Recommendation system, communication system, recommendation method, and program for recommending reflector

Abstract

To recommend a reflector for achieving more stable reception of radio waves within a prescribed space, depending on the installation position of the reflector.SOLUTION: In a prescribed space S, a user Y measures an actual measurement value of radio wave intensity at an assumed reception position of a radio wave output from an antenna A using a communication terminal 30, and transmits each piece of information indicating the position of the antenna outputting the radio wave, the assumed reception position of the radio wave, a planned installation position of a radio wave reflector, and the actual measurement value to a recommendation device 50 (recommendation system) via a communication network 100. In response to this, the recommendation device 50 transmits information regarding a predetermined reflector that is recommended among multiple types of reflectors to the communication terminal 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a recommendation system, a communication system, a recommendation method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] When installing an antenna that outputs radio waves such as 5G (5th Generation) or Wi-Fi on a ceiling or the like for wireless communication, it is necessary to determine the installation position of the antenna in consideration of radio wave shielding objects such as structures. In this case, in order to achieve stable radio wave reception anywhere in a predetermined space such as a room, the number of antennas to be installed can be increased, but this is not preferable from the viewpoint of cost-effectiveness because the installation cost and power consumption increase.

[0003] Therefore, in recent years, instead of suppressing the number of antennas to be installed, it has been proposed to install a reflector that reflects radio waves on a wall or the like and reflect the radio waves output from the antenna to achieve stable radio wave reception in almost the entire area of a predetermined space (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in a predetermined space such as a room, there are places where a reflector cannot be installed, such as a place without a wall or an opening / closing part of a door. Therefore, the reflector can be installed only at limited positions. Further, even when the reflector is installed at limited positions, since there are a plurality of types of reflectors having different reflection angles and reflectivities, it is difficult for the installer to determine which reflector to select among the plurality of types of reflectors to achieve stable radio wave reception in the predetermined space.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to recommend a reflector that will achieve more stable reception of radio waves within a specified space, depending on the installation position of the reflector. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The invention of claim 1 is a recommendation system that recommends a reflector to be installed in a specified space based on a request from a communication terminal, the recommendation system having a receiving unit that receives from the communication terminal each piece of information indicating the position of an antenna that outputs radio waves, the expected position of reception of the radio waves, the planned position of a radio wave reflector to be installed, and the actual measured value of radio wave strength at the expected reception position, and a transmitting unit that transmits to the communication terminal information regarding a recommended specific reflector from among multiple types of reflectors based on each expected radio wave strength at the expected reception position by the radio waves output from the antenna at the position of the antenna relative to the actual measured value of radio wave strength at the expected reception position when each reflector from among multiple types of reflectors is installed at the planned installation position. Effect of the Invention

[0008] As described above, the present disclosure has the effect of being able to recommend a reflector that will achieve more stable reception of radio waves within a specified space, depending on the installation position of the reflector. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an electrical hardware configuration of a communication terminal. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an electrical hardware configuration of a recommended device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the communication system. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram of a reflector management table. [Figure 6]The figures show the relationship between the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection for each reflector, where (a) shows the relationship between the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection for reflector R1, which is a specular reflector, (b) shows the relationship between the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection for reflector R2, which is a beamforming metasurface reflector, and (c) shows the relationship between the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection for reflector R3, which is a scattering reflection metasurface reflector. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram of a price management table. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing a process for determining the quality of a product. [Figure 9] 13 is a flowchart showing a process for requesting a recommendation of a reflector. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a frequency selection screen on the communication terminal. [Figure 11] FIG. 13A is a diagram showing a screen for selecting setting items, and FIG. 13B is a diagram showing a screen for setting the position of a reflector. [Figure 12] 13 is a flowchart showing a process for creating a recommendation result screen. [Figure 13] 13 is a flowchart showing a process for creating a recommendation result screen. [Figure 14] 1 is a conceptual diagram showing whether or not radio waves output from an antenna can be received at an expected reception position (or expected reception area). [Figure 15] 1 is a conceptual diagram showing whether or not radio waves output from an antenna can be received at an expected reception position (or expected reception area). [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a recommendation result screen when there is a reflector to be recommended. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] [Outline of the communication system] An overview of a communication system 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] In FIG. 1, an antenna A that outputs radio waves such as 5G (5th Generation), 6G, or Wi-Fi for wireless communication is installed on the ceiling of a specified space S such as a room. In addition, a shield D such as a wall that blocks radio waves is installed in the specified space S. The specified space S may be indoors or outdoors. When the specified space is outdoors, the antenna A is provided in a base station installed on the roof of a building or the like. Examples of the specified outdoor space S include an outdoor exhibition center and a specified section of a road.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 10 is constructed by a communication terminal 30, a recommendation device (hereinafter simply referred to as a "recommended device") 50 that recommends a reflector, and a product server 70. The communication terminal 30 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a smart watch, etc. The recommendation device 50 and the product server 70 are configured by a computer. The communication terminal 30 and the recommendation device 50 can communicate with each other via a communication network 100 such as the Internet. Similarly, the communication terminal 30 and the product server 70 can communicate with each other via the communication network 100. The connection form of the communication network 100 may be either wireless or wired.

[0014] The communication terminal 30 can measure the radio wave intensity of the radio wave output from the antenna A at various positions in the predetermined space S. The communication terminal 30 is used by a user Y. The user Y is a person who considers the installation position and type of reflector in the predetermined space S. When the user Y operates the communication terminal 30 to determine the planned installation position of the reflector in the predetermined space S and transmits information on the planned installation position etc. to the recommendation device 50, the recommendation device 50 conveys to the communication terminal 30 at least one predetermined reflector that can receive radio waves of a predetermined strength or more at a predetermined position in the predetermined space S. The recommendation device 50 is managed and operated by a company that provides a service of recommending predetermined reflectors to the user Y.

[0015] Furthermore, when user Y purchases or rents (rents) a specific reflector recommended by the recommendation device 50, he or she can access the product sales site of the product server 70 from the communication terminal 30 and order the desired reflector. Note that the site may be for rental rather than sales, or may be a mixed site for both sales and rental. Product sales sites, rental sites, and mixed sites are examples of sites that handle specific reflectors.

[0016] The product server 70 is managed and operated by a company that provides a service of selling or renting (leasing) a predetermined reflector to the user Y. The companies that manage and operate the recommended device 50 and the product server 70 may be the same or different, or may be related companies.

[0017] Furthermore, since the recommendation device 50 is composed of multiple components arranged organically, it can also be indicated as a "recommended system (recommending a reflector)". Furthermore, the recommendation device 50 can also be indicated as a "recommended system (recommending a reflector)" when it is composed of multiple computers. Furthermore, the combination of the recommendation device 50 and an external storage device of the recommendation device 50 can also be indicated as a "recommended system (recommending a reflector)". Furthermore, the combination of the recommendation device 50 and a DB server, etc. can also be indicated as a "recommended system (recommending a reflector)". In this case, the external storage device, DB server, etc. may have a storage unit 60, which will be described later, built therein.

[0018] [Hardware configuration] Next, the electrical hardware configuration of the communication terminal 30 and the recommended device 50 that constitute the communication system 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG.

[0019] <Hardware configuration of communication terminal> Next, the electrical hardware configuration of the communication terminal 30 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the electrical hardware configuration of the communication terminal.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the communication terminal 30 is a computer and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 301, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 302, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 303, an SSD (Solid State Drive) 304, an external device connection I / F (Interface) 305, a network I / F 306, a display 307, an operation unit 308, a media I / F 309, a bus line 310, and a solid-state image sensor 311.

[0021] Of these, the CPU 301 controls the overall operation of the communication terminal 30. The ROM 302 stores programs, such as an IPL (Initial Program Loader), used to drive the CPU 301. The RAM 303 is used as a work area for the CPU 301.

[0022] The SSD 304 reads or writes various data under the control of the CPU 301. If the communication terminal 30 is a smartphone or the like, the SSD 304 may not be provided. Instead of the SSD 304, a hard disk drive (HDD) may be provided.

[0023] The external device connection I / F 305 is an interface for connecting various external devices, such as a display, a speaker, a keyboard, a mouse, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, and a printer.

[0024] The network I / F 306 is an interface for performing data communication via the communication network 100 .

[0025] The display 307 is a type of display means, such as a liquid crystal or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, that displays various images.

[0026] An operation unit 308 is an input unit for selecting and executing various instructions such as various operation buttons, a power switch, a shutter button, and a touch panel, selecting a processing target, moving a cursor, and the like.

[0027] The media I / F 309 controls reading and writing (storing) of data from and to a recording medium 309m such as a flash memory. The recording medium 309m includes a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) and a Blu-ray Disc (registered trademark).

[0028] The solid-state imaging element 311 is a type of imaging means that captures an image of a subject and obtains image data under the control of the CPU 301. For example, a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor or a charge coupled device (CCD) sensor may be used.

[0029] The bus line 310 is an address bus, a data bus, or the like for electrically connecting the various components such as the CPU 301 shown in FIG.

[0030] <Recommended hardware configuration> Next, the electrical hardware configuration of the recommended device 50 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the electrical hardware configuration of the recommended device.

[0031] The recommended device 50 is a computer and includes a CPU 501, a ROM 502, a RAM 503, an SSD 504, an external device connection I / F 505, a network I / F 506, a media I / F 509, and a bus line 510, as shown in FIG.

[0032] Of these, the CPU 501 controls the overall operation of the recommended device 50. The ROM 502 stores programs such as IPL used to drive the CPU 501. The RAM 503 is used as a work area for the CPU 501.

[0033] The SSD 504 reads and writes various data under the control of the CPU 501. Note that instead of the SDD 504, an HDD may be used.

[0034] The external device connection I / F 505 is an interface for connecting various external devices, such as a display, a speaker, a keyboard, a mouse, a USB memory, and a printer.

[0035] The network I / F 506 is an interface for performing data communication via the communication network 100 .

[0036] The media I / F 509 controls reading and writing (storing) of data from and to a recording medium 509m such as a flash memory. The recording medium 509m includes DVDs and Blu-ray Discs (registered trademarks).

[0037] The bus line 510 is an address bus, a data bus, or the like for electrically connecting the various components such as the CPU 501 shown in FIG.

[0038] [Functional configuration of the communication system] Next, the functional configuration of the communication terminal 30 and the recommended device 50 which constitute the communication system 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a functional configuration diagram of the communication system. Note that since the product server 70 has a low relevance to the communication terminal 30 and the recommended device 50, the description of the functional configuration of the product server 70 will be omitted.

[0039] <Functional configuration of communication terminal> 4, the communication terminal 30 has a communication unit 31, a reception unit 32, a measurement unit 33, and a display control unit 34. Each of these units is a function or means realized by any of the components shown in FIG.

[0040] (Each functional configuration) Next, each functional configuration will be described.

[0041] The communication unit 31 controls transmission of various data (or information) from the network I / F 306 to the recommended device 50, the product server 70, etc. via the communication network 100, and reception of various data (or information) from the recommended device 50, the product server 70, etc. via the communication network 100 at the network I / F 306. The communication unit 31 is an example of a transmitting unit and a receiving unit.

[0042] The reception unit 32 receives various selections or inputs from the operation unit 308, and recognizes the contents of the selections or inputs.

[0043] The measurement unit 33 measures radio wave intensity at an assumed reception position of radio waves such as 5G, 6G, Wi-Fi, etc., and obtains an actual measurement value.

[0044] The display control unit 34 controls the display of various images and information on a display unit such as the display 307.

[0045] <Functional configuration of recommended equipment> As shown in Fig. 4, the recommendation device 50 has a communication unit 51, a reception unit 52, a judgment unit 53, a calculation unit 55, an extraction unit 56, and a creation unit 57. Each of these units is a function or means realized by any of the components shown in Fig. 3 operating in response to an instruction from the CPU 501 in accordance with a program loaded from the SSD 504 onto the RAM 503. The recommendation device 50 also has a storage unit 60 constructed by the ROM 502, RAM 503, or SSD 504 shown in Fig. 3. A reflector management DB 61 and a price management DB 62 are constructed in the storage unit 60.

[0046] (Reflector management table) Fig. 5 is a conceptual diagram of a reflector management table. The reflector management DB 61 is configured by the reflector management table shown in Fig. 5. In the reflector management table, the reflection characteristics of the reflector (also called "reflector characteristics") are managed for each type of reflector according to the frequency of the radio wave (or for each frequency of the radio wave according to the type of reflector). The reflection characteristics are information that associates, for example, the incidence angle and radio wave strength (output radio wave strength) when the radio wave is incident, and the reflection angle and radio wave strength (received radio wave strength) when reflected.

[0047] In other words, for example, the reflection characteristics are information that indicates, when a radio wave of a predetermined frequency and radio wave intensity is incident on a predetermined reflector at a predetermined incident angle, at what angle and with what radio wave intensity the radio wave is reflected.Furthermore, for example, the reflection characteristics are information that indicates, for example, how many degrees the incident angle deviates, how many degrees the reflection angle deviates, and with what radio wave intensity the radio wave is reflected.

[0048] Specifically, the reflector management table associates and manages the incidence angle to the reflector, the reflection angle at the reflector, the output radio wave strength from the antenna, the received radio wave strength at the expected reception position, and the reflectivity for each radio wave frequency, reflector type (reflector name), and reflector identification information.

[0049] Among these, "frequency" indicates the frequency of the radio wave output from the antenna. The frequency is, for example, 28 GHz, 100 GHz, 200 GHz, etc. Note that, if the same frequency is used for all the signals, it is not necessarily necessary to manage the "frequency" in the reflector management DB 61.

[0050] "Reflector type (reflector name)" indicates the type of reflector handled by the product server 70 and / or the name of the reflector. The types of reflectors include multiple types of specular reflectors, multiple types of beamforming metasurface reflectors, or multiple types of diffuse reflecting metasurface reflectors, as described below. A metasurface reflector has a surface structure that exhibits characteristics not found in nature by arranging elements smaller than the wavelength of radio waves two-dimensionally. A metasurface reflector can exhibit a unique phenomenon of bending a reflected wave at an angle different from the direction of the incident wave by arbitrarily designing the phase (advancement of radio waves) of the radio waves of each element and arranging elements with different phases in sequence to create a phase gradient.

[0051] The "reflector identification information" is an identifier for identifying the type of reflector. If at least one of the "frequency" and the "type of reflector" is different, the reflector identification information is different.

[0052] For example, the reflection characteristics of the reflector “Beamforming Metasurface Reflector (1)” shown in Figure 5 indicate that when a radio wave with a frequency of “28 GHz” and an output radio wave strength of “100 dBm” is incident at an incident angle of “45 degrees”, the reflection angle is “10 degrees”, the received radio wave strength at the expected receiving position is “3 dBm”, and the reflectivity is “0.03” (received radio wave strength / output radio wave strength).

[0053] Here, the relationship between the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection for each reflector will be explained using Fig. 6. Fig. 6 shows the relationship between the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection for each reflector, where (a) shows the relationship between the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection for reflector R1, which is a regular reflection reflector, (b) shows the relationship between the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection for reflector R2, which is a beamforming metasurface reflector, and (c) shows the relationship between the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection for reflector R3, which is a scattering reflection metasurface reflector.

[0054] As shown in Fig. 6(a), the reflection characteristics of the reflector R1 are such that, when the angle between the perpendicular (normal) p1 of the reflector R1 and the direction of the incident wave from the antenna position a1 is "θa1", and the angle between the perpendicular p1 of the reflector R1 and the direction of the reflected wave to the assumed reception position b1 is "θb1", the received radio wave intensity at the assumed reception position b1 becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value when θa1 = θb1 or θa1 ≒ θb1. Examples of the reflector R1 that is a regular reflection reflector include general metal plates such as aluminum plates, stainless steel plates, iron plates, and copper plates.

[0055] As shown in Fig. 6(b), the reflection characteristics of reflector R2 are such that when radio waves are incident from a certain angle, they are strongly reflected at a certain angle, and when radio waves are incident from antenna position a1 at an angle "θb1" to reflector R2, they are strongly reflected to the assumed reception position "θb2", and the received radio wave intensity becomes equal to or exceeds a predetermined value at assumed reception position b2. Reflector R2, which is a beamforming metasurface reflector, is preferably a metasurface reflector having the characteristic of reflecting radio waves at a certain angle.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 6(c), the characteristic of the reflector R3 is that when the angle between the perpendicular (normal) p3 of the reflector R3 and the direction of the incident wave from the antenna position a1 is "θa1" and the angle between the perpendicular p3 of the reflector R2 and the direction of the reflected wave to each position in the expected reception area b'1 is "θb3 group", the received radio wave intensity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value at any angle in the θb3 group. The reflector R3, which is a scattering reflection metasurface reflector, is preferably a metasurface reflector. The scattering reflection metasurface reflector is effective in cases where a person carrying a smartphone or tablet moves arbitrarily within a predetermined space S, where a machine can be moved arbitrarily within a predetermined space S, and where a robot that is not installed in one place within the predetermined space S and moves within the predetermined space S is remotely operated. The scattering reflector tends to weaken the strength of the reflected radio wave as the radio wave is scattered, but can deliver radio waves to a wide range.

[0057] (Price control table) FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram of a price management table. The price management DB62 is configured by the price management table shown in FIG. 7. The price management table is information indicating the price (e.g., unit price) of the reflector handled by the product server 70. Specifically, in the price management table, the reflector identification information and the price of the reflector related to this reflector identification information are associated and managed. The reflector identification information in this case is the same information as the reflector identification information shown in FIG. 5.

[0058] (Each functional configuration) Subsequently, returning to FIG. 4, each functional configuration will be described.

[0059] The communication unit 51 controls to transmit various data (or information) from the network I / F506 to the communication terminal 0 or the like via the communication network 100, or to receive various data (or information) at the network I / F506 from the communication terminal 30 or the like via the communication network 100. Note that the communication unit 31 is an example of a transmission unit and a reception unit.

[0060] The reception unit 52 receives various selections or inputs from a keyboard, a mouse, etc. connected to the external device connection I / F505 of the recommendation device 50, and recognizes the content of the selection or input.

[0061] The determination unit 53 makes various determinations. For example, the determination unit 53 determines whether there is an obstacle D between the position of the antenna A and the assumed reception position b, that is, on the straight line connecting the position of the antenna A and the assumed reception position b (see S31). Further, the determination unit 53 determines whether there is no obstacle between the planned installation position of the reflector D and the position a of the antenna A, and whether there is no obstacle between the planned installation position and the assumed reception position (see S32).

[0062] The calculation unit 55 performs various calculations. For example, the calculation unit 55 calculates the angle of incidence for each reflector based on the planned installation position of the reflector and the position of the antenna A, and calculates the reflection angle for each reflector based on the planned installation position of the reflector and the expected reception position of the radio wave (see S33). In addition, the calculation unit 55 calculates each expected radio wave intensity at the expected reception position for each reflector among the multiple types of reflectors based on each piece of information managed (stored) in the reflector management DB 61 of the storage unit 60 (see S35). Furthermore, the calculation unit 55 calculates the "improvement degree" of the expected radio wave intensity Bi of each reflector (candidate) with respect to the actual measurement value B0 of the radio wave intensity at the expected reception position (see S36).

[0063] The extraction unit 56 extracts various types of information, etc. For example, based on the incidence angle and reflection angle for each reflector calculated by the calculation unit 55, the reflector management DB 61 in the storage unit 60 is referenced to extract a top predetermined number of recommended reflectors (candidates) with high reflectance from among multiple types of reflectors (see S34). The top predetermined number is one or more. Furthermore, the extraction unit 56 extracts the corresponding price from the price management DB 62 based on the identification information of a predetermined reflector (candidate) whose improvement degree exceeds a threshold (see S37). The threshold is, for example, 500%. Note that if the measurement value B0, the expected radio wave intensity, and Bi do not change even if a reflector is installed, the improvement degree is 100%.

[0064] The creation unit 57 creates data of a recommended result screen 370 as shown in Fig. 16 as information to be transmitted to the communication terminal 30. The recommended result screen 370 will be described in detail later.

[0065] [Processing or Operation of the Present Embodiment] Next, the processing or operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8 to Fig. 16. Fig. 8 is a sequence diagram showing the processing for determining the quality of a product.

[0066] S1: First, user Y activates the application for recommended requirement processing installed on communication terminal 30. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, in a predetermined space S, user Y uses communication terminal 30 to perform the recommended requirement processing for the reflector. By using this application for recommended requirement processing, the subsequent processes S1, S2, S4, S5, and S6 can be executed.

[0067] Here, with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11, the recommended requirement processing for the reflector will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the recommended requirement processing for the reflector. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the frequency selection screen on the communication terminal. In FIG. 11, (a) is a diagram showing the selection screen for setting items, and (b) is a diagram showing the position setting screen for the reflector.

[0068] S11: First, by operating communication terminal 30 by user Y, measurement unit 33 measures the radio wave intensity of the radio wave output from antenna A at the radio wave reception assumed position b, which is a predetermined position within the predetermined space S. Note that measurement unit 33 may measure the radio wave intensity in a wide reception assumed area b' including the reception assumed position b.

[0069] S12: User Y checks the radio wave frequency of antenna A by directly printing on antenna A, printing on a sticker attached to antenna A, or checking the description in the manual. Then, user Y operates communication terminal 30 to display the "Radio Wave Frequency Selection" screen 330 shown in FIG. 10 on display 307. Further, user Y selects the confirmed radio wave frequency of antenna A from the pull-down menu 331. Thereby, reception unit 32 receives the selection of the radio wave frequency.

[0070] S13: User Y operates communication terminal 30 to display a "Select setting item" screen 340 shown in Fig. 11(a) on display 307. Screen 340 displays buttons for each setting item, such as an "Antenna position" button 341, an "Expected radio wave reception position (expected reception area)" button 342, a "Planned installation position of reflector" button 343, and a "Position of obstruction" button 344. Furthermore, screen 340 displays a "Confirm" button 349.

[0071] Of these, the "antenna position" button 341 is a button that the user Y presses when setting the antenna position.

[0072] The "assumed radio wave reception position (assumed reception area)" button 342 is a button for user Y to set the assumed radio wave reception position (or assumed reception area).

[0073] The "Planned installation position of reflector" button 343 is a button for user Y to set a planned installation position of the reflector.

[0074] The "location of obstruction" button 344 is a button for user Y to set the location of a radio wave obstruction.

[0075] The “Confirm” button 349 is a button for confirming the information about each position set by the user Y and transmitting the information to the recommended device 50.

[0076] For example, in FIG. 11(a), when user Y presses the "Planned installation position of reflector" button 343, the reception unit 32 receives the designation (or selection) of the "Planned installation position of reflector" button 343, and the display control unit 34 displays a "Reflector position setting" screen 350 as shown in FIG. 11(b) on the display 307. This screen 350 displays a layout diagram 360 of the predetermined space S. Note that a "Back" button 359 is a button for returning from the screen 350 in FIG. 11(b) to the screen 340 in FIG. 11(a). The layout diagram 360 is registered in advance in an application for recommendation request processing.

[0077] Fig. 11(b) shows a state in which the position a10 of the antenna A, the assumed radio wave reception position b10, and the position d11 of the obstacle D have already been set in the layout diagram 360. That is, in Fig. 11(b), the buttons 341, 342, and 344 have already been pressed, and the position a10 of the antenna A, the assumed radio wave reception position b10, and the position d11 of the obstacle D have already been set. Also, in Fig. 11(b), the icon (ra) of the reflector D is displayed at the initial position r0.

[0078] In the state of the screen 350 shown in FIG. 11(b), the user Y moves the icon ra of the reflector R to a desired position r10 in the layout diagram 360 with his / her finger or the like. In this case, the reception unit 32 receives the setting of the position (desired position) r10 where the reflector R is to be installed. Furthermore, the display control unit 34 displays the icon ra of the reflector R at the position r10. Then, when the user Y presses the "back" button 359, the reception unit 32 receives the pressing of the "back" button 359, and the display control unit 34 returns from the screen 350 of FIG. 11(b) to the screen 340 of FIG. 11(a).

[0079] As described above, when user Y presses each button 341, 342, 343, 344 and repeats the process of setting each position, the reception unit 32 receives input of the position a of antenna A, the expected reception position b (or expected reception area b') of radio waves, the position r of reflector R, and the position d of obstruction D.

[0080] S14: Next, when the user Y presses the "confirm" button 349 on the screen 340 of FIG. 11(a), the reception unit 32 receives the recommendation request for the reflector R.

[0081] S2: Based on process S14, as shown in FIG. 8, the communication unit 31 of the communication terminal 30 transmits a recommendation request for requesting a reflector to the recommendation device 50. This recommendation request includes the frequency selected in process S12, the information of each position input in process S13, and the measured value B0 of the radio wave intensity at the reception assumed position b (reception assumed area b') measured in process S11. Thereby, the communication unit 51 of the recommendation device 50 receives the recommendation request. Note that in the case of using all the same frequencies, etc., the communication unit 31 may not transmit the "frequency".

[0082] S3: Subsequently, the recommendation device 50 performs a process of creating a recommendation result screen in order to respond to the recommendation request of the communication terminal 30.

[0083] Here, the process of creating the recommendation result screen will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 to 16. FIGS. 12 and 13 are flowcharts showing the process of creating the recommendation result screen.

[0084] S31: First, the determination unit 53 of the recommendation device 50 determines whether there is an obstacle between the position a of the antenna A and the reception assumed position b (or reception assumed area b') of the radio wave. Here, process S31 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15. FIGS. 14 and 15 are conceptual diagrams showing whether the radio wave output from the antenna can be received at the reception assumed position (or reception assumed area).

[0085] For example, in FIG. 14(a), since there is no obstacle D on the straight line connecting the position a11 of the antenna A and the reception assumed position b12, the radio wave output from the antenna A is not blocked by the obstacle D and reaches the reception assumed position. In such a case, since there is no need to install a reflector R at the position r11 intentionally, in process S31, it proceeds to NO.

[0086] S32: Next, when YES in process S31, the determination unit 53 determines whether there is no obstacle D (D') between the position r of the reflector R and the position a of the antenna A, and whether there is no obstacle D (D') between the position r of the reflector R and the reception assumed position b (or reception assumed area b') of the radio wave.

[0087] 14(b), for example, there is an obstruction D on the line connecting the position a11 of the antenna A and the assumed reception position b12, and there is also an obstruction D' on the line connecting the position r11 of the reflector D and the assumed reception position b12, so the radio waves output from the antenna A do not reach (or have difficulty reaching) the assumed reception position. In such a case, there is no point in taking the trouble to install the reflector R at the position r11, so the process proceeds to NO in step S32.

[0088] 15(a), there is an obstruction D on the line connecting the position a11 of the antenna A and the assumed reception position b12, but there is no obstruction on the line connecting the position r11 of the reflector D and the assumed reception position b12, so the radio waves output from the antenna A reach the assumed reception position b12 via the reflector D. In such a case, if one of multiple types of reflectors D is installed at position r11, there is a possibility that the radio wave intensity at the assumed reception position b12 will improve, so the process proceeds to YES in S32.

[0089] 15(b) shows a state in which, although there is an obstruction D on the line connecting the position a11 of antenna A and the assumed reception position b12, there is no obstruction D on the line connecting the position r11 of reflector D and each of the assumed reception positions b12 to b16 in the assumed reception area b20, so the radio waves output from antenna A reach the assumed reception position b12 via reflector D. In such a case, if any of reflectors R are installed at position r11, there is a possibility that the radio wave strength at the assumed reception position b12 will improve, so the process proceeds to YES in S32.

[0090] S33: Next, if the answer is YES in process S32, the calculation unit 55 calculates the incident angle of the radio waves to the reflector R based on the position r of the reflector R and the position a of the antenna A, and calculates the reflection angle at the reflector R based on the position r of the reflector R and the expected reception position b (or expected reception area b') of the radio waves.

[0091] S34: The extraction unit 56 searches the reflector management DB 61 using the frequency received in process S2 and the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection calculated in process S33 as search keys to extract a top predetermined number (e.g., one or more) of candidates for reflector R with high radio wave reflectance for each type of reflector R. Here, for example, the extraction unit 56 extracts a total of nine reflectors as candidates for reflector R, which are the top three reflectors for each of the three types of reflectors shown in Fig. 6, that is, a specular reflector, a beamforming metasurface reflector, and a scattering reflection metasurface reflector.

[0092] S35: The calculation unit 55 calculates the expected radio wave intensity Bi at the expected reception position b (expected reception area b') of the radio wave when each reflector R (candidate) is installed at the planned installation position r in the reflector management DB 61, using the reflectance corresponding to the incident angle and reflection angle calculated in step S33 for each reflector R (candidate). In this case, the calculation unit 55 calculates the expected radio wave intensity Bi using the incident angle, reflection angle, and reflectance, on the premise that the output radio wave intensity of the radio wave output from the antenna A is constant. Note that the calculation unit 55 may calculate the expected radio wave intensity Bi by multiplying the reflectance by a coefficient according to the distance from the planned installation position r of the reflector R to the expected reception position b. This coefficient may be managed by a coefficient management DB that manages a coefficient determined according to the length of the straight-line distance from the planned installation position r of the reflector R to the expected reception position b. In this case, the coefficient management DB is stored in the storage unit 60. Furthermore, when the calculation unit 55 calculates the expected radio wave intensity Bi in the expected reception area b', for example, it calculates the average value of the expected radio wave intensity at each expected reception position in the expected reception area b'.

[0093] S36: The calculation unit 55 calculates the degree of improvement of the estimated radio wave intensity Bi of each candidate reflector R with respect to the actual measurement value B0 received in process S2. For example, if the actual measurement value B0 when there is no reflector R is 1 dbm and the estimated radio wave intensity Bi when the reflector R is installed is 20 dbm, the calculation unit 55 calculates the degree of improvement as 2000 (= (20 / 1) × 100) %.

[0094] S37: The extraction unit 56 searches the price management DB 62 using the reflector identification information of a predetermined reflector R' (candidate) whose improvement degree exceeds a threshold as a search key to extract the corresponding price. In this case, the threshold is, for example, 1000%. Using this threshold, the extraction unit 56 narrows down the nine candidates of the reflector R extracted in the process S34 to a total of four candidates, for example, one specular reflector, one beamforming metasurface reflector, and two scattering reflection metasurface reflectors. In other words, the extraction unit 56 can also be expressed as a narrowing-down unit.

[0095] S38: The creation unit 57 creates a recommendation result screen (see FIG. 16) that associates, for each given reflector R' (candidate), the reflector name extracted in process S34, the improvement degree calculated in process S36, and the price extracted in process S37, as well as the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the product sales site managed by the product server 70.

[0096] S39: On the other hand, if the result of step S31 is NO or if the result of step S32 is NO, the creation unit 57 creates a recommendation result screen indicating that there is no reflector to be recommended.

[0097] 8, the communication unit 51 of the recommended device 50 transmits data of the recommended result screen created in process S38 or process S39 to the recommendation request source communication terminal 30. As a result, the communication unit 31 of the communication terminal 30 receives the data of the recommended result screen.

[0098] S5: In the communication terminal 30, the display control unit 34 displays a recommendation result screen 370 as shown in Fig. 16 on the display 307 of the communication terminal 30. Fig. 16 is a diagram showing the recommendation result screen when there is a reflector to be recommended. The recommendation result screen 370 shown in Fig. 16 displays the reflector name, the improvement level, the price (the unit price per unit area or the unit price per reflector), and the URL of the product sales site. Note that when the process S39 is executed, a comment indicating that there is no reflector to be recommended is displayed as the recommendation result screen.

[0099] S6: When the recommendation result screen 370 as shown in Fig. 16 is displayed in process S5, the user Y operates the communication terminal 30 to specify (select) the URL of a product sales site for a specific reflector. For example, the user Y decides to purchase the beam forming metasurface reflector (2) from among the four candidates for reflector R', taking into consideration the degree of improvement, the area (range) to be improved, and the price, and presses information indicating the URL of this product sales site. The reception unit 32 then receives the pressing of the URL of the product sales site for the beam forming metasurface reflector (2).

[0100] S7: The communication unit 31 of the communication terminal 30 accesses the URL of the product sales site designated (selected) in step S6, which allows the user Y to purchase the desired specific reflector.

[0101] [Main Effects of the Embodiments] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to recommend a reflector that will achieve more stable radio wave reception within a specified space, depending on the installation position of the reflector.

[0102] 〔supplement〕 Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0103] (1) Each of the above-mentioned programs may be recorded on a (non-transitory) recording medium and distributed, or may be provided via a communication network such as the Internet.

[0104] (2) In the communication between the communication terminal 30 and the recommended device 50, other devices (servers, routers, etc.) may relay data, etc. For example, for the sake of simplicity, this specification describes that the communication terminal 30 receives data (information) from the recommended device 50 and that the communication terminal 30 transmits data (information) to the recommended device 50, but each of these reception and transmission processes is intended to include cases where other devices relay data, etc.

[0105] (3) The CPUs 301 and 501 serving as processors may each be single or multiple.

[0106] [Additional notes] The above-described embodiment can also be expressed as the following contents. [Additional Note 1] A recommendation system having a processor that recommends a reflector to be installed in a predetermined space based on a request from a communication terminal, The processor, A receiving process for receiving from the communication terminal each piece of information indicating a position of an antenna that outputs radio waves, an expected position where the radio waves are received, a planned position where a radio wave reflector is to be installed, and an actual measurement value of radio wave intensity at the expected position where the radio waves are received; a transmission process for transmitting, to the communication terminal, information regarding the predetermined reflector that is recommended among the plurality of types of reflectors, based on each expected radio wave intensity at the expected reception position by radio waves output from the antenna at the position of the antenna relative to an actual measurement value of radio wave intensity at the expected reception position when each of the plurality of types of reflectors is installed at the planned installation position; Recommended system to run. [Additional note 2] A recommendation system according to claim 1, the recommendation system includes a storage unit configured to store information on radio wave intensity of received radio waves relative to radio wave intensity of output radio waves for each of the plurality of types of reflectors; The processor executes a calculation process to calculate each of the estimated radio wave intensities based on the information stored in the storage unit. Recommended systems. [Explanation of symbols]

[0107] 10. Communication Systems 30 Communication terminals 31 Communication unit (an example of a terminal transmission unit, an example of a terminal reception unit) 32 Reception 33 Measuring part 34 Display control section 50 Recommended Device (also called "Recommended System") 51 Communication unit (an example of a transmission unit, an example of a reception unit) 52 Reception 53 Judgment Department 55 Calculation section 56 Extraction part 57 Creation Department 61 Reflector management DB 62 Price Management DB 507 Display (an example of a display unit)

Claims

1. A recommendation system that recommends a reflector to be installed in a specified space based on a request from a communication terminal, a receiving unit that receives from the communication terminal each piece of information indicating a position of an antenna that outputs radio waves, an assumed position where the radio waves are received, a planned position where a radio wave reflector is to be installed, and an actual measurement value of radio wave intensity at the assumed position where the radio waves are received; a transmitting unit that transmits, to the communication terminal, information regarding a recommended predetermined reflector among the plurality of types of reflectors, based on each expected radio wave intensity at the expected reception position by radio waves output from the antenna at the position of the antenna relative to an actual measurement value of radio wave intensity at the expected reception position when each of the plurality of types of reflectors is installed at the planned installation position; A recommendation system for recommending a reflector.

2. The recommendation system for recommending a reflector according to claim 1 , wherein the transmission unit transmits to the communication terminal information about the predetermined reflector for which the degree of improvement of each of the estimated radio wave intensities with respect to the actual measured value exceeds a threshold value.

3. A recommendation system for recommending a reflector according to claim 1, A storage unit that stores information regarding prices of the plurality of types of reflectors, The transmission unit transmits information about the specified reflector including a price of the specified reflector.

4. The system for recommending a reflector according to claim 1 , wherein the transmission unit transmits information about the predetermined reflector together with information about a site that handles the predetermined reflector.

5. A recommendation system for recommending a reflector according to claim 1, a storage unit that stores, for each of the plurality of types of reflectors, information on an incidence angle of a radio wave, an angle of reflection of the radio wave, and a reflection characteristic that indicates a reflectance ratio of a radio wave intensity of a received radio wave to a radio wave intensity of an output radio wave; A calculation unit that calculates each of the estimated radio wave intensities based on the each of the information stored in the storage unit; A recommendation system for recommending a reflector.

6. A recommendation system for recommending a reflector according to claim 1, a storage unit that stores, for each of the plurality of types of reflectors, information on reflection characteristics that indicate an incident angle of a radio wave, a reflection angle of a radio wave, and a reflectance ratio of a radio wave intensity of a received radio wave to a radio wave intensity of an output radio wave; a calculation unit that calculates an incident angle for each of the reflectors based on the planned installation positions and a position of the antenna, and calculates a reflection angle for each of the reflectors based on the planned installation positions and an assumed position for receiving radio waves; an extracting unit that refers to the storage unit based on the incident angle and the reflection angle for each of the reflectors calculated by the calculating unit, and extracts a top predetermined number of recommended reflector candidates having high reflectance from among the plurality of types of reflectors; having The transmission unit transmits information regarding the specified reflector that is recommended among the candidate reflectors based on the estimated radio wave intensity relative to the actual measured value when each of the candidate reflectors is to be installed at the planned installation location to the communication terminal.

7. A recommendation system for recommending a reflector according to claim 6, The receiving unit receives information indicating a position of a shield that blocks radio waves in the specified space from the communication terminal, a determination unit that determines whether the obstruction is present between the position of the antenna and the assumed reception position, A recommendation system for recommending reflectors, wherein when the judgment unit determines that there is no obstruction, the transmission unit does not transmit information regarding the specified reflector that is recommended among the multiple types of reflectors to the communication terminal.

8. When the determination unit determines that the obstruction is between the position of the antenna and the assumed reception position, the determination unit further determines whether the obstruction is not between the planned installation position and the position of the antenna, and whether there is an obstruction between the planned installation position and the assumed reception position; 8. The recommendation system for recommending a reflector as described in claim 7, wherein when the determination unit determines that there is no obstruction between the planned installation position and the position of the antenna and that there is no obstruction between the planned installation position and the expected reception position, the calculation unit calculates a reflection angle for each reflector.

9. A recommendation system for recommending the reflector according to any one of claims 1 to 8; The communication terminal; A communication system having the above configuration.

10. 10. The communication system of claim 9, The communication terminal includes: a reception unit that receives settings of the antenna position, the expected reception position, and the planned installation position; A measurement unit for measuring the actual measurement value; a terminal transmitting unit that transmits information on the antenna position, the assumed reception position, the planned installation position, and the actual measurement value to the recommendation system; A communication system comprising:

11. A recommendation method executed by a recommendation system that recommends a reflector to be installed in a specified space based on a request from a communication terminal, comprising: The recommendation system comprises: A receiving process for receiving from the communication terminal each piece of information indicating a position of an antenna that outputs radio waves, an expected position where the radio waves are received, a planned position where a radio wave reflector is to be installed, and an actual measurement value of radio wave intensity at the expected position where the radio waves are received; a transmission process for transmitting, to the communication terminal, information regarding a recommended predetermined reflector among the plurality of types of reflectors, based on each expected radio wave intensity at the expected reception position by radio waves output from the antenna at the position of the antenna relative to an actual measurement value of radio wave intensity at the expected reception position when each of the plurality of types of reflectors is installed at the planned installation position; The recommended way to do this.

12. A program causing a computer to carry out the method according to claim 11.

Images