WO2018155776A1

WO2018155776A1 - Communication method using single rf chain, and communication device using single rf chain

Info

Publication number: WO2018155776A1
Application number: PCT/KR2017/008864
Authority: WO
Inventors: 옥규순; 최일도; 이주용
Original assignee: 한국과학기술원
Priority date: 2017-02-24
Filing date: 2017-08-16
Publication date: 2018-08-30
Also published as: KR101974262B1; KR20180097886A

Abstract

A communication method using a single RF chain and a communication device using a single RF chain are disclosed. The communication device according to an embodiment comprises: a controller for outputting control information and frequency information on the basis of a control signal received from a base station; a baseband interface for outputting an IQ signal on the basis of the control information; and a converter for converting the IQ signal into a code on the basis of the frequency information.

Description

Communication method using a single RF chain and communication device using a single RF chain

The embodiments below relate to a communication method using a single RF chain and a communication device using a single RF chain.

In the third generation partnership project (3GPP) release 10, new carrier aggregation (CA) technology, which combines several frequency bands, has been newly added. The 5G specification includes 8-band CA technology that combines eight 100 MHz wide frequencies.

In 3GPP release 11, CoMP (Coordinated Multi-Point), a technology that reduces neighbor-to-cell interference and increases capacity at cell boundaries by allowing neighboring cells to collaborate to communicate not only existing cells but also other cells with one terminal, appeared .

In 3GPP release 13, License-Assisted Access (LAA), a technology that applies long term evolution (LTE) in the unlicensed frequency band, was approved as a study item, and aims to complete standardization by the end of 2017. Accordingly, it is expected to support capacity increase and quality improvement of a terminal by using multiple bands flexibly in multiple modes through technologies such as CoMP, CA, and LAA.

Embodiments may provide a technique for generating an IQ signal based on control information.

In addition, embodiments may provide a technique for converting an IQ signal into a code based on control information.

In addition, embodiments may provide a technique for controlling impedance based on code and modulating and outputting an RF signal using a single RF chain.

A communication apparatus according to an embodiment includes a controller for outputting control information and frequency information based on a control signal received from a base station, and a baseband interface for outputting an IQ signal based on the control information. And a converter for converting the IQ signal into a code based on the frequency information.

The frequency information may include at least one of a frequency band, a center frequency, and a bandwidth.

The converter may convert the IQ signal based on a look-up table (LUT).

The apparatus may further comprise an impedance loading module for controlling the impedance based on the code.

The controller, the baseband interface, and the converter are implemented on the first board, the impedance loading module is implemented on the second board, the first board and the second board. May be different.

The apparatus may further include an oscillator for outputting a signal corresponding to the frequency information, and the impedance loading module may modulate a signal based on the impedance and the signal.

The apparatus may further include a plurality of antennas connected to the impedance loading module and outputting a signal modulated based on the impedance.

In one embodiment, a communication method includes outputting control information and frequency information based on a control signal received from a base station, outputting an IQ signal based on the control information, and based on the frequency information. Converting the IQ signal into a code.

The converting may include converting the IQ signal based on a lookup table (LUT).

The method may further comprise controlling impedance based on the code.

The method may further include outputting a signal corresponding to the frequency information, and the controlling may include modulating a signal based on the impedance and the signal.

The method may further comprise outputting a modulated signal based on the impedance.

1 shows a block diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment;

2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the communication system shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a block diagram of the communication device shown in FIG. 1.

4 illustrates an example of a block diagram of the converter illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 shows another example of a block diagram of the communication device shown in FIG. 1.

6 illustrates an example of a structure diagram of the impedance loading module illustrated in FIG. 5.

7 illustrates an example in which a communication device is actually implemented.

8 is a flowchart of a communication method according to an exemplary embodiment.

Specific structural or functional descriptions of the embodiments according to the inventive concept disclosed herein are merely illustrated for the purpose of describing the embodiments according to the inventive concept, and the embodiments according to the inventive concept. These may be embodied in various forms and are not limited to the embodiments described herein.

Embodiments according to the inventive concept may be variously modified and have various forms, so embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail herein. However, this is not intended to limit the embodiments in accordance with the concept of the present invention to specific embodiments, and includes modifications, equivalents, or substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Terms such as first or second may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another component, for example, without departing from the scope of the rights according to the inventive concept, the first component may be called a second component, Similarly, the second component may also be referred to as the first component.

When a component is said to be “connected” or “connected” to another component, it may be directly connected to or connected to that other component, but it may be understood that other components may be present in the middle. Should be. On the other hand, when a component is said to be "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there is no other component in between. Expressions that describe the relationship between components, such as "between" and "immediately between," or "directly neighboring to," should be interpreted as well.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this specification, the terms “comprise” or “have” are intended to designate that the stated feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof exists, but includes one or more other features or numbers, It is to be understood that it does not exclude in advance the possibility of the presence or addition of steps, actions, components, parts or combinations thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Terms such as those defined in the commonly used dictionaries should be construed as having meanings consistent with the meanings in the context of the related art, and are not construed in ideal or excessively formal meanings unless expressly defined herein. Do not.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the scope of the patent application is not limited or limited by these embodiments. Like reference numerals in the drawings denote like elements.

A module in the present specification may mean hardware capable of performing functions and operations according to each name described in the present specification, and may mean computer program code capable of performing specific functions and operations. Or an electronic recording medium, for example, a processor or a microprocessor, in which computer program code capable of performing specific functions and operations is mounted.

In other words, a module may mean a functional and / or structural combination of hardware for performing the technical idea of the present invention and / or software for driving the hardware.

1 shows a block diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment;

Referring to FIG. 1, the communication system 10 includes a base station (eNodeB, or eNB) 100, a communication device 200, and an electronic device 300.

The base station 100 may communicate with the electronic device 300. The base station 100 may communicate with the electronic device 300 based on LTE or LTE-A.

The electronic device 300 may be implemented as a personal computer (PC), a data server, or a portable device.

Portable devices include laptop computers, mobile phones, smart phones, tablet PCs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), personal digital assistants (PDAs), enterprise digital assistants (EDAs). , Digital still cameras, digital video cameras, portable multimedia players (PMPs), personal navigation devices or portable navigation devices (PNDs), handheld game consoles, e-books ( It may be implemented as an e-book or a smart device.

The smart device may be implemented as a smart watch or a smart band. That is, the electronic device 300 may be a wearable device that can be worn or suitable for the user.

The communication device 200 may support communication between the base station 100 and the electronic device 300. For example, the communication device 200 may be a small base station.

The communication device 200 may support a narrower area than the base station 100 and may be installed indoors, in a densely populated area, or in a shadow area to support communication of the electronic device 300. The communication device 200 may effectively distribute the load of the base station 100 to increase the capacity.

The communication device 200 may support multi band with a single RF chain. The communication device 200 may output an RF signal to the electronic device 300 based on the IQ signal output in the form of multiple streams. The IQ signal may include an in-phase signal and a quadrature phase signal.

The communication device 200 may control an impedance based on the IQ signal. The communication device 200 may control the impedance to output an RF signal in a specific frequency band, a specific center frequency, or a specific bandwidth.

Referring to FIG. 2, the base station 100 may transmit a channel state information (CSI) request message to the electronic device 300 (S210). The CSI request message may include a CSI-RS (CSI-reference signal) configuration message. That is, the base station 100 may instruct the electronic device 300 how to measure the channel state information (CSI) of the cells through the channel state information (CSI) request message.

The electronic device 300 may transmit channel state information (CSI) of cells in response to the channel state information (CSI) request message (S220). The channel state information (CSI) is at least one of a channel quality indicator (CQI), a precoding matrix indicator (PMI), and a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR). It may include one.

The electronic device 300 may transmit channel state information (CSI) of cells at every scheduling period of the base station 100. Accordingly, the base station 100 may dynamically respond to the instantaneous channel change of the electronic device 300. For example, when a momentary channel change occurs, the base station 100 may dynamically allocate resources to the electronic device 300 based on the channel state information (CSI).

The base station 100 may generate a control signal based on the channel state information CSI (S230). The base station 100 may perform scheduling based on the plurality of channel state information (CSI) received from the plurality of electronic devices 300. The base station 100 may perform scheduling so that interference is minimized and capacity is maximized. The interference may include inter-signal interference, inter-channel interference, or interference between the electronic devices 300.

The base station 100 may generate a scheduling result control signal. The control signal may include at least one of user information, a frequency band, a center frequency, a bandwidth, and channel state information (CSI). The user information may be information about the electronic device 300.

The base station 100 may transmit a control signal to the communication device 200 (S240). The base station 100 may transmit a control signal using an X2 interface. That is, when the LTE network is initially installed, the communication provider may set the base station 100 and the communication device 200 to support the X2 interface.

The communication device 200 may control the frequency based on the control signal (S250). Accordingly, the communication device 200 may control at least one of a frequency band, a center frequency, and a bandwidth. For example, the communication device 200 may control an impedance based on a control signal, and output an RF signal in which at least one of a frequency band, a center frequency, and a bandwidth is different according to the impedance. That is, the communication device 200 may select an optimal frequency band, an optimal center frequency, an optimal bandwidth, or an optimal transmission scheme by controlling the frequency, and support multiple bands.

The communication device 200 may transmit data to the electronic device 300 (S260). For example, the communication device 200 may transmit data according to an optimal frequency band, an optimal center frequency, an optimal bandwidth, or an optimal transmission scheme.

In this case, the base station 100 and the communication device 200 may transmit data to the electronic device 300 according to the following scenario.

For example, the base station 100 and the communication device 200 may transmit data to the electronic device 300 using different frequency bands. The base station 100 and the communication device 200 may distribute data so that some data may be transmitted by the base station 100 and the remaining data may be transmitted by the communication device 200. That is, the base station 100, the communication device 200, and the electronic device 300 may use CA technology.

As another example, the base station 100 and the communication device 200 may transmit data to the electronic device 300 using the same frequency band. Accordingly, the electronic device 300 may have an effect of improving reception performance or increasing capacity. That is, the base station 100, the communication device 200, and the electronic device 300 may use a transmit diversity technique or a spatial multiplexing technique.

As another example, data may be transmitted from the base station 100 having a good channel state among the plurality of base stations to the electronic device 300. The base station having a good channel condition may transmit data by selecting an optimal frequency band and an optimal beam.

3 shows an example of a block diagram of the communication device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 shows an example of a block diagram of the converter shown in FIG. 3.

1 to 4, the communication device 200 includes a controller 210, a baseband interface 220, and a converter 230.

The controller 210 may output control information and frequency information based on the control signal received from the base station 100. The controller 210 may receive a control signal from the base station 100 using the X2 interface. The controller 210 may generate control information such that interference between the plurality of electronic devices 300 is minimized and capacity is maximized.

The controller 210 may output the control information to the baseband interface 220. The control information may include information about power, time, and frequency resource.

The baseband interface 220 may output an IQ signal from an IF signal (intermediate frequency signal) based on the control information. The baseband interface 220 may receive an IF signal from an RF to Optic Conversion Unit (ROCU). The IQ signal may include an in-phase signal and a quadrature phase signal. The baseband interface 220 may output an IQ signal to the converter 230.

The controller 210 may output the frequency information to the converter 230. The frequency information may include at least one of a frequency band, a center frequency, and a bandwidth according to the scheduling result.

The converter 230 may convert the IQ signal into a code based on the frequency information. For example, the converter 230 may include a look-up table (LUT) 231 and an encoder 233.

The lookup table 231 may be an impedance lookup table ILUT. The lookup table 231 may store an impedance value according to the IQ signal. That is, the lookup table 231 may output the impedance value according to the IQ signal to the encoder 233. The impedance values may be impedance values Z ₃ , Z ₄ , Z ₅ , and Z ₆ shown in FIG. ₆ .

The encoder 233 may perform encoding according to the impedance value output by the lookup table 231. That is, the encoder 233 may output a code corresponding to the impedance value.

The transducer 230 may further include a serial peripheral interface module (SPI). The transducer 230 may communicate with another device (eg, an impedance loading module) using an SPI module. For example, the converter 230 may output a code corresponding to an impedance value to another device (eg, an impedance loading module) using the SPI module.

The controller 210, the baseband interface 220, and the converter 230 may be implemented on the first board 203.

FIG. 5 shows another example of a block diagram of the communication device shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 6 shows an example of a structural diagram of the impedance loading module shown in FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 shows an example of the actual implementation of the communication device. Indicates.

1 through 7, the communication device 200 includes a controller 210, a baseband interface 220, and a converter 230, an oscillator 240, an impedance loading module. 250, and an antenna 260.

The oscillator 240 and the impedance loading module 250 may be implemented on the second board 205. The first board 203 and the second board 205 may be different. For example, the first board 203 may be a baseband board, and the second board 205 may be an impedance loading board.

The controller 210 may output frequency information to the oscillator 240. The frequency information may include at least one of a frequency band, a center frequency, and a bandwidth according to the scheduling result.

The oscillator 240 may output a signal to the impedance loading module 250 based on the frequency information. That is, the oscillator 240 may output a signal according to the frequency band, the center frequency, or the bandwidth set by the controller 210. For example, the oscillator 240 may output a signal of the center frequency corresponding to the frequency information. The signal output from the oscillator 240 may be an RF signal.

The impedance loading module 250 may be a six-port modulator based module. That is, the impedance loading module 250 may include an internal resistor, a hybrid coupler, a Wilkinson power combiner, and a variable resistor. The internal resistance can be 50 ohms. Internal resistance can always be maintained at 50 ohms. An example of the structural diagram of the impedance loading module 250 may be as shown in FIG. 6.

The impedance loading module 250 may control the impedance based on the code received from the converter 230. The impedance loading module 250 may control the impedance with impedance values Z ₃ , Z ₄ , Z ₅ , and Z ₆ according to the code. For example, the variable resistor may be a 12 bit variable resistor.

The impedance loading module 250 may control an impedance to output an RF signal having at least one of a frequency band, a center frequency, and a bandwidth. That is, the impedance loading module 250 may modulate the RF signal received from the oscillator 231 by controlling the impedance. Thus, the impedance loading module 250 may output various modulated signals while using a single RF chain.

The impedance loading module 250 may output the modulated RF signal to the antenna 260. The antenna 260 may be implemented in plural numbers depending on the number of streams supported by the communication device 200. An example of actually implementing the communication device 200 may be as shown in FIG. 7. In FIG. 7, the oscillator 240 may be implemented in a TX board, and the controller 210 may be implemented in a field-programmable gate array (FPGA).

Referring to FIG. 8, the communication device 200 may output control information and frequency information based on the control signal received from the base station 100 (S810).

The communication device 200 may generate an IQ signal based on the control information (S820). The communication device 200 may generate an IQ signal from the IF signal received from the ROCU.

The communication device 200 may convert the IQ signal into a code based on the frequency information (S830). The communication device 200 may perform conversion on the IQ signal using the lookup table.

The apparatus described above may be implemented as a hardware component, a software component, and / or a combination of hardware components and software components. For example, the devices and components described in the embodiments are, for example, processors, controllers, arithmetic logic units (ALUs), digital signal processors, microcomputers, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Can be implemented using one or more general purpose or special purpose computers, such as a programmable logic unit (PLU), a microprocessor, or any other device capable of executing and responding to instructions. The processing device may execute an operating system (OS) and one or more software applications running on the operating system. The processing device may also access, store, manipulate, process, and generate data in response to the execution of the software. For convenience of explanation, one processing device may be described as being used, but one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the processing device includes a plurality of processing elements and / or a plurality of types of processing elements. It can be seen that it may include. For example, the processing device may include a plurality of processors or one processor and one controller. In addition, other processing configurations are possible, such as parallel processors.

The software may include a computer program, code, instructions, or a combination of one or more of the above, and configure the processing device to operate as desired, or process it independently or collectively. You can command the device. Software and / or data may be any type of machine, component, physical device, virtual equipment, computer storage medium or device in order to be interpreted by or to provide instructions or data to the processing device. Or may be permanently or temporarily embodied in a signal wave to be transmitted. The software may be distributed over networked computer systems so that they may be stored or executed in a distributed manner. Software and data may be stored on one or more computer readable recording media.

The method according to the embodiment may be embodied in the form of program instructions that can be executed by various computer means and recorded in a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc. alone or in combination. The program instructions recorded on the media may be those specially designed and constructed for the purposes of the embodiments, or they may be of the kind well-known and available to those having skill in the computer software arts. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape, optical media such as CD-ROMs, DVDs, and magnetic disks, such as floppy disks. Magneto-optical media, and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include not only machine code generated by a compiler, but also high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware device described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the embodiments, and vice versa.

Although the embodiments have been described by the limited embodiments and the drawings as described above, various modifications and variations are possible to those skilled in the art from the above description. For example, the described techniques may be performed in a different order than the described method, and / or components of the described systems, structures, devices, circuits, etc. may be combined or combined in a different form than the described method, or other components. Or even if replaced or substituted by equivalents, an appropriate result can be achieved.

Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments, and equivalents to the claims are within the scope of the claims that follow.

Claims

A controller for outputting control information and frequency information based on the control signal received from the base station;

A baseband interface for outputting an IQ signal based on the control information; And

A converter for converting the IQ signal into a code based on the frequency information

Communication device comprising a.
The method of claim 1,

The frequency information includes at least one of a frequency band, a center frequency, and a bandwidth.

Communication device.
The method of claim 1,

The converter converts the IQ signal based on a look-up table (LUT).

Communication device.
The method of claim 1,

Impedance loading module to control the impedance based on the code

Communication device further comprising.
The method of claim 4, wherein

The controller, the baseband interface, and the converter are implemented on a first board,

The impedance loading module is implemented on the second board,

Said first board and said second board being different.
The method of claim 4, wherein

Oscillator for outputting a signal corresponding to the frequency information

More,

The impedance loading module,

Modulating a signal based on the impedance and the signal

Communication device.
The method of claim 4, wherein

A plurality of antennas connected to the impedance loading module and outputting a modulated signal based on the impedance

Communication device further comprising.
Outputting control information and frequency information based on the control signal received from the base station;

Outputting an IQ signal based on the control information; And

Converting the IQ signal into a code based on the frequency information

Communication method comprising a.
The method of claim 8,

The frequency information includes at least one of a frequency band, a center frequency, and a bandwidth.

Communication method.
The method of claim 8,

The converting step,

Converting the IQ signal based on a lookup table (LUT)

Communication method comprising a.
The method of claim 8,

Controlling impedance based on the code

Communication method further comprising.
The method of claim 11,

Outputting a signal corresponding to the frequency information

More,

The controlling step,

Modulating a signal based on the impedance and the signal

Communication method comprising a.
The method of claim 11,

Outputting a modulated signal based on the impedance

Communication method further comprising.