected as the first target horizontal beam every (l-1) first horizontal beams. Among them, the first horizontal beam with the smallest peak angle is one of the first target horizontal beams, and / or the first horizontal beam with the largest peak angle is one of the first target horizontal beams.

[0023] In some optional implementations, M first target vertical beams are determined based on N first target horizontal beams, including:

[0024] The i-th horizontal beam of the first target among N horizontal beams is represented by the following first expression;

[0025]

[0026] Where i takes the values ​​0, 1, ..., (N-1), m takes the values ​​0, 1, ..., (M-1), and n0 represents the index of the first target horizontal beam with the smallest peak angle among the N first target horizontal beams;

[0027] Based on the first expression, the m-th vertical beam of the first target is determined among the M vertical beams of the first target, where the m-th vertical beam of the first target is represented as follows:

[0028]

[0029] In some optional implementations, the target beam combination is determined based on N first target horizontal beams and M first target vertical beams, including:

[0030] Among the M first target vertical beams, one of the first target vertical beams is determined as the middle target vertical beam, and the difference between the peak angle of the middle target vertical beam and the preset center pointing angle is less than the third threshold.

[0031] The second sequence number of the vertical beam of the intermediate target is determined as the target sequence number;

[0032] Update the phase of N first target horizontal beams according to the target number to obtain N second target horizontal beams;

[0033] Update the phase of the M first target vertical beams according to the target number to obtain the M second target vertical beams;

[0034] The target beam combination is determined, which includes: N second target horizontal beams and M second target vertical beams.

[0035] In some optional implementations, obtaining the preset beam angle coverage range of the antenna system includes:

[0036] Obtain the target half-power beamwidth and center pointing angle preset by the antenna system;

[0037] The beam angle coverage range is determined based on the target half-power beamwidth and center pointing angle.

[0038] In some alternative implementations, obtaining the target half-power beamwidth of the antenna system includes:

[0039] Obtain the initial half-power beamwidth and broadening factor of the antenna system. The initial half-power beamwidth is the half-power beamwidth of the antenna system before broadening, and the broadening factor is greater than 1.

[0040] The target half-power beamwidth is determined based on the initial half-power beamwidth and the broadening factor.

[0041] Secondly, this application provides a beam widening device, which includes:

[0042] The acquisition unit is used to acquire the preset beam angle coverage range of the antenna system. The antenna system includes N×M antenna elements. The number of antenna elements in each row in the horizontal direction is M, and the number of antenna elements in each column in the vertical direction is N. M and N are both positive integers.

[0043] The determining unit is used to determine the target beam combination based on M and N. The target beam combination includes N horizontal target beams and M vertical target beams. Each horizontal target beam corresponds to a first sequence number, and each vertical target beam corresponds to a second sequence number. The phase difference of the horizontal target beams is positively correlated with the first sequence number, and the phase difference of the vertical target beams is positively correlated with the second sequence number. The peak angle of each target beam is within the beam angle coverage range. The difference between the first peak angle and the first angle is less than a first threshold, and the difference between the second peak angle and the second angle is less than a second threshold. The first peak angle is the smallest peak angle among the multiple peak angles of the N horizontal target beams, and the second peak angle is the largest peak angle among the multiple peak angles. The first angle is the smallest angle of the beam angle coverage range in the horizontal direction, and the second angle is the largest angle of the beam angle coverage range in the horizontal direction.

[0044] The beamwidth unit is used to broaden the antenna system according to the target beam combination.

[0045] Thirdly, this application provides a network device, including: a memory for storing computer programs;

[0046] A transceiver is used to send and receive data under the control of a processor.

[0047] A processor is used to read computer programs from memory and perform the following operations:

[0048] Obtain the preset beam angle coverage range of the antenna system. The antenna system includes N×M antenna elements. The number of antenna elements in each row in the horizontal direction is M, and the number of antenna elements in each column in the vertical direction is N. M and N are both positive integers.

[0049] Based on M and N, a target beam combination is determined, comprising: N horizontal target beams and M vertical target beams. Each horizontal target beam corresponds to a first index, and each vertical target beam corresponds to a second index. The phase difference of the horizontal target beams is positively correlated with the first index, and the phase difference of the vertical target beams is positively correlated with the second index. The peak angle of each target beam is within the beam angle coverage range. The difference between the first peak angle and the first angle is less than a first threshold, and the difference between the second peak angle and the second angle is less than a second threshold. The first peak angle is the smallest peak angle among the multiple peak angles of the N horizontal target beams, and the second peak angle is the largest peak angle among the multiple peak angles. The first angle is the smallest angle of the beam angle coverage range in the horizontal direction, and the second angle is the largest angle of the beam angle coverage range in the horizontal direction.

[0050] Beam broadening of the antenna system is performed based on the target beam combination.

[0051] Fourthly, this application provides a processor-readable storage medium storing a computer program for causing a processor to perform the beamforming method as provided in the first aspect.

[0052] Fifthly, this application provides a computer program product, comprising: a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the beamforming method as provided in the first aspect.

[0053] This application provides a beam widening method, apparatus, and device. The method involves obtaining a preset beam angle coverage range for an antenna system. The antenna system includes N×M antenna elements, with M antenna elements in each row horizontally and N antenna elements in each column vertically, where M and N are both positive integers. Based on M and N, a target beam combination is determined. This target beam combination includes N horizontal target beams and M vertical target beams. Each horizontal target beam corresponds to a first index, and each vertical target beam corresponds to a second index. The phase difference of the horizontal target beams is positively correlated with the first index, and the phase difference of the vertical target beams is positively correlated with the first index. The position difference is positively correlated with the second sequence number. The peak angle of each target beam is within the beam angle coverage range. The difference between the first peak angle and the first angle is less than the first threshold, and the difference between the second peak angle and the second angle is less than the second threshold. The first peak angle is the smallest peak angle among the multiple peak angles of the N horizontal target beams, and the second peak angle is the largest peak angle among the multiple peak angles. The first angle is the smallest angle of the beam angle coverage range in the horizontal direction, and the second angle is the largest angle of the beam angle coverage range in the horizontal direction. The antenna system is beam-broadened according to the target beam combination to broaden the antenna system's beam without sacrificing antenna power.

[0054] It should be understood that the content described in the foregoing summary section is not intended to limit the key or essential features of the embodiments of this application, nor is it intended to limit the scope of this application. Other features of this application will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0055] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0056] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an antenna system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating the steps of a beam broadening method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0058] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating the steps of another beam widening method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0059] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a beam stretching device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0060] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0061] In this application, the term "and / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. In the embodiments of this application, the term "multiple" refers to two or more, and other quantifiers are similar.

[0062] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0063] In cellular and satellite communication systems, the use of massive MIMO (Massively Multi-Track Antennas) has led to increasingly narrow beamwidths. This results in limited coverage for certain public or service signals, such as SSB (Single Sideband) beams, in some scenarios, failing to meet coverage requirements. Related technologies employ beam widening by selecting only a portion of the antennas. However, since not all antennas are used for signal transmission, the total transmit power decreases, indicating that full power is not being utilized, which can significantly impact signal strength.

[0064] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a beam widening method that can redetermine the target beam combination based on the number and layout of antenna elements in an antenna system, thereby increasing the beam width without sacrificing power and meeting the requirements for beam coverage.

[0065] Reference Figure 1 The diagram illustrates an antenna system comprising N×M antenna elements, where M and N are both positive integers. N×M represents the array arrangement of the antenna elements. The system has M antenna elements in each row horizontally and N antenna elements in each column vertically. For example, refer to... Figure 1 M is 5 and N is 3.

[0066] It should be noted that the network device involved in the embodiments of this application can be a base station, which may include multiple cells providing services to terminals. Depending on the specific application, a base station may also be called an access point, or a device in the access network that communicates with wireless terminal devices through one or more sectors on the air interface, or other names. The network device can be used to exchange received air frames with Internet Protocol (IP) packets, acting as a router between the wireless terminal device and the rest of the access network, where the rest of the access network may include an Internet Protocol (IP) communication network. The network device can also coordinate the attribute management of the air interface. For example, the network device involved in the embodiments of this application may be an evolved network device (eNB or e-NodeB) in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, a 5G base station (gNB) in a 5G network architecture (next generation system), or a Home evolved Node B (HeNB), a relay node, a Femto, a Pico, network testing equipment, etc., and is not limited in the embodiments of this application. In some network architectures, network devices may include centralized unit (CU) nodes and distributed unit (DU) nodes, which may also be geographically separated.

[0067] It should be noted that the methods and apparatus provided in the embodiments of this application are based on the same application concept. Since the methods and apparatus solve problems in similar principles, the implementation of the apparatus and methods can refer to each other, and repeated parts will not be described again.

[0068] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application and how the technical solutions of this application solve the above-mentioned technical problems are described in detail below with specific examples. The following specific embodiments can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be described again in some embodiments.

[0069] Please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 A flowchart of the beam broadening method provided in an embodiment of this application Figure 1 .like Figure 2 As shown, it includes the following steps:

[0070] S201. Obtain the preset beam angle coverage range of the antenna system.

[0071] Among them, the antenna system reference Figure 1As shown. It should be noted that the antenna system includes multiple antenna elements. For example, if the antenna system is a MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) system, then the MIMO system refers to improving the data transmission rate by using multiple antennas to simultaneously transmit and receive multiple data streams on the same channel.

[0072] In this embodiment, the beam angle coverage range is preset, representing the desired beam angle coverage range that the antenna system can achieve after beam widening. It can be understood that the beam angle coverage range includes: a first horizontal beam angle coverage sub-range, denoted as... Furthermore, the beam angle coverage range also includes a second beam angle coverage sub-range in the vertical direction. The second beam angle coverage sub-range is denoted as... Where γ represents the desired beamwidth pointing angle at the center in the horizontal direction after widening. This represents the desired half-power beamwidth in the horizontal direction after beam widening. ε represents the desired center pointing angle in the vertical direction after beam widening. This represents the half-power beamwidth in the vertical direction after the desired beamwidth has been expanded.

[0073] S202, Determine the target beam combination based on M and N.

[0074] The target beam combination includes N horizontal target beams and M vertical target beams. Each horizontal target beam corresponds to a first sequence number, and each vertical target beam corresponds to a second sequence number. The phase difference of the horizontal target beams is positively correlated with the first sequence number, and the phase difference of the vertical target beams is positively correlated with the second sequence number. The peak angle of each target beam is within the beam angle coverage range. The difference between the first peak angle and the first angle is less than a first threshold, and the difference between the second peak angle and the second angle is less than a second threshold. The first peak angle is the smallest peak angle among the multiple peak angles of the N horizontal target beams, and the second peak angle is the largest peak angle among the multiple peak angles. The first angle is the smallest angle of the beam angle coverage range in the horizontal direction, and the second angle is the largest angle of the beam angle coverage range in the horizontal direction.

[0075] In the embodiments of this application, each target beam corresponds to a peak angle, and multiple target beams correspond to multiple peak angles, wherein the signal strength of the beam reaches its maximum at the peak angle.

[0076] For example, if M is 5 and N is 3, then the target beam combination w1 is expressed as the following expression (1):

[0077]

[0078] In the above expression (1), P and l are coefficients, both of which are positive integers. The target beam combination w1 includes 3 horizontal target beams and 5 vertical target beams. The 3 horizontal target beams can be represented as X(n0:), X(n1:), and X(n2:), respectively, and the 5 vertical target beams can be represented as Y(:m0-2), Y(:m0-1), Y(:m0), Y(:m0+1), and Y(:m0+2), respectively.

[0079]

[0080] Where n1 = n0 + l, n2 = n0 + 2l, the first index of the target beam X(n0:) is n0, and the phase difference is... The first index of the target beam X(n1:) is n1, and the phase difference is... The first index of the target beam X(n2:) is n2, and the phase difference is... Furthermore, the second sequence number of the target beam Y(:m0-2) is "m0-2", and the phase difference is The second sequence number of the target beam Y(:m0-1) is "m0-1", and the phase difference is The second sequence number of the target beam Y(:m0) is "m0", and the phase difference is The second sequence number of the target beam Y(:m0+1) is "m0+1", and the phase difference is The second sequence number of the target beam Y(:m0+2) is "m0+2, and the phase difference is

[0081] In this embodiment of the application, the peak angle of the target beam in the horizontal direction is also positively correlated with the first number. The peak angle of each target beam is within the beam angle coverage range. The difference between the first peak angle and the first angle is less than the first threshold, and the difference between the second peak angle and the second angle is less than the second threshold. This allows the multiple peak angles of multiple target beams to cover the beam angle coverage range as much as possible.

[0082] S203, beam broadening of the antenna system according to the target beam combination.

[0083] It can be understood that the broadened beam of the antenna system is the target beam combination, and further, the antenna system can be controlled to use the broadened target beam combination to transmit signals.

[0084] In summary, the embodiments of this application provide a beam widening method that can redetermine the target beam combination based on the number and layout of antenna elements in the antenna system, thereby increasing the beam width without sacrificing power and meeting the requirements of beam coverage.

[0085] Reference Figure 3The flowchart of another beam broadening method provided in this application specifically includes the following steps:

[0086] S301, obtain the target half-power beamwidth and center pointing angle preset by the antenna system.

[0087] It can be understood that half-power beamwidth refers to the angle between two points in the power pattern when the power flux density drops to half from the maximum radiation direction. The target half-power beamwidth is the desired half-power beamwidth that the antenna system can achieve after beam widening. Furthermore, the center pointing angle is preset, where the center pointing angle refers to the angle at which the beam center is expected to be located after beam widening, and the beam center is the midpoint between two -3dB points along the front and back of the main lobe of the beam.

[0088] The process of obtaining the target half-power beamwidth of the antenna system includes: obtaining the initial half-power beamwidth and the broadening factor of the antenna system, wherein the initial half-power beamwidth is the half-power beamwidth of the antenna system before broadening, and the broadening factor is greater than 1; and determining the target half-power beamwidth based on the initial half-power beamwidth and the broadening factor.

[0089] In this embodiment, the half-power beamwidth of the antenna system before widening is the initial half-power beamwidth, which includes: the half-power beamwidth θ in the horizontal direction before widening and the half-power beamwidth in the vertical direction before widening. Furthermore, the broadening factor is set to α, where α > 1. Further, the target half-power beamwidth can be determined based on the initial half-power beamwidth and the broadening factor, where the target half-power beamwidth is the desired half-power beamwidth achieved by the antenna system after beam broadening, and the target half-power beamwidth includes: the first half-power beamwidth in the horizontal direction. and the second half-power beamwidth in the vertical direction The first half-power beamwidth can be understood. This is the desired half-power beamwidth in the horizontal direction after beam widening of the antenna system. The second half-power beamwidth... It is the half-power beamwidth that the antenna system expects to achieve in the vertical direction after beam widening.

[0090] Among them, the horizontal half-power beamwidth θ before beamwidth expansion, the beamwidth expansion factor α, and the first half-power beamwidth are... Satisfying Relationship: Half-power beamwidth in the vertical direction before widening The broadening factor is α and the second half-power beamwidth Satisfying Relationship:

[0091] S302 determines the beam angle coverage range based on the target half-power beamwidth and center pointing angle.

[0092] The center pointing angle includes a horizontal center pointing angle γ and a vertical center pointing angle ε. Then, the preset beam angle coverage range of the antenna system in the horizontal direction can be determined. The antenna system is determined to have a preset beam angle coverage range in the vertical direction.

[0093] S303, construct the second beam combination.

[0094] The second beam combination includes N×r horizontal beams and M vertical beams, where r is a coefficient and r is a positive integer.

[0095] It can be understood that each second horizontal beam is determined based on N, r, M, and the index of the second horizontal beam among the N×r second horizontal beams. Specifically, this application uses DFT (Discrete Fourier Transform) beam design for the second beam combination.

[0096] For example, the second beam combination w2 is represented by the following expression (2):

[0097]

[0098] In expression (2), w2 represents the second beam combination constructed based on r, j represents the imaginary part of the complex number, Nr represents N×r, and the nth second horizontal beam is represented as follows:

[0099]

[0100] In the second beam combination, the m-th second vertical beam is represented as follows:

[0101]

[0102] S304, determine whether the current N×r second horizontal beams include N second horizontal beams, and whether the peak angles of the N second horizontal beams are all within the coverage area of ​​the first beam angle.

[0103] If yes, execute S306; otherwise, execute S305.

[0104] S305, Update the r value.

[0105] It can be understood that if the current N×r second horizontal beams contain X second horizontal beams, and the peak angles of the X second horizontal beams are all within the coverage area of ​​the first beam angle, the value of r is updated, and the step of constructing the second beam combination is continued, where X is less than N, and the updated value of r is greater than the current value of r.

[0106] Further, after updating the r value, execute S303.

[0107] S306, Determine the current value of r as the value of P.

[0108] It can be understood that if the current N×r second horizontal beams contain N second horizontal beams, and the peak angles of the N second horizontal beams are all within the coverage area of ​​the first beam angle, then the current r value is determined to be the P value.

[0109] In the embodiments of this application, S303 to S306 are cyclic steps to determine a P value, which may be that the constructed second beam combination contains only N second horizontal beams, and the peak angles of the N second horizontal beams are all within the coverage range of the first beam angle.

[0110] The value of r can be increased sequentially. For example, first, r is determined to be 1, and then the second beam combination constructed includes N second horizontal beams w(0,:), w(1,:), ..., w(N-1,:). If the peak angle contained in the N second horizontal beams is less than the number of second horizontal beams in the first beam angle coverage sub-range, then the value of r is changed. For example, if r is 2, then the second beam combination constructed includes 2N second horizontal beams w(0,:), w(1,:), ..., w(2N-1,:). If the peak angle contained in the 2N second horizontal beams is equal to the number of second horizontal beams in the first beam angle coverage sub-range, then the value of r (2) is determined to be the P value.

[0111] It is understandable that, after determining the P value, the second beam combination constructed based on the P value is as follows (3):

[0112]

[0113] In expression (3), w3 represents the second beam combination constructed based on P, and the nth second horizontal beam is represented as follows:

[0114]

[0115] Based on the representation of the nth beam, the peak angle of the nth beam w(n,:) can be determined as follows: Then all the peak angles of N×P beams can be expressed as: Where μ1 represents the peak angle of all beams (NP beams) in N×P beams. Let w(n,:) represent the peak angle of the nth beam among the N×P beams in expression (3). Wherein, within the coverage area of ​​the first beam angle... If the interior contains N peak angles in N×P, then the N peak angles can be expressed as: i = 0, ..., N-1.

[0116] For example, if N is 3, P = P1, and M = 5, then:

[0117]

[0118] in, like and Coverage range of the first beam angle Then the N peak angles can be represented as It can be understood that: a0=1, a1=2, a2=3, and the multiple selected second horizontal beams that meet the conditions are represented by the following expression (4):

[0119]

[0120] Furthermore, in expression (4), the minimum peak angle The first angle of the first beam angle coverage range The difference is greater than the first threshold, and / or the maximum peak angle. and the second angle of the first beam angle coverage range If the difference is greater than the second threshold, it can be determined that the distribution of the beam center and edge positions of the N second horizontal beams in the expression does not reach the expected position within the coverage range of the first beam angle because the P value is too small. In this case, the P value needs to be updated, such as by increasing the P value by multiples and then performing the above steps to determine whether the coverage range of the first beam angle is met. If the coverage requirements are met, N horizontal beams are identified as target beams; otherwise, the P value is increased and the selection process continues until N beams that ultimately meet the coverage requirements are determined.

[0121] S307, constructing the first beam combination.

[0122] The first beam combination includes: l×P×N first horizontal beams in the horizontal direction, each first horizontal beam corresponding to a third number. The first horizontal beams are determined according to M, N, l, P and the third number. The phase difference of the first horizontal beams is positively correlated with the third number, and l and P are positive integers.

[0123] Here, l can be understood as the coefficient of P, and l×P is the coefficient of N. The value of l can be from small to large until the N first target horizontal beams that meet the requirements are determined. For example, l can be 1, 2, ... in sequence.

[0124] For example, the first beam combination constructed refers to the following expression (5):

[0125]

[0126] In expression (5), the nth first horizontal beam is represented as: n = 0, ..., NlP-1. n is the third index of the first horizontal beam w(n,:). This represents the phase of the first horizontal beam, and the difference between adjacent phases represents the phase difference of the first horizontal beam.

[0127] S308, among the l×P×N first horizontal beams, determine N first horizontal beams as N first target horizontal beams.

[0128] Furthermore, among the l×P×N first horizontal beams, N first horizontal beams are determined as N first target horizontal beams, including: among the l×P×N first horizontal beams, determining l×N first horizontal beams with peak angles within the first beam angle coverage sub-range; and among the l×N first horizontal beams, determining N first horizontal beams as N first target horizontal beams.

[0129] It is understandable that, further, among the l×N first horizontal beams, N first horizontal beams are determined as N first target horizontal beams, including: among the l×N first horizontal beams, in order of ascending third sequence number, one first horizontal beam is selected as the first target horizontal beam every (l-1) first horizontal beams, wherein the first horizontal beam with the smallest peak angle is one of the first target horizontal beams, and / or the first horizontal beam with the largest peak angle is one of the first target horizontal beams.

[0130] The peak angles of the N first target horizontal beams are all within the coverage area of ​​the first beam angle. The difference between the smallest peak angle and the first angle among the N first target horizontal beams is less than the first threshold. The difference between the largest peak angle and the second angle among the N first target horizontal beams is less than the second threshold.

[0131] During the adjustment of l, the l×P value may become too small, causing the distribution of the beam center and edge positions to fall short of the expected positions within the first beam angle coverage sub-range. In this case, the l value can be further increased exponentially, for example, l can be successively set to 1, 2, 3, ... The number of peak angles within the range is l×N. Then, starting from l0 (l0≤l) within l×N, a first horizontal beam is selected every l-1 as the first target horizontal beam, thus forming N first target horizontal beams. The principle of l0 is mainly to adjust the positions of the selected N first target horizontal beams so that they exactly meet the following conditions. The scope requirements.

[0132] For example, if the above μ1 and The difference is greater than the first threshold, and / or and If the difference is greater than the second threshold, then if l = 2 and P = 2, then l × P = 4 and N × l × P = 12, then the first beam combination...

[0133]

[0134] In the first beam combination w5, there are 12 peak angles, which can be represented as follows: Of the 12 peak angles, l×N(6) of the first horizontal beams have peak angles at... Inside, respectively Then, three peak angles are selected in μ4, namely... Further judgment, if and The difference is less than the first threshold, and and If the difference is less than the second threshold, then it is determined that... Corresponding multiple first horizontal beams All are the first target horizontal beams; otherwise, take l=3 and continue the above steps until the smallest peak angle among the determined N peak angles is... The difference is less than the first threshold, and the maximum peak angle is... The difference is less than the second threshold.

[0135] S309, based on N first target horizontal beams, determine M first target vertical beams.

[0136] It can be understood that, based on N first target horizontal beams, M first target vertical beams are determined, including:

[0137] The first expression (6) below represents the i-th first target horizontal beam among N first target horizontal beams;

[0138]

[0139] Where i takes the values ​​0, 1, ..., (N-1), m takes the values ​​0, 1, ..., (M-1), and n0 represents the index of the first target horizontal beam with the smallest peak angle among the N first target horizontal beams;

[0140] According to the first expression, the m-th vertical beam of the first target is determined among the M vertical beams of the first target. The m-th vertical beam of the first target is represented by the following expression (7):

[0141]

[0142] Furthermore, the N horizontal beams and M vertical beams of the first target can be represented by the following expression (8):

[0143]

[0144] In expression (8), each row represents a first target horizontal beam and each column represents a first target vertical beam.

[0145] For example, if N is 3, M is 5, l is 2, P is 2, and n0 = 2, then NlP = 12, and the resulting first target horizontal beam and first target vertical beam are as follows:

[0146]

[0147] In this embodiment of the application, the first target horizontal beam and the first target vertical beam are associated. Therefore, after determining the first target horizontal beam, the first target vertical beam can be determined based on the first target horizontal beam.

[0148] It is understandable that N predetermined first target horizontal beams can be used to achieve... Uniform coverage within the range achieves beamwidth broadening in the horizontal direction. Similarly, in the vertical direction, M first target vertical beams are used to achieve beamwidth broadening in the vertical direction, and the beamwidth ratio (α) is the same in both the horizontal and vertical directions.

[0149] S310, determine the target beam combination based on N first target horizontal beams and M first target vertical beams.

[0150] In one alternative embodiment, the target beam combination expression (8) is shown.

[0151] In another optional embodiment, determining a target beam combination based on N first target horizontal beams and M first target vertical beams includes: determining one of the M first target vertical beams as an intermediate target vertical beam, wherein the difference between the peak angle of the intermediate target vertical beam and a preset center pointing angle is less than a third threshold; determining the second sequence number of the intermediate target vertical beam as a target sequence number; updating the phase of the N first target horizontal beams according to the target sequence number to obtain N second target horizontal beams; updating the phase of the M first target vertical beams according to the target sequence number to obtain M second target vertical beams; and determining a target beam combination, wherein the target beam combination includes: N second target horizontal beams and M second target vertical beams.

[0152] It is understandable that the M first target vertical beams need to be translated in the vertical direction to obtain M second target vertical beams, and the center pointing angle of the M second target vertical beams is exactly the preset center pointing angle ε.

[0153] Furthermore, among the M first target vertical beams, the first target vertical beam Y(:,m0) is determined as the intermediate target vertical beam. The peak angle of the intermediate target vertical beam Y(:,m0) is the same as the preset center pointing angle ε, or the difference is less than the third threshold.

[0154] Further, the vertical beam Y(:,m0) of the intermediate target is determined to be the second sequence number, and m0 is the target sequence number. Based on the target sequence number, the update expression (8) is obtained, resulting in the following expression (9):

[0155]

[0156] If M is odd, update expression (8) according to the target index to obtain the following expression (10):

[0157]

[0158] It can be understood that in expression (9), each row represents a second target horizontal beam and each column represents a second target vertical beam.

[0159] For example: If N is 3, M is 5, l is 2, P is 2, and n0 = 2, then NlP = 12, m0 = 4, and the expression (9) corresponds to the following:

[0160]

[0161] Furthermore, it can be determined that w9 is the target beam combination, and the vertical beam of the intermediate target corresponding to target number m0 can be seen. It is positioned in the middle among multiple second target vertical beams.

[0162] S311. Broaden the antenna system beam according to the target beam combination.

[0163] It is understandable that the target beam combination after the antenna system is broadened can be represented by w9 as described above, and further, the antenna system can be controlled to use the broadened target beam combination for signal transmission.

[0164] In summary, using encrypted DFT beamforming weights, the broadening coefficient is first obtained, then the coefficient P is determined, and the final coefficient l×P is determined according to the beam angle coverage requirements. Finally, multiple beams are uniformly selected as the first target horizontal beam, and the determined first target vertical beam is vertically translated to obtain the final target beam combination. In this embodiment, the determined target beam combination beamforming weights are lossless weights with no power loss, and the implementation process is relatively simple, requiring no extensive iterative calculations.

[0165] One embodiment of this application provides a beam stretching device applied to network equipment. Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the beam stretching device provided in an embodiment of this application Figure 1 .like Figure 4 As shown, the beam widening device 40 includes:

[0166] The acquisition unit 401 is used to acquire the preset beam angle coverage range of the antenna system. The antenna system includes N×M antenna elements. The number of antenna elements in each row in the horizontal direction is M, and the number of antenna elements in each column in the vertical direction is N. M and N are both positive integers.

[0167] The determining unit 402 is used to determine the target beam combination based on M and N. The target beam combination includes N horizontal target beams and M vertical target beams. Each horizontal target beam corresponds to a first sequence number, and each vertical target beam corresponds to a second sequence number. The phase difference of the horizontal target beams is positively correlated with the first sequence number, and the phase difference of the vertical target beams is positively correlated with the second sequence number. The peak angle of each target beam is within the beam angle coverage range. The difference between the first peak angle and the first angle is less than a first threshold, and the difference between the second peak angle and the second angle is less than a second threshold. The first peak angle is the smallest peak angle among the multiple peak angles of the N horizontal target beams, and the second peak angle is the largest peak angle among the multiple peak angles. The first angle is the smallest angle of the beam angle coverage range in the horizontal direction, and the second angle is the largest angle of the beam angle coverage range in the horizontal direction.

[0168] The beam-broadening unit 403 is used to broaden the antenna system according to the target beam combination.

[0169] In some optional implementations, the beam angle coverage range includes: a first beam angle coverage sub-range in the horizontal direction; the determining unit 402 is specifically used to construct a first beam combination, the first beam combination including: l×P×N first horizontal beams in the horizontal direction, each first horizontal beam corresponding to a third sequence number, the first horizontal beams being determined according to M, N, l, P and the third sequence number, the phase difference of the first horizontal beams being positively correlated with the third sequence number, and l and P being positive integers;

[0170] Among l×P×N first horizontal beams, N first horizontal beams are determined as N first target horizontal beams. The peak angles of the N first target horizontal beams are all within the coverage area of ​​the first beam angle. The difference between the minimum peak angle and the first angle among the N first target horizontal beams is less than a first threshold. The difference between the maximum peak angle and the second angle among the N first target horizontal beams is less than a second threshold.

[0171] Based on N horizontal beams of the first target, determine M vertical beams of the first target;

[0172] The target beam combination is determined based on N first target horizontal beams and M first target vertical beams.

[0173] In some alternative implementations, the determining unit 402 is further configured to: determine the P value according to the following cyclic steps:

[0174] Construct a second beam combination, which includes N×r second horizontal beams in the horizontal direction and M second vertical beams in the vertical direction, where r is a coefficient and r is a positive integer;

[0175] If the current N×r second horizontal beams contain N second horizontal beams, and the peak angles of the N second horizontal beams are all within the coverage area of ​​the first beam angle, then the current r value is determined to be the P value.

[0176] If the current N×r second horizontal beams contain X second horizontal beams, and the peak angles of the X second horizontal beams are all within the coverage area of ​​the first beam angle, update the value of r and continue to execute the step of constructing the second beam combination, where X is less than N, and the updated value of r is greater than the current value of r.

[0177] In some optional implementations, among the l×P×N first horizontal beams, N first horizontal beams are determined as N first target horizontal beams, including:

[0178] Among l×P×N first horizontal beams, determine the l×N first horizontal beams whose peak angle is within the first beam angle coverage sub-range;

[0179] Among the l×N first horizontal beams, N first horizontal beams are determined as N first target horizontal beams.

[0180] In some optional implementations, when the determining unit 402 determines N first horizontal beams as N first target horizontal beams among l×N first horizontal beams, it is specifically used for:

[0181] Among the l×N first horizontal beams, in ascending order of the third sequence number, one first horizontal beam is selected as the first target horizontal beam every (l-1) first horizontal beams. Among them, the first horizontal beam with the smallest peak angle is one of the first target horizontal beams, and / or the first horizontal beam with the largest peak angle is one of the first target horizontal beams.

[0182] In some optional implementations, when determining M first target vertical beams based on N first target horizontal beams, the determining unit 402 is specifically used for:

[0183] The i-th horizontal beam of the first target among N horizontal beams is represented by the following first expression;

[0184]

[0185] Where i takes the values ​​0, 1, ..., (N-1), m takes the values ​​0, 1, ..., (M-1), and n0 represents the index of the first target horizontal beam with the smallest peak angle among the N first target horizontal beams;

[0186] Based on the first expression, the m-th vertical beam of the first target is determined among the M vertical beams of the first target, where the m-th vertical beam of the first target is represented as follows:

[0187]

[0188] In some optional implementations, when determining the target beam combination based on N first target horizontal beams and M first target vertical beams, the determining unit 402 is specifically used for:

[0189] Among the M first target vertical beams, one of the first target vertical beams is determined as the middle target vertical beam, and the difference between the peak angle of the middle target vertical beam and the preset center pointing angle is less than the third threshold.

[0190] The second sequence number of the vertical beam of the intermediate target is determined as the target sequence number;

[0191] Update the phase of N first target horizontal beams according to the target number to obtain N second target horizontal beams;

[0192] Update the phase of the M first target vertical beams according to the target number to obtain the M second target vertical beams;

[0193] The target beam combination is determined, which includes: N second target horizontal beams and M second target vertical beams.

[0194] In some optional implementations, the acquisition unit 401, in acquiring the preset beam angle coverage range of the antenna system, is specifically used for:

[0195] Obtain the target half-power beamwidth and center pointing angle preset by the antenna system;

[0196] The beam angle coverage range is determined based on the target half-power beamwidth and center pointing angle.

[0197] In some alternative implementations, obtaining the target half-power beamwidth of the antenna system includes:

[0198] Obtain the initial half-power beamwidth and broadening factor of the antenna system. The initial half-power beamwidth is the half-power beamwidth of the antenna system before broadening, and the broadening factor is greater than 1.

[0199] The target half-power beamwidth is determined based on the initial half-power beamwidth and the broadening factor.

[0200] It should be noted that the beamspanning device provided in this application can implement all the steps of the beamspanning methods implemented on the network device side in the above method embodiments, and can achieve the same technical effect. Therefore, the parts and beneficial effects that are the same as those in the method embodiments will not be described in detail here.

[0201] This application also provides a network device. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device provided in one embodiment of this application. Figure 5 As shown, the network device includes:

[0202] Memory 501 is used to store computer programs;

[0203] Transceiver 502 is used to send and receive data under the control of the processor;

[0204] Processor 503 is used to read computer programs from memory and perform the following operations:

[0205] Obtain the preset beam angle coverage range of the antenna system. The antenna system includes N×M antenna elements. The number of antenna elements in each row in the horizontal direction is M, and the number of antenna elements in each column in the vertical direction is N. M and N are both positive integers.

[0206] Based on M and N, a target beam combination is determined, comprising: N horizontal target beams and M vertical target beams. Each horizontal target beam corresponds to a first index, and each vertical target beam corresponds to a second index. The phase difference of the horizontal target beams is positively correlated with the first index, and the phase difference of the vertical target beams is positively correlated with the second index. The peak angle of each target beam is within the beam angle coverage range. The difference between the first peak angle and the first angle is less than a first threshold, and the difference between the second peak angle and the second angle is less than a second threshold. The first peak angle is the smallest peak angle among the multiple peak angles of the N horizontal target beams, and the second peak angle is the largest peak angle among the multiple peak angles. The first angle is the smallest angle of the beam angle coverage range in the horizontal direction, and the second angle is the largest angle of the beam angle coverage range in the horizontal direction.

[0207] Beam broadening of the antenna system is performed based on the target beam combination.

[0208] Among them, Figure 5 In this context, the bus architecture can include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, specifically linking various circuits together, represented by one or more processors (processor 503) and memory (memory 501). The bus architecture can also link various other circuits, such as peripheral devices, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and therefore will not be described further herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 502 can be multiple elements, including transmitters and receivers, providing a unit for communicating with various other devices over transmission media, including wireless channels, wired channels, optical fibers, etc. The processor 503 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 501 can store data used by the processor 503 during operation.

[0209] The processor 503 can be a CPU, ASIC, FPGA or CPLD, and the processor can also adopt a multi-core architecture.

[0210] The processor 503 executes any method provided in an embodiment of this application according to the obtained executable instructions by calling a computer program stored in the memory 501. The processor and the memory may also be physically separated.

[0211] In some optional implementations, the beam angle coverage range includes: a first beam angle coverage sub-range in the horizontal direction, which the processor 503 specifically uses to: determine the target beam combination based on M and N.

[0212] Construct a first beam combination, which includes: l×P×N first horizontal beams in the horizontal direction, each first horizontal beam corresponding to a third number. The first horizontal beams are determined according to M, N, l, P and the third number. The phase difference of the first horizontal beams is positively correlated with the third number, and l and P are positive integers.

[0213] Among l×P×N first horizontal beams, N first horizontal beams are determined as N first target horizontal beams. The peak angles of the N first target horizontal beams are all within the coverage area of ​​the first beam angle. The difference between the minimum peak angle and the first angle among the N first target horizontal beams is less than a first threshold. The difference between the maximum peak angle and the second angle among the N first target horizontal beams is less than a second threshold.

[0214] Based on N horizontal beams of the first target, determine M vertical beams of the first target;

[0215] The target beam combination is determined based on N first target horizontal beams and M first target vertical beams.

[0216] In some alternative implementations, processor 503 is further configured to: determine the P value according to the following cyclic steps:

[0217] Construct a second beam combination, which includes N×r second horizontal beams in the horizontal direction and M second vertical beams in the vertical direction, where r is a coefficient and r is a positive integer;

[0218] If the current N×r second horizontal beams contain N second horizontal beams, and the peak angles of the N second horizontal beams are all within the coverage area of ​​the first beam angle, then the current r value is determined to be the P value.

[0219] If the current N×r second horizontal beams contain X second horizontal beams, and the peak angles of the X second horizontal beams are all within the coverage area of ​​the first beam angle, update the value of r and continue to execute the step of constructing the second beam combination, where X is less than N, and the updated value of r is greater than the current value of r.

[0220] In some optional implementations, when the processor 503 determines N first horizontal beams as N first target horizontal beams among l×P×N first horizontal beams, it is specifically used for:

[0221] Among l×P×N first horizontal beams, determine the l×N first horizontal beams whose peak angle is within the first beam angle coverage sub-range;

[0222] Among the l×N first horizontal beams, N first horizontal beams are determined as N first target horizontal beams.

[0223] In some optional implementations, when the processor 503 determines N first horizontal beams as N first target horizontal beams among l×N first horizontal beams, it specifically performs the following:

[0224] Among the l×N first horizontal beams, in ascending order of the third sequence number, one first horizontal beam is selected as the first target horizontal beam every (l-1) first horizontal beams. Among them, the first horizontal beam with the smallest peak angle is one of the first target horizontal beams, and / or the first horizontal beam with the largest peak angle is one of the first target horizontal beams.

[0225] In some optional implementations, when determining M first target vertical beams based on N first target horizontal beams, the processor 503 specifically performs the following tasks:

[0226] The i-th horizontal beam of the first target among N horizontal beams is represented by the following first expression;

[0227]

[0228] Where i takes the values ​​0, 1, ..., (N-1), m takes the values ​​0, 1, ..., (M-1), and n0 represents the index of the first target horizontal beam with the smallest peak angle among the N first target horizontal beams;

[0229] Based on the first expression, the m-th vertical beam of the first target is determined among the M vertical beams of the first target, where the m-th vertical beam of the first target is represented as follows:

[0230]

[0231] In some optional implementations, when the processor 503 determines the target beam combination based on N first target horizontal beams and M first target vertical beams, it is specifically used for:

[0232] Among the M first target vertical beams, one of the first target vertical beams is determined as the middle target vertical beam, and the difference between the peak angle of the middle target vertical beam and the preset center pointing angle is less than the third threshold.

[0233] The second sequence number of the vertical beam of the intermediate target is determined as the target sequence number;

[0234] Update the phase of N first target horizontal beams according to the target number to obtain N second target horizontal beams;

[0235] Update the phase of the M first target vertical beams according to the target number to obtain the M second target vertical beams;

[0236] The target beam combination is determined, which includes: N second target horizontal beams and M second target vertical beams.

[0237] In some optional implementations, when the processor 503 acquires the preset beam angle coverage range of the antenna system, it is specifically used for:

[0238] Obtain the target half-power beamwidth and center pointing angle preset by the antenna system;

[0239] The beam angle coverage range is determined based on the target half-power beamwidth and center pointing angle.

[0240] In some alternative implementations, when acquiring the target half-power beamwidth of the antenna system, the processor 503 specifically performs the following tasks:

[0241] Obtain the initial half-power beamwidth and broadening factor of the antenna system. The initial half-power beamwidth is the half-power beamwidth of the antenna system before broadening, and the broadening factor is greater than 1.

[0242] The target half-power beamwidth is determined based on the initial half-power beamwidth and the broadening factor.

[0243] It should be noted that the network device provided in this application can implement all the method steps implemented on the network device side in the above method embodiments and can achieve the same technical effect. Therefore, the parts that are the same as those in the method embodiments and the beneficial effects will not be described in detail here.

[0244] It should be noted that the division of units in the embodiments of this application is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used. Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated units described above can be implemented in hardware or as software functional units.

[0245] If the aforementioned integrated units are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a processor-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 all or part 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.) or processor to execute all or part of the steps of the methods of 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.

[0246] This application provides a processor-readable storage medium storing a computer program. The computer program is used to cause the processor to execute the beam broadening method provided in any embodiment of this application, so that the processor can implement all the method steps in the above method embodiments and achieve the same technical effect. Here, the parts that are the same as those in the method embodiments and the beneficial effects will not be described in detail.

[0247] The processor-readable storage medium can be any available medium or data storage device that the processor can access, including but not limited to magnetic storage (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, magneto-optical disk (MO)), optical storage (e.g., CD, DVD, BD, HVD), semiconductor storage (e.g., ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, non-volatile memory (NAND FLASH), solid-state drive (SSD)).

[0248] An embodiment of this application also provides a computer program product containing instructions. The computer program is stored in a storage medium. At least one processor can read the computer program from the storage medium. When the at least one processor executes the computer program, it can implement all the method steps of the resource allocation method in any of the above method embodiments and achieve the same technical effect. Here, the parts that are the same as those in the method embodiments and the beneficial effects will not be described in detail.

[0249] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage and optical storage) containing computer-usable program code.

[0250] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus, and computer program products according to embodiments of this application. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer-executable instructions. These computer-executable instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, generate instructions for implementing the steps in the flowchart... Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0251] These processor-executable instructions may also be stored in a processor-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the processor-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that are implemented in the steps of the flow. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0252] These processors can execute instructions that can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide for implementation of the process in the steps. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps of the function specified in one or more boxes.

[0253] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A method of beam broadening, the method comprising: The method includes: Obtain the preset beam angle coverage range of the antenna system. The antenna system includes N×M antenna elements. The number of antenna elements in each row in the horizontal direction is M, and the number of antenna elements in each column in the vertical direction is N. Both M and N are positive integers. Based on M and N, a target beam combination is determined, comprising: N horizontal target beams and M vertical target beams, wherein each horizontal target beam corresponds to a first index and each vertical target beam corresponds to a second index. The phase difference of the horizontal target beams is positively correlated with the first index, and the phase difference of the vertical target beams is positively correlated with the second index. The peak angle of each target beam is within the beam angle coverage range. The difference between the first peak angle and the first angle is less than a first threshold, and the difference between the second peak angle and the second angle is less than a second threshold. The first peak angle is the smallest peak angle among the multiple peak angles of the N horizontal target beams, and the second peak angle is the largest peak angle among the multiple peak angles. The first angle is the smallest angle of the beam angle coverage range in the horizontal direction, and the second angle is the largest angle of the beam angle coverage range in the horizontal direction. The antenna system is beambroadened according to the target beam combination.

2. The beam broadening method of claim 1, wherein, The beam angle coverage range includes: a first beam angle coverage sub-range in the horizontal direction; determining the target beam combination based on M and N includes: Construct a first beam combination, which includes: l×P×N first horizontal beams in the horizontal direction, each first horizontal beam corresponding to a third sequence number. The first horizontal beams are determined based on M, N, l, P and the third sequence number. The phase difference of the first horizontal beams is positively correlated with the third sequence number. l and P are positive integers. Among the l×P×N first horizontal beams, N first horizontal beams are determined as N first target horizontal beams. The peak angles of the N first target horizontal beams are all within the coverage range of the first beam angle. The difference between the smallest peak angle of the N first target horizontal beams and the first angle is less than the first threshold. The difference between the largest peak angle of the N first target horizontal beams and the second angle is less than the second threshold. Based on the N first target horizontal beams, determine the M first target vertical beams; The target beam combination is determined based on the N first target horizontal beams and the M first target vertical beams.

3. The beam broadening method of claim 2, wherein, Also includes: The value of P is determined according to the following iterative steps: Construct a second beam combination, which includes: N×r second horizontal beams in the horizontal direction and M second vertical beams in the vertical direction, where r is a coefficient of N and r is a positive integer; If the current N×r second horizontal beams contain N second horizontal beams, and the peak angles of the N second horizontal beams are all within the coverage range of the first beam angle, then the current r value is determined to be the P value; If the current N×r second horizontal beams include X second horizontal beams, and the peak angles of the X second horizontal beams are all within the coverage range of the first beam angle, update the value of r, and continue to execute the step of constructing the second beam combination, wherein X is less than N, and the updated value of r is greater than the current value of r.

4. The beam broadening method of claim 2, wherein, The step of determining N first horizontal beams as N first target horizontal beams from the l×P×N first horizontal beams includes: Among the l×P×N first horizontal beams, determine the l×N first horizontal beams whose peak angle is within the coverage range of the first beam angle; Among the l×N first horizontal beams, N first horizontal beams are determined as N first target horizontal beams.

5. The beam broadening method of claim 4, wherein, The step of determining N first horizontal beams as N first target horizontal beams from the l×N first horizontal beams includes: Among the l×N first horizontal beams, in order of ascending third sequence number, one first horizontal beam is selected as the first target horizontal beam every (l-1) first horizontal beams. Among them, the first horizontal beam with the smallest peak angle is one of the first target horizontal beams, and / or the first horizontal beam with the largest peak angle is one of the first target horizontal beams.

6. The beam broadening method of claim 5, wherein, The step of determining the M first target vertical beams based on the N first target horizontal beams includes: The i-th first target horizontal beam among the N first target horizontal beams is represented by the following first expression; Where i takes the values ​​0, 1, ..., (N-1), m takes the values ​​0, 1, ..., (M-1), and n0 represents the sequence number of the first target horizontal beam with the smallest peak angle among the N first target horizontal beams; Based on the first expression, the m-th first target vertical beam among the M first target vertical beams is determined, wherein the m-th first target vertical beam is represented as follows:

7. The beam broadening method of claim 2, wherein, The step of determining the target beam combination based on the N first target horizontal beams and the M first target vertical beams includes: Among the M first target vertical beams, one of the first target vertical beams is determined as the intermediate target vertical beam, and the difference between the peak angle of the intermediate target vertical beam and the preset center pointing angle is less than a third threshold. The second sequence number of the vertical beam of the intermediate target is determined as the target sequence number; The phases of the N first target horizontal beams are updated according to the target sequence number to obtain N second target horizontal beams; The phases of the M first target vertical beams are updated according to the target sequence number to obtain the M second target vertical beams; The target beam combination is determined, and the target beam combination includes: the N second target horizontal beams and the M second target vertical beams.

8. The beam broadening method of any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The acquisition of the preset beam angle coverage range of the antenna system includes: Obtain the preset target half-power beamwidth and center pointing angle of the antenna system; The beam angle coverage range is determined based on the target half-power beamwidth and the center pointing angle.

9. The beam broadening method of claim 8, wherein, Obtaining the target half-power beamwidth of the antenna system includes: Obtain the initial half-power beamwidth and the broadening factor of the antenna system, wherein the initial half-power beamwidth is the half-power beamwidth of the antenna system before broadening, and the broadening factor is greater than 1; The target half-power beamwidth is determined based on the initial half-power beamwidth and the broadening factor.

10. A beam broadening device, characterized by The beam stretching device includes: An acquisition unit is used to acquire the preset beam angle coverage range of the antenna system. The antenna system includes N×M antenna elements, wherein the number of antenna elements in each row in the horizontal direction is M, and the number of antenna elements in each column in the vertical direction is N, where M and N are both positive integers. A determining unit is configured to determine a target beam combination based on M and N. The target beam combination includes N horizontal target beams and M vertical target beams, wherein each horizontal target beam corresponds to a first index and each vertical target beam corresponds to a second index. The phase difference of the horizontal target beams is positively correlated with the first index, and the phase difference of the vertical target beams is positively correlated with the second index. The peak angle of each target beam is within the beam angle coverage range. The difference between the first peak angle and the first angle is less than a first threshold, and the difference between the second peak angle and the second angle is less than a second threshold. The first peak angle is the smallest peak angle among the multiple peak angles of the N horizontal target beams, and the second peak angle is the largest peak angle among the multiple peak angles. The first angle is the smallest angle of the beam angle coverage range in the horizontal direction, and the second angle is the largest angle of the beam angle coverage range in the horizontal direction. A beam-broadening unit is used to broaden the antenna system according to the target beam combination.

11. A network device, comprising: include: Memory, used to store computer programs; A transceiver is used to send and receive data under the control of a processor. Processor, configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations: Obtain the preset beam angle coverage range of the antenna system. The antenna system includes N×M antenna elements. The number of antenna elements in each row in the horizontal direction is M, and the number of antenna elements in each column in the vertical direction is N. Both M and N are positive integers. Based on M and N, a target beam combination is determined. The target beam combination includes N horizontal target beams and M vertical target beams. Each horizontal target beam corresponds to a first index, and each vertical target beam corresponds to a second index. The phase difference of the horizontal target beams is positively correlated with the first index, and the phase difference of the vertical target beams is positively correlated with the second index. The peak angle of each target beam is within the beam angle coverage range. The difference between the first peak angle and the first angle is less than a first threshold, and the difference between the second peak angle and the second angle is less than a second threshold. The first peak angle is the smallest peak angle among the multiple peak angles of the N horizontal target beams, and the second peak angle is the largest peak angle among the multiple peak angles. The first angle is the smallest angle of the beam angle coverage range in the horizontal direction, and the second angle is the largest angle of the beam angle coverage range in the horizontal direction. The antenna system is beambroadened according to the target beam combination.

12. A processor-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The processor-readable storage medium stores a computer program for causing the processor to perform the beam broadening method according to any one of claims 1-9.

13. A computer program product, characterised in that, include: A computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the beamforming method as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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