CN113381791A

CN113381791A - Feed signal forming method and related equipment

Info

Publication number: CN113381791A
Application number: CN202110490424.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 张关喜; 娄延年; 陈鹏; 赵建平; 马霓; 吴旺军; 刘祥龙
Original assignee: Shanghai Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd; Shanghai Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-04-20
Filing date: 2018-04-20
Publication date: 2021-09-10
Also published as: CN110391829B; CN110391829A; WO2019201142A1

Abstract

The embodiment of the application discloses a feed signal forming method, which is used for outputting different numbers of feed signals when a frequency dispersion phase shifter is positioned at different angles, and the internal phase difference of each feed signal is different. The method in the embodiment of the application comprises the following steps: acquiring an input signal; when the phase shift degree of the frequency dispersion phase shifter is a first angle, X feed signals are formed, and the internal phase difference of each feed signal in the X feed signals is different; when the degree of phase shift of the frequency dispersion phase shifter is a second angle different from the first angle, Y feed signals are formed, the internal phase difference of each feed signal in the Y feed signals is different, the internal phase difference of each feed signal in the X feed signals is different from the internal phase difference of each feed signal in the Y feed signals, and X and Y are different positive integers.

Description

Feed signal forming method and related equipment

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to a method for forming a feeding signal and a related device.

Background

In the field of mobile communication, there are challenges in terms of high speed and large capacity, signal strength and coverage are important indexes for measuring signal quality, and Space Division Multiple Access (SDMA) technology can perform frequency multiplexing by marking antenna beams with different directions and the same frequency to improve signal strength, while improvement of signal coverage requires that multiple beams are emitted in different directions.

The same array antenna can work in a single frequency band and also can work in multiple frequency bands, when the antenna works in the multiple frequency bands, the number of wave beams formed in each frequency band is the same, in the same array, the physical length of the distance between the antennas is fixed, different frequency points correspond to different electromagnetic wave wavelengths, the ratio of the physical length to the electromagnetic wave wavelength transmitted by the antenna is the electrical length, therefore, the electrical lengths of the different frequency points are different, and the electrical lengths corresponding to the different frequency bands are also different. Meanwhile, when the two frequency bands are far apart from each other, the same physical length may show a larger difference in electrical length for the two frequency bands, and although the number of beams is still the same, the width and the direction of the beams may be greatly different with the great change in electrical size.

It can be seen that when beams in different frequency bands share the same array antenna, the widths and directions of the transmitted beams in different frequency bands are different due to different electrical lengths of the different frequency bands, and the problem of incomplete beam coverage may exist in some frequency bands.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application discloses a feed signal forming method, which is used for outputting feed signals with different numbers when a frequency dispersion phase shifter is positioned at different angles, and the internal phase difference of each feed signal is different.

A first aspect of the present application provides a beam forming apparatus, comprising: at least two frequency dispersive phase shifters FDPS, at least two input ports and at least two target output ports;

a first interface of each FDPS in the at least two FDPS is connected with a first interface of a corresponding input port in the at least two input ports, and each FDPS corresponds to the same target phase shift degree at a target frequency point;

the second interfaces of the at least two input ports are correspondingly connected with the first interfaces of the at least two target output ports one by one;

the second interfaces of the at least two target output ports and the second interfaces of the at least two frequency dispersive phase shifters FDPS are for feeding the antenna array.

In this embodiment, the beam forming apparatus can output the feeding signals with different numbers, so that when the antenna arrays are in different frequency bands, the numbers and directions of the output beams are different.

Based on the first aspect, in a first implementation manner of the first aspect, when the beamforming apparatus is configured to form 2 beams and 3 beams, and the input signal is an analog signal, the beamforming apparatus further includes: an unequal power division 180-degree electric bridge, an equal power division 180-degree electric bridge, a 90-degree electric bridge and a first frequency dispersion phase shifter FDPS;

the at least two input ports include a first input port, a second input port, and a third input port;

the first interface of each of the at least two FDPS connected to the first interface of the corresponding input port of the at least two input ports comprises:

a first interface of the first input port is connected with a first interface of a second FDPS through the unequal power division 180-degree electric bridge and the first FDPS;

a first interface of the second input port is connected to a first interface of a third FDPS through the 90-degree electric bridge, the unequal power division 180-degree electric bridge, and the equal power division 180-degree electric bridge;

a first interface of the third input port is connected to a first interface of a fourth FDPS through the 90-degree bridge and the equal power division 180-degree bridge, and the second FDPS, the third FDPS, and the fourth FDPS belong to the at least two FDPS.

In this embodiment, when the input signal is a pure analog signal, the structure of the beam forming apparatus for forming 2 beams and 3 beams is explained, which increases the feasibility of the implementation of the scheme.

Based on the first implementation manner of the first aspect, in a second implementation manner of the first aspect, the one-to-one connection between the second interfaces of the at least two input ports and the first interfaces of the at least two target output ports includes:

the second interface of the first input port is connected with the first interface of the first target output port through the unequal power division 180-degree electric bridge and the first FDPS;

a second interface of the second input port is connected with a first interface of a second target output port through the 90-degree electric bridge, the unequal power division 180-degree electric bridge and the equal power division 180-degree electric bridge;

and the first interface of the third input port is connected with the first interface of the third target output port through the 90-degree electric bridge and the equal power division 180-degree electric bridge.

In the embodiment, when the input signal is a pure analog signal, the structure of the beam forming device for forming 2 beams and 3 beams is described, which increases the feasibility and completeness of the scheme.

Based on the first to the second implementation manners of the first aspect, in a third implementation manner of the first aspect, the beam forming apparatus further includes a load resistor;

and when the phase shift degree of the frequency dispersion phase shifter is a target angle, the sum input port of the unequal power division 180-degree bridge is connected with the load resistor.

In the present embodiment, a possible structure of the beam forming apparatus is described, which increases the implementability of the scheme.

Based on the first aspect, in a fourth implementation manner of the first aspect, when the beam forming apparatus is used to form 3 beams and 4 beams, the at least two input ports include: a first input port, a second input port, and a third input port;

the first input port is connected with a first interface of a first FDPS (fully-distributed packet service) through a first radio frequency device and a first power divider;

the second input port is connected with a first interface of a second FDPS through a second radio frequency device and a second power divider;

the third input port is connected to a first interface of a third FDPS through a third rf and a third power splitter, and the first FDPS, the second FDPS, and the third FDPS belong to the at least two FDPS.

In the present embodiment, the structure of the beam forming network for forming 3 beams and 4 beams is explained, increasing the implementability of the scheme.

Based on the fourth implementation manner of the first aspect, in a fifth implementation manner of the first aspect, the at least two input ports further include a fourth input port;

the first input port is connected with a first interface of the first target output port through a first radio frequency device and a first power divider;

the second input port is connected with a first interface of a second target output port through a second radio frequency device and a second power divider;

the third input port is connected with a first interface of a third target output port through a third radio frequency device and a third power divider;

the fourth input port is connected with the first interface of the fourth target output port.

In the present embodiment, the structure of the beam forming network for forming 3 beams and 4 beams is described, which increases the feasibility and completeness of the scheme.

Based on the first aspect, in a sixth implementation manner of the first aspect, the using the second interfaces of the at least two target output ports and the second interfaces of the at least two frequency-dispersive phase shifters FDPS for feeding the antenna array includes:

the phase difference between the output signals of the second interfaces of the at least two target output ports and the second interfaces of the at least two frequency dispersion phase shifters FDPS is a degree, the output signals with the phase difference of a degree are used for forming feed signals, the feed signals are used for feeding the antenna array, and the value range of a is 0 to 360 degrees.

In this embodiment, the feeding manner of the beam forming apparatus to the antenna array is described, which increases the completeness of the scheme.

A second aspect of the present application provides a feed signal forming method including:

firstly, obtaining input signals, determining the number of feed signals needing to be output, and then determining the phase shift degree of the frequency dispersion phase shifter and the condition of a signal input port. Forming X feeding signals when the phase shift degree of the frequency dispersion phase shifter is a first angle, wherein the internal phase difference of each feeding signal of the X feeding signals is different; when the phase shift degree of the frequency dispersion phase shifter is changed to a second angle, Y feed signals are formed, and the internal phase difference of each feed signal in the Y feed signals is different.

Wherein an internal phase difference of each of the X feed signals is different from an internal phase difference of each of the Y feed signals, and X and Y are different positive integers.

In this embodiment, the second angle is different from the first angle, the first angle and the second angle do not refer to a fixed angle, and the number of output feed signals is different only when the phase shift degree of the frequency-dispersion phase shifter is different.

The embodiment of the application has the following advantages: after the input signal is obtained, the angle of the frequency dispersion phase shifter is changed, when the phase shift degree of the frequency dispersion phase shifter is a first angle, the beam forming device outputs X feed signals, and when the phase shift degree of the frequency dispersion phase shifter is a second angle different from the first angle, the beam forming device outputs Y feed signals with the number different from the number of the X feed signals. In this embodiment, the phase shift degree of the frequency dispersion phase shifter is changed to enable the beam forming device to form different numbers of feed signals, so that the antenna array is controlled to form different numbers of beams with different directions through the different numbers of feed signals, and the number of beams output in the same array can be different when the antenna works in different frequency bands, thereby achieving good coverage of the beams no matter the antenna array works in any frequency band.

Based on the second aspect, in a first implementation manner of the second aspect, when the operation mode of the beam forming apparatus is a low frequency mode, beams generated by X feed signals may cover all sector areas, and at this time, the phase shift degree of the frequency-dispersive phase shifter is set to be a first angle;

when the operation mode of the beam forming device is a high-frequency mode, the beam generated by the Y feed signals can cover the whole sector area, and the phase shift degree of the frequency dispersion phase shifter is set to be a second angle.

In this embodiment, the basis for setting the phase shift degree of the phase shifter is described, which increases the practicability of the scheme.

Based on the second aspect and the first implementation manner of the second aspect, in a second implementation manner of the second aspect, the forming X feeding signals includes:

inputting the input signal according to a preset first input mode, wherein the first input mode is a signal input mode when the phase shift degree of the frequency dispersion phase shifter is a first angle;

the first type of input mode includes inputting the input signals from the M input ports, respectively, where each incident port of the M input ports uniquely corresponds to one feed signal of the X feed signals, and M is a positive integer greater than or equal to X.

In this embodiment, the first type of input method includes the definition of the signal input port, signals are sequentially input from the ports defined by the first type of input method according to the preset first type of input method, and the phases of output signals are different for signals input from different ports, so that X feeding signals can be formed.

In the present embodiment, a case of a signal input method is described, and the implementability of the scheme is increased.

Based on the second aspect and the first implementation manner of the second aspect, in a third implementation manner of the second aspect, the forming Y feeding signals includes:

inputting the input signal according to a preset second input mode, wherein the second input mode is a signal input mode when the phase shift degree of the frequency dispersion phase shifter is a second angle;

the second type of input mode includes inputting the input signals from N input ports, wherein each incident port of the N input ports uniquely corresponds to one of the Y feed signals, and N is a positive integer greater than or equal to Y.

In this embodiment, the second input mode includes the limitation of the signal input port, signals are sequentially input from the ports defined by the second input mode according to the preset second input mode, and the internal phase differences of the output signals are different from each other, so that Y feeding signals can be formed. While the internal phase difference of each of the Y feed signals is also different from the internal phase difference of each of the X feed signals.

In this embodiment, another case of the signal input method is explained, and the diversity of implementation of the scheme is increased.

A third aspect of the present application provides a beam forming apparatus, comprising:

an acquisition unit configured to acquire an input signal;

a feed signal forming unit for forming X feed signals when a phase shift degree of the frequency dispersion phase shifter is a first angle, the X feed signals each having a different internal phase difference;

the feeding signal forming unit is further configured to form Y feeding signals when the degree of phase shift of the frequency-dispersive phase shifter is a second angle different from the first angle, an internal phase difference of each of the Y feeding signals is different, the internal phase difference of each of the X feeding signals is different from the internal phase difference of each of the Y feeding signals, and X and Y are different positive integers.

In this embodiment, the frequency dispersion phase shifters are arranged at different angles to output different numbers of feeding signals, so that the antenna array can achieve overall coverage of signals no matter which frequency band the antenna array works in.

Based on the third aspect, in a first implementation manner of the third aspect, when the operation mode of the beam forming apparatus is a low-frequency mode, the degree of phase shift of the frequency-dispersive phase shifter is the first angle;

and when the operation mode of the beam forming device is a high-frequency mode, the phase shift degree of the frequency dispersion phase shifter is the second angle.

In this embodiment, the relationship between the operation mode of the beam forming apparatus and the degree of phase shift of the frequency-dispersive phase shifter is described, so that the implementability of the scheme is increased.

Based on the third aspect or the first implementation manner of the third aspect, in a second implementation manner of the third aspect, the feeding signal forming unit includes:

the first input signal control module is used for inputting the input signals according to a preset first input mode, wherein the first input mode is a signal input mode when the phase shift degree of the frequency dispersion phase shifter is a first angle;

a first forming module for forming the X feeding signals.

In the present embodiment, the specific composition of the feeding signal forming unit is described, which increases the completeness of the scheme.

Based on the third aspect or the first implementation manner of the third aspect, in a third implementation manner of the third aspect, the feeding signal forming unit includes:

the second input signal control module is used for inputting the input signal according to a preset second input mode, wherein the second input mode is a signal input mode when the phase-shifting degree of the frequency dispersion phase shifter is a second angle;

and the second forming module is used for forming the Y feeding signals.

In the present embodiment, another case of the composition structure of the feeding signal forming unit is explained, increasing the flexibility of implementation of the scheme.

Drawings

Fig. 1(a) is a schematic structural diagram of a beam forming apparatus according to the present application;

fig. 1(b) is a schematic diagram of another structure of the beam forming apparatus of the present application;

fig. 1(c) is another schematic structural diagram of the beam forming apparatus of the present application;

FIG. 1(d) is a schematic diagram of another structure of the beam forming apparatus of the present application;

fig. 1(e) is another schematic structural diagram of the beam forming apparatus of the present application;

fig. 2(a) a 2-beam effect diagram formed by a beam forming device in a 1.8G frequency band;

fig. 2(b) a 3-beam effect diagram formed by the beam forming device in the 2.6G frequency band;

fig. 3(a) is a schematic diagram of another structure of the beam forming apparatus of the present application;

fig. 3(b) is a schematic diagram of another structure of the beam forming apparatus of the present application;

fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a feeding signal forming method of the present application;

fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the feeding signal forming method of the present application;

fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of another beam forming apparatus according to the present application;

fig. 7 is another structural diagram of the beam forming apparatus of the present application.

Detailed Description

The embodiment of the application provides a beam forming device, which is used for enabling the beam forming device to output feed signals with different numbers by adjusting a frequency dispersion phase shifter.

The beam forming apparatus outputs feeding signals with different numbers by controlling frequency dispersive frequency phase shifters (FDPS) and input ports of the signals, and internal phase differences of each feeding signal are different, so that the antenna array generates beams with different directions, and one possible structure of the beam forming apparatus is shown in fig. 1(a), and includes at least two FDPS, at least two input ports, and at least two target output ports;

the interface 1 in fig. 1(a) is a first interface described below, and the interface 1 is a second interface described below.

The at least two input ports include a first input port and a second input port, the at least two frequency-dispersive phase shifters, FDPS, include FDPS1 and FDPS2, and the at least two target output ports include a first target output port and a second target output port.

And each FDPS can correspond to the same target phase-shifting degree at the target frequency point, namely the phase-shifting degrees of the FDPS1 and the FDPS2 are the same at the same frequency point. Meanwhile, the phase shift degrees of the FDPS1 and the FDPS2 are changed to the same target phase shift degree together with the change of the target frequency point.

A first interface of the FDPS1 is connected to a first interface of the first input port, and a second interface of the first input port is connected to a first interface of the first target output port;

a first interface of the FDPS2 is connected to a first interface of the second input port, and a second interface of the second input port is connected to a first interface of the second target output port;

and the second interface of the first target output port, the second interface of the second target output port and the second interfaces of the at least two Frequency Dispersion Phase Shifters (FDPS) are respectively connected with an antenna array element and used for feeding the antenna array.

It should be noted that the number of input ports included in the at least two input ports is smaller than or equal to the number of output ports included in the at least two target output ports.

In this embodiment, the number of input ports and the number of target output ports of the beam forming apparatus and the frequency dispersion phase shifter are different according to the number of beams to be transmitted by the antenna array, and the connection relationship inside the beam forming apparatus is also different. Meanwhile, the beam forming apparatus has different composition structures, and there are various possible situations of the number of the feeding signals and each of the feeding signals, and several possible structures of the beam forming apparatus will be described below.

The beam forming device is used for controlling the antenna array to form two beams and three beams.

A. When the input signal is a pure analog signal, the schematic diagram is shown in fig. 1 (b). The method comprises the following steps: three input ports (port 1, port 2 and port 3), an unequal 180-degree bridge, an equal power-division 180-degree bridge and a frequency dispersion phase shifter FDPS.

The first output port of the 90-degree bridge is connected with the difference input port of the unequal power division 180-degree bridge, and the second output port of the 90-degree bridge is connected with the difference input port of the equal power division 180-degree bridge. The first output port of the unequal power division 180-degree bridge is connected with the frequency dispersion phase shifter, and the second output port of the unequal power division 180-degree bridge is connected with the sum input port of the equal power division 180-degree bridge. The output port of the frequency dispersion phase shifter, the first output port of the equal power division 180-degree bridge and the second output port of the equal power division 180-degree bridge are used for feeding the antenna array.

The frequency dispersion phase shifter has two states, specifically:

1. the degree of phase shift of the frequency dispersive phase shifter FDPS is 0 degrees or 360 degrees.

When an input signal is input from the port 1, the signal enters a sum port of the unequal power division 180-degree bridge, the equal phase is generated after the signal passes through the unequal power division 180-degree bridge, and the power ratio is 1: 2, the signal of the port a is output from the port a and the signal of the port B after being changed by 0 degree or 360 degrees through the frequency dispersion phase shifter, the signal of the port a is output from the port 4, the signal of the port B is output to the equal power division 180-degree electric bridge, the signal is input from the sum port of the equal power division 180-degree electric bridge, the phase of the signal output signal input from the sum port is the same, and the power ratio is 1: 1, calculating the phases and powers of the port 4, the port 5 and the port 6, and then performing vector synthesis, and finally finding that the powers of output signals of the port 4, the port 5 and the port 6 are the same, and the phase difference is 0 degree.

When an input signal is input from the port 2, the signal is input from the 90-degree bridge, and the 90-degree bridge can transfer energy to two output ports in an equal power division manner and ensure that the phase difference between the output ports is-90 degrees. The ratio of power at port C and port D is therefore 1: 1, and the phase difference is-90 degrees. The signal output to the port C enters the unequal power division 180-degree bridge from the difference input port, and the output power ratio of the unequal power division 180-degree bridge is 2: 1, two signals with-180-degree phase difference are respectively output from a port a and a port B, then the signal of the port a is output from a port 4 after being changed by 0 degree or 360 degrees through a frequency dispersion phase shifter, the signal of the port B is output to an equal power division 180-degree electric bridge, the phase is unchanged from a port 5 and a port 6, and the power ratio is 1: 1, and 1. Meanwhile, a signal output from the port D enters a differential port of the equal power division 180-degree bridge, phase difference of-180 degrees is output from the port 5 and the port 6, and the power ratio is 1: 1, and 1. And carrying out vector synthesis on the signals output from the port 5 or the port 6 twice, and finally finding that the power of the signals output from the port 4, the port 5 and the port 6 is the same, and the phase difference between every two signals is-120 degrees.

When an input signal is input from the port 3, the signal is respectively output from the port C and the port D through the 90-degree bridge, the signal of the port C enters the unequal power division 180-degree bridge and is output from the port a and the port B, the signal of the port a is output to the port 4 through the frequency dispersion phase shifter, and the signal of the port B is output from the port 5 and the port 6. Meanwhile, a signal of the port D enters from a differential port of the equal power division 180-degree bridge and is output from the port A and the port B, the signals output from the port 5 or the port 6 twice are subjected to vector synthesis, and finally the fact that the power of the signals output from the port 4, the port 5 and the port 6 is the same and the phase difference between every two signals is +120 degrees is found.

Signals with phase differences of 0 degrees, +120 degrees, and-120 degrees may form three different feed signals such that the antenna array produces three differently directed beams. And meanwhile, the internal phase difference of the three feeding signals is different.

When the beam forming device works in a frequency band of 2.5-2.7, a three-split beam can be formed, and a specific beam effect diagram in the frequency band of 2.6 is shown in fig. 2 (a). Signals with phases of 0 degrees, +120 degrees, and-120 degrees may be generated.

2. The degree of phase shift of the frequency dispersive phase shifter FDPS is 180 degrees.

When the phase shift degree of the frequency dispersion phase shifter is a target angle, the sum input port of the unequal power division 180-degree bridge is connected with the load resistor, and the port does not need to be used for signal input.

In the configuration of fig. 1(b), port 1 is connected to a load and is not used as a signal input port, ports 2 and 3 can be used normally, and a frequency-dispersive phase shifter is used to adjust the signal output from port 5 by 180 degrees.

When an input signal is input from the port 2, the signal is processed similarly to the case where the signal is input from the port 2 when the degree of phase shift of the frequency dispersion phase shifter in the first case is 0 degree or 360 degrees, except that the signal of the port 4 is affected by the frequency dispersion phase shifter at this time, and the degree of phase shift is changed from 0 degree or 360 degrees to 180 degrees. Finally, the output signals of the ports 4, 5 and 6 are found to have the same power and have a phase difference of +60 degrees. For example, the output signals of the port 5, the port 4 and the port 6 are respectively 0 degree, -120 degree, -240 degree, the phase of the port 4 is changed by 180 degree, the output signals of the port 5, the port 4 and the port 6 are respectively 0 degree, 60 degree and 120 degree (equivalent to-240 degree), and the phase difference of the output signals of the port 5, the port 4 and the port 6 is 60 degree.

Similarly, when an input signal is input from the port 3, the signal is processed similarly to the case where the signal is input from the port 3 when the degree of phase shift of the frequency dispersion phase shifter in the first case is 0 degree or 360 degrees, except that the signal at the port 4 is affected by the frequency dispersion phase shifter and the degree of phase shift is changed from 0 degree or 360 degrees to 180 degrees. Finally, the output signals of the ports 5, 4 and 6 are found to have the same power and have a phase difference of-60 degrees.

Signals with a phase difference of +60 degrees and signals with a phase difference of-60 degrees may form two different feed signals, so that the antenna array produces two differently directed beams. And the beam pointing at this time is different from the pointing of the beam when three beams are formed.

When the beam forming device works in the frequency band of 1.7-2.2, two split beams can be formed, and a specific beam effect diagram in the frequency band of 1.7 is shown in fig. 2 (b). Signals with phases of +60 degrees and-60 degrees may be generated.

It can be seen that the forming process of the feeding signal is as follows: the output port of the frequency dispersion phase shifter, the first output port of the equal power division 180-degree bridge, and the second output port of the equal power division 180-degree bridge output a second signal, a third signal, and a fourth signal, respectively, where the second signal and the third signal have a target phase difference (e.g., the above-mentioned 60-degree or 120-degree phase difference), the third signal and the fourth signal have the same target phase difference, and the second signal, the third signal, and the fourth signal are used to form a feed signal together and then feed the antenna array.

B. Further, in the configuration shown in fig. 1(b), a possible optimization device is the configuration shown in fig. 1(c), and on the basis of fig. 1(b), the signals of the port 4, the port 5 and the port 6 are respectively output from the port 7, the port 8 and the port 9 after being changed by the same target phase (for example, 180 degrees), so that the ports 4 to 9 collectively output continuous signals with fixed phases. Each port is connected with an array element of the antenna array, and similarly, on the basis of fig. 1(b), more output ports may be added, and the number of the output ports is not limited herein.

C. In this embodiment, the 90-degree bridge can be replaced by an equal power division 180-degree bridge and a 90-degree frequency dispersion phase shifter, and the effect is similar to that of fig. 1(b), and the structure diagram is shown in fig. 1 (d).

D: when the input signal is a digital signal or an analog signal, the schematic diagram of the principle is shown in fig. 1(e), and the schematic diagram includes:

the input device comprises a first input port, a second input port and a third input port, wherein the first input port, the second input port and the third input port are used for inputting analog signals;

the first input port is connected with a first phase shifter, the second input port is connected with a second phase shifter, and the second input port is connected with a third phase shifter.

And meanwhile, the first input port and the second input port are connected with a third phase shifter and are respectively connected with an antenna array element. For feeding the antenna array.

In this embodiment, the beam forming apparatus includes 6 signal output ports, which are respectively connected to 6 antenna elements, and are used to perform feed control on the antenna array.

It should be noted that the degree of phase shift of the phase shifter is 0 degree, 360 degrees, or 180 degrees, only for the beam forming apparatuses that form 2 beams and 3 beams, and the degree of phase shift of the phase shifter may be different for the beam forming apparatuses with different numbers of formed beams, and is not limited herein.

And secondly, the beam forming device is used for controlling the antenna array to form three beams and four beams.

A: when the input signal is a digital signal or an analog signal, as shown in fig. 3(a), the beam forming apparatus includes four rf devices, three power dividers, and three phase shifters;

a first port of each of the three power dividers is sequentially connected with a first radio frequency device, a second radio frequency device and a third radio frequency device of the four radio frequency devices;

and the second port of each of the three power dividers is connected with one of the three phase shifters.

And the third port of each power divider in the three power dividers, the target ports of the three phase shifters and the fourth radio frequency divider in the four radio frequency dividers are connected with an antenna array element, and the purpose is to perform feed control on the antenna array.

It should be noted that the phase shift degrees of the three phase shifters connected to the antenna array elements may be different in different frequency bands or frequency points, for example, in a frequency band of 1.6 to 2.1, the phase shift degree is 0 degree, and in a frequency point of 2.6, the phase shift degree is 180 degrees.

B: when the input signal is a pure analog signal, as shown in fig. 3(b), the partial structure of the beam forming apparatus is similar to that shown in fig. 3(a), and detailed description thereof is omitted here.

What is different, the three power dividers are respectively a first power divider, a second power divider and a third power divider, and the beam forming device further includes a 90-degree bridge, a target phase shifter and a 45-degree phase shifter.

The first radio frequency device is connected with the first power divider through two 90-degree electric bridges and a 45-degree phase shifter;

the second radio frequency device is connected with the second power divider through two 90-degree electric bridges and a target phase shifter;

the third radio frequency device is connected with the third power divider through two 90-degree electric bridges and a target phase shifter;

the fourth radio frequency device is connected with the antenna array element through two 90-degree bridges, a 45-degree phase shifter and a target phase shifter.

It should be noted that, three phase shifters connected to the antenna array element are changed together, and the phase shift degrees are different in different frequency bands or frequency points, for example, in a frequency band of 1.6 to 2.1, the three phase shift degrees are 0 degrees, and in a frequency point of 2.6, the three phase shift degrees are 180 degrees. Meanwhile, the phase shift degrees of the target phase shifters are different at different frequency bands or frequency points, and the phase shift degrees of each phase shifter of the three target phase shifters are different at the same frequency band or frequency point. For example, in fig. 3(b), three target shifters from left to right are respectively named as a first target shifter, a second target shifter and a third target shifter, where the first target shifter shifts the phase by 45 degrees in the frequency band of 1.8 to 2.1G and shifts the phase by 0 degree in 2.6G; the phase shift degree of the second target phase shifter is 90 degrees in a frequency band of 1.8-2.1G, and the phase shift degree is 0 degree in a frequency band of 2.6G; the third target phase shifter shifts the phase by 135 degrees in the frequency range of 1.8 to 2.1G and 0 degree in the frequency range of 2.6G.

In summary, in the embodiment of the present application, the beam forming apparatus may also be an apparatus that generates an N beam and an M beam having a value different from that of N, where N and M are positive integers, and the values of N and M are not limited. No matter how the structure of the beam forming device changes, after the number of beams required to be output is determined, the beam forming network with different numbers of feed signals is within the protection scope of the application only by controlling the frequency dispersion phase shifter and the input port of the signal.

The embodiment of the application also provides a feed signal forming method, which is used for forming feed signals with different numbers by controlling the frequency dispersion phase shifter. The feed signal forming method is applicable to the beam forming apparatus described above, which includes a frequency dispersion phase shifter. Referring to fig. 4, the following description will be made.

401. An input signal is acquired.

The method includes that a beam forming device acquires input signals sent by a base station, the beam forming device comprises a plurality of external input ports, the input signals can be selectively input from different ports of the beam forming device, or the beam forming device only comprises one external input port, and the input signals are shunted after being acquired. For example, the beam forming apparatus includes only one external input port, and after obtaining the input signal, the input signal is split and input from the port 1, the port 2, or the port 3 shown in fig. 1(a), or the ports 1 to 3 may be directly used as the external input ports.

402. When the phase shift degree of the frequency dispersion phase shifter is a first angle, X feeding signals are formed.

When the phase shift degree of the frequency dispersion phase shifter is a first angle, controlling an incident port of an input signal, so that the beam forming device forms X feed signals, wherein the internal phase difference of each feed signal of the X feed signals is different.

If the antenna array needs to transmit X wave beams, the comprehensive coverage of signals can be realized, the wave beam forming network works in a low-frequency mode, and the phase shift degree of the frequency dispersion phase shifter is fixed at a first angle. The internal phase difference of each of the X feeding signals is different because the input signals are input from different ports, and the processing of the signals in the beam forming apparatus is different, as shown in fig. 1(a), the phase difference between the output ports of the signals input from port 1, port 2 and port 3 is different, and thus the internal phase difference of the generated feeding signals is also different. When the phase of the frequency dispersion phase shifter is fixed, the beam forming device can form X feeding signals by inputting signals from different incident ports, and the internal phase difference of each feeding signal is different.

403. When the phase shift degree of the frequency dispersion phase shifter is a second angle different from the first angle, Y feed signals are formed.

And when the phase shift degree of the frequency dispersion phase shifter is a second angle, controlling an incident port of the input signal, so that the beam forming device forms X feed signals.

In this embodiment, the second angle is different from the first angle, the first angle and the second angle do not refer to a fixed angle, and only when the phase shift degree of the frequency-dispersion phase shifter is different, the number of output feed signals is different, and the internal phase difference of each feed signal is different.

If the antenna array needs to transmit Y beams to realize the comprehensive coverage of signals, the beam forming network is enabled to work in a high-frequency mode, the phase shift degree of the frequency dispersion phase shifter is fixed at a second angle, the signals are incident from different input ports, and the internal phase difference of each feed signal in the same X feed signals is different. And X and Y are positive integers and have different values.

In summary, in this embodiment, there are two reasons for affecting the phase of the output feeding signal, the phase shift degree of the frequency-dispersion phase shifter and the input port of the signal, and the reason for affecting the number of the output feeding signals is the number of the input ports (or the incident condition of the signal) that can be used as the input port of the signal. After the number of the beams to be generated is determined, the degree of the frequency dispersion phase shifter is also determined, and the incidence condition of the signals is also determined, so that the phase-shifting degrees of the frequency dispersion phase shifter are different, and the number of the output feed signals is different directly. The internal phase difference of output feed signals is different when the signals are input from different ports by the frequency dispersion phase shifter with the same phase shift degree; in the frequency dispersion phase shifters with different phase shift degrees, the internal phase difference of the output feed signals is also different, that is, the internal phase difference of each of the X feed signals is different from the internal phase difference of each of the Y feed signals except the internal phase difference of each of the X feed signals.

In the embodiment of the application, the beam forming device forms the feed signals with different numbers by adjusting the angle of the frequency dispersion phase shifter, so that the antenna array is controlled to form beams with different numbers and different directions by the feed signals with different numbers, and the number of the beams output in the same array can be different when the antenna works in different frequency bands, thereby enabling the antenna array to realize good coverage of the beams when working in any frequency band.

In this embodiment, the phase of the feeding signal may be changed due to different phase-shifting degrees of the frequency-dispersive phase shifter, and the number of the output feeding signals may be different due to the incident condition of the signal, as will be described below with reference to fig. 5.

501. An input signal is acquired.

Embodiment step 501 is similar to embodiment step 401, and detailed description thereof is omitted here.

502. When the phase shift degree of the frequency dispersion phase shifter is a first angle, an input signal is input according to a preset first input mode.

In this embodiment, when the degree of phase shift of the frequency-dispersive phase shifter is a first angle, the signal is input according to a first input mode, and the first input mode defines the input condition of the signal, for example, which ports the signal is input from. The number of output feed signals can be controlled by limiting the signal input mode.

For example, when the first angle is 180 degrees as in fig. 1(a), a signal is input from port 2 or port 3.

503. X feeding signals are formed.

In this embodiment, when M is equal to X, each incident port corresponds to one of the X feeding signals, that is, the signal input from each input port, and the internal phase difference of the output feeding signal is different. When M is larger than X, i.e. there are at least two signals input by the input ports, the internal phase difference of the output feeding signals is the same.

Specifically, the method comprises the following steps: the input signal is input from a first target incident port and then a feed signal of a first target phase is output, different incident ports and beam forming networks process the signal differently, so that the phases of the generated feed signals are different, and the first target phase and the first target incident port have a corresponding relation.

Subsequently, the first target incident port is continuously changed until X feeding signals are formed.

504. And when the frequency dispersion phase shifter is at a second angle, inputting the input signal according to a preset second input mode.

In this embodiment, when the degree of phase shift of the frequency-dispersive phase shifter is a second angle, the signal is input according to a second input mode, and the second input mode defines the input condition of the signal, for example, which ports the signal is input from. The number of output feed signals can be controlled by limiting the signal input mode.

For example, when the first angle is 0 degrees or 360 degrees as in fig. 1(a), the first target incident port may be port 1, port 2, or port 3.

505. Forming Y feeding signals.

In this embodiment, when N is equal to Y, each incident port corresponds to one of the Y feeding signals, that is, the signal input from each input port, and the internal phase difference of the output feeding signal is different. When said N is greater than said Y, i.e. there are at least two signals input by the input ports, the internal phase difference of the output feeding signals is the same.

The method specifically comprises the following steps: inputting an input signal from a second target incident port and outputting a feed signal of a second target phase, wherein the second target phase and the first target phase are different phases, and the second target phase corresponds to the second target incident port;

subsequently, the second target incident port is continuously changed until Y feeding signals are formed.

The input modes of the signals are different, and the number of output beams is different, so that the input modes of the signals are introduced in the embodiment, and the feasibility of the scheme is improved.

Referring to fig. 6, another possible structure of the beam forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present application is described below.

The beam forming apparatus includes:

an acquisition unit 601 configured to acquire an input signal;

a feeding signal forming unit 602 configured to form X feeding signals when a degree of phase shift of the frequency-dispersion phase shifter is a first angle, the X feeding signals each having a different internal phase difference;

the feeding signal forming unit 602 is further configured to form Y feeding signals when the degree of phase shift of the frequency-dispersive phase shifter is a second angle different from the first angle, an internal phase difference of each of the Y feeding signals is different, the internal phase difference of each of the X feeding signals is different from the internal phase difference of each of the Y feeding signals, and X and Y are different positive integers.

In this embodiment, the frequency dispersion phase shifters are arranged at different angles to form different numbers of feeding signals, and the internal phase difference of each feeding signal is different.

Referring to fig. 7, a beam forming apparatus based on fig. 6 includes:

an acquisition unit 701 for acquiring an input signal;

a feeding signal forming unit 702 configured to form X feeding signals when a degree of phase shift of the frequency-dispersion phase shifter is a first angle, the X feeding signals having different internal phase differences;

the feeding signal forming unit 702 is further configured to form Y feeding signals when the degree of phase shift of the frequency-dispersive phase shifter is a second angle different from the first angle, where an internal phase difference of each of the Y feeding signals is different, and the internal phase difference of each of the X feeding signals is different from the internal phase difference of each of the Y feeding signals, and X and Y are different positive integers.

Wherein, when the operation mode of the beam forming apparatus is a low frequency mode, the phase shift degree of the frequency dispersion phase shifter is a first angle, and the feeding signal forming unit includes:

a first input signal control module 7021, configured to input the input signal according to a preset first type of input mode, where the first type of input mode is an input mode of a signal when a phase shift degree of the frequency-dispersion phase shifter is a first angle;

a first forming module 7022 is configured to form the X feeding signals.

Or the like, or, alternatively,

when the operation mode of the beam forming apparatus is a high-frequency mode, the phase shift degree of the frequency dispersion phase shifter is a second angle, and the feed signal forming unit includes:

a second input signal control module 7023, configured to input the input signal according to a preset second input mode, where the second input mode is a mode in which a signal is input when the phase shift degree of the frequency-dispersion phase shifter is a second angle;

a second forming module 7024, which forms the Y feeding signals.

In this embodiment, the relationship between the signal input method and the number of feeding signals is described, which increases the diversity and flexibility of implementation of the scheme.

It is clear to those skilled in the art that, for convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described systems, apparatuses and units may refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and are not described herein again.

In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, apparatus and method may be implemented in other manners. For example, the above-described apparatus embodiments are merely illustrative, and for example, a division of a unit is merely a logical division, and an actual implementation may have another division, for example, a plurality of units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted, or not executed. In addition, the shown or discussed mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection may be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, and may be in an electrical, mechanical or other form.

Units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and parts displayed as units may or may not be physical units, may be located in one place, or may be distributed on a plurality of network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of the embodiment.

In addition, functional units in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist alone physically, or two or more units are integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be realized in a form of hardware, and can also be realized in a form of a software functional unit.

The integrated unit, if implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as a stand-alone product, may be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present application may be substantially implemented or contributed to by the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution may be embodied in the form of a software product stored in a storage medium and including instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a local client, or a network device) to execute all or part of the steps of the method in the embodiments of fig. 4 and 5 of the present application. And the aforementioned storage medium includes: various media capable of storing program codes, such as a usb disk, a removable hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, and not to limit the same; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may still be modified, or some technical features may be equivalently replaced; and such modifications or substitutions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the corresponding technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A beam forming apparatus applied to a mobile communication system, the beam forming apparatus comprising: at least two frequency dispersive phase shifters FDPS, at least two input ports and at least two target output ports;

a second interface of the at least two target output ports and a second interface of the at least two frequency dispersive phase shifters, FDPS, are used for feeding the antenna array;

the input signals of the at least two input ports are analog signals or digital signals.

2. The beamforming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the beamforming apparatus is used for forming 2 beams and 3 beams, and the input signal is an analog signal, the beamforming apparatus further comprises: an unequal power division 180-degree electric bridge, an equal power division 180-degree electric bridge, a 90-degree electric bridge and a first frequency dispersion phase shifter FDPS;

3. The beamforming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the one-to-one connection between the second interface of the at least two input ports and the first interface of the at least two target output ports comprises:

4. The beamforming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the beamforming apparatus is used for forming 3 beams and 4 beams, the at least two input ports comprise: a first input port, a second input port, and a third input port;

5. The beamforming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the at least two input ports further comprise a fourth input port;

6. The beamforming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second interface of the at least two target output ports and the second interface of the at least two Frequency Dispersive Phase Shifters (FDPS) for feeding the antenna array comprises: