Received power prediction system, received power prediction device, received power prediction method, and program

Abstract

This received power prediction system is a received power prediction system for predicting received power of a communication terminal after a lapse of a predetermined time period, the received power prediction system including: a terminal information acquisition unit configured to acquire an actual measured value of received power of the communication terminal and a position of the communication terminal; a terminal position prediction unit configured to predict a predicted position of the communication terminal after a lapse of the predetermined time period on the basis of the position of the communication terminal; an estimate value acquisition unit configured to acquire an estimate value of received power in the predicted position of the communication terminal; and a received power prediction unit configured to predict received power of the communication terminal after a lapse of the predetermined time period by using the actual measured value of the received power and the estimate value of the received power.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a received power prediction system, a received power prediction device, a received power prediction method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Techniques for predicting radio communication quality in a wireless communication system are known. For example, assuming a static environment of an object whose position and size do not change in seconds, such as a building or a tree as an obstacle, a technique for predicting the received power of a communication terminal based on the measured value of the received power at that position in the past is known.

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0003]

Non-Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the conventional technology, for example, in a dynamic environment where moving objects such as people, vehicles, and robots exist, it is difficult to predict the received power of a communication terminal in consideration of the radio wave blocking by the moving objects.

[0005] An embodiment of the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a received power prediction system that can predict the received power of a communication terminal in consideration of radio wave blocking by a moving object in a dynamic environment where a moving object exists.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, an embodiment of the present invention provides a received power prediction system for predicting the received power of a communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, comprising: a terminal information acquisition unit configured to acquire the measured value of the received power of the communication terminal and the location of the communication terminal; a terminal location prediction unit configured to predict the predicted location of the communication terminal after the predetermined time has elapsed based on the location of the communication terminal; an estimated value acquisition unit configured to acquire an estimated value of the received power at the predicted location of the communication terminal; and a received power prediction unit configured to predict the received power of the communication terminal after the predetermined time has elapsed using the measured value of the received power and the estimated value of the received power. The received power prediction unit uses the time-series data of the measured received power and the time-series data of the estimated received power to predict the received power of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed using a time-series prediction method. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to embodiments of the present invention, a received power prediction system can be provided that can predict the received power of a communication terminal in a dynamic environment where moving objects are present, taking into account the blocking of radio waves by moving objects. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of the system configuration of the received power prediction system according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This diagram illustrates the outline of the preprocessing according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] This diagram illustrates the overview of the received power prediction process according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] This figure shows another example of the system configuration of the received power prediction system according to this embodiment. [Figure 5] This flowchart shows an example of the pretreatment process according to Example 1. [Figure 6] This flowchart shows an example of the received power prediction process according to Example 1. [Figure 7] This figure illustrates the process of predicting received power using an RNN according to Example 1. [Figure 8] This figure illustrates the time-series data of the estimated received power in Example 1. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of the predicted received power after a predetermined time has elapsed according to this embodiment. [Figure 10] This figure illustrates an example of a received power prediction process using an RNN according to Example 2. [Figure 11] This flowchart shows an example of the received power prediction process according to Example 3. [Figure 12] This figure shows an example of the hardware configuration of the received power prediction device according to this embodiment. [Figure 13] This figure shows an example of the hardware configuration of a communication terminal according to this embodiment. [Figure 14] Figure (1) illustrates the problems of this embodiment. [Figure 15] Figure (2) illustrates the problems of this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

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

[0010] <System Configuration> The received power prediction system 1 according to this embodiment is a system that predicts the received power that a communication terminal (wireless terminal) will receive from a base station (wireless base station) after a predetermined time has elapsed in a wireless communication network.

[0011] For example, a conventional quality prediction system as shown in Non-Patent Document 1 predicts the wireless communication quality from the actually measured values of the communication quality at evaluation points acquired in advance, the current position of the communication terminal, the movement information of the communication terminal, and the like. According to this conventional technology, for example, as shown in FIG. 14, in a static environment 1400 where there are only stationary objects such as a building 1403, the received power received by the communication terminal 1402 from the base station 1401 can be predicted based on the actually measured value of the received power acquired in advance.

[0012] However, in this method, as shown in FIG. 15, in a dynamic environment 1500 with moving objects such as a vehicle 1501, a person 1502, and a robot 1503, since radio waves are blocked by the moving objects, it is difficult to predict the received power received by the communication terminal 1402 from the base station 1401.

[0013] Therefore, the received power prediction system 1 according to the present embodiment has a system configuration as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 4, for example, so that it can predict the received power received by the communication terminal 1402 in consideration of the radio wave blocking by the moving object in the dynamic environment 1500 where the moving object exists.

[0014] (System Configuration 1) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of the received power prediction system according to the present embodiment. In the example of FIG. 1, the received power prediction system 1 is realized by a received power prediction device 100.

[0015] The received power prediction device 100 is an information processing device having a computer configuration or a system including a plurality of computers. The received power prediction device 100 realizes functional configurations such as a terminal information acquisition unit 101, a terminal position prediction unit 102, an estimated value acquisition unit 103, a received power prediction unit 104, a communication unit 105, and a received power estimation unit 106 by executing a predetermined program on a computer included in the received power prediction device 100. Note that at least a part of the above functional configurations may be realized by hardware.

[0016] Furthermore, the received power prediction device 100 implements, for example, an environmental information storage unit 111, an estimated value storage unit 112, and a terminal information storage unit 113, using the storage device and memory provided by the received power prediction device 100. It should be noted that the received power prediction device 100 having a received power estimation unit 106 and an environmental information storage unit 111 is just one example. The received power estimation unit 106 and the environmental information storage unit 111 may also be implemented by the received power prediction device 100 or by an external information processing device or the like.

[0017] The terminal information acquisition unit 101 executes a terminal information acquisition process to acquire terminal information including the measured value of the received power of the communication terminal to be predicted, and information such as the location of the communication terminal. For example, the received power prediction device 100 can communicate with the communication terminal to be predicted via a communication network. The communication terminal sends request information to the received power prediction device 100 requesting the acquisition of a predicted value of the received power, along with terminal information including the measured value of the received power received from the base station, measured by the terminal itself, and the location of the terminal. In this case, the terminal information acquisition unit 101 acquires the measured value of the received power of the communication terminal and information such as the location of the communication terminal from the request information received from the communication terminal by the communication unit 105.

[0018] The terminal location prediction unit 102 performs terminal location prediction processing to predict the location of the communication terminal after a predetermined time (t seconds) has elapsed from the present time, based on the location of the communication terminal included in the terminal information acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit 101. For example, the location information acquisition unit 401 stores (accumulates) the terminal information acquired from the communication terminal in the terminal information storage unit 113. The terminal location prediction unit 102 then predicts the location of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, for example, by linear prediction, based on the history of the communication terminal's location stored in the terminal information storage unit 113.

[0019] As another example, the terminal position prediction unit 102 may be located in the communication terminal. In this case, the terminal position prediction unit 102 of the communication terminal calculates the predicted position of the communication terminal after a predetermined time (t seconds) has elapsed, based on the current position of the communication terminal and the movement of the communication terminal (direction of movement, speed of movement, etc.) measured by sensors such as an acceleration sensor and an angle sensor. In this case, the communication terminal adds the calculated predicted position after the predetermined time has elapsed to the terminal information and transmits request information to the received power prediction device 100 requesting the acquisition of a predicted value of received power.

[0020] The estimated value acquisition unit 103 performs an estimated value acquisition process to acquire an estimated value of the received power at the predicted location of the communication terminal predicted by the terminal location prediction unit 102. For example, the estimated value storage unit 112 of the received power prediction device 100 stores in advance estimated values ​​of received power that have been calculated (or measured) in advance at multiple evaluation points. In this case, the estimated value acquisition unit 103 acquires from the estimated value storage unit 112, for example, the estimated value of the received power at the evaluation point closest to the predicted location of the communication terminal. Alternatively, the estimated value acquisition unit 103 may calculate an estimated value of the received power at the predicted location of the communication terminal from the estimated values ​​of the received power at multiple evaluation points around the predicted location of the communication terminal by linear interpolation or the like.

[0021] As another example, the received power prediction device 100 may obtain an estimated value of received power from a received power estimation unit 106, which estimates an estimated value of received power at the predicted location of the communication terminal based on static environmental information stored in advance in the environmental information storage unit 111 and the location of the base station.

[0022] The received power prediction unit 104 uses the measured received power of the terminal device acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit 101 and the estimated received power acquired by the estimated value acquisition unit 103 to perform a received power prediction process to predict the received power of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed. For example, the received power prediction unit 104 uses the time-series data of the measured received power and the time-series data of the estimated received power to predict the received power of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed using a time-series prediction method such as an RNN (Recurrent Neural Network).

[0023] As another example, the received power prediction unit 104 may use the time-series data of the measured received power and the estimated value of the received power after a predetermined time has elapsed to predict the received power of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed using a time-series prediction method such as an RNN.

[0024] The communications unit 105 performs communication processing to communicate with a communication terminal via a base station or the like included in the communications network.

[0025] The received power estimation unit 106 performs a received power estimation process that estimates the received power at multiple evaluation points based on static environmental information stored in advance in the environmental information storage unit 111 and the location of the base station.

[0026] The environmental information storage unit 111 stores static environmental information of the area to be predicted for received power in advance. The estimated value storage unit 112 stores estimated values ​​of received power at multiple evaluation points, which are estimated by the received power estimation unit 106. The estimated value storage unit 112 may also store estimated values ​​of received power at multiple evaluation points, which are estimated by an information processing device other than the received power prediction device 100, in advance. The terminal information storage unit 113 stores a history of terminal information (measured values ​​of received power, location of communication terminals, etc.) acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit 101.

[0027] (Regarding pre-processing) Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the preprocessing according to this embodiment. The received power prediction device 100, as an example, stores in advance the estimated received power values ​​at multiple evaluation points, which are estimated by the preprocessing shown in Figure 2, in the estimated value storage unit 112. The received power estimation unit 106 that performs the preprocessing may be included in the received power prediction device 100, or it may be included in a different information processing device.

[0028] The received power estimation unit 106 acquires static environmental information from a building database (or map database) 211 representing the structure of the building 201, CAD (Computer Aided Design) data 212, or BIM (Building Information Modeling) data 213, etc. (step S1).

[0029] Furthermore, the received power estimation unit 106 sets the locations of multiple evaluation points 202 and base stations 203 within a building 201, which is an example of a predetermined area, and calculates estimated values ​​of the received power from base stations 203 at multiple evaluation points 202. For example, the received power estimation unit 106 calculates the received power from base stations 203 at each evaluation point 202 using known radio wave propagation simulation techniques such as ray tracing. Ray tracing is also called ray tracing.

[0030] Furthermore, the received power estimation unit 106 is not limited to ray tracing, but may also estimate the received power at multiple evaluation points 202 using other radio wave propagation simulation techniques or approximation formulas based on measured values. In addition, the estimated power at multiple evaluation points 202 stored in the estimated value storage unit 112 may be the measured value of the received power at each evaluation point 202.

[0031] (Overview of the process for predicting received power) Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the overview of the received power prediction process according to this embodiment. This process shows an overview of the received power prediction process in which the received power prediction device 100 predicts the received power of the communication terminal to be predicted t seconds later (after a predetermined time has elapsed).

[0032] The terminal information acquisition unit 101 of the received power prediction device 100 acquires terminal information from the communication terminal to be predicted, including the measured value of the received power of the communication terminal and the location of the communication terminal (step S11).

[0033] Furthermore, the terminal position prediction unit 102 of the received power prediction device 100 predicts the predicted position 301 of the communication terminal t seconds later based on the acquired position of the communication terminal (step S12). For example, the position information acquisition unit 401 stores (accumulates) the position of the communication terminal acquired from the communication terminal in the terminal information storage unit 113. The terminal position prediction unit 102 also predicts the predicted position 301 of the communication terminal t seconds later, for example, by linear prediction, based on the history of the communication terminal positions stored in the terminal information storage unit 113.

[0034] Next, the estimated value acquisition unit 103 of the received power prediction device 100 acquires the estimated value of the received power at the predicted location 301 of the communication terminal t seconds later, as predicted by the terminal location prediction unit 102 (step S13). For example, the estimated value acquisition unit 103 acquires the estimated value of the received power corresponding to the predicted location 301 of the communication terminal from the estimated value storage unit 112.

[0035] Furthermore, the received power prediction unit 104 of the received power prediction device 100 predicts the received power of the communication terminal t seconds later (step S14) based on the estimated received power acquired by the estimated value acquisition unit 103 and the measured received power acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit 101. For example, the received power prediction unit 104 uses the time-series data of the measured received power and the time-series data of the estimated received power to predict the received power of the communication terminal t seconds later (after a predetermined time has elapsed) using a time-series prediction method such as an RNN. Details of the method used by the received power prediction unit 104 to predict received power will be described later.

[0036] As described above, the received power prediction system 1 according to this embodiment uses received power estimated based on static environmental information as an estimated value of the received power at the predicted location of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed. Furthermore, the received power prediction system 1 predicts the received power of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed by taking into account dynamic fluctuations in received power, by using the estimated value of received power and the measured value of received power which indicates dynamic fluctuations in received power. Thus, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a received power prediction system 1 that can predict the received power of a communication terminal in a dynamic environment where moving objects are present, taking into account the blocking of radio waves by moving objects.

[0037] Note that the system configuration of the received power prediction system 1 shown in Figure 1 is just one example. At least some of the functional configurations of the received power prediction device 100 may also be present in the communication terminal 400.

[0038] (System Configuration 2) Figure 4 shows another example of the system configuration of the received power prediction system according to this embodiment. In the example of Figure 4, the received power prediction system 1 includes a received power prediction device 100 and a communication terminal 400 that can communicate with the received power prediction device 100 via a communication network 2.

[0039] In the received power prediction system 1 shown in Figure 4, the terminal position prediction unit 102 described in Figure 1 is located in the communication terminal 400, rather than in the received power prediction device 100.

[0040] The communication terminal 400 is a wireless communication terminal device having the configuration of a computer. The communication terminal 400 implements functional configurations such as a location information acquisition unit 401, a terminal location prediction unit 102, and a communication unit 402 by executing a predetermined program on the computer installed in the communication terminal 400. At least a part of each of the above functional configurations may be implemented by hardware.

[0041] The location information acquisition unit 401 acquires location information indicating the current location of the communication terminal 400, for example, by positioning using a GPS (Global Positioning System) device and by autonomous navigation using sensors such as acceleration sensors and angle sensors.

[0042] The terminal location prediction unit 102 performs a process on the communication terminal 400 side to predict the predicted location of the communication terminal after a predetermined time (t seconds) has elapsed from the current time. For example, the terminal location prediction unit 102 predicts the location of the communication terminal 400 after a predetermined time has elapsed, for example, by linear prediction, based on the location history of the communication terminal 400 acquired by the location information acquisition unit 401.

[0043] Alternatively, the terminal position prediction unit 102 may calculate the predicted position of the communication terminal 400 after a predetermined time (t seconds) has elapsed, based on the current position of the communication terminal 400 and the movement of the communication terminal (direction of movement, speed of movement, etc.) measured by sensors such as an acceleration sensor and an angle sensor.

[0044] The communication unit 402 connects to the communication network 2 using a predetermined wireless communication method such as 5G (5th Generation) or LTE (Long Term Evolution), and performs communication processing to communicate with the received power prediction device 100, etc. For example, the communication unit 402 adds terminal information, including the measured value of the received power of the communication terminal 400, the location of the communication terminal, and the predicted location of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, to the request information requesting the received power prediction device 100 to predict the received power, and transmits it to the received power prediction device 100. The communication unit 402 also receives the received power prediction result transmitted by the received power prediction device 100.

[0045] In the example shown in Figure 4, the received power prediction device 100 receives information from the communication terminal 400 via the communication unit 105, including the measured value of the received power of the communication terminal 400, the location of the communication terminal 400, and the predicted location of the communication terminal 400 after a predetermined time has elapsed. Therefore, the received power prediction device 100 does not necessarily need to have a terminal location prediction unit 102, etc.

[0046] Thus, the functional configurations of the received power prediction device 100 described in Figure 1 only need to be present in the received power prediction system 1, and may also be present in other devices within the system.

[0047] <Processing flow> Next, the processing flow of the received power prediction method according to this embodiment will be explained by illustrating it with several examples.

[0048] [Example 1] (Pre-processing) Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of pretreatment according to Example 1. This process shows a specific example of the pretreatment described in Figure 2.

[0049] In step S501, the received power estimation unit 106 acquires static environmental information for a predetermined area from the building database (or map database) 311, CAD data 312, or BIM data 313, etc. This static environmental information includes, for example, three-dimensional coordinate information indicating the positions of objects that do not move, such as buildings, walls, and floors.

[0050] In step S502, the received power estimation unit 106 sets the location of the base station 203 in the static environmental information of a predetermined area, for example, as shown in Figure 2.

[0051] In step S503, the received power estimation unit 106 sets multiple evaluation points 202 spatially in static environmental information of a predetermined area, for example, as shown in Figure 2.

[0052] In step S504, the received power estimation unit 106 calculates estimated values ​​of received power at multiple evaluation points 202 by radio wave propagation estimation such as ray tracing. In ray tracing, the trajectory of each ray traces how radio waves (rays) transmitted from the transmission point are reflected or diffracted by structures along the way before reaching the reception point, and the strength of the radio waves at the reception point is calculated by adding up the power of all the rays that reach the reception point.

[0053] In step S505, the received power estimation unit 106 stores the estimated received power values ​​at the multiple evaluation points 202 in a storage unit, such as the estimated value storage unit 112.

[0054] Through the process shown in Figure 5, the received power estimation unit 106 can obtain estimated values ​​of received power at multiple evaluation points 202, which are then stored in the estimated value storage unit 112.

[0055] (Prediction processing of received power) Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the received power prediction process according to Embodiment 1. This process shows an example of the received power prediction process performed by a received power prediction system 1 having a functional configuration such as that shown in Figure 1 or Figure 4. At the start of the process shown in Figure 6, the estimated value storage unit 112 is assumed to have stored the estimated values ​​of the received power at multiple evaluation points 202 estimated in the process of Figure 5.

[0056] In step S601, the terminal information acquisition unit 101 acquires the measured value of the received power of the communication terminal to be predicted, and the location of the communication terminal. For example, the terminal information acquisition unit 101 acquires the measured value of the received power and the location of the communication terminal, which are included in the terminal information that the communication terminal transmits to the received power prediction device 100.

[0057] In step S602, the terminal location prediction unit 102 predicts the predicted location of the communication terminal after t seconds (after a predetermined time has elapsed). For example, the terminal location prediction unit 102 stores the history of the communication terminal's location acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit 101 in the terminal information storage unit 113. Based on the history of the communication terminal's location stored in the terminal information storage unit 113, the terminal location prediction unit 102 predicts the predicted location of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, for example, by linear prediction.

[0058] In step S603, the estimated value acquisition unit 103 acquires an estimated value of the received power at the predicted location of the communication terminal. For example, the estimated value acquisition unit 103 acquires an estimated value of the received power corresponding to the predicted location of the communication terminal from the estimated value storage unit 112.

[0059] In step S604, the received power prediction unit 104 predicts the received power of the communication terminal t seconds later based on the measured value of the received power of the communication terminal acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit 101 and the estimated value of the received power t seconds later acquired by the estimated value acquisition unit 103. For example, as shown in Figure 7, the received power prediction unit 104 inputs the time-series data of the estimated value of the received power t seconds later and the time-series data of the measured value of the received power t seconds later into the RNN (Recurrent Neural Network) 701 to obtain a predicted value of the received power t seconds later.

[0060] Here, RNN701 is a neural network (NN) that can handle time-series data as input data. For example, RNN701 takes time-series data of estimated received power after t seconds and time-series data of measured received power as input data, and is pre-trained using the measured received power after t seconds as ground truth data.

[0061] The received power prediction unit 104 can obtain a predicted value of the received power after t seconds by inputting time-series data of the estimated value of the received power after t seconds and time-series data of the measured value of the received power after t seconds into the trained RNN 701.

[0062] Here, the time-series data of the estimated received power after t seconds can be obtained, for example, by converting the estimated received power at multiple predicted positions acquired by the estimation unit 103 into time-series data, based on the multiple predicted positions of the communication terminal after t seconds, as shown in Figure 8.

[0063] Furthermore, the time-series data of the measured received power can be obtained, for example, by storing the measured received power that is periodically transmitted from the communication terminal in the terminal information storage unit 113, and using the measured received power stored in the terminal information storage unit 113 as the time-series data of the measured received power.

[0064] As another example, when a communication terminal transmits request information to the received power prediction device 100 requesting a prediction of the received power after t seconds, it may also transmit time-series data of the measured received power and time-series data of the communication terminal's location. In this case, the received power prediction device 100 may obtain time-series data of the predicted location of the communication terminal and time-series data of the estimated received power at each predicted location, as shown in Figure 8, based on the time-series data of the communication terminal's location.

[0065] Figure 9 shows an example of the predicted results of received power after a predetermined time has elapsed according to this embodiment. In the example in Figure 9, in an area where obstacles such as moving objects are present, the predicted value 901 of the received power 5 seconds later predicted by the received power prediction system 1 and the measured value of the received power 5 seconds later (ground truth data 902) are shown. Thus, according to the received power prediction system 1 of this embodiment, the received power 5 seconds later can be predicted with high accuracy even when obstacles are present.

[0066] [Example 2] The received power prediction unit 104 may use an RNN1001, as shown in Figure 10, instead of the RNN701 described in Figure 7, to predict the received power after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0067] In the example shown in Figure 10, the estimated value of the received power after t seconds is not used as time-series data; instead, the estimated value of the received power at the predicted location of the communication terminal after t seconds is used as input data. In this way, the received power prediction unit 104 may use the time-series data of the measured received power and the estimated value of the received power after a predetermined time has elapsed to predict the received power of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed using a time-series prediction method such as an RNN.

[0068] [Example 3] In Examples 1 and 2, estimated values ​​of received power at multiple evaluation points were pre-stored in the estimated value storage unit 112 through pre-processing. Example 3 describes an example of processing without pre-processing.

[0069] (Prediction processing of received power) Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the received power prediction process according to Embodiment 3. This process shows another example of the received power prediction process performed by the received power prediction system 1, for example, as shown in Figure 1 or Figure 4.

[0070] Note that steps S601, S602, and S604 of the process shown in Figure 11 may be the same as the received power prediction process in Example 1 described in Figure 6. The received power prediction system 1 in Example 3 executes steps S1101 to S1103 in Figure 11 instead of step S603 in Figure 6.

[0071] In step S1101, the received power estimation unit 106 obtains static environmental information of a predetermined area for which the received power is to be predicted from the environmental information storage unit 111, etc.

[0072] In step S1102, the received power estimation unit 106 sets the base station location in the acquired environmental information.

[0073] In step S1103, the received power estimation unit 106 calculates an estimated value of the received power at the predicted position of the communication terminal after t seconds by, for example, radio wave propagation estimation such as ray tracing. As a result, the estimated value acquisition unit 103 according to Embodiment 3 can acquire the estimated value of the received power at the predicted position of the communication terminal after t seconds from the received power estimation unit 106 instead of the estimated value storage unit 112.

[0074] Thus, the received power prediction system 1 may predict the received power of a communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed without performing any prior processing.

[0075] <Example Hardware Configuration> (Hardware configuration of the received power prediction device) Figure 12 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the prediction device according to this embodiment. The received power prediction device 100 includes, for example, the configuration of a computer 1200 as shown in Figure 12. In the example of Figure 12, the computer 1200 includes a processor 1201, memory 1202, storage device 1203, communication device 1204, input device 1205, output device 1206, and bus B, etc.

[0076] The processor 1201 is a computing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that realizes various functions by executing a predetermined program. The memory 1202 is a storage medium that can be read by the computer 1200, and includes, for example, RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), etc. The storage device 1203 is a storage medium that can be read by the computer, and may include, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), various optical discs, and magneto-optical discs, etc.

[0077] The communication device 1204 includes one or more hardware components (communication devices) for communicating with other devices via a wireless or wired network. The input device 1205 is an input device that accepts input from an external source (e.g., a keyboard, mouse, microphone, switch, button, sensor, etc.). The output device 1206 is an output device that outputs to an external source (e.g., a display, speaker, LED lamp, etc.). The input device 1205 and the output device 1206 may be configured as an integrated unit (e.g., an input / output device such as a touch panel display).

[0078] Bus B is connected to all of the above components in common and transmits, for example, address signals, data signals, and various control signals. Note that the processor 1201 is not limited to a CPU, but may be, for example, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0079] (Hardware configuration of communication terminals) Figure 13 shows an example of the hardware configuration of a communication terminal according to this embodiment. In addition to the hardware configuration of the computer 1200 described in Figure 12, the communication terminal 400 includes, for example, a GPS device 1301 and a sensor 1302.

[0080] The GPS device 1301 is a positioning device that receives positioning signals transmitted by GPS satellites and outputs position information indicating the current location of the communication terminal 400. The sensor 1302 is a detection device that detects the movement of the communication terminal 400, such as an acceleration sensor or an angle sensor.

[0081] (supplement) The received power prediction device 100 and the communication terminal 400 in this embodiment are not limited to being implemented as dedicated devices, but may also be implemented using a general-purpose computer. In that case, the program for implementing this function may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on this recording medium may be loaded into a computer system and executed. The term "computer system" as used herein includes hardware such as an operating system and peripheral devices.

[0082] Furthermore, "computer-readable recording media" includes various storage devices such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, CD-ROMs, and hard disks built into computer systems. In addition, "computer-readable recording media" may also include those that dynamically hold programs for a short period of time, such as communication lines used when transmitting programs over networks such as the Internet or communication lines such as telephone lines, and those that hold programs for a certain period of time, such as volatile memory inside computer systems that act as servers or clients in such cases.

[0083] Furthermore, the above program may be intended to implement only a part of the functions described above, or it may be intended to implement the above functions in combination with programs already recorded in the computer system, or it may be implemented using hardware such as a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) or FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0084] <Effects of the Embodiment> According to this embodiment, a received power prediction system 1 can be provided that can predict the received power of a communication terminal in a dynamic environment where moving objects are present, taking into account the blocking of radio waves by moving objects.

[0085] Specifically, the received power prediction system 1 according to this embodiment uses received power estimated based on static environmental information as an estimated value of the received power at the predicted location of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed. Furthermore, the received power prediction system 1 predicts the received power of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed by taking into account dynamic fluctuations in received power, by using the estimated value of received power and the measured value of received power which indicates dynamic fluctuations in received power. As a result, the received power prediction system 1 according to this embodiment can predict the received power of the communication terminal in a dynamic environment where moving objects are present, taking into account the blocking of radio waves by moving objects.

[0086] Furthermore, the above effects enable stable use of wireless communication or applications in wireless communication systems, such as switching the destination (wireless base station) of communication terminals due to deterioration of communication quality, controlling communication parameters, or preventing changes in the driving route in autonomous vehicles.

[0087] <Summary of Embodiments> This specification discloses at least the following received power prediction systems, received power prediction devices, received power prediction methods, and programs. (Section 1) A received power prediction system that predicts the received power of a communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, A terminal information acquisition unit configured to acquire the measured value of the received power of the communication terminal and the location of the communication terminal, A terminal position prediction unit is configured to predict the predicted position of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, based on the position of the communication terminal. An estimated value acquisition unit configured to acquire an estimated value of the received power at the predicted location of the communication terminal, A received power prediction unit is configured to predict the received power of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, using the measured value of the received power and the estimated value of the received power. A received power prediction system having the following features. (Section 2) The received power prediction system according to paragraph 1, wherein the received power prediction unit predicts the received power of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed using the time-series data of the measured value of the received power and the time-series data of the estimated value of the received power, using the time-series prediction method. (Section 3) The received power prediction system according to paragraph 1, wherein the received power prediction unit predicts the received power of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed using the time-series data of the measured received power and the estimated value of the received power after a predetermined time has elapsed, using the time-series prediction method. (Section 4) The received power prediction system according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 3, wherein the estimated value acquisition unit acquires an estimated value of the received power at the predicted location of the communication terminal from a storage unit that has previously stored the received power calculated or measured at a plurality of evaluation points. (Section 5) The received power prediction system according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 3, wherein the estimated value acquisition unit acquires an estimated value of the received power at the predicted location of the communication terminal from a received power estimation unit that estimates an estimated value of the received power at the predicted location of the communication terminal based on static environmental information and the location of the base station. (Section 6) A received power prediction device that predicts the received power of a communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, A terminal information acquisition unit configured to acquire the measured value of the received power of the communication terminal and the location of the communication terminal, A terminal position prediction unit is configured to predict the predicted position of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, based on the position of the communication terminal. An estimated value acquisition unit configured to acquire an estimated value of the received power at the predicted location of the communication terminal, A received power prediction unit is configured to predict the received power of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, using the measured value of the received power and the estimated value of the received power, by a time-series prediction method. A received power prediction device having the following features. (Section 7) A received power prediction system predicts the received power of a communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed. A process for obtaining the measured value of the received power of the communication terminal and the location of the communication terminal, A process to predict the predicted position of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, based on the position of the communication terminal. A process to obtain an estimated value of the received power at the predicted location of the communication terminal, A process to predict the received power of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, using the measured value of the received power and the estimated value of the received power, using a time-series prediction method. A method for predicting received power. (Section 8) A program that causes a computer to execute the received power prediction method described in Section 7.

[0088] Although this embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention as described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0089] 1. Received Power Prediction System 100 Received Power Prediction Device 101 Terminal Information Acquisition Unit 102 Terminal location prediction unit 103 Estimate acquisition unit 104 Received Power Prediction Unit 106 Received power estimation unit 112 Estimated Value Storage Unit (Storage Unit) 400 communication terminals 1200 Computers

Claims

1. A received power prediction system that predicts the received power of a communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, A terminal information acquisition unit configured to acquire the measured value of the received power of the communication terminal and the location of the communication terminal, A terminal position prediction unit is configured to predict the predicted position of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, based on the position of the communication terminal. An estimated value acquisition unit configured to acquire an estimated value of the received power at the predicted location of the communication terminal, A received power prediction unit is configured to predict the received power of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, using the measured value of the received power and the estimated value of the received power. It has, The received power prediction unit is a received power prediction system that uses time-series data of the measured received power and time-series data of the estimated received power to predict the received power of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed using a time-series prediction method.

2. A received power prediction system for predicting the received power of a communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, A terminal information acquisition unit configured to acquire the measured value of the received power of the communication terminal and the location of the communication terminal, A terminal position prediction unit is configured to predict the predicted position of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, based on the position of the communication terminal. An estimated value acquisition unit configured to acquire an estimated value of the received power at the predicted location of the communication terminal, A received power prediction unit is configured to predict the received power of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, using the measured value of the received power and the estimated value of the received power. It has, The received power prediction unit is a received power prediction system that predicts the received power of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed using a time-series prediction method, based on time-series data of the measured received power and the estimated value of the received power after a predetermined time has elapsed.

3. The received power prediction system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the estimated value acquisition unit acquires an estimated value of the received power at the predicted location of the communication terminal from a storage unit that has previously stored the received power calculated or measured at a plurality of evaluation points.

4. The received power prediction system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the estimated value acquisition unit acquires an estimated value of the received power at the predicted location of the communication terminal from a received power estimation unit that estimates an estimated value of the received power at the predicted location of the communication terminal based on static environmental information and the location of the base station.

5. A received power prediction device that predicts the received power of a communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, A terminal information acquisition unit configured to acquire the measured value of the received power of the communication terminal and the location of the communication terminal, A terminal position prediction unit is configured to predict the predicted position of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, based on the position of the communication terminal. An estimated value acquisition unit configured to acquire an estimated value of the received power at the predicted location of the communication terminal, A received power prediction unit is configured to predict the received power of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, using the measured value of the received power and the estimated value of the received power. It has, The received power prediction unit is a received power prediction device that uses time-series data of the measured received power and time-series data of the estimated received power to predict the received power of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed using a time-series prediction method.

6. A received power prediction device for predicting the received power of a communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, A terminal information acquisition unit configured to acquire the measured value of the received power of the communication terminal and the location of the communication terminal, A terminal position prediction unit is configured to predict the predicted position of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, based on the position of the communication terminal. An estimated value acquisition unit configured to acquire an estimated value of the received power at the predicted location of the communication terminal, A received power prediction unit is configured to predict the received power of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, using the measured value of the received power and the estimated value of the received power. It has, The received power prediction unit is a received power prediction device that uses time-series data of the measured received power and the estimated value of the received power after a predetermined time has elapsed to predict the received power of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed using a time-series prediction method.

7. A received power prediction system predicts the received power of a communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed. A process for obtaining the measured value of the received power of the communication terminal and the location of the communication terminal, A process to predict the predicted position of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, based on the position of the communication terminal. A process to obtain an estimated value of the received power at the predicted location of the communication terminal, A process to predict the received power of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, using the measured value of the received power and the estimated value of the received power. Execute, The process for predicting the received power is a received power prediction method that uses time-series data of the measured received power and time-series data of the estimated received power to predict the received power of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed using a time-series prediction method.

8. A received power prediction system that predicts the received power of a communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, A process for obtaining the measured value of the received power of the communication terminal and the location of the communication terminal, A process to predict the predicted position of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, based on the position of the communication terminal. A process to obtain an estimated value of the received power at the predicted location of the communication terminal, A process to predict the received power of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, using the measured value of the received power and the estimated value of the received power. Execute, The process for predicting the received power is a method for predicting the received power of the communication terminal after a predetermined time has elapsed, using a time-series prediction method, based on time-series data of the measured received power and an estimated value of the received power after a predetermined time has elapsed.

9. A program that causes a computer to execute the received power prediction method described in claim 7 or 8.

Images