Radio-frequency transceiving apparatus, communication system and communication method

Abstract

The embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of communications. Provided are a radio-frequency transceiving apparatus, a communication system and a communication method, which reduce the cost, power consumption, and system complexity of the radio-frequency transceiving apparatus. The specific solution is that the radio-frequency transceiving apparatus comprises a clock circuit and a first switch module, wherein the clock circuit is configured to generate a first clock signal, and the first switch module comprises a switch array, a conversion module, and a plurality of amplitude modulation and phase modulation modules. The switch array is configured to connect a plurality of first input ends to a first output end according to a preset rule under the control of a first clock signal, so as to transmit data of an uplink path or a downlink path of the radio-frequency transceiving apparatus. The conversion module is configured to combine the data of the uplink path from a plurality of second output ends into a second input end, or distribute the data of the downlink path from the second input end to the plurality of second output ends. The amplitude modulation and phase modulation modules are configured to perform phase modulation and amplitude modulation on the data of the uplink path or the downlink path. The embodiments of the present application are applied to the process of the radio-frequency transceiving apparatus transmitting and receiving data.

Description

Radio frequency transceivers, communication systems and communication methods

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510106131.6, filed on January 22, 2025, entitled "Radio Frequency Transceiver Apparatus, Communication System and Communication Method", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a radio frequency transceiver device, a communication system, and a communication method. Background Technology

[0003] Currently, wireless communication technology faces the challenge of continuously increasing data transmission speed and the technical demand for multi-user transmission. Massive MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) technology has become the mainstream development direction. RF system architecture based on this technology can form multiple data streams in the airspace for transmission, achieving multi-user data stream transmission, ultra-high data capacity, and greatly improved transmission distance.

[0004] However, as RF transceivers become increasingly larger, they require a large number of RF paths, leading to increased cost, power consumption, and system complexity. Therefore, reducing the cost, power consumption, and system complexity of RF transceivers has become an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a radio frequency transceiver device, a communication system, and a communication method, which reduces the cost, power consumption, and system complexity of the radio frequency transceiver device.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of this application adopt the following technical solutions.

[0007] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a radio frequency (RF) transceiver device, which includes a clock circuit and a first switching module. The clock circuit generates a first clock signal. The first switching module includes a switch array, a conversion module, and multiple amplitude modulation (AM) and phase modulation (PM) modules. The switch array includes a first output terminal and multiple first input terminals. The conversion module includes a second input terminal and multiple second output terminals. The first output terminals and the second input terminals are coupled, and each second output terminal is coupled to an AM / PM module. The switch array is used to turn on the multiple first input terminals and the first output terminals according to a preset rule under the control of the first clock signal to transmit data in the uplink or downlink path of the RF transceiver device. The conversion module is used to combine the uplink data from the multiple second output terminals to the second input terminal, or to distribute the downlink data from the second input terminal to the multiple second output terminals. The AM / PM modules are used to perform phase modulation and amplitude modulation on the data in the uplink or downlink path.

[0008] Therefore, the RF transceiver device provided in this application embodiment adds a first switching module. The switch array in the first switching module can, under the control of a first clock signal, conduct multiple first input terminals and first output terminals according to preset rules to switch between different data streams, enabling time-division multiplexing of data transmission for the uplink or downlink paths of the RF transceiver device. Additionally, the conversion module can synthesize or distribute the uplink or downlink data, and multiple amplitude modulation and phase modulation modules can perform phase and amplitude modulation on the uplink or downlink data, improving beam flexibility. Thus, the RF transceiver device achieves flexible uplink and downlink paths. Compared to digital multi-beam MIMO architectures or analog multi-beam MIMO architectures, the RF transceiver device in this application embodiment has fewer components and a smaller size, reducing the cost, power consumption, and system complexity of the RF transceiver device.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the frequency of the first clock signal is greater than the product of the number of the plurality of first input terminals and the maximum signal bandwidth of the radio frequency transceiver.

[0010] In this implementation, the radio frequency transceiver can ensure that the information is not lost after multiple data streams are periodically transmitted, thus guaranteeing signal quality.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the RF transceiver further includes a second switching module and a third switching module. Multiple third output terminals of the second switching module are coupled one-to-one with multiple first input terminals of the switch array of the first switching module. Multiple third input terminals of the third switching module are coupled one-to-one with multiple amplitude modulation (AM) and phase modulation (PM) modules of the first switching module. A clock circuit is also used to generate a second clock signal. The second switching module is used to switch between the uplink and downlink paths under the control of the second clock signal, and the third switching module is used to switch between the uplink and downlink paths under the control of the second clock signal.

[0012] In this implementation, the RF transceiver switches between the uplink and downlink paths through the second and third switching modules, making the uplink and downlink paths more flexible. In addition, it can save the number of components and reduce the size of the components, thereby reducing the cost, power consumption and system complexity of the RF transceiver.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the second switch module includes multiple first switches and multiple second switches. The first terminals of the multiple first switches are coupled one-to-one with the multiple third output terminals of the second switch module, and the first terminals of the multiple second switches are coupled one-to-one with the multiple third output terminals of the second switch module. The multiple third output terminals of the second switch module are coupled one-to-one with the multiple first input terminals of the switch array of the first switch module. Specifically, the second switch module is used to control the first switches to be turned on and the second switches to be turned off under the control of a second clock signal, thereby enabling the downlink path. Alternatively, under the control of the second clock signal, it can control the second switches to be turned on and the first switches to be turned off, thereby enabling the uplink path.

[0014] In this implementation, the second switch module can switch between uplink and downlink paths using multiple first switches and multiple second switches, making the uplink and downlink paths more flexible. Additionally, it can reduce the number of RF links, as well as the number of devices such as analog-to-digital converters, digital-to-analog converters, and phase shifters, thereby reducing the cost, power consumption, and system complexity of the RF transceiver.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the second switch module further includes multiple first filters, which are coupled to the second terminals of the second switch. The first filters are used to filter the data in the uplink path.

[0016] In this implementation, the radio frequency transceiver can set a first filter at the end of the uplink path. This first filter can further filter the data in the uplink path, which can improve the spectrum mirror harmonic problem caused by the uplink and downlink paths of the first switching module.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the third switch module includes multiple third switches and multiple fourth switches. The first terminal of each third switch is coupled to the amplitude modulation / phase modulation (AM / PMC) module, and the first terminal of each fourth switch is coupled to the AM / PMC module. Specifically, the third switch module is used to control the third switches to be turned on and the fourth switches to be turned off under the control of the second clock signal, thereby enabling the downlink path. Alternatively, under the control of the second clock signal, it can control the fourth switches to be turned on and the third switches to be turned off, thereby enabling the uplink path.

[0018] In this implementation, the third switch module can switch between uplink and downlink paths using multiple third switches and multiple fourth switches, making the uplink and downlink paths more flexible. Additionally, it can reduce the number of RF links, as well as the number of devices such as analog-to-digital converters, digital-to-analog converters, and phase shifters, thereby reducing the cost, power consumption, and system complexity of the RF transceiver.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the third switch module further includes multiple second filters, which are coupled to the second terminals of the third switch. The second filters are used to filter the data in the downlink path.

[0020] In this implementation, the radio frequency transceiver can set a second filter at the end of the downlink path. This second filter can further filter the data in the downlink path, which can improve the spectral image harmonic problem caused by the uplink and downlink paths of the first switching module.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the radio frequency transceiver also includes an amplification and filtering module. This module amplifies and filters the data in the uplink or downlink path.

[0022] In this implementation, the RF transceiver can amplify the data in the uplink or downlink path using an amplification and filtering module. This converts the small signals in the RF transceiver into high-power RF signals suitable for long-distance transmission, reducing signal attenuation during transmission and ensuring signal quality. Additionally, the RF transceiver can also filter the data in the uplink or downlink path using the amplification and filtering module to eliminate out-of-band signals, reduce out-of-band interference, and improve signal quality.

[0023] In one possible implementation, the radio frequency transceiver also includes a baseband processing module for generating multiple data streams.

[0024] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication system, which includes an antenna array and a radio frequency transceiver as described in any of the first aspects. The antenna array is used to transmit signals processed by the radio frequency transceiver, or the radio frequency transceiver is used to process signals received by the antenna array.

[0025] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method applied to a radio frequency transceiver device. The radio frequency transceiver device includes a clock circuit and a first switching module. The first switching module includes a switch array, a conversion module, and multiple amplitude modulation and phase modulation modules. The communication method includes: generating a first clock signal through the clock circuit; under the control of the first clock signal, turning on multiple first input terminals and first output terminals of the switching module according to a preset rule to transmit data of the uplink or downlink path of the radio frequency transceiver device; using the conversion module to synthesize the uplink data from multiple second output terminals of the conversion module to a second input terminal, or to distribute the downlink data from the second input terminal of the conversion module to multiple second output terminals; and using the amplitude modulation and phase modulation modules to perform phase modulation and amplitude modulation on the uplink or downlink data.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the radio frequency transceiver further includes a second switching module and a third switching module. The communication method further includes: generating a second clock signal via a clock circuit; controlling the second switching module to switch between the uplink and downlink paths under the control of the second clock signal; and controlling the third switching module to switch between the uplink and downlink paths.

[0027] In one possible implementation, the second switching module includes multiple first switches and multiple second switches. Under the control of a second clock signal, controlling the second switching module to switch between the uplink and downlink paths includes: controlling the first switches of the second switching module to turn on and the second switches to turn off, thereby enabling the downlink path, under the control of the second clock signal; or, controlling the second switches of the second switching module to turn on and the first switches to turn off, thereby enabling the uplink path, under the control of the second clock signal.

[0028] In one possible implementation, the second switching module further includes multiple first filters. The communication method also includes filtering the data in the uplink path using the first filters.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the third switch module includes multiple third switches and multiple fourth switches. Under the control of the second clock signal, controlling the third switch module to switch between the uplink and downlink paths includes: controlling the third switches of the third switch module to be turned on and the fourth switches to be turned off under the control of the second clock signal, thereby enabling the downlink path. Alternatively, controlling the fourth switches of the third switch module to be turned on and the third switches to be turned off under the control of the second clock signal, thereby enabling the uplink path.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the third switching module further includes multiple second filters. The communication method also includes filtering the data in the downlink path using the second filters.

[0031] In one possible implementation, the radio frequency transceiver also includes an amplification and filtering module. The communication method further includes amplifying and filtering the data in the uplink or downlink path using the amplification and filtering module.

[0032] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium including computer instructions that, when executed on an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the communication method in any possible implementation of the third aspect described above.

[0033] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product that, when run on a computer or processor, causes the computer or processor to execute the communication method in any possible implementation of the third aspect described above.

[0034] It is understood that any of the communication systems, communication methods, computer-readable storage media or computer program products provided above all relate to the radio frequency transceivers provided above. Therefore, the beneficial effects they can achieve can be referred to the beneficial effects in the corresponding radio frequency transceivers, which will not be repeated here.

[0035] These or other aspects of this application will become more readily apparent in the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0036] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0037] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a fully digital multi-beam MIMO radio frequency device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0038] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a hybrid / analog multi-beam MIMO radio frequency device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0039] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a radio frequency transceiver provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0040] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of data in an uplink or downlink path provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0041] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of another radio frequency transceiver device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0042] Figure 7 is a structural schematic diagram of another radio frequency transceiver device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0044] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of the embodiments, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more.

[0045] Furthermore, the term "coupling" is used to refer to electrical connections, including direct connections via wires or terminals or indirect connections via other devices. Therefore, "coupling" should be considered a broad type of electronic communication connection.

[0046] It should be noted that, in this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is being described as an example, illustration, or illustration. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design solutions. Specifically, the use of terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

[0047] The radio frequency transceiver device provided in this application embodiment can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication systems, future 5th Generation (5G) mobile communication systems or new radio access technology (NR), and the three major application scenarios of 5G mobile communication systems: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low latency communications (uRLLC), and massive machine-type communications (mMTC), device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, satellite communication systems, Internet of Things (IoT), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) systems, and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). 5G mobile communication systems include GSM (Global Standard), Enhanced Data Rate for GSM Evolution (EDGE), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access 2000 (CDMA2000), and Time Division-Synchronization Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA). 5G mobile communication systems can include non-standalone (NSA) and / or standalone (SA) architectures.

[0048] The communication method provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as sixth-generation mobile communication systems. This application does not limit this application.

[0049] Figure 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture. This system includes a network device and at least one terminal device (terminal device 1 and terminal device 2 in Figure 1). The network device can achieve high-speed point-to-multipoint communication with multiple terminal devices. The terminal devices connect to the network device wirelessly, and the network device can connect to the core network device wirelessly or via a wired connection. The core network device and the network device can be independent physical devices, or the functions of the core network device and the logical functions of the network device can be integrated on the same physical device. Alternatively, a single physical device can integrate some of the functions of the core network device and some of the functions of the network device. The terminal device can be fixed in location or mobile. Figure 1 is only a schematic diagram; the communication device may also include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in Figure 1. The embodiments of this application do not limit the number of network devices and terminal devices in this mobile communication device.

[0050] Network equipment is an access device that allows terminal devices to access the mobile communication system wirelessly. It can be a NodeB base station, an evolved NodeB base station, a base station in an NR mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or specific equipment form used in the network equipment.

[0051] Terminal equipment can also be called a terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc. Terminal equipment can include mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, virtual reality (VR) terminal devices, augmented reality (AR) terminal devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving vehicles, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, and so on.

[0052] Network devices and terminal devices can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can also be deployed in the air on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the network devices and terminal devices.

[0053] Network devices and terminal devices, as well as terminal devices themselves, can communicate using licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both simultaneously. The embodiments of this application do not limit the spectrum resources used between network devices and terminal devices.

[0054] Understandably, this application does not limit the specific form of network equipment and terminal equipment.

[0055] In communication systems, multiple input multiple output (MIMO) technology is widely used in radio frequency transceivers to improve communication speed or data transmission reliability.

[0056] Specifically, MIMO technology refers to the use of multiple antennas to transmit and receive signals in the field of wireless communication. Network devices and terminal devices can use MIMO technology to achieve power gain, spatial diversity gain, and spatial multiplexing gain. Spatial diversity refers to introducing signal redundancy in space to achieve diversity. For example, a terminal device can transmit two orthogonal data streams through two antennas to obtain diversity gain. Spatial multiplexing refers to transmitting multiple independent data streams on the same time-frequency resource on each antenna to improve spectral efficiency without increasing spectrum resources. For example, a terminal device can map the uplink data layer into two independent data streams and transmit them simultaneously through multiple antennas, thus multiplexing spatial resources on the same time-frequency resource.

[0057] In one possible implementation, a fully digital multi-beam MIMO scheme is proposed to realize a large number of RF paths in the RF transceiver. Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of a fully digital multi-beam MIMO RF device. This fully digital multi-beam MIMO RF device may include: a baseband processing module, a fully connected digital network, and M RF chains, where M is a positive integer. The M RF chains are, for example, RF chain 1, RF chain 2, RF chain 3, ..., RF chain M.

[0058] The baseband processing module is used to generate multiple data streams, such as data stream 1, data stream 2, ..., data stream N, where N is a positive integer and N≤M.

[0059] A fully connected digital network can transmit each of N data streams to any RF chain. A fully connected digital network can include multiple phase shifters, such as phase shifters P1 to Pm. The phase shifters can adjust the phase of the data streams for digital beamforming.

[0060] An RF chain can include downlink and uplink paths. The downlink path can include a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), an RF power amplifier (PA), and filters, while the uplink path can include an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), a low-noise amplifier (LNA), and filters. Additionally, each RF chain can correspond to one antenna.

[0061] In other words, each antenna in this all-digital multi-beam MIMO RF device is connected to a unique RF chain, meaning the device requires M ADCs and DACs, and the fully connected digital network also uses M phase shifters. Furthermore, the data volume of this all-digital multi-beam MIMO RF device is also M times larger. As the MIMO scale increases, the number of ADCs and DACs and the number of data streams also increase significantly, greatly increasing the cost, power consumption, and system complexity of the all-digital multi-beam MIMO RF device.

[0062] In another possible implementation, a hybrid / analog multi-beam MIMO scheme is proposed to realize a large number of RF paths in the RF transceiver. Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of a hybrid / analog multi-beam MIMO RF device. This hybrid / analog multi-beam MIMO RF device may include: a baseband processing module, an analog fully connected network, and M RF chains, where M is a positive integer. The M RF chains are, for example, RF chain 1, RF chain 2, RF chain 3, ..., RF chain M.

[0063] The baseband processing module is used to generate multiple data streams, such as data stream 1, data stream 2, ..., data stream N, where N is a positive integer and N≤M.

[0064] A simulated fully connected network can include multiple phase shifters, Butler networks, and switching matrices. The simulated fully connected network can transmit each of the N data streams to any RF chain through Butler networks and switching matrices, and can adjust the phase of the data streams through phase shifters.

[0065] Additionally, the RF chain can include downlink and uplink paths. The downlink path can include DACs, PAs, and filters, while the uplink path can include ADCs, LNAs, and filters. Unlike fully digital multi-beam MIMO RF devices, hybrid / analog multi-beam MIMO RF devices have N ADCs and DACs, significantly reducing the number of ADCs and DACs required.

[0066] However, this hybrid / analog multi-beam MIMO RF device still requires a very large volume and a large number of phase shifter networks, Butler networks and switch matrices to realize a fully connected analog network. In addition, the beam of this hybrid / analog multi-beam MIMO RF device is not flexible enough.

[0067] Therefore, this application provides a radio frequency transceiver device that adds a first switching module. The switch array in the first switching module can be controlled by a first clock signal to conduct multiple first input terminals and first output terminals according to preset rules, switching between different data streams to transmit data in a time-division multiplexing manner for the uplink or downlink paths of the radio frequency transceiver device. In addition, a conversion module can synthesize or distribute the data from the uplink or downlink paths, and multiple amplitude modulation and phase modulation modules can perform phase and amplitude modulation on the data from the uplink or downlink paths, improving beam flexibility. Thus, the radio frequency transceiver device achieves flexible uplink and downlink paths. Compared to digital multi-beam MIMO architectures or analog multi-beam MIMO architectures, the radio frequency transceiver device of this application has fewer components and a smaller size, reducing the cost, power consumption, and system complexity of the radio frequency transceiver device.

[0068] The radio frequency transceiver device provided in the embodiments of this application will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0069] This application provides a radio frequency (RF) transceiver device, which includes a clock circuit and a first switching module, as shown in Figure 4. Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of an RF transceiver device. It is understood that the structure of the RF transceiver device shown in Figure 4 does not constitute a limitation on the RF transceiver device. The RF transceiver device may include more or fewer components than shown in Figure 4, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0070] The clock circuit is used to generate the first clock signal.

[0071] For example, a clock circuit can generate a stable, precise, and synchronized pulse signal, such as a first clock signal. The clock circuit may include an oscillator, which may be a quartz crystal oscillator, a resistor-capacitor RC circuit, or other type of timing element, capable of continuously generating a sine wave signal or a square wave signal at a preset frequency (e.g., on the MHz level).

[0072] The first switching module includes a switch array, a conversion module, and multiple amplitude modulation (AM) and phase modulation (PM) modules (denoted as P1 to Pm in Figure 4), where m is a positive integer representing the number of RF chains in the RF transceiver. The switch array includes a first output terminal (denoted as B in Figure 4) and multiple first input terminals (denoted as A1 to An in Figure 4), where n is a positive integer representing the number of data streams. In the RF transceiver, the number of data streams is typically less than the number of RF chains, i.e., n ≤ m. The conversion module includes a second input terminal (denoted as C in Figure 4) and multiple second output terminals (denoted as D1 to Dm in Figure 4). The first output terminal and the second input terminal are coupled, and each second output terminal is coupled to an AM / PM module; for example, second output terminal D1 is coupled to AM / PM module P1.

[0073] The switch array is used to turn on multiple first input terminals and first output terminals according to a preset rule under the control of a first clock signal, so as to transmit data of the uplink or downlink path of the radio frequency transceiver. The conversion module is used to combine the data of the uplink path from multiple second output terminals to the second input terminal, or to distribute the data of the downlink path from the second input terminal to multiple second output terminals.

[0074] For example, the switch array can sequentially turn on multiple first input terminals and first output terminals according to a preset rule. In one possible example, the preset rule can be sequential turn-on, for example, the switch array can sequentially turn on the first input terminals A1, A2, A3, ..., An and the first output terminal, or the switch array can sequentially turn on the first input terminals An, An-1, An-2, ..., A1 and the first output terminal. In another possible example, the preset rule can also be out-of-order turn-on, for example, the switch array can sequentially turn on the first input terminals A2, An, A1, ..., A3 and the first output terminal. This application embodiment does not limit the turn-on order of the multiple first input terminals.

[0075] For example, as shown in Figure 5, Figure 5 illustrates a schematic diagram of data in an uplink or downlink path. In Figure 5, it is assumed that the switch array sequentially connects the first input terminals A1, A2, A3, ..., An to the first output terminal, and the n first input terminals respectively receive data streams 1 to n.

[0076] In a possible example, suppose the RF transceiver transmits data. The conversion module can be a power divider, which splits the data stream into several equal-power segments. During one sampling cycle of the RF transceiver, due to the time-division multiplexing of the switch array, information segments of data stream 1, data stream 2, ..., data stream n within their respective conduction times are transmitted to the power divider, resulting in a new data stream composed of information segments from data stream 1 to data stream n. This new data stream is then converted into m data streams by the power divider and transmitted to m amplitude modulation and phase modulation modules. In the next sampling cycle of the RF transceiver, information segments of data stream 1, data stream 2, ..., data stream n within their respective conduction times are transmitted to the power divider, again resulting in a new data stream composed of information segments from data stream 1 to data stream n. Similarly, this RF transceiver can time-division multiplex n data streams to m RF chains, achieving a more flexible downlink path.

[0077] Understandably, the information in the data stream during the corresponding conduction time can be a continuously changing voltage value.

[0078] In another possible example, suppose the RF transceiver receives data. The conversion module could be a combiner, which could combine the m data streams received by the RF transceiver. Within one sampling period of the RF transceiver, due to the time-division multiplexing of the switch array, each information segment in the data stream can be transmitted forward through the switch array in a time-division manner. In the next sampling period of the RF transceiver, each information segment of the next data stream can be transmitted forward through the switch array in a time-division manner. And so on, the RF transceiver can obtain n data streams in a time-division manner, achieving a more flexible uplink path.

[0079] Optionally, the frequency of the first clock signal is greater than the product of the number of the plurality of first input terminals and the maximum signal bandwidth of the radio frequency transceiver.

[0080] For example, the first clock signal can be a high-speed signal. The number of the multiple first input terminals is the same as the number of data streams; in other words, the frequency of the first clock signal is greater than the product of the number of data streams and the maximum signal bandwidth of the RF transceiver.

[0081] In the downlink path of the radio frequency transceiver, the frequency of the first clock signal is greater than the product of the number of data streams and the maximum signal bandwidth of the radio frequency transceiver. This ensures that the information of data streams 1 to n is not lost after being periodically transmitted, thus guaranteeing signal quality.

[0082] In the uplink path of the RF transceiver, since the received signals of data streams 1 to n are amplitude-modulated and phase-modulated through m RF chains before they have beam direction, they can be converted into data streams 1 to n. At this time, the frequency of the first clock signal needs to be greater than the product of the number of data streams and the maximum signal bandwidth of the RF transceiver to ensure that the information of data streams 1 to n is not lost after being periodically transmitted, thus ensuring signal quality.

[0083] The amplitude and phase modulation module is used to perform phase and amplitude modulation on the data in the uplink or downlink path.

[0084] For example, to improve the directionality and interference resistance of signal transmission, radio frequency transceivers employ beamforming technology. This involves using multiple antennas working together and precisely controlling the time difference (i.e., phase) or amplitude ratio of the signals transmitted by each antenna to form a virtual, highly concentrated electromagnetic beam, thereby enhancing the signal in a specified direction while significantly attenuating it in other directions.

[0085] Therefore, the RF transceiver can use the amplitude modulation and phase modulation module to adjust the phase of the data in the uplink or downlink path to achieve beamforming, enabling multiple data streams to achieve an additive effect in a specified direction. Additionally, the RF transceiver can also use the amplitude modulation and phase modulation module to adjust the amplitude of the data in the uplink or downlink path to increase beam flexibility.

[0086] Optionally, the radio frequency transceiver may also include a second switch module and a third switch module, as shown in Figure 6, which illustrates a schematic diagram of another radio frequency transceiver.

[0087] In this configuration, the multiple third output terminals of the second switch module are coupled one-to-one with the multiple first input terminals of the switch array of the first switch module, and the multiple third input terminals of the third switch module are coupled one-to-one with the multiple amplitude modulation and phase modulation modules of the first switch module.

[0088] The clock circuit is also used to generate a second clock signal.

[0089] For example, the second clock signal can be a fast signal or a slow signal, and the frequency of the second clock signal is not limited in this application embodiment.

[0090] The second switch module is used to switch the uplink or downlink path under the control of the second clock signal, and the third switch module is used to switch the uplink or downlink path under the control of the second clock signal.

[0091] For example, when the RF transceiver is transmitting a data stream, the second clock signal controls both the second and third switching modules to switch to the downlink path. When the RF transceiver is receiving a data stream, the second clock signal controls both the second and third switching modules to switch to the uplink path.

[0092] Therefore, by switching the uplink and downlink paths through the second and third switching modules, the RF transceiver can save on the number of components and reduce their size, such as reducing the number of ADCs and DACs, thereby reducing the cost, power consumption and system complexity of the RF transceiver.

[0093] Optionally, referring to Figure 6, the second switch module has multiple first switches (represented by S1 in Figure 6) and multiple second switches (represented by S2 in Figure 6). The first ends of the multiple first switches are coupled one-to-one with the multiple third output ends of the second switch module. The first ends of the multiple second switches are coupled one-to-one with the multiple third output ends of the second switch module. The multiple third output ends of the second switch module are coupled one-to-one with the multiple first input ends of the switch array of the first switch module.

[0094] The second switch module is specifically used to control the first switch to be turned on and the second switch to be turned off under the control of the second clock signal, so as to conduct the downlink path. Alternatively, the second switch module is specifically used to control the second switch to be turned on and the first switch to be turned off under the control of the second clock signal, so as to conduct the uplink path.

[0095] For example, the second switching module can be understood as including multiple single-pole double-throw switches, that is, S1 or S2 is on at the same time. When S1 is on and S2 is off, the downlink path is open, and the RF transceiver can transmit data. When S2 is on and S1 is off, the uplink path is open, and the RF transceiver can receive data.

[0096] In other words, the RF transceiver can switch between uplink and downlink paths using multiple first switches and multiple second switches, making the uplink and downlink paths more flexible. Additionally, it can reduce the number of RF links, as well as the number of devices such as analog-to-digital converters, digital-to-analog converters, and phase shifters, thereby reducing the cost, power consumption, and system complexity of the RF transceiver.

[0097] For example, the first switch and the second switch can be transistors or a combination of transistors. In one possible example, the transistor can be an N-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) (hereinafter referred to as NMOS) or a P-type MOS (hereinafter referred to as PMOS). Taking NMOS as an example, when the gate input of NMOS is high, NMOS is turned on. When the gate input of NMOS is low, NMOS is turned off. Taking PMOS as an example, when the gate input of PMOS is low, PMOS is turned on. When the gate input of PMOS is high, PMOS is turned off.

[0098] Optionally, referring to Figure 6, the second switch module also includes multiple first filters, which are coupled to the second terminals of the second switch. The first filters are used to filter the data in the uplink path.

[0099] For example, the radio frequency transceiver device has a first filter at the end of the uplink path. The first filter can further filter the data in the uplink path, which can improve the spectrum mirror harmonic problem caused by the uplink and downlink paths of the first switching module.

[0100] Optionally, referring to Figure 6, the third switch module includes multiple third switches (represented by S3 in Figure 5) and multiple fourth switches (represented by S4 in Figure 5). The first terminal of each third switch is coupled to the amplitude modulation and phase modulation module, and the first terminal of each fourth switch is coupled to the amplitude modulation and phase modulation module.

[0101] The third switch module is specifically used to control the third switch to be turned on and the fourth switch to be turned off under the control of the second clock signal, so as to conduct the downlink path. Alternatively, the third switch module is specifically used to control the fourth switch to be turned on and the third switch to be turned off under the control of the second clock signal, so as to conduct the uplink path.

[0102] For example, the third switch module can be understood as including multiple single-pole double-throw switches, meaning that S3 or S4 is on at the same time. When S3 is on and S4 is off, the downlink path is open, and the RF transceiver can transmit data. When S4 is on and S3 is off, the uplink path is open, and the RF transceiver can receive data.

[0103] For example, an RF transceiver can switch between uplink and downlink paths using multiple third and fourth switches, making the uplink and downlink paths more flexible. Additionally, it can reduce the number of RF links, as well as the number of devices such as analog-to-digital converters, digital-to-analog converters, and phase shifters, thereby reducing the cost, power consumption, and system complexity of the RF transceiver.

[0104] For example, the third and fourth switches can be transistors or combinations of transistors, which will not be elaborated here.

[0105] Optionally, referring to Figure 6, the third switch module also includes multiple second filters. The second filters are coupled to the second terminal of the third switch, and the second filters are used to filter the data in the downlink path.

[0106] For example, the radio frequency transceiver device has a second filter at the end of the downlink path. This second filter can further filter the data in the downlink path, which can improve the spectral mirror harmonic problem caused by the uplink and downlink paths of the first switching module.

[0107] Optionally, the RF transceiver also includes an amplification and filtering module, as shown in Figure 7, which illustrates a schematic diagram of another RF transceiver. The amplification and filtering module is used to amplify and filter the data in the uplink or downlink path.

[0108] For example, in the downlink path, the amplification and filtering module may include an RF power amplifier and a third filter (not shown in Figure 7). The RF power amplifier converts small signals in the RF transceiver into high-power RF signals suitable for long-distance transmission, reducing signal attenuation during transmission and ensuring signal quality. The third filter filters the data in the downlink path to eliminate out-of-band signals, reduce out-of-band interference, and improve signal quality.

[0109] For example, in the uplink path, the amplification and filtering module may include a low-noise amplifier and a fourth filter (not shown in Figure 7). The low-noise amplifier can enhance the signal strength of the data in the uplink path while ensuring signal quality. For instance, the low-noise amplifier can amplify the data received by the RF transceiver, increasing the signal power to be sufficient for subsequent processing and transmission. Additionally, the low-noise amplifier can suppress noise, improve the signal-to-noise ratio, and enhance signal quality. The fourth filter can filter the data in the uplink path to eliminate out-of-band signals, reduce out-of-band interference, and improve signal quality.

[0110] Optionally, referring to Figure 7, the RF transceiver may also include a baseband processing module, which generates multiple data streams, such as data stream 1 to data stream n. Additionally, the baseband processing module can demodulate the received modulated signal to recover the data content.

[0111] For example, the baseband processing module may include an ADC and a DAC, wherein the ADC is used to convert the analog data stream into a digital data stream for use in the downlink path, and the DAC is used to convert the digital data stream into an analog data stream for use in the uplink path.

[0112] Applied to the aforementioned radio frequency transceiver device, this application also provides a communication method, as shown in FIG8, which illustrates a flowchart of a communication method. The communication method includes the following steps.

[0113] S801, the radio frequency transceiver generates a first clock signal through a clock circuit.

[0114] S802. Under the control of the first clock signal, the radio frequency transceiver device turns on multiple first input terminals and first output terminals of the switch module according to preset rules to transmit data of the uplink or downlink path of the radio frequency transceiver device.

[0115] S803, the radio frequency transceiver uses a conversion module to combine data from multiple second outputs of the conversion module to a second input, or to distribute data from the second input of the conversion module to multiple second outputs.

[0116] S804. The radio frequency transceiver uses an amplitude modulation and phase modulation module to perform phase modulation and amplitude modulation on the data in the uplink or downlink path.

[0117] Therefore, in the communication method provided in this application embodiment, the switch array in the first switch module can be controlled by a first clock signal to conduct multiple first input terminals and first output terminals according to preset rules, so as to switch between different data streams and transmit the uplink or downlink data of the RF transceiver device in a time-division multiplexing manner. In addition, the conversion module can synthesize or distribute the uplink or downlink data, and multiple amplitude modulation and phase modulation modules can perform phase modulation and amplitude modulation on the uplink or downlink data to improve beam flexibility. Thus, the RF transceiver device achieves flexible uplink and downlink paths. Compared with digital multi-beam MIMO architectures or analog multi-beam MIMO architectures, the RF transceiver device in this application embodiment has fewer components and a smaller size, reducing the cost, power consumption, and system complexity of the RF transceiver device.

[0118] Optionally, the communication method further includes: the radio frequency transceiver generates a second clock signal through a clock circuit, and under the control of the second clock signal, the radio frequency transceiver controls the second switching module to switch the uplink path or the downlink path, and controls the third switching module to switch the uplink path or the downlink path.

[0119] Optionally, under the control of the second clock signal, the RF transceiver controls the second switching module to switch between the uplink and downlink paths, including: under the control of the second clock signal, the RF transceiver controls the first switch of the second switching module to be turned on and the second switch to be turned off, so as to enable the downlink path. Alternatively, under the control of the second clock signal, the RF transceiver controls the second switch of the second switching module to be turned on and the first switch to be turned off, so as to enable the uplink path.

[0120] Optionally, the communication method further includes: the radio frequency transceiver filtering the data in the uplink path through a first filter.

[0121] Optionally, under the control of the second clock signal, the RF transceiver controls the third switch module to switch between the uplink and downlink paths, including: under the control of the second clock signal, the RF transceiver controls the third switch of the third switch module to be turned on and the fourth switch to be turned off, so as to enable the downlink path. Alternatively, under the control of the second clock signal, the RF transceiver controls the fourth switch of the third switch module to be turned on and the third switch to be turned off, so as to enable the uplink path.

[0122] Optionally, the communication method also includes: the radio frequency transceiver filtering the data in the downlink path through a second filter.

[0123] This application also provides a communication system, which may include an antenna array and the aforementioned radio frequency transceiver. The antenna array is used to transmit signals processed by the radio frequency transceiver, and the radio frequency transceiver is used to process signals received by the antenna array.

[0124] The downlink and uplink flow of the communication system provided in the embodiments of this application are described below.

[0125] The downlink path process of the communication system may include:

[0126] (1) The baseband processing module generates data stream 1 to data stream n.

[0127] (2) The second switch module controls the first switch to turn on under the control of the second clock signal, so as to turn on the downlink path, and data stream 1 to data stream n are transmitted to the first switch module through the second switch module.

[0128] (3) Under the control of the first clock signal, the first switching module controls the switching array to conduct multiple first input terminals and first output terminals according to preset rules, so as to switch between data stream 1 to data stream n to obtain a new data stream. While the switching array is switching, information segments of data stream 1 to data stream n can pass through the switching array in a time-division manner, and each amplitude modulation and phase modulation module can synchronously perform phase modulation and amplitude modulation of the new data stream.

[0129] (4) Under the control of the second clock signal, the third switch module controls the third switch to turn on, so as to turn on the downlink path and transmit the data stream after adjusting the phase and amplitude to the second filter. The second filter filters out out-of-band signals such as mirror images in the data stream and transmits them to the amplification and filtering module.

[0130] (5) The amplification and filtering module amplifies and filters the data stream and transmits it to the antenna array.

[0131] (6) The antenna array radiates signals in any specified direction based on the data flow.

[0132] The uplink process of the communication system may include:

[0133] (1) Data streams 1 to n are received by the antenna array and distributed in radio frequency chains 1 to m to obtain m data streams.

[0134] (2) The amplification and filtering module amplifies and filters the data stream of each RF link.

[0135] (3) The third switch module controls the fourth switch to turn on under the control of the second clock signal, so as to turn on the uplink path and transmit m data streams to the first switch module.

[0136] (4) m data streams are modulated in time and phase by m amplitude modulation and phase modulation modules to form data streams 1 to n in any specified beam direction. The first switching module controls the switching array to turn on multiple first input terminals and first output terminals according to preset rules under the control of the first clock signal, so as to switch between data streams 1 to n and transmit data streams 1 to n to the second switching module.

[0137] (5) The second switch module controls the second switch to be turned on under the control of the second clock signal, so as to turn on the uplink path. At the same time, the first filter in each uplink path filters the data stream to filter out out-of-band signals such as mirrors in the data stream.

[0138] (6) The baseband processing module demodulates data streams 1 to n.

[0139] This application also provides an electronic device, including one or more processors and one or more memories. The one or more memories are coupled to the one or more processors, and the one or more memories are used to store computer program code, including computer instructions. When the one or more processors execute the computer instructions, the electronic device performs the aforementioned method steps to implement the communication method in the above embodiments.

[0140] Embodiments of this application also provide a computer storage medium storing computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed on an electronic device, the electronic device performs the aforementioned method steps to implement the communication method in the above embodiments.

[0141] Embodiments of this application also provide a computer program product that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the aforementioned related steps to implement the communication method executed by the electronic device in the above embodiments.

[0142] In addition, embodiments of this application also provide an apparatus, which may specifically be a chip, component, or module. The apparatus may include a connected processor and a memory. The memory is used to store computer execution instructions. When the apparatus is running, the processor can execute the computer execution instructions stored in the memory to cause the chip to execute the communication methods executed by the electronic devices in the above-described method embodiments.

[0143] The communication system, electronic device, computer storage medium, computer program product or chip provided in this embodiment all involve the radio frequency transceiver device provided above. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can be referred to the beneficial effects of the radio frequency transceiver device provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0144] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, only the division of the above functional modules is used as an example. In actual applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0145] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of modules or 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 device, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0146] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. A component shown as a unit can be one or more physical units; that is, it can be located in one place or distributed in multiple different locations. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0147] Furthermore, 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. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0148] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, essentially or in other words, the parts that contribute to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solutions, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a device (which may be a microcontroller, chip, etc.) or processor 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, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0149] 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 radio frequency transceiver, characterized in that, The radio frequency transceiver includes: a clock circuit and a first switching module; The clock circuit is used to generate a first clock signal; The first switching module includes: a switch array, a conversion module, and multiple amplitude modulation and phase modulation modules; The switch array includes a first output terminal and multiple first input terminals, and the conversion module includes a second input terminal and multiple second output terminals. The first output terminal and the second input terminal are coupled, and each second output terminal is coupled to an amplitude modulation and phase modulation module. The switch array is used to turn on the plurality of first input terminals and the first output terminal according to a preset rule under the control of the first clock signal, so as to transmit the data of the uplink or downlink path of the radio frequency transceiver. The conversion module is used to synthesize the data of the uplink path from the plurality of second output terminals to the second input terminal, or to distribute the data of the downlink path from the second input terminal to the plurality of second output terminals; The amplitude and phase modulation module is used to perform phase and amplitude modulation on the data of the uplink or downlink.

2. The radio frequency transceiver according to claim 1, characterized in that, The frequency of the first clock signal is greater than the product of the number of the plurality of first input terminals and the maximum signal bandwidth of the radio frequency transceiver.

3. The radio frequency transceiver according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The radio frequency transceiver further includes: a second switch module and a third switch module, wherein a plurality of third output terminals of the second switch module are coupled one-to-one with a plurality of first input terminals of the switch array of the first switch module, and a plurality of third input terminals of the third switch module are coupled one-to-one with a plurality of amplitude modulation and phase modulation modules of the first switch module. The clock circuit is also used to generate a second clock signal; The second switching module is used to switch the uplink path or the downlink path under the control of the second clock signal; The third switching module is used to switch the uplink path or the downlink path under the control of the second clock signal.

4. The radio frequency transceiver according to claim 3, characterized in that, The second switch module includes a plurality of first switches and a plurality of second switches. The first ends of the plurality of first switches are coupled one-to-one with the plurality of third output ends of the second switch module. The first ends of the plurality of second switches are coupled one-to-one with the plurality of third output ends of the second switch module. The plurality of third output ends of the second switch module are coupled one-to-one with the plurality of first input ends of the switch array of the first switch module. The second switch module is specifically used to control the first switch to be turned on and the second switch to be turned off under the control of the second clock signal, so as to connect the downlink path; or, under the control of the second clock signal, to control the second switch to be turned on and the first switch to be turned off, so as to connect the uplink path.

5. The radio frequency transceiver according to claim 4, characterized in that, The second switching module also includes a plurality of first filters, the first filters being coupled to the second terminal of the second switch; The first filter is used to filter the data in the uplink path.

6. The radio frequency transceiver according to any one of claims 3-5, characterized in that, The third switch module includes multiple third switches and multiple fourth switches. The first end of each third switch is coupled to the amplitude modulation and phase modulation module, and the first end of each fourth switch is coupled to the amplitude modulation and phase modulation module. The third switch module is specifically used to control the third switch to be turned on and the fourth switch to be turned off under the control of the second clock signal, so as to connect the downlink path; or, under the control of the second clock signal, to control the fourth switch to be turned on and the third switch to be turned off, so as to connect the uplink path.

7. The radio frequency transceiver according to claim 6, characterized in that, The third switch module also includes multiple second filters, which are coupled to the second terminals of the third switch. The second filter is used to filter the data in the downlink path.

8. The radio frequency transceiver according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The radio frequency transceiver also includes an amplification and filtering module; The amplification and filtering module is used to amplify and filter the data in the uplink or downlink path.

9. A communication system, characterized in that, The communication system includes an antenna array and a radio frequency transceiver as described in any one of claims 1-8; The antenna array is used to transmit the signal processed by the radio frequency transceiver. Alternatively, the radio frequency transceiver is used to process the signals received by the antenna array.

10. A communication method, characterized in that, The communication method is applied to a radio frequency transceiver device, which includes a clock circuit and a first switching module. The first switching module includes a switch array, a conversion module, and multiple amplitude modulation and phase modulation modules. The communication method includes: A first clock signal is generated by the clock circuit. Under the control of the first clock signal, multiple first input terminals and first output terminals of the switching module are turned on according to preset rules to transmit data of the uplink or downlink path of the radio frequency transceiver. The conversion module can combine the data of the uplink path from multiple second outputs to a second input, or distribute the data of the downlink path from the second input to multiple second outputs. The amplitude and phase modulation module is used to perform phase and amplitude modulation on the data of the uplink or downlink.

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