CN108140947A - Analog-digital hybrid array antenna and communication equipment - Google Patents
Analog-digital hybrid array antenna and communication equipment Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CN108140947A CN108140947A CN201580083920.7A CN201580083920A CN108140947A CN 108140947 A CN108140947 A CN 108140947A CN 201580083920 A CN201580083920 A CN 201580083920A CN 108140947 A CN108140947 A CN 108140947A
- Authority
- CN
- China
- Prior art keywords
- analog
- digital
- channel
- unit
- array antenna
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Pending
Links
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
- H01Q3/00—Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system
- H01Q3/26—Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture
- H01Q3/28—Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture varying the amplitude
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
- H01Q21/00—Antenna arrays or systems
- H01Q21/06—Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
- H01Q3/00—Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system
- H01Q3/26—Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture
- H01Q3/30—Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture varying the relative phase between the radiating elements of an array
- H01Q3/34—Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture varying the relative phase between the radiating elements of an array by electrical means
- H01Q3/36—Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture varying the relative phase between the radiating elements of an array by electrical means with variable phase-shifters
Landscapes
- Variable-Direction Aerials And Aerial Arrays (AREA)
- Radio Transmission System (AREA)
Abstract
The embodiment of the present invention provides a kind of analog-digital hybrid array antenna and communication equipment, the analog transceiver channel connection corresponding with one respectively of each antenna element, each analog transceiver channel is connect with main digital transmitting and receiving channel, the input/output port connection of main digital transmitting and receiving channel and array antenna；In the dimension in each space of array antenna, the also sub-figure receiving channel connection corresponding with one respectively of at least two antenna elements；Each subnumber receiving channel and each analog transceiver channel are connect with control unit.
Description
The embodiment of the invention relates to an antenna technology, in particular to an analog-digital hybrid array antenna and communication equipment.
With the development of communication technology, spectrum resources have become more and more limited, and how to improve the capacity of a communication system under the limited spectrum resources is a direction of continuous research in the field of communication. Array antennas are one of the popular technologies in the field of communications today. The array antenna is used on the communication equipment, so that the communication equipment can provide a new spatial dimension in space to fully utilize the existing spectrum resources. Under the condition that the current spectrum resources are limited, the capacity of the existing communication network system can be greatly improved by using the array antenna technology. Therefore, in future fifth Generation mobile communication technology (5th Generation, 5G) communication devices, the array antenna technology has become a main alternative technology.
The basic principle of the array antenna is to arrange a plurality of antenna elements into an array according to certain requirements, and finally the directional pattern of the array can be directed differently according to the phase of the signal on each antenna element. The pattern of the array antenna will result in a large gain in the desired direction and a small gain in the undesired direction (which can be used to combat interference). Each antenna unit of the array antenna needs to be connected with an amplitude modulation device and a phase modulation device respectively, so that the amplitude and the phase of each antenna unit can be adjusted, and the aim of adjusting the directional diagram of the whole array antenna is fulfilled.
The array antenna at present has several forms of full analog array, full digital array and mixed analog and digital subarray architecture. Each antenna unit of the full-analog array only supports analog amplitude modulation and phase modulation, the analog amplitude modulation and the analog phase modulation can only be aligned to a target direction in a step-by-step scanning mode, and time consumption and precision are low in the actual scanning process. Each antenna unit of the all-Digital array is provided with a corresponding Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) unit and an Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) unit, and the amplitude modulation and the phase modulation of the antenna units are realized in a Digital domain, so that the rapid continuous scanning can be realized. However, analog mixers or modems are required to be connected between the antenna units and the DAC and ADC units, and because of the high cost of the DAC and ADC, each antenna unit is connected to a DAC and ADC unit, and additional analog mixers or modems result in high cost of the all-digital array.
The mixed analog and digital subarray architecture combines the advantages of a full analog array and a full digital array, a plurality of analog amplitude modulation and phase modulation antenna units form a subarray, then digital quantization is realized on the subarray, and a plurality of digitally quantized subarrays form a total antenna array. However, the structure has the problems that the weight adjustment of the analog part of the subarray can be influenced by the uniform digital part, so that the phases of the antenna array cannot be continuous, and the directional pattern of the antenna can have grating lobes. After the weight of the analog part is set, the directions of the target signal and the interference signal cannot be accurately estimated by using the digital part, so that the existing interference suppression effect is difficult to achieve.
In summary, the conventional full analog array and full digital array antennas have different degrees of problems in terms of cost and scanning accuracy, and the mixed analog and digital subarray architecture also has problems in terms of interference suppression, so how to design an array antenna that is better in terms of cost, scanning accuracy and interference suppression is an urgent problem to be solved at present.
Disclosure of Invention
The embodiment of the invention provides an analog-digital hybrid array antenna and communication equipment, which are used for reducing the cost of the array antenna on the basis of realizing better-performance beam space scanning.
A first aspect provides an analog-digital hybrid array antenna, where the array antenna includes at least one spatial dimension, and the spatial dimension of the array antenna includes at least three antenna units, each antenna unit is connected to a corresponding analog transceiving channel, each analog transceiving channel is connected to a main digital transceiving channel, and the main digital transceiving channel is connected to an input/output port of the array antenna;
in the dimension of each space of the array antenna, at least two adjacent antenna units are also respectively connected with a corresponding sub-digital receiving channel;
each subnumber receiving channel and each analog transceiving channel are connected with the control unit;
the control unit is configured to estimate a received signal of the array antenna according to a signal received by each sub-digital receiving channel in each dimension of each space and a pilot signal of a system in which the array antenna is located, and determine a channel adjustment weight parameter of each analog transceiving channel according to the estimated received signal, where the channel adjustment weight parameter is used to adjust a channel parameter of each analog transceiving channel, so as to control a beam direction of the array antenna.
With reference to the first aspect, in a first possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a dimension of each space of the array antenna, a distance between at least two antenna units connected to a sub-digital receiving channel is less than or equal to one-half of a wavelength corresponding to a supported frequency band of the array antenna.
With reference to the first aspect or the first possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a second possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the main digital transceiving channel includes a digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion unit, a first frequency mixing unit, and a first filtering unit;
the digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion unit is connected with the input/output port and is connected with each analog transceiving channel through the first filtering unit and the first frequency mixing unit in sequence.
With reference to any one possible implementation manner of the first aspect to the second possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a third possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the sub-digital receiving channel includes an analog-to-digital conversion unit, a second mixing unit, and a second filtering unit;
the analog-to-digital conversion unit is connected with the control unit and is connected with the corresponding antenna unit sequentially through the second filtering unit and the second frequency mixing unit.
With reference to any one possible implementation manner of the first aspect to the third possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a fourth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the analog transceiving channel includes an analog phase modulation unit and an analog amplitude modulation unit;
the analog phase modulation unit and the analog amplitude modulation unit are connected in series between the corresponding antenna unit and the main digital transceiving channel;
the channel parameters of the analog transceiving channel comprise phase parameters of the analog phase modulation unit and amplitude parameters of the analog amplitude modulation unit;
the control unit is further configured to perform discretization on the channel adjustment weight parameters to obtain phase parameters of the analog phase modulation units and amplitude parameters of the analog amplitude modulation units of the analog transceiving channels.
With reference to any one of the first aspect to the fourth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a fifth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the control unit is specifically configured to estimate an incoming wave guide vector of the array antenna according to a signal received by each sub-digital receiving channel in each dimension of each space and a pilot signal of a system in which the array antenna is located, and determine a channel adjustment weight parameter of each analog transceiving channel according to the incoming wave guide vector and the pilot signal of the signal to be received.
A second aspect provides a communication device comprising a digital baseband unit and an analog-digital hybrid array antenna;
the array antenna comprises at least one spatial dimension, the dimension of each space of the array antenna comprises at least three antenna units, each antenna unit is respectively connected with a corresponding analog transceiving channel, each analog transceiving channel is connected with a main digital transceiving channel, the main digital transceiving channel is connected with an input/output port of the array antenna, and the input/output port is connected with the digital baseband unit;
in the dimension of each space of the array antenna, at least two adjacent antenna units are also respectively connected with a corresponding sub-digital receiving channel;
each subnumber receiving channel and each analog transceiving channel are connected with the control unit;
the control unit is configured to estimate a received signal of the array antenna according to a signal received by each sub-digital receiving channel in each dimension of each space and a pilot signal of a system in which the array antenna is located, and determine a channel adjustment weight parameter of each analog transceiving channel according to the estimated received signal, where the channel adjustment weight parameter is used to adjust a channel parameter of each analog transceiving channel, so as to control a beam direction of the array antenna.
With reference to the second aspect, in a first possible implementation manner of the second aspect, in each spatial dimension of the array antenna, a distance between at least two antenna units connected to a sub-digital receiving channel is less than or equal to one-half of a wavelength corresponding to a supported frequency band of the array antenna.
With reference to the second aspect or the first possible implementation manner of the second aspect, in a second possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the main digital transceiving channel includes a digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion unit, a first mixing unit, and a first filtering unit;
the digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion unit is connected with the input/output port and is connected with each analog transceiving channel through the first filtering unit and the first frequency mixing unit in sequence.
With reference to any one possible implementation manner of the second aspect to the second possible implementation manner of the second aspect, in a third possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the sub-digital receiving channel includes an analog-to-digital conversion unit, a second mixing unit, and a second filtering unit;
the analog-to-digital conversion unit is connected with the control unit and is connected with the corresponding antenna unit sequentially through the second filtering unit and the second frequency mixing unit.
With reference to any one possible implementation manner of the second aspect to the third possible implementation manner of the second aspect, in a fourth possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the analog transceiving channel includes an analog phase modulation unit and an analog amplitude modulation unit;
the analog phase modulation unit and the analog amplitude modulation unit are connected in series between the corresponding antenna unit and the main digital transceiving channel;
the channel parameters of the analog transceiving channel comprise phase parameters of the analog phase modulation unit and amplitude parameters of the analog amplitude modulation unit;
the control unit is further configured to perform discretization on the channel adjustment weight parameters to obtain phase parameters of the analog phase modulation units and amplitude parameters of the analog amplitude modulation units of the analog transceiving channels.
With reference to any one of the second to the fourth possible implementation manners of the second aspect, in a fifth possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the control unit is specifically configured to estimate an incoming wave guide vector of the array antenna according to a signal received by each sub-digital receiving channel in each spatial dimension and a pilot signal of a system in which the array antenna is located, and determine a channel adjustment weight parameter of each analog transceiving channel according to the incoming wave guide vector and the pilot signal of the signal to be received.
In the analog-digital hybrid array antenna and the communication device provided by this embodiment, each antenna unit of the array antenna is connected to an analog transceiving channel, and at least two antenna units are respectively connected to a sub-digital receiving channel in each dimension of each space of the array antenna, and each sub-digital receiving channel and each analog transceiving channel are connected to a control unit; estimating the received signal of the array antenna through the sub-digital receiving channel, and determining the channel adjusting weight parameter of each analog receiving and transmitting channel according to the estimated received signal, wherein the channel adjusting weight parameter is used for adjusting the channel parameter of each analog receiving and transmitting channel so as to control the beam direction of the array antenna, thereby reducing the cost of the array antenna on the basis of realizing beam space scanning with better performance.
In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present invention, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained according to these drawings without creative efforts.
Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a conventional full analog array antenna;
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a fully digital array antenna;
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a hybrid analog and digital subarray architecture antenna;
fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a first embodiment of an analog-digital hybrid array antenna according to the present invention;
fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a second embodiment of an analog-digital hybrid array antenna according to the present invention;
fig. 6A to fig. 6E are schematic diagrams illustrating an arrangement of antenna elements of an analog-digital hybrid array antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention;
fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a channel estimation algorithm of an analog-digital hybrid array antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention;
fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a first communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are some, but not all, embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.
Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a conventional full-analog array antenna, and as shown in fig. 1, the conventional full-analog array antenna includes a plurality of antenna units 11, each antenna unit 11 is connected to a corresponding analog phase modulation unit 12 and an analog amplitude modulation unit 13, and the analog phase modulation unit 12 and the analog amplitude modulation unit 13 corresponding to each antenna unit 11 constitute an analog transceiving channel corresponding to the antenna unit 11. Each analog transceiving channel is connected with a frequency mixing unit 14, the frequency mixing unit 14 is connected with a filtering unit 15, and the filtering unit 15 is connected with a digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion unit 16. The full analog array antenna is connected via a digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion unit 16 to a digital baseband unit 17 of the communication device using the antenna. The digital baseband unit 17 generates a digital signal to be transmitted by the communication device, and transmits the digital signal to be transmitted to the digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion unit 16, the digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion unit 16 converts the digital signal transmitted by the digital baseband unit 17 into an analog signal, then the analog signal is filtered by the filtering unit 15 and transmitted to the frequency mixing unit 14, the frequency mixing unit 14 mixes the filtered analog signal with the local oscillator signal of the local oscillator unit 18 to obtain a radio frequency signal to be transmitted, and then the radio frequency signal is transmitted through each analog transceiving channel. Each analog transceiving channel performs separate amplitude modulation and phase modulation processing on the radio frequency signal sent by the mixing unit 14 through the analog phase modulation unit 12 and the analog amplitude modulation unit 13, and then sends out the radio frequency signal through each antenna unit 11. Thus, each antenna element 11 of the fully analog array antenna can transmit radio frequency signals with different amplitudes and phases. The processing flow of receiving signals by using the fully analog array antenna is the inverse process of the processing flow of transmitting signals, and is not described herein again.
However, because each analog transceiving channel of the full analog array antenna is processed by the analog phase modulation unit 12 and the analog amplitude modulation unit 13, and because of the structural characteristics of the analog phase modulation unit 12 and the analog amplitude modulation unit 13, the target direction can only be aligned by adopting a gradual scanning mode, the time consumption and the precision are low in the actual scanning process, and because the full analog array antenna has slow estimation and feedback of interference signals, the capacity of the full analog array antenna for dealing with multi-user interference is poor.
Fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of an all-digital array antenna, as shown in fig. 2, the all-digital array antenna includes a plurality of antenna units 21, and each antenna unit 21 is connected with a corresponding frequency mixing unit 22 and a corresponding filtering unit 23, and a digital-to-analog and an analog-to-digital conversion unit 24. The analog mixing unit 22 and the filtering unit 23 corresponding to each antenna unit 21, and the digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital converting unit 24 constitute a digital transceiving channel corresponding to the antenna unit 21. The digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion units 24 in the respective digital transceiving channels are connected to a digital baseband unit 25 of the communication device using the antenna, respectively. The digital baseband unit 25 generates a digital signal to be transmitted by the communication device, and transmits the digital signal to be transmitted to the digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion units 24 of the digital transceiving channels, the digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion units 24 convert the digital signal transmitted by the digital baseband unit 25 into an analog signal, filter the analog signal by the filtering unit 23, and transmit the analog signal to the frequency mixing unit 22, the frequency mixing unit 22 mixes the filtered analog signal with the local oscillator signal of the local oscillator unit 26 to obtain a radio frequency signal to be transmitted, and then transmits the radio frequency signal to be transmitted through each antenna unit 21. The amplitude and phase of the rf signals transmitted by each antenna unit 21 are implemented in the digital domain by the digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion unit 24 in the corresponding digital transceiving channel, so that each antenna unit 21 of the all-digital array antenna can also transmit rf signals with different amplitudes and phases. The processing flow of receiving signals by using the all-digital array antenna is the inverse process of the processing flow of transmitting signals, and is not described herein again.
The speed and precision of adjusting the amplitude and the phase of the signal in the digital domain are high, but the all-digital array antenna needs a separate digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion unit 24 for each digital transceiving channel, and the cost of the digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion unit 24 is high, which results in high cost of the all-digital array antenna.
Fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a hybrid analog and digital subarray antenna, as shown in fig. 3, the hybrid analog and digital subarray antenna includes a plurality of antenna units 31, each antenna unit 31 is connected to a corresponding analog phase modulation unit 32 and an analog amplitude modulation unit 33, and the analog phase modulation unit 32 and the analog amplitude modulation unit 33 corresponding to each antenna unit 31 constitute an analog transceiving channel corresponding to the antenna unit 31. Several analog transceiving channels are connected to one mixing unit 34, the whole antenna comprises at least two mixing units 34, and each mixing unit 34 is connected to several analog transceiving channels. Each mixing unit 34 is connected to a filtering unit 35, and each filtering unit 35 is connected to a digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital converting unit 36. The digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion units 36 are connected to a digital baseband unit 37 of the communication device using the antenna. Each digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion unit 36 and each analog transceiving channel and antenna unit 31 connected thereto form a subarray of a mixed analog and digital subarray architecture antenna. The digital baseband unit 37 generates a digital signal to be transmitted by the communication device, and transmits the digital signal to be transmitted to each digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion unit 36, each digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion unit 36 converts the digital signal transmitted by the digital baseband unit 37 into an analog signal, then the analog signal is filtered by the filtering unit 35 and transmitted to the frequency mixing unit 34, the frequency mixing unit 34 mixes the filtered analog signal with the local oscillator signal of the local oscillator unit 38 to obtain a radio frequency signal to be transmitted, and then the radio frequency signal is transmitted through each analog transceiving channel.
In the mixed analog and digital subarray antenna, several analog transceiving channels are connected to a digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion unit 36, so that the whole antenna has more than two signal amplitude and phase adjustment capabilities in the digital domain. Therefore, compared with a full analog array antenna, the hybrid analog and digital subarray architecture antenna has better amplitude and phase adjustment precision and speed, and is more cost-saving than the full digital array antenna. However, since the amplitude and phase adjustment weights of the analog transceiving channels in each sub-array are affected by the uniform digital part, the phases of the whole mixed analog and digital sub-array architecture antenna cannot be continuous, and the directional pattern of the antenna may have grating lobes. And after the weight of the analog part is set, the directions of the target signal and the interference signal cannot be accurately estimated by using the digital part, so that the existing interference suppression effect is achieved.
The embodiment of the invention provides an analog-digital hybrid array antenna, wherein all antenna units are connected with an analog transceiving channel, all the analog transceiving channels are connected with a main digital transceiving channel, and in addition, a plurality of antenna units are respectively connected with a sub-digital receiving channel. And estimating the received signals by adopting the sub-digital receiving channels, thereby determining the adjustment weight of each analog receiving and transmitting channel and realizing the scanning of the antenna. Because the accuracy of estimating the received signal by adopting the sub-digital receiving channel is higher, the analog-digital hybrid array antenna provided by the embodiment of the invention can realize the spatial full-freedom scanning of the array antenna and can obtain good antenna performance.
The array antenna can be divided into a one-dimensional array, i.e., a linear array, a two-dimensional array, i.e., a planar array, a three-dimensional array, i.e., a spatial array, etc., according to the spatial dimensions of the array antenna. At least two antenna elements are included in each spatial dimension of the antenna, which can be referred to as an array antenna. The analog-digital hybrid array antenna provided by the embodiment of the invention is suitable for array antennas with dimensions in any space.
Fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of an analog-digital hybrid array antenna according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in fig. 4, the analog-digital hybrid array antenna provided in this embodiment includes a spatial dimension, i.e., an array antenna, which includes 8 antenna elements 41.
Each antenna unit 41 is connected to a corresponding analog transceiving channel 42, each analog transceiving channel 42 is connected to a main digital transceiving channel 43, and the main digital transceiving channel 43 is connected to an input/output port 44 of the array antenna. On the array antenna, two adjacent antenna elements 41 are connected to a corresponding sub-digital receiving channel 45. The respective sub-number receiving channels 45 and the respective analog transmitting/receiving channels 42 are connected to a control unit 46.
The control unit 46 is configured to estimate a received signal of the array antenna according to a signal received by each sub-digital receiving channel 45 and a pilot signal of a system in which the array antenna is located, and determine a channel adjustment weight parameter of each analog transceiving channel 42 according to the estimated received signal, where the channel adjustment weight parameter is used to adjust a channel parameter of each analog transceiving channel 42 so as to control a beam direction of the array antenna.
In the fully analog array antenna shown in fig. 1, each antenna unit has a corresponding analog transceiving channel, so that spatial scanning can be achieved, but the fully analog array has a poor capability of coping with multi-user interference because the estimation and feedback of interference signals are slow. In the present embodiment, on the basis of the full analog array antenna shown in fig. 1, two antenna units 41 are selected to be connected to a corresponding sub-digital receiving channel 45 respectively. Each sub-digital receiving channel 45 is similar to the digital receiving channel shown in fig. 2, and the antenna unit 41 connected to the sub-digital receiving channel 45 can perform channel estimation on the received rf signal in the digital domain through the sub-digital receiving channel 45. And the channel estimation is carried out in the digital domain according to the received signal, so that a more accurate channel estimation result can be obtained, the channel estimation result obtained by the sub-digital receiving channel 45 can be directly fed back to the control unit 46, the control unit 46 can determine the channel adjustment weight parameters of each analog receiving and transmitting channel 42, and the channel adjustment weight parameters are used for adjusting the channel parameters of each analog receiving and transmitting channel 42 to control the beam direction of the array antenna, so that the spatial scanning of the array antenna is realized. The speed of channel estimation and feedback from the received signal in the digital domain is also faster than for a full analog array, and since only two antenna elements 41 are used on the array antenna to connect the sub-digital receive channels 45, the cost is also lower than for a full digital array antenna as shown in fig. 2. Therefore, the analog-digital hybrid array antenna provided by the embodiment can reduce the cost on the basis of realizing the beam space scanning with better performance.
It should be noted that the present embodiment is described by taking a one-dimensional array and including 8 antenna elements 41 as an example. However, in the analog-digital hybrid array antenna provided in the embodiment of the present invention, the dimension of the space of the array antenna is not limited thereto, and the array antenna only needs to include at least one dimension of the space, and meanwhile, the dimension of each space of the array antenna needs to include at least three antenna units 41. At least two antenna elements 41 connecting the sub-digital receiving channels 45 are required in each dimension of the space, and the number of antenna elements 41 connecting the sub-digital receiving channels 45 in each dimension of the space is less than the total number of antenna elements 41 in the dimension of the space. At least two antenna elements 41 are selected to connect the sub-digital receiving channels 45 in each dimension of space, because when channel estimation is performed according to the received signals, the signals on at least two sub-digital receiving channels 45 need to be compared, so that channel estimation can be performed.
In the analog-digital hybrid array antenna provided by this embodiment, each antenna unit of the array antenna is connected to an analog transceiving channel, and at least two antenna units are respectively connected to a sub-digital receiving channel in each dimension of each space of the array antenna, and each sub-digital receiving channel and each analog transceiving channel are connected to a control unit; estimating the received signal of the array antenna through the sub-digital receiving channel, and determining the channel adjusting weight parameter of each analog receiving and transmitting channel according to the estimated received signal, wherein the channel adjusting weight parameter is used for adjusting the channel parameter of each analog receiving and transmitting channel so as to control the beam direction of the array antenna, thereby reducing the cost of the array antenna on the basis of realizing beam space scanning with better performance.
Further, in the embodiment shown in fig. 4, the spacing between at least two antenna units 41 connected to the sub-digital receiving channel 45 is less than or equal to one half of the wavelength corresponding to the supported frequency band of the array antenna.
Fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a second embodiment of the analog-digital hybrid array antenna according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in fig. 5, this embodiment provides specific structures of a main digital transceiving channel 43, each analog transceiving channel 42, and each sub-digital receiving channel 45 on the basis of fig. 4.
The main digital transceiving channel 43 includes a digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion unit 51, a first mixing unit 52, and a first filtering unit 53. The digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion unit 51 is connected to the input/output port 44, and is connected to each analog transceiving channel 42 sequentially through the first filtering unit 52 and the first mixing unit 53.
The analog transceiving path 42 includes an analog phase modulation unit 54 and an analog amplitude modulation unit 55. The analog phase modulation unit 54 and the analog amplitude modulation unit 55 are connected in series between the corresponding antenna unit 41 and the main digital transceiving channel 43. The channel parameters of the analog transceiving channel 42 include phase parameters of the analog phase modulation unit 54 and amplitude parameters of the analog amplitude modulation unit 55.
The sub-digital receiving channel 45 comprises an analog-to-digital conversion unit 56, a second mixing unit 57 and a second filtering unit 58. Analog-to-digital conversion section 56 is connected to control section 46, and is connected to corresponding antenna section 41 via second filtering section 58 and second mixing section 57 in this order. The analog-digital hybrid array antenna also needs to include a local oscillator unit 59.
The specific structure of each analog transceiving channel 42 provided in this embodiment is the same as the structure of each analog transceiving channel in the full analog array antenna shown in fig. 1, and is not described herein again. The specific structure of the main digital transceiving channel 43 provided in this embodiment is also the same as the path composed of the frequency mixing unit 14, the filtering unit 15, and the digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital converting unit 16 in the full analog array shown in fig. 1, and is not described herein again. The sub-digital receiving channel 45 includes an analog-to-digital conversion unit 56, a second mixing unit 57, and a second filtering unit 58. Since the sub-digital receiving channel 45 is only used for receiving the signal sent by the antenna unit 41 corresponding to the sub-digital receiving channel, mixing and filtering the signal, and then performing digital domain processing, the sub-digital receiving channel 45 only needs to include the analog-to-digital converting unit 56, and does not need to have digital-to-analog converting capability. The second mixing unit 57 and the second filtering unit 58 have functions similar to the first mixing unit 52 and the first filtering unit 53 in the main digital transceiving channel 43, and are used for performing mixing and filtering functions.
Since the analog phase modulation unit 54 and the analog amplitude modulation unit 55 in the analog transceiving channel 42 are generally in a step-by-step structure, after the control unit 46 estimates the channel, the channel adjustment weight parameters of each analog transceiving channel 42 are obtained, and the channel adjustment weight parameters need to be discretized to obtain the phase parameters of the analog phase modulation unit 54 and the amplitude parameters of the analog amplitude modulation unit 55 of each analog transceiving channel 42, where the parameters are discretized parameters, so that the step-by-step analog phase modulation unit 54 and the step-by-step analog amplitude modulation unit 55 can be adjusted.
Fig. 4 and 5 illustrate an analog-digital hybrid array antenna provided in an embodiment of the present invention, by taking a one-dimensional array as an example only. The following describes an arrangement manner of antenna units connected to sub-digital receiving channels in the analog-digital hybrid array antenna provided in the embodiment of the present invention, by taking a one-dimensional array and a two-dimensional array as examples, respectively. Fig. 6A to fig. 6E are schematic diagrams illustrating antenna element arrangements of an analog-digital hybrid array antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention. Each square in the figure represents an antenna element, the filled squares represent antenna elements connected to sub-digital receive channels, and the other squares represent antenna elements connected only to analog transmit and receive channels.
Fig. 6A and 6B are schematic diagrams of arrangement of antenna elements in a one-dimensional array. In fig. 6A, the antenna elements connecting the sub-digital reception channels are two and located at the center of the array. In fig. 6A, two antenna elements are connected to the sub-digital receive channel, located at the edge of the array. Fig. 6C to 6E are schematic diagrams of two-dimensional array antenna element arrangement, in which the horizontal direction and the vertical direction respectively represent two spatial dimensions of the array. In fig. 6C, the antenna elements connecting the sub-digital receive channels are four and are located at the center of the array. In each spatial dimension, 2 antenna elements are included which connect the sub-digital receive channels. In fig. 6D, the antenna elements connecting the sub-digital receive channels are three and located at the center of the array. In each spatial dimension, 2 antenna elements connecting the sub-digital receiving channels are also included. In fig. 6E, the antenna elements connecting the sub-digital receive channels are three and located at the edge of the array. In each spatial dimension, 2 antenna elements connecting the sub-digital receiving channels are also included.
Fig. 7 is a schematic view of a communication scenario of peer-to-peer multi-device networking, where in fig. 7, 6 communication devices including device a0, device a1, device B0, device B1, device C0, and device C1 are included, where device a0 communicates with device a1 through a path 71, device B0 communicates with device B1 through a path 72, and device C0 communicates with device C1 through a path 73. Since the three pairs of devices are completely reused in time and bandwidth spectrum in order to increase network capacity, there is a potential interference source for other devices when each communication device performs normal communication. In fig. 7, in addition to path 71, path 72 and path 73, interference signals are generated among the communication devices, wherein path 74, path 75, path 76, path 77, path 78 and path 79 are possible interference signal paths. In practical application, by arranging the array antenna in each communication device, the different communication devices can be separated by space by adjusting the beam of the array antenna in each communication device.
Therefore, how to estimate the interference signal received by the communication device so that the communication device can adjust the amplitude and phase of the array antenna in a targeted manner can eliminate the interference signal. Specifically, in the embodiment shown in fig. 4 or fig. 5, the control unit 46 is specifically configured to estimate an incoming wave steering vector of the array antenna according to the signal received by each sub-digital receiving channel 45 in each spatial dimension and the pilot signal of the system in which the array antenna is located, and determine the channel adjustment weight parameter of each analog transceiving channel 42 according to the incoming wave steering vector and the pilot signal of the signal to be received.
Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a channel estimation algorithm of an analog-digital hybrid array antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention. In each spatial dimension of the array antenna, the channel interference can be estimated and the channel adjustment weight parameters can be determined according to the algorithm shown in fig. 7.
Firstly, the number of antenna elements in the array antenna is defined as m, that is, the number of antenna elements connected with the analog transceiving channel is defined as m. J is the total number of signals and interference received by the array antenna, which is also equivalent to the number of devices coexisting in the system. N is the number of antenna units connecting the sub-digital receiving channels, and K is the number of snapshots. Let S denote the matrix formed by J pilot signals of the system, A is the incoming wave guide vector, WmThe weight parameters are adjusted for the m channels, y being the last signal expected to be obtained.
First, from the relationship of the signal to the array antenna, one can derive:
AS＝X (1)
for the antenna unit connected with the sub-digital receiving channel, it is defined as an auxiliary channel, and the signals of the auxiliary channel have the following relations:
Xd＝DX (2)
where D is a dimension reduction matrix, here an NxM matrix, the equivalent effect is to obtain N rows in X, which can be obtained according to equations (1) and (2):
DAS＝Xd (3)
let A0DA means:
A0S＝Xd (4)
in a practical array antenna, S is known, XdFor the signals received by the N sub-digital receiving channels, the control unit may derive X from the signals received by the N sub-digital receiving channelsd. Then according to the least squares method (the)Least Square method, LS) criterion, from which A can be determined0。A0Is an N × J matrix according to A0J vectors can be obtained that are related to the incoming wave angle of the signal.
Φ＝([0 1]A0)/([1 0]A0) (5)
The estimated steering vector can be obtained according to the obtained phi
Based on the estimated steering vector, an estimated received signal is obtained
From the estimated received signal and the signal to be received S (j), a sum is obtained
Then, according to Minimum Mean-Squared Error (MMSE) criterion, the optimal coefficient W can be obtainedopt。
To WoptDiscretizing to obtain channel regulating weight parameters W of the analog transceiving channelsm. The representation is discretized, that is, represents the step discretization of the analog phase modulation unit and the analog amplitude modulation unit in each analog transceiving channel.
Finally, adjusting the weight parameter W according to the obtained channelmI.e. the desired signal y is obtained.
y＝WmHX (12)
Thus, the channel estimation and the weight parameter adjustment of the analog transceiving channel are completed. Fig. 7 shows the processing of the received signal, in a Time Division Duplex (TDD) system, the transceiving channel is reciprocal, and the channel-adjusting weight parameter W thus obtainedmAnd can also be used on the transmitting channel, thereby completing the channel weight parameter adjustment of the transmitting channel.
Fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a first embodiment of the communication device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in fig. 8, the communication device according to the present embodiment includes a digital baseband unit 81 and an analog-digital hybrid array antenna 82.
The analog-digital hybrid array antenna 82 may be the analog-digital hybrid array antenna described in any of the above embodiments, and the embodiment takes the analog-digital hybrid array antenna shown in fig. 5 as an example. The digital baseband unit 81 is configured to complete digital domain processing of the signal, generate a digital baseband signal and send the digital baseband signal to the analog-digital hybrid array antenna 82, or receive the signal sent by the analog-digital hybrid array antenna 82 and perform digital domain processing on the signal.
Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, and not to limit the same; while the invention has been described in detail and with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that: it is also possible to modify the solutions described in the previous embodiments or to substitute some or all of them with equivalents. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.
Claims (12)
- An analog-digital hybrid array antenna comprises at least one spatial dimension, and at least three antenna units are arranged in each spatial dimension of the array antenna, wherein each antenna unit is respectively connected with a corresponding analog transceiving channel, each analog transceiving channel is connected with a main digital transceiving channel, and the main digital transceiving channel is connected with an input/output port of the array antenna;in the dimension of each space of the array antenna, at least two adjacent antenna units are also respectively connected with a corresponding sub-digital receiving channel;each subnumber receiving channel and each analog transceiving channel are connected with the control unit;the control unit is configured to estimate a received signal of the array antenna according to a signal received by each sub-digital receiving channel in each dimension of each space and a pilot signal of a system in which the array antenna is located, and determine a channel adjustment weight parameter of each analog transceiving channel according to the estimated received signal, where the channel adjustment weight parameter is used to adjust a channel parameter of each analog transceiving channel, so as to control a beam direction of the array antenna.
- The analog-digital hybrid array antenna according to claim 1, wherein in each spatial dimension of the array antenna, the spacing between at least two antenna elements connected to a sub-digital receiving channel is less than or equal to one half of the wavelength corresponding to the supported frequency band of the array antenna.
- The analog-digital hybrid array antenna according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the main digital transceiving channel comprises a digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion unit, a first mixing unit and a first filtering unit;the digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion unit is connected with the input/output port and is connected with each analog transceiving channel through the first filtering unit and the first frequency mixing unit in sequence.
- The analog-digital hybrid array antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sub-digital receiving channel comprises an analog-digital conversion unit, a second mixing unit and a second filtering unit;the analog-to-digital conversion unit is connected with the control unit and is connected with the corresponding antenna unit sequentially through the second filtering unit and the second frequency mixing unit.
- The analog-digital hybrid array antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the analog transceiving channel comprises an analog phase modulation unit and an analog amplitude modulation unit;the analog phase modulation unit and the analog amplitude modulation unit are connected in series between the corresponding antenna unit and the main digital transceiving channel;the channel parameters of the analog transceiving channel comprise phase parameters of the analog phase modulation unit and amplitude parameters of the analog amplitude modulation unit;the control unit is further configured to perform discretization on the channel adjustment weight parameters to obtain phase parameters of the analog phase modulation units and amplitude parameters of the analog amplitude modulation units of the analog transceiving channels.
- The adc antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control unit is specifically configured to estimate an incoming wave steering vector of the array antenna according to a signal received by each sub-digital receiving channel in each spatial dimension and a pilot signal of a system in which the array antenna is located, and determine the channel adjustment weight parameter of each analog transceiving channel according to the incoming wave steering vector and the pilot signal of the signal to be received.
- A communication device comprising a digital baseband unit and an analog-digital hybrid array antenna;the array antenna comprises at least one spatial dimension, the dimension of each space of the array antenna comprises at least three antenna units, each antenna unit is respectively connected with a corresponding analog transceiving channel, each analog transceiving channel is connected with a main digital transceiving channel, the main digital transceiving channel is connected with an input/output port of the array antenna, and the input/output port is connected with the digital baseband unit;in the dimension of each space of the array antenna, at least two adjacent antenna units are also respectively connected with a corresponding sub-digital receiving channel;each subnumber receiving channel and each analog transceiving channel are connected with the control unit;the control unit is configured to estimate a received signal of the array antenna according to a signal received by each sub-digital receiving channel in each dimension of each space and a pilot signal of a system in which the array antenna is located, and determine a channel adjustment weight parameter of each analog transceiving channel according to the estimated received signal, where the channel adjustment weight parameter is used to adjust a channel parameter of each analog transceiving channel, so as to control a beam direction of the array antenna.
- The communication device according to claim 7, wherein in each spatial dimension of the array antenna, a spacing between at least two antenna elements connected to a sub-digital receiving channel is less than or equal to one half of a wavelength corresponding to a frequency band supported by the array antenna.
- The communication device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the main digital transceiving channel comprises a digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion unit, a first mixing unit and a first filtering unit;the digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion unit is connected with the input/output port and is connected with each analog transceiving channel through the first filtering unit and the first frequency mixing unit in sequence.
- The communication device according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the sub-digital receiving channel comprises an analog-to-digital conversion unit, a second mixing unit and a second filtering unit;the analog-to-digital conversion unit is connected with the control unit and is connected with the corresponding antenna unit sequentially through the second filtering unit and the second frequency mixing unit.
- The communication device according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the analog transceiving channel comprises an analog phase modulation unit and an analog amplitude modulation unit;the analog phase modulation unit and the analog amplitude modulation unit are connected in series between the corresponding antenna unit and the main digital transceiving channel;the channel parameters of the analog transceiving channel comprise phase parameters of the analog phase modulation unit and amplitude parameters of the analog amplitude modulation unit;the control unit is further configured to perform discretization on the channel adjustment weight parameters to obtain phase parameters of the analog phase modulation units and amplitude parameters of the analog amplitude modulation units of the analog transceiving channels.
- The communication device according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein the control unit is specifically configured to estimate an incoming wave steering vector of the array antenna according to a signal received by each sub-digital receiving channel in each spatial dimension and a pilot signal of a system in which the array antenna is located, and determine the channel adjustment weight parameter of each analog transceiving channel according to the incoming wave steering vector and the pilot signal of the signal to be received.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CN2015/092161 WO2017066903A1 (en) | 2015-10-19 | 2015-10-19 | Hybrid analog-digital array antenna and communication device |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CN108140947A true CN108140947A (en) | 2018-06-08 |
Family
ID=58556548
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN201580083920.7A Pending CN108140947A (en) | 2015-10-19 | 2015-10-19 | Analog-digital hybrid array antenna and communication equipment |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CN (1) | CN108140947A (en) |
| WO (1) | WO2017066903A1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN112272151A (en) * | 2020-10-28 | 2021-01-26 | 中国联合网络通信集团有限公司 | Channel estimation method and device |
Families Citing this family (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN114065491B (en) * | 2021-11-07 | 2024-10-29 | 中国电子科技集团公司第五十四研究所 | Broadband digital array beam reconstruction and resource allocation method |
| CN118156817A (en) * | 2022-12-06 | 2024-06-07 | 华为技术有限公司 | Antenna array and device |
Citations (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN1412965A (en) * | 2001-10-20 | 2003-04-23 | 深圳市中兴通讯股份有限公司上海第二研究所 | Intelligent antenna receiving method and its device |
| JP2004241972A (en) * | 2003-02-05 | 2004-08-26 | Japan Radio Co Ltd | Array antenna system |
| WO2012103853A3 (en) * | 2012-04-17 | 2013-03-21 | 华为技术有限公司 | Signal receiving and sending methods, transmitter, receiver, and system thereof |
-
2015
- 2015-10-19 WO PCT/CN2015/092161 patent/WO2017066903A1/en active Application Filing
- 2015-10-19 CN CN201580083920.7A patent/CN108140947A/en active Pending
Patent Citations (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN1412965A (en) * | 2001-10-20 | 2003-04-23 | 深圳市中兴通讯股份有限公司上海第二研究所 | Intelligent antenna receiving method and its device |
| JP2004241972A (en) * | 2003-02-05 | 2004-08-26 | Japan Radio Co Ltd | Array antenna system |
| WO2012103853A3 (en) * | 2012-04-17 | 2013-03-21 | 华为技术有限公司 | Signal receiving and sending methods, transmitter, receiver, and system thereof |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN112272151A (en) * | 2020-10-28 | 2021-01-26 | 中国联合网络通信集团有限公司 | Channel estimation method and device |
| CN112272151B (en) * | 2020-10-28 | 2022-08-26 | 中国联合网络通信集团有限公司 | Channel estimation method and device |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| WO2017066903A1 (en) | 2017-04-27 |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Zhang et al. | Prospective multiple antenna technologies for beyond 5G | |
| EP3202053B1 (en) | System and method for beam selection using multiple frequencies | |
| US9445282B2 (en) | Transceiver architecture for multiple antenna systems | |
| CN106063148B (en) | Method of performing hybrid beamforming in wireless communication system and apparatus therefor | |
| CN106031068B (en) | A kind of communication means and device based on beam forming | |
| KR101227839B1 (en) | Method for multi-antenna signal processing at an antenna element arrangement, corresponding transceiver and corresponding antenna element arrangement | |
| US10205491B2 (en) | System and method for large scale multiple input multiple output communications | |
| US11290169B2 (en) | Methods, systems and units of a distributed base station system for handling of downlink communication | |
| JP7020545B2 (en) | Remote radio head, beamforming method and program | |
| KR102156137B1 (en) | Method and apparatus for controlling directivity | |
| RU132285U1 (en) | MULTI-PURPOSE AUTOMATED RADIO COMMUNICATION NODE | |
| JP5570620B2 (en) | Communication system node including transformation matrix | |
| US11374625B2 (en) | Devices and methods for facilitating beamforming communications in wireless devices | |
| WO2017061679A1 (en) | Beam scanning method of terminal for hybrid beam forming in wireless communication system, and device for same | |
| CN108140947A (en) | Analog-digital hybrid array antenna and communication equipment | |
| JP7031738B2 (en) | Remote radio head, beamforming method and program | |
| Fujio et al. | Robust beamforming method for SDMA with interleaved subarray hybrid beamforming | |
| WO2017076311A1 (en) | System and method for large scale multiple input multiple output beamforming | |
| KR20180080768A (en) | Method and apparatus for combining a plurality of radio frequency signals | |
| Saranya | Hybrid Digital Beamforming Design for Massive planar antenna array for 5G communication | |
| Fukue et al. | Network-Assisted Full-Duplex Millimeter-Wave Cell-Free Massive MIMO with Localization-Aided Inter-User Channel Estimation | |
| CN109417429B (en) | Radio base station apparatus and radio communication method | |
| KR102646840B1 (en) | Method and apparatus for scheduling in mobile communication system | |
| WO2023204723A1 (en) | Software-defined transceiving device | |
| WO2024186621A1 (en) | Techniques for continuous beam scanning for integrated lens antennas |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| PB01 | Publication | ||
| PB01 | Publication | ||
| SE01 | Entry into force of request for substantive examination | ||
| SE01 | Entry into force of request for substantive examination | ||
| RJ01 | Rejection of invention patent application after publication | ||
| RJ01 | Rejection of invention patent application after publication |
Application publication date: 20180608 |