Communication device, control device, communication method, and control method

Abstract

This communication device is capable of directly or indirectly transmitting information to a transmission path control device that has a structure for reflecting or transmitting an incoming radio wave and that is capable of performing control pertaining to reflection characteristics or transmission characteristics of the structure, the communication device comprising: an acquisition unit for acquiring information pertaining to a synthesized wave formed using radio waves, from a plurality of devices, including radio waves from the transmission path control device; and a transmission unit for transmitting information pertaining to the synthesized wave to the transmission path control device or a control device for the transmission path control device.

Description

Communication device, control device, communication method, and control method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a communication device, a control device, a communication method, and a control method.

[0002] As demand for communications expands, the problem of radio wave resources (wireless resources) becoming depleted has become apparent. To address this problem, attention has been focused on technology that improves frequency utilization efficiency by dynamically changing radio wave propagation paths. Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) are known as devices for changing propagation paths (hereinafter also referred to as transmission path control devices). The installation of RISs makes it possible, for example, to control the direction of radio wave reflection and form new propagation paths.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-117980

[0004] However, simply introducing a RIS may not fully realize the effective use of radio wave resources. For example, if multiple RISs are installed in a communication environment, the reflected waves from each of the multiple RISs may cause unexpected interference, and as a result, the originally expected frequency utilization efficiency may not be realized.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure proposes a communication device, a control device, a communication method, and a control method that can realize effective use of radio wave resources.

[0006] It should be noted that the above problem or object is merely one of multiple problems or objects that can be solved or achieved by multiple embodiments disclosed in this specification.

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, one form of communication device according to the present disclosure is a communication device that is capable of transmitting information directly or indirectly to a transmission path control device that has a structure that reflects or transmits incoming radio waves and is capable of controlling the reflection or transmission characteristics of the structure, and is equipped with an acquisition unit that acquires information about a composite wave formed by radio waves from multiple devices including radio waves from the transmission path control device, and a transmission unit that transmits information about the composite wave to the transmission path control device or a control device of the transmission path control device.

[0008] 1 is a diagram for explaining the structure of a RIS. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a RIS is installed in a communication environment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a composite wave formed by reflected waves from a plurality of RISs. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a composite wave formed by reflected waves from each of RIS #1 and RIS #2. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a management device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a base station according to the present embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a transmission path control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a terminal device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a control station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating a transmission path control process according to Example 1-1. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating a transmission path control process according to Example 1-2. FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram illustrating a transmission path control process according to Example 1-3. FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram illustrating a transmission path control process according to Example 1-4. FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram illustrating a transmission path control process according to Example 1-5. FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram illustrating a transmission path control process according to Example 2-1. FIG. 16 is a sequence diagram illustrating a transmission path control process according to Example 2-2. FIG. 17 is a sequence diagram illustrating a transmission path control process according to Example 2-3.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0010] In addition, in this specification and drawings, multiple components having substantially the same functional configuration may be distinguished by adding different numbers to the same reference numeral. For example, multiple components having substantially the same functional configuration may be referred to as the transmission line control device 30 as needed. １ , 30 ２ , and 30 ３ However, when there is no need to particularly distinguish between multiple components having substantially the same functional configuration, only the same reference numerals are used. For example, the transmission line control device 30 １ , 30 ２ , and 30 ３ When there is no need to particularly distinguish between them, they will be simply referred to as the transmission line control device 30.

[0011] One or more embodiments (including examples and variations) described below can be implemented independently. However, at least a portion of the embodiments described below may be implemented in appropriate combination with at least a portion of another embodiment. These embodiments may include novel features that are different from one another. Therefore, these embodiments may contribute to solving different purposes or problems and may produce different effects.

[0012] The present disclosure will be described in the following order: 1. Overview 1-1. Problem 1-2. Regarding composite waves 1-3. Overview of solution 2. Configuration of communication system 2-1. Configuration of management device 2-2. Configuration of base station 2-3. Configuration of transmission path control device 2-4. Configuration of terminal device 2-5. Configuration of control station 3. Operation of communication system 3-1. Overview of transmission path control processing 3-2. Information related to composite waves 4. Examples 4-1. Example 1 4-2. Example 2 4-3. Example 3 4-4. Example 4 5. Modified examples 6. Conclusion

[0013] <<1. Overview>> As demand for communications expands, the problem of radio wave resources (wireless resources) becoming depleted has become apparent. To address this problem, attention has been focused on technology that improves frequency utilization efficiency by dynamically changing radio wave propagation paths. A known device for changing propagation paths (hereinafter also referred to as a transmission path control device) is a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS). A RIS is also called an intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) or an intelligent surface (IS).

[0014] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a RIS. A RIS is a device including a structure (e.g., a reflector) composed of one or more metasurface elements whose permittivity and / or permeability can be dynamically controlled. A metasurface element is a type of artificial medium (metamaterial) that achieves any permittivity and / or permeability by periodically arranging structures that are small relative to the wavelength. A metasurface element is sometimes simply referred to as a metasurface. A RIS can control the amplitude, phase, polarization, or frequency of incoming radio waves by manipulating the permittivity and / or permeability of the metasurface (metasurface element). FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a RIS installed in a communication environment. A control device inside or outside the RIS can control the direction of the reflected wave to bypass obstacles or form a new propagation path by controlling the reflected wave from the RIS.

[0015] There are two types of RIS: a RIS that operates in cooperation with transceivers such as base stations (referred to as Cooperative RIS in this embodiment), and a RIS that operates without cooperation with transceivers (referred to as Blind RIS in this embodiment). Blind RIS does not require the development of infrastructure for cooperation with transceivers. Therefore, Blind RIS has the advantage of high installation flexibility. On the other hand, Blind RIS cannot cooperate with transceivers. Therefore, compared to Cooperative RIS, Blind RIS has the problem that its ability to improve the propagation environment depends on the data that the RIS can collect.

[0016] <1-1. Issues> The introduction of RIS is expected to improve frequency utilization efficiency. However, simply introducing RIS may not fully realize effective use of radio wave resources. For example, assume that multiple RISs are installed in a communication environment as shown in Figure 2. In the example of Figure 2, two RISs, RIS #1 and RIS #2, are installed in a communication environment in which a base station and a terminal device communicate. Here, it is assumed that these multiple RISs are all blind RISs. In this case, each of the multiple RISs cannot grasp the type of control that the other RISs are performing. As a result, reflected waves from each of the multiple RISs may cause unexpected interference, and the originally expected frequency utilization efficiency may not be realized.

[0017] <1-2. Regarding composite waves> Before describing an overview of the means for solving the above-mentioned problems, a composite wave formed by reflected waves from multiple RISs will be described. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a composite wave formed by reflected waves from multiple RISs. Specifically, Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a composite wave formed by reflected waves from RIS #1 and RIS #2.

[0018] As described above, when multiple RISs (e.g., multiple Blind RISs) are installed in a communication environment, reflected waves will have multiple sources of reflection. In principle, multiple RISs cannot grasp the type of control being performed by other RISs. The strength of the received power at a receiving device (terminal device in the example of Figure 2) varies depending on whether the multiple reflected waves from the multiple RISs overlap in phase or out of phase. If the receiving device is located at a position where multiple reflected waves overlap in phase, the received power of the receiving device will be high, but if the receiving device is located at a position where multiple reflected waves overlap in out of phase, the received power of the receiving device will be low.

[0019] The positions where the reflected waves overlap in phase and the positions where the reflected waves overlap in opposite phases vary depending on the direction of the reflected waves formed by each RIS and the position of the receiving device. The positions where the received power is received in phase and the positions where it is received in opposite phase alternate as shown in Figure 3. In this embodiment, this composite wave may be referred to as an interference fringe.

[0020] <1-3. Overview of Solution> Based on the above, an overview of the solution of this embodiment will be described.

[0021] The communication system of this embodiment includes one or more communication devices (e.g., base stations and / or terminal devices) and multiple RISs. Here, the RIS may be a RIS that has the function of amplifying and reflecting incoming radio waves (referred to as an active RIS in this embodiment), or may be a RIS that reflects incoming radio waves without amplifying them (referred to as a passive RIS in this embodiment). In the following description, the RIS included in the communication system is assumed to be a passive RIS as an example. Of course, the RIS included in the communication system is not limited to a passive RIS and may be another type of RIS.

[0022] The communication system of this embodiment selects multiple RISs to operate in cooperation with each other and controls the spacing and constructive positions of interference fringes formed by reflected waves from the selected multiple RISs. The spacing of the formed interference fringes changes depending on the position of each RIS and the direction of the reflected waves formed by each RIS.

[0023] The control of the RIS may be performed by a communication device. For example, the communication device acquires information about a composite wave formed by radio waves from multiple RISs. The information about the composite wave may be, for example, a simulation result of a composite wave formed by reflected waves from the multiple RISs. The communication device then transmits the information about the composite wave to the multiple RISs, thereby controlling the multiple RISs so that desired interference fringes are formed. The multiple RISs may cooperatively control the reflected wave based on the information about the composite wave. The information used by the multiple RISs to control the reflected wave is not limited to the information about the composite wave received from the communication device. The multiple RISs may cooperatively control the reflected wave based on the environment in which they are located, the communication status of the communication device, the passage of time, signaling from the Cooperative RIS, and the like.

[0024] The communication device may control multiple RISs to make the interference fringes coarser. This allows the communication device to strengthen or weaken the received power at a specific location. For example, the communication device may strengthen the received power at the location of a communication device that is a communication partner, while weakening the received power at the location of other communication devices that are not communication partners. The communication device may also control multiple RISs to make the interference fringes finer. This allows the communication device to prevent a decrease in received power caused by interference fringes, a decrease in beam formation accuracy, and a decrease in received power due to a shift in beam direction caused by channel fluctuations.

[0025] The outline of this embodiment has been described above, and the communication system 1 of this embodiment will now be described in detail.

[0026] <<2. Configuration of the Communication System>> First, a specific description will be given of the configuration of the communication system 1. The configuration of the communication system 1 shown below is common to the first to fourth embodiments.

[0027] 4 and 5 are diagrams showing the configuration of a communication system 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 4, the communication system 1 includes a management device 10, a base station 20, a transmission path control device 30, and a terminal device 40. Note that the communication system 1 may include devices other than those shown in Fig. 4. For example, the communication system 1 may include a control station 50 that controls multiple transmission path control devices 30, as shown in Fig. 5.

[0028] The communication system 1 provides a wireless network (mobile network) that enables mobile communication for users by the cooperation of the wireless communication devices that make up the communication system 1. The wireless network of this embodiment may be, for example, a cellular network that includes a radio access network RAN ​​and a core network CN. The mobile network may include a terminal device 40. In this embodiment, the wireless communication device is a communication device that has a wireless communication function, and in the example of FIG. 4, this corresponds to the base station 20 and the terminal device 40.

[0029] The communication system 1 may include a plurality of management devices 10, base stations 20, transmission path control devices 30, terminal devices 40, and control stations 50. In the example of FIG. 4, the communication system 1 includes a management device 10 １ and management device 10 ２ and the base station 20 is provided with １ , base station 20 ２ , and base station 20 ３ In the example of FIG. 4, the communication system 1 includes a transmission line control device 30. １ , transmission path control device 30 ２ , and the transmission path control device 30 ３ The terminal device 40 is provided with the terminal device 40 １ , terminal device 40 ２ , and terminal device 40 ３ In the example of FIG. 5, the communication system 1 includes a control station 50. １ , and the control station 50 ２ The number of control stations 50 that control the multiple transmission line control devices 30 may be one, or may be three or more.

[0030] The terminal device 40 may be configured to connect to a network using radio access technology (RAT) such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), NR (New Radio), 6G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc. In this case, the terminal device 40 may be configured to be able to use different radio access technologies (wireless communication methods). For example, the terminal device 40 may be configured to be able to use NR and Wi-Fi. Furthermore, the terminal device 40 may be configured to be able to use different cellular communication technologies (e.g., LTE, NR, or 6G). In the following description, the terminal device 40 may be referred to as UE (User Equipment).

[0031] LTE and NR are types of cellular communication technologies that enable mobile communication for terminal devices by arranging multiple areas covered by base stations in the form of cells. 6G, also a type of cellular communication technology, has the potential to become a technology that enables mobile communication for terminal devices by arranging multiple areas covered by base stations in the form of cells.

[0032] In the following description, "LTE" includes LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), LTE-A Pro (LTE-Advanced Pro), and EUTRA (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access). NR includes NRAT (New Radio Access Technology) and FEUTRA (Further EUTRA). A single base station 20 may manage multiple cells. In the following description, a cell corresponding to LTE is referred to as an LTE cell, and a cell corresponding to NR is referred to as an NR cell.

[0033] NR is the next generation (5th generation) radio access technology after LTE (4th generation communications including LTE-Advanced and LTE-Advanced Pro). NR is a radio access technology that can support various use cases, including eMBB (Enhanced Mobile Broadband), mMTC (Massive Machine Type Communications), and URLLC (Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communications). NR was standardized in 3GPP (registered trademark) Rel-15 as a technical framework that corresponds to the usage scenarios, requirements, and deployment scenarios of these use cases. Furthermore, beyond 5G and 6G, it is required to simultaneously achieve multiple axes of high speed, large capacity, low latency, high reliability, and multiple simultaneous connections.

[0034] 6G is the next generation of cellular communications technology after NR (5th generation mobile communications) and 5GS (5G system). 6G includes radio access technology and network technologies between base stations, core networks, and data networks. 6G also includes technologies for extreme connectivity of eMBB, mMTC, and URLLC, which were the main use cases or requirements of NR. 6G also includes new technologies in new areas. For example, 6G may include technologies related to AI (cognitive network, AI native air interface), sensing (including radar sensing and network as a sensor), and terahertz communications.

[0035] The wireless network may support at least one of radio access technologies (RATs) such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), NR (New Radio), and 6G. LTE, NR, and 6G are types of cellular communication technologies that enable mobile communication for terminal devices by arranging multiple areas covered by base stations in the form of cells. The wireless access method used by the communication system 1 is not limited to LTE, NR, and 6G, and may be other wireless access methods such as W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) and cdma2000 (Code Division Multiple Access 2000).

[0036] Furthermore, the base station 20 may be a terrestrial station or a non-terrestrial station. The non-terrestrial station may be a satellite station or an aircraft station. If the non-terrestrial station is a satellite station, the wireless network may be a bent-pipe (transparent) type mobile satellite communication system.

[0037] In this embodiment, terrestrial stations and terrestrial base stations refer to base stations and relay stations installed on the ground. Here, "terrestrial" refers to terrestrial in a broad sense, including not only land but also underground, on water, and underwater. In the following description, the term "terrestrial station" may be replaced with "gateway."

[0038] Note that an LTE base station may be referred to as an eNodeB (Evolved Node B) or eNB. An NR base station may be referred to as a gNodeB or gNB. A 6G base station may be referred to as a 6G NodeB (6GNB). In LTE, NR, and 6G, a terminal device (also referred to as a mobile station or terminal) may be referred to as a UE (User Equipment). Note that a terminal device is a type of communication device and is also referred to as a mobile station or terminal.

[0039] The terminal device 40 may be able to connect to a network using a wireless access technology (wireless communication method) other than LTE, NR, 6G, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth. For example, the terminal device 40 may be able to connect to a network using low power wide area (LPWA) communication. The terminal device 40 may also be able to connect to a network using proprietary wireless communication.

[0040] Here, LPWA communication refers to wireless communication that enables low-power, wide-range communication. For example, LPWA wireless refers to IoT (Internet of Things) wireless communication using a specified low-power radio (e.g., the 920 MHz band) or the ISM (Industry-Science-Medical) band. Note that the LPWA communication used by the terminal device 40 may be compliant with the LPWA standard. Examples of LPWA standards include ELTRES, ZETA, SIGFOX, LoRaWAN, and NB-IoT. Of course, the LPWA standard is not limited to these, and other LPWA standards may also be used.

[0041] 4 and 5 may be considered as devices in a logical sense, that is, a part of each wireless communication device may be realized by a virtual machine (VM), a container such as Docker, or the like, and these may be physically implemented on the same hardware.

[0042] In this embodiment, the concept of a wireless communication device includes not only portable mobile devices (terminal devices) such as mobile terminals, but also devices installed in structures or mobile bodies. The structures or mobile bodies themselves may be considered wireless communication devices. Furthermore, the concept of a wireless communication device includes not only terminal devices 40 but also base stations 20. A wireless communication device is a type of processing device or information processing device. A wireless communication device can also be referred to as a transmitting device or a receiving device.

[0043] The following describes in detail the configuration of each wireless communication device that makes up the communication system 1. Note that the configuration of each wireless communication device shown below is merely an example. The configuration of each wireless communication device may be different from the configuration shown below.

[0044] 2-1. Configuration of Management Device First, the configuration of the management device 10 will be described.

[0045] The management device 10 is an information processing device (computer) that manages a wireless network. For example, the management device 10 is an information processing device that manages communications of the base station 20. The management device 10 is also a type of communication device.

[0046] The management device 10 may be, for example, a device having a function as an MME (Mobility Management Entity). The management device 10 may also be a device having a function as an AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) and / or an SMF (Session Management Function). The MME, AMF, and SMF are control plane network function nodes in a core network. The management device 10 may be a device having a function as a control plane network function (6G CPNF) in 6G. The 6G CPNF may be composed of one or more logical nodes.

[0047] Of course, the functions of the management device 10 are not limited to MME, AMF, SMF, and 6G CPNF. The management device 10 may be a device having functions as a Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF), an Authentication Server Function (AUSF), a Policy Control Function (PCF), and a Unified Data Management (UDM). Furthermore, the management device 10 may be a device having functions as a Home Subscriber Server (HSS).

[0048] The management device 10 may have a gateway function. For example, the management device 10 may have a function as an S-GW (Serving Gateway) or a P-GW (Packet Data Network Gateway). The management device 10 may also have a UPF (User Plane Function) function. In this case, the management device 10 may have multiple UPFs. The management device 10 may also be a device that has a function as a 6G User Plane Network Function (6G UPNF).

[0049] The core network is composed of multiple network functions, and each network function may be consolidated into one physical device or distributed across multiple physical devices. In other words, the management device 10 may be distributed across multiple devices. Furthermore, this distributed distribution may be controlled so that it is executed dynamically. The base station 20 and the management device 10 form a single network, providing wireless communication services to terminal devices 40. The management device 10 is connected to the Internet, and the terminal devices 40 can use various services provided via the Internet via the base station 20.

[0050] The management device 10 does not necessarily have to be a device that constitutes a core network. For example, assume that the core network is a W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) or cdma2000 (Code Division Multiple Access 2000) core network. In this case, the management device 10 may be a device that functions as an RNC (Radio Network Controller).

[0051] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of the management device 10 according to this embodiment. The management device 10 includes a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13. The configuration shown in Fig. 6 is a functional configuration, and the hardware configuration may be different from this. Furthermore, the functions of the management device 10 may be statically or dynamically distributed and implemented in multiple physically separated configurations. The management device 10 may also be configured by multiple server devices.

[0052] The communication unit 11 is a communication interface for communicating with other communication devices (e.g., the base station 20). The communication unit 11 may be a network interface or a device connection interface. The communication unit 11 may be a LAN (Local Area Network) interface such as a NIC (Network Interface Card), or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface configured by a USB host controller or a USB port. The communication unit 11 may be a wired interface or a wireless interface. The communication unit 11 functions as a communication means of the management device 10. The communication unit 11 is controlled by the control unit 13.

[0053] The storage unit 12 is a readable and writable storage device such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a flash memory, or a hard disk. The storage unit 12 functions as a storage means of the management device 10. The storage unit 12 stores, for example, the connection status of the terminal device 40. The storage unit 12 stores the status of the radio resource control (RRC) of the terminal device 40 and the status of the EPS connection management (ECM) or the 5G system connection management (CM). The storage unit 12 may function as a home memory that stores location information of the terminal device 40. The storage unit 12 also stores a learning model (prediction model) for predicting the future quality of the mobile network. The learning model will be described later.

[0054] The control unit 13 is a controller that controls each component of the management device 10. The control unit 13 may be implemented by a processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessing unit (MPU). Specifically, the control unit 13 may be implemented by a processor executing various programs stored in a storage device internal to the management device 10 using a random access memory (RAM) or the like as a work area. The control unit 13 may be implemented by an integrated circuit such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA). The control unit 13 may also be implemented by a graphics processing unit (GPU). A CPU, an MPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, and a GPU can all be considered controllers. The control unit 13 may be configured by multiple physically separated entities. For example, the control unit 13 may be configured by multiple semiconductor chips.

[0055] The operation of the control unit 13 may be similar to the operation of the control unit 23 of the base station 20 , the control unit 43 of the terminal device 40 , and the control unit 53 of the control station 50 .

[0056] <2-2. Configuration of Base Station> Next, the configuration of the base station 20 will be described.

[0057] The base station 20 is a wireless communication device that performs wireless communication with other wireless communication devices (e.g., terminal devices 40 or other base stations 20). The base station 20 may perform wireless communication with the terminal devices 40 via a relay station, or may perform wireless communication directly with the terminal devices 40.

[0058] The base station 20 is a device equivalent to a radio base station (e.g., base station, Node B, eNB, gNB, or 6GNB) or a radio access point. The base station 20 may be a radio relay station. The base station 20 may be an optical device called an RRH (Remote Radio Head). The base station 20 may be a receiving station such as an FPU (Field Pickup Unit). The base station 20 may be an IAB (Integrated Access and Backhaul) donor node or an IAB relay node that provides radio access lines and radio backhaul lines using time division multiplexing, frequency division multiplexing, or space division multiplexing.

[0059] The wireless access technology used by the base station 20 may be cellular communication technology. The wireless access technology used by the base station 20 may be wireless LAN technology. The wireless access technology used by the base station 20 may be low-power wide-area (LPWA) communication technology. However, the wireless access technology used by the base station 20 is not limited to these and may be other wireless access technologies. The wireless communication used by the base station 20 may be wireless communication using millimeter waves or wireless communication using terahertz waves. The wireless communication used by the base station 20 may be wireless communication using radio waves or wireless communication using infrared or visible light (optical wireless). Furthermore, the base station 20 may be capable of NOMA (Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access) communication with the terminal device 40. Here, NOMA communication refers to communication (transmission, reception, or both) using non-orthogonal resources. Note that the base station 20 may be capable of NOMA communication with other base stations 20.

[0060] The base station 20 may be able to communicate with the core network via a base station-core network interface (e.g., NG Interface, S1 Interface, etc.). This interface may be either wired or wireless. The base station may also be able to communicate with other base stations via an inter-base station interface (e.g., Xn Interface, X2 Interface, F1 Interface, etc.). This interface may be either wired or wireless.

[0061] The concept of a base station (also called a "base station device") includes not only a donor base station but also a relay base station (also called a "relay station"). A relay base station may be any one of an RF Repeater, a Smart Repeater, and an Intelligent Surface. The concept of a base station includes not only a structure with base station functions but also equipment installed in the structure.

[0062] Examples of structures include high-rise buildings, houses, steel towers, station facilities, airport facilities, port facilities, office buildings, school buildings, hospitals, factories, commercial facilities, stadiums, and other buildings. The concept of a structure includes not only buildings, but also non-building structures such as tunnels, bridges, dams, fences, and steel pillars, as well as equipment such as cranes, gates, and wind turbines. The concept of a structure includes not only land (ground in the narrow sense) or underground structures, but also water-based structures such as piers or megafloats, and underwater structures such as ocean observation facilities. A base station can also be referred to as an information processing device.

[0063] The base station 20 may be a donor station or a relay station (relay station). The base station 20 may also be a fixed station or a mobile station. A mobile station is a wireless communication device (e.g., a base station) configured to be mobile. In this case, the base station 20 may be a device installed in a mobile body, or may be the mobile body itself. For example, a relay station with mobility can be considered as the base station 20 as a mobile station. Furthermore, devices that are inherently mobile and have base station functionality (at least part of the base station functionality), such as vehicles, UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) represented by drones, and smartphones, also fall under the category of the base station 20 as a mobile station.

[0064] Here, the moving body may be a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a mobile phone. The moving body may be a moving body that moves on land (ground in the narrow sense) (e.g., a vehicle such as an automobile, bicycle, bus, truck, motorcycle, train, or linear motor car), or a moving body that moves underground (e.g., in a tunnel) (e.g., a subway). The moving body may also be a moving body that moves on water (e.g., a ship such as a passenger ship, cargo ship, or hovercraft), or a moving body that moves underwater (e.g., a submersible vessel such as a submarine, submarine, or unmanned underwater vehicle). The moving body may also be a moving body that moves within the atmosphere (e.g., an aircraft such as an airplane, airship, or drone).

[0065] The base station 20 may be a terrestrial base station (ground station) installed on the ground. The base station 20 may be a base station located on a structure on the ground, or a base station installed on a mobile object moving on the ground. The base station 20 may be an antenna installed on a structure such as a building and a signal processing device connected to that antenna. The base station 20 may be the structure or the mobile object itself. "Ground" refers not only to land (ground in the narrow sense) but also to ground, on water, and underwater in a broad sense. The base station 20 is not limited to a terrestrial base station. If the communication system 1 is a satellite communication system, the base station 20 may be an aircraft station. From the perspective of a satellite station, an aircraft station located on Earth is a ground station.

[0066] The base station 20 is not limited to a ground station. The base station 20 may be a non-terrestrial base station device (non-terrestrial station) that can float in the air or space. The base station 20 may be an aircraft station or a satellite station.

[0067] A satellite station is a satellite station capable of floating outside the atmosphere. The satellite station may be a device mounted on a space vehicle such as an artificial satellite, or may be the space vehicle itself. A space vehicle is a vehicle that moves outside the atmosphere. Examples of space vehicles include artificial celestial bodies such as artificial satellites, spacecraft, space stations, and probes. A satellite that serves as a satellite station may be a low Earth orbiting (LEO) satellite, a medium Earth orbiting (MEO) satellite, a geostationary Earth orbiting (GEO) satellite, or a highly elliptical orbiting (HEO) satellite. The satellite station may be a device mounted on a low Earth orbit satellite, a medium Earth orbit satellite, a geostationary satellite, or a highly elliptical orbit satellite.

[0068] An aircraft station is a wireless communication device capable of floating in the atmosphere of an aircraft or the like. The aircraft station may be a device mounted on the aircraft or the like, or may be the aircraft itself. The concept of aircraft includes not only heavier-than-air vehicles such as airplanes and gliders, but also lighter-than-air vehicles such as balloons and airships. The concept of aircraft includes not only heavier-than-air vehicles or lighter-than-air vehicles, but also rotorcraft such as helicopters and autogyros. The aircraft station, or an aircraft equipped with an aircraft station, may be an unmanned aerial vehicle such as a drone.

[0069] The concept of unmanned aerial vehicles also includes unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and tethered unmanned aerial systems (UAS). The concept of unmanned aerial vehicles also includes lighter than air UAS (LTA) and heavier than air UAS (HTA). The concept of unmanned aerial vehicles also includes high altitude unmanned aerial system platforms (HAPs).

[0070] The coverage size of the base station 20 may be relatively large, such as a macrocell, or relatively small, such as a picocell. The coverage size of the base station 20 may be extremely small, such as a femtocell. The base station 20 may have a beamforming function. The base station 20 may form a cell or service area for each beam. Additionally or alternatively, in addition to beamforming, which gives directionality to a beam, the base station 20 may have a function for pinpointing a desired wave to a specific point by further considering distance information from the antenna of the base station 20. This function may be called beam focusing or point forming.

[0071] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of a base station 20 according to this embodiment. The base station 20 includes a wireless communication unit 21, a storage unit 22, a control unit 23, and a sensor unit 24. The base station 20 does not necessarily have to include all of these components. For example, the base station 20 does not necessarily have to include the sensor unit 24. Note that the configuration shown in FIG. 7 is a functional configuration, and the hardware configuration may differ from this. Furthermore, the functions of the base station 20 may be distributed and implemented across multiple physically separated components.

[0072] The wireless communication unit 21 is a signal processing unit for wireless communication with other wireless communication devices (for example, terminal devices 40 or other base stations 20). The wireless communication unit 21 is controlled by the control unit 23. The wireless communication unit 21 supports one or more wireless access methods. The wireless communication unit 21 may support at least one of NR, LTE, and 6G. In addition to NR, LTE, and 6G, the wireless communication unit 21 may also support W-CDMA, cdma2000, and the like. The wireless communication unit 21 may also support automatic retransmission techniques such as HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest).

[0073] The wireless communication unit 21 includes a transmission processing unit 211, a reception processing unit 212, and an antenna 213. The wireless communication unit 21 may include a plurality of transmission processing units 211, reception processing units 212, and antennas 213. When the wireless communication unit 21 supports a plurality of wireless access methods, each unit of the wireless communication unit 21 may be configured separately for each wireless access method. The transmission processing unit 211 and the reception processing unit 212 may be configured separately for LTE, NR, and 6G. The antenna 213 may be configured with a plurality of antenna elements, for example, a plurality of patch antennas. The wireless communication unit 21 may have a beamforming function. For example, the wireless communication unit 21 may have a polarization beamforming function using vertical polarization (V polarization) and horizontal polarization (H polarization) (or a polarization beamforming function using dual polarization in polarization directions 45 degrees and -45 degrees from the vertical direction).

[0074] The transmission processing unit 211 performs transmission processing of downlink control information and downlink data. For example, the transmission processing unit 211 encodes the downlink control information and downlink data input from the control unit 23 using a coding method such as block coding, convolutional coding, or turbo coding. Here, the encoding may be performed using polar codes or low density parity check codes (LDPC codes). The transmission processing unit 211 then modulates the coded bits using a predetermined modulation method such as BPSK, QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM, or 256QAM. In this case, the signal points on the constellation do not necessarily need to be equidistant. The constellation may be a non-uniform constellation (NUC). The transmission processing unit 211 then multiplexes the modulation symbols of each channel and the downlink reference signal and allocates them to predetermined resource elements. The transmission processing unit 211 then performs various signal processing on the multiplexed signal. For example, the transmission processing unit 211 performs processes such as conversion to the frequency domain by fast Fourier transform, addition of a guard interval (cyclic prefix), generation of a baseband digital signal, conversion to an analog signal, quadrature modulation, up-conversion, removal of unnecessary frequency components, power amplification, etc. The signal generated by the transmission processing unit 211 is transmitted from an antenna 213.

[0075] The reception processing unit 212 processes the uplink signal received via the antenna 213. For example, the reception processing unit 212 performs downconversion, removal of unnecessary frequency components, control of amplification level, quadrature demodulation, conversion to a digital signal, removal of guard intervals (cyclic prefixes), extraction of frequency domain signals by fast Fourier transform, and the like on the uplink signal. The reception processing unit 212 then separates uplink channels such as a PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel) and a PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel) and an uplink reference signal from the signal that has undergone these processes. Furthermore, the reception processing unit 212 demodulates the received signal using a modulation method such as BPSK (Binary Phase Shift Keying) or QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying) for the modulation symbols of the uplink channel. The modulation method used for demodulation may be 16QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation), 64QAM, or 256QAM. In this case, the signal points on the constellation do not necessarily have to be equidistant. The constellation may be a non-uniform constellation (NUC). The reception processing unit 212 then performs decoding processing on the coded bits of the demodulated uplink channel. The decoded uplink data and uplink control information are output to the control unit 23.

[0076] The antenna 213 is an antenna device that converts electric current and radio waves into each other. The antenna 213 may be configured with one antenna element, for example, one patch antenna. The antenna 213 may be configured with multiple antenna elements, for example, multiple patch antennas. When the antenna 213 is configured with multiple antenna elements, the wireless communication unit 21 may have a beamforming function. The wireless communication unit 21 may be configured to generate a directional beam by controlling the directivity of a wireless signal using the multiple antenna elements. The antenna 213 may be a dual-polarized antenna. When the antenna 213 is a dual-polarized antenna, the wireless communication unit 21 may use vertical polarization (V polarization) and horizontal polarization (H polarization) (or dual polarization with polarization directions at 45 degrees and -45 degrees from the vertical direction) when transmitting a wireless signal. The wireless communication unit 21 may control the directivity of a wireless signal transmitted using vertical polarization and horizontal polarization (or dual polarization with polarization directions at 45 degrees and -45 degrees from the vertical direction). Furthermore, the wireless communication unit 21 may transmit and receive spatially multiplexed signals via multiple layers each consisting of multiple antenna elements.

[0077] The storage unit 22 is a readable and writable storage device such as a DRAM, an SRAM, a flash memory, a hard disk, etc. The storage unit 22 functions as a storage means of the base station 20.

[0078] The control unit 23 is a controller that controls each unit of the base station 20. The control unit 23 controls the wireless communication unit to perform wireless communication with other wireless communication devices (e.g., terminal devices 40 or other base stations 20). The control unit 23 may be implemented by a processor such as a CPU or MPU. Specifically, the control unit 23 may be implemented by a processor executing various programs stored in a storage device inside the base station 20 using RAM or the like as a work area. The control unit 23 may be implemented by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or FPGA. The control unit 23 may also be implemented by a GPU. A CPU, MPU, ASIC, FPGA, and GPU can all be considered controllers. The control unit 23 may be composed of multiple physically separated objects. For example, the control unit 23 may be composed of multiple semiconductor chips.

[0079] The control unit 23 includes an acquisition unit 231, a transmission unit 232, and a communication control unit 233. Each block (acquisition unit 231 to communication control unit 233) constituting the control unit 23 is a functional block that indicates a function of the control unit 23. These functional blocks may be software blocks or hardware blocks. For example, each of the above-mentioned functional blocks may be a software module realized by software (including a microprogram), or may be a circuit block on a semiconductor chip (die). Of course, each functional block may be a processor or an integrated circuit. The control unit 23 may be configured with functional units different from the above-mentioned functional blocks. The method of configuring the functional blocks is arbitrary.

[0080] The operation of each block constituting the control unit 23 may be similar to the operation of each block provided in the control unit 43 of the terminal device 40 and the operation of each block provided in the control unit 53 of the control station 50. The operation of the control unit 23 may also be similar to the operation of the control unit 13 of the management device 10.

[0081] The sensor unit 24 is a sensor that acquires various information related to wireless communication. For example, the sensor unit 24 is a sensor that acquires information about objects around the device. For example, the sensor unit 24 is a sensor that acquires information about the position, shape, movement, etc. of another object (for example, a third object, a communication device that constitutes a communication link, or a third communication device). The sensor unit 24 may be a sensor for detecting the state of the device itself (for example, the position, movement speed, tilt, vibration, rotation, etc. of the base station 20).

[0082] The sensor unit 24 is a sensor that acquires various information related to wireless communication. For example, the sensor unit 24 is a sensor that acquires information about objects around the device. For example, the sensor unit 24 is a sensor that acquires information about the position, shape, movement, etc. of other objects. The sensor unit 24 may be a sensor that detects the state of the device itself (for example, the position, movement speed, tilt, vibration, rotation, etc. of the base station 20).

[0083] The sensor unit 24 may be an RF (Radio Frequency) sensor or a non-RF sensor. Alternatively, the sensor unit 24 may be a sensor system (for example, a sensor unit or a sensor module) that combines an RF sensor and a non-RF sensor.

[0084] Here, an RF sensor refers to a component that uses radio waves for measurement. An example of an RF sensor is a radar that uses radio waves such as millimeter waves. In this case, the radio waves used by the radar are not limited to radio waves in the millimeter wave band (e.g., 30 to 300 GHz band), but may also be radio waves in the microwave band (e.g., 3 to 30 GHz band) or quasi-millimeter wave band (e.g., 20 to 30 GHz band).

[0085] Another example of an RF sensor is a wireless positioning sensor (wireless positioning system). An example of a wireless positioning sensor is a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) sensor. The GNSS sensor may be a Global Positioning System (GPS) sensor, a GLONASS sensor, a Galileo sensor, or a Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) sensor. The wireless positioning sensor is not limited to a GNSS sensor, and may be, for example, a sensor for 3GPP positioning or Wi-Fi / Bluetooth positioning.

[0086] A non-RF sensor refers to a component that performs measurements without using radio waves. An example of a non-RF sensor is a ranging sensor (ranging system) such as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). In this case, the light (e.g., laser light) used by the ranging sensor is not limited to visible light, and may be invisible light such as ultraviolet light, infrared light, or near-infrared light. Another example of a non-RF sensor is sonar that uses sound waves such as ultrasound.

[0087] Another example of a non-RF sensor is a camera. The camera is not limited to a visible light camera. For example, the camera may be a near-infrared camera, a mid-infrared camera, or a far-infrared camera. The camera may be a monocular camera or a stereo camera. Another example of a non-RF sensor may be an image sensor. In this case, the image sensor may have image plane phase difference pixels embedded discretely. Alternatively, the sensor unit 24 may be a ToF (Time of Flight) sensor or a microphone.

[0088] Other examples of non-RF sensors include an acceleration sensor (e.g., a three-axis acceleration sensor), a speed sensor, a gyro sensor, an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), and other motion sensors. Other examples of non-RF sensors include a magnetic sensor, a barometer, and an altimeter (e.g., a barometer).

[0089] Furthermore, the sensor unit 24 may be a sensor that acquires various information for predicting the quality of a communication path (e.g., a communication path formed by a wireless communication unit). For example, the sensor unit 24 is a sensor that detects the reception S / N of radio waves received from another communication device (e.g., a communication device that is a communication partner, or a communication device other than the communication partner). Of course, the information acquired by the sensor unit 24 is not limited to the reception S / N, as long as it can be used to predict the quality of the communication path.

[0090] Of course, the sensor unit 24 is not limited to the above-mentioned sensors, and may be a sensor system that combines a plurality of the above-mentioned sensors.

[0091] In some embodiments, the base station 20 may be configured as a collection of multiple physical or logical devices. As an example, the base station 20 of this embodiment may be divided into multiple devices such as a baseband unit (BBU) and a radio unit (RU). The base station 20 may be interpreted as a collection of these multiple devices. Furthermore, the base station may be either a BBU or an RU, or may be both. The BBU and the RU may be connected by a predetermined interface such as an enhanced Common Public Radio Interface (eCPRI).

[0092] The RU may be referred to as an RRU (Remote Radio Unit) or an RD (Radio DoT). The RU may correspond to a gNB-DU (gNB Distributed Unit) described later. The BBU may correspond to a gNB-CU (gNB Central Unit) described later. The RU may be a device integrally formed with an antenna. The antenna of the base station 20, for example, an antenna integrally formed with the RU, may employ an Advanced Antenna System and support MIMO such as FD-MIMO or beamforming. The antenna of the base station 20 may include, for example, 64 transmitting antenna ports and 64 receiving antenna ports.

[0093] The antenna mounted on the RU may be an antenna panel consisting of one or more antenna elements, and the RU may be equipped with one or more antenna panels. The RU may be equipped with two types of antenna panels, a horizontally polarized antenna panel and a vertically polarized antenna panel. The RU may be equipped with two types of antenna panels, a right-handed circularly polarized antenna panel and a left-handed circularly polarized antenna panel, or an antenna panel with a polarization direction at 45 degrees from the vertical direction and an antenna panel with a polarization direction at -45 degrees from the vertical direction. Multiple antennas with these multiple polarization directions may be mounted on a single antenna panel. The RU may form and control an independent beam for each antenna panel.

[0094] A plurality of base stations 20 may be connected to each other. One or more base stations 20 may be included in a radio access network (RAN). In this case, the base station 20 may be simply referred to as a RAN, a RAN node, an AN (Access Network), an AN node, or the like. The RAN in LTE may be called an Enhanced Universal Terrestrial RAN (EUTRAN). The RAN in NR may be called an NGRAN. Furthermore, the RAN in 6G may be called a 6GRAN. The RAN in W-CDMA (UMTS) may be called a UTRAN.

[0095] An LTE base station 20 may be referred to as an eNodeB (Evolved Node B) or eNB. In this case, the EUTRAN includes one or more eNodeBs (eNBs). An NR base station 20 may be referred to as a gNodeB or gNB. In this case, the NGRAN includes one or more gNBs. A 6G base station may be referred to as a 6GNodeB, 6gNodeB, 6GNB, or 6gNB. In this case, the 6GRAN includes one or more 6GNBs. The EUTRAN may include a gNB (en-gNB) connected to a core network (EPC) in an LTE communication system (EPS). The NGRAN may include an ng-eNB connected to a core network 5GC in a 5G communication system (5GS).

[0096] When the base station 20 is an eNB, gNB, 6GNB, or the like, the base station 20 may be referred to as a 3GPP access. When the base station 20 is a wireless access point, the base station 20 may be referred to as a non-3GPP access. The base station 20 may be a radio device called an RRH (Remote Radio Head). When the base station 20 is a gNB, the base station 20 may be a combination of the gNB-CU and gNB-DU described above, or may be either a gNB-CU or a gNB-DU.

[0097] Here, the gNB-CU hosts multiple upper layers (e.g., RRC (Radio Resource Control), SDAP (Service Data Adaptation Protocol), PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol)) of the access stratum for communication with the UE. On the other hand, the gNB-DU hosts multiple lower layers (e.g., RLC (Radio Link Control), MAC (Medium Access Control), PHY (Physical layer)) of the access stratum. That is, among the messages / information described below, RRC signaling (semi-static notification) is generated by the gNB-CU, while MAC The CE and DCI (dynamic notification) may be generated by the gNB-DU. Alternatively, some configurations of the RRC configuration (semi-static notification), such as IE:cellGroupConfig, may be generated by the gNB-DU, and the remaining configurations may be generated by the gNB-CU. These configurations may be transmitted and received over the F1 interface described below.

[0098] The base station 20 may be configured to be able to communicate with other base stations. When multiple base stations 20 are eNBs or a combination of eNBs and en-gNBs, these base stations 20 may be connected to each other via an X2 interface. When multiple base stations 20 are gNBs or a combination of gn-eNBs and gNBs, these base stations 20 may be connected to each other via an Xn interface. When multiple base stations 20 are a combination of gNB-CUs and gNB-DUs, these base stations 20 may be connected to each other via the above-mentioned F1 interface. Messages / information (e.g., RRC signaling, MAC Control Element (CE), or Downlink Control Information (DCI)) described below may be transmitted between multiple base stations 20 via, for example, the X2 interface, the Xn interface, or the F1 interface.

[0099] A cell provided by the base station 20 may be referred to as a serving cell. The concept of a serving cell includes a PCell (Primary Cell) and an SCell (Secondary Cell). When dual connectivity is provided to the terminal device 40, a PCell and zero or more SCells provided by a Master Node (MN) may be referred to as a Master Cell Group. Examples of dual connectivity include EUTRA-EUTRA Dual Connectivity, EUTRA-NR Dual Connectivity (ENDC), EUTRA-NR Dual Connectivity with 5GC, NR-EUTRA Dual Connectivity (NEDC), and NR-NR Dual Connectivity. Further examples of dual connectivity include NR-6G Dual Connectivity and 6G-NR Dual Connectivity.

[0100] The serving cell may include a PSCell (Primary Secondary Cell or Primary SCG Cell). When dual connectivity is provided to the terminal device 40, the PSCell provided by a Secondary Node (SN) and zero or more SCells may be referred to as a Secondary Cell Group (SCG). Unless special configuration (e.g., PUCCH on SCell) is performed, the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) is transmitted by the PCell and PSCell but not by the SCell. Radio link failure is detected by the PCell and PSCell but not (does not need to be detected by) the SCell. As such, the PCell and PSCell play special roles among serving cells and are therefore also referred to as Special Cells (SpCells).

[0101] One cell may be associated with one downlink component carrier and one uplink component carrier. The system bandwidth corresponding to one cell may be divided into multiple BWPs (Bandwidth Parts). In this case, one or multiple BWPs may be configured in the terminal device 40, and one BWP may be used by the terminal device 40 as an active BWP. Radio resources available to the terminal device 40, such as frequency bands, numerology (subcarrier spacing), or slot formats, may differ for each cell, component carrier, or BWP.

[0102] <2-3. Configuration of Transmission Line Control Device> Next, the configuration of the transmission line control device 30 will be described.

[0103] The transmission path control device 30 is a control device that dynamically changes the propagation path of radio waves. The transmission path control device 30 is typically a Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS). In this case, the RIS may be a Cooperative RIS or a Blind RIS. The RIS may also be a Passive RIS or an Active RIS. The transmission path control device 30 may be a device called a metasurface reflector or a device called a smart repeater. The transmission path control device 30 is not limited to a reflective device and may be, for example, a transmissive device. The transmission path control device 30 that appears in the following description may be rephrased as a RIS, IRS, IS, metasurface, smart surface, intelligent surface, metamaterial, or the like.

[0104] The transmission line control device 30 has a structure that reflects or transmits the incoming radio waves. For example, the transmission line control device 30 may have, as the structure, a reflector formed of one or more metasurfaces (metasurface elements) that can dynamically control the permittivity and / or magnetic permeability. The transmission line control device 30 may also have, as the structure, a transmitting plate that can control the refractive index, etc., of the radio waves that pass through. The transmission line control device 30 then controls the reflection characteristics (e.g., reflection direction / reflectance, etc.) or transmission characteristics (e.g., refraction direction / transmittance, etc.) of the structure, thereby reflecting or transmitting the incoming radio waves at a desired angle.

[0105] The transmission path control device 30 may be a device installed on the outer wall of a structure such as a building. By installing the transmission path control device 30 on the outer wall of the structure, even if there is an obstruction between the base station 20 and the terminal device 40, a signal from the base station 20 can be reflected by the transmission path control device 30 provided on the outer wall of the building and reach the terminal device 40. The transmission path control device 30 may also be a device mounted on a device. In this case, the transmission path control device 30 may be a mobile device. The mobile device may be a floating device. For example, the transmission path control device 30 may be mounted on a terminal device such as a smartphone, a vehicle such as an automobile, a train, or a rickshaw, an air vehicle (floating body) such as a balloon, an airplane, or a drone, a facility such as a traffic light, a sign, or a street light, or a home appliance such as a television, a game console, an air conditioner, a refrigerator, or a lighting fixture.

[0106] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of a transmission path control device 30 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The transmission path control device 30 includes a communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, a control unit 33, a sensor unit 34, and a surface unit 35. The transmission path control device 30 does not necessarily include all of these components. For example, the transmission path control device 30 does not necessarily include the sensor unit 34. The transmission path control device 30 may also include a plurality of these components. For example, the transmission path control device 30 may include a plurality of surface units 35. In this case, the plurality of surface units 35 may face different directions. Note that the configuration illustrated in FIG. 8 is a functional configuration, and the hardware configuration may differ. Furthermore, the functions of the transmission path control device 30 may be distributed and implemented in a plurality of physically separated components.

[0107] The communication unit 31 is a communication interface for communicating with other communication devices (for example, the management device 10, the base station 20, the terminal device 40, the control station 50, or another transmission path control device 30). The communication unit 31 may be a network interface or a device connection interface. The communication unit 31 may be a LAN (Local Area Network) interface such as a NIC (Network Interface Card), or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface configured by a USB host controller or a USB port. The communication unit 31 may be a wired interface or a wireless interface. The communication unit 31 is controlled by the control unit 33.

[0108] The storage unit 32 is a storage device that can read and write data, such as a DRAM, an SRAM, a flash memory, or a hard disk.

[0109] The control unit 33 is a controller (control device) that controls each unit of the transmission path control device 30. The control unit 33 is realized by a processor such as a CPU, MPU, or GPU. For example, the control unit 33 is realized by a processor executing various programs stored in a storage device inside the transmission path control device 30 using RAM or the like as a work area. The control unit 33 may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or FPGA. The control unit 33 may also be realized by a GPU. A CPU, MPU, ASIC, FPGA, and GPU can all be considered controllers. The control unit 33 may be composed of multiple physically separated objects. For example, the control unit 33 may be composed of multiple semiconductor chips.

[0110] The control unit 33 includes an acquisition unit 331, a transmission unit 332, and a transmission path control unit 333. Each block (acquisition unit 331 to transmission path control unit 333) constituting the control unit 33 is a functional block that indicates the function of the control unit 33. These functional blocks may be software blocks or hardware blocks. For example, each of the above-mentioned functional blocks may be a software module realized by software (including a microprogram), or may be a circuit block on a semiconductor chip (die). Of course, each functional block may be a processor or an integrated circuit. The control unit 33 may be configured with functional units different from the above-mentioned functional blocks. The method of configuring the functional blocks is arbitrary.

[0111] The operation of the control unit 33 may be similar to the operation of the control unit 23 of the base station 20 and the control unit 43 of the terminal device 40. The operation of the control unit 33 may also be similar to the operation of the control unit 13 of the management device 10. The control unit 33 may also be configured to control the surface unit 35 of one or more other transmission path control devices 30.

[0112] The sensor unit 34 is a sensor that acquires various information related to wireless communication. For example, the sensor unit 34 is a sensor that acquires information about objects around the device. For example, the sensor unit 34 is a sensor that acquires information about the position, shape, movement, etc. of other objects. The sensor unit 34 may be a sensor that detects the state of the device itself (for example, the position, movement speed, tilt, vibration, rotation, etc. of the terminal device 40). Alternatively, the configuration of the sensor unit 34 may be the same as the configuration of the sensor unit 24 included in the base station 20. For example, the sensor unit 34 may be an RF sensor or a non-RF sensor. Furthermore, the sensor unit 34 may be a sensor system that combines an RF sensor and a non-RF sensor.

[0113] The surface unit 35 is a structure that reflects or transmits the incoming radio waves. For example, the surface unit 35 is a reflector formed of a metasurface (metasurface element) whose permittivity and / or permeability can be dynamically controlled. The surface unit 35 may be a transmission plate configured to transmit the incoming radio waves and capable of controlling the refractive index, etc., of the transmitted radio waves. The transmission path control device 30 is not limited to a plate-like shape. For example, the transmission path control device 30 may be a sheet-like shape. A metasurface is a type of artificial medium (metamaterial) that achieves desired characteristics (e.g., permittivity, permeability, etc.) by periodically arranging structures that are small relative to the wavelength. The control unit 33 can control, for example, the amplitude, phase, polarization, or frequency of the incoming radio waves by manipulating the characteristics (e.g., reflection characteristics or transmission characteristics) of the metasurface provided by the surface unit 35. The structure provided by the transmission path control device 30 is not limited to a surface-like shape. The surface unit 35 mentioned in the following description can be rephrased as a metamaterial unit 35, a material unit 35, etc.

[0114] 2-4. Configuration of Terminal Device Next, the configuration of the terminal device 40 will be described.

[0115] The terminal device 40 is a wireless communication device that performs wireless communication with other wireless communication devices (e.g., a base station 20 or another terminal device 40). Any type of information processing device (computer) can be used as the terminal device 40. For example, the terminal device 40 may be a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone, a smart device (smartphone or tablet), a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a notebook PC. The terminal device 40 may also be an imaging device (e.g., a camcorder) equipped with a communication function. The terminal device 40 may also be a motorcycle or a mobile broadcast vehicle equipped with a communication device such as a field pickup unit (FPU). The terminal device 40 may also be an M2M (Machine to Machine) device or an IoT (Internet of Things) device. The terminal device 40 may also be a wearable device such as a smartwatch.

[0116] Furthermore, the terminal device 40 may be an xR device such as an AR (Augmented Reality) device, a VR (Virtual Reality) device, or an MR (Mixed Reality) device. In this case, the xR device may be a glasses-type device such as AR glasses or MR glasses, or a head-mounted device such as a VR head-mounted display. When the terminal device 40 is an xR device, the terminal device 40 may be a standalone device consisting only of a part worn by a user (e.g., a glasses part). Furthermore, the terminal device 40 may be a terminal-linked device consisting of a part worn by a user (e.g., a glasses part) and a terminal part (e.g., a smart device) linked to the part worn by a user.

[0117] The terminal device 40 may be capable of NOMA communication with the base station 20. The terminal device 40 may be able to use an automatic repeat technique such as HARQ when communicating with the base station 20. The terminal device 40 may be capable of sidelink communication with another terminal device 40. The terminal device 40 may be able to use an automatic repeat technique such as HARQ when performing sidelink communication. The terminal device 40 may be capable of NOMA communication when performing sidelink communication with another terminal device 40. The terminal device 40 may be capable of LPWA communication with other wireless communication devices such as the base station 20. The wireless communication used by the terminal device 40 may be wireless communication using millimeter waves. The wireless communication used by the terminal device 40, including sidelink communication, may be wireless communication using radio waves, or wireless communication using infrared or visible light, i.e., optical wireless.

[0118] The terminal device 40 may be a mobile wireless communication device, i.e., a mobile device. The terminal device 40 may be a wireless communication device installed in a mobile device, or may be the mobile device itself. The terminal device 40 may be a vehicle that moves on a road, such as an automobile, bus, truck, or motorcycle, or may be a wireless communication device mounted on the vehicle. The mobile device may be a mobile terminal, or may be a mobile device that moves on land (in the narrow sense of the word), underground, on water, or underwater. The mobile device may also be a mobile device that moves within the atmosphere, such as an airplane, airship, balloon, or helicopter, or a mobile device that moves outside the atmosphere, such as an artificial satellite. The mobile device may also be a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) such as a drone. The terminal device 40 may also be a wireless communication device mounted on the mobile device.

[0119] The terminal device 40 may be capable of simultaneously connecting to and communicating with a plurality of base stations 20 or a plurality of cells. When one base station 20 supports a communication area through a plurality of cells (e.g., pCell or sCell), the plurality of cells can be bundled together to enable communication between the base station 20 and the terminal device 40 by using carrier aggregation (CA) technology, dual connectivity (DC) technology, multi-connectivity (MC) technology, or the like. Alternatively, communication between the terminal device 40 and the plurality of base stations 20 can also be performed via cells of different base stations 20 by coordinated multi-point transmission and reception (CoMP) technology.

[0120] The terminal device 40 may be a relay terminal that relays communications to a remote terminal.

[0121] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of a terminal device 40 according to this embodiment. The terminal device 40 includes a wireless communication unit 41, a storage unit 42, a control unit 43, and a sensor unit 44. The terminal device 40 does not necessarily have to include all of these components. For example, the terminal device 40 does not necessarily have to include the sensor unit 44. Note that the configuration shown in Fig. 9 is a functional configuration, and the hardware configuration may be different from this. Furthermore, the functions of the terminal device 40 may be distributed and implemented across multiple physically separated components.

[0122] The wireless communication unit 41 is a signal processing unit for wireless communication with other wireless communication devices (for example, the base station 20 or other terminal devices 40). The wireless communication unit 41 is controlled by the control unit 43. The wireless communication unit 41 supports one or more wireless access methods. The wireless communication unit 41 may support at least one of NR, LTE, and 6G. In addition to NR, LTE, and 6G, the wireless communication unit 41 may also support W-CDMA, cdma2000, and the like. The wireless communication unit 41 may also support automatic retransmission techniques such as HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest).

[0123] The wireless communication unit 41 includes a transmission processing unit 411, a reception processing unit 412, and an antenna 413. The wireless communication unit 41 may include multiple transmission processing units 411, multiple reception processing units 412, and multiple antennas 413. If the wireless communication unit 41 supports multiple wireless access methods, each unit of the wireless communication unit 41 may be configured separately for each wireless access method. The transmission processing unit 411 and the reception processing unit 412 may be configured separately for LTE, NR, and 6G. The antenna 413 may be configured with multiple antenna elements, for example, multiple patch antennas. The wireless communication unit 41 may have a beamforming function. For example, the wireless communication unit 41 may have a polarization beamforming function using vertical polarization (V polarization) and horizontal polarization (H polarization) (or a polarization beamforming function using dual polarization in polarization directions 45 degrees and -45 degrees from the vertical direction).

[0124] The storage unit 42 is a readable and writable storage device such as a DRAM, an SRAM, a flash memory, a hard disk, etc. The storage unit 42 functions as a storage means of the terminal device 40.

[0125] The control unit 43 is a controller that controls each unit of the terminal device 40. The control unit 43 controls the wireless communication unit to perform wireless communication with other wireless communication devices (e.g., the base station 20 or another terminal device 40). The control unit 43 may be implemented by a processor such as a CPU or an MPU. In particular, the control unit 23 may be implemented by a processor executing various programs stored in a storage device internal to the terminal device 40 using RAM or the like as a work area. The control unit 43 may be implemented by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or an FPGA. The control unit 43 may be implemented by a GPU. A CPU, an MPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, and a GPU can all be considered controllers. The control unit 43 may be composed of multiple physically separated objects. For example, the control unit 43 may be composed of multiple semiconductor chips.

[0126] The control unit 43 includes an acquisition unit 431, a transmission unit 432, and a communication control unit 433. Each block (acquisition unit 431 to communication control unit 433) constituting the control unit 43 is a functional block that indicates the function of the control unit 43. These functional blocks may be software blocks or hardware blocks. For example, each of the above-mentioned functional blocks may be a software module realized by software (including a microprogram), or may be a circuit block on a semiconductor chip (die). Of course, each functional block may be a processor or an integrated circuit. The control unit 43 may be configured with functional units different from the above-mentioned functional blocks. The method of configuring the functional blocks is arbitrary.

[0127] The operation of each block constituting the control unit 43 may be similar to the operation of each block provided in the control unit 23 of the base station 20 and the operation of each block provided in the control unit 53 of the control station 50. The operation of the control unit 23 may be similar to the operation of the control unit 13 of the management device 10.

[0128] The sensor unit 44 is a sensor that acquires various information related to wireless communication. For example, the sensor unit 44 is a sensor that acquires information about objects around the device. For example, the sensor unit 44 is a sensor that acquires information about the position, shape, movement, etc. of other objects. The sensor unit 44 may be a sensor that detects the state of the device itself (for example, the position, movement speed, tilt, vibration, rotation, etc. of the terminal device 40). Alternatively, the configuration of the sensor unit 44 may be the same as the configuration of the sensor unit 24 included in the base station 20. For example, the sensor unit 44 may be an RF sensor or a non-RF sensor. Furthermore, the sensor unit 44 may be a sensor system that combines an RF sensor and a non-RF sensor.

[0129] 2-5. Configuration of the Control Station Next, the configuration of the control station 50 will be described.

[0130] The control station 50 is a control device that centrally controls a plurality of transmission line control devices 30. The control station 50 may control only one transmission line control device 30. The control station 50 is also a type of communication device.

[0131] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of a control station 50 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The control station 50 includes a communication unit 51, a storage unit 52, a control unit 53, and a sensor unit 54. The control station 50 does not necessarily have to include all of these components. For example, the control station 50 does not necessarily have to include the sensor unit 54. Note that the configuration illustrated in FIG. 10 is a functional configuration, and the hardware configuration may be different from this. Furthermore, the functions of the control station 50 may be distributed and implemented in multiple physically separated components.

[0132] The communication unit 51 is a communication interface for communicating with other communication devices (for example, the management device 10, the base station 20, the transmission path control device 30, the terminal device 40, or another control station 50). The communication unit 51 may be a network interface or a device connection interface. The communication unit 51 may be a LAN (Local Area Network) interface such as a NIC (Network Interface Card), or may be a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface configured by a USB host controller or a USB port. The communication unit 51 may be a wired interface or a wireless interface. The communication unit 51 is controlled by the control unit 53.

[0133] The storage unit 52 is a storage device that can read and write data, such as a DRAM, an SRAM, a flash memory, or a hard disk.

[0134] The control unit 53 is a controller that controls each unit of the control station 50. The control unit 53 may be realized by a processor such as a CPU or an MPU. In particular, the control unit 53 may be realized by a processor executing various programs stored in a storage device inside the control station 50 using RAM or the like as a work area. The control unit 53 may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or an FPGA. The control unit 53 may be realized by a GPU. A CPU, an MPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, and a GPU can all be considered controllers. The control unit 53 may be composed of multiple physically separated objects. For example, the control unit 53 may be composed of multiple semiconductor chips.

[0135] The control unit 53 includes an acquisition unit 531, a transmission unit 532, and a communication control unit 533. Each block (acquisition unit 531 to communication control unit 533) constituting the control unit 53 is a functional block that indicates the function of the control unit 53. These functional blocks may be software blocks or hardware blocks. For example, each of the above-mentioned functional blocks may be a software module realized by software (including a microprogram), or may be a circuit block on a semiconductor chip (die). Of course, each functional block may be a processor or an integrated circuit. The control unit 53 may be configured with functional units different from the above-mentioned functional blocks. The method of configuring the functional blocks is arbitrary.

[0136] The operation of each block constituting the control unit 53 may be similar to the operation of each block provided in the control unit 23 of the base station 20 and the operation of each block provided in the control unit 43 of the terminal device 40. The operation of the control unit 23 may also be similar to the operation of the control unit 13 of the management device 10. The operation of the control unit 23 may also be similar to the operation of the control unit 33 of the transmission path control device 30. In this case, the control unit 23 may control the surface units 35 of multiple transmission path control devices 30.

[0137] The sensor unit 54 is a sensor that acquires various information related to wireless communication. For example, the sensor unit 54 is a sensor that acquires information about objects around the device. For example, the sensor unit 54 is a sensor that acquires information about the position, shape, movement, etc. of other objects. The sensor unit 54 may be a sensor that detects the state of the device itself (for example, the position, movement speed, tilt, vibration, rotation, etc. of the control station 50). Alternatively, the configuration of the sensor unit 54 may be the same as the configuration of the sensor unit 24 included in the base station 20. For example, the sensor unit 54 may be an RF sensor or a non-RF sensor. Furthermore, the sensor unit 54 may be a sensor system that combines an RF sensor and a non-RF sensor.

[0138] <<3. Operation of the Communication System>> The configuration of the communication system 1 has been described above. Next, the operation of the communication system 1 of this embodiment will be described.

[0139] As described above, when a plurality of transmission path control devices 30 are installed in a communication environment, there is a possibility that unexpected interference may occur between reflected waves (or transmitted waves (refracted waves)) from each of the plurality of transmission path control devices 30. If this occurs, the originally expected frequency utilization efficiency may not be realized, and effective utilization of radio wave resources may not be realized.

[0140] This problem may also occur when a plurality of transmission line control devices 30 are not installed in the communication environment (for example, when only one transmission line control device 30 is installed in the communication environment). For example, there is a possibility that unexpected interference may occur between a direct wave from the communication device and a reflected wave from the transmission line control device 30.

[0141] The communication system 1 of this embodiment realizes effective use of radio wave resources by executing the following process (hereinafter referred to as transmission path control process).

[0142] <3-1. Overview of Transmission Path Control Processing> First, a communication device (for example, a base station 20, a terminal device 40, or a control station 50) acquires information about a composite wave formed by radio waves from multiple devices, including a radio wave from a transmission path control device 30. The information about the composite wave will be described later.

[0143] The radio waves from the multiple devices may include not only radio waves from the transmission path control device 30 but also radio waves from one or more base stations 20. The radio waves from the multiple devices may include not only radio waves from the transmission path control device 30 but also radio waves from one or more terminal devices 40. Of course, the radio waves from the multiple devices may include radio waves from one transmission path control device 30 as well as radio waves from one or more other transmission path control devices 30. The number of transmission path control devices 30 included in the multiple devices may be one, two, or three or more.

[0144] The communication device transmits information about the composite wave to the transmission path control device 30. The transmission path control device 30 acquires the information about the composite wave from the communication device. Then, the transmission path control device 30 controls the reflection characteristics or transmission characteristics of the surface portion 35 based on the information about the composite wave.

[0145] This allows the communication device to form a desired composite wave (interference fringe), thereby achieving high frequency utilization efficiency.

[0146] <3-2. Information Regarding Composite Wave> The outline of the transmission path control process has been explained above, and next, information regarding the composite wave will be explained.

[0147] The information about the composite wave is, for example, information that the communication device transmits to the transmission line control device 30 in order to form desired interference fringes. The communication device may transmit the information about the composite wave by including it in control information (control signal) that controls the transmission line control device 30.

[0148] Here, the information about the composite wave may include at least one of the pieces of information shown in (A1) to (A7) below. Of course, the information about the composite wave is not limited to the pieces of information shown in (A1) to (A7) below.

[0149] (A1) Information about Interference Fringes The information about the composite wave may include information about interference fringes formed by radio waves from multiple devices. Here, the information about interference fringes may be information about at least one of the shape, direction, and spacing (spacing between fringes) of the interference fringes formed by radio waves from multiple devices. The information about interference fringes may be information defined in advance by a standard, or may be information that specifically specifies the shape, direction, and spacing of the interference.

[0150] (A2) Information on the position of the communication device The information on the composite wave may include information on the position of the communication device (e.g., the base station 20 and / or the terminal device 40) that communicates in the environment where the transmission path control device 30 is installed. The information on the position of the communication device may be position information of the communication device in a global coordinate system (e.g., position information measured by the communication device using a GNSS sensor), may be relative position information from the transmission path control device 30, or may be area information that divides the coverage area of ​​the base station 20 into specific ranges.

[0151] (A3) Information Regarding One or More Other Transmission Line Control Devices 30 When the multiple devices include multiple transmission line control devices 30, the information regarding the composite wave transmitted to the transmission line control device 30 may include information regarding the other one or more transmission line control devices 30 that cooperate to form the composite wave. The information regarding the other one or more transmission line control devices 30 may be, for example, location information and / or performance information of the transmission line control devices 30 (e.g., RIS) that operate in cooperation. The information regarding the other one or more transmission line control devices 30 may also be information indicating how the transmission line control devices 30 (e.g., RIS) that operate in cooperation operate their own metasurfaces.

[0152] (A4) Setting information regarding reflection characteristics or transmission characteristics of the structure The information regarding the composite wave may include setting information regarding reflection characteristics or transmission characteristics of the structure (surface portion 35) included in the transmission path control device 30. For example, the information regarding the composite wave may include, as setting information, information regarding at least one of the permittivity and permeability of one or more metasurfaces included in the surface portion 35.

[0153] (A5) Information about the Reception Point The information about the composite wave may include information about the reception point. The information about the reception point is information about one or more positions in the area where interference fringes are formed where desired waves (e.g., waves with an intensity equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold) are formed. For example, the information about the position of the reception point may be information about a position in the area where interference fringes are formed where multiple radio waves overlap in phase, or information about a position where multiple radio waves overlap in opposite phases. The information about the reception point may be position information of the reception point in a global coordinate system, relative position information from the transmission path control device 30, or area information in which the coverage area of ​​the base station 20 is divided into specific ranges.

[0154] (A6) Information on the beam pattern selected by the communication device The information on the composite wave may include information on the beam pattern selected by the communication device. The information on the beam pattern is information for specifying how the transmission path control device 30 (e.g., RIS) operates the metasurface. The information on the beam pattern is stored, for example, when the communication device (e.g., base station 20 or terminal device 40) calculates the shape of the interference fringes.

[0155] (A7) Schedule Information Regarding Communication Using the Transmission Line Control Device 30 The information regarding the composite wave may include schedule information regarding communication using the transmission line control device 30. The schedule information is information for notifying a communication device (e.g., a base station 20 or a terminal device 40) which radio resource to use for communication.

[0156] <<4. Example>> The operation of the communication system 1 has been described above. Next, an example of the above-mentioned transmission path control process will be described.

[0157] In the following embodiment, a communication environment is assumed in which a base station 20 and a terminal device 40 communicate with each other. In this communication environment, a plurality of RISs are installed as transmission path control devices 30. In the following description, these plurality of RISs may be referred to as RIS#1 to RIS#N, where N is an arbitrary integer. The installed RIS is, for example, a passive RIS. The installed RIS may also be an active RIS. Note that the RIS appearing in the following description can be replaced with a transmission path control device 30 other than a RIS.

[0158] The RIS controls the transmission path based on information about the composite wave acquired from the communication device. For example, the RIS controls the reflection characteristics or transmission characteristics of the surface unit 35 based on information about the composite wave acquired from the communication device. For example, the RIS controls the permittivity and / or permeability of one or more metasurfaces included in the surface unit 35 so that the spacing between interference fringes formed by its own reflected wave (e.g., reflected wave beam) and the reflected waves (e.g., reflected wave beams) of other RISs operating in cooperation with it has a desired thickness and / or spacing.

[0159] The operation of this RIS is initiated, for example, in the following cases (1) to (4).

[0160] (1) When activated by control information from a communication device. (2) When activated by signaling between RISs. (3) When activated based on a timer maintained by the RIS itself. (4) When triggered based on a change in the deployment environment of the RIS.

[0161] Based on the above, several embodiments relating to the transmission path control process will be described below.

[0162] In the first embodiment, the operation of the RIS is initiated by control information from a communication device that communicates in a communication environment where the RIS is installed. In the first embodiment, the communication device is a base station 20 or a terminal device 40.

[0163] In the first embodiment, a communication device (e.g., a base station 20 / a terminal device 40) transmits control information to a RIS (or a control device of the RIS) when communicating with another communication device (e.g., a terminal device 40 / a base station 20) that is a communication partner. For example, the communication device transmits control information to the RIS when transmitting data to the other communication device. The communication device may transmit control information to the RIS (or a control device of the RIS) when receiving data. The control information includes information about a composite wave that is expected to be formed when the communication device and the other communication device communicate. This information about the composite wave may include the information shown in <3-2. Information about the composite wave> above. Note that the communication between the communication device and the other communication device may be uplink communication, downlink communication, or sidelink communication. Note that the communication device may transmit control information to the RIS (or a control device of the RIS) when establishing a link with the other communication device.

[0164] In the first embodiment, the operation of the RIS is initiated in the following cases (1-1) to (1-5), for example.

[0165] (1-1) When activated by control information transmitted from the base station 20. (1-2) When activated by control information transmitted from the base station 20 via the control station 50. (1-3) When activated by control information transmitted from the terminal device 40. (1-4) When activated by control information transmitted from the terminal device 40 via the control station 50. (1-5) When activated by control information transmitted from the terminal device 40 via the base station 20 and the control station 50.

[0166] The transmission line control process according to the first embodiment will be described below with reference to a sequence diagram.

[0167] <Example 1-1> Fig. 11 is a sequence diagram showing a transmission path control process according to Example 1-1. In Example 1-1, the operation of the RIS is initiated by control information transmitted directly from the base station 20. Hereinafter, the transmission path control process according to Example 1-1 will be described with reference to Fig. 11.

[0168] The acquisition unit 231 of the base station 20 acquires information about the composite wave. The transmission unit 232 of the base station 20 transmits control information (control signal) related to control of the transmission path to one or more RISs that execute the operation of this embodiment (step S101). This control information includes the information about the composite wave.

[0169] The base station 20 may transmit control information to the RIS using a predetermined physical channel. For example, the base station 20 may transmit control information to the RIS using a PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) or a PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel). Alternatively, the base station 20 may transmit control information to the RIS using an individually defined frequency channel for the RIS. Alternatively, the base station 20 may transmit control information to the RIS using an unlicensed band channel. Alternatively, the base station 20 may transmit control information to the RIS using a frequency channel allocated for transmitting signals to other systems.

[0170] The base station 20 may change the transmission format of the control information depending on the channel used. For example, when transmitting control information using an unlicensed band, the base station 20 may add a physical header based on the 802.11 standard and transmit the control information. In this case, the base station 20 may transmit the control information to multiple RISs related to the operation (groupcast) or to all RISs (broadcast). When broadcasting the control information, the base station 20 may store, in the control information (or in the information regarding the composite wave), information for identifying one or more RISs related to the operation (i.e., information for identifying one or more RISs that use the information regarding the composite wave to control the transmission path).

[0171] The acquisition unit 331 of the RIS acquires control information from the base station 20. Then, the transmission path control unit 333 of the RIS performs processing related to control of the transmission path based on information about the composite wave included in the control information. For example, the RIS controls the reflection characteristics or transmission characteristics of the surface unit 35 based on the information about the composite wave. For example, the RIS manipulates the permittivity and / or permeability of one or more metasurfaces included in the surface unit 35 based on the information about the composite wave.

[0172] Thereafter, the communication control unit 233 of the base station 20 transmits data to the terminal device 40 (step S102).

[0173] <Example 1-2> Fig. 12 is a sequence diagram showing a transmission path control process according to Example 1-2. In Example 1-2, the operation of the RIS is initiated by control information indirectly transmitted from the base station 20. Specifically, in Example 1-2, the operation of the RIS is initiated by control information transmitted from the base station 20 via the control station 50. The control station 50 is a device that centrally controls a plurality of RISs. The control station 50 may also be considered as a communication device that transmits information related to a composite wave to the RIS. Hereinafter, the transmission path control process according to Example 1-2 will be described with reference to Fig. 12.

[0174] The acquisition unit 231 of the base station 20 acquires information about the composite wave. The transmission unit 232 of the base station 20 transmits control information (control signal) related to control of the transmission path to the control station 50 (step S201). This control information includes information about the composite wave described above. As in the above-described Example 1-1, the base station 20 may transmit this control information using a predetermined physical channel, may transmit it using an individually defined frequency channel for RIS, may transmit it using an unlicensed band channel, or may transmit it using a frequency channel allocated for transmitting signals to other systems. The base station 20 may change the transmission format of the control information depending on the channel used.

[0175] The acquisition unit 531 of the control station 50 acquires control information from the base station 20. The transmission unit 532 of the control station 50 transmits control information (control signal) related to the control of the transmission path to one or more RISs that execute the operation of this embodiment (step S202). This control information includes information related to the composite wave described above.

[0176] The control station 50 may transmit control information to the RIS using a predetermined physical channel. For example, the control station 50 may transmit control information to the RIS using a PDCCH or a PDSCH. Alternatively, the base station 20 may transmit control information to the RIS using an individually defined frequency channel for the RIS. Alternatively, the control station 50 may transmit control information to the RIS using an unlicensed band channel. Alternatively, the control station 50 may transmit control information to the RIS using a frequency channel allocated for transmitting signals to other systems.

[0177] The control station 50 may change the transmission format of the control information depending on the channel used. For example, when transmitting control information using an unlicensed band, the control station 50 may add a physical header based on the 802.11 standard before transmitting the control information. In this case, the control station 50 may transmit the control information to multiple RISs related to the operation (groupcast) or to all RISs (broadcast). When broadcasting the control information, the control station 50 may store, in the control information (or in the information regarding the composite wave), information for identifying one or more RISs related to the operation (i.e., information for identifying one or more RISs that use the information regarding the composite wave to control the transmission path).

[0178] The acquisition unit 331 of the RIS acquires control information from the control station 50. Then, the transmission path control unit 333 of the RIS performs processing related to control of the transmission path based on information about the composite wave included in the control information. For example, the RIS controls the reflection characteristics or transmission characteristics of the surface unit 35 based on the information about the composite wave. For example, the RIS manipulates the permittivity and / or permeability of one or more metasurfaces included in the surface unit 35 based on the information about the composite wave.

[0179] Typically, the control device for the RIS is a control unit (e.g., the control unit 33) provided in the RIS. However, the control station 50 or the control unit 53 of the control station 50 may function as the control device for the RIS. In this case, the surface unit 35 of each RIS may be centrally controlled by the control station 50. In this case, the control unit 53 of the control station 50 may control the reflection characteristics or transmission characteristics of the surface unit 35 of each RIS based on the information about the composite wave acquired in step S201. For example, the control station 50 may manipulate the permittivity and / or permeability of one or more metasurfaces provided in the surface unit 35 of each RIS based on the information about the composite wave.

[0180] Thereafter, the communication control unit 233 of the base station 20 executes transmission of data to the terminal device 40 (step S203).

[0181] <Example 1-3> Fig. 13 is a sequence diagram showing a transmission path control process according to Example 1-3. In Example 1-3, the operation of the RIS is initiated by control information transmitted directly from the terminal device 40. The transmission path control process according to Example 1-3 will be described below with reference to Fig. 13.

[0182] The acquisition unit 431 of the terminal device 40 acquires information about the composite wave. The transmission unit 432 of the terminal device 40 transmits control information (control signal) related to control of the transmission path to one or more RISs that execute the operation of this embodiment (step S301). This control information includes the information about the composite wave.

[0183] The terminal device 40 may transmit control information to the RIS using a predetermined physical channel. For example, the terminal device 40 may transmit control information to the RIS using a PDCCH or a PDSCH. Furthermore, the terminal device 40 may transmit control information to the RIS using an individually defined frequency channel for the RIS. Furthermore, the terminal device 40 may transmit control information to the RIS using an unlicensed band channel. Furthermore, the terminal device 40 may transmit control information to the RIS using a frequency channel allocated for signal transmission to other systems.

[0184] The terminal device 40 may change the transmission format of the control information depending on the channel used. For example, when transmitting control information using an unlicensed band, the terminal device 40 may transmit the control information by adding a physical header based on the 802.11 standard. In this case, the terminal device 40 may transmit the control information to multiple RISs related to the operation (groupcast) or to all RISs (broadcast). When broadcasting the control information, the terminal device 40 may store, in the control information (or in the information regarding the composite wave), information for identifying one or more RISs related to the operation (i.e., information for identifying one or more RISs that use the information regarding the composite wave to control the transmission path).

[0185] The acquisition unit 331 of the RIS acquires control information from the terminal device 40. Then, the transmission path control unit 333 of the RIS performs processing related to control of the transmission path based on information about the composite wave included in the control information. For example, the RIS controls the reflection characteristics or transmission characteristics of the surface unit 35 based on the information about the composite wave. For example, the RIS manipulates the permittivity and / or permeability of one or more metasurfaces included in the surface unit 35 based on the information about the composite wave.

[0186] Thereafter, the communication control unit 433 of the terminal device 40 transmits data to the base station 20 (step S302).

[0187] <Example 1-4> Fig. 14 is a sequence diagram showing a transmission path control process according to Example 1-4. In Example 1-4, the operation of the RIS is initiated by control information indirectly transmitted from the terminal device 40. Specifically, in Example 1-4, the operation of the RIS is initiated by control information transmitted from the terminal device 40 via the control station 50. The control station 50 is a device that centrally controls a plurality of RISs. The control station 50 may also be considered as a communication device that transmits information related to a composite wave to the RIS. Hereinafter, the transmission path control process according to Example 1-4 will be described with reference to Fig. 14.

[0188] The acquisition unit 431 of the terminal device 40 acquires information about the composite wave. The transmission unit 432 of the terminal device 40 transmits control information (control signal) related to control of the transmission path to the control station 50 (step S401). This control information includes information about the composite wave described above. As in the above-described Examples 1-3, the terminal device 40 may transmit this control information using a predetermined physical channel, may transmit using an individually defined frequency channel for RIS, may transmit using an unlicensed band channel, or may transmit using a frequency channel allocated for transmitting signals to other systems. The terminal device 40 may change the transmission format of the control information depending on the channel used.

[0189] The acquisition unit 531 of the control station 50 acquires control information from the terminal device 40. The transmission unit 532 of the control station 50 transmits control information (control signal) related to the control of the transmission path to one or more RISs that execute the operation of this embodiment (step S402). This control information includes information related to the composite wave described above.

[0190] The control station 50 may transmit control information to the RIS using a predetermined physical channel. For example, the control station 50 may transmit control information to the RIS using a PDCCH or a PDSCH. Furthermore, the terminal device 40 may transmit control information to the RIS using an individually defined frequency channel for the RIS. Furthermore, the control station 50 may transmit control information to the RIS using an unlicensed band channel. Furthermore, the control station 50 may transmit control information to the RIS using a frequency channel allocated for transmitting signals to other systems.

[0191] The control station 50 may change the transmission format of the control information depending on the channel used. For example, when transmitting control information using an unlicensed band, the control station 50 may add a physical header based on the 802.11 standard before transmitting the control information. In this case, the control station 50 may transmit the control information to multiple RISs related to the operation (groupcast) or to all RISs (broadcast). When broadcasting the control information, the control station 50 may store, in the control information (or in the information regarding the composite wave), information for identifying one or more RISs related to the operation (i.e., information for identifying one or more RISs that use the information regarding the composite wave to control the transmission path).

[0192] The acquisition unit 331 of the RIS acquires control information from the control station 50. Then, the transmission path control unit 333 of the RIS performs processing related to control of the transmission path based on information about the composite wave included in the control information. For example, the RIS controls the reflection characteristics or transmission characteristics of the surface unit 35 based on the information about the composite wave. For example, the RIS manipulates the permittivity and / or permeability of one or more metasurfaces included in the surface unit 35 based on the information about the composite wave.

[0193] Typically, the control device for the RIS is a control unit (e.g., the control unit 33) provided in the RIS. However, the control station 50 or the control unit 53 of the control station 50 may function as the control device for the RIS. In this case, the surface unit 35 of each RIS may be centrally controlled by the control station 50. In this case, the control unit 53 of the control station 50 may control the reflection characteristics or transmission characteristics of the surface unit 35 of each RIS based on the information about the composite wave acquired in step S401. For example, the control station 50 may manipulate the permittivity and / or permeability of one or more metasurfaces provided in the surface unit 35 of each RIS based on the information about the composite wave.

[0194] Thereafter, the communication control unit 433 of the terminal device 40 transmits data to the base station 20 (step S403).

[0195] <Example 1-5> Fig. 15 is a sequence diagram showing a transmission path control process according to Example 1-5. In Example 1-5, the operation of the RIS is initiated by control information indirectly transmitted from the terminal device 40. Specifically, in Example 1-5, the operation of the RIS is initiated by control information transmitted from the terminal device 40 via the base station 20 and the control station 50. The control station 50 is a device that centrally controls a plurality of RISs. The control station 50 may also be considered as a communication device that transmits information related to a composite wave to the RIS. Hereinafter, the transmission path control process according to Example 1-5 will be described with reference to Fig. 15.

[0196] The acquisition unit 431 of the terminal device 40 acquires information about the composite wave. The transmission unit 432 of the terminal device 40 transmits control information (control signal) related to control of the transmission path to the base station 20 (step S501). The acquisition unit 231 of the base station 20 acquires the control information from the terminal device 40. The transmission unit 232 of the base station 20 transmits control information (control signal) related to control of the transmission path to the control station 50 (step S502). This control information includes information about the composite wave described above. As in the above-described Examples 1-3, the terminal device 40 may transmit this control information using a predetermined physical channel, may transmit using an individually defined RIS frequency channel, may transmit using an unlicensed band channel, or may transmit using a frequency channel allocated for signal transmission to other systems. The terminal device 40 may change the transmission format of the control information depending on the channel used.

[0197] The acquisition unit 531 of the control station 50 acquires control information from the terminal device 40. The transmission unit 532 of the control station 50 transmits control information (control signal) related to the control of the transmission path to one or more RISs that execute the operation of this embodiment (step S503). This control information includes information related to the composite wave described above. The terminal device 40 may transmit this control information using a predetermined physical channel, an individually defined frequency channel for the RIS, an unlicensed band channel, or a frequency channel allocated for transmitting signals to other systems, as in the above-described Examples 1-4. The control station 50 may change the transmission format of the control information depending on the channel used, as in the above-described Examples 1-4.

[0198] The acquisition unit 331 of the RIS acquires control information from the control station 50. Then, the transmission path control unit 333 of the RIS performs processing related to control of the transmission path based on information about the composite wave included in the control information. For example, the RIS controls the reflection characteristics or transmission characteristics of the surface unit 35 based on the information about the composite wave. For example, the RIS manipulates the permittivity and / or permeability of one or more metasurfaces included in the surface unit 35 based on the information about the composite wave.

[0199] Typically, the control device for the RIS is a control unit (e.g., the control unit 33) provided in the RIS. However, the control station 50 or the control unit 53 of the control station 50 may function as the control device for the RIS. In this case, the surface unit 35 of each RIS may be centrally controlled by the control station 50. In this case, the control unit 53 of the control station 50 may control the reflection characteristics or transmission characteristics of the surface unit 35 of each RIS based on the information about the composite wave acquired in step S502. For example, the control station 50 may manipulate the permittivity and / or permeability of one or more metasurfaces provided in the surface unit 35 of each RIS based on the information about the composite wave.

[0200] Thereafter, the communication control unit 433 of the terminal device 40 transmits data to the base station 20 (step S504).

[0201] 4-2. Second Embodiment In a second embodiment, the operation of a RIS is initiated by signaling between RISs. In the second embodiment, the communication device is a base station 20 or a terminal device 40.

[0202] In Example 2, a communication device (e.g., a base station 20 / terminal device 40) transmits information about a composite wave to a RIS (or a control device of the RIS) via one of multiple RISs, including the RIS to be controlled.

[0203] In the second embodiment, the multiple RISs are divided into a master RIS (also referred to as a leader RIS) that determines the cooperative operation of the multiple RISs, and slave RISs (follower RISs) that determine their operation based on information signaled from the master RIS. A cooperative RIS among the multiple RISs may be the master RIS. The master RIS performs signaling to form interference fringes at regular time intervals or when triggered by a communication device (e.g., a base station 20 / terminal device 40). When starting the operation of this embodiment, the master RIS transmits control information (a control signal) to the slave RISs that operate in cooperation with it to trigger the operation of this embodiment.

[0204] This control information includes information about a composite wave that is expected to be formed when a communication device (e.g., base station 20 / terminal device 40) communicates with another communication device (e.g., terminal device 40 / base station 20) that is its communication partner. The information about this composite wave may include the information shown in <3-2. Information about composite wave> above. Note that communication between the communication device and the other communication device may be uplink communication, downlink communication, or sidelink communication.

[0205] The communication device may transmit control information to the master RIS (or a control device of the master RIS) when communicating with another communication device. Also, the communication device may transmit control information to the master RIS (or a control device of the master RIS) when establishing a link with another communication device.

[0206] In the second embodiment, the operation of the RIS is initiated in the following cases (2-1) to (2-3), for example.

[0207] (2-1) When activated by control information transmitted from the base station 20 via the master RIS. (2-2) When activated by control information transmitted from the terminal device 40 via the master RIS. (2-3) When activated by control information transmitted from the terminal device 40 via the base station 20 and the master RIS.

[0208] The transmission line control process according to the second embodiment will be described below with reference to a sequence diagram.

[0209] <Example 2-1> Fig. 16 is a sequence diagram showing a transmission path control process according to Example 2-1. In Example 2-1, the operation of the RIS is initiated by control information transmitted from the base station 20 via the master RIS. The master RIS may be regarded as a communication device that transmits information about the composite wave to the slave RIS. The transmission path control process according to Example 2-1 will be described below with reference to Fig. 16.

[0210] The acquisition unit 231 of the base station 20 acquires information about the composite wave. The transmission unit 232 of the base station 20 transmits control information (control signal) related to control of the transmission path to the master RIS (step S601). This control information includes information about the composite wave described above. As in the above-described Example 1-1, the base station 20 may transmit this control information using a predetermined physical channel, may transmit using an individually defined frequency channel for the RIS, may transmit using an unlicensed band channel, or may transmit using a frequency channel allocated for transmitting signals to other systems. The base station 20 may change the transmission format of the control information depending on the channel used.

[0211] The acquisition unit 331 of the master RIS acquires control information from the base station 20. The transmission unit 332 of the master RIS transmits control information (control signal) related to the control of the transmission path to one or more slave RISs that execute the operation of this embodiment (step S602). This control information includes information related to the composite wave described above.

[0212] The master RIS may transmit control information to the slave RIS using a predetermined physical channel. For example, the master RIS may transmit control information to the slave RIS using a PDCCH or a PDSCH. Furthermore, the base station 20 may transmit control information to the slave RIS using an individually defined frequency channel for RIS. Furthermore, the master RIS may transmit control information to the slave RIS using an unlicensed band channel. Furthermore, the master RIS may transmit control information to the slave RIS using a frequency channel allocated for transmitting signals to other systems.

[0213] The master RIS may change the transmission format of the control information depending on the channel used. For example, when transmitting control information using an unlicensed band, the master RIS may add a physical header based on the 802.11 standard before transmitting the control information. In this case, the master RIS may transmit the control information to multiple RISs related to the operation (groupcast) or to all slave RISs (broadcast). When broadcasting the control information, the master RIS may store, in the control information (or in the information about the composite wave), information for identifying one or more slave RISs related to the operation (i.e., information for identifying one or more slave RISs that use the information about the composite wave to control the transmission path).

[0214] The acquisition unit 331 of the slave RIS acquires control information from the master RIS. Then, the transmission path control unit 333 of the master RIS and / or the slave RIS performs processing related to control of the transmission path based on information about the composite wave included in the control information. For example, the master RIS and / or the slave RIS controls the reflection characteristics or transmission characteristics of the surface unit 35 based on the information about the composite wave. For example, the master RIS and / or the slave RIS manipulates the permittivity and / or permeability of one or more metasurfaces included in the surface unit 35 based on the information about the composite wave.

[0215] Typically, the control device for the slave RIS is a control unit (e.g., the control unit 33) provided in the slave RIS. However, the master RIS or the control unit 33 of the master RIS may function as the control device for the slave RIS. In this case, the surface unit 35 of each slave RIS may be centrally controlled by the master RIS. In this case, the control unit 33 of the master RIS may control the reflection or transmission characteristics of the surface unit 35 of each slave RIS based on information about the composite wave acquired in step S601. For example, the master RIS may manipulate the permittivity and / or permeability of one or more metasurfaces provided in the surface unit 35 of each slave RIS based on information about the composite wave. In addition, when the master RIS changes the interference fringes at regular time intervals, the master RIS and / or the slave RIS may operate to periodically form specific interference fringes in a predetermined specific area.

[0216] Thereafter, the communication control unit 233 of the base station 20 transmits data to the terminal device 40 (step S603).

[0217] <Example 2-2> Fig. 17 is a sequence diagram showing a transmission path control process according to Example 2-2. In Example 2-2, the operation of the RIS is initiated by control information transmitted from the terminal device 40 via the control station 50. The master RIS may be regarded as a communication device that transmits information about the composite wave to the slave RIS. The transmission path control process according to Example 2-2 will be described below with reference to Fig. 17.

[0218] The acquisition unit 431 of the terminal device 40 acquires information about the composite wave. The transmission unit 432 of the terminal device 40 transmits control information (control signal) related to control of the transmission path to the master RIS (step S701). This control information includes information about the composite wave described above. As in the above-described Examples 1-3, the terminal device 40 may transmit this control information using a predetermined physical channel, may transmit using an individually defined frequency channel for the RIS, may transmit using an unlicensed band channel, or may transmit using a frequency channel allocated for transmitting signals to other systems. The terminal device 40 may change the transmission format of the control information depending on the channel used.

[0219] The acquisition unit 331 of the master RIS acquires control information from the terminal device 40. The transmission unit 332 of the master RIS transmits control information (control signal) related to control of the transmission path to one or more slave RISs that execute the operation of this embodiment (step S702). This control information includes information related to the composite wave described above.

[0220] The master RIS may transmit control information to the slave RIS using a predetermined physical channel. For example, the master RIS may transmit control information to the slave RIS using a PDCCH or a PDSCH. Furthermore, the terminal device 40 may transmit control information to the slave RIS using an individually defined frequency channel for RIS. Furthermore, the master RIS may transmit control information to the slave RIS using an unlicensed band channel. Furthermore, the master RIS may transmit control information to the slave RIS using a frequency channel allocated for transmitting signals to other systems.

[0221] The master RIS may change the transmission format of the control information depending on the channel used. For example, when transmitting control information using an unlicensed band, the master RIS may add a physical header based on the 802.11 standard before transmitting the control information. In this case, the master RIS may transmit the control information to multiple slave RISs related to the operation (groupcast) or to all slave RISs (broadcast). When broadcasting the control information, the master RIS may store, in the control information (or in the information about the composite wave), information for identifying one or more slave RISs related to the operation (i.e., information for identifying one or more slave RISs that use the information about the composite wave to control the transmission path).

[0222] The acquisition unit 331 of the slave RIS acquires control information from the master RIS. Then, the transmission path control unit 333 of the master RIS and / or the slave RIS performs processing related to control of the transmission path based on information about the composite wave included in the control information. For example, the master RIS and / or the slave RIS controls the reflection characteristics or transmission characteristics of the surface unit 35 based on the information about the composite wave. For example, the master RIS and / or the slave RIS manipulates the permittivity and / or permeability of one or more metasurfaces included in the surface unit 35 based on the information about the composite wave.

[0223] Typically, the control device of the slave RIS is a control unit (e.g., the control unit 33) provided in the slave RIS. However, the master RIS or the control unit 33 of the master RIS may function as the control device of the slave RIS. In this case, the surface unit 35 of each slave RIS may be centrally controlled by the master RIS. In this case, the control unit 33 of the master RIS may control the reflection or transmission characteristics of the surface unit 35 of each slave RIS based on information about the composite wave acquired in step S701. For example, the master RIS may manipulate the permittivity and / or permeability of one or more metasurfaces provided in the surface unit 35 of each slave RIS based on information about the composite wave. In addition, when the master RIS changes the interference fringes at regular time intervals, the master RIS and / or the slave RIS may operate to periodically form specific interference fringes in a predetermined specific area.

[0224] Thereafter, the communication control unit 433 of the terminal device 40 transmits data to the base station 20 (step S703).

[0225] <Example 2-3> Fig. 18 is a sequence diagram showing a transmission path control process according to Example 2-3. In Example 1-5, the operation of the RIS is initiated by control information transmitted from the terminal device 40 via the base station 20 and the master RIS. The master RIS may be regarded as a communication device that transmits information about a composite wave to the slave RIS. Hereinafter, the transmission path control process according to Example 2-3 will be described with reference to Fig. 18.

[0226] The acquisition unit 431 of the terminal device 40 acquires information about the composite wave. The transmission unit 432 of the terminal device 40 transmits control information (control signal) related to control of the transmission path to the base station 20 (step S801). The acquisition unit 231 of the base station 20 acquires the control information from the terminal device 40. The transmission unit 232 of the base station 20 transmits control information (control signal) related to control of the transmission path to the master RIS (step S802). This control information includes information about the composite wave described above. As in the above-described Examples 1-3, the terminal device 40 may transmit this control information using a predetermined physical channel, may transmit using an individually defined frequency channel for RIS, may transmit using an unlicensed band channel, or may transmit using a frequency channel allocated for signal transmission to other systems. The terminal device 40 may change the transmission format of the control information depending on the channel used.

[0227] The acquisition unit 331 of the master RIS acquires control information from the terminal device 40. The transmission unit 332 of the master RIS transmits control information (control signal) related to control of the transmission path to one or more slave RISs that execute the operation of this embodiment (step S803). This control information includes information related to the composite wave described above. The terminal device 40 may transmit this control information using a predetermined physical channel, as in the above-described Example 2-2, or using an individually defined frequency channel for the slave RIS, or using an unlicensed band channel, or using a frequency channel allocated for transmitting signals to other systems. As in the above-described Example 2-2, the master RIS may change the transmission format of the control information depending on the channel used.

[0228] The acquisition unit 331 of the slave RIS acquires control information from the master RIS. The transmission path control unit 333 of the master RIS and / or the slave RIS performs processing related to control of the transmission path based on information about the composite wave included in the control information. For example, the master RIS and / or the slave RIS controls the reflection characteristics or transmission characteristics of the surface unit 35 based on the information about the composite wave. For example, the master RIS and / or the slave RIS manipulates the permittivity and / or permeability of one or more metasurfaces included in the surface unit 35 based on the information about the composite wave. Note that when the master RIS changes the interference fringes at regular time intervals, the master RIS and / or the slave RIS may operate to periodically form specific interference fringes in a predetermined specific area.

[0229] Typically, the control device of the slave RIS is a control unit (e.g., control unit 33) provided in the slave RIS. However, the master RIS or the control unit 33 of the master RIS may function as the control device of the slave RIS. In this case, the surface unit 35 of each slave RIS may be centrally controlled by the master RIS. In this case, the control unit 33 of the master RIS may control the reflection characteristics or transmission characteristics of the surface unit 35 of each slave RIS based on the information about the composite wave acquired in step S802. For example, the master RIS may manipulate the permittivity and / or permeability of one or more metasurfaces provided in the surface unit 35 of each slave RIS based on the information about the composite wave.

[0230] Thereafter, the communication control unit 433 of the terminal device 40 transmits data to the base station 20 (step S804).

[0231] <4-3. Third Embodiment> In the third embodiment, the operation of the RIS is initiated based on a timer held by the RIS itself.

[0232] For example, the acquisition unit 431 of the RIS acquires information about the composite wave from the storage unit 42. This information about the composite wave may be acquired in advance from a communication device (e.g., the management device 10, the base station 20, the terminal device 40, the control station 50, or another transmission path control device 30) and stored in the storage unit 42. Then, at a predetermined timing, the RIS manipulates the permittivity and / or permeability of one or more metasurfaces included in the surface unit 35 based on the information about the composite wave. For example, the RIS may operate periodically to form specific interference fringes in a predetermined specific area.

[0233] <4-4. Fourth Embodiment> In the fourth embodiment, the operation of the RIS is initiated based on a change in the deployment environment of the RIS.

[0234] As described above, the RIS may include a sensor unit 54. The sensor unit 54 is a sensor that acquires information about objects around the device (for example, around the RIS). When the RIS includes the sensor unit 54, the RIS can detect surrounding obstacles and the like based on information from the sensor unit 54.

[0235] If the RIS includes a sensor unit 54, the RIS may generate information about the composite wave itself based on information from the sensor unit 54. The acquisition unit 331 of the RIS may acquire information about the composite wave generated based on information from the sensor unit 54, and the transmission path control unit 333 of the RIS may control the surface unit 35 based on the information about the composite wave. For example, the RIS may generate predetermined interference fringes by controlling the surface unit 35 based on information from the sensor unit 54. For example, the RIS may form thick interference fringes to cover the transmission path. Alternatively, the RIS may form fine interference fringes to provide radio waves with a constant reception power to a terminal device 40 moving at high speed. The RIS may generate information about the composite wave in cooperation with another RIS. For example, the RIS may determine the interference fringes to be formed in cooperation with other RISs that can acquire information from their own sensor units 54.

[0236] The communication device (base station 20 / terminal device 40) may also include a sensor unit (sensor unit 24 / sensor unit 44). In this case, the communication device may generate information about the composite wave based on information from the sensor unit. The acquisition unit 331 of the RIS may acquire information about the composite wave generated based on information from the sensor unit, and the transmission path control unit 333 of the RIS may control the surface unit 35 based on the information about the composite wave. The communication device including a sensor unit may include the management device 10 and / or the control station 50. The communication device may generate information about the composite wave in cooperation with another device including a sensor unit (e.g., at least one of the management device 10, the base station 20, the transmission path control device 30, the terminal device 40, and the control station 50).

[0237] <<5. Modifications>> The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and various modifications and applications are possible.

[0238] For example, in each of the above-described embodiments (Examples 1 to 4), the RIS is a reflecting plate / reflecting sheet capable of controlling reflection characteristics (e.g., reflection direction / reflectance, etc.), but the RIS may be a transmitting plate / transmitting sheet capable of controlling transmission characteristics (e.g., refraction direction). Note that the description of the RIS appearing in each of the above-described embodiments can be replaced with the transmission path control device 30.

[0239] In the above-described embodiment, the transmission path control device 30 is a device capable of controlling the reflection characteristics and / or transmission characteristics of a structure that reflects or transmits incoming radio waves. However, the characteristics that the transmission path control device 30 can control are not limited to these. For example, the transmission path control device 30 may be configured to be capable of controlling the radiation angle (directivity) of the reflected and / or transmitted radio waves.

[0240] Furthermore, in the above-described first, third, and fourth embodiments, a plurality of RISs are installed in the communication environment, but only one RIS may be installed. In this case, a composite wave may be used, or a composite wave of radio waves from the communication device and reflected / transmitted waves from the RIS. Furthermore, in the above-described second embodiment, a plurality of slave RISs are installed in the communication environment, but only one slave RIS may be installed. This also allows the communication system 1 to increase or decrease the received power at a specific location.

[0241] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the transmission path control device 30 or the control device that controls the transmission path control device 30 directly or indirectly acquires information about the composite wave from a communication device (base station 20 or terminal device 40) that communicates via the transmission path control device 30, but the information about the composite wave may also be acquired from an information processing device other than a communication device that communicates via the transmission path control device 30. For example, the transmission path control device 30 or the control device that controls the transmission path control device 30 may acquire information about the composite wave from the management device 10, or may acquire information about the composite wave from a server device connected via a network.

[0242] The control device that controls the transmission path control device 30 may be the management device 10, the base station 20, the terminal device 40, the control station 50, or a control unit thereof (for example, the control unit 13, the control unit 23, the control unit 43, or the control unit 53). Also, the control device that controls the transmission path control device 30 may be another transmission path control device 30 or a control unit 33 of another transmission path control device 30. Of course, the control device that controls the transmission path control device 30 may be the control unit 33 of the transmission path control device 30.

[0243] The control device that controls the management device 10, base station 20, transmission path control device 30, terminal device 40, or control station 50 in this embodiment may be realized by a dedicated computer system or a general-purpose computer system.

[0244] For example, a program for executing the above-described operations is stored and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as an optical disk, semiconductor memory, magnetic tape, or flexible disk. Then, for example, the program is installed on a computer and the above-described processing is executed to configure a control device. In this case, the control device may be a device (e.g., a personal computer) external to the management device 10, base station 20, transmission path control device 30, terminal device 40, or control station 50. Alternatively, the control device may be a device (e.g., control unit 13, control unit 23, control unit 33, control unit 43, or control unit 53) internal to the management device 10, base station 20, transmission path control device 30, terminal device 40, or control station 50.

[0245] The communication program may also be stored in a disk device provided in a server device on a network such as the Internet, and may be downloaded to a computer. The above-described functions may also be realized by a combination of an operating system (OS) and application software. In this case, the components other than the OS may be stored on a medium and distributed, or may be stored in a server device and downloaded to a computer.

[0246] Furthermore, among the processes described in the above embodiments, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or all or part of the processes described as being performed manually can be performed automatically using a known method. In addition, the information including the processing procedures, specific names, various data, and parameters shown in the above documents and drawings can be changed as desired unless otherwise specified. For example, the various information shown in each drawing is not limited to the information shown in the drawings.

[0247] Furthermore, the components of each device shown in the figure are conceptual functional components and do not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown in the figure. In other words, the specific form of distribution and integration of each device is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit depending on various loads, usage conditions, etc.

[0248] The above-described embodiments can be combined as appropriate within the scope of the present invention without causing any inconsistency in the processing content. The order of the steps shown in the sequence diagrams or flowcharts of the present embodiment can be changed as appropriate.

[0249] Furthermore, for example, the present embodiment can also be implemented as any configuration that constitutes an apparatus or system, such as a processor as a system LSI (Large Scale Integration), a module using multiple processors, a unit using multiple modules, a set in which other functions are added to a unit, or the like (i.e., a configuration of a part of an apparatus).

[0250] In this embodiment, a system refers to a collection of multiple components (devices, modules (components), etc.), regardless of whether all of the components are in the same housing. For example, multiple devices housed in separate housings and connected via a network, etc., and a single device in which multiple modules are housed in a single housing are both systems.

[0251] Furthermore, for example, this embodiment can have a cloud computing configuration in which one function is shared and processed jointly by a plurality of devices via a network.

[0252] <<6. Conclusion>> As described above, according to the present embodiment, the communication system 1 includes a communication device (e.g., a base station 20 or a terminal device 40) that communicates in a communication environment in which one or more transmission path control devices 30 are installed. The communication device acquires information about a composite wave formed by radio waves from multiple devices, including the radio wave from the transmission path control device 30. Then, the communication device transmits the information about the composite wave to the transmission path control device 30 or a control device of the transmission path control device 30. The control device of the transmission path control device 30 may be a device external to the transmission path control device 30 (e.g., the control station 50) or a device internal to the transmission path control device 30 (e.g., the control unit 33). The transmission path control device 30 or the control device of the transmission path control device 30 controls the reflection characteristics or transmission characteristics of the surface unit 35 included in the transmission path control device 30 based on the information about the composite wave.

[0253] This allows the communication system 1 to increase or decrease the received power at a specific location. Furthermore, in this embodiment, sounding operations for acquiring channel information between the communication device and the transmission path control device 30 are not required. Therefore, the communication system 1 can reduce overhead for signaling.

[0254] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure. Furthermore, components of different embodiments and modifications may be combined as appropriate.

[0255] Furthermore, the effects of each embodiment described in this specification are merely examples and are not intended to be limiting, and other effects may also be obtained.

[0256] The present technology may also be configured as follows. (1) A communication device capable of directly or indirectly transmitting information to a transmission path control device having a structure that reflects or transmits incoming radio waves and capable of controlling the reflection or transmission characteristics of the structure, the communication device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires information about a composite wave formed by radio waves from multiple devices, including a radio wave from the transmission path control device; and a transmission unit that transmits information about the composite wave to the transmission path control device or a control device of the transmission path control device. (2) The communication device according to (1), wherein the transmission path control device is a RIS (Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface). (3) The communication device according to (1) or (2), wherein the radio waves from the multiple devices include a radio wave from the transmission path control device and a radio wave from one or more other transmission path control devices. (4) The communication device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the radio waves from the multiple devices include a radio wave from the transmission path control device and a radio wave from one or more base stations. (5) The communication device according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the radio waves from the plurality of devices include radio waves from the transmission line control device and radio waves from one or more terminal devices. (6) The communication device according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the information about the composite wave includes information about interference fringes formed by the radio waves from the plurality of devices. (7) The communication device according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein the information about the composite wave includes information about the position of a base station or a terminal device that communicates in an environment where the transmission line control device is installed. (8) The communication device according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein the plurality of devices include a plurality of transmission line control devices including the transmission line control device, and the information about the composite wave includes information about one or more other transmission line control devices that cooperate with the transmission line control device to form the composite wave. (9) The communication device according to any one of (1) to (8), wherein the structure is constituted by one or more metasurfaces, and the information about the composite wave includes information about at least one of the permittivity and the permeability of the one or more metasurfaces.(10) The communication device according to any one of (1) to (9), wherein the communication device is a base station or a terminal device. (11) The communication device according to any one of (1) to (10), wherein, when communicating with another communication device that is a communication partner, the transmitter transmits information about a composite wave that is expected to be formed during the communication to the transmission path control device or the control device of the transmission path control device. (12) The communication device according to any one of (1) to (11), wherein the transmitter transmits information about the composite wave via a control station that controls multiple transmission path control devices including the transmission path control device. (13) The communication device according to any one of (1) to (12), wherein the transmitter transmits information about the composite wave via one transmission path control device of multiple transmission path control devices including the transmission path control device. (14) A control device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires information about a composite wave formed by radio waves from multiple devices including a radio wave from a transmission path control device that has a structure that reflects or transmits incoming radio waves and is capable of controlling the reflection characteristics or transmission characteristics of the structure; and a control unit that controls the reflection characteristics or the transmission characteristics of the structure based on the information about the composite wave. (15) The control device according to (14), wherein the transmission path control device is a RIS (Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface). (16) The control device according to (14) or (15), wherein the control device is the transmission path control device or a control device included in the transmission path control device. (17) The control device according to (14) or (15), wherein the control device is a base station, a terminal device, or a control station that centrally controls multiple transmission path control devices. (18) The control device according to any one of (14) to (17), further comprising a sensor unit that acquires information about objects in the vicinity of the transmission path control device, wherein the acquisition unit acquires information about the composite wave generated based on the information from the sensor unit, and the control unit controls the reflection characteristics or the transmission characteristics of the structure based on the information about the composite wave generated based on the information from the sensor unit.(19) A communication method executed by a communication device that has a structure that reflects or transmits incoming radio waves and is capable of controlling the reflection characteristics or transmission characteristics of the structure, the communication method comprising: acquiring information about a composite wave formed by radio waves from multiple devices including the radio waves from the transmission path control device; and transmitting the information about the composite wave to the transmission path control device or a control device of the transmission path control device. (20) A control method that acquires information about a composite wave formed by radio waves from multiple devices including the radio waves from a transmission path control device that has a structure that reflects or transmits incoming radio waves and is capable of controlling the reflection characteristics or transmission characteristics of the structure, and controlling the reflection characteristics or the transmission characteristics of the structure based on the information about the composite wave.

[0257] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 communication system 10 management device 20 base station 30 transmission path control device 40 terminal device 50 control station 11, 31, 51 communication unit 21, 41 wireless communication unit 12, 22, 32, 42, 52 storage unit 13, 23, 33, 43, 53 control unit 24, 34, 44, 54 sensor unit 35 surface unit 211, 411 transmission processing unit 212, 412 reception processing unit 213, 413 antenna 231, 331, 431, 531 acquisition unit 232, 332, 432, 532 transmission unit 233, 433, 533 communication control unit 333 transmission path control unit

Claims

1. A communications device capable of directly or indirectly transmitting information to a transmission line control device having a structure that reflects or transmits incoming radio waves and capable of controlling the reflection or transmission characteristics of the structure, comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires information regarding a composite wave formed by radio waves from multiple devices including the radio waves from the transmission line control device; and a transmission unit that transmits information regarding the composite wave to the transmission line control device or a control device of the transmission line control device.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission path control device is a Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS).

3. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the radio waves from the plurality of devices include radio waves from the transmission line control device and radio waves from one or more other transmission line control devices.

4. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the radio waves from the plurality of devices include radio waves from the transmission line control device and radio waves from one or more base stations.

5. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the radio waves from the plurality of devices include radio waves from the transmission line control device and radio waves from one or more terminal devices.

6. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the information about the composite wave includes information about interference fringes formed by radio waves from the multiple devices.

7. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the information about the composite wave includes information about the position of a base station or a terminal device that communicates in an environment in which the transmission line control device is installed.

8. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of devices include a plurality of transmission line control devices including the transmission line control device, and the information relating to the composite wave includes information relating to one or more other transmission line control devices which cooperate with the transmission line control device to form the composite wave.

9. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the structure is composed of one or more metasurfaces, and the information about the composite wave includes information about at least one of the permittivity and permeability of the one or more metasurfaces.

10. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication device is a base station or a terminal device.

11. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting unit, when communicating with another communication device that is the communication partner, transmits information regarding a composite wave that is expected to be formed during the communication to the transmission path control device or the control device of the transmission path control device.

12. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting section transmits information about the composite wave via a control station that controls a plurality of transmission line control devices including the transmission line control device.

13. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting section transmits information about the composite wave via one transmission line control device among a plurality of transmission line control devices including the transmission line control device.

14. A control device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires information about a composite wave formed by radio waves from multiple devices, including radio waves from a transmission path control device having a structure that reflects or transmits incoming radio waves and capable of controlling the reflection characteristics or transmission characteristics of the structure; and a control unit that controls the reflection characteristics or transmission characteristics of the structure based on the information about the composite wave.

15. The control device according to claim 14, wherein the transmission line control device is a RIS (Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface).

16. The control device according to claim 14, wherein the control device is the transmission line control device or a control device provided in the transmission line control device.

17. The control device according to claim 14, wherein the control device is a base station, a terminal device, or a control station that centrally controls a plurality of transmission line control devices.

18. The control device described in claim 14, further comprising a sensor unit that acquires information about objects in the vicinity of the transmission path control device, the acquisition unit acquiring information about the composite wave generated based on the information from the sensor unit, and the control unit controlling the reflection characteristics or the transmission characteristics of the structure based on the information about the composite wave generated based on the information from the sensor unit.

19. A communication method executed by a communication device capable of directly or indirectly transmitting information to a transmission line control device having a structure that reflects or transmits incoming radio waves and capable of controlling the reflection or transmission characteristics of the structure, the method comprising: acquiring information regarding a composite wave formed by radio waves from multiple devices including a radio wave from the transmission line control device; and transmitting the information regarding the composite wave to the transmission line control device or a control device of the transmission line control device.

20. A control method comprising: acquiring information about a composite wave formed by radio waves from a plurality of devices, including radio waves from a transmission path control device having a structure that reflects or transmits incoming radio waves and capable of controlling the reflection characteristics or transmission characteristics of the structure; and controlling the reflection characteristics or transmission characteristics of the structure based on the information about the composite wave.

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