Vehicle-mounted satellite communication system and method, device, storage medium, program product and vehicle

Abstract

A vehicle-mounted satellite communication system and method, a device, a storage medium, a program product, and a vehicle. The vehicle-mounted satellite communication system comprises an antenna group, a radio frequency switch, and a processing assembly; the antenna group comprises a plurality of antenna units, and different antenna units have different beam coverages; the radio frequency switch is connected to the antenna group, and is controlled to switch radio frequency connection states of different antenna units in the antenna group; and the processing assembly is used for collecting signal strength received by the different antenna units, determining a target antenna unit in the antenna group on the basis of the signal strength, and controlling the radio frequency switch to be connected to the target antenna unit to implement satellite communication.

Description

Vehicle satellite communication system, method, device, storage medium, program product and vehicle

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese application No. 2024111505130 filed on August 20, 2024, with the title of "Vehicle satellite communication system, method, device, storage medium, program product and vehicle", the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to, but is not limited to, the field of vehicle communication technology, and in particular to a vehicle satellite communication system, method, device, storage medium, program product and vehicle. BACKGROUND

[0003] Satellite communication refers to that users use various handheld, vehicle-mounted, ship-mounted, aircraft-mounted terminals to connect communication networks and the Internet through satellites and ground stations, to realize functions such as short message, call, data, etc., which can supplement the coverage blind area of the ground cellular network and is an important part of the future mobile communication network. For example, vehicle-mounted terminals can be used for vehicles to communicate with the outside in the coverage blind area of the cellular network in the wild, desert, etc., to realize communication in emergency situations and improve vehicle safety.

[0004] However, satellite communication requires the vehicle to maintain a connection with the satellite at all times during driving. The commonly used vehicle satellite terminal, such as vehicle-mounted mobile satellite ground station communication system, uses a servo mechanism to mechanically adjust the antenna pointing direction to realize satellite pointing, but this way has a large system profile and is not easy to integrate with the vehicle structure, which is not suitable for ordinary passenger cars. TECHNICAL SOLUTION

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a vehicle satellite communication system, method, device, storage medium, program product and vehicle to at least partially solve the above technical problems.

[0006] In order to achieve the above purpose, according to the first aspect of the present application, a vehicle satellite communication system is provided, comprising: an antenna group, a radio frequency switching switch and a processing component;

[0007] The antenna group comprises a plurality of antenna units, and the beam ranges of different antenna units are different;

[0008] The radio frequency switching switch is connected with the antenna group and is controlled to switch the radio frequency connection state of different antenna units in the antenna group;

[0009] The processing component is used to collect the signal strengths received by different antenna units, determine a target antenna unit in the antenna group according to the signal strengths, and control the radio frequency switching switch to connect with the target antenna unit to realize satellite communication.

[0010] Optionally, as another embodiment of the present application, the step of determining the target antenna unit from the antenna group according to the signal strength by the processing component specifically comprises:

[0011] The processing component is configured to compare the signal strengths received by different antenna units and determine a first candidate antenna unit with the highest signal strength; and

[0012] In response to the signal strength of the first candidate antenna unit being greater than a preset signal strength threshold, the first candidate antenna unit is determined as the target antenna unit.

[0013] Optionally, as another embodiment of the present application, the processing component is further configured to acquire the signal strength received by the target antenna unit, and in response to the signal strength being less than a preset signal strength threshold, control the RF switch to poll to connect other antenna units in the antenna group.

[0014] Optionally, as another embodiment of the present application, the processing component is further configured to output a prompt information in response to the polling frequency of the RF switch reaching a preset frequency threshold, the prompt information being used to indicate poor satellite communication signal.

[0015] Optionally, as another embodiment of the present application, the processing component is further configured to determine a second candidate antenna unit from the antenna units according to the azimuth information of the target satellite relative to the vehicle, the pose information of the vehicle, and the beam range of different antenna units; wherein the target satellite is within the beam range of the second candidate antenna unit; and

[0016] In response to the signal strength of the second candidate antenna unit being greater than a preset signal strength threshold, the second candidate antenna unit is determined as the target antenna unit.

[0017] Optionally, as another embodiment of the present application, the processing component is further configured to, in response to the signal strength of the second candidate antenna unit being less than a preset signal strength threshold, control the RF switch to poll to connect other antenna units in the antenna group, and perform the step of acquiring the signal strengths received by different antenna units.

[0018] Optionally, as another embodiment of the present application, the beam ranges of all antenna units in the antenna group overlap to cover at least a 30°-150° elevation angle range of the vehicle.

[0019] Optionally, as another embodiment of the present application, the antenna group is composed of a plurality of low-profile patch antenna unit arrays, and the beam ranges of adjacent antenna units at least have an overlap at -5db.

[0020] According to a second aspect of the present application, a vehicle-mounted satellite communication method is provided, which is applied in a vehicle-mounted satellite communication system, the system comprising an antenna group, a radio frequency switch and a processing component; the antenna group comprises a plurality of antenna units, and different antenna units have different beam ranges;

[0021] The method comprises:

[0022] In response to the radio frequency switch being controlled to be connected to different antenna units in the antenna group respectively, collecting signal strengths received by different antenna units;

[0023] Determining a target antenna unit in the antenna group according to the signal strengths;

[0024] Controlling the radio frequency switch to be connected to the target antenna unit to realize satellite communication.

[0025] Optionally, as another embodiment of the present application, the step of determining a target antenna unit in the antenna group according to the signal strengths comprises:

[0026] Comparing the signal strengths received by different antenna units, and determining a first candidate antenna unit with the highest signal strength;

[0027] In response to the signal strength of the first candidate antenna unit being greater than a preset signal strength threshold, determining the first candidate antenna unit as the target antenna unit.

[0028] Optionally, as another embodiment of the present application, the method further comprises:

[0029] Obtaining a signal strength received by the target antenna unit;

[0030] In response to the signal strength being less than a preset signal strength threshold, controlling the radio frequency switch to poll to connect other antenna units in the antenna group.

[0031] Optionally, as another embodiment of the present application, the method further comprises:

[0032] In response to a polling frequency of the radio frequency switch reaching a preset frequency threshold, outputting prompt information, the prompt information being used to indicate that a satellite communication signal is poor.

[0033] Optionally, as another embodiment of the present application, the method further comprises:

[0034] Determining a second candidate antenna unit from the antenna units according to orientation information of a target satellite relative to a vehicle, pose information of the vehicle and beam ranges of different antenna units; wherein the target satellite is within the beam range of the second candidate antenna unit;

[0035] determining the second candidate antenna unit as the target antenna unit in response to the signal strength of the second candidate antenna unit being greater than a preset signal strength threshold.

[0036] Optionally, as another embodiment of the present application, the method further comprises:

[0037] controlling the radio frequency switch to poll other antenna units in the antenna group and performing the step of collecting the signal strengths received by different antenna units in response to the signal strength of the second candidate antenna unit being less than a preset signal strength threshold.

[0038] According to a third aspect of the present application, an electronic device is further provided, comprising a memory and a processor; the memory stores instructions, and the processor is configured to execute the instructions, when the instructions are executed, the device performs the method according to any one of the preceding method embodiments.

[0039] According to a fourth aspect of the present application, a computer storage medium is further provided, the computer storage medium stores instructions, when the instructions are executed by a computer, the computer implements the method according to any one of the preceding method embodiments.

[0040] According to a fifth aspect of the present application, a computer program product is further provided, the computer program product stores instructions, when the instructions are executed by a computer, the computer implements the method according to any one of the preceding method embodiments.

[0041] According to a sixth aspect of the present application, a vehicle is further provided, the vehicle is provided with the vehicle-mounted satellite communication system according to any one of the preceding vehicle-mounted satellite communication system embodiments, and the vehicle-mounted satellite communication system is used to perform the method according to any one of the preceding method embodiments.

[0042] In the embodiments of the present application, the antenna group, the radio frequency switch and the processing assembly are provided, the antenna group comprises a plurality of antenna units and satisfies that the beam ranges of different antenna units are different, so that when the radio frequency switch is controlled to be connected with different antenna units in the antenna group respectively, the processing assembly determines the target antenna unit from the antenna group according to the collected signal strengths received by different antenna units, and controls the radio frequency switch to be connected with the target antenna unit to realize satellite communication. The vehicle-mounted satellite communication system provided by the embodiments of the present application has simple structure, good satellite communication effect, and is suitable for being carried on ordinary passenger vehicles.

[0043] Other features and advantages of the present application will be described in detail in the following specific embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0044] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed in the embodiment description. Obviously, the drawings in the following description only show some embodiments of the present application, and all other drawings obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort based on these drawings also belong to the protection scope of the present application.

[0045] In order to more completely understand the present application and its beneficial effects, the following will be described in conjunction with the drawings, wherein the same reference numerals in the following description represent the same parts.

[0046] Fig. 1a is a structural schematic diagram of a vehicle-mounted satellite communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Fig. 1b is a structural schematic diagram of another vehicle-mounted satellite communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] Fig. 2 is a vehicle-mounted satellite communication method running in a vehicle-mounted satellite communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] Fig. 3 is a step flow schematic diagram of another vehicle-mounted satellite communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] Fig. 4 is a step flow schematic diagram of a vehicle-mounted satellite communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] Fig. 5a is a hardware schematic diagram of a vehicle-mounted satellite communication system combining signal strength of two antenna units to realize satellite communication provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] Fig. 5b is a hardware schematic diagram of a vehicle-mounted satellite communication system combining signal strength of two antenna units to realize satellite communication provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] Fig. 6 is a structural schematic diagram of an electronic device provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0054] Embodiments of the present application

[0055] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, not all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort also belong to the protection scope of the present application.

[0056] For the convenience of understanding the embodiments provided by the embodiments of the application, the related background of the vehicle-mounted satellite communication system is first described. Specifically, satellite communication refers to that a user uses various terminals such as handheld, vehicle-mounted, ship-mounted, and aircraft-mounted terminals to link a communication network and the Internet through a satellite and a ground station, so as to realize functions such as short message, call, and data. For example, a mobile satellite ground station communication system (mobile communication satellite ground station communication system) can be used to realize connection with a satellite. However, the mobile satellite ground station communication system uses a servo mechanism to mechanically adjust the pointing of an antenna to realize satellite operation, generally has a large system profile, and is not easy to be designed to be integrated with a vehicle body structure, and thus is difficult to be applied to an ordinary passenger vehicle.

[0057] To solve the above problems, the application provides a vehicle-mounted satellite communication system, method, and device suitable for an ordinary passenger vehicle. An antenna group including a plurality of antenna units with beam patterns that do not overlap or partially overlap each other is provided, and a radio frequency switching switch is used for switching. When the radio frequency switching switch is controlled to be connected to different antenna units in the antenna group, respectively, the signal strength received by the different antenna units is collected to determine a target antenna unit in the antenna group, so as to control the radio frequency switching switch to be connected to the target antenna unit to realize satellite communication. Through the above simple vehicle-mounted satellite communication system, good satellite communication effect can be ensured, and the system is especially suitable for being mounted on an ordinary passenger vehicle.

[0058] Specifically, referring to FIG. 1a, FIG. 1a is a structural schematic diagram of a vehicle-mounted satellite communication system provided by an embodiment of the application, and specifically includes an antenna group 100, a radio frequency switching switch 110, and a processing component 120. The antenna group includes a plurality of antenna units, the beam ranges of different antenna units are different, and the radio frequency switching switch 110 is connected to the antenna group 100 to control the radio frequency connection state of different antenna units in the antenna group. Specifically, the system structure schematic diagram shown in FIG. 1a is taken as an example to be described by taking the antenna group 100 including a first antenna unit 101 and a second antenna unit 102 as an example, and it can be seen that the beam patterns of the first antenna unit 101 and the second antenna unit 102 partially overlap, for example, cross and overlap at -5 dB as shown in the figure. Of course, in a specific application scenario, the antenna group in the vehicle-mounted satellite communication system can further include more antenna units, for example, a third antenna unit, a fourth antenna unit, and the like, and the beam patterns of these antenna units do not overlap or partially overlap with each other, for example, cross and overlap at -5 dB as shown in FIG. 1a. The embodiments of the application do not repeat the description here.

[0059] In addition, as a further feasible embodiment of the application, to meet the requirements of satellite communication, the beam ranges of all the antenna units in the antenna group at least cover a 30°-150° elevation angle range of a vehicle after superposition.

[0060] In addition, the antenna group can also be composed of a plurality of low-profile patch antenna unit arrays, and the beam patterns of adjacent antenna units have at least -5db overlap, so as to avoid the occurrence of coverage blind area and affect the satellite communication effect.

[0061] Further, the antenna units in the antenna group can adopt transparent units or non-transparent antenna units. The transparent antenna units can be arranged at a sunroof or the like, do not affect the view inside the vehicle, and the beam direction is directed to the upper space, while the non-transparent antenna can also be arranged on the roof of the vehicle to avoid the shielding of the satellite signal by the vehicle body structure. Of course, the above is only one feasible antenna arrangement, and other antenna arrangements that do not affect signal propagation are also within the scope of the present application.

[0062] Further, the antenna units can adopt integrated transceiver or separate transceiver, and of course, in order to reduce the area of the antenna and the radio frequency switch, the antenna units select the integrated transceiver antenna. The polarization mode of the antenna can adopt linear polarization, circular polarization, elliptical polarization, etc., and of course, in order to reduce the antenna loss, the antenna unit can adopt a linear polarization antenna.

[0063] Further, in order to meet the connection of the radio frequency switching switch and different antenna units, the radio frequency switching switch can adopt a single-to-multiple switch, and the number of front-end switch ports depends on the number of antenna units in the antenna group and the transceiver form. For example, for a four-unit integrated transceiver antenna, the radio frequency switching switch can adopt a SP4T (Single Pole 4 Throws) switch, wherein the P (pole) end of the radio frequency switching switch is connected to the rear module, and the other end T (Throw) end is respectively connected to four different antenna units. At this time, the radio frequency switching switch can be connected to the processing assembly through two GPIO (General-Purpose Input / Output) interfaces, wherein when the two GPIO interfaces respectively receive high-level or low-level signals from the processing assembly, the radio frequency switching switch will be pointed to the corresponding antenna unit according to the preset configuration rule. Similarly, for a two-unit separate transceiver antenna, the radio frequency switching switch can also adopt a SP4T switch, but at this time, it can be connected to the processing assembly through a GPIO interface, that is, according to the high-level or low-level signal received by the GPIO interface, the radio frequency switching switch is pointed to the corresponding antenna unit. For example, as shown in the following table, a table showing the correspondence between the level and the switch pointing in a radio frequency switching switch is shown:

[0064] It should be noted that the correspondence table of the level and the switch direction of the foregoing provided radio frequency switch is only one feasible implementation scheme, and does not limit the technical solutions of the present application, and the specific correspondence can be based on the number of antenna elements contained in the antenna group and the specific setting of the radio frequency switch GPIO interface, and the embodiments of the present application do not repeat here.

[0065] In addition, the radio frequency switch can be placed in close connection with the antenna unit to reduce the insertion loss, or placed in the same single board with the radio frequency baseband circuit and connected with the antenna unit through a feeder, so as to be more suitable for embedding in the vehicle body structure, and the specific actual wiring mode can be dynamically adjusted according to the vehicle body structure design requirement and the communication system gain index. Of course, considering that the introduction of the radio frequency switch usually causes the system insertion loss to increase by 0.5-1 dB, therefore, the loss can be further compensated by increasing the antenna gain and the like.

[0066] Of course, the foregoing only proposes a simplified structure schematic diagram of a vehicle satellite communication system, and in fact, in order to realize satellite communication, other functional modules for realizing satellite communication are also usually carried in the vehicle satellite communication system, for example, referring to FIG. 1b, which is a structure schematic diagram of another vehicle satellite communication system provided by the embodiments of the present application, compared with FIG. 1a, further including a radio frequency chip (radio frequency transceiver chip) 130 and a baseband chip 140, and the specific functions of the radio frequency chip and the baseband chip in the communication process are not repeated here. In addition, based on actual needs, the processing component 120 can further communicate with more peripheral devices, such as a Bluetooth module, a microphone, a loudspeaker and the like. The embodiments of the present application do not repeat here.

[0067] Specifically, on the basis of the vehicle satellite communication system provided in the foregoing FIG. 1a or FIG. 1b, in order to realize a complete satellite communication process, when the radio frequency switch is controlled to be connected with different antenna elements in the antenna group respectively, the processing component can be used to collect the signal strengths received by different antenna elements. For example, as shown in the vehicle satellite communication system in FIG. 1b, after the antenna connected with the radio frequency switch receives the downlink satellite pilot signal, the signal strength is obtained through the communication link in turn via the radio frequency chip and the baseband chip processing, and reported to the processing component, and the processing component determines the most suitable target antenna element through the signal strength, and controls the radio frequency switch through the foregoing mentioned several GPIO interfaces, so that the radio frequency switch is connected with the target antenna element, thereby completing the subsequent satellite communication process.

[0068] Specifically, refer to FIG. 2, which is a vehicle satellite communication method running in a vehicle satellite communication system according to an embodiment of the present application, and specifically, includes steps S210-S230.

[0069] S210, when the radio frequency switch is controlled to be connected with different antenna units in the antenna group respectively, collecting signal strengths received by different antenna units.

[0070] In the embodiment of the present application, the radio frequency switch can be controlled by the high / low level signals issued by the processing component through the GPIO interface to switch the connection with different antenna units in the antenna group. When the radio frequency switch is connected with a certain antenna unit in the antenna group, the antenna unit connected at this time receives the downlink satellite pilot signal, which is processed by the radio frequency chip and the baseband chip to obtain the signal strength and is reported to the processing component. Thus, when the processing component controls the radio frequency switch to be connected with different antenna units in the antenna group through the GPIO interface, the processing component can collect the signal strengths received by different antenna units processed by the radio frequency chip and the baseband chip.

[0071] S220, determining a target antenna unit in the antenna group according to the signal strengths.

[0072] In the embodiment of the present application, in order to better realize the satellite communication, that is, to ensure that the vehicle satellite communication system can be in a better communication state with the satellite, the processing component can determine the target antenna unit from the antenna group according to the collected signal strengths of different antenna units. For example, as a common feasible embodiment, the signal strengths received by different antenna units can be compared, and the antenna unit with the highest signal strength can be selected as the target antenna unit to ensure the satellite communication quality. Of course, considering that in some cases, the communication effect between the vehicle satellite communication system and the satellite is not ideal due to the environmental or other factors of the vehicle, that is, the signal strength received by the antenna unit with the highest signal strength is also low, in order to remind the user, “poor signal quality” can be outputted, and the prompt can be given through the screen display, signal indicator light and other modes. That is, the step of determining the target antenna unit in the antenna group according to the signal strengths specifically includes:

[0073] comparing the signal strengths received by different antenna units, and determining a first candidate antenna unit with the highest signal strength;

[0074] in the case that the signal strength of the first candidate antenna unit is greater than a preset signal strength threshold, determining the first candidate antenna unit as the target antenna unit.

[0075] That is, first, the signal strengths received by different antenna units are compared, and a first candidate antenna unit with the highest signal strength is determined. Only when the signal strength of the first candidate antenna unit is greater than a preset signal strength threshold, the first candidate antenna unit is determined as the target antenna unit. When the signal strength of the first candidate antenna unit is less than the preset signal strength threshold, a prompt information is output, which is used to indicate that the satellite communication signal is poor.

[0076] Of course, the aforementioned satellite communication method needs to rely on the radio frequency switch to switch the radio frequency connection state of different antenna units in the antenna group multiple times, so as to select the target antenna unit from the antenna group to complete the satellite communication, resulting in a long process of starting the satellite communication. In order to further improve the starting efficiency of the satellite communication, as a further feasible implementation scheme of the present application, the processing assembly can also be connected in communication with a positioning system, a vehicle pose sensor and the like carried by the vehicle, and the target direction of the satellite relative to the vehicle is calculated in real time, so as to better recommend the connected antenna unit. Specifically, refer to FIG. 3, which is a step flowchart of another vehicle-mounted satellite communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application, specifically, including steps S310-S320:

[0077] S310, determining a second candidate antenna unit from the antenna units according to the direction information of the target satellite relative to the vehicle, the pose information of the vehicle, and the beam range of different antenna units.

[0078] In the embodiment of the present application, the direction information of the target satellite relative to the vehicle can be determined based on the real-time positioning information of the vehicle and the position information of the satellite. Specifically, the real-time positioning information of the vehicle can be determined by a vehicle positioning system, such as Beidou system or GPS (Global Positioning System), and the position information of the satellite can be obtained by calling a preset interface to read the ephemeris (a table describing the accurate position or trajectory of the satellite changing with time) of the satellite. After determining the real-time positioning information of the vehicle and the position information of the satellite, the direction information of the target satellite relative to the vehicle can be determined by transforming to the same spatial coordinate system. At this time, the second candidate antenna unit can be further determined from the antenna units according to the direction information, the real-time pose information of the vehicle determined by the vehicle attitude sensor, such as an accelerometer, and the beam range of different antenna units under the given real-time pose information, wherein the target satellite is in the beam range of the second candidate antenna unit. Since the beam ranges of different antenna units may overlap with each other, the second candidate antenna unit here may include multiple ones, but no matter how many the number of the second candidate antenna units is, it will not affect the implementation of the vehicle-mounted satellite communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application.

[0079] S320, in the case that the signal strength of the second candidate antenna unit is greater than the preset signal strength threshold, determining the second candidate antenna unit as the target antenna unit.

[0080] After the foregoing determination of the second candidate antenna unit in which the target satellite is within the range of the beam, the processing assembly can directly control the radio frequency switching switch through the high / low level signal issued by the GPIO interface to connect the radio frequency switching switch with the second candidate antenna unit, and further collect the signal strength received by the second candidate antenna unit. Specifically, in the case that the signal strength received by the second candidate antenna unit is greater than the preset signal strength threshold, it can be considered that the satellite communication has been well realized through the second candidate antenna unit, at this time the second candidate antenna unit can be determined as the target antenna unit, and the connection state of the radio frequency switching switch with the antenna unit is maintained to realize the subsequent satellite communication process.

[0081] Of course, when the second candidate antenna unit includes multiple, the processing assembly will also control the radio frequency switching switch to be connected with each second candidate antenna unit in turn, and collect the signal strength received by each second candidate antenna unit in turn, and in the case that the signal strength of a certain second candidate antenna unit is greater than the preset signal strength threshold, the second candidate antenna unit is determined as the target antenna unit, and the connection of the radio frequency switching switch with the antenna unit is maintained.

[0082] Further, in the case that the signal strength of the second candidate antenna unit is greater than the preset signal strength threshold, at this time, it is considered that the communication quality of the candidate antenna unit does not meet the requirements, then the radio frequency switching switch can be further controlled to be connected with other antenna units in the antenna group to collect the signal strength received by other antenna units to further identify the target antenna unit to complete the satellite communication.

[0083] S230, control the radio frequency switching switch to be connected with the target antenna unit to realize satellite communication.

[0084] After the foregoing determination of the target antenna unit with signal strength meeting the requirements from the antenna group through the start-up process, the processing assembly can control the radio frequency switching switch to be connected with the target antenna unit through the high / low level signal issued by the GPIO interface to realize the subsequent satellite communication process.

[0085] Further, while maintaining the communication process between the vehicle satellite communication system and the satellite, the processing component also collects the signal strength received by the target antenna unit in real time, and controls the RF switch to poll to connect other antenna units in the antenna group in certain situations to ensure that the required communication quality is met. Specifically, please refer to FIG. 4, which is a schematic diagram of the steps of a method for maintaining a vehicle satellite communication system according to an embodiment of the present application, which specifically includes steps S410-S430:

[0086] S410, obtaining the signal strength received by the target antenna unit.

[0087] In the embodiment of the present application, when the RF switch and the target antenna unit of the antenna group remain connected, at this time, the target antenna unit receives the downlink satellite pilot signal, which is processed through the RF chip and the baseband chip to obtain the signal strength, and is reported to the processing component at a certain frequency. Specifically, the frequency here can be set based on design requirements, for example, it can be reported once every 1 second, at this time, the processing component will select the signal strength uploaded by the baseband chip to compare with the preset signal strength threshold. Specifically, the signal strength threshold here can be the same as the signal strength threshold used to determine the target antenna unit in the foregoing process, which will not be described in detail in the embodiment of the present application.

[0088] S420, when the signal strength is less than the preset signal strength threshold, controlling the RF switch to poll to connect other antenna units in the antenna group.

[0089] In the embodiment of the present application, when the signal strength received by the target antenna unit is greater than the preset signal strength threshold, it can be considered that the current satellite communication quality is sufficient, at this time, the RF switch can continue to remain connected with the current target antenna unit unchanged, and when the signal strength is less than the preset signal strength threshold, it can be considered that the current satellite communication quality does not meet the requirements, at this time, the RF switch can be controlled to poll to connect other antenna units in the antenna group, and the signal strength received by the other antenna units can be continued to be confirmed to reselect the antenna unit. For example, if there is an antenna unit in the other antenna units that receives the maximum signal strength and is higher than the signal strength threshold, the antenna unit is selected as the new target antenna unit and remains connected. If not, the second and third polling will be continued in turn until there is an antenna unit in a polling that receives the maximum signal strength and is higher than the threshold.

[0090] S430, when the polling frequency of the RF switch reaches the preset frequency threshold, outputting a prompt information.

[0091] If the maximum value of the signal strength received by the antenna units in the antenna group is less than the signal strength threshold after a plurality of polling, that is, the polling frequency of the radio frequency switch reaches the preset frequency threshold, for example, after 3 polling, the polling is stopped, and prompt information such as "poor signal quality" is output, which is used to indicate that the satellite communication signal is poor, wherein the prompt mode includes but is not limited to: screen display, signal indicator light, etc.

[0092] In the foregoing embodiment, the antenna group, the radio frequency switch and the processing assembly are provided, the antenna group includes a plurality of antenna units, and the beam ranges of different antenna units are different, so that when the radio frequency switch is controlled to be connected with different antenna units in the antenna group respectively, the processing assembly determines the target antenna unit in the antenna group according to the collected signal strength received by different antenna units, and controls the radio frequency switch to be connected with the target antenna unit to realize satellite communication. The vehicle-mounted satellite communication system provided by the foregoing embodiment has simple structure and good satellite communication effect, and is suitable for being carried on a general passenger car.

[0093] On the basis of the foregoing embodiment, in order to further understand the vehicle-mounted satellite communication system provided by the embodiment of the present application, the specific hardware structure diagram of the vehicle-mounted satellite communication system will be provided in combination with specific contents. Specifically, please refer to FIG. 5a, which is a hardware schematic diagram of a vehicle-mounted satellite communication system provided by the embodiment of the present application, which realizes satellite communication by combining two antenna units with signal strength. Specifically, the details are as follows.

[0094] In the embodiment of the present application, the antenna is a dual antenna 501, which is connected to a duplexer 503 through an SPDT (Single Pole Double Throws) switch 502, and the rear of the duplexer 503 is connected to a PA (Power Amplification) 505 and an LNA (Low Noise Amplification) 504, and then connected to a SAW (Surface Acoustic Wave) filter 506. The rear of the filter 506 is connected to a radio frequency chip 507, which is mainly used for upconversion / downconversion, ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter) / DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter) and the like. The rear of the radio frequency chip is connected to a baseband chip 508, which is used for encoding and decoding data. The front end of the baseband chip is connected to a memory 509, a PMU (Power Management Unit) 510, a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card 511 and the like. And connected with an application processor 512, through UART, GPIO, PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) and the like. The application processor 512 is the core of the whole system, in addition to running the system, software and various algorithms, it is also connected with Bluetooth 513, sound box 515, microphone 514 and the like, to realize functions including voice input and output. In addition, the baseband chip and the radio frequency chip are integrated into the same chip, which can perform analog encoding and decoding, modulation and demodulation and the like. The front end of the chip is directly connected to the filter, power amplifier and low noise amplifier and the like.

[0095] At this time, in the operation process of the vehicle-mounted satellite communication system, the application processor controls the radio frequency switch to switch, compares and selects the antenna beam with relatively stronger signal by polling the signal strength of the two antenna units reported by the baseband chip. For example, by polling the signal strength RSRP A and the signal strength RSRP B received by the antenna unit B, and comparing with the preset signal strength threshold RSRP m , the following results may be generated at this time:

[0096] 1) If RSRP A > RSRP B , and RSRP A ≥ RSRP m , the radio frequency switch is controlled to switch to the antenna unit A;

[0097] 2) If RSRPA <RSRP B , and RSRP B ≥ RSRP m , then control the radio frequency switch to switch to the antenna unit B;

[0098] 3) If RSRP A = RSRP B , and RSRP A ≥ RSRP m , then control the radio frequency switch to remain unchanged;

[0099] 4) If Max(RSRP A , RSRP B ) < RSRP m , then re-detect the signal strength values received by the antenna unit A and the antenna unit B, and the polling times are not more than 3 times at most. If Max(RSRP A , RSRP B ) < RSRP m after 3 times, it is judged that the current "signal quality is poor", and a prompt is given through a screen display, a signal indicator light and the like.

[0100] Further, as shown in FIG. 5b, FIG. 5b is a hardware schematic diagram of a vehicle-mounted satellite communication system for realizing satellite communication by combining signal strengths of two antenna units according to an embodiment of the present application. Specifically, the details are as follows.

[0101] In the embodiment of the present application, the satellite communication antenna is a four-antenna unit 522, which is connected to a duplexer and a backend device through an SP4T switch 523. In this scheme, the process of pointing to a satellite in satellite communication is further determined in combination with a positioning module and a vehicle attitude sensor 221, and then the finally connected antenna unit is determined by using a switch. The positioning module includes a positioning antenna 216, a positioning LNA (low noise amplifier) 217, a positioning SAW (surface acoustic wave filter) 218, and a positioning radio frequency transceiver chip 219. The positioning radio frequency transceiver chip 219 is connected to the baseband chip 208 and connected to the application processor 212. In addition to connecting the microphone 214, the speaker 215 and the like, the application processor 212 is also connected to the vehicle attitude sensor 221 through the MCU (Micro Controller Unit, micro control unit) 220, and the parameters such as the body attitude, the vehicle positioning coordinates, the satellite coordinates, and the antenna gain distribution are integrated to preliminarily give the pointing antenna and the beam, and then whether to select the antenna unit is judged in combination with the received signal strength information corresponding to the antenna beam. In this system, two GPIO interfaces need to be led out from the application processor 212 and connected to the radio frequency switch for controlling the radio frequency switch to switch between the four antenna units.

[0102] Among them, the process of the pointing algorithm is as follows:

[0103] 1) Coarse alignment by positioning and body attitude data, the antenna unit selected initially is set as antenna A;

[0104] 2) Detect the signal strength RSRP received by antenna unit A A , and compare it with the preset signal strength threshold RSRP m , when RSRP A ≥ RSRP m , the antenna is selected, and the radio frequency switch is not actuated;

[0105] 3) If RSRP A < RSRP m , it means that the antenna unit A does not meet the communication condition, and the signal strength polling alignment process is started, that is, the signal strength RSRP A received by antenna unit A, the signal strength RSRP B received by antenna unit B, the signal strength RSRP C received by antenna unit C, and the signal strength RSRP D received by antenna unit D are sequentially obtained;

[0106] 4) After polling, if RSRP A = MAX(RSRP A , RSRP B , RSRP C , RSRP D ), it is judged that the current "signal quality is poor", and a prompt is given through screen display, signal indicator light, etc.; if RSRP B = MAX(RSRP A , RSRP B , RSRP C , RSRP D ), and RSRP B ≥ RSRPm, the radio frequency switch is switched to antenna unit B; if RSRP B = MAX(RSRP A , RSRP B , RSRP C , RSRP D ), and RSRP B < RSRP m , the four antennas are re-polling, and the signal strengths received by the four antenna units are recorded again, and the polling times are not more than 3 times. If the antenna unit with signal strength higher than the signal strength threshold RSRP m still cannot be searched, it is judged that the current "signal quality is poor", and a prompt is given through screen display, signal indicator light, etc.

[0107] In the above process, through the algorithm combining positioning, vehicle body posture and signal strength, the first time of star can be shortened, the success probability of the first time of star can be increased, and the overall time of star can be shortened.

[0108] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an electronic device 600 according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the electronic device 600 can include a processor 601, a memory 602. The electronic device 600 can also include one or more of a multimedia component 603, an input / output (I / O) component 604, and a communication component 605. In the present embodiment, the electronic device 600 can be an integrated device interacting with the aforementioned vehicle satellite communication system to implement the vehicle satellite communication method provided by the present embodiment. It should be understood that the electronic device 600 can also include part of the devices in the aforementioned vehicle satellite communication system. For example, the antenna group, the radio frequency switching switch, etc. in the vehicle satellite communication system can be partially integrated into the electronic device 600 or fully integrated into the electronic device 600.

[0109] The processor 601 is configured to control overall operations of the electronic device 600 to complete all or part of the steps of the above-described vehicle-mounted satellite communication method. The memory 602 is configured to store various types of data to support operations of the electronic device 600, which can include, for example, instructions for operating any application or method on the electronic device 600, and application-related data, such as contact data, transmitted and received messages, pictures, audio, video, and the like. The memory 602 can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof, such as a static random access memory (SRAM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), a read-only memory (ROM), a magnetic storage, a flash memory, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk. The multimedia component 603 can include a screen and an audio component. The screen can be, for example, a touch screen, and the audio component is configured to output and / or input audio signals. For example, the audio component can include a microphone configured to receive external audio signals. The received audio signals can be further stored in the memory 602 or transmitted through the communication component 605. The audio component further includes at least one speaker configured to output audio signals. The I / O component 604 provides an interface between the processor 601 and other interface modules, which can be a keyboard, a mouse, a button, and the like. The buttons can be virtual buttons or physical buttons. The communication component 605 is configured to perform wired or wireless communication between the electronic device 600 and other devices. The wireless communication, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, near field communication (NFC), 2G, 3G, 4G, NB-IOT, eMTC, or other 5G, and the like, or a combination of one or more of them, is not limited herein. Therefore, the communication component 605 can include, for example, a Wi-Fi module, a Bluetooth module, an NFC module, and the like.

[0110] In an exemplary embodiment, the electronic device 600 can be implemented by one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Digital Signal Processor (DSP), Digital Signal Processing Device (DSPD), Programmable Logic Device (PLD), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), controller, microcontroller, microprocessor or other electronic elements for performing the vehicle satellite communication method described above.

[0111] In another exemplary embodiment, a computer readable storage medium including program instructions is also provided, which when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the vehicle satellite communication method described above. For example, the computer readable storage medium can be the memory 602 described above including program instructions, which can be executed by the processor 601 of the electronic device 600 to complete the following steps:

[0112] acquiring signal strengths received by different antenna units in the antenna group when the radio frequency switching switch is controlled to be connected with different antenna units in the antenna group respectively;

[0113] determining a target antenna unit in the antenna group according to the signal strengths;

[0114] controlling the radio frequency switching switch to be connected with the target antenna unit to implement satellite communication.

[0115] The present application also provides a computer program product, which stores instructions, which when executed by a computer, cause execution to complete the following steps:

[0116] acquiring signal strengths received by different antenna units in the antenna group when the radio frequency switching switch is controlled to be connected with different antenna units in the antenna group respectively;

[0117] determining a target antenna unit in the antenna group according to the signal strengths;

[0118] controlling the radio frequency switching switch to be connected with the target antenna unit to implement satellite communication.

[0119] The present application also provides a vehicle, which is provided with the vehicle satellite communication system provided by any of the above embodiments, which is used to perform the vehicle satellite communication method provided by any of the above embodiments.

[0120] In one embodiment, the vehicle can be configured in a fully or partially autonomous driving mode. For example, the vehicle can control itself while in the autonomous driving mode and can determine a current state of the vehicle and its surrounding environment, determine a likely behavior of at least one other vehicle in the surrounding environment, and determine a confidence level corresponding to a likelihood that the other vehicle will perform the likely behavior based on the determined information, control the vehicle based on the determined information. While the vehicle is in the autonomous driving mode, the vehicle can be placed to operate without human interaction.

[0121] The vehicle can also include various subsystems, such as a propulsion system, a sensor system control system, one or more peripheral devices, and a power source, a computer system, and a user interface. Alternatively, the vehicle can include more or fewer subsystems, and each subsystem can include multiple elements, such as multiple ECUs (electronic control units).

[0122] Additionally, each subsystem and element of the vehicle can be interconnected by wire or wirelessly.

[0123] The propulsion system can include components that provide powered movement for the vehicle. In one embodiment, the propulsion system can include an engine, an energy source, a drivetrain, and wheels / tires. The engine can be a combustion engine, an electric motor, an air compression engine, or other types of engine combinations, such as a hybrid engine composed of a gasoline engine and an electric motor, a hybrid engine composed of a combustion engine and an air compression engine. The engine converts energy into mechanical energy.

[0124] Examples of energy sources include gasoline, diesel, other petroleum-based fuels, propane, other compressed gas-based fuels, ethanol, solar panels, batteries, and other sources of electrical power. The energy source can also provide energy for other systems of the vehicle.

[0125] The drivetrain can transmit mechanical power from the engine to the wheels. The drivetrain can include a transmission, a differential, and a drive axle. In one embodiment, the drivetrain can also include other devices, such as a clutch. The drive axle can include one or more axles that can be coupled to one or more wheels.

[0126] The sensor system can include several sensors that sense information about the environment surrounding the vehicle. For example, the sensor system can include a positioning system (which can be a GPS system, a Beidou system, or other positioning system), an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a radar, a laser rangefinder, and a camera. The sensor system can also include sensors that monitor internal systems of the vehicle (e.g., an in-vehicle air quality monitor, a fuel gauge, an oil temperature gauge, etc.). Sensor data from one or more of these sensors can be used to detect objects and their respective characteristics (location, shape, direction, speed, etc.). Such detection and identification are key functions for the safe operation of an autonomous vehicle.

[0127] The positioning system can be used to estimate the geographic location of the vehicle. The IMU is used to sense changes in the position and orientation of the vehicle based on inertial acceleration. In one embodiment, the IMU can be a combination of an accelerometer and a gyroscope.

[0128] The radar can utilize radio signals to sense objects within the vehicle’s surrounding environment. In some embodiments, in addition to sensing objects, the radar can also be used to sense the speed and / or direction of travel of the objects.

[0129] The laser rangefinder can utilize laser light to sense objects in the environment in which the vehicle is located. In some embodiments, the laser rangefinder can include one or more laser sources, a laser scanner, and one or more processing components, among other system components.

[0130] The camera can be used to capture multiple images of the vehicle’s surrounding environment. The camera can be a still camera or a video camera.

[0131] The control system is used to control the operation of the vehicle and its components. The control system can include various elements, including a steering system, a throttle, a braking unit, a computer vision system, a route control system, and an obstacle avoidance system.

[0132] The steering system is operable to adjust the direction of travel of the vehicle. In one embodiment, for example, the steering system can be a steering wheel system.

[0133] The throttle is used to control the operational speed of the engine and, in turn, the speed of the vehicle.

[0134] The braking unit is used to control the deceleration of the vehicle. The braking unit can use friction to slow the wheels.

[0135] In other embodiments, the braking unit can convert the kinetic energy of the wheels into an electric current. The braking unit can also take other forms to slow the rotational speed of the wheels and, in turn, control the speed of the vehicle.

[0136] A computer vision system can operate to process and analyze images captured by a camera in order to identify objects and / or features in the vehicle's surroundings. The objects and / or features can include traffic signals, road boundaries, and obstacles. The computer vision system can use object recognition algorithms, Structure from Motion (SFM) algorithms, video tracking, and other computer vision techniques. In some embodiments, the computer vision system can be used to map an environment, track objects, estimate the speed of objects, and the like.

[0137] A route control system is used to determine a travel route for a vehicle. In some embodiments, the route control system can combine data from a GPS and one or more predetermined maps to determine a travel route for a vehicle.

[0138] An obstacle avoidance system is used to identify, evaluate, and avoid or otherwise navigate around potential obstacles in the vehicle's environment.

[0139] In the description of the present application, the terms "first", "second", etc. are used only to describe the purpose of distinguishing between different features, and are not used to indicate or imply relative importance or a number of the features. Thus, the features with "first", "second", etc. can include one or more features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0140] In the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment is focused on a certain aspect, and the parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment can be referred to the relevant description of other embodiments.

[0141] The embodiments, implementation manners and related technical features of the present application can be combined or replaced with each other without conflict.

[0142] The above is only the preferred embodiments of the present application, and does not limit the present application in any form. Although the description of each embodiment in the embodiments of the present application is focused on a certain aspect, and the parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment can be referred to the relevant description of other embodiments, any simple modification, equivalent change and modification made according to the technical essence of the present application to the above embodiments, as long as it does not deviate from the technical solution content of the present application, still belongs to the scope of the technical solution of the present application.

Claims

1. A vehicle-mounted satellite communication system, wherein, The method comprises the following steps: An antenna group (100), a radio frequency switching switch (110), and a processing component (120); The antenna group (100) comprises a plurality of antenna units, and the beam ranges of different antenna units are different; The radio frequency switching switch (110) is connected with the antenna group (100) and controls the radio frequency connection state of different antenna units in the antenna group (100); The processing component (120) is used for collecting signal strengths received by different antenna units, determining a target antenna unit in the antenna group according to the signal strengths, and controlling the radio frequency switching switch to be connected with the target antenna unit to realize satellite communication.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein, The processing component (120) determines the target antenna unit in the antenna group (100) according to the signal strengths, and specifically comprises the following steps: The processing component (120) is used for comparing the signal strengths received by different antenna units and determining a first candidate antenna unit with the highest signal strength; and When the signal strength of the first candidate antenna unit is greater than a preset signal strength threshold, the first candidate antenna unit is determined as the target antenna unit.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein, The processing component (120) is further used for acquiring the signal strength received by the target antenna unit, and when the signal strength is less than the preset signal strength threshold, the radio frequency switching switch (110) is controlled to poll other antenna units in the antenna group.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein, When the polling frequency of the radio frequency switching switch (110) reaches a preset frequency threshold, the processing component (120) outputs prompt information, and the prompt information is used for indicating that the satellite communication signal is poor.

5. The system of any one of claims 1-4, wherein, The processing component (120) is further used for determining a second candidate antenna unit from the antenna units according to the position information of a target satellite relative to a vehicle, the pose information of the vehicle, and the beam ranges of different antenna units; and the target satellite is in the beam range of the second candidate antenna unit. When the signal strength of the second candidate antenna unit is greater than the preset signal strength threshold, the second candidate antenna unit is determined as the target antenna unit. When the signal strength of the second candidate antenna unit is less than the preset signal strength threshold, the processing component (120) controls the radio frequency switching switch to poll other antenna units in the antenna group and executes the step of collecting the signal strengths received by different antenna units.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein, The beam ranges of all antenna units in the antenna group (100) at least cover a 30°-150° elevation angle range of the vehicle after superposition.

7. The system of any one of claims 1-6, wherein, The antenna group (100) is composed of a plurality of low-profile patch antenna unit arrays, and the beam ranges of adjacent antenna units at least have an overlap of-5db.

8. The system of any one of claims 1-7, wherein, The method is applied to a vehicle-mounted satellite communication system, and the system comprises an antenna group (100), a radio frequency switching switch (110), and a processing component (120); the antenna group (100) comprises a plurality of antenna units, and the beam ranges of different antenna units are different; 9. A vehicle-mounted satellite communication method, wherein, The method comprises: ​ In response to the radio frequency switch (110) being controlled to be connected with different antenna units in the antenna group (100) respectively, signal strengths received by the different antenna units are collected; A target antenna unit in the antenna group (100) is determined according to the signal strengths; The radio frequency switch (110) is controlled to be connected with the target antenna unit to implement satellite communication.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The method further comprises: The signal strength received by the target antenna unit is acquired; In response to the signal strength being less than a preset signal strength threshold, the radio frequency switch (110) is controlled to be polled to connect other antenna units in the antenna group (100).

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The method further comprises: In response to a polling frequency of the radio frequency switch (110) reaching a preset frequency threshold, prompt information is output, and the prompt information is used to indicate that a satellite communication signal is poor. The method further comprises:

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, A second candidate antenna unit is determined from the antenna units according to position information of a target satellite relative to the vehicle, pose information of the vehicle, and beam ranges of the different antenna units, and the target satellite is in the beam range of the second candidate antenna unit; In response to the signal strength of the second candidate antenna unit being greater than a preset signal strength threshold, the second candidate antenna unit is determined as the target antenna unit.

13. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein, The method further comprises: In response to the signal strength of the second candidate antenna unit being less than a preset signal strength threshold, the radio frequency switch (110) is controlled to be polled to connect other antenna units in the antenna group (100), and the step of collecting signal strengths received by the different antenna units is performed.

15. An electronic device (600) comprising a memory (602) and a processor (601); the memory (602) stores instructions, and the processor (601) is configured to execute the instructions, and when the instructions are executed, the device performs the method of any one of claims 9 to 14.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The computer storage medium stores instructions, and the instructions cause the computer to implement the method of any one of claims 9 to 14 when executed by the computer. The computer program product stores instructions, and the instructions cause the computer to implement the method of any one of claims 9 to 14 when executed by the computer. The vehicle is provided with the vehicle-mounted satellite communication system of any one of claims 1 to 8, and the vehicle-mounted satellite communication system is used to perform the method of any one of claims 9 to 14.

16. A computer storage medium, wherein, ​ 17. A computer program product, wherein, ​ 18. A vehicle, wherein, ​

Images