Communication control apparatus and method of establishing communication link by using same

Abstract

A communication control apparatus and a method of establishing a communication link performed by the communication control apparatus are disclosed. The method includes obtaining information related to a heading direction of a vehicle; performing communication with a base station in a first beamforming direction using a first antenna module among a plurality of antenna modules mounted on a vehicle; selecting a second antenna module of the plurality of antenna modules for scanning by taking into account the changed forward direction of the vehicle and a first beamforming direction of a first antenna module of the plurality of antenna modules mounted on the vehicle in a case where the forward direction of the vehicle is changed; evaluating at least one of the plurality of antenna modules starting from a second antenna module selected from the plurality of antenna modules according to the determined search order; and performing communication with the base station via one of the plurality of antenna modules based on a result of the evaluation.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of an invention patent application with an application date of July 26, 2021, application number 202180055980.3, and invention name “Communication control device and method for establishing a communication link by using the device”. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to automotive electronic devices. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a communication control device for establishing a communication link of a vehicle. Background Art

[0003] A connected car is a car that is connected to the Internet and provides various services. The connected car is one of the various concepts of future cars, such as self-driving cars and smart cars.

[0004] Early connected cars were designed to connect to nearby networks or the Internet to provide services such as car starting, car diagnostics, sending and receiving calls / messages / emails, real-time traffic information, and emergency assistance. Connected cars are gradually moving beyond early telematics functions due to the popularity of the Internet of Things (IoT), which has received recent attention. The ultimate goal of today's connected cars is to achieve autonomous driving while providing various infotainment in the car. Based on the technology represented by Vehicle to X (V2X), connected cars support vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication and vehicle-to-everything communication. In addition, connected cars also provide safe autonomous driving or driving assistance functions or information about the car itself, traffic flow, etc.

[0005] In order to realize the ultimate goal of connected cars, communication technology must be developed. It is difficult to meet the rapid growth of various mobile communication services based on the fifth generation (5G) mobile communication by simply using signals in the existing 6GHz or lower frequency band and increasing the communication capacity. In particular, the requirements of 5G mobile communication include high data transmission rate, very low latency, the ability to handle a large number of devices, high reliability, energy efficiency, etc. In order to meet these requirements, research on 5G radio access network (RAN) systems is being actively carried out, and new radio access technologies based on millimeter waves (mmWave) are being applied to the system.

[0006] Because the frequency band of mmWave ranges from 28 GHz to 100 GHz, its available continuous bandwidth is greater than that of 6 GHz or lower frequency bands. MmWave signals suffer from problems such as path loss and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) due to their high frequency. Therefore, in 5G new radio design, base stations (BS) and user equipment (UE) use narrow beams configured by beam adjustment. The biggest challenge of using narrow beams is to establish and maintain a communication link between the BS and the UE. In order to establish and maintain a communication link, it is necessary to perform regular monitoring and searching of beams, but this operation may cause problems with heating and power loss. Summary of the invention

[0007] Technical issues

[0008] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication control device and a method of establishing a communication link to stably maintain communication between a vehicle and a base station, performed by the communication control device.

[0009] Furthermore, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication control device and a method of establishing a communication link performed by the communication control device to reduce a load applied to the communication control device and minimize power consumption to establish and maintain a communication link.

[0010] Technical Solution

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for establishing a communication link performed by a communication control device may include: monitoring the forward direction of a vehicle; when the forward direction of the vehicle changes by a preset angle or a larger angle, determining a search order among multiple antenna modules by considering the changed forward direction of the vehicle and the installation positions of multiple antenna modules installed on the vehicle; evaluating multiple antenna modules according to the search order; and communicating with a base station via a new antenna module selected based on the evaluation result rather than via an old antenna module used to communicate with the base station.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for establishing a communication link performed by a communication control device may include: obtaining information related to a vehicle's forward direction; using a first antenna module among multiple antenna modules installed on the vehicle, performing communication with a base station in a first beamforming direction; in a case where the vehicle's forward direction is changed, selecting a second antenna module among multiple antenna modules for scanning by considering the changed forward direction of the vehicle and the first beamforming direction of the first antenna module among the multiple antenna modules installed on the vehicle; evaluating at least one of the multiple antenna modules starting from a second antenna module selected from the multiple antenna modules according to a determined search order; and based on a result of the evaluation, performing communication with the base station via one of the multiple antenna modules.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication control device includes: at least one processor; and a memory storing at least one instruction. The at least one processor is configured to execute at least one instruction to: obtain information related to a vehicle's forward direction, use a first antenna module among a plurality of antenna modules installed on the vehicle, and perform communication with a base station in a first beamforming direction, select a second antenna module among the plurality of antenna modules for scanning by considering the changed forward direction of the vehicle and the first beamforming direction of the first antenna module among the plurality of antenna modules installed on the vehicle when the forward direction of the vehicle is changed, evaluate at least one of the plurality of antenna modules starting from the second antenna module selected from the plurality of antenna modules according to a determined search order, and perform communication with the base station via one of the plurality of antenna modules based on a result of the evaluation.

[0014] Beneficial Effects

[0015] According to the communication control device and the method of establishing a communication link performed by the communication control device, according to the embodiment, communication between a vehicle and a base station can be stably maintained.

[0016] Furthermore, according to the communication control device and the method of establishing a communication link performed by the communication control device, according to the embodiment, in order to establish and maintain a communication link, the load applied to the communication control device can be reduced, and power consumption can be minimized.

[0017] However, according to the embodiment, the effects that can be achieved by the communication control device and the method for establishing a communication link performed by the communication control device are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and ordinary technicians in this field will clearly understand other advantageous effects not described from the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more fully understand the drawings, a brief description of each drawing is provided.

[0019] Figure 1 is a diagram showing a vehicle and a base station.

[0020] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating a communication control device and a plurality of antenna modules mounted on a vehicle according to an embodiment.

[0021] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an antenna module.

[0022] Figure 4 is a diagram showing a vehicle on which a plurality of antenna modules are mounted.

[0023] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating a method of determining a search order between antenna modules according to an embodiment.

[0024] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating a method of determining a search order between antenna modules according to an embodiment.

[0025] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating a method of determining a search order between antenna modules according to an embodiment.

[0026] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating a method of selecting a new antenna module according to a base station change.

[0027] Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating a method of determining a search order among a plurality of beams according to an embodiment.

[0028] Fig.10 is a diagram illustrating a method of determining a search order among a plurality of beams according to an embodiment.

[0029] Fig.11 is a diagram illustrating a method of determining a search order between component groups according to an embodiment.

[0030] Fig.12 is a diagram illustrating a method of determining a search order between component groups according to an embodiment.

[0031] Fig.13 is a flow chart illustrating a method of maintaining a communication link according to an embodiment.

[0032] Fig.14 is a flow chart illustrating a method of maintaining a communication link according to an embodiment.

[0033] Fig.15 is a diagram illustrating operations performed by using artificial intelligence technology according to an embodiment.

[0034] Fig.16 is a diagram showing a communication control device operating in conjunction with a server.

[0035] Fig.17 It is shown in detail Fig.16 Schematic diagram of an example of . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] Best Mode

[0037] According to an embodiment, a method for establishing a communication link performed by a communication control device may include: monitoring the forward direction of a vehicle; when the forward direction of the vehicle changes by a preset angle or more, determining a search order among multiple antenna modules by considering the changed forward direction of the vehicle and the installation positions of multiple antenna modules installed on the vehicle; evaluating multiple antenna modules according to the search order; and communicating with a base station via a new antenna module selected based on the evaluation result rather than via an old antenna module used to communicate with the base station.

[0038] In an embodiment, the evaluation of the plurality of antenna modules may include comparing a quality index of a beam generated by each of the plurality of antenna modules to a quality index of a beam generated by an old antenna module.

[0039] In an embodiment, when each of the multiple antenna modules can generate multiple beams, the method of establishing a communication link may also include determining a search order between the multiple beams by considering the changed forward direction of the vehicle and the pointing directions of the multiple beams, and the evaluation of the multiple antenna modules may include comparing the quality index of each of the multiple beams with the quality index of the beam generated by the old antenna module according to the search order between the multiple beams.

[0040] In an embodiment, when the array antenna of each of the multiple antenna modules operates while being divided into element groups, the method of establishing a communication link may also include determining a search order between element groups by considering the changed forward direction of the vehicle and the positions of the element groups in the array antenna, and the evaluation of the multiple antenna modules may include comparing the quality index of the beam generated by each element group with the quality index of the beam generated by the old antenna module according to the search order between the element groups.

[0041] In an embodiment, determining the search order between multiple antenna modules may include determining the search direction of the multiple antenna modules to be counterclockwise when the vehicle's forward direction changes in a clockwise direction, and determining the search direction of the multiple antenna modules to be clockwise when the vehicle's forward direction changes in a counterclockwise direction.

[0042] In an embodiment, determining the search order among the plurality of antenna modules may include selecting an antenna module adjacent to the old antenna module from the plurality of antenna modules as a first search object.

[0043] In an embodiment, determining the search order among the plurality of antenna modules may include selecting a first search object from among the plurality of antenna modules by considering a location of the base station and locations of obstacles around the vehicle.

[0044] In an embodiment, the heading direction of the vehicle may be checked from at least one of a rotation angle of a steering wheel of the vehicle, a navigation system, a global positioning system (GPS), or a gyro sensor.

[0045] In an embodiment, determining the search order among the plurality of antenna modules may include selecting some of the plurality of antenna modules by considering a location of the base station and installation locations of the plurality of antenna modules installed on the vehicle, and determining the search order among the selected antenna modules.

[0046] In an embodiment, determining the search order among the plurality of beams may include selecting some of the plurality of beams by considering a location of the base station and pointing directions of the plurality of beams, and determining the search order among the selected beams.

[0047] According to an embodiment, a communication control device may include a processor and a memory storing at least one instruction, wherein the processor may be configured to execute at least one instruction to monitor a vehicle's forward direction, and when the vehicle's forward direction changes by a preset angle or more, determine a search order among multiple antenna modules by considering the vehicle's changed forward direction and the installation positions of multiple antenna modules installed on the vehicle; evaluate the multiple antenna modules according to the search order; and communicate with a base station via a new antenna module selected based on the evaluation result rather than via an old antenna module used to communicate with the base station.

[0048] In an embodiment, the processor may be further configured to execute at least one instruction to evaluate a plurality of antenna modules and compare a quality index of a beam generated by each of the plurality of antenna modules with a quality index of a beam generated by an old antenna module.

[0049] In an embodiment, the processor may be further configured to execute at least one instruction to select, from the plurality of antenna modules, an antenna module having a beam earliest identified as having a higher quality index than a beam generated by an old antenna module as a new antenna module.

[0050] In an embodiment, the processor may also be configured to execute at least one instruction to, when each of the multiple antenna modules can generate multiple beams, determine a search order among the multiple beams by considering the changed forward direction of the vehicle and the pointing directions of the multiple beams; and, in order to evaluate the multiple antenna modules, compare the quality index of each of the multiple beams with the quality index of the beam generated by the old antenna module according to the search order among the multiple beams.

[0051] In an embodiment, the processor may be further configured to execute at least one instruction to, when the array antenna of each of the plurality of antenna modules is operated while being divided into element groups, determine a search order between element groups by considering a changed forward direction of the vehicle and positions of the element groups in the array antenna, and to compare a quality index of a beam generated by each element group with a quality index of a beam generated by an old antenna module according to the search order between the element groups in order to evaluate the plurality of antenna modules.

[0052] Invention Mode

[0053] The present disclosure may undergo various changes and modifications and have various embodiments, and specific embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings and will be described in detail in the following detailed description. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to specific embodiments, and these specific embodiments include all changes, equivalents and substitutions that fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0054] When describing the embodiments of the present disclosure, detailed descriptions of well-known technologies related thereto will be omitted when the subject matter of the present disclosure may be unclear. In addition, the numbers (eg, first, second, etc.) used herein to describe the embodiments are merely identification symbols used to distinguish one component from other components.

[0055] Here, it should be understood that when a component is referred to as being “coupled to” or “connected to” another component, unless otherwise specified, one component may be directly coupled to or connected to the other component, or may be coupled to or connected to the other component through an intermediate component.

[0056] In addition, in this document, when a component is represented by terms such as "unit", "part", "module", etc., two or more components may be integrated into one integrated component, or one component may be divided into two or more subcomponents according to function. In addition, of course, with respect to each component described below, a component may additionally perform part or all of the functions of another component, or some main functions of a component may be completely responsible for and performed by another component.

[0057] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail sequentially.

[0058] Figure 1 is a diagram showing a vehicle 20 and a base station 10 .

[0059] According to the embodiment, the antenna module 250 and the communication control device 200 for communicating with the base station 10 are mounted on the vehicle 20. Figure 1As shown, the antenna module 250 and the communication control device 200 may be located under the roof panel of the vehicle 20. According to an embodiment, at least one of the antenna module 250 and the communication control device 200 may be located on at least one of a hood panel, a door panel, a fender panel, a pillar panel, a bumper panel, or a trunk panel.

[0060] The communication control device 200 transmits and receives data to and from the base station 10 through the antenna module 250. The communication control device 200 can communicate with the base station 10 by using a signal in the millimeter wave band. The signal in the millimeter wave band may suffer from problems such as path loss and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) due to its high frequency characteristics. Therefore, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of antenna modules 250 may be mounted on the vehicle 20, and the communication control device 200 can stably maintain the communication link between the vehicle 20 and the base station 10 by selecting an antenna module 250 to be used for communication with the base station 10 from the plurality of antenna modules 250.

[0061] Figure 2 is a diagram showing a communication control device 200 and a plurality of antenna modules 250 a , 250 b , and 250 c mounted on a vehicle 20 according to the embodiment.

[0062] The communication control device 200 according to the embodiment selects an antenna module to be used for communication with the base station 10 from among the plurality of antenna modules 250a, 250b, and 250c. As described below, while the communication control device 200 communicates with the base station 10 by using one antenna module, when a change in the advancing direction of the vehicle 20 or a change in the base station 10 is sensed, the communication control device 200 can select an antenna module that can establish an optimal communication link from among the plurality of antenna modules 250a, 250b, and 250c.

[0063] Hereinafter, an antenna module communicating with the base station 10 is referred to as an old antenna module, and an antenna module newly selected due to reasons such as a change in the advancing direction of the vehicle 20 or a change in the base station is referred to as a new antenna module.

[0064] like Figure 2 As shown, the communication control device 200 includes a memory 210 and a processor 230. The memory 210 may store at least one instruction, and the processor 230 may execute at least one instruction to perform a process of selecting a new antenna module, a process of selecting an optimal beam, etc. described below.

[0065] The memory 210 may store information for the processor 230 to select a new antenna module or an optimal beam, such as information about installation positions of the antenna modules 250a, 250b, and 250c or information about a pointing direction of a beam generated by each of the antenna modules 250b, 250c.

[0066] The processor 230 can communicate with the base station 10 by using a new antenna module selected from the plurality of antenna modules 250a, 250b, and 250c. The processor 230 can select a new antenna module by considering the installation positions of the plurality of antenna modules 250a, 250b, and 250c, the forward direction of the vehicle 20, etc., and the operation of the processor 230 will be described in detail below.

[0067] Figure 3 2 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of an antenna module 250 mounted on a vehicle 20 .

[0068] refer to Figure 3 , the antenna module 250 may include a transceiver 252 , a radio frequency front end module (RF FEM) 254 , an array antenna 256 , and a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 258 .

[0069] The transceiver 252 changes a data signal (eg, a voice signal, etc.) from a modem (eg, the communication control device 200 ) into a signal having a transmittable frequency and changes a signal received from the base station 10 into a data signal, thereby relaying data between the base station 10 and the modem.

[0070] The RF FEM 254 may include a power amplifier, a low noise amplifier, etc. The RF FEM 254 relays frequency signals between the array antenna 256 and the transceiver 252 by increasing or decreasing the amplitude of the frequency signals.

[0071] The array antenna 256 includes an element that outputs a radio wave signal (or a frequency signal). By performing phase adjustment on the radio wave signal output from the element, a beam having a specific direction can be output from the array antenna 256.

[0072] The PMIC 258 transmits the power supplied from the battery to the transceiver 252, the RF FEM 254, and the array antenna 256. The PMIC 258 may convert the power supplied from the battery into a voltage and current having amplitudes required by the transceiver 252, the RF FEM 254, and the array antenna 256.

[0073] Figure 3 The PMIC 258, transceiver 252, and RF FEM 254 shown in FIG. 2 may be implemented by separate devices from each other. In some embodiments, the PMIC 258, transceiver 252, and RF FEM 254 may be implemented by one or more devices.

[0074] Figure 4 2 is a diagram showing a vehicle 20 on which a plurality of antenna modules 250 a to 250 h are mounted.

[0075] According to an embodiment, the plurality of antenna modules 250a to 250h may be respectively installed at different points in the vehicle 20. Figure 4 It is shown that all of the plurality of antenna modules 250a to 250h are mounted on the roof panel of the vehicle 20, but this is just an example, and at least some of the plurality of antenna modules 250a to 250h may be mounted on various points other than the roof panel. In addition, the number of antenna modules 250a to 250h may be variously changed.

[0076] The communication control device 200 can select a new antenna module to be communicated with the base station 10 instead of an old antenna module by considering the advancing direction H of the vehicle 20 and the installation positions of the plurality of antenna modules 250 a to 250 h .

[0077] The communication control device 200 may monitor the advancing direction H of the vehicle 20 .

[0078] For example, the communication control device 200 may monitor the advancing direction H of the vehicle 20 based on the rotation angle of the steering wheel of the vehicle 20. Specifically, the communication control device 200 may sense how much the steering wheel is rotated relative to a reference position (in other words, a position causing the vehicle 20 to move straight).

[0079] As another example, the communication control device 200 may monitor the advancing direction H of the vehicle 20 through a GPS unit mounted on the vehicle 20 .

[0080] As still another example, the communication control device 200 may monitor the advancing direction H of the vehicle 20 based on the moving path of the vehicle 20 checked by the navigation system.

[0081] As still another example, the communication control device 200 may monitor the advancing direction H of the vehicle 20 through a gyro sensor mounted on the vehicle 20 .

[0082] When the advancing direction H of the vehicle 20 changes by a preset angle or more, the communication control device 200 may determine that a process of selecting a new antenna module is required, and may select a new antenna module to replace the old one from among the plurality of antenna modules 250a to 250h.

[0083] In order to maintain the communication line with the base station 10, when the process of selecting the best antenna module and selecting the best beam is repeated, the power consumption may increase significantly, and there may be problems such as heating. Therefore, by considering the forward direction H of the vehicle 20 and the installation positions of the multiple antenna modules 250a to 250h, the communication control device 200 according to the embodiment determines the search order between the multiple antenna modules 250a to 250h, and evaluates the multiple antenna modules 250a to 250h one by one according to the determined search order. In other words, by first evaluating the antenna module with a high probability of being selected as the new antenna module, the communication control device 200 can quickly establish a communication line with the base station 10 without interrupting the communication while minimizing the power consumption.

[0084] In the embodiment, the communication control device 200 can determine the search order among the plurality of antenna modules 250a to 250h based on in what direction the advancing direction H of the vehicle 20 changes and where the plurality of antenna modules 250a to 250h including the old antenna module are installed. According to the change in the advancing direction H of the vehicle 20 and the installation positions of the plurality of antenna modules 250a to 250h, the search order corresponding thereto can be pre-stored.

[0085] In order to determine the search order among the plurality of antenna modules 250a to 250h, the communication control device 200 according to the embodiment may determine the search direction of the plurality of wireless modules 250a to 250h, and may also determine the antenna module corresponding to the first search object. When determining the first search object, starting from the antenna module corresponding to the first search object, the remaining antenna modules may be sequentially evaluated according to the search direction.

[0086] For example, the communication control device 200 may select an antenna adjacent to the old antenna module from among the plurality of antenna modules 250a to 250h as a first search object. As another example, the communication control device 200 may select the first search object by considering the position of the base station 10 and the position of obstacles around the vehicle 20. For example, when communication between the antenna module adjacent to the old antenna module and the base station 10 is expected to be blocked by obstacles around the vehicle 20, the communication control device 200 may select an antenna module that is not blocked by obstacles near the vehicle 20 as the first search object.

[0087] In order to evaluate the antenna modules 250a to 250h, the communication control device 200 may compare the quality index of the beam generated by the old antenna module with the beam quality index generated by each of the antenna modules 250a-250h. When the quality index of the beam of one antenna module evaluated according to the search order is greater than the quality index of the beam of the old antenna module, the communication control device 200 may select one antenna module as a new antenna module. When the quality index of the beam of each of the antenna modules 250a to 250h evaluated according to the search order is equal to or less than the beam quality index of the old antenna module, the communication control device 200 may continue to communicate with the base station 10 via the old antenna module.

[0088] When communication with the base station 10 is performed by using a specific beam, the quality index may be one of a packet error rate (PER), quality of service (QoS), and resource information indicating an amount of allocated resources, or may be a value derived by a combination of at least one thereof.

[0089] Below, we will refer to Figures 5 to 12 The process of selecting a new antenna module and the process of selecting an optimal beam are described in detail.

[0090] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating a method of determining a search order between antenna modules according to an embodiment.

[0091] refer to Figure 5 , four antenna modules 550a, 550b, 550c, and 550d are installed on the vehicle 20, and the base station 20 is located on the left side of the vehicle 20. It is assumed that the antenna module 550a referred to as A among the four antenna modules 550a, 550b, 550c, and 550d is an old antenna module that communicates with the base station 10.

[0092] When the forward direction of the vehicle 20 changes from H1 to H2, the communication control device 200 determines whether the angle s between H1 and H2 is equal to or greater than a preset angle. When the angle s is equal to or greater than the preset angle, the communication control device 200 determines the search order among the four antenna modules 550a, 550b, 550c, and 550d by considering the installation positions of the four antenna modules 550a, 550b, 550c, and 550d and the changed forward direction (i.e., H2).

[0093] For example, Figure 5As shown, when the advancing direction of the vehicle 20 changes from H1 to H2, that is, in the clockwise direction, the communication control device 200 can determine the search direction of the four antenna modules 550a, 550b, 550c, and 550d to be the counterclockwise (CCW) direction. Conversely, when the advancing direction of the vehicle 20 changes in the CCW direction, the communication control device 200 can determine the search direction of the four antenna modules 550a, 550b, 550c, and 550d to be the clockwise (CW) direction.

[0094] This is because, when the forward direction of the vehicle 20 changes in the CW direction, the quality of the communication link between the base station 10 and the antenna module located in the CCW direction relative to the old antenna module is expected to be excellent, and when the forward direction of the vehicle 20 changes in the CCW direction, the quality of the communication link between the base station 10 and the antenna module located in the CW direction relative to the old antenna module is expected to be excellent.

[0095] When the search direction is determined to be the CCW direction, the communication control device 200 may select the antenna module 550b called B, which is closest to the old antenna module in the CCW direction, as the first search object. In addition, the communication control device 200 may compare the quality index of the beam of the old antenna module with the beam quality index of each of the antenna modules 550a, 550b, 550c, and 550d in the order of the antenna module 550b called B, the antenna module 550c called C, the antenna module 550d called D, and the antenna module 550a called A. When the antenna modules 550a, 550b, 550c, and 550d are evaluated according to the search direction, the communication control device 200 may select the antenna module having the beam that is first identified as having a higher quality index than the beam of the old antenna module as the new antenna module. When the quality index of the beam of each of the antenna module 550b called B, the antenna module 550c called C, and the antenna module 550d called D is not greater than the quality index of the beam of the old antenna module, the communication control device 200 can communicate with the base station 10 by using the old antenna module (i.e., the antenna module 550a called A).

[0096] although Figure 5 An example is shown in which the base station 10 is located on the left side of the vehicle 20, but the communication control device 200 can select a new antenna module in the same manner even when the base station 10 is located on the right side of the vehicle 20. Specifically, when the forward direction of the vehicle 20 changes in the CW direction, the communication control device 200 can determine the search direction of the antenna modules 550a, 550b, 550c, and 550d to be the CCW direction, and when the forward direction of the vehicle 20 changes in the CCW direction, the communication control device 200 can determine the search direction of the antenna modules 550a, 550b, 550c, and 550d to be the CW direction.

[0097] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating a method of determining a search order between antenna modules according to an embodiment.

[0098] refer to Figure 6 , three antenna modules 650a, 650b, and 650c are installed on the vehicle 20, and the base station 10 is located on the left side of the vehicle 20. It is assumed that the antenna module 650a referred to as A among the three antenna modules 650a, 650b, and 650c is an old antenna module that communicates with the base station 10.

[0099] When the forward direction of the vehicle 20 changes from H1 to H2, the communication control device 200 determines whether the angle s between H1 and H2 is equal to or greater than a preset angle. When the angle s is equal to or greater than the preset angle, the communication control device 200 determines the search order among the three antenna modules 650a, 650b, and 650c by considering the installation positions of the three antenna modules 650a, 650b, and 650c and the changed forward direction (i.e., H2).

[0100] like Figure 6 As shown, when the forward direction of the vehicle 20 changes from H1 to H2, that is, in the CCW direction, the communication control device 200 can determine the search direction of the antenna modules 650a, 650b and 650c to be the CW direction. Conversely, when the forward direction of the vehicle 20 changes in the CW direction, the communication control device 200 can determine the search direction of the antenna modules 650a, 650b and 650c to be the CCW direction. This is because, when the forward direction of the vehicle 20 changes in the CCW direction, the quality of the communication link between the base station 10 and the antenna module located in the CW direction relative to the old antenna module is expected to be excellent, and when the forward direction of the vehicle 20 changes in the CW direction, the quality of the communication link between the base station 10 and the antenna module located in the CCW direction relative to the old antenna module is expected to be excellent.

[0101] When the search direction is determined to be the CW direction, the communication control device 200 may select the antenna module 650c called C, which is closest to the old antenna module in the CW direction, as the first search object. In addition, the communication control device 200 may compare the quality index of the beam of the old antenna module with the quality index of the beam of each of the antenna modules 650a, 650b, and 650c in the order of the antenna module 650c called C, the antenna module 650b called B, and the antenna module 650a called A. When the antenna modules 650a, 650b, and 650c are evaluated according to the search order, the communication control device 200 may select the antenna module having the beam that is first identified as having a higher quality index than the beam of the old antenna module as the new antenna module.

[0102] although Figure 6 An example is shown in which the base station 10 is located on the left side of the vehicle 20 , but even when the base station 10 is located on the right side of the vehicle 20 , a new antenna module can be selected in the same manner.

[0103] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating a method of determining a search order between antenna modules according to an embodiment.

[0104] When determining the search order among the plurality of antenna modules 750 a , 750 b , 750 c , and 750 d , the communication control device 200 may determine the search order by considering the position of the base station 10 and / or the position of the obstacle 30 around the vehicle 20 .

[0105] Assume that when the vehicle 20 moves in the forward direction of H1, the vehicle 20 communicates with the base station 10 through the antenna module 750a referred to as A.

[0106] When the forward direction of the vehicle 20 changes from H1 to H2, the communication control device 200 senses whether the angle between H1 and H2 is equal to or greater than a preset angle. When the angle between H1 and H2 is equal to or greater than the preset angle, the communication control device 200 determines a search order among the plurality of antenna modules 750a, 750b, 750c, and 750d for selecting a new antenna module.

[0107] As reference Figure 5 and Figure 6 As described above, when the advancing direction of the vehicle 20 changes from H1 to H2, that is, in the CW direction, the communication control device 200 may determine the search direction of the plurality of antenna modules 750a, 750b, 750c, and 750d to be the CCW direction, and may select the antenna module 750b called B as the first search object, which is closest to the antenna module 750a called A in the CCW direction. However, as Figure 7 As shown, when the obstacle 30 is located between the base station 10 and the antenna module 750b called B, the antenna module 750b called B may not need to be evaluated. In other words, when the antenna module 750b called B is evaluated, even if the probability of being selected as a new antenna module due to the obstacle 30 is extremely low, there may be unnecessary power consumption. Therefore, the communication control device 200 according to the embodiment can determine the first search object by considering the position of the base station 10 and the position of the obstacle 30 around the vehicle 20.

[0108] refer to Figure 7, when the advancing direction of the vehicle 20 changes from H1 to H2, the base station 10 is located on the left side of the vehicle 20, and the communication control device 200 can recognize that the obstacle 30 around the vehicle 20 is located on the left side of the vehicle 20. When it is recognized that the obstacle 30 is located between the base station 10 and the antenna module 750b called B, which is located in the CCW direction relative to the antenna module 750a called A corresponding to the old antenna module, the communication control device 200 can select the antenna module 750c called C, which is located in the CCW direction relative to the antenna module 750b called B, as the first search object. In addition, the communication control device 200 can select a new antenna module while performing evaluation in the order of the antenna module 750c called C, the antenna module 750d called D, the antenna module 750a called A, and the antenna module 750b called B according to the search direction.

[0109] The communication control device 200 can check the position of the base station 10 by various methods.

[0110] For example, the communication control device 200 can identify the location of the base station 10 via communication between the old antenna module and the base station 10. For example, the communication control device 200 can pre-store the location information and identification information of the base station, and can check the location of the base station being communicated based on the identification information of the base station 10 communicating with the old antenna module.

[0111] As another example, the communication control device 200 may receive the position information of the base station 10 from the nearby vehicle through communication with the nearby vehicle.

[0112] As yet another example, the communication control apparatus 200 may receive the location information of the base station 10 from an external device (eg, a roadside unit (RSU)).

[0113] In an embodiment, the communication control device 200 may identify the position of obstacles around the vehicle 20 through sensors installed on the vehicle 20. The sensors may include, but are not limited to, radar sensors, etc. Obstacles sensed by the sensors may include buildings, trees, fences, or nearby vehicles.

[0114] In an embodiment, the communication control device 200 may determine a search order among the remaining antenna modules except for some of the plurality of antenna modules 750a, 750b, 750c, and 750d, and may evaluate the antenna modules according to the determined search order. Figure 7As shown, when the base station 10 is located on the left side of the vehicle 20, the communication control device 200 can select an antenna module with a low probability for communication with the base station 10 by considering the installation positions of the plurality of antenna modules 750a, 750b, 750c, and 750d. Specifically, since the antenna module 750d called D is farther from the base station 10 than the other antenna modules 750a, 750b, and 750c, the communication control device 200 can determine the search order among the antenna module 750 called A, the antenna module 750 called B, and the antenna module 750c called C, except for the antenna module 750d called D. When the advancing direction of the vehicle 20 changes in the CW direction, the communication control device 200 can determine the search order in the order of the antenna module 750b called B, the antenna module 750 called C, and the antenna module 750a called A according to the CCW search direction. When it is not appropriate to select the antenna module 750b called B as the first search object due to the obstacle 30, the communication control device 200 may determine the search order to be the order of the antenna module 750c called C, the antenna module 750a called A, and the antenna module 750b called B.

[0115] In the embodiment, the communication control device 200 can select the antenna module closest to the base station 10 from the plurality of antenna modules 750a, 750b, 750c, and 750d as the first search object, and evaluate the plurality of antenna modules 750a, 750b, 750c, and 750d according to the search direction determined from the change direction of the forward direction of the vehicle 20. Figure 7 As shown, when the base station 10 is located on the left side of the vehicle 20, the communication control device 200 can select the antenna module 750b closest to the base station 10, referred to as B, from the plurality of antenna modules 750a, 750b, 750c, and 750d as the first search object, and when the advancing direction of the vehicle 20 changes in the CW direction, the communication control device 200 can determine the search direction to be the CCW direction. When an obstacle is located between the base station 10 and the antenna module closest to the base station 10, the communication control device 200 can select an antenna module adjacent to the antenna module closest to the base station 10 in the CW or CCW direction as the first search object.

[0116] In an embodiment, the communication control device 200 may determine the search order between the plurality of antenna modules 750a, 750b, 750c, and 750d as the descending order of the distance between the base station 10 and the plurality of antenna modules 750a, 750b, 750c, and 750d. For example, the antenna module 750b called B, which is closest to the base station 10, may be selected as the first search object, and the antenna module 750d called D, which is farthest from the base station 10, may be selected as the last search object. In addition, when the antenna module 750a called A is closer to the base station 10 than the antenna module 750c called C, the antenna module 750a called A may be selected as the second search object, and the antenna module 750c called C may be selected as the third search object.

[0117] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating a method of selecting a new antenna module according to a base station change.

[0118] Although the communication control device 200 can select a new antenna module due to a change in the advancing direction H of the vehicle 20, even when the change angle of the advancing direction H of the vehicle 20 is not equal to or greater than the preset angle, as shown in FIG. Figure 8 As shown, when a base station needs to be changed, the communication control device 200 can select a new antenna module by evaluating a plurality of antenna modules 850a, 850b, 850c, and 850d.

[0119] The communication control device 200 can determine the search order among the antenna modules 850a, 850b, 850c and 850d by considering the position of the newly accessed base station and the installation positions of the antenna modules 850a, 850b, 850c and 850d, and can select a new antenna module by evaluating the antenna modules 850a, 850b, 850c and 850d according to the determined search order.

[0120] exist Figure 8 In FIG. 8 , it is assumed that the antenna module 850 b referred to as B is communicating with the first base station 10 a .

[0121] The communication control device 200 may determine that it is necessary to communicate with the second base station 10 b instead of the first base station 10 a when the vehicle 20 moves in the forward direction H. For example, when the communication performance between the second base station 10 b and the vehicle 20 is expected to be better than the communication performance between the first base station 10 a and the vehicle 20 as the vehicle 20 moves, the communication control device 200 may determine to change from the first base station 10 a to the second base station 10 b.

[0122] like Figure 8As shown, because the second base station 10b is located on the right side of the vehicle 20 as the vehicle 20 moves, the communication control device 200 can select the antenna module 850d called D located on the rightmost side of the vehicle 20 as the first search object, and starting from the antenna module 850d called D, the antenna module 850a called A, the antenna module 85b called B, and the antenna module 850 called C can be evaluated according to a preset search direction (for example, a CW or CCW direction).

[0123] In an embodiment, the communication control device 200 may determine the search order between the plurality of antenna modules 850a, 850b, 850c, and 850d as the descending order of the distance between the second base station 10b and the plurality of antenna modules 850a, 850, 850c, and 850d. For example, the antenna module 850d called D, which is closest to the second base station 10b, may be selected as the first search object, and the antenna module 850b called B, which is farthest from the second base station 10d, may be selected as the last search object. In addition, when the antenna module 850a called A is closer to the second base station 10b than the antenna module 850c called C, the antenna module 850b called B may be selected as the second search object, and the antenna module 850c called C may be selected as the third search object.

[0124] In the embodiment, since the second base station 10b is located on the right side of the vehicle 20, the communication control device 200 can determine the search order among the antenna modules 850a, 850b, 850c, and 850d, except for the antenna module 850b called B farthest from the second base station 10b, the antenna module 850a called A, the antenna module 850d called D, and the antenna module 850c called C. In addition, the communication control device 200 can determine the first search object and the search direction by considering the distance between the second base station 10b and each of the antenna module 850a called A, the antenna module 850d called D, and the antenna module 850c called C.

[0125] Figure 3 The array antenna 256 of the antenna module 250 shown can form beams having various pointing directions by adjusting the phases of the radio wave signals output from the elements therein. When the array antenna 256 can generate a plurality of beams, when evaluating the antenna module 250, the communication control device 200 needs to evaluate the beams generated by the array antenna 256 of each antenna module 250.

[0126] When the array antenna 256 of each of the plurality of antenna modules 250 mounted on the vehicle 20 can generate a plurality of beams, the communication control device 200 can determine a search order among the plurality of beams. In addition, when evaluating one antenna module 250 according to the search order, the communication control device 200 can evaluate the beam generated by the one module 250 according to the search order. Hereinafter, the search order among the antenna modules 250 is referred to as a first search order, and the search order among the beams is referred to as a second search order.

[0127] For example, when the first search order is determined as the order of antenna module A and antenna module B, the communication control device 200 can compare the quality index of the beam generated by the old antenna module with the quality index of the beam generated by the antenna module A according to the second search order. The communication control device 200 selects the beam that is first identified as having a higher quality index than the beam generated by the old antenna module as the best beam from the beams generated by the antenna module A. In addition, the communication control device 100 can communicate with the base station 10 through the best beam of antenna module A. When the quality index of each of the beams generated by the antenna module A is lower than the quality index of the beam generated by the old antenna module, the communication control device 200 evaluates the antenna module B according to the first search order.

[0128] When one antenna module 250 can generate multiple beams, refer to Fig. 9 A method of determining a second search order between beams is described.

[0129] Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating a method of determining a second search order among a plurality of beams according to an embodiment.

[0130] refer to Fig. 9 , the base station 10 may be located on the left side of the vehicle 20, and ten beams 955a to 955j having different pointing directions from each other may be generated by one antenna module 250. It is assumed that the beam 955a called A among the ten beams 955a to 955j is used for communication with the base station 10 by the old antenna module, and the beam 955a called A used for communication with the base station 10 is referred to as an old beam.

[0131] The communication control device 200 determines the second search order among the beams 955a to 955j by considering the advancing direction of the vehicle 20 and the pointing directions of the beams 955a to 955j.

[0132] For example, Fig. 9As shown, when the forward direction of the vehicle 20 changes from H1 to H2, that is, in the CW direction, the communication control device 200 can determine the search direction of the beams 955a to 955j to be the CCW direction. Conversely, when the forward direction of the vehicle 20 changes in the CCW direction, the communication control device 200 can determine the search direction of the beams 955a to 955j to be the CW direction.

[0133] This is because, when the forward direction of the vehicle 20 changes in the CW direction, the quality of the communication link between the base station 10 and the beam located in the CCW direction relative to the old beam is expected to be excellent, and the quality of the communication link between the base station 10 and the beam located in the CW direction relative to the old beam is expected to be excellent.

[0134] When the search direction is determined to be the CCW direction, the communication control device 200 may select the beam 955b called B, which is closest in the CCW direction with respect to the beam 955 called A, as the first search object. In addition, the communication control device 200 may compare the quality index of the beam of the old antenna module with the quality index of each of the beams 955a to 955j in the order of the beam 955b called B, the beam 955c called C, ..., and the beam 955a called A. When the beams 955a to 955j are evaluated according to the second search order, the communication control device 200 may select the beam that is first identified as having a higher quality index than the beam of the old antenna module as the best beam.

[0135] although Fig. 9 An example is shown in which the base station 10 is located on the left side of the vehicle 20, but the communication control device 200 can select the optimal beam in the same manner even when the base station 10 is located on the right side of the vehicle 20. Specifically, when the forward direction of the vehicle 20 changes in the CW direction, the communication control device 200 can determine the search direction of the beams 955a to 955j to be the CW direction, and when the forward direction of the vehicle 20 changes in the CCW direction, the communication control device 200 can determine the search direction of the beams 955a to 955j to be the CW direction.

[0136] Fig.10 is a diagram illustrating a method of determining a second search order among a plurality of beams according to an embodiment.

[0137] In an embodiment, the communication control device 200 may consider the position of the base station 10 and / or the position of the obstacle 30 around the vehicle 20 when determining the second search order among the plurality of beams 1055 a to 1055 f generated by the antenna module 250 .

[0138] Assume that when the vehicle 20 moves in the advancing direction H1, the vehicle 20 communicates with the base station 10 through the beam 1055f (i.e., the old beam) referred to as F. When the advancing direction of the vehicle 20 changes from H1 to H2, the communication control device 200 determines a first search order among the plurality of antenna modules for selecting a new antenna module, and determines a second search order among the beams 1055a to 1055f.

[0139] The method of determining the first search order among the plurality of antenna modules has been described above, and thus a repeated description thereof is omitted here.

[0140] In the embodiment, when the forward direction of the vehicle 20 changes from H1 to H2, that is, in the CW direction, the communication control device 200 may determine the search direction of the beams 1055a to 1055f to be the CCW direction, and may select the beam 1055a called A as the first search object, which is closest to the beam 1055f called F in the CCW direction. Fig.10 As shown, when the obstacle 30 is located between the base station 10 and the pointing direction of the beam 1055a called A, it may not be necessary to evaluate the beam 1055a called A. In other words, although the probability that the beam 1055a called A is selected as the optimal beam is extremely low, there may be unnecessary power consumption when evaluating the beam 1055a called A. Therefore, the communication control device 200 according to the embodiment can determine the first search object by considering the position of the base station 10 and the position of the obstacle 30 around the vehicle 20.

[0141] refer to Fig.10 , when the advancing direction of the vehicle 20 changes from H1 to H2, the base station 10 is located on the left side of the vehicle 20, and the communication control device 200 can recognize that the obstacle 30 around the vehicle 20 is located on the left side of the vehicle 20. When it is recognized that there is an obstacle 30 between the base station 10 and the beam 1055a called A located in the CCW direction relative to the beam 1055f called F, the communication control device 200 can select the beam 1055b called B, which is located in the CCW direction relative to the beam 1055a called A, as the first search object. In addition, while performing evaluation in the order of the beam 1055b called B, the beam 1055c called C, the beam 1055d called D, the beam 1055e called E, the beam 1055f called F, and the beam 1055a called A, the communication control device 200 can select the best beam.

[0142] In an embodiment, the communication control device 200 may determine a second search order among the remaining beams except for some of the plurality of beams 1055a to 1055f, and may evaluate the remaining beams according to the second search order. Fig.10As shown, when the base station 10 is located on the left side of the vehicle 20, the communication control device 200 can select a beam with a low probability for communication with the base station 10 by considering the pointing directions of the plurality of beams 1055a to 1055f. Specifically, since the pointing directions of the beam 1055e called E and the beam 1055d called D are not directed to the base station 10, the communication control device 200 can determine the second search order based on the beam 1055f called F, the beam 1055a called A, the beam 1055b called B, and the beam 1055c called C in addition to the beam 1055e called E and the beam 1055d called D. When the advancing direction of the vehicle 20 changes in the CW direction, the communication control device 200 can determine the second search order to be the order of the beam 1055a called A, the beam 1055b called B, the beam 1055c called C, and the beam 1055f called F according to the CCW direction. When it is not appropriate to select beam 1055a called A as the first search object due to obstacle 30, the communication control device 200 can determine the second search order to be the order of beam 1055b called B, beam 1055c called C, beam 1055f called F and beam 1055a called A.

[0143] Previously, reference has been made to Figure 8 It is described that even if the change angle of the forward direction H of the vehicle 20 is equal to or less than the preset angle, when the base station change is required, the process of selecting a new antenna module is performed. In this case, the second search order among the multiple beams can be determined according to the pointing directions of the multiple beams that can be generated by each antenna module and the position of the second base station 10b. In addition, when evaluating one antenna module, the communication control device 200 can select the best beam by evaluating the beams generated by one antenna module according to the second search order. For example, a beam having a pointing direction most similar to the direction in which the second base station 10b is located can be selected from the multiple beams as the first search object, and the search direction of the remaining beams can be determined as a CW or CCW direction. As another example, the beam closest to the old beam used for communicating with the first base station 10a in the CW or CCW direction can be selected as the first search object, and the search direction of the remaining beams can be determined as a CW or CCW direction.

[0144] Figure 3 The array antenna 256 of the antenna module 250 shown in the figure can work while being divided into element groups, each element group representing a group of a specific number of elements. The radio wave signals outputted from the elements included in each element group can form a beam. That is, in the case where each of the array antennas 256 operates when being divided into element groups, when evaluating the antenna module 250, the communication control device 200 needs to evaluate the beams generated by the element groups of each array antenna 256.

[0145] When each of the array antennas 256 of the plurality of antenna modules 250 mounted on the vehicle 20 operates while being divided into a plurality of element groups, the communication control device 200 can determine a search order among the plurality of element groups. Hereinafter, the search order among the plurality of element groups is referred to as a third search order.

[0146] When evaluating the plurality of antenna modules 250 according to the first search order, the communication control device 200 may evaluate the element group of the array antenna 256 of one antenna module according to the third search order.

[0147] For example, when the first search order is determined as the order of antenna module A and antenna module B, the communication control device 200 may compare the quality index of the beam generated by the old antenna module with the quality index of the beam generated by the element groups of antenna module A respectively according to the third search order. The communication control device 200 may select the element group corresponding to the beam first identified as having a higher quality index than the beam generated by the old antenna module from the beams generated by the element groups of antenna module A respectively as the best element group, and may communicate with the base station 10 through the beam of the selected element group. When the quality index of the beam generated by the element groups of antenna module A respectively is lower than the quality index of the beam generated by the old antenna module, the communication control device 200 evaluates the antenna module B according to the first search order.

[0148] When the array antenna 256 of one antenna module 250 is operated while being divided into a plurality of element groups, refer to Fig.11 A method of determining a third search order between groups of components is described.

[0149] Fig.11 is a diagram illustrating a method of determining a third search order between component groups according to an embodiment.

[0150] refer to Fig.11 , the array antenna 1100 can be operated while being divided into four element groups 1150a, 1150b, 1150c, and 1150d arranged at different positions from each other. It is assumed that the element group 1150a called A among the four element groups 1150a, 1150b, 1150c, and 1150d is an old element group for communicating with the base station 10.

[0151] The communication control device 200 determines a third search order among the four element groups 1150a, 1150b, 1150c, and 1150d by considering the advancing direction of the vehicle 20 and the positions of the element groups 1150a, 1150b, 1150c, and 1150d on the array antenna 1100.

[0152] For example, Fig.11As shown, when the advancing direction of the vehicle 20 changes from H1 to H2, that is, in the CW direction, the communication control device 200 can determine the search direction of the element groups 1150a, 1150b, 1150c, and 1150d to be the CCW direction. Conversely, when the advancing direction of the vehicle 20 changes in the CCW direction, the communication control device 200 can determine the search direction of the element groups 1150a, 1150b, 1150c, and 1150d to be the CW direction.

[0153] When the search direction is determined to be the CCW direction, the communication control device 200 may select the element group 1150b called B, which is closest in the CCW direction to the element group 1150a called A, as the first search object. In addition, the communication control device 200 may compare the quality index of the beam of the old antenna module with the quality index of the beam of each of the element groups 1150a, 1150b, 1150c, and 1150d in the order of the element group 1150b called B, the element group 1150c called C, the element group 1150d called D, and the element group 1150a called A. When evaluating the element groups 1150a, 1150b, 1150c, and 1150d according to the third search order, the communication control device 200 may select the element group having the beam that is first identified as having a higher quality index than the beam of the old antenna module as the best element group.

[0154] although Fig.11 An example is shown in which the base station 10 is located on the left side of the vehicle 20, but the communication control device 200 can select the optimal element group in the same manner even when the base station 10 is located on the right side of the vehicle 20. Specifically, when the forward direction of the vehicle 20 changes in the CW direction, the communication control device 200 can determine the search direction of the element groups 1150a, 1150b, 1150c, and 1150d to be the CCW direction, and when the vehicle 20 changes in the CCW direction, the communication control device 200 can determine the search direction of the element groups 1150a, 1150b, 1150c, and 1150d to be the CW direction.

[0155] Fig.12 is a diagram illustrating a method of determining a third search order between component groups according to an embodiment.

[0156] In an embodiment, the communication control device 200 may consider the position of the base station 10 and / or the position of the obstacle 30 around the vehicle 20 when determining the third search order among the element groups 1250 a , 1250 b , 1250 c , and 1250 d .

[0157] Assume that when the vehicle 20 moves in the advancing direction H1, the vehicle 20 communicates with the base station 10 through the element group 1250d referred to as D. When the advancing direction of the vehicle 20 changes from H1 to H2, the communication control device 200 determines a first search order among the plurality of antenna modules for selecting a new antenna module, and determines a third search order among the element groups 1250a, 1250b, 1250c, and 1250d.

[0158] Since the method of determining the first search order among the plurality of antenna modules has been described above, a repeated description thereof is omitted here.

[0159] When the advancing direction of the vehicle 20 changes from H1 to H2, that is, in the CW direction, the communication control device 200 may determine the search direction of the element groups 1250a, 1250b, 1250c, and 1250d to be the CCW direction, and may select the element group 1250b called A as the first search object, which is closest to the element group 1250d called D in the CCW direction. Fig.12 As shown, when the obstacle 30 is located between the base station 10 and the element group 1250a called A, the element group 1250a called A may not need to be evaluated. In other words, although the probability of being selected as the optimal element group is extremely low, there may be unnecessary power consumption when the element group 1250a called A is evaluated. Therefore, the communication control device 200 according to the embodiment can determine the first search object by considering the position of the base station 10 and the position of the obstacle 30 around the vehicle 20. Fig.12 , when the advancing direction of the vehicle 20 changes from H1 to H2, the base station 10 is located on the left side of the vehicle 20, and the communication control device 200 can recognize that the obstacle 30 around the vehicle 20 is located on the left side of the vehicle 20. When it is recognized that there is an obstacle 30 between the base station 10 and the element group 1250a called A, which is located in the CCW direction relative to the element group 1250d called D, the communication control device 200 can select the element group 1250b called B, which is located in the CCW direction with respect to the element group 1250a called A, as the first search object. In addition, while performing evaluation in the order of the element group 1250b called B, the element group 1250c called C, the element group 1250d called D, and the element group 1250a called A according to the search direction as the CCW direction, the communication control device 200 can select the best element group.

[0160] In an embodiment, the communication control device 200 may determine a third search order among the remaining component groups except some of the plurality of component groups 1250a, 1250b, 1250c, and 1250d, and may evaluate the remaining component groups according to the third search order.

[0161] like Fig.12 As shown, in the case where the element group 1250d called D is farthest from the base station 10 when the base station 10 is located on the left side of the vehicle 20, the communication control device 200 may determine the third search order based on the element group 1250a called A, the element group 1250b called B, and the element group 1250c called C in addition to the element group 1210d called D. When the advancing direction of the vehicle 20 changes in the CW direction, the communication control device 200 may determine the third search order in the order of the element group 1250a called A, the element group 1250b called B, and the element group 1250c called C. When it is not appropriate to select the element group 1250a called A as the first search object due to the obstacle 30, the communication control device 200 may determine the third search order in the order of the element group 1250b called B, the element group 1250c called C, and the element group 1250a called A.

[0162] Previously, although reference has been made to Figure 8 A process of selecting a new antenna module is described in which a base station needs to be changed even when the change angle of the forward direction H of the vehicle 20 is equal to or less than a preset angle, but when the array antenna of each antenna module is operated while being divided into a plurality of element groups, the third search order between the element groups can be determined according to the positions of the plurality of element groups in the array antenna and the position of the second base station 10b. In addition, when evaluating one antenna module, the communication control device 200 can select the best element group by evaluating the element groups of the array antenna of one module according to the third search order. For example, the element group closest to the second base station 10b can be selected from the plurality of element groups as the first search object, and the search direction can be determined as the CW or CCW direction. As another example, the element group closest to the old element group used for communicating with the first base station 10a in the CW or CCW direction can be selected as the first search object, and the search direction of the remaining element groups can be determined as the CW or CCW direction.

[0163] Fig.13 is a flow chart illustrating a method of maintaining a communication link according to an embodiment.

[0164] In operation S1310, the communication control device 200 monitors the heading direction of the vehicle 20. The communication control device 200 may monitor the heading direction of the vehicle 20 based on at least one of an angle of a steering wheel, a navigation system, a GPS, or a gyro sensor.

[0165] In operation S1320, the communication control device 200 determines whether the advancing direction of the vehicle 20 is changed by a preset angle or more.

[0166] In operation S1330, when the forward direction of the vehicle 20 changes by a preset angle or more, the communication control device 200 determines a search order among the plurality of antenna modules 250 by considering the installation positions of the plurality of antenna modules 250 installed on the vehicle 20 and the changed forward direction of the vehicle 20.

[0167] In operation S1340, the communication control device 200 evaluates the plurality of antenna modules 250 according to the search order. The communication control device 200 may evaluate the plurality of antenna modules 250 by comparing the quality index of the beam generated by the old antenna module with the quality indexes of the beams generated by the plurality of antenna modules 250, respectively.

[0168] In operation S1350 , the communication control device 200 selects a new antenna module according to the result of evaluating the plurality of antenna modules 250 .

[0169] The communication control device 200 may select, as a new antenna module, the antenna module 250 having a beam that is first identified as having a higher quality index than the beam of the old antenna module.

[0170] In operation S1360, the communication control device 200 communicates with the base station 10 by using the new antenna module.

[0171] In the embodiment, when each of the plurality of antenna modules 250 can generate a plurality of beams, the communication control device 200 determines the search order among the plurality of beams by considering the pointing directions of the plurality of beams and the heading direction of the vehicle 20. In addition, when evaluating one antenna module 250, the communication control device 200 may compare the quality index of the beam of the old antenna module with the quality indexes of the plurality of beams according to the search order among the plurality of beams of the one antenna module 250.

[0172] In the embodiment, when the array antenna 256 of each of the plurality of antenna modules 250 operates while being divided into a plurality of element groups, the communication control device 200 determines the search order among the plurality of element groups by considering the positions of the element groups in the array antenna 256 and the advancing direction of the vehicle 20. Furthermore, when evaluating one antenna module 250, the communication control device 200 may compare the quality index of the beam of the old antenna module with the quality index of the beam generated by each element group according to the search order among the plurality of element groups.

[0173] As described above, when determining the search order between the antenna modules 250, the search order between the beams, and / or the search order between the element groups, the communication control device 200 may further consider the position of the base station 10 and / or the position of the obstacles around the vehicle 20. Specifically, the communication control device 200 may select the first search object by considering the position of the base station 10 and / or the position of the obstacles around the vehicle 20. Alternatively, by considering the position of the base station 10 and / or the position of the obstacles around the vehicle 20, the communication control device 200 may exclude some of the multiple antenna modules (or multiple beams or multiple element groups) and determine the search order between the remaining antenna modules (or the remaining beams or the remaining element groups).

[0174] In operation S1320 , when the advancing direction of the vehicle 20 does not change by a preset angle or more, the communication control device 200 communicates with the base station 10 by using the old antenna module.

[0175] Fig.14 is a flow chart illustrating a method of maintaining a communication link according to an embodiment.

[0176] Fig.14 The operation of the communication control device 200 may be illustrated when it is determined in operation S1320 that the advancing direction of the vehicle 20 has not changed by a preset angle or more.

[0177] In operation S1410, the communication control device 200 determines whether a base station change is required. When it is expected to communicate with a new base station instead of an old base station that has been communicating to provide improved communication performance, the communication control device 200 may determine that a base station change is required. In an embodiment, the communication control device 200 may determine whether a base station change is required based on a switching condition defined in the 5G mobile communication standard.

[0178] In operation S1420 , when a base station change is required, the communication control device 200 determines a search order among a plurality of antenna modules 250 .

[0179] In an embodiment, the communication control device 200 may consider the location of the new base station when determining the search order between the plurality of antenna modules 250. Specifically, the communication control device 200 may exclude some antenna modules 250 by considering the location of the new base station, and may determine the search order between the remaining antenna modules 250.

[0180] In an embodiment, the communication control device 200 may determine the search order among the plurality of antenna modules 250 as a descending order of the distances between the new base station and the plurality of antenna modules 250 .

[0181] When each antenna module 250 can generate multiple beams, the communication control device 200 can determine the search order among the multiple beams by considering the location of the new base station. For example, a beam having a pointing direction most similar to the direction in which the new base station is located can be selected from the multiple beams as the first search object, and the search direction of the remaining beams can be determined as a CW or CCW direction. As another example, the beam closest to the beam used for communication with the old base station in the CW or CCW direction can be selected as the first search object, and the search direction of the remaining beams can be determined as a CW or CCW direction.

[0182] When the array antenna 256 of each antenna module 250 is operated while being divided into a plurality of element groups, the communication control device 200 can determine the search order between the plurality of element groups by considering the location of the new base station. For example, the element group closest to the new base station can be selected from the plurality of element groups as the first search object, and the search direction of the remaining element groups can be determined as the CW or CCW direction. As another example, the element group closest to the element group used to communicate with the old base station in the CW or CCW direction can be selected as the first search object, and the search direction of the remaining element groups can be determined as the CW or CCW direction.

[0183] In operation S1430, the communication control device 200 evaluates the antenna modules 250 according to the search order between the antenna modules 250, and in operation S1440, the communication control device 200 selects a new antenna module according to the evaluation result. When evaluating one antenna module 250, the communication control device 200 may evaluate a plurality of beams that may be generated by one antenna module 250 according to the search order between the plurality of beams, or may evaluate a plurality of element groups of one antenna module 250 according to the search order between the plurality of beam groups.

[0184] In operation S1450, the communication control device 200 communicates with the new base station by using the new antenna module. When the best beam or the best element group of the new antenna module is selected in operation S1440, the communication control device 200 can communicate with the new base station via the best beam in the new antenna module or by the beam generated by the best element group of the new antenna module.

[0185] In the disclosed embodiments, at least one of the operations performed by the processor 230 may be performed using artificial intelligence (AI) techniques. Fig.15 Describe at least one operation performed by using AI techniques.

[0186] Fig.15 is a diagram illustrating operations performed by using AI technology.

[0187] Specifically, at least one of i) determining a search order between antenna modules, ii) determining a search order between beams, iii) determining a search order between element groups, iv) selecting a new antenna module according to the search order, v) selecting an optimal beam according to the search order, or vi) selecting an optimal element group according to the search order performed by the communication control device 200 may be performed by using an AI technology for performing operations through a neural network. For example, i) based on the installation position of the antenna module and the forward direction of the vehicle 20, the determination of the search order between the antenna modules may be performed based on AI.

[0188] AI technology refers to technology that obtains expected results by performing processing (such as analysis and / or classification) on input data based on the operation of neural networks.

[0189] This AI technology can be implemented by using an algorithm. Here, an algorithm or a set of algorithms for implementing AI technology is referred to as a neural network. Here, the neural network can receive input data, perform the above-mentioned analysis and / or classification operations, and thus output result data. In order for the neural network to accurately output result data corresponding to the input data, it is necessary to train the neural network. As used herein, the term "training" may refer to training a neural network to allow the neural network to find or learn by itself a method of analyzing the input data fragments of the neural network, a method of classifying the input data fragments, a method of extracting features required to generate result data from the input data fragments, and the like. Specifically, through the training process, the neural network can optimize the weight values ​​in the neural network by performing training on training data (e.g., multiple images that are different from each other). In addition, by processing the input data through a neural network with optimized weight values, the expected result is output.

[0190] When there are multiple hidden layers as layers for performing operations inside a neural network, that is, when the depth of the neural network for performing operations increases, the neural network can be classified as a deep neural network. Examples of neural networks include, but are not limited to, convolutional neural networks (CNNs), deep neural networks (DNNs), recurrent neural networks (RNNs), restricted Boltzmann machines (RBMs), deep belief networks (DBNs), bidirectional recursive deep neural networks, deep Q networks, and the like. In addition, neural networks can be subdivided. For example, CNN can be subdivided into deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs), Capsnet (not shown), and the like.

[0191] The term "AI model" may refer to a neural network including at least one layer for receiving input data and outputting an expected result. In addition, the term "AI model" may refer to an algorithm or set of algorithms for performing operations through a neural network to output an expected result, a processor for executing the algorithm (or set of algorithms), software for executing the algorithm (or set of algorithms), or hardware for executing the algorithm or (set of algorithms).

[0192] At least one of i) determining a search order between antenna modules, ii) determining a search order between beams, iii) determining a search order between element groups, iv) selecting a new antenna module according to the search order, v) selecting an optimal beam according to the search order, or vi) selecting an optimal element group according to the above search order can be performed based on the AI ​​model.

[0193] refer to Fig.15 , the neural network 1510 can be trained by receiving training data input thereto. In addition, the training neural network 1510 can receive input data 1511 input thereto through the input stage 1520, and the input stage 1520, the hidden layer 1530, and the output stage 1540 can perform an operation for outputting output data 1515 by analyzing the input data 1510 and the data transmitted from the previous layer. Although Fig.15 It is shown that the hidden layer 1530 includes one layer, but this is just an example, and the hidden layer 1530 may include a plurality of layers.

[0194] In the disclosed embodiment, the neural network 1510 may be trained on a search order that allows minimization of the evaluation time of multiple antenna modules based on the installation positions of the antenna modules and the change angle of the forward direction of the vehicle 20. The trained neural network 1510 may receive the installation positions of the antenna modules and the change angle of the forward direction of the vehicle 20 and determine the search order among the multiple antenna modules.

[0195] In the disclosed embodiment, the neural network 1510 may be trained on a search order that allows minimization of the evaluation time of the plurality of beams based on the pointing directions of the beams and the angle of change of the heading direction of the vehicle 20. The trained neural network 1510 may receive the pointing directions of the beams and the angle of change of the heading direction of the vehicle 20 and determine a search order among the plurality of beams.

[0196] In the disclosed embodiment, the neural network 1510 may be trained on a search order that allows minimization of the evaluation time of multiple element groups based on the positions of the element groups in the array antenna and the change angle of the heading direction of the vehicle 20. The trained neural network 1510 may receive the positions of the element groups in the array antenna and the change angle of the heading direction of the vehicle 20 and determine the search order among the multiple element groups.

[0197] In the disclosed embodiments, as described above, the processor (e.g., Figure 2 230) in which a neural network is implemented for performing at least one of i) determining a search order between antenna modules, ii) determining a search order between beams, iii) determining a search order between element groups, iv) selecting a new antenna module according to the search order, v) selecting an optimal beam according to the search order, or vi) selecting an optimal element group according to the search order.

[0198] Optionally, as described above, a neural network for performing at least one of i) determining a search order between antenna modules, ii) determining a search order between beams, iii) determining a search order between element groups, iv) selecting a new antenna module according to the search order, v) selecting an optimal beam according to the search order, or vi) selecting an optimal element group according to the search order may be implemented in an electronic device (not shown) or a processor (not shown) separate from the communication control device 200.

[0199] The operation by the above-described neural network may also be performed by a server (not shown) that can communicate with the communication control device 200 according to the embodiment through a wireless communication network. Fig.16 and Fig.17 Communication between the communication control device 200 and a server (not shown) is described.

[0200] Fig.16 is a diagram illustrating a communication control device 1700 according to the disclosed embodiment, the communication control device 1700 operating together with a server.

[0201] In the disclosed embodiment, a search order between a plurality of antenna modules, a search order between a plurality of beams, and / or a search order between a plurality of element groups may be calculated by the server 1610 and then transmitted to the communication control device 1700 located in the vehicle 20. The server 1610 may transmit and receive data to and from the communication control device 1700 through a communication network, and may process the data.

[0202] In an embodiment, the automotive electronic device may receive information about a search order between antenna modules, a search order between beams, and / or a search order between element groups, and may transmit the received information to the communication control device 1700. In this case, the communication control device 1700 may evaluate the antenna module, the beam, and / or the element group based on the information received from the automotive electronic device.

[0203] refer to Fig.17, the server 1610 includes a communication unit 1630 for communicating with the communication control device 1700, and a processor 1650 for executing at least one instruction.

[0204] The processor 1650 of the server 1610 may receive information about the installation positions of the plurality of antenna modules, the advancing direction of the vehicle 20, the position of the base station 10, the positions of obstacles around the vehicle 20, etc., and / or determine the search order between the antenna modules, the search order between the beams, and / or the search order between the element groups according to the received information. The communication unit 1630 may send information indicating the search order between the antenna modules, the search order between the beams, and / or the search order between the element groups to the communication control device 1700.

[0205] In the disclosed embodiment, the server 1610 can be configured to communicate with the server 1610 by referring to Fig.15 The neural network 1510 described above performs operations to determine the search order. Specifically, the server 1610 can train an AI model and store the trained AI model. In addition, the server 1610 can determine the search order between antenna modules, the search order between beams, and / or the search order between element groups by using the trained AI model.

[0206] Generally, the communication control device 1700 may have limitations in memory storage capacity, operation processing speed, ability to collect training data sets, etc., compared to the server 1610. Therefore, the server 1610 may perform operations that require storage of a large amount of data and a large amount of operations, and then the required data and / or AI model may be sent to the communication control device 1700 through the communication network. Then, even without a processor that includes a large-capacity memory and has fast operation capabilities, the communication control device 1700 can quickly and easily perform the required operation by receiving and using the required data and / or AI model from the server 1610.

[0207] In the disclosed embodiment, the server 1610 may include a reference Fig.15 Specifically, the neural network 1510 in the server 1610 can perform operations for determining the above-mentioned search order.

[0208] refer to Fig.17 , with reference Figure 2 Compared with the communication control device 200 described above, the communication control device 1700 may further include a communication unit 1750 .

[0209] The communication unit 1750 communicates with an external device (e.g., a server) through the wireless communication network 1601. Here, the external device (not shown) may perform at least one of the operations required by the communication control device 1700, or may include a server (e.g., 1610) that may transmit data required by the communication control device 1700, etc.

[0210] The communication unit 1750 includes at least one communication module, such as a short-range communication module, a wired communication module, a mobile communication module, a broadcast reception module, etc. Here, the at least one communication module refers to a tuner for performing broadcast reception, or a communication module that can perform data transmission and reception through a network compliant with a communication specification, such as Bluetooth, wireless local area network (WLAN) (Wi-Fi), wireless broadband (Wibro), world interoperability for microwave access (Wimax), code division multiple access (CDMA), wireless CDMA (WCDMA), the Internet, 3G, 4G, 5G, and / or a communication scheme using millimeter waves (mmWave)).

[0211] For example, when the communication unit 1750 performs communication by using mmWave, the communication unit 17500 can quickly send and receive a large amount of data. Specifically, the vehicle 20 can quickly receive a large amount of data by using mmWave, and can quickly provide data required for the safety of the vehicle 20 (e.g., data required for autonomous driving, data required for navigation services, etc.), content for users to use (e.g., movies, music, etc.), etc., thereby improving the safety of the vehicle 20 and / or user convenience.

[0212] The mobile communication module in the communication unit 1750 can communicate with another device (e.g., server 1610) located at a long distance through a communication network conforming to a communication specification (such as a 3G, 4G, and / or 5G communication specification). Here, the communication module for communicating with another device located at a long distance may be referred to as a "remote communication module."

[0213] refer to Fig.17 , the server 1610 may include a communication unit 1630 and a processor 1650 . In addition, the server 1610 may further include a database (DB) 1640 .

[0214] The communication unit 1630 may include one or more components that allow communication to be performed with the communication control device 1700. The specific configuration of the communication unit 1630 may correspond identically to the configuration of the communication unit 1750 described above, and thus a detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0215] For example, the communication unit 1630 may include at least one communication module for performing communication with another device (e.g., the communication control device 1700) located at a long distance through a communication network conforming to communication specifications (such as the Internet, 3G, 4G and / or 5G communication specifications).

[0216] The processor 1650 controls the overall operation of the server 1610. For example, the processor 1650 may perform a desired operation by executing at least one of at least one instruction or program of the server 1610.

[0217] The DB 1640 may include a memory (not shown) and may store at least one of at least one instruction, program, or data required for the server 1610 to perform a specific operation in the memory. In addition, the DB 1640 may store data required for the server 1610 to perform an operation according to a neural network.

[0218] In the disclosed embodiment, the server 1610 may store reference Fig.15 Neural network 1510 described. Neural network 1510 may be stored in at least one of processor 1650 or DB 1640. Neural network 1510 in server 1610 may include an already trained neural network.

[0219] In the disclosed embodiment, the server 1610 may determine the above-mentioned search order by using the neural network included therein, and may transmit the determined search order to the communication unit 1750 of the communication control device 1700 through the communication unit 1630 .

[0220] Furthermore, the server 1610 may transmit the trained neural network to the communication unit 1750 of the communication control device 1700 through the communication unit 1630. Then, the communication control device 1700 may obtain and store the trained neural network, and may obtain expected output data through the neural network.

[0221] The aforementioned embodiments of the present disclosure may be written in a program executable on a computer, and the written program may be stored in a medium.

[0222] The medium may store the computer executable program persistently, or may temporarily store the computer executable program for execution or downloading. In addition, the medium may include various recording devices or storage devices in the form of a single hardware or a combination of multiple hardware, not limited to media directly connected to any computer system, and may be dispersed over a network. Examples of the medium may include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes, optical recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, magneto-optical media such as floppy disks, and media configured to store program instructions therein by including ROM, RAM, flash memory, etc. In addition, other examples of the medium may include recording media or storage media managed by an application store that distributes application programs, a site that provides or distributes various other software, a server, etc.

[0223] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail so far, it should be understood that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and that a person skilled in the art may make various modifications and changes in the form and details thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a communication link performed by a communication control device, the method comprising: Obtaining information related to the vehicle's heading; performing communication with a base station in a first beamforming direction using a first antenna module among a plurality of antenna modules mounted on the vehicle; selecting a second antenna module among the plurality of antenna modules for scanning by considering the changed forward direction of the vehicle and a first beamforming direction of a first antenna module among the plurality of antenna modules mounted on the vehicle in a case where the forward direction of the vehicle is changed; evaluating at least one of the plurality of antenna modules, starting with a second antenna module selected from the plurality of antenna modules, according to the determined search order; as well as Based on a result of the evaluation, communication with the base station is performed via one of the plurality of antenna modules.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Evaluating at least one of the plurality of antenna modules includes comparing a quality index of a beam generated by each of the plurality of antenna modules to a quality index of a beam generated by the first antenna module.

3. The method according to claim 1, in, The method further includes determining a search order among the plurality of beams by considering a changed heading direction of the vehicle and pointing directions of the plurality of beams, if the plurality of beams can be generated by each of the plurality of antenna modules, and Wherein, evaluating at least one of the plurality of antenna modules comprises comparing a quality index of each of the plurality of beams with a quality index of a beam generated by the first antenna module according to a search order among the plurality of beams.

4. The method according to claim 1, in, In a case where the array antenna of each of the plurality of antenna modules operates while being divided into element groups, the method further includes determining a search order between element groups by taking into account a changed forward direction of the vehicle and positions of the element groups in the array antenna, and Wherein evaluating at least one of the plurality of antenna modules comprises comparing a quality index of a beam generated by each of the element groups with a quality index of a beam generated by the first antenna module according to a search order between the element groups.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Evaluating at least one of the plurality of antenna modules includes determining a search order among the plurality of antenna modules by considering a changed heading direction of the vehicle and installation positions of the plurality of antenna modules installed on the vehicle when the plurality of antenna modules include three or more antenna modules.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: Determining the search order among multiple antenna modules includes: In a case where the advancing direction of the vehicle changes in a clockwise direction, determining the search directions of the plurality of antenna modules to be counterclockwise; and In a case where the forward direction of the vehicle changes in a counterclockwise direction, the search directions of the plurality of antenna modules are determined to be clockwise directions.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: Determining the search order among the plurality of antenna modules includes selecting a second antenna module adjacent to the first antenna module from among the plurality of antenna modules as a first search object.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein: Determining a search order among the plurality of antenna modules includes selecting a second antenna module as a first search object from among the plurality of antenna modules by considering a location of the base station and locations of obstacles around the vehicle.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The heading direction of the vehicle is checked from at least one of a rotation angle of a steering wheel of the vehicle, a navigation system, a global positioning system (GPS), and a gyro sensor.

10. The method according to claim 5, wherein: Determining the search order among multiple antenna modules includes: selecting some of the plurality of antenna modules by considering a location of the base station and installation locations of the plurality of antenna modules installed on the vehicle; and Determines the search order among the selected antenna modules.

11. The method according to claim 3, wherein: Determining the search order among multiple beams includes: selecting some of the plurality of beams by considering a location of a base station and pointing directions of the plurality of beams; and Determines the search order between selected beams.

12. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing one or more computer programs including computer-executable instructions that, when executed individually or collectively by one or more processors of a communication control device, cause the communication control device to perform operations, the operations comprising: Obtaining information related to the vehicle's heading; performing communication with a base station in a first beamforming direction using a first antenna module among a plurality of antenna modules mounted on the vehicle; selecting a second antenna module among the plurality of antenna modules for scanning by considering the changed forward direction of the vehicle and a first beamforming direction of a first antenna module among the plurality of antenna modules mounted on the vehicle in a case where the forward direction of the vehicle is changed; evaluating at least one of the plurality of antenna modules, starting with a second antenna module selected from the plurality of antenna modules, according to the determined search order; as well as Based on a result of the evaluation, communication with the base station is performed via one of the plurality of antenna modules.

13. A communication control device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as a memory storing at least one instruction, Wherein, the at least one processor is configured to execute at least one instruction to: Obtain information related to the vehicle's direction of travel, performing communication with a base station in a first beamforming direction using a first antenna module among a plurality of antenna modules mounted on the vehicle, In a case where a forward direction of the vehicle is changed, selecting a second antenna module among the plurality of antenna modules for scanning by considering the changed forward direction of the vehicle and a first beamforming direction of a first antenna module among the plurality of antenna modules mounted on the vehicle, evaluating at least one of the plurality of antenna modules, starting from a second antenna module selected from the plurality of antenna modules, according to the determined search order, and Based on a result of the evaluation, communication with the base station is performed via one of the plurality of antenna modules.

14. The communication control device according to claim 13, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to execute at least one instruction to, for evaluating at least one of the plurality of antenna modules, compare a quality index of a beam generated by each of the plurality of antenna modules to a quality index of a beam generated by the first antenna module.

15. The communication control device according to claim 14, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to execute at least one instruction to select, from among the plurality of antenna modules, an antenna module having a beam first identified as having a higher quality index than a beam generated by the first antenna module as a new antenna module.

16. The communication control device according to claim 14, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to execute at least one instruction to: In a case where a plurality of beams can be generated by each of the plurality of antenna modules, determining a search order among the plurality of beams by taking into account a changed heading direction of the vehicle and pointing directions of the plurality of beams; as well as To evaluate at least one of the plurality of antenna modules, a quality index of each of the plurality of beams is compared with a quality index of a beam generated by a first antenna module according to a search order among the plurality of beams.

17. The communication control device according to claim 14, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to execute at least one instruction to compare a quality index of a beam of a first antenna module with quality indexes of multiple beams according to a search order among multiple beams of the one antenna module when evaluating the one antenna module.

18. The communication control device according to claim 17, wherein: The at least one processor is also configured to execute at least one instruction to determine a search order among multiple antenna modules, a search order among multiple beams, and a search order among multiple element groups by considering at least one of a location of a base station and a location of obstacles around the vehicle.

19. The communication control device according to claim 18, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to execute at least one instruction to: excluding at least one of a portion of a plurality of antenna modules, a portion of a plurality of beams, and a portion of a plurality of element groups, and A search order is determined among at least one of the remaining antenna modules, the remaining beams, and the remaining element groups.

20. The communication control device according to claim 12, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to execute at least one instruction to, when the plurality of antenna modules include three or more antenna modules, determine a search order among the plurality of antenna modules by considering a changed forward direction of the vehicle and installation positions of the plurality of antenna modules installed on the vehicle.

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