CN116134749B - Antenna control method and device - Google Patents

Abstract

The embodiment of the present application discloses an antenna control method and device, which relates to the field of communication technology and can flexibly adjust the weight matrix according to the communication requirements in the current communication environment to provide better communication capabilities. The specific scheme is: the network device determines the weight matrix of the antenna array according to the current communication environment; the network device controls the antenna array to communicate with users in the coverage area of the network device according to the weight matrix.

Description

Antenna control method and device

Technical Field

The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technology, and in particular, to an antenna control method and device.

Background Art

With the development of communication technology, multi-antenna technology has been widely used because it provides better communication capabilities. Among them, network devices using massive multi-input multi-output (massive MIMO) technology can be equipped with more antennas than traditional ones, so the communication capabilities it can provide are particularly outstanding.

It should be understood that when a network device transmits multiple data streams simultaneously, it is necessary to ensure the orthogonality between the data streams in order to reduce the mutual interference between the data streams. In addition, the network device also needs to increase its transmission power as much as possible within the linear region of the corresponding device when transmitting multiple data streams in order to improve communication performance. Exemplarily, the network device can control the working state of each antenna in the antenna array through a weight matrix to achieve the purpose of controlling orthogonality and transmission power.

However, in order to increase the transmission power, it is generally necessary to adjust the weights corresponding to different antennas in the network equipment, which may lead to a decrease in the orthogonality between data streams. If the orthogonality between data streams is to be guaranteed, it is impossible to ensure that each antenna can transmit at full power (or close to full power).

Summary of the invention

The embodiments of the present application provide an antenna control method and device, which can flexibly adjust the weight matrix according to the communication requirements in the current communication environment to provide better communication capabilities.

In order to achieve the above purpose, the embodiment of the present application adopts the following technical solution:

In a first aspect, an antenna control method is provided, which is applied to a network device in which an antenna array is provided; the method comprises: the network device determines a weight matrix of the antenna array according to a current communication environment; the network device controls the antenna array to communicate with users within a coverage area of the network device according to the weight matrix.

Based on this solution, the network device can adaptively adjust the signal transmission of the antenna array provided therein according to the state of the current communication environment so as to provide better communication capabilities. Exemplarily, the network device can control the antenna array through a weight matrix, wherein each weight in the weight matrix can correspond to an oscillator in the antenna array. When the requirements for interference control in the communication environment are higher, the network device can adjust the weight matrix to a state that can better control orthogonality. When the requirements for power control in the communication environment are higher, the network device can adjust the weight matrix to a state that can better control the transmission power. Thereby, adaptive adjustment according to the communication requirements in the current communication environment is achieved.

In a possible design, the current communication environment is power-limited, and the network device determines the weight matrix of the antenna array according to the current communication environment, including: the network device determines the weight matrix of the antenna array according to normalized eigenvector beamforming (NEBF). Based on this scheme, a specific scheme for determining the weight matrix is proposed. For example, if the current communication environment is power-limited, the transmit power of the antenna matrix can be increased by NEBF to provide better communication capabilities.

In one possible design, the current communication environment has limited interference, and the network device determines the weight matrix of the antenna array according to the current communication environment, including: the network device determines the weight matrix of the antenna array according to power-limited eigenvector beamforming PEBF. Based on this scheme, another specific scheme for determining the weight matrix is proposed. For example, if the current communication environment has limited interference, PEBF can be used to improve the orthogonality between the signal streams emitted by the oscillators in the antenna matrix to provide better communication capabilities.

In a possible design, before the network device determines the weight matrix of the antenna array according to the current communication environment, the method further includes: the network device obtains environmental parameters, and the network device determines that the current communication environment is interference-limited or power-limited according to the environmental parameters. Based on this solution, a specific method for obtaining whether the current communication environment is interference-limited or power-limited is provided. For example, the communication requirements of the current communication environment can be determined by obtaining environmental parameters and determining them according to the environmental parameters.

In a possible design, the environmental parameter includes the number of users in the first user group, wherein the first user group is a collection of some or all users in the coverage area of the network device; the network device determines that the current communication environment is interference-limited or power-limited according to the environmental parameter, including: when the number of users is greater than a first threshold, the network device determines that the current communication environment is an interference-limited environment; when the number of users is less than the first threshold, the network device determines that the current communication environment is a power-limited environment. Based on this scheme, a specific example of determining the current communication demand according to the environmental parameter is provided. In this example, the network device can determine that the current communication environment is interference-limited or power-limited according to the number of users in the first user group (such as a user group composed of users in the first RBG). For example, take the first threshold as 1 as an example. When the number of users in the first user group is 1, the current RBG only needs to perform single-user scheduling, that is, in this environment, the communication quality can be improved by increasing the transmit power. Therefore, the environment can be a power-limited environment. Correspondingly, when the number of users in the first user group is greater than 1, the environment can be an interference-limited environment.

In one possible design, the environmental parameter includes a modulation and coding scheme MCS of different users in a first user group, wherein the first user group is a collection of some or all users in the coverage area of the network device; the network device determines that the current communication environment is interference-limited or power-limited according to the environmental parameter, including: when the MCS mean corresponding to the first user group is greater than a second threshold, the network device determines that the current communication environment is a power-limited environment; when the MCS mean corresponding to the first user group is less than the second threshold, the network device determines that the current communication environment is an interference-limited environment. Based on this solution, another specific example of determining the current communication demand according to environmental parameters is provided. In this example, the network device can determine that the current communication environment is interference-limited or power-limited according to the mean corresponding to the MCS of each user in the first user group (such as a user group composed of users in the first RBG). For example, when the MCS mean in the first user group is greater than the second threshold, the environment can be a power-limited environment. Correspondingly, when the MCS mean in the first user group is less than the second threshold, the environment can be an interference-limited environment. It should be noted that, in this example, only the MCS mean is used as a reference for illustration. In some other implementations, other communication-related parameters can also be determined based on the signal-to-noise ratio reported by each user to determine whether the current environment is interference-limited or power-limited.

In one possible design, the environmental parameter includes the number of users in the first user group, and the modulation and coding scheme MCS of different users in the first user group, wherein the first user group is a collection of some or all users in the coverage area of the network device; the network device determines that the current communication environment is interference-limited or power-limited according to the environmental parameter, including: when the number of users is less than a third threshold, the network device determines that the current communication environment is a power-limited environment; when the number of users is greater than the third threshold, and the MCS mean corresponding to the first user group is greater than a fourth threshold, the network device determines that the current communication environment is a power-limited environment; when the number of users is greater than the third threshold, and the MCS mean is less than the fourth threshold, the network device determines that the current communication environment is an interference-limited environment. Based on this scheme, another specific example of determining the current communication demand according to the environmental parameter is provided. In this example, the network device can determine that the current communication environment is interference-limited or power-limited based on the mean corresponding to the MCS of each user in the first user group (such as the user group composed of users in the first RBG) and the number of users in the first user group.

In a possible design, the first user group is specifically a set of users covered in a resource block group RBG corresponding to the network device; or, the first user is specifically a set of users covered by the network device in a transmission interval TTI. Based on this scheme, a specific division method of the first user group is provided. For example, users in an RBG can be used as the first user group, or users in a TTI can be used as the first user group. Of course, in other embodiments, users in an RB can also be used as the first user group. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the division granularity corresponding to the first user group.

In a second aspect, an antenna control device is provided, which is applied to a network device, in which an antenna array is provided; the device comprises: a determination unit and a control unit; the determination unit is used to determine a weight matrix of the antenna array according to a current communication environment; the control unit is used to control the antenna array to communicate with users within the coverage area of the network device according to the weight matrix.

In a possible design, the current communication environment is power-limited, and the control unit is used to determine the weight matrix of the antenna array according to the normalized eigenvector beamforming NEBF.

In one possible design, the current communication environment is interference limited, and the control unit is used to determine the weight matrix of the antenna array according to power limited eigenvector beamforming PEBF.

In one possible design, the device also includes: an acquisition unit, which is used to acquire environmental parameters, and the determination unit is further used to determine whether the current communication environment is interference limited or power limited based on the environmental parameters.

In one possible design, the environmental parameters include the number of users in a first user group, wherein the first user group is a collection of part or all of the users within the coverage area of the network device; the determination unit is also used to determine that the current communication environment is an interference-limited environment when the number of users is greater than a first threshold; the determination unit is also used to determine that the current communication environment is a power-limited environment when the number of users is less than the first threshold.

In one possible design, the environmental parameters include the modulation and coding scheme MCS of different users in a first user group, wherein the first user group is a collection of part or all of the users within the coverage area of the network device; the determination unit is further used to determine that the current communication environment is a power-limited environment when the MCS mean corresponding to the first user group is greater than a second threshold; the determination unit is further used to determine that the current communication environment is an interference-limited environment when the MCS mean corresponding to the first user group is less than the second threshold.

In one possible design, the environmental parameters include the number of users in the first user group and the modulation and coding scheme MCS of different users in the first user group, wherein the first user group is a collection of part or all of the users in the coverage area of the network device; the determination unit is also used to determine that the current communication environment is a power-constrained environment when the number of users is less than a third threshold; the determination unit is also used to determine that the current communication environment is a power-constrained environment when the number of users is greater than the third threshold and the MCS mean corresponding to the first user group is greater than a fourth threshold; the determination unit is also used to determine that the current communication environment is an interference-constrained environment when the number of users is greater than the third threshold and the MCS mean is less than the fourth threshold.

In one possible design, the first user group is specifically a set of users covered in a resource block group RBG corresponding to the network device; or, the first user is specifically a set of users covered by the network device in a transmission interval TTI.

According to a third aspect, a network device is provided, comprising one or more processors and one or more memories; the one or more memories are coupled to the one or more processors, and the one or more memories store computer instructions; when the one or more processors execute the computer instructions, the network device executes the antenna control method described in any one of the first aspect and its possible designs.

In a fourth aspect, a chip system is provided, which includes a processing circuit and an interface; the processing circuit is used to call and run a computer program stored in a storage medium from a storage medium to execute an antenna control method as described in any one of the first aspect and its possible designs.

In a fifth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which includes computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed, the antenna control method as described in any one of the first aspect and its possible designs is executed.

In a sixth aspect, a computer program product is provided. When the computer program product runs on a computer, the computer executes the antenna control method as described in any one of the first aspect and possible designs thereof.

It can be understood that the antenna control device described in the second aspect provided above, the network device described in the third aspect provided above, the chip system described in the fourth aspect provided above, the computer-readable storage medium described in the fifth aspect provided above, and the computer program product described in the sixth aspect are all used to execute the corresponding methods provided above. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can refer to the beneficial effects in the corresponding methods provided above, and will not be repeated here.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a flow chart of an antenna control method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG3 is a schematic flow chart of another antenna control method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG4 is a schematic flow chart of another antenna control method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG5 is a schematic block diagram of an antenna control device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG6 is a schematic block diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of a chip system provided in an embodiment of the present application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

At present, in network devices that use massive MIMO technology, multiple antennas can be set up to form a large-scale antenna array to jointly receive (or transmit) tune uplink (or downlink) signals. Compared with traditional MIMO technology, since more antennas are set up in network devices to form an antenna array, the single-user link performance can be greatly improved, and the spatial multiplexing capability of multiple users can be improved. At the same time, due to the large number of antennas, the beam shapes of different positions can be more finely distinguished in the vertical dimension, thereby significantly improving the spatial coverage capability of the network device to transmit signals.

When using massive MIMO to transmit or receive signals, it is necessary to control the orthogonality and transmit power between different beams, thereby achieving communication based on different beams. For example, an antenna array on a network device consisting of multiple antennas can control the antennas in the antenna array to operate at different amplitudes and/or phases through a weight matrix, so that the antenna array can transmit (or receive) information in different beams.

At present, in some scenarios, the transmit power of each physical antenna in the antenna array can be adjusted to a normalized value, such as a maximum transmit power, by adjusting the weight matrix, so as to maximize the use of the transmit power of the antenna array. In this application, this method may also be referred to as normalized eigenvector beamforming (NEBF).

For example, an antenna array includes N _PTx antennas, and the beam generated by each antenna includes N _RB resource blocks (RB), and the resource block includes N _{user, j} users, and the number of streams included in the beam corresponding to the user is L. The antenna array performs downlink data transmission through a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). The method of using NEBF to normalize the weights corresponding to the streams in each beam can refer to the following formula: in, is the normalized weight of the beam with stream number l, is the original weight of the beam with stream number l. In this scheme, the normalization factor can be Then we can get the normalization scheme of the weight matrix: When the antenna array is adjusted according to the weight matrix obtained by the formula, different antennas in the antenna array can all operate at the same higher transmission power.

However, since the weights of different antennas are adjusted, when NEBF is used for power normalization, the orthogonality between different streams will be destroyed.

In other scenarios, the weight matrix can be adjusted to ensure the orthogonality between each physical antenna in the antenna array, thereby achieving relative independence when different antennas work. In this application, this method may also be referred to as power-limited eigenvector beamforming (PEBF).

For example, the antenna array includes N _PTx antennas, the beam generated by each antenna includes N _RB resource blocks (RB), the resource block includes N _{user, j} users, the number of streams included in the beam corresponding to the user is 7, and the antenna array performs downlink data transmission through a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). When using PEBF to determine the weights corresponding to different streams, the normalization factor A can be obtained according to the following formula: Then, the normalization factor is determined according to A=max{A ₀ , ..., _An }. Thus, the weight normalization results corresponding to different flows are obtained: When the antenna array is adjusted according to the weight matrix obtained by the formula, the orthogonality between different antennas in the antenna array can be better guaranteed.

However, since the weights of different antennas are adjusted, when PEBF is used to adjust the working states of different antennas, different antennas will work at different transmit powers, which inevitably results in a situation where the transmit power of some antennas is low.

In order to solve the above problems, an embodiment of the present application provides an antenna control method, which can adaptively adjust different antennas according to PEBF or NEBF according to the current communication environment, so that the network device can provide better communication capabilities according to the current communication environment. Exemplarily, in some implementations, when the communication environment has high requirements for signal interference, the network device can control the weights of the corresponding antennas according to PEBF to improve the orthogonality of the corresponding antennas. In other implementations, when the communication environment has low requirements for signal interference, the weights of the corresponding antennas are controlled according to NEBF to increase the transmission power of the corresponding antennas.

The embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication system 100 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 100 may include a network device 110 and a terminal 120. It should be noted that in the communication system 100, other terminals other than 120 may also be included. For example, the communication system 100 may also include a terminal 121 as shown in Figure 1. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the number of terminals included in the communication system 100. Exemplarily, the terminal (also referred to as a terminal device) in the embodiment of the present application may be a user equipment (UE), a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a desktop, a laptop, a handheld computer, a notebook computer, an ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), a netbook, and a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), an augmented reality (AR)\virtual reality (VR) device, a media player, and other electronic devices with communication capabilities. The embodiment of the present application does not impose any special restrictions on the specific form of the device.

In the communication system 100, the network device 110 may be a base station in a fifth generation mobile communication technology (5th generation mobile networks, 5G) supporting massive MIMO technology. It should be understood that in other embodiments, the network device 110 may also be a third generation mobile communication technology (3G) or fourth generation mobile communication technology (4G) base station, or other communication device that can support massive MIMO technology. Exemplarily, the network device 110 is taken as a 5G base station. The network device 110 can provide a 5G new air interface (new radio, NR) for 5G communication with other devices (such as terminal 120 and/or terminal 121). Exemplarily, the network device 110 can communicate with different terminals within its coverage range through a beam (such as a narrow beam). In the network device 110, a baseband module may be provided to achieve power normalization adjustment for different antennas. In some implementations, the baseband module can be used to determine the relationship between the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) mean corresponding to different terminals and the second threshold value in units of resource block groups (RB groups, RBGs), and adjust the antennas that generate beams included in different RBGs accordingly. For example, the antennas corresponding to the beams whose MCS mean values are greater than the second threshold value are adjusted according to NEBF. For another example, the antennas corresponding to the beams whose MCS mean values are less than the second threshold value are adjusted according to PEBF. In other implementations, the baseband module can be used to normalize the power of the corresponding antennas according to the number of users in the corresponding RBG.

In some embodiments, the network device 110 may include a transmitter chain and a receiver chain. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that they may include multiple components related to signal transmission and reception (e.g., processors, modulators, multiplexers, encoders, demultiplexers, antennas, etc.).

The antenna control methods provided in the embodiments of the present application can all be used in the communication system 100 shown in FIG. 1 .

The antenna control method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below. Among them, the network device performs normalized adjustment of antenna power with RBG as the granularity as an example. It should be noted that in other embodiments, the network device can also perform normalized adjustment of antenna power with other granularities, such as normalized adjustment of antenna power with transmission time interval (TTI) as the granularity. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the adjustment granularity of power normalization.

Please refer to Figure 2, which is a flow chart of an antenna control method provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2, the method may include S201-S203.

S201. A network device determines the number of users in a first RBG.

In combination with the above description, when the network device communicates with users within its coverage, the network device can emit a beam in the corresponding direction through the antenna array set on the network device. Exemplarily, the beam can be a beam with a narrower bandwidth than a traditional beam, and the beam can have a stronger signal power so as to perform good data communication with users in the corresponding direction.

It should be understood that different beams can divide the coverage of the network device into multiple different areas in the spatial domain (such as referred to as the air domain), and on each beam, the network device can transmit data through different frequencies. In the present application, the frequency domain coverage of the network device can be divided into different RBs, and multiple RBs can constitute an RB group (ie, RBG). In different implementations, different RBGs may include different numbers of RBs. For example, an RBG may include 4 RBs.

In this example, the network device may determine the number of users in each RBG in different RBGs. Exemplarily, the network device may determine the number of users in a first RBG, where the first RBG may be any one of a plurality of RBGs. The network device may determine, based on the number of access users in the first RBG, which method (such as NEBF or PEBF in the above description) is used to control the weight of the antenna corresponding to the first RBG.

When the number of users is less than or equal to the first threshold, execute the following S202. When the number of users is greater than the first threshold, execute the following S203. Among them, the first threshold can be an integer greater than or equal to 1. The following is explained by taking the first threshold of 1 as an example. That is, when the number of users in the first RBG is 1, the network device executes the following S202. When the number of users in the first RBG is greater than 1, the network device executes the following S203. In an embodiment of the present application, when the number of users in the first RBG is 1, it can also be referred to as the network device needing to perform single user (single user, SU) scheduling in the first RBG. When the number of users in the first RBG is greater than 1, it can also be referred to as the network device needing to perform multi-user (multi user, MU) scheduling in the first RBG.

S202: The network device performs normalization adjustment on the antenna corresponding to the first RBG according to the NEBF.

In this example, when the network device needs to perform single-user scheduling, the power of the antenna corresponding to the first RBG is normalized and adjusted according to the NEBF.

It should be understood that when there is only one user in the first RBG, it means that there will be no other beam communicating with the user in the RBG, and there will be no interference problem between the two beams. Therefore, in this example, when the network device determines to perform single-user scheduling, the power of the antenna corresponding to the RBG can be normalized, such as using NEBF to normalize the power of the antenna, so that the transmit power corresponding to the RBG can reach the configured full power, thereby improving the communication quality in the RBG.

S203: The network device performs normalization adjustment on the antenna corresponding to the first RBG according to the PEBF.

In this example, when the network device needs to perform multi-user scheduling, the power of the antenna corresponding to the first RBG is normalized and adjusted according to the PEBF.

It should be understood that when there are 2 or more users in the first RBG, there may be two or more signals interacting with different users in the RBG. That is to say, at this time, the interference requirement in the RBG is high (in this application, this situation of high interference requirement is referred to as interference limited), so it is necessary to ensure the orthogonality of different antennas in the RBG. For example, the network device can normalize the power of the antenna corresponding to the first RBG according to the PEBF so that the signals in the first RBG can not interfere with each other, thereby improving the communication quality in the first RBG.

Based on the scheme shown in FIG2 , the network device can determine whether the environment corresponding to different RBGs is an interference-limited environment according to the number of users in different granularities (such as RBG as the granularity), and adjust the weights of the corresponding antennas accordingly. The network device can adaptively adjust the weight matrices of different antennas according to the differences in the communication environment to improve the communication quality in each RBG.

It should be noted that the method shown in Figure 2 can be automatically triggered according to a preset cycle, or can be triggered according to a received instruction. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the triggering mechanism of the solution.

In conjunction with the above description of FIG. 2 , the present application further provides an antenna control method that can further refine the power normalization control of the antenna in the scenario of multi-user scheduling. For example, please refer to FIG. 3 for a flow chart of another antenna control method provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 3 , the method may include S301-S305.

S301. A network device determines that multi-user scheduling needs to be performed on a first RBG.

In this example, the network device may determine that multi-user scheduling needs to be performed on the first RBG according to the number of users corresponding to the first RBG. Exemplarily, the method may be similar to the method described in S201 above.

S302: The network device determines an MCS mean value corresponding to the first RBG.

S303: The network device determines the relationship between the MCS mean and the second threshold.

If the MCS mean value is greater than the second threshold value, then S304 is executed. If the MCS mean value is greater than the second threshold value, then S305 is executed.

S304: The network device performs normalization adjustment on the antenna corresponding to the first RBG according to the NEBF.

S305: The network device performs normalization adjustment on the antenna corresponding to the first RBG according to the PEBF.

It should be understood that when there are multiple users in the first RBG that need to be scheduled at the same time, the network device can determine to use NEBF or PEBF to perform power normalization adjustment on the antenna corresponding to the first RBG according to the interference requirements of different user communications.

As an example, the network device can determine the interference requirements of different users' communications in the RBG according to the MCS mean reported by all users in the first RBG. For example, the network device can obtain the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) reported by each user in the first RBG, determine the MCS corresponding to each user, and obtain the MCS mean of different users in the RBG accordingly. The network device can determine whether the communication environment corresponding to the current RBG is an interference-limited environment based on the MCS mean. Exemplarily, the network device can determine whether the corresponding communication environment is an interference-limited environment based on the size relationship between the MCS mean and the second threshold (such as AverageMcsThld). In an embodiment of the present application, the MCS mean may be referred to as AverageMcs.

For example, when AverageMcs is greater than AverageMcsThld, it indicates that there is less interference in the environment, so the power is more easily limited. Therefore, the network device can normalize the power of the antenna corresponding to the first RBG according to PEBF to ensure the orthogonality of the corresponding antenna.

When AverageMcs is less than AverageMcsThld, it indicates that there is more interference in the environment, so the interference is more easily limited. Therefore, the network device can normalize the power of the antenna corresponding to the first RBG according to NEBF to ensure full power transmission of the corresponding antenna.

It should be noted that in the above example, the MCS mean is used as an example to illustrate whether the environment is an interference-limited environment. In other implementations, the network device can also determine whether the current environment is an interference-limited environment based on other parameters. For example, the network device can determine whether the current environment is an interference-limited environment based on the relationship between the variance and/or covariance and/or standard deviation of the SNR reported by the user corresponding to the first RB6 and the preset parameters. For another example, the network device can determine whether the current environment is an interference-limited environment based on other communication parameters of the user corresponding to the first RBG, such as the power limitation level. The embodiment of the present application is not limited to this.

In order to enable those skilled in the art to more clearly understand the technical solution provided in the present application, the antenna control method provided in the embodiment of the present application is exemplarily described below in combination with the method shown in FIG. 2 and the method shown in FIG. 3 .

Please refer to Fig. 4, which is another antenna control method provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Fig. 4, the method may include S401-S406.

S401. A network device determines the number of users in a first RBG.

S402: The network device determines whether SU scheduling or MU scheduling is required according to the number of users.

When the first RB6 needs to be SU-scheduled, the process proceeds to S405. When the first RBG needs to be MU-scheduled, the process proceeds to S406.

S403: The network device obtains an MCS mean value corresponding to the user in MU scheduling.

S404: The network device determines whether the current environment is a power-limited environment according to the MCS mean value.

If the current environment is a power-constrained environment, the following S405 is executed. If the current environment is not a power-constrained environment, the following S406 is executed.

S405: The network device performs normalization adjustment on the antenna corresponding to the first RBG according to the NEBF.

S406: The network device performs normalization adjustment on the antenna corresponding to the first RBG according to the PEBF.

It should be understood that the specific execution methods of each step in this example can correspond to the steps of the method shown in Figure 2 or Figure 3, and the corresponding execution measures are also similar, which will not be repeated here.

It should be noted that in other embodiments of the present application, based on the antenna control method provided in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3 or FIG. 4 above, the present application can also maximize power utilization by transferring idle power to other RBs. Exemplary, take the execution of S406 shown in FIG. 4 as an example. After the network device normalizes the power of the antenna corresponding to the first RBG according to PEBF, for an RBG adjusted by PEBF for a certain antenna, if there is excess power, the excess power adjustment can be allocated to the RB (or RBG) corresponding to the antenna (or other antennas) adjusted by NEBF. In this way, the power upper limit allocated to the RB (or RBG) corresponding to the NEBF can be effectively improved, so that each antenna of the NEBF transmits close to full power. Thereby, the overall transmission power of the network device is improved to provide better communication capabilities.

The above mainly introduces the solution provided by the embodiment of the present application from the perspective of network equipment. In order to realize the above functions, it includes hardware structures and/or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to exceed the scope of the present application.

The embodiment of the present application can divide the functional modules of the above-mentioned network device according to the above-mentioned method example. For example, each functional module can be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above-mentioned integrated module can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiment of the present application is schematic and is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation.

Please refer to FIG5, which is a schematic block diagram of an antenna control device 500 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The antenna control device 500 can be set in the network device 110 shown in FIG1, and is used to implement any antenna control method provided in the embodiment of the present application. Exemplarily, the network device 110 can also be provided with an antenna array.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the device may include a determining unit 501 and a control unit 502 .

The determination unit 501 is used to determine the weight matrix of the antenna array according to the current communication environment; the control unit 502 is used to control the antenna array to communicate with users in the coverage area of the network device according to the weight matrix.

In a possible design, the current communication environment is power-limited, and the control unit 502 is used to determine the weight matrix of the antenna array according to normalized eigenvector beamforming (NEBF).

In one possible design, the current communication environment is interference limited, and the control unit 502 is used to determine the weight matrix of the antenna array according to power limited eigenvector beamforming (PEBF).

In one possible design, the device also includes: an acquisition unit 503, where the acquisition unit 503 is used to acquire environmental parameters, and the determination unit 501 is also used to determine whether the current communication environment is interference limited or power limited based on the environmental parameters.

In one possible design, the environmental parameters include the number of users in a first user group, wherein the first user group is a collection of part or all of the users within the coverage area of the network device; the determination unit 501 is also used to determine that the current communication environment is an interference-limited environment when the number of users is greater than a first threshold; the determination unit 501 is also used to determine that the current communication environment is a power-limited environment when the number of users is less than the first threshold.

In one possible design, the environmental parameters include a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) of different users in a first user group, wherein the first user group is a collection of part or all of the users within the coverage area of the network device; the determination unit 501 is further used to determine that the current communication environment is a power-limited environment when the MCS mean corresponding to the first user group is greater than a second threshold; the determination unit 501 is further used to determine that the current communication environment is an interference-limited environment when the MCS mean corresponding to the first user group is less than the second threshold.

In one possible design, the environmental parameters include the number of users in the first user group and the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) of different users in the first user group, wherein the first user group is a collection of part or all of the users in the coverage area of the network device; the determination unit 501 is also used to determine that the current communication environment is a power-limited environment when the number of users is less than a third threshold; the determination unit 501 is also used to determine that the current communication environment is a power-limited environment when the number of users is greater than the third threshold and the MCS mean corresponding to the first user group is greater than a fourth threshold; the determination unit 501 is also used to determine that the current communication environment is an interference-limited environment when the number of users is greater than the third threshold and the MCS mean is less than the fourth threshold.

In one possible design, the first user group is specifically a set of users covered in a resource block group (RB6) corresponding to the network device; or, the first user is specifically a set of users covered by the network device in a transmission interval (TTI).

It should be noted that all relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and will not be repeated here. As an option but not a necessity, when necessary, the antenna control device provided in the embodiment of the present application may also include a processing module or a control module for supporting the above determination unit 501 and/or control unit 502 and/or acquisition unit 503 to complete the corresponding functions.

FIG6 shows a schematic diagram of the composition of a network device 600. The network device 600 may include: a processor 601 and a memory 602. The memory 602 is used to store computer-executable instructions. Exemplarily, in some embodiments, when the processor 601 executes the instructions stored in the memory 602, the network device 600 may execute the antenna control method shown in FIG2 or FIG3 or FIG4, as well as other operations that the network device needs to perform.

It should be noted that all relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module and will not be repeated here.

FIG7 shows a schematic diagram of the composition of a chip system 700. The chip system 700 may include: a processor 701 and a communication interface 702, which are used to support the network device to implement the functions involved in the above embodiments. In a possible design, the chip system 700 also includes a memory for storing program instructions and data necessary for the network device. The chip system 700 may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

It should be noted that all relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module and will not be repeated here.

The functions or actions or operations or steps in the above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using a software program, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from a website site, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode to another website site, computer, server or data center. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that a computer can access or may include one or more servers, data centers and other data storage devices that can be integrated with the medium. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

Although the present application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments thereof, it is obvious that various modifications and combinations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Accordingly, this specification and the drawings are merely exemplary illustrations of the present application as defined by the appended claims, and are deemed to have covered any and all modifications, variations, combinations or equivalents within the scope of the present application. Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims (16)

1. An antenna control method, characterized in that the method is applied to a network device, wherein the network device is provided with an antenna array; the method comprises: The network device determines a weight matrix of the antenna array according to a current communication environment; The network device controls the antenna array according to the weight matrix to communicate with users in the coverage area of the network device; If the current communication environment has limited interference, the network device determines a weight matrix of the antenna array according to the current communication environment, including: The network device determines a weight matrix of the antenna array according to power limited eigenvector beamforming (PEBF). 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that if the current communication environment is power-limited, The network device determines the weight matrix of the antenna array according to the current communication environment, including: The network device determines a weight matrix of the antenna array according to normalized eigenvector beamforming (NEBF). 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that before the network device determines the weight matrix of the antenna array according to the current communication environment, the method further comprises: The network device obtains environmental parameters, The network device determines, according to the environmental parameters, that the current communication environment is interference limited or power limited. 4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that the environmental parameter includes the number of users in the first user group, wherein the first user group is a collection of part or all of the users in the coverage area of the network device; The network device determines, according to the environmental parameter, that the current communication environment is interference-limited or power-limited, including: When the number of users is greater than a first threshold, the network device determines that the current communication environment is an interference limited environment; When the number of users is less than the first threshold, the network device determines that the current communication environment is a power-limited environment. 5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that the environmental parameters include modulation and coding schemes (MCS) of different users in a first user group, wherein the first user group is a collection of part or all of the users in the coverage area of the network device; The network device determines, according to the environmental parameter, that the current communication environment is interference-limited or power-limited, including: When the MCS mean corresponding to the first user group is greater than a second threshold, the network device determines that the current communication environment is a power-limited environment; When the MCS mean corresponding to the first user group is less than the second threshold, the network device determines that the current communication environment is an interference-limited environment. 6. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that the environmental parameters include the number of users in the first user group and the modulation and coding schemes (MCS) of different users in the first user group, wherein the first user group is a collection of part or all of the users in the coverage area of the network device; The network device determines, according to the environmental parameter, that the current communication environment is interference-limited or power-limited, including: When the number of users is less than a third threshold, the network device determines that the current communication environment is a power-limited environment; When the number of users is greater than the third threshold, and the MCS mean corresponding to the first user group is greater than a fourth threshold, the network device determines that the current communication environment is a power-limited environment; When the number of users is greater than the third threshold and the MCS mean is less than the fourth threshold, the network device determines that the current communication environment is an interference-limited environment. 7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the first user group is specifically a set of users covered by a resource block group RBG corresponding to the network device; or The first users are specifically a set of users covered by the network device in a transmission interval TTI. 8. An antenna control device, characterized in that it is applied to a network device, wherein the network device is provided with an antenna array; the device comprises: a determination unit, a control unit; The determining unit is used to determine the weight matrix of the antenna array according to the current communication environment; The control unit is used to control the antenna array to communicate with users in the coverage area of the network device according to the weight matrix; If the current communication environment has limited interference, The control unit is used to determine the weight matrix of the antenna array according to power limited eigenvector beamforming (PEBF). 9. The device according to claim 8, characterized in that if the current communication environment is power-limited, The control unit is used to determine the weight matrix of the antenna array according to normalized eigenvector beamforming (NEBF). 10. The device according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the device further comprises: an acquisition unit, The acquisition unit is used to acquire environmental parameters. The determining unit is further configured to determine, based on the environmental parameters, whether the current communication environment is interference limited or power limited. 11. The device according to claim 10, characterized in that the environmental parameter comprises the number of users in a first user group, wherein the first user group is a collection of part or all of the users in the coverage area of the network device; The determining unit is further configured to determine that the current communication environment is an interference-limited environment when the number of users is greater than a first threshold; The determining unit is further configured to determine that the current communication environment is a power-limited environment when the number of users is less than the first threshold. 12. The device according to claim 10, characterized in that the environmental parameters include modulation and coding schemes (MCS) of different users in a first user group, wherein the first user group is a collection of part or all of the users in the coverage area of the network device; The determining unit is further configured to determine that the current communication environment is a power-limited environment when the MCS mean corresponding to the first user group is greater than a second threshold; The determining unit is further configured to determine that the current communication environment is an interference-limited environment when the MCS mean corresponding to the first user group is less than the second threshold. 13. The device according to claim 10, characterized in that the environmental parameters include the number of users in the first user group and the modulation and coding schemes MCS of different users in the first user group, wherein the first user group is a collection of part or all of the users in the coverage area of the network device; The determining unit is further configured to determine that the current communication environment is a power-limited environment when the number of users is less than a third threshold; The determining unit is further configured to determine that the current communication environment is a power-limited environment when the number of users is greater than the third threshold and the MCS mean corresponding to the first user group is greater than a fourth threshold; The determination unit is further configured to determine that the current communication environment is an interference-limited environment when the number of users is greater than the third threshold and the MCS mean is less than the fourth threshold. 14. The device according to claim 11, wherein the first user group is specifically a set of users covered by a resource block group RBG corresponding to the network device; or The first users are specifically a set of users covered by the network device in a transmission interval TTI. 15. A network device, characterized in that the network device comprises one or more processors and one or more memories; the one or more memories are coupled to the one or more processors, and the one or more memories store computer instructions; When the one or more processors execute the computer instructions, the network device executes the antenna control method according to any one of claims 1 to 7. 16. A chip system, characterized in that the chip comprises a processing circuit and an interface; the processing circuit is used to call and run a computer program stored in a storage medium from the storage medium to execute the antenna control method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.