DATA PROCESSING APPARATUS, DATA PROCESSING METHOD, AND DATA PROCESSING PROGRAM

Abstract

A data processing device (10) according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a signal processing unit (101) and a control unit (106). The signal processing unit (101) is configured to be able to receive data sent wirelessly from a terminal device (30). The control unit (106) executes a first operation under constraint conditions pertaining to wireless communication from the terminal device (30). The first operation includes determining a transmission control parameter utilized in wireless communication from the terminal device, and if the determined transmission control parameter differs from the transmission control parameter prior to the determination, repeatedly utilizing the determined transmission control parameter to re-determine the transmission control parameter. The control unit (106) is configured to be able to apply the transmission control parameter obtained via the first operation to the terminal device (30).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The embodiments relate to a data processing device, a data processing method, and a data processing program. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art A wireless LAN (Local Area Network) is known as an information communication system that wirelessly connects a base station and terminals. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] ARIB STD-T108 1.3 edition, "920MHz band radio equipment standard for telemeter, telecontrol and data transmission 3.4 Control equipment", April 12, 2019 [Non-Patent Document 2] IEEE Std 802.11ah TM-2016 (IEEE Standard for Information technology - Telecommunications and information exchange between systems Local and metropolitan area networks - Specific requirements, Part 11: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications, Amendment 2: Sub 1 GHz License Exempt Operation, IEEE Computer Society, 7 December 2016 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The challenge is to achieve stable wireless communication in a wireless communication system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A data processing device according to an embodiment includes a signal processing unit and a control unit. The signal processing unit is configured to be able to receive data wirelessly transmitted from a terminal device. The control unit executes a first operation under a constraint condition related to wireless communication of the terminal device. The first operation includes determining a transmission control parameter to be used in wireless communication of the terminal device, and, when the determined transmission control parameter differs from a transmission control parameter before the determination, repeatedly determining the transmission control parameter again using the determined transmission control parameter. The control unit is configured to be able to apply the transmission control parameter obtained by the first operation to the terminal device. Effect of the Invention

[0006] The data processing device according to the embodiment can realize stable wireless communication in a wireless communication system. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of an overall configuration of a wireless communication system according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of frequency bands used for wireless communication in the wireless communication system according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a data processing device included in the wireless communication system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a base station included in the wireless communication system according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a terminal device included in the wireless communication system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6]FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a data processing device included in the wireless communication system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a base station included in the wireless communication system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a terminal device included in the wireless communication system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a communication management operation in the wireless communication system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a time chart showing an example of a communication management operation in the wireless communication system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a parameter calculation operation in the data processing device included in the wireless communication system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a parameter calculation operation in the comparative example. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of an overall configuration of a wireless communication system according to a modification of the first embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a wireless communication system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a satellite base station included in the wireless communication system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a satellite base station included in the wireless communication system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a time chart showing an example of a communication management operation in the wireless communication system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing an example of a parameter calculation operation in the data processing device included in the wireless communication system according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Each embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Each embodiment illustrates an apparatus or method for embodying the technical idea of ​​the invention. The drawings are schematic or conceptual. The dimensions and ratios of each drawing are not necessarily the same as those in reality. The technical idea of ​​the present invention is not specified by the shape, structure, arrangement, etc. of the components. In the following description, the same reference numerals are used to refer to components having substantially the same functions and configurations. Letters following the numbers constituting the reference numerals are used to distinguish between elements that are referred to by the reference numerals containing the same numbers and have similar configurations. When it is not necessary to distinguish between elements indicated by reference numerals containing the same numbers, these elements are referred to by reference numerals containing only the numbers.

[0009] <1> First embodiment The wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described below.

[0010] <1-1> Configuration <1-1-1> Overall configuration of wireless communication system 1 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of an overall configuration of a wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG 1, the wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment includes a data processing device 10, a base station 20, and a terminal apparatus 30.

[0011] The data processing device 10 is a computer that is configured to be connectable to the network NW. The data processing device 10 can control devices that belong to the wireless communication system 1. A base station 20 and at least one terminal device 30 that is wirelessly connected to the base station 20 belong to the data processing device 10. The data processing device 10 stores, for example, data transferred from the terminal device 30 via the base station 20. In addition, when the data processing device 10 knows the terminal device 30 that belongs to the wireless communication system 1, it can collect information from the terminal device 30 and control the terminal device 30. The communication between the data processing device 10 and the base station 20 may be wireless or a combination of wireless and wired.

[0012] The base station 20 is a wireless LAN access point or a wireless LAN router configured to be connectable to the network NW. The base station 20 can transmit and receive data to and from the data processing device 10 via the network NW. The base station 20 is also configured to be able to wirelessly communicate with one or more terminal devices TA using one type of frequency band or multiple types of frequency bands. The base station 20 may be wirelessly connected to a wireless repeater (in other words, a wireless range extender, relay station, repeater), or may be wirelessly connected to both the terminal device 30 and the wireless repeater.

[0013] The terminal device 30 is a computer configured to be able to communicate wirelessly with the base station 20. For example, the terminal device 30 is an IoT (Internet of Things) device capable of acquiring information about the surroundings of the terminal device 30. Examples of IoT devices include a surveillance camera, a sensor device, and a remote management device. Such a terminal device 30 has a function of transferring acquired information (data) to the data processing device 10 via the base station 20. In this example, three terminal devices 30A, 30B, and 30C are wirelessly connected to the base station 20.

[0014] The wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment may have other configurations. For example, the number of terminal devices 30 belonging to the wireless communication system 1 may be designed to be any number within the range of the performance of each of the data processing device 10 and the base station 20. Furthermore, the base station 20 may have the function of the data processing device 10. When the base station 20 has the function of the data processing device 10, the data processing device 10 may be omitted from the wireless communication system 1.

[0015] (Frequency band used by wireless communication system 1) Fig. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of frequency bands that can be used for wireless communication in the wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2, wireless communication between the base station 20 and the terminal device 30 can use radio waves in any of the frequency bands of 920 MHz, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz. Each frequency band includes multiple channels. Specifically, each of the 920 MHz, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands includes three channels CH1, CH2, and CH3.

[0016] Note that, for wireless communication between the base station 20 and the terminal device 30, frequency bands other than the 920 MHz band, the 2.4 GHz band, the 5 GHz band, and the 6 GHz band may be used. At least one channel CH may be assigned to each frequency band. For wireless communication between the base station 20 and the terminal device 30, one type of frequency band may be used, or multiple types of frequency bands may be used. When multiple terminal devices 30 are wirelessly connected to the base station 20, channels CH of different frequency bands may be used.

[0017] <1-1-2> Hardware configuration of wireless communication system 1 An example of the hardware configuration of each of the data processing device 10, the base station 20, and the terminal device 30 in the wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described below in order.

[0018] (Hardware configuration of data processing device 10) Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a data processing device 10 included in the wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the data processing device 10 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a timer 14, a storage 15, an input interface (IF) 16, and a wired communication module 17.

[0019] The CPU 11 is an integrated circuit capable of executing various programs and controls the overall operation of the data processing device 10.

[0020] The ROM 12 is a non-volatile semiconductor memory that stores programs for controlling the data processing device 10, control data, and the like.

[0021] The RAM 13 is, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory, and is used as a working area for the CPU 11.

[0022] The timer 14 is a clock used for time management, and is used, for example, as a trigger for executing a communication management operation, which will be described later.

[0023] The storage 15 is a non-volatile storage device that stores, for example, system software of the data processing device 10, data acquired via the network NW, and the like.

[0024] The input interface 16 is an input device such as a keyboard that is used to input information to software executed by the data processing device 10.

[0025] The wired communication module 17 is a circuit used for transmitting and receiving data by wired signals. The wired communication module 17 is configured to be connectable to a network NW.

[0026] The data processing device 10 may have other hardware configurations. For example, the input interface 16 may be externally connected to the data processing device 10. When the input interface 16 is externally connected, the input interface 16 may be connected to the data processing device 10 by wire or wirelessly. When the data processing device 10 is wirelessly connected to the network NW, the wired communication module 17 may be omitted from the data processing device 10.

[0027] (Hardware configuration of base station 20) 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the base station 20 included in the wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the base station 20 includes, for example, a CPU 21, a ROM 22, a RAM 23, a wireless communication module 24, and a wired communication module 25.

[0028] The CPU 21 is an integrated circuit capable of executing various programs and controls the overall operation of the base station 20.

[0029] The ROM 22 is a non-volatile semiconductor memory that stores programs for controlling the base station 20, control data, and the like.

[0030] The RAM 23 is, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory, and is used as a working area for the CPU 21.

[0031] The wireless communication module 24 is a circuit used for transmitting and receiving data by wireless signals. The wireless communication module 24 is configured to be connectable to an antenna, and may include a plurality of communication modules each corresponding to a plurality of frequency bands.

[0032] The wired communication module 25 is a circuit used for transmitting and receiving data by wired signals. The wired communication module 25 is configured to be connectable to the network NW.

[0033] The base station 20 may have other hardware configurations. For example, when the base station 20 is wirelessly connected to the network NW, the wired communication module 25 may be omitted from the base station 20.

[0034] (Hardware configuration of terminal device 30) Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the terminal device 30 included in the wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 5, the terminal device 30 includes, for example, a CPU 31, a ROM 32, a RAM 33, a storage 34, a GPS (Global Positioning System) module 35, and a wireless communication module 36.

[0035] The CPU 31 is an integrated circuit capable of executing various programs and controls the overall operation of the terminal device 30.

[0036] The ROM 32 is a non-volatile semiconductor memory that stores programs for controlling the terminal device 30, control data, and the like.

[0037] The RAM 33 is, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory, and is used as a working area for the CPU 31.

[0038] The storage 34 is a non-volatile storage device that stores, for example, system software of the terminal device 30, data acquired by the terminal device 30, and the like.

[0039] The GPS module 35 is a circuit capable of receiving radio waves from GPS satellites and acquiring location data of the terminal device 30 .

[0040] The wireless communication module 36 is a circuit used for transmitting and receiving data by wireless signals. The wireless communication module 36 is configured to be connectable to an antenna, and may include a plurality of communication modules each corresponding to a plurality of frequency bands.

[0041] It should be noted that the terminal device 30 may have other hardware configurations. For example, when the wireless communication system 1 does not use the location information of the terminal device 30, the GPS module 35 may be omitted from the terminal device 30.

[0042] <1-1-3> Functional configuration of wireless communication system 1 An example of the functional configuration of each of the data processing device 10, the base station 20, and the terminal device 30 in the wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described below in order.

[0043] (Functional configuration of data processing device 10) 6 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the data processing device 10 included in the wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the data processing device 10, for example, The device includes a wired signal processing unit 101, a data processing unit 102, a filtering unit 103, a storage unit 104, an operation software execution unit 105, a control unit 106, a calculation unit 107, and a command library 108.

[0044] The wired signal processing unit 101 handles data communication via the network NW based on TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol). The wired signal processing unit 101 inputs frames received from the base station 20 via the network NW to the data processing unit 102. The wired signal processing unit 101 transmits the frames input from the data processing unit 102 to the base station 20 via the network NW.

[0045] The data processing unit 102 extracts data from the frame input from the wired signal processing unit 101, and inputs the extracted data to the filtering unit 103. The data processing unit 102 also generates a frame using data input from the command library 108, and inputs the generated frame to the wired signal processing unit 101. The data processing unit 102 can utilize remote login (SSH (Secure SHell), etc.).

[0046] The filtering unit 103 classifies the data input from the data processing unit 102 and inputs the classified data to the storage unit 104 .

[0047] The storage unit 104 stores information related to communication of devices belonging to the wireless communication system 1. Specifically, the storage unit 104 may store transmission constraint information 110, device management information 111, and communication quality information 112. The transmission constraint information 110 includes constraint conditions related to transmission (wireless communication) between devices belonging to the wireless communication system 1. The constraint conditions are set based on, for example, laws. The device management information 111 includes information on devices belonging to the data processing device 10 and transmission control parameters of at least one device belonging to the wireless communication system 1. The transmission control parameters may include multiple types of control parameters applied to wireless communication using a wireless communication module. For example, control parameters included in the transmission control parameters include MCS (Moderation and Coding Scheme), a channel used, a frame length, a transmission frequency, a transmission rate, and the like. The communication quality information 112 is data input from the filtering unit 103, and includes information related to the quality of a link established between devices belonging to the wireless communication system 1. The communication quality information 112 may include information on the communication quality of at least one device belonging to the wireless communication system 1.

[0048] The operation software execution unit 105 updates each of the transmission constraint information 110 and the device management information 111 stored in the storage unit 104 in response to an operation of the input interface 16. It is preferable that each of the transmission constraint information 110 and the device management information 111 is input before a communication management operation, which will be described later, is executed. In addition, the operation software execution unit 105 can instruct the control unit 106 to execute a communication management operation.

[0049] The control unit 106 is capable of controlling the storage unit 104, the operation software execution unit 105, the calculation unit 107, and the command library 108. The control unit 106 executes a communication management operation, which will be described later.

[0050] The calculation unit 107 executes calculation processing using each piece of information stored in the storage unit 104 under the control of the control unit 106. This calculation processing relates to determining parameters for improving the quality of links between devices belonging to the wireless communication system 1. The details of the calculation processing will be described later.

[0051] The command library 108 stores commands related to the control of devices belonging to the wireless communication system 1. For example, the command library 108 includes a command for instructing the execution of an information collection operation described below and a command for instructing the execution of a setting change operation described below. The command library 108 inputs, to the data processing unit 102, data including a command selected under the control of the control unit 106 and transmission control parameters applied to the device to which data is to be transmitted.

[0052] In the data processing device 10, the processing of each of the wired signal processing unit 101 and the data processing unit 102 is realized by the wired communication module 17, etc. The processing of the filtering unit 103 is realized by the CPU 11, RAM 13, etc. The processing of the memory unit 104 is realized by the RAM 13, storage 15, etc. The processing of each of the operation software execution unit 105, the control unit 106, the calculation unit 107, and the command library 108 is realized by the CPU 11, ROM 12, RAM 13, etc. The functional configuration of the data processing device 10 is not limited to this, and may be classified in other ways.

[0053] (Functional configuration of base station 20) Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the base station 20 included in the wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 7, the base station 20 includes, for example, a wired signal processing unit 201, a data processing unit 202, an application execution unit 203, a wireless LAN control unit 204, and a wireless signal processing unit 205.

[0054] The wired signal processing unit 201 handles data communication via the network NW based on TCP / IP. The wired signal processing unit 201 inputs a frame received from the data processing device 10 via the network NW to the data processing unit 202. The wired signal processing unit 201 transmits the frame input from the data processing unit 202 to the data processing device 10 via the network NW.

[0055] The data processing unit 202 extracts data from a frame input from the wired signal processing unit 201 or a wireless frame input from the wireless signal processing unit 205, and inputs the extracted data to the application execution unit 203. The data processing unit 202 also generates a frame or a wireless frame according to the destination of the data, using the data input from the application execution unit 203. The data processing unit 202 then inputs the generated frame to the wired signal processing unit 201, and inputs the generated wireless frame to the wireless signal processing unit 205. The data processing unit 202 can use SSH.

[0056] The application execution unit 203 executes an application capable of using data input from the data processing unit 202. Then, the application execution unit 203 inputs data to the data processing unit 202 and acquires data from the data processing unit 202 in accordance with the operation of the application. Also, the application execution unit 203 can control the wireless LAN control unit 204 and change the transmission control parameters of the wireless LAN control unit 204 in accordance with commands and transmission control parameters transferred from the data processing device 10.

[0057] The wireless LAN control unit 204 can control the wireless signal processing unit 205 and manages the settings of wireless communication by the wireless signal processing unit 205. The wireless LAN control unit 204 can execute a quality measurement operation, which will be described later, based on an instruction from the application execution unit 203. Furthermore, the wireless LAN control unit 204 can change transmission control parameters related to wireless communication of the base station 20 in response to an instruction from the application execution unit 203.

[0058] The wireless signal processing unit 205 handles data communication using wireless signals based on TCP / IP. The wireless signal processing unit 205 converts a wireless signal received via the antenna of the base station 20 into a wireless frame, and inputs the converted wireless frame to the data processing unit 202. The wireless signal processing unit 205 converts the wireless frame input from the data processing unit 202 into a wireless signal, and distributes the converted wireless signal via the antenna of the base station 20.

[0059] In the base station 20, the processing of the wired signal processing unit 201 is realized by the wired communication module 25 etc. The processing of the data processing unit 202 is realized by the wireless communication module 24 and the wired communication module 25 etc. The processing of the application execution unit 203 and the wireless LAN control unit 204 is realized by the CPU 21 and the RAM 23 etc. The processing of the wireless signal processing unit 205 is realized by the wireless communication module 24 etc. The functional configuration of the base station 20 is not limited to this, and may be classified in other ways.

[0060] (Functional configuration of terminal device 30) Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the terminal device 30 included in the wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 8, the terminal device 30 includes, for example, a wireless signal processing unit 301, a data processing unit 302, an application execution unit 303, and a wireless LAN control unit 304.

[0061] The wireless signal processing unit 301 handles data communication using wireless signals based on TCP / IP. The wireless signal processing unit 301 converts a wireless signal received via the antenna of the terminal device 30 into a wireless frame, and inputs the converted wireless frame to the data processing unit 302. The wireless signal processing unit 301 converts the wireless frame input from the data processing unit 302 into a wireless signal, and distributes the converted wireless signal via the antenna of the terminal device 30.

[0062] The data processing unit 302 extracts data from the wireless frame input from the wireless signal processing unit 301, and inputs the extracted data to the application execution unit 303. The data processing unit 302 also generates a wireless frame using the data input from the application execution unit 303, and inputs the generated wireless frame to the wireless signal processing unit 301. The data processing unit 302 can use SSH.

[0063] The application execution unit 303 executes an application capable of using data input from the data processing unit 302. Then, the application execution unit 303 inputs data to the data processing unit 302 and acquires data from the data processing unit 302 in accordance with the operation of the application. Furthermore, the application execution unit 303 can control the wireless LAN control unit 304 and change the transmission control parameters of the wireless LAN control unit 304 in accordance with commands and transmission control parameters transferred from the data processing device 10.

[0064] The wireless LAN control unit 304 can control the wireless signal processing unit 301 and manages the settings of wireless communication by the wireless signal processing unit 301. The wireless LAN control unit 304 can execute a quality measurement operation described later based on an instruction from the application execution unit 303. Furthermore, the wireless LAN control unit 304 can change transmission control parameters related to wireless communication of the terminal device 30 in response to an instruction from the application execution unit 303.

[0065] In the terminal device 30, the processing of the wireless signal processing unit 301 and the data processing unit 302 is realized by the wireless communication module 36, etc. The processing of the application execution unit 303 and the wireless LAN control unit 304 is realized by the CPU 31, the RAM 33, etc. The functional configuration of the base station 20 is not limited to this, and may be classified in other ways.

[0066] <1-2> Operation The operation of the wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described below.

[0067] In the wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment, constraint conditions are set for communication between the associated base station 20 and the terminal device 30. Then, the wireless communication system 1 executes a communication management operation for optimizing transmission control parameters in a basic service set (BSS) based on the constraint conditions and communication quality information acquired from the terminal device 30.

[0068] <1-2-1> Overview of communication management operations 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a communication management operation in the wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment. Below, an overview of the communication management operation in the wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0069] The data processing device 10 starts (starts) a communication management operation based on a user operation (external input) or a preset schedule. For example, a trigger for starting a communication management operation in response to an external input is generated by the operation software execution unit 105. A trigger for starting a communication management operation in response to a preset schedule is generated based on the time of the timer 14 referenced by the control unit 106.

[0070] When the communication management operation is started, the data processing device 10 executes an information collection operation (step S100). The information collection operation is an operation in which the data processing device 10 acquires information on communication quality from at least one terminal device 30 belonging to the wireless communication system 1. In the information collection operation, the terminal device 30 measures information (data) on communication quality and transfers the data to the data processing device 10 via the base station 20. Hereinafter, the information on communication quality acquired by the information collection operation is referred to as "communication quality information QI."

[0071] When the information collection operation is completed, the data processing device 10 executes a parameter calculation operation (step S200). The parameter calculation operation is an operation for calculating (calculating) transmission control parameters preferable for wireless communication between the base station 20 and the terminal device 30 using the communication quality information QI acquired by the information collection operation and preset constraint conditions, etc. The parameter calculation operation will be described in detail later.

[0072] When the parameter calculation operation is completed, the data processing device 10 checks whether there is a difference between the transmission control parameters before the communication management operation is executed and the transmission control parameters determined by the parameter calculation operation (step S300). That is, the data processing device 10 checks whether there is a change in the transmission control parameters of the terminal device 30 in the wireless communication system 1.

[0073] If there is a change in the parameters (step S300, YES), the data processing device 10 executes a parameter change operation (step S400). The parameter change operation is an operation of applying the transmission control parameters determined by the parameter calculation operation to the transmission control parameters of each terminal device 30 in the wireless communication system 1. When the parameter change operation is completed, the data processing device 10 ends the communication management operation (end).

[0074] If there is no change in the parameters (step S300, NO), the data processing device 10 ends the communication management operation (END) without changing the transmission control parameters.

[0075] The information collection operation and the parameter calculation operation may be performed based on different schedules. For example, the data processing device 10 may periodically perform the information collection operation and perform the parameter calculation operation based on a user's operation or the like. In the first embodiment, it is sufficient that the data processing device 10 performs the parameter calculation operation using the communication quality information QI of at least one terminal device 30 and performs the parameter change operation as necessary.

[0076] <1-2-2> Specific examples of communication management operations 10 is a time chart showing an example of a communication management operation in the wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment. A specific example of the communication management operation in the wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0077] When starting the communication management operation, the data processing device 10 transmits an information collection command CC addressed to the terminal device 30 to the base station 20 (step S101). Specifically, the control unit 106 of the data processing device 10 selects a command (information collection command CC) for collecting communication quality information required for a parameter calculation operation described later from the command library 108, based on the information (device management information 111) of the base station 20 and the terminal device 30 stored in the storage unit 104. Then, the data processing unit 102 and the wired signal processing unit 101 transmit the information collection command CC addressed to each terminal device 30 belonging to the wireless communication system 1 to the base station 20.

[0078] The base station 20 transfers the information collection command CC addressed to the terminal device 30 received from the data processing device 10 to the terminal device 30 (step S102). When multiple terminal devices 30 are connected to the base station 20, the information collection command CC is transmitted to each of the multiple terminal devices 30 wirelessly connected to the base station 20.

[0079] The terminal device 30 executes a quality measurement operation based on the information collection command CC addressed to the terminal device 30 received from the base station 20 (step S103). The quality measurement operation is appropriately executed according to the type of communication quality information requested by the information collection command CC. Note that, if data related to the communication quality information requested by the data processing device 10 has already been measured, the quality measurement operation may be omitted.

[0080] When the terminal device 30 finishes the quality measurement operation, it transmits the communication quality information QI requested by the information collection command CC to the base station 20 (step S104).

[0081] The base station 20 transfers the communication quality information QI received from the terminal device 30 to the data processing device 10 (step S105). When the data processing device 10 receives the communication quality information QI from the base station 20, the filtering unit 103 classifies the communication quality information QI and stores it in the storage unit 104. In other words, the data processing device 10 updates the communication quality information 112 in the storage unit 104 based on the communication quality information QI received from the base station 20.

[0082] The processes in steps S101 to S105 described above correspond to the information collection operation (step S100) shown in FIG.

[0083] When the data processing device 10 receives the communication quality information QI of the terminal device 30 from the base station 20, it executes a parameter calculation operation (step S200). In this example, the transmission control parameters of each terminal device 30 determined by the parameter calculation operation are different from the transmission control parameters of each terminal device 30 before the start of the communication management operation.

[0084] In this case, when the data processing device 10 finishes the parameter calculation operation, it transmits a setting change command CS addressed to the terminal device 30 to the base station 20 (step S401). Specifically, the control unit 106 of the data processing device 10 selects a command (setting change command CS) required for setting a control parameter that needs to be changed from the command library 108 based on the information (device management information 111) of the base station 20 and the terminal device 30 stored in the storage unit 104. Then, the data processing unit 102 and the wired signal processing unit 101 transmit the setting change command CS addressed to each terminal device 30 belonging to the wireless communication system 1 to the base station 20. The setting change command CS may be added with specific numerical values ​​of transmission control parameters optimized for each terminal device 30, etc.

[0085] The base station 20 transfers the setting change command CS addressed to the terminal device 30 received from the data processing device 10 to the terminal device 30 (step S402). When multiple terminal devices 30 are connected to the base station 20, the setting change command CS is transmitted to each of the multiple terminal devices 30 wirelessly connected to the base station 20. The contents of the setting change command CS may be different for each destination terminal device 30.

[0086] The terminal device 30 changes the transmission control parameters of the terminal device 30 in the wireless communication system 1 in response to the setting change command CS addressed to the terminal device 30 received from the base station 20 (step S403, parameter change). Specifically, when the terminal device 30 receives the setting change command CS, the application execution unit 303 sets the transmission control parameters based on the setting change command CS in the wireless LAN control unit 304. As a result, the settings of the wireless communication between the base station 20 and the terminal device 30 are changed.

[0087] Then, the terminal device 30 transmits an acknowledgement (Ack) notifying the base station 20 that the parameter change has been executed (step S404).

[0088] The base station 20 transfers the confirmation response received from the terminal device 30 to the data processing device 10 (step S405).

[0089] The processes of steps S401 to S405 described above correspond to the parameter changing operation (step S400) shown in Fig. 9. In the parameter changing operation, the confirmation responses of steps S404 and S405 may be omitted.

[0090] The data processing device 10 may transmit the information collection command CC to the base station 20. For example, when the base station 20 receives the information collection command CC to the base station 20, the base station 20 appropriately performs a quality measurement operation, similar to the terminal device 30. Then, the base station 20 transmits the communication quality information QI requested by the information collection command CC to the data processing device 10.

[0091] Furthermore, the data processing device 10 may transmit a setting change command CS addressed to the base station 20. When the base station 20 receives the setting change command CS addressed to the base station 20, it changes the transmission control parameters in the same manner as the terminal device 30. Specifically, when the base station 20 receives the setting change command CS, the application execution unit 203 sets the transmission control parameters based on the setting change command CS in the wireless LAN control unit 204. This changes the settings of the wireless communication between the base station 20 and the data processing device 10.

[0092] <1-2-3> Details of parameter calculation operation Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a parameter calculation operation in the data processing device 10 included in the wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, with reference to Fig. 11, details of the parameter calculation operation in the wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment (i.e., the operation of step S200 shown in Fig. 9) will be described.

[0093] For example, when the information collection operation (step S100) shown in FIG. 9 is completed, the data processing device 10 starts a parameter calculation operation (START).

[0094] When the parameter calculation operation is started, the control unit 106 of the data processing device 10 determines a transmission management control parameter (step S201). The transmission management control parameter indicates a constraint condition when optimizing various transmission control parameters, and can be set for each type of control parameter of wireless communication. The transmission management control parameter is determined, for example, based on the transmission constraint information 110, the device management information 111, and the communication quality information 112. The transmission management control parameter indicates a limit on the transmittable time set in consideration of a transmission time ratio stipulated by law, for example. In addition, the transmission time limit in the transmission management control parameter may be determined based on the constraint on the operating time of the terminal device 30 when the terminal device 30 is battery-powered.

[0095] When the transmission management control parameters are determined, the calculation unit 107 of the data processing device 10 determines the transmission control parameters (step S202). Specifically, the calculation unit 107 of the data processing device 10 calculates optimal values ​​of the transmission control parameters for each terminal device 30 based on the device management information 111 and communication quality information 112 stored in the storage unit 104 and the transmission management control parameters determined in step S201.

[0096] When the transmission control parameters are determined, the control unit 106 of the data processing device 10 checks whether or not remeasurement of communication quality is necessary (step S203). For example, the control unit 106 determines that remeasurement of communication quality is necessary when there is a terminal device 30 whose MCS or channel has been changed. Also, the control unit 106 determines that remeasurement of communication quality is not necessary when, for example, the only change in the transmission control parameters is the frame length.

[0097] If remeasurement is necessary (step S203, YES), the control unit 106 of the data processing device 10 executes an information collection operation targeting the terminal device 30 that requires remeasurement (step S204). When the information collection operation targeting the terminal device 30 that requires remeasurement is completed, the control unit 106 of the data processing device 10 proceeds to the process of step S205.

[0098] If remeasurement is not necessary (step S203, NO), the control unit 106 of the data processing device 10 proceeds to the process of step S205.

[0099] In the process of step S205, the control unit 106 of the data processing device 10 checks whether or not a first condition is satisfied (step S205). The first condition is, for example, whether or not the number of times the process of step S202 is executed in the communication management operation exceeds a predetermined number. In this case, the condition branch of step S205 is set to "NO" if the number of times the process of step S202 is executed is equal to or less than the predetermined number, and is set to "YES" if the number of times the process of step S202 is executed exceeds the predetermined number. The first condition may also be whether or not the transmission control parameters determined before and after step S202 have changed. In this case, the condition branch of step S205 is set to "NO" if the transmission control parameters before executing step S202 are different from the transmission control parameters determined in step S202, and is set to "YES" if they are the same. The first condition may also be set according to the state of the communication quality information QI acquired by the information collection operation of step S204. In this case, the conditional branch in step S205 is set to “NO” if the communication quality information QI acquired in the information collection operation after the channel is changed is different from that expected (e.g., if the effects of external interference are detected), and is set to “YES” if it is as expected.

[0100] If the first condition is not satisfied (step S205, NO), the control unit 106 of the data processing device 10 proceeds to the process of step S202.

[0101] If the first condition is satisfied (step S205, YES), the control unit 106 of the data processing device 10 ends the parameter calculation operation (END). Then, the data processing device 10 proceeds to the process of step S300 shown in Fig. 9. That is, the data processing device 10 reflects the transmission control parameters obtained by the parameter calculation operation in each terminal device 30 as necessary.

[0102] As described above, in the wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment, the data processing device 10 includes the storage unit 104 configured to be able to store information on constraint conditions (transmission constraint information 110) related to wireless communication of the terminal device 30. In the parameter calculation operation, the control unit 106 of the data processing device 10 executes a first operation (steps S202 to S205) under constraint conditions related to wireless communication of the terminal device 30. In the first operation, the control unit 106 controls the calculation unit 107 to determine transmission control parameters used in wireless communication of the terminal device 30, and when the determined transmission control parameters are different from the transmission control parameters before the determination, repeats the process of determining the transmission control parameters again using the determined transmission control parameters. Then, the control unit 106 is configured to be able to execute an operation of applying the transmission control parameters obtained by the parameter calculation operation to the terminal device 30. In addition, the control unit 106 uses communication information of the terminal device 30 collected from the terminal device 30 when determining the transmission control parameters again. Furthermore, in the first operation, the control unit 106 collects communication information of the terminal device 30 from the terminal device 30 based on a change in a first control parameter (e.g., a channel) among the transmission control parameters, and uses the collected communication information of the terminal device 30 to determine the next transmission control parameter.

[0103] <1-3> Effects of the first embodiment According to the wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment described above, stable wireless communication can be realized. The effects of the wireless communication system 1 according to the embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0104] In order to make IoT-based wireless networks available over a wide area, the 920 MHz band and other bands with long communication distances are used for wireless communications. When using the 920 MHz band and other bands that are unlicensed, it is necessary to comply with the transmission time restrictions and other restrictions set by the Japanese Radio Law. The unlicensed bands are used not only for self-standards but also for other standards. For this reason, it is preferable that the transmission control parameters for each terminal device are set in consideration of various interferences and the like. As a countermeasure for this, a data processing device that manages the wireless network is provided, and the data processing device performs an operation (parameter calculation operation) to optimize the transmission control parameters for each terminal device while taking into consideration various interferences and the like.

[0105] FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the parameter calculation operation in the comparative example. As shown in FIG. 12, in the parameter calculation operation in the comparative example, the processes of steps S10, S20, S30, and S40 are executed in order. In steps S10, S20, and S30, the first parameter, the second parameter, and the third parameter related to transmission are determined, respectively. In step S40, each control parameter determined in steps S10, S20, and S30 is reflected in the transmission control parameters of the terminal device. In this way, when the optimization of each control parameter is performed in order, even if a certain control parameter is optimized, other control parameters may deviate from the optimal value. In other words, the control parameter optimized earlier may not be the optimal value due to the change of the control parameter optimized later. In this way, the transmission control parameters include multiple types of control parameters that are related to each other.

[0106] Therefore, in the wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment, the data processing device 10 collects communication quality information QI from each terminal device 30 via the base station 20. Then, the data processing device 10 changes the constraint condition (transmission constraint information 110) to a value used in the calculation of the optimization of the control parameters, and iteratively executes the optimization of the related control parameters with the value as a constraint. In other words, the data processing device 10 optimizes the control parameters to be controlled within the wireless LAN area by repeatedly executing the optimization process of a plurality of control parameters related to each other while considering the constraint condition. In addition, the parameter calculation operation includes a termination condition (first condition) such as limiting the number of calculations of the control parameters and terminating the calculation when the same calculation result is obtained, in order to avoid falling into an infinite loop. Then, the data processing device 10 sets the setting of the transmission control parameters that are considered to be optimal for the wireless LAN area formed starting from the base station 20, for each of the base station 20 and the terminal device 30.

[0107] As a result, even when a constraint condition related to the transmission control parameters is imposed, the wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment can bring a plurality of related control parameters related to the constraint condition closer to a more preferable setting in the entire network including each terminal device 30. As a result, the wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment can realize stable wireless communication in the entire network.

[0108] Moreover, the wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment can improve the communication stability of the uplink traffic of the terminal device 30 by optimizing the transmission control parameters based on the communication quality information QI acquired from the terminal device 30. For example, an improvement in throughput can be expected by minimizing collisions between the terminal devices 30 belonging to the wireless communication system 1 and selecting an optimal modulation / demodulation method based on the interference power received by the base station 20.

[0109] <1-4> Modification of the first embodiment Fig. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of an overall configuration of a wireless communication system 1A according to a modification of the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 13, the wireless communication system 1A according to the modification of the first embodiment includes a data processing device 10, base stations 20A and 20B, and terminal devices 30A, 30B, 30C, and 30D.

[0110] Each of the base stations 20A and 20B is configured to be able to communicate with the data processing device 10 via the network NW. Each of the terminal devices 30A and 30B is wirelessly connected to the base station 20A. Each of the terminal devices 30C and 30D is wirelessly connected to the base station 20B. In this manner, a plurality of base stations 20 may belong to the wireless communication system 1. The data processing device 10 can execute the communication management operation described in the first embodiment for each of the plurality of base stations 20. In addition, the data processing device 10 can execute the information collection operation and the setting change operation for the terminal device 30 belonging to the wireless communication system 1 via any of the plurality of base stations 20.

[0111] In the wireless communication system 1A according to the modified example of the first embodiment, the base station 20 to which the terminal device 30 is connected may be changed by a communication management operation. By optimizing the base station 20 to which the terminal device 30 is connected by the communication management operation, it is possible to suppress the number of connections of the terminal device 30 from being biased toward a specific base station 20, and to suppress a decrease in the access efficiency of the base station 20. In addition, the number of base stations 20 belonging to the wireless communication system 1A may be designed to be any number within the range of the performance of the data processing device 10. In the wireless communication system 1A, any of the base stations 20 among the multiple base stations 20 may have the function of the data processing device 10. When any of the base stations 20 among the multiple base stations 20 has the function of the data processing device 10, the data processing device 10 may be omitted from the wireless communication system 1A.

[0112] <2> Second embodiment The wireless communication system 1B according to the second embodiment has a configuration in which a satellite base station 40 is added to the wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment, and a mesh network is constructed. The wireless communication system 1B according to the second embodiment executes a communication management operation that takes into consideration the existence of the satellite base station 40. The following describes the wireless communication system 1 according to the second embodiment and the differences from the first embodiment.

[0113] <2-1> Configuration <2-1-1> Overall configuration of wireless communication system 1B 14 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of an overall configuration of a wireless communication system 1B according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 14, the wireless communication system 1B according to the second embodiment includes a data processing device 10, a base station 20, a terminal device 30, and a satellite base station 40.

[0114] The satellite base station 40 is a wireless LAN access point configured to be connectable to the base station 20. The satellite base station 40 is configured to be connectable wirelessly to other satellite base stations 40 and one or more terminal devices TA using one type of band or multiple types of bands. The satellite base station 40 may be connected wirelessly to both the satellite base station 40 and the terminal device TA, or may be connected wirelessly to one of the satellite base station 40 and the terminal device TA.

[0115] In this example, the wireless communication system 1B constructs a mesh network by the base station 20 and two satellite base stations 40A and 40B. Specifically, the satellite base stations 40A and 40B are wirelessly connected to the base station 20, and the satellite base station 40B is wirelessly connected to the satellite base station 40A. Five terminal devices 30A, 30B, 30C, 30D, and 30E are wirelessly connected to the constructed mesh network. The terminal devices 30A and 30B are wirelessly connected to the base station 20. The terminal device 30C is wirelessly connected to the satellite base station 40A. Each of the terminal devices 30D and 30E is wirelessly connected to the satellite base station 40B.

[0116] The data processing device 10 in the second embodiment can change the connection destination of each terminal device 30 to another base station 20 or another satellite base station 40 according to the communication quality of each terminal device 30. Furthermore, the data processing device 10 in the second embodiment can change the transmission control parameters of each satellite base station 40 according to the communication quality of each satellite base station 40, and can change the transmission control parameters of each terminal device 30 according to the communication quality of each terminal device 30. Furthermore, the data processing device 10 in the second embodiment can also change the communication path of each terminal device 30 according to the communication quality of each terminal device 30.

[0117] The wireless communication system 1B according to the second embodiment may have other configurations. For example, the number of terminal devices 30 belonging to the wireless communication system 1B may be designed to be any number within the range of the performance of each of the data processing device 10, the base station 20, and the satellite base station 40. The number of satellite base stations 40 may be designed to be any number within the range of the performance of each of the data processing device 10 and the base station 20. In addition, the base station 20 may have the function of the data processing device 10. When the base station 20 has the function of the data processing device 10, the data processing device 10 may be omitted from the wireless communication system 1.

[0118] <2-1-2> Hardware configuration of satellite base station 40 15 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a satellite base station 40 included in the wireless communication system 1B according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 15, the satellite base station 40 includes, for example, a CPU 41, a ROM 42, a RAM 43, a GPS module 44, and a wireless communication module 45.

[0119] The CPU 41 is an integrated circuit capable of executing various programs and controls the overall operation of the satellite base station 40.

[0120] The ROM 42 is a non-volatile semiconductor memory that stores programs for controlling the satellite base station 40, control data, and the like.

[0121] The RAM 43 is, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory, and is used as a working area for the CPU 41.

[0122] The GPS module 44 is a circuit capable of receiving radio waves from GPS satellites and acquiring position data of the satellite base station 40 .

[0123] The wireless communication module 45 is a circuit used for transmitting and receiving data by wireless signals. The wireless communication module 45 is configured to be connectable to an antenna, and may include a plurality of communication modules each corresponding to a plurality of frequency bands.

[0124] Other hardware configurations of the wireless communication system 1B according to the second embodiment are similar to those of the wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment. The satellite base station 40 may have other hardware configurations. For example, when the wireless communication system 1 does not use the position information of the satellite base station 40, the GPS module 44 may be omitted from the satellite base station 40.

[0125] <2-1-3> Functional configuration of satellite base station 40 Fig. 16 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a satellite base station 40 included in a wireless communication system 1B according to the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 16, the satellite base station 40 includes, for example, a wireless signal processing unit 401, a data processing unit 402, an application execution unit 403, and a wireless LAN control unit 404. The processing of the wireless signal processing unit 401 is realized by a wireless communication module 45, etc. The processing of each of the data processing unit 402, the application execution unit 403, and the wireless LAN control unit 404 is realized by a CPU 41, a ROM 42, a RAM 43, etc.

[0126] The wireless signal processing unit 401 handles data communication using wireless signals based on TCP / IP. The wireless signal processing unit 401 converts a wireless signal received via the antenna of the satellite base station 40 into a wireless frame, and inputs the converted wireless frame to the data processing unit 402. The wireless signal processing unit 401 converts the wireless frame input from the data processing unit 402 into a wireless signal, and distributes the converted wireless signal via the antenna of the satellite base station 40.

[0127] The data processing unit 402 extracts data from the wireless frame input from the wireless signal processing unit 401, and inputs the extracted data to the application execution unit 403. The data processing unit 402 also generates a wireless frame using the data input from the application execution unit 403, and inputs the generated wireless frame to the wireless signal processing unit 401.

[0128] The application execution unit 403 executes an application capable of using data input from the data processing unit 402. Then, the application execution unit 403 inputs data to the data processing unit 402 and acquires data from the data processing unit 402 in accordance with the operation of the application. Also, the application execution unit 403 can control the wireless LAN control unit 404 and change the transmission control parameters of the wireless LAN control unit 404 in accordance with commands and transmission control parameters transferred from the data processing device 10.

[0129] The wireless LAN control unit 404 can control the wireless signal processing unit 401 and manages the settings of wireless communication by the wireless signal processing unit 401. The wireless LAN control unit 404 can execute a quality measurement operation based on an instruction from the application execution unit 403. Furthermore, the wireless LAN control unit 404 can change transmission control parameters related to wireless communication of the satellite base station 40 in response to an instruction from the application execution unit 403.

[0130] In the satellite base station 40, the processing of the radio signal processing unit 401 and the data processing unit 402 is realized by the radio communication module 45, etc. The processing of the application execution unit 403 and the wireless LAN control unit 404 is realized by the CPU 41, the RAM 43, etc. Without being limited to this, the functional configuration of the satellite base station 40 may be classified in other ways. The other functional configurations of the wireless communication system 1B according to the second embodiment are similar to those of the wireless communication system 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0131] <2-2> Operation The operation of the wireless communication system 1B according to the second embodiment will be described below.

[0132] A wireless communication system 1B according to the second embodiment performs a communication management operation in a mesh network including a satellite base station 40 similar to that of the first embodiment.

[0133] <2-2-1> Specific examples of communication management operations Fig. 17 is a time chart showing an example of a communication management operation in the wireless communication system according to the second embodiment. Fig. 17 shows an operation example in which wireless communication between the base station 20 and the terminal device 30 is performed via one satellite base station 40, and an information collection operation and a parameter change operation are performed for each of the terminal device 30 and the satellite base station 40. Below, a specific example of the communication management operation in the wireless communication system 1B according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 17.

[0134] When the communication management operation is started, the data processing device 10 transmits an information collection command CC addressed to the terminal device 30 to the base station 20 (step S111). Specifically, the control unit 106 of the data processing device 10 selects a command (information collection command CC) for collecting communication quality information required for the parameter calculation operation from the command library 108 based on the information (device management information 111) of the base station 20, the satellite base station 40, and the terminal device 30 stored in the storage unit 104. Then, the data processing unit 102 and the wired signal processing unit 101 transmit the information collection command CC addressed to the selected terminal device 30, and the information collection command CC addressed to each terminal device 30 belonging to the wireless communication system 1, to the base station 20.

[0135] The base station 20 transfers the information collection command CCsta addressed to the terminal device 30 received from the data processing device 10 to the satellite base station 40 (step S112). When multiple satellite base stations 40 are connected to the base station 20, the information collection command CC is transmitted along the communication path of each terminal device 30.

[0136] The satellite base station 40 transfers the information collection command CCsta addressed to the terminal device 30 received from the base station 20 to the terminal device 30 (step S113). When multiple terminal devices 30 are connected to the satellite base station 40, the information collection command CC is transmitted to each terminal device 30 connected to the satellite base station 40 by wireless.

[0137] The terminal device 30 executes a quality measurement operation based on the information collection command CC addressed to the terminal device 30 received from the base station 20 (step S114). If the data related to the communication quality information requested by the data processing device 10 has already been measured, the quality measurement operation of step S114 may be omitted.

[0138] When the terminal device 30 finishes the quality measurement operation, it transmits the communication quality information QIsta requested by the information collection command CC to the satellite base station 40 (step S115).

[0139] The satellite base station 40 transfers the communication quality information QIsta received from the terminal equipment 30 to the base station 20 (step S116).

[0140] The base station 20 transfers the communication quality information QIsta received from the satellite base station 40 to the data processing device 10 (step S117). Then, the data processing device 10 updates the communication quality information 112 in the storage unit 104 based on the communication quality information QI received from the base station 20, similar to the first embodiment.

[0141] The above-described processing of steps S111 to S117 corresponds to the information collection operation targeting the terminal device 30.

[0142] Furthermore, when the communication management operation is started, the data processing device 10 transmits an information collection command CCap addressed to the satellite base station 40 to the base station 20 (step S121).

[0143] The base station 20 transfers the information collection command CCap addressed to the satellite base station 40 and received from the data processing device 10 to the satellite base station 40 (step S122).

[0144] When the satellite base station 40 receives the information collection command CCap addressed to the satellite base station 40, it executes a quality measurement operation (step S123). In this quality measurement operation, the communication quality between the base station 20 and the satellite base station 40 is measured. Note that, if the data related to the communication quality information requested by the data processing device 10 has already been measured, the quality measurement operation in step S123 may be omitted.

[0145] Then, the satellite base station 40 transfers the communication quality information QIap requested by the information collection command CCap to the base station 20 (step S124).

[0146] The base station 20 transfers the communication quality information QIap received from the satellite base station 40 to the data processing device 10 (step S125).

[0147] The processes of steps S121 to S125 described above correspond to the information collection operation targeted at the satellite base station 40. Note that the information collection operation targeted at the terminal device 30 and the information collection operation targeted at the satellite base station 40 may be executed in the reverse order or in parallel.

[0148] When the data processing device 10 receives the communication quality information QIsta and QIap of the terminal device 30 from the base station 20, the data processing device 10 executes a parameter calculation operation (step S200). In this example, the transmission control parameters in the satellite base station 40 and the transmission control parameters in the terminal device 30 determined by the parameter calculation operation are different from the transmission control parameters before the start of the communication management operation.

[0149] In this case, when the data processing device 10 finishes the parameter calculation operation, it transmits a setting change command CSsta addressed to the terminal device 30 to the base station 20 (step S411).

[0150] The base station 20 transfers the received setting change command CSsta addressed to the terminal device 30 to the satellite base station 40 (step S412). The satellite base station 40 transfers the received setting change command CSsta addressed to the terminal equipment 30 to the terminal equipment 30 (step S413).

[0151] When the terminal device 30 receives the setting change command CS addressed to the terminal device 30, it changes the transmission control parameters according to the transmission control parameters associated with the received setting change command CSsta (step S414, parameter change).

[0152] Then, the terminal device 30 transmits an acknowledgement (Ack) notifying the satellite base station 40 that the parameter change has been executed (step S415).

[0153] Upon receiving the confirmation response from the terminal equipment 30, the satellite base station 40 transfers the received confirmation response to the base station 20 (step S416).

[0154] The base station 20 transfers the confirmation response received from the satellite base station 40 to the data processing device 10 (step S417).

[0155] The above-described processing of steps S411 to S417 corresponds to the parameter change operation for the terminal device 30.

[0156] Furthermore, when the parameter calculation operation is completed, the data processing device 10 transmits a setting change command CSap addressed to the satellite base station 40 to the base station 20 (step S421).

[0157] The base station 20 transfers the received setting change command CSap addressed to the satellite base station 40 to the satellite base station 40 (step S422).

[0158] The satellite base station 40 changes the transmission control parameters in accordance with the transmission control parameters associated with the setting change command CSap received and addressed to the satellite base station 40 (step S423, change parameters).

[0159] Then, the satellite base station 40 transmits an acknowledgement (Ack) to the base station 20 notifying that the parameter change has been executed (step S424).

[0160] The base station 20 transfers the confirmation response received from the satellite base station 40 to the data processing device 10 (step S425).

[0161] The processes of steps S421 to S425 described above correspond to the parameter change operation (step S400) targeted at the satellite base station 40. The confirmation responses of steps S424 and S425 may be omitted. The parameter change operation targeted at the terminal device 30 and the parameter change operation targeted at the satellite base station 40 may be executed in the reverse order, or may be executed in parallel.

[0162] <2-2-2> Details of parameter calculation operation Fig. 18 is a flowchart showing an example of a parameter calculation operation in the data processing device 10 included in the wireless communication system 1B according to the second embodiment. Hereinafter, with reference to Fig. 18, details of the parameter calculation operation in the wireless communication system 1 according to the second embodiment (i.e., the operation of step S200 shown in Fig. 9) will be described.

[0163] For example, when the information collection operation (step S100) shown in FIG. 9 is completed, the data processing device 10 starts a parameter calculation operation (START).

[0164] When the parameter calculation operation is started, the control unit 106 of the data processing device 10 determines the transmission management control parameters (step S211). The details of the transmission management control parameters are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0165] When the transmission management control parameters are determined, the calculation unit 107 of the data processing device 10 determines the multi-hop communication control parameters (step S212). Specifically, the calculation unit 107 of the data processing device 10 calculates the optimal value of the multi-hop communication control parameters for each terminal device 30 and satellite base station 40 based on the device management information 111 and communication quality information 112 stored in the storage unit 104 and the determined transmission management control parameters. In determining the multi-hop communication control parameters, for example, it is determined whether the terminal device 30 that is scheduled to transmit data connects directly to the base station 20 or connects via the satellite base station 40. In addition, when the multi-hop communication control parameters are determined, the restrictions on the transmission time of each satellite base station 40 are taken into consideration. Then, the type of traffic to be passed and the number (number) of terminal devices 30 to be connected are also restricted, and then the communication path between the data processing device 10 and the terminal device 30 is determined. To limit the traffic and the number of units, for example, the upper limit of the transmission time in the next satellite base station 40 or base station 20 is calculated using the current transmission control parameters (modulation / demodulation method, frame length, etc.).

[0166] When the multi-hop communication control parameters are determined, the calculation unit 107 of the data processing device 10 determines the transmission control parameters (step S213). Specifically, the calculation unit 107 of the data processing device 10 calculates optimal values ​​of the transmission control parameters for each terminal device 30 and satellite base station 40 based on the device management information 111 and communication quality information 112 stored in the storage unit 104, the determined transmission management control parameters, and the multi-hop communication control parameters determined in step S212. In determining the transmission control parameters, for example, MCS (Moderation and Coding Scheme) and frame length are determined based on the RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) value from the terminal device 30 that is the destination of the next wireless communication in determining the multi-hop communication control parameters and the RSSI value from the terminal device 30 that is the destination of the current wireless communication. In determining the transmission control parameters, the calculation unit 107 may determine an optimal channel as in the first embodiment.

[0167] When the transmission control parameters are determined, the control unit 106 of the data processing device 10 checks whether or not remeasurement of communication quality is necessary (step S214). For example, the control unit 106 determines that remeasurement of communication quality is necessary when there is a terminal device 30 whose modulation method or channel has been changed. Also, the control unit 106 determines that remeasurement of communication quality is not necessary when, for example, the only change in the transmission control parameters is the frame length.

[0168] If remeasurement is necessary (step S214, YES), the control unit 106 of the data processing device 10 executes information collection operation targeting at least one of the terminal device 30 and the satellite base station 40 that require remeasurement (step S215). When the information collection operation targeting at least one of the terminal device 30 and the satellite base station 40 that require remeasurement is completed, the control unit 106 of the data processing device 10 proceeds to the process of step S216.

[0169] If remeasurement is not necessary (step S214, NO), the control unit 106 of the data processing device 10 proceeds to the process of step S216.

[0170] In the process of step S216, the control unit 106 of the data processing device 10 checks whether or not the first condition is satisfied. The first condition is the same as in the first embodiment.

[0171] If the first condition is not satisfied (step S216, NO), the control unit 106 of the data processing device 10 proceeds to the process of step S213. That is, the calculation unit 107 of the data processing device 10 executes the determination of the transmission control parameters again.

[0172] If the first condition is satisfied (step S216, YES), the control unit 106 of the data processing device 10 proceeds to the process of step S217.

[0173] In the process of step S216, the control unit 106 of the data processing device 10 checks whether or not a second condition is satisfied. The second condition is, for example, whether or not the number of times the process of step S212 has been executed exceeds a predetermined number in the communication management operation. In this case, the condition branch of step S216 is set to "NO" if the number of times the process of step S212 has been executed is equal to or less than the predetermined number, and is set to "YES" if the number of times the process of step S212 has been executed exceeds the predetermined number. In addition, the condition branch of the second condition may be set to "NO" if the transmission control parameters have been changed by the most recently processed step S213.

[0174] If the second condition is not satisfied (step S217, NO), the control unit 106 of the data processing device 10 proceeds to the process of step S212. That is, the calculation unit 107 of the data processing device 10 executes the determination of the multi-hop communication control parameter again.

[0175] If the second condition is satisfied (step S217, YES), the control unit 106 of the data processing device 10 ends the parameter calculation operation (END). Then, the data processing device 10 proceeds to the process of step S300 shown in Fig. 9, for example. That is, the data processing device 10 reflects the transmission control parameters obtained by the parameter calculation operation in each satellite base station 40 and each terminal device 30 as necessary.

[0176] As described above, in the wireless communication system 1B according to the second embodiment, the control unit 106 of the data processing device 10 executes the second operation (steps S212 to S217) in the parameter calculation operation under the constraint conditions related to the wireless communication of the terminal device 30. In the second operation, the control unit 106 controls the calculation unit 107 to determine a multi-hop communication control parameter related to the communication path of the terminal device 30, and executes the first operation (steps S213 to S216) after determining the multi-hop communication control parameter. Furthermore, in the second operation, after the first operation, if the transmission control parameter obtained by the first operation is related to the multi-hop communication control parameter, the control unit 106 controls the calculation unit 107 to determine the multi-hop communication control parameter again using the transmission control parameter obtained by the first operation, and repeats the first operation again using the re-determined multi-hop communication control parameter. Then, the control unit 106 is configured to be able to execute an operation of applying the multi-hop communication control parameter obtained by the parameter calculation operation to the terminal device 30.

[0177] In the second embodiment, the process of step S212 and the process of step S216 are executed when the wireless communication system 1B performs multi-hop communication. That is, when the wireless communication system 1 has a topology without a relay station, the process of step S212 and the process of step S216 are skipped.

[0178] <2-3> Effects of the second embodiment When there is a constraint on the transmission time for each terminal device 30 and multi-hop communication is used, the optimal value of the transmission control parameter for each terminal device 30 may vary depending on, for example, the data communication path and the modulation / demodulation method used in the communication path. These conditions are related to each other. The optimal value of the modulation / demodulation method differs for each satellite base station 40 that relays data communication. The number of terminals (terminal devices 30 or satellite base stations 40) that can be relayed by the satellite base station 40 differs depending on the modulation / demodulation method of the transmitting side. When the upper limit of the constraint condition is reached, the satellite base station 40 needs to limit the number of terminals that it relays. For this reason, it is preferable that multiple control parameters are optimized in consideration of each other within the area of ​​the wireless LAN including the satellite base station 40 (relay terminal).

[0179] In contrast, the data processing device 10 included in the wireless communication system 1B according to the second embodiment repeatedly executes an optimization process for the multi-hop communication control parameters and an optimization process for the transmission control parameters in a parameter calculation operation that takes into account the constraint conditions. Then, a more preferable setting of the transmission control parameters is determined in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and a more preferable setting of the multi-hop communication control parameters is determined. In other words, even if a constraint condition related to the transmission control parameters is imposed when using multi-hop communication, the data processing device 10 can bring a plurality of related control parameters related to the constraint conditions closer to a more preferable setting in the entire network including each terminal device 30.

[0180] In this way, the wireless communication system 1B according to the second embodiment can change the communication path and the transmission control parameters according to the usage status (e.g., interference status) of each of the base station 20, the satellite base station 40, and the terminal device 30. As a result, the wireless communication system 1 according to the second embodiment can realize stable wireless communication in accordance with the usage status throughout the network.

[0181] Moreover, the wireless communication system 1B according to the second embodiment can optimize the number of terminals assigned to each of the base station 20 and the satellite base station 40, and can distribute the load on each of the base station 20 and the satellite base station 40. In other words, the wireless communication system 1 according to the second embodiment can suppress a decrease in access efficiency caused by many terminals being connected to each of the base station 20 and the satellite base station 40.

[0182] As a result, the wireless communication system 1B according to the second embodiment can suppress a decrease in the number of connections of the terminal devices 30 capable of transmitting video within the mesh network, for example, when the terminal devices 30 are IoT devices that distribute video. Also, the wireless communication system 1 according to the second embodiment can suppress a shortening of the communication area due to obstructions or the like by constructing a mesh network, and can expand the communication area.

[0183] <3> others As the communication quality information QI in the above embodiment, various measurement values ​​may be used. Measurement values ​​used as the communication quality information QI include throughput, data retransmission rate, RSSI, error rate, channel utilization rate, beacon signal reception success rate, OBSS (Overlapping BSS) interference status, other standard interference status, area limit, and local BSS congestion status. The communication quality information QI collected from the satellite base station 40 may be different from the communication quality information QI collected from the terminal device 30. The communication quality information QI may include multiple types of measurement values. Multiple types of measurement values ​​may be used for determining the multi-hop communication control parameters and the transmission control parameters, respectively. In addition, the position information of the GPS module may be used to determine the communication paths of the terminal device 30 and the satellite base station 40. For example, when the number of terminal devices 30 that acquire the communication quality information QI is excessive and it takes time to collect the information, the data processing device 10 refers to the GPS position information of each terminal device 30. Then, the data processing device 10 collects communication quality information QI (e.g., OBSS information and channel information) transmitted from multiple terminal devices 30 located close to each other from only a small number of representative terminal devices 30 among the multiple terminal devices 30 located close to each other based on the GPS location information of each terminal device 30. Then, the data processing device 10 changes communication-related parameters (e.g., transmission control parameters and multi-hop communication control parameters) of the multiple terminal devices 30 located close to each other based on the communication quality information QI collected from the small number of terminal devices 30 selected as representatives. In this way, the data processing device 10 can utilize the GPS location information to improve the efficiency of information collection.

[0184] For example, when the channel utilization rate is measured, the terminal device 30 measures the busy time rate of each channel by carrier sense (CCA (Clear Channel Assessment) of the IEEE802.11 standard). The busy time rate corresponds to the ratio of time during which the received power exceeds a certain threshold. When the successful reception rate of the beacon signal is measured, the base station 20 requests the terminal device 30 to measure and notify the communication quality, and transmits the beacon signal for a predetermined period. Then, the terminal device 30 measures the number of beacon signals successfully received during the predetermined period, and notifies the base station 20 of the measurement result. For example, the channel occupancy time is used to measure the interference situation of the OBSS. Other factors than the channel occupancy time may be used to evaluate the interference situation, and it is sufficient that at least a factor that makes the channel busy during a period other than the signal exchange of the own BSS is used. For example, the magnitude of the interference power, interference from other communication systems, the presence of noise power, etc. may be used to evaluate the interference.

[0185] In each embodiment, the CPU of each of the data processing device 10, the base station 20, the terminal device 30, and the satellite base station 40 may be other circuits. For example, each of the data processing device 10, the base station 20, the terminal device 30, and the satellite base station 40 may be equipped with an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) or the like instead of a CPU. The processing described in each embodiment may be realized by dedicated hardware. The processing of each of the data processing device 10, the base station 20, the terminal device 30, and the satellite base station 40 may be a mixture of processing executed by software and processing executed by hardware, or may be only one of them.

[0186] Each configuration described in this specification can be rephrased as follows. The data processing device 10 may be called a "server" or a "control server". The base station 20 may be called a "communication base station", an "access point (AP)", a "root access point", a "main router", a "master access point", or an "access point base unit". The terminal device 30 may be called a "terminal", a "wireless LAN terminal", a "wireless station", a "STA (Station)", or a "wireless device". The satellite base station 40 may be called a "relay terminal", a "wireless repeater", a "relay access point", a "mesh access point (MESH AP)", a "satellite router", a "slave access point", or an "access point extension unit". The CPU may be called a "processor". Each of the ROM, RAM, and storage may be called a "storage circuit". Each of the wireless communication module and the wired communication module may be called a "communication circuit". When the functions of the data processing device 10 are introduced into the base station 20, the operations of the data processing device 10 described in each embodiment are executed by the computational resources of the base station 20. The computational resources of the base station 20 are realized by the CPU 21, the RAM 23, etc. The "transmission control parameters" may be called "wireless LAN parameters".

[0187] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the present invention. The embodiments may be combined as appropriate, and in that case, the combined effect can be obtained. Furthermore, the above-mentioned embodiment includes various inventions, and various inventions can be extracted by combinations selected from the multiple components disclosed. For example, if the problem can be solved and the effect can be obtained even if some components are deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment, the configuration from which the components are deleted can be extracted as an invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0188] 1. Wireless communication system 10...Data processing device 20...Base station 30...Terminal device 40…Satellite base station 11, 21, 31, 41…CPU 12,22,32,42…ROM 13,23,33,43…RAM 14...Timer 15,34…Storage 16...Input interface 17...Wired communication module 24, 36, 45…Wireless communication module 35,44…GPS module 101, 201... Wired signal processing section 102, 202, 302...Data processing unit 103…Filtering section 104...Storage section 105...Operation software execution unit 106...Control unit 107...Arithmetic section 108...Command Library 110...Transmission restriction information 111…Device management information 112…Communication quality information 203, 303, 403...Application execution unit 204, 304, 404...Wireless LAN control unit 205, 301, 401...Radio signal processing unit

Claims

1. A signal processing unit configured to be able to receive data wirelessly transmitted from a terminal device; determining a transmission control parameter to be used in wireless communication of the terminal device; the determined transmission control parameter is different from the transmission control parameter before the determination, a first operation of repeatedly determining the transmission control parameters again using the transmission control parameters; under a constraint on wireless communication of the terminal device, a control unit configured to be able to apply the transmission control parameters to the terminal device; Equipped with The control unit is determining a multi-hop communication control parameter for a communication path of the terminal device; and performing the first operation after determining the multi-hop communication control parameter. The transmission control parameter obtained by the first operation is the multi-hop communication control parameter. When the first operation is performed, the transmission control parameter obtained by the first operation is used to The multi-hop communication control parameters are determined again, and the determined multi-hop communication control parameters are A second operation of repeatedly executing the first operation using the parameter is performed according to the constraint. and executing the second operation under the above-mentioned conditions, and inputting the multi-hop communication control parameters obtained by the second operation to the terminal. The device is configured to be applicable to a terminal device. Data processing device.

2. The control unit, when re-determining the transmission control parameters, Using communication information of the terminal device, 2. A data processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. A signal processing unit configured to be able to receive data wirelessly transmitted from a terminal device; determining a transmission control parameter to be used in wireless communication of the terminal device; the determined transmission control parameter is different from the transmission control parameter before the determination, a first operation of repeatedly determining the transmission control parameters again using the transmission control parameters; under a constraint on wireless communication of the terminal device, a control unit configured to be able to apply the transmission control parameters to the terminal device; Equipped with In the first operation, the control unit selects a first control parameter among the transmission control parameters. Based on the change, communication information of the terminal device is collected from the terminal device. The communication information of the terminal device is used to determine a next transmission control parameter. Data processing device.

4. A signal processing unit configured to be able to receive data wirelessly transmitted from a terminal device; determining a transmission control parameter to be used in wireless communication of the terminal device; the determined transmission control parameter is different from the transmission control parameter before the determination, a first operation of repeatedly determining the transmission control parameters again using the transmission control parameters; under a constraint on wireless communication of the terminal device, a control unit configured to be able to apply the transmission control parameters to the terminal device; Equipped with The constraint is a transmission time ratio of the terminal device determined based on a legal transmission time ratio. Including available time, Data processing device.

5. A transmission method for use in wireless communication of a terminal device under a constraint on the wireless communication of the terminal device determining a transmission control parameter, and comparing the determined transmission control parameter with the transmission control parameter before said determination; When the determined transmission control parameters are different from the transmission control parameters, performing a first operation of repeating re-determining the meter; applying the transmission control parameters obtained by the first operation to the terminal device; determining a multi-hop communication control parameter for a communication path of the terminal device; and performing the first operation after determining the multihop communication control parameters. The transmission control parameter obtained by the first operation is the multi-hop communication control parameter. When the first operation is performed, the first operation is performed using the transmission control parameters obtained by the first operation. The multi-hop communication control parameters are determined again, and the re-determined multi-hop communication control parameters are A second operation of repeatedly executing the first operation using the meter is performed according to the constraint condition. and The multi-hop communication control parameter obtained by the second operation is applied to the terminal device. And A data processing method comprising:

6. On the computer, A transmission method for use in wireless communication of a terminal device under a constraint on the wireless communication of the terminal device determining a transmission control parameter, and comparing the determined transmission control parameter with the transmission control parameter before said determination; When the determined transmission control parameters are different from the transmission control parameters, performing a first operation of repeating re-determining the meter; applying the transmission control parameters obtained by the first operation to the terminal device; determining a multi-hop communication control parameter for a communication path of the terminal device; and performing the first operation after determining the multihop communication control parameters. The transmission control parameter obtained by the first operation is the multi-hop communication control parameter. When the first operation is performed, the first operation is performed using the transmission control parameters obtained by the first operation. The multi-hop communication control parameters are determined again, and the re-determined multi-hop communication control parameters are A second operation of repeatedly executing the first operation using the meter is performed according to the constraint condition. and The multi-hop communication control parameter obtained by the second operation is applied to the terminal device. And A data processing program that executes the above.

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