Radio frequency unit, communication device, and signal processing method

Abstract

The present application provides a radio frequency unit, a communication device, and a signal processing method. The radio frequency unit comprises a first band-pass filter, a first signal conduction module, a low-noise amplifier, a frequency mixer, a frequency synthesizer, a zero intermediate frequency analog-to-digital converter, and a digital intermediate frequency module; the first band-pass filter performs in a downlink time slot filtering processing on a first uplink signal from an antenna to obtain a first filtered uplink signal; the low-noise amplifier amplifies the first filtered uplink signal to obtain an amplified first filtered uplink signal; the frequency synthesizer outputs a first local oscillator signal in the downlink time slot, and the frequency of the first local oscillator signal is related to the center frequency of the first uplink signal from the antenna; and the frequency mixer performs frequency mixing processing on the amplified first filtered uplink signal and the first local oscillator signal to obtain a first zero intermediate frequency analog signal. Reception of a first uplink signal in a downlink time slot can improve the uplink coverage. The frequency of a signal processed by the frequency mixer is reduced to a zero intermediate frequency, so that the power consumption can be reduced.

Description

Radio frequency unit, communication device and signal processing method

[0001] Cross-reference to Related Applications

[0002] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202410545495.X, filed on April 30, 2024, and entitled "Radio frequency unit, communication device and signal processing method", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technology, in particular to a radio frequency unit, a communication device and a signal processing method. BACKGROUND

[0004] Currently, new radio (NR) supports time division duplex (TDD) mode and frequency division duplex (FDD) mode. The TDD mode has the characteristics of uplink and downlink channel reciprocity and high transmission rate, but the downlink time slot occupies a large proportion in the TDD mode, and the coverage, latency, capacity and other performance indicators of the uplink are limited. How to improve the uplink coverage while ensuring lower device power consumption is a problem to be solved at present. SUMMARY

[0005] Embodiments of the present application provide a radio frequency unit, a communication device and a signal processing method to improve the uplink coverage while ensuring lower device power consumption.

[0006] The coupling mentioned in the present application can be understood as direct connection of two devices, or indirect connection of two devices. For example, the first band-pass filter is coupled with the antenna. Direct connection can be understood as that the first band-pass filter is directly connected with the antenna. Indirect connection can be understood as that an antenna formed by connecting any number of antenna arrays is connected with the first band-pass filter, or that the antenna is connected with the first band-pass filter through a resistor, which are only exemplary and do not specifically limit the coupling mode.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present application provides a radio frequency unit, which can include: a first band-pass filter, a first signal conducting module, a low noise amplifier, a frequency mixer, a frequency synthesizer, a zero intermediate frequency analog-to-digital converter, and a digital intermediate frequency module; the first band-pass filter is configured to filter a first uplink signal from an antenna in a downlink time slot to obtain a first filtered uplink signal, the first uplink signal occupies a frequency band different from a frequency band occupied by a downlink signal transmitted by the radio frequency unit in the downlink time slot; the first signal conducting module is configured to connect the low noise amplifier and the first band-pass filter in the downlink time slot; the low noise amplifier is configured to amplify the first filtered uplink signal to obtain an amplified first filtered uplink signal; the frequency synthesizer is configured to output a first local oscillator signal in the downlink time slot, the frequency of the first local oscillator signal is related to the center frequency of the first uplink signal from the antenna; the frequency mixer is configured to mix the amplified first filtered uplink signal and the first local oscillator signal to obtain a first zero intermediate frequency analog signal; the zero intermediate frequency analog-to-digital converter is configured to convert the first zero intermediate frequency analog signal into a first digital intermediate frequency signal; and the digital intermediate frequency module is configured to process the first digital intermediate frequency signal.

[0008] In the present application, the radio frequency unit can receive a first uplink signal from a terminal based on a frequency division duplex (FDD) mode while transmitting a downlink signal in a downlink time slot, thereby improving the coverage of the uplink. In addition, the frequency of the first uplink signal is reduced to zero intermediate frequency after the frequency mixer processing (for example, the difference between the frequency of the first uplink signal and the frequency of the first local oscillator signal), and the data processing by the zero intermediate frequency analog-to-digital converter can reduce the power consumption.

[0009] In an optional manner, the radio frequency unit can further include a second band-pass filter; the second band-pass filter is configured to filter a second uplink signal from the antenna in an uplink time slot to obtain a second filtered uplink signal, the second uplink signal from the antenna occupies a frequency band different from the frequency band occupied by the first uplink signal from the antenna; the first signal conducting module is further configured to connect the low noise amplifier and the second band-pass filter in the uplink time slot; the low noise amplifier is further configured to amplify the second filtered uplink signal to obtain an amplified second filtered uplink signal; the frequency synthesizer is further configured to output a second local oscillator signal in the uplink time slot, the frequency of the second local oscillator signal is related to the center frequency of the second uplink signal from the antenna; the frequency mixer is further configured to mix the amplified second filtered uplink signal and the second local oscillator signal to obtain a second zero intermediate frequency analog signal; the zero intermediate frequency analog-to-digital converter is further configured to convert the second zero intermediate frequency analog signal into a second digital intermediate frequency signal; and the digital intermediate frequency module is further configured to process the second digital intermediate frequency signal.

[0010] In the application, after the second uplink signal received by the uplink time slot radio frequency unit is processed by the mixer (for example, the frequency of the second uplink signal is subtracted from the frequency of the second local oscillator signal), the frequency of the signal is reduced to zero intermediate frequency signal, and the data is processed by the zero intermediate frequency analog-to-digital converter, which can further reduce the power consumption.

[0011] In an optional manner, the frequency synthesizer comprises a first frequency signal generator and a second frequency signal generator; the first frequency signal generator is configured to output a first local oscillator signal in a downlink time slot; the second frequency signal generator is configured to output a second local oscillator signal in an uplink time slot; and the radio frequency unit further comprises a second signal conducting module configured to connect the mixer and the first frequency signal generator in the downlink time slot, and connect the mixer and the second frequency signal generator in the uplink time slot.

[0012] In this manner, by combining the second signal conducting module with different frequency signal generators, different frequency local oscillator signals are output in different time slots (the first local oscillator signal is generated by connecting the mixer and the first frequency signal generator in the downlink time slot, and the second local oscillator signal is generated by connecting the mixer and the second frequency signal generator in the uplink time slot), which, compared with outputting different frequency local oscillator signals in different time slots by using only one frequency signal generator, does not require complex output frequency judgment logic of the local oscillator signal, and can reduce the processing complexity.

[0013] In an optional manner, the second band-pass filter is a dielectric filter, and / or the first band-pass filter is a semiconductor filter or a dielectric filter.

[0014] In an optional manner, the radio frequency unit further comprises a power amplifier configured to amplify the downlink signal sent to the antenna in the downlink time slot to obtain an amplified downlink signal, and the frequency band occupied by the downlink signal sent to the antenna is the same as the frequency band occupied by the second uplink signal from the antenna; and the second band-pass filter is further configured to filter the amplified downlink signal in the downlink time slot to obtain a filtered downlink signal.

[0015] Based on this, the downlink signal sent by the radio frequency unit in the downlink time slot is processed by the power amplifier and the second band-pass filter, which can improve the power of the downlink signal and filter out the spurs in the downlink signal.

[0016] In an optional manner, the radio frequency unit further comprises a circulator configured to input the amplified downlink signal from the power amplifier to the second band-pass filter in the downlink time slot; or configured to input the second filtered uplink signal from the second band-pass filter to the low noise amplifier in the uplink time slot.

[0017] In the mode, the circulator is added in the radio frequency unit, and the amplified downlink signal from the power amplifier can be unidirectionally transmitted to the second band-pass filter in the downlink time slot without diffracting the downlink signal to other devices to interfere with the first uplink signal received in the downlink time slot. The second filtered uplink signal from the second band-pass filter can be unidirectionally transmitted to the low-noise amplifier in the uplink time slot without diffracting the second filtered uplink signal to other devices.

[0018] In an alternative mode, the first signal conducting module is a single-pole double-throw switch.

[0019] In a second aspect, the application provides a communication device, which comprises an antenna and a radio frequency unit as in the first aspect connected with the antenna.

[0020] In an alternative mode, the communication device can further comprise a baseband processor connected with the radio frequency unit.

[0021] In a third aspect, the application provides a signal processing method, which can be applied to the radio frequency unit as in the first aspect. In the downlink time slot, a first uplink signal from the antenna is filtered to obtain a first filtered uplink signal. The frequency band occupied by the first uplink signal is different from the frequency band occupied by the downlink signal transmitted by the radio frequency unit in the downlink time slot. The first filtered uplink signal is amplified to obtain an amplified first filtered uplink signal. In the downlink time slot, a first local oscillator signal is outputted. The frequency of the first local oscillator signal is related to the center frequency of the first uplink signal from the antenna. The amplified first filtered uplink signal and the first local oscillator signal are mixed to obtain a first zero intermediate frequency analog signal. The first zero intermediate frequency analog signal is converted into a first digital intermediate frequency signal. The first digital intermediate frequency signal is processed.

[0022] In an alternative mode, the method further comprises: in the uplink time slot, a second uplink signal from the antenna is filtered to obtain a second filtered uplink signal. The frequency band occupied by the second uplink signal from the antenna is different from the frequency band occupied by the first uplink signal from the antenna. The second filtered uplink signal is amplified to obtain an amplified second filtered uplink signal. In the uplink time slot, a second local oscillator signal is outputted. The frequency of the second local oscillator signal is related to the center frequency of the second uplink signal from the antenna. The amplified second filtered uplink signal and the second local oscillator signal are mixed to obtain a second zero intermediate frequency analog signal. The second zero intermediate frequency analog signal is converted into a second digital intermediate frequency signal. The second digital intermediate frequency signal is processed.

[0023] In an alternative mode, the method further comprises: amplifying the downlink signal sent to the antenna in the downlink time slot to obtain an amplified downlink signal, the downlink signal sent to the antenna occupying the same frequency band as the second uplink signal from the antenna; and filtering the amplified downlink signal in the downlink time slot to obtain a filtered downlink signal.

[0024] These and other aspects of the present application will become more apparent from the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0025] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a communication scenario according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] FIG. 2A shows a schematic diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] FIG. 2B shows a schematic diagram of another network device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a TDD mode time slot according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a radio frequency unit according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of a frequency domain resource according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] FIG. 6A shows a schematic diagram of a frequency domain resource according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] FIG. 6B shows a schematic diagram of a frequency domain resource according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] FIG. 6C shows a schematic diagram of a frequency domain resource according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] FIG. 6D shows a schematic diagram of a frequency domain resource according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] FIG. 6E shows a schematic diagram of a frequency domain resource according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] FIG. 6F shows a schematic diagram of a frequency domain resource according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of a radio frequency unit according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] FIG. 8 shows a schematic diagram of a radio frequency unit according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] FIG. 9 shows a schematic diagram of a radio frequency unit according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] FIG. 10 shows a structural diagram of a radio frequency unit according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] FIG. 11 shows a structural diagram of a radio frequency unit according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] FIG. 12 shows a structural diagram of a radio frequency unit according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] FIG. 13 shows a flow diagram of a signal processing method according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] In order to make the purposes, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

[0045] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to a 5G system, or to a future communication system or other similar communication system. In addition, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to a cellular link, a public land mobile network (PLMN), a machine to machine (M2M) network, an internet of things (IoT) network or other network. It can also be applied to a link between devices, such as a device to device (D2D) link. The D2D link can also be referred to as a sidelink, which can also be referred to as a side link or a secondary link, etc. In the embodiments of the present application, the above-mentioned terms all refer to a link established between devices of the same type, and have the same meaning. The so-called devices of the same type can be a link between terminal devices, or a link between base stations, or a link between relay nodes, etc., which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For the link between terminal devices, there is a D2D link defined in Release (Rel)-12 / 13 of the third generation partnership project (3GPP), and there is a V2X link defined by the 3GPP for vehicle networking, including Rel-14 / 15. It also includes a V2X link based on a new radio (NR) system in Rel-18 and subsequent versions, etc.

[0046] Referring to FIG. 1, an application scenario to which embodiments of the present application are applied, or a network architecture to which embodiments of the present application are applied. In FIG. 1, network devices and terminal devices are included. It should be understood that the number of terminal devices in FIG. 1 is not specifically limited, and the network architecture can further include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in FIG. 1. The network device is an access device of a terminal device through a wireless access network, which can be a base station. Among them, the network device corresponds to different devices in different systems, for example, it can correspond to an evolved node B (eNB) in a fourth-generation (4G) system, and correspond to a new generation node B (gNB) in a 5G system; the terminal device can be a cellular phone, a smart phone, a portable computer, a handheld communication device, a handheld computing device, a satellite radio, a global positioning system, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and / or any other suitable device for communicating over a wireless communication system, and can all be connected with the network device.

[0047] Embodiments of the present application can be applicable to uplink signal transmission, and can also be applicable to downlink signal transmission, and can also be applicable to D2D signal transmission. For downlink signal transmission, the sending device is a network device, and the corresponding receiving device is a terminal device; for uplink signal transmission, the sending device is a terminal device, and the corresponding receiving device is a network device; for D2D signal transmission, the sending device is a terminal device, and the receiving device is also a terminal device. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the direction of signal transmission.

[0048] The terminal device can be a wireless terminal device capable of receiving network device scheduling and indication information, and the wireless terminal device can be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user, or a handheld device with a wireless connection function, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. The wireless terminal device can communicate with one or more core networks or the Internet through a radio access network (such as a radio access network, RAN), and the wireless terminal device can be a mobile terminal device, such as a mobile phone (or called "cellular" phone, mobile phone), computer and data card, for example, it can be a portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-built-in or vehicle-mounted mobile device that exchanges voice and / or data with the radio access network. For example, personal communication service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, PDAs, tablets (Pad), computers with wireless transceiver functions, etc. The wireless terminal device can also be referred to as a system, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), remote station, access point (AP), remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, user agent, subscriber station (SS), customer premises equipment (CPE), terminal, UE, mobile terminal (MT), etc. The wireless terminal device can also be a wearable device and a next-generation communication system, for example, a terminal device in a 5G network or a terminal device in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN) network, a terminal device in an NR communication system, etc.

[0049] A network device is an entity for transmitting or receiving signals in a network side, such as a transmission reception point (TRP), gNB. The network device can be a device for communicating with a mobile device. The network device can be an AP in a wireless local area network (WLAN), a base transceiver station (BTS) in a global system for mobile communication (GSM) or code division multiple access (CDMA), and can also be a base station (nodeB, NB) in wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), an evolved Node B (eNB or eNodeB) in long term evolution (LTE), or a relay station or an access point, or a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, and a network device in a future 5G network or a network device in a future evolved PLMN, or a gNodeB / gNB in an NR system, etc. In some deployments, a gNB can include a centralized unit (CU) and a DU. The gNB can also include an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU implements part of the functions of the gNB, and the DU implements part of the functions of the gNB, for example, the CU is responsible for processing non-real-time protocols and services, such as implementing radio resource control (RRC), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) functions, and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer functions. The DU is responsible for processing physical layer protocols and real-time services, such as implementing radio link control (RLC) layer, medium access control (MAC) layer, and physical (PHY) layer functions. The AAU implements part of the physical layer processing functions, radio frequency processing, and related functions of the active antenna. Since the information of the RRC layer will eventually become the information of the PHY layer, or be converted from the information of the PHY layer, therefore, in this architecture, high-layer signaling, such as RRC layer signaling, can also be considered as being sent by the DU, or being sent by the DU and the AAU.It can be understood that the network device can be a device including one or more of a CU node, a DU node, and an AAU node. In addition, the CU can be divided into a network device in a radio access network (RAN) or a network device in a core network (CN), which is not limited in the present application. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the network device serves a cell, and a terminal device communicates with the network device through transmission resources (for example, frequency domain resources, or spectrum resources) used by the cell. The cell can be a cell corresponding to the network device (for example, a base station), and the cell can belong to a macro base station or a base station corresponding to a small cell. The small cell can include a metro cell, a micro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, etc., which have the characteristics of small coverage and low transmit power, and are suitable for providing high-speed data transmission services. In addition, in other possible cases, the network device can be other devices that provide wireless communication functions for terminal devices. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form of the network device. For the convenience of description, the device that provides wireless communication functions for the terminal device is referred to as the network device in the embodiments of the present application.

[0050] The radio frequency unit mentioned in the present application mainly relates to the structure inside the network device, wherein the structure of the radio frequency unit is usually composed of an active antenna unit (AAU) in FIG. 2A or a remote radio unit (RRU) in FIG. 2B. Among them, the RRU can be connected with the antenna to form a communication device. In addition, the communication device can also include a baseband processor connected with the radio frequency unit, and the building baseband unit (BBU) in FIGS. 2A and 2B corresponds to the baseband processor mentioned in the present application.

[0051] The current 5G NR has two modes of frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD). The TDD mode refers to the transmission of downlink and uplink signals in the same frequency spectrum in time division. In the uplink time slot, the user equipment sends signals to the base station, and in the downlink time slot, the base station sends signals to the user equipment. As shown in the following FIG. 3, D is a downlink subframe in a downlink time slot, U is an uplink subframe in an uplink time slot, and S is a flexible subframe, which can be used in an uplink time slot and also can be used in a downlink time slot. For example, the proportion of the uplink time slot and the downlink time slot of operator A is 3:7, and the proportion of the uplink time slot and the downlink time slot of operator A is 2:8. In FIG. 3, S is used in the uplink time slot, and the downlink subframe includes 7, and the uplink subframe includes 2, which are used as examples for illustration.

[0052] Based on FIG. 3, in the TDD mode, the downlink time slot occupies a large proportion, and the coverage, latency, capacity and other performance indicators of the uplink are limited. Based on this, the present application provides a radio frequency unit to improve the uplink coverage while ensuring lower device power consumption.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 4, the radio frequency unit provided by the present application can logically include a transmission link 1, a first reception link 2 and a second reception link 3; the transmission link 1 is used to transmit downlink signals in a downlink time slot; the first reception link 2 is used to transmit second uplink signals in an uplink time slot; the second reception link 3 is used to transmit first uplink signals in a downlink time slot; wherein the frequency band occupied by the first uplink signal is different from the frequency band occupied by the downlink signals transmitted in the downlink time slot, and the frequency band occupied by the second uplink signal is the same as the frequency band occupied by the downlink signals transmitted in the downlink time slot. In actual application, the frequency band occupied by the first uplink signal can be one or more, which is not specifically limited here.

[0054] It should be noted that the high frequency band generally has hundreds of megahertz or gigahertz bandwidth for mobile communication, and this part of the bandwidth will be allocated to multiple operators. Each operator in this frequency band will be allocated a wideband spectrum and a narrowband spectrum, where the wideband spectrum works in TDD mode (i.e. the frequency band where the second uplink signal is located and the frequency band where the downlink signal is located), and the narrowband spectrum (i.e. the frequency band where the first uplink signal is located) is used for uplink transmission.

[0055] In FIG. 5, the second uplink signal and the downlink signal are configured in a first frequency domain resource, and the first uplink signal is configured in a second frequency domain resource. The frequency interval of the first frequency domain resource and the second frequency domain resource is not specifically limited here, the first frequency domain resource is used for uplink transmission and downlink transmission in TDD mode, and the second frequency domain resource is used for uplink transmission in a downlink time slot. In the downlink time slot, the downlink signal can be used for downlink transmission and / or the first uplink signal can be used for uplink transmission, and in the uplink time slot, the second uplink signal can be used for uplink transmission.

[0056] A guard band (also known as an isolation band, mainly to avoid interference between the first frequency domain resource and the second frequency domain resource) can be provided between the first frequency domain resource and the second frequency domain resource, which is not used for data transmission. The guard band can be predefined or configured by the network device through signaling, which is not limited by the present application. By providing the guard band, the mutual interference between the data transmission on the first frequency domain resource and the data transmission on the second frequency domain resource can be reduced.

[0057] The first frequency domain resource and the second frequency domain resource will be described in the following cases, which can be understood with reference to FIGS. 6A-6F.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 6A, the first frequency domain resource of the operator 1 and the first frequency domain resource of the operator 2 are deployed continuously, the second frequency domain resource of the operator 1 is deployed on the left side of the first frequency domain resource of the operator 1 and is isolated by a guard band. The second frequency domain resource of the operator 2 is deployed on the right side of the first frequency domain resource of the operator 2 and is isolated by a guard band.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 6B, the first frequency domain resource of the operator 1 and the first frequency domain resource of the operator 2 are deployed continuously, the second frequency domain resource of the operator 1 and the second frequency domain resource of the operator 2 can also be deployed on one side of the first frequency domain resource of the operator 1.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 6C, the first frequency domain resource of the operator 1 and the first frequency domain resource of the operator 2 are deployed continuously, the second frequency domain resource of the operator 2 is deployed on the left side of the first frequency domain resource of the operator 1 and is isolated by a guard band. The second frequency domain resource of the operator 1 is deployed on the right side of the first frequency domain resource of the operator 2 and is isolated by a guard band.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 6D, the first frequency domain resource of the operator 1 and the first frequency domain resource of the operator 2 are deployed continuously, the second frequency domain resource of the operator 1 is deployed on the left side of the first frequency domain resource of the operator 1 and is isolated by a guard band. The second frequency domain resource of the operator 2 is deployed on the right side of the first frequency domain resource of the operator 2 and is isolated by a guard band. The first frequency domain resource of the operator 3 is deployed on the left side of the second frequency domain resource of the operator 1, and the second frequency domain resource of the operator 3 is deployed on the left side of the first frequency domain resource of the operator 3.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 6E, the first frequency domain resource of the operator 1, the first frequency domain resource of the operator 2 and the first frequency domain resource of the operator 3 are deployed continuously, the second frequency domain resource of the operator 1, the second frequency domain resource of the operator 2 and the second frequency domain resource of the operator 3 are deployed continuously on the left side of the first frequency domain resource of the operator 1 and are isolated by a guard band.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 6F, the first frequency domain resource of the operator 1, the first frequency domain resource of the operator 2 and the first frequency domain resource of the operator 3 are deployed continuously, the second frequency domain resource of the operator 3 is deployed on the left side of the first frequency domain resource of the operator 1 and is isolated by a guard band. The second frequency domain resource of the operator 1 and the second frequency domain resource of the operator 2 are deployed continuously on the right side of the first frequency domain resource of the operator 3 and are isolated by a guard band.

[0064] Herein, the relationship between the first frequency domain resource and the second frequency domain resource is only exemplarily described and is not specifically limited, the first frequency domain resource and the second frequency domain resource can be frequency domain resources with close frequency intervals, or can be frequency domain resources with far frequency intervals, which are not specifically limited herein.

[0065] In view of the fact that the frequency distance between the first frequency domain resource and the second frequency domain resource in the above Figs. 6A-6F can be far, the present application adopts a time-sharing scheme in the network device to receive the uplink signals from the terminal. Specifically, only the second uplink signals from the terminal can be received in the uplink time slot in Fig. 3, and both the downlink signals sent to the terminal and the first uplink signals from the terminal can be received in the downlink time slot in Fig. 3. In addition, it should be noted that the radio frequency unit is previously aware of the frequency band of the first uplink signals, the frequency band of the second uplink signals, and the frequency band of the downlink signals.

[0066] Specifically, the radio frequency unit structure provided by the present application is shown in Fig. 7, which includes a first band-pass filter 31, a first signal conducting module 21, a low-noise amplifier 20, a frequency mixer 22, a frequency synthesizer 23, a zero intermediate frequency analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 24, and a digital intermediate frequency module 25. The first band-pass filter 31 is used to filter the first uplink signals from the antenna in the downlink time slot to obtain first filtered uplink signals, and the frequency band occupied by the first uplink signals is different from the frequency band occupied by the downlink signals sent by the radio frequency unit in the downlink time slot (as shown in the above Fig. 5, the first uplink signals occupy the second frequency domain resource, and the downlink signals occupy the first frequency domain resource). The first signal conducting module 21 is used to connect the low-noise amplifier 20 and the first band-pass filter 31 in the downlink time slot. The low-noise amplifier 20 is used to amplify the first filtered uplink signals to obtain amplified first filtered uplink signals. The frequency synthesizer 23 is used to output a first local oscillator signal in the downlink time slot, and the frequency of the first local oscillator signal is related to the center frequency of the first uplink signals from the antenna. The frequency mixer 22 is used to mix the amplified first filtered uplink signals and the first local oscillator signal (for example, to subtract the frequency of the first local oscillator signal from the amplified first filtered uplink signals) to obtain a first zero intermediate frequency analog signal. The zero intermediate frequency analog-to-digital converter 24 is used to convert the first zero intermediate frequency analog signal into a first digital intermediate frequency signal. The digital intermediate frequency module 25 is used to process the first digital intermediate frequency signal.

[0067] The radio frequency unit can further comprise a second band-pass filter 12; the second band-pass filter 12 is configured to filter a second uplink signal from the antenna in the uplink time slot to obtain a second filtered uplink signal, the second uplink signal from the antenna occupies a frequency band different from the frequency band occupied by the first uplink signal from the antenna; the first signal conduction module 21 is further configured to connect the low-noise amplifier 20 and the second band-pass filter 12 in the uplink time slot; the low-noise amplifier 20 is further configured to amplify the second filtered uplink signal to obtain an amplified second filtered uplink signal; the frequency synthesizer 23 is further configured to output a second local oscillator signal in the uplink time slot, the frequency of the second local oscillator signal is related to the center frequency of the second uplink signal from the antenna; the frequency mixer 22 is further configured to mix the amplified second filtered uplink signal and the second local oscillator signal (for example, subtract the frequency of the amplified second filtered uplink signal from the frequency of the second local oscillator signal) to obtain a second zero intermediate frequency analog signal; the zero intermediate frequency analog-to-digital converter 24 is further configured to convert the second zero intermediate frequency analog signal into a second digital intermediate frequency signal; and the digital intermediate frequency module 25 is further configured to process the second digital intermediate frequency signal. After the second uplink signal received by the radio frequency unit in the uplink time slot is processed by the frequency mixer (for example, the frequency of the second uplink signal is subtracted from the frequency of the second local oscillator signal), the frequency of the signal is reduced to a zero intermediate frequency signal, and the data is processed by the zero intermediate frequency analog-to-digital converter, so that the power consumption can be reduced.

[0068] The radio frequency unit can further comprise a power amplifier 10; the power amplifier 10 is configured to amplify a downlink signal in the downlink time slot to obtain an amplified downlink signal, the downlink signal sent to the antenna occupies the same frequency band as the frequency band occupied by the second uplink signal from the antenna; and the second band-pass filter 12 is configured to filter the amplified downlink signal in the downlink time slot to obtain a filtered downlink signal. After the downlink signal sent by the radio frequency unit in the downlink time slot is processed by the power amplifier and the second band-pass filter, the power of the downlink signal can be improved, and the spurs in the downlink signal can be filtered out.

[0069] Specifically, the radio frequency unit can further be provided with a timer associated with the uplink time slot and the downlink time slot of the TDD, for example, the frequency synthesizer 23 can obtain the timer reaching the downlink time slot through an internal register, and output the first local oscillation signal when reaching the downlink time slot, and output the second local oscillation signal when reaching the uplink time slot, which is not specifically limited herein. In another specific embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the frequency synthesizer 23 can further include a first frequency signal generator 231 and a second frequency signal generator 232; the first frequency signal generator 231 is configured to output the first local oscillation signal in the downlink time slot; the second frequency signal generator 232 is configured to output the second local oscillation signal in the uplink time slot; the radio frequency unit further includes a second signal conduction module 32, configured to connect the frequency mixer 22 and the first frequency signal generator 231 in the downlink time slot, and connect the frequency mixer 22 and the second frequency signal generator 232 in the uplink time slot. In this mode, by combining the second signal conduction module with different frequency signal generators, different frequency local oscillation signals are output in different time slots (the first local oscillation signal is generated by connecting the frequency mixer and the first frequency signal generator in the downlink time slot, and the second local oscillation signal is generated by connecting the frequency mixer and the second frequency signal generator in the uplink time slot), which, compared with using only one frequency signal generator to output different frequency local oscillation signals in different time slots, does not require complex output frequency judgment logic of the local oscillation signal, and can reduce the processing complexity.

[0070] The first local oscillation signal frequency can be the same as the center frequency of the first uplink signal, for example, the center frequency of the first uplink signal is F1, and the first local oscillation signal frequency is F1. The first local oscillation signal frequency can also be a frequency value calculated based on the center frequency of the first uplink signal, for example, the center frequency of the first uplink signal is F1, and the first radio frequency signal frequency is F1+ε, and the value of ε is not specifically limited herein. The second local oscillation signal frequency can be the same as the center frequency of the second uplink signal, for example, the center frequency of the second uplink signal is F2, and the second local oscillation signal frequency is F2. The second local oscillation signal frequency can also be a frequency value calculated based on the center frequency of the second uplink signal. For example, the center frequency of the second uplink signal is F2, and the second local oscillation signal frequency is F2+α, where |α|≤1GHz. This is only an exemplary illustration, and the frequencies of the first local oscillation signal and the second local oscillation signal are not specifically limited.

[0071] The first signal conducting module 21 and the second signal conducting module 32 can be single-pole double-throw switches. The single-pole double-throw switches can obtain the time slot of the timer through an internal register. In the downlink time slot, the single-pole double-throw switch 1 (the first signal conducting module 21) connects the low noise amplifier 20 and the first band-pass filter 31, and the single-pole double-throw switch 2 (the second signal conducting module 32) connects the mixer 22 and the first frequency signal generator 231. In the uplink time slot, the single-pole double-throw switch 1 connects the low noise amplifier 20 and the second band-pass filter 12. In the downlink time slot, the single-pole double-throw switch 2 connects the mixer 22 and the second frequency signal generator 232.

[0072] In addition, the radio frequency unit can further include a circulator 11 for inputting the amplified downlink signal from the power amplifier to the second band-pass filter in the downlink time slot, or for inputting the second filtered uplink signal from the second band-pass filter to the low noise amplifier in the uplink time slot. In this way, the circulator is added to the radio frequency unit, so that the amplified downlink signal from the power amplifier can be unidirectionally transmitted to the second band-pass filter in the downlink time slot without diffracting the downlink signal to other devices to interfere with the first uplink signal received in the downlink time slot. The second filtered uplink signal from the second band-pass filter can be unidirectionally transmitted to the low noise amplifier in the uplink time slot without diffracting the second filtered uplink signal to other devices.

[0073] The digital intermediate frequency module 25, the digital-to-analog converter (DAC), the power amplifier 10, the circulator 11, the second band-pass filter 12, and the antenna are involved in the first transmission link 1. The digital intermediate frequency module 25, the zero intermediate frequency analog-to-digital converter 24, the mixer 22, the frequency synthesizer 23, the low noise amplifier 20, the first signal conducting module 21, the circulator 11, the second band-pass filter 12, and the antenna are involved in the first reception link 2. The digital intermediate frequency module 25, the zero intermediate frequency analog-to-digital converter 24, the mixer 22, the frequency synthesizer 23, the low noise amplifier 20, the first signal conducting module 21, the first band-pass filter 31, and the antenna are involved in the second reception link 3.

[0074] In addition, the first band-pass filter 31 described above can form a duplexer with the second band-pass filter 12 as shown in FIG. 9. The second band-pass filter 12 can be a dielectric filter, and the first band-pass filter 31 can be a semiconductor filter or a dielectric filter.

[0075] In the present application, the downlink time slot radio frequency unit can also receive the first uplink signal from the terminal based on the frequency division duplex (FDD) mode while transmitting the downlink signal, so that the uplink coverage can be improved. In addition, the frequency of the first uplink signal after the frequency mixer processing (for example, the frequency difference between the first uplink signal and the first local oscillator signal) is reduced to zero intermediate frequency signal, and the data processing is performed by the zero intermediate frequency analog-to-digital converter instead of the direct radio frequency analog-to-digital converter, so that the power consumption can be reduced.

[0076] In order to save the antenna device, the first band pass filter 31 and the second band pass filter 12 can also be connected with the duplexer with 20 dB isolation, and connected with the antenna through the duplexer, as shown in FIG. 10. On this basis, the digital-to-analog converter and the zero intermediate frequency analog-to-digital converter 24 can be arranged in the radio frequency integrated chip. The power amplifier 10 can also be connected with the driver amplifier (DRV) 13 before or after the power amplifier 10 to further amplify the downlink signal, as shown in FIG. 11.

[0077] In addition, if multiple first uplink signals with different frequencies are received in the downlink time slot, the radio frequency unit can determine the center frequencies of the multiple first uplink signals with different frequencies respectively, and determine the average value of the multiple center frequencies. For example, if three first uplink signals with center frequencies F1, F2 and F3 are received, the frequency synthesizer can output the first local oscillator signal with the frequency (F1+F2+F3) / 3 in the downlink time slot. As shown in FIG. 11, two low noise amplifiers are connected with the phase shifter and then connected with the frequency mixer. The method shown in FIG. 12 can be used to receive two first uplink signals with different frequencies.

[0078] Based on the same technical concept, the present application also provides a signal processing method. The method can be applied to the radio frequency unit shown in FIGS. 7-10, and the present application will not be described here. FIG. 13 shows a flow diagram of a signal processing method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method mainly includes the following steps:

[0079] Step 1301: filtering the first uplink signal from the antenna in the downlink time slot to obtain the first filtered uplink signal, and the frequency band occupied by the first uplink signal is different from the frequency band occupied by the downlink signal transmitted by the radio frequency unit in the downlink time slot.

[0080] Step 1302: amplifying the first filtered uplink signal to obtain the amplified first filtered uplink signal.

[0081] Step 1303: outputting the first local oscillator signal in the downlink time slot, and the frequency of the first local oscillator signal is related to the center frequency of the first uplink signal from the antenna.

[0082] Step 1304, mixing the amplified first filtered uplink signal and the first local oscillator signal to obtain a first zero intermediate frequency analog signal.

[0083] Step 1305, converting the first zero intermediate frequency analog signal into a first digital intermediate frequency signal.

[0084] Step 1306, processing the first digital intermediate frequency signal.

[0085] Specifically, the method further comprises: filtering a second uplink signal from the antenna in the uplink time slot to obtain a second filtered uplink signal, the second uplink signal from the antenna occupying a frequency band different from that of the first uplink signal from the antenna; amplifying the second filtered uplink signal to obtain an amplified second filtered uplink signal; outputting a second local oscillator signal in the uplink time slot, the frequency of the second local oscillator signal being related to the center frequency of the second uplink signal from the antenna; mixing the amplified second filtered uplink signal and the second local oscillator signal to obtain a second zero intermediate frequency analog signal; converting the second zero intermediate frequency analog signal into a second digital intermediate frequency signal; and processing the second digital intermediate frequency signal.

[0086] Specifically, the method further comprises: amplifying a downlink signal sent to the antenna in the downlink time slot to obtain an amplified downlink signal, the downlink signal sent to the antenna occupying a frequency band same as that of the second uplink signal from the antenna; and filtering the amplified downlink signal in the downlink time slot to obtain a filtered downlink signal.

[0087] It should be noted that in the description of the embodiments of the present application, “at least one” means one or more, wherein more means two or more. Therefore, in the embodiments of the present application, “more” can also be understood as “at least two”. “And / or”, which describes the association relationship of the associated objects, means that there can be three kinds of relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent the following three cases: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone. In addition, the character “ / ”, unless otherwise specified, generally represents an “or” relationship between the associated objects. In addition, it should be understood that in the description of the present application, “first”, “second”, etc. are used only for the purpose of distinguishing the description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance, nor can it be understood as indicating or implying order.

[0088] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other manners. For example, the embodiments of the device described above are merely schematic, and the division of the units is merely a logical function division. For example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the displayed or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections can be indirect couplings or communication connections through some interfaces, devices or units, and can be in electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0089] The above descriptions are merely specific embodiments of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited to this. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical range disclosed in the present application, and all these changes and replacements should be covered in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A radio frequency unit, characterized by The radio frequency unit comprises a first band-pass filter, a first signal conducting module, a low-noise amplifier, a frequency mixer, a frequency synthesizer, a zero intermediate frequency analog-to-digital converter, and a digital intermediate frequency module. The first band-pass filter is configured to filter a first uplink signal from the antenna in a downlink time slot to obtain a first filtered uplink signal, wherein the first uplink signal occupies a frequency band different from a frequency band occupied by a downlink signal transmitted by the radio frequency unit in the downlink time slot. The first signal conducting module is configured to connect the low-noise amplifier and the first band-pass filter in the downlink time slot. The low-noise amplifier is configured to amplify the first filtered uplink signal to obtain an amplified first filtered uplink signal. The frequency synthesizer is configured to output a first local oscillator signal in the downlink time slot, wherein a frequency of the first local oscillator signal is related to a center frequency of the first uplink signal from the antenna. The frequency mixer is configured to mix the amplified first filtered uplink signal and the first local oscillator signal to obtain a first zero intermediate frequency analog signal. The zero intermediate frequency analog-to-digital converter is configured to convert the first zero intermediate frequency analog signal into a first digital intermediate frequency signal. The digital intermediate frequency module is configured to process the first digital intermediate frequency signal.

2. The radio unit of claim 1, wherein, The radio frequency unit further comprises a second band-pass filter. The second band-pass filter is configured to filter a second uplink signal from the antenna in an uplink time slot to obtain a second filtered uplink signal, wherein the second uplink signal from the antenna occupies a frequency band different from the frequency band occupied by the first uplink signal from the antenna. The first signal conducting module is further configured to connect the low-noise amplifier and the second band-pass filter in the uplink time slot. The low-noise amplifier is further configured to amplify the second filtered uplink signal to obtain an amplified second filtered uplink signal. The frequency synthesizer is further configured to output a second local oscillator signal in the uplink time slot, wherein a frequency of the second local oscillator signal is related to a center frequency of the second uplink signal from the antenna. The frequency mixer is further configured to mix the amplified second filtered uplink signal and the second local oscillator signal to obtain a second zero intermediate frequency analog signal. The zero intermediate frequency analog-to-digital converter is further configured to convert the second zero intermediate frequency analog signal into a second digital intermediate frequency signal. The digital intermediate frequency module is further configured to process the second digital intermediate frequency signal.

3. The radio unit of claim 2, wherein, The frequency synthesizer comprises a first frequency signal generator and a second frequency signal generator. The first frequency signal generator is configured to output the first local oscillator signal in the downlink time slot. The second frequency signal generator is configured to output the second local oscillator signal in the uplink time slot. The radio frequency unit further comprises a second signal conducting module configured to connect the frequency mixer and the first frequency signal generator in the downlink time slot, and connect the frequency mixer and the second frequency signal generator in the uplink time slot.

4. The radio unit according to claim 2 or 3, characterized by The second band-pass filter is a dielectric filter, and / or the first band-pass filter is a semiconductor filter or the dielectric filter.

5. The radio unit according to claim 2 or 3, characterized by The radio frequency unit further comprises a power amplifier, configured to amplify a downlink signal sent to an antenna in the downlink time slot, to obtain an amplified downlink signal, wherein the downlink signal sent to the antenna occupies the same frequency band as the second uplink signal from the antenna. The second band-pass filter is further configured to filter the amplified downlink signal in the downlink time slot, to obtain a filtered downlink signal.

6. The radio unit of claim 5, wherein, The radio frequency unit further comprises a circulator, configured to input the amplified downlink signal from the power amplifier to the second band-pass filter in the downlink time slot. Or, configured to input the second filtered uplink signal from the second band-pass filter to the low noise amplifier in the uplink time slot.

7. The radio unit according to any of claims 1 - 6, characterized by The first signal conduction module is a single-pole double-throw switch.

8. A communication device, characterized by An antenna and a radio frequency unit as claimed in any one of claims 1-7 connected to the antenna.

9. The communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein A baseband processor connected to the radio frequency unit.

10. A signal processing method characterized by, The method is applied to the radio frequency unit as claimed in any one of claims 1-7, and the method comprises: filtering a first uplink signal from the antenna in a downlink time slot, to obtain a first filtered uplink signal, wherein the first uplink signal occupies a different frequency band from a downlink signal sent by the radio frequency unit in the downlink time slot; amplifying the first filtered uplink signal, to obtain an amplified first filtered uplink signal; outputting a first local oscillator signal in the downlink time slot, wherein the frequency of the first local oscillator signal is related to the center frequency of the first uplink signal from the antenna; mixing the amplified first filtered uplink signal and the first local oscillator signal, to obtain a first zero intermediate frequency analog signal; converting the first zero intermediate frequency analog signal into a first digital intermediate frequency signal; processing the first digital intermediate frequency signal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The method further comprises: filtering a second uplink signal from the antenna in an uplink time slot, to obtain a second filtered uplink signal, wherein the second uplink signal from the antenna occupies a different frequency band from the first uplink signal from the antenna; amplifying the second filtered uplink signal, to obtain an amplified second filtered uplink signal; outputting a second local oscillator signal in the uplink time slot, wherein the frequency of the second local oscillator signal is related to the center frequency of the second uplink signal from the antenna; mixing the amplified second filtered uplink signal and the second local oscillator signal, to obtain a second zero intermediate frequency analog signal; converting the second zero intermediate frequency analog signal into a second digital intermediate frequency signal; processing the second digital intermediate frequency signal.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The method further comprises: amplifying a downlink signal sent to an antenna in the downlink time slot, to obtain an amplified downlink signal, wherein the downlink signal sent to the antenna occupies the same frequency band as the second uplink signal from the antenna; filtering the amplified downlink signal in the downlink time slot, to obtain a filtered downlink signal.

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