Base station antenna and 5g MIMO frequency-shift dual-path dual-antenna system

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of communications. Disclosed are a base station antenna and a 5G MIMO frequency-shift dual-path dual-antenna system. The base station antenna comprises an active receiving antenna, a transmitting antenna, and a plurality of transceiving separation components, wherein the transceiving separation components are correspondingly connected to each group of active antenna units in the active receiving antenna on a one-to-one basis; and the transceiving separation components are further connected to each group of antenna units in the transmitting antenna on a one-to-one basis. During a transmitting slot, each transceiving separation component receives a downlink signal sent by an RRU, and transmits same by means of a corresponding group of antenna units; and during a receiving slot, each transceiving separation component receives uplink signals which are returned by a corresponding group of antenna units, and uplink signals which are returned by a corresponding group of active antenna units, and combines the uplink signals, and then feeds same back to the RRU. The present invention can solve the problem of uplink and downlink imbalance in wide coverage and long-distance coverage in high-frequency mobile communication network systems.

Description

Base station antenna and 5G MIMO frequency shift dual-channel dual-antenna system Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a base station antenna and a 5G MIMO frequency-shifting dual-channel dual-antenna system. Background Technology

[0002] To meet the ever-growing demands for high-capacity, high-speed data communication in mobile communication networks, these networks have rapidly evolved to fifth-generation (5G) communication systems. 5G mobile communication systems primarily operate in high-frequency bands (2.6GHz / 3.5GHz). With the widespread application of MIMO technology, mobile base station antennas have evolved from traditional dual-port to multi-port antennas, with 8-port passive intelligent base station antennas becoming the mainstream product for 5G mobile communication network systems. In 5G mobile wireless network coverage applications, the increasingly prominent problem of uplink and downlink coverage imbalance is encountered, as the uplink coverage range determines the network coverage range. As mobile communication networks must meet the requirements for wide coverage and long-distance coverage applications, a technical solution to address the uplink and downlink imbalance problem is urgently needed. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by this invention is to address the shortcomings of existing technologies, specifically by providing a base station antenna and a 5G MIMO frequency-shifting dual-antenna system, as detailed below:

[0004] 1) In a first aspect, the present invention provides a beamforming active smart base station antenna, the specific technical solution of which is as follows:

[0005] It includes an active receiving antenna, a transmitting antenna, and multiple transceiver separation components, with each transceiver separation component connected one-to-one with each group of active antenna elements in the active receiving antenna;

[0006] Each transceiver separation component is also connected one-to-one with each group of antenna elements in the transmitting antenna;

[0007] During the transmit time slot, each transceiver unit receives the downlink signal from the RRU and transmits it through the corresponding group of antenna elements;

[0008] During the receive time slot, each transceiver separation unit receives and combines the uplink signals returned by the corresponding group of antenna units and the corresponding group of active antenna units, and then feeds them back to the RRU.

[0009] The beneficial effects of the beamforming active smart base station antenna provided by this invention are as follows:

[0010] During the receive time slot, both the active receiving antenna and the transmitting antenna transmit uplink signals, which can solve the problem of uplink and downlink imbalance in high-frequency mobile communication network systems with wide coverage and long-distance coverage.

[0011] Based on the above scheme, the beamforming active smart base station antenna of the present invention can be further improved as follows.

[0012] Furthermore, each transceiver separation component includes a directional coupler and a first low-noise amplifier, with the through-end of each directional coupler connected to a corresponding group of antenna elements;

[0013] The coupling end of each directional coupler is sequentially connected to the corresponding first low-noise amplifier and the corresponding group of active antenna elements;

[0014] During the transmit time slot, each directional coupler receives the downlink signal from the RRU and transmits it through the corresponding group of antenna elements;

[0015] During the receive time slot, each directional coupler receives the uplink signal returned by the corresponding group of antenna elements and the uplink signal returned by the corresponding group of active antenna elements through the corresponding first low-noise amplifier, and then feeds it back to the RRU.

[0016] The beneficial effect of adopting the above-mentioned further solutions is that they are suitable for application scenarios of high-power long-range coverage in mobile communication.

[0017] Furthermore, each group of active antenna units includes multiple active antenna units, each active antenna unit includes at least one receiving unit and a second low-noise amplifier that corresponds one-to-one with the receiving unit, and each transceiver separation component is connected to each active antenna unit in the corresponding group of active antenna units through a power divider.

[0018] During the receive time slot, each directional coupler receives the uplink signal returned by the corresponding group of antenna units, and receives the uplink signal returned by each receiving unit of each active antenna unit in sequence through the corresponding second low noise amplifier and power divider, and then feeds it back to the RRU.

[0019] The beneficial effects of adopting the above-mentioned further solutions are:

[0020] The transmitting antenna and the active receiving antenna form spatial diversity. In essence, the uplink beams of the transmitting antenna and the active receiving antenna combine to form a spatial composite beam. By adjusting the gain of the second low-noise amplifier in the active receiving antenna, the width of the composite beam can be changed, thus achieving gain adjustment and a wider uplink coverage range. The gain of the second low-noise amplifier can be dynamically adjusted according to different application scenarios, improving the signal-to-noise ratio of the uplink signal and further expanding the uplink coverage range. This enables long-distance, weak-signal uplink coverage and further solves the problem of uplink / downlink imbalance in wide-coverage, long-distance coverage in high-frequency mobile communication network systems. Furthermore, the power divider is a five-way power divider.

[0021] 2) In a second aspect, the present invention also provides a dual-antenna system, the specific technical solution of which is as follows:

[0022] Including the RRU and any of the aforementioned beamforming active smart base station antennas, each transceiver component is communicatively connected to the RRU.

[0023] Based on the above scheme, the dual-antenna system of the present invention can be further improved as follows.

[0024] Furthermore, it also includes a calibration network, through which each transceiver unit communicates with the RRU.

[0025] 3) In a third aspect, the present invention also provides a 5G MIMO frequency-shifting dual-path dual-antenna system, including a 5G MIMO frequency-shifting dual-path system, wherein the remote unit in the 5G MIMO frequency-shifting dual-path system is replaced by any of the above-mentioned dual-antenna systems.

[0026] 4) Fourthly, the present invention also provides a technical solution for a communication method as follows:

[0027] During the transmit time slot, each transceiver unit receives the downlink signal from the RRU and transmits it through the corresponding group of antenna elements in the transmit antenna;

[0028] During the receive time slot, each transceiver separation unit receives and combines the uplink signals returned by the corresponding group of antenna elements in the active receiving antenna with the uplink signals returned by the corresponding group of active antenna elements, and then feeds them back to the RRU.

[0029] Each transceiver separation component is connected to each group of active antenna elements in the active receiving antenna; each transceiver separation component is also connected to each group of antenna elements in the transmitting antenna.

[0030] Based on the above scheme, the communication method of the present invention can be further improved as follows.

[0031] Furthermore, each transceiver separation component includes: a directional coupler and a first low-noise amplifier; the through end of each directional coupler is connected to a corresponding group of antenna elements; the coupling end of each directional coupler is sequentially connected to the corresponding first low-noise amplifier and the corresponding group of active antenna elements.

[0032] The process of transmitting downlink signals includes:

[0033] During the transmit time slot, each directional coupler receives the downlink signal from the RRU and transmits it through the corresponding group of antenna elements;

[0034] The process of receiving and merging uplink signals includes:

[0035] During the receive time slot, each directional coupler receives the uplink signal returned by the corresponding group of antenna elements and the uplink signal returned by the corresponding group of active antenna elements through the corresponding first low-noise amplifier, and then combines them.

[0036] Furthermore, each group of active antenna units includes multiple active antenna units, each active antenna unit includes at least one receiving unit and a second low-noise amplifier that corresponds one-to-one with the receiving unit, and each transceiver separation component is connected to each active antenna unit in the corresponding group of active antenna units through a power divider.

[0037] The process of receiving and merging uplink signals includes:

[0038] During the receive time slot, each directional coupler receives the uplink signal returned by the corresponding group of antenna elements, and receives the uplink signal returned by each receiving unit of each active antenna element through the corresponding second low-noise amplifier and power divider and then combines them.

[0039] It should be noted that the beneficial effects of the technical solutions of the second to fourth aspects of the present invention and their corresponding possible implementations can be found in the above description of the technical effects of the first aspect and its corresponding possible implementations, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0040] Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0041] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a beamforming active smart base station antenna according to the present invention;

[0042] Figure 2 is a second schematic diagram of the structure of a beamforming active smart base station antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between the transceiver separation component and the active receiving antenna and transmitting antenna, respectively.

[0044] Figure 4 is one of the structural schematic diagrams of a dual-antenna system;

[0045] Figure 5 is the second schematic diagram of the dual-antenna system;

[0046] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0047] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0048] As shown in Figure 1, a beamforming active smart base station antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an active receiving antenna, a transmitting antenna, and multiple transceiver separation components, each of which is connected to each group of active antenna elements in the active receiving antenna.

[0049] Each transceiver separation component is also connected one-to-one with each group of antenna elements in the transmitting antenna;

[0050] During the transmit time slot, each transceiver unit receives downlink signals from the RRU (Remote Radio Unit) and transmits them through the corresponding set of antenna units;

[0051] During the receive time slot, each transceiver separation unit receives and combines the uplink signals returned by the corresponding group of antenna units and the corresponding group of active antenna units, and then feeds them back to the RRU.

[0052] Optionally, in the above technical solution, as shown in Figure 2, each transceiver separation component includes: a directional coupler and a first low-noise amplifier, and the through end of each directional coupler is connected to the corresponding group of antenna elements;

[0053] The coupling end of each directional coupler is sequentially connected to the corresponding first low-noise amplifier and the corresponding group of active antenna elements;

[0054] During the transmission time slot, each directional coupler receives the downlink signal sent by the RRU and transmits it through the corresponding group of antenna elements to achieve downlink coverage of the mobile communication network;

[0055] The coupling degree of the directional coupler is preferably above 20dB, which can greatly reduce the loss when the transmitted power is transmitted to the transmitting antenna.

[0056] Traditional transceiver separation components typically employ active electronically controlled RF switches, which present three main problems: First, the switch exhibits high RF impedance when powered off, causing system standing wave (SWR) alarms. Second, with distributed RF switching solutions, the switches are integrated into the LNA unit, resulting in excessive switch initiation current during transceiver channel switching. The RRU (Remote Receiver Unit) does not support high-current power supply, requiring a dedicated -48V line from the tower, which is practically difficult to install. Third, distributed RF switching solutions are too costly, failing to meet operators' cost reduction requirements. The transceiver separation component proposed in this invention offers advantages such as low cost and high reliability, meeting the requirements for separate transmit / receive RF channels.

[0057] During the receive time slot, each directional coupler receives the uplink signal returned by the corresponding group of antenna elements and the uplink signal returned by the corresponding group of active antenna elements through the corresponding first low-noise amplifier, and then feeds it back to the RRU.

[0058] The gain of the first low-noise amplifier can be set in the range of 20 to 25, and the gain is adjustable in steps. During the receiving time slot, the directional coupler couples and attenuates the uplink signal received by the active antenna unit to achieve uplink coverage.

[0059] Optionally, in the above technical solution, each group of active antenna units includes multiple active antenna units, each active antenna unit includes at least one receiving unit and a second low-noise amplifier that corresponds one-to-one with the receiving unit, and each transceiver separation component is connected to each active antenna unit in the corresponding group of active antenna units through a power divider.

[0060] Both the receiving unit and the antenna unit are vibrating elements. During the receiving time slot, each directional coupler receives the uplink signal returned by the corresponding group of antenna units, and receives the uplink signal returned by each receiving unit of each active antenna unit through the corresponding second low-noise amplifier and power divider, and then feeds it back to the RRU.

[0061] By setting a second low-noise amplifier, the uplink signal returned to the directional coupler by each receiving unit of each active antenna unit has a better signal-to-noise ratio, effectively expanding the uplink coverage. It can be widely used in high-frequency long-distance wide-coverage and deep-coverage application scenarios, providing operators with a more cost-effective product.

[0062] Optionally, in the above technical solution, the power divider is a five-way power divider or a power divider with different channels.

[0063] The connection relationships of each component are illustrated in Figure 3:

[0064] In Figure 3, the power divider is a five-way power divider. Each group of active antenna elements includes five active antenna elements. Each active antenna element includes four receiving units and four second low-noise amplifiers. The five branch terminals of the five-way power divider are connected to one active antenna element respectively. The combining terminal of the five-way power divider is connected to the first low-noise amplifier and the coupling terminal of the directional coupler in sequence. Each group of antenna elements includes five receiving units. Each receiving unit includes four antenna elements. The through terminal of the directional coupler is connected to the five receiving units respectively through a phase shifter. The process of each directional coupler receiving the uplink signal returned by the corresponding group of antenna elements is as follows: the directional coupler receives the uplink signal returned by each antenna element in each antenna element of the corresponding group of antenna elements through the phase shifter. In this embodiment, the five-way power divider adopts a closed cavity structure.

[0065] It should be noted that when the active receiving antenna includes 8 active antenna elements, a total of 8 five-way power dividers are required; when the transmitting antenna includes 8 antenna elements, a total of 8 phase shifters are required.

[0066] An embodiment of the present invention provides a dual-antenna system, including an RRU and any one of the beamforming active smart base station antennas, wherein each transceiver separation component is communicatively connected to the RRU.

[0067] Optionally, the above technical solution also includes a calibration network, in which each transceiver separation component is connected to the RRU via the calibration network, as shown in Figure 4.

[0068] Optionally, as shown in Figure 5, the above technical solution also includes a TMC module and a synchronization unit. The TMC module adopts a standard AISG interface and is connected to the AISG interface of the RRU through an AISG cable. It mainly consists of functional circuits such as AISG network management interface, LAN power supply and monitoring, and OOK communication control. It supports the network management center to query the status of the active antenna LNA and set the LNA gain. All power supply and communication cables inside the dual-antenna system use RG316 shielded RF cables.

[0069] An embodiment of the present invention provides a 5G MIMO frequency-shifting dual-path dual-antenna system, comprising a 5G MIMO frequency-shifting dual-path system, wherein the remote unit in the 5G MIMO frequency-shifting dual-path system is replaced by any of the aforementioned dual-antenna systems, and the near unit in the 5G MIMO frequency-shifting dual-path system is connected to an RRU.

[0070] The 5G MIMO frequency-shifting dual-path system is a frequency-shifting repeater system. The equipment in a 5G MIMO frequency-shifting dual-path system includes: at least one near-end unit, at least one far-end unit, and equipment for establishing the communication link. The equipment used to establish the communication link includes: a power divider and a coupler. The working principle of the 5G MIMO frequency-shifting dual-path system is as follows:

[0071] The near-end unit receives the output signal from the radio frequency base station and couples it. Then, it shifts the frequency of the coupled signal and transmits the frequency-shifted signal to the far-end unit via an radio frequency cable. The far-end unit shifts the received signal again, amplifies it, and then transmits it to achieve network signal coverage. Each near-end unit can connect to multiple far-end units, such as 1 to 64 far-end units per near-end unit. The number of far-end units connected to each near-end unit can be set according to the actual situation.

[0072] As shown in Figure 6, a communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the following steps:

[0073] S1. During the transmit time slot, each transmit / receive separation unit receives the downlink signal sent by the RRU and transmits it through the corresponding group of antenna elements in the transmit antenna;

[0074] S2. During the receiving time slot, each transceiver separation unit receives the uplink signal returned by the corresponding group of antenna units in the active receiving antenna and the uplink signal returned by the corresponding group of active antenna units, and then feeds it back to the RRU.

[0075] Each transceiver separation component is connected to each group of active antenna elements in the active receiving antenna; each transceiver separation component is also connected to each group of antenna elements in the transmitting antenna.

[0076] Optionally, in the above technical solution, each transceiver separation component includes: a directional coupler and a first low-noise amplifier, the through end of each directional coupler is connected to a corresponding group of antenna elements; the coupling end of each directional coupler is sequentially connected to the corresponding first low-noise amplifier and the corresponding group of active antenna elements;

[0077] The process of transmitting downlink signals includes:

[0078] During the transmit time slot, each directional coupler receives the downlink signal from the RRU and transmits it through the corresponding group of antenna elements;

[0079] The process of receiving and merging uplink signals includes:

[0080] During the receive time slot, each directional coupler receives the uplink signal returned by the corresponding group of antenna elements and the uplink signal returned by the corresponding group of active antenna elements through the corresponding first low-noise amplifier, and then combines them.

[0081] Optionally, in the above technical solution, each group of active antenna units includes multiple active antenna units, each active antenna unit includes at least one receiving unit and a second low-noise amplifier that corresponds one-to-one with the receiving unit, and each transceiver separation component is connected to each active antenna unit in the corresponding group of active antenna units through a power divider.

[0082] The process of receiving and merging uplink signals includes:

[0083] During the receive time slot, each directional coupler receives the uplink signal returned by the corresponding group of antenna elements, and receives the uplink signal returned by each receiving unit of each active antenna element through the corresponding second low-noise amplifier and power divider and then combines them.

[0084] In this invention, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0085] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0086] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A beamforming active smart base station antenna, characterized in that, It includes an active receiving antenna, a transmitting antenna, and multiple transceiver separation components, with each transceiver separation component connected one-to-one with each group of active antenna elements in the active receiving antenna; Each transceiver separation component is also connected one-to-one with each group of antenna elements in the transmitting antenna; During the transmit time slot, each transceiver unit receives the downlink signal from the RRU and transmits it through the corresponding group of antenna elements; During the receive time slot, each transceiver separation component receives the uplink signal returned by the corresponding group of antenna units and the uplink signal returned by the corresponding group of active antenna units, combines them, and then feeds them back to the RRU. Each transceiver separation component includes: a directional coupler and a first low-noise amplifier, with the through end of each directional coupler connected to a corresponding group of antenna elements; The coupling end of each directional coupler is sequentially connected to the corresponding first low-noise amplifier and the corresponding group of active antenna elements; During the transmit time slot, each directional coupler receives the downlink signal from the RRU and transmits it through the corresponding group of antenna elements; During the receive time slot, each directional coupler receives the uplink signal returned by the corresponding group of antenna units and the uplink signal returned by the corresponding group of active antenna units through the corresponding first low-noise amplifier, and then feeds it back to the RRU.

2. The beamforming active smart base station antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each group of active antenna units includes multiple active antenna units. Each active antenna unit includes at least one receiving unit and a second low-noise amplifier that corresponds to the receiving unit. Each transceiver separation component is connected to each active antenna unit in the corresponding group of active antenna units through a power divider. During the receive time slot, each directional coupler receives the uplink signal returned by the corresponding group of antenna units, and receives the uplink signal returned by each receiving unit of each active antenna unit through the corresponding second low-noise amplifier and power divider in sequence, and then feeds it back to the RRU.

3. The beamforming active smart base station antenna according to claim 2, characterized in that, The power divider is a five-channel power divider.

4. A dual-antenna system, characterized in that, It includes an RRU and a beamforming active smart base station antenna as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each transceiver separation component is communicatively connected to the RRU.

5. A dual-antenna system according to claim 4, characterized in that, It also includes a calibration network, through which each transceiver unit communicates with the RRU.

6. A 5G MIMO frequency-shifting dual-channel dual-antenna system, characterized in that, It includes a 5G MIMO frequency-shifting dual-path system, wherein the remote unit in the 5G MIMO frequency-shifting dual-path system is replaced with a dual-antenna system as described in claim 4 or 5.

7. A communication method, characterized in that, include: During the transmit time slot, each transceiver unit receives the downlink signal from the RRU and transmits it through the corresponding group of antenna elements in the transmit antenna; During the receive time slot, each transceiver separation component receives and combines the uplink signals returned by the corresponding group of antenna elements in the active receiving antenna with the uplink signals returned by the corresponding group of active antenna elements, and then feeds them back to the RRU. Each transceiver separation component is connected to each group of active antenna elements in the active receiving antenna; each transceiver separation component is also connected to each group of antenna elements in the transmitting antenna. Each transceiver separation component includes: a directional coupler and a first low-noise amplifier; the through end of each directional coupler is connected to a corresponding group of antenna elements; the coupling end of each directional coupler is sequentially connected to the corresponding first low-noise amplifier and the corresponding group of active antenna elements. The process of transmitting downlink signals includes: During the transmit time slot, each directional coupler receives the downlink signal from the RRU and transmits it through the corresponding group of antenna elements; The process of receiving and merging uplink signals includes: During the receive time slot, each directional coupler receives the uplink signal returned by the corresponding group of antenna elements and the uplink signal returned by the corresponding group of active antenna elements through the corresponding first low-noise amplifier, and then combines them.

8. A communication method according to claim 7, characterized in that, Each group of active antenna units includes multiple active antenna units. Each active antenna unit includes at least one receiving unit and a second low-noise amplifier that corresponds to the receiving unit. Each transceiver separation component is connected to each active antenna unit in the corresponding group of active antenna units through a power divider. The process of receiving and merging uplink signals includes: During the receive time slot, each directional coupler receives the uplink signal returned by the corresponding group of antenna elements, and receives the uplink signal returned by each receiving unit of each active antenna element through the corresponding second low-noise amplifier and power divider and then combines them.

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