CN114726408A - Beamforming method, device, base station and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

The application discloses a beam forming method, a beam forming device, a base station and a storage medium, wherein an antenna of the base station is composed of a liquid metal antenna unit; the method comprises the following steps: acquiring the position of a terminal; and regulating a liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna based on the position of the terminal so as to change at least one of the radiation area and the beam direction of the antenna.

Description

Beamforming method, device, base station and storage medium

technical field

The present application relates to the field of antenna technologies, and in particular, to a beamforming method, apparatus, base station, and storage medium.

Background technique

The fifth-generation mobile communication technology (5G) beamforming base station adopts a phased array antenna. By adjusting the amplitude and phase of the output signal of the array element, the beam direction of the phased array antenna is controlled. In the related art, the beam coverage of the phased array antenna is limited, and for a terminal moving within the beam coverage, the base station needs to increase the feed amplitude to compensate for the gain loss caused by the beam tilt, resulting in waste of energy consumption.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To solve related technical problems, embodiments of the present application provide a beamforming method, apparatus, base station, and storage medium.

The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application are implemented as follows:

An embodiment of the present application provides a beamforming method, which is applied to a base station, where an antenna of the base station is composed of a liquid metal antenna unit; the method includes:

Get the location of the terminal;

The liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna is regulated based on the position of the terminal to change at least one of a radiation area and a beam direction of the antenna.

Wherein, in the above solution, when regulating the liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna, the method includes:

The liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna is regulated based on at least one of the following:

The shape of the liquid metal antenna unit;

The amplitude of the output signal of the liquid metal antenna unit;

The phase of the liquid metal antenna unit output signal.

In the above solution, the regulation of the liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna based on the position of the terminal includes:

The first information is determined according to the first position of the terminal; the first information represents the first radiation area and the first beam direction;

The liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna is regulated based on the first information; wherein,

The adjusted radiation area of the antenna is the first radiation area, and the beam direction is the first beam direction.

In the above solution, the first position represents the initial position when the terminal establishes a link with the base station; the first position is located inside the first radiation area and the first beam direction points to the first position.

In the above solution, the first position is located in the central area of the first radiation area.

In the above solution, the antenna of the base station is a phased array antenna, and the liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna is regulated based on the position of the terminal, including:

In the case that the terminal moves from the second position to the third position, second information is determined; the second information at least represents a second beam direction; the second beam direction points to the third position;

The liquid metal antenna unit in the phased array antenna is regulated based on the second information.

In the above solution, when the third position is located inside the second radiation area, the beam direction of the phased array antenna after regulation is the second beam direction; wherein,

The second radiation area is the radiation area of the phased array antenna when the terminal is located at the second position.

In the above solution, when the third position is located outside the second radiation area; the second information also represents the third radiation area, and the regulated radiation area of the phased array antenna is the first radiation area. Three radiation areas, and the beam direction is the second beam direction; wherein,

The second radiation area is the radiation area of the phased array antenna when the terminal is located at the second position; the third radiation area covers the third position.

In the above solution, the regulation of the liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna based on the position of the terminal further includes:

In the case that the staying time of the terminal in the third position is longer than a set time length, determine third information; the third information represents the fourth radiation area and the second beam direction;

The liquid metal antenna unit in the phased array antenna is regulated based on the third information; wherein,

The regulated radiation area of the antenna is the fourth radiation area, and the beam direction is the second beam direction; the third position is located in the center area of the fourth radiation area.

In the above solution, the regulation of the liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna based on the position of the terminal includes:

When the terminal moves to a fourth position, determine fourth information; the fourth information represents a fifth radiation area;

The liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna is regulated based on the fourth information; wherein,

The regulated radiation area of the antenna is the fourth radiation area; the fourth radiation area covers the fourth position.

The embodiment of the present application also provides a beamforming apparatus, which is applied to a base station, and the apparatus includes:

an acquisition unit, used to acquire the location of the terminal;

A regulation unit for regulating the liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna based on the position of the terminal, so as to change at least one of the radiation area and beam direction of the antenna; wherein,

The antenna is composed of a liquid metal antenna unit.

An embodiment of the present application further provides a base station, where an antenna of the base station is composed of a liquid metal antenna unit; the base station includes: a first processor and a first communication interface; wherein,

the first communication interface, used to obtain the location of the terminal;

The first processor is configured to adjust the liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna based on the position of the terminal, so as to change at least one of a radiation area and a beam direction of the antenna.

Wherein, in the above solution, the antenna of the base station is a phased array antenna, and the phased array antenna adopts all-digital beamforming or digital-analog hybrid beamforming.

An embodiment of the present application further provides a base station, where an antenna of the base station is composed of a liquid metal antenna unit; the base station includes: a first processor and a first memory for storing a computer program that can be run on the processor,

Wherein, the first processor is configured to execute the steps of any of the above methods when running the computer program.

Embodiments of the present application further provide a storage medium on which a computer program is stored, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, implements the steps of any of the foregoing methods.

In the beamforming method, device, base station, and storage medium provided by the embodiments of the present application, the antenna of the base station is composed of a liquid metal antenna unit. Based on the deformable characteristics of the liquid metal antenna unit, the liquid metal antenna unit can be adjusted to change The radiation area and/or beam direction of the antenna, so that the total beam coverage that the antenna can scan is larger than the beam coverage of the traditional base station or beamforming base station antenna in the related art. Based on this, the base station obtains the position of the terminal, and adjusts the liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna based on the position of the terminal, so as to change at least one of the radiation area and the beam direction of the antenna, so that the adjusted antenna's The beam direction is directed to the position of the terminal, or the radiation area of the regulated antenna covers the position of the terminal. In this way, as the terminal moves within the beam coverage of the antenna, the stability of the beam gain can be ensured in a larger beam coverage, and the base station does not need to increase the feed amplitude to compensate for the gain loss caused by the beam tilt. , saving the energy consumption of the base station.

Description of drawings

1 is a schematic diagram of the coverage of a traditional base station antenna beam in the related art;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the antenna beam coverage of a 5G beamforming base station in the related art;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an antenna beam coverage range in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a base station antenna system using all-digital beamforming according to an embodiment of the present application;

5 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a base station antenna system using digital-analog hybrid beamforming according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart of a beamforming method according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the implementation of a beamforming method applied to a beamforming base station according to an application embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a schematic flowchart of a beamforming method applied to a beamforming base station according to an application embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of implementation of a beamforming method applied to a non-beamforming base station according to an application embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a beamforming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a base station according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed ways

For a traditional base station, as shown in FIG. 1 , the horizontal direction of the antenna beam is fixed, and it only covers wide beams. Phased array antennas are used in 5G beamforming base stations. Phased array antennas, also known as phased arrays, are arrays composed of antenna elements. By controlling the relative phase of each array element, the maximum antenna pattern can be changed. The direction of the value, and by adjusting the feeding amplitude and phase of each array element, the sidelobe level, null position, pattern shape, etc. of the phased array can also be controlled. Structurally, the phased array antenna includes at least the following parts: the array antenna part, including the array elements used to radiate electromagnetic signals, and the feeding network connecting each array element; the hardware part used to change the phase, including changing Phase shifter for the relative phase of the array elements, etc. However, as shown in Figure 2, the beam scanning range of the 5G beamforming base station is limited to the array normal of the phased array, that is, within ±60 degrees of the beam radiation direction, and the actual beam coverage is often lower than that of the beam. Scan range. This is because when scanning at a large angle, the beam width of the phased array antenna increases with the increase of the scanning angle, and the scanning gain decreases sharply with the increase of the scanning angle. At the same time, the large-angle scanning will cause the phase and amplitude of the output signal of the array element to change, and even lead to power mismatch. In more serious cases, the phased array antenna will not work properly. That is to say, the beam coverage of 5G beamforming base stations is limited, and in practical applications, beam steering can only be performed within a certain angle range, and large-angle scanning cannot be achieved.

In order to expand the coverage of the beam, the radiated energy of the array element itself needs to cover the space area as much as possible, so that the phased array antenna formed in this way can complete the energy coverage of a large angle. In the related art, a specially designed antenna pattern is used to expand the scanning angle of the phased array, wherein, between the normal direction of the array plane of the pattern of the sub-array and the maximum scanning angle and close to the direction of the maximum scanning angle, the distribution is symmetrical. On this basis, the antenna array is composed of a sub-array and a beam steering system, which can realize the low-profile phased array with stable gain in a wide scanning angle range, or meet the requirements of large The requirement for better gain when scanning the angle. However, the sag in the center of the pattern also sacrifices the radiated power of the phased array antenna at zero-degree angle, and the element elements in the phased array antenna do not have the characteristic of pattern reconfiguration, and the scanning angle expansion range of the phased array antenna is limited.

To sum up, in the related art, due to the limited beam coverage of the phased array antenna used in the beamforming base station, beamforming can only be performed within a certain angle range. Therefore, for the terminal moving within the beam coverage, the base station needs to The gain loss due to beam tilt is compensated by increasing the feed amplitude, which leads to waste of energy consumption.

Based on this, in the embodiment of this application, the liquid metal antenna unit is applied to the base station antenna to replace the traditional non-reconfigurable antenna unit. Based on the deformable characteristics of the liquid metal antenna unit, the phase control can be changed by adjusting the liquid metal antenna unit. The radiation area and/or beam direction of the array antenna can be adjusted by adjusting the liquid metal antenna unit to change the radiation area of the traditional non-phased array antenna, so that the total beam coverage that the antenna can scan is larger than that of the traditional base station or beamforming base station antenna. beam coverage. The base station obtains the position of the terminal, and adjusts the liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna based on the position of the terminal, so as to change at least one of the radiation area and beam direction of the antenna, so that the beam direction of the adjusted antenna points to the The real-time position of the terminal, or the radiation area of the regulated antenna covers the position of the terminal. In this way, as the terminal moves within the beam coverage of the antenna, the stability of the beam gain can be ensured in a larger beam coverage, and the base station does not need to increase the feed amplitude to compensate for the gain loss caused by the beam tilt. , saving the energy consumption of the base station.

The present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

First of all, liquid metal refers to a new type of liquid metal material that is amorphous and flowable. Gallium-indium alloy is the most widely used liquid metal material at present. It is made of gallium and indium according to a certain proportion. Features such as adjustable melting point. Liquid metals can be used in the design and manufacture of reconfigurable antennas. In practical application, the shape of the liquid metal can be changed by means of electrical control, mechanical control, magnetron control, etc., so as to realize the shape change of the antenna unit. Taking the electronic control method as an example, when a voltage is applied to the interface between the liquid metal and the electrolyte in the dielectric cavity, the liquid metal will stretch or shrink based on the positive and negative values of the applied voltage, so that the voltage can be used to control the liquid metal in the dielectric. Morphology and location distribution in the cavity. Based on this, using the principle of continuous electrowetting, the liquid metal is placed in the electrolyte solution in a closed environment, and a voltage is applied to both ends of the electrolyte solution to form an electric double layer, which induces the liquid metal to move to the positive electrode. The shape changes, thereby changing the shape of the antenna element. On this basis, the base station antenna composed of liquid metal antenna units can dynamically select different working modes according to different conditions, that is, one antenna can realize the functions of multiple antennas, and can also change key characteristic parameters according to application requirements, such as working Variability in frequency, radiation pattern, polarization, etc., in other words, the shape of the liquid metal can greatly adjust the properties of the antenna.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the solid line ellipse in FIG. 3 represents the radiation direction of the liquid metal antenna unit, and the dashed large ellipse represents the beam direction synthesized by the phased array antenna composed of the liquid metal antenna unit. According to the pattern product principle, the beam direction of the phased array antenna is approximately the radiation direction of the antenna unit. Therefore, through the reconfigurability of the liquid metal antenna unit, the radiation direction of the antenna unit can be changed, thereby changing the beam direction of the phased array. On this basis, the beam coverage area is expanded by changing the beam direction of the phased array, so that the total beam coverage that the phased array can scan is larger than that of the traditional beamforming base station antenna. In practical applications, liquid metal is used to construct an antenna unit, and the number of antenna units required is small, no additional power division link is required, and the control signal is sent to the control device through the main control unit of the base station, which can consume less power. Change the shape of the vibration source of the liquid metal antenna unit.

Two options for applying liquid metal antenna elements to beamforming base stations are given below:

FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of the architecture of a base station antenna system provided by an embodiment of the present application, wherein the phased array antenna of the base station adopts an all-digital beamforming technology. Referring to FIG. 4 , during the transmission process, the baseband processing unit completes the baseband signal processing, and the main control unit completes the signal phase shift. After that, the digital signal is converted into an analog signal by a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), mixed with the local oscillator signal, and filtered. It is amplified by a radio frequency amplifier, and then transmitted to a phased array composed of a liquid metal antenna unit through a switch or a circulator to complete radiation.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of the architecture of a base station antenna system provided by another embodiment of the present application, where a phased array antenna of the base station adopts a digital-analog hybrid beamforming technology. Referring to Figure 5, during the transmission process, the baseband processing unit completes the baseband signal processing, and the main control unit completes the signal phase shift. After that, the digital signal is converted into an analog signal by the DAC, mixed with the local oscillator signal, and filtered by the phase-shifted power division network. Converted to multiple analog channels, the signal in each analog channel is amplified by a radio frequency amplifier, and then transmitted to a phased array composed of liquid metal antenna units through a switch or circulator to complete radiation.

In the base station antenna system architecture shown in Figures 4 and 5, the phased array composed of liquid metal antenna units and the corresponding control device are used in the dotted box. The main control unit in the base station controls the control device by transmitting signals to the control device. Change the shape of the liquid metal antenna unit, the amplitude of the output signal of the liquid metal antenna unit and/or the phase of the output signal of the liquid metal antenna unit, thereby changing the beam direction of the phased array, forming a continuously adjustable radiation area, and expanding the beam coverage of the base station scope.

Based on the antenna architecture of the base station described in the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application provide a beamforming method, which is applied to a base station. The antenna of the base station may be a phased array antenna or a non-phased array antenna, and the base station The antenna consists of a liquid metal antenna unit. As shown in Figure 6, the method includes:

Step 601: Obtain the location of the terminal.

Step 602: Adjust the liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna based on the position of the terminal to change at least one of the radiation area and the beam direction of the antenna.

Here, when regulating the liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna, the method includes:

The liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna is regulated based on at least one of the following:

The shape of the liquid metal antenna unit;

The amplitude of the output signal of the liquid metal antenna unit;

The phase of the liquid metal antenna unit output signal.

That is to say, based on the position of the terminal, the liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna is regulated. Among them, when the liquid metal antenna unit is used in a traditional base station, the radiation area of the antenna is changed by adjusting the shape of the liquid metal antenna unit; when the liquid metal antenna unit is used in a beamforming base station, the shape of the liquid metal antenna unit, liquid state The amplitude and phase of the output signal of the metal antenna unit are linked and regulated to change the radiation area and/or beam direction of the phased array antenna. The beam direction of the regulated phased array antenna always points to the real-time position of the terminal, making the beam with the best gain. Always aim at the terminal. In this way, when the coverage of the antenna beam using the liquid metal antenna unit is expanded, the stability of the beam gain can also be guaranteed when the terminal moves within the coverage of the beam. In addition, the shape of the liquid metal antenna unit in the beamforming base station and the amplitude and phase of the output signal of the liquid metal antenna unit are linked and regulated, and the beam regulation method is more flexible.

Based on this, in an embodiment, the regulating and controlling the liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna based on the position of the terminal includes:

The first information is determined according to the first position of the terminal; the first information represents the first radiation area and the first beam direction;

The liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna is regulated based on the first information; wherein,

The adjusted radiation area of the antenna is the first radiation area, and the beam direction is the first beam direction.

In one case, the terminal initially enters the beam coverage of the base station, the base station establishes a link with the terminal, and adjusts the antenna according to the initial position of the terminal. At this time, the first position represents the initial position when the terminal establishes a link with the base station; the first position is located inside the first radiation area and the first beam direction points to the first a location.

It should be noted that, in the embodiments of the present application, when describing that the terminal is in or staying at a position, or describing that the terminal moves from one position to another position, or describing that the terminal moves to a position, the "position" can be understood It is the area where the terminal is located; a position is located in the radiation area of the antenna, which can be understood as the area where the terminal is located is covered by the radiation area of the antenna; the beam direction of the antenna points to a position, which can be understood as the beam direction of the antenna points to the terminal where the terminal is located. Area.

Here, based on the initial position when the terminal and the base station establish a link, the radiation area of the base station control antenna is the first radiation area, and the beam direction is the first beam direction, where the first beam direction indicates the initial position of the terminal, And the initial position is located in the first radiation area.

In one embodiment, the first position is located in a central area of the first radiation area.

In this case, for a terminal that initially enters the base station's beam coverage, the terminal will be in the center of the antenna's radiation area, and the base station will aim the beam with the best gain at the terminal to ensure the terminal's signal reception effect.

In another case, the terminal moves within the beam coverage of the base station, and the base station controls the antenna according to the real-time moving position of the terminal. In this case, different control strategies are adopted for the beamforming base station and the traditional base station.

First, for a beamforming base station, the antenna of the base station is a phased array antenna. In an embodiment, the adjusting and controlling the liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna based on the position of the terminal includes:

In the case that the terminal moves from the second position to the third position, second information is determined; the second information at least represents a second beam direction; the second beam direction points to the third position;

The liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna is regulated based on the second information.

Here, the terminal is in the second position before moving, and at this time, the radiation area of the phased array antenna is the second radiation area, that is, the second position is located inside the second radiation area. In this case, according to the positional relationship between the third position after the terminal moves and the second radiation area, different control methods are adopted for different scenarios:

Scenario 1: The third location is inside the second radiation area.

Here, the third position after the terminal moves is still inside the second radiation area. At this time, the base station does not change the radiation area of the phased array antenna, but only changes the amplitude and/or phase weights of the output signals of each liquid metal antenna unit. , adjust the beam direction of the phased array antenna to the second beam direction to align the terminal at the third position. In this solution, since the terminal is always in the current radiation area of the phased array antenna during the moving process, that is to say, the moving distance of the terminal is not large. Therefore, only by changing the amplitude and/or the output signal of each liquid metal antenna unit Or the weight of the phase, which can quickly align the beam with the optimal gain to the moving terminal, thereby reducing the power consumption caused by the beam compensation gain.

Scenario 2: The third location is outside the second radiation area.

Here, the third position after the terminal moves is no longer inside the second radiation area. At this time, the base station changes the radiation area and beam direction of the phased array antenna, wherein the second information also represents the third radiation area; The radiation area of the phased array antenna is changed to the third radiation area, the third position is located inside the third radiation area, and the beam direction is the second beam direction. Through the above control method, on the one hand, the radiation area of the phased array antenna is deflected to the moving direction of the terminal to ensure that the terminal can be located in the radiation area of the phased array antenna; on the other hand, the beam direction of the phased array antenna is changed to align the The terminal in the third position ensures that the beam with the optimum gain is aligned to the moved terminal, thereby reducing the power consumption caused by the beam compensation gain. In this scenario, since the terminal leaves the current radiation area of the phased array antenna during the moving process, that is to say, the moving distance of the terminal is relatively large, therefore, by changing the amplitude and/or phase of the output signal of each liquid metal antenna unit The weight of each liquid metal unit and the reconstruction of each liquid metal unit are realized to align the beam with the optimal gain to the moving terminal, and by changing the radiation area of the phased array antenna, the beam direction can always be quickly adjusted to the moving terminal. On this basis, when the terminal moves continuously, the continuous adjustment of the beam direction can be ensured.

In another case, the terminal stays after moving within the beam coverage of the base station, in this case, the method further includes:

In the case that the staying time of the terminal in the third position is longer than a set time length, determine third information; the third information represents the fourth radiation area and the second beam direction;

The liquid metal antenna unit in the phased array antenna is regulated based on the third information; wherein,

The regulated radiation area of the phased array antenna is the fourth radiation area, and the beam direction is the second beam direction; the third position is located in the center area of the fourth radiation area.

Here, when the terminal moves and stays in the moved position for a certain period of time, the base station controls the liquid metal antenna unit to deflect the radiation area of the phased array antenna, so that the third position of the terminal is located in the fourth position after the deflection. The center area of the radiation area, and the base station aligns the beam with the optimal gain to the terminal to ensure the signal receiving effect of the terminal. By adjusting the radiation area of the phased array antenna, when the terminal starts to move again from the center of the current radiation area, it will not easily move out of the current radiation area. The weight of the amplitude and/or phase of the output signal of the metal antenna unit can quickly align the beam with the optimal gain to the moving terminal, thereby reducing the power consumption caused by the beam compensation gain.

The control scheme of the beamforming base station will be described in further detail below with reference to application embodiments.

In this application example, as shown in Figure 7:

1. Assume that after the terminal enters the beam coverage area of the base station, the initial position is d0, the base station and the terminal establish a link, the terminal feeds back the initial position d0 to the base station, and the first base station calculates and plans the corresponding radiation interval and beam direction.

Among them, the main control unit of the base station sends the matrix signal E0 to the control device. After the control device receives the matrix signal E0, it changes the shape of the liquid metal antenna unit according to the matrix signal E0, thereby changing the radiation area of the phased array antenna to 71. , the beamforming matrix is V0, which corresponds to the beam direction of the phased array antenna. As shown in FIG. 7 , at this time, the terminal is in the center area of the radiation area 71, and the beam direction is aligned with d0.

After that, the terminal moves from the initial position d0 to the position d1 in the radiation area 11, the main control unit of the base station keeps the matrix signal E0 unchanged, and changes the beamforming matrix V0 to V1, that is, by changing the amplitude of the output signal of each liquid metal antenna unit The weight of the phase can quickly adjust the beam direction to align with d1.

2. The terminal stops moving at the position d1 in the radiation area 71, and the main control unit of the base station sends the electrical signal matrix E1 to the control device. After the control device receives the matrix signal E1, it changes the shape of the liquid metal antenna unit according to the matrix signal E1, thereby Change the radiation area of the phased array antenna to 72, and at the same time, the beamforming matrix is V2, which corresponds to the beam direction of the phased array antenna. As shown in FIG. 7 , at this time, the terminal is in the center area of the radiation area 72 , and the beam direction is aligned with d1 .

3. The terminal is located at the position d2, and moves to the position d3 outside the radiation area 72, before moving the matrix signal E1 and the beamforming matrix V3.

4. When the terminal moves to position d3, the main control unit of the base station sends the electrical signal matrix E2 to the control device. After the control device receives the matrix signal E2, it changes the shape of the liquid metal antenna unit according to the matrix signal E2, thereby changing the phased array antenna. The radiation area is 73 , so that the terminal is inside the radiation area 73 . At the same time, the beamforming matrix is V4, and the beam direction of the corresponding phased array antenna is aligned with d3.

After that, the terminal stops moving at the position d4 in the radiation area 73, and the main control unit of the base station sends the electrical signal matrix E3 to the control device. After the control device receives the matrix signal E3, it changes the shape of the liquid metal antenna unit according to the matrix signal E3, thereby Change the radiation area of the phased array antenna to 74, and at the same time, the beamforming matrix is V5, which corresponds to the beam direction of the phased array antenna. As shown in FIG. 7 , at this time, the terminal is in the center area of the radiation area 74 , and the beam direction is aligned with d4 .

In addition, when a terminal leaves the beam coverage of the phased array antenna, the base station terminates the link with the terminal and establishes a link with a new terminal within the coverage.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic diagram of the implementation flow of this application embodiment. Referring to FIG. 8 , after the base station and the terminal establish a link, the base station plans the radiation area of the phased array antenna and adjusts the beam direction based on the initial position of the terminal. During the moving process, according to the positional relationship between the real-time position of the terminal and the current phased array antenna radiation area, the radiation area of the phased array antenna is regulated or the beam direction is adjusted in real time, thereby ensuring the stability of the beam gain and making the terminal in the moving process. Medium signal reception continues to be good.

Secondly, for a traditional base station, in an embodiment, the liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna is regulated based on the position of the terminal, including:

When the terminal moves to a fourth position, determine fourth information; the fourth information represents a fifth radiation area;

The liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna is regulated based on the fourth information; wherein,

The regulated radiation area of the antenna is the fourth radiation area; the fourth radiation area covers the fourth position.

Here, since the beam direction of the traditional base station antenna is immutable, the shape of the liquid metal antenna unit is adjusted based on the real-time position of the terminal, so that the radiation area of the antenna is always deflected toward the real-time position of the terminal to ensure that the real-time position of the terminal is within the radiation of the antenna. within the area.

The control scheme of the traditional base station will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the application embodiments.

In this application example, as shown in Figure 9:

1. Assume that after the terminal enters the beam coverage area of the base station, the initial position is d0, the base station and the terminal establish a link, the terminal feeds back the initial position d0 to the base station, and the first base station calculates and plans the corresponding radiation interval and beam direction.

Among them, the main control unit of the base station sends the matrix signal E0 to the control device. After the control device receives the matrix signal E0, it changes the shape of the liquid metal antenna unit according to the matrix signal E0, thereby changing the radiation area of the antenna to 91. At this time, the terminal In the central area of the radiation area 91, the beam direction is aligned with d0.

2. When the terminal moves to position d1, the main control unit of the base station sends the matrix signal E1 to the control device. After the control device receives the matrix signal E1, it changes the shape of the liquid metal antenna unit according to the matrix signal E1, thereby changing the radiation area of the antenna to 92.

3. When the terminal moves to the position d2, the main control unit of the base station sends the matrix signal E2 to the control device. After the control device receives the matrix signal E2, it changes the shape of the liquid metal antenna unit according to the matrix signal E2, thereby changing the radiation area of the antenna to 93.

That is to say, by adjusting the shape of the liquid metal unit, the direction of the liquid metal antenna unit changes, so that the radiation area of the antenna is deflected toward the moving direction of the terminal, and the terminal is guaranteed to be within the radiation area of the antenna. When the terminal leaves the beam coverage of the antenna, the base station terminates the link with the terminal and establishes a link with a new terminal within the coverage.

In the beamforming method provided by the embodiment of the present application, the antenna of the base station is composed of a liquid metal antenna unit, and based on the deformable characteristics of the liquid metal antenna unit, the radiation area and/or beam of the antenna can be changed by adjusting the liquid metal antenna unit Therefore, the total beam coverage that the antenna can scan is larger than the beam coverage of the traditional base station or beamforming base station antenna in the related art. Based on this, the base station obtains the position of the terminal, and adjusts the liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna based on the position of the terminal, so as to change at least one of the radiation area and the beam direction of the antenna, so that the adjusted antenna's The beam direction is directed to the position of the terminal, or the radiation area of the regulated antenna covers the position of the terminal. In this way, as the terminal moves within the beam coverage of the antenna, the stability of the beam gain can be ensured in a larger beam coverage, and the base station does not need to increase the feed amplitude to compensate for the gain loss caused by the beam tilt. , saving the energy consumption of the base station.

In order to implement the method of the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application further provides a beamforming apparatus, which is set on the base station. As shown in FIG. 10 , the apparatus includes:

an obtaining unit 1001, used to obtain the location of the terminal;

A regulation unit 1002, configured to regulate the liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna based on the position of the terminal, so as to change at least one of the radiation area and the beam direction of the antenna; wherein,

The antenna is composed of a liquid metal antenna unit.

Wherein, in one embodiment, the regulating unit 1002 regulates the liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna based on at least one of the following:

The shape of the liquid metal antenna unit;

The amplitude of the output signal of the liquid metal antenna unit;

The phase of the liquid metal antenna unit output signal.

In one embodiment, the regulation unit 1002 is used to:

The first information is determined according to the first position of the terminal; the first information represents the first radiation area and the first beam direction;

The liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna is regulated based on the first information; wherein,

The adjusted radiation area of the antenna is the first radiation area, and the beam direction is the first beam direction.

In an embodiment, the first position represents an initial position when the terminal establishes a link with the base station; the first position is located inside the first radiation area and the first beam direction points the first position.

In one embodiment, the first position is located in a central area of the first radiation area.

In one embodiment, the antenna of the base station is a phased array antenna, and the control unit 1002 is used for:

In the case that the terminal moves from the second position to the third position, second information is determined; the second information at least represents a second beam direction; the second beam direction points to the third position;

The liquid metal antenna unit in the phased array antenna is regulated based on the second information.

In an embodiment, when the third position is located inside the second radiation area; the beam direction of the phased array antenna after regulation is the second beam direction; wherein,

The second radiation area is the radiation area of the phased array antenna when the terminal is located at the second position.

In an embodiment, when the third position is located outside the second radiation area; the second information further represents the third radiation area, and the adjusted radiation area of the phased array antenna is the the third radiation area, and the beam direction is the second beam direction; wherein,

The second radiation area is the radiation area of the phased array antenna when the terminal is located at the second position; the third radiation area covers the third position.

In one embodiment, the regulating unit 1002 is further used for:

In the case that the staying time of the terminal in the third position is longer than a set time length, determine third information; the third information represents the fourth radiation area and the second beam direction;

The liquid metal antenna unit in the phased array antenna is regulated based on the third information; wherein,

The regulated radiation area of the phased array antenna is the fourth radiation area, and the beam direction is the second beam direction; the third position is located in the center area of the fourth radiation area.

In one embodiment, the regulation unit 1002 is used to:

When the terminal moves to a fourth position, determine fourth information; the fourth information represents a fifth radiation area;

The liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna is regulated based on the fourth information; wherein,

The regulated radiation area of the antenna is the fourth radiation area; the fourth radiation area covers the fourth position.

In practical application, the acquiring unit 1001 may be implemented by a communication interface in the beamforming apparatus; the regulating unit 1002 may be implemented by a processor in the beamforming apparatus.

It should be noted that: when the beamforming apparatus provided in the above embodiments performs beamforming, only the division of the above program modules is used as an example for illustration. In practical applications, the above processing may be allocated to different program modules as required. Completion means dividing the internal structure of the device into different program modules to complete all or part of the processing described above. In addition, the beamforming apparatus and the beamforming method embodiments provided in the above embodiments belong to the same concept, and the specific implementation process thereof is detailed in the method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

Based on the hardware implementation of the above program modules, and in order to implement the beamforming method of the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application further provides a base station, and the antenna of the base station is composed of liquid metal antenna units; as shown in FIG. 11 , the base station 1100 includes:

A first communication interface 1101, capable of information interaction with other network nodes;

The first processor 1102 is connected to the first communication interface 1101 to implement information interaction with other network nodes, and is used to execute the methods provided by one or more of the above technical solutions when running a computer program. And the computer program is stored on the first memory 1103 .

Specifically, the first communication interface 1101 is used to obtain the location of the terminal;

The first processor 1102 is configured to adjust the liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna based on the position of the terminal, so as to change at least one of the radiation area and the beam direction of the antenna.

Wherein, in one embodiment, the first processor 1102 regulates the liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna based on at least one of the following:

The shape of the liquid metal antenna unit;

The amplitude of the output signal of the liquid metal antenna unit;

The phase of the liquid metal antenna unit output signal.

In one embodiment, the first processor 1102 is used to:

The first information is determined according to the first position of the terminal; the first information represents the first radiation area and the first beam direction;

The liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna is regulated based on the first information; wherein,

The adjusted radiation area of the antenna is the first radiation area, and the beam direction is the first beam direction.

In an embodiment, the first position represents an initial position when the terminal establishes a link with the base station; the first position is located inside the first radiation area and the first beam direction points the first position.

In one embodiment, the first position is located in a central area of the first radiation area.

In an embodiment, the antenna of the base station is a phased array antenna, and the first processor 1102 is configured to:

When the terminal moves from the second position to the third position, second information is determined; the second information at least represents the second beam direction; the second beam direction points to the third position; the first beam direction The second radiation area is the radiation area of the phased array antenna when the terminal is located at the second position;

The liquid metal antenna unit in the phased array antenna is regulated based on the second information.

In an embodiment, when the third position is located inside the second radiation area, the beam direction of the phased array antenna after adjustment is the second beam direction; wherein,

The second radiation area is the radiation area of the phased array antenna when the terminal is located at the second position.

In an embodiment, when the third position is located outside the second radiation area, the second information further represents the third radiation area, and the adjusted radiation area of the phased array antenna is the the third radiation area, and the beam direction is the second beam direction; wherein,

The second radiation area is the radiation area of the phased array antenna when the terminal is located at the second position; the third radiation area covers the third position.

In one embodiment, the first processor 1102 is further configured to:

In the case that the staying time of the terminal in the third position is longer than a set time length, determine third information; the third information represents the fourth radiation area and the second beam direction;

The liquid metal antenna unit in the phased array antenna is regulated based on the third information; wherein,

The regulated radiation area of the phased array antenna is the fourth radiation area, and the beam direction is the second beam direction; the third position is located in the center area of the fourth radiation area.

In one embodiment, the first processor 1102 is used to:

When the terminal moves to a fourth position, determine fourth information; the fourth information represents a fifth radiation area;

The liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna is regulated based on the fourth information; wherein,

The regulated radiation area of the antenna is the fourth radiation area; the fourth radiation area covers the fourth position.

In an embodiment, the antenna of the base station is a phased array antenna, and the phased array antenna adopts all-digital beamforming or digital-analog hybrid beamforming.

It should be noted that: the specific processing process of the first processor 1102 and the first communication interface 1101 can be understood with reference to the above method.

Of course, in practical applications, various components in the base station 1100 are coupled together through the bus system 1104 . It will be appreciated that the bus system 1104 is used to implement the connection communication between these components. In addition to the data bus, the bus system 1104 also includes a power bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus. However, for clarity of illustration, the various buses are labeled as bus system 1104 in FIG. 11 .

The first memory 1103 in this embodiment of the present application is used to store various types of data to support the operation of the base station 1100 . Examples of such data include: any computer program used to operate on base station 1100 .

The methods disclosed in the above embodiments of the present application may be applied to the first processor 1102 or implemented by the first processor 1102 . The first processor 1102 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capability. In the implementation process, each step of the above method may be completed by an integrated logic circuit of hardware in the first processor 1102 or an instruction in the form of software. The above-mentioned first processor 1102 may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP, Digital Signal Processor), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, and the like. The first processor 1102 may implement or execute the methods, steps, and logical block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor or the like. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module may be located in a storage medium, and the storage medium is located in the first memory 1103, the first processor 1102 reads the information in the first memory 1103, and completes the steps of the foregoing method in combination with its hardware.

In an exemplary embodiment, the base station 1100 may be implemented by one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASIC, Application Specific Integrated Circuit), DSP, Programmable Logic Device (PLD, Programmable Logic Device), Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD, Complex) Programmable Logic Device), Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA, Field-Programmable Gate Array), general-purpose processor, controller, microcontroller (MCU, Micro Controller Unit), microprocessor (Microprocessor), or other electronic components to achieve , used to perform the aforementioned method.

It can be understood that the first memory 1003 in this embodiment of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, and may also include both volatile and non-volatile memory. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM, Read Only Memory), a programmable read-only memory (PROM, Programmable Read-Only Memory), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM, Erasable Programmable Read-only memory) Only Memory), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM, Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), Magnetic Random Access Memory (FRAM, ferromagnetic random access memory), Flash Memory (FlashMemory), Magnetic Surface Memory, Optical disk, or Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM); the magnetic surface memory can be a magnetic disk memory or a magnetic tape memory. The volatile memory may be random access memory (RAM, Random Access Memory), which is used as an external cache memory. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Synchronous Static Random Access Memory (SSRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory Memory (DRAM, Dynamic Random Access Memory), Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM, Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory), Double Data Rate Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (DDRSDRAM, Double Data Rate Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory), Enhanced Type Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (ESDRAM, Enhanced Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory), Synchronous Link Dynamic Random Access Memory (SLDRAM, SyncLink Dynamic Random Access Memory), Direct Memory Bus Random Access Memory (DRRAM, Direct Rambus Random Access Memory). The memories described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to include, but not be limited to, these and any other suitable types of memories.

In an exemplary embodiment, an embodiment of the present application further provides a storage medium, that is, a computer storage medium, specifically a computer-readable storage medium, for example, including a first memory 1103 that stores a computer program, and the above-mentioned computer program can be stored in the base station 1100. The first processor 1102 executes the steps described in the foregoing method. The computer-readable storage medium may be memory such as FRAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, Flash Memory, magnetic surface memory, optical disk, or CD-ROM.

It should be noted that "first", "second", etc. are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific sequence or sequence.

In addition, the technical solutions described in the embodiments of the present application may be combined arbitrarily unless there is a conflict.

The above descriptions are only preferred embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present application.

Claims (15)

1. A beam forming method is characterized in that the method is applied to a base station, and an antenna of the base station is composed of a liquid metal antenna unit; the method comprises the following steps:

acquiring the position of a terminal;

and regulating a liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna based on the position of the terminal so as to change at least one of the radiation area and the beam direction of the antenna.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein in steering a liquid metal antenna element in the antenna, the method comprises:

regulating a liquid metal antenna element in the antenna based on at least one of:

the form of the liquid metal antenna unit;

the amplitude of the output signal of the liquid metal antenna unit;

the phase of the output signal of the liquid metal antenna unit.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the steering of the liquid metal antenna element in the antenna based on the location of the terminal comprises:

determining first information according to a first position of the terminal; the first information characterizes a first radiation area and a first beam direction;

regulating and controlling a liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna based on the first information; wherein,

the regulated radiation area of the antenna is the first radiation area, and the beam direction is the first beam direction.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first location represents an initial location where the terminal establishes a link with the base station; the first location is located inside the first radiation area and the first beam direction is directed towards the first location.

5. A method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the first location is located in a central region of the first radiating area.

6. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the antenna of the base station is a phased array antenna, and the steering of the liquid metal antenna element in the antenna based on the position of the terminal comprises:

determining second information under the condition that the terminal moves from the second position to the third position; the second information is indicative of at least a second beam direction; the second beam direction is directed at the third location;

and regulating a liquid metal antenna element in the phased array antenna based on the second information.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein in case the third location is inside a second radiation area, the steered beam direction of the phased array antenna is the second beam direction; wherein,

the second radiating area is a radiating area of the phased array antenna when the terminal is located at the second position.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein in the case that the third location is outside the second radiation zone, the second information further characterizes a third radiation zone, the radiation zone of the phased array antenna after steering is the third radiation zone, and the beam direction is the second beam direction; wherein,

the second radiating area is a radiating area of the phased array antenna when the terminal is located at the second position; the third radiation area covers the third position.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the steering of the liquid metal antenna element in the antenna based on the location of the terminal further comprises:

determining third information under the condition that the staying time of the terminal at the third position is longer than a set time length; the third information characterizes a fourth radiation area and the second beam direction;

regulating a liquid metal antenna element in the phased array antenna based on the third information; wherein,

the regulated radiation area of the phased array antenna is the fourth radiation area, and the beam direction is the second beam direction; the third location is located in a central region of the fourth irradiation region.

10. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the steering of the liquid metal antenna element in the antenna based on the position of the terminal comprises:

determining fourth information under the condition that the terminal moves to a fourth position; the fourth information characterizes a fifth radiation region;

regulating and controlling a liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna based on the fourth information; wherein,

the regulated radiation area of the antenna is the fourth radiation area; the fourth radiation area covers the fourth position.

11. A beamforming apparatus applied to a base station, the apparatus comprising:

an acquisition unit for acquiring a position of a terminal;

the regulating unit is used for regulating and controlling a liquid metal antenna unit in the antenna based on the position of the terminal so as to change at least one of the radiation area and the beam direction of the antenna; wherein,

the antenna is composed of a liquid metal antenna unit.

12. A base station, characterized in that the antenna of the base station is composed of liquid metal antenna elements; the base station includes: a first processor and a first communication interface; wherein,

the first communication interface is used for acquiring the position of the terminal;

the first processor is configured to adjust a liquid metal antenna element in an antenna based on a position of the terminal to change at least one of a radiation area and a beam direction of the antenna.

13. The base station of claim 12, wherein the antenna of the base station is a phased array antenna, and wherein the phased array antenna employs all-digital beamforming or digital-analog hybrid beamforming.

14. A base station, characterized in that the antenna of the base station is composed of liquid metal antenna elements; the base station includes: a first processor and a first memory for storing a computer program capable of running on the processor,

wherein the first processor is adapted to perform the steps of the method of any one of claims 1 to 10 when running the computer program.

15. A storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program, when being executed by a processor, realizing the steps of the method according to any of the claims 1 to 10.

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