Joint channel correction method, joint channel correction unit and base station

• US 9,661,511 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2014
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yi, Xiongshu
• Primary Examiner(s): CATTUNGAL, AJAY P
• Application Number:
  US14/554,782
• Publication Number:
  US 20150085690A1
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/14 of the whole transmission and reception path, e.g. self-test loop-back
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0204 of multiple channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0224 using sounding signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 between access points

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a joint channel correction method, a joint channel correction unit and a base station. The joint channel correction method can implement joint channel correction between base stations in a base station set. At least one base station in the base station set is connected to the joint channel correction unit, so that all base stations in the base station set share a common reference transmit end and a common reference receive end.

Claims

1. A joint channel correction method used for joint channel correction between base stations in a base station set, wherein the base station set comprises at least two base stations, each base station in the base station set comprises a remote radio unit (RRU), and at least one base station in the base station set is connected to a joint channel correction unit, so that all the base stations in the base station set share a common reference transmit end and a common reference receive end;

and

the method comprises;

sending, by the common reference transmit end, an uplink correction signal to each base station in the base station set, wherein the uplink correction signal is used to calculate an uplink channel estimation value of each base station;

receiving, by the common reference receive end, a downlink correction signal sent by each base station in the base station set, wherein the downlink correction signal is used to calculate a downlink channel estimation value of each base station; and

completing channel self-correction of each base station according to the uplink channel estimation value and the downlink channel estimation value of each base station.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

each base station in the base station set further comprises a coupling disc, wherein a first self-correction channel interface and a first service bearer interface that interwork with each other are disposed on the RRU, a second self-correction channel interface and a second service bearer interface that interwork with each other are disposed on the coupling disc, and the first service bearer interface interworks with the second service bearer interface; and

the at least one base station in the base station set is connected to the joint channel correction unit comprises;

the first self-correction channel interface of the at least one base station in the base station set is connected to the joint channel correction unit; and

any first self-correction channel interface connected to the joint channel correction unit is configured to be used as the common reference transmit end or the common reference receive end, or is configured to be used as both the common reference transmit end and the common reference receive end.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein:

the joint channel correction unit comprises a first combiner and a second combiner, wherein a combining end of the first combiner is connected to a combining end of the second combiner; and

the first self-correction channel interface of the at least one base station in the base station set is connected to the joint channel correction unit comprises;

the first self-correction channel interface of the at least one base station in the base station set is connected to a dividing end of the first combiner;

the second self-correction channel interfaces of all the base stations in the base station set are separately connected to different dividing ends of the second combiner; and

any first self-correction channel interface connected to the first combiner is configured to be used as the common reference transmit end or the common reference receive end, or is configured to be used as both the common reference transmit end and the common reference receive end.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein:

the joint channel correction unit comprises a second combiner; and

the first self-correction channel interface of the at least one base station in the base station set is connected to the joint channel correction unit comprises;

the first self-correction channel interface of any base station in the base station set is used as both the common reference transmit end and the common reference receive end, and is connected to a combining end of the second combiner; and

the second self-correction channel interfaces of the base stations in the base station set are connected to different dividing ends of the second combiner.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein:

the joint channel correction unit comprises a second combiner and a radio frequency cable;

a first coupled circuit and a third combiner are built in, and a third self-correction channel interface is disposed on the coupling disc of one base station in the base station set; and

one dividing end of the third combiner is connected to the second service bearer interface of the coupling disc to which the third combiner belongs by using the first coupled circuit, another dividing end of the third combiner is connected to the third self-correction channel interface of the coupling disc to which the third combiner belongs, and a combining end of the third combiner is connected to the second self-correction channel interface of the coupling disc to which the third combiner belongs.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein:

the first self-correction channel interface of the at least one base station in the base station set is connected to the joint channel correction unit comprises;

the first self-correction channel interface and the second self-correction channel interface of the base station to which the third combiner belongs interwork with each other by using the radio frequency cable;

the third self-correction channel interface of the base station to which the third combiner belongs is connected to a combining end of the second combiner;

dividing ends of the second combiner are separately connected to second self-correction channel interfaces of other base stations in the base station set; and

the first self-correction channel interface of the base station to which the third combiner belongs is used as the common reference transmit end and the common reference receive end.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein:

a third self-correction channel interface is disposed on the coupling disc of another base station in the base station set; and

a second coupled circuit is also built in the coupling disc of the another base station, and the second coupled circuit is separately connected to the third self-correction channel interface and the second service bearer interface of the coupling disc to which the second coupled circuit belongs;

or

both the second coupled circuit and a fourth combiner are built in the coupling disc of the another base station, wherein a combining end of the fourth combiner is connected to the second service bearer interface of the coupling disc to which the second coupled circuit belongs by using the second coupled circuit, and two dividing ends of the fourth combiner are separately connected to the third self-correction channel interface and the second self-correction channel interface of the coupling disc to which the fourth combiner belongs; and

a first self-correction channel interface of at least one base station in the base station set is connected to the joint channel correction unit comprises;

the first self-correction channel interface and the second self-correction channel interface of the base station to which the third combiner belongs interwork with each other by using the radio frequency cable;

the third self-correction channel interface of the base station to which the third combiner belongs is connected to a combining end of the second combiner;

dividing ends of the second combiner are separately connected to third self-correction channel interfaces of other base stations in the base station set; and

the first self-correction channel interface of the base station to which the third combiner belongs is used as the common reference transmit end and the common reference receive end.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein:

the joint channel correction unit comprises at least one first antenna; and

a first self-correction channel interface of at least one base station in the base station set is connected to the joint channel correction unit comprises;

the first self-correction channel interface of one base station in the base station set is connected to the first antenna,

or,

the first self-correction channel interface of each base station in the base station set is connected to one first antenna, and

any first self-correction channel interface connected to the first antenna is configured to be used as the common reference transmit end or the common reference receive end, or is configured to be used as both the common reference transmit end and the common reference receive end.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the first antenna is one of an ordinary antenna, a cable antenna or a leaky cable.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein:

the joint channel correction unit further comprises at least one fifth combiner, wherein one dividing end of each fifth combiner is connected to one first antenna;

a first self-correction channel interface of one base station in the base station set is connected to the first antenna comprises;

the first self-correction channel interface of one base station in the base station set is connected to a combining end of the fifth combiner; and

a first self-correction channel interface of each base station in the base station set is connected to one first antenna comprises;

the first self-correction channel interface of each base station in the base station set is connected to a combining end of one fifth combiner.

11. The method according to claim 2, wherein:

the uplink correction signal is a receive channel correction signal, and the downlink correction signal is a transmit channel correction signal;

the sending, by the common reference transmit end, an uplink correction signal to each base station in the base station set comprises;

sending, by the first self-correction channel interface used as the common reference transmit end, the receive channel correction signal to the first service bearer interface of each base station in the base station set; and

the receiving, by the common reference receive end, a downlink correction signal sent by each base station in the base station set comprises;

receiving, by the first self-correction channel interface used as the common reference receive end, the transmit channel correction signal sent by the first service bearer interface of each base station in the base station set.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the common reference transmit end and the common reference receive end are a same user equipment (UE) simulator or different UE simulators, the uplink correction signal is a sounding reference (SRS) signal, and the downlink correction signal is a common reference (CRS) signal;

the sending, by the common reference transmit end, an uplink correction signal to each base station in the base station set comprises;

sending, by the UE simulator used as the common reference transmit end, the SRS signal to each base station in the base station set; and

the receiving, by the common reference receive end, a downlink correction signal sent by each base station in the base station set comprises;

receiving, by the UE simulator used as the common reference receive end, the CRS signal sent by each base station in the base station set.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein:

each base station in the base station set comprises a first service bearer interface and a communication interface unit, wherein the communication interface unit comprises an internal communication interface and an external communication interface;

the joint channel correction unit comprises a data line, a seventh combiner, at least two sixth combiners and the UE simulator used as the common reference transmit end and the common reference receive end, combining ends of the at least two sixth combiners are separately connected to different dividing ends of the seventh combiner, a radio frequency interface is disposed on the UE simulator, and a combining end of the seventh combiner is connected to the radio frequency interface;

at least one base station in the base station set is connected to a joint channel correction unit comprises;

a dividing end of each sixth combiner is connected to the first service bearer interface of each base station in the base station set;

a data transmission interface of the UE simulator of the joint channel correction unit is connected to an external communication interface of each base station in the base station set;

or

a data transmission interface of the UE simulator of the joint channel correction unit is connected to an external communication interface used as a primary communication interface unit by using a data cable, wherein the primary communication interface unit is a communication interface unit of any base station in the base station set;

or

a data transmission interface of the UE simulator of the joint channel correction unit and an internal communication interface of each base station in the base station set are both connected to an input interface of an external interconnected calculating unit by using a data cable;

the sending, by the UE simulator used as the common reference transmit end, the SRS signal to each base station in the base station set comprises;

sending the SRS signal to each base station in the base station set by using a radio frequency interface of the UE simulator of the joint channel correction unit; and

the receiving, by the UE simulator used as the common reference receive end, the CRS signal sent by each base station in the base station set comprises;

receiving, by the UE simulator of the joint channel correction unit, the CRS signal sent by the first service bearer interface of each base station in the base station set.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein:

the joint channel correction unit comprises an UE simulator;

at least one base station in the base station set is connected to the joint channel correction unit comprises;

the UE simulator is placed at cell edges of at least two base stations in the base station set, so as to be used as the common reference transmit end and the common reference receive end; and

before the SRS signal and the CRS signal are sent, the method further comprises;

exchanging, by each base station in the base station set, scheduling information; and

when at least one base station in the base station set is in a preset light load state, enabling a part of subframes of the base station in the preset light load state to be silent.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the receiving, by the common reference receive end, a downlink correction signal sent by each base station in the base station set comprises:

receiving, by the common reference receive end, downlink correction signals that are simultaneously sent by all service antennas or all radio frequency cable interfaces of all base stations in the base station set in a frequency division manner.

16. A joint channel correction method, used for joint channel correction between a serving base station and a coordinated base station, comprising:

obtaining a beamforming BF gain value corresponding to each minimum unit, wherein the minimum unit comprises at least one subcarrier;

estimating a residual delay τ and

an initial phase θ

_int between channels of the serving base station and the coordinated base station according to the obtained BF gain value; and

calculating a joint channel receive compensation factor or a joint channel transmit compensation factor of each subcarrier of the coordinated base station according to the τ and

θ

_int, so that the coordinated base station adjusts, by using the joint channel receive compensation factor or the joint channel transmit compensation factor, a ratio of a transmit-receive intermediate radio frequency channel response to be consistent with a ratio of a transmit-receive intermediate radio frequency channel response of the serving base station, thereby completing joint channel correction between the serving base station and the coordinated base station.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein:

before the obtaining a BF gain value corresponding to each minimum unit, the method further comprises;

dividing a full band into at least one minimum unit.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the estimating a residual delay τ

and an initial phase θ

_int between channels of the serving base station and the coordinated base station according to the obtained BF gain value comprises;

determining inflection points in the BF gain values corresponding to the minimum units; and

calculating the τ and

θ

_int according to a start point, an end point and the inflection points in the BF gain values corresponding to the minimum units.

19. A joint channel correction unit, connected to at least one base station in a base station set, wherein:

the joint channel correction unit comprises a first combiner and a second combiner;

a combining end of the first combiner is connected to a combining end of the second combiner;

a dividing end of the first combiner is connected to a first self-correction channel interface of at least one base station in the base station set; and

different dividing ends of the second combiner are separately connected to second self-correction channel interfaces of all base stations in the base station set;

or,

the joint channel correction unit comprises the second combiner, wherein the combining end of the second combiner is connected to the first self-correction channel interface of any base station in the base station set, and different dividing ends of the second combiner are separately connected to second self-correction channel interfaces of all base stations in the base station set.

20. A base station, comprising a remote radio unit (RRU) and a coupling disc, wherein a first self-correction channel interface and a first service bearer interface that interwork with each other are disposed on the RRU, a second self-correction channel interface and a second service bearer interface that interwork with each other are disposed on the coupling disc, and the first service bearer interface interworks with the second service bearer interface, wherein

a first coupled circuit and a third combiner are built in, and a third self-correction channel interface is disposed on the coupling disc;

and

a dividing end of the third combiner is connected to the second service bearer interface by using the first coupled circuit, another dividing end of the third combiner is connected to the third self-correction channel interface, and a combining end of the third combiner is connected to the second self-correction channel interface.