Signal processing device, wireless communication system, signal processing method, and program

Abstract

To provide a signal processing device, a radio communication system, a signal processing method, and a program that improve accuracy of beam forming control.SOLUTION: A signal processing device including a transmission unit that transmits beamforming control information to a wireless communication device that wirelessly communicates with a mobile communication device using digital beamforming control, an acquisition unit that acquires, from the wireless communication device, a transmission time required from transmission of the beamforming control information to reception of the beamforming control information by the wireless communication device, and a transmission amount adjustment unit that adjusts a transmission amount of the beamforming control information on the basis of the transmission time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a signal processing device, a wireless communication system, a signal processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Digital beamforming is a control technology that uses a system consisting of multiple antennas arranged in a specific shape to track the location of a communication terminal with high precision and converge wireless signals in a specific direction, thereby reducing noise and interference from other directions and improving communication quality. This technology plays an important role in realizing faster and more efficient communications, especially in 5G (5th Generation) and next-generation network technologies. To perform high-precision digital beamforming, it is necessary to frequently send beamforming control information for each antenna to the antenna control device.

[0003] Patent document 1 discloses a communication device in a communication network having multiple communication devices and transferring multiple flows, which determines the priority of a flow based on a timestamp indicating the time assigned to the transmitted flow, and outputs the flow in an order according to the priority. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-088577 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The communication device disclosed in Patent Document 1 controls the order in which flows are output, but does not control the amount of flows to alleviate congestion. Therefore, even if the communication device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is incorporated into a communication system having an antenna control device, the communication system does not control the amount of flows across the entire network when a large number of flows are transmitted for digital beamforming control. In other words, a large number of flows may be transmitted to the antenna control device. As a result, the processing load of the calculation processing and beamforming control in the antenna control device increases, resulting in a problem of reduced accuracy of digital beamforming control.

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a signal processing device and the like that improves the accuracy of beamforming control. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A signal processing device according to the present disclosure includes a transmitter, an acquirer, and a transmission amount adjuster. The transmitter transmits beamforming control information to a wireless communication device that wirelessly communicates with a mobile communication device using digital beamforming control. The acquirer acquires, from the wireless communication device, information regarding the transmission time required from when the beamforming control information is transmitted until the wireless communication device receives the beamforming control information. The transmission amount adjuster adjusts the transmission amount of the beamforming control information based on the transmission time.

[0008] A wireless communication system according to the present disclosure includes a wireless communication device that wirelessly communicates with a mobile communication device using digital beamforming control, and the above-described signal processing device.

[0009] A signal processing method according to the present disclosure causes a computer to perform the following processes: the computer transmits beamforming control information to a wireless communication device that wirelessly communicates with a mobile communication device using digital beamforming control; the computer acquires, from the wireless communication device, information regarding the transmission time required from the transmission of the beamforming control information until the wireless communication device receives the beamforming control information; and the computer adjusts the amount of transmission of the beamforming control information based on the transmission time.

[0010] A program according to the present disclosure causes a computer to execute the following signal processing method: the computer transmits beamforming control information to a wireless communication device that wirelessly communicates with a mobile communication device using digital beamforming control; the computer acquires, from the wireless communication device, information regarding the transmission time required from the transmission of the beamforming control information until the wireless communication device receives the beamforming control information; and the computer adjusts the amount of transmission of the beamforming control information based on the transmission time. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a signal processing device, a wireless communication system, a signal processing method, and a program that improve the accuracy of beamforming control. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a signal processing device according to the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 is a first flowchart of a signal processing method according to the present disclosure. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system according to the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 5 is a second flowchart of the signal processing method according to the present disclosure. [Figure 5] 1 is a flowchart of a wireless communication method according to the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic diagram of a mobile communication system according to the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a first flow diagram of a mobile communication system according to the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a second flow diagram of the mobile communication system according to the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a third flow diagram of the mobile communication system according to the present disclosure. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a computer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The present disclosure will be described below through embodiments, but the disclosure according to the claims is not limited to the following embodiments. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described in the embodiments are necessarily essential as means for solving the problems. For clarity of explanation, the following description and drawings have been omitted and simplified as appropriate. In each drawing, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations are omitted as necessary.

[0014] <First Embodiment> First, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a signal processing device 10 according to the present disclosure. The signal processing device 10 is a device that transmits control information to a wireless communication device that wirelessly communicates with a mobile communication device. The signal processing device 10 mainly includes a transmitting unit 101, an acquiring unit 102, and a transmission amount adjusting unit 103.

[0015] The transmitter 101 transmits beamforming control information to a wireless communication device that communicates wirelessly with a mobile communication device using digital beamforming control. The beamforming control information includes, for example, the antenna number to be controlled and the beamforming weight.

[0016] Here, the mobile communication device is a communication device that can be physically moved. Examples of the mobile communication device include a mobile terminal, such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. The wireless communication device is a communication device that communicates with the mobile communication device using digital beamforming control via antenna control. Examples of the wireless communication device include a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) router and a mobile communication base station.

[0017] Digital beamforming control is a control technology that uses a system consisting of multiple antennas arranged in a specific shape, such as an antenna array or phased array antenna, to track the location of a communication terminal with high precision and focus wireless signals in a specific direction. Digital beamforming control can improve communication quality and reduce noise and interference from other directions. In recent years, digital beamforming control has become increasingly important with the evolution of mobile networks and wireless communication systems. In particular, digital beamforming control plays an important role in 5G (5th Generation) and next-generation network technologies to achieve faster and more efficient communications.

[0018] The acquisition unit 102 acquires, from the wireless communication device, information relating to the transmission time required from when the beamforming control information is transmitted until when the wireless communication device receives the beamforming control information.

[0019] Here, the transmission time is the time it takes for a signal to propagate between the signal processing device 10 and the wireless communication device. The transmission time may also include the signal processing time in each device. The transmission time is also called a transmission delay.

[0020] The transmission amount adjustment unit 103 adjusts the transmission amount of the beamforming control information based on the transmission time.

[0021] Next, the processing executed by the signal processing device 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a first flowchart of a signal processing method according to the present disclosure. One processing cycle of the signal processing device 10 includes steps S11 to S13.

[0022] First, in step S11, the transmitter 101 transmits beamforming control information required for digital beamforming control to the wireless communication device.

[0023] Next, in step S12, the acquisition unit 102 acquires information from the communicating wireless communication device regarding the transmission time required from when the transmission unit 101 transmits the beamforming control information until when the wireless communication device receives the beamforming control information.

[0024] In step S13, the transmission amount adjustment unit 103 adjusts the transmission amount of the beamforming control information based on the acquired transmission time. With the above, one processing cycle of the signal processing device 10 is completed.

[0025] According to this, when the signal transmission time changes due to an increase or decrease in the amount of information between the signal processing device 10 and the wireless communication device, the signal processing device 10 can adjust the transmission amount of beamforming control information in accordance with the transmission time. Therefore, the signal processing device 10 can provide a signal processing device, a wireless communication system, a signal processing method, and a program that improve the accuracy of beamforming control without causing excessive delay in the wireless communication device.

[0026] The signal processing device 10 may include a processor and a storage device, which are not shown. The storage device of the signal processing device 10 includes a storage device including a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory or an SSD (Solid State Drive). In this case, the storage device stores a computer program (hereinafter simply referred to as a program) for executing the above-described method. The processor loads the computer program from the storage device into a buffer memory such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) and executes the program.

[0027] Each component of the signal processing device 10 may be realized by dedicated hardware. Furthermore, some or all of the components may be realized by general-purpose or dedicated circuits, processors, etc., or a combination thereof. These may be configured by a single chip, or by multiple chips connected via a bus. Some or all of the components of each device may be realized by a combination of the above-mentioned circuits, etc., and programs. The processor may be a CPU (Central Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), etc. Furthermore, at least some of the processing performed by the signal processing device 10 may be provided as Software as a Service (SaaS). The description of the configurations described herein may also be applied to other devices or systems described below in this disclosure.

[0028] <Embodiment 2> 3 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system 1 according to the present disclosure. The wireless communication system 1 is used for wireless communication with a mobile communication device using digital beamforming control. The wireless communication system 1 mainly comprises a signal processing device 11, a wireless communication device 20, and a fronthaul interface 300 connecting the devices.

[0029] The signal processing device 11 has the same configuration as the signal processing device 10 in Fig. 1. Therefore, a description of the configuration of the signal processing device 11 that executes the same processing as the signal processing device 10 will be omitted. An acquisition unit 102 of the signal processing device 11 acquires from the wireless communication device 20 a determination result as to whether the transmission time of the beamforming control information falls within a predetermined range.

[0030] Furthermore, the transmission amount adjustment unit 103 of the signal processing device 11 adjusts the amount of beamforming control information to be transmitted next based on the obtained determination result of the transmission time. Specifically, the transmission amount adjustment unit 103 adjusts the amount of beamforming control information to be transmitted by, for example, changing the frequency of transmitting the beamforming control information or the amount of beamforming control information to be transmitted at one time.

[0031] Alternatively, the transmission amount adjustment unit 103 may adjust the transmission amount of beamforming control information by, for example, changing the bandwidth allocated to the beamforming weight. More specifically, the transmission amount adjustment unit 103 adjusts the transmission amount by changing the number of PRBs (Physical Resource Blocks) to which the same beamforming weight is applied, i.e., the number of PRBs. The number of signals that need to be transmitted in one cycle is determined according to the number of PRBs. For example, by reducing the number of PRBs, the bandwidth to which one beamforming weight is applied is reduced. This enables the signal processing device 11 to increase the transmission amount of beamforming control information across the entire communication band.

[0032] Furthermore, the transmission amount adjustment unit 103 may adjust the transmission amount of the beamforming control information based on the communication status of the wireless communication device 20 and the mobile communication device. Specifically, the transmission amount adjustment unit 103 adjusts the transmission amount based on, for example, the number of mobile communication devices communicating with the wireless communication device 20, the amount of data requested by the mobile communication device, the movement of the mobile communication device, or the type of beam to be applied to the beamforming control.

[0033] The wireless communication device 20 receives beamforming control information from the signal processing device 11. The wireless communication device 20 communicates with a mobile communication device by controlling an antenna based on the beamforming control information. Furthermore, the wireless communication device 20 determines whether the transmission time of the beamforming control information falls within a predetermined range. The wireless communication device includes a storage unit 201.

[0034] The storage unit 201 stores the first beamforming control information received from the signal processing device 11 as beamforming control information storage 202 .

[0035] When the second beamforming control information received from the signal processing device is insufficient, the wireless communication device 20 refers to the beamforming control information memory 202 stored in the memory unit 201. Here, the second beamforming control information refers to beamforming control information newly received by the wireless communication device 20 after the wireless communication device 20 receives the first beamforming control information. Furthermore, the amount of information in the second beamforming control information being insufficient may be less than the amount of information in the first beamforming control information.

[0036] The wireless communication device 20 may update the beamforming control information storage 202 every time it receives beamforming control information. Alternatively, the wireless communication device 20 may re-store only the received beamforming control information that has been updated from the beamforming control information storage 202. In this way, even if the amount of transmitted beamforming control information decreases, the wireless communication device 20 can operate without being affected by the decrease in the amount of transmitted beamforming control information by making up for the shortfall from the beamforming control information storage 202.

[0037] Here, the processing executed by the signal processing device 11 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a second flowchart of the signal processing method according to the present disclosure. One processing cycle of the signal processing device 11 includes steps S21 to S26.

[0038] First, in step S21, the transmitter 101 transmits to the wireless communication device 20 beamforming control information required for digital beamforming control.

[0039] Next, in step S22, the acquisition unit 102 acquires a determination result as to whether the transmission time of the beamforming control information falls within a predetermined range from the wireless communication device that compares the transmission time with each threshold value. The predetermined range is, for example, the range between the time indicated by the first threshold value and the time indicated by the second threshold value. The time indicated by the first threshold value is assumed to be greater than the time indicated by the second threshold value. Here, the determination result is a result of determining whether the transmission time is greater than the first threshold value and less than the second threshold value in the wireless communication device 20.

[0040] In step S23, the acquisition unit 102 determines from the determination result whether the transmission time of the beamforming control information falls within a predetermined range. If the transmission time is greater than a first threshold, which is the upper limit of the predetermined range, the signal processing device 11 shifts the processing to step S24. If the transmission time is equal to or less than the predetermined first threshold and equal to or greater than a second threshold, which is the lower limit of the range, the signal processing device 11 shifts the processing to step S25. If the transmission time is smaller than the second threshold, the signal processing device 11 shifts the processing to step S26. Note that the second threshold is smaller than the first threshold. Here, the terms "greater than" and "less than" in each condition may be read as "greater than" and "smaller than," and "greater than" and "smaller than" may be read as "greater than" and "less than."

[0041] In step S24, the transmission amount adjustment unit 103 reduces the transmission amount of the beamforming control information to be transmitted next compared to the transmission amount of the beamforming control information transmitted previously. Alternatively, the transmission amount adjustment unit 103 may reduce the transmission amount of the beamforming control information to be transmitted next compared to the average transmission amount of the beamforming control information transmitted in the past. Specifically, the transmission amount adjustment unit 103 can reduce the transmission amount of the beamforming control information by, for example, reducing the transmission frequency of the beamforming control information, reducing the amount of information transmitted at one time, or reducing the allocated bandwidth. In this way, when communication between the signal processing device 11 and the wireless communication device 20 is in a congested state, the signal processing device 11 can suppress the communication amount and avoid communication delays. When step S24 is completed, one processing cycle of the signal processing device 11 is completed.

[0042] In step S25, the transmission amount adjustment unit 103 determines whether the acquisition unit has received a determination result from the wireless communication device that the transmission time is less than or equal to the first threshold and greater than or equal to the second threshold a predetermined number of times in succession. If the acquisition unit has received a determination result from the wireless communication device that the transmission time is within a predetermined range a predetermined number of times in succession, the signal processing device 11 proceeds to step S26. If not, the signal processing device 11 ends one processing cycle. The transmission amount adjustment unit 103 may also determine whether the acquisition unit has received a determination result that the transmission time is less than or equal to the first threshold and greater than or equal to the second threshold for a predetermined period of time or more.

[0043] In step S26, the transmission amount adjustment unit 103 increases the transmission amount of the beamforming control information to be transmitted next. Specifically, the transmission amount adjustment unit 103 can increase the transmission amount of the beamforming control information by, for example, increasing the transmission frequency of the beamforming control information, increasing the amount of information transmitted at one time, or increasing the allocated bandwidth. As a result, when communication between the signal processing device 11 and the wireless communication device 20 is sparse, the signal processing device 11 can increase the communication amount and perform more precise digital beamforming control. When step S26 is completed, one processing cycle of the signal processing device 11 is completed.

[0044] Next, processing executed by the wireless communication device 20 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flowchart of a wireless communication method according to the present disclosure. One processing cycle of the wireless communication device 20 includes steps S31 to S37.

[0045] First, in step S31, the wireless communication device 20 receives from the signal processing device 11 beamforming control information required for digital beamforming control.

[0046] Next, in step S32, the wireless communication device 20 determines whether the transmission time of the beamforming control information falls within a predetermined range by comparing the transmission time with each threshold value. In step S33, the wireless communication device 20 transmits the determination result to the signal processing device 11.

[0047] In step S34, the wireless communication device 20 determines whether the received beamforming control information includes sufficient information for digital beamforming control. If the beamforming control information is insufficient and does not include enough information required for digital beamforming control, the wireless communication device 20 starts step S35. On the other hand, if the beamforming control information includes all the information required for digital beamforming control, the wireless communication device 20 skips step S35 and starts step S36.

[0048] In step S35, the wireless communication device 20 references the beamforming control information storage 202 and supplements the information that is lacking for digital beamforming control. If the information included in the beamforming control information is insufficient for digital beamforming control, the wireless communication device 20 may instead use past beamforming control information stored in the beamforming control information storage 202. Alternatively, the wireless communication device 20 may reference the beamforming control information storage 202 to supplement only the information that is lacking in digital beamforming control. Note that the beamforming control information storage 202 is set to a predetermined initial value until the first update. Also, the beamforming control information storage 202 may be set based on information stored during a previous operation until the first update.

[0049] In step S36, the wireless communication device 20 updates the beamforming control information storage 202 based on the received beamforming control information. The wireless communication device 20 does not update information that is missing in the beamforming information, but updates information that overlaps between the beamforming control information and the beamforming control information storage 202 in the beamforming control information storage 202.

[0050] In step S37, the wireless communication device 20 executes digital beamforming control based on the beamforming control information and the beamforming control information storage 202 referenced in step S35, and communicates with the mobile communication device. When step S37 ends, one processing cycle of the signal processing device 11 ends.

[0051] According to this, the wireless communication system 1 can reduce the amount of beamforming control information transmitted when the signal transmission time increases due to an increase in the amount of information between the signal processing device 10 and the wireless communication device 20. This allows the wireless communication system 1 to suppress an increase in transmission time. Furthermore, the wireless communication system 1 can increase the amount of beamforming control information transmitted when the transmission time decreases due to a decrease in the amount of information between the signal processing device 10 and the wireless communication device 20. This allows the wireless communication system 1 to improve the accuracy of beamforming control.

[0052] Furthermore, the wireless communication device 20 of the wireless communication system 1 can maintain digital beamforming control even if there is a shortage of information due to adjustment of the amount of beamforming control information to be transmitted. Therefore, the wireless communication system 1 can provide a signal processing device, a wireless communication system, a signal processing method, and a program that improve the accuracy of beamforming control while reducing the transmission time of the beamforming control information.

[0053] <Third Embodiment> 6 is a schematic diagram of a mobile communication system 2 according to the present disclosure. The mobile communication system 2 mainly comprises a base station 3 and a mobile station 4, which is a mobile communication device.

[0054] The base station 3 is a communication station that performs wireless communication with the mobile station 4 using digital beamforming control. The base station 3 corresponds to the wireless communication system 1 in the second embodiment. The base station 3 mainly includes a DU (Distributed Unit) 12 that is a signal processing device, a RU (Radio Unit) 21 that is a wireless communication device, and a CU (Central Unit) 30 that is a central control device. Note that, although the base station 3 in FIG. 6 includes one each of the DU 12, RU 21, and CU 30, it may include multiple copies of some of the devices, or multiple copies of all of the devices. The mobile communication system 2 is an example in which a base station system specified by 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) (registered trademark) or O-RAN ALLIANCE (registered trademark) is applied.

[0055] The base station 3 may be configured as a master station including the CU 30 and a slave station including the RU 21. The slave station communicates with the mobile station 4 based on information received from the master station.

[0056] Next, the DU 12 connects to the RU 21 via a fronthaul interface 300. The DU 12 communicates information required for antenna control of the RU 21. The DU 12 corresponds to the signal processing device 11 in the second embodiment, and has beamforming control information 110. Here, the fronthaul interface 300 is a transmission path connecting the DU 12 and the RU 21. The fronthaul interface 300 includes a C-Plane 310, an M-Plane 320, an S-Plane 330, and a U-Plane 340.

[0057] C-Plane 310 is an abbreviation for Control Plane. C-Plane 310 refers to a transmission path for sending and receiving control information between connected elements and for performing settings, monitoring, and transmitting instructions. C-Plane 310 handles the transmission of beamforming control information held by DU12.

[0058] M-Plane 320 is an abbreviation for Management Plane, and is also called the management plane 320. M-Plane 320 is a transmission path that handles communications and equipment maintenance and monitoring signals. M-Plane 320 handles the transmission of the determination results of the transmission time by RU 21.

[0059] S-Plane330 is an abbreviation for Synchronization Plane. S-Plane330 handles communications related to PTP (Precision Time Protocol) and SyncE (Synchronous Ethernet), which are necessary to achieve high synchronization accuracy between connected devices.

[0060] The U-Plane 340 is an abbreviation for User Plane. The U-Plane 340 is a transmission path that handles data of content itself, such as website requests by network users at the mobile station 4, voice data during calls, and content information.

[0061] The RU 21 is a wireless communication device that controls an antenna that performs wireless communication with the mobile station 4, and corresponds to the wireless communication device 20 in the second embodiment. The RU 21 is connected to the DU via the fronthaul interface 300. The RU 21 receives control information and response information responding to a request from the mobile station 4 from the DU 12, and transmits the response information to the mobile station 4. The RU 21 also monitors the status of information reception from the DU 12 and stores it as receive window monitoring information 210. The RU 21 also transmits the receive window monitoring information to the DU 12. The DU 12 may be installed in the slave station where the RU 21 is installed.

[0062] The CU 30 is a processing device that controls the DU 12 and the RU 21, connects to the core network, encrypts packets, manages wireless communication resources, etc. The DU 12 may be installed in the master station where the CU 30 is installed.

[0063] If the base station 3 includes a plurality of DUs 12, RUs 21, and CUs 30, and the DUs 12 are installed in a master station where the CUs 30 are installed, a method called Open RAN (Radio Access Network) can be adopted. Open RAN is a network architecture that enables the master station where the DUs 12 and CUs 30 are installed and the slave stations where the RUs 21 are installed to be connected to each other between different administrators.

[0064] By adopting Open RAN, mobile operators can operate their networks more efficiently and adopt new vendors without being dependent on existing network vendors. However, Open RAN increases the complexity of network configuration, which can lead to increased traffic on the fronthaul interface and more frequent network congestion.

[0065] The mobile station 4 is a communication station that connects to the base station 3 via wireless communication. The mobile station 4 is also called a mobile communication device. The mobile station 4 can physically move. As the mobile station 4 moves, the communication environment changes, including the distance between the mobile station 4 and the base station 3, the presence or absence of obstacles, and the presence or absence of radio wave interference.

[0066] Here, the relationship between the base station 3 and the mobile station 4 is, for example, the relationship between a digital device and a wireless LAN router, the relationship between a portable terminal and a mobile communication base station, or the relationship between a mobile communication device such as a car and a communication base station. Note that multiple mobile stations 4 may be communicating with the base station 3.

[0067] The information flow of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to Figures 7 to 9. Figures 7 to 9 are flow diagrams of the mobile communication system 2 according to the present disclosure. The information flow of the mobile communication system 2 includes steps S401 to S412.

[0068] First, as shown in Fig. 7, in step S401, the DU 12 and the RU 21 establish wireless communication using digital beamforming with the mobile station 4. Here, the DU 12 transmits beamforming control information 110 to the RU 21. Based on the beamforming control information 110 received from the DU 12, the RU 21 controls the antenna and performs communication using digital beamforming. The RU 21 also calculates the transmission time of the beamforming control information 110 and determines whether it is within a predetermined range.

[0069] More specifically, the determination result is one of three states: On Time, Too Early, or Too Late, and is stored as reception window monitoring information 210. Note that step S401 continues as a loop process in the background while communication between the base station 3 and the mobile station 4 continues.

[0070] Next, in step S402, the RU 21 transmits the receive window monitoring information 210 to the DU 12 via the M-Plane 320. If the message from the DU 12 is received at a timing that fits within the receive window of the RU 21, the receive window monitoring information 210 indicates On Time.

[0071] On the other hand, if the message transmission time is lower than the lower limit of the receive window, the receive window monitoring information 210 indicates that the timing is too early and marks it as "Too Early."If the message transmission time is higher than the upper limit of the receive window, the receive window monitoring information 210 indicates that the timing is too late and marks it as "Too Late."

[0072] In step S403, the DU 12 acquires the reception window monitoring information 210 from the RU 21 as a determination result of the transmission time in the fronthaul interface 300.

[0073] In step S404, the DU 12 determines whether the receive window monitoring information 210 indicates Too Late. If it indicates Too Late, the DU 12 executes step S405. If not, the DU 12 executes step S407.

[0074] In step S405, the DU 12 performs control to reduce the amount of information and the notification frequency of the beamforming control information 110. Specifically, for example, the DU 12 sets disableBFWs (disable beamforming weights) to "beamforming weights excluded" in a C-plane message for a certain mobile station 4. With this setting, the DU 12 does not add the beamforming control information 110 to the C-plane message, and can reduce the amount of transmission. This makes it possible to resolve the congestion state when the fronthaul interface 300 or the DU 12 is congested and transmission time is delayed.

[0075] If the reception window monitoring information 210 continues to indicate "Too Late," the DU 12 may additionally perform control to reduce the amount of information or the notification frequency of the beamforming control information 110. This can be achieved, for example, by setting "disableBFWs" to "beamforming weights excluded" in a C-plane message for the mobile station 4 that is different from the above-mentioned one.

[0076] In step S406, the DU 12 maintains the transmission amount of the beamforming control information 110 adjusted in step S405, and does not make any further adjustments for a certain period of time, after which the process proceeds to step S402.

[0077] 8, in step S407, the DU 12 determines whether the receive window monitoring information 210 indicates "Too Early." If it indicates "Too Early," the DU 12 executes step S408. If not, the DU 12 executes step S410.

[0078] In step S408, the DU 12 performs control to increase the data amount and notification frequency of the beamforming control information 110. Specifically, for example, in a C-plane message for a certain mobile station, disableBFWs is set to "beamforming weights included in Section Extension." With this setting, the DU 12 adds the beamforming control information 110 to a message of the C-Plane 310, increasing the data amount, and thereby notifies the DU 12 of the updated beamforming control information 110 to the RU 21. As a result, when there is a capacity available in the fronthaul interface 300 or the DU 12, the amount of transmission of the beamforming control information 110 can be increased, thereby achieving more precise beamforming control.

[0079] If the reception window monitoring information 210 continues to indicate "Too Early," the DU 12 may additionally perform control to increase the amount of information or the notification frequency of the beamforming control information 110. This can be achieved, for example, by setting "disableBFWs" to "beamforming weights included in Section Extension" in a C-plane message for the mobile station 4 that is different from the above-mentioned one.

[0080] In step S409, the DU 12 maintains the transmission amount of the beamforming control information 110 adjusted in step S408, and does not make any further adjustments for a certain period of time. Then, the process proceeds to step S402.

[0081] 9, in step S410, the DU 12 determines whether the state in which the receive window monitoring information 210 indicates "On Time" has continued for a specified number of times. If so, the DU 12 executes step S411. If not, the DU 12 executes step S412.

[0082] In step S411, the DU 12 performs control to increase the data amount and notification frequency of the beamforming control information 110. The specific procedure is the same as the procedure explained in step S408. As a result, when there is a margin in the fronthaul interface 300 or the DU 12, the amount of transmission of the beamforming control information 110 can be increased, thereby realizing more precise beamforming control.

[0083] In step S412, the DU 12 maintains the transmission amount of the beamforming control information 110 and does not perform any further adjustment for a certain period of time. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S402. Note that, if step S411 has been performed, the transmission amount of the beamforming control information 110 maintained here is the transmission amount after adjustment in step S411. Otherwise, the transmission amount of the beamforming control information 110 is maintained without being adjusted.

[0084] As described above, by performing the loop processing of step S401 and steps S402 to S412, the base station 3 can reduce the transmission time of the beamforming control information 110 and improve the accuracy of beamforming control.

[0085] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. For example, the present disclosure can be similarly realized in mobile communication systems or wireless communication systems defined by standards other than 3GPP (registered trademark) or O-RAN ALLIANCE (registered trademark).

[0086] <Example of hardware configuration> Hereinafter, an example will be described in which each functional configuration of an information processing device according to the present disclosure is realized by a combination of hardware and software.

[0087] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a computer. The information processing device of the present disclosure can realize the above-described functions by a computer 500 including the hardware configuration shown in the figure. The computer 500 may be a portable computer such as a smartphone or tablet terminal, or a stationary computer such as a PC. The computer 500 may be a dedicated computer designed to realize each device, or may be a general-purpose computer. The computer 500 can realize desired functions by installing a predetermined application.

[0088] The computer 500 has a bus 502, a processor 504, a memory 506, a storage device 508, an input / output interface (I / F) 510, and a network interface (I / F) 512. The bus 502 is a data transmission path through which the processor 504, the memory 506, the storage device 508, the input / output interface 510, and the network interface 512 transmit and receive data to and from each other. However, the method of connecting the processor 504 and other components to each other is not limited to a bus connection.

[0089] The processor 504 is one of various processors such as a CPU, a GPU, an FPGA, etc. The memory 506 is a main storage device realized using a RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like.

[0090] The storage device 508 is an auxiliary storage device realized using a hard disk, an SSD, a memory card, a ROM (Read Only Memory), or the like. The storage device 508 stores programs for realizing desired functions. The processor 504 reads the programs into the memory 506 and executes them to realize the respective functional components of each device.

[0091] The input / output interface 510 is an interface for connecting the computer 500 to an input / output device. For example, an input device such as a keyboard and an output device such as a display device are connected to the input / output interface 510. The network interface 512 is an interface for connecting the computer 500 to a network.

[0092] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present disclosure within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, each embodiment can be combined with other embodiments as appropriate.

[0093] Each drawing is merely an example for describing one or more embodiments. Each drawing may relate not only to one particular embodiment, but also to one or more other embodiments. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, various features or steps described with reference to any one drawing can be combined with features or steps shown in one or more other drawings to create, for example, an embodiment not explicitly shown or described. Not all features or steps shown in any one drawing are necessary to describe an exemplary embodiment, and some features or steps may be omitted. The order of steps described in any drawing may be changed as appropriate.

[0094] A part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but not limited to, the following supplementary notes.

[0095] (Appendix 1) a transmitter that transmits beamforming control information to a wireless communication device that wirelessly communicates with a mobile communication device using digital beamforming control; an acquisition unit that acquires, from the wireless communication device, information regarding a transmission time required from when the beamforming control information is transmitted until when the wireless communication device receives the beamforming control information; a transmission amount adjustment unit that adjusts a transmission amount of the beamforming control information based on the transmission time; A signal processing device comprising: (Appendix 2) the acquisition unit acquires, from the wireless communication device, a determination result of whether the transmission time is greater than a first threshold value in the wireless communication device; The signal processing device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission amount adjustment unit reduces the transmission amount of the beamforming control information when the determination result indicates that the transmission time is greater than a first threshold value. (Supplementary Note 3) The acquisition unit acquires, from the wireless communication device, a determination result of whether the transmission time is shorter than a second threshold value in the wireless communication device; the transmission amount adjustment unit increases the transmission amount of the beamforming control information when the transmission time is shorter than a second threshold; 3. The signal processing device according to claim 2, wherein the second threshold is smaller than the first threshold. (Appendix 4) The signal processing device described in Appendix 3, wherein the transmission amount adjustment unit increases the transmission amount of the beamforming control information when the acquisition unit acquires the determination result that the transmission time is less than the first threshold and greater than the second threshold a predetermined number of times consecutively from the wireless communication device. (Appendix 5) The signal processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the transmission amount adjustment unit adjusts the transmission amount of the beamforming control information by changing the transmission frequency of the beamforming control information or the amount of information of the beamforming control information transmitted at one time. (Appendix 6) The signal processing device according to claim 5, wherein the transmission amount adjustment unit adjusts the transmission amount of the beamforming control information by changing a bandwidth allocated to the beamforming control information. (Appendix 7) The signal processing device according to any one of Supplementary notes 1 to 4, wherein the transmission amount adjustment unit adjusts the transmission amount of the beamforming control information based on communication conditions of the wireless communication device and the mobile communication device. (Appendix 8) A wireless communication system comprising: a wireless communication device that performs wireless communication with a mobile communication device using digital beamforming control; and the signal processing device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 4. (Appendix 9) The wireless communication device storing first beamforming control information received from the signal processing device; A wireless communication system as described in Supplementary Note 8, wherein if the second beamforming control information received from the signal processing device is insufficient, the stored first beamforming control information is referenced. (Appendix 10) Transmitting beamforming control information to a wireless communication device that wirelessly communicates with the mobile communication device using digital beamforming control; acquiring, from the wireless communication device, information regarding a transmission time required from when the beamforming control information is transmitted until when the wireless communication device receives the beamforming control information; adjusting the transmission amount of the beamforming control information based on the transmission time; Signal processing methods. (Appendix 11) Transmitting beamforming control information to a wireless communication device that wirelessly communicates with the mobile communication device using digital beamforming control; acquiring, from the wireless communication device, information regarding a transmission time required from transmitting the beamforming control information until the wireless communication device receives the beamforming control information; Adjusting the transmission amount of the beamforming control information based on the transmission time A program that makes a computer do something.

[0096] Some or all of the elements (e.g., configurations and functions) described in Supplementary Notes 2 to 7 that are dependent on Supplementary Notes 1 may also be dependent on Supplementary Notes 8 to 11 in the same dependency relationship as Supplementary Notes 2 to 7. Some or all of the elements described in any Supplementary Note may be applied to various hardware, software, recording means for recording software, systems, and methods. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] 1. Wireless communication systems 2. Mobile communication systems 2. Mobile communication systems 3 base station 4 Mobile Station 10, 11 Signal processing device 12 DU 20 Wireless communication equipment 21RU 30 CU 101 Transmitter 102 Acquisition Department 103 Transmission volume adjustment unit 110 Beamforming control information 201 Storage section 202 Beamforming control information storage 210 Receive Window Monitoring Information 300 Fronthaul Interface 310 C-Plane 320 M-Plane 330 S-Plane 340 U-Plane 500 computers 502 Bus 504 processor 506 memory 508 Storage Devices 510 Input / Output Interface 512 network interface

Claims

1. a transmitter that transmits beamforming control information to a wireless communication device that wirelessly communicates with a mobile communication device using digital beamforming control; an acquisition unit that acquires, from the wireless communication device, information regarding a transmission time required from when the beamforming control information is transmitted until when the wireless communication device receives the beamforming control information; a transmission amount adjustment unit that adjusts a transmission amount of the beamforming control information based on the transmission time; A signal processing device comprising:

2. the acquisition unit acquires, from the wireless communication device, a determination result of whether the transmission time is greater than a first threshold value in the wireless communication device; The signal processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the transmission amount adjuster reduces the transmission amount of the beamforming control information when the determination result indicates that the transmission time is greater than a first threshold value.

3. the acquisition unit acquires, from the wireless communication device, a determination result of whether the transmission time is shorter than a second threshold value in the wireless communication device; the transmission amount adjustment unit increases the transmission amount of the beamforming control information when the transmission time is shorter than a second threshold; The signal processing device according to claim 2 , wherein the second threshold value is smaller than the first threshold value.

4. The signal processing device according to claim 3, wherein the transmission amount adjustment unit increases the transmission amount of the beamforming control information when the acquisition unit acquires the determination result that the transmission time is less than the first threshold and greater than the second threshold a predetermined number of times consecutively from the wireless communication device.

5. The signal processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the transmission amount adjustment unit adjusts the transmission amount of the beamforming control information by changing the transmission frequency of the beamforming control information or the amount of information of the beamforming control information transmitted at one time.

6. The signal processing device according to claim 5 , wherein the transmission amount adjustment unit adjusts the transmission amount of the beamforming control information by changing a bandwidth allocated to the beamforming control information.

7. The signal processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the transmission rate adjustment unit adjusts the transmission rate of the beamforming control information based on communication conditions of the wireless communication device and the mobile communication device.

8. A wireless communication system comprising: a wireless communication device that performs wireless communication with a mobile communication device using digital beamforming control; and the signal processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

9. Transmitting beamforming control information to a wireless communication device that wirelessly communicates with the mobile communication device using digital beamforming control; acquiring, from the wireless communication device, information regarding a transmission time required from when the beamforming control information is transmitted until when the wireless communication device receives the beamforming control information; adjusting the transmission amount of the beamforming control information based on the transmission time; Signal processing methods.

10. Transmitting beamforming control information to a wireless communication device that wirelessly communicates with the mobile communication device using digital beamforming control; acquiring, from the wireless communication device, information regarding a transmission time required from transmitting the beamforming control information until the wireless communication device receives the beamforming control information; Adjusting the transmission amount of the beamforming control information based on the transmission time A program that makes a computer do something.

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