Control device, terminal device, control method, and program

Abstract

A sweep control unit (21) in a control device (20) executes sweep control for sequentially matching a reception beam direction of a communication terminal (10) with each of a plurality of measurement directions included in a reception sweep range. An acquisition unit (22) acquires a received signal strength in each measurement direction. An acquisition unit (23) acquires a result of demodulating the received signal in each measurement direction. A specifying unit (24) specifies the direction of a desired wave and the direction of an interference wave on the basis of the received signal strength and the demodulation result. A determination unit (25) determines the direction in which the reception beam is used on the basis of the direction of the desired wave and the direction of the interference wave specified by the specifying unit (24).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device, a terminal device, a control method, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium.

Background Art

[0002] Techniques for controlling the direction of an antenna provided in a communication terminal have been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The inventor has found that in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is a problem that the communication quality of the communication terminal may deteriorate. The inventor has found that by specifying the direction of a desired wave and the direction of an interfering wave and determining the direction of a reception beam based on the specified direction of the desired wave and the direction of the interfering wave, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the communication quality of the communication terminal.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a control device, a terminal device, a control method, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium capable of suppressing a decrease in the communication quality of a terminal device.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A control device according to a first aspect is a control device that controls a communication terminal, sweep control means for executing sweep control to sequentially align the direction of a reception beam of the communication terminal with each measurement direction included in a sweep range, first acquisition means for acquiring the reception signal strength in each measurement direction, second acquisition means for acquiring demodulation results of received signals in respective measurement directions; first identification means for identifying the direction of a desired wave and the direction of an interfering wave based on the received signal strength and the demodulation results; determination means for determining the use direction of a reception beam based on the identified direction of the desired wave and the direction of the interfering wave; beam control means for controlling the direction of the reception beam of the communication terminal based on the determined use direction of the reception beam; and comprising.

[0007] A control method according to a second aspect is a control method executed by a control device that controls a communication terminal, executing sweep control for sequentially aligning the direction of the reception beam of the communication terminal with each measurement direction included in a sweep range; acquiring the received signal strength in each measurement direction; acquiring demodulation results of received signals in each measurement direction; identifying the direction of a desired wave and the direction of an interfering wave based on the received signal strength and the demodulation results; determining the direction of the reception beam based on the identified direction of the desired wave and the direction of the interfering wave; controlling the use direction of the reception beam of the communication terminal based on the determined direction of the reception beam; and including.

[0008] A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to a third aspect causes a control device that controls a communication terminal to, execute sweep control for sequentially aligning the direction of the reception beam of the communication terminal with each measurement direction included in a sweep range; acquire the received signal strength in each measurement direction; acquire demodulation results of received signals in each measurement direction; identify the direction of a desired wave and the direction of an interfering wave based on the received signal strength and the demodulation results; Determining the direction of the reception beam based on the direction of the specified desired wave and the direction of the interference wave; Controlling the usage direction of the reception beam of the communication terminal based on the determined direction of the reception beam; A program that stores a process including the above is stored.

Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a control device, a terminal device, a control method, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium that can suppress a decrease in communication quality of a terminal device.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010] [Figure 1] It is a block diagram showing an example of a communication terminal in the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] It is a block diagram showing an example of a control device in the first embodiment. [Figure 3] It is a flowchart showing an example of the processing operation of the control device in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] It is a block diagram showing an example of a communication terminal in the second embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a block diagram showing an example of a control device in the second embodiment. [Figure 6] It is a flowchart showing an example of the processing operation of the control device in the second embodiment. [Figure 7] It is a block diagram showing an example of a communication terminal in the third embodiment. [Figure 8] It is a block diagram showing an example of a control device in the third embodiment. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the control device.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that, for the sake of clarity of explanation, the following description and drawings are appropriately omitted and simplified. Also, in each of the following drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted as necessary. Further, in the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, "at least one of A or B (A / B)" may mean either any one of A or B, or both A and B. Similarly, when "at least one of" is used for three or more elements, it may mean any one of these elements, or any plurality of elements (including all elements).

[0012] <First Embodiment> <Configuration Example of Terminal Device> FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a communication terminal in the first embodiment. In FIG. 1, the communication terminal 10 includes an array antenna 11, a reception radio unit 12, a reception processing unit 13, and a control unit (control device) 20.

[0013] The array antenna 11 has a plurality of antenna elements. The array antenna 11 outputs the signals received by each antenna element to the reception radio unit 12.

[0014] The reception radio unit 12 performs radio reception processing (down-conversion, analog-to-digital conversion, etc.) on the radio signal received from the array antenna 11. The reception radio unit 12 also has a plurality of phase shifters corresponding to the plurality of antenna elements. The plurality of phase shifters adjust the phase of the reception signal based on the reception beamforming weights received from the control unit 20. The direction of the reception beam of the communication terminal 10 is controlled by the reception beamforming weights. For example, the reception radio unit 12 may perform phase adjustment after down-conversion and then perform analog-to-digital conversion.

[0015] The reception radio unit 12 outputs the reception signal (for example, a baseband signal) obtained after the radio reception processing and the phase adjustment processing to the reception processing unit 13 and the control unit 20.

[0016] The reception processing unit 13 performs reception processing (demodulation processing, etc.) on the received signal received from the reception radio unit 12.

[0017] The control unit (control device) 20 executes various controls of the communication terminal 10.

[0018] <Example of control device configuration> Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a control device in the first embodiment. In Fig. 2, a control device (control unit) 20 has a sweep control unit 21, acquisition units 22 and 23, an identification unit 24, a determination unit 25, and a beam control unit 26.

[0019] The sweep control unit 21 executes sweep control to sequentially align the direction of the reception beam of the communication terminal 10 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "reception beam direction") with each of a plurality of measurement directions included in the "reception sweep range." The sweep control unit 21 outputs a sweep control signal to the reception radio unit 12 to control the reception beam direction so that the reception beam direction of the communication terminal 10 is oriented in each measurement direction. The "sweep control signal" includes reception beam forming weights corresponding to each of the plurality of measurement directions included in the "reception sweep range."

[0020] The acquisition unit 22 acquires the received signal strength in each measurement direction. For example, the acquisition unit 22 may acquire (measure) the received signal strength based on the received signal received from the radio reception unit 12. Alternatively, if the communication terminal 10 has a received signal strength measurement unit (not shown), the acquisition unit 22 may acquire the received signal strength in each measurement direction from the received signal strength measurement unit (not shown).

[0021] The acquisition unit 23 acquires the "demodulation result" of the received signal in each measurement direction from the reception processing unit 13. The "demodulation result" may be, for example, information indicating whether demodulation is possible (success or failure), or information indicating whether the received signal is a signal addressed to the terminal device 10. Here, when the measurement direction matches the direction in which the communication partner of the communication terminal 10 is located, it is considered that the desired wave can be received by the reception beam, so the demodulation process is successful and the destination information addressed to the communication device 10 can be acquired. On the other hand, when the measurement direction matches the direction in which a communication device that is not the communication partner of the communication terminal 10 is located, an interference wave is received by the reception beam, so it is considered that the demodulation process is not successful and the destination information addressed to the communication device 10 cannot be acquired.

[0022] The specifying unit 24 specifies the direction of the desired wave and the direction of the interference wave based on the received signal strength and the demodulation result. For example, the specifying unit 24 specifies one or more peaks of the received signal strength in the reception sweep range. Then, the specifying unit 24 sequentially selects the measurement direction corresponding to each peak as the "direction to be determined", and when the demodulation result of the received signal in the "direction to be determined" indicates that demodulation is possible (success of demodulation), it specifies that direction to be the direction of the desired wave. Also, when the demodulation result of the received signal in the "direction to be determined" indicates that demodulation is not possible (failure of demodulation), the specifying unit 24 specifies that direction to be the direction of the interference wave.

[0023] The determination unit 25 determines the use direction of the reception beam based on the direction of the desired wave and the direction of the interference wave specified by the specifying unit 24. For example, the determination unit 25 determines, among the directions of the one or more desired waves specified by the specifying unit 24, the direction of the desired wave for which the angle formed with the direction of the specified interference wave is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and the corresponding received signal strength is the largest, as the "use direction" of the reception beam.

[0024] The beam control unit 26 controls the reception beam direction of the communication terminal 10 based on the "usage direction" of the reception beam determined by the determination unit 25. For example, the beam control unit 26 outputs a beam control signal to the reception radio unit 12 to control the reception beam direction so that the reception beam direction of the communication terminal 10 faces the "usage direction". The "beam control signal" includes reception beamforming weights corresponding to the "usage direction".

[0025] <Operation example of the control device> FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing operation of the control device in the first embodiment.

[0026] The sweep control unit 21 performs sweep control to sequentially align the reception beam direction of the communication terminal 10 with each of a plurality of measurement directions included in the reception sweep range (step S101).

[0027] The acquisition unit 22 acquires the reception signal strength in each measurement direction (step S102).

[0028] The acquisition unit 23 acquires the demodulation result of the reception signal in each measurement direction from the reception processing unit 13 (step S103).

[0029] The specifying unit 24 specifies the direction of the desired wave and the direction of the interfering wave based on the reception signal strength and the demodulation result (step S104).

[0030] The determination unit 25 determines the usage direction of the reception beam based on the direction of the desired wave and the direction of the interfering wave specified by the specifying unit 24 (step S105).

[0031] The beam control unit 26 controls the reception beam direction of the communication terminal 10 based on the "usage direction" of the reception beam determined by the determination unit 25 (step S106).

[0032] As described above, according to the first embodiment, the identification unit 24 in the control device 10 identifies the direction of the desired wave and the direction of the interference wave based on the received signal strength and the demodulation result. The determination unit 25 determines the direction to use the receiving beam based on the direction of the desired wave and the direction of the interference wave identified by the identification unit 24.

[0033] This configuration of the control device 10 allows the direction of the receiving beam to be determined based on not only the direction of the desired wave but also the direction of the interference wave, so that the direction of the receiving beam can be determined to be the direction of the desired wave that is least affected by the interference wave, thereby suppressing degradation of communication quality of the terminal device.

[0034] Second Embodiment The second embodiment relates to a more specific embodiment.

[0035] <Example of terminal device configuration> Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a communication terminal in the second embodiment. In Fig. 4, the communication terminal 30 has an array antenna 11, a radio reception unit 12, a reception processing unit 13, a transmission processing unit 31, a radio transmission unit 32, and a control unit (control device) 40.

[0036] The transmission processing unit 31 outputs a transmission signal (for example, a baseband signal) to the transmission radio unit 32.

[0037] The radio transmission unit 32 performs radio transmission processing (digital-to-analog conversion, up-conversion, etc.) on the transmission signal received from the transmission processing unit 31. The radio transmission unit 32 also has multiple phase shifters corresponding to the multiple antenna elements. The multiple phase shifters adjust the phase of the transmission signal based on transmission beam-forming weights received from the control unit 40. The transmission beam-forming weights control the direction of the transmission beam of the communication terminal 10. For example, the radio transmission unit 32 may perform phase adjustment after digital-to-analog conversion, and then perform up-conversion.

[0038] The control unit (control device) 40 executes various controls of the communication terminal 30.

[0039] <Configuration Example of Control Device> FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a control device according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 5, a control device (control unit) 40 includes a sweep control unit 21, acquisition units 22 and 23, a specifying unit 24, a determination unit 25, a beam control unit 26, a sweep control unit 41, a specifying unit 42, and a sweep range determination unit 43.

[0040] The sweep control unit 41 executes transmission sweep control for sequentially aligning the direction of the transmission beam of the communication terminal 30 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the “transmission beam direction”) with each of a plurality of transmission directions included in the “transmission sweep range (sweepable direction range)”. The “transmission sweep range” may be, for example, 360° in the horizontal direction and around the communication terminal 30. The sweep control unit 41 outputs a transmission sweep control signal for controlling the transmission beam direction to the transmission radio unit 32 so that the transmission beam direction of the communication terminal 30 faces each transmission direction. The “transmission sweep control signal” includes transmission beamforming weights corresponding to each of a plurality of transmission directions included in the “transmission sweep range”.

[0041] The specifying unit 42 specifies the direction in which a radio wave shielding object is located around the communication terminal 30 based on the power of the reflected wave obtained by reflecting the transmission signal transmitted in each transmission direction by transmission sweep control in order to specify the direction in which the radio wave shielding object is located. For example, the specifying unit 42 may specify the direction in which the power of the reflected wave exceeds the shielding object determination threshold value as the direction in which the radio wave shielding object is located.

[0042] The sweep range determination unit 43 determines the “reception sweep range” used by the sweep control unit 21 by excluding the direction in which the radio wave shielding object specified by the specifying unit 42 is located from the “transmission sweep range (sweepable direction range)”.

[0043] The sweep control unit 21 executes sweep control for sequentially aligning the reception beam direction of the communication terminal 30 with each of a plurality of measurement directions included in the “reception sweep range”.

[0044] The acquisition unit 22 acquires the received signal strength in each measurement direction.

[0045] The acquisition unit 23 acquires the "demodulation result" of the received signal in each measurement direction from the reception processing unit 13.

[0046] The specifying unit 24 specifies the direction of the desired wave and the direction of the interfering wave based on the received signal strength and the demodulation result. The specifying unit 24 includes a peak specifying unit 24A and a direction specifying unit 24B.

[0047] The peak specifying unit 24A specifies one or more peaks of the received signal strength within the reception sweep range.

[0048] The direction specifying unit 24B sequentially selects the measurement direction corresponding to each peak as the "determination target direction", and when the demodulation result of the received signal in the "determination target direction" indicates successful demodulation, it specifies that determination target direction as the direction of the desired wave. Also, when the demodulation result of the received signal in the "determination target direction" indicates failed demodulation, the direction specifying unit 24B specifies that determination target direction as the direction of the interfering wave.

[0049] The determination unit 25 determines the use direction of the reception beam based on the direction of the desired wave and the direction of the interfering wave specified by the specifying unit 24.

[0050] The beam control unit 26 controls the reception beam direction of the communication terminal 10 based on the "use direction" of the reception beam determined by the determination unit 25.

[0051] <Operation example of the control device> FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing operation of the control device in the second embodiment.

[0052] The control device (control unit) 40 determines a receive sweep range (step S201). Specifically, the sweep control unit 41 executes a transmit sweep control to sequentially align the transmission beam direction of the communication terminal 30 with each of a plurality of transmission directions included in the transmit sweep range (step S201). The identification unit 42 identifies the direction in which the radio wave shielding object is located around the communication terminal 30 based on the power of the reflected wave that is generated when the transmission signal transmitted in each transmission direction by the transmit sweep control to identify the direction in which the radio wave shielding object is located is reflected by the radio wave shielding object (step S201). The sweep range determination unit 43 determines the "receive sweep range" used by the sweep control unit 21 by excluding the direction in which the radio wave shielding object identified by the identification unit 42 is located from the transmit sweep range (step S201).

[0053] Steps S202-S207 are similar to steps S101-S106 in the first embodiment, and therefore description thereof will be omitted. The processing flow shown in Fig. 6 may be started when the absolute position of communication terminal 30 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the "initial position" of communication terminal 30) and the absolute state of the reference plane of communication terminal 30 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the "initial state of the reference plane") at a certain point in time (first timing) when the "use direction" of the reception beam was determined have changed due to movement or rotation of communication terminal 30. The processing flow shown in Fig. 6 may also be started when the received signal strength of the desired wave falls below a predetermined threshold or the communication quality of the desired wave falls below a predetermined threshold without movement or rotation of communication terminal 30. In this case, however, step S201 may be skipped and processing may start from step S202.

[0054] In addition, if the position of the communication terminal 30 and the state of the reference plane at a second timing that is later than the first timing deviate from the "initial position" of the communication terminal 30 and the "initial state of the reference plane," the beam control unit 26 may correct the "direction of use" of the receiving beam based on the amount of deviation and control the direction of the receiving beam.

[0055] Third Embodiment The third embodiment relates to a variation of the method for determining the reception sweep range.

[0056] <Example of terminal device configuration> Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of a communication terminal according to the third embodiment. In Fig. 7, a communication terminal 50 includes an array antenna 11, a radio reception unit 12, a reception processing unit 13, a sensing unit 51, and a control unit (control device) 60.

[0057] The sensing unit 51 senses the "sensing range" and outputs the sensing result to the control unit (control device) 60. The sensing unit 51 is, for example, a thermal sensor or a camera. The "sensing range" may be, for example, 360° in the horizontal direction around the communication terminal 30.

[0058] The control unit (control device) 60 executes various controls of the communication terminal 50.

[0059] <Example of control device configuration> Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of a control device in the third embodiment. In Fig. 8, a control device (controller) 60 has a sweep controller 21, acquirers 22 and 23, an identifying unit 24, a determining unit 25, a beam controller 26, an identifying unit 61, and a sweep range determining unit 62.

[0060] The identifying unit 61 identifies the direction in which the radio wave blocking object around the communication terminal 30 is located based on the sensing result.

[0061] For example, if the sensing unit 51 is a heat sensor, the identification unit 61 identifies the direction in which a radio wave shielding object is located around the communication terminal 30, based on information about the temperature around the communication terminal 30. This makes it possible to identify the direction in which the user is located, for example, based on the body temperature of the user holding the communication terminal 30.

[0062] Furthermore, for example, if the sensing unit 51 is a camera, the identifying unit 61 identifies the direction in which a radio wave blocking object is located around the communication terminal 30 based on the image.

[0063] The sweep range determination unit 62 determines the "reception sweep range" used by the sweep control unit 21 by excluding from the "sensing range" the direction in which the radio wave shielding object specified by the specifying unit 61 is located.

[0064] <Operation example of the control device> Since the processing operation of the control device 60 of the third embodiment is basically the same as that of the control device 40 of the second embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

[0065] <Other embodiments> FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the control device. In FIG. 9, the control device 100 includes a processor 101 and a memory 102. The processor 101 may be, for example, a microprocessor, an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processor 101 may include a plurality of processors. The memory 102 is composed of a combination of a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory. The memory 102 may include a storage arranged separately from the processor 101. In this case, the processor 101 may access the memory 102 via an I / O interface (not shown).

[0066] The control devices 20, 40, and 60 of the first to third embodiments can each have the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 9. The sweep control units 21 of the control devices 20, 40, and 60 of the first to third embodiments, the acquisition units 22 and 23, the specifying unit 24, the determination unit 25, the beam control unit 26, the sweep control unit 41, the specifying units 42 and 61, and the sweep range determination units 43 and 62 may be realized by the processor 101 reading and executing a program stored in the memory 102. The program can be stored using various types of non-transitory computer readable media and supplied to the control devices 20, 40, and 60. Examples of non-transitory computer readable media include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (e.g., magneto-optical disks). Further, examples of non-transitory computer readable media include CD-ROM (Read Only Memory), CD-R, and CD-R / W. Further, examples of non-transitory computer readable media include semiconductor memories. Semiconductor memories include, for example, mask ROM, PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM), flash ROM, and RAM (Random Access Memory). Also, the program may be supplied to the control devices 20, 40, and 60 by various types of transitory computer readable media. Examples of transitory computer readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The transitory computer readable media can supply the program to the control devices 20, 40, and 60 via wired communication paths such as electric wires and optical fibers, or wireless communication paths.

[0067] As described above, the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Various changes that can be understood by those skilled in the art within the scope of the invention can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0068] 10. Communication terminals 11 Array antenna 12 Receiving radio section 13 Receiving processing section 20 Control unit (control device) 21 Sweep control section 22 Acquisition Department 23 Acquisition Department 24 Specific section 24A Peak Identification Section 24B Direction identification part 25 Decision Section 26 Beam control section 30 Communication terminal 31 Transmission processing unit 32 Transmitting radio section 40 Control unit (control device) 41 Sweep control section 42 Specific part 43 Sweep range determination section 50 Communication terminal 51 Sensing unit 60 Control unit (control device) 61 Specific part 62 Sweep range determination section

Claims

1. A control device for controlling a communication terminal, comprising: sweeping control means for performing sweeping control to sequentially align the direction of a reception beam of the communication terminal with each measurement direction included in a sweep range; first acquisition means for acquiring the reception signal strength in each measurement direction; second acquisition means for acquiring the demodulation result of the reception signal in each measurement direction; peak identification means for identifying a peak of the reception signal strength in the sweep range; first direction identification means for identifying, as the direction of a desired wave, the measurement direction when the demodulation result of the reception signal in the measurement direction corresponding to each identified peak indicates demodulability, and identifying, as the direction of an interfering wave, the measurement direction when the demodulation result of the reception signal in the measurement direction corresponding to each identified peak indicates non - demodulability; determination means for determining the use direction of the reception beam based on the identified directions of the desired wave and the interfering wave; beam control means for controlling the direction of the reception beam of the communication terminal based on the determined use direction of the reception beam; A control device comprising the above.

2. The determination means determines, as the use direction of the reception beam, the direction of the desired wave among the identified directions of one or more desired waves, where the angle formed with the identified direction of the interfering wave is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and the corresponding reception signal strength is the largest. The control device according to Claim 1.

3. The sweeping control means starts the sweeping control when the reception signal strength of the desired wave becomes smaller than a first threshold value. The control device according to Claim 1 or 2.

4. The sweeping control means starts the sweeping control when the communication quality of the desired wave drops below a predetermined level. The control device according to Claim 1 or 2.

5. [[ID= ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Obtaining the received signal strength in each measurement direction; Obtaining the demodulation result of the received signal in each measurement direction; Identifying the peak of the received signal strength within the sweep range; When the demodulation result of the received signal in the measurement direction corresponding to each identified peak indicates demodulability, identifying the measurement direction as the direction of the desired wave, while when the demodulation result of the received signal in the measurement direction corresponding to each identified peak indicates non - demodulability, identifying the measurement direction as the direction of the interfering wave; Determining the usage direction of the receive beam based on the identified directions of the desired wave and the interfering wave; Controlling the direction of the receive beam of the communication terminal based on the determined usage direction of the receive beam; A control method including the above.

8. In a control device for controlling a communication terminal, Performing sweep control to sequentially align the direction of the receive beam of the communication terminal with each measurement direction included in the sweep range; Obtaining the received signal strength in each measurement direction; Obtaining the demodulation result of the received signal in each measurement direction; Identifying the peak of the received signal strength within the sweep range; When the demodulation result of the received signal in the measurement direction corresponding to each identified peak indicates demodulability, identifying the measurement direction as the direction of the desired wave, while when the demodulation result of the received signal in the measurement direction corresponding to each identified peak indicates non - demodulability, identifying the measurement direction as the direction of the interfering wave; Determining the usage direction of the receive beam based on the identified directions of the desired wave and the interfering wave; Controlling the direction of the receive beam of the communication terminal based on the determined usage direction of the receive beam; A program for executing a process including the above.

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