Communication apparatus, communication method, communication system, electronic device and storage medium

Abstract

The present application is applied to the technical field of communications. Provided are a communication apparatus, a communication method, a communication system, an electronic device and a storage medium, which aim to solve the problem of the coverage range and antenna gain of existing smart antennas being unable to meet the usage requirements of different usage environments. The communication apparatus comprises a multiplexer and a plurality of antenna structures. The multiplexer comprises a common end and a plurality of selection ends. The common end of the multiplexer is coupled to a radio frequency channel, and the common end is used for being switched on with different selection ends among the plurality of selection ends, so as to form a plurality of paths. The plurality of antenna structures comprise a phased-array antenna, and the plurality of selection ends comprise a first selection end, wherein the phased-array antenna is coupled to the first selection end. The plurality of antenna structures further comprise an omnidirectional antenna, and the plurality of selection ends further comprise a second selection end, wherein the omnidirectional antenna is coupled to the second selection end, and / or the plurality of antenna structures further comprise a directional antenna, and the plurality of selection ends further comprise a third selection end, wherein the directional antenna is coupled to the third selection end.

Description

Communication device, communication method, communication system, electronic device, and storage medium

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on January 25, 2024, with application number 202410114463.4 and application name “Communication device, communication method, communication system, electronic device and storage medium”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication device, a communication method, a communication system, an electronic device, and a storage medium. Background Art

[0003] To address challenges in wireless network environments and provide better coverage, many wireless devices are currently equipped with smart antenna systems to enhance signal strength between access points (APs) and different client stations (STAs) and reduce interference between adjacent APs. The hardware for smart antenna technology primarily consists of an antenna array consisting of multiple antennas. The combination of different antennas in the array can create different signal radiation directions, enabling optimal antenna selection for STAs in different locations, improving signal reception quality and boosting system throughput. However, existing smart antennas have limited coverage and antenna gain, failing to meet the requirements of diverse environments.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a communication device, a communication method, a communication system, an electronic device and a storage medium, which have solved the problem that the coverage range and antenna gain of existing smart antennas are limited and cannot meet the requirements of use in different environments.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the embodiments of the present application provide the following technical solutions.

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a multiplexer and multiple antenna structures. The multiplexer includes a common terminal and multiple selection terminals. The common terminal of the multiplexer is coupled to a radio frequency channel, and the common terminal of the multiplexer is used to switch conduction with different selection terminals of the multiple selection terminals to form multiple paths. The multiple antenna structures include a phased array antenna, the multiple selection terminals include a first selection terminal, and the phased array antenna is coupled to the first selection terminal. The multiple antenna structures also include an omnidirectional antenna, the multiple selection terminals also include a second selection terminal, and the omnidirectional antenna is coupled to the second selection terminal; and / or the multiple antenna structures also include a directional antenna, the multiple selection terminals also include a third selection terminal, and the directional antenna is coupled to the third selection terminal. Through the above-described method, the most suitable antenna can be selected from the multiple antennas with different directional capabilities by controlling the multiplexer, thereby fully leveraging the advantages of antennas with different directional capabilities to achieve optimal signal coverage while improving signal strength, thereby improving signal coverage range and antenna gain.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the phased array antenna includes an adjustable phase shifter and an antenna array. The adjustable phase shifter includes a power divider and multiple adjustable phase shift circuits; the antenna array includes multiple antennas. The power divider includes a combining end and multiple branching ends. The combining end of the power divider is coupled to the first selection end. Each branching end is coupled to one or more antennas in the antenna array via an adjustable phase shift circuit. The adjustable phase shift circuit is used to perform multi-phase phase shift selection. Through the above-described method, the adjustable phase shift circuit can provide multiple phase shift processing to the signals to be output by each antenna in the antenna array, thereby achieving different beam pointing directions.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the adjustable phase-shifting circuit includes a first gating switch, a first phase-shifting circuit, and a second phase-shifting circuit; the first gating switch includes a common terminal, a first selection terminal, and a second selection terminal. The common terminal of the first gating switch is coupled to a branch terminal in a power divider. The first terminal of the first phase-shifting circuit is coupled to the first selection terminal. The first terminal of the second phase-shifting circuit is coupled to the second selection terminal. The second terminal of the first phase-shifting circuit and the second terminal of the second phase-shifting circuit are coupled to the same one or more antennas in an antenna array. Alternatively, the common terminal of the first gating switch is coupled to one or more antennas in the antenna array. The first terminal of the first phase-shifting circuit and the first terminal of the second phase-shifting circuit are both coupled to a branch terminal in the power divider. The second terminal of the first phase-shifting circuit is coupled to the first selection terminal. The second terminal of the second phase-shifting circuit is coupled to the second selection terminal. In this manner, switching operations for different phase-shifting processes can be achieved by controlling the first gating switch.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the adjustable phase-shift circuit includes a first gate switch, a second gate switch, a first phase-shift circuit, and a second phase-shift circuit. The first gate switch and the second gate switch each include a common terminal, a first selection terminal, and a second selection terminal. The common terminal of the first gate switch is coupled to a power divider terminal of a power divider; the first terminal of the first phase-shift circuit is coupled to the first selection terminal of the first gate switch. The first terminal of the second phase-shift circuit is coupled to the second selection terminal of the first gate switch. The second terminal of the first phase-shift circuit is coupled to the first selection terminal of the second gate switch. The second terminal of the second phase-shift circuit is coupled to the second selection terminal of the second gate switch. The common terminal of the second gate switch is coupled to one or more antennas. Through the above-described method, phase shift processing of the signal can only be achieved when the first gate switch and the second gate switch are switched to the same phase-shift circuit, thereby avoiding erroneous operation.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the antenna array includes multiple first-polarized antennas in a first antenna array. The directional antenna includes one or more second-polarized antennas in the first antenna array. Alternatively, the antenna array includes multiple second-polarized antennas in the first antenna array. The directional antenna includes one or more first-polarized antennas in the first antenna array. The first polarized antenna and the second polarized antenna have different polarization directions.

[0012] In a second aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising: a first transceiver circuit, and a first communication device coupled to the first transceiver circuit, wherein the first communication device is a communication device in any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the communication system further includes: a second transceiver circuit, and a second communication device coupled to the second transceiver circuit, wherein the second communication device is the communication device in any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the antenna array within the phased array antenna of the first communication device includes multiple first-polarized antennas in the first array antenna. The antenna array within the phased array antenna of the second communication device includes multiple second-polarized antennas in the first array antenna. The first polarized antennas and the second polarized antennas have different polarization directions.

[0015] According to a third aspect, an electronic device is provided, comprising a baseband processor and a communication system according to any possible implementation of the second aspect coupled to the baseband processor.

[0016] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided, applicable to the communication device of any possible implementation of the first aspect. During execution, the method first obtains channel qualities of the multiple paths. Then, based on the channel qualities, a multiplexer is controlled to select a target path from the multiple paths.

[0017] In a possible implementation, when obtaining the channel qualities of the multiple paths, the packet error rates and signal-to-noise ratios of the multiple paths may be obtained first, and then the channel qualities of the multiple paths may be determined based on the packet error rates and signal-to-noise ratios.

[0018] In a fifth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores computer program instructions. When the computer program instructions are executed by a processor, the communication method of the fourth aspect is implemented.

[0019] In a sixth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which, when executed by a processor, implements the communication method of the fourth aspect.

[0020] The technical effects brought about by the above-mentioned second to sixth aspects and possible implementation methods can be found in the description of the technical effects brought about by the above-mentioned first aspect and possible implementation methods, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device;

[0022] FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device;

[0023] FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device;

[0024] FIG4 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] FIG7 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] FIG8 is a diagram showing the relationship between antenna gain and beam direction provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] FIG9 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] FIG11 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] FIG12 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of a flow chart of an antenna operation method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] FIG15 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] FIG16 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

[0038] To facilitate the clear description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the words "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish between identical or similar items with substantially the same functions and effects. Those skilled in the art will understand that the words "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or order of execution, and the words "first" and "second" do not necessarily mean that they are different. Furthermore, in the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner to facilitate understanding. When describing some embodiments, the words "coupled" and "connected," as well as their derivatives, may be used. For example, when describing some embodiments, the term "connected" may be used to indicate that two or more components are in direct physical contact or point contact with each other. For example, when describing some embodiments, the term "coupled" may be used to indicate that two or more components are in direct physical or electrical contact. It may also mean that two or more components are not in direct contact with each other but still cooperate or interact with each other. The embodiments disclosed herein are not necessarily limited to the contents of this document. The following is a detailed description of this application with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments:

[0039] As shown in Figure 1, with the development of communication technology, many electronic devices 100 are now equipped with a baseband processor 110, a radio frequency path 120, and an antenna 130. The radio frequency path 120 generally includes a conversion circuit 121 and a transceiver circuit 122. Each radio frequency path 120 corresponds to a radio frequency channel. The transceiver circuit 122 generally includes a receiving unit equipped with a low-noise amplifier and a transmitting unit equipped with a power amplifier. The conversion circuit 121 generally includes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) coupled to the receiving unit and a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) coupled to the transmitting unit. The digital baseband signal generated by the baseband processor 110 can be converted to an analog signal by the DAC, amplified by the transmitting unit, and then transmitted from the antenna 130. The signal received by the antenna 130 can be amplified by the receiving unit and converted to a digital signal by the ADC. The baseband processor 110 then performs corresponding processing based on the received digital signal. However, in current network environments, such as wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), antenna coverage is limited and cannot meet the needs of different scenarios. For example, electronic devices currently used as access points generally use omnidirectional antennas. However, omnidirectional antennas have limited gain, providing good service for close-range users, but failing to provide service or only providing low-throughput service for medium- and long-range users. Furthermore, in high-density networking environments, the concurrent use of multiple users will significantly increase interference between links, thereby affecting transmission throughput.

[0040] To address the above issues, the antenna structure can be improved. As shown in Figure 2, a conventional antenna can be replaced with a communication device 200 comprising a multiplexer 210 and multiple directional antennas 220. The multiplexer 210 can be a multi-way switching device comprising a common terminal and multiple select terminals. Each select terminal of the multiplexer 210 can be coupled to a directional antenna 220. The common terminal of the multiplexer 210 is used to couple with the transceiver circuit. During communication, the multiplexer 210 can connect the common terminal to the corresponding select terminal based on a received select control signal, thereby exchanging data with devices in a specific direction. Because directional antennas transmit and receive electromagnetic waves with particularly strong intensity in one or several specific directions, while transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves in other directions is zero or extremely low, using directional antennas can increase the effective utilization of radiated power. However, the beam gain of a single directional antenna is low, resulting in a shorter signal transmission distance and still limited coverage. To achieve more comprehensive signal coverage, the antenna beam direction can be changed by controlling the geometric shape of the main antenna. In one example, as shown in Figure 3, by controlling the geometry of the main antenna, it is possible to output both an omnidirectional beam and multiple directional beams. However, this solution results in low omnidirectional beam gain, resulting in a short signal transmission range. This makes it impossible to provide service to medium- and long-range users, or only provides low-throughput service. Furthermore, the coverage of directional beams is limited, thus still presenting the problem of limited coverage.

[0041] To fully address the above-mentioned issues, as shown in FIG4 , an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device 400, which includes a multiplexer 410 and multiple antenna structures. The common terminal of the multiplexer 410 is coupled to a radio frequency channel, and the common terminal of the multiplexer 410 is used to switch between different selection terminals of a plurality of selection terminals to form multiple paths. The multiple antenna structures include a phased array antenna 430, wherein the multiple selection terminals include a first selection terminal, and the phased array antenna 430 is coupled to the first selection terminal. The multiple antenna structures also include an omnidirectional antenna 420, wherein the multiple selection terminals also include a second selection terminal, and the omnidirectional antenna 420 is coupled to the second selection terminal, and / or the multiple antenna structures also include a directional antenna 440, wherein the multiple selection terminals also include a third selection terminal, and the directional antenna 440 is coupled to the third selection terminal. In a specific implementation, the communication device 400 can be coupled to the transceiver circuit of a radio frequency channel in a communication system having multiple radio frequency channels. The multiplexer 410 can be coupled to a processor. The processor can select the path that the multiplexer 410 conducts by controlling the multiplexer 410 to exchange data through the corresponding antenna. The processor can obtain the signal-to-noise ratio and packet error rate (PER) of the multiple paths of the multiplexer, and then comprehensively determine the target antenna that needs to be used based on the signal-to-noise ratio and packet error rate (PER) of the multiple paths, and send a control signal to the multiplexer 410 to conduct the corresponding target path. The target path is the path with the best channel quality among the paths corresponding to the phased array antenna 430, the omnidirectional antenna 420, or the directional antenna 440. Based on this, the most suitable antenna can be selected from the multiple antennas with different directional capabilities by controlling the multiplexer 410, thereby fully utilizing the advantages of antennas with different directional capabilities to achieve optimal signal coverage while improving signal strength, signal coverage range, and antenna gain.

[0042] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG5 , the antenna in the communication device 400 may include an omnidirectional antenna 420 and a phased array antenna 430. The multiplexer 410 may be a single-pole double throw (SPDT) switch including a common terminal and two selection terminals. The common terminal of the SPDT switch is used to couple with the transceiver circuit of a radio frequency channel. The first selection terminal of the SPDT switch is coupled to the omnidirectional antenna, and the second selection terminal of the SPDT switch is coupled to the phased array antenna 430. The phased array antenna 430 includes an adjustable phase shifter 431 and an antenna array 432. When data exchange is required, the multiplexer 410 may connect the common terminal to the first selection terminal through a control signal output by a coupled processor to exchange data through the omnidirectional antenna. Alternatively, the multiplexer 410 may connect the common terminal to the second selection terminal through a control signal output by a coupled processor to exchange data through the phased array antenna 430. Of course, the above-mentioned omnidirectional antenna 420 can also be replaced by a directional antenna 440, which will not be described in detail in this embodiment of the present application.

[0043] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG6 , the adjustable phase shifter 431 includes a power divider 4311 and multiple adjustable phase shift circuits 4312 . The power divider 4311 includes a combining end and multiple branching ends. The antenna array 432 includes multiple antennas. The combining end of the power divider 4311 is coupled to the first selection end of the multiplexer 410 . Each branching end is coupled to one or more antennas in the antenna array 432 via an adjustable phase shift circuit 4312 . The adjustable phase shift circuit 4312 is used to perform multi-phase phase shift selection. For example, as still shown in FIG6 , the adjustable phase shift circuit 4312 can be coupled to one antenna in the antenna array 432 . For example, the adjustable phase shift circuit 0 and antenna Ant1 in FIG6 . By adjusting the phase of the signal output by the adjustable phase shift circuit 4312 , the phase of the signal transmitted by each antenna can be controlled, thereby controlling the direction of the beam transmitted by the phased array antenna 430 . Of course, the adjustable phase shift circuit 4312 can also be coupled to multiple antennas in the antenna array 432 . For example, as shown in Figure 6 , the adjustable phase shift circuit n and antenna Ant2 are shown. The phase of the signal output by the adjustable phase shift circuit 4312 can simultaneously control the phases of signals transmitted by multiple antennas, thereby controlling the direction of the beam transmitted by the phased array antenna 430. It should be understood that the number of antennas coupled to the adjustable phase shift circuit 4312 is merely an example and can be adjusted based on actual needs during implementation.

[0044] In the above implementation, antenna array 432 may be composed of some antennas in an array antenna or all antennas in an array antenna, and this embodiment of the present application does not impose any specific limitations thereon. Furthermore, the multiplexer 410, power divider 4311, and adjustable phase shift circuit 4312 may be integrated into the same chip or provided on separate semiconductor devices, and this embodiment of the present application does not impose any specific limitations thereon.

[0045] In one example, still as shown in FIG6 , the adjustable phase shift circuit 4312 may include a first gating switch SPDT1, a first phase shift circuit, and a second phase shift circuit. The first gating switch SPDT1 includes a common terminal, a first selection terminal, and a second selection terminal. The common terminal of the first gating switch SPDT1 is coupled to a branch terminal of the power divider. The first terminal of the first phase shift circuit is coupled to the first selection terminal of the first gating switch SPDT1. The first terminal of the second phase shift circuit is coupled to the second selection terminal of the first gating switch SPDT1. The second terminal of the first phase shift circuit and the second terminal of the second phase shift circuit are coupled to the same one or more antennas in the antenna array. For example, antenna Ant1 in FIG6 is one antenna, and antenna Ant2 is two antennas.

[0046] In another example, as shown in FIG7 , the adjustable phase shift circuit 4312 may include a first gating switch SPDT1, a first phase shift circuit, and a second phase shift circuit; the first gating switch SPDT1 includes a common terminal, a first selection terminal, and a second selection terminal. The common terminal of the first gating switch SPDT1 is coupled to one or more antennas in the antenna array. For example, Ant1 in FIG7 is one antenna, and Ant2 is two antennas. The first terminal of the first phase shift circuit and the first terminal of the second phase shift circuit are both coupled to a branch terminal of the power divider. The second terminal of the first phase shift circuit is coupled to the first selection terminal of the first gating switch SPDT1. The second terminal of the second phase shift circuit is coupled to the second selection terminal of the first gating switch SPDT1. The first gating switch SPDT1 may be coupled to a processor and selectively conduct the first phase shift circuit and the second phase shift circuit according to a control signal sent by the processor.

[0047] It is understandable that the structure of the above-mentioned adjustable phase shift circuit 4312 is only an example given in the embodiment of the present application. In a specific implementation, the above-mentioned adjustable phase shift circuit 4312 may include more phase shift circuits, and the number of selection terminals of the first selection switch SPDT1 may also be adaptively adjusted according to the number of phase shift circuits. The embodiment of the present application will not be elaborated here.

[0048] In one embodiment, the first and second phase shift circuits can be digital phase shift circuits. The phase shift values ​​of a digital phase shift circuit are discrete and can only be integer multiples of 360×(1 / 2)n, where n is the number of bits of the digital phase shifter. For example, the phase shift values ​​of a 3-bit digital phase shifter can only be ±45°, ±90°, ±135°, ±180°, ±225°, ±270°, ±315°, and ±360°. In one example, assume that the communication device 400 includes an omnidirectional antenna 420 and a phased array antenna 430, and the multiplexer 410 is a single-pole double-throw switch. Among them, the omnidirectional antenna 420 is coupled to the first selection terminal of the multiplexer 410; the phased array antenna 430 is coupled to the second selection terminal of the multiplexer 410; the antennas Ant1 and Ant2 coupled to the adjustable phase shift circuit 4312 are single-channel 1x2 antenna arrays in the array antenna; the phase shift value of the first phase shift circuit is 0°; the phase shift value of the second phase shift circuit is 135° or -135°. The control logic and antenna selection of the multiplexer 410 are shown in Table 1, and the relationship between the beam direction and antenna gain of the phased array antenna 430 is shown in Figure 8. Combining Table 1 and Figure 8, it can be seen that by controlling the phase difference between the multiple antennas in the phased array antenna 430, the antenna gain in a specific beam direction can be enhanced, thereby improving the transmission throughput of the user equipment in the specific direction. Of course, the phase shift values ​​of the first phase shift circuit and the second phase shift circuit can be adjusted according to actual needs, and the embodiments of the present application do not impose specific limitations on this.

[0049] Table 1

[0050] In another embodiment, as shown in FIG9 , the adjustable phase shifter 431 may include a first gate switch SPDT1, a second gate switch SPDT2, a first phase shift circuit, and a second phase shift circuit. The first gate switch SPDT1 and the second gate switch SPDT2 each include a common terminal, a first select terminal, and a second select terminal. The common terminal of the first gate switch SPDT1 is coupled to a branch terminal of the power divider. The first terminal of the first phase shift circuit is coupled to the first select terminal of the first gate switch SPDT1. The first terminal of the second phase shift circuit is coupled to the second select terminal of the first gate switch SPDT1. The second terminal of the first phase shift circuit is coupled to the first select terminal of the second gate switch SPDT2. The second terminal of the second phase shift circuit is coupled to the second select terminal of the second gate switch SPDT2. The common terminal of the second gate switch SPDT2 is coupled to one or more antennas. For example, Ant1 in FIG9 represents one antenna, and Ant2 represents two antennas. The first and second gate switches SPDT1 and SPDT2 may be coupled to a processor and may select whether to conduct the first or second phase shift circuit based on a control signal sent by the processor. In the above manner, the phase shift processing can be performed on the transmitted signal only when the two selection switches are connected to the same phase shift circuit, thereby avoiding erroneous operation.

[0051] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG10 , the multiplexer 410 may use a single-pole triple-throw switch including a common terminal and three selection terminals. The first selection terminal of the single-pole triple-throw switch is coupled to the omnidirectional antenna 420, the second selection terminal of the single-pole triple-throw switch is coupled to a phased array antenna 430, and the third selection terminal of the single-pole triple-throw switch is coupled to another phased array antenna 430. Based on this, by adding a phased array antenna 430, the coverage range of the communication device 400 can be further increased, and the optimal antenna can be selected for user equipment within a larger coverage range for data exchange. Of course, the above-mentioned communication device 400 can be further expanded with reference to the method of FIG10 , and the embodiments of the present application will not be described in detail here.

[0052] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG11 , the antennas in the communication device 400 may include an omnidirectional antenna 420, a phased array antenna 430, and a directional antenna 440. The multiplexer 410 may utilize a single-pole, three-throw (SPTH) switch comprising a common terminal and three select terminals. The common terminal of the SPTH switch is coupled to the transceiver circuitry of a single RF channel. The first select terminal of the SPTH switch is coupled to the omnidirectional antenna 420, the second select terminal of the SPTH switch is coupled to the phased array antenna 430, and the third select terminal of the SPTH switch is coupled to the directional antenna 440. When data exchange is required, the multiplexer 410 can connect the common terminal to the first select terminal via a control signal output by a coupled processor, enabling data exchange via the omnidirectional antenna 420. Alternatively, the multiplexer 410 can connect the common terminal to the second select terminal via a control signal output by a coupled processor, enabling data exchange via the phased array antenna 430. Alternatively, the multiplexer 410 can connect the common terminal to the third selection terminal through a control signal output by a coupled processor, so as to exchange data through the directional antenna 440. Based on this, the most suitable antenna can be selected from the omnidirectional antenna 420, the phased array antenna 430, and the directional antenna 440 by controlling the multiplexer 410. In the above implementation process, the number of directional antennas 440 and phased array antennas 430 can be adjusted according to actual needs, and the type of the multiplexer 410 can also be adaptively adjusted according to the total number of omnidirectional antennas 420, directional antennas 440, and phased array antennas 430. This embodiment of the present application will not be described in detail here.

[0053] It is understandable that the structure of the above-mentioned adjustable phase shift circuit 4312 is only an example given in the embodiment of the present application. In a specific implementation, the above-mentioned adjustable phase shift circuit 4312 can include more phase shift circuits. At the same time, the number of selection terminals of the first selection switch SPDT1 and the second selection switch SPDT2 can also be adaptively adjusted according to the number of phase shift circuits. The embodiment of the present application will not be described in detail here. In addition, in the above-mentioned implementation process, the number of antennas coupled to the adjustable phase shift circuit 4312 can also be expanded according to actual needs. For example, the antenna coupled to the adjustable phase shift circuit 4312 can be a 1x4 antenna array composed of four antennas, or a 1xn antenna array composed of n antennas. The embodiment of the present application does not impose specific restrictions on this.

[0054] Furthermore, in the above implementation process, the adjustable phase shift circuit 4312 may also be directly used as a continuous phase shift circuit. The phase shift value of the continuous phase shift circuit can be continuously changed within the range of 0° to 360°, thereby reducing the number of phase shift circuits.

[0055] In one implementation, as shown in FIG12 , the antenna array may include a first polarized antenna and a second polarized antenna with different polarization directions. Specifically, when the communication device 400 includes a directional antenna and a phased array antenna 430, the adjustable phase shift circuit 4312 is coupled to one or more first polarized antennas in the antenna array, and the directional antenna includes one or more second polarized antennas in the antenna array. For example, the first polarized antenna may be a horizontally polarized antenna, and the second polarized antenna may be a vertically polarized antenna. In this manner, some antennas in the antenna array of the phased array antenna 430 can be reused as directional antennas, thereby reducing the area cost of the communication device 400. Of course, the adjustable phase shift circuit 4312 may also be coupled to one or more first polarized antennas in the antenna array. The directional antenna includes one or more second polarized antennas in the antenna array, but this application does not impose specific limitations on this. Furthermore, the first polarized antenna and the second polarized antenna may also be other types of polarized antennas, and this embodiment of the application does not impose specific limitations on this either.

[0056] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG13 , the present application also provides a communication method applied to the above-mentioned communication device 400 , which can be executed by a processor or other types of control circuits. The execution process of the method is as follows.

[0057] S1301: Obtain channel qualities of multiple paths of a multiplexer.

[0058] In which, the processor can first obtain the packet error rate and signal-to-noise ratio of multiple paths. Then, the channel quality of the multiple paths is determined based on the packet error rate and signal-to-noise ratio. Exemplarily, the multiplexer 410 can switch the common end and each selection end to conduction according to the control signal sent by the processor to obtain the data packets received by various antennas. In the process of obtaining the data packets, the processor can synchronously obtain the channel state information (such as the signal-to-noise ratio SNR and the packet error rate PER) of various antennas to obtain the channel quality of multiple paths. In which, the processor can obtain computer program instructions from the memory to execute the above process. The above memory can be an on-chip memory or an off-chip memory, and the embodiment of the present application does not impose specific restrictions on this. In addition, considering that the adjustable phase shifter 431 in the phased array antenna 430 can receive signals of multiple phases, in the process of obtaining the data packets received by various antennas in the multiple antenna structures, the adjustable phase shifter 431 can be controlled by the processor to fully obtain the data packets received by the phased array antenna 430 in various phase shift states.

[0059] In the above implementation process, the above processor can be a baseband processor or an independently set processor, and the embodiment of the present application does not impose any specific restrictions on this.

[0060] S1302: Control the multiplexer to select a target path from multiple paths according to channel quality.

[0061] The purpose of selecting a target path from multiple paths based on the channel quality control multiplexer is to select the optimal antenna mode. At this time, antennas with signal-to-noise ratios below the target threshold can be filtered out first, and then the optimal antenna mode can be selected from the remaining antenna modes. In one example, the target threshold can be calculated based on a set filtering threshold value and the maximum signal-to-noise ratio of multiple antenna structures. For example, a filtering threshold value SNR_FILTER_TH can be pre-set, and the signal-to-noise ratio for the i-th antenna can be recorded as SNRi. Then, the signal-to-noise ratios of the optional antennas are sorted, with the largest signal-to-noise ratio recorded as SNRmax. Finally, antenna modes with a signal-to-noise ratio SNRi less than the average value of SNRmax-SNR_FILTER_TH are filtered out.

[0062] When selecting the optimal antenna mode, the packet error rate (PER) of the data packet can be determined based on the acquired data packet. The antenna mode with the lowest PER is then selected as the optimal antenna mode, and the common terminal of the multiplexer 410 and the output terminal corresponding to the target antenna are continuously connected, and the target antenna is used to exchange data with the user equipment. Because the phased array antenna 430 has different phase shift states, the phased array antenna 430 needs to be switched to different phase shift states to obtain the signal-to-noise ratio and packet error rate under various phase shift states. When the target path is the phased array antenna 430, the adjustable phase shift circuit 4312 also needs to be adjusted to the corresponding phase shift state.

[0063] In the above implementation process, the processor can obtain computer program instructions from the memory to implement the above process. Among them, the computer program instructions executed by the processor can be program instructions corresponding to the pre-trained neural network model or other types of computer program instructions, and the embodiment of the present application does not impose specific restrictions on this. In addition, S1301 and S1302 can be executed periodically or after the channel state changes (for example, the signal-to-noise ratio of the channel corresponding to a certain antenna changes), which is not described in detail in the embodiment of the present application.

[0064] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG14 , an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system 1400, which includes a first transceiver circuit 1410 in a first radio frequency channel N0 and a first communication device 1420 coupled to the first transceiver circuit 1410. The first communication device 1420 is the communication device 400 in any of the aforementioned embodiments. Furthermore, as also shown in FIG14 , the communication system 1400 provided in an embodiment of the present application may further include a second transceiver circuit 1430 in a second radio frequency channel N1 and a second communication device 1440 coupled to the second transceiver circuit 1430. The second communication device 1440 may also be the communication device 400 in any of the aforementioned embodiments. The second transceiver circuit may also be coupled to a processor, and the multiplexer 410 and adjustable phase shift circuit 431 in the second communication device may also be coupled to the processor. The processor can uniformly control the communication devices corresponding to the two transceiver circuits, thereby providing the most suitable antennas for data exchange for more user devices. For example, the first communication device 1410 and the second communication device 1420 in Figure 14 may be the communication device 400 in Figure 11. However, in the above implementation process, the first communication device 1410 and the second communication device 1420 may be selected from the communication device 400 in any of the above implementations, and the present embodiment does not impose any specific restrictions thereon.

[0065] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG15 , based on FIG14 , the antenna array 432 within the phased array antenna 430 of the first communication device 1410 includes a plurality of first polarized antennas in the first array antenna. The antenna array within the phased array antenna 430 of the second communication device 1420 includes a plurality of second polarized antennas in the first array antenna. The polarization directions of the first polarized antenna and the second polarized antenna are different. For example, the first polarized antenna may be a horizontally polarized antenna; the second polarized antenna may be a vertically polarized antenna. In this way, the two communication devices can reuse antennas with different polarization directions in the same array antenna, thereby reducing product area and cost. In addition, the first polarized antenna and the second polarized antenna may also be other types of polarized antennas, and the embodiments of the present application do not impose specific restrictions on this.

[0066] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG16 , the embodiment of the present application further provides an electronic device 1600, which includes a baseband processor 1610 and the above-mentioned communication system 1400 coupled to the baseband processor 1610. The above-mentioned electronic device can be a series of devices that can be used as access points, such as mobile phones, computers, routers, portable WiFi devices, etc., and the embodiment of the present application does not impose specific restrictions on this. The above-mentioned processor can be a central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a network processor (NP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a system on chip (SoC), or any combination thereof. The embodiment of the present application does not impose specific restrictions on this.

[0067] In one embodiment, the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores computer program instructions, and when the computer program instructions are executed by a processor, the above-mentioned communication method can be implemented. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video disc (DVD); it can also be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid state drive (SSD). The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means.

[0068] In one embodiment, the present application also provides a computer program product, which can implement the above-mentioned communication method when executed by a processor.

[0069] Furthermore, in the above implementation process, the communication system or electronic device in the above example may also include other types of devices, and the embodiments of the present application do not impose specific limitations on this.

[0070] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the functions of the circuits described in the various examples of the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented using electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professionals and technicians can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0071] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed circuits and devices can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of modules is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple modules or components can be combined or integrated into another device, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interface, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0072] In addition, the circuits in various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one device, or each module may exist physically separately, or two or more modules may be integrated into one device.

[0073] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a multiplexer and multiple antenna structures; the multiplexer includes a common terminal and multiple selection terminals; the common terminal of the multiplexer is coupled to a radio frequency channel; the common terminal of the multiplexer is used to switch and conduct with different selection terminals among the multiple selection terminals to form multiple paths; The multiple antenna structures include a phased array antenna, and the multiple selection terminals include a first selection terminal, and the phased array antenna is coupled to the first selection terminal; The multiple antenna structures further include an omnidirectional antenna, and the multiple selection terminals further include a second selection terminal, and the omnidirectional antenna is coupled to the second selection terminal, and / or, the multiple antenna structures further include a directional antenna, and the multiple selection terminals further include a third selection terminal, and the directional antenna is coupled to the third selection terminal.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein, The phased array antenna includes a tunable phase shifter and an antenna array; the tunable phase shifter includes a power divider and multiple tunable phase shift circuits; the power divider includes a combining terminal and multiple splitting terminals; the antenna array includes multiple antennas; the combining terminal of the power divider is coupled to the first selection terminal; each of the splitting terminals is coupled to one or more antennas in the antenna array through one of the tunable phase shift circuits; The tunable phase shift circuit is used for multi-phase phase shift selection.

3. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein The tunable phase shift circuit includes a first gating switch, a first phase shift circuit and a second phase shift circuit; the first gating switch includes a common terminal, a first selection terminal and a second selection terminal; wherein, The common terminal of the first gating switch is coupled to one of the splitting terminals in the power divider; the first end of the first phase shift circuit is coupled to the first selection terminal; the first end of the second phase shift circuit is coupled to the second selection terminal; the second ends of the first phase shift circuit and the second phase shift circuit are coupled to the same one or more antennas in the antenna array; or, The common terminal of the first gating switch is coupled to one or more antennas in the antenna array; the first ends of the first phase shift circuit and the second phase shift circuit are both coupled to one of the splitting terminals in the power divider; the second end of the first phase shift circuit is coupled to the first selection terminal; the second end of the second phase shift circuit is coupled to the second selection terminal.

4. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein The tunable phase shift circuit includes a first gating switch, a second gating switch, a first phase shift circuit and a second phase shift circuit; both the first gating switch and the second gating switch include a common terminal, a first selection terminal and a second selection terminal; The common terminal of the first gating switch is coupled to one of the splitting terminals in the power divider; the first end of the first phase shift circuit is coupled to the first selection terminal of the first gating switch; the first end of the second phase shift circuit is coupled to the second selection terminal of the first gating switch; The second end of the first phase shift circuit is coupled to the first selection terminal of the second gating switch; the second end of the second phase shift circuit is coupled to the second selection terminal of the second gating switch; the common terminal of the second gating switch is coupled to one or more antennas.

5. The communication device according to any one of claims 2-4, characterized in that, The antenna array includes a plurality of first polarization antennas in the first array antenna; the directional antenna includes one or more second polarization antennas in the first array antenna; or, the antenna array includes a plurality of second polarization antennas in the first array antenna; the directional antenna includes one or more first polarization antennas in the first array antenna; the polarization directions of the first polarization antenna and the second polarization antenna are different.

6. A communication system, characterized in that, It includes a first transceiver circuit and a first communication device coupled to the first transceiver circuit; the first communication device is the communication device according to any one of claims 1-5.

7. The communication system according to claim 6, characterized in that, It further includes: A second transceiver circuit and a second communication device coupled to the second transceiver circuit; the second communication device is the communication device according to any one of claims 1-5.

8. The communication system according to claim 7, wherein The antenna array in the phased array antenna of the first communication device includes a plurality of first polarization antennas in the first array antenna; the antenna array in the phased array antenna of the second communication device includes a plurality of second polarization antennas in the first array antenna; wherein, the polarization directions of the first polarization antenna and the second polarization antenna are different.

9. An electronic device, characterized in that, It includes a baseband processor and a communication system according to any one of claims 6-8 coupled to the baseband processor.

10. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a communication device; the communication device includes a multiplexer and multiple antenna structures; the multiplexer includes a common terminal and multiple selection terminals; the common terminal of the multiplexer is coupled to a radio frequency channel; the common terminal of the multiplexer is used to switch and conduct with different selection terminals among the multiple selection terminals to form multiple paths; The multiple antenna structures include a phased array antenna, the multiple selection terminals include a first selection terminal, and the phased array antenna is coupled to the first selection terminal; the multiple antenna structures further include an omnidirectional antenna, the multiple selection terminals further include a second selection terminal, and the omnidirectional antenna is coupled to the second selection terminal, and / or, the multiple antenna structures further include a directional antenna, the multiple selection terminals further include a third selection terminal, and the directional antenna is coupled to the third selection terminal; the method includes: Obtain the channel quality of the multiple paths; Control the multiplexer to select a target path from the multiple paths according to the channel quality.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein The obtaining the channel quality of the multiple paths includes: Obtain the packet error rate and signal-to-noise ratio of the multiple paths; Determine the channel quality of the multiple paths according to the packet error rate and the signal-to-noise ratio.

12. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, Stored with computer program instructions; when the computer program instructions are executed by a processor, the method described in claim 10 or claim 11 above is implemented.

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