A communication device

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a kind of communication equipment.The communication equipment includes: the pure digital beam forming architecture of horizontal direction, the architecture of digital-analog hybrid beam forming of vertical direction;The architecture of digital-analog hybrid beam forming includes multiple groups of sub-architecture and antenna array;Each group of sub-architecture in the multiple groups of sub-architecture includes: digital channel, analog channel connected with the digital channel by converter;The analog channel is connected with the antenna array by power divider;The antenna array includes multiple groups of antenna array element, and the analog channel is connected with two groups of spaced rows of antenna array elements in the antenna array.By the application, the problem that the beam forming method in the related art cannot meet the coverage requirement in vertical direction is solved, and the effect of improving the performance of communication equipment is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a communication device. Background Technology

[0002] To achieve wider coverage and lower power consumption for base stations, massive MIMO (Massively Multi-Analog) technology is often employed. Beamforming methods are also frequently used in conjunction with massive MIMO. Existing base stations may employ purely digital beamforming architectures in both the horizontal and vertical directions; or they may use purely digital beamforming architectures in the horizontal direction and a hybrid digital-analog beamforming architecture in the vertical direction. In a purely digital beamforming architecture, one digital channel corresponds to one antenna sub-unit. When purely digital beamforming architectures are used in both the horizontal and vertical directions, massive MIMO requires a large number of digital and analog channels, which leads to higher power consumption, size, and cost of the communication equipment. Therefore, pure digital beamforming is generally used in the horizontal direction to achieve wide coverage in that direction, while hybrid digital-analog beamforming is used in the vertical direction to reduce digital channels. However, this architecture narrows the antenna beam and cannot meet the coverage requirements in the vertical direction. It is necessary to adjust the phase of the phase shifter in real time for beam scanning to meet the coverage requirements of UEs in different areas. On the other hand, analog beam time-division scanning transmission limits users to only be assigned pairs in a single analog narrow beam, which damages cell capacity, shortens the scheduling time for individual users, and impairs uplink weak field performance. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a communication device to at least solve the problem that beamforming methods in related technologies cannot meet coverage requirements in the vertical direction.

[0004] According to one embodiment of this application, a communication device is provided, comprising: a horizontally oriented pure digital beamforming architecture and a vertically oriented hybrid digital-analog beamforming architecture; the hybrid digital-analog beamforming architecture includes multiple sub-architectures and an antenna array; each sub-architecture includes: a digital channel and an analog channel connected to the digital channel via a converter; the analog channel is connected to the antenna array via a power divider; the antenna array includes multiple antenna elements, and the analog channel is connected to two alternate rows of antenna elements in the antenna array.

[0005] Through the embodiments described above in this application, since one digital-analog channel corresponds to two sets of alternately spaced antenna arrays in the vertical direction, it can be cross-connected with two other sets of antenna arrays and the digital-analog channel. This allows for the formation of a specific wide beam using specific amplitude and phase weights, achieving wide coverage in the vertical direction. Therefore, it solves the problem that beamforming methods in related technologies cannot meet the coverage requirements in the vertical direction, thereby improving the performance of communication equipment. Attached Figure Description

[0006] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a fully digital beamforming architecture in both the horizontal and vertical directions in related technologies;

[0007] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a hybrid digital-analog beamforming architecture in the vertical direction in related technologies;

[0008] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the vertical sub-architecture of the beamforming architecture according to an embodiment of this application;

[0009] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a beamforming architecture with eight antenna elements cross-connected according to an embodiment of this application;

[0010] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a beamforming architecture with 12 antenna elements cross-connected according to an embodiment of this application;

[0011] Figure 6 This is a simulation diagram of beamforming with all channels having a phase of 0° according to an embodiment of this application;

[0012] Figure 7 This is a simulation diagram of beamforming with all channels having a phase of 180° according to an embodiment of this application;

[0013] Figure 8 This is a simulation diagram of beamforming with simulated phase switching between 0° and 180° according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0014] The embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples.

[0015] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence.

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a fully digital beamforming architecture in both the horizontal and vertical directions in related technologies, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the communication equipment uses a pure digital beamforming architecture in both the horizontal and vertical directions. In pure digital beamforming, one digital channel corresponds to one antenna array sub-unit. Thus, large-scale antenna arrays require a large number of digital and analog channels, resulting in high power consumption, size, and cost of the entire communication equipment. The communication equipment can be a base station.

[0017] Therefore, pure digital beamforming is generally used in the horizontal direction to achieve wide coverage in that direction, while hybrid digital-analog beamforming is used in the vertical direction. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a hybrid digital-analog beamforming architecture in the vertical direction in related technologies, such as... Figure 2 As shown, multiple antenna elements in the vertical direction correspond to one digital channel, and analog phase shifters are added between the multiple elements. However, this architecture narrows the antenna beam, which cannot meet the coverage requirements in the vertical direction. The phase of the phase shifter needs to be adjusted in real time for beam scanning to meet the coverage requirements of UEs in different areas. Furthermore, the time-division scanning transmission of the analog beam limits users to only being assigned pairs in a single analog narrow beam, which reduces cell capacity and shortens the scheduling time for individual users, resulting in poor uplink performance in weak fields.

[0018] This application proposes a communication device that includes a large-scale antenna array employing a novel hybrid digital-analog beamforming architecture (hereinafter referred to as beamforming architecture). While the novel hybrid digital-analog beamforming architecture still uses a pure digital beamforming architecture in the horizontal direction to achieve wide coverage in that direction, in the vertical direction, one digital-analog channel corresponds to two sets of antenna elements, which are spaced apart. This allows each set of antenna elements to form a cross connection with each digital-analog channel, thereby utilizing specific amplitude and phase weights to form a specific wide beam and achieve wide coverage in the vertical direction. Compared with existing beamforming schemes, it does not require real-time beam scanning and can simultaneously meet the vertical coverage requirements without increasing the number of digital channels.

[0019] The novel hybrid digital-analog beamforming architecture in this application includes: a horizontal pure digital beamforming architecture and a vertical hybrid digital-analog beamforming architecture, wherein the hybrid digital-analog beamforming architecture includes multiple sub-architectures and an antenna array. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the vertical sub-architecture of the beamforming architecture according to an embodiment of this application, as shown below. Figure 3 As shown, the multiple sub-architectures ( Figure 3 The diagram only illustrates two sub-architectures. Each sub-architecture includes: a digital channel and an analog channel connected to the digital channel via a converter; the analog channel is connected to the antenna array via a power divider; the antenna array includes multiple antenna elements, and the analog channel is connected to two alternate rows of antenna elements in the antenna array.

[0020] like Figure 3 As shown, in the vertical direction, there are half as many digital channels and analog channels as antenna arrays. One analog channel connects two sets of antenna arrays in alternate rows, and another analog channel connects to two other sets of antenna arrays in alternate rows, forming a cross between them. Under this fixed connection method, beamforming can achieve a wide beam and wide coverage effect.

[0021] By using a purely digital beamforming architecture in the horizontal direction, the requirement for wide coverage in this direction is achieved. In the vertical direction, one analog channel corresponds to two sets of alternate antenna arrays, and is cross-connected with another two sets of alternate antenna arrays to another analog channel. At the same time, a specific wide beam is formed using a power divider with specific amplitude and phase weights, thereby achieving wide coverage in the vertical direction. Compared with existing beamforming schemes, frequency sweeping is not required, and the coverage requirement in the vertical direction can be met without increasing the number of digital channels.

[0022] In the connection method of this application embodiment, the number of vertical array elements is not limited. Figure 3 The diagram only shows a configuration with 4 antenna arrays in the vertical direction, but it can also be configured with 8, 12, or 16 antenna arrays, etc. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a beamforming architecture with eight antenna elements cross-connected according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a beamforming architecture with 12 antenna elements cross-connected according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 4 , 5 The connection methods of 8 groups of antenna arrays and 12 groups of antenna arrays are illustrated respectively. The connection methods of other numbers of antenna arrays are similar to those of 4 groups, 8 groups or 12 groups, which are all cross connections. The embodiments of this application will not be described in detail here.

[0023] In this embodiment, the digital channel can be used for digital signal processing; the analog channel is used to amplify the analog signal in the transmission direction and then transmit it to the antenna for wireless transmission, and to amplify the signal received by the antenna in the reception direction with low noise and then transmit it to the digital channel.

[0024] In one embodiment, the converter is a digital-to-analog (D / A) converter, including a transmit link D / A conversion function and a receive link A / A conversion function; wherein, the transmit link D / A conversion function is used to convert digital signals into analog signals, and the receive link A / A conversion function is used to convert analog signals into digital signals.

[0025] In one embodiment, each sub-architecture further includes: a mixed-signal channel connected between the analog channel and the power divider; wherein the mixed-signal channel is divided into a first channel and a second channel by the power divider.

[0026] In one embodiment, the first channel and the second channel are connected to the two sets of spaced-apart antenna arrays.

[0027] like Figure 3As shown, in the vertical direction, the antenna arrays and analog channels are connected in pairs: Channel A is divided into channels A1 and A2, which are connected to antenna arrays spaced apart by one row; Channel B is divided into channels B1 and B2, which are connected to antenna arrays spaced apart by one row, intersecting with the antenna arrays of Channel A. Both Channel A and Channel B are mixed-signal channels; Channel A1 / B1 functionally corresponds to the first channel in the above embodiment, and Channel A2 / B2 functionally corresponds to the second channel in the above embodiment.

[0028] In one embodiment, the first channel and the second channel correspond to different signal powers according to a preset power allocation ratio.

[0029] In one embodiment, different sub-architectures correspond to different power allocation ratios.

[0030] like Figure 3 As shown, the power distribution ratio of the power divider corresponding to channel A is 0.16:1, meaning that the power of channel A is distributed to channels A1 and A2 through the power divider with this ratio; the power distribution ratio of the power divider corresponding to channel B is 1:0.16, meaning that the power of channel B is distributed to B1 and B2 according to the ratio of 1:0.16.

[0031] In the embodiments of this application, the power distribution ratio of the power divider is not limited. The power distribution can be fine-tuned, and the ratio can be adjusted between 0.1 and 0.2 according to the simulation results.

[0032] The implementation form of the power divider is not limited in the embodiments of this application. The implementation form of the power divider may include, but is not limited to, microstrip line form and device form.

[0033] In one embodiment, an adjustable phase shifter is provided on the first channel and / or the second channel.

[0034] The implementation method of the phase shifter is not limited in the embodiments of this application, including but not limited to implementation methods such as microstrip lines or fixed chips.

[0035] In one embodiment, the digital phase of the mixed-signal channels in one set of sub-architectures is fixed at zero degrees, while the digital phase of the mixed-signal channels in the remaining sub-architectures can be switched.

[0036] In one embodiment, the analog phase of the mixed-signal channels in each sub-architecture is fixed.

[0037] In one embodiment, the analog phase of the mixed-signal channels in each sub-architecture can be switched.

[0038] like Figure 3As shown, both channels A2 and B2 are equipped with 0° or 180° phase shifters. These phase shifters can be fixed at 0° or 180°, or they can be adjustable at 0° / 180°.

[0039] The digital phases A and B of channels A and B can be flexibly adjusted, while the analog phases of channels A2 and B2 can be fixed at 0° or 180°, or can be switched between the two according to service scheduling.

[0040] In an exemplary embodiment, the digital phase of channel A is 0°, the digital phase of channel B switches between 0° and 180°, and the analog channel phases of channels A2 and B2 are fixed at 0°. Therefore, the total phases of channels A1, B1, A2, and B2 are (0°, 0°, 0°, 0°) and (0°, 180°, 0°, 180°), respectively. The beams formed under these two phases are as follows: Figure 6 As shown, Figure 6 This is a simulation diagram of beamforming with all channels having a phase of 0° according to an embodiment of this application.

[0041] In an exemplary embodiment, the digital phase of channel A is 0°, the digital phase of channel B switches between 90° and -90°, and the analog channel phases of channels A2 and B2 are fixed at 180°. Therefore, the total phases of channels A1, B1, A2, and B2 are (0°, 90°, 180°, 270°) and (0°, -90°, -180°, -270°), respectively. The beams formed under these two phases are as follows: Figure 7 As shown, Figure 7 This is a simulation diagram of beamforming with all simulated channels having a phase of 180° according to an embodiment of this application.

[0042] In an exemplary embodiment, the digital phase of channel A is 0°, the digital phase of channel B switches between 0° / 180° / 90° / -90°, and the analog channel phases of channels A2 and B2 switch between 0° and 180°. Therefore, the total phase of channels A1, B1, A2, and B2 switches between (0°, 0°, 0°, 0°) and (0°, 180°, 0°, 180°), (0°, 90°, 180°, 270°), and (0°, -90°, -180°, -270°), ultimately forming a phase such as... Figure 8 The wide beam shown allows for better coverage of different areas. Figure 8 This is a simulation diagram of beamforming with simulated phase switching between 0° and 180° according to an embodiment of this application.

[0043] This application also provides a base station, including the beamforming architecture of any of the above embodiments.

[0044] It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the modules of this application described above can be implemented using general-purpose computing devices. They can be centralized on a single computing device or distributed across a network of multiple computing devices. They can be implemented using computer-executable program code, and thus can be stored in a storage device for execution by a computing device. In some cases, the steps shown or described can be performed in a different order than those presented herein, or they can be fabricated as separate integrated circuit modules, or multiple modules or steps can be fabricated as a single integrated circuit module. Thus, this application is not limited to any particular combination of hardware and software.

[0045] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit this application. Various modifications and variations can be made to this application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A communication device, comprising: A purely digital beamforming architecture in the horizontal direction and a hybrid digital-analog beamforming architecture in the vertical direction; The architecture of the hybrid digital-analog beamforming includes multiple sub-architectures and antenna arrays; Each sub-architecture in the multiple sub-architectures includes: a digital channel and an analog channel connected to the digital channel via a converter; The analog channel is connected to the antenna array via a power divider; The antenna array includes multiple sets of antenna elements, and the analog channel is connected to two alternate sets of antenna elements in the antenna array.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein each group of sub-architectures further comprises: A mixed-signal channel is connected between the analog channel and the power divider; wherein the mixed-signal channel is divided into a first channel and a second channel by the power divider.

3. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein, The first channel and the second channel are connected to the two sets of spaced-apart antenna arrays.

4. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein, The first channel and the second channel correspond to different signal powers according to a preset power allocation ratio.

5. The communication device according to claim 4, wherein, Different sub-architectures in different groups correspond to different power allocation ratios.

6. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein, An adjustable phase shifter is provided on the first channel and / or the second channel.

7. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein, The digital phase of one set of mixed-signal channels in the sub-architecture is fixed at zero degrees, while the digital phase of the mixed-signal channels in the other sets of the sub-architecture can be switched.

8. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein, The analog phase of the mixed-signal channel in each sub-architecture group is fixed.

9. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein, The analog phase of the mixed-signal channel in each sub-architecture group is switchable.

10. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein, The power divider can be implemented in two forms: microstrip line form and device form.

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