Position estimation method, wireless communication device, and wireless communication system

Abstract

Provided is a position estimation method executed by a wireless communication system comprising a wireless communication device and another wireless communication device, the position estimation method including: a wireless step for performing wireless communication between the wireless communication device and the other wireless communication device using a directional beam; a relative position estimation step for estimating the relative position of the other wireless communication device relative to the wireless communication device, on the basis of the direction of the directional beam in which the reception power of the directional beam is at maximum in the other wireless communication device, and the distance corresponding to the round trip time of the wireless signal between the wireless communication device and the other wireless communication device; and an absolution position estimation step for estimating the absolute position of the other wireless communication device on the basis of the absolute position of the wireless communication device and the relative position of the other wireless communication device.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a position estimation method, a wireless communication device, and a wireless communication system. [Background technology]

[0002] Known standards for wireless communication systems using millimeter waves and quasi-millimeter waves include "3GPP 5G NR (3rd Generation Partnership Project 5th Generation New Radio)" and "IEEE802.11ad." Millimeter waves and quasi-millimeter waves are classified as high frequency bands. Wireless communication systems using such high frequency bands can ensure a wider bandwidth than wireless communication systems using microwave bands. In addition, wireless communication systems using high frequency bands have high linearity of radio waves used as carrier waves, so there is less interference with other wireless communication systems. For this reason, efforts are being made to put wireless communication systems using high frequency bands into practical use as a means of realizing high-capacity wireless communication (see Non-Patent Document 1).

[0003] The higher the frequency of radio waves, the greater the amount of distance attenuation in a radio propagation path. For this reason, in a wireless communication system using the millimeter wave band, a wireless communication device forms a directional beam toward another wireless communication device with which it is communicating. That is, the wireless communication device transmits a wireless signal toward the other wireless communication device with which it is communicating by executing beamforming. Note that the other wireless communication device with which it is communicating may form a directional beam to receive the wireless signal.

[0004] 5 is a diagram showing an example of a wireless communication device 200 that uses beamforming in the millimeter wave band. The wireless communication device 200 selects a directional beam 201 that maximizes the received power at the wireless communication device 300 facing the wireless communication device 200 from among a plurality of directional beams (directional beams 201-1 to 201-9) that can be formed. In IEEE802.11ad, the wireless communication device 200 selects the directional beam 201 based on a sector level sweep (SLS) (see Non-Patent Document 2).

[0005] Wireless communication device 200, which is the side initiating communication (initiator), sequentially transmits wireless signals to wireless communication device 300 in a time-division manner using directional beams 201 transmitted sequentially from directional beams 201-1 to 201-9. That is, wireless communication device 200 transmits wireless signals to wireless communication device 300 in a time-division manner by executing sequential transmission (beam sweep) of directional beams.

[0006] The wireless communication device 300, which is a side responding to the communication (responder), receives the signal transmitted from the wireless communication device 200 in a time-division manner using the sequentially transmitted directional beams 201. The wireless communication device 300 measures the received power of the sequentially transmitted directional beams 201, with its own directional beam width set as the maximum beam width. The wireless communication device 300 shares with the wireless communication device 200 the identification information (ID) of the directional beam 201 that has the maximum received power among the sequentially transmitted directional beams 201. This completes the selection of the directional beam 201. The wireless communication device 300 may transmit a wireless signal to the wireless communication device 200 using the directional beam.

[0007] In "5G NR," the wireless communication device 200 (base station device) sequentially transmits a plurality of signal blocks "SS / PBCH (Synchronization Signal / Physical Broadcast CHannel)" to the wireless communication device 300 (terminal station device) in a time-division manner for each directional beam. The wireless communication device 300 identifies a directional beam that provides the maximum received power based on the plurality of signal blocks. The wireless communication device 300 feeds back the identification information (ID) of the identified directional beam to the wireless communication device 200. This completes the initial selection of the directional beam 201.

[0008] If there is an obstruction in the propagation path between the antenna of wireless communication device 200 and the antenna of wireless communication device 300, the propagation loss of the wireless signal increases rapidly in the high frequency band, making it difficult to transmit the wireless signal. For this reason, in communication in the high frequency band, the wireless signal is transmitted in an environment (line-of-sight environment) where there is no obstruction between the antenna of wireless communication device 200 and the antenna of wireless communication device 300.

[0009] Also, Non-Patent Document 3 discloses a wireless communication device equipped with a distance measurement function based on the round-trip time (RTT: Round-Trip-Time) of a wireless signal.

[0010] 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a wireless communication system 10. The wireless communication system 10 is a distributed antenna system that uses a high frequency band (see Non-Patent Document 4). In the wireless communication system 10, a plurality of base station devices 12 are distributed and arranged in a wireless service area 14. A communication control device 11 selects an optimum base station device 12 and directional beam for communicating with a predetermined terminal station device 13. In such a distributed antenna system, it is highly likely that the base station devices 12 are distributed and arranged in an area in which the base station devices 12 can communicate with each other. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0011] [Non-Patent Document 1] Takinami, et al., “Standardization Trends and Elemental Technologies of Millimeter-Wave Wireless LAN Systems”, IEICE Communications Society Magazine, Fall 2016, No. 38, pp. 100-106 [Non-Patent Document 2] IEEE, “Part 11: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications Amendment 3: Enhancements for Very High Throughput in the 60 GHz Band” (IEEE Std 802.11ad-2012), 2012 / 12 / 28 [Non-Patent Document 3] Iwakuni, et al., “Experimental Evaluation of Handover Control Using Distance Measurement Function in High-Frequency Band Wireless Communication Systems”, B-5-56, 2020 IEICE Society Conference [Non-Patent Document 4] Uchida, et al. “A Study on High-Frequency Distributed Antenna System in High-Density / Shielded Environments”, 2020 IEICE General Conference, B-5-87 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0012] The position of a terminal station device in a wireless service area may be estimated based on the position of a base station device arranged in the wireless service area. In this case, it is important to estimate the position of the reference base station device. The position of the base station device may be determined based on radio waves transmitted from an artificial satellite of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS: Global Positioning Satellite System). Examples of global navigation satellite systems include GPS (Global Positioning System) and GLONASS (GLObal NAvigation Satellite System).

[0013] However, to use the global positioning satellite system, the base station device needs to be equipped with an antenna and a radio unit dedicated to positioning. Also, the base station device can use the global positioning satellite system only in an outdoor environment where the satellites are visible. Thus, there is a problem that the base station device cannot use the global positioning satellite system in a location where the satellites are not visible (for example, an indoor environment).

[0014] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a position estimation method, a wireless communication device, and a wireless communication system that are capable of estimating the position of a base station device located in a position where an artificial satellite cannot be seen. [Means for solving the problem]

[0015] One aspect of the present invention is a position estimation method performed by a wireless communication system having a wireless communication device and another wireless communication device, the position estimation method including a wireless step of performing wireless communication between the wireless communication device and the other wireless communication device using a directional beam, a relative position estimation step of estimating a relative position of the other wireless communication device with respect to the wireless communication device based on a direction of the directional beam in which the received power of the directional beam is maximized at the other wireless communication device and a distance corresponding to a round-trip time of a wireless signal between the wireless communication device and the other wireless communication device, and an absolute position estimation step of estimating an absolute position of the other wireless communication device based on an absolute position of the wireless communication device and a relative position of the other wireless communication device.

[0016] One aspect of the present invention is a wireless communication device comprising a radio unit that uses a directional beam to perform wireless communication between the wireless communication device itself and another wireless communication device, and a data processing unit that estimates the relative position of the other wireless communication device with respect to the wireless communication device itself based on the direction of the directional beam in which the received power of the directional beam is maximized at the other wireless communication device and a distance corresponding to the round-trip time of a wireless signal between the wireless communication device itself and the other wireless communication device, and estimates the absolute position of the other wireless communication device based on the absolute position of the wireless communication device itself and the relative position of the other wireless communication device.

[0017] One aspect of the present invention is a wireless communication system having a wireless communication device and another wireless communication device, comprising a radio unit that uses a directional beam to perform wireless communication between the wireless communication device and the other wireless communication device, and a data processing unit that estimates the relative position of the other wireless communication device with respect to the wireless communication device based on the direction of the directional beam in which the received power of the directional beam is maximized at the other wireless communication device and a distance corresponding to the round-trip time of a wireless signal between the wireless communication device and the other wireless communication device, and estimates the absolute position of the other wireless communication device based on the absolute position of the wireless communication device and the relative position of the other wireless communication device. Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to the present invention, it is possible to estimate the position of a base station device that is located in a position where the artificial satellite cannot be seen. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a wireless communication system in an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a base station device in an embodiment. [Diagram 3] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of a base station device in the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a wireless communication device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication device that uses beamforming in the millimeter wave band. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a wireless communication system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Since radio waves in the high frequency band have a high degree of linearity, line-of-sight waves are mainly used in high frequency band communications. Based on the direction and distance of such radio waves (directional beams), a wireless communication device (first base station device) in a distributed antenna system can estimate the position of another wireless communication device (second base station device).

[0021] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a wireless communication system 1 in an embodiment. The wireless communication system 1 is a distributed antenna system that uses high frequency bands (millimeter waves and quasi-millimeter waves). The wireless communication system 1 includes a communication control device 2 and multiple base station devices 3. In Fig. 1, the number of the multiple base station devices 3 is seven, for example.

[0022] A plurality of base station devices 3 are disposed as wireless communication devices (wireless station devices) in a wireless service area 4. For example, base station device 3-1 is disposed in an outdoor environment where an artificial satellite can be seen from the base station device. The position of base station device 3-1 is known. For example, base station devices 3 from base station device 3-2 to base station device 3-7 are disposed in indoor environments where an artificial satellite cannot be seen from the base station device.

[0023] Note that, in the wireless service area 4, there may be one or more terminal station devices (not shown) as wireless communication devices that are communication partners of the multiple base station devices 3. These terminal station devices are, for example, smartphone terminals, tablet terminals, and mobile terminals.

[0024] The base station devices 3 are wireless communication devices that are distributed in a wireless service area 4 in a distributed antenna system. The division of functions between the upper network of the base station devices 3 and the base station devices 3 is not limited to a specific division of functions.

[0025] A part of the hardware required for the terminal station device, which is the communication partner of the base station device 3, and a part of the hardware required for the base station device 3 are common as the hardware of a wireless communication device corresponding to a specific communication standard (e.g., a radio unit, an antenna, a processor). Therefore, whether the wireless communication device operates as the base station device 3 or as a terminal station device is determined by switching the software of the processor (e.g., a data processing unit, a control unit) that controls the hardware of the wireless communication device. Therefore, it is possible to operate a wireless communication device arranged as the base station device 3 as a terminal station device.

[0026] 1, the communication control device 2 controls a plurality of distributed base station devices 3, but three or more wireless communication devices including a CU (Centralized Unit), a DU (Distributed Unit), and a RU (Radio Unit) in "5G NR" may operate as the base station device 3. An autonomous distributed wireless communication device may operate as the base station device 3, such as a base station device in IEEE 802.11ad.

[0027] In the following, as an example, the function of the base station device 3-2 is temporarily switched to the function of the terminal station device so that the base station device 3-2 temporarily operates as a terminal station device. Also, the base station device 3-1 estimates the relative position of the base station device 3-2 with respect to the base station device 3-1. In this way, the position of the base station device 3-2, which is located in a position where it cannot see the artificial satellite, is estimated.

[0028] The communication control device 2 controls the operation of each base station device 3. When the absolute position of the base station device 3-2 has not been estimated, the communication control device 2 causes the base station device 3-2 to perform the operation of a terminal station device as a communication partner of the base station device 3-1. The communication control device 2 switches the operation (function) of the base station device 3-2 so that the base station device 3-2 temporarily operates as a terminal station device that is a communication partner of the base station device 3-1. The base station device 3-2 performs the operation of a terminal station device based on an instruction from outside the base station device 3-2 (for example, the communication control device 2). This allows the base station device 3-1 to perform communication defined by a communication standard using a directional beam 5 of a wireless signal with the base station device 3-2. When the absolute position of the base station device 3-2 has been estimated, the communication control device 2 causes the base station device 3-2 to perform the operation of a base station device.

[0029] Note that the base station device 3-1 may communicate with base stations 3 other than the base station device 3-2 in order to estimate the position of the base station device 3 other than the base station device 3-2.

[0030] When performing beamforming, the base station device 3-1 performs sequential transmission of directional beams (beam sweep). The base station device 3-1 estimates the direction of the directional beam 5 that maximizes the received power of the directional beam 5 at the base station device 3-2 as the direction of the base station device 3-2 relative to the base station device 3-1.

[0031] The base station device 3-1 estimates the distance between the base station device 3-1 and the base station device 3-2 by performing a ranging process based on the round-trip time of a radio signal between the base station device 3-1 and the base station device 3-2. The base station device 3-1 may estimate the distance between the base station device 3-1 and the base station device 3-2 by performing a ranging process based on the distance attenuation characteristics of the radio signal between the base station device 3-1 and the base station device 3-2.

[0032] The base station device 3-1 estimates the relative position of the base station device 3-2 with respect to the base station device 3-1 based on the direction of the base station device 3-2 with respect to the base station device 3-1 and the distance between the base station device 3-1 and the base station device 3-2.

[0033] Since the absolute position of base station device 3-1 is known using a global positioning satellite system or the like, even if base station device 3-2 is outside the range of the global positioning satellite system (for example, an indoor environment), base station device 3-1 can estimate the absolute position of base station device 3-2 based on the relative position of base station device 3-2 with respect to base station device 3-1. Base station device 3-1 may transmit the absolute position of base station device 3-2 to the communication control device 2 and base station device 3-2.

[0034] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the base station device 3 in the embodiment. The base station device 3 (wireless communication device) includes a data processing unit 30, a radio unit 31, an antenna 32, and a control unit 33.

[0035] The data processing unit 30 executes data processing for operating as a base station device supporting a predetermined communication standard. For example, the data processing unit 30 acquires a connection request received from another base station device 3 operating as a terminal station device from the wireless unit 31. Based on the connection request, the data processing unit 30 executes connection management of the other base station device 3 that transmitted the connection request. For example, the data processing unit 30 outputs data input from a higher-level network (not shown) to the wireless unit 31. For example, the data processing unit 30 outputs data input from the wireless unit 31 to the higher-level network (not shown). The data processing unit 30 may output data input from the wireless unit 31 to an interface of the higher-level network (not shown).

[0036] When the base station (wireless communication device) is operating as a terminal station that is a target of distance measurement, the data processing unit 30 executes data processing for the base station to operate as a terminal station that supports a predetermined communication standard. For example, the data processing unit 30 outputs to the wireless unit 31 data to be transmitted from the base station to the base station 3 that is performing distance measurement.

[0037] The wireless unit 31 transmits the data output from the data processing unit 30 as a wireless signal from the antenna 32 by performing beamforming of the directional beam 5. The wireless unit 31 outputs data corresponding to the wireless signal received using the antenna 32 to the data processing unit 30.

[0038] The control unit 33 (function switching control unit) instructs the data processing unit 30 to operate as a base station device or an terminal station device by switching the software of the data processing unit 30 based on a predetermined trigger. For example, the control unit 33 instructs the data processing unit 30 to operate as a base station device or an terminal station device by switching the software of the data processing unit 30 based on an instruction (trigger) transmitted from an upper network (not shown).

[0039] When the base station operates as a base station that performs distance measurement processing, the control unit 33 causes the data processing unit 30 to perform the functions of the base station defined by the communication standard. The functions of the base station are, for example, a function of measuring the distance between the base station and a terminal station present in the vicinity.

[0040] When the base station device itself is operating as a terminal station device to be the target of the distance measurement process, the control unit 33 causes the data processing unit 30 to perform the functions of a terminal station device defined in the communication standard, instead of causing the data processing unit 30 to perform the functions of a base station device defined in the communication standard. The functions of a terminal station device are, for example, a function of detecting (searching for) other base station devices 3 in the vicinity. When another base station device 3 in the vicinity is detected, the control unit 33 causes the data processing unit 30 to perform a process of transmitting a connection request to that base station device 3.

[0041] Examples of triggers that the control unit 33 uses to instruct the data processing unit 30 to switch functions so as to operate as a terminal station device include triggers such as (A-1), (A-2), or (A-3) shown below.

[0042] (A-1) A trigger caused by a base station device 3 being newly placed in a wireless service area 4 When the newly installed base station device 3 is powered on, the base station device 3 is made to temporarily operate as a terminal station device. The control unit 33 of the newly installed base station device 3 switches the function of the data processing unit 30 so that the base station device itself temporarily operates as a terminal station device.

[0043] (A-2) A trigger caused by a periodic instruction from the communication control device 2 (host device) to the control unit 33 of any base station device 3 It is easy to move the position of a relatively small base station device (e.g., an access point of a wireless LAN (Local Area Network)). For this reason, there is a possibility that the base station device 3 will move along with the movement of indoor fixtures. To accommodate such movement, the communication control device 2 (higher-level device) periodically transmits a function switching instruction to the base station device 3. The communication control device 2 may estimate the position of each base station device 3 in the wireless service area 4 by using the base station device 3 whose absolute position in the wireless service area 4 is known.

[0044] (A-3) A trigger caused by the number of terminal devices communicatively connected to the base station device 3 being 0 When the number of terminal station devices communicatively connected to the base station device 3 is zero, the base station device 3 operates as a terminal station device. In other words, when there is no communication partner of the base station device 3, the base station device 3 operates as a terminal station device. This allows the base station device 3 to operate as a terminal station device even when there is no instruction to the base station device 3 from outside.

[0045] It is necessary to restore the operation of the base station device 3, which is temporarily operating as a terminal station device, to the operation of a base station device. Examples of triggers for the control unit 33 to instruct the data processing unit 30 to restore the operation of the base station device 3 to the original operation of the base station device include triggers such as (B-1) or (B-2) shown below.

[0046] (B-1) Trigger caused by a timer with a specified time When the operation of the data processing unit 30 is switched so that the base station device 3 temporarily operates as a terminal station device, the control unit 33 sets a timer for a predetermined time. When the timer expires, the control unit 33 switches the operation (function) of the data processing unit 30 so that the base station device 3 operates as a base station device.

[0047] (B-2) A trigger caused by an instruction transmitted from at least one of another base station device opposite the own base station device and the communication control device 2. When the estimation of the position of the base station device 3 (wireless communication device) operating as a terminal station device is completed, the base station device 3 or the communication control device 2 that performed the ranging process transmits an estimation completion signal to the base station device 3. When the control unit 33 of the base station device 3 operating as a terminal station device acquires the estimation completion signal, it transmits a function switching instruction to the data processing unit 30 so that the base station device itself operates as a base station device.

[0048] The above triggers (A-1), (A-2) and (A-3) and the above triggers (B-2) and (B-2) may be combined.

[0049] Next, an example of the operation of the wireless communication system 1 will be described. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the wireless communication system 1 according to the embodiment. The wireless unit 31 of the base station device 3-1 (first wireless communication device) executes wireless communication between the base station device 3-1 and the base station device 3-2 (second wireless communication device) by using a directional beam 5 of a wireless signal (step S101).

[0050] The data processing unit 30 of the base station device 3-1 estimates the direction of the directional beam 5 in which the received power of the directional beam 5 at the base station device 3-2 is maximum based on feedback from the base station device 3-2 (step S102). The data processing unit 30 of the base station device 3-1 estimates the distance between the base station device 3-1 and the base station device 3-2 based on the round-trip time of the radio signal between the base station device 3-1 and the base station device 3-2 (step S103).

[0051] The data processing unit 30 of the base station 3-1 estimates the relative position of the base station 3-2 with respect to the base station 3-1 based on the estimated direction and distance (step S104). The data processing unit 30 of the base station 3-1 estimates the absolute position of the base station 3-2 based on the absolute position of the base station 3-1 and the relative position of the base station 3-2 (step S105).

[0052] As described above, the wireless unit 31 uses a directional beam to perform wireless communication between the base station device 3-1 and the base station device 3-2. The data processing unit 30 estimates the direction of the directional beam in which the received power of the directional beam is maximized at the base station device 3-2. The data processing unit 30 estimates the distance according to the round-trip time of the wireless signal between the base station device 3-1 and the base station device 3-2. That is, the data processing unit 30 estimates the distance between the base station device 3-1 and the base station device 3-2. The data processing unit 30 estimates the relative position of the base station device 3-2 with respect to the base station device 3-1 based on the estimated direction and the estimated distance. The data processing unit 30 estimates the absolute position of the base station device 3-2 based on the absolute position of the base station device 3-1 and the relative position of the base station device 3-2.

[0053] This makes it possible to estimate the position of a base station device located in a position where the artificial satellite cannot be seen. Also, even if the base station device does not have an antenna and a radio unit dedicated to positioning, it is possible to estimate the position of other base station devices in an indoor environment in a distributed antenna system.

[0054] In the embodiment, the base station device 3 is switched between operating as a base station device or as a terminal station device by rewriting the internal processing (software) of the data processing unit 30 (processor) of the base station device 3. In contrast, the base station device 3 may physically include a first data processing unit (processor) that executes the operation as a base station device and a second data processing unit (processor) that executes the operation as a terminal station device.

[0055] (Hardware configuration example) FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the wireless communication device 100 in each embodiment. The wireless communication device 100 corresponds to a base station device 3. A part or all of the functional units of the wireless communication device 100 are realized as software by a processor 101 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program stored in a storage device 102 having a non-volatile recording medium (non-transient recording medium) and a memory 103. The program may be recorded in a computer-readable non-transient recording medium. The computer-readable non-transient recording medium is, for example, a portable medium such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), or a non-transient recording medium such as a storage device such as a hard disk built into a computer system. The communication unit 104 executes a predetermined communication process. The communication unit 104 may acquire data and a program.

[0056] Some or all of the functional units of wireless communication device 100 may be realized using hardware including electronic circuits (electronic circuits or circuitry) using, for example, an LSI (Large Scale Integrated circuit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0057] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and designs that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention are also included. [Industrial Applicability]

[0058] The present invention is applicable to distributed antenna systems. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] Reference Signs List 1... wireless communication system, 2... communication control device, 3... base station device, 4... wireless service area, 5... directional beam, 10... wireless communication system, 11... communication control device, 12... base station device, 13... terminal station device, 30... data processing unit, 31... radio unit, 32... antenna, 33... control unit, 100... wireless communication device, 101... processor, 102... storage device, 103... memory, 104... communication unit, 200... wireless communication device, 201... directional beam, 300... wireless communication device

Claims

1. A position estimation method executed by a wireless communication system including a wireless communication device and another wireless communication device, a wireless step of performing wireless communication between the wireless communication device and the other wireless communication device using a directional beam; a relative position estimation step of estimating a relative position of the other wireless communication device with respect to the wireless communication device based on a direction of the directional beam in which the received power of the directional beam is maximized at the other wireless communication device and a distance according to a round-trip time of a wireless signal between the wireless communication device and the other wireless communication device; an absolute position estimating step of estimating an absolute position of the other wireless communication device based on an absolute position of the wireless communication device and a relative position of the other wireless communication device; a switching step of causing the other wireless communication device to perform an operation of a terminal station device as a communication partner of the wireless communication device, which is a base station device, when the absolute position of the other wireless communication device has not been estimated, and causing the other wireless communication device to perform the operation of the base station device when the absolute position of the other wireless communication device has been estimated, the other wireless communication device executes the operation of the terminal station device when there is no communication partner of the other wireless communication device; The operation of the terminal station device is an operation in which the other base station device detects the base station device present in the vicinity and transmits a connection request to the detected base station device, The operation of the base station device is an operation of the base station device measuring a distance between the base station device and the other base station devices present in the vicinity. Location estimation method.

2. a wireless unit that performs wireless communication between the wireless communication device itself and another wireless communication device by using a directional beam; a data processing unit that estimates a relative position of the other wireless communication device with respect to its own wireless communication device based on a direction of the directional beam in which the received power of the directional beam is maximized at the other wireless communication device and a distance according to a round-trip time of a wireless signal between its own wireless communication device and the other wireless communication device, and that estimates an absolute position of the other wireless communication device based on an absolute position of its own wireless communication device and a relative position of the other wireless communication device; a control unit that, when the absolute position of the other wireless communication device has not been estimated, causes the other wireless communication device to perform an operation of a terminal station device as a communication partner of the wireless communication device that is a base station device, and, when the absolute position of the other wireless communication device has been estimated, causes the other wireless communication device to perform an operation of the base station device; Equipped with the other wireless communication device executes the operation of the terminal station device when there is no communication partner of the other wireless communication device; The operation of the terminal station device is an operation in which the other base station device detects the base station device present in the vicinity and transmits a connection request to the detected base station device, The operation of the base station device is an operation of the base station device measuring a distance between the base station device and the other base station devices present in the vicinity. Wireless communication device.

3. A wireless communication system including a wireless communication device and another wireless communication device, a radio unit that performs wireless communication between the wireless communication device and the other wireless communication device by using a directional beam; a data processing unit that estimates a relative position of the other wireless communication device with respect to the wireless communication device based on a direction of the directional beam in which the received power of the directional beam at the other wireless communication device is maximum and a distance according to a round-trip time of a wireless signal between the wireless communication device and the other wireless communication device, and that estimates an absolute position of the other wireless communication device based on an absolute position of the wireless communication device and a relative position of the other wireless communication device; a control unit that, when the absolute position of the other wireless communication device has not been estimated, causes the other wireless communication device to perform an operation of a terminal station device as a communication partner of the wireless communication device that is a base station device, and, when the absolute position of the other wireless communication device has been estimated, causes the other wireless communication device to perform an operation of the base station device; Equipped with the other wireless communication device executes the operation of the terminal station device when there is no communication partner of the other wireless communication device; The operation of the terminal station device is an operation in which the other base station device detects the base station device present in the vicinity and transmits a connection request to the detected base station device, The operation of the base station device is an operation of the base station device measuring a distance between the base station device and the other base station devices present in the vicinity. Wireless communication system.

Images