COMMUNICATION METHOD, COMMUNICATION DEVICE, COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT, AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE

Abstract

An embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, an apparatus, a storage medium, and an electronic device, wherein the method is used in a first device, and a first antenna, a second antenna, and a third antenna are installed in the first device, and the method includes receiving first data from a second device via the first antenna at a first time, and receiving second data from the second device via the second antenna, wherein a distance between the first antenna and the second antenna is a first distance, a distance between the first antenna and the third antenna is a second distance, the first distance and the second distance are greater than a first threshold, a distance between the second antenna and the third antenna is a third distance, the third distance is less than a second threshold, and the first threshold is greater than or equal to the second threshold.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, in particular to a communication method, a communication device, a storage medium and an electronic device.

[0002] [CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS] This application claims priority to a Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on November 2, 2022, bearing application number 202211382256.4 and titled "Communication method, communication device, storage medium, and electronic device," the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. [Background technology]

[0003] When positioning an equipment, the angle information is first obtained based on the Angle-of-Arrival (AOA) positioning method, and then the angle information is combined with Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) or arrival time data to obtain the distance information of the equipment to be positioned, thereby realizing the positioning of the equipment. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] A first aspect provides a communication method for use in a first device, where the first device includes a first antenna, a second antenna, and a third antenna, the method including receiving first data from a second device via the first antenna at a first time and receiving second data from the second device via the second antenna, where a distance between the first antenna and the second antenna is a first distance, a distance between the first antenna and the third antenna is a second distance, the first distance and the second distance are greater than a first threshold, a distance between the second antenna and the third antenna is a third distance, the third distance is less than a second threshold, and the first threshold is greater than or equal to the second threshold.

[0005] In one possible implementation, the method further includes receiving third data from the second device via the first antenna and receiving fourth data from the second device via the third antenna at a second time; obtaining first channel condition CSI information based on the first data, obtaining second CSI information based on the second data, obtaining third CSI information based on the third data, and obtaining fourth CSI information based on the fourth data; and obtaining incidence angle information of the second device relative to the first device based on the first CSI information, the second CSI information, the third CSI information, and the fourth CSI information.

[0006] In another possible implementation, obtaining incident angle information of the second device relative to the first device based on the first CSI information, the second CSI information, the third CSI information, and the fourth CSI information includes obtaining a first deviation between the first CSI information and the third CSI information, performing calibration on the fourth CSI information based on the first deviation to obtain a first correction value of the fourth CSI information, and obtaining the incident angle information of the second device relative to the first device based on the second CSI information and the first correction value.

[0007] In another possible implementation, a fourth antenna is further installed on the first device, and the method further includes receiving fifth data from the second device via the third antenna at a third time and receiving sixth data from the second device via the fourth antenna, obtaining fifth CSI information based on the fifth data, and obtaining sixth CSI information based on the sixth data, where a distance between the third antenna and the fourth antenna is a fourth distance, the fourth distance being greater than a first threshold, a distance between the first antenna and the fourth antenna is a fifth distance, a distance between the second antenna and the fourth antenna is a sixth distance, and the fifth distance and the sixth distance are less than a second threshold.

[0008] In another possible implementation, obtaining incident angle information of the second device relative to the first device based on the first CSI information, the second CSI information, the third CSI information, and the fourth CSI information includes obtaining a first deviation between the first CSI information and the third CSI information, performing calibration on the fourth CSI information based on the first deviation to obtain a first correction value for the fourth CSI information, obtaining a second deviation between the fourth CSI information and the fifth CSI information, and performing calibration on the sixth CSI information based on the first deviation and the second deviation to obtain a second correction value for the sixth CSI information, and obtaining the incident angle information of the second device relative to the first device based on the first CSI information, the second CSI information, the first correction value, and the second correction value.

[0009] In another possible implementation, the first threshold is half a wavelength of the incident electromagnetic wave, or the second threshold is half a wavelength of the incident electromagnetic wave.

[0010] A second aspect provides a communications device for use with a first device, the device including an antenna assembly and a switch assembly, where the antenna assembly is used to communicate with a second device, the antenna assembly including a first antenna, a second antenna, and a third antenna, and the switch assembly is used to control the antenna assembly to receive first data from the second device via the first antenna at a first time and receive second data from the second device via the second antenna, where a distance between the first antenna and the second antenna is a first distance, a distance between the first antenna and the third antenna is a second distance, the first distance and the second distance are greater than a first threshold, a distance between the second antenna and the third antenna is a third distance, the third distance is less than a second threshold, and the first threshold is greater than or equal to the second threshold.

[0011] In another possible implementation, the switch assembly is further used for controlling the antenna assembly to receive third data from the second device via the first antenna at a second time and to receive fourth data from the second device via the third antenna, and the first device further includes a CPU, which is used for obtaining first channel condition CSI information based on the first data, obtaining second CSI information based on the second data, obtaining third CSI information based on the third data, obtaining fourth CSI information based on the fourth data, and obtaining incident angle information of the second device relative to the first device based on the first CSI information, the second CSI information, the third CSI information, and the fourth CSI information.

[0012] In another possible implementation, the CPU is further used to obtain a first deviation between the first CSI information and the third CSI information, perform calibration on the fourth CSI information based on the first deviation to obtain a first correction value for the fourth CSI information, and obtain incident angle information of the second device relative to the first device based on the second CSI information and the first correction value.

[0013] In another possible implementation, the antenna assembly further includes a fourth antenna, and the switch assembly is further used for controlling the antenna assembly to receive fifth data from the second device via the third antenna at a third time and to receive sixth data from the second device via the fourth antenna, and further used for obtaining fifth CSI information based on the fifth data, obtaining sixth CSI information based on the sixth data, and obtaining incident angle information of the second device relative to the first device based on the first CSI information, the second CSI information, the third CSI information, the fourth CSI information, the fifth CSI information and the sixth CSI information, where a distance between the third antenna and the fourth antenna is a fourth distance, the fourth distance is greater than a first threshold, a distance between the first antenna and the fourth antenna is a fifth distance, a distance between the second antenna and the fourth antenna is a sixth distance, and the fifth distance and the sixth distance are less than a second threshold.

[0014] In another possible implementation, the CPU is further used to obtain a first deviation between the first CSI information and the third CSI information, perform calibration on the fourth CSI information based on the first deviation to obtain a first correction value for the fourth CSI information, obtain a second deviation between the fourth CSI information and the fifth CSI information, perform calibration on the sixth CSI information based on the first deviation and the second deviation to obtain a second correction value for the sixth CSI information, and obtain incident angle information of the second device relative to the first device based on the first CSI information, the second CSI information, the first correction value, and the second correction value.

[0015] In another possible implementation, the first threshold is half a wavelength of the incident electromagnetic wave, or the second threshold is half a wavelength of the incident electromagnetic wave.

[0016] Another possible implementation further includes a radio frequency assembly, where the switch assembly includes one or more switches, one end of which is connected to the multiple antennas and the other end of which is connected to the radio frequency assembly.

[0017] In another possible implementation, the antenna assembly, the switch assembly and the radio frequency assembly are integrally mounted on a PCB substrate.

[0018] In another possible implementation, the switch assembly includes a first switch and a second switch, the radio frequency assembly includes a first radio frequency subassembly and a second radio frequency subassembly, the first switch in conjunction with the second radio frequency assembly controls the first antenna and the fourth antenna, and the second switch in conjunction with the second radio frequency assembly controls the second antenna and the third antenna.

[0019] In another possible implementation, the first switch and the second switch are both double-pole, double-throw switches.

[0020] In another possible implementation, the arrangement of the antennas in the antenna assembly is a planar array or a volume array.

[0021] In another possible implementation, at least one antenna in the antenna assembly is mounted outside the PCB substrate.

[0022] A third aspect provides a storage medium having computer executable instructions stored thereon, the computer executable instructions being used to cause a computer to perform steps included in any one of the methods of the first aspect.

[0023] A fourth aspect provides an electronic device comprising a memory and a processor, characterized in that a computer program is stored in the memory, and the processor is configured to run the computer program to perform the steps of any one of the methods of the first aspect. Effect of the Invention

[0024] The technical solution of this application can also take into account the need for AOA arrival angle measurement on the premise of ensuring the basic transmission performance of the equipment.

[0025] Other features and advantages of the present application will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or will be learned by practice. The objectives and other advantages of the present application will be realized and obtained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description, claims, and drawings.

[0026] It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the present application. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an AOA antenna array in the related art. [Diagram 2]1 is a flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 4] 2 is a schematic diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present application; [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of changes in organizational architecture before and after integration design according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 6] 2 is a schematic diagram of yet another communication device according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0028] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application are described below clearly and completely with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, and are not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained based on the embodiments of the present application without the need for creative efforts by those skilled in the art are within the scope of protection of the present application. The embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present application can be arbitrarily combined with each other, unless they conflict. And, although a logical order is shown in the flow chart, in some cases, steps shown or described herein may be performed in a different order.

[0029] The terms "first" and "second" in the specification and claims of this application and the drawings are not intended to describe a particular order, but to distinguish different objects. The term "comprises" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive protection. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the recited steps or units, and optionally includes further steps or units that are not recited, or optionally includes further steps or units that are inherent to the process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0030] When using "including," "having," and "including" as described in this application, additional parts may be added unless clear limiting terms such as "only," "consisting of," etc. are used. Unless stated to the contrary, singular terms may include the plural and should not be understood to mean only one.

[0031] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a common AOA antenna array. As shown in Figure 1, N antennas are arranged according to a certain interval, and the interval is d. Each antenna receives an incident electromagnetic wave and transmits it to a back-end processing module. The back-end processing module obtains the channel state information (CSI), and combines it with the CSI data of multiple antennas to calculate the angle information θ of the incident electromagnetic wave of the antenna by algorithms such as Multiple Signal Classification (MUSIC), Conventional Beamforming (CBF), and estimating signal parameter via rotational invariance techniques (ESPRIT).

[0032] In order to realize AOA positioning, the communication performance between devices is often sacrificed. Specifically, the design shortens the distance between antennas to ensure that the antenna array meets the demands of the AOA array, but this leads to increased spatial correlation between antennas and enhanced interference, which reduces the data transmission performance between devices and sacrifices the communication effect to a certain extent.

[0033] In view of this, the present application proposes a communication method, by which the first device selects only a pair of antennas whose inter-antenna distance is greater than a first threshold value at the same time to communicate, thereby ensuring that the distance between the communicating antennas is sufficiently far and the spatial correlation is sufficiently low, and further ensuring a good communication effect between the devices. In addition, the first device further installs a third antenna, and the distance between the third antenna and the second antenna is smaller than a second threshold value, thereby ensuring that the distance between the antennas used for AOA measurement is sufficiently close when performing AOA measurement later, and the AOA arrival angle can be well solved. With the above method, under the premise of ensuring the basic transmission performance between the devices, when it is necessary to measure the AOA arrival angle of the other device, the measurement effect of the arrival angle can also be taken into account.

[0034] An embodiment of the present application provides a communication method for a first device, where a first antenna, a second antenna and a third antenna are installed on the first device. Figure 2 is a flowchart of the communication method according to an embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figure 2, the method includes: A method for receiving first data transmitted from a second device via a first antenna at a first time and receiving second data transmitted from the second device via the second antenna, Here, the distance between the first antenna and the second antenna is a first distance, the distance between the first antenna and the third antenna is a second distance, the first distance and the second distance are greater than a first threshold, the distance between the second antenna and the third antenna is a third distance, the third distance is less than a second threshold, and the first threshold is greater than or equal to the second threshold.

[0035] Here, the first device may be a wireless access point (AP) or other data communication device, and the second device may be a user terminal or other data communication device.

[0036] According to the above method, when the first device communicates, it does not use all antennas to transmit data simultaneously, but selects a pair of antennas, such as the first antenna and the second antenna, whose distance between them is greater than a first threshold value from all antennas to communicate. In general, in order to meet the requirement of the spatial correlation of the antennas, i.e., to make the spacing as large as possible, the spacing between the antennas in the pair of antennas is generally set to be greater than half the wavelength of the incident electromagnetic wave, i.e., 1 / 2 wavelength, and the first threshold value may be set to half the wavelength. By adopting such a combination of antennas with low spatial correlation to communicate, a good communication effect can be guaranteed.

[0037] It should be clarified that when performing data communication, the communication is not limited to using two antennas, the first antenna and the second antenna, but more antennas may be used to communicate with the second device at the same time, as long as any two antennas meet the requirements of the first threshold.

[0038] In addition, the first device further has a third antenna, and the distance between the third antenna and the second antenna is smaller than the second threshold value, so that the distance between the antennas used in the AOA measurement can be ensured to be sufficiently close when the AOA measurement is performed later, and the AOA arrival angle can be well resolved. In general, in order to meet the requirements of the angle measurement array antenna, the distance between the third antenna and the second antenna is generally set to be smaller than half a wavelength, and the second threshold value may be set to be half a wavelength. In addition, the first threshold value is equal to or larger than the second threshold value.

[0039] Similarly, when performing AOA measurement, the measurement is not limited to using two antennas, the second antenna and the third antenna, but more antennas may be used for measurement, as long as the second threshold requirement is met between any two antennas.

[0040] It should also be noted that the spacing between the antennas does not need to be perfectly consistent, but only needs to meet the requirements of the first and second thresholds. Here, the first and second thresholds may be the same or different. The settings of the first and second thresholds are not limited to only half wavelengths, and may be further adjusted to other lengths according to the needs of the service, for example, they may be set to 1 / 4 wavelength, 3 / 4 wavelength, etc.

[0041] Furthermore, since the distance between the first antenna and the third antenna is greater than the first threshold, the first antenna and the third antenna may be used as one combination for communication transmission.

[0042] In one possible implementation, after receiving first data transmitted from a second device via the first antenna at a first time and receiving second data transmitted from the second device via the second antenna, the method includes receiving third data transmitted from the second device via the first antenna at a second time and receiving fourth data transmitted from the second device via the third antenna; and calculating first channel state (CSI) information of the first antenna at the first time based on the first data. acquiring second CSI information of the second antenna at the first time based on the second data, acquiring third CSI information of the first antenna at the second time based on the third data, and acquiring fourth CSI information of the third antenna at the second time based on the fourth data; and acquiring incident angle information of the second device with respect to the first device based on the first CSI information, the second CSI information, the third CSI information, and the fourth CSI information.

[0043] The AOA measurement can be realized by the CSI information of each antenna, the spacing between each antenna, the antenna radiation pattern, and the transmission delay of each antenna. Specifically, when performing the AOA measurement, an angle estimate of the second device relative to the first device may be obtained using a Music algorithm or the like.

[0044] The antenna array may be a linear array or an area array. When solving the AOA, a linear array is a good array method for solving the problem, but the linear array has a problem of low resolution in the array direction. Therefore, when designing an antenna, a planar array or a three-dimensional array may be used instead of a linear array.

[0045] In another possible implementation, obtaining incident angle information of the second device relative to the first device based on the first CSI information, the second CSI information, the third CSI information, and the fourth CSI information includes obtaining a first deviation between the first CSI information and the third CSI information, performing calibration on the fourth CSI information based on the first deviation to obtain a first correction value of the fourth CSI information at the first time, and obtaining incident angle information of the second device relative to the first device based on the second CSI information and the first correction value.

[0046] In order to prevent each CSI information from being influenced by the reference value at a different time, it is necessary to perform a correction on the CSI at the second time and correct the related CSI to the first time. Specifically, assume that the CSI information of the first antenna at the first time is CSI1-1, the CSI information of the second antenna at the first time is CSI2-1, the CSI information of the first antenna at the second time is CSI1-2, and the CSI information of the third antenna at the second time is CSI3-2. A first deviation value Delta1 can be obtained by subtracting CSI1-2 and CSI1-1. The CSI information of the third antenna at the first time, CSI3-1, is obtained by subtracting the Delta1 compensation from CSI3-2. The corrected CSI3-1 and CSI2-1 are employed to perform angle estimation of the second device, and an angle estimation of the second device relative to the first device may be obtained by using, for example, a Music algorithm. In this scenario, the distance between the second antenna and the third antenna is less than the second threshold, so the AOA angle of arrival solution can be well realized.

[0047] In another possible implementation, a fourth antenna is further installed in the first device, and after receiving third data transmitted from the second device via the first antenna at a second time and receiving the fourth data transmitted from the second device via the third antenna, receiving fifth data transmitted from the second device via the third antenna at a third time and receiving sixth data transmitted from the second device via the fourth antenna, and calculating the third time of the third antenna based on the fifth data. and acquiring sixth CSI information of the fourth antenna at the third time based on the sixth data, where a distance between the third antenna and the fourth antenna is a fourth distance, the fourth distance being greater than the first threshold, a distance between the first antenna and the fourth antenna is a fifth distance, a distance between the second antenna and the fourth antenna is a sixth distance, and the fifth distance and the sixth distance are less than the second threshold.

[0048] Furthermore, the calculation by four antennas is a basic condition for making the AOA measurement relatively reliable, and a fourth antenna may be further installed on the first device. In the four-antenna scenario, the distance between the first antenna and the second antenna and the distance between the third antenna and the fourth antenna are both greater than the first threshold, so that two combinations may be used for communication transmission. When it is necessary to perform AoA angle measurement for the second device, the first device sequentially uses three antenna combinations to communicate with the second device and obtain six CSI information, thereby realizing a more accurate measurement of the AOA arrival angle.

[0049] In another possible implementation, obtaining incident angle information of the second device with respect to the first device based on the first CSI information, the second CSI information, the third CSI information, and the fourth CSI information includes obtaining a first deviation between the first CSI information and the third CSI information, performing a calibration on the fourth CSI information based on the first deviation to obtain a first correction value of the fourth CSI information at the first time, obtaining a second deviation between the fourth CSI information and the fifth CSI information, and performing a calibration on the sixth CSI information based on the first deviation and the second deviation to obtain a second correction value of the sixth CSI information at the first time, and obtaining incident angle information of the second device with respect to the first device based on the first CSI information, the second CSI information, the first correction value, and the second correction value.

[0050] In the four-antenna scenario, it is also necessary to perform correction on the CSI in a similar manner to correct the CSI at the second time and the third time to the first time, thereby realizing a more accurate AOA calibration. Specifically, it is assumed that the CSI information of the first antenna at the first time is CSI1-1, the CSI information of the second antenna at the first time is CSI2-1, the CSI information of the first antenna at the second time is CSI1-2, the CSI information of the third antenna at the second time is CSI3-2, the CSI information of the third antenna at the third time is CSI3-3, and the CSI information of the fourth antenna at the third time is CSI4-3. A first deviation value Delta1 can be obtained by subtracting CSI1-2 from CSI1-1, a Delta2 compensation can be subtracted from CSI3-2 to obtain CSI3-1, which is the CSI information of the third antenna at the first time, a second deviation value Delta2 can be obtained by subtracting CSI3-3 from CSI3-2, and a Delta1 and Delta2 compensation can be subtracted from CSI4-3 to obtain CSI4-1, which is the CSI information of the fourth antenna at the first time. The corrected CSI3-1 and the corrected CSI4-1, and CSI1-1 and CSI2-1 may be employed to perform angle estimation of the second device, and an angle estimation of the second device relative to the first device may be obtained by using, for example, a Music algorithm or the like. In this scenario, the distance between the second antenna and the third antenna, the distance between the first antenna and the fourth antenna, and the distance between the second antenna and the fourth antenna are all less than the second threshold, so that the AOA angle of arrival solution can be well achieved.

[0051] With the above method, under the premise of ensuring the basic transmission performance between devices, when it is necessary to measure the AOA arrival angle of the counterpart device, the effect of measuring the arrival angle can also be taken into consideration, greatly expanding the application scenarios of the first device and improving the performance of the first device.

[0052] It should be noted that the present application does not limit the number of antennas, and there may be four, five, six or more antennas, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the present application as long as they meet the requirements of the first threshold and the second threshold mentioned above.

[0053] Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device for use in a first device. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 3, the communication device includes an antenna assembly 32 and a switch assembly 34, where the antenna assembly 32 is used to communicate with a second device, where the antenna assembly includes a first antenna 322, a second antenna 324 and a third antenna 326, and the switch assembly 34 receives first data transmitted from the second device via the first antenna 322 at a first time, and switches second data transmitted from the second device via the second antenna 324. and a second distance between the first antenna 322 and the third antenna 326, the first distance being a first distance, the second distance being a second distance, the first distance being greater than a first threshold, the second antenna 322 and the third antenna 326 being a third distance, the third distance being less than a second threshold, and the first threshold being greater than or equal to the second threshold.

[0054] Here, the first device may be a wireless access point (AP) or other data communication device, and the second device may be a user terminal or other data communication device.

[0055] According to the above method, when the first device communicates, it does not use all antennas to transmit data simultaneously, but selects a pair of antennas, such as the first antenna and the second antenna, whose distance between them is greater than a first threshold, from among all antennas to communicate. In general, in order to meet the requirement of spatial correlation of antennas, i.e., to make the distance as large as possible, the distance between antennas in the pair of antennas is generally set to be greater than a half wavelength, and the first threshold may be set to a half wavelength. By adopting such a combination of antennas with low correlation for communication, a good communication effect can be guaranteed.

[0056] It should be clarified that when performing data communication, the communication is not limited to using two antennas, the first antenna and the second antenna, but more antennas may be used to communicate with the second device at the same time, as long as any two antennas meet the requirements of the first threshold.

[0057] In addition, the first device further has a third antenna, and the distance between the third antenna and the second antenna is smaller than the second threshold value, so as to ensure that the AOA angle of arrival can be well resolved when the AOA measurement is performed later. In general, in order to meet the requirements of the angle measurement array antenna, the distance between the third antenna and the second antenna is generally set to be smaller than half a wavelength, and the second threshold value may be set to be half a wavelength. In addition, the first threshold value is equal to or larger than the second threshold value.

[0058] Similarly, when performing AOA measurement, the measurement is not limited to using two antennas, the second antenna and the third antenna, but more antennas may be used for measurement, as long as the second threshold requirement is met between any two antennas.

[0059] It should also be noted that the spacing between the antennas does not need to be perfectly consistent, but only needs to meet the requirements of the first and second thresholds, where the first and second thresholds can be the same or different, and the settings of the first and second thresholds are not limited to only half wavelengths, but can also be adjusted to other lengths according to the needs of the service, for example, 1 / 4 wavelength, 3 / 4 wavelength, etc.

[0060] Furthermore, since the distance between the first antenna and the third antenna is greater than the first threshold, the first antenna and the third antenna may be used as one combination for communication transmission.

[0061] In yet another possible implementation, the switch assembly 34 is further used to control the antenna assembly 32 to receive third data transmitted from the second device via the first antenna 322 at a second time and to receive fourth data transmitted from the second device via the third antenna 324, and the device is controlled by a Central Processing The radio communication system further includes a central processing unit (CPU) 38 that is used to acquire first channel condition CSI information of the first antenna at the first time based on the first data, acquire second CSI information of the second antenna at the first time based on the second data, acquire third CSI information of the first antenna at the second time based on the third data, acquire fourth CSI information of the third antenna at the second time based on the fourth data, and acquire incident angle information of the second device with respect to the first device based on the first CSI information, the second CSI information, the third CSI information, and the fourth CSI information.

[0062] In yet another possible implementation, the CPU 38 is further used to acquire a first deviation between the first CSI information and the third CSI information, perform calibration on the fourth CSI information based on the first deviation to acquire a first correction value of the fourth CSI information at the first time, and acquire incident angle information of the second device relative to the first device based on the second CSI information and the first correction value.

[0063] In order to prevent each CSI information from being influenced by the reference value at a different time, it is necessary to perform a correction on the CSI at the second time and correct the related CSI to the first time. Specifically, assume that the CSI information of the first antenna at the first time is CSI1-1, the CSI information of the second antenna at the first time is CSI2-1, the CSI information of the first antenna at the second time is CSI1-2, and the CSI information of the third antenna at the second time is CSI3-2. A first deviation value Delta1 can be obtained by subtracting CSI1-2 and CSI1-1. The CSI information of the third antenna at the first time, CSI3-1, is obtained by subtracting the Delta1 compensation from CSI3-2. The corrected CSI3-1 and CSI2-1 are employed to perform angle estimation of the second device, and an angle estimation of the second device relative to the first device may be obtained by using, for example, a Music algorithm. In this scenario, the distance between the second antenna and the third antenna is less than the second threshold, so the AOA angle of arrival solution can be well realized.

[0064] When the first device is a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) AP, the first device may further include a radio frequency assembly 36 and a WiFi chip 310. Here, the CPU 38 is responsible for controlling the WiFi chip 310 and calculating AoA angle information, the WiFi chip 310 is responsible for implementing WLAN-related protocols to communicate with the second device, which may further be used in the embodiment of the present application to perform CSI data extraction and antenna switching arrangement, the radio frequency assembly 36 is responsible for performing expansion, filtering, etc. on the radio frequency WLAN signal, the switch assembly 34 is used to realize the selection of different antennas by the gate function of the switch using a single radio frequency WLAN signal, where the gate of the switch is controlled by the WLAN chip, and the antenna assembly 32 is used to radiate the radio frequency WLAN signal into space, or receive the incident electromagnetic wave in space, and conduct it to the WLAN chip in stages.

[0065] In another possible implementation, the switch assembly 34 is composed of a first switch 342 and a second switch 344, the radio frequency assembly 36 is composed of a first radio frequency subassembly 362 and a second radio frequency subassembly 364, the first switch 342 cooperates with the second radio frequency assembly 362 to control the first antenna 322 and the fourth antenna 328, and the second switch 344 cooperates with the second radio frequency assembly 364 to control the second antenna 324 and the third antenna 326. The switch assembly 34 in the present application may be realized by a mechanical switch, an electronic switch, or a combination of both, as long as it can realize the gate function required in the present application. For example, the first switch 342 and the second switch 344 may be a single-pole double-throw switch or a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET, abbreviated as MOS) switch circuit.

[0066] It should be noted that the functionality of each of the above assemblies may be realized by cooperation between software and physical hardware, for example, the switch functionality may be realized by cooperation between a software program and a physical switch, and similarly, the functionality of some assemblies may instead be realized by other assemblies, for example, the switch functionality may be realized by a CPU.

[0067] 4 is a schematic diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 4, in yet another embodiment, the antenna assembly 32 further includes a fourth antenna 328, the switch assembly 34 is further used to control the antenna assembly 32 to receive fifth data transmitted from the second device via the third antenna 326 at a third time and to receive sixth data transmitted from the second device via the fourth antenna 328, and the CPU 38 further obtains fifth CSI information at the third time of the third antenna 326 based on the fifth data, and obtains sixth CSI information at the third time of the fourth antenna 328 based on the sixth data. and acquiring sixth CSI information based on the first CSI information, the second CSI information, the third CSI information, the fourth CSI information, the fifth CSI information, and the sixth CSI information, where a distance between the third antenna and the fourth antenna is a fourth distance, the fourth distance being greater than the first threshold, a distance between the first antenna and the fourth antenna is a fifth distance, a distance between the second antenna and the fourth antenna is a sixth distance, and the fifth distance and the sixth distance are smaller than the second threshold.

[0068] Furthermore, the calculation by four antennas is a basic condition for making the AoA measurement relatively reliable, and the first device may further install a fourth antenna. In the four-antenna scenario, the distance between the first antenna and the second antenna and the distance between the third antenna and the fourth antenna are both greater than the first threshold, so that two combinations may be used for communication transmission. When it is necessary to perform AoA angle measurement for the second device, the first device sequentially uses three antenna combinations to communicate with the second device and obtain six pieces of CSI information, thereby realizing more accurate measurement of the AOA arrival angle.

[0069] In yet another possible implementation, the CPU 38 is further used to acquire a first deviation between the first CSI information and the third CSI information, perform calibration on the fourth CSI information based on the first deviation to acquire a first correction value of the fourth CSI information at the first time, acquire a second deviation between the fourth CSI information and the fifth CSI information, perform calibration on the sixth CSI information based on the first deviation and the second deviation to acquire a second correction value of the sixth CSI information at the first time, and acquire incident angle information of the second device with respect to the first device based on the first CSI information, the second CSI information, the first correction value, and the second correction value.

[0070] In the four-antenna scenario, it is also necessary to perform correction on the CSI in a similar manner to correct the CSI at the second time and the third time to the first time, thereby realizing a more accurate AOA calibration. Specifically, it is assumed that the CSI information of the first antenna at the first time is CSI1-1, the CSI information of the second antenna at the first time is CSI2-1, the CSI information of the first antenna at the second time is CSI1-2, the CSI information of the third antenna at the second time is CSI3-2, the CSI information of the third antenna at the third time is CSI3-3, and the CSI information of the fourth antenna at the third time is CSI4-3. A first deviation value Delta1 can be obtained by subtracting CSI1-2 from CSI1-1, a Delta2 compensation can be subtracted from CSI3-2 to obtain CSI3-1 of CSI information of the third antenna at the first time, a second deviation value Delta2 can be obtained by subtracting CSI3-3 from CSI3-2, and a Delta1 and Delta2 compensation can be subtracted from CSI4-3 to obtain CSI4-1 of CSI information of the fourth antenna at the first time. The corrected CSI3-1 and corrected CSI4-1, and CSI1-1 and CSI2-1 may be employed to perform angle estimation of the second device, and an angle estimation of the second device relative to the first device may be obtained using, for example, a Music algorithm or the like. In this scenario, the distance between the second antenna and the third antenna, the distance between the first antenna and the fourth antenna, and the distance between the second antenna and the fourth antenna are all less than the second threshold, so that the AOA angle of arrival solution can be well achieved.

[0071] In another possible implementation, the switch assembly 34 and the radio frequency assembly 36 are integrated and designed to form a front-end assembly (Front-end Modules, FEM) with a double antenna interface. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the change in the organizational architecture before and after the integrated design according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 5, before the integrated design, there are two Single Pole Double Throw (SPDT) switches, one switch is connected to a power amplifier (PA) and a low noise amplifier (LNA) in the radio frequency assembly, and the second switch is connected to two antennas, and there is signal attenuation at each switch. After the integrated design, the two SPDT switches are integrated into one Double Pole Double Throw (DPDT) switch, and only signal attenuation occurs at one switch. Therefore, the integrated design can reduce the production cost of the first device, and the integration of the switches can reduce the attenuation of the radio frequency signal.

[0072] It should be noted that the number of antennas connected to the switch assembly is not limited, and may be two or more, as long as it is appropriately adjusted according to the structure of the switch assembly.

[0073] In another possible implementation, the antenna assembly 32, the switch assembly 34 and the radio frequency assembly 36 are integrated and installed on a PCB board, which can better reduce the production cost of the first device. At this time, compared with an external antenna, the radiation efficiency of the PCB built-in antenna is lower, but from the practical application results, its communication optimization effect and AoA measurement ability are both maintained. Therefore, this design method can have a strong function without increasing the cost, and can realize the AoA measurement function in almost all first devices, such as APs.

[0074] In another possible implementation, at least one antenna in the antenna assembly 36 is installed outside the PCB board. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the number of external antennas. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 6, the design may hold two high-performance external antennas, such as the first antenna 322 and the third antenna 326, and the second antenna 324 and the fourth antenna 328 may be implemented as built-in PCB. The distance parameters between the antennas still meet the above design requirements, and the mode is a smart antenna mode. The first device holds the smart antenna mode supporting antenna switching through the above-mentioned external antenna manner, so that the terminal can select the most suitable antenna for communication, and the transmission performance can be further improved compared with the fixed antenna.

[0075] The module division in the embodiments of the present application is a schematic and merely a logical functional division, and may have a different division manner when actually realized. In addition, each functional module in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processor, may exist physically alone, or two or more modules may be integrated into one module. The integrated modules may be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules.

[0076] Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, and referring to Fig. 7, the electronic device includes at least one processor 72 and a memory 74 connected to the at least one processor, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific connection medium between the processor 72 and the memory 74, and takes as an example in Fig. 7 that the processor 72 and the memory 74 are connected via a bus, and the bus is represented by a thick line in Fig. 7, and the connection method between other components is merely described in a schematic manner and is not limited thereto. The bus may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc., and is represented by only one thick line in Fig. 7 for ease of illustration, but does not mean that there is only one bus or only one bus type.

[0077] In an embodiment of the present application, the memory 74 stores instructions executable by the at least one processor 72, and the at least one processor 72 can perform the steps included in the communication method described above by executing the instructions stored in the memory 74.

[0078] Here, the processor 72 is the control center of the electronic device, and connects each part of the entire electronic device using various interfaces and lines, and can perform each function and data processing of the electronic device by running or executing instructions stored in the memory 74 and accessing data stored in the memory 74, thereby monitoring the electronic device as a whole.

[0079] Optionally, the processor 72 may include one or more processing units, and the processor 72 may integrate an application processor and a modem processor, where the application processor is mainly for processing an operating system, a user interface, and application programs, and the modem processor is mainly for processing wireless communication. As can be understood, the modem processor may not be integrated into the processor 72. In some embodiments, the processor 72 and the memory 74 may be implemented on the same chip, and in some embodiments, they may each be implemented on a separate chip.

[0080] The processor 72 may be a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor, a dedicated integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware assembly, and may implement or execute each method, step, and logic block diagram disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any general processor, etc. The steps of the methods disclosed in connection with the embodiments of the present application may be directly embodied as execution completed by a hardware processor, or execution completed by a combination of hardware and software modules in a processor.

[0081] The memory 74 may be used as a non-volatile computer readable storage medium to store non-volatile software programs, non-volatile computer executable programs and modules. The memory 74 may include at least one type of storage medium, such as flash memory, hard disk, multimedia card, card type memory, random access memory (RAM), static random access memory (SRAM), programmable read only memory (PROM), read only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic memory, magnetic disk, optical disk, etc. The memory 74 may be any other computer accessible medium that can be used to carry or store program code expected in the form of instructions or data structures, but is not limited thereto. The memory 74 in the embodiment of the present application may also be a circuit or any other device capable of implementing a memory function, and is used to store program instructions and / or data.

[0082] By design programming the processor 72, code corresponding to the communication methods introduced in the above-mentioned embodiments can be fixed within the chip, so that the steps of the above-mentioned communication methods can be executed when the chip is running. How to design and program the processor 72 is a technique well known to those skilled in the art, and will not be described here.

[0083] Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present application further provides a storage medium, in which computer instructions are stored, and when the computer instructions are run on a computer, the computer performs the steps of the communication method described above.

[0084] In some possible embodiments, each aspect of the communication method according to the present application may further be realized in the form of a program product including program code, which, when the program product is run on a communication device, is used to cause the communication device to execute steps in the communication method of each exemplary embodiment of the present application as described hereinabove.

[0085] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the embodiments of the present application may be provided as a method, a system, or a computer program product. Thus, the present application may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware. And, the present application may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer usable storage mediums (including, but not limited to, magnetic disk memories, optical memories, etc.) containing computer usable program code.

[0086] The present application is described with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that each flow and / or block in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, and combinations of flows and / or blocks in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, may be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to generate a machine. The instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device thereby generate an apparatus for implementing the functions specified in a flow or flows in the flowcharts and / or in a block or blocks in the block diagrams.

[0087] These computer program instructions may be stored in a computer readable memory that can cause a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a particular manner such that the instructions stored in the computer readable memory produce an article of manufacture that includes an instruction apparatus that implements the functions specified in a flow or flows in the flowcharts and / or in a block or blocks in the block diagrams.

[0088] These computer program instructions may be installed on a computer or other programmable data processing device to cause the computer or other programmable device to execute a series of operational steps to generate a computer-implemented process, whereby the instructions executing on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in a flow or flows in the flowcharts and / or in a block or blocks in the block diagrams.

[0089] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and its equivalent technology, the present application intends to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method for use in a first device, the first device including a first antenna, a second antenna, and a third antenna, the method comprising: receiving first data from a second device via the first antenna at a first time and receiving second data from the second device via the second antenna; wherein the distance between the first antenna and the second antenna is a first distance, the distance between the first antenna and the third antenna is a second distance, the first distance and the second distance are greater than a first threshold, the distance between the second antenna and the third antenna is a third distance, the third distance is smaller than a second threshold, and the first threshold is greater than or equal to the second threshold.

2. receiving third data from the second device via the first antenna at a second time and receiving fourth data from the second device via the third antenna; acquiring first channel condition CSI information based on the first data, acquiring second CSI information based on the second data, acquiring third CSI information based on the third data, and acquiring fourth CSI information based on the fourth data; and obtaining incident angle information of the second device relative to the first device based on the first CSI information, the second CSI information, the third CSI information, and the fourth CSI information.

3. The acquiring of incident angle information of the second device with respect to the first device based on the first CSI information, the second CSI information, the third CSI information, and the fourth CSI information includes: obtaining a first deviation between the first CSI information and the third CSI information, and performing calibration on the fourth CSI information based on the first deviation to obtain a first correction value of the fourth CSI information; and obtaining incident angle information of the second device relative to the first device based on the second CSI information and the first correction value.

4. The first device further includes a fourth antenna, and the method further includes: receiving fifth data from the second device via the third antenna at a third time and sixth data from the second device via the fourth antenna; obtaining fifth CSI information based on the fifth data and obtaining sixth CSI information based on the sixth data; 3. The method of claim 2, wherein a distance between the third antenna and the fourth antenna is a fourth distance, the fourth distance being greater than the first threshold, a distance between the first antenna and the fourth antenna is a fifth distance, a distance between the second antenna and the fourth antenna is a sixth distance, and the fifth distance and the sixth distance are less than the second threshold.

5. The acquiring of incident angle information of the second device with respect to the first device based on the first CSI information, the second CSI information, the third CSI information, and the fourth CSI information includes: obtaining a first deviation between the first CSI information and the third CSI information, and performing calibration on the fourth CSI information based on the first deviation to obtain a first correction value of the fourth CSI information; obtaining a second deviation between the fourth CSI information and the fifth CSI information, and performing calibration on the sixth CSI information based on the first deviation and the second deviation to obtain a second correction value of the sixth CSI information; and obtaining incident angle information of the second device relative to the first device based on the first CSI information, the second CSI information, the first correction value, and the second correction value.

6. the first threshold is a half wavelength of an incident electromagnetic wave; Or, The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the second threshold is half a wavelength of an incident electromagnetic wave.

7. A communication device for use with a first device, the communication device including an antenna assembly and a switch assembly, the antenna assembly is used to communicate with a second device, where the antenna assembly includes a first antenna, a second antenna, and a third antenna; the switch assembly is used to control the antenna assembly to receive first data from a second device via the first antenna at a first time and to receive second data from the second device via the second antenna; wherein the distance between the first antenna and the second antenna is a first distance, the distance between the first antenna and the third antenna is a second distance, the first distance and the second distance are greater than a first threshold, the distance between the second antenna and the third antenna is a third distance, the third distance is smaller than a second threshold, and the first threshold is greater than or equal to the second threshold.

8. the switch assembly is further adapted to control the antenna assembly to receive third data from the second device via the first antenna at a second time and to receive fourth data from the second device via the third antenna; 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first device further includes a CPU, the CPU being used for obtaining first channel condition CSI information based on the first data, obtaining second CSI information based on the second data, obtaining third CSI information based on the third data, obtaining fourth CSI information based on the fourth data, and obtaining incident angle information of the second device relative to the first device based on the first CSI information, the second CSI information, the third CSI information, and the fourth CSI information.

9. The CPU further comprises: obtaining a first deviation between the first CSI information and the third CSI information, and performing calibration on the fourth CSI information based on the first deviation to obtain a first correction value of the fourth CSI information; The apparatus of claim 8 , which is used to obtain incident angle information of the second device relative to the first device based on the second CSI information and the first correction value.

10. the antenna assembly further includes a fourth antenna; the switch assembly is further used to control the antenna assembly to receive a fifth data from the second device via the third antenna and a sixth data from the second device via the fourth antenna at a third time; The CPU is further used to obtain fifth CSI information based on the fifth data, obtain sixth CSI information based on the sixth data, and obtain incident angle information of the second device relative to the first device based on the first CSI information, the second CSI information, the third CSI information, the fourth CSI information, the fifth CSI information, and the sixth CSI information; 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein a distance between the third antenna and the fourth antenna is a fourth distance, the fourth distance being greater than the first threshold, a distance between the first antenna and the fourth antenna is a fifth distance, a distance between the second antenna and the fourth antenna is a sixth distance, and the fifth distance and the sixth distance are less than the second threshold.

11. The CPU further comprises: obtaining a first deviation between the first CSI information and the third CSI information, and performing calibration on the fourth CSI information based on the first deviation to obtain a first correction value of the fourth CSI information; obtaining a second deviation between the fourth CSI information and the fifth CSI information, and performing calibration on the sixth CSI information based on the first deviation and the second deviation to obtain a second correction value of the sixth CSI information; The apparatus of claim 10, used to obtain incident angle information of the second device relative to the first device based on the first CSI information, the second CSI information, the first correction value, and the second correction value.

12. the first threshold is a half wavelength of an incident electromagnetic wave; Or, The apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein the second threshold is half a wavelength of an incident electromagnetic wave.

13. 12. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a radio frequency assembly, wherein the switch assembly comprises one or more switches, one end of the switches being connected to a plurality of antennas and another end of the switches being connected to the radio frequency assembly.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the antenna assembly, the switch assembly, and the radio frequency assembly are integrally mounted on a PCB substrate.

15. the switch assembly includes a first switch and a second switch, and the radio frequency assembly includes a first radio frequency subassembly and a second radio frequency subassembly; the first switch controls the first antenna and the fourth antenna in cooperation with the second radio frequency assembly; The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the second switch controls the second antenna and the third antenna in cooperation with the second radio frequency assembly.

16. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first switch and the second switch are both double-pole, double-throw switches.

17. The device according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein an arrangement type of antennas in the antenna assembly is a planar array or a volume array.

18. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein at least one antenna in the antenna assembly is located outside the PCB substrate.

19. A non-volatile computer readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program being configured to perform a method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 when run.

20. An electronic device comprising a memory and a processor, the memory storing a computer program, the processor being configured to run the computer program to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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