Signal processing system, remote wireless module, and antenna unit

Abstract

This application provides a signal processing system, a remote radio unit, and an antenna unit. The signal processing system includes N baseband transmitting units, a first power balancing module, a second power balancing module, N baseband receiving units, and an antenna unit. The antenna unit includes N antenna ports and a third power balancing module. The first power balancing module and the second power balancing module may be configured to perform power balance adjustment on a plurality of digital signals in the uplink direction and the downlink direction, respectively, and the third power balancing module may be configured to perform power balance adjustment on radio frequency signals in the uplink direction and the downlink direction. Therefore, based on this structure, power sharing between different sectors in the downlink direction can be realized, and an existing RRU structure can be adapted. This can improve the flexibility of solutions for power sharing between sectors of a base station.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross-reference to Related Art This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202211060794.1, filed with the China National Intellectual Property Administration on August 31, 2022, entitled "SIGNAL PROCESSING SYSTEM, REMOTE RADIO UNIT, AND ANTENNA UNIT", the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular, to signal processing systems, remote radio units, and antenna units.

Background Art

[0003] Base stations are the most important part of a cellular mobile communication network and are configured to realize wireless signal reception and transmission between a user's mobile terminal and the mobile network. Under certain capacity, weight, and cost constraints, the downlink transmission power that a base station can achieve is limited. Power sharing can make full use of the limited radio frequency transmission power of the base station to achieve optimal coverage and optimal downlink performance.

[0004] In current power sharing solutions, it is necessary to arrange two bridges (hybrid couplers) in the transmission circuit of the RRU of the base station, and power balancing of multiple antenna ports (i.e., different sectors) is implemented using the two bridges. However, in this solution, it is necessary to greatly improve the currently widely used RRU. Therefore, the existing solutions for power sharing between different sectors are not flexible enough.

Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a signal processing system, a remote radio unit, and an antenna unit for providing a flexible solution for power sharing between different sectors of a base station.

[0006] According to a first aspect, the application provides a signal processing system. The system includes N baseband transmitting units, a first power balancing module, a second power balancing module, N baseband receiving units, and an antenna unit. The antenna unit may include N antenna ports and a third power balancing module, where N is a positive integer greater than 1. The N baseband transmitting units may be configured to generate a first digital signal transmitted through the N antenna ports. The first power balancing module is configured to perform power balancing adjustments for the first digital signal from each of the N baseband transmitting units. A third power balancing module is configured to perform power balancing on a first high-frequency signal, the first high-frequency signal being acquired based on a first digital signal after power balancing, and to transmit the first high-frequency signal after power balancing to N antenna ports. The third power balancing module may be further configured to perform power balancing on a second high-frequency signal, which is received via the N antenna ports. A second power balancing module may be configured to perform power balancing on a second digital signal and to transmit the second digital signal after power balancing to N baseband receiving units. The second digital signal is acquired based on a second high-frequency signal after power balancing. The N baseband receiving units may be configured to perform baseband processing on the second digital signal after power balancing.

[0007] In this embodiment of this application, the first and second power balancing modules may be configured to perform power balancing adjustments for multiple digital signals in the uplink and downlink directions, respectively, and the third power balancing module may be configured to perform power balancing adjustments for radio frequency signals in the uplink and downlink directions. Thus, power sharing between different sectors can be achieved in the uplink direction based on this structure. The third power balancing module does not belong to the remote radio module. Therefore, there is no need to add an additional bridge between the power amplifier and the duplexer (or filter) of the remote radio module. In this way, the third power balancing module can be flexibly used in an existing RRU to achieve power sharing between different sectors. Thus, the flexibility of the solution for power sharing between sectors of a base station can be improved based on the signal processing system described in the first embodiment.

[0008] In possible implementations, a first power balancing module may be specifically configured to perform power balancing adjustment for a first digital signal from each of N baseband transmitting units based on a first power balancing matrix, a third power balancing module may be specifically configured to perform power balancing adjustment for a first high-frequency signal based on a second power balancing matrix, wherein the first and second power balancing matrices are inverses of each other, and / or, a second power balancing module may be specifically configured to perform power balancing adjustment for a second digital signal based on a third power balancing matrix, a third power balancing module may be specifically configured to perform power balancing adjustment for a second high-frequency signal based on a second power balancing matrix, wherein the third and second power balancing matrices are inverses of each other. Thus, the effectiveness of power balancing adjustment in the signal processing system can be improved.

[0009] In a possible implementation, a first power balancing module may be specifically configured to transmit a first digital signal after power balancing to N transmit channels. A first high-frequency signal is acquired by the N transmit channels based on the first digital signal after power balancing. A second power balancing module may be specifically configured to receive a second digital signal from N receive channels. The second digital signal is acquired by the N transmit channels based on a second high-frequency signal after power balancing. Each transmit channel may include a first amplitude-phase correction module and a first delay correction module, the first amplitude-phase correction module may be configured to correct the signal amplitude and signal phase of the transmit channel so that the signal amplitudes of the N transmit channels are the same and the signal phases of the N transmit channels are the same, and the first delay correction module may be configured to correct the signal delay of the transmit channel so that the signal delays of the N transmit channels are the same. Each receiving channel may include a second amplitude-phase correction module and a second delay correction module, the second amplitude-phase correction module being configured to correct the signal amplitude and signal phase of the receiving channels so that the signal amplitudes of the N receiving channels are the same and the signal phases of the N receiving channels are the same, and the second delay correction module being configured to correct the signal delay of the receiving channels so that the signal delays of the N receiving channels are the same.

[0010] Based on this implementation, amplitude-phase correction modules (including a first amplitude-phase correction module and a second amplitude-phase correction module) and / or delay correction modules (including a first delay correction module and a second delay correction module) on the radio frequency channel can correct the amplitude, phase, and delay of digital signals transmitted on the radio frequency channel to eliminate amplitude differences, phase differences, and / or delay differences after the introduction of the first power balancing module, the second power balancing module, and the third power balancing module, etc. This improves communication performance.

[0011] In possible implementations, the signal processing system may further include a first amplitude-phase determination module and a first feedback circuit. The first feedback circuit may be configured to acquire a first high-frequency signal output by each of the N transmit channels. The first amplitude-phase determination module may be configured to determine a first signal amplitude difference, a first signal phase difference, and a first signal delay difference based on the first high-frequency signal output by each of the N transmit channels. A first amplitude-phase correction module on each transmit channel may be particularly configured to correct the signal amplitude of the transmit channel based on the first signal amplitude difference and to correct the phase of the transmit channel based on the first signal phase difference. A first delay correction module on each transmit channel may be particularly configured to correct the signal delay of the transmit channel based on the first signal delay difference.

[0012] Based on this implementation, the feedback circuit may sample the high-frequency signal output by the transmitting channel, and the channel correction module determines the amplitude difference, signal phase difference, and signal delay difference corresponding to the transmitting channel. In addition, the first amplitude-phase correction module corrects the amplitude and phase separately based on the amplitude difference and signal phase difference, and the first delay correction module corrects the delay based on the signal delay difference corresponding to the transmitting channel. This improves the practical accuracy of the correction for the transmitting channel.

[0013] In possible implementations, the signal processing system may further include a second amplitude-phase determination module and a second feedback circuit. The second feedback circuit may be configured to acquire a second power-balanced high-frequency signal input by each of the N receiving channels. The amplitude-phase determination module may be configured to determine a second signal amplitude difference, a second signal phase difference, and a second signal delay difference based on the second power-balanced high-frequency signal input by each of the N receiving channels. A second amplitude-phase correction module on each receiving channel may be specifically configured to correct the signal amplitude of the receiving channel based on the second signal amplitude difference and to correct the phase of the receiving channel based on the second signal phase difference. A second delay correction module on each receiving channel may be specifically configured to correct the signal delay of the receiving channel based on the second signal delay difference.

[0014] Based on this implementation, the feedback circuit may sample the high-frequency signal input to the receiving channel, and the channel correction module determines the amplitude difference, signal phase difference, and signal delay difference corresponding to the receiving channel. In addition, a second amplitude-phase correction module corrects the amplitude and phase separately based on the amplitude difference and signal phase difference, and a second delay correction module corrects the delay based on the signal delay difference corresponding to the receiving channel. This improves the practical accuracy of amplitude-phase correction.

[0015] According to a second aspect, the application provides a remote radio unit comprising a first power balancing module and a second power balancing module. The first power balancing module performs power balancing adjustment to a first digital signal from each of N baseband transmitting units, the balanced first digital signal being used to acquire a first high-frequency signal, the first high-frequency signal being transmitted to an antenna having N antenna ports. 、N may be configured to be an integer greater than 1. A second power balancing module may be configured to perform power balancing adjustments on a second digital signal and transmit the power-balanced second digital signal to N baseband receiving units, respectively. The second digital signal is obtained based on a second high-frequency signal received through N antenna ports of an antenna.

[0016] In possible implementations, a first power balancing module may be specifically configured to perform power balancing on a first digital signal from each of N baseband transmitting units based on a first power balancing matrix, wherein the first and second power balancing matrices are inverses of each other, and / or a second power balancing module may be specifically configured to perform power balancing on a second digital signal based on a third power balancing matrix, wherein the third and second power balancing matrices are inverses of each other. The second power balancing matrix is ​​used by an antenna to perform power balancing on a first high-frequency signal, and is also used by an antenna to perform power balancing on a second high-frequency signal.

[0017] In a possible implementation, the first power balancing module transmits the first digital signal after balancing to N transmit channels, wherein N sendA channel may be specifically configured to be connected to an antenna. A second power balancing module may be specifically configured to receive a second digital signal from N receiving channels. Each transmitting channel may include a first amplitude-phase correction module and a first delay correction module, the first amplitude-phase correction module being configured to correct the signal amplitude and signal phase of the transmitting channel so that the signal amplitudes of the N transmitting channels are the same and the signal phases of the N transmitting channels are the same, and the first delay correction module being configured to correct the signal delay of the transmitting channel so that the signal delays of the N transmitting channels are the same. Each receiving channel may include a second amplitude-phase correction module and a second delay correction module, the second amplitude-phase correction module being configured to correct the signal amplitude and signal phase of the receiving channel so that the signal amplitudes of the N receiving channels are the same and the signal phases of the N receiving channels are the same, and the second delay correction module being configured to correct the signal delay of the receiving channel so that the signal delays of the N receiving channels are the same.

[0018] In possible implementations, the remote radio unit may further include a first feedback circuit configured to acquire a first high-frequency signal output by each of the N transmit channels. The first high-frequency signals output by each of the N transmit channels are used to determine a first signal amplitude difference, a first signal phase difference, and a first signal delay difference. A first amplitude-phase compensation module on each transmit channel may be specifically configured to compensate the signal amplitude of the transmit channel based on the first signal amplitude difference and to compensate the phase of the transmit channel based on the first signal phase difference. A first delay compensation module on each transmit channel may be specifically configured to compensate the signal delay of the transmit channel based on the first signal delay difference.

[0019] In possible implementations, the signal processing system may further include a second amplitude-phase determination module and a second feedback circuit. The second feedback circuit may be configured to acquire a second power-balanced second high-frequency signal input by each of the N receiving channels, the second power-balanced second high-frequency signal input by each of the N receiving channels may be used to determine a second signal amplitude difference, a second signal phase difference, and a second signal delay difference. A second amplitude-phase correction module on each receiving channel may be particularly configured to correct the signal amplitude of the receiving channel based on the second signal amplitude difference and to correct the phase of the receiving channel based on the second signal phase difference. A second delay correction module on each receiving channel may be particularly configured to correct the signal delay of the receiving channel based on the second signal delay difference.

[0020] According to a third aspect, the application further provides an antenna unit comprising N antenna ports and a third power balancing module, where N is an integer greater than 1. The N antenna ports may be configured to receive and transmit high-frequency signals. The third power balancing module may be configured to receive a first high-frequency signal transmitted by a remote radio unit, perform power balancing adjustments to the first high-frequency signal, transmit the power-balanced first high-frequency signal to each of the N antenna ports, perform power balancing adjustments to a second high-frequency signal received each through the N antenna ports, and transmit the power-balanced second high-frequency signal to the remote radio unit.

[0021] In possible implementations, the third power balancing module may be particularly configured to perform power balancing on a first high-frequency signal based on a second power balancing matrix, wherein the second and first power balancing matrices are inverses of each other, and the first power balancing matrix is ​​used by a remote radio unit to perform power balancing on a first digital signal from each of N baseband transmitting units, and the balanced first digital signal is used to acquire the first high-frequency signal, and / or to perform power balancing on a second high-frequency signal based on a second power balancing matrix, wherein the second and third power balancing matrices are inverses of each other, and the third power balancing matrix is ​​used by a remote radio unit to perform power balancing on a second digital signal acquired based on the second high-frequency signal.

[0022] According to a fourth aspect, the application further provides a base station, which may include a signal processing system according to the first aspect and any possible design of the first aspect, a remote radio unit according to the second aspect and any possible design of the second aspect, and an antenna unit according to the third aspect and any possible design of the third aspect.

[0023] According to a fifth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication system comprising a baseband processing unit, a remote radio unit connected to the baseband processing unit, and an antenna unit. The remote radio unit may have the structure described in the second aspect and any possible design of the second aspect, and / or the antenna unit may have the structure described in the third aspect and any possible design of the third aspect.

[0024] For the technical effects brought about by the second to fifth embodiments, please refer to the explanation in the first embodiment. Further details will not be explained again here.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0025] [Figure 1] This is a diagram of the architecture of a wireless communication system according to this application. [Figure 2] This is a diagram of the architecture of a base station according to this application. [Figure 3] This is a diagram of a solution for power sharing between carriers according to this application. [Figure 4] This is a diagram of the structure of a base station in a solution for power sharing between sectors in the downlink direction. [Figure 5] This is a diagram of the structure of a signal processing system according to this application. [Figure 6] This is a diagram of the structure of another signal processing system according to this application.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0026] Embodiments of this application provide a signal processing system, a remote radio unit, and an antenna unit. The methods and apparatuses are based on the same concept. The methods and apparatuses have similar problem-solving principles. Therefore, for the implementation of the apparatuses and methods, please refer to each other. For repeated parts, they will not be described again. In the description of the embodiments of this application, the term "and / or" describes the association relationship between related objects and indicates that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B may indicate the following three cases: only A exists, both A and B exist, and only B exists. The symbol " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between related objects. In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "a plurality of" means two or more. In addition, in the description of this application, terms such as "first" and "second" are only used for distinction and explanation, and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance, or indicating or implying order.

[0027] The data transmission method provided in embodiments of this application may be applied to a fourth-generation (4G) communication system, such as a long-term evolution (LTE) communication system, or a fifth-generation (5G) communication system, such as a 5G new radio (NR) communication system, or to various future communication systems, such as a sixth-generation (6G) communication system. The method provided in embodiments of this application may further be applied to a Bluetooth system, a Wi-Fi system, a LoRa system, or an internet of vehicles system. The method provided in embodiments of this application may further be applied to a satellite communication system, which may be integrated into the above-mentioned communication systems.

[0028] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the architecture of the communication system shown in Figure 1 will be used as an example to describe the application scenarios used in this application. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system includes a network device 101 and a terminal device 102. The devices provided in the embodiments of this application may be used in either the network device 101 or the terminal device 102. It should be understood that Figure 1 shows only one possible architecture of a communication system to which the embodiments of this application may be applied. In other possible scenarios, the architecture of the communication system may alternatively include other devices.

[0029] Network device 101 is a node in a radio access network (RAN), and may also be referred to as a base station or RAN node (or device). Of course, some examples of access network devices include gNB / NR-NB, transmission reception point (TRP), evolved NodeB (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), NodeB (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB or home NodeB, HNB), base-band unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) access point (AP), satellite device, network device in a 5G communication system, or network device in a future possible communication system. Alternatively, network device 101 may be another device having network device functionality. For example, network device 101 may alternatively function as a network device in device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle internet communication, or machine-to-machine communication. Alternatively, network device 101 may be a network device in a future possible communication system.

[0030] In some configurations, a gNB may include a central unit (CU) and a DU. The gNB may further include a radio unit (RU). The CU implements some functions of the gNB, and the DU implements some functions of the gNB. For example, the CU implements the functions of the radio resource control (RRC) layer and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, while the DU implements the functions of the radio link control (RLC) layer, the media access control (MAC) layer, and the physical (PHY) layer. Information in the RRC layer ultimately becomes information in the PHY layer, or is converted from information in the PHY layer. Therefore, in the architecture, higher-layer signaling, such as RRC layer signaling or PDCP layer signaling, may also be considered to be transmitted by the DU, or by both the DU and the RU. It can be understood that a network device may be a CU node, a DU node, or a device containing both CU and DU nodes. In addition, a CU may be classified as a network device in an access network (RAN), or as a network device in a core network (CN). This is not limited to the definitions used herein.

[0031] The terminal device 102 may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), or mobile terminal (MT), and may be a device that provides voice or data connectivity to a user, or an Internet of Things device. For example, the terminal device may include a handheld device or an in-vehicle device with wireless connectivity. Currently, terminal devices may include mobile phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, palmtop computers, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches, smart bands, or pedometers), in-vehicle devices (e.g., cars, bicycles, electric vehicles, airplanes, ships, trains, or high-speed rail), virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, smart home devices (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, or electric meters), intelligent robots, workshop equipment, wireless terminals in autonomous driving, wireless terminals in remote surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, or flying devices (e.g., intelligent robots, hot air balloons, unmanned aerial vehicles, or airplanes). Alternatively, a terminal device may be any other device with terminal functionality. For example, a terminal device may be any device that functions as a terminal in D2D communication. In this application, a terminal device having wireless receiving and transmitting functions, and a chip that can be placed within the terminal device, are collectively referred to as a terminal device.

[0032] The following describes a signal processing apparatus and processing method provided in embodiments of this application, using the example that the network device is a base station. It can be understood that the base station in embodiments of this application may be replaced by a network device or a component within a network device.

[0033] Optionally, the base station may include an antenna and an RRU, as shown in Figure 2. Optionally, the base station may further include a BBU.

[0034] In the structure shown in Figure 2, the base station may include one or more RRUs, one or more BBUs, and an antenna. The BBU may also be referred to as a digital unit (DU) or baseband cell. The RRU may also be referred to as a transceiver machine, transceiver circuit, or transceiver. The RRU may include an RU. The RRU or RU may be configured to perform conversion between baseband signals and radio frequency signals and to process radio frequency signals. The BBU is mainly configured to perform baseband processing and control the base station, such as channel coding, multiplexing, modulation, and spread spectrum. For example, the BBU may be configured to generate downlink digital signals through coding and modulation, demodulate and decode uplink digital signals, and perform uplink and downlink data communication with the UE. The BBU may also be referred to as a baseband unit or baseband board. The antenna may be configured to transmit and receive radio frequency signals in electromagnetic wave form.

[0035] In this application, it may be understood that the BBU and RRU may be physically located together. In this case, the base station is a central base station. Alternatively, the BBU and RRU may be physically located separately. In this case, the base station is a distributed base station.

[0036] In one example, a BBU may include one or more boards, and multiple boards may together support a radio access network having a single access standard (e.g., an LTE network), or they may separately support radio access networks having different access standards (e.g., an LTE network, a 5G network, or other networks). This is not particularly limited. Optionally, the BBU may further include memory and a processor. The memory is configured to store necessary instructions and data. The processor is configured to control the base station to take necessary actions.

[0037] In the operation of a base station, downlink transmit power is a crucial resource. Downlink transmit power directly impacts the base station's downlink performance, including coverage distance, coverage range, and downlink communication quality. Furthermore, to transmit sufficiently high radio frequency power, a corresponding power amplifier (PA) must be designed in the base station product. The power amplifier is typically the most expensive unit circuit in a base station product. Operating, the power amplifier consumes a large amount of electrical energy, making it the most energy-consuming component in the base station. Additionally, the power amplifier generates a significant amount of heat during operation. To dissipate this heat, the base station product must incorporate a power amplifier with sufficient heat dissipation capabilities. Under specific volume, weight, and cost constraints of the base station product, the achievable downlink transmit power is limited. Therefore, the base station's limited radio frequency transmit power must be fully utilized to achieve optimal coverage and optimal downlink performance.

[0038] Power sharing is based on the uneven, random distribution of traffic in real-world environments, where a cell's transmit power is allocated to other cells with traffic when it has light or no traffic. Each cell participating in power sharing can obtain more transmit power resources than in a mode where each cell is allocated a fixed amount of transmit power. This is essentially a resource pool utilization mode, which is equivalent to all the transmit power of each cell participating in power sharing being transferred to a large transmit power pool, and then the transmit power being utilized when needed. Resource pool mode is more efficient than a mode where each cell is allocated a fixed amount of power resources (referred to as independent resource mode). Even if there are some points in time when all cells need to utilize maximum transmit power, the power resources are still allocated uniformly to each cell, which is no worse than utilizing independent resources.

[0039] Power sharing can occur between multiple cells with different frequencies that share a power amplifier. As shown in Figure 3, Carrier 1 (or Cell 1) and Carrier 2 (or Cell 2) operate at frequencies 1 and 2, respectively, and share one power amplifier. Assume the total output power of the power amplifier is 40W. Then, each carrier can be allocated an average power of 20W. Compared to the case where each carrier uses a fixed 20W of power, in this case, power sharing can be performed between the two carriers (cells), and the total transmit power of 40W is dynamically allocated.

[0040] In addition, power sharing can occur between different sectors (or antenna sectors) that do not share a power amplifier. A sector corresponds to an antenna. In other words, different antennas have different sectors.

[0041] As shown in Figure 4, in existing solutions for power sharing between different sectors, a bridge is added before and after the first power amplifier 32 and the second power amplifier 34, respectively, namely the first bridge 35 and the second bridge 36, and the adjustment unit 39 controls the signal strength of the first signal transmission unit 31 and the second signal transmission unit 33 so that the total output power of the two power amplifiers (i.e., the first power amplifier 32 and the second power amplifier 34) can be allocated between the two antennas (i.e., the first antenna 37 and the second antenna 38) to achieve power sharing between the two antennas (and two corresponding sectors).

[0042] However, the sector power sharing shown in Figure 4 is not sufficiently flexible and needs improvement. Specifically, the boundary between the RRU and the antenna is usually the duplexer antenna port. In the solution shown in Figure 4, the duplexer and the structure to the left of the duplexer belong to the RRU, while the structure to the right of the duplexer belongs to the antenna. However, in current common design solutions for RRUs, no bridge is added between the duplexer and the power amplifier. Therefore, the solution shown in Figure 4 requires a different RRU design and deployment than conventional solutions, resulting in an additional RRU model. This is detrimental to RRU standardization and cost reduction.

[0043] To improve the flexibility of sector power sharing solutions, embodiments of this application provide a signal processing system. In this application, the signal processing system may be a base station or a part of a base station.

[0044] As shown in Figure 5, the signal processing system provided in the embodiment of this application may include N baseband transmitting units, a first power balancing module, a second power balancing module, N baseband receiving units, and an antenna unit (or referred to as an antenna). The antenna unit may include N antenna ports and a third power balancing module.

[0045] In this application, unless otherwise specified, signals include digital signals or analog signals.

[0046] Optionally, N baseband transmitting units and N baseband receiving units may be included in a baseband unit. A first power balancing module and a second power balancing module may be included in a remote radio unit. A baseband unit may include a BBU or some components within a BBU, and a remote radio unit may include an RRU or some components within an RRU.

[0047] Optionally, the remote radio unit may further include multiple radio frequency channels, including N receiving channels and N transmitting channels. The receiving channels may be used to convert incoming high-frequency signals into digital signals and output digital signals. The transmitting channels may be used to convert incoming digital signals into high-frequency signals and output high-frequency signals.

[0048] As shown in Figure 5, N baseband transmitting units may be configured to perform baseband processing on signals transmitted through N antenna ports, or to generate signals transmitted through N antenna ports. N baseband receiving units may be configured to perform baseband processing on signals received by antennas. In this application, N is an integer greater than 1. In Figure 5, N=2 is used as an example for illustrative purposes.

[0049] The first power balancing module may be configured to perform power balancing on a first digital signal from each of N baseband transmitting units. The power-balanced first digital signal may be used to acquire a first high-frequency signal. In other words, the first high-frequency signal is acquired based on the power-balanced first digital signal. The first high-frequency signal may be acquired by N transmitting channels based on the power-balanced first digital signal.

[0050] Optionally, the first power balancing module may include N input terminals and N output terminals. Each of the N input terminals of the first power balancing module is connected to the output terminals of N baseband transmitting units. The first power balancing module can receive a first digital signal from the N baseband transmitting units via its input terminals and perform power balancing adjustments to the first digital signal. Optionally, the N baseband transmitting units may generate N first digital signals. The N output terminals of the first power balancing module are connected to the input terminals of N transmitting channels. Thus, the balanced first digital signal can be transmitted to the N transmitting channels. The N transmitting channels may be configured to convert the first digital signal into a high-frequency signal (or radio frequency signal), obtain the first high-frequency signal, and transmit the first high-frequency signal to a third power balancing module.

[0051] The third power balancing module may be configured to perform power balancing on the first high-frequency signal and transmit the power-balanced first high-frequency signal to each of the N antenna ports, thereby transmitting the power-balanced first high-frequency signal via the N antenna ports. In addition, the third power balancing module may be further configured to perform power balancing on a second high-frequency signal received via the N antenna ports of the antenna unit. The N antenna ports can receive N second high-frequency signals. Optionally, the third power balancing module may be further configured to transmit the balanced second high-frequency signal to N receiving channels.

[0052] Optionally, the N first-side ports of the third power balancing module are each connected to N antenna ports. The N second-side ports of the third power balancing module are each connected to the output terminals of N transmit channels, and furthermore, the N second-side ports of the third power balancing module are each connected to the input terminals of N receive channels. In other words, the third power balancing module may be configured to perform power balancing adjustment for a first high-frequency signal output by the output terminals of the transmit channels, and / or to perform power balancing adjustment for a second high-frequency signal. The ports on the first and second sides may be used as input or transmit terminals of the third power balancing module, respectively. The following description is provided in relation to the structure shown in Figure 6, and further details are not described here.

[0053] In addition, the second power balancing module may perform power balancing adjustment on the second digital signal and transmit the power-balanced second digital signal to N baseband receiving units, each of which performs baseband processing on the power-balanced second digital signal. The second digital signal is acquired based on the power-balanced second high-frequency signal, or the power-balanced second high-frequency signal corresponds to the second digital signal. Optionally, the second digital signal may be acquired by N transmission channels based on the power-balanced second high-frequency signal.

[0054] Optionally, the second power balancing module may include N input terminals and N output terminals. Each of the N input terminals of the second power balancing module is connected to the output terminals of N receiving channels. Thus, the second power balancing module may be configured to perform power balancing on digital signals output by the output terminals of the N receiving channels, each of which may be connected to the N second-side ports of the third power balancing module. Each of the N output terminals of the second power balancing module is connected to the input terminals of N baseband receiving units. The N receiving channels may receive a power-balanced second high-frequency signal from the third power balancing module, acquire a second digital signal based on the power-balanced second high-frequency signal, and output the second digital signal to the N input terminals of the second power balancing module.

[0055] Based on the structure shown in Figure 5, the first and second power balancing modules may be configured to perform power balancing adjustment for multiple digital signals in the uplink and downlink directions, respectively, and the third power balancing module may be configured to perform power balancing adjustment for radio frequency signals in the uplink and downlink directions. The third power balancing module does not belong to the remote radio module. Therefore, there is no need to add an additional bridge between the power amplifier and the duplexer (or filter) of the remote radio module. In this way, the third power balancing module can be flexibly used in an existing RRU to implement power sharing between different sectors, improving the flexibility of solutions for power sharing between different sectors of a base station.

[0056] Optionally, one or more modules in the third power balancing module may be implemented using bridges. When N=2, in one example, the third power balancing module is a radio frequency bridge. When N=3, or when N is an integer greater than 3, multiple bridges may be cascaded, or a similar design may be used for implementation. The first and / or second power balancing modules can perform power balancing adjustments through N×N matrix operations in the digital domain, and the elements of the power balancing matrices of the first and / or second power balancing modules are complex numbers.

[0057] In this application, power balancing can be understood as follows: A power balancing module performs a power weighting operation on multiple signals based on a power balancing matrix, and obtains multiple processed signals. The power balancing matrix may essentially be a weight matrix. Therefore, the power balancing matrix of a power balancing module can be designed to achieve power sharing. In this application, the power balancing matrix can be understood to represent the relationship between the input and output signals of the power balancing module.

[0058] Optionally, the power balancing matrix of the first power balancing module shown in Figure 5 (sometimes referred to as the first power balancing matrix) and the power balancing matrix of the third power balancing module shown in Figure 5 (sometimes referred to as the second power balancing matrix) are inverse matrices of each other. In addition, the power balancing matrix of the second power balancing module (sometimes referred to as the third power balancing matrix) and the power balancing matrix of the third power balancing module are inverse matrices of each other.

[0059] Specifically, the first power balancing module may be configured to perform power balancing adjustments for a first digital signal from each of the N baseband transmitting units, based on a first power balancing matrix.

[0060] A third power balancing module may be configured to perform power balancing adjustments for a first high-frequency signal based on a second power balancing matrix, and / or the third power balancing module may be configured to perform power balancing adjustments for a second high-frequency signal based on a second power balancing matrix.

[0061] A second power balancing module may be configured to perform power balancing adjustments for a second digital signal based on a third power balancing matrix.

[0062] For example, the third power balancing module is the bridge shown in Figure 6, and the N transmit channels are Link 1 and Link 2 shown in Figure 6 (i.e., N=2). Then, the power balancing matrix of the first power balancing module (i.e., the first power balancing matrix) [C] is given by the following equation:

[0063]

number

[0064] The following conditions are met: btx1 and btx2 represent two signals (i.e., two first digital signals) input to the first power balancing module, and dtx1 and dtx2 represent two signals (i.e., two first digital signals after power balancing) output by the first power balancing module. [C] is a 2x2 matrix, where each element in the matrix is ​​a complex number in the frequency domain. As shown in Figure 6, btx1 and btx2 are generated by TX baseband cell 1 and TX baseband cell 2, respectively, and transmitted to the two input terminals of the first power balancing module via the output terminals of TX baseband cell 1 and TX baseband cell 2, respectively, and the two output terminals of the first power balancing module are connected to the input terminal of link 1 and the input terminal of link 2, respectively. TX baseband cell 1 and TX baseband cell 2 can be used as baseband transmitting units, respectively, in the embodiment shown in Figure 5.

[0065] In addition, ctx1 and ctx2 in Figure 6 represent the high-frequency signals before power amplification is performed on link 1 and link 2, respectively, and atx1 and atx2 can be obtained based on ctx1 and ctx2, respectively, after power amplification is performed. atx1 and atx2 are the first high-frequency signals generated by link 1 and link 2, respectively.

[0066] Correspondingly, the bridge's power balancing matrix (i.e., the second power balancing matrix) [A] is given by the following equation:

[0067]

number

[0068] The following conditions are met. As shown in Figure 6, atx1 and atx2 represent two signals (i.e., two first high-frequency signals) input from link 1 and link 2 to the first power balancing module, respectively, a1 and a2 represent two signals (i.e., two first high-frequency signals after power balancing) output by the first power balancing module, respectively, and atx1 and atx2 are output to antenna port 1 and antenna port 2, respectively. [A] is a 2x2 matrix, and each element in the matrix is ​​a complex number in the frequency domain.

[0069] By any choice, [A] and [C] = I, meaning that [A] and [C] are inverse matrices of each other, and I is the 2x2 identity matrix.

[0070] In one possible example, [A] is the following expression:

[0071]

number

[0072] It satisfies the condition. In response to that, [C] is given by the following formula:

[0073]

number

[0074] This satisfies the following condition. Similarly, the power balancing matrix of the second power balancing module in Figure 6 (i.e., the third power balancing matrix) and the power balancing matrix of the bridge are inverse matrices of each other.

[0075] As shown in Figure 6, for the uplink signal, a1 and a2 represent two second high-frequency signals received via antenna port 1 and antenna port 2, respectively, and arx1 and arx2 represent second high-frequency signals whose power balance adjustment is performed by the third power balancing module, respectively. drx1 and drx2 represent second digital signals, respectively. brx1 and btx2 represent second digital signals whose power balance adjustment is performed by the second power balancing module, respectively.

[0076] Optionally, based on the above relationship between the power balancing matrices of the first power balancing module, the second power balancing module, and the third power balancing module, the power balancing matrix of the third power balancing module may be determined first, and then the power balancing matrices of the first power balancing module and the second power balancing module may be determined based on the power balancing matrix of the third power balancing module.

[0077] Optionally, in this application, when signals are processed in different directions, the N first-side ports and N second-side ports of the third power balancing module can be used as input and output terminals, respectively. For example, in Figure 6, N=2 is used as an example. The first-side ports of the bridge are the ports connected to antenna port 1 and antenna port 2, and the second-side ports of the bridge are the ports connected to links 1 to 4. When the bridge performs power balancing for each of the signals output by links 1 and 2 (i.e., two first high-frequency signals), the first-side ports of the bridge are input ports and the second-side ports of the bridge are output ports. When the bridge performs power balancing for each of the signals input to links 3 and 4 (i.e., two second high-frequency signals received via antenna port 1 and antenna port 2, respectively), the second-side ports of the bridge are input ports and the first-side ports of the bridge are output ports.

[0078] Optionally, the N receive channels and N transmit channels of a remote radio module can be coupled in a one-to-one correspondence via a duplexer (or a coupler such as a filter and switch). The duplexer belongs to the corresponding transmit channel or the corresponding receive channel. For example, as shown in Figure 6, an example is used where both the number of transmit channels and the number of receive channels are 2. The output terminal of link 1 and the input terminal of link 3 are coupled via a filter, and the output terminal of link 2 and the input terminal of link 4 are coupled via a filter.

[0079] Optionally, the radio frequency channels (including the transmit channel or the receive channel) in this application may further include a signal conversion module and a power amplifier module.

[0080] The signal conversion module in this application may include a transmit (TX) module or a receive (RX) module.

[0081] The TX module may be configured to convert a downlink digital signal from the BBU into a radio frequency band signal, which is delayed (or referred to as signal delay) and amplitude-phase (or signal amplitude-phase) corrected, including at least one of the following processes: filtering, frequency shifting, coupling, clipping, and pre-distortion in the digital domain; converting the digital signal to an analog signal via a digital-to-analog converter (DAC); converting the analog signal onto the radio frequency band via a quadrature modulation (IQ modulation) modulator; and performing processes such as filtering, amplification, and amplitude adjustment on the radio frequency band signal. If the signal conversion module is the TX module, it can be understood that the radio frequency channel is the TX channel (or referred to as the transmit circuit), and the signal transmitted on the radio frequency channel is the transmit signal.

[0082] An RX module may be configured to process the uplink signal received from the UE by the antenna, convert the radio frequency signal to a digital signal via an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and provide the digital signal to the baseband for modulation. Generally, the signal processing process of an RX module is the reverse of that of a TX module. When the signal conversion module is an RX module, it can be understood that the radio frequency channel is the RX channel (or referred to as the receiving circuit), and the signal transmitted on the radio frequency channel is the received signal.

[0083] Regarding the transmission channel, the power amplifier module may include a power amplifier (PA).

[0084] Regarding the receiving channel, the power amplifier module may include a low-noise amplifier (LNA).

[0085] In possible embodiments, any radio frequency channel includes an amplitude-phase correction module and a delay correction module to perform amplitude-phase correction and delay correction on the radio frequency channel. In this application, it may be understood that amplitude-phase correction and delay correction are performed on digital signals on the radio frequency channel. In this application, it may be further understood that amplitude-phase is amplitude and / or phase. Optionally, the amplitude-phase correction module may include an amplitude correction module and a phase correction module.

[0086] An amplitude-phase correction module may be configured to correct the amplitude and phase of the radio frequency channel, and a delay correction module may be configured to correct the delay of the radio frequency channel, so that the channel delay, amplitude, and phase involved in power balancing are the same each time. This correction is performed on the digital signal. In other words, the delay correction module and the amplitude-phase correction module are placed between the power balancing module and the signal conversion module.

[0087] Optionally, in this application, an amplitude-phase compensation module on a transmitting channel may be referred to as a first amplitude-phase compensation module, and the first amplitude-phase compensation module may be configured to compensate for the signal amplitude and signal phase of the transmitting channel. In addition, an amplitude-phase compensation module on a receiving channel may be referred to as a second amplitude-phase compensation module, and the second amplitude-phase compensation module may be configured to compensate for the signal amplitude and signal phase of the receiving channel. In addition, a delay compensation module on a transmitting channel may be referred to as a first delay compensation module, and the first delay compensation module may be configured to compensate for the signal delay of the transmitting channel. In addition, a delay compensation module on a receiving channel may be referred to as a second delay compensation module, and the second delay compensation module may be configured to compensate for the signal delay of the receiving channel.

[0088] For example, the delay compensation module is labeled "Delay Compensation" in Figure 6, and the amplitude-phase compensation module is labeled "Phase Compensation" in Figure 6.

[0089] Specifically, the amplitude-phase compensation module is configured to compensate for the amplitude and / or phase of the radio frequency channel based on the amplitude-phase compensation parameter. The delay compensation module is configured to compensate for the delay of the radio frequency channel based on the delay compensation parameter. It can be understood that the phase compensation parameter is the phase shift of the phase compensation module, and the delay compensation parameter is the delay of the delay compensation module.

[0090] The amplitude-phase compensation parameters for any radio frequency channel are determined based on at least the amplitude and phase of the signal conversion module for the radio frequency channel and the amplitude and phase of the power amplifier module for the radio frequency channel. The delay compensation parameters for any radio frequency channel are determined based on at least the delay of the signal conversion module for the radio frequency channel and the delay of the power amplifier module for the radio frequency channel.

[0091] In the diagram of a possible structure of the signal processing device shown in Figure 6, the transmission channels may include Link 1 and Link 2. Each of Link 1 and Link 2 includes an amplitude-phase compensation module, a delay compensation module, a signal conversion module (e.g., TX and RX in Figure 6, representing the TX module and RX module, respectively), and a power amplifier module (e.g., PA and LNA in Figure 6).

[0092] In addition, as shown in Figure 6, links 1 and 2 are connected via a first power balancing module, links 3 and 4 are connected via a second power balancing module, links 1 and 3 are coupled via a filter to form link A, links 2 and 4 are coupled via a filter to form link B, links A and B are connected to a bridge, the other side of the bridge is separately connected to antenna port 1 and antenna port 2.

[0093] In possible examples, the bridge may be a 3-decibel (dB) bridge. The bridge has the power balancing matrix [A] described in this application. The first power balancing module and the second power balancing module each perform power balancing adjustment using digital circuits and have the power balancing matrix [C] described in this application.

[0094] In Figure 6, the amplitude-phase correction parameters of the amplitude-phase correction module 1 are determined based at least on the amplitude and phase of the signal conversion module 1 and the amplitude and phase of the power amplifier module 1, and the signal conversion module 1, amplitude-phase correction module 1, and power amplifier module 1 correspond to link 1. The amplitude-phase correction parameters of the amplitude-phase correction module 2 are determined based at least on the amplitude and phase of the signal conversion module 2 and the amplitude and phase of the power amplifier module 2, and the signal conversion module 2, amplitude-phase correction module 2, and power amplifier module 2 correspond to link 2. The delay correction parameters of the delay correction module 1 are determined based at least on the delay of the signal conversion module 1 and the delay of the power amplifier module 1, and delay correction module 1 corresponds to link 1. The delay correction parameters of delay correction module 2 are determined based at least on the delay of the signal conversion module 2 and the delay of the power amplifier module 2, and delay correction module 2 corresponds to link 2.

[0095] In the optional process of performing amplitude-phase correction, it is assumed that the sum of the amplitude-phase correction parameters of amplitude-phase correction module 1, the amplitude and phase of signal conversion module 1, and the amplitude and phase of power amplifier module 1 is equal to the sum of the amplitude-phase correction parameters of amplitude-phase correction module 2, the amplitude and phase of signal conversion module 2, and the amplitude and phase of power amplifier module 2.

[0096] The overall amplitude and phase of the transmit channel may also be measured, and it can be understood that the amplitude and phase of multiple transmit channels are corrected based on amplitude-phase correction parameters and the measured amplitude and phase values. For example, the measured amplitude and phase of link 1 may include the amplitude and phase of signal conversion module 1, as well as the amplitude and phase of power amplifier module 1.

[0097] In addition, in the optional process of performing delay correction, it is assumed that the sum of the delay correction parameter of delay correction module 1, the delay of signal conversion module 1, and the delay of power amplifier module 1 is equal to the sum of the delay correction parameter of delay correction module 2, the delay of signal conversion module 2, and the delay of power amplifier module 2.

[0098] The overall delay of the transmit channel may be measured, and it may be understood that the delays of multiple transmit channels are compensated based on delay compensation parameters and measured delays. For example, the measured delay of link 1 may include the delay of signal conversion module 1 and the delay of power amplifier module 1, etc. 。

[0099] Similarly, the receiving channels may include Link 3 and Link 4, each of which includes an amplitude-phase compensation module, a delay compensation module, a signal conversion module (e.g., the RX module in Figure 6), and a power amplifier module (e.g., the LNA in Figure 6). The functions of the amplitude-phase compensation module, delay compensation module, signal conversion module, and power amplifier module are described above; further details are not provided here.

[0100] Optionally, in this application, the amplitude-phase compensation parameter corresponding to any radio frequency channel may be further determined based on the amplitude-phase difference of the radio frequency channel, and / or the delay compensation parameter corresponding to any radio frequency channel may be further determined based on the delay difference of the radio frequency channel.

[0101] Optionally, the signal processing device may further include a feedback circuit configured to acquire, through sampling, high-frequency signals output by each of the N transmit channels and / or high-frequency signals input by each of the N receive channels. For example, the feedback circuit acquires, via a device such as a coupler, high-frequency signals output by each of the N transmit channels and / or high-frequency signals input by each of the N receive channels. Optionally, the feedback circuit may include a transceiver (TRX), or may include a TX or RX, configured to perform analog-to-digital conversion, e.g., amplification, filtering, or frequency conversion, on the sampled analog signal. The processed signal may be used by a channel correction module to determine a first signal amplitude difference, a first signal phase difference, and a first signal delay difference corresponding to the N transmit channels, and / or by a channel correction module to determine a second signal amplitude difference, a second signal phase difference, and a second signal delay difference corresponding to the N receive channels. Optionally, the feedback circuit belongs to the remote radio module, and the channel correction module belongs to the baseband unit.

[0102] As shown in Figure 6, the feedback circuit may include a coupler, a TRX_CAL module, and a link between the coupler and the TRX_CAL module. Optionally, the feedback circuit may further include a link between the TRX_CAL module and a channel correction module. The TRX_CAL module is a type of TRX.

[0103] Optionally, the feedback circuit may include a first feedback circuit and a second feedback circuit. The first feedback circuit may be configured to acquire high-frequency signals (i.e., first high-frequency signals) output by each of the N transmit channels through sampling, and the second feedback circuit may be configured to acquire high-frequency signals (i.e., second high-frequency signals after power balance adjustment) input by each of the N receive channels through sampling. Furthermore, optionally, the first and second feedback circuits may utilize the same TRX and the same coupler, or they may correspond to TX and RX, respectively. It can also be understood that the first and second feedback circuits correspond to the same link, the same coupler, the same TRX_CAL module, and the same channel correction module, with the difference being the direction of signal sampling.

[0104] In addition, the channel correction module may optionally include a first amplitude-phase determination module (or one with another name such as the first determination module) and a second amplitude-phase determination module (or one with another name such as the second determination module), or the channel correction module may consist of the first amplitude-phase determination module and the second amplitude-phase determination module. The first amplitude-phase determination module may be configured to determine a first signal amplitude difference, a first signal phase difference, and a first signal delay difference based on a first high-frequency signal acquired by a first feedback circuit through sampling. The first signal amplitude difference, the first signal phase difference, and the first signal delay difference represent the amplitude difference, phase difference, and delay difference generated by the transmitting channel with respect to the signal, respectively.

[0105] Specifically, the first amplitude-phase determination module may be configured to determine a first signal amplitude difference, a first signal phase difference, and a first signal delay difference based on first high-frequency signals output by each of N transmit channels and first digital signals output by each of N baseband transmit units. Optionally, delay is used as an example. The first amplitude-phase determination module may determine the difference between the delay difference between the first high-frequency signals and the delay difference between the first digital signals as the first delay difference, based on the delay difference between the first high-frequency signals and the delay difference between the first digital signals.

[0106] Furthermore, optionally, a first amplitude-phase correction module on each transmit channel may correct the signal amplitude and signal phase of the transmit channel based on a first signal amplitude difference and a first signal phase difference. In addition, a first delay correction module on each transmit channel may correct the signal delay of the transmit channel based on a first signal delay difference.

[0107] In addition, the second amplitude-phase determination module may be configured to determine a second signal amplitude difference, a second signal phase difference, and a second signal delay difference based on a second high-frequency signal, power-balanced and acquired by a second feedback circuit through sampling, each input by N receiving channels. The second signal amplitude difference, second signal phase difference, and second signal delay difference represent the amplitude difference, phase difference, and delay difference generated by the receiving channels with respect to the signal, respectively.

[0108] Specifically, the second amplitude-phase determination module may be configured to determine a second signal amplitude difference, a second signal phase difference, and a second signal delay difference based on a second power-balanced high-frequency signal input to each of the N receiving channels and a second power-balanced digital signal input to each of the N baseband receiving units.

[0109] Optionally, a second amplitude-phase correction module on each receiving channel may correct the signal amplitude and signal phase of the receiving channel based on a second signal amplitude difference and a second signal phase difference. In addition, a second delay correction module on each receiving channel may correct the signal delay of the receiving channel based on a second signal delay difference.

[0110] Optionally, the functions of the first amplitude-phase determination module and the second amplitude-phase determination module may be implemented by the channel correction module. Alternatively, the first amplitude-phase determination module and the second amplitude-phase determination module may be integrated into a single module, and this is not particularly required.

[0111] Figure 6 is still used as an example. The feedback circuit can separately acquire the signals transmitted on Link A and Link B via a coupler, and after the signals are processed by the TRX_CAL module, the processed signals can be input to the channel correction module. The TRX_CAL module is a transceiver. It can be understood that the channel correction module in Figure 6 can be configured to implement the functions of a first amplitude-phase determination module and a second amplitude-phase determination module.

[0112] In the following, the signal processing process of the signal processing device shown in Figure 6 will be described using the process of processing downlink signals (i.e., signals transmitted over Link 1 and Link 2) as an example. The process may include the following steps.

[0113] S201:TX baseband cell 1 and TX baseband cell 2 generate first digital signals btx1 and btx2, respectively.

[0114] S202: After power balancing is performed by the first power balancing module, the first baseband-processed digital signals dtx1 and dtx2 are obtained, satisfying the following equation.

[0115]

number

[0116] S203: After processing is performed by the delay correction module, amplitude-phase correction module, and TX module, high-frequency signals ctx1 and ctx2 are acquired. ctx1 and ctx2 are signals acquired after dtx1 and drx2 have been affected by the delay, amplitude, and phase of the TX module, and subsequently undergo delay, amplitude, and phase correction, i.e.,

[0117]

number

[0118] This can be considered as follows: t1x and t2x are the delays of Link 1 and Link 2, respectively, and can be determined by the channel compensation module based on the delay difference between Link 1 and Link 2. t1y and t2y are the delays of the delay compensation modules for Link 1 and Link 2, respectively.

[0119]

number

[0120] Each re This is the phase shift between Link 1 and Link 2, which can be determined by the channel correction module based on the phase difference between Link 1 and Link 2.

[0121]

number

[0122] These represent the phases (i.e., phase compensation parameters) of the amplitude-phase compensation modules for Link 1 and Link 2, respectively.

[0123] t1x, t2x, t1y, and t2y are given by the following equations:

[0124]

number

[0125] It satisfies the condition.

[0126]

number

[0127] The formula is as follows:

[0128]

number

[0129] The following conditions are met. ctx1 and ctx2 are given by the following formula:

[0130]

number

[0131] The following conditions are met. S204: After power amplification, the downlink signal on link 1 is amplified by G1, i.e., G1 is the power amplifier coefficient of link 1, and the downlink signal on link 2 is amplified by G2, i.e., G2 is the power amplifier coefficient of link 2, and the first high-frequency signals output by link 1 and link 2 are represented as atx1 and atx2, respectively. At that time,

[0132]

number

[0133] In possible implementations, the TRX_CAL module may process the digital signals collected by the coupler, and the channel correction module may determine the amplitude-phase difference and / or delay difference of the digital signals of the uplink and downlink transmit and receive signals. The amplitude-phase difference and / or delay difference may be used to perform amplitude-phase and delay correction for the power amplifier module.

[0134] After the signal processing process, the first high-frequency signals atx1 and atx2 and the first digital signals btx1 and btx2 are given by the following equation:

[0135]

number

[0136] The following conditions are met. After the signal processing process, it can be understood that the first digital signal btx1 generated by TX baseband cell 1 is still transmitted via antenna port 1 corresponding to TX baseband cell 1, and the first digital signal btx2 generated by TX baseband cell 2 is still transmitted via antenna port 2 corresponding to TX baseband cell 2. Therefore, the downlink transmission signals of the two sectors corresponding to antenna port 1 and antenna port 2 are independent of each other, and there is no mutual interference between the two sectors (or cells). In other words, the signal generated by TX baseband cell 1 is not transmitted to antenna a2, and the signal generated by TX baseband cell 2 is not transmitted to antenna a1.

[0137] Regarding transmit power, the transmit power originally belonging to TX baseband cell 2 may be fully allocated to TX baseband cell 1 for use. The sharing method is as follows: When there are no users who need to be serviced within TX baseband cell 2 at any given time, the baseband signal amplitude of TX baseband cell 2 is reduced to 0, i.e., btx2=0, and the power of btx1 is increased all at once as shown in the following equation (i.e., the signal amplitude is increased by a factor of √2, where √ teeth (Represents the square root operation).

[0138]

number

[0139] Without the first power balancing module, increasing the signal power of cell 1 in one step is not feasible. This is because the original signal amplitude btx1 reaches the power amplifier's maximum output power capability, and any further increase would cause compression of the power amplifier's output signal. This presents two challenges: (1) The quality of the compressed signal deteriorates. For example, the error vector amplitude (EVM) increases, and such quality degradation offsets the power gain after the increase. (2) The power of the compressed signal is less than twice the expected power.

[0140] However, under the action of the first power balancing module, the signals dtx1 and dtx2 calculated based on [C] according to step (2) above are given by the following formula:

[0141]

number

[0142] It satisfies the condition.

[0143]

number

[0144] The equation shows that the signal power of cell 1 is multiplied after the power balancing matrix [C] of the first power balancing module has performed its processing, but the signal amplitudes of the two output signals (btx1 and -j*btx1) remain unchanged. For the subsequent power amplifier, the input signal amplitude remains unchanged, and the output signal of the power amplifier is not compressed. In this case, the downlink transmission signals a1 and a2 output to the antenna are given by the following equation:

[0145]

number

[0146] This satisfies the condition. It can be understood that the transmit power of signal a1 is doubled. In other words, the transmit power of TX baseband cell 2 is fully allocated to TX baseband cell 1.

[0147] During the process, 100% of the transmit power of TX baseband cell 2 is allocated to TX baseband cell 1 for use. In actual operation, the proportion of power allocated is completely flexible. For example, if TX baseband cell 2 uses 50% of its transmit power, it may allocate the remaining 50% of its transmit power to TX baseband cell 1. Sharing is similar for other proportions. Conversely, TX baseband cell 1 may allocate its unused transmit power to TX baseband cell 2 for use.

[0148] The process for processing uplink signals (i.e., signals transmitted over links 3 and 4) can be understood to be the reverse of that for processing downlink signals, and therefore will not be repeated in detail.

[0149] For example, based on the signal processing device shown in Figure 6, the relationship between signals brx1 and brx2 received by TX baseband cell 1 and TX baseband cell 2, respectively, and the signal received by the antenna is given by the following equation:

[0150]

number

[0151] The following conditions are met. G3 and G4 are the power amplifier coefficients of the LNA in Link 3 and Link 4, respectively, and t0 is the delay of Link 3 and Link 4 after delay correction.

[0152]

number

[0153] These are the phases of Link 3 and Link 4 after phase correction. Regarding the uplink received signals, it can be understood that uplink signals a1 and a2 from two different sectors become two different baseband received signals brx1 and brx2, which are received by two different RX baseband cells, respectively. Signals a1 and a2 do not cause crosstalk with the reception of the other party's baseband signals, and no additional loss occurs. Therefore, the uplink received performance is unaffected.

[0154] Based on the same concept, embodiments of this application further provide a remote radio unit. The remote radio unit may include, for example, the structure of the remote radio unit in Figure 5, which includes a first power balancing module or a second power balancing module, and may be configured to implement the functions of the first power balancing module or the second power balancing module. Optionally, the remote radio unit may further include at least one of N transmit channels, N receive channels, and a feedback circuit, and may be further configured to implement the functions of at least one of N transmit channels, N receive channels, and a feedback circuit. For a description of the structure, please refer to Figure 5 and the description in the corresponding embodiment. Further details are not described again here.

[0155] Based on the same concept, embodiments of this application further provide an antenna unit (or antenna). The antenna unit may include, for example, the structure of the antenna unit in Figure 5, which includes a third power balancing module and N antenna ports, and may be configured to realize the functions of the third power balancing module and N antenna ports. For a description of the structure, please refer to Figure 5 and the description in the corresponding embodiment. Further details will not be described again here.

[0156] Based on the same concept, embodiments of this application further provide a communication system. The communication system may include the structure shown in Figure 5, or it may include the remote radio unit and / or antenna unit shown in Figure 5, and is configured to perform the functions of the remote radio unit and / or antenna unit. For a description of the structure, please refer to Figure 5 and the description in the corresponding embodiment. Further details are not described again here.

[0157] Based on the same concept, embodiments of this application further provide a base station. The base station may include at least one of a baseband processing unit, a remote radio unit connected to the baseband processing unit, and an antenna unit. For example, the base station may include the remote radio unit and / or antenna unit shown in Figure 5, and may be configured to perform the functions of the remote radio unit and / or antenna unit. For a description of the structure, please refer to Figure 5 and the description in the corresponding embodiment. Further details will not be described again here. The base station may include the structure shown in Figure 2.

[0158] Although preferred embodiments of this application are described, those skilled in the art can make changes and modifications to these embodiments after they have grasped the basic inventive concept. Therefore, the attached claims are intended to be interpreted as covering the preferred embodiments and all variations and modifications that fall within the scope of this application.

[0159] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations of the embodiments of this application can be made without departing from the scope of the embodiments of this application. In this case, this application is intended to cover such modifications and variations of the embodiments of this application, insofar as they fall within the scope of protection defined by the following claims and their equivalent art.

Claims

1. A signal processing system comprising N baseband transmitting units, a first power balancing module, a second power balancing module, N baseband receiving units, and an antenna unit, wherein the antenna unit comprises N antenna ports and a third power balancing module, and N is a positive integer greater than 1. The N baseband transmitting units are configured to generate a first digital signal transmitted through the N antenna ports. The first power balancing module is configured to perform power balancing adjustments for the first digital signal from each of the N baseband transmitting units. The third power balancing module is configured to perform power balancing adjustment for a first high-frequency signal, the first high-frequency signal being acquired based on a first digital signal after power balancing adjustment, and to transmit the first high-frequency signal after power balancing adjustment to each of the N antenna ports, and to perform power balancing adjustment for a second high-frequency signal received through each of the N antenna ports. The second power balancing module is configured to perform power balance adjustment on a second digital signal and transmit the power-balanced second digital signal to each of the N baseband receiving units, wherein the second digital signal is acquired based on the power-balanced second high-frequency signal. The N baseband receiving units are configured to perform baseband processing on the second digital signal after power balance adjustment. Signal processing system.

2. The first power balancing module is particularly configured to perform power balancing adjustments for the first digital signal from each of the N baseband transmitting units based on a first power balancing matrix, the third power balancing module is particularly configured to perform power balancing adjustments for the first high-frequency signal based on a second power balancing matrix, wherein the first and second power balancing matrices are inverse matrices of each other, and / or The second power balancing module is particularly configured to perform power balancing adjustment for the second digital signal based on a third power balancing matrix, and the third power balancing module is particularly configured to perform power balancing adjustment for the second high-frequency signal based on the second power balancing matrix, wherein the third power balancing matrix and the second power balancing matrix are inverse matrices of each other. The signal processing system according to claim 1.

3. The first power balancing module is particularly configured to transmit the first digital signal after power balance adjustment to N transmission channels, wherein the first high-frequency signal is acquired by the N transmission channels based on the first digital signal after power balance adjustment. The second power balancing module is specifically configured to receive the second digital signal from N receiving channels, the second digital signal being acquired by the N receiving channels based on the second high-frequency signal after power balancing. Each transmission channel includes a first amplitude-phase correction module and a first delay correction module, wherein the first amplitude-phase correction module is configured to correct the signal amplitude and signal phase of the transmission channel so that the signal amplitudes of the N transmission channels are the same and the signal phases of the N transmission channels are the same, and the first delay correction module is configured to correct the signal delay of the transmission channel so that the signal delays of the N transmission channels are the same. Each receiving channel includes a second amplitude-phase correction module and a second delay correction module, wherein the second amplitude-phase correction module is configured to correct the signal amplitude and signal phase of the receiving channel so that the signal amplitudes of the N receiving channels are the same and the signal phases of the N receiving channels are the same, and the second delay correction module is configured to correct the signal delay of the receiving channel so that the signal delays of the N receiving channels are the same. The signal processing system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The signal processing system further includes a first amplitude-phase determination module and a first feedback circuit, The first feedback circuit is configured to acquire the first high-frequency signals output by each of the N transmission channels, The first amplitude-phase determination module is configured to determine a first signal amplitude difference, a first signal phase difference, and a first signal delay difference based on the first high-frequency signals output by each of the N transmission channels. The first amplitude-phase correction module on each transmit channel is particularly configured to correct the signal amplitude of the transmit channel based on the first signal amplitude difference and to correct the signal phase of the transmit channel based on the first signal phase difference. The first delay compensation module on each transmission channel is specifically configured to compensate for the signal delay of the transmission channel based on the first signal delay difference. The signal processing system according to claim 3.

5. The signal processing system further includes a second amplitude-phase determination module and a second feedback circuit. The second feedback circuit is configured to acquire the second high-frequency signal after power balance adjustment, which is input by each of the N receiving channels. The second amplitude-phase determination module is configured to determine a second signal amplitude difference, a second signal phase difference, and a second signal delay difference based on the second high-frequency signal after power balance adjustment, which is input by each of the N receiving channels. The second amplitude-phase correction module on each receiving channel is particularly configured to correct the signal amplitude of the receiving channel based on the second signal amplitude difference and to correct the signal phase of the receiving channel based on the second signal phase difference. The second delay compensation module on each receiving channel is particularly configured to compensate for the signal delay of the receiving channel based on the second signal delay difference. The signal processing system according to claim 3.

6. A remote wireless unit including a first power balancing module and a second power balancing module, The first power balancing module is configured to perform power balancing adjustments for a first digital signal from each of N baseband transmitting units, the balanced first digital signal being used to acquire a first high-frequency signal, the first high-frequency signal being transmitted to an antenna having N antenna ports, where N is an integer greater than 1. The second power balancing module is configured to perform power balancing adjustment for a second digital signal and transmit the power-balanced second digital signal to N baseband receiving units, wherein the second digital signal is acquired based on a second high-frequency signal received through the N antenna ports of the antenna. Remote wireless unit.

7. The first power balancing module is particularly configured to perform power balancing adjustments to the first digital signal from each of the N baseband transmitting units based on a first power balancing matrix, wherein the first power balancing matrix and the second power balancing matrix are inverses of each other, and / or The second power balancing module is particularly configured to perform power balancing adjustment for the second digital signal based on a third power balancing matrix, wherein the third power balancing matrix and the second power balancing matrix are inverse matrices of each other. The second power balancing matrix is ​​used by the antenna to perform power balancing adjustment for the first high-frequency signal, and is also used by the antenna to perform power balancing adjustment for the second high-frequency signal. The remote wireless unit according to claim 6.

8. The first power balancing module is particularly configured to transmit the first digital signal after balancing to N transmission channels, the N transmission channels being connected to the antenna. The second power balancing module is specifically configured to receive the second digital signal from N receiving channels, Each transmission channel includes a first amplitude-phase correction module and a first delay correction module, wherein the first amplitude-phase correction module is configured to correct the signal amplitude and signal phase of the transmission channel so that the signal amplitudes of the N transmission channels are the same and the signal phases of the N transmission channels are the same, and the first delay correction module is configured to correct the signal delay of the transmission channel so that the signal delays of the N transmission channels are the same. Each receiving channel includes a second amplitude-phase correction module and a second delay correction module, wherein the second amplitude-phase correction module is configured to correct the signal amplitude and signal phase of the receiving channel so that the signal amplitudes of the N receiving channels are the same and the signal phases of the N receiving channels are the same, and the second delay correction module is configured to correct the signal delay of the receiving channel so that the signal delays of the N receiving channels are the same. The remote wireless unit according to claim 6 or 7.

9. The remote wireless unit further includes a first feedback circuit configured to acquire the first high-frequency signals output by each of the N transmission channels, the first high-frequency signals output by each of the N transmission channels being used to determine a first signal amplitude difference, a first signal phase difference, and a first signal delay difference. The first amplitude-phase correction module on each transmit channel is particularly configured to correct the signal amplitude of the transmit channel based on the first signal amplitude difference and to correct the signal phase of the transmit channel based on the first signal phase difference. The first delay compensation module on each transmission channel is specifically configured to compensate for the signal delay of the transmission channel based on the first signal delay difference. The remote wireless unit according to claim 8.

10. The remote wireless unit further includes a second amplitude-phase determination module and a second feedback circuit. The second feedback circuit is configured to acquire a second high-frequency signal after power balance adjustment, which is input to each of the N receiving channels, and the second high-frequency signal after power balance adjustment, which is input to each of the N receiving channels, is used to determine a second signal amplitude difference, a second signal phase difference, and a second signal delay difference. The second amplitude-phase correction module on each receiving channel is particularly configured to correct the signal amplitude of the receiving channel based on the second signal amplitude difference and to correct the signal phase of the receiving channel based on the second signal phase difference. The second delay compensation module on each receiving channel is particularly configured to compensate for the signal delay of the receiving channel based on the second signal delay difference. The remote wireless unit according to claim 8.

11. An antenna unit comprising N antenna ports and a third power balancing module, where N is an integer greater than 1. The N antenna ports are configured to receive and transmit high-frequency signals. The third power balancing module described above is: The system receives a first high-frequency signal transmitted by a remote wireless unit, performs power balance adjustment on the first high-frequency signal, and transmits the power-balanced first high-frequency signal to each of the N antenna ports. The system performs power balance adjustment on the second high-frequency signals received through each of the N antenna ports, and transmits the power-balanced second high-frequency signals to the remote wireless unit. An antenna unit configured in such a way.

12. The third power balancing module described above is: Performing power balancing adjustment to the first high-frequency signal based on a second power balancing matrix, wherein the second power balancing matrix and the first power balancing matrix are inverse matrices of each other, the first power balancing matrix is ​​used by the remote radio unit to perform power balancing adjustment to the first digital signal from each of the N baseband transmitting units, and the balanced first digital signal is used to acquire the first high-frequency signal, and / or The power balancing adjustment for the second high-frequency signal is performed based on the second power balancing matrix, wherein the second power balancing matrix and the third power balancing matrix are inverse matrices of each other, and the third power balancing matrix is ​​used by the remote wireless unit to perform power balancing adjustment for the second digital signal acquired based on the second high-frequency signal. It is specifically configured in such a way. The antenna unit according to claim 11.

13. A base station comprising a signal processing system according to claim 1 or 2, or a remote radio unit according to claim 6 or 7, or an antenna unit according to claim 11 or 12.

14. Baseband processing unit, At least one remote radio unit according to claim 6 or 7, connected to the baseband processing unit, The antenna unit according to claim 11 or 12 and A communication system, including

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