Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

This application provides a communication method and a communication device. The method can be applied to an antenna system comprising at least three modules, each module including a U-array. The U-array's panels are used to radiate and / or receive signals. The U-array includes a main plane array and two side plane arrays. The method includes: generating a signal; mapping the signal to the main plane array of the first module, the first side plane array of the second module, and the first side plane array of the third module, forming a beam that maps to a first sector; mapping the beam formed by the main plane array of the first module and the first side plane array of the second module to a second sector within the first sector; and mapping the beam formed by the main plane array of the first module and the first side plane array of the third module to a third sector within the first sector. This application can improve the horizontal degree of freedom of the antenna.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] In Long Term Evolution (LTE) TM4 mode, the number of supported antenna channels is limited, with a maximum of 4T. However, the 4T capability is limited in a 120-degree sector. The commonly used solution is to reuse panel channels and perform soft splitting through baseband weights to achieve multi-beams in different directions.

[0003] However, due to the low frequency of LTE and the large size of the antenna array, the number of channels that can be arranged in the conventional array form is small due to wind resistance constraints. In order to narrow the soft-splitting beamwidth, it is often necessary to reuse all horizontal channels, so the horizontal degree of freedom of the antenna is poor. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and a communication device that can improve the horizontal degree of freedom of the antenna.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication method. This method can be executed by a network device, by a module applied to the network device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or by a logic node, logic module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device. The method can be applied to an antenna system, which may include at least three modules. Each of the at least three modules includes a U-plane array. The panel of the U-plane array is used to radiate and / or receive signals. The U-plane array includes a main plane array and two side plane arrays. The method may include: generating a signal and mapping the signal to the main plane array of the first module, the first side plane array of the second module, and the first side plane array of the third module, forming a beam that maps to a first sector. The first sector may include a second sector and a third sector. The beam formed by the main plane array of the first module and the first side plane array of the second module can be mapped to the second sector, and the beam formed by the main plane array of the first module and the first side plane array of the third module can be mapped to the third sector. The side plane array of the second module adjacent to the first module may be referred to as the first side plane array of the second module, and the side plane array of the third module adjacent to the first module may be referred to as the first side plane array of the third module.

[0006] In this embodiment, based on a U-plane array configuration, beam mapping for multiple sectors can be achieved using the main plane array of the first module and the side plane arrays of other modules adjacent to the first module (such as the second and third modules, which can be the left and right adjacent to the first module, respectively). Specifically, the main plane array of the first module, the side plane arrays of the second and third modules jointly serve the first sector. That is, the main plane array of the first module and the side plane arrays of the second module serve the left half of the first sector, and the main plane array of the first module and the side plane arrays of the third module serve the right half of the first sector. Since the side panels of the U-plane array have multiple columns of channels, the low spatial correlation of the multiple panels can be utilized to achieve a multi-channel, multi-sector (multi-T, multi-S) beam coverage scheme, thereby improving the horizontal degree of freedom of the antenna in the multi-T, multi-S mode.

[0007] In one possible implementation, the antenna system includes three modules. The beams output by the three modules cover a 360-degree area, corresponding to six sectors, each sector being covered by four beams (4T logic channels). The first sector is a 120-degree area, and the second and third sectors are the left and right 60-degree areas of the first sector, respectively. The main planar array of the first module forms four dual-polarized beams, and the first side planar arrays of the second and third modules each form two dual-polarized beams. The signal is mapped onto the main planar array of the first module, the first side planar array of the second module, and the first side planar array of the third module. The array forms a beam mapping for the first sector, including: weighting the physical antenna channels on the main planar array of the first module to form two dual-polarized beams, and weighting the physical antenna channels on the first side planar array of the second module to form two dual-polarized beams to map the second sector, so as to achieve four left beam coverages in the first sector; weighting the physical antenna channels on the main planar array of the first module to form two dual-polarized beams, and weighting the physical antenna channels on the first side planar array of the third module to form two dual-polarized beams to map the third sector, so as to achieve four right beam coverages in the first sector.

[0008] This implementation, taking a 4T6S configuration as an example, allows the main planar array of the first module, the side planar array of the second module, and the side planar array of the third module to jointly serve the first sector. Specifically, the side planar array antenna shaping of the second module achieves a left-beam dual-polarization 2T logical channel, as does the main planar array antenna shaping of the first module, together achieving a left-beam 4T logical channel. Furthermore, the two planar array panels exhibit low spatial correlation, thus achieving 2T degrees of freedom horizontally. Similarly, the side planar array antenna shaping of the third module achieves a right-beam dual-polarization 2T logical channel, as does the main planar array antenna shaping of the first module, together achieving a right-beam 4T logical channel. Again, the two planar array panels exhibit low spatial correlation, thus achieving 2T degrees of freedom horizontally. Therefore, the first, second, and third modules can jointly implement a 4T6S beam coverage scheme, improving the horizontal degrees of freedom of the antenna in the 4T6S mode. Based on this, by weighting the physical antenna channels on the main plane array of the first module to form two dual-polarized beams, and by weighting the physical antenna channels on the first side plane array of the second module to form two dual-polarized beams, the beams can be mapped to the second sector to achieve four left beams coverage in the first sector. Similarly, by weighting the physical antenna channels on the main plane array of the first module to form two dual-polarized beams, and by weighting the physical antenna channels on the first side plane array of the third module to form two dual-polarized beams, the beams can be mapped to the third sector to achieve four right beams coverage in the first sector. Therefore, based on the U-array configuration and utilizing the main plane array of the first module and the side plane arrays of other modules adjacent to the first module to achieve beam mapping in multiple sectors, by weighting, it is possible to achieve compatibility with both the new radio (NR) standard and the LTE TM4 standard. This enables a 4T6S beam coverage scheme by softly splitting conventional array channels, improving the horizontal degree of freedom of the antenna.

[0009] In one possible implementation, each module includes 2N physical antenna channels, and each physical antenna channel includes multiple antenna elements, where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 4.

[0010] In one possible implementation, each module includes 2N physical antenna channels, including: for a single polarization of each module, the main planar array includes 4 physical antenna channels, and the two side planar arrays each include 2 physical antenna channels. The main planar array includes 121 physical antenna channels, which may include 1 column and 1 row, 1 column and 2 rows, and 1 column and 1 row of physical antenna channels. The two side planar arrays each include 2 columns and 1 row of physical antenna channels.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the method may further include: controlling each polarization of each module to connect N physical antenna channels to a power-sharing network, the power-sharing network comprising N / 2 bridges, where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 4.

[0012] This implementation method improves power utilization in multi-panel configurations by utilizing a power-sharing network for each module.

[0013] In one possible implementation, N=8, and the power-sharing network includes 4 bridges. Controlling each polarization of each module's N physical antenna channels to connect to a power-sharing network includes: the first physical antenna channel of the first side planar array of the control module and the first physical antenna channel of the module's main planar array are respectively connected to two ports of the same bridge; the second physical antenna channel of the first side planar array of the control module and the second physical antenna channel of the module's main planar array are respectively connected to two ports of the same bridge; the first physical antenna channel of the second side planar array of the control module and the third physical antenna channel of the module's main planar array are respectively connected to two ports of the same bridge; and the second physical antenna channel of the second side planar array of the control module and the fourth physical antenna channel of the module's main planar array are respectively connected to two ports of the same bridge.

[0014] This implementation method enables power sharing between two channels. This power-sharing network can be used to maximize power utilization and improve power efficiency in scenarios with unbalanced loads.

[0015] In one possible implementation, if the load of the beam sector corresponding to the first module is greater than or equal to (or greater than) a first threshold, the load of the beam sector corresponding to the second module is less than or equal to (or less than) a second threshold, and / or the load of the beam sector corresponding to the third module is less than or equal to (or less than) a third threshold, the method may further include: controlling the power of half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the second module to be used by the first side planar array of the second module; and / or controlling the power of half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the third module to be used by the first side planar array of the third module.

[0016] In this embodiment, when the load on the beam sector corresponding to the first module is heavy, half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the second and third modules can be lent to the side planar array physical antenna channels serving the beam sector corresponding to the first module through a power sharing network. This can improve the power of the beam sector corresponding to the first module and thus improve the power utilization rate in unbalanced load scenarios.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the method may further include: controlling the power of the first side planar array of the first module to be used for half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the first module; and / or controlling the power of the second side planar array of the first module to be used for the other half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the first module.

[0018] Through this embodiment, the power of the side planar array physical antenna channel of the first module can be lent to the main planar array physical antenna channel of the first module through a power sharing network, thereby improving the power utilization rate.

[0019] In addition, the power of half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the second module is controlled to be used by the first side planar array of the second module; the power of half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the third module is controlled to be used by the first side planar array of the third module; the power of the two side planar array physical antenna channels of the first module is controlled to be lent to the main planar array physical antenna channels of the first module through a power sharing network. As a result, the channel power of the corresponding beam sector of the first module can be changed from 1x to 2x, achieving a coverage improvement of 3dB.

[0020] Secondly, this application provides a communication device comprising a module / unit for performing any of the methods described in the first aspect and its possible implementations. The device may be a network device, a module (e.g., a chip, chip system, or processor) applied to a network device, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a network device. The operations and beneficial effects performed by this communication device are described in the first aspect above, and will not be repeated here. Specifically, the communication device may include:

[0021] The antenna system includes at least three modules, each of the at least three modules including a U-plane array, the panels of the U-plane array being used to radiate and / or receive signals, and the U-plane array including a main plane array and two side plane arrays;

[0022] Processing unit, used to generate signals;

[0023] The processing unit is also used to map the signal to the main plane array of the first module, the first side plane array of the second module and the first side plane array of the third module, forming a beam mapping first sector;

[0024] The first sector includes the second sector and the third sector. The beam mapping formed by the main plane array of the first module and the first side plane array of the second module is applied to the second sector, and the beam mapping formed by the main plane array of the first module and the first side plane array of the third module is applied to the third sector.

[0025] The first side plane array of the second module is the side plane array of the second module adjacent to the first module, and the first side plane array of the third module is the side plane array of the third module adjacent to the first module.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the antenna system includes three modules, the output beams of which cover a 360-degree area, corresponding to 6 sectors, each sector being covered by 4 beams (4T logic channels);

[0027] The first sector is a 120-degree area, and the second and third sectors are the left and right 60-degree areas of the first sector, respectively; the main planar array of the first module forms four dual-polarized beams, and the first side planar arrays of the second and third modules each form two dual-polarized beams.

[0028] The processing unit maps the signal to the main planar array of the first module, the first side planar array of the second module, and the first side planar array of the third module, forming a beam mapping first sector, specifically used for:

[0029] The physical antenna channels on the main plane array of the first module are weighted and assigned to form two dual-polarized beams, and the physical antenna channels on the first side plane array of the second module are weighted and assigned to form two dual-polarized beams to map the second sector, so as to achieve the coverage of the four left beams of the first sector.

[0030] The physical antenna channels on the main planar array of the first module are weighted and assigned to form two dual-polarized beams, and the physical antenna channels on the first side planar array of the third module are weighted and assigned to form two dual-polarized beams to map the third sector, so as to achieve four right beam coverages in the first sector.

[0031] In one possible implementation, each module includes 2N physical antenna channels, and each physical antenna channel includes multiple antenna elements, where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 4.

[0032] In one possible implementation, each module includes 2N physical antenna channels, including:

[0033] For each module's single polarization, the main planar array includes 4 physical antenna channels, and the two side planar arrays each include 2 physical antenna channels. The main planar array includes 121 physical antenna channels, which are divided into 1 column and 1 row, 1 column and 2 rows, and 1 column and 1 row. The two side planar arrays each include 2 columns and 1 row of physical antenna channels.

[0034] In one possible implementation, the processing unit is also used to control each polarization of each module to connect N physical antenna channels to a power-sharing network, the power-sharing network comprising N / 2 bridges, where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 4.

[0035] In one possible implementation, N=8, the power-sharing network includes 4 bridges, and the processing unit controls each module to connect N physical antenna channels for each polarization to a power-sharing network, specifically for:

[0036] The first physical antenna channel of the first side planar array of the control module and the first physical antenna channel of the main planar array of the module are respectively connected to two ports of the same bridge. The second physical antenna channel of the first side planar array of the module and the second physical antenna channel of the main planar array of the module are respectively connected to two ports of the same bridge. The first physical antenna channel of the second side planar array of the module and the third physical antenna channel of the main planar array of the module are respectively connected to two ports of the same bridge. The second physical antenna channel of the second side planar array of the module and the fourth physical antenna channel of the main planar array of the module are respectively connected to two ports of the same bridge.

[0037] In one possible implementation, if the load of the beam sector corresponding to the first module is greater than or equal to (or greater than) a first threshold, the load of the beam sector corresponding to the second module is less than or equal to (or less than) a second threshold, and / or the load of the beam sector corresponding to the third module is less than or equal to (or less than) a third threshold, the processing unit is further configured to:

[0038] Control the power of half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the second module to be used by the first side planar array of the second module; and / or

[0039] The power of half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the third module is controlled to be used by the first side planar array of the third module.

[0040] In one possible implementation, the processing unit is further configured to control the power of the first side planar array of the first module for use by half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the first module; and / or control the power of the second side planar array of the first module for use by the other half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the first module.

[0041] Thirdly, this application provides a communication device, which can be a network device, a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the network device in implementing the above-described methods, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device. The communication device can also be a chip system. The communication device can execute the methods described in the first aspect. The functions of the communication device can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units corresponding to the above-described functions. These units can be software and / or hardware. The operations performed by the communication device and its beneficial effects are described in the first aspect above, and will not be repeated here.

[0042] Fourthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the method performed by the network device as described in the first aspect to be implemented.

[0043] Fifthly, this application provides a computer program product including a computer program, which, when executed, causes the method performed by the network device as described in the first aspect to be implemented.

[0044] In a sixth aspect, this application provides a communication system including a communication device (e.g., a network device) for performing the method described in the first aspect. Attached Figure Description

[0045] Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 An architecture diagram of a base station provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a split beam provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a U-shaped array provided in an embodiment of this application is shown.

[0048] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a prior art 4T soft splitting scheme within a 120-degree sector provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0049] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of 4T6S beam coverage provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 8 A schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application is shown;

[0051] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the implementation of a multi-channel, multi-sector network device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of a 4T soft splitting scheme within a 120-degree sector provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of an antenna arrangement for a single module provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of a single-sector operation provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0055] Figure 13This is a schematic diagram of a single-module power-sharing network provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0056] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of single-sector operation under different sector loads provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 15 and Figure 16 A schematic diagram of the structure of a possible communication device provided for embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

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

[0059] The terms "first" and "second," etc., used in the specification, claims, and drawings of this application are used to distinguish different objects, not to describe a specific order. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally include steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products, or apparatuses.

[0060] In this document, the term "embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of this application. The appearance of this phrase in various places throughout the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it a separate or alternative embodiment mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It will be explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0061] In this application, "at least one (item)" means one or more, "more than one" means two or more, "at least two (items)" means two or three or more, and "and / or" is used to describe the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: only A exists, only B exists, and A and B exist simultaneously, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one (item) of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one (item) of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c", where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0062] In this application, "sending information" can be understood as one device sending information to another device, or it can also be understood as one logical module within a device sending information to another logical module. For example, "access network device sending information" can be understood as the access network device sending information to another device (such as a terminal), or it can be understood as logical module 1 in the access network device sending information to logical module 2 in the access network device.

[0063] In this application, "receiving information" can be understood as one device receiving information from another device, or it can also be understood as a logical module within a device receiving information from another logical module. For example, "access network device receiving information" can be understood as the access network device receiving information from another device (such as a terminal), or it can be understood as logical module 1 in the access network device receiving information from logical module 2 in the access network device.

[0064] In this application, "sending information to... (e.g., a terminal)" can be understood as the destination of the information being the terminal. This can include sending information to the terminal directly or indirectly. "Receiving information from... (e.g., a terminal)" or "receiving information from... (e.g., a terminal)" can be understood as the source of the information being the terminal, and can include receiving information from the terminal directly or indirectly. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination, such as format changes, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be understood in a similar way, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0065] To better understand the embodiments of this application, the system architecture involved in the embodiments of this application will be described first below:

[0066] The embodiments of this application can be applied to long-term evolution (LTE) systems, 5th generation mobile communication (5G) systems, and other evolved communication systems, as well as satellite communication and short-range wireless communication systems. The wireless communication systems mentioned in the embodiments of this application include, but are not limited to: the three major application scenarios of 5G / 6G mobile communication systems: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC), and massive machine-type communication (mMTC), long-range Internet of Things (LoRa) systems, or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) systems.

[0067] Wireless communication systems can include a radio access network (RAN), which comprises one or more access network devices. The RAN can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 4G, 5G mobile communication systems, or evolution systems beyond 5G. The RAN can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), etc. The RAN can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems. The RAN can also be referred to as access network equipment, RAN entities, or access nodes.

[0068] In one possible scenario, access network equipment can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a next-generation base station in a 6th-generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. Access network equipment can be a macro base station, a micro base station or indoor station, a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, access network equipment can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology, the access network equipment can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0069] In another possible scenario, multiple access network devices collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with each device implementing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, these access network devices can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs). CUs and DUs can be separate entities or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs). The following description focuses on base stations.

[0070] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0071] Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 This is an architecture diagram of a base station provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0072] like Figure 1 As shown, the base station provided in this application embodiment includes a CU, a DU, and an antenna feeder system.

[0073] The DU (Radio Duct) is primarily used to handle radio link control (RLC), medium access control (MAC), and some port physical layer (PHY) functions. The DU connects to the CU (Comprehensive Controller), and the DU's operation is controlled by the CU. The CU can centrally manage multiple DUs through a mid-haul interface.

[0074] The CU is also the central unit responsible for handling higher-level protocols such as radio resource control (RRC) and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP).

[0075] The antenna feeder system is connected to the DU. The antenna feeder system is mainly used to transmit and radiate radio frequency signals from the transmitter module to establish the downlink from the base station to the terminal equipment, and to receive and transmit uplink signals from the terminal equipment to establish the uplink from the terminal equipment to the base station.

[0076] In one possible implementation, such as Figure 1 As shown, the antenna feeder system includes cables and RUs, with the DU connected to the RU via cables. The RU is responsible for the underlying physical layer processing components, including analog components for radio transmitters and receivers.

[0077] In one possible implementation, such as Figure 2 As shown, the RU can be located in an active antenna unit (AAU). The AAU can integrate the RU and the antenna, and the RU and the antenna are connected by a feed line.

[0078] In another possible implementation, such as Figure 3 As shown, the RU can be located in an RRU or an RRH. In this case, the antenna feed system also includes an antenna connected to the RU, and the RU is connected to the antenna via a feed line.

[0079] The antenna is a device in a base station that receives and radiates wireless signals. It converts the received wireless signals into electrical signals and transmits these electrical signals into the base station. Simultaneously, the antenna is also responsible for converting the base station's radio frequency signals into wireless signals for radiating to terminal devices.

[0080] In this application embodiment, the term "base station" includes, but is not limited to, a base station, node, base station controller, access point (AP), macro station, micro station or small station, high-frequency station, low-frequency station, beam, relay station, a portion of the functions of a base station, CRAN unit, or any other type of interface device capable of operating in a wireless environment. Furthermore, "base station" includes, but is not limited to, base stations in 5G systems and future evolution systems.

[0081] It can be noted that the antenna system in the embodiments of this application may include both active and passive antennas. An active antenna may include at least an amplifier (e.g., a power amplifier (PA)), a filter, and a radiating antenna section. An active antenna integrates the base station's radio frequency (RF) section into the antenna itself, employing multi-channel RF and antenna array coordination to achieve spatial beamforming and complete the transmission and reception of RF signals. A passive antenna is a radiating element composed entirely of passive components. Typically, a passive antenna system includes at least a passive radiator (antenna element), passive impedance matching, a passive balun, and passive interconnects (typically 50 Ohms).

[0082] This application does not impose any limitations on this, and for ease of description, the term "antenna" will be used throughout this application.

[0083] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, some technical terms used in this application are explained below. It should be noted that these explanations are intended to make the embodiments of this application easier to understand and should not be considered as limitations on the scope of protection claimed by this application.

[0084] (1) LTE TM4 mode

[0085] TM1-TM9 are among the transmission modes of LTE. TM4 refers to closed-loop spatial diversity, which is suitable for situations with good channel conditions and is used to provide high data rate transmission.

[0086] (2) Splitting

[0087] Beam splitting is a technique for altering the coverage of a cell's wireless beam signal, changing the direction and shape of the coverage beam from its original state to a different one. Beam splitting techniques can include hard beam splitting and soft beam splitting. Soft beam splitting is a technique that uses software to change the direction and shape of the beam coverage. Cells corresponding to different beams after software-based beam splitting are called soft-split beam cells, and each cell corresponds to a specific beam shape.

[0088] For example, please refer to Figure 4 , Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a split beam provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 4 As shown, the wireless communication system includes three cells: cell 0, cell 1, and cell 2. The shape of each beam and its coverage direction for different cells are shown on the left. After implementing soft splitting technology, the shape of each beam and its coverage direction for different cells are shown on the right. Compared to the beam before splitting, the split beam can cover more cells, and multiple cells can effectively share resource allocation, improving resource utilization.

[0089] (3) U-shaped array: A base station antenna array configuration that adds side panels to a planar array to accommodate more antenna elements, resembling a "U". Examples include... Figure 5 The illustration shows a U-shaped array. The panels of the U-shaped array are used to radiate and / or receive signals. The U-shaped array may include a main planar array and two side planar arrays. In this embodiment, the name U-shaped array is only an example. The planar plates of this antenna array shape can also be called other names (such as concave array). The main planar array can be called the main panel, and the side planar array can be called the side panel. The two names can be used interchangeably. This is a unified description here and will not be repeated later.

[0090] (4) Sector: The coverage sector of wireless communication.

[0091] (5) Physical antenna channel: including multiple antenna arrays and a feed network of 1-to-N arrays.

[0092] (6) Logical channel: The equivalent channel after weighted shaping of the physical antenna channel.

[0093] First, in order to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the specific technical problems to be solved by this application will be further analyzed and proposed.

[0094] In LTE TM4 mode, the number of supported antenna channels is limited, with a maximum of 4T. In other words, the 4T capability is limited in a 120-degree sector, making it difficult to implement a multi-sector multi-beam scheme.

[0095] Increasing the number of channels on a limited rooftop surface without increasing the number of antenna elements is one existing technical solution. Specifically, panel channels can be reused, and multiple logical channels can be formed through soft splitting using baseband weighting, thereby achieving multi-beaming with different orientations. Please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 6 , Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a prior art 4T soft splitting scheme within a 120-degree sector, provided in an embodiment of this application. For example... Figure 6 As shown, for an antenna module within a 120-degree sector, the antenna channels are shaped using baseband weighting. The first polarization channel (+45-degree polarization) on the upper and lower half of the antenna is weighted to produce two first-polarization left beams (2T logical channels), and the second polarization channel (-45-degree polarization) is weighted to produce another two second-polarization left beams (2T logical channels), forming a total of four left beams (4T logical channels) covering the left 60-degree sector. Similarly, the same antenna is weighted and shaped to produce four right beams covering the right 60-degree sector, achieving 4T2S (4 channels, 2 sectors) within a 120-degree sector for a single module, or 4T6S in single-site mode (e.g., ...). Figure 7 (As shown). It should be noted that in this application, T can be used to represent a channel and S to represent a sector. This will be explained uniformly here and will not be repeated later.

[0096] The disadvantages of this scheme are: due to the low frequency of LTE and the large size of the antenna array, the number of channels that can be arranged under conventional array form is small. In order to narrow the soft-splitting beamwidth, it is often necessary to reuse all horizontal channels. The horizontal degree of freedom of the antenna is combined, and four channels need to be achieved by polarization and vertical degree of freedom, thus reducing the horizontal degree of freedom.

[0097] Figure 8 A schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application is shown. This communication method can be applied to an antenna system, which includes at least three modules, each of which includes a U-array. A detailed description of the U-array can be found above. Figure 5 The panels of a U-plane array are used for radiating and / or receiving signals. A U-plane array may include a main plane array and two side plane arrays. For example... Figure 8 As shown, the communication method specifically includes:

[0098] S801: Signal generated by network device.

[0099] Network devices can generate signals via baseband. Specifically, the number of signals generated can be multiple, such as 4, 8, 16, etc. Optionally, the number of generated signals can be the same as the number of logical channels in the antenna array. That is, if four logical channels are generated for four beams covering the same area, the network device can generate four signals via baseband, each corresponding to one of the four logical channels. If two beams are generated for the same area, each containing four logical channels, the network device can generate eight signals via baseband, each corresponding to one of the eight logical channels.

[0100] S802: The network device maps the signal to the main plane array of the first module, the first side plane array of the second module, and the first side plane array of the third module, forming a beam mapping of the first sector; wherein, the first sector includes the second sector and the third sector, the beam mapping of the main plane array of the first module and the first side plane array of the second module forms the second sector, and the beam mapping of the main plane array of the first module and the first side plane array of the third module forms the third sector.

[0101] Specifically, the first side-plane array of the second module is the side-plane array of the second module adjacent to the first module, and the first side-plane array of the third module is the side-plane array of the third module adjacent to the first module. It can be understood that the second side-plane array of the second module is the side-plane array on the other side of the second module, for example... Figure 5 If the left plane of the main plane array is the first side plane array of the second module, then the right plane of the main plane array can be the second side plane array of the second module.

[0102] For example, please refer to Figure 9 , Figure 9This is a schematic diagram illustrating the implementation of a multi-channel, multi-sector network device according to an embodiment of this application. Under the NR standard, a 16T3S mode can be implemented. However, due to the LTE TM4 standard, each sector can only support a maximum capacity of 4T. To ensure compatibility with the LTE TM4 standard, the antenna array application mode can be switched to 4T6S. For example... Figure 9 As shown, specifically:

[0103] The antenna system may include three modules: a first module, a second module, and a third module. The output beams of the three modules cover a 360-degree area, with each module's output beam covering a 120-degree area. Each module corresponds to two sectors, and each sector is covered by four beams (4T logic channels). It can be seen that the main planar array of each module forms four dual-polarized beams, and the two side planar arrays each form two dual-polarized beams. One sector is covered by the two beams from the main planar array and the two beams from one side planar array, thus achieving four beams covering each sector. It is understood that this illustration uses only three modules and 4T6S as an example; of course, the antenna system can include other numbers of modules, channels, and sectors. This application embodiment does not limit the number of modules, channels, and sectors in the antenna system.

[0104] To ensure compatibility with the LTE TM4 standard, the network device maps the signal to the main plane array of the first module, the side plane array of the second module and the third module adjacent to the first module. The specific implementation of the beam mapping of the first sector can be as follows: the signal is weighted according to the weight, and then mapped to the main plane array of the first module, the side plane array of the second module and the third module adjacent to the first module.

[0105] Specifically, such as Figure 10 As shown, for the first module, its output waveform coverage area can be a 120-degree area of ​​the first sector. The first sector includes a second sector and a third sector, which are the left and right 60-degree areas of the first sector, respectively. The main planar array of the first module forms four dual-polarized beams, and the first side planar arrays of the second module and the third module each form two dual-polarized beams. The physical antenna channels on the main planar array of the first module can be weighted to form two dual-polarized beams, and the physical antenna channels on the first side planar array (adjacent to the first module's side planar array) of the second module can be weighted to form two dual-polarized beams mapped to the second sector, thus achieving four left beam coverages of the first sector. Similarly, the physical antenna channels on the main planar array of the first module can be weighted to form two dual-polarized beams, and the physical antenna channels on the first side planar array (adjacent to the first module's side planar array) of the third module can be weighted to form two dual-polarized beams mapped to the third sector, thus achieving four right beam coverages of the first sector.

[0106] In other words, the main panel of the first module, the side panels of the second module, and the side panels of the third module jointly serve the first sector. Specifically, the physical antenna channels of the side panels of the second module achieve a left-beam dual-polarization 2T logical channel through weighted beamforming, and the physical antenna channels of the main panel of the first module achieve a left-beam dual-polarization 2T logical channel through weighted beamforming. Together, they achieve a left-beam 4T logical channel, covering the left 60-degree sector. Simultaneously, the two panels exhibit low spatial correlation, thus achieving 2T degrees of freedom horizontally. Similarly, the physical antenna channels of the side panels of the third module achieve a right-beam dual-polarization 2T logical channel through weighted beamforming, and the physical antenna channels of the main panel of the first module achieve a right-beam dual-polarization 2T logical channel through weighted beamforming. Together, they achieve a right-beam 4T logical channel, covering the right 60-degree sector. Furthermore, the two panels exhibit low spatial correlation, thus achieving 2T degrees of freedom horizontally.

[0107] Regarding the above Figure 9 In terms of the module layout of the single network device shown, each module may include 2N physical antenna channels, and each physical antenna channel includes multiple antenna elements, where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 4.

[0108] For a schematic illustration of a single polarization of a single module, please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 11 , Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of a single-module antenna arrangement provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 11 As shown, taking a single polarization of the first module as an example, the antenna channels of each planar array are explained. The main planar array can include 4 physical antenna channels, and the two side planar arrays each include 2 physical antenna channels. The main planar array includes 121 physical antenna channels, which include 1 column and 1 row, 1 column and 2 rows, and 1 column and 1 row of physical antenna channels. The two side planar arrays each include 2 columns and 1 row of physical antenna channels. There are 8 physical antenna channels for single polarization and 16 physical antenna channels for dual polarization.

[0109] like Figure 12 As shown, for a single network device in a cellular network, the NR standard is a 16T3S application mode. Taking the first sector corresponding to the first module as an example, the operation of the antenna channels of each planar array is explained. The 8 physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the first module, the 4 physical antenna channels of the first side planar array of the second module, and the 4 physical antenna channels of the first side planar array of the third module together constitute 16T, serving the users of the first sector of 120 degrees.

[0110] Understandably, the above are all based on Figure 9 Taking the first module as an example, we will illustrate the above. Figure 9 The principles of the second and third modules are the same, and you can refer to the description of the first module above for adaptation. They will not be repeated here.

[0111] Based on the above Figure 8 The process illustrated utilizes a U-shaped array configuration, employing the main planar array of the first module and the side planar arrays of adjacent modules (such as the second and third modules, which can be the left and right adjacent modules of the first module, respectively) to achieve multi-sector beam mapping. Specifically, the main planar array of the first module, the side planar arrays of the second and third modules jointly serve the first sector. That is, the main planar array of the first module and the side planar arrays of the second module serve the left half of the first sector, while the main planar array of the first module and the side planar arrays of the third module serve the right half of the first sector. Due to the multi-column channel layout on the side panels of the U-shaped array, the low spatial correlation of the multiple panels can be utilized to achieve a multi-channel, multi-sector beam coverage scheme, thereby improving the horizontal degree of freedom of the antenna in multi-T, multi-S mode. Furthermore, baseband weighted shaping with 4T logical channels can be used to achieve compatibility with the LTE TM4 standard on the basis of the NR standard, increasing the flexibility of the antenna system.

[0112] In the first possible embodiment, for Figure 9 For each of the three modules shown, the network device can control each polarization of N physical antenna channels of each module to connect to a power-sharing network, which includes N / 2 bridges.

[0113] For example, N=8, the power-sharing network includes 4 bridges. The network device can control the first physical antenna channel of the first side planar array of the module and the first physical antenna channel of the main planar array of the module to be respectively connected to two ports of the same bridge; the second physical antenna channel of the first side planar array of the module and the second physical antenna channel of the main planar array of the module to be respectively connected to two ports of the same bridge; the first physical antenna channel of the second side planar array of the module and the third physical antenna channel of the main planar array of the module to be respectively connected to two ports of the same bridge; and the second physical antenna channel of the second side planar array of the module and the fourth physical antenna channel of the main planar array of the module to be respectively connected to two ports of the same bridge. For example, Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of a single-module power-sharing network provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 13As shown, for the first module, the physical antenna channel 1 of the first side planar array and the physical antenna channel 3 of the main planar array are respectively connected to two ports of the same bridge to achieve power sharing between the two channels; the physical antenna channel 2 of the first side planar array and the physical antenna channel 5 of the main planar array are respectively connected to two ports of the same bridge to achieve power sharing between the two channels; the physical antenna channel 7 of the second side planar array and the physical antenna channel 4 of the main planar array are respectively connected to two ports of the same bridge to achieve power sharing between the two channels; the physical antenna channel 8 of the second side planar array and the physical antenna channel 6 of the main planar array are respectively connected to two ports of the same bridge to achieve power sharing between the two channels. This power sharing network can improve power utilization.

[0114] It is understood that this possible embodiment can be implemented alone or in combination with... Figure 8 The communication methods shown are combined to achieve this, meaning that it can be implemented in... Figure 8 The method shown can achieve multi-channel and multi-sector beam coverage, and can also maximize power utilization in unbalanced load scenarios. This not only improves the horizontal degree of freedom of the antenna in multi-T and multi-S mode, but also improves power utilization.

[0115] In a second possible embodiment, if the load of the beam sector corresponding to the first module (first sector) is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the load of the beam sector corresponding to the second module is less than or equal to a second threshold, and / or the load of the beam sector corresponding to the third module is less than or equal to a third threshold, the network device may control the power of half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the second module to be used by the first side planar array of the second module; and / or control the power of half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the third module to be used by the first side planar array of the third module. The second threshold and the third threshold may be the same threshold or different thresholds, without limitation.

[0116] In other words, for Figure 9 For the three modules, when the load on the beam sector corresponding to the first module (first sector) is relatively heavy, while the load on the beam sectors corresponding to the other two modules is relatively light, half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the second and third modules can be lent to the physical antenna channels of the side planar arrays that serve the beam sector corresponding to the first module through the power sharing network. Since the first side planar array of the second module and the first side planar array of the third module serve the first sector, the power of the beam sector corresponding to the first module (such as the first sector) can be increased, thus improving the power utilization rate in the scenario of unbalanced load.

[0117] For example, such as Figure 14 As shown, under the NR standard, Figure 14(a) illustrates the implementation of sector load balancing in the 16T3S operating mode. Figure 14 (b) illustrates the implementation of the first sector load in the 16T3S operating mode. For Figure 14 In (b), half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the second module are used by the first side planar array of the second module, and / or half of the physical antenna channels of the main panel of the third module are used by the first side planar array of the third module. That is, the second module and the third module can lend half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array to the physical antenna channels of the side planar arrays that serve the corresponding beam sector of the first module through the power sharing network. In other words, the first side planar array of the second module (adjacent to the side planar array of the first module) and the first side planar array of the third module (adjacent to the side planar array of the first module) have additional power from half of the physical antenna channels of their respective main planar arrays, and at the same time, they serve the first sector together with the main planar array of the first module, thereby increasing the power of the first sector and improving the power utilization rate in the case of unbalanced load.

[0118] Under the LTE TM4 standard, as described above Figure 10 As shown, the main planar array of the first module serves the first sector. The first side planar array of the second module additionally increases the power of half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the second module to serve the second sector. The first side planar array of the third module additionally increases the power of half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the third module to serve the third sector. In other words, the first side planar arrays of the second and third modules additionally increase the power of half of the physical antenna channels of their respective main planar arrays, while simultaneously serving the first sector together with the main planar array of the first module, thereby increasing the power of the first sector and improving power utilization in scenarios with unbalanced loads.

[0119] It is understood that this possible embodiment can be implemented alone or in combination with... Figure 8 The communication methods shown are combined to achieve this, meaning that it can be implemented in... Figure 8 The method shown can achieve multi-channel and multi-sector beam coverage, and can also maximize power utilization in unbalanced load scenarios. This not only improves the horizontal degree of freedom of the antenna in multi-T and multi-S modes, but also improves the power utilization rate in unbalanced load scenarios.

[0120] In a third possible embodiment, for each module, such as the first module, the power of the first side planar array of the first module can be controlled to be used for half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the first module; and / or the power of the second side planar array of the first module can be controlled to be used for the other half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the first module. That is, the two side planar array physical antenna channels of the first module can lend power to the main planar array physical antenna channels of the first module through a power sharing network, thereby increasing the power of the first module serving the first sector.

[0121] It is understood that this possible embodiment can be implemented alone or in combination with... Figure 8 The communication methods shown are combined to achieve this, meaning that it can be implemented in... Figure 8 Based on the multi-channel, multi-sector beam coverage shown, it can also maximize power utilization in scenarios with unbalanced loads for a single module. This not only improves the horizontal degree of freedom of the antenna in multi-T, multi-S mode, but also improves the power utilization rate in scenarios with unbalanced loads.

[0122] Optionally, this possible embodiment can also be implemented in combination with the second possible embodiment described above. That is, in scenarios with unbalanced loads across multiple modules, the second and third modules can use a power-sharing network to lend half the power of the physical antenna channels of their main planar array to the side planar array physical antenna channels of their respective serving beam sectors (first sectors) of the first module. Furthermore, the two side planar array physical antenna channels of the first module can lend power to the main planar array physical antenna channels of the first module through the power-sharing network. This results in the first side planar arrays of the second and third modules receiving additional power from half the physical antenna channels of their respective main planar arrays. Simultaneously, they share the power of the first sector with the main planar array of the first module, which has gained power from two additional side planar array physical antenna channels, thereby increasing the power of the first sector and improving power utilization in scenarios with unbalanced loads. For example, the channel power of the beam sector corresponding to the first module can be increased from 1x to 2x, achieving a 3dB coverage improvement.

[0123] It is understood that the above embodiments are all based on Figure 9 Taking the first module as an example, we will illustrate the above. Figure 9 The principles of the second and third modules are the same, and you can refer to the description of the first module above for adaptation. They will not be repeated here.

[0124] It is understood that, in order to achieve the functions in the above embodiments, the network device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0125] Figure 15 and Figure 16 The diagram illustrates the possible structures of communication devices provided in embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the network devices in the above method embodiments, and thus also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. The communication device can be a network device. The communication device includes modules or units corresponding one-to-one to the methods / operations / steps / actions performed by the network devices in the above method embodiments. These units can be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software.

[0126] like Figure 15 As shown, the communication device 1500 may include an antenna system 1501 and a processing unit 1502. The communication device 1500 is used to implement the above-described... Figures 8-14 The method embodiment shown illustrates the functionality of the network device. Wherein:

[0127] The antenna system includes at least three modules, each of the at least three modules including a U-plane array, the panels of the U-plane array being used to radiate and / or receive signals, and the U-plane array including a main plane array and two side plane arrays;

[0128] Processing unit, used to generate signals;

[0129] The processing unit is also used to map the signal to the main plane array of the first module, the first side plane array of the second module and the first side plane array of the third module, forming a beam mapping first sector;

[0130] The first sector includes the second sector and the third sector. The beam mapping formed by the main plane array of the first module and the first side plane array of the second module is applied to the second sector, and the beam mapping formed by the main plane array of the first module and the first side plane array of the third module is applied to the third sector.

[0131] The first side plane array of the second module is the side plane array of the second module adjacent to the first module, and the first side plane array of the third module is the side plane array of the third module adjacent to the first module.

[0132] In one possible implementation, the antenna system includes three modules, the output beams of which cover a 360-degree area, corresponding to 6 sectors, each sector being covered by 4 beams (4T logic channels);

[0133] The first sector is a 120-degree area, and the second and third sectors are the left and right 60-degree areas of the first sector, respectively; the main planar array of the first module forms four dual-polarized beams, and the first side planar arrays of the second and third modules each form two dual-polarized beams.

[0134] The processing unit maps the signal to the main planar array of the first module, the first side planar array of the second module, and the first side planar array of the third module, forming a beam mapping first sector, specifically used for:

[0135] The physical antenna channels on the main plane array of the first module are weighted and assigned to form two dual-polarized beams, and the physical antenna channels on the first side plane array of the second module are weighted and assigned to form two dual-polarized beams to map the second sector, so as to achieve the coverage of the four left beams of the first sector.

[0136] The physical antenna channels on the main planar array of the first module are weighted and assigned to form two dual-polarized beams, and the physical antenna channels on the first side planar array of the third module are weighted and assigned to form two dual-polarized beams to map the third sector, so as to achieve four right beam coverages in the first sector.

[0137] In one possible implementation, each module includes 2N physical antenna channels, and each physical antenna channel includes multiple antenna elements, where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 4.

[0138] In one possible implementation, each module includes 2N physical antenna channels, including:

[0139] For each module's single polarization, the main planar array includes 4 physical antenna channels, and the two side planar arrays each include 2 physical antenna channels. The main planar array includes 121 physical antenna channels, which are divided into 1 column and 1 row, 1 column and 2 rows, and 1 column and 1 row. The two side planar arrays each include 2 columns and 1 row of physical antenna channels.

[0140] In one possible implementation, the processing unit is also used to control each polarization of each module to connect N physical antenna channels to a power-sharing network, the power-sharing network comprising N / 2 bridges, where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 4.

[0141] In one possible implementation, N=8, the power-sharing network includes 4 bridges, and the processing unit controls each module to connect N physical antenna channels for each polarization to a power-sharing network, specifically for:

[0142] The first physical antenna channel of the first side planar array of the control module and the first physical antenna channel of the main planar array of the module are respectively connected to two ports of the same bridge. The second physical antenna channel of the first side planar array of the module and the second physical antenna channel of the main planar array of the module are respectively connected to two ports of the same bridge. The first physical antenna channel of the second side planar array of the module and the third physical antenna channel of the main planar array of the module are respectively connected to two ports of the same bridge. The second physical antenna channel of the second side planar array of the module and the fourth physical antenna channel of the main planar array of the module are respectively connected to two ports of the same bridge.

[0143] In one possible implementation, when the load of the beam sector corresponding to the first module is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the load of the beam sector corresponding to the second module is less than or equal to a second threshold, and / or the load of the beam sector corresponding to the third module is less than or equal to a third threshold, the processing unit is further configured to:

[0144] Control the power of half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the second module to be used by the first side planar array of the second module; and / or control the power of half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the third module to be used by the first side planar array of the third module.

[0145] In one possible implementation, the processing unit is further configured to control the power of the first side planar array of the first module for use by half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the first module; and / or control the power of the second side planar array of the first module for use by the other half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the first module.

[0146] For a more detailed description of the antenna system 1501 and the processing unit 1502 mentioned above, please refer to [reference needed]. Figures 8-14 The relevant descriptions in the method embodiments shown.

[0147] like Figure 16 The provided communication device 1600 is used to implement the functions of the aforementioned network device. This device can be a communication device or a device used within a communication device. The communication device can be a network device (such as a base station). The device used within the communication device can be a chip system or a chip within the communication device. The chip system can be composed of chips or can include chips and other discrete components.

[0148] The communication device 1600 includes at least one processor 1610 for implementing the processing functions of the device (e.g., a network device) in the methods provided in this application embodiment. The communication device 1600 may also include a communication interface 1620 for implementing the transmit and receive operations of the device (e.g., a network device) in the methods provided in this application embodiment. In this application embodiment, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, or other type of communication interface for communicating with other devices via a transmission medium. For example, the communication interface 1620 enables the device in the communication device 1600 to communicate with other devices. The processor 1610 uses the communication interface 1620 to transmit and receive data and is used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0149] The communication device 1600 may further include at least one memory 1630 for storing program instructions and / or data. The memory 1630 is coupled to the processor 1610. The coupling in this embodiment is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, for information exchange between devices, units, or modules. The processor 1610 may operate in conjunction with the memory 1630. The processor 1610 may execute program instructions stored in the memory 1630. At least one of the at least one memory may be included in the processor.

[0150] This application embodiment does not limit the specific connection medium between the communication interface 1620, processor 1610, and memory 1630. This application embodiment... Figure 16 The memory 1630, processor 1610, and communication interface 1620 are connected via a bus. Figure 16 The connections between other components are shown in bold and are for illustrative purposes only, not as limiting information. The bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, Figure 16 The bus is represented by a single thick line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0151] When the communication device 1600 is specifically a device for use in an application (e.g., a network device), for example, when the communication device 1600 is specifically a chip or chip system, the communication interface 1620 may output or receive baseband signals. When the communication device 1600 is specifically a device (e.g., a network device), the communication interface 1620 may output or receive radio frequency signals. In the embodiments of this application, the processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component, capable of implementing or executing the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly manifested as being executed by a hardware processor, or being executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0152] It should be noted that the processor 1610 described above can be used to perform the functions of the aforementioned processing unit 1502, which will not be elaborated here.

[0153] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0154] The method steps in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. Additionally, the ASIC can reside in a network device. Alternatively, the processor and storage medium can exist as discrete components in the network device.

[0155] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are performed entirely or partially. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted through the computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a DVD; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state disk (SSD).

[0156] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0157] It is understood that the various numerical designations used in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the process numbers described above does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

[0158] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed, cause the method executed by the network device in the above method embodiments to be implemented.

[0159] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program that, when executed, causes the method executed by the network device in the above method embodiments to be implemented.

[0160] This application also provides a communication system, which includes a network device. The network device is used to execute the method described in the above method embodiments.

[0161] It should be noted that, for the sake of simplicity, the foregoing method embodiments are all described as a series of actions. However, those skilled in the art should understand that this application is not limited to the described order of actions, as some steps may be performed in other orders or simultaneously according to this application. Furthermore, those skilled in the art should also understand that the embodiments described in the specification are preferred embodiments, and the actions and modules involved are not necessarily essential to this application.

[0162] The descriptions of the various embodiments provided in this application can be referenced mutually. Each embodiment has its own emphasis, and parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment can be referred to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments. For the sake of convenience and brevity, for example, the functions and execution steps of the various devices and equipment provided in the embodiments of this application can be referred to the relevant descriptions of the method embodiments of this application. The method embodiments and the device embodiments can also be referenced, combined or cited from each other.

[0163] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The antenna system is applied to an antenna system comprising at least three modules, each of the at least three modules comprising a U-plane array, the panels of the U-plane array being used for radiating and / or receiving signals, the U-plane array comprising a main plane array and two side plane arrays; The method includes: Generate signal; The signal is mapped to the main plane array of the first module, the first side plane array of the second module, and the first side plane array of the third module to form a beam mapping first sector; The first sector includes a second sector and a third sector. The beamformation formed by the main plane array of the first module and the first side plane array of the second module maps the second sector, and the beamformation formed by the main plane array of the first module and the first side plane array of the third module maps the third sector. The first side plane array of the second module is the side plane array of the second module adjacent to the first module, and the first side plane array of the third module is the side plane array of the third module adjacent to the first module.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The antenna system includes three modules, and the beams output by the three modules cover a 360-degree area, corresponding to 6 sectors, with each sector covered by 4 beams (4T logic channels). The first sector is a 120-degree region, and the second and third sectors are the left and right 60-degree regions of the first sector, respectively; the main planar array of the first module forms four dual-polarized beams, and the first side planar arrays of the second and third modules each form two dual-polarized beams. The step of mapping the signal onto the main plane array of the first module, the first side plane array of the second module, and the first side plane array of the third module to form a beam mapping first sector includes: The physical antenna channels on the main plane array of the first module are weighted and assigned to form two dual-polarized beams, and the physical antenna channels on the first side plane array of the second module are weighted and assigned to form two dual-polarized beams to map the second sector, so as to achieve four left beam coverages of the first sector; The physical antenna channels on the main plane array of the first module are weighted and assigned values ​​to form two dual-polarized beams, and the physical antenna channels on the first side plane array of the third module are weighted and assigned values ​​to form two dual-polarized beams to map the third sector, so as to achieve four right beam coverage of the first sector.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Each module includes 2N physical antenna channels, and each physical antenna channel includes multiple antenna elements, where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 4.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Each module includes 2N physical antenna channels, including: For each module's single polarization, the main planar array includes 4 physical antenna channels, and the two side planar arrays each include 2 physical antenna channels. The main planar array includes 121 physical antenna channels, which are divided into 1 column and 1 row, 1 column and 2 rows, and 1 column and 1 row. The two side planar arrays each include 2 columns and 1 row of physical antenna channels.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The method further includes: Each module controls N physical antenna channels of each polarization to connect to a power-sharing network, which includes N / 2 bridges, where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 4.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, N=8, the power-sharing network includes 4 bridge circuits, and the control of each module's N physical antenna channels for each polarization connected to a power-sharing network includes: The first physical antenna channel of the first side planar array of the control module and the first physical antenna channel of the main planar array of the module are respectively connected to two ports of the same bridge. The second physical antenna channel of the first side planar array of the module and the second physical antenna channel of the main planar array of the module are respectively connected to two ports of the same bridge. The first physical antenna channel of the second side planar array of the module and the third physical antenna channel of the main planar array of the module are respectively connected to two ports of the same bridge. The second physical antenna channel of the second side planar array of the module and the fourth physical antenna channel of the main planar array of the module are respectively connected to two ports of the same bridge.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The method further includes the following steps when the load of the beam sector corresponding to the first module is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the load of the beam sector corresponding to the second module is less than or equal to a second threshold, and / or the load of the beam sector corresponding to the third module is less than or equal to a third threshold: Control the power of half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the second module to be used by the first side planar array of the second module; and / or The power of half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the third module is controlled to be used by the first side planar array of the third module.

8. The method according to any one of claims 5-7, characterized in that, The method further includes: Control the power of the first side planar array of the first module to be used for half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the first module; and / or control the power of the second side planar array of the first module to be used for the other half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the first module.

9. A communication device, characterized in that, include: An antenna system comprising at least three modules, each of the at least three modules comprising a U-plane array, the panels of the U-plane array being used for radiating and / or receiving signals, the U-plane array comprising a main plane array and two side plane arrays; Processing unit, used to generate signals; The processing unit is also used to map the signal to the main plane array of the first module, the first side plane array of the second module and the first side plane array of the third module, forming a beam mapping first sector; The first sector includes a second sector and a third sector. The beamformation formed by the main plane array of the first module and the first side plane array of the second module maps the second sector, and the beamformation formed by the main plane array of the first module and the first side plane array of the third module maps the third sector. The first side plane array of the second module is the side plane array of the second module adjacent to the first module, and the first side plane array of the third module is the side plane array of the third module adjacent to the first module.

10. The communication device according to claim 9, characterized in that, The antenna system includes three modules, and the beams output by the three modules cover a 360-degree area, corresponding to 6 sectors, with each sector covered by 4 beams (4T logic channels). The first sector is a 120-degree region, and the second and third sectors are the left and right 60-degree regions of the first sector, respectively; the main planar array of the first module forms four dual-polarized beams, and the first side planar arrays of the second and third modules each form two dual-polarized beams. The processing unit maps the signal to the main planar array of the first module, the first side planar array of the second module, and the first side planar array of the third module, forming a beam mapping first sector, specifically used for: The physical antenna channels on the main plane array of the first module are weighted and assigned to form two dual-polarized beams, and the physical antenna channels on the first side plane array of the second module are weighted and assigned to form two dual-polarized beams to map the second sector, so as to achieve four left beam coverages of the first sector; The physical antenna channels on the main plane array of the first module are weighted and assigned values ​​to form two dual-polarized beams, and the physical antenna channels on the first side plane array of the third module are weighted and assigned values ​​to form two dual-polarized beams to map the third sector, so as to achieve four right beam coverage of the first sector.

11. The communication device according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, Each module includes 2N physical antenna channels, and each physical antenna channel includes multiple antenna elements, where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 4.

12. The communication device according to claim 11, characterized in that, Each module includes 2N physical antenna channels, including: For each module's single polarization, the main planar array includes 4 physical antenna channels, and the two side planar arrays each include 2 physical antenna channels. The main planar array includes 121 physical antenna channels, which are divided into 1 column and 1 row, 1 column and 2 rows, and 1 column and 1 row. The two side planar arrays each include 2 columns and 1 row of physical antenna channels.

13. The communication device according to any one of claims 9-12, characterized in that, The processing unit is also used to control each polarization of each module to connect N physical antenna channels to a power sharing network, the power sharing network including N / 2 bridges, where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 4.

14. The communication device according to claim 13, characterized in that, N=8, the power-sharing network includes 4 bridge circuits, and the processing unit controls each module to connect N physical antenna channels of each polarization to a power-sharing network, specifically for: The first physical antenna channel of the first side planar array of the control module and the first physical antenna channel of the main planar array of the module are respectively connected to two ports of the same bridge. The second physical antenna channel of the first side planar array of the module and the second physical antenna channel of the main planar array of the module are respectively connected to two ports of the same bridge. The first physical antenna channel of the second side planar array of the module and the third physical antenna channel of the main planar array of the module are respectively connected to two ports of the same bridge. The second physical antenna channel of the second side planar array of the module and the fourth physical antenna channel of the main planar array of the module are respectively connected to two ports of the same bridge.

15. The communication device according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, When the load of the beam sector corresponding to the first module is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the load of the beam sector corresponding to the second module is less than or equal to a second threshold, and / or the load of the beam sector corresponding to the third module is less than or equal to a third threshold, the processing unit is further configured to: Control the power of half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the second module to be used by the first side planar array of the second module; and / or The power of half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the third module is controlled to be used by the first side planar array of the third module.

16. The communication device according to any one of claims 13-15, characterized in that, The processing unit is also configured to control the power of the first side planar array of the first module to be used for half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar board of the first module; and / or control the power of the second side planar array of the first module to be used for the other half of the physical antenna channels of the main planar array of the first module.

17. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A processor coupled to a memory for storing programs or instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-8.

18. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, which, when executed, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-8.

19. A computer program product, characterized in that, It includes computer program code that, when run, implements the method as described in any one of claims 1-8.

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