Wireless communication system, control device, and control method

Abstract

The present invention provides a wireless communication system comprising: a terminal and a base station that transmit and receive signals to and from each other via optical wireless communication; and a control device that controls the base station, wherein the control device comprises: an information acquisition unit that acquires, from the base station, information indicating communication quality; and an obstacle detection unit that detects, on the basis of the information indicating communication quality, an obstacle affecting optical wireless communication between the base station and the terminal or other device.

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Wireless sensing methods that collect and analyze information detected using wireless communication devices are being studied for various applications. For example, Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a wireless sensing method that uses machine learning to detect objects. Also, Non-Patent Document 2 discloses a wireless sensing method that detects birds and animals by analyzing fluctuations in wireless LAN radio waves. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] NTT Access Network Service Systems Laboratories, "Object detection technology based on wireless LAN channel information using machine learning," https: / / www.rd.ntt / as / history / wireless / wi0517.html [Non-patent document 2] NTT Technical Journal, "Wireless LAN Signal-Based Bird and Animal Detection System," https: / / journal.ntt.co.jp / article / 4556 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventionally, wireless sensing using infrared rays, camera images, etc. requires the installation of dedicated devices for sensing, which makes it difficult to simplify the equipment.

[0005] The disclosed technology aims to facilitate simplification of equipment for wireless sensing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The disclosed technology is a wireless communication system including a terminal and a base station that transmit and receive signals to and from each other by optical wireless communication, and a control device that controls the base station, wherein the control device controls the base station. , the optical wireless communication Information indicating communication quality and information indicating the location or direction of the terminal. an information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating the communication quality; and information indicating the location or direction of the terminal. Based on When the communication quality of the optical wireless communication is lower than the communication quality estimated from the position or direction of the terminal, The base station and the terminal shielding to judge that there is and an occlusion detection unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] This can facilitate simplification of equipment for wireless sensing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a wireless communication system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a base station according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a detection process according to Example 1 of the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a wireless communication system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a control device according to Example 2 of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a detection process according to Example 2 of the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of a computer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention (the present embodiment) will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is merely an example, and the embodiment to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the following embodiment.

[0010] (Outline of this embodiment) In this embodiment, an example will be described in which a wireless device for optical wireless communication is used for sensing purposes.

[0011] Hereinafter, examples 1 and 2 will be described as specific examples of this embodiment.

[0012] Example 1 In this embodiment, an example will be described in which a visible light optical wireless communication device is used for sensing purposes.

[0013] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a wireless communication system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The wireless communication system 1 includes a control device 10, a base station 20, a terminal 30, and a sensor 40.

[0014] The control device 10 is a device that controls optical wireless communication between the base station 20 and the terminal 30, the sensor 40, etc. The control device 10 is communicably connected to the base station 20 via a wired or wireless communication line. The control device 10 acquires information indicating the quality of optical wireless communication from the base station 20, and detects the presence or absence of obstructions that affect the optical wireless communication between the base station 20 and the terminal 30, the sensor 40, etc.

[0015] The base station 20 is a device that performs visible light optical wireless communication with the terminal 30, the sensor 40, etc. The base station 20 estimates the quality of the optical wireless communication with the terminal 30, the sensor 40, etc., and transmits information indicating the quality of the optical wireless communication based on the estimation result to the control device 10. The base station 20 also transmits information indicating the position, direction, etc. of the terminal 30 to the control device 10.

[0016] The terminal 30 is a device used by a user and functions as a mobile station that moves with the user. The communication state between the terminal 30 and the base station 20 changes depending on the position, direction, etc. of the terminal 30.

[0017] The sensor 40 is installed at a fixed location and transmits detected information to the base station 20, for example, periodically via optical wireless communication.

[0018] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a control device according to Example 1 of an embodiment of the present invention. The control device 10 includes a communication unit 11, an external input / output unit 12, a calculation processing unit 13, a storage unit 14, an information acquisition unit 15, and an occlusion detection unit 16.

[0019] The communication unit 11 transmits and receives information to and from the base station 20. Specifically, the communication unit 11 receives information indicating the quality of the optical wireless communication and information indicating the position, direction, etc. of the terminal 30 from the base station 20. The communication unit 11 may also transmit information indicating the obstruction detected by the obstruction detection unit 16 to the base station 20.

[0020] The external input / output unit 12 inputs data required for the calculations executed by the calculation processing unit 13 to the calculation processing unit 13, or outputs data resulting from the calculations executed by the calculation processing unit 13. Specifically, the external input / output unit 12 inputs information received by the communication unit 11 to the calculation processing unit 13. The external input / output unit 12 may also output information indicating the occlusion detected by the occlusion detection unit 16.

[0021] The arithmetic processing unit 13 performs calculations based on the input data. Specifically, the arithmetic processing unit 13 performs calculations based on information indicating the quality of the optical wireless communication and information indicating the position, direction, etc. of the terminal 30 to calculate a value for determining whether or not there is obstruction.

[0022] The storage unit 14 stores data necessary for calculations. Specifically, the storage unit 14 stores information indicating the quality of the optical wireless communication, information indicating the obstruction detected by the obstruction detection unit 16, and the like.

[0023] The information acquisition unit 15 acquires information indicating the quality of the optical wireless communication and information indicating the position, direction, etc. of the terminal 30 from the base station 20 via the communication unit 11, the external input / output unit 12, and the like.

[0024] The occlusion detection unit 16 detects occlusion between the base station 20 and the terminal 30 or the sensor 40. Specifically, the occlusion detection unit 16 determines whether or not there is occlusion based on the calculation results by the calculation processing unit 13 regarding information indicating the quality of the optical wireless communication and information indicating the position, direction, etc. of the terminal 30.

[0025] For example, the obstruction detection unit 16 may determine that obstruction exists in communication between the base station 20 and the sensor 40 when the quality of the optical wireless communication has deteriorated based on information indicating the quality of the optical wireless communication. Furthermore, the obstruction detection unit 16 may determine that obstruction exists in communication between the base station 20 and the terminal 30 when the quality of the optical wireless communication has deteriorated below the quality estimated from the position, direction, etc. of the terminal 30 based on information indicating the quality of the optical wireless communication and information indicating the position, direction, etc. of the terminal 30.

[0026] 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a base station according to Example 1 of an embodiment of the present invention. The base station 20 includes a communication unit 21, an optical wireless communication quality estimation unit 22, a signal processing unit 23, and an optical wireless communication unit 24.

[0027] The communication unit 21 transmits and receives information to and from the control device 10. Specifically, the communication unit 21 transmits information indicating the quality of the optical wireless communication and information indicating the position, direction, etc. of the terminal 30 to the control device 10. The communication unit 21 may also receive information indicating the occlusion detected by the occlusion detection unit 16 from the control device 10.

[0028] The optical wireless communication quality estimator 22 estimates the quality of the optical wireless communication with the terminal 30 or the sensor 40, and transmits information indicating the estimated quality of the optical wireless communication to the control device 10 via the communicator 21. For example, the optical wireless communication quality estimator 22 may estimate the communication quality based on a change in the communication state, such as when data that is periodically transmitted and received is no longer received, or when a packet error occurs.

[0029] The signal processing unit 23 processes signals transmitted and received in optical wireless communication with the terminal 30 or the sensor 40 .

[0030] The optical wireless communication unit 24 performs optical wireless communication with the terminal 30 or the sensor 40 .

[0031] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the detection process according to Example 1 of the embodiment of the present invention. The control device 10 executes the detection process periodically or in response to a user operation.

[0032] The information acquisition unit 15 acquires information indicating communication quality from the base station 20 (step S101). Here, the information acquisition unit 15 may acquire information indicating the position, direction, etc. of the terminal 30.

[0033] The occlusion detection unit 16 detects occlusion based on the information indicating the communication quality (step S102). Specifically, the occlusion detection unit 16 detects occlusion between the base station 20 and the sensor 40 when the communication quality has deteriorated. The occlusion detection unit 16 may also detect occlusion between the terminal 30 and the base station 20 based on the information indicating the communication quality and information indicating the position, direction, etc. of the terminal 30. In this case, the occlusion detection unit 16 may determine that occlusion exists when the quality of the optical wireless communication has deteriorated below the quality estimated from the position, direction, etc. of the terminal 30.

[0034] Next, the communication unit 11 outputs information indicating the detected obstruction to the base station 20 (step S103). The base station 20 may schedule optical wireless communication based on the received information indicating the obstruction.

[0035] According to this embodiment, the control device 10 detects obstruction based on information indicating communication quality. This eliminates the need for additional dedicated equipment for wireless sensing, making it possible to simplify the equipment and prevent an increase in equipment costs.

[0036] Example 2 Hereinafter, a second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that a heat source is detected in infrared optical wireless communication. Therefore, the following description of the second embodiment will focus on the differences from the first embodiment, and components having the same functional configuration as the first embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals as those used in the description of the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0037] 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a wireless communication system according to Example 2 of the embodiment of the present invention. The wireless communication system 2 according to this example includes a control device 10, a base station 20, and a sensor 40. The base station 20 according to this example communicates with the sensor 40 by infrared optical wireless communication.

[0038] In addition to the occlusion detection according to the first embodiment, the wireless communication system 2 according to the present embodiment detects the presence of a heat source by detecting infrared rays emitted by the heat source such as a human as noise.

[0039] 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a control device according to Example 2 of the embodiment of the present invention. The control device 10 according to this example has a configuration in which a heat source detection unit 17 is added to the control device 10 according to Example 1.

[0040] Furthermore, the information acquisition unit 15 according to this embodiment acquires, from the base station 20, information indicating the communication quality, for example, information indicating the signal-to-noise ratio (SN ratio) of the transmitted and received signals.

[0041] The heat source detection unit 17 detects a heat source based on information indicating communication quality (for example, an S / N ratio). Specifically, when the heat source detection unit 17 determines that the noise floor has increased due to a decrease in the S / N ratio or the like, it may determine that a heat source has approached.

[0042] 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a detection process according to Example 2 of the embodiment of the present invention. In the detection process according to this example, the information acquisition unit 15 acquires information indicating communication quality from the base station 20 (step S201). Here, the information acquisition unit 15 may acquire information indicating the S / N ratio of signals transmitted and received by the base station 20.

[0043] The heat source detection unit 17 detects a heat source based on the information indicating the communication quality (step S202). Specifically, when the communication quality (for example, the SN ratio) is degraded, the heat source detection unit 17 detects a heat source near the base station 20 or the sensor 40.

[0044] Next, the communication unit 11 outputs information indicating the detected heat source to the base station 20 (step S203). The base station 20 may schedule optical wireless communication based on the received information indicating the heat source.

[0045] According to this embodiment, the control device 10 detects a heat source based on information indicating communication quality. This eliminates the need for additional dedicated equipment for detecting heat sources, making it possible to simplify the equipment and prevent an increase in equipment costs.

[0046] In the above-described embodiments, a method for realizing wireless sensing in the base station 20 using an optical wireless communication system has been described, but wireless sensing may also be realized in the terminal 30. For example, the control device 10 may acquire information indicating communication quality from the terminal 30 and detect an obstruction or a heat source based on the information.

[0047] Furthermore, the control device 10 may perform information analysis by combining wireless devices using other wireless communication methods in addition to wireless devices using optical wireless communication methods. For example, the control device 10 may further estimate the communication quality using wireless LAN for a terminal determined to be blocked by optical wireless communication, and estimate the degree of blocking.

[0048] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, wireless sensing between one pair of base station 20 and terminal 30 using an optical wireless communication system has been described, but wireless sensing between the base station 20 and multiple terminals 30 is also possible, and the control device 10 may comprehensively analyze information collected from multiple base stations 20. For example, in addition to the communication pair between a certain base station 20 and terminal 30, information indicating the communication quality between a base station 20 adjacent to the base station 20 and the terminal 30 may also be acquired, and the degree of obstruction for each base station 20 may be estimated.

[0049] Furthermore, while the above-described embodiments have been described assuming a single wireless communication method, the base station 20 may have the function of switching between wireless communication methods or using multiple methods in combination as necessary. In this case, the base station 20 may switch to a wireless communication method suitable for wireless sensing to improve the accuracy of wireless sensing. For example, if the base station 20 has multiple frequency bands to select from, it may select a communication method using infrared rays to detect the effects of thermal noise. However, if multiple base stations 20 use the same frequency band, interference between the base stations 20 becomes an issue. Therefore, for example, multiple base stations 20 may take turns using infrared rays, while the other base stations 20 use visible light, thereby periodically sensing heat sources while avoiding interference between the base stations 20.

[0050] <Hardware configuration> Finally, a description will be given of the hardware configuration of the control device 10, base station 20, or terminal 30 according to this embodiment. The control device 10, base station 20, or terminal 30 according to this embodiment is realized, for example, by the hardware configuration of a computer 500 shown in FIG.

[0051] 8 includes an input device 501, a display device 502, an external I / F 503, a communication I / F 504, a processor 505, and a memory device 506. Each of these pieces of hardware is connected to each other via a bus 507 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0052] The input device 501 is, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc. The display device 502 is, for example, a display, etc. Note that the computer 500 does not necessarily have to have at least one of the input device 501 and the display device 502.

[0053] The external I / F 503 is an interface with an external device such as a recording medium 503a. Examples of the recording medium 503a include a CD (Compact Disc), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), an SD memory card (Secure Digital memory card), and a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory card.

[0054] The communication I / F 504 is an interface for performing data communication with other devices, equipment, systems, etc. The processor 505 is, for example, various types of arithmetic devices such as a CPU, etc. The memory device 506 is, for example, various types of storage devices such as an HDD, SSD, RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, etc.

[0055] The control device 10, base station 20, or terminal 30 according to this embodiment can realize the various processes described above by having the hardware configuration of a computer 500 shown in Fig. 8. Note that the hardware configuration of the computer 500 shown in Fig. 8 is an example, and the computer 500 may have other hardware configurations. For example, the computer 500 may have multiple processors 505 or multiple memory devices 506.

[0056] The control device 10, base station 20, or terminal 30 according to this embodiment is realized by reading a program for causing the computer 500 to execute each of the above-described processes and executing the processes defined in the program. The program may be recorded on a recording medium 503a or the like, or may be provided via a network.

[0057] (Summary of the embodiment) This specification describes at least the wireless communication system, control device, and control method described in the following sections. (Section 1) A wireless communication system comprising a terminal and a base station that transmit and receive signals to and from each other by optical wireless communication, and a control device that controls the base station, The control device an information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating communication quality from the base station; and an obstruction detection unit that detects obstruction affecting optical wireless communication between the base station and the terminal or another device based on the information indicating the communication quality. Wireless communication system. (Section 2) the information acquisition unit further acquires information indicating a position or a direction of the terminal; the occlusion detection unit detects occlusion affecting optical wireless communication between the base station and the terminal based on the information indicating the communication quality and information indicating a position or a direction of the terminal; 2. The wireless communication system according to claim 1. (Section 3) The control device a heat source detection unit configured to detect a heat source affecting optical wireless communication between the base station and the terminal or another device based on the information indicating the communication quality; 3. The wireless communication system according to claim 2. (Section 4) A control device for controlling a base station that transmits and receives signals to and from a terminal by optical wireless communication, an information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating communication quality from the base station; and an obstruction detection unit that detects obstruction affecting optical wireless communication between the base station and the terminal or another device based on the information indicating the communication quality. Control device. (Section 5) A control method executed by a control device for controlling a base station that transmits and receives signals to and from a terminal by optical wireless communication, comprising: acquiring information indicating communication quality from the base station; and detecting an obstruction affecting optical wireless communication between the base station and the terminal or another device based on the information indicating the communication quality. Control method.

[0058] Although the present embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to such a specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 1. Wireless communication systems 10 Control device 11 Communications Department 12 External input / output section 13 Processing unit 14 Storage section 15 Information acquisition department 16. Occlusion detection unit 17 Heat source detection unit 20 base station 21 Communications Department 22 Optical wireless communication quality estimation unit 23 Signal Processing Section 24 Optical Wireless Communication Unit 30 devices 40 sensors 500 computers 501 Input Device 502 Display device 503 External I / F 503a Recording media 504 Communication I / F 505 processor 506 Memory Device 507 Bus

Claims

1. A wireless communication system comprising a terminal and a base station that transmit and receive signals to and from each other by optical wireless communication, and a control device that controls the base station, The control device an information acquisition unit that acquires, from the base station, information indicating a communication quality of the optical wireless communication and information indicating a position or a direction of the terminal; and an obstruction detection unit that determines that an obstruction exists between the base station and the terminal when the communication quality of the optical wireless communication is lower than the communication quality estimated from the position or direction of the terminal, based on the information indicating the communication quality and the information indicating the position or direction of the terminal. Wireless communication system.

2. The control device a heat source detection unit configured to detect a heat source affecting optical wireless communication between the base station and the terminal or another device based on the information indicating the communication quality; 10. The wireless communication system of claim 1.

3. A control device for controlling a base station that transmits and receives signals to and from a terminal by optical wireless communication, an information acquisition unit that acquires, from the base station, information indicating a communication quality of the optical wireless communication and information indicating a position or a direction of the terminal; and an obstruction detection unit that determines that an obstruction exists between the base station and the terminal when the communication quality of the optical wireless communication is lower than the communication quality estimated from the position or direction of the terminal, based on the information indicating the communication quality and the information indicating the position or direction of the terminal. Control device.

4. A control method executed by a control device for controlling a base station that transmits and receives signals to and from a terminal by optical wireless communication, comprising: acquiring, from the base station, information indicating a communication quality of the optical wireless communication and information indicating a position or a direction of the terminal; and determining that there is a shielding between the base station and the terminal when the communication quality of the optical wireless communication is lower than the communication quality estimated from the position or direction of the terminal, based on the information indicating the communication quality and the information indicating the position or direction of the terminal. Control method.

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