Communication system and communication control device

Abstract

To restrain an increase in information transfer amount.SOLUTION: A communication system includes a plurality of first communication control devices arranged in association with a plurality of operators, and a second communication control device connected to the plurality of first communication control devices. The first communication control device calculates, for each combination of radio devices shared by the plurality of operators, an impact evaluation value in the case of increasing or decreasing a band to be used by an own operator, and transmits information including the impact evaluation value to the second communication device. The second communication control device uses the impact evaluation value for each combination of the radio devices in each operator to specify the combination of radio devices and the combination of operators that maximize a change value when each operator changes the band to be used by the radio device, and instructs the first communication control devices corresponding to the operators of the specified combination to increase or decrease the usage band of the specified combination of radio devices.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication system and a communication control device. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, wireless communication systems have begun to introduce services using fifth-generation mobile communications (5G), which enables high-speed, large-capacity data communication. 5G services use higher-frequency radio waves, such as millimeter waves, than those used in LTE (Long Term Evolution) and other standards. Because such high-frequency radio waves have a high degree of directionality and are less likely to penetrate obstructions, cell radii tend to be smaller. As a result, building wireless communication systems requires the installation of base station equipment at high density.

[0003] Specifically, a base station device is separated into, for example, a baseband device (CU / DU: Central Unit / Distributed Unit) that performs baseband processing and a radio device (RU: Radio Unit) that performs radio processing, so RUs with antennas are densely arranged. For this reason, a mobile network operator (MNO) that builds a wireless communication system can efficiently expand the communication area and system capacity by cooperating with other MNOs to install shareable RUs. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-111637 [Patent Document 2] Special Publication No. 2016-517189 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] One possible method for installing RUs shared by multiple MNOs (hereinafter referred to as "shared RUs") is to replace the dedicated RUs already installed for each MNO with shared RUs. As a result, each MNO's CU / DU will be connected to more shared RUs than when connected to dedicated RUs, and the front haul (FH) lines connecting the CU / DU and the shared RUs will be shared by multiple MNOs. In this case, a communication control device such as a RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) can control the bandwidth allocation between MNOs so that the FH line bandwidth is appropriately allocated to each MNO.

[0006] However, when a communication control device controls bandwidth allocation for multiple MNOs, the amount of information aggregated in this communication control device increases, resulting in a problem of an increased amount of information transfer to the communication control device. Specifically, for example, a communication control device that controls CUs / DUs of multiple MNOs across the board may collect reception quality information from terminal devices belonging to all MNOs and determine the bandwidth of the FH line to be allocated to each MNO based on the reception quality information. In such a case, since the reception quality information of all terminal devices belonging to all MNOs is aggregated in the communication control device, information transfer is concentrated on this communication control device, putting strain on the communication lines.

[0007] The disclosed technology has been made in view of the above points, and aims to provide a communication system and a communication control device that can suppress an increase in the amount of information transferred. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In one aspect, the communication system disclosed in the present application includes a plurality of first communication control devices arranged corresponding to a plurality of operators, and a second communication control device connected to the plurality of first communication control devices. The first communication control device includes a first processor that executes a process of calculating, for each combination of radio equipment shared by the plurality of operators, an impact assessment value when increasing or decreasing a bandwidth used by the first operator, and a first transmitter that transmits information including the impact assessment value to the second communication control device. The second communication control device includes a receiver that receives information including the impact assessment value from each of the plurality of first communication control devices, a second processor that executes a process of using the impact assessment value for each combination of radio equipment in each operator to identify a combination of radio equipment and a combination of operators that will maximize the change value when each operator changes the bandwidth used by the radio equipment, and a second transmitter that generates instruction information that instructs the first communication control device corresponding to the operator of the identified combination to increase or decrease the bandwidth used by the radio equipment of the identified combination, and a second transmitter that transmits the instruction information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to one aspect of the communication system and communication control device disclosed in the present application, an effect is achieved in that an increase in the amount of information transfer can be suppressed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a communication system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a common control device according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an individual control device according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing a method for determining a band to be used. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram showing the influence evaluation value calculation process. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a specific example of table information. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram showing the change band determination process. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a specific example of the amount of information transferred to the common control device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] An embodiment of a communication system and a communication control device disclosed in the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a communication system according to one embodiment. In the communication system illustrated in Fig. 1, multiple CU / DUs 310 managed by different MNOs share multiple RUs 330. That is, for example, a CU / DU 310a of a first MNO and a CU / DU 310b of a second MNO are connected to multiple RUs 330 via an FH control device 320. The CU / DU 310a of the first MNO is connected to an individual control device 200a that controls communications in the first MNO, and the CU / DU 310b of the second MNO is connected to an individual control device 200b that controls communications in the second MNO. The individual control devices 200a and 200b are then connected to a common control device 100 that controls communications across the MNOs.

[0013] The common control device 100, which is called, for example, a Non-RT RIC (non-real-time RIC), controls base stations across multiple MNOs. That is, the common control device 100 controls the CU / DUs 310a and 310b, which are baseband devices constituting the base stations. Specifically, the common control device 100 acquires information evaluating the impact of changing the bandwidth of each RU 330 assigned to each MNO from the individual control devices 200a and 200b, and determines whether to increase or decrease the bandwidth assigned to each MNO so as to maximize the value of changing the bandwidth. The common control device 100 then instructs the individual control devices 200a and 200b to increase or decrease the bandwidth for each RU 330 assigned to each MNO, thereby changing the bandwidth for each RU 330 used by the CU / DUs 310a and 310b.

[0014] The detailed configuration and operation of the common control device 100 will be described later.

[0015] The individual control devices 200a and 200b are called near-RT RICs (near real-time RICs), for example, and each controls a base station of one MNO. That is, the individual control device 200a controls the CU / DU 310a constituting the base station of a first MNO, and the individual control device 200b controls the CU / DU 310b constituting the base station of a second MNO. Specifically, the individual control devices 200a and 200b collect reception quality information between user equipment (UE) 340 and RU 330 belonging to each MNO, and calculate impact evaluation values ​​that evaluate the impact when the bandwidth used by each RU 330 by its own MNO increases or decreases. The individual control devices 200a and 200b then create table information that stores impact evaluation values ​​for each combination of RU 330 whose bandwidth increases or decreases, and transmit the table information to the common control device 100. Thereafter, when the individual control devices 200a and 200b are instructed by the common control device 100 to increase or decrease the bandwidth for each RU 330 allocated to their own MNO, they determine the bandwidth to be used by their own MNO for each RU 330 and notify the CU / DUs 310a and 310b of the bandwidth to be used.

[0016] The detailed configuration and operation of the individual control devices 200a, 200b will be described later. In the following description, the individual control devices 200a, 200b may be collectively referred to as "individual control devices 200."

[0017] The CU / DUs 310a and 310b are baseband devices constituting a base station. The CU / DUs 310a and 310b are each connected to a core network for each MNO (not shown) and perform baseband processing on data for each MNO. The CU / DUs 310a and 310b are also connected to multiple RUs 330 via FH lines and acquire reception quality information on UEs 340 that communicate wirelessly with each RU 330 and are under the jurisdiction of the MNO itself. The CU / DUs 310a and 310b then notify the individual control devices 200a and 200b of the MNO itself of the acquired reception quality information.

[0018] Furthermore, when the CU / DUs 310a and 310b are notified by the individual control devices 200a and 200b of the bandwidth used by their own MNO for each RU 330, they execute scheduling in the bandwidth used and transmit and receive data to and from the RU 330 via the FH line.

[0019] In the following description, the CU / DUs 310a and 310b may be collectively referred to as "CU / DU 310."

[0020] The FH control device 320 is provided on the FH line and connects the multiple CU / DUs 310 a and 310 b and the multiple RUs 330 .

[0021] The RU 330 is a radio device constituting a base station. The RU 330 is connected to multiple CU / DUs 310a and 310b corresponding to multiple MNOs and performs radio processing on data. That is, the RU 330 wirelessly transmits and receives data to and from UEs 340 within a cell. The RU 330 communicates with the CU / DUs 310a and 310b using the bands used by each MNO allocated to each MNO, and also wirelessly communicates with UEs 340 under the jurisdiction of each MNO.

[0022] The UE 340 is a terminal device capable of wireless communication. The UE 340 performs wireless communication with the RU 330 that forms the cell in which the UE 340 is located. The UE 340 is managed by one of multiple MNOs that share the RU 330, and transmits and receives data to and from the CU / DU 310a, 310b of that MNO.

[0023] 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a common control device 100 according to one embodiment. The common control device 100 shown in FIG. 2 includes a communication interface unit (hereinafter abbreviated as "communication IF unit") 110, a processor 120, and a memory 130.

[0024] The communication IF unit 110 is connected to multiple individual control devices 200, and receives information from the individual control devices 200 and transmits information to the individual control devices 200. Specifically, the communication IF unit 110 receives table information that stores impact assessment values ​​associated with each combination of RUs 330 when increasing or decreasing the bandwidth used for that combination. That is, the communication IF unit 110 receives table information related to each MNO from the individual control devices 200a, 200b for each MNO. The communication IF unit 110 also transmits instruction information to the individual control devices 200 that instructs each MNO to increase or decrease the bandwidth used by the RUs 330.

[0025] The processor 120 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), and performs overall control of the common control device 100. Specifically, the processor 120 includes a table information acquisition unit 121, a change value calculation unit 122, a maximum value determination unit 123, and an instruction information generation unit 124.

[0026] The table information acquisition unit 121 acquires table information of each MNO from the communication IF unit 110. That is, the table information acquisition unit 121 acquires table information indicating an impact evaluation value when increasing or decreasing the bandwidth used for each combination of RUs 330. This table information stores an impact evaluation value that evaluates the impact on communication by UEs 340 when the bandwidth used for one RU 330 in each combination of RUs 330 is increased and the bandwidth used for the other RU 330 is decreased. For example, the table information of a first MNO stores an impact evaluation value that evaluates the impact on communication of UEs 340 belonging to the first MNO when the bandwidth used for both RUs 330 is increased or decreased by a predetermined amount for each combination of RUs 330. As the impact evaluation value, for example, the amount of change in Proportional Fairness (PF) utility, which is an index value for fairness in bandwidth allocation and system throughput, can be used.

[0027] Based on the table information, the change value calculation unit 122 calculates a change value when the bandwidth allocation of the RUs 330 to the MNOs is changed without changing the total bandwidth used by each RU 330. Specifically, the change value calculation unit 122 calculates, for a combination of RUs 330, a change value when the bandwidth allocation of one RU 330 to the first MNO is increased and the allocation to the second MNO is decreased, and the bandwidth allocation of the other RU 330 to the first MNO is decreased and the allocation to the second MNO is increased. At this time, the change value calculation unit 122 sequentially calculates a change value for each combination of RUs 330 and each combination of MNOs from the impact evaluation value of each combination, and outputs the calculated change values ​​to the maximum value determination unit 123.

[0028] The maximum value determination unit 123 compares the change value for each combination of RUs 330 and each combination of MNOs calculated by the change value calculation unit 122, and identifies the maximum value of the change value. That is, the maximum value determination unit 123 compares the change values ​​calculated sequentially by the change value calculation unit 122, and identifies the combination of RUs 330 and MNOs that results in the maximum change value.

[0029] The instruction information generation unit 124 generates instruction information instructing each MNO to increase or decrease the bandwidth used by the RU 330, based on the combination of RUs 330 and MNO combination identified by the maximum value determination unit 123. Specifically, for the combination with the largest change value, the instruction information generation unit 124 generates instruction information addressed to the first MNO instructing it to increase the bandwidth allocated to the first MNO of one RU 330 and decrease the bandwidth allocated to the first MNO of the other RU 330, and instruction information addressed to the second MNO instructing it to decrease the bandwidth allocated to the second MNO of one RU 330 and increase the bandwidth allocated to the second MNO of the other RU 330. The instruction information generation unit 124 then transmits the instruction information from the communication IF unit 110 to the individual control devices 200a and 200b of each MNO.

[0030] The memory 130 includes, for example, a random access memory (RAM) or a read only memory (ROM), and stores information used in processing by the processor 120.

[0031] 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an individual control device 200 according to one embodiment. The individual control device 200 shown in FIG.

[0032] The communication IF unit 210 is connected to the CU / DU 310 of its own MNO, and receives information from the CU / DU 310 and transmits information to the CU / DU 310. Specifically, the communication IF unit 210 receives reception quality information between the UE 340 and the RU 330 that belong to its own MNO. The communication IF unit 210 also transmits to the CU / DU 310 bandwidth usage information that indicates the bandwidth used by its own MNO for each RU 330.

[0033] Processor 220 includes, for example, a CPU, FPGA, or DSP, and performs overall control of individual control device 200. Specifically, processor 220 includes reception quality information collecting section 221, used band setting section 222, table information control section 223, instruction information acquiring section 224, and used band information generating section 225.

[0034] The reception quality information collecting unit 221 collects reception quality information on all UEs 340 belonging to the own MNO. That is, the reception quality information collecting unit 221 collects reception quality information indicating reception quality such as RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power) at the UEs 340 of the own MNO from the CUs / DUs 310 of the own MNO. Here, the UE 340 measures the reception quality not only for the RU 330 of the wireless communication partner but also for all RUs 330 within a range where it can receive a reference signal, so the reception quality information of one UE 340 includes the reception quality from each of the multiple RUs 330.

[0035] The usage band setting unit 222 sets an increase or decrease in the usage band of the RU 330 based on the reception quality information. Specifically, the usage band setting unit 222 searches for the optimal usage band of its own MNO for each RU 330, which is the usage band that maximizes an index value such as PF utility. At this time, the usage band setting unit 222 assumes that, for each combination of RUs 330, the usage band of one RU 330 is increased by a predetermined amount and the usage band of the other RU 330 is decreased by a predetermined amount, and searches for the optimal usage band for each RU 330 that maximizes the index value under this assumption.

[0036] Then, when the optimum bandwidth in use for each RU 330 is identified, the bandwidth in use setting unit 222 notifies the table information control unit 223 of the combination of RUs 330 at this time, and also notifies the table information control unit 223 of the amount of change in the index value that occurs when the bandwidth in use is increased or decreased. That is, the bandwidth in use setting unit 222 notifies the table information control unit 223 of the impact evaluation value when the bandwidth in use of the own MNO is increased or decreased for each combination of RUs 330, along with the combination of RUs 330.

[0037] In addition, when the instruction information acquisition unit 224 notifies the use band setting unit 222 of an RU 330 that increases or decreases the use band of its own MNO, the use band setting unit 222 notifies the use band information generation unit 225 of the optimal use band identified for this combination of RU 330.

[0038] Based on the notification from the bandwidth usage setting unit 222, the table information control unit 223 generates table information that stores impact assessment values ​​in association with combinations of RUs 330. That is, the table information control unit 223 generates table information that stores impact assessment values, such as the amount of change in PF utility due to an increase or decrease in bandwidth usage, in association with RU 330 identification information that identifies an RU 330 that increases the bandwidth usage of its own MNO by a predetermined amount and an RU 330 that decreases the bandwidth usage of its own MNO by a predetermined amount. Because the bandwidth usage setting unit 222 calculates the impact assessment value assuming an increase or decrease in bandwidth usage for each combination of RUs 330, the table information control unit 223 generates table information that stores impact assessment values ​​for increasing or decreasing the bandwidth usage of its own MNO for all combinations of RUs 330. Then, the table information control unit 223 causes the communication IF unit 240 to transmit the generated table information to the common control device 100.

[0039] The instruction information acquisition unit 224 acquires instruction information instructing a combination of RUs 330 that will increase or decrease the bandwidth used by the MNO from the communication I / F unit 240. That is, the instruction information acquisition unit 224 acquires instruction information instructing RUs 330 that will increase the bandwidth used by the MNO and RUs 330 that will decrease the bandwidth used by the MNO. The instruction information acquisition unit 224 then notifies the bandwidth used setting unit 222 of the combinations of RUs 330 that will increase and decrease the bandwidth used by the MNO.

[0040] The bandwidth-in-use information generation unit 225 generates bandwidth-in-use information that indicates the bandwidth in use for the combination of RUs 330 notified by the bandwidth-in-use setting unit 222. That is, the bandwidth-in-use information generation unit 225 generates bandwidth-in-use information that indicates the optimal bandwidth in use for each RU 330 in the combination of RUs 330. The bandwidth-in-use information generation unit 225 then transmits the bandwidth-in-use information from the communication IF unit 210 to the CU / DU 310 of its own MNO.

[0041] The memory 230 includes, for example, a RAM or a ROM, and stores information used in processing by the processor 220.

[0042] The communication IF unit 240 is connected to the common control device 100, and transmits information to the common control device 100 and receives information from the common control device 100. Specifically, the communication IF unit 240 transmits table information to the common control device 100. In addition, the communication IF unit 240 receives instruction information from the common control device 100.

[0043] Next, a method for determining a band to be used in the communication system configured as above will be described with reference to the sequence diagram shown in FIG.

[0044] The UE 340 of each MNO receives a reference signal from each RU 330 and measures reception quality such as RSRP. Then, the UE 340 reports information on the measured reception quality to the CU / DU 310 of the same MNO via the RU 330, and the CU / DU 310 transmits the reception quality information to the individual control device 200 (step S101). The reception quality information includes the reception quality from each of the multiple RUs 330 in each UE 340.

[0045] Reception quality information from each UE 340 is collected by reception quality information collection unit 221 of individual control device 200, and based on the reception quality information, usage band setting unit 222 searches for an optimal usage band when increasing or decreasing the usage band for each combination of RUs 330. Specifically, assuming that the usage band of one RU 330 in the combination of RUs 330 is increased by a predetermined amount and the usage band of the other RU 330 is decreased by a predetermined amount, the usage band for each RU 330 that maximizes an index value such as PF utility is searched for under this assumption. Then, for each combination of RUs 330, the amount of change in the index value when changing to the optimal usage band is calculated as an impact evaluation value (step S102).

[0046] The table information control unit 223 stores the impact evaluation value for each combination of RUs 330 in the table information in association with the identification information of the RUs 330 that increase or decrease the bandwidth used. Then, when the impact evaluation values ​​for all combinations of RUs 330 have been stored in the table information, this table information is transmitted to the common control device 100 (step S103). Because the table information stores the impact evaluation value for each combination of RUs 330, it is information of a fixed size regardless of the number of UEs 340 that belong to the own MNO. Therefore, even if the amount of reception quality information reported from the UEs 340 increases, the amount of information transferred to the common control device 100 does not increase.

[0047] The table information is acquired by the table information acquisition unit 121 of the common control device 100. Since the table information is transmitted from the individual control devices 200 of each MNO, the table information acquisition unit 121 acquires table information from multiple MNOs that share the RU 330. Then, the change value calculation unit 122 uses the table information from each MNO to calculate a change value when the bandwidth allocation of the RU 330 to the MNO is changed without changing the total bandwidth used in each RU 330.

[0048] Specifically, the change value for a case in which the bandwidth allocation to the first MNO of one RU 330 in a combination of RUs 330 is increased and the bandwidth allocation to the second MNO is decreased, while the bandwidth allocation to the first MNO of the other RU 330 is decreased and the bandwidth allocation to the second MNO is increased, is calculated by adding up the impact assessment values ​​for each MNO for this combination of RUs 330. That is, the sum of the impact assessment value for a case in which the first MNO increases the bandwidth used by the first RU 330 and decreases the bandwidth used by the second RU 330 and the impact assessment value for a case in which the second MNO decreases the bandwidth used by the first RU 330 and increases the bandwidth used by the second RU 330 is calculated as the change value for this combination of RUs 330 and combination of MNOs.

[0049] The change value is calculated for each combination of RUs 330 and each combination of MNOs, and the combination of RUs 330 and MNOs that maximizes the change value is identified by the maximum value determination unit 123. Then, it is determined that the bandwidth used by the MNOs in the combination of RUs 330 is changed so as to maximize the change value (step S104). The combination of RUs 330 and MNOs that maximizes the change value is notified to the individual control devices 200 of each MNO by instruction information (step S105). The instruction information addressed to each MNO includes information that specifies the RUs 330 that will increase the bandwidth used by the MNO and the RUs 330 that will decrease the bandwidth used.

[0050] The instruction information is acquired by the instruction information acquisition unit 224 of the individual control device 200, and the RUs 330 that increase and decrease the usage bandwidth of the own MNO are notified to the usage bandwidth setting unit 222, and the optimal usage bandwidth for this combination of RUs 330 is determined (step S106). That is, for this combination of RUs 330, the usage bandwidth for each RU 330 that optimizes the impact assessment value is determined. Then, usage bandwidth information indicating the usage bandwidth for each RU 330 is generated by the usage bandwidth information generation unit 225 and transmitted to the CU / DU 310 of the own MNO (step S107).

[0051] The CU / DU 310 that receives the bandwidth usage information performs scheduling of the bandwidth usage for each RU 330 indicated by the bandwidth usage information (step S108). Then, according to the scheduling result, data is transmitted from the CU / DU 310 to the UE 340 via the RU 330 (step S109).

[0052] Next, the impact evaluation value calculation process by the individual control device 200 will be specifically described with reference to the flow diagram shown in Fig. 5. This impact evaluation value calculation process is the process in step S102 in Fig. 4, and is executed mainly by the bandwidth usage setting unit 222 and table information control unit 223 of the individual control device 200.

[0053] First, the reception quality information collecting unit 221 collects reception quality information from UEs 340 belonging to the own MNO (step S201). Here, reception quality information for each UE 340 is collected from each of the multiple RUs 330. Then, a processing loop is started for calculating an impact evaluation value when increasing or decreasing a used band for a combination of two RUs 330 out of the multiple RUs 330. In the following description, the two RUs 330 constituting the combination are referred to as RU #t1 and RU #t2, respectively.

[0054] When a combination of two RUs 330 to be processed is selected, it is determined whether or not it is possible to reduce the band R[t1] used by the MNO itself in RU#t1 by a predetermined amount ΔR (step S202). As a result, if the result of subtracting the predetermined amount ΔR from the band R[t1] used is less than 0 (step S202 No), it is determined that it is impossible to reduce the band R[t1] used in RU#t1, and band change impossibility information is stored in the table information in association with the combination of RU#t1 and RU#t2 (step S209).

[0055] On the other hand, if the result of subtracting the predetermined amount ΔR from the used bandwidth R[t1] is equal to or greater than 0 (Yes in step S202), it is determined whether or not it is possible to increase the used bandwidth R[t2] of the MNO itself in RU#t2 by the predetermined amount ΔR (step S203). As a result, the result of adding the predetermined amount ΔR to the used bandwidth R[t2] is equal to or greater than the predetermined maximum bandwidth R. max If it exceeds this limit (step S203 No), it is determined that an increase in the used bandwidth R[t2] in RU#t2 is not possible, and bandwidth change impossibility information is stored in the table information in association with the combination of RU#t1 and RU#t2 (step S209).

[0056] The result of adding a predetermined amount ΔR to the used band R[t2] is the predetermined maximum band R max In the following case (step S203 Yes), it is assumed that the usable bandwidth R[t1] is decreased by a predetermined amount ΔR and the usable bandwidth R[t2] is increased by a predetermined amount ΔR (step S204). Then, under this assumption, the positions of the optimal usable bandwidths that maximize an index value such as PF utility are searched for for each of RU#t1 and RU#t2 (step S205). The positions of the optimal usable bandwidths for RU#t1 and RU#t2 are held by the usable bandwidth setting unit 222.

[0057] Furthermore, the amount of change in the index value resulting from setting the optimal bandwidth is stored in the table information as an impact evaluation value when increasing or decreasing the bandwidth for this combination of RU#t1 and RU#t2 (step S206). Once the impact evaluation value is stored in association with the combination of RU#t1 and RU#t2, the bandwidth R[t1] is increased by a predetermined amount ΔR, and the bandwidth R[t2] is decreased by a predetermined amount ΔR in order to restore the assumption regarding the bandwidth (step S207).

[0058] The above process is repeated for all combinations of RUs 330, thereby generating table information for the MNO itself. This table information stores impact assessment values ​​in association with the identification information of RUs 330 for which a decrease in bandwidth usage is assumed and the identification information of RUs 330 for which an increase in bandwidth usage is assumed, as shown in Fig. 6, for example. In Fig. 6, the impact assessment value "-" indicates bandwidth change impossibility information. Therefore, for example, since a decrease in the bandwidth usage of RU #0 or an increase in the bandwidth usage of RU #1 is not possible, the bandwidth change impossibility information "-" is stored in association with the identification information of these RUs 330.

[0059] Furthermore, for example, an impact evaluation value of "1.2" is stored for a decrease in the bandwidth used by RU#0 and an increase in the bandwidth used by RU#3. This indicates that when the bandwidth used by RU#0 is decreased by a predetermined amount and the bandwidth used by RU#3 is increased by a predetermined amount, an index value such as PF utility will increase by 1.2. On the other hand, for example, an impact evaluation value of "-1.7" is stored for a decrease in the bandwidth used by RU#3 and an increase in the bandwidth used by RU#0. This indicates that when the bandwidth used by RU#3 is decreased by a predetermined amount and the bandwidth used by RU#0 is increased by a predetermined amount, an index value such as PF utility will decrease by 1.7. In this way, the table information stores impact evaluation values ​​for increasing or decreasing the bandwidth used for each combination of RU330. The impact evaluation value is not limited to the amount of change in PF utility, and it is also possible to use the amount of change in another index value indicating throughput.

[0060] When the table information storing the impact assessment values ​​for all combinations of RUs 330 is generated, the table information is transmitted to the common control device 100 (step S208). Since each individual control device 200 transmits table information for its own MNO, the common control device 100 receives table information for each of the multiple MNOs.

[0061] Next, the change band determination process by the common control device 100 that receives the table information will be described with reference to the flow diagram shown in Fig. 7. This change band determination process is the process in step S104 in Fig. 4, and is executed mainly by the change value calculation unit 122 and maximum value determination unit 123 of the common control device 100.

[0062] First, the table information acquisition unit 121 acquires table information transmitted from the individual control device 200 for each MNO (step S301). Then, by using the table information for each MNO, a processing loop is started for calculating the change value of the bandwidth in use for each combination of RUs 330 and each combination of MNOs. In the following description, the two RUs 330 constituting the combination of RUs 330 are referred to as RU#t1 and RU#t2, respectively, and the two MNOs constituting the combination of MNOs are referred to as MNO#m1 and MNO#m2, respectively.

[0063] When a combination of two RUs 330 and two MNOs to be processed are selected, the change value ∨ for increasing the bandwidth used by RU #t1 and decreasing the bandwidth used by RU #t2 for MNO #m1 and for increasing the bandwidth used by RU #t2 and decreasing the bandwidth used by RU #t1 for MNO #m2 is calculated. tmp is calculated (step S302). Specifically, an impact evaluation value ∨[m1, t1, t2] for increasing the bandwidth used by RU #t1 and decreasing the bandwidth used by RU #t2 for MNO #m1 is obtained from the table information of MNO #m1. Similarly, an impact evaluation value ∨[m2, t2, t1] for increasing the bandwidth used by RU #t2 and decreasing the bandwidth used by RU #t1 for MNO #m2 is obtained from the table information of MNO #m2. These impact evaluation values ​​∨[m1, t1, t2] and ∨[m2, t2, t1] are then added together to obtain a change value ∨ tmp is calculated.

[0064] Change Value ∨ tmpindicates the overall change in index values, such as PF utility, when the allocation of bandwidth of RU 330 to the MNO is changed without changing the total bandwidth used by each RU 330. tmp The larger the value, the greater the throughput of the entire system and the more efficient the communication. max and the calculated change value ∨ tmp are compared (step S303), and the maximum value ∨ max It is determined whether to update the

[0065] Calculated change value ∨ tmp is the maximum value ∨ max If it is equal to or less than this (No in step S303), the currently selected combination of RU 330 and MNO does not have the maximum change value, so another combination of RU 330 and MNO is selected as the next processing target. tmp is the maximum value ∨ max If it exceeds (Yes in step S303), the maximum value ∨ max is the change value ∨ tmp Also, the currently selected MNO#m1, #m2 and RU#t1, #t2 are updated to the maximum change value ∨ max Then, another combination of RU 330 and MNO is selected as the next target for processing.

[0066] The above process is repeated for all combinations of RU330 and MNO, and the maximum value of the change value ∨ max is determined and the maximum value ∨ max Then, the instruction information generating unit 124 generates instruction information for the individual control device 200 of each MNO. Specifically, the maximum value ∨ max MNO#m corresponding to 1max In contrast, RU#t 1max Increase the bandwidth used by RU#t 2max In addition, instruction information is generated to instruct the reduction of the bandwidth used by the maximum value ∨ maxMNO#m corresponding to 2max In contrast, RU#t 2max Increase the bandwidth used by RU#t 1max The instruction information is generated to instruct the MNO#m to reduce the bandwidth used by the MNO#m. 1max , #m 2max The result is transmitted to the individual control device 200 corresponding to the request (step S305).

[0067] In this way, the table information generated by the individual control devices 200 for each MNO is aggregated in the common control device 100, and a combination of RUs 330 and MNOs that maximizes the change value of the bandwidth used is determined. Therefore, when the RU 330 is shared by multiple MNOs, it is possible to optimize the allocation of the bandwidth used by the RU 330 to each MNO. Furthermore, because the table information for each MNO is aggregated in the common control device 100, the amount of information transferred to the common control device 100 can be reduced compared to when reception quality information for all UEs 340 is aggregated in the common control device 100.

[0068] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a specific example of the amount of information transferred to the common control device 100. Fig. 8 shows the relationship between the number of UEs 340 per MNO and the amount of information transferred to the common control device 100 when 12 RUs 330 are shared by four MNOs. A dashed line 401 indicates the amount of information transferred when reception quality information for each UE 340 is aggregated in the common control device 100, and a solid line 402 indicates the amount of information transferred when table information for each MNO is aggregated in the common control device 100 as in this embodiment.

[0069] 8, when reception quality information of UEs 340 is aggregated in the common control apparatus 100, the amount of information transferred to the common control apparatus 100 increases as the number of UEs 340 per MNO increases. In contrast, when table information for each MNO is aggregated in the common control apparatus 100, the amount of information transferred to the common control apparatus 100 remains constant even if the number of UEs 340 per MNO increases. Therefore, for example, when the number of UEs 340 per MNO approaches 100, the amount of information transferred to the common control apparatus 100 when table information is aggregated is about one-ninth of the amount when reception quality information is aggregated.

[0070] As described above, according to this embodiment, the individual control device for each MNO calculates an impact assessment value for increasing or decreasing the bandwidth used for each combination of RUs based on UE reception quality information, generates table information that stores the RU combinations in association with the impact assessment values, and transmits the table information to the common control device. The common control device then determines, from the table information for each MNO, the combination of RU and MNO that maximizes the change value when increasing or decreasing the bandwidth used, and instructs the individual control device for each MNO to increase or decrease the bandwidth used for the RU in the determined combination. Therefore, when multiple RUs are shared by multiple MNOs, it is possible to optimize the allocation of bandwidth used to each MNO. It is also possible to suppress an increase in the amount of information transferred to the common control device that controls across MNOs. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 110, 210, 240 Communication IF section 120, 220 processors 121 Table information acquisition unit 122 Change Value Calculation Unit 123 Maximum value determination section 124 Instruction information generation unit 130, 230 memory 221 Reception quality information collection unit 222 Bandwidth setting section 223 Table information control section 224 Instruction information acquisition unit 225 Bandwidth information generation unit

Claims

1. A communication system having a plurality of first communication control devices arranged corresponding to a plurality of operators, and a second communication control device connected to the plurality of first communication control devices, The first communication control device a first processor that executes a process of calculating an impact evaluation value when increasing or decreasing a bandwidth used by a first operator for each combination of wireless devices shared by the plurality of operators; a first transmission unit that transmits information including the impact assessment value to the second communication control device, The second communication control device a receiving unit that receives information including the impact evaluation value from each of the plurality of first communication control devices; Using the impact assessment value for each combination of wireless devices in each operator, a combination of wireless devices and a combination of operators that maximizes the change value when each operator changes the band used by the wireless devices are identified; a second processor that executes a process of generating instruction information that instructs a first communication control device corresponding to the operator of the specified combination to increase or decrease the bandwidth used by the wireless devices of the specified combination; a second transmission unit that transmits the instruction information; The calculation process includes: The amount of change in an index value indicating throughput when the bandwidth used by one of the wireless devices constituting the combination of wireless devices is increased and the bandwidth used by the other wireless device is decreased is calculated as the impact evaluation value. A communication system comprising:

2. The first processor further performing a process of collecting reception quality information from a terminal device that wirelessly communicates with the wireless device; The calculation process includes: Calculating an impact evaluation value for each combination of wireless devices based on the collected reception quality information 2. The communication system according to claim 1.

3. The identifying process includes: calculating the change value by adding together an impact assessment value in a case where a first operator increases the bandwidth used by one of the wireless devices and decreases the bandwidth used by the other wireless device, and an impact assessment value in a case where a second operator decreases the bandwidth used by one of the wireless devices and increases the bandwidth used by the other wireless device; Identifying a combination of the one wireless device and the other wireless device, and a combination of the first operator and the second operator, which maximizes the calculated change value.

2. The communication system of claim 1, further comprising a processing step.

4. The first processor further performing a process of generating table information that stores impact assessment values ​​in association with the combinations of wireless devices; The first transmission unit The table information is transmitted to the second communication control unit.

2. The communication system according to claim 1.

5. The first processor and further executing a process of determining a band to be used by the wireless device in accordance with instruction information received from the second communication control device.

2. The communication system according to claim 1.

6. A communication control device arranged corresponding to an operator, a processor that executes a process of calculating an impact evaluation value when increasing or decreasing a bandwidth used by a given operator for each combination of wireless devices shared by a plurality of operators; a transmitter that transmits information including the impact assessment value, The processor: A communication control device characterized by calculating, as the impact evaluation value, the amount of change in an index value indicating throughput when the bandwidth used by one of the wireless devices that make up the combination of wireless devices is increased and the bandwidth used by the other wireless device is decreased.

7. A communication control device connected to a plurality of individual control devices arranged corresponding to a plurality of operators, a receiving unit that receives, for each combination of wireless devices shared by the plurality of operators, information including an impact evaluation value when increasing or decreasing a bandwidth used by each operator from each of the plurality of individual control devices; Using the impact assessment value for each combination of wireless devices in each operator, a combination of wireless devices and a combination of operators that maximizes the change value when each operator changes the band used by the wireless devices are identified; a processor that executes a process of generating instruction information for instructing an individual control device corresponding to the operator of the specified combination to increase or decrease the bandwidth used by the wireless devices of the specified combination; a transmission unit that transmits the instruction information, The processor: A communication control device characterized by receiving as the impact evaluation value the amount of change in an index value indicating throughput when the bandwidth used by one of the wireless devices that make up the combination of wireless devices is increased and the bandwidth used by the other wireless device is decreased.

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