Wireless device and antenna orientation determination method

Abstract

To provide a piece of radio equipment capable of properly orienting an own antenna having directivity.SOLUTION: The radio equipment capable of performing radio communication with at least one terminal includes: an antenna capable of radio communication; a radio interface for performing radio communication with each terminal via the antenna; and a processor that acquires the direction of each terminal and a weighting factor of each terminal and determines the direction of the antenna based on the direction of each terminal and the weighting factor of each terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wireless device, a management device, and an antenna orientation determination method. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART There is known a technique for estimating the position of a terminal by transmitting and receiving wireless signals between a wireless access point (hereinafter referred to as AP) and a terminal capable of wireless communication.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a method in which a terminal measures the received signal power strength of wireless signals transmitted from an AP and other terminals, transmits the measurement results of the received signal power strength to the AP, the AP measures the received signal power strength of wireless signals transmitted from the terminal, and the AP estimates the position of the terminal using location candidate information that lists candidate installation positions of the terminal for each device type, the measurement results of the received signal power strength measured by the AP itself, and the measurement results of the received signal power strength measured by each terminal. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-156652 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, when an AP is equipped with a directional antenna, the range within which a terminal can communicate with the AP changes depending on the direction of the antenna. When multiple terminals are wirelessly connected to an AP, it is difficult to determine the appropriate direction of the antenna for wireless communication with the multiple terminals.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a wireless device, a management device, and an antenna orientation determination method that can orient a directional antenna provided in the wireless device in an appropriate direction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present disclosure provides a wireless device capable of wireless communication with at least one terminal, the wireless device comprising: an antenna capable of wireless communication; a wireless interface for wirelessly communicating with each terminal through the antenna; and a processor that acquires the orientation of each terminal and a weighting coefficient of each terminal, and determines the orientation of the antenna based on the orientation of each terminal and the weighting coefficient of each terminal.

[0008] The present disclosure provides a management device connectable to the above-mentioned wireless device, comprising: a display device; and a processor that causes the display device to display information indicating a deviation between the antenna orientation determined by the wireless device and the current antenna orientation of the wireless device.

[0009] The present disclosure provides an antenna orientation determination method for determining the orientation of an antenna equipped in a wireless device and capable of wireless communication, the method acquiring the orientation of each terminal and a weighting coefficient of each terminal, and determining the orientation of the antenna based on the orientation of each terminal and the weighting coefficient of each terminal.

[0010] These comprehensive or specific aspects may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a recording medium, or may be realized as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a wireless device, a management device, and an antenna orientation determination method that can orient a directional antenna provided in the wireless device in an appropriate direction. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a wireless device and a management device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a process for determining an antenna direction of a wireless device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the direction and distance of each terminal relative to the wireless device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an example of an antenna direction determination process according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating clustering of a plurality of terminals according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example in which a wireless device according to the present embodiment determines a recommended antenna orientation within a range in which a terminal to be the target of wireless communication among terminals is not outside the communication area. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of notification of a recommended antenna orientation by a management device according to the present embodiment; [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a modified example of the method for calculating the recommended antenna orientation according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with appropriate reference to the drawings. However, more detailed description than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed descriptions of well-known matters and redundant descriptions of substantially identical configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessary redundancy in the following description and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. Note that the accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0014] (Embodiment 1) <Wireless communication system configuration> Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a wireless communication system 1 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 1 is a plan view of the wireless communication system 1 as seen from above.

[0015] The wireless communication system 1 includes a wireless device 10 and at least one terminal 20. The wireless device 10 is also called an AP (Access Point). The terminal 20 is also called an STA (Station). The terminal 20 may be fixed in position or may be mobile. As examples of the terminal 20, three terminals 20A, 20B, and 20C are shown in FIG. 1. The wireless communication system 1 may further include a management device 30, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 2.

[0016] The terminal 20 is capable of wireless communication with the wireless device 10. Communication between the wireless device 10 and the terminal 20 is performed by millimeter wave communication. The wireless device 10 is equipped with an antenna capable of millimeter wave communication. Because the beams (radio waves) used in millimeter wave communication have directionality, the antenna needs to be pointed in an appropriate direction during communication. For example, when a worker installs the wireless device 10, the antenna can be pointed in an appropriate direction by adjusting the orientation of the main body of the wireless device 10. Note that the wireless device 10 and the terminal 20 may perform wireless communication using radio waves with a wavelength different from the millimeter wave band.

[0017] When there is only one terminal 20 that communicates wirelessly with the wireless device 10, the worker installing the wireless device 10 only needs to point the antenna of the wireless device 10 toward that one terminal 20. However, when there are multiple terminals 20 that communicate wirelessly with the wireless device 10, the worker does not know in which direction the antenna of the wireless device 10 should be pointed.

[0018] Therefore, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, a device having a processor determines an appropriate antenna orientation in the wireless device 10. This stabilizes wireless communication between the wireless device 10 and multiple terminals 20. The device having a processor may be, for example, the wireless device 10 or the management device 30.

[0019] <Configuration example of wireless device and management device> 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a wireless device 10 and a management device 30 according to this embodiment. The wireless device 10, which operates as an AP, includes a processor 11, a memory 12, a connection interface 13, and a wireless interface 14. The wireless device 10 also includes an antenna 15 or is connected to the antenna 15.

[0020] The processor 11 is configured using, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The processor 11 performs control processing for overall supervision of the operations of the units 12 to 14 of the wireless device 10.

[0021] The memory 12 may include a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a flash memory, or the like, and stores various programs executed by the processor 11 and various data.

[0022] The connection interface 13 is an interface for establishing a communication connection with an external device such as a management device 30, which will be described later. The connection interface 13 includes a communication circuit that supports wired communication or wireless communication. The wireless interface 14 is an interface that can perform wireless communication with each terminal 20 via an antenna 15. The wireless interface 14 includes a communication circuit that supports wireless communication.

[0023] The antenna 15 is an antenna capable of wireless communication using a directional beam (directional beam). Wireless communication using a directional beam includes millimeter wave communication. The antenna 15 may be an array antenna composed of multiple antenna elements.

[0024] The management device 30 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet, a personal computer, etc. The management device 30 may be any other device. Furthermore, the management device 30 may be integrated with the wireless device 10.

[0025] The management device 30 includes a processor 31 , a memory 32 , a connection interface 33 , an operation device 34 , and a display device 35 .

[0026] The processor 31 is configured using, for example, a CPU, an MPU, a DSP, or an FPGA. The processor 31 performs control processing for controlling the overall operation of the units 32 to 35 of the management device 30.

[0027] The memory 32 may include a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory, or the like, and stores various programs executed by the processor 31 and various data.

[0028] The connection interface 33 is an interface for communicating with an external device such as the wireless device 10. The connection interface 33 includes a communication circuit compatible with wired or wireless communication.

[0029] The operation device 34 is a device that accepts input operations from the user, and may be configured using, for example, a mouse, a keyboard, a lever, a button, or a touch panel.

[0030] The display device 35 is a device that displays information to the user, and may be configured using a display, a touch panel, or the like.

[0031] FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the process of determining the antenna direction of the wireless device 10. In FIG.

[0032] When the wireless device 10 is wirelessly connected to the terminal 20A, the wireless device 10 detects the direction in which the terminal 20A is located and the distance to the terminal 20A (step S11). When the wireless device 10 is wirelessly connected to the terminal 20B, the wireless device 10 detects the direction in which the terminal 20B is located and the distance to the terminal 20B (step S12). When the wireless device 10 is wirelessly connected to the terminal 20C, the wireless device 10 detects the direction in which the terminal 20C is located and the distance to the terminal 20C (step S13).

[0033] After detecting the direction and distance of each terminal 20, the wireless device 10 performs an antenna orientation determination process (step S14). Details of the antenna orientation determination process will be described later. The wireless device 10 then notifies the determined recommended orientation U of the antenna 15 (step S15). This notification of the recommended orientation U of the antenna 15 is made to, for example, a display device 35 included in the management device 30.

[0034] An example of detecting the direction and distance of each terminal 20 in steps S11 to S13 will now be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the direction and distance of each terminal 20 relative to the wireless device 10.

[0035] To detect the direction and distance of each terminal 20 relative to the wireless device 10, the wireless device 10 identifies the direction in which the received power of radio waves (e.g., RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator)) is strong by using a sector sweep in beamforming. The wireless device 10 then estimates that the terminal 20 is located in the direction in which the received power (RSSI) is strong (e.g., greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold). The wireless device 10 estimates the distance to the terminal 20 based on the received power (RSSI) and the time it takes for a signal to return from each terminal 20. FIG. 4 shows the direction and distance of each terminal 20 estimated in this manner. Terminal 20A is estimated to be located at a direction of −10 degrees relative to the original antenna direction F of the wireless device 10, at a distance of 200 m from the wireless device 10. Terminal 20B is estimated to be located at a direction of +20 degrees relative to the current direction F of the antenna 15 of the wireless device 10, at a distance of 50 m from the wireless device 10. Terminal 20C is estimated to be located at a position at a distance of 100 m from wireless device 10 at an azimuth of +30 degrees relative to the current orientation F of antenna 15 of wireless device 10. In this embodiment, clockwise from the current orientation F of antenna 15 is defined as positive (+), and counterclockwise from the current orientation F of antenna 15 is defined as negative (-). However, clockwise from the current orientation F of antenna 15 may be defined as negative (-), and counterclockwise from the current orientation F of antenna 15 may be defined as positive (+).

[0036] Note that the method for estimating the direction and distance of each terminal 20 relative to the wireless device 10 is not limited to the above method. The direction and distance of each terminal 20 may be determined based on other known methods. For example, if the wireless device 10 and each terminal 20 are installed in a fixed location, the relative direction and distance between them do not change. In this case, values ​​indicating the direction and distance of each terminal 20 may be stored in memory 12 or memory 32. The wireless device 10 may acquire values ​​indicating the direction and distance of each terminal 20 from memory 12 or memory 32.

[0037] Next, the antenna direction determination process in step S14 will be described below. Fig. 5 is a flow chart showing an example of the antenna direction determination process.

[0038] The processor 11 clusters the terminals (step S21). Clustering will be described later with reference to Fig. 6. Then, the processor 11 regards one cluster as one terminal 20, and executes step S22 and subsequent steps.

[0039] The processor 11 acquires the weighting coefficients of each terminal 20 (step S22). The processor 11 may acquire the weighting coefficients by dynamically calculating them, or may acquire weighting coefficients stored in the memory 12, the memory 32, or the like.

[0040] The processor 11 determines a recommended orientation U of the antenna 15 based on the direction of each terminal 20 and the weighting coefficient of each terminal 20 (step S23).

[0041] Processor 11 determines whether there is a terminal to be a target of wireless communication that would be outside the communication area if antenna 15 is set in the determined recommended orientation U of antenna 15 (step S24). If there is a terminal to be a target of wireless communication that would be outside the communication area (step S24: YES), the process proceeds to step S25. If there is no terminal 20 to be a target of wireless communication that would be outside the communication area (step S24: NO), the process shown in this flow diagram ends.

[0042] In step S25, the processor 11 determines a recommended orientation U of the antenna 15 within a range in which the terminal 20 to be the target of wireless communication among the terminals 20 is not outside the communication area (step S25).

[0043] If the wireless connection between the wireless device 10 and one or more of the multiple terminals 20 is disconnected, the processor 11 may perform the steps shown in Fig. 5 again to determine an appropriate recommended orientation U of the antenna 15 for each of the multiple terminals 20 that have not been disconnected. The wireless connection with the terminal 20 may be disconnected, for example, when the terminal 20 breaks down or is relocated.

[0044] The weighting coefficients acquired by the processor 11 in step S22 will be described. As a first example of the weighting coefficients, weighting coefficients may be defined based on the distance between the wireless device 10 and each terminal 20. For example, the weighting coefficient for a terminal 20 that is farther away is larger than the weighting coefficient for a terminal 20 that is close. A terminal 20 that is farther away is considered to have lower communication quality than a terminal 20 that is close. Therefore, by making the weighting coefficient for a terminal 20 that is farther away larger than the weighting coefficient for a terminal 20 that is close, it is possible to ensure that the beams in beamforming reach each terminal 20 evenly.

[0045] As a second example of the weighting coefficient, a weighting coefficient may be defined based on the strength of the received power (RSSI) at the wireless device 10. For example, the weighting coefficient for a terminal 20 with weak received power at the wireless device 10 is larger than the weighting coefficient for a terminal 20 with strong received power at the wireless device 10. A terminal 20 with weak received power is considered to have lower communication quality than a terminal 20 with strong received power. Therefore, by making the weighting coefficient for a terminal 20 with weak received power larger than the weighting coefficient for a terminal 20 with strong received power, it is possible to ensure that the beams in beamforming reach each terminal 20 evenly.

[0046] As a third example of the weighting coefficient, the weighting coefficient may be defined based on the importance of the terminal 20. The weighting coefficient of a terminal 20 with high importance is larger than the weighting coefficient of a terminal 20 with low importance. There are various viewpoints for defining the importance of the terminal 20. For example, viewpoints include the importance of the information processing performed by the terminal 20 and the number of users who use the terminal 20. Therefore, by making the weighting coefficient of a terminal 20 with high importance larger than the weighting coefficient of a terminal 20 with low importance, it is possible to orient the antenna 15 in a direction that improves the communication quality for the terminal 20 with high importance.

[0047] It should be noted that the criteria for determining the magnitude of the weighting coefficient are not limited to the above first to third examples.

[0048] Next, an example of the recommended orientation U of the antenna 15 determined by the processor 11 in step S23 will be described. Assume that there are three terminals 20 with which the wireless device 10 is to communicate: terminals 20A, 20B, and 20C. Assume that the direction of each terminal 20 relative to the current orientation F of the antenna 15 of the wireless device 10 and the distance from the wireless device 10 are as shown in FIG. 4. In this case, the angle θ formed between the current orientation F of the antenna 15 and the recommended orientation U of the antenna 15 determined by the processor 11 may be calculated by the following equation (1). θ=(-10×4+20×1+30×2) / 3=13 degrees ···(1)

[0049] In equation (1), "-10," "20," and "30" correspond to the directions of terminals 20A, 20B, and 20C, respectively. "4," "1," and "2" in equation (1) correspond to weighting factors based on the distances from wireless device 10 to terminals 20A, 20B, and 20C, respectively. Here, the ratio of the distances is used as the weighting factor. That is, 200:50:100 = 4:1:2.

[0050] Next, clustering of terminals 20 will be described. FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram for explaining clustering of multiple terminals 20. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the wireless device 10 and multiple terminals 20 viewed from above. Note that performing the clustering shown in step S21 is not essential. For example, when the number of terminals 20 is small or when the terminals 20 are uniformly arranged, it may be possible to orient the antenna 15 in an appropriate direction without performing clustering. However, when there are many terminals 20, performing clustering may more efficiently orient the antenna 15 in an appropriate direction. This is because the amount of calculation by the wireless device 10 may be reduced. Furthermore, performing clustering may make it possible to orient the antenna 15 in a direction that ensures good communication quality for a greater number of terminals 20, even when the terminals 20 are unevenly arranged.

[0051] 6, multiple terminals 20 may be concentrated in their respective neighborhoods. In such a case, the processor 11 can cluster the terminals 20 so that at least one terminal 20 belongs to one cluster, and determine the weighting coefficients described above by regarding the cluster as one terminal.

[0052] The processor 11 performs clustering in step S21 described with reference to Fig. 5. The algorithm used for clustering may be a known algorithm such as the k-means method. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 6, the processor 11 clusters the terminals 20A, 20D, and 20E as a first cluster. The processor 11 also clusters the terminals 20B and 20F as a second cluster. The processor 11 also clusters the terminals 20C, 20G, and 20H as a third cluster.

[0053] When one cluster is regarded as one terminal, processor 11 may calculate the direction and distance relative to wireless device 10 based on the position of the center of gravity between multiple terminals belonging to that cluster. In Fig. 6, the positions of the centers of gravity of the first to third clusters are indicated by crosses.

[0054] In the second example of the weighting coefficient, the processor 11 may calculate the received power (RSSI) in a cluster as the average value of the received power (RSSI) in multiple terminals belonging to that cluster.

[0055] In the third example of the weighting coefficient, the processor 11 may determine the weighting coefficient by considering the importance of the terminal with the highest importance among the multiple terminals 20 belonging to a cluster as the importance of that cluster. Alternatively, the processor 11 may determine the weighting coefficient by considering the average value of the importance of the multiple terminals 20 belonging to a cluster as the importance of that cluster.

[0056] <Adjusting the antenna direction> FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing an example in which wireless device 10 determines a recommended orientation U of antenna 15 within a range in which a terminal to be the target of wireless communication among terminals 20 does not fall outside the communication area.

[0057] A dotted area R1 conceptually shown as a sector indicates the communication area of ​​the current orientation F of the antenna 15. A dashed-dotted area R2 conceptually shown as a sector indicates the communication area of ​​the wireless device 10 when the orientation of the antenna 15 is changed to the recommended orientation U of the antenna 15 determined in step S23.

[0058] Terminals 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D are all contained within sector-shaped region R1. That is, terminals 20A to 20D are within the communication area of ​​wireless device 10. Terminals 20B, 20C, and 20D are contained within sector-shaped region R2. However, terminal 20A is not contained within region R2. As described above, when the orientation of antenna 15 is changed, a terminal that should be a target of wireless communication may be outside the communication area. To avoid such a situation, in step S24, processor 11 determines whether there is a terminal that should be a target of wireless communication and that would be outside the communication area if antenna 15 is set in the recommended orientation U determined in step S23. Then, in step S25, processor 11 determines a recommended orientation U of antenna 15 within a range in which the terminal that should be a target of wireless communication among each terminal 20 is not outside the communication area. Note that, in this embodiment, the terminals that should be a target of wireless communication refer to terminals 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D.

[0059] For example, suppose that the angle θ of the current orientation F of antenna 15 is 0 degrees, and the angle θ of the recommended orientation U of antenna 15 determined in step S23 is 40 degrees. If changing the angle θ of the orientation of antenna 15 from 0 degrees to 40 degrees would cause terminal 20A to be outside the communication area, processor 11 determines the angle θ of the recommended orientation U of antenna 15 to a value such as 25 degrees, so that terminal 20A enters the communication area.

[0060] The process of step S25 is not required if the terminal 20A is not a target for wireless communication with the wireless device 10. An example of such a case is when the terminal 20A is in the communication area of ​​another wireless device different from the wireless device 10.

[0061] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of notification of the recommended orientation U of the antenna 15 by the management device 30, which corresponds to step S15 in FIG.

[0062] In this embodiment, a case will be described in which management device 30 is a smartphone. Management device 30 acquires information indicating a recommended orientation U of antenna 15 determined by wireless device 10 from wireless device 10 via connection interface 33. Processor 31 of management device 30 then causes display device 35 to display information indicating a deviation (e.g., angle θ) between the recommended orientation U of antenna 15 determined by wireless device 10 and the current orientation F of antenna 15 of wireless device 10, for example, as follows.

[0063] When the management device 30 is a smartphone, the touch panel screen of the smartphone corresponds to the display device 35. The worker inserts the management device 30 into a fixing slot or the like provided in the wireless device 10. This causes the wireless device 10 and the management device 30, which is a smartphone, to become integrated and can be rotated without changing their relative positions.

[0064] A guidance screen is displayed on the display device 35. The wireless device 10 and the management device 30 are displayed on the guidance screen. The guidance screen displays a text message saying "Adjust the left-right direction. Move the corresponding jig," an arrow indicating the direction in which to move the jig, and a "Next" button. When the worker taps the "Next" button on this guidance screen, the processor 31 causes the display device 35 to display an angle adjustment screen.

[0065] On the angle adjustment screen, the processor 31 causes the display device 35 to display a vertical line L1 indicating the optimal orientation to be targeted for the wireless device 10 and a vertical line L2 indicating the current orientation of the wireless device 10. The optimal orientation indicated by the vertical line L1 is an orientation based on information indicating a recommended orientation U of the antenna 15 obtained from the wireless device 10. The current orientation indicated by the vertical line L2 corresponds to the current orientation F of the antenna 15 provided in the management device 30, which is based on the current orientation of the smartphone, for example, calculated based on the gyroscope of the management device 30. The processor 31 also causes the display device 35 to display a text message saying, "Please align with the target." The operator rotates the wireless device 10 integrated with the management device 30 so that the vertical line L2 is aligned with the vertical line L1.

[0066] When vertical line L2 and vertical line L1 are aligned, processor 31 causes display device 35 to display a jig fixing screen. On the jig fixing screen, processor 31 causes display device 35 to display text messages such as "Target met" and "Please fix the jig," as well as a "Done" button. When the worker selects (e.g., taps) the "Done" button, processor 31 causes display device 35 to display a completion screen. On the completion screen, processor 31 causes display device 35 to display a text message such as "The left and right directions are aligned," as well as a check mark indicating that the work is complete.

[0067] For example, by having the processor 31 cause the display device 35 to display the above-described information, the installer of the wireless device 10 can easily adjust the orientation of the antenna 15 of the wireless device 10 to the recommended orientation U while looking at the display device 35.

[0068] 8 is merely an example. Processor 31 may cause display device 35 to display information indicating the deviation between recommended orientation U of antenna 15 determined by wireless device 10 and current orientation F of antenna 15 of wireless device 10 in a manner different from that described above.

[0069] As a modified example, the processor 31 may output to an audio output device such as a speaker information indicating the deviation between the recommended orientation U of the antenna 15 determined by the wireless device 10 and the current orientation F of the antenna 15 of the wireless device 10. The processor 31 may, for example, cause the audio output device to output a sound effect whose pitch rises as the deviation decreases, or a continuous sound whose BPM (Beats Per Minute) increases as the deviation decreases.

[0070] The above describes a case where an operator manually changes the orientation of wireless device 10. However, the orientation of wireless device 10 may be changed automatically. For example, wireless device 10 is mounted on a device having a rotation mechanism, such as a gimbal. Then, processor 11 of wireless device 10 controls the operation of the gimbal so that antenna 15 provided on wireless device 10 matches the determined recommended orientation U of antenna 15. The device having a rotation mechanism may be a device other than a gimbal.

[0071] <Modification of the antenna direction calculation method> Next, a modified example of the method for calculating the recommended orientation of antenna 15 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a modified example of the method for calculating the recommended orientation of antenna 15 according to the present embodiment.

[0072] As shown in FIG. 9, the vector from the position of the wireless device 10 to the position of the terminal 20A is expressed as v A , the vector from the position of the wireless device 10 to the position of the terminal 20B is v B , the vector from the position of the wireless device 10 to the terminal 20C is v C Let the vector v A The length of the vector v corresponds to the distance from the wireless device 10 to the terminal 20A. B The length of the vector v corresponds to the distance from the wireless device 10 to the terminal 20B. C The length of the vector v corresponds to the distance from the wireless device 10 to the terminal 20C. A , v B and v CThe direction of the resultant vector V obtained by combining the above may be set as the recommended direction V of the antenna 15.

[0073] The wireless device 10 may calculate the angle θ formed by the vector G indicating the original direction of the antenna 15 and the resultant vector V indicating the recommended direction of the antenna 15 as follows.

[0074] Vector v A The horizontal coordinates of (Acosθ A ,Asinθ A ) and the vector v B The horizontal coordinates of (Bcosθ B ,Bsinθ B ) and the vector v C The horizontal coordinates of (Ccosθ C ,Csinθ C ) where A is the vector v A is a value corresponding to the length of the vector v B is a value corresponding to the length of the vector v C or a value corresponding to the weighting factor for the terminal 20C. The weighting factor is as described above. A is vector G and vector v A is the angle between B is vector G and vector v B is the angle between C is vector G and vector v C is the angle formed by

[0075] In this case, the wireless device 10 calculates the angle θ between the vector G and the resultant vector V as follows: Dcosθ=Acosθ A +Bcosθ B +Ccosθ C , or Dsinθ=A sinθ A +Bsinθ B +Csinθ C It should be noted that D may be a value calculated based on the values ​​of A, B, and C.

[0076] The wireless device 10 may use the angle θ thus calculated, which indicates the recommended orientation of the antenna 15, for the angle adjustment shown in FIG.

[0077] 9, the position of each terminal 20 may be represented by a vector, and then the clustering described in Fig. 6 may be performed. In this case, since the position of the center of gravity of the cluster can be represented by a vector, wireless device 10 may calculate a resultant vector V by combining multiple vectors indicating the positions of the center of gravity of the cluster, and may calculate the angle θ formed by vector G and resultant vector V in the same manner as above.

[0078] Summary of the Disclosure The contents of the present disclosure can be expressed as follows.

[0079] <Expression 1> A wireless device 10 capable of wireless communication with at least one terminal 20 includes an antenna 15 capable of wireless communication. The wireless device 10 includes a wireless interface 14 that performs wireless communication with each terminal 20 via the antenna 15. The wireless device 10 includes a processor 11 that acquires the direction of each terminal 20 and a weighting factor for each terminal 20, and determines the orientation of the antenna 15 based on the direction of each terminal 20 and the weighting factor for each terminal. This allows the processor 11 to determine a recommended orientation of the antenna 15 that enables the wireless device 10 to deliver beams to each terminal 20 without bias.

[0080] <Expression 2> In the wireless device 10 according to expression 1, the weighting factor of a terminal 20 that is farther away may be greater than the weighting factor of a terminal 20 that is closer. This allows the beams formed by beamforming to reach each terminal 20 evenly, even though it is thought that the communication quality of terminals 20 at a greater distance is lower than that of terminals 20 at a closer distance.

[0081] <Expression 3> In the wireless device 10 according to the first or second embodiment, the weighting factor of the terminal 20 receiving weak power at the wireless device 10 may be larger than the weighting factor of the terminal 20 receiving strong power at the wireless device 10. This allows the beams in beamforming to reach each terminal 20 evenly, even though it is thought that the communication quality of a terminal 20 with weak reception power is lower than that of a terminal 20 with strong reception power.

[0082] <Expression 4> In the wireless device 10 according to any one of Expressions 1 to 3, the weighting factor of a terminal 20 with high importance may be larger than the weighting factor of a terminal 20 with low importance. This allows the recommended orientation of the antenna 15 to be directed in a direction that improves the communication quality for the terminal 20 with high importance.

[0083] <Expression 5> In the wireless device 10 according to any one of Expressions 1 to 4, the processor 11 may cluster the terminals 20 so that one or more terminals 20 belong to one cluster, and determine the weighting coefficient by regarding the cluster as one terminal 20. If a weighting coefficient is determined for each of multiple terminals 20 that are clustered close to each other, the orientation of antenna 15 may lean too much toward the direction in which those multiple terminals 20 are located. With the above configuration, when multiple terminals 20 are clustered close to each other, they are considered to be a single terminal 20, so the recommended orientation of antenna 15 does not lean too much toward the direction in which those multiple terminals 20 are located. This allows antenna 15 to be pointed in an appropriate direction.

[0084] <Expression 6> In the wireless device 10 according to any one of Expressions 1 to 5, the processor 11 may determine the orientation of the antenna within a range such that the terminal 20 to be the target of wireless communication among the terminals 20 is not outside the communication area. This makes it possible to avoid the occurrence of terminal 20 being outside the communication area and being unable to perform wireless communication when the orientation of antenna 15 is changed.

[0085] <Expression 7> A management device 30 connectable to a wireless device 10 includes a display device 35 and a processor 31 that causes the display device 35 to display information indicating the deviation between the orientation of the antenna 15 determined by the wireless device 10 and the current orientation of the antenna 15 of the wireless device 10. This allows the worker to adjust the orientation of the antenna 15 while looking at the information indicating the deviation displayed on the display device 35, and to easily set the antenna 15 in an appropriate orientation.

[0086] <Expression 8> Wireless device 10 is equipped with antenna 15 capable of wireless communication. In an antenna orientation determination method for determining the orientation of antenna 15, the direction of each terminal 20 and a weighting factor of each terminal 20 are acquired, and the orientation of antenna 15 is determined based on the direction of each terminal 20 and the weighting factor of each terminal 20. This allows the processor 11 to determine a recommended orientation of the antenna 15 that enables the wireless device 10 to deliver beams to each terminal 20 without bias.

[0087] Although the embodiments have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications, alterations, substitutions, additions, deletions, and equivalents within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the components in the above-described embodiments may be combined in any manner without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0088] The present disclosure is useful for a wireless device, a management device, and an antenna orientation determination method that can orient a directional antenna provided in the wireless device in an appropriate direction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0089] 10 Radio equipment 11 processors 12 Memory 13 Connection Interface 14 Wireless Interface 15 Antenna 20, 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D, 20E, 20F, 20G, 20H terminals 30 Management device 31 processors 32 memory 33 Connection Interface 34 Operating device 35 Display device

Claims

1. A wireless device capable of wireless communication with at least one terminal, an antenna capable of wireless communication; a wireless interface that wirelessly communicates with each terminal through the antenna; a processor that acquires the direction of each of the terminals and a weighting factor of each of the terminals, and determines the orientation of the antenna based on the direction of each of the terminals and the weighting factor of each of the terminals; The weighting factor of the terminal that is farther away is larger than the weighting factor of the terminal that is closer. Radio equipment.

2. A wireless device capable of wireless communication with at least one terminal, an antenna capable of wireless communication; a wireless interface that wirelessly communicates with each terminal through the antenna; a processor that acquires the direction of each of the terminals and a weighting factor of each of the terminals, and determines the orientation of the antenna based on the direction of each of the terminals and the weighting factor of each of the terminals; The weighting coefficient of the terminal having weak reception power at the wireless device is larger than the weighting coefficient of the terminal having strong reception power at the wireless device. Radio equipment.

3. The weighting factor of the terminal with high importance is larger than the weighting factor of the terminal with low importance.

3. The wireless device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the processor performs clustering such that at least one terminal belongs to one cluster, and determines the weight coefficient by regarding the cluster as one terminal.

3. The wireless device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. the processor determines the orientation of the antenna within a range in which a terminal to be a target of wireless communication among the terminals is not outside a communication area; 3. The wireless device according to claim 1 or 2.

6. An antenna orientation determination method for determining the orientation of an antenna capable of wireless communication provided in a wireless device, comprising: Obtaining the direction of each terminal and the weighting coefficient of each terminal; determining the orientation of the antenna based on the direction of each terminal and the weighting coefficient of each terminal; The weighting factor of the terminal that is farther away is larger than the weighting factor of the terminal that is closer. Antenna orientation determination method.

7. An antenna orientation determination method for determining the orientation of an antenna capable of wireless communication provided in a wireless device, comprising: Obtaining the direction of each terminal and the weighting coefficient of each terminal; determining the orientation of the antenna based on the direction of each terminal and the weighting coefficient of each terminal; The weighting coefficient of the terminal having weak reception power at the wireless device is larger than the weighting coefficient of the terminal having strong reception power at the wireless device. Antenna orientation determination method.

8. The weighting factor of the terminal with high importance is larger than the weighting factor of the terminal with low importance. The antenna orientation determining method according to claim 6 or 7.

9. clustering the terminals so that at least one terminal belongs to one cluster, and determining the weight coefficient by regarding the cluster as one terminal; The antenna orientation determining method according to claim 6 or 7.

10. determining the orientation of the antenna within a range in which a terminal to be a target of wireless communication among the terminals is not outside the communication area; The antenna orientation determining method according to claim 6 or 7.

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