Terminal communication method, storage medium and electronic apparatus

Abstract

The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a terminal communication method, a storage medium and an electronic apparatus. The terminal communication method comprises: performing beam selection on a terminal to determine communication beams; on the basis of the communication beams, determining communication system antennas for communication; and combining and multiplexing a plurality of communication system antennas to realize communication between the terminal and a communication satellite.

Description

Terminal communication method, storage medium and electronic device

[0001] Cross-references to related publications

[0002] The present disclosure is based on Chinese Patent Publication No. 2024102043715 filed on February 23, 2024, entitled “Terminal Communication Method, Storage Medium and Electronic Device”, and claims the priority of the patent disclosure, and all the disclosed contents thereof are incorporated into the present disclosure by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of communications, and in particular, to a terminal communication method, a storage medium, and an electronic device. Background Art

[0004] With the development of modern communication technology, both satellite communications and terrestrial cellular mobile communications are gradually developing. Satellite communications have unique technical characteristics. Due to the long distance between satellites and terminals and the large space loss, terminal antennas must have high gain and high directivity. This is different from the terminal antenna requirements of traditional cellular communications. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a terminal communication method, a storage medium, and an electronic device.

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a terminal communication method is provided, including: performing beam selection on the terminal to determine a communication beam; determining a communication system antenna for communication based on the communication beam; and multiplexing a plurality of the communication system antennas to enable the terminal to communicate with the communication satellite.

[0007] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which a computer program is stored. The computer program is configured to execute the steps of any one of the above method embodiments when running.

[0008] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, including a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to run the computer program to perform the steps in any one of the above method embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] FIG1 is a hardware structure block diagram of a mobile terminal of a terminal communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0010] FIG2 is a flow chart of a terminal communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0011] FIG3 is a structural block diagram of a terminal communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0012] FIG4 is a schematic diagram showing the principle of a first combining method of multiplexing antennas according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0013] FIG5 is a schematic diagram showing the principle of a second combining method of multiplexing antennas according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0014] FIG6 is a flowchart of multiplexing antenna selection according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0015] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the beamforming principle of an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0016] FIG8 is a flow chart of beamforming design according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0017] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a process flow of a beam pointing adjustment method 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0018] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a process flow of a second beam pointing adjustment method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of a process flow of a second beam pointing adjustment method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of a terminal composition framework implemented in the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and in conjunction with embodiments.

[0022] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present disclosure and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence.

[0023] Traditional satellite phones typically rely on large external antennas, while current mobile phones prioritize compactness and use small internal antennas, limiting satellite communication performance. Satellite-enabled mobile phones face antenna performance bottlenecks that hinder the reliability and quality of satellite communications.

[0024] Most satellite phone technologies in the related art rely on large external antennas, which makes the devices bulky and not easy to carry. Although they provide reliable communication connections, they have obvious shortcomings in portability and user-friendliness.

[0025] Unlike satellite phones, conventional mobile phones use built-in antenna technology. While these antennas make mobile phones lightweight and portable, their performance is limited for satellite communications. They typically cannot provide the same communication quality and connection reliability as large external antennas.

[0026] Related technologies for composite antenna design attempt to improve satellite communication performance by using array antennas. However, mobile phone terminals have limited space, and with the development of 5G / 6G, terminals will need to support multiple standards and multiple frequency bands simultaneously, leaving insufficient space for independent array antennas for satellite communication functions.

[0027] Regarding the satellite search operation design in the related art, in the satellite communication scenario, the performance of the mobile terminal antenna depends on the gain performance in the direction of the satellite, and the directional diagram of the mobile terminal fluctuates greatly. During use, it is necessary to cooperate with the search interface to guide the user to point the best direction of the mobile terminal antenna to the satellite. This process increases the difficulty of user operation and affects the user experience. How to improve the performance of the satellite antenna while maintaining portability in the limited space of the mobile terminal, achieve high quality and high reliability of satellite communication functions, and reduce the difficulty of user operation is a problem that the industry needs to solve. The embodiment of the present disclosure utilizes various existing antennas on the mobile terminal as multiplexed antenna units, combined with independent satellite antennas to form a phased array antenna. Beam synthesis is performed by controlling the phase of each antenna signal to generate a high-gain beam. Multiple beams are generated according to the characteristics of the terminal antenna array to achieve wider spatial coverage. Automatic or manual beam selection functions are provided to enhance the flexibility and efficiency of satellite communications. The multiplexed antenna in the disclosed embodiment has non-standard antenna characteristics, and the characteristics of each antenna vary greatly. Through the method of screening and combining antenna units and the beam selection scheme, efficient, portable and cost-effective satellite communication capabilities can be achieved in mobile devices, while reducing the difficulty of user operation and improving user experience.

[0028] The method embodiments provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be executed in a mobile terminal, a computer terminal or a similar computing device. Taking running on a mobile terminal as an example, Figure 1 is a hardware structure block diagram of a mobile terminal of the terminal communication method of the embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 1, the mobile terminal may include one or more (only one is shown in Figure 1) processors 102 (the processor 102 may include but is not limited to a processing device such as a microprocessor MCU or a programmable logic device FPGA) and a memory 104 configured to store data, wherein the above-mentioned mobile terminal may also include a transmission device 106 and an input and output device 108 configured to have a communication function. It can be understood by those skilled in the art that the structure shown in Figure 1 is only for illustration and does not limit the structure of the above-mentioned mobile terminal. For example, the mobile terminal may also include more or fewer components than those shown in Figure 1, or have a configuration different from that shown in Figure 1.

[0029] The memory 104 can be configured to store computer programs, for example, software programs and modules of application software, such as the computer program corresponding to the terminal communication method in the embodiment of the present disclosure. The processor 102 executes various functional applications and data processing by running the computer program stored in the memory 104, that is, implementing the above-mentioned method. The memory 104 may include a high-speed random access memory, and may also include a non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic storage devices, flash memory, or other non-volatile solid-state memory. In some instances, the memory 104 may further include a memory remotely located relative to the processor 102, and these remote memories may be connected to the mobile terminal via a network. Examples of the above-mentioned network include, but are not limited to, the Internet, an intranet, a local area network, a mobile communication network, and combinations thereof.

[0030] The transmission device 106 is configured to receive or transmit data via a network. A specific example of the aforementioned network may include a wireless network provided by the mobile terminal's telecommunications provider. In one embodiment, the transmission device 106 includes a network interface controller (NIC) that can be connected to other network devices via a base station to enable communication with the Internet. In another embodiment, the transmission device 106 may be a radio frequency (RF) module configured to communicate with the Internet wirelessly.

[0031] In one embodiment, a terminal communication method is provided. FIG2 is a flow chart of the terminal communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG2 , the flow chart includes the following steps:

[0032] Step S202: Perform beam selection on the terminal to determine the communication beam.

[0033] In one embodiment, the terminal can support communication of multiple selected antennas. Based on the antenna unit characteristics of the terminal's selected antennas and the terminal's working angle, the terminal is designed for beam synthesis, and multiple beams that meet the terminal's communication needs can be obtained. During the actual communication process of the terminal, one beam is selected from the above-mentioned multiple beams for communication. The beam selected for communication is the communication beam. The communication beam can be selected and determined in combination with beam gain or signal strength, etc., which will be described in detail later.

[0034] In an exemplary embodiment, before step S202, the method further includes: obtaining antenna unit characteristics of the antenna to be selected; and performing beam synthesis on the terminal according to the antenna unit characteristics and the working angle of the terminal to obtain multiple beams.

[0035] In one embodiment, the process of beam synthesis for the terminal based on the antenna unit characteristics and the working angle of the terminal is as follows: based on the antenna unit characteristics of each candidate antenna and the working angle of the terminal determined in the use scenario of satellite communication, the candidate antennas that can meet the use of the satellite system are screened, and the screened candidate antennas are exhaustively combined to obtain an antenna array combination. After that, the synthetic beam characteristics of all the above antenna array combinations within the upper hemisphere working angle preset by the terminal are calculated, and m beams are selected to cover the working angle required by the terminal.

[0036] In one embodiment, the above-mentioned working angle is an upper hemisphere working angle. For each terminal, before performing beam selection to determine the communication beam, a beam synthesis design needs to be performed. In one embodiment, the beam synthesis principle of the antenna array is based on precise phase control of the electromagnetic waves transmitted by each individual antenna element in the array. In one embodiment, the communication beam of the terminal is radiated in all directions with the terminal as the center. In actual implementation, communication satellites and the like generally exist above the position of the terminal. Therefore, the communication beams that communicate with the communication satellites with the terminal as the center can be considered to be directed above the terminal, including directly above or obliquely above. Therefore, for the terminal, the working angle of the terminal will form a sphere. For the case where communication satellites and the like generally exist above the position of the terminal, the working angle of the terminal will form an upper hemisphere, that is, the upper hemisphere working angle of the terminal.

[0037] In one embodiment, the antenna unit characteristics typically include at least one of the following: antenna gain, antenna pattern, antenna phase characteristics, and antenna frequency response. Based on the antenna unit characteristics and in combination with the satellite communication usage scenario, antenna units that can meet the requirements of the satellite system are screened. For example, antenna units with good antenna gain when the terminal is in handheld state are selected as antenna units configured for beamforming. The screened antenna units are exhaustively combined to obtain an antenna array combination. Subsequently, the synthesized beam characteristics of all the above antenna array combinations within the terminal's preset upper hemisphere operating angle are calculated, and m beams are selected from these to cover the terminal's required operating angle.

[0038] In an exemplary embodiment, beam selection is performed on the terminal to determine a communication beam, including: polling and detecting the signal strength received by each beam from the communication satellite in multiple beams; and selecting the beam corresponding to the maximum signal strength as the communication beam.

[0039] In one embodiment, closed-loop beam control can be used to determine the communication beam. The terminal polls all beams to detect the satellite signal strength received and selects the beam with the best signal strength to communicate with the satellite. This process can be repeated, eliminating the need for user satellite search operations. Furthermore, actual satellite signal strength replaces pre-defined beam directional characteristics, resulting in more precise adjustment of the receive beam.

[0040] In an exemplary embodiment, performing beam selection on a terminal to determine a communication beam includes: acquiring terminal location information and terminal posture information of the terminal; and determining the communication beam according to the terminal location information and the terminal posture information.

[0041] In one embodiment, the location and attitude of the mobile phone terminal are continuously monitored. Position monitoring is typically achieved using an integrated GPS or other location-based services. Monitoring the phone's attitude typically uses integrated geomagnetic and acceleration sensors to obtain the phone's relative position to the ground plane and the direction of gravity. The terminal's location information can be used to obtain the terminal's latitude and longitude, thereby obtaining the local azimuth and elevation angles of the communication satellite. The terminal's attitude information is used to confirm the absolute direction of the beam in the current handheld state, i.e., the direction of the terminal's operating beam peak.

[0042] In an exemplary embodiment, after beam selection is performed on the terminal and the communication beam is determined, the method further includes: obtaining the azimuth and pitch angles of the communication satellite relative to the terminal based on the terminal position information; obtaining the peak pointing direction of the communication beam of the terminal based on the terminal attitude information; and adjusting the peak pointing direction of the communication beam based on the azimuth and pitch angles to enable communication between the terminal and the communication satellite.

[0043] In one embodiment, the communication beam is a unique and defined beam, selected from among m beams with the highest gain. In one embodiment, when determining the communication beam, static beam open-loop beam control is employed to select the beam with the highest gain as the communication beam. A user interface guides the user to direct the beam toward a currently available communication satellite based on the azimuth and elevation angles of the communication satellite relative to the terminal. This approach requires user participation in a satellite search operation.

[0044] In an exemplary embodiment, a communication beam is determined based on terminal position information and terminal attitude information, including: obtaining relative position information between the terminal and the communication satellite based on the terminal position information; obtaining the direction of each beam of the terminal based on the terminal attitude information; obtaining the signal gain of each beam in the direction of the communication satellite based on the relative position information and the direction of each beam, and selecting the beam corresponding to the maximum signal gain as the communication beam.

[0045] In one embodiment, dynamic open-loop beam steering can be used to determine the communication beam. Based on the user's current hand-held posture, the system determines which beam has the highest gain in the satellite's direction and selects that beam for operation. If the user's hand-held posture changes, the system re-evaluates the beam and always selects the optimal beam. This process can continue, effectively tracking the satellite without requiring the user to perform satellite search operations.

[0046] Step S204: Determine the communication system antenna for communication according to the communication beam.

[0047] In one embodiment, after the communication beam is determined, the communication system antennas participating in synthesizing the communication beam can be confirmed, wherein the communication system antennas participating in synthesizing the communication beam can include independent satellite antennas or multiplexed antennas.

[0048] Step S206: Multiple communication system antennas are multiplexed to enable the terminal to communicate with the communication satellite.

[0049] In one embodiment, after the communication system antenna is determined according to the communication beam, the phase of the transmission link of the communication system antenna is changed according to the phase shift parameter, thereby completing the beam synthesis of the determined multiple communication system antennas and combining and multiplexing the determined multiple communication system antennas.

[0050] In an exemplary embodiment, multiplexing a plurality of communication system antennas includes: multiplexing the plurality of communication system antennas through an antenna switch or a combiner.

[0051] In one embodiment, for antennas of other communication systems that are far away from the satellite communication frequency band, in addition to using the combining method of an antenna switch, a combiner can also be used for combining, so that the antenna can be used by both satellite circuits and non-satellite circuits at the same time. The combiner is suitable for scenarios where signals of different frequencies share the same antenna. In this scenario, the two signals can work simultaneously. For antennas of other communication systems that are close to the satellite communication frequency band, combining is performed by switching the antenna switch. The use of the antenna switch prevents the two signals from working simultaneously and requires them to work alternately. In this case, different types of communication system antennas are provided to the satellite circuit or non-satellite circuit in turn.

[0052] In an exemplary embodiment, when the difference between the communication frequency band of the communication system antenna and the communication frequency band of the satellite is less than a first preset frequency band threshold, multiple communication system antennas are combined through an antenna switch; or, when the difference between the communication frequency band of the communication system antenna and the communication frequency band of the satellite is greater than a second preset frequency band threshold, multiple communication system antennas are combined through a combiner. In the above process, the use of a combiner can meet the scenario where signals of different frequencies share the same antenna. In this scenario, the two signals can work at the same time, which can ensure communication efficiency. At the same time, it can ensure that when one of the signals is connected, the other signal can be maintained to avoid disconnection. If an antenna switch is used, the two signals cannot work at the same time and need to work alternately. By adopting the design of the above-mentioned combiner or antenna switch, the needs of different scenarios can be met and the flexibility of terminal use can be enhanced.

[0053] The above steps provide a terminal communication method that determines a communication beam by performing beam selection on the terminal; determines a communication system antenna based on the communication beam; and multiplexes multiple communication system antennas to enable communication between the terminal and a communication satellite. This method solves the problems of difficult communication operations between terminals and communication satellites and poor user experience in related technologies, achieving the effect of reducing the difficulty of communication operations between terminals and communication satellites and improving the user experience.

[0054] Through the description of the above implementation methods, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the method according to the above embodiment can be implemented by means of software plus the necessary general hardware platform, and of course it can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present disclosure is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk), including a number of instructions for enabling a terminal device (which can be a mobile phone, computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in each embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0055] In this embodiment, a terminal communication device is also provided, which is configured to implement the above-mentioned embodiments and preferred embodiments. Details already described are not repeated here. As used below, the term "module" may refer to a combination of software and / or hardware that implements a predetermined function. Although the devices described in the following embodiments are preferably implemented in software, implementation using hardware, or a combination of software and hardware, is also possible and contemplated.

[0056] The terminal communication device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be installed in a terminal and includes: a beam selection module configured to select a beam for the terminal and determine a communication beam; an antenna selection module configured to determine a communication system antenna for communication based on the communication beam; and a communication module configured to multiplex multiple communication system antennas to enable communication between the terminal and a communication satellite. In one embodiment, the steps of the terminal communication method in the above embodiments are implemented by configuring different functional modules in the terminal communication device. In actual implementation, the naming and functional division of the modules are not specifically limited, as long as the terminal communication method in the above embodiments can be implemented.

[0057] It should be noted that the above modules can be implemented through software or hardware. For the latter, it can be implemented in the following ways, but not limited to: the above modules are all located in the same processor; or the above modules are located in different processors in any combination.

[0058] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program is stored. The computer program is configured to execute the steps of any one of the above method embodiments when run.

[0059] In an exemplary embodiment, the computer-readable storage medium may include, but is not limited to, various media that can store computer programs, such as a USB flash drive, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a mobile hard disk, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0060] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides an electronic device, including a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to run the computer program to perform the steps in any of the above method embodiments.

[0061] In an exemplary embodiment, the electronic device may further include a transmission device and an input / output device, wherein the transmission device is connected to the processor, and the input / output device is connected to the processor.

[0062] For specific examples in this embodiment, reference may be made to the examples described in the above embodiments and exemplary implementation modes, and this embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0063] Obviously, those skilled in the art should understand that the modules or steps of the present disclosure described above can be implemented using a general-purpose computing device, they can be concentrated on a single computing device, or distributed across a network composed of multiple computing devices, they can be implemented using program code executable by the computing device, and thus, they can be stored in a storage device and executed by the computing device, and in some cases, the steps shown or described can be performed in a different order than herein, or they can be fabricated into separate integrated circuit modules, or multiple modules or steps can be fabricated into a single integrated circuit module for implementation. Thus, the present disclosure is not limited to any particular combination of hardware and software.

[0064] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of the present disclosure, they are described below in conjunction with specific scenario embodiments.

[0065] Example 1

[0066] Figure 3 is a block diagram of the terminal communication system in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3, the system includes a feed network, an antenna beam management module, and a terminal-satellite relative position detection module. The feed network includes a feed source, a power distribution network, a phase shifting network, transmission lines, and an antenna combining network. The feed source is provided by the satellite system circuitry. The antenna combining network includes non-satellite system circuitry within the terminal and independent satellite antennas, which are combined through a diplexer or antenna switch to form a multiplexed antenna.

[0067] The feed network, a key component of the terminal's communication system, is responsible for efficiently distributing signals to each antenna element. Working in conjunction with the antenna beam management module, each antenna element receives or transmits specific signals through this network, allowing the entire array to form multiple independent beams for the terminal's satellite communications.

[0068] The feed is the starting point of the feed network and is provided by the satellite system circuitry. It is responsible for providing the RF signal to be distributed to the entire antenna array. This signal is usually generated by a transceiver and then connected to each antenna element through the feed network.

[0069] The power distribution network is the core of the feed network, responsible for distributing the signal from the feed source to each antenna element in the required proportion. The power distribution network can split one signal into N signals as required. Each signal is converted to a specific phase by a phase-shifting network and then fed to different antennas via transmission lines. The power distribution network ensures minimal signal loss during the distribution process and accurately controls the phase and amplitude of the signal received by each antenna element.

[0070] Phase-shifting networks, located within the feed network path, adjust the phase differences between the signals in the antenna elements. By varying these phase differences, the antenna array's beam pointing can be controlled. At the heart of the phase-shifting network are phase shifters, which can be analog, such as positive intrinsic negative (PIN) diodes, or digital, such as micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) devices.

[0071] Antenna combining network combines different signals into the same antenna through antenna switches or combiners to achieve the purpose of antenna multiplexing.

[0072] The antenna beam management module is responsible for coordinating the entire feed network, including storing preset beam parameters and calling parameters to control the phase shifter so that the antenna array can achieve precise beam pointing as needed.

[0073] In one embodiment, multiple high-gain satellite antenna beams are generated by multiplexing the antennas within the terminal using beamforming to meet the high performance requirements of satellite communications for ground-based handheld terminals. This approach reuses satellite antennas and other built-in antennas within the phone (including 2 / 3 / 4 / 5G antennas, WiFi / Bluetooth antennas, GPS antennas, and Near Field Communication (NFC) antennas). Existing terminals that support satellite communications will also add independent satellite antennas. A combined design is required for the satellite antennas and other antennas.

[0074] There are two ways to combine signals: one is to use a combiner, and the other is to use an antenna switch. For antennas of other communication systems that are far away from the satellite communication frequency band, in addition to using antenna switches to combine signals, a combiner can also be used. This allows the antenna to be used by both satellite and non-satellite circuits. Combiners are suitable for scenarios where signals of different frequencies share the same antenna, allowing both signals to operate simultaneously. For antennas of other communication systems with frequency bands close to those of satellite communication, combining is achieved by switching on an antenna switch. The use of an antenna switch prevents the two signals from operating simultaneously and requires them to operate alternately. In this case, different types of communication system antennas are alternately provided for use by satellite or non-satellite circuits.

[0075] FIG4 is a schematic diagram showing the principle of a first combining method of the multiplexed antenna according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG4 , an antenna switch is used to combine the non-satellite system circuit and the satellite system circuit.

[0076] FIG5 is a schematic diagram showing the principle of a second combining method of the multiplexing antenna according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG5 , a diplexer is used to combine the non-satellite system circuit and the satellite system circuit.

[0077] Figure 6 is a flowchart of multiplexing antenna selection according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 6 , in antenna combining mode using an antenna switch, the default state is for the multiplexing antenna to connect to the non-satellite system circuit. When the user selects the satellite communication function, the multiplexing antenna's antenna switch switches the multiplexing antenna to the satellite system circuit. When the user deactivates the satellite communication function, the multiplexing antenna's antenna switch switches to the non-satellite system circuit.

[0078] Example 2

[0079] For each terminal, before performing beam selection to determine the communication beam, beamforming design needs to be performed. In the second implementation, the steps of beamforming design are introduced in detail.

[0080] The principle of beamforming in an antenna array is based on precise phase control of the electromagnetic waves transmitted by each individual antenna element in the array. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the beamforming principle of an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 7, the beamforming principle can be summarized as follows:

[0081] (1) Phase control: The electromagnetic waves transmitted by each antenna element have a specific phase. By changing these phases, the direction of the beam can be controlled. For example, if the phase of the transmission links of all antenna elements is the same, the beam will propagate straight ahead; if the phase changes gradually, the beam will deviate to one side.

[0082] (2) Beam formation: When multiple antenna elements transmit electromagnetic waves simultaneously, these waves superimpose on each other in space. By adjusting the phase of the transmitted signal of each antenna element, these waves can be made to constructively interfere in a certain direction, forming a strong signal, and destructively interfere in other directions, forming weaker signals.

[0083] (3) Dynamic beamforming: Phased array antennas are able to dynamically change the direction of their beams without physically moving the antenna. This is achieved by electronically and rapidly adjusting the phase of each antenna element. This flexibility makes phased array antennas well-suited for tracking moving targets.

[0084] (4) Beamwidth Control: The width of the beam depends on the number and arrangement of antenna elements. Generally speaking, the more antenna elements there are and the larger the array is, the more concentrated the beam can be, which means the beamwidth is narrower.

[0085] In one embodiment, the above design generates multiple beams with different performance characteristics. These beams differ in directivity, gain, and beam width. In actual use, different beams will be called as needed.

[0086] FIG8 is a flow chart of beamforming design according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, which includes the following steps:

[0087] Step S801: Acquire antenna unit characteristics of a communication system antenna.

[0088] The characteristics of each antenna unit usually include its gain, radiation pattern, phase characteristics and frequency response. The steps to extract these characteristics are as follows: (1) Single antenna unit measurement: Use a network analyzer in an antenna darkroom to measure each antenna unit individually to obtain its frequency response, gain, phase characteristics and other parameters. (2) Antenna unit screening: Select antenna units that can meet the needs of satellite systems based on the measured antenna unit performance parameters. Usually, considering the angle range in which the satellite terminal is suitable for pointing at the satellite in a handheld state, the antenna unit with better performance within this angle range is selected and set as the beam design. (3) Model construction: Based on the measurement data, a mathematical model of each antenna unit after screening is constructed. These models can be set to simulate and predict the performance of the antenna unit under different conditions.

[0089] Step S802: Screen antenna units that meet the requirements of the satellite system based on antenna unit characteristics.

[0090] Beamforming involves combining antenna elements with different characteristics into a unified array to form the desired beam direction and shape.

[0091] First, the array layout was designed. Based on the measured antenna characteristics of each antenna element and the satellite communication usage scenario, antenna elements suitable for the satellite system were selected. Antenna elements with good upper hemisphere gain when the terminal was held were selected as beamforming antenna elements. These antenna elements were designated "Antenna 1" through "Antenna n."

[0092] Step S803: construct a mathematical model of each antenna unit obtained through screening.

[0093] Step S804: exhaustively combine the antenna units obtained by screening to obtain an antenna array combination.

[0094] Antenna group pre-definition: Combinations of the above antenna elements are performed, including antenna groups with a single antenna element, array groups with two antenna elements, array groups with three antenna elements, and so on, up to array groups with n antenna elements. For array groups with more than one antenna element, the antenna elements are arranged and combined to exhaustively enumerate all possible antenna combinations.

[0095] Step S805: Perform beam screening to obtain m beams that can cover the terminal's working angle.

[0096] Using computer simulation, calculate the composite beam characteristics of all the antennas combined within the terminal's preset upper hemisphere operating angle. These characteristics primarily include gain, peak direction, and pattern width. Select m beams to cover the terminal's desired operating angle. Define these beams as "Beam 1" through "Beam m." Record the phase parameters (i.e., ideal phase parameters) from the feed source to each antenna element's feed point.

[0097] Step S806: Determine phase shifter parameters and store them in the beam management module.

[0098] Measure the original phase parameters from the feed source to the feed point of each antenna unit. Difference the ideal phase parameters recorded for each beam obtained in beam screening with the original phase parameters measured on the same path to obtain the phase parameters required by each phase shifter. Record these parameters as the "phase shift parameter table" for each beam and store them in the beam management module.

[0099] Step S807: The beam management module performs beamforming control to complete beamforming.

[0100] The beam management module retrieves the "phase shift parameter table" according to the required beam number and passes it to each phase shifter unit to complete the beam synthesis of the antenna array.

[0101] Step S808: Perform performance verification on the m beams obtained by beam synthesis.

[0102] Verify the performance of each of the above beams through actual measurements in an antenna anechoic chamber to ensure that the beamforming meets the design requirements. If there is a discrepancy between the results and the target, fine-tune the "Phase Shift Parameter Table."

[0103] Step S809: Summarize m beams and phase shift parameter tables to complete the beamforming design.

[0104] The above process obtains m beams and the "phase shift parameter table" corresponding to each beam. The beam information table shown in Table 1 can be obtained to complete the beam design.

[0105] Table 1 Beam information table

[0106] As shown in Table 1, each beam has optimal gain characteristics within the defined Φ and Θ angle ranges, and all Φ and Θ angle ranges cover satellite communication usage scenarios. The Φ and Θ angle ranges correspond to the longitude and latitude of the terminal's upper hemisphere operating angle, respectively.

[0107] After completing the beamforming design, in order to ensure that satellite communications remain normal when the mobile terminal moves, a beam management solution is required to select the beam that meets the requirements for communication with the satellite. The beam management solution provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure includes:

[0108] (1) Terminal position and posture monitoring:

[0109] First, the location and attitude of the mobile terminal must be continuously monitored. This is typically accomplished using integrated GPS or other location-based services. The phone's attitude is typically monitored using integrated geomagnetic and accelerometer sensors to determine the phone's relative position to the ground and the direction of gravity. Terminal location information provides the terminal's latitude and longitude, thereby determining the local azimuth and elevation of the communication satellite. This terminal attitude information is used to determine the absolute direction of the beam when held in hand, specifically the direction of the terminal's operating beam peak.

[0110] (2) Beam pointing adjustment:

[0111] Based on the terminal's current location, the satellite's orientation relative to the terminal is obtained. The satellite communication system needs to adjust the beam direction in real time to ensure that the terminal's beam is always aligned with the satellite to be communicated. This can be achieved in the following ways:

[0112] FIG9 is a flow diagram of a first beam pointing adjustment method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG9 , static beam open-loop beam control is performed, including:

[0113] Step S901: Acquire the azimuth and elevation angles of the communication satellite relative to the terminal based on the terminal location information.

[0114] In static mode, the optimal beam is selected as the communication beam. The position of the serving satellite relative to the terminal is calculated based on the terminal's geographic location. The communication beam is within the coverage area of ​​m beams.

[0115] Step S902: Acquire the peak direction of the communication beam of the terminal according to the terminal posture information.

[0116] The peak direction of the terminal's communication beam is determined based on the terminal's posture detected by the terminal's built-in sensor.

[0117] Step S903: Adjust the peak direction of the communication beam according to the azimuth angle and the elevation angle.

[0118] The user interface is used to guide the user to align the peak of the selected communication beam in the direction of the communication satellite, thereby communicating with the communication satellite.

[0119] The static beam open-loop beam control shown in Figure 9 selects the beam with the highest gain as the communication beam. The user interface guides the user to point the beam in the direction of currently available satellites. This method requires the user to participate in a satellite search operation, that is, the user follows the user interface's instructions to align the peak of the communication beam in the direction of the communication satellite. In actual implementation, the operating angle coverage range of the terminal is determined based on the terminal's location information, and then a beam that meets the terminal's operating angle coverage range is determined. Among the beams that meet the requirements, the one with the highest gain is selected as the communication beam.

[0120] FIG10 is a flow diagram of a second beam pointing adjustment method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG10 , dynamic open-loop beam control is performed, including:

[0121] Step S1001: Acquire relative position information between the terminal and the communication satellite based on the terminal position information.

[0122] The position of the satellite providing service relative to the terminal is calculated according to the geographical location of the terminal.

[0123] Step S1002: Acquire the direction of each beam of the terminal according to the terminal posture information.

[0124] The direction of each beam of the current terminal is determined based on the terminal posture detected by the terminal's built-in sensor and the directional pattern characteristics of each beam.

[0125] Step S1003: Obtain the signal gain of each beam in the direction of the communication satellite according to the relative position information and the direction of each beam, and select the beam corresponding to the maximum signal gain as the communication beam.

[0126] Automatically call the beam with the highest gain in the direction of the current satellite among all beams to communicate with the satellite.

[0127] The dynamic open-loop beam steering system shown in Figure 10 uses the user's current hand-held posture to determine which of the numbered beams has the highest gain in the satellite's direction and selects that beam for operation. If the user's hand-held posture changes, the system re-evaluates and always selects the optimal beam. This continuous process allows the beam to track the satellite without requiring the user to perform satellite search operations.

[0128] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of the process flow of the second beam pointing adjustment method of an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG11 , closed-loop beam control is performed, including polling and detecting the satellite signal strength received by all beams, and selecting the beam with the best signal strength to communicate with the satellite. Specifically, the steps include:

[0129] Step S1101: polling and detecting the signal strength received by each beam from the communication satellite in the plurality of beams.

[0130] Step S1102: Select the beam corresponding to the maximum signal strength as the communication beam.

[0131] In the closed-loop beam control shown in Figure 11, the terminal polls all beams to detect the satellite signal strength received and selects the beam with the best signal strength to communicate with the satellite. This cyclical process not only eliminates the need for user satellite search, but also replaces the pre-set beam directional characteristics with actual satellite signal strength, making adjustment of the receive beam particularly precise.

[0132] Example 3

[0133] In the third embodiment, a specific terminal structure example is provided to illustrate the terminal communication method of the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0134] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the terminal composition framework implemented in the present invention. As shown in Figure 12, there are two antennas participating in the satellite antenna array beam synthesis. One of them is a satellite independent antenna unit, and the other is the antenna originally used for 5G n78. It is now connected to the satellite through a combiner and shared with the satellite. One signal comes from the n78 RF circuit, and the other comes from the satellite RF circuit. The satellite RF circuit divides the two signals into two channels through a power divider, which are respectively connected to the "n78 and satellite multiplexing antenna unit" and the "satellite independent antenna unit" after phase shifting. The beam management module calls the pre-stored beam parameters (phase shift parameter table of the two phase shifters) according to the data obtained from the terminal position detection and attitude detection, and controls the two phase shifters to the phase corresponding to the required beam. The pre-stored beam comes from the beam design link.

[0135] In one embodiment, beam design tests the performance of a single antenna in a darkroom, selecting two top antenna units for the satellite antenna array. This is because the top antenna is less likely to be obstructed when held in a handheld position and because the top antenna units offer good performance in the upper hemisphere, which is configured for satellite communications. In one embodiment, the "n78 and satellite multiplexing antenna unit" is defined as "Antenna 1," and the "satellite independent antenna unit" is defined as "Antenna 2." Exhaustive examples of possible antenna combinations include "Antenna 1," "Antenna 2," and "Antenna 1 + Antenna 2."

[0136] Next, computer simulations were conducted to design different phase shift tests for each antenna combination and calculate the beam characteristics for each combination scenario. The default phase shift parameter for the single antenna unit, Antenna Group 1 and Antenna Group 2, was set to 0. After completing the simulations, the following m beams were obtained, along with the corresponding beam information table, as shown in Table 2.

[0137] Table 2 Beam information example table

[0138] Table 2 records the coverage angle intervals and phase shift parameters corresponding to the beam numbers. In this embodiment, there are only two antenna units, so only two phase shifters and corresponding phase shift parameters are needed. These data can be stored in the beam management module.

[0139] In actual implementation, when the user turns on the satellite communication function, the beam management module calls the information provided by the terminal position detection circuit and the terminal attitude detection circuit, calculates the position of the terminal relative to the satellite, selects the optimal beam based on the stored beam information data, and transfers its phase shifter parameters to the corresponding phase shifter to complete beam synthesis.

[0140] In the static beam open-loop beam control mode, the beam with the highest gain in Table 2 is selected as the working beam. The beam management module calls the corresponding phase shift parameters and passes them to the phase shifter to form a synthetic beam. The UI interface guides the user to point the beam in the direction of the satellite.

[0141] In actual implementation, for an exemplary case, the process of selecting the beam with the highest gain in Table 2 as the working beam includes: for a certain terminal, determining, based on the terminal location information, that the range of its working angle covers Φ1 to Φ4 in the longitude direction of the terminal's upper hemisphere working angle. According to Table 2, the terminal can select beams 1, 2, and 3. Then, according to Table 2, the beam with the highest gain is selected from beams 1-3 as the communication beam. In actual implementation, the terminal's working angle coverage range determined based on the terminal location information is not limited to the above case. For example, the terminal's working angle can also cover the angle ranges of multiple or all beams, and the beam with the highest gain can be selected.

[0142] In dynamic open-loop beam control mode, the beam management module uses the terminal's position and attitude information, combined with the coverage area of ​​each beam in Table 1, to automatically select the beam in the direction of the current satellite for communication. This process also involves the beam management module invoking the corresponding phase shift parameters, which are then passed to the phase shifter to form a composite beam.

[0143] In the closed-loop beam control mode, the satellite RF circuit polls and detects the satellite signal strength received by all beams in Table 1, and selects the beam with the best signal strength in Table 1 to communicate with the satellite.

[0144] In summary, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a terminal communication method, and the embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of the combination of mobile communication terminals and satellite communication terminals. The field of mobile communication terminals is currently in a stage of rapid development and maturity. With the popularization of smart phones and mobile devices, this field continues to promote innovation and improvement in global communication technology. As mobile cellular technology matures, satellite communication functions are gradually introduced into mobile terminals, and it is necessary to support both traditional mobile communication cellular network functions and satellite communication functions in one mobile terminal. The present disclosure implements a high-performance satellite communication solution on a mobile phone terminal that integrates mobile cellular communication and satellite communication, while minimizing the impact on the performance of the original mobile cellular communication.

[0145] The terminal communication method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure forms a high-gain antenna array by multiplexing various antennas in the mobile phone terminal and integrating them with the satellite antenna in the terminal through beamforming technology. Antenna multiplexing is achieved through a low insertion loss and high isolation antenna combining design, which ensures the normal operation of other communication channels while meeting the high performance of satellite communication. In the limited space of the mobile phone terminal, the embodiment of the present disclosure achieves high reliability and high quality of the satellite communication function in the mobile phone terminal by improving the performance of the satellite terminal antenna, while reducing the size and weight of the device, maintaining portability while improving the performance of the satellite antenna. It can also dynamically adjust the antenna direction and gain according to the communication environment to ensure the best communication effect, achieve high quality and high reliability of the satellite communication function, and reduce the difficulty of user operation.

[0146] The disclosed embodiments, through their built-in, high-efficiency antenna design, open up new possibilities for satellite communication capabilities in mobile communication devices. This meets the demand for more efficient, portable satellite communication devices. Through antenna multiplexing and combining design, feed network design, beamforming technology, and beam management technology, the disclosed embodiments can implement a high-gain satellite antenna array within the terminal, generating multiple highly directional beams. These beams can be statically or dynamically deployed based on the usage scenario, providing users with a high-performance, convenient satellite call experience.

[0147] The foregoing description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various modifications and variations of the present disclosure are possible. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the principles of the present disclosure shall be included within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A terminal communication method, applied to a terminal, comprising: Performing beam selection on the terminal to determine a communication beam; Determining a communication system antenna for communication according to the communication beam; Multiple communication system antennas are multiplexed to enable the terminal to communicate with the communication satellite.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The multiplexing of the plurality of communication system antennas comprises: The plurality of communication system antennas are multiplexed through an antenna switch or a combiner.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: When the difference between the communication frequency band of the communication system antenna and the communication frequency band of the communication satellite is less than a first preset frequency band threshold, the plurality of communication system antennas are combined by the antenna switch; Alternatively, when the difference between the communication frequency band of the communication system antenna and the communication frequency band of the communication satellite is greater than a second preset frequency band threshold, the plurality of communication system antennas are combined by the combiner.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein Before performing beam selection on the terminal to determine the communication beam, the method further includes: Obtain antenna unit characteristics of the antenna to be selected; Beam synthesis is performed on the terminal according to the characteristics of the antenna unit and the working angle of the terminal to obtain multiple beams.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein Performing beam selection on the terminal to determine a communication beam includes: performing polling detection on a signal strength received by each of the plurality of beams from the communication satellite; The beam corresponding to the largest signal strength is selected as the communication beam.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein Performing beam selection on the terminal to determine a communication beam includes: Acquiring terminal location information and terminal posture information of the terminal; The communication beam is determined according to the terminal position information and the terminal posture information.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: After performing beam selection on the terminal and determining a communication beam, the method further includes: Acquire the azimuth and elevation angles of the communication satellite relative to the terminal according to the terminal position information; Acquire the peak direction of the communication beam of the terminal according to the terminal posture information; The peak direction of the communication beam is adjusted according to the azimuth angle and the elevation angle to enable the terminal to communicate with the communication satellite.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein: Determining the communication beam according to the terminal position information and the terminal posture information includes: Acquiring relative position information between the terminal and the communication satellite according to the terminal position information; Acquire the direction of each beam of the terminal according to the terminal posture information; According to the relative position information and the direction of each beam, the signal gain of each beam in the direction of the communication satellite is obtained, and the beam corresponding to the largest signal gain is selected as the communication beam.

9. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored therein, wherein: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is implemented.

10. An electronic device comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 when executing the computer program.

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