Beamforming control system, beamforming control method, and beamforming control program

Abstract

To efficiently adjust the directivity of radio waves in communication with a communication destination via a satellite.SOLUTION: A beamforming control system 3 comprises: a position acquisition unit 31 that acquires a position 310 of a satellite 30; an adjustment information acquisition unit 32 that, before the satellite 30 starts communication with a communication destination 40, acquires preceding adjustment information 320 representing the details of adjustment of the directivity of radio waves in transmission means in communication from a preceding satellite 41 to the communication destination 40 that has performed communication with the communication destination 40 before the satellite 30, and the position of the preceding satellite 41; a conversion unit 33 that, by using a conversion reference 331 according to the relationship between the position of the satellite 30 and the position of the preceding satellite 41 indicated by the preceding adjustment information 320, converts the preceding adjustment information 320 into adjustment information 332 representing the details of adjustment of the directivity of radio waves in the transmission means in the communication from the satellite 30 to the communication destination 40; and an adjustment unit 34 that adjusts the directivity of radio waves in the transmission means in the communication to the communication destination 40 by using the adjustment information 332.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a beamforming control system, a beamforming control method, and a beamforming control program. [Background technology]

[0002] Artificial satellites (hereinafter referred to as satellites) and the like use beamforming for wireless communication. Beamforming is a technology that enhances the directivity of radio waves in a desired direction by superimposing and emitting radio waves at slightly different times (slightly different phases) from each of a plurality of antenna elements in an array antenna. There is a demand for technology that can enhance the directivity of radio waves with high accuracy.

[0003] In relation to the above-mentioned technology, Patent Document 1 discloses a digital method for determining and correcting beam pointing of a communication spacecraft having a digital beamforming architecture for defining multiple transmitting and receiving spot beams. In this method, an antenna system of the spacecraft includes a receiving antenna having an antenna element (antenna element) for sending out each antenna element signal, and at least one of multiple uplink signals to the spacecraft includes a beacon signal. The method includes a step of digitally weighting the components of the beacon signal present in the antenna element signal, a step of combining the weighted beacon signal components to derive a beam pointing error signal, and a step of adjusting the beamforming weight value of the receiving antenna using the error signal to adjust the pointing direction of at least one signal beam. In this method, the digital weight of the beacon signal defines a difference radiation pattern for the x-axis and y-axis of the antenna that changes rapidly within a range corresponding to the most common pointing errors. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2010-520692 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Since the positional relationship between the satellite and the ground station, which is the communication destination, changes over time, it is necessary to perform beamforming (adaptive beamforming) so that the main beam of the array directivity automatically tracks the direction of the ground station. Beamforming is performed based on the positional relationship between the satellite and the ground station, and the presence of obstacles in communication, including flying objects and weather conditions (clouds, etc.). In this case, if the adaptive beamforming process takes time, adjustments for optimizing the directivity of radio waves in the transmission means of communication to the ground station cannot be converged (completed), and the quality of communication may deteriorate. In other words, the problem is how to efficiently adjust the directivity of radio waves in the transmission means of communication from the satellite to the communication destination. The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 cannot solve such a problem.

[0006] A primary object of the present invention is to efficiently adjust the directivity of radio waves in a transmission means for communication from a satellite to a communication destination. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A beamforming control system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a position acquisition means for acquiring the position of a satellite, an adjustment information acquisition means for acquiring advance adjustment information representing the adjustment content of radio wave directivity in the transmission means for communication to the communication destination and the position of a preceding satellite from a preceding satellite that communicated with the communication destination before the satellite starts communication with the communication destination, a conversion means for converting the advance adjustment information into adjustment information representing the adjustment content of radio wave directivity in the transmission means for communication from the satellite to the communication destination using a conversion criterion according to the relationship between the position of the satellite and the position of the preceding satellite indicated by the advance adjustment information, and an adjustment means for adjusting the directivity of radio waves in the transmission means for communication to the communication destination using the adjustment information.

[0008] In another aspect of achieving the above object, a beamforming control method according to one embodiment of the present invention acquires, by an information processing device, the position of a satellite, and before the satellite starts communication with the communication destination, acquires advance adjustment information from a preceding satellite that communicated with the communication destination prior to the satellite, which indicates the adjustment content of the directivity of radio waves in the transmission means of communication to the communication destination and the position of the preceding satellite, converts the advance adjustment information into adjustment information indicating the adjustment content of the directivity of radio waves in the transmission means of communication from the satellite to the communication destination using a conversion criterion according to the relationship between the position of the satellite and the position of the preceding satellite indicated by the advance adjustment information, and adjusts the directivity of radio waves in the transmission means of communication to the communication destination using the adjustment information.

[0009] In addition, in a further aspect of achieving the above-mentioned object, a beamforming control program according to one embodiment of the present invention causes a computer to execute a position acquisition process for acquiring the position of a satellite; an adjustment information acquisition process for acquiring advance adjustment information representing the adjustment content of the directivity of radio waves in the transmission means of communication to the communication destination from a preceding satellite that communicated with the communication destination prior to the satellite before the satellite started communication with the communication destination; a conversion process for converting the advance adjustment information into adjustment information representing the adjustment content of the directivity of radio waves in the transmission means of communication from the satellite to the communication destination using a conversion criterion according to the relationship between the position of the satellite and the position of the preceding satellite indicated by the advance adjustment information; and an adjustment process for adjusting the directivity of radio waves in the transmission means of communication to the communication destination using the adjustment information.

[0010] Furthermore, the present invention can also be realized by a computer-readable, non-volatile recording medium in which such a beamforming control program (computer program) is stored. Effect of the Invention

[0011] The present invention can efficiently adjust the directivity of radio waves in the transmission means for communication from a satellite to a communication destination. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a beamforming control system 1 according to the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the positional relationship between a satellite 10, a preceding satellite 21, and a ground station 20 in a beamforming control system 1 according to the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a beam shape indicated by beam shape management information 175 in a beam forming control system 1 according to the present disclosure. FIG. [Figure 4A] 4 is a flowchart (1 / 2) showing the operation of the beamforming control system 1 according to the present disclosure. [Figure 4B] 11 is a flowchart (2 / 2) showing the operation of the beamforming control system 1 according to the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a beamforming control system 3 according to the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the beamforming control system 3 according to the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information processing device 900 capable of realizing a beamforming control system according to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0014] <First embodiment> 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a beamforming control system 1 according to the present disclosure. The beamforming control system 1 includes a satellite 10, a ground station 20, a predecessor satellite 21, a follower satellite 22, and a relay station 23. The satellite 10, the predecessor satellite 21, and the follower satellite 22 are assumed to have the same configuration. Therefore, in the following description of the present disclosure, the predecessor satellite 21 or the follower satellite 22 may be described with reference to the components of the satellite 10.

[0015] The satellite 10, the preceding satellite 21, and the succeeding satellite 22 fly in orbits above the Earth, and communicate with the ground station 20 while flying in a predetermined area where communication with the ground station 20, which is the communication destination, is possible. The satellite 10, the preceding satellite 21, and the succeeding satellite 22 may be, for example, satellites included in a satellite constellation and flying in the same orbit at a predetermined flight interval. In the beamforming control system 1, the preceding satellite 21, the satellite 10, and the succeeding satellite 22 enter, in that order, a predetermined area in the orbit where communication with the ground station 20 is possible, communicate with the ground station 20, and then repeatedly leave the predetermined area.

[0016] The relay station 23 has a function of relaying communication between the satellite 10 and the ground station 20. The relay station 23 is mounted on, for example, a Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellite, a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite, a Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite, etc. The relay station 23 may also be mounted on a High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) including a solar plane type aircraft, an airship, etc.

[0017] The satellite 10 includes a position acquisition unit 11, an adjustment information acquisition unit 12, a conversion unit 13, an adjustment unit 14, an output unit 15, a beam shape management information acquisition unit 16, a memory unit 17, and an array antenna 18. The position acquisition unit 11, the adjustment information acquisition unit 12, the conversion unit 13, the adjustment unit 14, the output unit 15, and the beam shape management information acquisition unit 16 are examples of a position acquisition means, an adjustment information acquisition means, a conversion means, an adjustment means, an output means, and a beam shape management information acquisition means, respectively.

[0018] The storage unit 17 is, for example, a storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a hard disk 904, which will be described later with reference to Fig. 7. The storage unit 17 stores position information 171, advance adjustment information 172, conversion reference 173, adjustment information 174, and beam shape management information 175. The information stored in the storage unit 17 will be described later.

[0019] The array antenna 18 is used when the satellite 10 communicates with the ground station 20, and includes m (m is an integer equal to or greater than 2) antenna elements 180-1 to 180-m. The antenna elements 180-1 to 180-m are arranged, for example, in a lattice pattern in the array antenna 18. Note that, hereinafter in this disclosure, the antenna elements 180-1 to 180-m may be referred to individually or collectively as antenna element 180.

[0020] The satellite 10 may also include multiple array antennas 18 for communicating with each of the ground stations 20, the predecessor satellites 21, the follower satellites 22, and the relay stations 23.

[0021] The position acquisition unit 11 acquires the current position of the satellite 10 at any time, and stores the acquired position information 171 indicating the position of the satellite 10 in the storage unit 17. The position acquisition unit 11 can acquire the position information 171, for example, by using a sensor (not shown) for measuring the position of the satellite 10, or by transmitting and receiving information regarding the position of the satellite 10 to and from a plurality of ground stations 20.

[0022] The position acquisition unit 11 also determines whether or not the satellite 10 is in a predetermined area in the orbit where communication with the ground station 20 is possible. However, a determination criterion (not shown) for determining whether or not the satellite 10 is in a predetermined area in the orbit where communication with the ground station 20 is possible is stored in the storage unit 17, for example.

[0023] The adjustment information acquisition unit 12 acquires advance adjustment information 172 when the satellite 10 enters a predetermined region in the orbit where communication with the ground station 20 is possible. The advance adjustment information 172 is information that represents the adjustment content of the directivity of radio waves in a communication transmission means (not shown) from a leading satellite 21 that has communicated with the ground station 20 prior to the satellite 10 to the ground station 20, and the position of the leading satellite 21. The adjustment information acquisition unit 12 stores the acquired advance adjustment information 172 in the storage unit 17. Note that hereinafter in this disclosure, "adjustment of radio wave directivity in communication transmission means" may be abbreviated to "adjustment of radio wave directivity in communication".

[0024] When the leading satellite 21 is present within a predetermined area in the orbit where it can communicate with the ground station 20, the adjustment information acquisition unit 12 may directly acquire the leading adjustment information 172 from the leading satellite 21. When the leading satellite 21 is not present within a predetermined area in the orbit where it can communicate with the ground station 20 (has already left the predetermined area), the adjustment information acquisition unit 12 may acquire the leading adjustment information 172 via the ground station 20 or the relay station 23. However, in this case, the leading adjustment information 172 output in advance from the leading satellite 21 is stored in the ground station 20 or the relay station 23.

[0025] The advance adjustment information 172 indicates the adjustment made by the leading satellite 21 to the directivity of radio waves in communication with the ground station 20 based on the positional relationship between the leading satellite 21 and the ground station 20 and the presence of obstacles that affect communication with the ground station 20. The presence of obstacles includes, for example, the presence of other satellites, flying objects, space debris, and weather conditions that indicate clouds that exist in the direction from the leading satellite 21 to the ground station 20. The satellite 10, the leading satellite 21, and the following satellite 22 each have a function of acquiring information that indicates obstacles in communication with the ground station 20. The satellite 10, the leading satellite 21, and the following satellite 22 may acquire information that indicates the obstacles via an on-board sensor, or may acquire information that indicates the obstacles from the ground station 20, for example.

[0026] The advance adjustment information 172 represents the amplitude and phase of radio waves output from each antenna element 180 of the advance satellite 21 as adjustment contents of the directivity of radio waves in communication from the advance satellite 21 to the ground station 20. The advance adjustment information 172 may also represent weighting values ​​(coefficients) of beamforming for each antenna element 180 as the adjustment contents.

[0027] The conversion unit 13 converts the advance adjustment information 172 into adjustment information 174 that indicates adjustment details of the directivity of radio waves in communication from the satellite 10 to the ground station 20, using a conversion criterion 173 according to the relationship between the position of the satellite 10 indicated by the position information 171 and the position of the advance satellite 21 indicated by the advance adjustment information 172. The conversion unit 13 stores the generated adjustment information 174 in the storage unit 17.

[0028] Next, the conversion criterion 173 will be described.

[0029] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the positional relationship between a satellite 10, a leading satellite 21, and a ground station 20 in the beamforming control system 1 according to the present disclosure. However, in FIG. 2, the position of the leading satellite 21 represents the position when the leading adjustment information 172 acquired by the satellite 10 was generated by the leading satellite 21. And the position of the satellite 10 represents the position when the satellite 10 acquires the leading adjustment information 172 and starts adjusting the directivity of radio waves for the array antenna 18 using the leading adjustment information 172.

[0030] 2, the angle between the perpendicular line from the leading satellite 21 to the earth and the straight line connecting the leading satellite 21 and the ground station 20 (i.e., the elevation angle of the main beam of the leading satellite 21 to the ground station 20) is defined as θ1. The angle between the perpendicular line from the satellite 10 to the earth and the straight line connecting the satellite 10 and the ground station 20 (i.e., the elevation angle of the main beam of the satellite 10 to the ground station 20) is defined as θ2. The elevation angle θ1 is included in the leading adjustment information 172 as the position of the leading satellite 21, and the elevation angle θ2 is included in the position information 171 as the position of the satellite 10.

[0031] In this case, a conversion criterion 173 representing a first conversion method from the advance adjustment information 172 to the adjustment information 174 is expressed by the following formulas 1 to 3. Note that the first conversion method is a conversion method that is realized by a simple calculation process, although the conversion accuracy is lower than that of a second conversion method described later. TIFF2025039121000002.tif6150 (Formula 1) TIFF2025039121000003.tif6150 (Formula 2) θ0=θ2-θ1 ···· (Formula 3)

[0032] In the formulas 1 to 3, n is an integer between 1 and m that represents the identifier of the antenna element 180 (the n-th antenna element 180), ω n (1) is the beamforming weighting coefficient for the n-th antenna element 180 of the preceding satellite 21, ω n (2) represents the weighting coefficient of beamforming for the n-th antenna element 180 of the satellite 10. k is the wave number of beamforming, d n represents the position of the n-th antenna element 180. In the first conversion method represented by Equations 1 to 3, the conversion unit 13 converts the weighting coefficient ω n (1) ω, the weighting coefficient for satellite 10 n (2) Convert to.

[0033] Moreover, a conversion criterion 173 representing a second conversion method from the advance adjustment information 172 to the adjustment information 174 is expressed by the following formulas 4 to 8. Note that the second conversion method is a conversion method that is realized by more complicated processing to improve conversion accuracy compared to the first conversion method described above. The beam shape can be expressed as Equation 4, and its transformation is F[ω n ]. TIFF2025039121000004.tif13150 (Formula 4)

[0034] The inverse transformation is expressed as Equation 5 using a Fourier transform or the like. TIFF2025039121000005.tif6150 (Formula 5)

[0035] Weighting coefficient ω for the precursor satellite 21n (1) Using the above, the beam shape when offset for the satellite 10 is expressed as shown in Equation 6. TIFF2025039121000006.tif13150 (Formula 6)

[0036] From the above, the weighting coefficient ω for satellite 10 is n (2) is expressed as Equation 7 and Equation 8. TIFF2025039121000007.tif7150 (Formula 7) TIFF2025039121000008.tif13150 (Formula 8)

[0037] In the second conversion method represented by the above-mentioned formulas 4 to 8, the conversion unit 13 converts the coefficients ω for each of the m antenna elements 180 so as to satisfy the formulas 4 to 8. n (2) By calculating the weighting coefficient ω n (1) ω, the weighting coefficient for satellite 10 n (2) Convert to.

[0038] In addition, when the adjustment information acquisition unit 12 acquires the advance adjustment information 172 via the ground station 20, the conversion unit 13 may be provided in the ground station 20 instead of the satellite 10. In this case, the satellite 10 may acquire the adjustment information 174 generated by the conversion unit 13 in the ground station 20 from the ground station 20.

[0039] Furthermore, when the adjustment information acquisition unit 12 acquires the advance adjustment information 172 via the relay station 23, the conversion unit 13 may be provided in the relay station 23 instead of the satellite 10. In this case, the satellite 10 may acquire the adjustment information 174 generated by the conversion unit 13 in the relay station 23 from the relay station 23.

[0040] The adjustment unit 14 adjusts the directivity of the radio waves output from the array antenna 18 in communication with the ground station 20 (performs beamforming) using the adjustment information 174 generated by the conversion unit 13 based on the position information 171, the advance adjustment information 172, and the conversion standard 173. After that, the adjustment unit 14 adjusts the directivity of the radio waves in communication with the ground station 20 as needed, based on the information indicating obstacles in communication with the ground station 20 acquired as needed by the satellite 10, and the current positional relationship between the satellite 10 and the ground station 20 indicated by the position information 171. Then, the adjustment unit 14 updates the adjustment information 174 to adjustment contents in which the directivity of the radio waves has been adjusted as described above.

[0041] The output unit 15 outputs to the outside the adjustment information 174 updated by the adjustment unit 14 and the position information 171 indicating the position of the satellite 10 when the adjustment information 174 was updated, as information used by the follow-on satellite 22 when adjusting the directivity of radio waves in communication with the ground station 20. The adjustment information 174 and the position information 171 output from the output unit 15 are acquired by the follow-on satellite 22 directly from the satellite 10 or via the ground station 20 or the relay station 23.

[0042] The satellite 10 may include a beam shape management information acquisition unit 16 illustrated in Fig. 1. The beam shape management information acquisition unit 16 acquires beam shape management information 175, for example, by being input by an administrator of the satellite 10, and stores the acquired beam shape management information 175 in the storage unit 17. The beam shape management information 175 is information (table) that defines a plurality of beam shapes that represent the directivity of radio waves in communication with the ground station 20. The beam shape management information 175 associates beam shape identification information that can identify each of the plurality of beam shapes with information that represents the amplitude and phase of radio waves output from each of the plurality of antenna elements 180 related to each of the beam shapes.

[0043] Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating a beam shape indicated by the beam shape management information 175 in the beamforming control system 1 according to the present disclosure. The beam shape is represented by the relationship between the phase (direction) and amplitude (intensity) of the radio wave output from the satellite 10. Note that, although the beam shape is shown in a planar manner in Fig. 3, the beam shape represents the intensity of the radio wave output from the satellite 10 in each direction in a three-dimensional space.

[0044] According to Fig. 3, the beam shape of pattern A and the beam shape of pattern B form one mountain portion, but the shape of the mountain is different from each other. The difference between the beam shapes of pattern A and pattern B is caused, for example, by the presence of an obstacle in communication with the ground station 20 as seen from the satellite 10. Note that the beam shape management information 175 may include information representing a beam shape different from the patterns A and B exemplified in Fig. 3. For example, the beam shape management information 175 may include information representing a beam shape including a mountain portion and a valley portion. In that case, the mountain portion of the beam shape is formed so as to avoid the obstacle, and a valley portion is formed in the direction in which the obstacle exists.

[0045] The beam shape management information 175 represents, as beamforming parameters, the amplitude and phase of radio waves output from each antenna element 180 for each beam shape such as pattern A, pattern B, etc. The beam shape management information 175 represents, as beamforming parameters, the beamforming weighting coefficient ω n may be represented as:

[0046] When the satellite 10 includes the beam shape management information acquisition unit 16, the adjustment information acquisition unit 12 may acquire the beam shape identification information represented by the beam shape management information 175 as the advance adjustment information 172. Then, the conversion unit 13 can convert the advance adjustment information 172 into the adjustment information 174 based on the beam shape identification information represented by the advance adjustment information 172 and the beam shape management information 175.

[0047] Next, the operation (processing) of the beamforming control system 1 according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 4A and 4B.

[0048] The position acquisition unit 11 acquires position information 171 indicating the position of the satellite 10, and stores the acquired position information 171 in the storage unit 17 (step S101). The position acquisition unit 11 determines whether or not the satellite 10 has entered an area in the orbit where communication with the ground station 20 is performed (step S102).

[0049] If the satellite 10 is not in an area where communication with the ground station 20 is performed (No in step S103), the process returns to step S101. If the satellite 10 is in an area where communication with the ground station 20 is performed (Yes in step S103), the adjustment information acquisition unit 12 acquires advance adjustment information 172 from at least one of the preceding satellite 21, the ground station 20, and the relay station 23, and stores the acquired advance adjustment information 172 in the memory unit 17 (step S104).

[0050] The conversion unit 13 converts the advance adjustment information 172 into adjustment information 174 based on the position information 171, the advance adjustment information 172, and the conversion criterion 173, and stores the generated adjustment information 174 in the storage unit 17 (step S105). The adjustment unit 14 uses the adjustment information 174 to adjust the directivity of the radio waves in communication with the ground station 20 (step S106). The satellite 10 starts communication with the ground station 20 (step S107).

[0051] The position acquisition unit 11 acquires the current position of the satellite 10 and updates the position information 171 to the acquired position (step S108). The position acquisition unit 11 determines whether the satellite 10 has left the area in which communication with the ground station 20 is performed (step S109).

[0052] If the satellite 10 has left the area in which it communicates with the ground station 20 (Yes in step S110), the satellite 10 ends communication with the ground station 20 (step S115), and the entire process ends. If the satellite 10 has not left the area in which it communicates with the ground station 20 (No in step S110), the satellite 10 acquires information indicating the presence of radio wave obstacles (step S111).

[0053] The adjustment unit 14 updates the adjustment information 174 based on the position information 171 updated by the position acquisition unit 11 and the information indicating the presence of an obstacle to radio waves acquired by the satellite 10 (step S112). The adjustment unit 14 adjusts the directivity of radio waves in communication with the ground station 20 using the updated adjustment information 174 (step S113). The output unit 15 transmits the adjustment information 174 updated by the adjustment unit 14 to at least one of the subsequent satellite 22, the ground station 20, and the relay station 23 (step S114), and the process returns to step S108.

[0054] The beamforming control system 1 according to the present disclosure can efficiently adjust the directivity of radio waves in the transmission means of communication from a satellite to a communication destination. This is because the beamforming control system 1 acquires advance adjustment information 172 from the advance satellite 21 when starting communication between the satellite 10 and the ground station 20, converts the advance adjustment information 172 into adjustment information 174 based on the advance adjustment information 172, position information 171, and conversion criterion 173, and adjusts the directivity of radio waves in the transmission means of communication to the ground station 20 using the generated adjustment information 174.

[0055] The effects achieved by the beamforming control system 1 according to the present disclosure will be described in detail below.

[0056] Since the positional relationship between a satellite and a ground station, with which it communicates, changes over time, it is necessary to perform beamforming (adaptive beamforming) so that the main beam of the array directivity automatically tracks the direction of the ground station. Beamforming is performed based on the positional relationship between the satellite and the ground station, and the presence of obstacles in the communication, including flying objects and weather conditions (clouds, etc.). In this case, if adaptive beamforming takes time to process, it may not be possible to converge (complete) adjustments to optimize the directivity of radio waves in the means for transmitting communication to the ground station, which could result in a decrease in communication quality.

[0057] In response to such a problem, the beamforming control system 1 according to the present disclosure acquires the position of the satellite 10, and before the satellite 10 starts communication with the ground station 20, acquires advance adjustment information 172 indicating the adjustment content of the directivity of the radio wave in the communication from the preceding satellite 21, which communicated with the ground station 20 prior to the satellite 10, to the ground station 20, and the position of the preceding satellite 21. The beamforming control system 1 converts the advance adjustment information 172 into adjustment information 174 indicating the adjustment content of the directivity of the radio wave in the communication from the satellite 10 to the ground station 20, using a conversion criterion 173 according to the relationship between the position of the satellite 10 and the position of the preceding satellite 21 indicated by the advance adjustment information 172. Then, the beamforming control system 1 adjusts the directivity of the radio wave in the communication to the ground station 20, using the adjustment information 174. In other words, in the beamforming control system 1, by obtaining and utilizing information necessary for adaptive beamforming by the satellite 10 from the preceding satellite 21, the satellite 10 does not need to perform adaptive beamforming processing from scratch, and by converging the adaptive beamforming processing early, the communication quality with the ground station 20 can be improved.

[0058] Furthermore, the beamforming control system 1 according to the present disclosure updates the adjustment information 174 to an adjustment content that adjusts the directivity of radio waves in communication with the ground station 20, using information acquired by the satellite 10 indicating an obstacle in communication with the ground station 20. Then, the beamforming control system 1 outputs the adjustment information 174 and the position of the satellite 10 when the adjustment information 174 was updated, as information used by the subsequent satellite 22 that communicates with the ground station 20 following the satellite 10 when adjusting the directivity of radio waves in communication with the ground station 20. That is, the beamforming control system 1 outputs information required for adaptive beamforming processing from the satellite 10 to the subsequent satellite 22, and therefore can efficiently adjust the directivity of radio waves in communication with the communication destination by the satellite.

[0059] Moreover, the beamforming control system 1 according to the present disclosure acquires beam shape management information 175 that associates beam shape identification information capable of identifying each of a plurality of beam shapes that indicate the directivity of radio waves in communication to the ground station 20 with information that indicates the amplitude and phase of radio waves output from each of a plurality of antenna elements 180 related to each of the beam shapes. The beamforming control system 1 acquires advance adjustment information 172 represented by the beam shape identification information. Then, the beamforming control system 1 converts the advance adjustment information 172 into adjustment information 174 based on the beam shape identification information represented by the advance adjustment information 172 and the beam shape management information 175. In this case, the advance adjustment information 172 notified from the preceding satellite 21 to the satellite 10 only needs to include the beam shape identification information (i.e., it does not need to include detailed information that indicates the amplitude and phase related to each antenna element 180), so that the beamforming control system 1 can reduce the communication load required for notifying the satellite 10 of the advance adjustment information 172.

[0060] Moreover, in the beamforming control system 1 according to the present disclosure, the satellite 10 acquires the advance adjustment information 172 from the preceding satellite 21 directly or via the ground station 20 or the relay station 23. Then, the satellite 10 outputs the adjustment information 174 to the succeeding satellite 22 directly or via the ground station 20 or the relay station 23. In this way, the beamforming control system 1 can realize the transmission and reception of the advance adjustment information 172 or the adjustment information 174 between the preceding satellite 21 or the succeeding satellite 22 and the satellite 10 even when the preceding satellite 21 or the succeeding satellite 22 is not in a predetermined area where the preceding satellite 21 or the succeeding satellite 22 can communicate with the ground station 20. In addition, the beamforming control system 1 is provided with a plurality of communication paths for transmitting and receiving the advance adjustment information 172 or the adjustment information 174, and can select a communication path with the best communication environment when transmitting and receiving the advance adjustment information 172 or the adjustment information 174.

[0061] Moreover, in the beamforming control system 1 according to the present disclosure, the conversion unit 13 is included in any one of the satellite 10, the ground station 20, or the relay station 23. Therefore, the beamforming control system 1 can reduce the cost of the satellite 10, for example, when the ground station 20 or the relay station 23 includes the conversion unit 13.

[0062] <Second embodiment> FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a beamforming control system 3 according to the present disclosure.

[0063] The beamforming control system 3 according to this embodiment includes a position acquisition unit 31, an adjustment information acquisition unit 32, a conversion unit 33, and an adjustment unit 34. The position acquisition unit 31, the adjustment information acquisition unit 32, the conversion unit 33, and the adjustment unit 34 are examples of a position acquisition means, an adjustment information acquisition means, a conversion means, and an adjustment means, respectively.

[0064] The position acquisition unit 31 acquires a position 310 of the satellite 30. The satellite 30 is, for example, a satellite similar to the satellite 10 related to the beamforming control system 1. The position 310 is, for example, information similar to the position information 171 related to the beamforming control system 1. The position acquisition unit 31 operates in the same manner as, for example, the position acquisition unit 11 related to the beamforming control system 1.

[0065] Before the satellite 30 starts communication with the communication destination 40, the adjustment information acquisition unit 32 acquires advance adjustment information 320 indicating the adjustment content of the directivity of the radio wave in a communication transmission means (not shown) for the communication to the communication destination 40 from a preceding satellite 41 that has communicated with the communication destination 40 prior to the satellite 30 and the position of the preceding satellite 41. The communication destination 40 is, for example, a base similar to the ground station 20 related to the beamforming control system 1. The preceding satellite 41 is, for example, a satellite similar to the preceding satellite 21 related to the beamforming control system 1. The advance adjustment information 320 is, for example, information similar to the advance adjustment information 172 related to the beamforming control system 1. The adjustment information acquisition unit 32 operates in the same manner as the adjustment information acquisition unit 12 related to the beamforming control system 1.

[0066] The conversion unit 33 converts the advance adjustment information 320 into adjustment information 332 that indicates adjustment content of the directivity of radio waves in the transmission means of communication from the satellite 30 to the communication destination 40, using a conversion criterion 331 according to the relationship between the position of the satellite 30 and the position of the advance satellite 41 indicated by the advance adjustment information 320. The conversion criterion 331 is, for example, a criterion similar to the conversion criterion 173 related to the beamforming control system 1. The adjustment information 332 is, for example, information similar to the adjustment information 174 related to the beamforming control system 1. The conversion unit 33 operates in the same manner as the conversion unit 13 related to the beamforming control system 1, for example.

[0067] The adjustment unit 34 uses the adjustment information 332 to adjust the directivity of radio waves in the transmission means of communication to the communication destination 40. The adjustment unit 34 operates in the same manner as the adjustment unit 14 in the beamforming control system 1, for example.

[0068] Next, the operation (processing) of the beamforming control system 3 according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0069] The position acquisition unit 31 acquires the position 310 of the satellite 30 (step S201). The adjustment information acquisition unit 32 acquires the advance adjustment information 320 before the satellite 30 starts communication with the communication destination 40 (step S202). The conversion unit 33 converts the advance adjustment information 320 into adjustment information 332 using a conversion criterion 331 according to the relationship between the position 310 of the satellite 30 and the position of the advance satellite 41 indicated by the advance adjustment information 320 (step S203). The adjustment unit 34 adjusts the directivity of the radio wave in the transmission means of communication to the communication destination 40 using the adjustment information 332 (step S204), and the entire process ends.

[0070] The beamforming control system 3 according to the present disclosure can efficiently adjust the directivity of radio waves in communication from a satellite to a communication destination. This is because the beamforming control system 3 acquires advance adjustment information 320 from a preceding satellite 41 when starting communication with a communication destination 40 by a satellite 30, converts the advance adjustment information 320 into adjustment information 332 based on the advance adjustment information 320, the position 310 of the satellite 30, and a conversion reference 331, and adjusts the directivity of radio waves in communication to the communication destination 40 using the generated adjustment information 332.

[0071] <Hardware configuration example> In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, each unit in the beamforming control system shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 5 can be realized by a dedicated HW (Hardware) (electronic circuit). In Fig. 1 and Fig. 5, at least the following configurations can be considered as functional (processing) units (software modules) of a software program including instructions executed by a processor. Position acquisition units 11 and 31, Adjustment information acquisition units 12 and 32, conversion units 13 and 33, Adjustment parts 14 and 34, Output section 15, Beam shape management information acquisition unit 16, Memory control function in the memory unit 17.

[0072] However, the division of the various parts shown in these drawings is for the convenience of explanation, and various configurations may be assumed for implementation. An example of the hardware environment in this case will be described with reference to FIG.

[0073] Fig. 7 is a diagram for illustratively explaining the configuration of an information processing device 900 (computer) capable of realizing the beamforming control system according to the present disclosure. That is, Fig. 7 shows the configuration of a computer (information processing device) capable of realizing the beamforming control system shown in Figs. 1 and 5, and represents a hardware environment capable of realizing each function in the above-mentioned embodiment. However, each unit in the above-mentioned beamforming control system may be provided in a distributed manner in a plurality of information processing devices 900, or at least some of the functions may be provided in a server or the like constituting a cloud computing environment.

[0074] The information processing device 900 shown in FIG. ·CPU(Central_Processing_Unit)901, ROM (Read_Only_Memory) 902, ·RAM(Random_Access_Memory)903, Hard disk (storage device) 904, A communication interface 905; Bus 906 (communication line), A reader / writer 908 capable of reading and writing data stored in a recording medium 907 such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), · Input / output interfaces 909 such as monitors, speakers, keyboards, etc.

[0075] That is, the information processing device 900 having the above components is a general computer in which these components are connected via a bus 906. The information processing device 900 may have a plurality of CPUs 901, or may have a CPU 901 configured with a multi-core. The information processing device 900 may not have some of the above components.

[0076] The present invention, explained using the above-mentioned embodiment as an example, supplies a computer program capable of realizing the following functions to the information processing device 900 shown in Fig. 7. The functions are the above-mentioned configurations in the block configuration diagrams (Figs. 1 and 5) referred to in the explanation of the embodiment, or the functions of the flowcharts (Figs. 4A, 4B, and 6). The present invention is then achieved by reading the computer program into the CPU 901 of the hardware, interpreting it, and executing it. The computer program supplied to the device may be stored in a readable and writable volatile memory (RAM 903), or a non-volatile storage device such as a ROM 902 or a hard disk 904.

[0077] In the above case, the method of supplying the computer program to the hardware can be a currently common procedure, such as installing the program in the device via a recording medium 907 such as a CD-ROM, or downloading the program from an external source via a communication line such as the Internet. In such a case, the present invention can be considered to be configured by the code constituting the computer program, or the recording medium 907 on which the code is stored.

[0078] The present invention has been described above by taking the above-mentioned embodiment as an exemplary example. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment. That is, the present invention can be applied in various aspects that can be understood by a person skilled in the art within the scope of the present invention.

[0079] Note that some or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as follows: However, the present invention described by way of example in the above-described embodiments is not limited to the following.

[0080] (Appendix 1) A position acquisition means for acquiring the position of a satellite; an adjustment information acquisition means for acquiring, before the satellite starts communication with the communication destination, advance adjustment information from a preceding satellite that has communicated with the communication destination prior to the satellite, which indicates adjustment details of radio wave directivity in a transmission means for communication with the communication destination and the position of the preceding satellite; a conversion means for converting the advance adjustment information into adjustment information representing adjustment contents of a directivity of a radio wave in a transmission means for communication from the satellite to the communication destination, using a conversion criterion according to a relationship between the position of the satellite and the position of the advance satellite indicated by the advance adjustment information; an adjustment means for adjusting a directivity of a radio wave in a transmission means for communication to the communication destination using the adjustment information; A beamforming control system comprising:

[0081] (Appendix 2) the adjustment means updates the adjustment information to an adjustment content that adjusts a directivity of a radio wave in a transmission means for communication with the communication destination, using information indicating an obstacle in communication with the communication destination acquired by the satellite; and an output unit for outputting the adjustment information and the position of the satellite when the adjustment information was updated as information used by a subsequent satellite that follows the satellite and communicates with the communication destination when adjusting a directivity of a radio wave from a transmission unit for communication with the communication destination. 2. The beamforming control system of claim 1.

[0082] (Appendix 3) The advance adjustment information and the adjustment information include information representing the amplitude and phase of radio waves output from each of a plurality of antenna elements included in an array antenna used by the advance satellite or the satellite for communication with the communication destination. 3. The beamforming control system of claim 1 or 2.

[0083] (Appendix 4) The advance adjustment information and the adjustment information include information representing weighting of outputs from each of a plurality of antenna elements included in an array antenna used by the advance satellite or the satellite for communication with the communication destination. 3. The beamforming control system of claim 1 or 2.

[0084] (Appendix 5) a beam shape management information acquisition means for acquiring beam shape management information that associates beam shape identification information capable of identifying each of a plurality of beam shapes that represent the directivity of radio waves in the communication transmission means for the communication destination with information that represents the amplitude and phase of radio waves output from each of a plurality of antenna elements related to each of the beam shapes; The adjustment information acquisition means acquires the advance adjustment information represented by the beam shape identification information, The conversion means converts the advance adjustment information into the adjustment information based on the beam shape identification information represented by the advance adjustment information and the beam shape management information. 5. The beamforming control system of claim 4.

[0085] (Appendix 6) the adjustment information acquisition means acquires the advance adjustment information from the advance satellite directly or via the communication destination or a relay station; The output means outputs the adjustment information to the subsequent satellite directly or via the communication destination or a relay station. 3. The beamforming control system of claim 2.

[0086] (Appendix 7) The conversion means is included in either the satellite, the destination, or the relay station. 7. The beamforming control system of claim 6.

[0087] (Appendix 8) the relay station is included in either a low earth orbit satellite, a medium earth orbit satellite, a geostationary earth orbit satellite, or a high altitude platform; 7. The beamforming control system of claim 6.

[0088] (Appendix 9) By the information processing device, Get the satellite positions, Before the satellite starts a transmission means for communication with the communication destination, advance adjustment information is obtained from a preceding satellite that has communicated with the communication destination prior to the satellite, the advance adjustment information indicating the adjustment content of the directivity of the radio wave in communication with the communication destination and the position of the preceding satellite; converting the advance adjustment information into adjustment information representing adjustment contents of a directivity of a radio wave in a transmission means for communication from the satellite to the communication destination, using a conversion criterion according to a relationship between the position of the satellite and the position of the advance satellite indicated by the advance adjustment information; Using the adjustment information, adjust the directivity of radio waves in a transmission means for communication to the communication destination. Beamforming control method.

[0089] (Appendix 10) updating the adjustment information to an adjustment content that adjusts a directivity of a radio wave in a transmission means for communication to the communication destination using information indicating an obstacle in communication to the communication destination acquired by the satellite; outputting the adjustment information and the position of the satellite when the adjustment information was updated as information used by a subsequent satellite that follows the satellite and communicates with the communication destination when adjusting directivity of radio waves from a transmission means for communication with the communication destination; 10. The beamforming control method according to claim 9.

[0090] (Appendix 11) The advance adjustment information and the adjustment information include information representing the amplitude and phase of radio waves output from each of a plurality of antenna elements included in an array antenna used by the advance satellite or the satellite for communication with the communication destination. 11. The beamforming control method according to claim 9 or 10.

[0091] (Appendix 12) The advance adjustment information and the adjustment information include information representing weighting of outputs from each of a plurality of antenna elements included in an array antenna used by the advance satellite or the satellite for communication with the communication destination. 11. The beamforming control method according to claim 9 or 10.

[0092] (Appendix 13) Obtaining beam shape management information that associates beam shape identification information capable of identifying each of a plurality of beam shapes that represent the directivity of radio waves in a communication transmission means to the communication destination with information that represents the amplitude and phase of radio waves output from each of a plurality of antenna elements related to each of the beam shapes; Obtaining the advance adjustment information represented by the beam shape identification information; converting the advance adjustment information into the adjustment information based on the beam shape identification information represented by the advance adjustment information and the beam shape management information; 13. The beamforming control method according to claim 12.

[0093] (Appendix 14) Acquire the advance adjustment information from the advance satellite directly or via the communication destination or a relay station; outputting the adjustment information to the follow-on satellite directly or via the destination or a relay station; 11. The beamforming control method according to claim 10.

[0094] (Appendix 15) The conversion from the advance adjustment information to the adjustment information is performed in either the satellite, the communication destination, or the relay station. 15. The beamforming control method according to claim 14.

[0095] (Appendix 16) the relay station is included in either a low earth orbit satellite, a medium earth orbit satellite, a geostationary earth orbit satellite, or a high altitude platform; 15. The beamforming control method according to claim 14.

[0096] (Appendix 17) A position acquisition process for acquiring the position of a satellite; an adjustment information acquisition process for acquiring, before the satellite starts communication with the communication destination, advance adjustment information representing adjustment contents of the directivity of radio waves in a transmission means for communication with the communication destination from a preceding satellite that has communicated with the communication destination prior to the satellite and the position of the preceding satellite; a conversion process for converting the advance adjustment information into adjustment information representing adjustment contents of a directivity of a radio wave in a transmission means for communication from the satellite to the communication destination, using a conversion criterion according to a relationship between the position of the satellite and the position of the advance satellite indicated by the advance adjustment information; an adjustment process for adjusting a directivity of a radio wave in a transmission means for communication to the communication destination using the adjustment information; A beamforming control program for causing a computer to execute the above.

[0097] (Appendix 18) the adjustment process updates the adjustment information to an adjustment content in which a directivity of a radio wave in a transmission means for communication with the communication destination is adjusted using information indicating an obstacle in communication with the communication destination acquired by the satellite; and causing the computer to execute an output process of outputting the adjustment information and the position of the satellite when the adjustment information was updated as information used by a subsequent satellite that follows the satellite and communicates with the communication destination when adjusting a directivity of a radio wave from a transmission means for communication with the communication destination. 18. The beamforming control program according to claim 17.

[0098] (Appendix 19) The advance adjustment information and the adjustment information include information representing the amplitude and phase of radio waves output from each of a plurality of antenna elements included in an array antenna used by the advance satellite or the satellite for communication with the communication destination. 19. The beamforming control program according to claim 17 or 18.

[0099] (Appendix 20) The advance adjustment information and the adjustment information include information representing weighting of outputs from each of a plurality of antenna elements included in an array antenna used by the advance satellite or the satellite for communication with the communication destination. 19. The beamforming control program according to claim 17 or 18.

[0100] (Appendix 21) further causing the computer to execute a beam shape management information acquisition process for acquiring beam shape management information that associates beam shape identification information capable of identifying each of a plurality of beam shapes that represent the directivity of radio waves in the transmission means of communication to the communication destination with information that represents the amplitude and phase of radio waves output from each of a plurality of antenna elements related to each of the beam shapes; The adjustment information acquisition process acquires the advance adjustment information represented by the beam shape identification information, The conversion process converts the advance adjustment information into the adjustment information based on the beam shape identification information represented by the advance adjustment information and the beam shape management information. 21. The beamforming control program according to claim 20.

[0101] (Appendix 22) The adjustment information acquisition process acquires the advance adjustment information from the advance satellite directly or via the communication destination or a relay station; The output process outputs the adjustment information to the subsequent satellite directly or via the communication destination or a relay station. 19. The beamforming control program according to claim 18.

[0102] (Appendix 23) The conversion process is performed by the computer included in either the satellite, the destination, or the relay station. 23. The beamforming control program according to claim 22.

[0103] (Appendix 24) the relay station is included in either a low earth orbit satellite, a medium earth orbit satellite, a geostationary earth orbit satellite, or a high altitude platform; 23. The beamforming control program according to claim 22. [Explanation of symbols]

[0104] 1 Beamforming control system 10 satellites 11 Position acquisition part 12 Adjustment information acquisition section 13 Conversion section 14 Adjustment part 15 Output section 16 Beam shape management information acquisition unit 17 Memory section 171 Location information 172 Advance adjustment information 173 Conversion Criteria 174 Adjustment information 175 Beam shape management information 18 Array Antenna 180 antenna elements 20 Ground Station 21 Leading satellite 22 Follow-on satellites 23 Relay Station 3 Beamforming control system 30 satellites 31 Position acquisition part 310 position 32 Adjustment information acquisition unit 320 Advance adjustment information 33 Conversion section 331 Conversion Criteria 332 Adjustment information 34 Adjustment part 40 Communication Destination 41 Leading satellite 900 Information processing device 901 CPU 902 ROM 903 RAM 904 Hard disk (storage device) 905 Communication Interface 906 Bus 907 Recording media 908 Reader / Writer 909 Input / Output Interface

Claims

1. A position acquisition means for acquiring the position of a satellite; an adjustment information acquisition means for acquiring, before the satellite starts communication with the communication destination, advance adjustment information from a preceding satellite that has communicated with the communication destination prior to the satellite, which indicates adjustment details of radio wave directivity in a transmission means for communication with the communication destination and the position of the preceding satellite; a conversion means for converting the advance adjustment information into adjustment information representing adjustment contents of a directivity of a radio wave in a transmission means for communication from the satellite to the communication destination, using a conversion criterion according to a relationship between the position of the satellite and the position of the advance satellite indicated by the advance adjustment information; an adjustment means for adjusting a directivity of a radio wave in a transmission means for communication to the communication destination using the adjustment information; A beamforming control system comprising:

2. the adjustment means updates the adjustment information to an adjustment content that adjusts a directivity of a radio wave in a transmission means for communication with the communication destination, using information indicating an obstacle in communication with the communication destination acquired by the satellite; and an output unit for outputting the adjustment information and the position of the satellite when the adjustment information was updated as information used by a subsequent satellite that follows the satellite and communicates with the communication destination when adjusting a directivity of a radio wave from a transmission unit for communication with the communication destination. The beamforming control system of claim 1 .

3. The advance adjustment information and the adjustment information include information representing the amplitude and phase of radio waves output from each of a plurality of antenna elements included in an array antenna used by the advance satellite or the satellite for communication with the communication destination. The beamforming control system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The advance adjustment information and the adjustment information include information representing weighting of outputs from each of a plurality of antenna elements included in an array antenna used by the advance satellite or the satellite for communication with the communication destination. The beamforming control system according to claim 1 or 2.

5. a beam shape management information acquisition means for acquiring beam shape management information that associates beam shape identification information capable of identifying each of a plurality of beam shapes that represent the directivity of radio waves in the communication transmission means for the communication destination with information that represents the amplitude and phase of radio waves output from each of a plurality of antenna elements related to each of the beam shapes; The adjustment information acquisition means acquires the advance adjustment information represented by the beam shape identification information, The conversion means converts the advance adjustment information into the adjustment information based on the beam shape identification information represented by the advance adjustment information and the beam shape management information. The beamforming control system of claim 4.

6. the adjustment information acquisition means acquires the advance adjustment information from the advance satellite directly or via the communication destination or a relay station; The output means outputs the adjustment information to the subsequent satellite directly or via the communication destination or a relay station. The beamforming control system of claim 2 .

7. The conversion means is included in either the satellite, the destination, or the relay station. The beamforming control system of claim 6.

8. the relay station is included in either a low earth orbit satellite, a medium earth orbit satellite, a geostationary earth orbit satellite, or a high altitude platform; The beamforming control system of claim 6.

9. By the information processing device, Get the satellite positions, Before the satellite starts communication with the communication destination, advance adjustment information is obtained from a preceding satellite that has communicated with the communication destination prior to the satellite, the advance adjustment information indicating the adjustment content of the directivity of radio waves in a transmission means for communication with the communication destination and the position of the preceding satellite; converting the advance adjustment information into adjustment information representing adjustment contents of a directivity of a radio wave in a transmission means for communication from the satellite to the communication destination, using a conversion criterion according to a relationship between the position of the satellite and the position of the advance satellite indicated by the advance adjustment information; Using the adjustment information, adjust the directivity of radio waves in a transmission means for communication to the communication destination. Beamforming control method.

10. A position acquisition process for acquiring the position of a satellite; an adjustment information acquisition process for acquiring, before the satellite starts communication with the communication destination, advance adjustment information representing adjustment contents of the directivity of radio waves in a transmission means for communication with the communication destination from a preceding satellite that has communicated with the communication destination prior to the satellite and the position of the preceding satellite; a conversion process for converting the advance adjustment information into adjustment information representing adjustment contents of a directivity of a radio wave in a transmission means for communication from the satellite to the communication destination, using a conversion criterion according to a relationship between the position of the satellite and the position of the advance satellite indicated by the advance adjustment information; an adjustment process for adjusting a directivity of a radio wave in a transmission means for communication to the communication destination using the adjustment information; A beamforming control program for causing a computer to execute the above.

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