Power monitoring device and monitoring method thereof

Abstract

To provide a power monitoring device and a monitoring method thereof.SOLUTION: A power monitoring device includes a power detection module and a processor. The power detection module converts a forward power into a forward signal, and converts a reverse power into a reverse signal. The processor is configured to determine whether the forward signal and the reverse signal meet a first judgment condition at a first time to generate a first result, and to determine whether the forward signal and the reverse signal meet a second judgment condition at a second time to generate a second result. The processor determines whether to send a warning signal based on the first result and the second result.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a monitoring device and a monitoring method thereof, and particularly to a power monitoring device and a monitoring method thereof.

Background Art

[0002] Currently, the power amplifiers (PAs) used in remote radio unit (RRU) products of open radio access networks (O-RAN) generally have very high unit prices.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] If the health state of the power amplifier is not constantly monitored, when an abnormality occurs in the output power, the high-cost power amplifier may be burned out later, which is likely to cause a great cost loss.

[0004] As can be seen from the above, currently, the market lacks a power monitoring device and a monitoring method thereof, so related operators are all seeking a solution.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The object of the present disclosure is to confirm the power of the power amplifier and the antenna through multiple verifications based on multiple judgment conditions, and when the output power of the power amplifier becomes abnormal, immediately process it to avoid damage to the power amplifier, and further provide a power monitoring device and a monitoring method thereof that can effectively monitor the health state of the power amplifier so as to effectively achieve the purpose of cost optimization.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the structural aspects of the present disclosure, the present invention provides a power monitoring device electrically connected to a power amplifier and an antenna, comprising: a power detection module for detecting the forward power of the power amplifier and the reverse power of the antenna, and converting the forward power into a forward signal and the reverse power into a reverse signal; and a processor electrically connected to the power detection module for determining whether the forward signal and the reverse signal meet a first judgment condition at a first time and generating a first result, and determining whether the forward signal and the reverse signal meet a second judgment condition at a second time and generating a second result, and for determining whether to transmit a warning signal based on the first result and the second result, wherein the first time is before the second time, and both the first and second judgment conditions include the forward signal being greater than the reverse signal.

[0007] According to embodiments of the method described herein, a power monitoring method is provided that includes the steps of: detecting the forward power of a power amplifier and the reverse power of an antenna using a power sensing module, converting the forward power into a forward signal and the reverse power into a reverse signal; and using a processor to determine whether the forward signal and the reverse signal meet a first judgment condition at a first time and generate a first result, and whether the forward signal and the reverse signal meet a second judgment condition at a second time and generate a second result, and deciding whether to transmit a warning signal based on the first result and the second result, wherein the first time is before the second time, and both the first and second judgment conditions include the forward signal being greater than the reverse signal. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing a power monitoring device according to the first embodiment of the contents of this disclosure. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram showing the flow of the power monitoring method according to the second embodiment of the disclosed content. [Figure 3] Figure 2 shows a flowchart illustrating the process of determining whether the forward signal and reverse signal meet the first and second judgment conditions. [Figure 4]This is a schematic diagram showing a power monitoring device according to a third embodiment of the contents of this disclosure. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram showing the flow of the power monitoring method according to the fourth embodiment of the disclosed content. [Figure 6] Figure 5 shows a flowchart illustrating the process for determining whether the forward signal and reverse signal meet the first, second, and third judgment conditions. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Please refer to Figure 1, a schematic circuit diagram of the power monitoring device 100 according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. The power monitoring device 100 is used to monitor the health of the power amplifier 10 so as to immediately take action when the output power of the power amplifier 10 becomes abnormal and to prevent damage to the power amplifier 10. The power monitoring device 100 is electrically connected to the power amplifier 10 and the antenna 20 and includes a power sensing module 110 and a processor 120, the processor 120 of which is electrically connected to the power sensing module 110. In the first embodiment, the power amplifier 10 and the antenna 20 may be an amplifier and antenna used in a remote radio unit product of an open radio access network, but this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0010] The power sensing module 110 is used to detect the forward power of the power amplifier 10 and the reverse power of the antenna 20, and to convert the forward power into a forward signal and the reverse power into a reverse signal. The power sensing module 110 includes a coupling circuit 111, a power detection circuit 112, and an analog-to-digital converter 113. The coupling circuit 111 is electrically connected to the power amplifier 10 and the antenna 20, the power detection circuit 112 is electrically connected to the coupling circuit 111 and the analog-to-digital converter 113, and the analog-to-digital converter 113 is electrically connected to the processor 120.

[0011] The coupling circuit 111 includes a front-end coupler 1111, a back-end coupler 1112, a front-end attenuator 1113, and a back-end attenuator 1114. The front-end coupler 1111 is electrically connected to the power amplifier 10 and the front-end attenuator 1113, and the back-end coupler 1112 is electrically connected to the antenna 20 and the back-end attenuator 1114. The front-end coupler 1111 is used to acquire forward power, and the back-end coupler 1112 is used to acquire reverse power. The front-end attenuator 1113 and the back-end attenuator 1114 are used to improve the reflectivity of the front-end coupler 1111 and the back-end coupler 1112, and to adjust the high-frequency power in the power sensing path, respectively, thereby avoiding problems with abnormal power readings and improving installation flexibility.

[0012] The power detection circuit 112 includes a front-end power detector 1121 and a back-end power detector 1122, the front-end power detector 1121 being electrically connected to a front-end attenuator 1113, and the back-end power detector 1122 being electrically connected to a back-end attenuator 1114. The front-end power detector 1121 is used to convert forward power into a forward detection signal, and the back-end power detector 1122 is used to convert reverse power into a reverse detection signal. In the first embodiment, the front-end power detector 1121 and the back-end power detector 1122 may be radio frequency (RF) detection integrated circuits (ICs) of model LMH2110, but the disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0013] The analog-to-digital converter 113 is used to generate a forward signal by performing an analog-to-digital conversion on the forward detection signal, and to generate a reverse signal by performing an analog-to-digital conversion on the reverse detection signal. In the first embodiment, the forward signal and the reverse signal are voltage values, and the analog-to-digital converter 113 may be the analog-to-digital converter integrated circuit of model TLA2024, but the disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0014] The processor 120 generates a first result by determining in a first time whether the forward and reverse signals meet a first decision condition, and generates a second result by determining in a second time whether the forward and reverse signals meet a second decision condition, and is used to decide whether to transmit a warning signal based on the first and second results. The first time precedes the second time; that is, the processor 120 first makes a decision on the first decision condition, and then continues to make decisions on the second decision condition based on the first result. In the first embodiment, the processor 120 may be a field programmable logic array (FPGA), but is not limited thereto.

[0015] The first judgment condition includes a three-stage judgment formula. The first stage of the formula states that both the forward and reverse signals are greater than the effective value. The second stage of the formula states that the forward signal is greater than the reverse signal. The third stage of the formula states that the reverse signal is greater than the critical value and the effective value is less than the critical value. Specifically, the first stage of the formula is used to confirm the validity of the forward and reverse signals. The second stage of the formula is the core judgment formula and is used to determine whether the power amplifier 10 is abnormal. The third stage of the formula is used to confirm the truthfulness of the abnormality determined based on the second stage of the formula. If the forward and reverse signals perfectly match the three-stage judgment formula of the first judgment condition, it indicates that the power amplifier 10 is not abnormal. The second judgment condition also includes the condition that the forward signal is greater than the reverse signal. When the forward and reverse signals meet the second judgment condition, it indicates that there is no abnormality in the power amplifier 10. In the first embodiment, the effective value is 100mV and the critical value is 1000mV, but the disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0016] In other possible embodiments, the processor may determine whether the power amplifier is malfunctioning by checking the difference or ratio between the forward signal and the reverse signal as the first and second judgment conditions. In other possible embodiments, the second judgment condition may include the aforementioned three-stage judgment formula to improve the accuracy of the judgment.

[0017] Furthermore, if there are multiple sets of power amplifiers 10 and antennas 20, the processor 120 checks within a first time interval (including the first time) whether the forward and reverse signals of each set of power amplifiers 10 and antennas 20 meet the first judgment condition, with an interval (e.g., 10 ms, which can be varied depending on the different products) between them, and within a second time interval (including the second time) whether the forward and reverse signals of each set of power amplifiers 10 and antennas 20 meet the second judgment condition, with an interval (e.g., 10 ms, which can be varied depending on the different products) between them.

[0018] It should be noted that the detailed characteristics and sequence of decisions made by the processor 120 regarding the first and second decision conditions will be explained in accordance with the power monitoring method 200 shown in Figures 2 and 3 below.

[0019] Please refer to Figures 1, 2, and 3. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of the power monitoring method 200 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the process of determining whether the forward signal and reverse signal meet the first and second judgment conditions in Figure 2. The power monitoring device 100 is arranged to implement the power monitoring method 200, and it should be noted that the power monitoring method 200 of the present disclosure is not limited to being implemented by the power monitoring device 100 of the present disclosure, and the elements in the power monitoring device 100 may be arbitrarily integrated into various combinations to perform the functions of the power monitoring method 200.

[0020] The power monitoring method 200 includes steps S01 and S02. In step S01, the power detection module 110 detects the forward power of the power amplifier 10 and the reverse power of the antenna 20, and converts the forward power into a forward signal and the reverse power into a reverse signal. In step S02, the processor 120 determines whether the forward signal and the reverse signal meet the first determination condition at the first time to generate a first result, and determines whether the forward signal and the reverse signal meet the second determination condition at the second time to generate a second result, and determines whether to transmit a warning signal based on the first result and the second result.

[0021] In FIG. 3, step S02 further includes steps S021, S022, S023, and S024. In step S021, a first result is generated according to the first determination condition. In step S022, the power amplifier 10 is turned off and then turned on again after an interval time. In step S023, a second result is generated according to the second determination condition. In step S024, the power amplifier 10 is turned off and a warning signal is transmitted.

[0022] Specifically, in step S021, if the first result is "Yes", it indicates that there is no abnormality in the power amplifier 10. To avoid misjudgment, the processor 120 repeatedly executes step S021 to determine whether the forward signal and the reverse signal meet the first determination condition. If the first result is "No", it indicates that there is an abnormality in the power amplifier 10. The processor 120 immediately executes step S022 to turn off the power amplifier 10, turn on the power amplifier 10 again after an interval time, and continue to execute step S023 to determine whether the forward signal and the reverse signal meet the second determination condition.

[0023] In step S023, when the second result is "Yes", it indicates that there is no abnormality in the power amplifier 10. To avoid being misjudged again, the processor 120 repeatedly executes step S023 to determine whether the forward signal and the reverse signal meet the second judgment condition. When the second result is "No", it indicates that there is an abnormality in the power amplifier 10. The processor 120 immediately executes step S024 to turn off the power amplifier 10 and transmit a warning signal. When the second result is "No", since two confirmations have been made, it can be inferred that there is indeed an abnormality in the power amplifier 10. In addition to turning off the power amplifier 10, the power of the remote radio unit product is also turned off at the same time, and a warning signal is used to notify the engineer to arrange for maintenance.

[0024] In this way, by checking the power of the power amplifier 10 and the antenna 20 so as to perform double verification according to two judgment conditions, the power amplifier 10 can be effectively monitored, and the problem of damage to the power amplifier 10 can be avoided.

[0025] Please refer to Figure 4, a schematic diagram showing a power monitoring device 300 according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. The power monitoring device 300 includes a power detection module 310 and a processor 320. The power detection module 310 includes a coupling circuit 311, a power detection circuit 312, and an analog-to-digital converter 313. In the third embodiment, the processor 320, coupling circuit 311, power detection circuit 312, and analog-to-digital converter 313 are the same as the processor 120, coupling circuit 111, power detection circuit 112, and analog-to-digital converter 113 in the first embodiment described above, and will not be repeated here. The difference between the third embodiment and the first embodiment is that the power detection module 310 further includes a current sensor 314, which is electrically connected between the power detection circuit 312 and the analog-to-digital converter 313, and there are two current sensors 314, each used to acquire a different forward signal and a different reverse signal. In the third embodiment, the forward and reverse signals are voltage values, and another forward and another reverse signal are current values. In other possible embodiments, the forward and reverse signals may be current values, another forward and another reverse signal may be voltage values, and the current values ​​may be obtained by conversion of forward and reverse power in addition to being obtained by a current sensor, and the disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0026] The processor 320 further determines in a third time whether another forward signal and another reverse signal meet a third decision condition to generate a third result, which is used to decide whether to transmit a warning signal based on the first, second, and third results. The second time occurs before the third time; that is, the processor 320 first makes a decision on the second decision condition and then continues to make decisions on the third decision condition based on the second result.

[0027] A third criterion includes the condition that another forward signal is greater than another reverse signal. If both the other forward signal and the other reverse signal satisfy the third criterion, it can be further ensured that there is no abnormality in the power amplifier 10. In other possible embodiments, the processor may determine whether the power amplifier is abnormal by checking the difference or ratio between the other forward signal and the other reverse signal as the third criterion. In other possible embodiments, the third criterion may also include the three-stage criterion formula described above to improve the accuracy of the determination.

[0028] Of particular importance is the detailed characteristics and sequence of the first, second, and third decision condition decisions made by the processor 320, which will be explained in accordance with the power monitoring method 400 shown in Figures 5 and 6 below.

[0029] Please refer to Figures 5 and 6. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of the power monitoring method 400 according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the process of determining whether the forward signal and reverse signal meet the first, second, and third judgment conditions in Figure 5. The power monitoring device 300 is arranged to implement the power monitoring method 400, and it should be noted that the power monitoring method 400 of the present disclosure is not limited to being implemented by the power monitoring device 300 of the present disclosure, and the elements in the power monitoring device 300 may be arbitrarily integrated into various combinations to perform the functions of the power monitoring method 400.

[0030] In the fourth embodiment, the power monitoring method 400 includes steps S11, S12, S13, and S14. Step S11 is the same as step S01 of the second embodiment described above and will not be repeated here. In step S12, the processor 320 determines whether the forward signal and the reverse signal meet the first judgment condition in a first time and generates a first result, and determines whether the forward signal and the reverse signal meet the second judgment condition in a second time and generates a second result. In step S13, the current sensor 314 of the power detection module 310 acquires another forward signal and another reverse signal. In step S14, the processor 320 determines whether the other forward signal and another reverse signal meet the third judgment condition in a third time and generates a third result, and determines whether to transmit a warning signal based on the first result, the second result, and the third result.

[0031] In Figure 6, step S12 further includes steps S121, S122, and S123, and step S14 further includes steps S141 and S142. In step S121, a first result is generated according to a first decision condition. In step S122, the power amplifier 10 is turned off and then turned on again after an interval of time. In step S123, a second result is generated according to a second decision condition. In step S141, a third result is generated according to a third decision condition. In step S142, the power amplifier 10 is turned off and a warning signal is transmitted.

[0032] More specifically, in step S121, if the first result is "yes," it indicates that there is no abnormality in the power amplifier 10. To avoid misjudgment, the processor 320 repeats step S121 to determine whether the forward and reverse signals acquired later meet the first judgment condition. If the first result is "no," it indicates that there is an abnormality in the power amplifier 10. The processor 320 immediately executes step S122, turns off the power amplifier 10, turns on the power amplifier 10 again after an interval of time, and continues executing step S123 to determine whether the forward and reverse signals acquired now meet the second judgment condition.

[0033] In step S123, if the second result is "yes," it indicates that there is no abnormality in the power amplifier 10 at that time. To avoid making another misjudgment, the processor 320 repeats step S123 to determine whether the forward and reverse signals acquired later meet the second judgment condition. If the second result is "no," it indicates that an abnormality in the power amplifier 10 has been confirmed twice. The processor 320 immediately executes step S141 to determine whether another forward signal and another reverse signal meet the third judgment condition, and confirms this three times with current value signals that differ from the voltage value.

[0034] In step S141, if the third result is "yes", the processor 320 repeats step S123 to further avoid misjudgment, determining whether the forward and reverse signals acquired later meet the second judgment condition. If the third result is "no", it indicates that there is a problem with the power amplifier 10, and the processor 320 immediately executes step S142, turning off the power amplifier 10 and transmitting a warning signal. If the third result is "no", it can be inferred that there is indeed a problem with the power amplifier 10 after checking three different parameter signals (voltage signal and current signal), and in addition to turning off the power amplifier 10, the power to the remote wireless unit product is simultaneously turned off, and a warning signal is sent to notify an engineer to arrange for maintenance, but the disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0035] As can be seen from the above embodiment, the present disclosure has the following advantages: First, the power of the power amplifier and antenna can be checked through multiple verifications based on multiple judgment conditions, and if the output power of the power amplifier becomes abnormal, it can be immediately processed to avoid damage to the power amplifier, and the health of the power amplifier can be effectively monitored to effectively achieve the objective of cost optimization. Second, by double-checking different parameter signals (voltage signal and current signal), the accuracy of the judgment can be increased, and situations in which the processor makes a wrong judgment and turns off the power amplifier can be avoided.

[0036] While the contents of this disclosure have been disclosed as described above by the embodiments, these embodiments do not limit the contents of this disclosure, and those skilled in the art can make various modifications and alterations as long as they do not deviate from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Accordingly, the scope of protection of the disclosed contents shall be based on the contents specified in the claims below. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0037] 10 Power Amplifiers 100, 300 power monitoring device 110, 310 Power Sensing Module 111, 311 Coupling Circuit 1111 Front End Coupler 1112 Backend Coupler 1113 Front-end damper 1114 Backend Attenuator 112, 312 Power detection circuit 1121 Front-end power detector 1122 Backend power detector 113, 313 Analog-to-Digital Converters 314 Current Sensor 120, 320 processors 20 antennas 200, 400 Power monitoring method

Claims

1. A power monitoring device electrically connected to a power amplifier and an antenna, A power detection module for detecting the forward power of the power amplifier and the reverse power of the antenna, and for converting the forward power into a forward signal and the reverse power into a reverse signal, A processor electrically connected to the power detection module, which determines whether the forward signal and the reverse signal meet a first judgment condition in a first time and generates a first result, and determines whether the forward signal and the reverse signal meet a second judgment condition in a second time and generates a second result, and determines whether to transmit a warning signal based on the first result and the second result, Includes, The first time is before the second time, and both the first and second decision conditions include the forward signal being greater than the reverse signal. If the first result is "yes", the processor repeatedly determines whether the forward signal and the reverse signal meet the first determination condition. If the first result is "no", the processor turns off the power amplifier, turns it back on after an interval of time, determines whether the forward signal and the reverse signal meet the second determination condition, and If the second result is "yes", the processor is a power monitoring device that repeatedly determines whether the forward signal and the reverse signal meet the second determination condition.

2. If the second result is "no", the processor turns off the power amplifier and transmits the warning signal, as described in claim 1.

3. A power monitoring device electrically connected to a power amplifier and an antenna, A power detection module for detecting the forward power of the power amplifier and the reverse power of the antenna, and for converting the forward power into a forward signal and the reverse power into a reverse signal, A processor electrically connected to the power detection module, which determines whether the forward signal and the reverse signal meet a first judgment condition in a first time and generates a first result, and determines whether the forward signal and the reverse signal meet a second judgment condition in a second time and generates a second result, and determines whether to transmit a warning signal based on the first result and the second result, Includes, The first time is before the second time, and both the first and second decision conditions include the forward signal being greater than the reverse signal. The power sensing module is used to acquire another forward signal and another reverse signal, the processor is used to determine at a third time whether the other forward signal and the other reverse signal meet a third judgment condition and to generate a third result, the processor determines whether to transmit the warning signal based on the first result, the second result and the third result, The third determination condition includes that the other forward signal is greater than the other reverse signal, and the second time is before the third time in the power monitoring device.

4. If the second result is "no", the processor determines whether the other forward signal and the other reverse signal meet the third determination condition. If the third result is "yes", the processor repeatedly determines whether the forward signal and the reverse signal meet the second determination condition, and If the third result is "no", the processor turns off the power amplifier and transmits the warning signal, as described in claim 3.

5. The power monitoring device according to claim 3, wherein the forward signal and the reverse signal are voltage values, and the other forward signal and the other reverse signal are current values.

6. The power monitoring device according to claim 1, further comprising the first determination condition being that the forward signal is greater than the effective value and the reverse signal is greater than the effective value.

7. The power monitoring device according to claim 6, further comprising the first determination condition being that the reverse signal is greater than a critical value and the effective value is less than the critical value.

8. The aforementioned power detection module is A coupling circuit electrically connected to the power amplifier and the antenna for acquiring the forward power and the reverse power, A power detection circuit electrically connected to the coupling circuit, which converts the forward power into a forward detection signal and the reverse power into a reverse detection signal, An analog-to-digital converter electrically connected to the power detection circuit and the processor, which performs analog-to-digital conversion on the forward detection signal to generate the forward signal and performs analog-to-digital conversion on the reverse detection signal to generate the reverse signal, A power monitoring device according to claim 1, including the following:

9. The power monitoring device according to claim 8, further comprising a current sensor electrically connected between the power detection circuit and the analog-to-digital converter, the power detection module.

10. A power sensing module detects the forward power of a power amplifier and the reverse power of an antenna, and converts the forward power into a forward signal and the reverse power into a reverse signal. The process involves a processor determining, in a first time, whether the forward signal and the reverse signal meet a first judgment condition and generating a first result, and in a second time, whether the forward signal and the reverse signal meet a second judgment condition and generating a second result, and then deciding whether to transmit a warning signal based on the first result and the second result. Includes, The first time is before the second time, and both the first and second decision conditions include the forward signal being greater than the reverse signal. If the first result is "yes", the processor repeatedly determines whether the forward signal and the reverse signal meet the first determination condition. If the first result is "no", the processor turns off the power amplifier, turns it back on after an interval of time, determines whether the forward signal and the reverse signal meet the second determination condition, and If the second result is "yes", the power monitoring method includes the processor repeatedly determining whether the forward signal and the reverse signal meet the second determination condition.

11. If the second result is "no", the processor turns off the power amplifier and transmits the warning signal, the power monitoring method according to claim 10.

12. A power sensing module that detects the forward power of a power amplifier and the reverse power of an antenna, and converts the forward power into a forward signal and the reverse power into a reverse signal, The process involves a processor determining, in a first time, whether the forward signal and the reverse signal meet a first judgment condition and generating a first result, and in a second time, whether the forward signal and the reverse signal meet a second judgment condition and generating a second result, and then deciding whether to transmit a warning signal based on the first result and the second result. The process of acquiring another forward signal and another reverse signal using the power sensing module, The process includes: determining whether the other forward signal and the other reverse signal meet the third judgment condition at a third time using the processor, generating a third result, and deciding whether to transmit the warning signal based on the first result, the second result, and the third result; Includes, The first time is before the second time, and both the first and second decision conditions include the forward signal being greater than the reverse signal. A power monitoring method in which the third determination condition includes that the other forward signal is greater than the other reverse signal, and the second time precedes the third time.

13. If the second result is "no", the processor determines whether the other forward signal and the other reverse signal meet the third determination condition. If the third result is "yes", the processor repeatedly determines whether the forward signal and the reverse signal meet the second determination condition, and If the third result is "no", the processor turns off the power amplifier and transmits the warning signal, the power monitoring method according to claim 12.

14. The power monitoring method according to claim 12, wherein the forward signal and the reverse signal are voltage values, and the other forward signal and the other reverse signal are current values.

15. The power monitoring method according to claim 10, further comprising the first determination condition being that the forward signal is greater than the effective value and the reverse signal is greater than the effective value.

16. The power monitoring method according to claim 15, further comprising the first determination condition being that the reverse signal is greater than a critical value and the effective value is less than the critical value.

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