Control system, control device, control unit, and program

Abstract

The present invention provides a control system provided with: a control device that controls a plurality of base stations disposed in a RAN; and a control unit that is installed in one base station among the plurality of base stations and that controls the one base station. The control device has: a prediction unit that predicts the state of the RAN at a prediction timing after the lapse of a transmission time, which is a time until data arrives at the one base station from the control device, from a generation start timing at which the generation of a control message for controlling the one base station is started; a generation unit that generates the control message on the basis of the predicted state of the RAN; and a transmission unit that transmits the control message to the one base station. The control unit has: a reception unit that receives the control message from the control device; an acquisition unit that acquires the state of the RAN at a reception timing at which the reception unit has received the control message; and a processing unit that executes processing related to the control of the one base station on the basis of the control message and the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit.

Description

Control system, control device, control unit, and program

[0001] The present invention relates to a control system, a control device, a control unit, and a program.

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a base station function allocation control device that appropriately controls the execution of base station function allocation in a RAN (Radio Access Network) conforming to the O-RAN (Open Radio Access Network) specification. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents] [Patent document 1] JP 2022-165659 A General disclosure

[0003] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a control system. The control system may include a control device that controls multiple base stations arranged in a RAN. The control system may include a control unit mounted on one of the multiple base stations and controlling the one base station. The control device may include a prediction unit that predicts a state of the RAN at a prediction time after a transmission time has elapsed from a generation start time at which generation of a control message for controlling the one base station starts until data reaches the one base station from the control device, a generation unit that generates the control message based on the state of the RAN predicted by the prediction unit, and a transmission unit that transmits the control message to the one base station. The control unit may include a reception unit that receives the control message from the control device, an acquisition unit that acquires the state of the RAN at a reception time at which the receiver receives the control message, and a processing unit that executes processing related to control of the one base station based on the control message and the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit.

[0004] In the control system, the processing unit may determine whether the control message conforms to the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit, and if it determines that the control message conforms to the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit, perform processing to control the one base station in accordance with the control message.

[0005] In any of the control systems, when the processing unit determines that the control message does not conform to the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit, the processing unit may determine control content of the one base station so as to conform to the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit, and perform processing to control the one base station in accordance with the determined control content.

[0006] In any of the control systems, when the processing unit determines that the control message does not conform to the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit, the processing unit may modify the control message to conform to the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit, and execute a process of controlling the one base station in accordance with the modified control message. In any of the control systems, the processing unit may modify the control message so as to prevent a malfunction in the function of the RAN. In any of the control systems, the processing unit may modify the control message so as to prevent a communication terminal from generating a signal that cannot guarantee QoS. In any of the control systems, the processing unit may modify the control message so as to prevent a spectral efficiency of the RAN from falling below an allowed lower limit. In any of the control systems, the processing unit may modify the control message so as to prevent congestion from occurring within the RAN. In any of the control systems, the processing unit may modify the control message so as to prevent interference from occurring between a beam output by an antenna mounted in the one base station and another beam. In any of the control systems, the processing unit may modify the control message so that the processing load of the one base station does not exceed an upper limit. In any of the control systems, the processing unit may modify the control message so that the functionality of the RAN does not fail. In any of the control systems, the processing unit may modify the control message so that wireless communication connections between more than a predetermined number of communication terminals and the one base station are not disconnected. In any of the control systems, the processing unit may modify the control message so that the ratio of communication terminals whose wireless communication connection with the one base station is disconnected to the total number of communication terminals within a wireless communication area formed by the one base station does not exceed a predetermined ratio. In any of the control systems, the processing unit may modify the control message so that a processor or memory installed in the one base station does not experience thermal runaway.

[0007] In any of the control systems, the processing unit may determine whether the control message conforms to the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit by determining whether a malfunction of the RAN will occur when a process for controlling the one base station in accordance with the control message is executed in the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit. In any of the control systems, the processing unit may determine that a malfunction of the RAN will occur when it is determined that controlling the one base station in accordance with the control message will result in a communication terminal for which QoS cannot be guaranteed. In any of the control systems, the processing unit may determine that a malfunction of the RAN will occur when it is determined that controlling the one base station in accordance with the control message will cause the spectral efficiency of the RAN to fall below an allowed lower limit. In any of the control systems, the processing unit may determine that a malfunction of the RAN will occur when it is determined that controlling the one base station in accordance with the control message will cause congestion in the RAN. In any of the control systems, the processing unit may determine that a malfunction will occur in the function of the RAN when it determines that controlling the one base station in accordance with the control message will cause interference between a beam output by an antenna mounted on the one base station and another beam. In any of the control systems, the processing unit may determine that a malfunction will occur in the function of the RAN when it determines that controlling the one base station in accordance with the control message will cause a processing load of the one base station to exceed an upper limit. In any of the control systems, the processing unit may determine that a malfunction will occur in the function of the RAN when it determines that controlling the one base station in accordance with the control message will cause a malfunction of the RAN. In any of the control systems, the processing unit may determine that a malfunction will occur in the function of the RAN when it determines that controlling the one base station in accordance with the control message will cause wireless communication connections between more than a predetermined number of communication terminals and the one base station to be disconnected.In any of the control systems, the processing unit may determine that a function of the RAN will fail when it determines that controlling the one base station in accordance with the control message will cause a rate of communication terminals whose wireless communication connection with the one base station will be disconnected to a total number of communication terminals within a wireless communication area formed by the one base station to be higher than a predetermined rate. In any of the control systems, the processing unit may determine that a function of the RAN will fail when it determines that controlling the one base station in accordance with the control message will cause a processor or memory mounted on the one base station to thermally runaway.

[0008] In any of the control systems, the generation unit may generate the control message including a prediction result obtained by the prediction unit to predict the state of the RAN, and the processing unit may determine whether the control message is compatible with the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit by comparing the state of the RAN indicated by the prediction result included in the control message with the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit. In any of the control systems, the prediction unit may predict the state of the RAN including the state of total traffic volume, which is the sum of the traffic volumes of each communication between the one base station and each of a plurality of communication terminals, and the processing unit may determine that the control message is compatible with the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit if the total traffic volume error between the total traffic volume predicted by the prediction unit and the total traffic volume included in the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit is smaller than a predetermined total traffic volume error threshold, and may determine that the control message is not compatible with the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit if the total traffic volume error is larger than the total traffic volume error threshold. In any of the control systems, the prediction unit may predict the state of the RAN including an average traffic volume state, which is the average of the traffic volumes of each communication between the one base station and each of a plurality of communication terminals, and the processing unit may determine that the control message is compatible with the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit if the average traffic volume error between the average traffic volume predicted by the prediction unit and the average traffic volume included in the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit is smaller than a predetermined average traffic volume error threshold, and may determine that the control message is not compatible with the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit if the average traffic volume error is larger than the average traffic volume error threshold.In any of the control systems, the prediction unit may predict the state of the RAN including the utilization state of a processor installed in the one base station, and the processing unit may determine that the control message is compatible with the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit if a processor utilization error between the processor utilization predicted by the prediction unit and the processor utilization included in the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit is smaller than a predetermined processor utilization error threshold, and may determine that the control message is not compatible with the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit if the processor utilization error is larger than the processor utilization error threshold. In any of the control systems, the prediction unit may predict the state of the RAN including the state of memory utilization rate installed in the one base station, and the processing unit may determine that the control message is compatible with the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit if the memory utilization rate error between the memory utilization rate predicted by the prediction unit and the memory utilization rate acquired by the acquisition unit is smaller than a predetermined memory utilization rate error threshold, and may determine that the control message is not compatible with the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit if the memory utilization rate error is larger than the memory utilization rate error threshold.

[0009] In any of the control systems, the generation unit may generate the control message including radio resource information indicating radio resources to be allocated to communication terminals within a wireless communication area formed by the one base station, and the processing unit may determine whether the control message is compatible with the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit by determining whether a process of allocating the radio resources indicated by the radio resource information included in the control message to the communication terminal is compatible with the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit. In any of the control systems, the generation unit may generate the control message including antenna control information for controlling an antenna mounted on the one base station, and the processing unit may determine whether the control message is compatible with the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit by determining whether a process of performing beamforming using the antenna mounted on the one base station in accordance with the antenna control information included in the control message is compatible with the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit.

[0010] Any of the control systems may further include a learning data storage unit that stores learning data including RAN status information indicating the status of the RAN acquired by the information acquisition unit at a reference timing and multiple pieces of RAN status information acquired by the information acquisition unit, where the elapsed time until the reference timing is shorter than a predetermined elapsed time; and a model generation unit that uses the multiple pieces of learning data stored in the learning data storage unit as teacher data to generate an estimation model by machine learning that estimates the state of the RAN at the prediction timing from the multiple pieces of RAN status information acquired by the information acquisition unit, where the elapsed time until the prediction timing is shorter than the predetermined elapsed time, and the prediction unit may use the estimation model generated by the model generation unit to predict the state of the RAN at the prediction timing from the multiple RAN status information acquired by the information acquisition unit, where the elapsed time until the prediction timing is shorter than the predetermined elapsed time.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a control device for controlling multiple base stations arranged in a RAN. The control device may include a prediction unit that predicts a state of the RAN at a prediction time after a transmission time has elapsed from a generation start time at which generation of a control message to control one of the multiple base stations starts until data reaches the one base station from the control device. The control device may include a generation unit that generates the control message based on the state of the RAN predicted by the prediction unit. The control device may include a transmission unit that transmits the control message to the one base station.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a program for causing a computer to function as the control device.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a control unit mounted in one base station among a plurality of base stations arranged in a RAN and controlling the one base station. The control unit may include a receiver that receives a control message for controlling the one base station from a control device that controls the plurality of base stations, the control message being generated based on a state of the RAN predicted by the control device at a predicted timing after a transmission time has elapsed from a generation start timing at which the control device starts generating the control message until data reaches the one base station from the control device. The control unit may include an acquirer that acquires the state of the RAN at a reception timing at which the receiver receives the control message. The control unit may include a processor that executes processing related to control of the one base station based on the control message and the state of the RAN acquired by the acquirer.

[0014] In the control unit, the processing unit may determine whether the control message conforms to the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit, and if it determines that the control message conforms to the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit, perform processing to control the one base station in accordance with the control message.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a program for causing a computer to function as the control unit.

[0016] The above summary of the invention does not list all of the necessary features of the present invention, and subcombinations of these features may also constitute inventions.

[0017] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a system 10. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a case where a system 12 of the prior art controls a RAN. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a case where a system 14 of the prior art controls a RAN. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a case where a system 16 of the prior art controls a RAN. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a case where a system 18 controls a RAN. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a case where a system 10 controls a RAN. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a case where a control device 100 functions as a control unit 42. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a processing flow of the system 10. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a computer 1200 that functions as the control device 100 or the control unit 42.

[0018] It is desirable to be able to control the RAN reliably in real time (RT) from a central element separated from the RAN. According to the system according to this embodiment, for example, a control device, which is a central element separated from the RAN, executes xApp (Near-RT RIC Application) for analyzing and controlling various information on the framework of Near-RT RIC (RAN Intelligent Controller). The data transmitted by the control device from the current time to the distributed element gNB (next generation NodeB) is transmitted. The RAN status at the arrival time after the required transmission delay time has elapsed is predicted, and a control message is generated based on the prediction result, and the generated control message is transmitted to the gNB. The gNB then executes dApp (decentralized application) that utilizes a distributed computing mechanism to determine whether the control message received from the control device matches the RAN situation at the time the control message was received, and adjusts the control message as necessary based on the determination result before controlling various functions of the gNB.

[0019] The present invention will be described below through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention as claimed. Furthermore, not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0020] 1 illustrates an example of a system 10. The system 10 may include a control device 100. The system 10 may include a plurality of base stations 40.

[0021] The control device 100 controls the base station 40 arranged in the RAN. The control device 100 controls, for example, a plurality of base stations 40 arranged in the RAN.

[0022] The control device 100 controls the base station 40, for example, by controlling radio resources allocated to the communication terminals 200 within the radio communication area formed by the base station 40. The control device 100 controls the base station 40, for example, by controlling beams output from antennas mounted on the base station 40 to form the radio communication area. The base station 40 may be equipped with multiple antennas.

[0023] The control device 100 controls the base station 40 to be controlled, for example, by transmitting, to the base station 40, information for controlling various functions of the base station 40. The control device 100 transmits the information to the base station 40, for example, via the core network 20. The base station 40 may control various functions based on the information received from the control device 100.

[0024] The core network 20 conforms to, for example, a 5G (5th Generation) communication system. The core network 20 may conform to a mobile communication system after the 6G (6th Generation) communication system. The core network 20 may conform to a 3G (3rd Generation) communication system or an LTE (Long Term Evolution) communication system. Here, the case where the core network 20 conforms to a 5G communication system will be mainly described.

[0025] The RAN is, for example, an O-RAN. An O-RAN is a RAN that allows interconnection between devices from different vendors via interfaces defined by standard specifications. The standard specifications for O-RAN interfaces are defined, for example, by the O-RAN Alliance.

[0026] The control device 100 corresponds to, for example, Near-RT-RIC, which is a RIC that optimizes radio resources of a RAN, automates RAN operations, etc. Note that the RIC may include a Non-RT-RIC in addition to the Near-RT-RIC.

[0027] The control device 100 controls, for example, a RAN. The control device 100 controls, for example, the RAN by controlling at least one base station 40 among a plurality of base stations 40 arranged in the RAN.

[0028] The control device 100 controls the RAN based on, for example, the state of the RAN. The state of the RAN may include the state of each of the multiple base stations 40 arranged in the RAN. Therefore, the state of one base station 40 among the multiple base stations 40 arranged in the RAN can be said to be the local state of the RAN.

[0029] The communication terminal 200 may be any communication terminal capable of wireless communication with the base station 40. For example, the communication terminal 200 may be a mobile phone such as a smartphone. The communication terminal 200 may be a tablet terminal, a PC (Personal Computer), or the like. The communication terminal 200 may be a so-called IoT (Internet of Things) device. The communication terminal 200 may include anything that falls under the so-called IoE (Internet of Everything) category.

[0030] The following four requirements are the main requirements that determine the performance of RAN control. The first requirement is that an element separate from the RAN can control the RAN (=separability) (the requirement for separation may be referred to as "requirement 1"). The second requirement is that a single entity can control the entire RAN (=concentration) (the requirement for centralization may be referred to as "requirement 2"). The third requirement is that the RAN can be controlled in real time (=real-time) (the requirement for real-time may be referred to as "requirement 3"). The fourth requirement is that the RAN can be controlled in accordance with the state of the RAN (=high reliability) (the requirement for high reliability may be referred to as "requirement 4").

[0031] Here, using Figures 2 to 6, we will mainly explain (1) the configuration of each system, (2) the time flow when controlling the RAN in each system, and (3) whether or not each of requirements 1 to 4 is met when controlling the RAN in each system.

[0032] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a conventional system 12 controlling a RAN. As shown in FIG. 2, the system 12 includes a plurality of base stations 50.

[0033] The base station 50 has a determination unit that determines the control content for controlling various functions of the base station 50, and an execution unit that executes control of various functions of the base station 50. The determination unit determines the control content based on the state of the base station 50. The determination unit and the execution unit are functions that are pre-installed in the base station 50.

[0034] 2, the determination unit determines the control content at time intervals of approximately 1 ms and transmits a control instruction indicating the control content to the execution unit. The execution unit controls various functions of the base station 50 in accordance with the control content indicated by the control instruction received from the determination unit.

[0035] According to system 12, the determination unit controls the RAN by transmitting a control instruction that can be transmitted at time intervals of approximately 1 ms to the execution unit, thereby causing the execution unit to control base stations 50. Therefore, since each base station 50 can determine the control content at time intervals of approximately 1 ms, system 12 satisfies requirement 3.

[0036] Furthermore, according to system 12, each base station 50 controls the RAN by determining the control content based on its own status and executing control of various functions. Therefore, since each base station 50 can control itself in a manner that suits its own status, system 12 satisfies requirement 4.

[0037] On the other hand, according to system 12, the RAN can only be controlled by each base station 50 located within the RAN. Therefore, the RAN cannot be controlled by an element separate from the RAN, and system 12 does not satisfy requirement 1.

[0038] Furthermore, in system 12, each base station 50, which is a distributed element, controls the RAN by controlling itself. Therefore, a single entity cannot control the entire RAN, and system 12 does not satisfy requirement 2.

[0039] From the above, system 12 satisfies requirements 3 and 4, but does not satisfy requirements 1 and 2. Furthermore, since the determination unit and execution unit of base station 50 are functions that are pre-installed in base station 50, system 12 does not have customizability for RAN control. Please refer to the table in Figure 2 which summarizes whether system 12 satisfies each of requirements 1 to 4.

[0040] 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a case where a conventional system 14 controls a RAN. As shown in FIG. 3, the system 14 includes a control device 300 and a plurality of base stations 60.

[0041] The control device 300 executes various functions by executing the xApp 350. The control device 300 generates a policy for controlling the RAN based on, for example, the state of the RAN.

[0042] The base station 60 has a determination unit that determines the control content for controlling various functions of the base station 60, and an execution unit that executes control of various functions of the base station 60. The determination unit determines the control content based on the state of the base station 60 in accordance with the policy received from the control device 300. The determination unit and the execution unit are functions that are pre-installed in the base station 60.

[0043] 3, the control device 300 executes xApp 350 to generate policies at time intervals of approximately 1 s and transmit the generated policies to the base station 60. The determination unit determines control content at time intervals of approximately 1 ms in accordance with the policies received from the control device 300 and transmits control instructions indicating the control content to the execution unit. The execution unit controls various functions of the base station 60 in accordance with the control content indicated by the control instructions received from the determination unit.

[0044] According to system 14, control device 300 controls RAN by causing each base station 60 located within the RAN to control itself in accordance with a policy. Therefore, system 14 satisfies requirement 1 because control device 300, which is an element separate from the RAN, can control the RAN.

[0045] Furthermore, in system 14, control device 300, which is a central element, controls the RAN by having each base station 60, which is a distributed element, control itself in accordance with a policy. Therefore, control device 300, which is a single entity, can control the entire RAN, and system 14 satisfies requirement 2.

[0046] Furthermore, according to system 14, control device 300 controls the RAN by causing each base station 60 to control itself based on its own state in accordance with a policy. Therefore, control device 300 can cause each base station 60 to control itself so as to suit the state of each base station 60, and therefore system 14 satisfies requirement 4.

[0047] On the other hand, in system 14, control device 300 controls the RAN by transmitting a policy that can be transmitted at time intervals of approximately 1 s to base station 60, thereby causing base station 60 to control itself. Therefore, since control device 300 can only generate a policy at time intervals of approximately 1 s, system 14 does not satisfy requirement 3.

[0048] From the above, the system 14 satisfies requirements 1, 2, and 4, but does not satisfy requirement 3. Please refer to the table in FIG. 3 which summarizes whether the system 14 satisfies each of requirements 1 to 4.

[0049] 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a case where a conventional system 16 controls a RAN. As shown in FIG. 4, the system 16 includes a control device 400 and a plurality of base stations 70.

[0050] The control device 400 may perform various functions by executing the xApp 450. The control device 400 generates a policy for controlling the RAN based on, for example, the state of the RAN.

[0051] The base station 70 executes various functions by executing the dApp 75. The base station 70 determines the control content for controlling the various functions of the base station 70 based on the state of the base station 70 in accordance with, for example, a policy received from the control device 400, and controls the base station 70.

[0052] 4, the control device 400 executes xApp 450 to generate a policy at time intervals of approximately 1 s and transmits the generated policy to the base station 70. The base station 70 executes dApp 75 to determine the control content at time intervals of approximately 1 ms in accordance with the policy received from the control device 400 and control itself.

[0053] According to system 16, control device 400 controls the RAN by causing each base station 70 located within the RAN to control itself in accordance with a policy. Therefore, system 16 satisfies requirement 1 because control device 400, which is an element separate from the RAN, can control the RAN.

[0054] Furthermore, according to system 16, control device 400 controls the RAN by causing each base station 70 to control itself based on its own state in accordance with a policy. Therefore, system 16 satisfies requirement 4 because control device 400 can cause each base station 70 to control itself so as to suit the state of each base station 70.

[0055] Here, we will explain whether the system 16 satisfies requirements 2 and 3 in two cases: when the base station 60 is used as the reference and when the control device 400 is used as the reference. First, we will explain whether the system 16 satisfies requirements 2 and 3 when the base station 60 is used as the reference.

[0056] Each base station 70 controls the RAN by determining the control content at time intervals of approximately 1 ms and controlling itself in accordance with the policy received from the control device 400. Therefore, since each base station 70 can determine the control content at time intervals of approximately 1 ms, system 16 satisfies requirement 3.

[0057] On the other hand, each base station 70, which is a distributed element, controls the RAN by controlling itself in accordance with a policy received from the control device 400. Therefore, a single entity cannot control the entire RAN, and therefore, the system 16 does not satisfy requirement 2.

[0058] Next, it will be explained whether the system 16 satisfies the requirements 2 and 3 when the control device 400 is used as a reference.

[0059] The control device 400, which is a central element, controls the RAN by having each of the base stations 70, which are distributed elements, control their own devices in accordance with a policy. Therefore, the control device 400, which is a single entity, can control the entire RAN, and therefore the system 16 satisfies requirement 2.

[0060] On the other hand, the control device 400 controls the RAN by transmitting a policy that can be transmitted at time intervals of approximately 1 s to the base station 70 and causing the base station 70 to control itself. Therefore, since the control device 400 can only generate a policy at time intervals of approximately 1 s, the system 14 does not satisfy requirement 3.

[0061] For the above reasons, system 16 does not simultaneously satisfy all of requirements 1 to 4. Please refer to the table in FIG. 4 which summarizes whether system 16 satisfies each of requirements 1 to 4.

[0062] 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a case where the system 18 controls a RAN. As shown in FIG. 5, the system 18 includes a control device 500 and a plurality of base stations 80.

[0063] The control device 500 may execute various functions by executing the xApp 550. For example, the control device 500 predicts the state of the RAN at a predicted timing after a transmission time has elapsed from the generation start timing at which generation of a control message for controlling the base station 80 is started until the data reaches the base station 80 from the control device 500, and generates a control message based on the predicted state of the RAN. The control device 500 transmits the generated control message to the base station 80.

[0064] The base station 80 receives the control message from the control device 500. The base station 80 controls itself in accordance with the received control message.

[0065] 5 , the control device 500 executes xApp 550 to generate control messages at time intervals of approximately 1 ms and transmits the generated control messages to the base station 80. The base station 80 controls itself in accordance with the control messages received from the control device 500.

[0066] According to system 18, control device 500 controls the RAN by causing each base station 80 located within the RAN to control itself in accordance with a control message. Therefore, system 18 satisfies requirement 1 because control device 500, which is an element separate from the RAN, can control the RAN.

[0067] Furthermore, in system 18, the control device 500, which is a central element, controls the RAN by causing each base station 80, which is a distributed element, to control itself in accordance with control messages. Therefore, the control device 500, which is a single entity, can control the entire RAN, and system 18 satisfies requirement 2.

[0068] Furthermore, according to system 18, control device 500 controls the RAN by causing each base station 80 to control itself by transmitting to each base station 80 a control message that can be generated at time intervals of approximately 1 ms. Therefore, system 18 satisfies requirement 3 because control device 500 can generate a control message for each base station 80 at time intervals of approximately 1 ms.

[0069] On the other hand, in system 18, the control device 500 controls the RAN by having each base station 80 control itself in accordance with a control message generated based on a prediction result of predicting the RAN state at the prediction timing. The RAN state predicted by the control device 500 at the prediction timing may differ from the actual state of the RAN at the reception timing when the base station 80 receives the control message from the control device 500. This means that the control message may not match the actual state of the RAN at the reception timing. However, each base station 80 cannot determine whether the control message received from the control device 500 matches the actual state of the RAN at the reception timing. Therefore, there is a possibility that the control message transmitted by the control device 500 to each base station 80 does not match the actual state of the RAN at the reception timing, and each base station 80 cannot determine whether the control message matches the actual state of the RAN at the reception timing. Therefore, system 18 does not satisfy requirement 4.

[0070] From the above, system 18 satisfies requirements 1, 2, and 3, but does not satisfy requirement 4. Please refer to the table in FIG. 5 which summarizes whether system 18 satisfies each of requirements 1 to 4.

[0071] 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a case where the system 10 controls a RAN. The configuration of the system 10 has been described above in the description of FIG. 1, and therefore will not be described here.

[0072] The control device 100 may execute various functions by executing the xApp 150. For example, the control device 100 predicts the state of the RAN at a predicted timing after a transmission time has elapsed from the generation start timing at which generation of a control message for controlling the base station 40 is started until data reaches the base station 40 from the control device 100, and generates a control message based on the predicted state of the RAN at the predicted timing. The control device 100 transmits the generated control message to the base station 40.

[0073] The timing may have a time range before and after the reference time. For example, the generation start timing may have a time range before and after the generation start time at which the control device 100 actually starts generating the control message.

[0074] The base station 40 may execute various functions by executing the dApp 45. The base station 40 receives, for example, a control message from the control device 100. Next, the base station 40 acquires the actual state of the RAN at the time of receiving the control message from the control device 100. Thereafter, the base station 40 executes processing related to its own control based on the received control message and the acquired actual state of the RAN. The dApp 45 may be an example of a control unit.

[0075] For example, the base station 40 determines whether the control message matches the actual state of the RAN at the time of reception. The base station 40 may then control itself according to the determination result. For example, if the control message matches the actual state of the RAN at the time of reception, the base station 40 controls itself in accordance with the control message received from the control device 100. On the other hand, if the control message does not match the actual state of the RAN at the time of reception, the base station 40 may determine control content for its own device so that it matches the actual state of the RAN at the time of reception, and control itself in accordance with the determined control content. Furthermore, if the control message does not match the actual state of the RAN at the time of reception, the base station 40 may modify the control message so that it matches the actual state of the RAN at the time of reception, and control itself in accordance with the modified control message.

[0076] 6, the control device 100 executes xApp 150 to generate control messages at time intervals of approximately 1 ms and transmits the generated control messages to the base station 40. The base station 40 executes dApp 45 to determine whether the control message received from the control device 100 matches the actual state of the RAN at the time of reception, and controls itself in accordance with the determination result.

[0077] According to the system 10 of this embodiment, the control device 100 controls the RAN by causing each base station 40 located within the RAN to control itself based on a control message. Therefore, the control device 100, which is an element separate from the RAN, can control the RAN, and therefore the system 10 of this embodiment satisfies requirement 1.

[0078] Furthermore, in the system 10 according to this embodiment, the control device 100, which is a central element, controls the RAN by causing each of the base stations 40, which are distributed elements, to control itself based on control messages. Therefore, the control device 100, which is a single entity, can control the entire RAN, and the system 10 according to this embodiment satisfies requirement 2.

[0079] Furthermore, according to the system 10 of this embodiment, the control device 100 controls the RAN by causing each base station 40 to control itself by transmitting a control message that can be generated at time intervals of approximately 1 ms to each base station 40. Therefore, since the control device 100 can generate a control message for each base station 40 at time intervals of approximately 1 ms, the system 10 of this embodiment satisfies requirement 3.

[0080] Furthermore, according to the system 10 of this embodiment, each base station 40 determines whether the control message received from the control device 100 matches the actual state of the RAN at the time of reception, and controls itself according to the determination result. As a result, even if the control message does not match the actual state of the RAN at the time of reception, each base station 40 can control itself so that it matches the actual state of the RAN at the time of reception by determining the control content of its own or modifying the control message. Therefore, the system 10 of this embodiment satisfies requirement 4.

[0081] As described above, the system 10 according to this embodiment simultaneously satisfies all of requirements 1 to 4. Therefore, the system 10 according to this embodiment can achieve high-performance RAN control. Please refer to the table in FIG. 6 which summarizes whether the system 10 according to this embodiment satisfies each of requirements 1 to 4.

[0082] 5 predicts the state of the RAN at the predicted timing, generates a control message based on the predicted state of the RAN, and transmits the generated control message to each base station 80, similar to the control device 100. Therefore, the control device 500 is included in one aspect of the control device according to the present invention.

[0083] 7 schematically illustrates an example of the functional configuration of the control device 100. The control device 100 may include an information storage unit 102, an information acquisition unit 104, a prediction unit 106, a generation unit 108, a transmission unit 110, a training data storage unit 112, a model generation unit 114, a model storage unit 116, and a model acquisition unit 118. Note that it is not essential for the control device 100 to include all of these components.

[0084] The information storage unit 102 stores various types of information. The information storage unit 102 stores, for example, base station information indicating a plurality of base stations 40 arranged in the RAN. The base station information includes, for example, installation location information indicating the installation location of the base station 40. The base station information includes performance information indicating the performance of the base station 40. The base station information may also include any other information related to the base station 40.

[0085] The information acquisition unit 104 acquires various types of information. For example, the information acquisition unit 104 acquires various types of information by receiving various types of information from an external device such as the base station 40. The information acquisition unit 104 acquires various types of information by accepting input from a user of the control device 100 via an input unit included in the control device 100. The user of the control device 100 is, for example, a RAN administrator. The information acquisition unit 104 may store the acquired various types of information in the information storage unit 102.

[0086] The information acquisition unit 104 acquires the state of the RAN and may store the acquired state of the RAN in the information storage unit 102 as RAN state information.

[0087] The state of the RAN includes, for example, the state of at least one base station 40 located in the RAN, and the state of all base stations 40 located in the RAN.

[0088] The state of the base station 40 includes, for example, the state of radio resources allocated to the communication terminal 200 by the base station 40. The radio resources are allocated to the communication terminal 200 in resource block units, for example.

[0089] The state of the base station 40 includes, for example, the state of the channel formed between the base station 40 and the communication terminal 200. The state of the channel includes, for example, the state of the amount of attenuation that a signal experiences when the signal is transmitted between the base station 40 and the communication terminal 200 via the channel. The state of the channel may also include the state of the amount of phase rotation that a signal experiences when the signal is transmitted between the base station 40 and the communication terminal 200 via the channel.

[0090] The state of the base station 40 includes, for example, the state of the traffic volume of communication between the base station 40 and the communication terminal 200. The state of the traffic volume of communication between the base station 40 and the communication terminal 200 includes, for example, the state of the total traffic volume, which is the sum of the traffic volumes of each communication between the base station 40 and each of the multiple communication terminals 200. The state of the traffic volume of communication between the base station 40 and the communication terminal 200 may include the state of the average traffic volume, which is the average of the traffic volumes of each communication between the base station 40 and each of the multiple communication terminals 200.

[0091] The state of the base station 40 includes, for example, the state of the beam output by the antenna mounted on the base station 40. The state of the beam includes, for example, the state of the output power of the beam. The state of the beam includes, for example, the state of the output direction of the beam. The state of the beam includes, for example, the state of the frequency of the beam. The state of the beam may also include the state of the phase of the beam.

[0092] The state of the base station 40 may include the state of the processing load of the base station 40. The state of the processing load of the base station 40 includes, for example, the state of the utilization rate of a processor installed in the base station 40. The state of the processing load of the base station 40 includes, for example, the state of the utilization rate of a memory installed in the base station 40. The state of the processing load of the base station 40 may also include the state of the utilization rate of any other component used to control various functions of the base station 40.

[0093] The state of the RAN includes, for example, the state of communication terminal 200. The state of communication terminal 200 includes, for example, the state of QoS (Quality of Service) requested by communication terminal 200. The state of communication terminal 200 includes, for example, the state of delay tolerated by communication terminal 200. The state of communication terminal 200 includes the state of jitter tolerated by communication terminal 200. The state of communication terminal 200 may include the state of packet loss rate tolerated by communication terminal 200.

[0094] The RAN status may include weather conditions in a predetermined area including the installation location of the base station 40 located in the RAN, and may also include the state of people flow in the area.

[0095] The prediction unit 106 predicts the state of the RAN in which the plurality of base stations 40 are located. The prediction unit 106 predicts, for example, the state of the RAN at a prediction timing.

[0096] The prediction unit 106 predicts the RAN state periodically, for example. The prediction unit 106 predicts the RAN state at time intervals of 1 ms, for example. The prediction unit 106 may also predict the RAN state at any other time intervals.

[0097] The prediction unit 106 predicts the state of the RAN, for example, based on the RAN state information stored in the information storage unit 102. The prediction unit 106 predicts the state of the RAN, for example, based on RAN state information in which the elapsed time until the generation start timing is shorter than a predetermined elapsed time. The predetermined elapsed time is, for example, 10 seconds.

[0098] The prediction unit 106 predicts the state of the RAN, for example, by predicting the state of traffic volume of communication between the base station 40 and the communication terminal 200. The prediction unit 106 predicts the state of the traffic volume by predicting the transition of the traffic volume based on the traffic volume for which the elapsed time until the start timing is shorter than a predetermined time, for example.

[0099] The prediction unit 106 predicts the state of the RAN, for example, by predicting the channel state for the channel formed between the base station 40 and the communication terminal 200. The prediction unit 106 predicts the channel state, for example, by performing channel estimation.

[0100] The prediction unit 106 predicts the state of the RAN, for example, by predicting the state of a beam output by an antenna mounted on the base station 40. The prediction unit 106 predicts the state of the beam, for example, by predicting the propagation characteristics of radio waves within a wireless communication area formed by the base station 40.

[0101] The prediction unit 106 may predict the state of the RAN by predicting the state of the processing load of the base station 40. The prediction unit 106 predicts the state of the processing load of the base station 40, for example, by predicting a transition of the processing load of the base station 40 based on the processing load of the base station 40 for which the elapsed time until the start timing is shorter than a predetermined time.

[0102] The generation unit 108 generates information for controlling the base station 40 to be controlled. The generation unit 108 generates, for example, a control message. The generation unit 108 generates the control message based on, for example, the state of the RAN at the prediction timing predicted by the prediction unit 106. The generation unit 108 may generate the control message based on the state of the RAN at the acquisition timing when the information acquisition unit 104 acquires the state of the RAN.

[0103] The control message includes, for example, radio resource information indicating radio resources to be allocated to the communication terminal 200. The radio resource information includes, for example, resource blocks indicating resource blocks to be allocated to the communication terminal 200. The control message includes, for example, antenna control information to control an antenna installed in the base station 40. The antenna control information includes, for example, output power control information to control the output power of a beam output by the antenna. The antenna control information includes, for example, output direction control information to control the output direction of a beam output by the antenna. The antenna control information includes, for example, frequency control information to control the frequency state of the beam output by the antenna. The antenna control information may include phase control information to control the phase of the beam output by the antenna. The control message may include a prediction result obtained by the prediction unit 106 predicting the state of the RAN.

[0104] The generator 108 generates a control message, for example, to guarantee the QoS required by the communication terminal 200. The generator 108 generates a control message, for example, to maximize the spectral efficiency, which is the total amount of data that can be transmitted in the bandwidth allocated to the RAN. The generator 108 may generate a control message to cause the base station 40 to perform beamforming using antennas mounted on the base station 40.

[0105] The generating unit 108 may have a function of generating a policy. In this case, the generating unit 108 may generate the policy in the same manner as when the control device 300 or the control device 400 generates a policy.

[0106] The transmitter 110 transmits the control message generated by the generator 108 to the base station 40 to be controlled. The transmitter 110 transmits the control message to the base station 40, for example, via the core network 20. The transmitter 110 transmits the control message to the base station 40, for example, via the E2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance.

[0107] The learning data storage unit 112 stores learning data. The learning data includes, for example, RAN state information acquired by the information acquisition unit 104 at a reference timing, and a plurality of pieces of RAN state information acquired by the information acquisition unit 104, the elapsed time until the reference timing being shorter than a predetermined elapsed time.

[0108] The model generation unit 114 generates an estimation model by machine learning that estimates the state of the RAN at the prediction timing. For example, the model generation unit 114 uses a plurality of pieces of learning data stored in the learning data storage unit 112 as teacher data to generate an estimation model by machine learning that estimates the state of the RAN at the prediction timing from a plurality of pieces of RAN state information acquired by the information acquisition unit 104, where the elapsed period until the prediction timing is shorter than a predetermined elapsed time. The model generation unit 114 may store the generated estimation model in the model storage unit 116.

[0109] The model acquisition unit 118 acquires an estimation model for estimating the state of the RAN at the prediction timing. For example, the model acquisition unit 118 acquires a model similar to the estimation model generated by the model generation unit 114. The model acquisition unit 118 may store the acquired estimation model in the model storage unit 116.

[0110] The prediction unit 106 may predict the state of the RAN by using an estimation model stored in the model storage unit 116. For example, the prediction unit 106 uses the estimation model to predict the state of the RAN at the prediction timing from a plurality of pieces of RAN state information acquired by the information acquisition unit 104, the pieces of which have an elapsed period until the prediction timing that is shorter than a predetermined elapsed time.

[0111] 8 schematically illustrates an example of the functional configuration of the control unit 42. The control unit 42 is mounted in one of the base stations 40 arranged in the RAN, and controls the one base station 40. The control unit 42 may be implemented as hardware such as a CPU, or as software such as a dApp 45. The control unit 42 may include a receiving unit 44, an acquiring unit 46, and a processing unit 48. It is not essential that the control unit 42 include all of these components.

[0112] The receiver 44 receives various types of information. For example, the receiver 44 receives a control message for controlling one base station 40 equipped with the control unit 42 from the control device 100. For example, the receiver 44 receives the control message from the control device 100 via the core network 20. For example, the receiver 44 receives the control message from the control device 100 via the E2 interface.

[0113] The acquisition unit 46 acquires the state of the RAN. For example, the acquisition unit 46 acquires the state of the RAN at the reception timing.

[0114] The acquisition unit 46 acquires the RAN status by, for example, acquiring the status of one base station 40 equipped with the control unit 42. The acquisition unit 46 may acquire the RAN status by further acquiring the status of another base station 40 different from the one base station 40 among the multiple base stations 40 arranged in the RAN. The acquisition unit 46 acquires the RAN status of the other base station 40 by, for example, receiving RAN status information of the other base station 40 from the other base station 40. The acquisition unit 46 may acquire the RAN status of the other base station 40 by receiving RAN status information of the other base station 40 from the control device 100.

[0115] The processing unit 48 executes processing related to the control of one base station 40 equipped with the control unit 42. The processing unit 48 executes processing related to the control of the one base station 40, for example, based on the control message received by the receiving unit 44 and the RAN state acquired by the acquiring unit 46 at the time of reception.

[0116] The processing unit 48 determines, for example, whether the control message is compatible with the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit 46 at the time of reception. The processing unit 48 determines, for example, whether the process of allocating radio resources indicated by radio resource information included in the control message to the communication terminal 200 is compatible with the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit 46 at the time of reception, thereby determining whether the control message is compatible with the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit 46 at the time of reception. The processing unit 48 determines, for example, whether the process of performing beamforming using an antenna mounted on the one base station 40 in accordance with antenna control information included in the control message is compatible with the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit 46 at the time of reception, thereby determining whether the control message is compatible with the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit 46 at the time of reception.

[0117] The processing unit 48 may determine whether the control message conforms to the RAN state acquired by the acquisition unit 46 at the reception timing by comparing the RAN state predicted by the control device 100 at the prediction timing indicated by the prediction result included in the control message with the RAN state acquired by the acquisition unit 46 at the reception timing. For example, if a total traffic volume error between the total traffic volume predicted by the control device 100 at the prediction timing and the total traffic volume acquired by the acquisition unit 46 at the reception timing is smaller than a predetermined total traffic volume error threshold, the processing unit 48 determines that the control message conforms to the RAN state acquired by the acquisition unit 46 at the reception timing. On the other hand, if the total traffic volume error is larger than the total traffic volume error threshold, the processing unit 48 determines that the control message does not conform to the RAN state acquired by the acquisition unit 46 at the reception timing. For example, if the average traffic volume error between the average traffic volume predicted by the control device 100 at the prediction timing and the average traffic volume acquired by the acquisition unit 46 at the reception timing is smaller than a predetermined average traffic volume error threshold, the processing unit 48 determines that the control message is compatible with the RAN state acquired by the acquisition unit 46 at the reception timing. On the other hand, if the average traffic volume error is larger than the average traffic volume error threshold, the processing unit 48 determines that the control message is not compatible with the RAN state acquired by the acquisition unit 46 at the reception timing.

[0118] For example, if the processor utilization error between the processor utilization of the base station 40 predicted by the control device 100 at the prediction timing and the processor utilization of the base station 40 acquired by the acquisition unit 46 at the reception timing is smaller than a predetermined processor utilization error threshold, the processing unit 48 determines that the control message is compatible with the RAN state acquired by the acquisition unit 46 at the reception timing. On the other hand, if the processor utilization error is larger than the processor utilization error threshold, the processing unit 48 determines that the control message is not compatible with the RAN state acquired by the acquisition unit 46 at the reception timing. For example, if the memory utilization error between the memory utilization of the base station 40 predicted by the control device 100 at the prediction timing and the memory utilization of the base station 40 acquired by the acquisition unit 46 at the reception timing is smaller than a predetermined memory utilization error threshold, the processing unit 48 determines that the control message is compatible with the RAN state acquired by the acquisition unit 46 at the reception timing. On the other hand, if the memory usage error is greater than the memory usage error threshold, the processing unit 48 determines that the control message does not match the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit 46 at the time of reception.

[0119] The processing unit 48 determines whether or not a malfunction will occur in the function of the RAN when the processing for controlling the one base station 40 in accordance with the control message is executed in the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit 46 at the time of reception, for example, thereby determining whether or not the control message conforms to the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit 46 at the time of reception. In this case, the processing unit 48 may determine that the control message conforms to the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit 46 at the time of reception if it determines that no malfunction will occur in the function of the RAN, and may determine that the control message does not conform to the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit 46 at the time of reception if it determines that a malfunction will occur in the function of the RAN.

[0120] The processing unit 48 determines that a malfunction will occur in the RAN function, for example, when it is determined that controlling the base station 40 in accordance with the control message will result in a communication terminal 200 for which QoS cannot be guaranteed. The processing unit 48 determines that a malfunction will occur in the RAN function, for example, when it is determined that controlling the base station 40 in accordance with the control message will cause the RAN's spectral efficiency to fall below an allowable lower limit. The processing unit 48 determines that a malfunction will occur in the RAN function, for example, when it is determined that controlling the base station 40 in accordance with the control message will cause congestion in the RAN. The processing unit 48 determines that a malfunction will occur in the RAN function, for example, when it is determined that controlling the base station 40 in accordance with the control message will cause interference between a beam output by an antenna mounted on the base station 40 and another beam. The processing unit 48 determines that a malfunction will occur in the RAN function, for example, when it is determined that controlling the base station 40 in accordance with the control message will cause the processing load of the base station 40 to exceed an upper limit.

[0121] The processing unit 48 may determine that a malfunction will occur in the function of the RAN when it is determined that controlling the one base station 40 in accordance with the control message will cause the function of the RAN to fail. The processing unit 48 determines that the function of the RAN will fail, for example, when it is determined that controlling the one base station 40 in accordance with the control message will cause wireless communication connections between more than a predetermined number of communication terminals 200 and the one base station 40 to be disconnected. The processing unit 48 determines that the function of the RAN will fail, for example, when it is determined that controlling the one base station 40 in accordance with the control message will cause the proportion of communication terminals 200 whose wireless communication connection with the one base station 40 will be disconnected to the total number of communication terminals 200 in the wireless communication area formed by the one base station 40 to be higher than a predetermined proportion. The processing unit 48 determines that the functionality of the RAN will fail, for example, when it determines that controlling the one base station 40 in accordance with the control message will result in a processing task with a processing volume that exceeds the processing capacity of the one base station 40, and as a result, a processing delay that occurs when the one base station 40 processes the processing task will be longer than a predetermined allowable processing delay. The processing unit 48 may also determine that the functionality of the RAN will fail, when it determines that controlling the one base station 40 in accordance with the control message will cause thermal runaway of components such as a processor and memory mounted on the one base station 40.

[0122] For example, when the processing unit 48 determines that the control message matches the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit 46 at the time of reception, the processing unit 48 controls the one base station 40 in accordance with the control message. On the other hand, when the processing unit 48 determines that the control message does not match the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit 46 at the time of reception, the processing unit 48 refuses to control the one base station 40 in accordance with the control message.

[0123] For example, when the processing unit 48 refuses to control the one base station 40 in accordance with the control message, the processing unit 48 determines the control content of the one base station 40 so as to conform to the RAN state acquired by the acquisition unit 46 at the time of reception, and controls the one base station 40 in accordance with the determined control content. In this case, the processing unit 48 may discard the control message.

[0124] The processing unit 48 determines the control content of the base station 40, for example, so as to prevent malfunctions in the RAN functions. The processing unit 48 determines the control content of the base station 40, for example, so as to prevent the occurrence of communication terminals 200 for which QoS cannot be guaranteed. The processing unit 48 determines the control content of the base station 40, for example, so as to prevent the spectral efficiency of the RAN from falling below an allowable lower limit. The processing unit 48 determines the control content of the base station 40 so as to prevent congestion from occurring within the RAN. The processing unit 48 determines the control content of the base station 40 so as to prevent interference between a beam output by an antenna mounted in the base station 40 and other beams. The processing unit 48 may also determine the control content of the base station 40 so as to prevent the processing load of the base station 40 from exceeding an upper limit.

[0125] The processing unit 48 may determine the control content of the base station 40 so as to prevent the RAN from failing. The processing unit 48 determines the control content of the base station 40 so as to prevent the wireless communication connection between the base station 40 and more than a predetermined number of communication terminals 200 is not disconnected. The processing unit 48 determines the control content of the base station 40 so as to prevent the proportion of communication terminals 200 whose wireless communication connection with the base station 40 is disconnected from the total number of communication terminals 200 within the wireless communication area formed by the base station 40 from becoming higher than a predetermined proportion. The processing unit 48 determines the control content of the base station 40 so as to prevent the processing volume of the processing work by the base station 40 from exceeding the processing capacity of the base station 40. In this case, the processing unit 48 may offload processing work that is not processed by the base station 40 to another base station 40 located within the RAN. The processing unit 48 may determine the control content of the base station 40 in question so that components such as a processor and memory mounted on the base station 40 in question do not thermally run away.

[0126] If the processing unit 48 refuses to control the one base station 40 in accordance with the control message, the processing unit 48 may modify the control message to conform to the RAN state acquired by the acquisition unit 46 at the time of reception. In this case, the processing unit 48 may control the one base station 40 in accordance with the modified control message.

[0127] The processing unit 48, for example, modifies the control message so as to prevent malfunctions in the RAN functions. The processing unit 48, for example, modifies the control message so as to prevent the occurrence of communication terminals 200 for which QoS cannot be guaranteed. The processing unit 48, for example, modifies the control message so as to prevent the spectral efficiency of the RAN from falling below an allowable lower limit. The processing unit 48 modifies the control message so as to prevent congestion from occurring within the RAN. The processing unit 48 modifies the control message so as to prevent interference from occurring between the beam output by the antenna mounted on the one base station 40 and other beams. The processing unit 48 may also modify the control message so as to prevent the processing load of the one base station 40 from exceeding an upper limit.

[0128] The processing unit 48 may modify the control message so as to prevent the RAN from failing to function. The processing unit 48 may modify the control message, for example, so as to prevent the disconnection of wireless communication connections between more than a predetermined number of communication terminals 200 and the base station 40. The processing unit 48 may modify the control message so as to prevent the ratio of communication terminals 200 whose wireless communication connection with the base station 40 is disconnected to the total number of communication terminals 200 within the wireless communication area formed by the base station 40 from exceeding a predetermined ratio. The processing unit 48 may modify the control message so as to prevent the processing volume of the processing work performed by the base station 40 from exceeding the processing capacity of the base station 40. In this case, the processing unit 48 may offload processing work that is not processed by the base station 40 to another base station 40 located within the RAN. The processing unit 48 may modify the control message so as to prevent thermal runaway of components such as processors and memories installed in the base station 40.

[0129] When the processing unit 48 has refused to control the one base station 40 in accordance with the control message, the processing unit 48 may not control the one base station 40, provided that no malfunction occurs in the functionality of the RAN. When the processing unit 48 has refused to control the one base station 40 in accordance with the control message, the processing unit 48 may not control the one base station 40, provided that no malfunction occurs in the functionality of the RAN.

[0130] 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the flow of processing in the system 10. Here, a state in which the control device 100 has not yet predicted the state of the RAN will be described as a starting state.

[0131] In step (sometimes abbreviated as S) 102, the prediction unit 106 predicts the state of the RAN at the prediction timing. In S104, the generation unit 108 generates a control message based on the RAN state predicted by the prediction unit 106 in S102. In S106, the transmission unit 110 transmits the control message generated by the generation unit 108 in S104 to the base station 40 equipped with the control unit 42 via the E2 interface.

[0132] In S108, the acquisition unit 46 acquires the state of the RAN at the reception timing when the receiver 44 received the control message from the control device 100 via the E2 interface in S106. In S110, the processing unit 48 executes a determination process to determine whether the control message matches the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit 46 in S108, based on the control message received by the receiver 44 in S106 and the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit 46 in S108. In S112, the processing unit 48 executes a control process to control the base station 40 equipped with the control unit 42, based on the determination result of the determination process in S110.

[0133] 10 schematically illustrates an example of the hardware configuration of a computer 1200 that functions as the control device 100 or the control unit 42. A program installed on the computer 1200 can cause the computer 1200 to function as one or more "parts" of the device according to the above-described embodiments, or can cause the computer 1200 to perform operations or one or more "parts" associated with the device according to the above-described embodiments, and / or can cause the computer 1200 to perform a process or steps of the process according to the above-described embodiments. Such a program can be executed by the CPU 1212 to cause the computer 1200 to perform specific operations associated with some or all of the blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein.

[0134] The computer 1200 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 1212, a RAM 1214, and a graphics controller 1216, which are interconnected by a host controller 1210. The computer 1200 also includes input / output units such as a communication interface 1222, a storage device 1224, a DVD drive 1226, and an IC card drive, which are connected to the host controller 1210 via an input / output controller 1220. The DVD drive 1226 may be a DVD-ROM drive, a DVD-RAM drive, or the like. The storage device 1224 may be a hard disk drive, a solid-state drive, or the like. The computer 1200 also includes legacy input / output units such as a ROM 1230 and a keyboard 1242, which are connected to the input / output controller 1220 via an input / output chip 1240.

[0135] The CPU 1212 operates according to programs stored in the ROM 1230 and the RAM 1214, thereby controlling each unit. The graphics controller 1216 acquires image data generated by the CPU 1212 into a frame buffer or the like provided in the RAM 1214 or into the graphics controller 1216 itself, and causes the image data to be displayed on the display device 1218.

[0136] The communication interface 1222 communicates with other electronic devices via a network. The storage device 1224 stores programs and data used by the CPU 1212 in the computer 1200. The DVD drive 1226 reads programs or data from a DVD-ROM 1227 or the like and provides them to the storage device 1224. The IC card drive reads programs and data from an IC card and / or writes programs and data to an IC card.

[0137] The ROM 1230 stores therein a boot program or the like that is executed by the computer 1200 upon activation, and / or programs that depend on the hardware of the computer 1200. The input / output chip 1240 may also connect various input / output units to the input / output controller 1220 via a USB port, a parallel port, a serial port, a keyboard port, a mouse port, etc.

[0138] The programs are provided by a computer-readable storage medium such as a DVD-ROM 1227 or an IC card. The programs are read from the computer-readable storage medium, installed in the storage device 1224, RAM 1214, or ROM 1230, which are also examples of computer-readable storage media, and executed by the CPU 1212. Information processing described in these programs is read by the computer 1200, and brings about cooperation between the programs and the various types of hardware resources described above. An apparatus or a method may be configured by implementing operations or processing of information in accordance with the use of the computer 1200.

[0139] For example, when communication is performed between computer 1200 and an external device, CPU 1212 may execute a communication program loaded into RAM 1214 and instruct communication interface 1222 to perform communication processing based on the processing described in the communication program. Under the control of CPU 1212, communication interface 1222 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer area provided in RAM 1214, storage device 1224, DVD-ROM 1227, or a recording medium such as an IC card, and transmits the read transmission data to a network, or writes received data received from the network to a reception buffer area or the like provided on the recording medium.

[0140] Furthermore, the CPU 1212 may cause all or a necessary portion of a file or database stored in an external recording medium such as the storage device 1224, the DVD drive 1226 (DVD-ROM 1227), an IC card, etc. to be read into the RAM 1214, and may perform various types of processing on the data on the RAM 1214. The CPU 1212 may then write back the processed data to the external recording medium.

[0141] Various types of information, such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases, may be stored on the recording medium and may undergo information processing. The CPU 1212 may perform various types of processing on data read from the RAM 1214, including various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgment, conditional branching, unconditional branching, information search / replacement, etc., as described throughout this disclosure and specified by the instruction sequences of the programs, and write the results back to the RAM 1214. The CPU 1212 may also search for information in a file, database, etc. on the recording medium. For example, if multiple entries, each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute, are stored on the recording medium, the CPU 1212 may search for an entry whose attribute value of the first attribute matches a specified condition from among the multiple entries, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, and thereby obtain the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0142] The above-described programs or software modules may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium on or near the computer 1200. A recording medium such as a hard disk or RAM provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can also be used as a computer-readable storage medium, thereby providing the programs to the computer 1200 via the network.

[0143] The blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams in the present embodiments may represent stages of a process in which an operation is performed or "parts" of a device responsible for performing the operation. Particular stages and "parts" may be implemented by dedicated circuitry, programmable circuitry provided with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium, and / or a processor provided with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium. The dedicated circuitry may include digital and / or analog hardware circuits, and may include integrated circuits (ICs) and / or discrete circuits. The programmable circuitry may include reconfigurable hardware circuits, such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and programmable logic arrays (PLAs), including AND, OR, XOR, NAND, NOR, and other logical operations, flip-flops, registers, and memory elements.

[0144] A computer-readable storage medium may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions that are executed by an appropriate device, such that a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon comprises an article of manufacture, including instructions that can be executed to create means for performing the operations specified in the flowcharts or block diagrams. Examples of computer-readable storage media may include electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, and semiconductor storage media. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media may include floppy disks, diskettes, hard disks, random access memories (RAMs), read-only memories (ROMs), erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROMs or flash memories), electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs), static random access memories (SRAMs), compact disc read-only memories (CD-ROMs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), Blu-ray discs, memory sticks, integrated circuit cards, and the like.

[0145] The computer readable instructions may include either assembler instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, or source or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk®, JAVA®, C++, etc., and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages.

[0146] Computer-readable instructions may be provided locally or over a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, or programmable circuitry, such that the processor or programmable circuitry executes the computer-readable instructions to generate means for performing the operations specified in the flowcharts or block diagrams. Examples of processors include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers, etc.

[0147] Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is clear from the claims that such modifications and improvements can also be included within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0148] It should be noted that the execution order of each process, such as operations, procedures, steps, and stages, in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specifications, and drawings is not specifically stated as "before," "prior to," etc., and that the processes can be performed in any order unless the output of a previous process is used in a subsequent process. Even if the operational flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is described using "first," "next," etc. for convenience, this does not mean that the processes must be performed in this order.

[0149] 10 System, 12 System, 14 System, 16 System, 18 System, 20 Core Network, 40 Base Station, 42 Control Unit, 44 Receiving Unit, 45 dApp, 46 Acquisition Unit, 48 Processing Unit, 50 Base Station, 60 Base Station, 70 Base Station, 75 dApp, 80 Base Station, 100 Control Device, 102 Information Storage Unit, 104 Information Acquisition Unit, 106 Prediction Unit, 108 Generation Unit, 110 Transmission Unit, 112 Learning Data Storage Unit, 114 Model Generation Unit, 116 Model Storage Unit, 118 Model Acquisition Unit, 150 xApp, 200 Communication Terminal, 300 Control Device, 350 xApp, 400 Control Device, 450 xApp, 500 Control Device, 550 xApp, 1200 Computer, 1210 Host Controller, 1212 CPU, 1214 RAM, 1216 graphic controller, 1218 display device, 1220 input / output controller, 1222 communication interface, 1224 storage device, 1226 DVD drive, 1227 DVD-ROM, 1230 ROM, 1240 input / output chip, 1242 keyboard

Claims

1. A control system comprising: a control device that controls a plurality of base stations arranged in a RAN (Radio Access Network); and a control unit mounted on one of the plurality of base stations and controlling the one base station, wherein the control device has: a prediction unit that predicts a state of the RAN at a prediction timing after a transmission time has elapsed from a generation start timing at which generation of a control message for controlling the one base station is started until data reaches the one base station from the control device; a generation unit that generates the control message based on the state of the RAN predicted by the prediction unit; and a transmission unit that transmits the control message to the one base station, and the control unit has: a receiving unit that receives the control message from the control device; an acquisition unit that acquires the state of the RAN at a reception timing at which the receiving unit receives the control message; and a processing unit that executes processing related to the control of the one base station based on the control message and the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit determines whether the control message conforms to the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit, and if it determines that the control message conforms to the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit, executes processing to control the one base station in accordance with the control message.

3. The control system of claim 2, wherein when the processing unit determines that the control message does not conform to the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit, the processing unit determines control content of the one base station so as to conform to the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit, and executes processing to control the one base station in accordance with the determined control content.

4. The control system of claim 2, wherein when the processing unit determines that the control message does not conform to the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit, the processing unit modifies the control message so that it conforms to the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit, and executes processing to control the one base station in accordance with the modified control message.

5. A control system as described in any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the processing unit determines whether or not the control message is compatible with the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit by determining whether or not a malfunction will occur in the function of the RAN when processing to control the one base station in accordance with the control message is executed in the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit.

6. A control system as described in any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the generation unit generates the control message including a prediction result obtained by the prediction unit to predict the state of the RAN, and the processing unit determines whether or not the control message conforms to the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit by comparing the state of the RAN indicated by the prediction result included in the control message with the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit.

7. A control system as described in any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the generation unit generates the control message including radio resource information indicating radio resources to be allocated to a communication terminal within a wireless communication area formed by the one base station, and the processing unit determines whether or not the control message is compatible with the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit by determining whether or not the process of allocating the radio resources indicated by the radio resource information included in the control message to the communication terminal is compatible with the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit.

8. A control device that controls multiple base stations located within a RAN, comprising: a prediction unit that predicts a state of the RAN at a prediction timing after a transmission time has elapsed from a generation start timing at which generation of a control message to control one of the multiple base stations begins until data reaches the one base station from the control device; a generation unit that generates the control message based on the state of the RAN predicted by the prediction unit; and a transmission unit that transmits the control message to the one base station.

9. A program for causing a computer to function as the control device according to claim 8.

10. A control unit mounted in one of a plurality of base stations arranged in a RAN and controlling the one base station, comprising: a receiving unit that receives a control message for controlling the one base station from a control device that controls the plurality of base stations, the control message being generated based on a state of the RAN predicted by the control device at a predicted timing after a transmission time has elapsed from a generation start timing at which the control device starts generating the control message until data reaches the one base station from the control device; an acquiring unit that acquires the state of the RAN at a receiving timing at which the receiving unit receives the control message; and a processing unit that executes processing related to the control of the one base station based on the control message and the state of the RAN acquired by the acquiring unit.

11. A control unit as described in claim 10, wherein the processing unit determines whether the control message conforms to the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit, and if it determines that the control message conforms to the state of the RAN acquired by the acquisition unit, executes processing to control the one base station in accordance with the control message.

12. A program for causing a computer to function as the control unit according to claim 10 or 11.

Images