Signal transmission method, communication apparatus, storage medium and program product

Abstract

Provided are a signal transmission method, a communication apparatus, a storage medium and a program product. The method comprises: determining array elements in a coprime array, wherein the array elements in the coprime array are some array elements in an antenna array of a first communication apparatus; and on the basis of hybrid beamforming, transmitting a first signal by means of the coprime array. The coprime array can achieve a larger virtual aperture by means of fewer physical array elements, or in other words, the number of equivalent virtual array elements is usually greater than the number of physical array elements. In this way, a transmitter of the first signal can use fewer array elements to implement beamforming of more signals; and a receiver of the first signal can use fewer array elements to implement DOA estimation of more signals, thereby improving the degrees of freedom of DOA estimation.

Description

Signal transmission methods, communication devices, storage media and software products

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411571517.6, filed on November 5, 2024, entitled “Signal Transmission Method, Communication Apparatus, Storage Medium and Program Product”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to signal transmission methods, communication devices, storage media, and program products. Background Technology

[0003] In multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems, beamforming technology adjusts the phase and amplitude of the signal on each antenna element in an antenna array to form one or more beams in space, pointing in a specific direction or to a user. Depending on the location where beamforming occurs, beamforming technology is divided into analog beamforming (ABF) and digital beamforming (DBF). Digital beamforming can generate precise beams, but each antenna maps to a separate RF link, making hardware implementation relatively difficult and costly. Analog beamforming uses lower-cost analog phase shifters, resulting in a simpler hardware structure and lower implementation cost, but it can only adjust the phase and not the amplitude, potentially leading to inaccurate beams. Hybrid beamforming (HBF) technology combines the advantages of both methods, aiming to achieve the effect of fully digital beamforming.

[0004] Direction of arrival (DOA) estimation refers to obtaining the direction of arrival of a signal by processing the received signal using the structure of an antenna array.

[0005] In HBF systems, how to increase the degrees of freedom for DOA estimation without increasing the system's complexity is a problem that urgently needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a signal transmission method, communication device, storage medium, and program product, with the aim of increasing the degree of freedom of DOA estimation in HBF systems without increasing system complexity.

[0007] In a first aspect, this application provides a signal transmission method that can be executed by a first communication device. The method includes: determining array elements in a coprime array, wherein the array elements in the coprime array are some array elements in the antenna array of the first communication device; and transmitting a first signal through the coprime array based on hybrid beamforming.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the first communication device may be a terminal device, a component (such as a circuit, chip, chip system, etc.) configured in the terminal device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. This application does not limit this.

[0009] In another possible implementation, the first communication device may be a network device, a component configured in the network device (such as a circuit, chip, chip system, etc.), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device. This application does not limit this.

[0010] In the aforementioned signal transmission method, when using hybrid beamforming technology to transmit the first signal, the first communication device can determine a coprime array from the antenna array and transmit the first signal through this coprime array. The coprime array can achieve a larger virtual aperture with fewer physical array elements; in other words, the number of equivalent virtual array elements is usually greater than the number of physical array elements. This benefits the transmitter of the first signal by enabling beamforming of more signals with fewer array elements. For the receiver of the first signal, it helps to estimate the DOA of more signals with fewer array elements, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in DOA estimation. Furthermore, when the first communication device transmits the first signal, using only a portion of the array elements in the antenna array further reduces the use of radio frequency circuitry, thus lowering the system complexity.

[0011] Secondly, this application provides a signal transmission method performed by a second communication device, the method comprising: receiving a first signal transmitted through a coprime array based on hybrid beamforming, wherein the array elements in the coprime array are some array elements in the antenna array of the first communication device; and performing DOA estimation on the first signal based on the coprime array.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the second communication device may be a terminal device, a component (such as a circuit, chip, chip system, etc.) configured in the terminal device, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. This application does not limit this.

[0013] In another possible implementation, the second communication device may be a network device, a component configured in the network device (such as a circuit, chip, chip system, etc.), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device. This application does not limit this.

[0014] In the aforementioned signal transmission method, when using hybrid beamforming technology to transmit the first signal, the first signal is transmitted through a coprime array in the antenna array. This coprime array can achieve a larger virtual aperture with fewer physical array elements; in other words, the number of equivalent virtual array elements is usually greater than the number of physical array elements. This benefits the transmitter of the first signal by enabling beamforming of more signals with fewer array elements. For the receiver of the first signal, it helps to estimate the DOA of more signals with fewer array elements, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in DOA estimation. Furthermore, the array elements in the coprime array are only a portion of the array elements in the antenna array. This means that using only a portion of the array elements to transmit the first signal further reduces the use of radio frequency circuitry, thus lowering the system complexity.

[0015] In combination with the first and second aspects, in some possible implementations, the coprime array includes a first subarray and a second subarray, wherein the element spacing in the first subarray and the element spacing in the second subarray are coprime, and the elements in the coprime array are related to one or more of the following: the number of elements in the first subarray, the number of elements in the second subarray, or the number of first power amplifiers (PAs) corresponding to multiple analog RF links.

[0016] Combining the first and second aspects, in some possible implementations, the position L of the array elements in the aforementioned coprime array s Satisfy: L s ={((0,m1d1)+nd n )|m1=0,1,2,…,M1-1; n=0,1,2…,N-1}∪{((0,m2d2)+nd n )|m2=0,1,2,…,M2-1; n=0,1,2…,N-1},

[0017] Where M1 represents the number of array elements in the first subarray, M2 represents the number of array elements in the second subarray, M1, M2 ≥ 2, and M1 < M2, d1 = M2λ / 2, d2 = M1λ / 2, d n = [(M2-1)*M1+1]*λ / 2, where N represents the number of the first PA, N≥2, and λ represents the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave emitted by the array elements in the coprime array.

[0018] The positions of the array elements in the coprime array can be understood as their positions in physical space, but this should not be construed as limiting this application. For example, the positions can also be represented by the index or number of the array elements, and this application does not limit this.

[0019] The positions of the array elements in the coprime array can be determined using the above formula. In this way, the sender of the first signal does not need to transmit a lot of parameters to indicate the positions of the array elements, making parameter transmission more convenient and helping to save signaling overhead.

[0020] In combination with the first and second aspects, in some possible implementations, the number of the first PA is related to a first correspondence, which is used to indicate the correspondence between multiple values ​​of the number of array elements in the first subarray, multiple values ​​of the number of array elements in the second subarray, and multiple values ​​of the number of the first PA.

[0021] In conjunction with the first and second aspects, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: a first communication device transmitting first information indicating one or more of the following: the number of array elements in a first subarray, the number of array elements in a second subarray, or the number of first PAs. Accordingly, a second communication device receives the aforementioned first information.

[0022] The first communication device, by instructing one or more of the above, facilitates the second communication device in determining the coprime array and thus determining the array element that receives the first signal, thereby improving the receiving efficiency.

[0023] In combination with the first and second aspects, in some possible implementations, the coprime arrays mentioned above include linear coprime arrays, L-shaped coprime arrays, T-shaped coprime arrays, or coprime area arrays.

[0024] Linear coprime arrays have a relatively simple structure, are easy to design, and are easier to implement. L-shaped coprime arrays can achieve two-dimensional angle estimation and are suitable for scenarios requiring coverage of a larger spatial area. T-shaped coprime arrays combine the advantages of linear and L-shaped coprime arrays, which is beneficial for improving spatial coverage. Coprime area arrays are suitable for scenarios requiring three-dimensional spatial coverage and are beneficial for handling more complex signal environments. In this way, different coprime array structures provide flexibility for optimizing performance in specific application scenarios.

[0025] Thirdly, this application provides a communication device for executing the method in any possible implementation of the first or second aspect described above. Specifically, the communication device includes a module for executing the method in any possible implementation of the first or second aspect described above.

[0026] Fourthly, this application provides another communication device, including a processor coupled to a memory, which can be used to execute instructions in the memory to implement the method in any of the possible implementations of the first or second aspect described above. Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory. Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface, to which the processor is coupled.

[0027] In one implementation, the communication device is a terminal device or a network device. When the communication device is a terminal device or a network device, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0028] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip applicable to terminal devices or network devices. When the communication device is a chip applicable to terminal devices or network devices, the aforementioned communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0029] Fifthly, this application provides a processor, including: an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive signals through the input circuit and transmit signals through the output circuit, causing the processor to execute the method in any possible implementation of the first or second aspect described above.

[0030] In the specific implementation process, the processor can be a chip, the input circuit can be an input pin, the output circuit can be an output pin, and the processing circuit can be a transistor, gate circuit, flip-flop, and various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit can be received and input by, for example, but not limited to, a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit can be output to, for example, but not limited to, a transmitter and transmitted by the transmitter. Furthermore, the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, which is used as the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0031] Sixthly, this application provides a communication device including a processor and a memory. The processor is used to read instructions stored in the memory, receive signals via a receiver, and transmit signals via a transmitter to execute the method in any of the possible implementations of the first or second aspect described above.

[0032] Optionally, the processor may be one or more, and the memory may be one or more.

[0033] Optionally, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be separated from the processor.

[0034] In the specific implementation process, the memory can be a non-transitory memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), which can be integrated with the processor on the same chip or set on different chips. This application does not limit the type of memory or the way the memory and processor are set.

[0035] The communication device in the sixth aspect above can be a chip. The processor can be implemented in hardware or software. When implemented in hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, integrated circuit, etc. When implemented in software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor that reads software code stored in memory. The memory can be integrated into the processor or located outside the processor and exist independently.

[0036] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a computer program product comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when executed, causes a computer to perform the method in any possible implementation of the first or second aspect described above.

[0037] Eighthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method in any of the possible implementations of the first or second aspect described above.

[0038] It should be understood that the third to eighth aspects of this application correspond to the technical solutions of the first and second aspects of this application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation are similar, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0039] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the antenna array provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0040] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an existing coprime array;

[0041] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the DBF system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0042] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the HBF system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the equivalent virtual array elements of the coprime array provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0044] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to the method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0045] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating the signal transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the HBF coprime matrix provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the number of array elements in the HBF coprime array and the number of the first PA provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0048] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the number of array elements in the HBF coprime array and the number of array elements in the first and second subarrays provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0049] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the HBF coprime array provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 12 is another structural schematic diagram of the HBF coprime matrix provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0051] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the coprime array provided in the embodiment of this application applied to the HBF system;

[0052] Figure 14 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 15 is a schematic block diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0054] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0055] Before describing the technical solutions in this application, the following points should be noted.

[0056] First, in this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used to distinguish identical or similar items with essentially the same function and purpose. For example, "first subarray" and "second subarray" are used only to distinguish different subarrays and do not limit their order. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and that the terms "first" and "second" do not necessarily imply that they are different.

[0057] Second, in this application, the words "exemplarily" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is being described as an example, illustration, or illustration. Any embodiment or design that is described as "exemplarily" or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design. Specifically, the use of the words "exemplarily" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0058] Third, in this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following," "one or more of the following," or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of singular or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0059] Fourth, the predefined in this application can be understood as definition, pre-defined, preset, stored, pre-stored, pre-negotiated, or pre-configured, etc.

[0060] Fifth, in this application, "instruction" can include direct and indirect instructions, as well as explicit and implicit instructions. The information indicated by a certain instruction is called the information to be instructed. In specific implementation, there are many ways to indicate the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also indirectly indicate the information to be instructed by indicating other information, where there is a relationship between the other information and the information to be instructed; or it can indicate only a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction can be implemented by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol predefined) arrangement of various information, thereby reducing the instruction overhead to some extent. This application does not limit the specific method of instruction. It is understood that for the sender of the instruction, the instruction can be used to indicate the information to be instructed, and for the receiver of the instruction, the instruction can be used to determine the information to be instructed.

[0061] Sixth, the technical solutions of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, 5G (5G) systems, etc. th This application does not limit itself to any particular generation (5G) system, new radio (NR), or future communication system.

[0062] To facilitate understanding of the methods provided in this application, the technical terms involved in this application will be explained in detail below.

[0063] 1. Antenna Array: An antenna array is a system composed of multiple antenna elements (or antenna array components, or simply array components) arranged in a certain geometric layout. The geometric layout includes, but is not limited to, linear, planar, or three-dimensional arrangements; this application does not limit this. Antenna arrays can be divided into uniform antenna arrays and non-uniform antenna arrays based on the spacing between array components. In a uniform antenna array, the spacing between array components is the same, while in a non-uniform antenna array, the spacing between array components can vary.

[0064] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an antenna array provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 1a) shows an example of a uniform antenna array, and Figure 1b) shows an example of a non-uniform antenna array.

[0065] As shown in Figure 1a), this antenna array is a uniform linear antenna array, and the spacing between each element in the array (denoted by d in the figure) is the same. The excitation and phase of each element are also the same.

[0066] As shown in Figure 1b), this antenna array is a non-uniform linear antenna array, and the spacing between the elements in the antenna array can vary. For example, the spacing d1 between element 1 and element 2, the spacing d2 between element 2 and element 3, and the spacing d3 between element 3 and element 4 are not equal.

[0067] In Figure 1, the antenna array is arranged in a linear pattern as an example, but this should not be construed as limiting this application. Other types of antenna structures can also be used, such as circular arrays, rectangular arrays, three-dimensional arrays, etc., which will not be listed here.

[0068] 2. Sparse Array: A sparse array is an antenna array that achieves specific performance goals by reducing the number of antenna elements or optimizing their layout. The two main applications of sparse arrays are: First, as a dynamic array, minimizing the number of active antennas and optimizing antenna positions / weights while maintaining system performance. For example, intelligent algorithms can dynamically select and activate a subset of antenna elements in the array to achieve the desired beamforming and directivity. Second, as a pre-designed antenna layout, strategically designing the antenna layout to achieve specific goals, such as maximizing degrees of freedom (DoF) or minimizing redundancy.

[0069] 3. Coprime array: This is a special sparse array structure. A coprime array consists of two or more subarrays (which can be simply called subarrays) whose element spacing is coprime (that is, their greatest common divisor is 1).

[0070] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an existing coprime array.

[0071] As shown in Figure 2, this coprime array comprises two subarrays, such as subarray 1 and subarray 2. For ease of understanding, subarray 1 and subarray 2 are shown in two rows. Subarray 1 and subarray 2 are linear uniform arrays. The element spacing of subarray 1 is M2λ / 2, and the number of elements in subarray 1 is M1. The element spacing of subarray 2 is M1λ / 2, and the number of elements in subarray 2 is M2. M1 and M2 are coprime. Subarray 1 and subarray 2 can form a linear coprime array, meaning that the origins of subarray 1 and subarray 2 are the same, and the elements in subarray 1 and subarray 2 are arranged linearly according to their distance from the origin. The spacing between the elements in this coprime array varies (as shown in Figure 2), meaning that this coprime array is a non-uniform linear coprime array. Compared to a uniform linear array, this coprime array can achieve a larger virtual aperture using fewer elements, thereby increasing the degrees of freedom in spatial spectrum estimation. In addition, coprime arrays typically require less array data to be processed, which also helps to reduce computational complexity.

[0072] 4. DBF: is a technology that uses digital signal processing to control and adjust the signals of each antenna element in an antenna array to form a beam.

[0073] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the DBF system provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0074] As shown in Figure 3, the DBF system includes a DBF module, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), a radio frequency (RF) module, and an antenna array, etc. The DBF module implements the beamforming algorithm and operates during the baseband processing stage. The DBF module uses digital signal processing technology to adjust the amplitude and phase of the signal to obtain signal 1. The DBF module connects to the intermediate frequency (IF) module, which processes signal 1 to obtain the IF signal. The IF module connects to the DAC, which converts the IF signal from a digital signal to an analog signal. The DAC connects to a mixer, which performs up-conversion to obtain the RF signal. The RF module includes a mixer, a power amplifier (PA), etc. The mixer can perform up-conversion, that is, converting the IF signal to an RF signal. DBF can generate relatively accurate beams, but when there are a large number of antennas, the hardware implementation of the entire structure is very complex and costly because each antenna maps to a radio frequency link. Therefore, this technology is suitable for systems with a small number of antennas.

[0075] It should be understood that Figure 3 illustrates a scenario where a DBF system is used to control the transmission of signals by an antenna array, but this should not be construed as limiting the scope of this application. The DBF can also be applied to receiving signals.

[0076] 5. ABF: This is a technique for controlling and forming beams by adjusting the signal phase (and amplitude) of each antenna element in an antenna array. Unlike DBF, ABF processes signals in the radio frequency or analog signal domain, typically before the signal is down-converted to baseband.

[0077] 6. HBF: This method combines DBF and ABF to effectively divide beamforming tasks between the digital and radio frequency domains, achieving higher energy efficiency and flexibility. In an HBF system, the beamforming process is divided into two parts: DBF and ABF. DBF is performed during the baseband processing stage, using digital signal processing techniques to adjust the signal amplitude and phase. ABF is performed during the radio frequency stage, using analog phased array technology to further adjust the signal phase. For example, this can be achieved using adjustable phase shifters.

[0078] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the HBF system provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0079] As shown in Figure 4, in the HBF system, DBF (Digital Signal Processing) is performed during the baseband processing stage. The DBF module uses digital signal processing technology to adjust the amplitude and phase of the signal to obtain signal 1. The DBF module connects to the intermediate frequency (IF) module, which processes signal 1 to obtain the IF signal. The IF module connects to the DAC (Digital Converter), which converts the IF signal from a digital signal to an analog signal. The DAC connects to the mixer, which performs up-conversion to obtain the radio frequency (RF) signal. The mixer connects to a high-power power amplifier (PA), which amplifies the signal power. Each high-power PA corresponds to multiple analog RF links (hereinafter referred to as RF links). The high-power PA connects to the analog-to-digital (ABF) module, which further adjusts the phase of the signal. The ABF module connects to low-power power amplifiers (PAs), which control the output power of the signal to be lower. Each low-power PA can connect to one antenna element.

[0080] It should be understood that the terms "high-power PA" and "low-power PA" are used only to distinguish the range of output power, but this should not constitute any limitation on this application. In practical applications, the aforementioned high-power PA and low-power PA can both be called PA, or other names can be used, as long as the corresponding functions can be achieved. This application does not limit the names used.

[0081] It should also be understood that Figure 4 illustrates a scenario where the HBF system is used to control the antenna array to transmit signals, but this should not be construed as limiting the scope of this application. The HBF can also be applied to receive signals.

[0082] 7. DOA estimation of a signal: This refers to obtaining the direction of arrival of a signal by processing the received signal using the structure of an antenna array.

[0083] When transmitting signals based on HBF technology, how to increase the degree of freedom of DOA estimation without increasing the complexity of the system is an urgent problem to be solved.

[0084] To this end, this application provides a signal transmission method. When transmitting a first signal using HBF technology, a first communication device can determine a coprime array from the antenna array and transmit the first signal through the coprime array. Correspondingly, a second communication device receives the first signal transmitted through the coprime array and then performs DOA estimation based on the coprime array. The coprime array can achieve a larger virtual aperture with fewer physical array elements, or in other words, the number of equivalent virtual array elements is usually greater than the number of physical array elements. This benefits the transmitter of the first signal by enabling beamforming of more signals with fewer array elements; and the receiver of the first signal by enabling DOA estimation of more signals with fewer array elements, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in DOA estimation. Furthermore, when the first communication device transmits the first signal, it uses only a portion of the array elements in the antenna array, which helps to further reduce the use of radio frequency circuitry and thus reduce system complexity.

[0085] The beneficial effects of the above signal transmission method will be described in detail below with reference to Figure 5.

[0086] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the equivalent virtual array elements of the coprime array provided in the embodiments of this application. In Figure 5, white circles represent unoccupied array elements in the antenna array, and black circles represent occupied array elements in the antenna array. That is, the communication device can transmit signals through the antenna corresponding to the antenna element.

[0087] As shown in Figure 5, in the HBF system, a coprime array (referred to as the HBF coprime array in the figure) is used to transmit signals. This coprime array consists of subarray 1 and subarray 2. The element numbers of subarray 1 are 0, 3, 6, and 9, and the element numbers of subarray 2 are 0, 4, and 8. The number of physical elements in this coprime array is 4 + 3 - 1 = 6. The equivalent virtual element numbers of the above coprime array are 0, ±1, ±2, ±3, ±4, ±5, and ±6, and the equivalent number of virtual elements is 13. It can be seen that the number of equivalent virtual elements is more than the number of physical elements, that is, the equivalent virtual aperture is larger. Thus, the first communication device can use fewer physical elements when transmitting signals, but the number of equivalent virtual elements is not small, and can even be more than the number of physical elements. In this way, beamforming of signals on more virtual elements can be achieved based on fewer physical elements. For the signal receiver, DOA estimation of signals on more virtual elements can be achieved based on fewer physical elements, resulting in a higher degree of freedom. Furthermore, the aforementioned signal transmission method occupies some array elements in the antenna array, which also helps to reduce resource consumption, reduce the use of radio frequency links, and reduce system complexity.

[0088] It should be understood that the coprime array shown in Figure 5 is merely an example and should not be construed as limiting this application. In practical applications, the coprime array may include more subarrays, and the number of array elements in each subarray may be more or less; this application does not impose any limitations on this.

[0089] Before describing the above method in detail, the communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to FIG6.

[0090] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to the method provided in the embodiments of this application. The application scenarios applicable to this application are illustrated using the communication system architecture shown in Figure 6 as an example. Figure 6 shows a possible, non-limiting system schematic diagram. As shown in Figure 6, the communication system 1000 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. RAN 100 includes at least one access network device (110a and 110b in Figure 6, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 6, collectively referred to as 120). RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 5). Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to access network device 110. Access network device 110 is wirelessly or wiredly connected to core network 200. The core network equipment in the core network 200 and the access network equipment 110 in the RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device that integrates core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0091] RAN 100 can be used for the third-generation partner program (3 rd Cellular systems related to the Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as fourth-generation (4G) cellular systems. th RAN 100 can be a generation (4G), 5G mobile communication system, or a future communication system. It can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), etc. Furthermore, RAN 100 can be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0092] Optionally, the communication system 1000 also includes the Internet 300.

[0093] Figure 6 shows only one possible communication system architecture that can be applied to the embodiments of this application. In other possible scenarios, the communication system architecture may also include other devices.

[0094] Access network device 110 is used to help terminals achieve wireless access. Multiple access network devices 110 in communication system 1000 can be nodes of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of access network device 110 and terminal 120 are relative. For example, network element 120i in Figure 6 can be a helicopter or drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j accessing RAN 100 through network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; but for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal. Access network device 110 and terminal 120 are sometimes referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 6 can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0095] Access network equipment can also be called wireless access network equipment, network equipment, etc.

[0096] In one possible scenario, access network equipment can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a transmission point (TP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, a satellite, or an access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, or an access network device in a mobile switching center non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication system. This means it can be deployed on high-altitude platforms or satellites. Access network equipment can be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 6, 110a), a micro base station or indoor station (as shown in Figure 6, 110b), a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Access network equipment can also function as a base station in device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, drone communication, and machine-to-machine (M2M) communication. Optionally, the access network equipment can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0097] In another possible scenario, multiple access network devices collaborate to assist terminals in achieving wireless access, with each device performing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, access network devices can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs). CUs and DUs can be separate entities or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio equipment or radio units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs). It is understood that access network devices can be CU nodes, DU nodes, or devices comprising both CU and DU nodes. Furthermore, CUs can be classified as access network devices within the RAN (RAN) or the CN (CN), without limitation.

[0098] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0099] In this embodiment, the form of the access network device is not limited. The device used to implement the function of the access network device can be the access network device itself; or it can be a device that supports the access network device in implementing the function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the access network device or used in conjunction with the access network device.

[0100] A terminal can also be called a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc., or a device used to provide voice or data connectivity to users, and can also be an Internet of Things (IoT) device. For example, terminals include handheld devices with wireless connectivity, vehicle-mounted devices, etc. Currently, terminals can include, for example: mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices (such as smartwatches, smart bracelets, pedometers, smart glasses, etc.), in-vehicle equipment (such as cars, bicycles, electric vehicles, airplanes, ships, trains, high-speed trains, etc.), satellite terminals, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, point of sale (POS) machines, customer-premises equipment (CPE), light user equipment (UE), reduced capability user equipment (REDCAP UE), wireless terminals in industrial control, smart home devices (such as refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, electricity meters, etc.), smart robots, robotic arms, workshop equipment, wireless terminals in autonomous driving, wireless terminals in smart healthcare, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, or wireless terminals in smart homes, and flying equipment (such as smart robots, hot air balloons, drones, airplanes), etc. The terminal can also be a vehicle device, such as a vehicle unit, vehicle module, vehicle chip, on-board unit (OBU), or telematics box (T-BOX). The terminal can also be other devices with terminal functions. For example, the terminal can also be a device that plays the role of a terminal in D2D communication.

[0101] The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal. The device used to implement the functions of the terminal can be the terminal itself; it can also be a device that supports the terminal in implementing the functions, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the terminal or used in conjunction with the terminal. In the embodiments of this application, the chip system can be composed of chips or can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0102] This application can be applied, for example, to the communication system shown in Figure 6. In one possible implementation, the signal transmission method provided by this application can be applied to uplink signal transmission. For example, the first communication device is a terminal device and the second communication device is a network device.

[0103] In another possible implementation, the signal transmission method provided in this application can be applied to downlink signal transmission, for example, the first communication device is a network device and the second communication device is a terminal device.

[0104] In another possible implementation, the signal transmission method provided in this application can be applied to signal transmission between network devices, for example, the first communication device is a network device and the second communication device is another network device.

[0105] In another possible implementation, the signal transmission method provided in this application can be applied to signal transmission between terminal devices, for example, the first communication device is a terminal device and the second communication device is another terminal device.

[0106] The signal transmission method of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figure 7. The embodiments shown in this application illustrate the method provided by this application from the perspective of device interaction. The specific form and number of each device shown are merely examples and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation of the method provided by this application. The signal transmission method of the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below, taking the first communication device and the second communication device as the execution subjects.

[0107] In one possible implementation, the first communication device may be a terminal device, a component (such as a circuit, chip, chip system, etc.) configured in the terminal device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. This application does not limit this.

[0108] In another possible implementation, the first communication device may be a network device, a component configured in the network device (such as a circuit, chip, chip system, etc.), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device. This application does not limit this.

[0109] Similarly, in one possible implementation, the second communication device may be a terminal device, a component configured in the terminal device (such as a circuit, chip, chip system, etc.), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. This application does not limit this.

[0110] In another possible implementation, the second communication device may be a network device, a component configured in the network device (such as a circuit, chip, chip system, etc.), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device. This application does not limit this.

[0111] Figure 7 is a schematic flowchart of a signal transmission method 700 provided in an embodiment of this application. This method 700 can be applied, for example, to the communication system shown in Figure 6, and includes the following steps:

[0112] In step 710, the first communication device determines the array elements in the coprime array, which are some of the array elements in the antenna array of the first communication device.

[0113] As an example and not a limitation, the antenna array of the first communication device includes K array elements, which can correspond to K antennas. The first communication device can determine Q array elements from the above K array elements. The Q array elements form a coprime array, and the Q array elements can correspond to Q antennas, where Q and K are positive integers, and Q is less than K.

[0114] In step 720, the first communication device transmits a first signal via the coprime array based on HBF. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the first signal.

[0115] The transmission of the first signal through the coprime array can be understood as the transmission of the first signal through the antennas corresponding to the array elements in the coprime array.

[0116] In one possible implementation, the first communication device may generate a first signal based on HBF and transmit the first signal through antennas corresponding to array elements in a defined coprime array. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the first signal.

[0117] In step 730, the second communication device performs DOA estimation on the first signal based on the coprime array.

[0118] One possible implementation is that the second communication device can process the coprime array using a signal processing algorithm (e.g., multiple signal classification (MUSIC)) to achieve high-resolution direction estimation. The processing steps of the MUSIC algorithm may include: first constructing the covariance matrix of the coprime array, and then performing eigenvalue decomposition to obtain eigenvectors for the first signal subspace and the noise subspace. Through analysis of the first signal subspace, the frequency and direction of arrival of the first signal can be estimated.

[0119] For example, if the coprime array described above may include L antenna elements, with positions n respectively. s = [n1, n2, ..., n L]*d, d=λ / 2, where λ represents the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave emitted by the array elements in the coprime array. The first received signal can then be expressed as: x(t)=As(t)+n(t), where A can be the array manifold matrix, specifically: A=[α(θ1),...,[α(θ1)...] k )], θ k Let be the angle of the k-th receiving beam. n(t) can be the channel noise, specifically expressed as...

[0120] Based on this, the covariance matrix of the first signal x(t) received by the second communication device can be expressed as: R xx =E[xx H ] = AR ss A H +σ 2 I L , where R ss It is a diagonal matrix, and the diagonal elements can be unknowns, such as... I L It is an L*L identity matrix. At this point, by using R... xx Vectorization yields R. xx The vectorized representation of can be specifically expressed as: Where A* is the conjugate matrix of A, z1 is a one-to-multidimensional vector, and ⊙ is the Khatri-Rao product. vec(·) indicates vectorization.

[0121] It is understandable that, since the received signal model is vectorized, this vectorized expression is similar to the array structure of a uniform linear antenna array, both being one-to-multidimensional structures. Therefore, the aforementioned coprime array, after appropriate signal processing, can also be equivalent to a uniform linear antenna array or a uniform area array, and its antenna element positions can be represented as: virtual array (viarray) = (n a -n b )*d,1≤a,b≤L。 That is to say, the positions of the antenna elements of the equivalent uniform linear antenna array or uniform area array can be obtained by the position difference of the antenna elements of the coprime array mentioned above.

[0122] For example, as shown in Figure 5, the array elements in the coprime array are numbered {0, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9}. That is, the antenna elements corresponding to 0, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 9 are occupied and can be accessed via a virtual array = (n a -n b)*d fills in the empty antenna array elements. We can consider 0, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 9 in {0, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9} as n respectively. a or n b For example, n a =4,n b =3,n a -n b =1, n a =3,n b =4,n a -n b =-1. Similarly, the virtual array elements are numbered 0, ±1, ±2, ±3, ±4, ±5, and ±6. The physical positions of these elements can be obtained by multiplying the number by the element spacing. Thus, the number of equivalent virtual array elements is greater than the number of physical array elements. Therefore, beamforming of signals on more virtual array elements can be achieved with fewer physical array elements, and DOA estimation of signals on more virtual array elements can be achieved with fewer physical array elements, offering greater flexibility. Furthermore, it also helps reduce resource consumption, decrease the use of RF links, and reduce system complexity.

[0123] In method 700 shown in Figure 7, one possible implementation is that the coprime array includes a first subarray and a second subarray, the element spacing in the first subarray and the element spacing in the second subarray are coprime, and the elements in the coprime array are related to one or more of the following: the number of elements in the first subarray, the number of elements in the second subarray, or the number of first PAs, which correspond to multiple analog RF links.

[0124] For ease of distinction, the coprime array applied in the HBF system in this application may be referred to as the HBF coprime array, but this should not constitute any limitation on this application, and the aforementioned coprime array may also be referred to by other names. The aforementioned HBF coprime array may include a first subarray and a second subarray. The first subarray and the second subarray may be one or more sets, and each set of the first subarray and the second subarray may correspond to a first PA, or in other words, each first PA may be associated with a first subarray and a second subarray. The element spacing of the first subarray and the element spacing of the second subarray are coprime, and the origins of the first subarray and the second subarray are the same. The elements in the first subarray and the second subarray are arranged linearly according to their distance from the origin, and the spacing between the elements varies after the arrangement. The aforementioned HBF coprime array will be explained in detail below with reference to Figure 8.

[0125] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the HBF coprime array provided in an embodiment of this application. In Figure 8, white circles represent unoccupied elements in the antenna array, and black circles represent occupied elements in the antenna array. That is, the first communication device can transmit signals through the antenna corresponding to the antenna element.

[0126] As shown in Figure 8, the array elements in the antenna array are numbered from 0 to 29. Some of the array elements in the above antenna array form an HBF coprime array. As an example, and not a limitation, the array element numbers in the HBF coprime array are 0, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 20, 23, 24, 26, 28, 29. Among these, 0, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 9 can be considered as a coprime array composed of subarray 1 (element positions 0, 4, 8) and subarray 2 (element positions 0, 3, 6, 9). 10, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 20, 23, 24, 26, 28, 29... 9 can be considered as a coprime array composed of subarray 3 (element positions 10, 14, 18) and subarray 4 (element positions 10, 13, 16, 19), and 20, 23, 24, 26, 28, 29 can be considered as a coprime array composed of subarray 5 (element positions 20, 24, 28) and subarray 6 (element positions 20, 23, 26, 29). The first communication device can transmit the first signal through the above-mentioned HBF coprime array. The equivalent number of elements in the above-mentioned HBF coprime array is 53.

[0127] The array elements in the HBF coprime array are related to one or more of the following: the number of array elements in the first subarray, the number of array elements in the second subarray, or the number of the first PA. One possible design is that the number of array elements in the HBF coprime array is related to one or more of the number of array elements in the first subarray, the number of array elements in the second subarray, or the number of the first PA. Another possible design is that the position of the array elements in the HBF coprime array is related to one or more of the number of array elements in the first subarray, the number of array elements in the second subarray, or the number of the first PA. The above two possible designs will be explained in detail below.

[0128] First, the number of elements in an HBF coprime matrix is ​​related to one or more of the following: the number of elements in the first subarray, the number of elements in the second subarray, or the number of first PAs. As an example, and not a limitation, the more first PAs there are, the more sets of first and second subarrays there are, and the more elements in the HBF coprime matrix. The more elements in the first and second subarrays there are, the more elements in the HBF coprime matrix. The above example will be explained in detail below with reference to Figures 9 and 10.

[0129] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating the relationship between the number of array elements in the HBF coprime array and the number of first PAs provided in the embodiments of this application. In Figure 9, white circles represent unoccupied array elements in the antenna array, and black circles represent occupied array elements in the antenna array. That is, the first communication device can transmit signals through the antenna corresponding to the array element. In addition, Figure 9 uses an example where the number of array elements in the first subarray is 3 and the number of array elements in the second subarray is 4, but this should not constitute any limitation on the embodiments of this application. The number of array elements in the first subarray and the second subarray can also be more or less.

[0130] As shown in Figure 9a), the number of first PAs is 2. The array element numbers in this HBF coprime array are 0, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19. Among them, the array element numbers corresponding to the first first PA are 0, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9 (composed of {0, 4, 8} and {0, 3, 6, 9}), and the array element numbers corresponding to the second first PA are 10, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19 (composed of {10, 14, 18} and {10, 13, 16, 19}). The physical array element number of the above HBF coprime array is 12, and the equivalent virtual array element numbers are 0, ±1, ±2, ±3, ±4, ±5, ±6…, ±15, ±16, respectively. The equivalent virtual array element number is 33.

[0131] As shown in Figure 9b), the number of first PAs is 3. The array elements in this HBF coprime array are numbered 0, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, ..., 28, 29. The array elements corresponding to the first first PA are numbered 0, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9 (composed of {0, 4, 8} and {0, 3, 6, 9}), the array elements corresponding to the second first PA are numbered 10, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19 (composed of {10, 14, 18} and {10, 13, 16, 19}), and the array elements corresponding to the third first PA are numbered 20, 23, 24, 26, 28, 29 (composed of {20, 24, 28} and {20, 23, 26, 29}). The physical array of the above HBF coprime array has 18 physical array elements, and the equivalent virtual array element numbers are 0, ±1, ±2, ±3, ±4, ±5, ±6, ..., ±25, ±26, respectively, with an equivalent virtual array element number of 53.

[0132] As can be seen from Figure 9a) and Figure 9b), the more PAs there are, the more physical elements of the HBF coprime array, and the more virtual elements there are after the equivalent array.

[0133] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the number of array elements in the HBF coprime array and the number of array elements in the first and second subarrays provided in the embodiments of this application. In Figure 10, white circles represent unoccupied array elements in the antenna array, and black circles represent occupied array elements in the antenna array. That is, the first communication device can transmit signals through the antenna corresponding to the array element. In addition, in Figure 10a) and Figure 10b), the number of first PAs is 2 for example. In Figure 10a), the number of array elements in the first subarray is 3 and the number of array elements in the second subarray is 4 as an example. In Figure 10b), the number of array elements in the first subarray is 4 and the number of array elements in the second subarray is 5 as an example. However, this should not constitute any limitation on the embodiments of this application. The number of array elements in the first and second subarrays can also be more or less.

[0134] As shown in Figure 10a), the array elements in this HBF coprime array are numbered 0, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 16, 18, and 19. The number of physical array elements in this HBF coprime array is 12, and the number of virtual array elements after the equivalent is 33. A more detailed description can be found in Figure 9, which will not be elaborated here.

[0135] As shown in Figure 10b), the array elements in the HBF coprime array are numbered 0, 4, 5, 8, 10, 12, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 25, 27, 29, 32, 33. Among them, the array element number corresponding to the first first PA is 0, 4, 5, 8, 10, 12, 15, 16 (composed of {0, 5, 10, 15} and {0, 4, 8, 12, 16}), and the array element number corresponding to the second first PA is 17, 21, 22, 25, 27, 29, 32, 33 (composed of {17, 22, 27, 32} and {17, 21, 25, 29, 33}). The physical array element number of the above HBF coprime array is (4+5)×2=16, and the equivalent virtual array element numbers are 0, ±1, ±2, ±3, ±4, ±5, ±6, …, ±25, and the equivalent virtual array element number is 51.

[0136] As can be seen from Figure 10a) and Figure 10b), the more array elements in the first subarray and the more array elements in the second subarray, the more array elements in the HBF coprime array, and the more equivalent virtual array elements. Furthermore, the position of array elements in the HBF coprime array is related to one or more of the following: the number of array elements in the first subarray, the number of array elements in the second subarray, or the number of first PAs.

[0137] In one possible implementation, the positions L of the array elements in the aforementioned HBF coprime matrix are... s Satisfy: L s ={((0,m1d1)+nd n)|m1=0,1,2,…,M1-1; n=0,1,2…,N-1}∪{((0,m2d2)+nd n )|m2=0,1,2,…,M2-1; n=0,1,2…,N-1},

[0138] Where M1 represents the number of array elements in the first subarray, M2 represents the number of array elements in the second subarray, M1, M2 ≥ 2, and M1 < M2, d1 = M2λ / 2, d2 = M1λ / 2, d n = [(M2-1)*M1+1]*λ / 2, where N represents the number of the first PA, N≥2, and λ represents the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave emitted through the array elements in the coprime array.

[0139] The positions of the array elements in the aforementioned HBF coprime array can be understood as their positions in physical space, but this should not constitute any limitation on this application.

[0140] For example, M1=3, M2=4, N=2. When n=0, the actual positions of the array elements occupied in the first array element associated with the first PA can be determined according to the above formula. For example, the actual positions of the array elements occupied in the first array element associated with the first PA are: {0,d1,2d1}∪{0,d2,2d2,3d2}.

[0141] When n=1, the actual positions of the array elements occupied in the second array element associated with the first PA can be determined according to the above formula. For example, the actual positions of the array elements occupied in the second array element associated with the first PA are: {0+d n ,d1+d n ,2d1+d n}∪{0+d n ,d2+d n ,2d2+d n ,3d2+d n}

[0142] In one possible design, the positions of elements in the HBF coprime array can also be represented by the element index or number. When the positions are represented by the element numbers, the positions L of the elements in the HBF coprime array are... s (represented by numbers) satisfies: L s ={((0,m1d1)+nd n )|m1=0,1,2,…,M1-1; n=0,1,2…,N-1} ∪{((0,m2d2)+nd n )|m2=0,1,2,…,M2-1; n=0,1,2…,N-1},

[0143] Where M1 represents the number of array elements in the first subarray, M2 represents the number of array elements in the second subarray, M1, M2 ≥ 2, and M1 < M2, d1 = M2, d2 = M1, d n = (M2-1)*M1+1, where N represents the number of the first PA, and N≥2.

[0144] For example, M1=3, M2=4, N=2. When n=0, the actual array element numbers occupied in the first array element associated with the first PA can be determined according to the above formula. For example, the actual array element numbers occupied in the first array element associated with the first PA are: {0,4,8}∪{0,3,6,9}={0,3,4,6,8,9}.

[0145] When n=1, the actual array element number occupied in the array element associated with the second first PA can be determined according to the above formula. For example, the actual array element numbers occupied in the array element associated with the second first PA are: {0+10,4+10,8+10}∪{0+10,3+10,6+10,9+10}={10,14,18}∪{10,13,16,19}={10,13,14,16,18,19}.

[0146] In the method 700 shown in Figure 7, one possible implementation is that the number of the first PA is related to a first correspondence, which is used to indicate the correspondence between multiple values ​​of the number of array elements in the first subarray, multiple values ​​of the number of array elements in the second subarray, and multiple values ​​of the number of the first PA.

[0147] In other words, when the number of array elements in the first subarray and the number of array elements in the second subarray are determined, the number of the first PA can be determined based on the first correspondence.

[0148] Table 1 is an example of the first correspondence provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0149] Table 1

[0150] As shown in Table 1, when M1 = 2 and M2 = 3, the value of N can be 1 to 25. When M1 = 2 and M2 = 5, the value of N can be 1 to 13. These values ​​will not be listed here.

[0151] It should be understood that the first correspondence shown in Table 1 is for the scenario where the number of elements in the antenna array is 100, but this should not constitute any limitation on this application. The number of elements in the antenna array can also be more or less, and the values ​​of each parameter in the corresponding first correspondence can also be different.

[0152] It should also be understood that the first correspondence shown in the table above can be configured or predefined. The values ​​of the information in the table are merely examples and can be configured to other values; this application is not limiting. When configuring the correspondence between the information and each parameter, it is not necessarily required to configure all the correspondences shown in the table. For example, the correspondences shown in some rows of the table in this application may not be configured. Furthermore, appropriate modifications and adjustments can be made based on the table above, such as splitting or merging. The names of the parameters shown in the headings of the table above can also use other names that the communication device can understand, and the values ​​or representations of the parameters can also be other values ​​or representations that the communication device can understand. In the implementation of the above tables, other data structures can also be used, such as arrays, queues, containers, stacks, linear lists, pointers, linked lists, trees, graphs, structures, classes, heaps, hash tables, or hash tables, etc.

[0153] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: a first communication device transmitting first information indicating one or more of the following: the number of array elements in a first subarray, the number of array elements in a second subarray, or the number of first PAs. Correspondingly, a second communication device receives the first information. By indicating one or more of the above, the first communication device facilitates the second communication device in determining the coprime array, and thus determining the array elements receiving the first signal, thereby improving reception efficiency.

[0154] For example, the first communication device sends first information indicating the number of array elements in the first subarray and the number of array elements in the second subarray. The second communication device receives the first information and determines the number of first PAs based on the first information and the first correspondence, and then determines the positions of array elements in the HBF coprime array based on the formula.

[0155] In one possible implementation, the above-mentioned HBF coprime array includes a linear coprime array, an L-type coprime array, a T-type coprime array, or a coprime surface array.

[0156] Linear coprime arrays have a relatively simple structure, are easy to design, and are easier to implement. L-shaped coprime arrays can achieve two-dimensional angle estimation and are suitable for scenarios requiring coverage of a larger spatial area. T-shaped coprime arrays combine the advantages of linear and L-shaped coprime arrays, which is beneficial for improving spatial coverage. Coprime area arrays are suitable for scenarios requiring three-dimensional spatial coverage and are beneficial for handling more complex signal environments. In this way, different coprime array structures provide flexibility for optimizing performance in specific application scenarios.

[0157] It should be understood that the above-described structure of the HBF coprime array is merely an example and should not constitute any limitation on this application. In practical applications, the HBF coprime array can also adopt other structures, such as circular arrays, etc., which will not be listed here.

[0158] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the HBF coprime array provided in the embodiment of this application.

[0159] As shown in Figure 11, the above-mentioned HBF coprime array can be an L-shaped coprime array. The method for determining the position of the array elements in the L-shaped coprime array can refer to the method for determining the position of the array elements in the linear coprime array in Figure 7. For example, the position of the array elements in the vertical direction in the L-shaped coprime array can be determined based on the method for determining the position of the array elements in the linear coprime array. Similarly, the position of the array elements in the horizontal direction in the L-shaped coprime array can be determined based on the method for determining the position of the array elements in the linear coprime array. This will not be described in detail here.

[0160] Figure 12 is another structural schematic diagram of the HBF coprime array provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0161] As shown in Figure 12, the coprime array can be a coprime surface array. The method for determining the position of the array elements in the coprime surface array can refer to the method for determining the position of the array elements in the linear coprime array in Figure 7. For example, the position of the array elements in each column of the coprime surface array can be determined based on the method for determining the position of the array elements in the linear coprime array, which will not be described in detail here.

[0162] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of a coprime array provided in this application applied to an HBF system. In Figure 13, white circles represent unoccupied elements in the antenna array, and black circles represent occupied elements in the antenna array. That is, the first communication device can transmit signals through the antenna corresponding to the antenna element. Furthermore, Figure 13 uses an example where the number of elements in the first subarray is 3, the number of elements in the second subarray is 4, and the number of first PAs is 2, but this should not constitute any limitation on the embodiments of this application.

[0163] As shown in Figure 13, one first PA can correspond to multiple RF links. The array elements in the HBF coprime array associated with the first first PA (i.e., the high-power PA in the figure) are numbered 0, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 9, and the array elements in the HBF coprime array associated with the second first PA are numbered 10, 13, 14, 16, 18, and 19. A more detailed description can be found in Figure 9, which will not be repeated here. A description of the HBF system can be found in Figure 4.

[0164] The signal transmission method of the embodiments of this application has been described in detail above. The communication device of the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below. The communication device includes modules or units for performing each part of the above embodiments. The modules or units may be software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. The following only provides a brief illustrative example of the communication device; for details of the implementation, please refer to the description of the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated below.

[0165] Figure 14 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1400 provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 14, the communication device 1400 includes a processing module 1410 and a transceiver module 1420.

[0166] In one possible implementation, the communication device 1400 is used to implement the steps corresponding to the first communication device in the method 700 described above.

[0167] Processing module 1410 is used to determine the array elements in the coprime array, which are some of the array elements in the antenna array of the first communication device; transceiver module 1420 is used to transmit a first signal through the coprime array based on hybrid beamforming.

[0168] Optionally, the coprime array includes a first subarray and a second subarray, wherein the element spacing in the first subarray and the element spacing in the second subarray are coprime, and the elements in the coprime array are related to one or more of the following: the number of elements in the first subarray, the number of elements in the second subarray, or the number of first PAs, wherein the first PAs correspond to multiple analog RF links.

[0169] Optionally, the positions L of the array elements in the coprime array described above s Satisfy: L s ={((0,m1d1)+nd n )|m1=0,1,2,…,M1-1; n=0,1,2…,N-1} ∪{((0,m2d2)+nd n )|m2=0,1,2,…,M2-1; n=0,1,2…,N-1},

[0170] Where M1 represents the number of array elements in the first subarray, M2 represents the number of array elements in the second subarray, M1, M2 ≥ 2, and M1 < M2, d1 = M2λ / 2, d2 = M1λ / 2, d n = [(M2-1)*M1+1]*λ / 2, where N represents the number of the first PA, N≥2, and λ represents the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave emitted by the array elements in the coprime array.

[0171] Optionally, the number of the first PA is related to a first correspondence, which is used to indicate the correspondence between multiple values ​​of the number of array elements in the first subarray, multiple values ​​of the number of array elements in the second subarray, and multiple values ​​of the number of the first PA.

[0172] Optionally, the transceiver module 1420 is also configured to transmit first information indicating one or more of the following: the number of array elements in the first subarray, the number of array elements in the second subarray, or the number of first PAs.

[0173] Optionally, the coprime arrays mentioned above include linear coprime arrays, L-type coprime arrays, T-type coprime arrays, or coprime area arrays.

[0174] In another possible implementation, the communication device 1400 is used to implement the steps corresponding to the second communication device in the method 700 described above.

[0175] The transceiver module 1420 is used to receive a first signal transmitted through a coprime array based on hybrid beamforming, wherein the array elements in the coprime array are some of the array elements in the antenna array of the first communication device; the processing module 1410 is used to perform DOA estimation on the first signal based on the coprime array.

[0176] Optionally, the coprime array includes a first subarray and a second subarray, wherein the element spacing in the first subarray and the element spacing in the second subarray are coprime, and the elements in the coprime array are related to one or more of the following: the number of elements in the first subarray, the number of elements in the second subarray, or the number of first PAs, wherein the first PAs correspond to multiple analog RF links.

[0177] Optionally, the positions L of the array elements in the coprime array described above s Satisfy: L s ={((0,m1d1)+nd n )|m1=0,1,2,…,M1-1; n=0,1,2…,N-1} ∪{((0,m2d2)+nd n )|m2=0,1,2,…,M2-1; n=0,1,2…,N-1},

[0178] Where M1 represents the number of array elements in the first subarray, M2 represents the number of array elements in the second subarray, M1, M2 ≥ 2, and M1 < M2, d1 = M2λ / 2, d2 = M1λ / 2, d n = [(M2-1)*M1+1]*λ / 2, where N represents the number of the first PA, N≥2, and λ represents the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave emitted by the array elements in the coprime array.

[0179] Optionally, the number of the first PA is related to a first correspondence, which is used to indicate the correspondence between multiple values ​​of the number of array elements in the first subarray, multiple values ​​of the number of array elements in the second subarray, and multiple values ​​of the number of the first PA.

[0180] Optionally, the transceiver module 1420 is also configured to receive first information indicating one or more of the following: the number of array elements in the first subarray, the number of array elements in the second subarray, or the number of first PAs.

[0181] Optionally, the coprime arrays mentioned above include linear coprime arrays, L-type coprime arrays, T-type coprime arrays, or coprime area arrays.

[0182] It should be understood that the communication device 1400 here is embodied in the form of a functional module. The term "module" here can refer to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), electronic circuitry, a processor (e.g., a shared processor, a proprietary processor, or a group processor, etc.) and memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuitry, and / or other suitable components supporting the described functions. In an alternative example, those skilled in the art will understand that the communication device 1400 can specifically be the terminal device or network device in the above embodiments. The communication device 1400 can be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the first or second communication device in the above method embodiments; to avoid repetition, these will not be described again here.

[0183] The aforementioned communication device 1400 has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the first or second communication device in the above method; the above functions can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. In an embodiment of this application, the communication device 1400 in FIG14 can also be a chip.

[0184] It should be understood that the module division in the embodiments of this application is illustrative and only represents a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. Furthermore, the functional modules in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into a single processor, exist as separate physical entities, or be integrated into a single module. The integrated modules described above can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules.

[0185] Figure 15 is a schematic block diagram of another communication device 1500 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0186] The communication device 1500 can be a chip system, or it can be an apparatus configured with a chip system to implement the methods described in the above-described method embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0187] As shown in FIG15, the communication device 1500 may include a processor 1510, which can be used to execute computer programs or instructions in memory to implement the steps performed by the first communication device or the second communication device in the embodiment shown in FIG7.

[0188] In one possible implementation, the communication device 1500 further includes a communication interface 1520. The communication interface 1520 can be used to communicate with other devices via a transmission medium, thereby enabling the communication device 1500 to communicate with other devices. The communication interface 1520 may be, for example, a transceiver, interface, pin, bus, circuit, or a device capable of transmitting and receiving functions. The processor 1510 can use the communication interface 1520 to input and output data and to implement the steps performed by the first or second communication device in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7.

[0189] In one possible implementation, the communication device 1500 further includes at least one memory 1530 for storing program instructions and / or data. The memory 1530 is coupled to the processor 1510. The coupling in this embodiment is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, and can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, for information exchange between devices, units, or modules. The processor 1510 may operate in conjunction with the memory 1530. The processor 1510 may execute program instructions stored in the memory 1530. At least one of the at least one memory may be included in the processor.

[0190] It should be understood that the coupling in the embodiments of this application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, used for information interaction between devices, units, or modules. The processor 1510 may operate in conjunction with the memory 1530. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific connection medium between the processor 1510, communication interface 1520, and memory 1530. Optionally, the processor 1510, communication interface 1520, and memory 1530 are connected via a bus 1540. The bus 1540 is represented by a thick line in Figure 15. The connection methods between other components are only illustrative and not intended to be limiting. The bus can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used in Figure 15, but this does not indicate that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0191] This application also provides a communication system comprising a first communication device and a second communication device as described above. In one possible implementation, the first communication device may, for example, implement the steps performed by the first communication device in the method shown in FIG. 7, and the second communication device may, for example, implement the steps performed by the second communication device in the method shown in FIG. 7.

[0192] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run, can implement the steps executed by the first communication device or the second communication device in the embodiment shown in FIG7.

[0193] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions). When the computer program is run, it can implement the steps performed by the first or second communication device in the embodiment shown in FIG7.

[0194] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In implementation, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed by the integrated logic circuitry in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a microprocessor unit (MPU), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an artificial intelligence processor (AI processor) or a neural network processing unit (NPU), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or a combination of one or more discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly embodied in the execution of a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can reside in a mature storage medium in the field, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, or registers. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0195] It should also be understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be a cache, random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0196] The terms "unit," "module," etc., used in this specification can be used to refer to computer-related entities, hardware, firmware, combinations of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. In the embodiments of this application, "unit" and "module" have the same meaning and can be used interchangeably.

[0197] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application. In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus, devices, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for example, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the shown or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections may be through some interfaces; indirect couplings or communication connections between devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0198] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0199] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0200] In the above embodiments, the functions of each functional unit can be implemented entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions (programs). When the computer program instructions (programs) are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., digital video discs, DVDs), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state drives, SSDs), etc.

[0201] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the technology, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0202] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A signal transmission method, characterized in that, Applied to a first communication device, the method includes: The array elements in the coprime array are determined, and the array elements in the coprime array are some of the array elements in the antenna array of the first communication device; The first signal is transmitted through the coprime array based on hybrid beamforming.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The coprime array includes a first subarray and a second subarray, wherein the element spacing in the first subarray and the element spacing in the second subarray are coprime, and the elements in the coprime array are related to one or more of the following: the number of elements in the first subarray, the number of elements in the second subarray, or the number of first power amplifiers (PAs), wherein the first PAs correspond to multiple analog radio frequency links.

3. The method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The position L of the array element in the coprime array s Satisfy: L s ={((0,m1d1)+nd n )|m1=0,1,2,…,M1-1; n=0,1,2…,N-1}∪{((0,m2d2)+nd n )|m2=0,1,2,…,M2-1; n=0,1,2…,N-1}, Where M1 represents the number of array elements in the first subarray, M2 represents the number of array elements in the second subarray, M1, M2 ≥ 2, and M1 < M2, d1 = M2λ / 2, d2 = M1λ / 2, d n = [(M2-1)*M1+1]*λ / 2, where N represents the number of the first PA, N≥2, and λ represents the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave emitted by the array elements in the coprime array.

4. The method as described in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The number of the first PA is related to a first correspondence, which is used to indicate the correspondence between multiple values ​​of the number of array elements in the first subarray, multiple values ​​of the number of array elements in the second subarray, and multiple values ​​of the number of the first PA.

5. The method as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a first message, which indicates one or more of the following: the number of array elements in the first subarray, the number of array elements in the second subarray, or the number of the first PA.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The coprime arrays include linear coprime arrays, L-shaped coprime arrays, T-shaped coprime arrays, or coprime area arrays.

7. A signal transmission method, characterized in that, Applied to a second communication device, the method includes: Based on hybrid beamforming, a first signal transmitted through a coprime array is received, wherein the array elements in the coprime array are some of the array elements in the antenna array of the first communication device. Based on the coprime array, the direction of arrival of the first signal is estimated.

8. The method as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The coprime array includes a first subarray and a second subarray, wherein the element spacing in the first subarray and the element spacing in the second subarray are coprime, and the elements in the coprime array are related to one or more of the following: the number of elements in the first subarray, the number of elements in the second subarray, or the number of first power amplifiers (PAs), wherein the first PAs correspond to multiple analog radio frequency links.

9. The method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The position L of the array element in the coprime array s Satisfy: L s ={((0,m1d1)+ndn)|m1=0,1,2,…,M2-1; n=0,1,…2,N-1}∪{((0,m2d2)+nd n )|m2=0,1,2,,M1-1; n=0,1,2,N-1}, Where M1 represents the number of array elements in the first subarray, M2 represents the number of array elements in the second subarray, M1, M2 ≥ 2, and M1 < M2, d1 = m2λ / 2, d2 = m1λ / 2, d n = [(M2-1)*M1+1]*λ / 2, where N represents the number of the first PA, N≥2, and λ represents the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave emitted by the array elements in the coprime array.

10. The method as described in claim 8 or 9, characterized in that, The number of the first PA is related to a first correspondence, which is used to indicate the correspondence between multiple values ​​of the number of array elements in the first subarray, multiple values ​​of the number of array elements in the second subarray, and multiple values ​​of the number of the first PA.

11. The method as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive first information, which indicates one or more of the following: the number of array elements in the first subarray, the number of array elements in the second subarray, or the number of the first PA.

12. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, characterized in that, The coprime arrays include linear coprime arrays, L-shaped coprime arrays, T-shaped coprime arrays, or coprime area arrays.

13. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes modules for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, or includes modules for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 7 to 12.

14. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a processor configured to invoke a computer program or instructions in memory to cause the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, or to implement the method as described in any one of claims 7 to 12.

15. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, or implement the method as described in any one of claims 7 to 12.

16. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes a computer program or instructions that, when executed, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, or implement the method as described in any one of claims 7 to 12.

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