Base station antenna unit and base station device

Abstract

The present application provides a base station antenna unit and a base station device. The base station antenna unit comprises: a first circuit, a second circuit, a reserved interface, a logic switch, and a base station antenna connected to the first circuit, wherein the logic switch is used for controlling the connection and disconnection of the first circuit and the second circuit and controlling the connection and disconnection of the second circuit and the reserved interface, and the reserved interface is used for allowing an external antenna to connect.

Description

Base station antenna units and base station equipment

[0001] Cross-references

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on January 9, 2024, with application number 202410034006.4 and invention name “Base Station Antenna Unit and Base Station Equipment”. The entire contents of the application are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a base station antenna unit and base station equipment. Background Art

[0004] With the development of mobile Internet and Internet of Things technologies, more and more industries, such as manufacturing, transportation, smart medical care, etc., have the demand for the integration of communication and perception to realize the collection, transmission and application of information.

[0005] For communication operators, in order to adapt to this development trend, how to achieve intersensory integration in base stations is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this application is to provide a base station antenna unit and base station equipment.

[0007] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a base station antenna unit, comprising: a first circuit, a second circuit, a reserved interface, a logical switch, and a base station antenna connected to the first circuit; wherein the logical switch is used to control the connection and disconnection between the first circuit and the second circuit, and to control the connection and disconnection between the second circuit and the reserved interface; the reserved interface is used to connect to an external antenna.

[0008] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a base station device, comprising the base station antenna unit described in the first aspect above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in the embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0010] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a base station antenna unit according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0011] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a reserved interface of a base station antenna unit according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0012] FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of a working frame of a base station antenna unit according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0013] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of circuit connections of a base station antenna unit in different time slots according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0014] FIG5 is a circuit connection diagram of a base station antenna unit used as an external antenna according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0015] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of basic circuit connections of a base station antenna unit in practical applications according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0016] FIG7 is a circuit connection diagram of a base station antenna unit according to an embodiment of the present application when the first logic switch is adopted;

[0017] FIG8 is another circuit connection diagram of the base station antenna unit according to an embodiment of the present application when the first logic switch is adopted;

[0018] FIG9 is another circuit connection diagram of the base station antenna unit according to an embodiment of the present application when the first logic switch is adopted;

[0019] FIG10 is a circuit connection diagram of a base station antenna unit according to an embodiment of the present application when a second logic switch is used;

[0020] FIG11 is another circuit connection diagram of the base station antenna unit according to an embodiment of the present application when the second logic switch is adopted;

[0021] FIG12 is another circuit connection diagram of the base station antenna unit according to an embodiment of the present application when the first logic switch is adopted;

[0022] FIG13 is another circuit connection diagram of the base station antenna unit according to an embodiment of the present application when the second logic switch is adopted;

[0023] FIG14 is another circuit connection diagram of the base station antenna unit according to an embodiment of the present application when the first type of logic switch is adopted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in this specification, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of this specification, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this specification, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts should fall within the scope of protection of this specification.

[0025] On the one hand, one embodiment of the present application provides a base station antenna unit, also known as an active antenna unit (AAU). Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the AAU in an embodiment of the present application, including: a first circuit, a second circuit, a reserved interface, a logical switch, and a base station antenna connected to the first circuit.

[0026] Among them: the reserved interface is used to connect to the external antenna. It should be noted that this embodiment does not specifically limit the form, position, and connection form of the reserved interface with the external antenna. Figure 2 illustrates a reserved interface structure that specifically integrates the RF interface, control interface, and power supply interface. Among them: the RF interface is used to connect to the matching external antenna; the control interface and power supply interface are reserved for AAU beamforming or beam scanning. During beamforming or beam scanning, the matching external antenna contains devices such as electronic phase shifters that need to be powered and controlled.

[0027] The logic switch is used to control the connection and disconnection between the first circuit and the second circuit, and to control the connection and disconnection between the second circuit and the reserved interface.

[0028] In scenarios where communication and perception convergence are required, an external antenna can be connected to the reserved interface. A logic switch controls the connection and disconnection between the first circuit and the second circuit, and between the second circuit and the reserved interface. This allows the existing local base station antenna and the additional external antenna to be used for communication and perception, achieving integrated base station communication and perception. Furthermore, for scenarios where only communication is required but no perception is required, there is no need to connect an external antenna to the reserved interface, and the base station antenna unit retains its traditional communication functions. The entire structure has been rationally simplified, and the external antenna can be plugged in and used as needed, avoiding hardware waste.

[0029] The following introduces the principles of AAU communication and perception.

[0030] Traditional AAUs use time-division duplex (TDD) mode to transmit and receive communication signals in a time-division manner via base station antennas. The AAU in this embodiment builds on this TDD communication foundation by incorporating active sensing functionality. Specifically, the AAU transmits sensing signals to the target area during pre-configured sensing time slots and simultaneously receives the echo signals (i.e., sensing signals) reflected from these signals.

[0031] Figure 3 illustrates the AAU working frame structure for the communication and perception convergence scenario in this embodiment. C represents the communication timeslot; P represents the perception receive timeslot; and S represents the freely configurable timeslot. In time-division duplex mode, the communication timeslot is subdivided into a communication transmit timeslot and a communication receive timeslot. The communication transmit timeslot transmits communication signals, while the communication receive timeslot receives communication signals. Communication and perception switchover occurs during the freely configurable timeslot S, which provides a certain amount of reserved time for switching.

[0032] Under the above working frame structure, as shown in reference figure 4, the logic switch is specifically used to: in the communication transmission time slot, control the first circuit to be disconnected from the second circuit, and control the second circuit to be disconnected from the reserved interface, so as to drive the base station antenna to send the communication signal through the first circuit; in the communication reception time slot, control the first circuit to be connected to the second circuit, and control the second circuit to be disconnected from the reserved interface, so as to receive the communication signal collected by the base station antenna through the second circuit; in the perception time slot after the reserved interface is connected to the external antenna, control the first circuit to be disconnected from the second circuit, so as to drive the base station antenna to send the perception signal through the first circuit; and control the second circuit to be connected to the reserved interface, so as to receive the perception signal (echo) collected by the external antenna through the second circuit. It should be noted that the perception signal is transmitted and received simultaneously within the perception time slot, which is different from the time-sharing transmission and reception of the communication signal.

[0033] Furthermore, based on Figure 4, the AAU of this embodiment may further include a load disposed outside the first circuit and the second circuit. The logic switch is specifically configured to: during communication transmission and sensing time slots, control the connection between the first circuit and the load, so that the load provides overcurrent protection for the first circuit; and during communication reception time slots, control the disconnection between the first circuit and the load, so that the load stops the first circuit from providing overcurrent protection, thereby preventing any impact on the reception sensitivity of communication or sensing signals.

[0034] In addition, as shown in Figure 5, the logic switch can control the first circuit and the second circuit to be connected under normal conditions (power-off state), and control the second circuit to be connected to the reserved interface. When the logic switch is in normal state, this AAU can be used as an external antenna for other AAUs to access the reserved interfaces of other AAUs. In other words, during the sensing time slot, other AAUs receive sensing signals through the base station antenna of this AAU. In actual applications, the AAU of this embodiment is a small flat-panel structure like traditional AAUs. In scenarios where external antennas are not available, two AAUs of this embodiment can be connected to each other through the reserved interface to achieve inter-sensory functions without taking up too much space.

[0035] In actual applications, as shown in FIG6 , the AAU is further provided with a digital processing module controlled by a baseband processing unit (Building Baseband Unit, BBU).

[0036] The output end of the digital processing module is connected to the first circuit after digital-to-analog conversion, that is, the output digital signal is converted from digital to analog as the final transmitted communication signal or perception signal; the input end of the digital processing module is connected to the second circuit after digital-to-analog conversion, that is, the communication signal or perception signal collected by the second circuit is converted from digital to analog and received by the AAU as a digital signal.

[0037] The AAU also includes a first amplifier within the first circuit and a second amplifier within the second circuit. The first amplifier is used to amplify the communication signals to be transmitted by the base station antenna during the communication transmission time slot and the sensing signals to be transmitted by the base station antenna during the sensing time slot. The second amplifier is used to amplify the communication signals collected by the base station antenna during the communication reception time slot.

[0038] Figure 6 shows the basic structure of the AAU in this embodiment. Based on Figure 6, the following describes in detail the specific implementation of the logic switch in this embodiment.

[0039] Implementation method 1

[0040] Referring to Figures 7 and 8, the logic switch of this implementation method is composed of a first single-pole double-throw switch K1 and a second single-pole double-throw switch K2. K1 and K2 include a moving contact 0 as a "knife handle" and a first static contact 1 and a second static contact 2 that can be connected to the "knife handle". Among them, the moving contact 0 of K1 is connected to the first circuit through a circulator (the circulator serves as the access port of the circuit and will not be described in detail later), the first static contact 1 of K1 is connected to the first static contact 1 of K2, the moving contact 0 of K2 is connected to the second circuit, and the second static contact 2 of K2 is connected to the reserved interface. The input end of the first amplifier is connected to the first circuit, and the output end of the first amplifier is connected to the moving contact 0 of the first single-pole double-throw switch K1. The input end of the second amplifier is connected to the moving contact 0 of the second single-pole double-throw switch K2, and the output end of the second amplifier is connected to the second circuit.

[0041] When only communication is required, the AAU's existing base station antenna performs time-sharing transmission and reception of communication signals. Refer to Figure 7: During the communication transmit time slot, K1's movable contact 0 is thrown to the second static contact 2 to connect the load to the first circuit, preventing the load from directly burning the circuit due to the transmitted high-power communication signal. K2's movable contact 0 can be thrown to either the second static contact 1 or the second static contact 2. During the communication receive time slot, K1's movable contact 0 is thrown to the second static contact 2, and K2's movable contact 0 is thrown to the first static contact 1, connecting the first and second circuits. This allows the communication signals collected by the base station antenna to reach the digital processing module through K1 and K2.

[0042] When there is a need for communication and perception fusion, an interface is reserved for connecting an external supporting antenna. Among them, the communication time slots (communication transmission time slots and communication reception time slots) can be referred to as shown in Figure 7, which will not be repeated here. In the perception time slot, refer to Figure 8, where the moving contact 0 of K1 is thrown to the second static contact 2 to connect the load to the first circuit, and the moving contact 0 of K2 is thrown to the second static contact 2 to connect the reserved interface. The whole machine transmits the perception signal through the original base station antenna of AAU and receives the perception signal through the supporting antenna. Since the original base station antenna of AAU and the supporting antenna are two independent antennas, the isolation between the two antennas is relatively high, so the impact of transmission on reception is relatively small, and the perception capability is relatively high.

[0043] It should be noted that the position of the second amplifier in the second circuit is not unique and is not specifically limited in this implementation. As another feasible embodiment, as shown in Reference 9 , the input end of the second amplifier can be connected to the first static contact 1 of the first single-pole double-throw switch K1, and the output end of the second amplifier can be connected to the first static contact 1 of the second single-pole double-throw switch K2.

[0044] Implementation method 2

[0045] Referring to Figures 10 and 11 , in this implementation, the logic switch is a double-pole, double-throw (DPDT) switch, comprising a first movable contact a, a second movable contact b, a first stationary contact 1, a second stationary contact 2, a third stationary contact 3, and a fourth stationary contact 4. The first movable contact a corresponds to the third stationary contact 3 and the fourth stationary contact 4, respectively; the first movable contact a is connected to the first circuit, the third stationary contact 3 is connected to the second stationary contact 2, and the fourth stationary contact 4 is connected to the load. The second movable contact b corresponds to the first stationary contact 1 and the second stationary contact 2, respectively; the second movable contact b is connected to the second circuit, and the first stationary contact 1 is connected to the reserved interface. The input of the first amplifier is connected to the first circuit, and the output of the first amplifier is connected to the first movable contact a of the DPDT switch. The input of the second amplifier is connected to the second movable contact b of the DPDT switch, and the output of the second amplifier is connected to the second circuit.

[0046] When only communication is required, refer to Figure 10: During the communication transmission time slot, the first moving contact a is thrown to the fourth static contact 4 to connect the load to the first circuit. The load prevents the amplified communication signal from directly burning the circuit. The second moving contact b is thrown to the second static contact 2 or the first static contact 1. During the communication reception time slot, the first moving contact a is thrown to the third static contact 3, and the second moving contact b is thrown to the second static contact 2. In this way, the first and second circuits are connected, and the communication signal collected by the base station antenna can ultimately reach the digital processing module.

[0047] When there is a need for communication and perception fusion, an interface is reserved for an external supporting antenna. Among them, the communication time slots (communication transmission time slots and communication reception time slots) can be referred to as shown in Figure 10, which will not be repeated here. In the perception time slot, as shown in Figure 11, the first moving contact a is thrown to the fourth static contact 4 to connect the load to the first circuit, and the second moving contact b is thrown to the fourth static contact 4 to connect the external signal to the second circuit. The whole machine transmits the perception signal through the original base station antenna of the AAU and receives the perception signal through the supporting antenna.

[0048] The above is an introduction to logic switches.

[0049] On the basis of the above, a third amplifier may be further provided on the reserved interface side of this embodiment to amplify the signal power of the received perception signal to improve the collection sensitivity of the perception signal.

[0050] Here, taking the implementation of a logic switch including a first single-pole double-throw switch K1 and a second single-pole double-throw switch K2 as an example, as shown in FIG12 , the input of the third amplifier is connected to the reserved interface, and the output of the third amplifier is connected to the second static contact of the second single-pole double-throw switch. Based on the foregoing, depending on the position of the second amplifier, the third amplifier can be connected to the second circuit in series with the second amplifier, or in parallel with the second amplifier.

[0051] Alternatively, taking the implementation of a logic switch including a single double-pole double-throw switch as an example, referring to FIG13 , the input end of the third amplifier is connected to the reserved interface, and the output end of the third amplifier is connected to the first static contact 1 of the double-pole double-throw switch.

[0052] It should be noted that the traditional core function of the base station antenna of the AAU in this embodiment is to transmit communication signals. Therefore, during the sensing time slot, it continues to be used as a signal transmission antenna, while the external supporting antenna serves as a signal collection antenna. Of course, if the external supporting antenna is no different from the base station antenna in hardware, that is, the supporting antenna can also be used to transmit communication signals that meet the requirements, then the AAU can also use the external supporting antenna as the signal transmission antenna and the local existing antenna as the signal collection antenna. Taking the implementation of a logic switch including a first single-pole double-throw switch K1 and a second single-pole double-throw switch K2 as an example, as shown in Figure 14, K1 controls the connection between the first circuit and the second circuit, and K2 of the logic switch controls the connection between the first circuit and the reserved interface.

[0053] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application further provides a base station device, comprising the base station antenna unit described above.

[0054] Based on this base station antenna unit, the base station device of this embodiment can connect an external antenna to the reserved interface in scenarios where there are communication and perception requirements. The logic switch controls the connection and disconnection between the first circuit and the second circuit, as well as the connection and disconnection between the second circuit and the reserved interface, so as to utilize the local original base station antenna and the additional external antenna for communication and perception, thereby realizing the integration of base station inter-sensory perception. For scenarios where there are no perception requirements, there is no need to connect an external antenna to the reserved interface, and the base station antenna unit retains the traditional communication function normally. It can be seen that the entire structure of the base station device of this embodiment has been reasonably simplified, and the external antenna can be plugged in and used according to field requirements, avoiding hardware waste.

[0055] In practical applications, the reserved interface of the base station device in this embodiment can be connected to an external antenna via a radio frequency cable. This has the advantage that, if the radio frequency cable is long enough, the position between the base station antenna and the external antenna can be flexibly adjusted, thereby minimizing self-interference between the sensing signals transmitted by the base station antenna and received by the external antenna.

[0056] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of this specification may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Thus, this specification may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware. Furthermore, this specification may take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to magnetic disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0057] The foregoing description of this specification describes specific embodiments. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps recited in the claims can be performed in an order different from that described in the embodiments and still achieve the desired results. Furthermore, the processes depicted in the accompanying drawings do not necessarily require the specific order shown or the sequential order to achieve the desired results. In certain embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are also possible or may be advantageous.

[0058] The above are merely examples of the present invention and are not intended to limit this specification. For those skilled in the art, various modifications and variations of this specification are possible. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of this specification shall be included within the scope of the claims of this specification. In addition, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort shall fall within the scope of protection of this document.

Claims

1. A base station antenna unit, wherein, Comprising: A first circuit, a second circuit, a reserved interface, a logic switch, and a base station antenna connected to the first circuit; wherein, the logic switch is used to control the connection and disconnection between the first circuit and the second circuit, and to control the connection and disconnection between the second circuit and the reserved interface; the reserved interface is used to connect to an external antenna.

2. The base station antenna unit according to claim 1, wherein, The functions of the logic switch include at least one of the following: During a communication transmission time slot, control the disconnection between the first circuit and the second circuit, and control the disconnection between the second circuit and the reserved interface, so as to drive the base station antenna to transmit a communication signal through the first circuit; During a communication reception time slot, control the connection between the first circuit and the second circuit, and control the disconnection between the second circuit and the reserved interface, so as to receive the communication signal collected by the base station antenna through the second circuit; During a sensing time slot after the external antenna is connected to the reserved interface, control the disconnection between the first circuit and the second circuit, so as to drive the base station antenna to transmit a sensing signal through the first circuit; And, control the connection between the second circuit and the reserved interface, so as to receive the sensing signal collected by the external antenna through the second circuit.

3. The base station antenna unit according to claim 2, wherein, Further comprising: A load disposed outside the first circuit and the second circuit; The functions of the logic switch further include at least one of the following: During the communication transmission time slot and the sensing time slot after the external antenna is connected to the reserved interface, control the connection between the first circuit and the load, so that the load provides overcurrent protection for the first circuit; During the communication reception time slot, control the disconnection between the first circuit and the load, so that the load stops providing overcurrent protection for the first circuit.

4. The base station antenna unit according to claim 1, wherein The logic switch includes a first single-pole double-throw switch and a second single-pole double-throw switch; both the first single-pole double-throw switch and the second single-pole double-throw switch include a moving contact, a first stationary contact, and a second stationary contact; Wherein, the moving contact of the first single-pole double-throw switch is connected to the first circuit, the first stationary contact of the first single-pole double-throw switch is connected to the first stationary contact of the second single-pole double-throw switch, the moving contact of the second single-pole double-throw switch is connected to the second circuit, and the second stationary contact of the second single-pole double-throw switch is connected to the reserved interface.

5. The base station antenna unit according to claim 4, wherein Further comprising: A first amplifier, the input end of the first amplifier is connected to the first circuit, and the output end of the first amplifier is connected to the moving contact of the first single-pole double-throw switch.

6. The base station antenna unit according to claim 4, wherein, Further comprising: A second amplifier, the input end of the second amplifier is connected to the moving contact of the second single-pole double-throw switch, and the output end of the second amplifier is connected to the second circuit; Or, the input end of the second amplifier is connected to the first stationary contact of the first single-pole double-throw switch, and the output end of the second amplifier is connected to the first stationary contact of the second single-pole double-throw switch.

7. The base station antenna unit according to claim 4, wherein, Further comprising: A third amplifier, the input end of the third amplifier is connected to the reserved interface, and the output end of the third amplifier is connected to the second stationary contact of the second single-pole double-throw switch.

8. The base station antenna unit according to claim 1, wherein, The logic switch consists of a double-pole double-throw switch; the double-pole double-throw switch includes a first moving contact, a second moving contact, a first stationary contact, a second stationary contact, a third stationary contact, and a fourth stationary contact; Among them, the first moving contact corresponds to the third stationary contact and the fourth stationary contact respectively. The first moving contact is connected to the first circuit, the third stationary contact is connected to the second stationary contact, and the fourth stationary contact is connected to the load; the second moving contact corresponds to the first stationary contact and the second stationary contact respectively. The second moving contact is connected to the second circuit, and the first stationary contact is connected to the reserved interface.

9. The base station antenna unit according to claim 8, wherein, It further includes: A first amplifier, the input end of the first amplifier is connected to the first circuit, and the output end of the first amplifier is connected to the first moving contact of the double-pole double-throw switch.

10. The base station antenna unit according to claim 8, wherein, It further includes: A second amplifier, the input end of the second amplifier is connected to the second moving contact of the double-pole double-throw switch, and the output end of the second amplifier is connected to the second circuit.

11. The base station antenna unit according to claim 8, wherein, It further includes: A third amplifier, the input end of the third amplifier is connected to the reserved interface, and the output end of the third amplifier is connected to the first stationary contact of the double-pole double-throw switch.

12. The base station antenna unit according to claim 1, wherein, The reserved interface includes at least one of the following: The radio frequency interface of the external antenna; The control interface for beamforming and / or beam scanning; The power supply interface for the beamforming and / or the beam scanning.

13. A base station device, wherein, It includes the base station antenna unit according to any one of claims 1-12.

Images