Method and apparatus for aligning antenna beams in high-low frequency co-site network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10098125-B2
Application number	US-201715636254-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2017
Priority date	Dec 29, 2014
Publication date	Oct 9, 2018
Grant date	Oct 9, 2018

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for aligning antenna beams in a high-low frequency co-site network, where the method includes performing antenna alignment of a low frequency beam with a communications device in order to establish a low frequency channel, and performing high frequency beam alignment of a high frequency antenna with the communications device using the low frequency channel. In the method, high frequency beam alignment of a high frequency antenna is performed using an established low frequency channel. Therefore, a technical problem that a high frequency beam alignment time of a high frequency antenna is long due to a narrow field of view of a high frequency beam can be avoided in order to quickly implement high frequency beam alignment of a high frequency antenna.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for aligning antenna beams in a high-low frequency co-site network, comprising:
establishing a low frequency channel with a low frequency antenna of a communications device;
obtaining location information of the communications device using the low frequency channel;
determining a scanning range of a high frequency beam according to the location information of the communications device; and
performing high frequency beam alignment of a high frequency antenna with the communications device according to the scanning range of the high frequency beam;
wherein the method is executed by an access device of the communications device, and wherein performing the high frequency beam alignment of the high frequency antenna with the communications device comprises:
sending, using the low frequency channel, first scanning information to the communications device, or receiving the first scanning information from the communications device, wherein the first scanning information indicates a scanning sector division manner, a quantity of scanning sectors of the communications device and the scanning sector division manner, or a quantity of scanning sectors of the access device; and
performing the high frequency beam alignment of the high frequency antenna according to the scanning range of the high frequency beam and the first scanning information; and

wherein the quantity of scanning sectors of the communications device is Q, wherein the quantity of scanning sectors of the access device is N, wherein Q is a positive integer, wherein N is a positive integer, and wherein performing the high frequency beam alignment of the high frequency antenna comprises:
sending, by the access device, a high-frequency narrow beam to the communications device in a first scanning sector such that the communications device receives the high-frequency narrow beam in a second scanning sector, wherein the first scanning sector is any one of the Q scanning sectors, and wherein the second scanning sector is any one of the N scanning sectors;
receiving a first serial number of the first scanning sector and a second serial number of the second scanning sector, wherein the first serial number and the second serial number correspond to a first maximum receiving statistic from the communications device, and wherein the first maximum receiving statistic is a maximum value in Q×N receiving statistics of received signals on Q×N high-frequency narrow beams received by the communications device; and
performing the high frequency beam alignment of the high frequency antenna with the communications device according to the first serial number and the second serial number.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein obtaining the location information of the communications device comprises receiving, using the low frequency channel, the location information of the communications device determined using a global positioning system (GPS) from the communications device.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein obtaining the location information of the communications device comprises:
estimating a direction of arrival (DOA) of a low frequency beam using the low frequency channel to obtain DOA information of the low frequency beam; and
determining the location information of the communications device according to the DOA information of the low frequency beam.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein performing the high frequency beam alignment of the high frequency antenna with the communications device comprises:
sending M high-frequency narrow beams to the communications device according to the scanning range of the high frequency beam, wherein each high-frequency narrow beam carries identity (ID) information indicating an ID of each high-frequency narrow beam, and wherein M is a positive integer;
receiving a first ID of a first high-frequency narrow beam corresponding to a second maximum receiving statistic from the communications device, wherein the second maximum receiving statistic is a maximum value in M receiving statistics of received signals on the M high-frequency narrow beams received by the communications device, and wherein the first high-frequency narrow beam is one of the M high-frequency narrow beams;
sending the first high-frequency narrow beam to the communications device; and
performing the high frequency beam alignment of the high frequency antenna with the communications device according to the first ID.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein performing the high frequency beam alignment of the high frequency antenna with the communications device comprises:
sending, using the low frequency channel, second scanning information to the communications device, or receiving the second scanning information from the communications device, wherein the second scanning information indicates a scanning sub-sector division manner, a quantity of scanning sub-sectors of a scanning sector corresponding to the first serial number and the scanning sub-sector division manner, or a quantity of scanning sub-sectors of a scanning sector corresponding to the second serial number, wherein the quantity of scanning sub-sectors of the scanning sector corresponding to the first serial number is H, wherein the quantity of scanning sub-sectors of the scanning sector corresponding to the second serial number is P, wherein H is a positive integer, and wherein P is a positive integer;
sending, by the access device, the high-frequency narrow beam to the communications device in a scanning sub-sector of the scanning sector corresponding to the first serial number such that the communications device receives the high-frequency narrow beam in a scanning sub-sector of the scanning sector corresponding to the second serial number, wherein a third scanning sector is any one of the H scanning sub-sectors, and wherein a fourth scanning sector is any one of the P scanning sub-sectors;
receiving a third serial number of the third scanning sector and a fourth serial number of the fourth scanning sector, wherein the third serial number and the fourth serial number correspond to a second maximum receiving statistic from the communications device, and wherein the second maximum receiving statistic is a maximum value in H×P receiving statistics of received signals on H×P high-frequency narrow beams determined by the communications device; and
performing the high frequency beam alignment of the high frequency antenna with the communications device according to the third serial number and the fourth serial number.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first maximum receiving statistic comprises at least one of:
a power parameter;
a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) parameter; or
a received signal level parameter.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein before performing the high frequency beam alignment of the high frequency antenna with the communications device, the method further comprises:
performing mutual authentication with the communications device using the low frequency channel; or
sending high-frequency frequency information to the communications device using the low frequency channel.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein performing the high frequency beam alignment of the high frequency antenna with the communications device comprises:
sending, using the low frequency channel, a scanning start time to the communications device, or receiving the scanning start time from the communications device; and
starting, at the scanning start time to perform the high frequency beam alignment of the high frequency antenna with the communications device according to the scanning range of the high frequency beam.

9. An apparatus for ali

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yuan Lanjie
• Yuan Jiebo
• Wang Guangjian
• Wang Yi
• Huang Huang

Classifications

• H04W72/51 Primary

  based on terminal or device properties · CPC title

• H04W72/542

  using measured or perceived quality · CPC title

• G01S1/0428

  Signal details · CPC title

• G01S3/02

  using radio waves · CPC title

• G01S3/28

  using amplitude comparison of signals derived simultaneously from receiving antennas or antenna systems having differently-oriented directivity characteristics · CPC title