Processing device, control device, control method, and program for efficient communication

Abstract

A processing device functioning as a DU in a wireless communication system in which one radio unit (RU) is shared by a plurality of distributed units (DUs), the processing device notifying a control device of first information, the control device receives, from the control device, first information relating to wireless quality and traffic to be transmitted or received by a terminal device that provides a communication service via one RU by the processing device, and receives, from the control device, second information indicating a wireless resource relating to at least one of frequency and time allocated to the processing device for the one RU. At least a portion of the radio resource indicated by the second information is allocated to the terminal device, and communication with the terminal device is performed via the one RU.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for enhancing the efficiency of wireless communication. Background Art

[0002] In a wireless communication system, it is required to efficiently provide a configuration of a radio access network (RAN) that suits the characteristics of various services. Therefore, a network is being studied that uses a controller that determines the allocation of radio resources for each service, and a functional unit having a scheduler function that corresponds to each service and allocates the radio resources allocated by the controller to a terminal device. Such a controller corresponds to a RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) in an Open-Radio Access Network (O-RAN), and the scheduler corresponds to a Distributed Unit (DU). The DU is connected to a Radio Unit (RU) and allocates radio resources for a communication service for device management to the terminal device via the RU, thereby providing a communication service to the terminal device. In addition, the RU, for example, becomes a functional unit that executes baseband processing, radio frequency processing, etc., and uses radio resources to communicate with the terminal device as an interface.

[0003] Prior Art Documents

[0004] Non-Patent Documents

[0005] Non-Patent Document 1: Cloud Architecture and Deployment Scenarios for O-RAN Virtualized RAN, 2022 Summary of the Invention

[0006] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] In a conventional network configuration, it is assumed that one RU is used by one DU. A configuration in which such a network configuration is further evolved and multiple DUs share one RU is being studied (Non-Patent Document 1). In such a configuration, for example, since multiple DUs do not know the radio resources used by other DUs, multiple DUs may attempt to use the same radio resources among the radio resources available in one RU. Under such conditions, the radio resources cannot be used in at least any one of the DUs, and thus the communication efficiency may deteriorate.

[0008] Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] The present invention provides a technology capable of achieving efficient communication control in an environment where multiple schedulers share multiple radio units.

[0010] A processing device according to one aspect of the present invention is a processing device that functions as the DU in a wireless communication system where one radio unit (RU) is shared by multiple distributed units (DUs). The processing device includes: a notification unit that notifies a control device of first information related to traffic and radio quality that a terminal device that the processing device provides communication services to via the one RU should transmit or receive; a receiving unit that receives second information from the control device, the second information indicating radio resources related to at least one of frequency and time that are allocated to the processing device for the one RU; and a communication unit that allocates at least a part of the radio resources indicated by the second information to the terminal device and communicates with the terminal device via the one RU.

[0011] A control device according to one aspect of the present invention is a control device that allocates radio resources to multiple processing devices in a wireless communication system where one radio unit (RU) is shared by multiple processing devices that each function as a distributed unit (DU). The control device includes: a receiving unit that receives first information from each of the multiple processing devices, the first information related to traffic and radio quality that a terminal device that the processing device provides communication services to via the one RU should transmit or receive; a determination unit that determines, for the one RU, radio resources related to at least one of frequency and time for each of the multiple processing devices separately; and a notification unit that notifies each of the multiple processing devices of second information indicating the determined radio resources.

[0012] Advantages of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, efficient communication control can be performed in an environment where multiple schedulers share multiple radio units.

[0014] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals. Description of the Drawings

[0015] The drawings are incorporated in the specification and form a part of the specification, showing embodiments of the present invention, and are used together with the description to explain the principles of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing a configuration example of a wireless communication system.

[0017] Figure 2This is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the device.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the DU.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the RIC.

[0020] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of the processing flow executed in the system. Detailed implementation

[0021] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the following embodiments do not limit the invention related to the technical solution. Also, all of the feature combinations described in the embodiments are not essential for the invention. Two or more of the features described in the embodiments can also be arbitrarily combined. In addition, the same or similar components are labeled with the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

[0022] (System configuration)

[0023] Figure 1 This shows an example of the configuration of the wireless communication system according to this embodiment. This wireless communication system, for example, has a configuration based on Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN, Open Radio Access Network), and is composed of RIC101, DU111 to DU113, and RU121. RIC101 is the RAN Intelligent Controller (Radio Access Network Intelligent Controller) of O-RAN, and includes a RT RIC that performs near-real-time (Near-RT) control and a non-real-time (Non-RT) RIC that executes long-periodic policy control, etc. In addition, the function of the Near-RT RIC is used here to instruct each DU on the radio resources (frequency / time resources) to be used. DU111 to DU113 are the Distributed Units (Distributed Units) of O-RAN, and have a scheduling function of allocating the radio resources allocated by RIC101 to the terminal device via the RU used by this device. RU121 is the Radio Unit (Radio Unit) of O-RAN, and performs wireless communication with the terminal device (User Equipment, UE) under the control of the DU. In addition, Figure 1 An example is shown in which DU111 to DU113 share one RU121 and communicate with UE group 131 to UE group 133 respectively. In addition, in the configuration of O-RAN, in addition to these functional units, it also includes a Central Unit (CU, Central Unit), etc., but in Figure 1For the sake of convenience, only the functional units related to this embodiment are shown. In addition, these configurations are examples, and the following discussion can also be applied to a network with the same configuration but different specifications from O-RAN. In addition, the relationship between a DU and the RU used by the DU, the number of DUs, the number of RUs, etc. are of course not limited to Figure 1 That is, various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the discussion described below.

[0024] In the present wireless communication system, for example, the information of each UE is notified to RIC101 via the DU communicating with the UE. The information of the UE may include, for example, information indicating the traffic and wireless quality communicated by each UE. In addition, the information of the UE may also include, for example, information about the network slice used by the UE. Then, RIC101 determines the amount of wireless resources to be allocated to each UE, and notifies the DU to use the amount of wireless resources corresponding to the total amount of wireless resources of the UE that is the communication object of each DU. The specifications of the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP (registered trademark)) stipulate that the RIC notifies the DU of information indicating the amount of resources to be allocated to each network slice or whether the allocation is allowed. In the past, since one RU was used by only one DU, even if only the information about the amount of resources was notified, the DU allocated each network slice in a manner that the notified amount of resources did not overlap in the frequency domain and the time domain, thereby enabling appropriate communication. However, in this embodiment, since one RU is shared by multiple DUs, it is conceivable that if only the amount of resources to be used by the DU is specified, multiple DUs may attempt to use at least a portion of the frequency and time resources available through the RU. In such a case, communication cannot be performed in at least any one of the multiple DUs, and the efficiency of communication may be significantly deteriorated.

[0025] In this embodiment, in view of such a situation, RIC101 notifies DU111 to DU113 of information indicating which frequency and time resources should be used, without notifying the amount of wireless resources. RIC101 can, for example, use the index of the physical resource block (PRB) to specify the frequency resources allocated to each DU. For example, a list of PRBs can be used to specify the location of the allocated frequency resources. RIC101 can, for example, notify the DU of the allocation of PRBs with indexes 0, 3, 5, 7, and 8 through information such as AllocRB=[0, 3, 5, 7, 8]. In addition, RIC101 can also notify the range of the allocated frequency by PRB units, for example. For example, RIC101 can notify the DU of the index N of the PRB that represents the lower end of the frequency range. start , and the index N of the PRB indicating the upper end of the range end . RIC101 can be used, for example, bystart = 3, N end For example, RIC 101 can use information indicating the position of the PRB corresponding to the lower or upper end of the range and the number N of PRBs indicating the size of the range to notify the DU of the allocation of PRBs with indices from 3 to 6. width , and notify the DU of the allocated PRB range. For example, RIC 101 can notify the DU of the allocation of PRBs with indices from 3 to 6 by information such as N start = 3, N width = 4.

[0026] Furthermore, RIC 101 can also notify the DU of information indicating the allocated frequency range without using the unit of PRB. For example, RIC 101 can notify the DU of the value f indicating the upper end of the frequency range start , and the value f indicating the lower end end . In this case, the frequency range from f start to f end is allocated to the DU. In addition, for example, RIC 101 can also notify the DU of the value indicating the upper or lower end of the frequency range and the value f indicating the frequency width width . In this case, the frequency range from f start to f start + f width or the frequency range from f end - f width to f end is allocated to the DU. In addition, in the case of representing the allocation of radio resources by a frequency range, in order to represent a plurality of discontinuous frequency ranges, a plurality of pieces of information may be prepared.

[0027] These notifications can be made at regular time intervals. In this case, the allocation of frequency resources as described above can be maintained for a time period equivalent to only this regular time interval from the time of receiving the notification or from the time of receiving this notification until a predetermined offset value later. For example, in the case where the time period is equivalent to a time of 5 PRB amounts, the DU starts from the next PRB after the timing of receiving the notification of the allocation of frequency resources, communicates with the UE according to this allocation of frequency resources, and can use the allocation of frequency resources received during this 5 PRB amount period during the next 5 PRB amount period. In addition, this time period can also be expressed in a time unit other than the unit of PRB.

[0028] In addition, in the above example, although an example of the allocation of frequency resources is shown, the same allocation can also be performed for time resources. For example, RIC101 can notify each DU in units of subframes of information indicating the time resources allocated to that DU. For example, RIC101 can notify information indicating which subframes are allocated to the DU in a form such as [Hyper System Frame Number (H-SFN), System Frame Number (SFN), Subframe Number]. For example, RIC101 can notify, through information such as [10, 845, 1, 3], that the first subframe and the third subframe in the frame with H-SFN = 10 and SFN = 845 are allocated to the DU. In addition, RIC101 can also notify the allocated time resources through information indicating a continuous time range. For example, RIC101 can represent the information S of the position of the first subframe corresponding to the start timing of the time range start and the information S of the position of the last subframe corresponding to the end timing of the time range end to represent the allocated time resources. In this case, it can be notified that the first subframe to the third subframe in the frame with H-SFN = 10 and SFN = 845 are allocated to the DU through S start = [10, 845, 1] and S end = [10, 845, 3]. In addition, in the case where it is known that H-SFN and SFN are the same, such as when notifying the allocation from RIC101 in units of frames, like S end = [3], the H-SFN and SFN of the last subframe can also be omitted. In addition, the H-SFN and SFN can also be notified in the information representing the last subframe, and the H-SFN and SFN can be omitted in the information representing the first subframe. That is, in at least any one of the information representing the first subframe and the information representing the last subframe, as long as the position of the subframe can be uniquely determined, the repeated information can be omitted. In addition, the time range allocated to the DU can also be notified through the information representing the beginning or the end of the time range as described above, and the information S size representing the width of the time. For example, it can be notified that the first subframe to the third subframe in the frame with H-SFN = 10 and SFN = 845 are allocated to the DU through S start = [10, 845, 1] and S size = 3.

[0029] Furthermore, RIC101 can also notify the DU of the information representing the allocated time range without using the unit of subframes. For example, RIC101 can notify the DU of the value t representing the timing of the start of the time rangestart and a value t indicating the timing of the end end . In this case, t is allocated to the DU start ~t end . Further, the RIC 101 may notify the DU of, for example, a value indicating the start timing or the end timing of the time range and a value t indicating the time width size . In this case, t is allocated to the DU start ~t start +t size or a time range of t end -t size ~t end . In addition, in the case where the allocation of radio resources is indicated by a time range, multiple pieces of information may be prepared to indicate discontinuous multiple time ranges.

[0030] Further, information specifying the above frequency resources and information specifying time resources may be combined and notified to the DU. For example, information such as [index (in the frequency direction) of PRB, H-SFN, SFN, subframe number] can be used to specify one PRB. Multiple such pieces of information may be used to notify the DU of multiple PRBs allocated to the DU. Further, for example, information specifying a range such as start N end , N start , S end , S start end f start , f end , t

[0031] can be used. Here, as described above, information indicating the frequency width and the time width may also be used. Further, for example, information indicating a frequency range and information indicating a subframe number individually may be combined and used, and similarly, information indicating an index of a PRB individually and information indicating a time range may be combined and used.

[0032] ​Here, for example, it is assumed that the DU can use multiple RUs. In this case, in the communication of the UE existing in the area where the cells formed by the multiple RUs overlap, the radio signal transmitted and received through one cell may be interfered with by the radio signal transmitted and received through other cells. Therefore, the same resources can be used in the multiple RUs to perform Coordinated Multi-Point (CoMP) communication so that interference does not occur in the communication of the UE existing in such an area. In the present embodiment, the RIC 101 differentiates the radio resources for CoMP from the radio resources not for CoMP and notifies the DU. In one example, information in a form that enables the differentiation of the radio resources for CoMP from the radio resources not for CoMP can be notified from the RIC 101 to the DU. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the DU from misusing the resources shared and allocated among the multiple RUs for CoMP communication for non-CoMP communication, and thus it is possible to prevent a shortage of radio resources available for CoMP communication.

[0033] Such radio resources for CoMP communication can be ensured separately for each combination of overlapping cells. For example, in the case where there are three cells, the radio resources for CoMP will be separately allocated to the following four regions: (1) the region where the first cell overlaps with the second cell and does not overlap with the third cell, (2) the region where the first cell overlaps with the third cell and does not overlap with the second cell, (3) the region where the second cell overlaps with the third cell and does not overlap with the first cell, and (4) the region where the first cell to the third cell all overlap. Then, information specifying the radio resources allocated as described above is provided for each combination of cells. In addition, for each combination of cells such as the above (1) to (4), it is necessary to pre-associate the list of cells with the identification information. In the radio resource allocation information, information associating the identification information with the allocated radio resources can be notified from the RIC 101 to the DU. For example, when the number of UEs resident in each of the above (1) to (4) regions is significantly different, the amount of radio resources required may vary significantly depending on the number of such UEs. In such a case, as described above, information associating the combination of cells with the radio resources for CoMP is notified from the RIC 101 to the DU, whereby the DU can allocate an appropriate amount of radio resources for the communication of the UEs in each region. In addition, the RIC 101 can determine the allocation of the radio resources for non-CoMP communication of the UEs existing in the regions that do not overlap with other cells so as not to overlap with the radio resources allocated for CoMP communication and notify the DU.

[0034] In addition, the DU notifies the RIC101 of information indicating the status of each UE, and the RIC101 determines the allocation of radio resources for communication of UEs in each area. For example, for a group of UEs to which communication services are provided by this device, the DU sends information such as the traffic of each UE, network slices, whether it is an object of CoMP communication, and a list of cells that overlap with each other in the area where the UE exists when it is an object of CoMP communication to the RIC101. Then, based on the information received from each DU, the RIC101 determines the amount of radio resources to be allocated to each DU and allocates radio resources to each DU in a non-interfering manner. Here, for example, for a group of UEs set as objects of CoMP communication, the RIC101 determines the radio resources allocated to each combination of cells, and determines the time or frequency position of the radio resources to be used for each combination of these cells. Then, the RIC101 notifies the DU of the determined radio resources. In addition, for a group of UEs not set as objects of CoMP communication, the RIC101 also determines the position of the radio resources to be used for each cell and can notify the DU of the position of the radio resources. Thereby, it is ensured that the DU uses radio resources different from those used by other DUs, and communication services can be efficiently provided to UEs.

[0035] (Device Configuration)

[0036] Use Figure 2 An example of the hardware configuration of the DU and the RIC will be described. In one example, the DU and the RIC are composed of a processor 201, a ROM 202, a RAM 203, a storage device 204, and a communication circuit 205. The processor 201 is a computer composed of one or more processing circuits including a general-purpose CPU (central processing unit), an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit), etc., reads and executes programs stored in the ROM 202 and the storage device 204, and thereby executes the overall processing of the device and the above-mentioned various processes. The ROM 202 is a read-only memory that stores information such as programs and various parameters related to the processing performed by the DU and the RIC. The RAM 203 functions as a work space when the processor 201 executes a program, and the RAM 203 is a random access memory that stores temporary information. The storage device 204 is composed of, for example, a removable external storage device. The communication circuit 205 is composed of, for example, a circuit for communication according to O-RAN, 3GPP specifications, etc.

[0037] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the DU. The DU is composed of, for example, an information notification unit 301, an allocation information reception unit 302, and a resource allocation unit 303. In addition, in Figure 3Among them, only the functions particularly relevant to this embodiment are shown, and illustrations of various other functions that the DU can have are omitted. For example, the DU of course has other functions that the DU of O-RAN usually has. Additionally, Figure 3 The functional blocks are shown schematically, and each functional block can be integrated and implemented, or can be further subdivided. Additionally, Figure 3 Each function of Figure 3 can be implemented, for example, by the processor 201 executing programs stored in the ROM 202 and the storage device 204, or can be implemented by dedicated hardware. Furthermore, the details of the processing performed by each functional unit and the above details are not described here, and only the general functions are briefly described.

[0038] The information notification unit 301 notifies the RIC 101, for example, of information related to the UEs present in the cells that provide communication services via the RU in this device. The information notification unit 301 can, for example, collect and notify the RIC 101 of information indicating the radio communication quality of each UE and information determining the traffic to be communicated by the UE. Additionally, the information notification unit 301 can notify the RIC 101 of information in a form that can distinguish between the UE groups that are set as CoMP targets and the UE groups that are not set as CoMP targets. Furthermore, the information notification unit 301 can, for example, further notify the RIC 101 of information that can determine the combination of the cells when the UE groups that are set as CoMP targets exist in the overlapping areas of different combinations of cells. For example, when the DU communicates using three or more cells, since there are multiple overlapping areas, the DU can notify the RIC 101 of information indicating which of the multiple overlapping areas in different combinations of cells it is, as well as information indicating the traffic and radio communication quality. Additionally, the information notification unit 301 can, for example, also notify the RIC 101 of the above information in a form that can distinguish between the information of the UEs communicating with a predetermined network slice and the information of the other UEs. Similarly, the information notification unit 301 can, for example, also notify the RIC 101 of the above information in a form that can distinguish between the information of the UEs communicating with a predetermined 5QI (5G QoS Identifier) and the information of the other UEs.

[0039] The allocation information receiving unit 302 receives, from the RIC 101, information indicating the radio resources allocated to the present apparatus, based on the information notified by the information notification unit 301. As described above, this information can be information that uniquely determines the position of the frequency and / or time resources that the DU can use via the RU. In addition, this information can be, for example, information that designates the positions of different frequency and / or time resources for the radio resources for the communication of the UE that is the object of CoMP communication and the radio resources for the communication of the UE that is not the object of CoMP communication, respectively. In addition, the radio resources for the communication of the UE that is the object of CoMP communication can include the frequencies and / or the positions of the time resources of the radio resources for each cell combination. Furthermore, the radio resources here indicate the radio resources to be allocated to the DU, and do not indicate information that designates the radio resources to be allocated to an individual UE.

[0040] Based on the information received by the allocation information receiving unit 302, the resource allocation unit 303 allocates at least a part of the radio resources allocated to the present apparatus for the communication of the UE that is the communication object. In addition, when the resource allocation unit 303 differentiates and notifies the first radio resources for the communication of the UE that is the object of CoMP communication and the second radio resources for the communication of the UE that is not the object of CoMP communication, the resource allocation unit 303 allocates the first radio resources to the UE that is the object of CoMP communication and allocates the second radio resources to the UE that is not the object of CoMP communication. In addition, for example, when allocating radio resources to each combination of cells, the resource allocation unit 303 allocates the radio resources for the CoMP communication of the UE existing in the area where the cells included in the combination overlap. In addition, based on the information received by the allocation information receiving unit 302, the resource allocation unit 303 allocates the radio resources allocated to an individual cell for the non-CoMP communication of the UE existing in an area that does not overlap with any cell.

[0041] Figure 4 FIG. is a diagram showing a functional configuration example of the RIC. The RIC includes, for example, an information receiving unit 401, an allocation decision unit 402, and an allocation information notification unit 403. In addition, Figure 4 only the functions particularly related to the present embodiment are shown, and various other functions that the RIC can have are omitted from the illustration. For example, the RIC of course has other functions that the O-RAN RIC generally has. In addition, the functional blocks are schematically shown Figure 4 and each functional block can be integrated and implemented, and can also be further subdivided. In addition, Figure 4 each function can also be implemented, for example, by the processor 201 executing programs stored in the ROM 202 and the storage device 204, or can be implemented by dedicated hardware. In addition, the details of the processing executed by each functional unit and the above details are not described here, and only the general functions are schematically described.

[0042] The information receiving unit 401 receives information of the UE with which the DU communicates from the DU. This information includes, for example, information such as the radio quality of the UE and the traffic of reception and transmission. In addition, this information may also include information indicating whether the UE is an object of CoMP. In addition, when indicating whether it is an object of CoMP, the information receiving unit 401 can further receive information indicating the combination of cells for CoMP communication. The allocation decision unit 402 determines the radio resources allocated to each DU based on the received information. The allocation decision unit 402 can, for example, determine the frequency and / or time resources allocated to each DU in such a way that their resources do not overlap based on information from multiple DUs. In addition, when receiving information related to the UE set as an object of CoMP, the allocation decision unit 402 determines the combination of cells for this CoMP communication and can determine to allocate the same frequency / time resources for CoMP communication in the cells included in this combination. In addition, when there are multiple combinations of cells for CoMP communication, the allocation decision unit 402 can determine different frequencies and / or time resources for different combinations of respective cells. In addition, the allocation decision unit 402 may further classify UEs based on other criteria such as network slices and 5QI, and allocate different radio resources for each such classification. The allocation information notification unit 403 notifies the DU of the allocation of the radio resources determined by the allocation decision unit 402.

[0043] (Processing flow)

[0044] Next, use Figure 5 An example of the processing flow executed in the RIC and DU according to the present embodiment will be outlined.

[0045] First, the DU collects information on UEs existing within the scope of the cell, which is the object to be scheduled in this device (S501). For example, the DU obtains traffic sent to or from a UE connected to the RU of the cell that provides the object to be scheduled, information on the radio quality in the UE, and the like. Then, the DU notifies this information to the RIC (S502). The RIC receives information from multiple DUs respectively and, based on the notified information, determines the amount of radio resources allocated to each DU. Further, based on the amount of radio resources, the RIC separately determines the positions of the frequency and / or time resources allocated to each DU (S503). Here, for the radio resources corresponding to at least any one RU, the RIC is determined in such a way that the radio resources allocated to multiple DUs do not overlap with each other. Then, the RIC notifies each DU of the information indicating the allocation of the determined radio resources (S504). Here, in the information notified to each DU, the radio resources related to at least any one of frequency and time that the DU, which is the destination of this information, can use for providing communication services to the terminal device are specified. In addition, as described above, the RIC can allocate separate resources by means of the UE group that is the object of CoMP and the UE group other than that. In addition, when the UE groups that are the objects of CoMP exist in areas where different combinations of cells overlap, separate resources are allocated for each combination of such cells. The DU can determine the radio resources available when the device provides communication services to the terminal device based on the received allocation information. However, the DU allocates at least a part of the radio resources allocated to this device to the UE, which is the object to be scheduled in this device (S505). In addition, the DU allocates the radio resources allocated to the UE group that is the object of CoMP to the communication of UEs existing in the area where multiple cells overlap, and allocates the radio resources allocated to the UE group that is not the object of CoMP to the communication of UEs existing in the area where the cells do not overlap.

[0046] As described above, in this embodiment, in an environment where multiple DUs share one RU, the RIC clearly specifies the radio resources that each DU should use in the frequency domain and / or time domain. Thereby, competition for radio resources used by multiple DUs can be prevented, and in such an environment, communication that efficiently utilizes radio resources can be carried out. Therefore, it can contribute to Goal 9 of the United Nations-led Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is to "build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation."

[0047] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[0048] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-187554 filed on November 24, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A processing device that functions as the DU in a wireless communication system where one radio unit, i.e., RU, is shared by multiple distributed units, i.e., DUs, wherein, the processing device has: a notification unit that notifies a control device of first information related to the traffic and radio quality that a terminal device that provides communication services via the one RU should transmit or receive; a receiving unit that receives second information from the control device, the second information indicating radio resources related to at least one of frequency and time allocated to the processing device for the one RU; and a communication unit that allocates at least a part of the radio resources indicated by the second information to the terminal device and communicates with the terminal device via the one RU.

2. The processing device according to claim 1, wherein The second information indicates the allocation of the radio resources related to frequency to the processing device by respectively specifying the positions of physical resource blocks, i.e., PRBs, that the processing device can use, or by specifying the positions of the PRBs corresponding to the upper and lower ends of the range of frequencies that the processing device can use, or by specifying the positions of the PRBs corresponding to the upper or lower end of the frequency range and the number of PRBs corresponding to the width of the frequency range.

3. The processing device according to claim 1, wherein, The second information indicates the allocation of the radio resources related to frequency to the processing device by specifying the upper and lower ends of the range of frequencies that the processing device can use, or by specifying the upper or lower end of the frequency range and the width of the frequency range.

4. The processing device according to claim 1, wherein, The second information indicates the allocation of the radio resources related to time to the processing device by respectively specifying the positions of subframes that the processing device can use, or by specifying the positions of the subframes corresponding to the start timing and end timing of the range of time that the processing device can use, or by specifying the positions of the subframes corresponding to the start timing or end timing of the time range and the number of subframes corresponding to the width of the time range.

5. The processing device according to claim 1, wherein, The second information indicates the allocation of the radio resources to the processing device by specifying the start timing and end timing of the range of time that the processing device can use, or by specifying the start timing or end timing of the frequency range and the width of the time range.

6. The processing device according to claim 1, wherein, the second information indicates the allocation of radio resources for the one RU and other RUs respectively when the processing device uses other RUs in addition to the one RU, the allocation of the radio resources includes, in a distinguishable form: first radio resources that the processing device can allocate to terminal devices existing in the area where the cells formed by the one RU and the other RUs overlap; and second radio resources that the processing device can allocate to terminal devices existing in the area where the cells do not overlap. The first radio resources for the one RU and the first radio resources for the other RUs are common.

7. A control device that is a control device for allocating radio resources to a plurality of processing devices in a wireless communication system shared by the plurality of processing devices in which one radio unit, i.e., an RU, functions as a distributed unit, i.e., a DU, respectively, wherein the control device has: a receiving unit that receives first information from the plurality of processing devices respectively, the first information being related to the traffic and radio quality that a terminal device that provides communication services via the one RU should transmit or receive; a determining unit that determines, for the one RU, radio resources related to at least one of frequency and time for each of the plurality of processing devices separately; and a notifying unit that notifies the plurality of processing devices of second information indicating the determined radio resources.

8. The control device according to claim 7, wherein, The second information indicates the allocation of the radio resources related to frequency to the processing device by respectively specifying the positions of physical resource blocks, i.e., PRBs, that the processing device can use as the destination of the second information, or by specifying the positions of the PRBs corresponding to the upper and lower ends of the range of frequencies that the processing device can use, or by specifying the positions of the PRBs corresponding to the upper or lower end of the range of frequencies and the number of PRBs corresponding to the width of the range of frequencies.

9. The control device according to claim 7, wherein, The second information indicates the allocation of the radio resources related to frequency to the processing device by specifying the upper and lower ends of the range of frequencies that the processing device can use, or by specifying the upper or lower end of the range of frequencies and the width of the range of frequencies.

10. The control device according to claim 7, wherein, The second information indicates the allocation of the radio resources related to time to the processing device by respectively specifying the positions of subframes that the processing device can use, or by specifying the positions of the subframes corresponding to the start timing and end timing of the range of time that the processing device can use, or by specifying the positions of the subframes corresponding to the start timing or end timing of the range of time and the number of subframes corresponding to the width of the range of time.

11. The control device according to claim 7, wherein, The second information indicates the allocation of the radio resources to the processing device by specifying the start timing and end timing of the range of time that the processing device can use, or by specifying the start timing or end timing of the range of frequencies and the width of the range of time.

12. The control device according to claim 7, wherein the second information indicates the allocation of radio resources for the one RU and the other RUs respectively in the case where the processing device uses other RUs in addition to using the one RU, the allocation of the radio resources includes, in a distinguishable form: first radio resources, and the processing device can allocate the first radio resources to terminal devices existing in an area where cells formed by the one RU and the other RUs overlap; and a second radio resource, and the processing device is capable of allocating the second radio resource to a terminal device existing in a non-overlapping area of cells The first radio resource for the one RU and the first radio resource for the other RUs are common 13. A control method, which is a control method executed by a processing device functioning as the DU in a wireless communication system in which one radio unit, i.e., an RU, is shared by a plurality of distributed units, i.e., DUs, wherein the control method includes the following steps notifying a control device of first information related to traffic and radio quality that a terminal device that the processing device provides communication services to via the one RU should transmit or receive receiving second information from the control device, the second information indicating radio resources related to at least one of frequency and time allocated to the processing device for the one RU and allocating at least a part of the radio resources indicated by the second information to the terminal device and communicating with the terminal device via the one RU 14. A control method, which is a control method executed by a control device that allocates radio resources for a plurality of processing devices in a wireless communication system in which one radio unit, i.e., an RU, is shared by a plurality of processing devices functioning as distributed units, i.e., DUs, wherein the control method includes the following steps receiving first information from the plurality of processing devices respectively, the first information related to traffic and radio quality that a terminal device that the processing device provides communication services to via the one RU should transmit or receive determining, for the one RU, radio resources related to at least one of frequency and time for each of the plurality of processing devices separately and notifying the plurality of processing devices of second information indicating the determined radio resources respectively 15. A program for causing a computer included in a processing device functioning as the DU in a wireless communication system in which one radio unit, i.e., an RU, is shared by a plurality of distributed units, i.e., DUs, to execute the following steps notifying a control device of first information related to traffic and radio quality that a terminal device that the processing device provides communication services to via the one RU should transmit or receive receiving second information from the control device, the second information indicating radio resources related to at least one of frequency and time allocated to the processing device for the one RU; and allocating at least a part of the radio resources indicated by the second information to the terminal device and communicating with the terminal device via the one RU 16. A program for causing a computer included in a control device that allocates radio resources for a plurality of processing devices in a wireless communication system in which one radio unit, i.e., an RU, is shared by a plurality of processing devices functioning as distributed units, i.e., DUs, to execute the following steps Receive first information from the plurality of processing devices respectively, the first information being related to traffic and radio quality that a terminal device for which the processing device provides communication services via the one RU should transmit or receive; For the one RU, separately determine radio resources related to at least any one of frequency and time for the plurality of processing devices respectively; and Notify the plurality of processing devices of second information representing the determined radio resources respectively.

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