KR101974262B1 - Communication method using single rf chain and communication device using single rf chain - Google Patents

Abstract

A communication method using a single RF chain and a communication device using a single RF chain are disclosed. 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, a baseband interface for outputting an IQ signal based on the control information, And a converter for converting the IQ signal into a code.

Description

Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to a communication method using a single RF chain and a communication device using a single RF chain,

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

In the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) release 10, CA (Carrier Aggregation) technology, which uses a plurality of frequency bands, has been newly added, and currently 3 band LTE-A (long term evolution-advanced) The 5G technical specification includes an 8-band CA technology that bundles eight 100 MHz wide frequencies.

In 3GPP release 11, Coordinated Multi-Point (CoMP) technology, which is a technique for reducing inter-cell interference and increasing capacity at a cell boundary, has emerged in cooperation with neighboring cells so that not only existing cells but also other cells can communicate with one terminal .

In 3GPP release 13, License-Assisted Access (LAA), a technology for applying long term evolution (LTE) in the license-exempt frequency band, was approved as a study item and aims to complete standardization by the end of 2017. Therefore, it is expected to support the capacity increase and quality improvement of terminals by flexibly using multi-band in multi-mode through CoMP, CA and LAA technologies.

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

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

Embodiments can also provide a technique for controlling impedance based on a 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, 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 transducer 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.

Wherein the controller, the baseband interface, and the transducer are implemented on a first board, the impedance loading module is implemented on a second board, the first board and the second board Can 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 the 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 modulated signal based on the impedance.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a communication method including: 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 converting the IQ signal into a code.

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

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

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

The method may further comprise outputting a signal corresponding to the frequency information, and the controlling may comprise modulating the 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 one embodiment,
2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the communication system shown in Fig.
Fig. 3 shows an example of a block diagram of the communication device shown in Fig.
Fig. 4 shows an example of a block diagram of the converter shown in Fig. 3;
Fig. 5 shows another example of a block diagram of the communication apparatus shown in Fig.
FIG. 6 shows an example of the structure of the impedance loading module shown in FIG.
Figure 7 shows an example of a real implementation of a communication device.
8 shows a flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment.

It is to be understood that the specific structural or functional descriptions of embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein are presented for the purpose of describing embodiments only in accordance with the concepts of the present invention, May be embodied in various forms and are not limited to the embodiments described herein.

Embodiments in accordance with the concepts of the present invention are capable of various modifications and may take various forms, so that the embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail herein. However, it is not intended to limit the embodiments according to the concepts of the present invention to the specific disclosure forms, but includes changes, equivalents, or alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

The terms first, second, or the like may be used to describe various elements, but the elements should not be limited by the terms. The terms may be named for the purpose of distinguishing one element from another, for example without departing from the scope of the right according to the concept of the present invention, the first element being referred to as the second element, Similarly, the second component may also be referred to as the first component.

It is to be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, . On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that there are no other elements in between. Expressions that describe the relationship between components, for example, "between" and "immediately" or "directly adjacent 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. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, the terms " comprises ", or " having ", and the like, are used to specify one or more of the features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, But do not preclude the presence or addition of steps, operations, elements, 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 to which this invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries are to be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning of the context in the relevant art and, unless explicitly defined herein, are to be interpreted as ideal or overly formal Do not.

Hereinafter, 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 symbols in the drawings denote like elements.

A module in this specification may mean hardware capable of performing the functions and operations according to the respective names described in this specification and may mean computer program codes capable of performing specific functions and operations , Or an electronic recording medium, e.g., a processor or a microprocessor, equipped with computer program code capable of performing certain functions and operations.

In other words, a module may mean a functional and / or structural combination of hardware for carrying out 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 one embodiment,

Referring to FIG. 1, a 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 enable the electronic device 300 to communicate 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) A digital still camera, a digital video camera, a portable multimedia player (PMP), a personal navigation device or a portable navigation device (PND), a handheld game console, an e-book e-book, or a smart device.

Smart devices can be implemented as smart watch watches or smart bands. That is, the electronic device 300 may be a user wearable or wearable wearable device.

The communication device 200 can 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 supports a narrower area than the base station 100 and can support communications of the electronic device 300 by being installed in a room, a crowded area, or a shaded area. The communication apparatus 200 effectively distributes the load of the base station 100 and may have an effect of increasing 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 an 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 can control the impedance based on the IQ signal. The communication device 200 may control the impedance to output an RF signal at a specific frequency band, a specific center frequency, or a specific bandwidth.

2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the communication system shown in Fig.

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

The electronic device 300 may transmit channel state information (CSI) of cells in response to a channel status information (CSI) request message (S220). The channel state information (CSI) includes at least one of a channel quality indicator (CQI), a precoding matrix indicator (PMI), and a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) One can be included.

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

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

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, the communication service provider can set the base station 100 and the communication device 200 to support the X2 interface when the LTE network is initially installed.

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

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

At this time, the base station 100 and the communication device 200 can 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, 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 can use the 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. Thus, the electronic device 300 may have an effect of improving the reception performance or increasing the 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 can be transmitted from the base station 100 having a good channel state to the electronic device 300 among a plurality of base stations. A base station having a good channel condition can transmit data by selecting an optimal frequency band and an optimal beam.

Fig. 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.

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

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

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

The baseband interface 220 may output the IQ signal from the 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 transducer 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 can output the impedance value according to the IQ signal to the encoder 233. [ The impedance values may be the impedance values (Z ₃ , Z ₄ , Z ₅ , and Z ₆ ) shown in FIG.

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

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

The controller 210, baseband interface 220, and transducer 230 may be implemented in 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 the structure of the impedance loading module shown in FIG. 5, and FIG. .

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

The oscillator 240 and the impedance loading module 250 may be implemented in 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 the 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 the signal to the impedance loading module 250 based on the frequency information. That is, the oscillator 240 can 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 a center frequency corresponding to the frequency information. The signal output by the oscillator 240 may be an RF signal.

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 may be 50 ohms. The internal resistance can always be kept at 50 ohms. An example of the structure of the impedance loading module 250 may be as shown in FIG.

Impedance loading module 250 may control the impedance based on the code received from transducer 230. Impedance loading module 250 may control the impedance to 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 the impedance to output an RF signal having at least one of a frequency band, a center frequency, and a bandwidth different from each other. That is, the impedance loading module 250 can modulate the RF signal received from the oscillator 231 by controlling the impedance. Thus, the impedance loading module 250 can 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 antennas 260 may be implemented in a plurality of ways according to the number of streams supported by the communication device 200. An example of a practical implementation of the communication device 200 may be as shown in FIG. 7, the oscillator 240 is implemented in a TX board, and the controller 210 can be implemented in a field-programmable gate array (FPGA).

8 shows a flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment.

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

The communication device 200 can generate the IQ signal based on the control information (S820). The communication device 200 can 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 can perform conversion to 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 apparatus and components described in the embodiments may be implemented within a computer system, such as, for example, a processor, a controller, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a digital signal processor, a microcomputer, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) , 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 execution of the software. For ease of understanding, the processing apparatus may be described as being used singly, but those skilled in the art will recognize that the processing apparatus may have a plurality of processing elements and / As shown in FIG. For example, the processing unit may comprise a plurality of processors or one processor and one controller. Other processing configurations are also possible, such as a parallel processor.

The software may include a computer program, code, instructions, or a combination of one or more of the foregoing, and may be configured to configure the processing device to operate as desired or to process it collectively or collectively Device can be commanded. The software and / or data may be in the form of any type of machine, component, physical device, virtual equipment, computer storage media, or device , Or may be permanently or temporarily embodied in a transmitted signal wave. The software may be distributed over a networked computer system and stored or executed in a distributed manner. The software and data may be stored on one or more computer readable recording media.

The method according to an embodiment may be implemented in the form of a program command that can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like, alone or in combination. The program instructions to be recorded on the medium may be those specially designed and configured for the embodiments or may be available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of computer-readable media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tape; optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs; magnetic media 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 machine language code such as those produced by a compiler, as well as high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware devices described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the embodiments, and vice versa.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. For example, it is to be understood that the techniques described may be performed in a different order than the described methods, and / or that components of the described systems, structures, devices, circuits, Lt; / RTI > or equivalents, even if it is replaced or replaced.

Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments, and equivalents to the claims are also within the scope of the following claims.

Claims (13)

A controller for outputting control information and frequency information based on a 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 an encoded code according to an impedance value of the IQ signal based on the frequency information,
Lt; / RTI >
The control signal is a signal scheduled based on channel state information,
Wherein the control information includes information on power, time, and frequency resources according to the scheduling,
Wherein the frequency information includes information on a frequency band, a center frequency, and a bandwidth according to the scheduling.
delete The method according to claim 1,
The transducer converts the IQ signal based on a look-up table (LUT)
Communication device.
The method according to claim 1,
An impedance loading module for controlling the impedance based on the code,
Further comprising:
5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the controller, the baseband interface, and the transducer are implemented on a first board,
The impedance loading module is implemented on a second board,
Wherein the first board and the second board are different.
5. The method of claim 4,
An oscillator for outputting a signal corresponding to the frequency information,
Further comprising:
The impedance loading module includes:
Modulates the signal based on the impedance and the signal
Communication device.
5. The method of claim 4,
A plurality of antennas connected to the impedance loading module and outputting a modulated signal based on the impedance,
Further comprising:
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
Converting the IQ signal into an encoded code according to an impedance value of the IQ signal based on the frequency information
Lt; / RTI >
The control signal is a signal scheduled based on channel state information,
Wherein the control information includes information on power, time, and frequency resources according to the scheduling,
Wherein the frequency information includes information on a frequency band, a center frequency, and a bandwidth according to the scheduling.
delete 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the converting comprises:
Converting the IQ signal based on a lookup table (LUT)
/ RTI >
9. The method of claim 8,
Controlling the impedance based on the code
Lt; / RTI >
12. The method of claim 11,
And outputting a signal corresponding to the frequency information
Further comprising:
Wherein the controlling comprises:
Modulating the signal based on the impedance and the signal
/ RTI >
12. The method of claim 11,
Outputting a modulated signal based on the impedance
Lt; / RTI >

Images