Beam direction adjustment method, apparatus, and antenna system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12046833-B2
Application number	US-202217746704-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 17, 2022
Priority date	Nov 18, 2019
Publication date	Jul 23, 2024
Grant date	Jul 23, 2024

Abstract

This application discloses example beam direction adjustment methods, apparatuses, and media. One example method includes obtaining at least one of an azimuth or a pitch angle of a microwave antenna in an antenna system, where the antenna system includes the microwave antenna and a radome installed at an air interface of the microwave antenna, the radome includes a liquid crystal array including M×N liquid crystal cells, and both M and N are integers greater than 0. A target scanning angle of the microwave antenna is determined based on at least one of the azimuth or the pitch angle. A first bias voltage value of the liquid crystal array is determined based on the target scanning angle. A voltage of the liquid crystal array is set to the first bias voltage value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A beam direction adjustment method, comprising:
obtaining at least one of an azimuth or a pitch angle of a microwave antenna in an antenna system, wherein the antenna system comprises the microwave antenna and a radome installed at an air interface of the microwave antenna, the radome comprises a liquid crystal array including M×N liquid crystal cells, and both M and N are integers greater than 0;
determining a target scanning angle of the microwave antenna based on at least one of the azimuth or the pitch angle of the microwave antenna, wherein determining the target scanning angle comprises:
determining a plurality of beam sweeping angles based on at least one of the azimuth or the pitch angle of the microwave antenna;
determining a first bias voltage value of the liquid crystal array corresponding to each beam sweeping angle of the plurality of beam sweeping angles;
obtaining a received signal level value corresponding to each beam sweeping angle; and
determining, from the plurality of beam sweeping angles based on the received signal level value corresponding to each beam sweeping angle, the target scanning angle whose received signal level value has largest strength;

determining a second bias voltage value of the liquid crystal array based on the target scanning angle; and
setting a voltage of the liquid crystal array to the second bias voltage value.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the determining a second bias voltage value of the liquid crystal array based on the target scanning angle comprises:
determining a first phase layout of the liquid crystal array based on the target scanning angle; and
determining the second bias voltage value of the liquid crystal array based on the first phase layout of the liquid crystal array.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the determining a first bias voltage value of the liquid crystal array corresponding to each beam sweeping angle of the plurality of beam sweeping angles comprises:
determining a second phase layout that is of the liquid crystal array and that corresponds to each beam sweeping angle; and
determining, based on the second phase layout, the first bias voltage value of the liquid crystal array corresponding to each beam sweeping angle.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein differences between the plurality of beam sweeping angles and the azimuth of the microwave antenna and differences between the plurality of beam sweeping angles and the pitch angle of the microwave antenna are less than or equal to 15 degrees.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the target scanning angle is equal to at least one of the azimuth or the pitch angle.

6. A beam direction adjustment apparatus comprising a memory and at least one processor, wherein the memory stores executable instructions that when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform operations comprising:
obtaining at least one of an azimuth or a pitch angle of a microwave antenna in an antenna system, wherein the antenna system comprises the microwave antenna and a radome installed at an air interface of the microwave antenna, the radome comprises a liquid crystal array including M×N liquid crystal cells, and both M and N are integers greater than 0;
determining a target scanning angle of the microwave antenna based on at least one of the azimuth or the pitch angle of the microwave antenna, wherein determining the target scanning angle comprises:
determining a plurality of beam sweeping angles based on at least one of the azimuth or the pitch angle of the microwave antenna;
determining a first bias voltage value of the liquid crystal array corresponding to each beam sweeping angle of the plurality of beam sweeping angles;
obtaining a received signal level value corresponding to each beam sweeping angle; and
determining, from the plurality of beam sweeping angles based on the received signal level value corresponding to each beam sweeping angle, the target scanning angle whose received signal level value has largest strength;

determining a second bias voltage value of the liquid crystal array based on the target scanning angle; and
setting a voltage of the liquid crystal array to the second bias voltage value.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the determining a second bias voltage value of the liquid crystal array based on the target scanning angle comprises:
determining a first phase layout of the liquid crystal array based on the target scanning angle; and
determining the second bias voltage value of the liquid crystal array based on the first phase layout of the liquid crystal array.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the determining a first bias voltage value of the liquid crystal array corresponding to each beam sweeping angle of the plurality of beam sweeping angles comprises:
determining a second phase layout that is of the liquid crystal array and that corresponds to each beam sweeping angle; and
determining, based on the second phase layout, the first bias voltage value that is of the liquid crystal array and that corresponds to each beam sweeping angle.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein differences between the plurality of beam sweeping angles and the azimuth of the microwave antenna and differences between the plurality of beam sweeping angles and the pitch angle of the microwave antenna are less than or equal to 15 degrees.

10. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the target scanning angle is equal to at least one of the azimuth or the pitch angle.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising computer program instructions executable by a computer system to perform operations comprising:
obtaining at least one of an azimuth or a pitch angle of a microwave antenna in an antenna system, wherein the antenna system comprises the microwave antenna and a radome installed at an air interface of the microwave antenna, the radome comprises a liquid crystal array including M×N liquid crystal cells, and both M and N are integers greater than 0;
determining a target scanning angle of the microwave antenna based on at least one of the azimuth or the pitch angle of the microwave antenna, wherein determining the target scanning angle comprises:
determining a plurality of beam sweeping angles based on at least one of the azimuth or the pitch angle of the microwave antenna;
determining a first bias voltage value of the liquid crystal array corresponding to each beam sweeping angle of the plurality of beam sweeping angles;
obtaining a received signal level value corresponding to each beam sweeping angle; and
determining, from the plurality of beam sweeping angles based on the received signal level value corresponding to each beam sweeping angle, the target scanning angle whose received signal level value has largest strength;

determining a second bias voltage value of the liquid crystal array based on the target scanning angle; and
setting a voltage of the liquid crystal array to the second bias voltage value.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein the determining a second bias voltage value of the liquid crystal array based on the target scanning angle comprises:
determining a first phase layout of the liquid crystal array based on the target scanning angle; and
determining the second bias voltage value of the liquid crystal array based on the first phase layout of the liquid crystal array.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 11 , wherein the determining a first bias voltage value

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Zeng Ling
• Yang Ning
• Du Mingde
• Sun Ke
• Cai Meng

Classifications

• H01Q15/02

  Refracting or diffracting devices, e.g. lens, prism · CPC title

• H01Q1/42 Primary

  Housings not intimately mechanically associated with radiating elements, e.g. radome · CPC title

• H04B1/38

  Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving · CPC title

• H01Q3/46 Primary

  Active lenses or reflecting arrays · CPC title

• H01Q3/44 Primary

  varying the electric or magnetic characteristics of reflecting, refracting, or diffracting devices associated with the radiating element · CPC title