Relay station device, communication device, communication system, and communication method

Abstract

A relay station device according to the present invention comprises: n RF function units each including an antenna port; and an ON / OFF switching control unit that performs, for each of the RF function units, control for switching the RF function unit between an ON state and an OFF state on the basis of a prescribed instruction signal that was received. The RF function units respectively correspond to a plurality of frequency bands. Each of the RF function units, in the ON state, performs prescribed processing on signal components of a received relay target signal, the signal components being in the frequency band corresponding said RF function unit.

Description

Relay station device, communication device, communication system, and communication method

[0001] This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-155568, filed on September 21, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] In 3GPP (registered trademark) Rel. 18, NCR (Network-Controlled Repeaters) that control RF (Radio Frequency) repeaters from a base station device are being discussed as L1 relay station devices in 5G NR (New Radio) (see Non-Patent Document 1). NCR specifies the control of turning on / off the entire NCR-Fwd using control information in the control link, but when multiple antenna ports exist in the NCR-Fwd, it is not possible to control the on / off of each antenna port.

[0003] Furthermore, since LTE (Long Term Evolution), carrier aggregation (CA), which uses multiple bands for high-capacity communication, has been defined. In L1 relay, demodulation of signals passing through NCR-Fwd (Forwarding) is not performed, so it is not possible to change processing depending on the signal received by the relay station device. For this reason, when relaying CA signals at the L1 relay station device, an RF configuration capable of covering all bands that can be used for CA signals relayed at the L1 relay station device is required in advance.

[0004] 3GPP (registered trademark) TR 38.867, “Study on NR network-controlled repeaters”, v18.0.0 3GPP (registered trademark) TS 38.133, “Requirements for support of radio resource management”, v18.2.0

[0005] However, in the conventional technology described above, when CA communication is performed between a base station device and a terminal device, not all component carriers (CCs) are always used, which can result in unnecessary power consumption in the L1 relay station device. In other words, the L1 relay station device cannot determine which CC a signal is present on during relaying, and therefore may perform relay processing on a CC that does not have a signal during relaying, resulting in unnecessary power consumption. As a specific example, the L1 relay station device performs relay processing for the entire maximum bandwidth used in CA, even when only one CC's worth of signal is actually present. Note that this type of problem can also occur in communications other than CA communication.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an example of an objective thereof is to provide a relay station device, a communication device, a communication system, and a communication method that can achieve efficiency, such as reducing power consumption.

[0007] As one configuration example, a relay station device includes a plurality of n RF (Radio Frequency) functional units, each having an antenna port, and an on / off switching control unit that controls switching between the on state and the off state of each RF functional unit based on a received predetermined instruction signal, wherein each of the RF functional units corresponds to one of a plurality of frequency bands, and when in the on state, the RF functional unit performs predetermined processing on the signal components of the received signal to be relayed, which are in the frequency band corresponding to each of the RF functional units.

[0008] As one configuration example, a communication device transmits an instruction signal to a relay station device that includes a plurality of n RF (Radio Frequency) functional units, each having an antenna port, and an on / off switching control unit that controls switching between the on state and the off state of each RF functional unit based on a received predetermined instruction signal, the communication device including an on / off instruction unit that transmits the instruction signal to the relay station device, wherein each of the RF functional units corresponds to one of a plurality of frequency bands in the relay station device, and the RF functional unit, when in the on state, performs predetermined processing on the signal components of the received signal to be relayed, which are in the frequency band corresponding to each of the RF functional units.

[0009] As an example configuration, in a communication system having a communication device and a relay station device, the relay station device includes a plurality of n RF (Radio Frequency) functional units, each having an antenna port, and an on / off switching control unit that controls switching between the on state and the off state of each RF functional unit based on a received predetermined instruction signal, each of the RF functional units corresponding to a plurality of frequency bands, and in the on state, the RF functional unit performs predetermined processing on signal components of a received signal to be relayed, the signal components being in the frequency band corresponding to each of the RF functional units, and the communication device includes an on / off instruction unit that transmits the instruction signal to the relay station device.

[0010] As one configuration example, in a communication method in a communication system having a communication device and a relay station device, the relay station device includes a plurality of n RF (Radio Frequency) functional units, each having an antenna port, and an on / off switching control unit that controls switching between the on state and the off state of each RF functional unit based on a received predetermined instruction signal, each of the RF functional units corresponding to a plurality of frequency bands, and in the on state, the RF functional unit performs predetermined processing on signal components of a received signal to be relayed, the signal components being in the frequency band corresponding to each of the RF functional units, and the communication device transmits the instruction signal to the relay station device using an on / off instruction unit.

[0011] The relay station device, communication device, communication system, and communication method according to the present disclosure can improve efficiency, for example, by reducing power consumption.

[0012] 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of a communication system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of functional blocks of a relay station device and a base station device according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of component carriers of CC (1) to CC (4) according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a component carrier of CC (1) according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a component carrier of CC (2) according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a component carrier of CC (3) according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a component carrier of CC (4) according to an embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a state when a signal of CC (1) according to an embodiment is communicated. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a signal communication flow including an instruction signal according to an embodiment.

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of a communication system 1 according to an embodiment. The communication system 1 includes a relay station device 11, a base station device 12, and m (m is an integer of 2 or more) terminal devices C1 to Cm. In this embodiment, each of the terminal devices C1 to Cm may be a mobile smartphone or the like, and the communication system 1 is a mobile communication system.

[0015] Relay station device 11 relays wireless communications between terminal devices C1 to Cm and base station device 12. Specifically, relay station device 11 receives signals wirelessly transmitted from terminal devices C1 to Cm, performs predetermined processing on the signals, and wirelessly transmits the resulting signals to base station device 12. Similarly, relay station device 11 receives signals wirelessly transmitted from base station device 12, performs predetermined processing on the signals, and wirelessly transmits the resulting signals to terminal devices C1 to Cm.

[0016] Here, in this embodiment, one base station device 12 is shown, but two or more base station devices may be included in the communication system 1. Also, in this embodiment, m terminal devices C1 to Cm are shown, but one terminal device may be included in the communication system 1. Also, in this embodiment, one relay station device 11 is shown, but two or more relay station devices may be included in the communication system 1.

[0017] In this embodiment, as an example, carrier aggregation (CA) is used in the communication system 1, the base station device 12 is a gNB, and the relay station device 11 is an L1 relay station device that supports CA and supports the maximum bandwidth used in CA, but other configurations may also be used. Note that the base station device 12 may be called a BS (Base Station) or the like, and the relay station device 11 may be called a Repeater or RS (Relay Station) or the like.

[0018] 2 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic functional block configuration of relay station device 11 and base station device 12 according to an embodiment. Relay station device 11, base station device 12, and one terminal device C1 are shown in Fig. 2. In this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the explanation will be given using one terminal device C1 as a representative, but the same applies to the other terminal devices C2 to Cm.

[0019] <Relay Station Device> The relay station device 11 includes four RF function units D1 to D4. The example in Fig. 2 shows a configuration example in which the relay station device 11 relays a signal transmitted from a terminal device C1 to a base station device 12.

[0020] Furthermore, relay station device 11 is equipped with one antenna (for each of four antennas A1 to A4) for wireless communication with terminal device C1 and one antenna (for each of four antennas B1 to B4) for wireless communication with base station device 12 for each RF functional unit D1 to D4. In the example of Fig. 2, the connection points between each RF functional unit D1 to D4 and each antenna A1 to A4 are shown as antenna ports P1 to P4. In the example of Fig. 2, the connection points between each RF functional unit D1 to D4 and each antenna B1 to B4 are shown as antenna ports P11 to P14.

[0021] Each of the RF functional units D1 to D4 includes one filter (each of the four filters 111-1 to 111-4) that is a BPF (Band Pass Filter) and one processing unit (each of the four processing units 112-1 to 112-4) that performs predetermined processing. Each of the processing units 112-1 to 112-4 includes one on / off switching control unit (each of the four on / off switching control units 131-1 to 131-4).

[0022] In this embodiment, the four RF functional units D1 to D4 have the same configuration and perform the same operation, except that the frequency bands corresponding to the filters 111-1 to 111-4 are different. For this reason, the following description will be given using one RF functional unit D1 and its antennas A1 and B1 as representatives.

[0023] A signal transmitted wirelessly from terminal device C1 is received by antenna A1. The received signal is input to filter 111-1 from antenna port P1 to which antenna A1 is connected. Filter 111-1 extracts signal components of a predetermined frequency band from the input received signal and outputs the extracted signal to processing unit 112-1. Processing unit 112-1 performs predetermined processing on the signal components (signals of that frequency band) and outputs the processed signal to antenna B1 from antenna port P11 to which antenna B1 is connected. Antenna B1 transmits the signal wirelessly to base station device 12.

[0024] 2 shows a configuration example in which RF functional units D1 to D4 relay signals transmitted from terminal device C1 to base station device 12. In a configuration in which RF functional units D1 to D4 relay signals transmitted from base station device 12 to terminal device C1, the arrangement of filters and processing units is generally reversed compared to the example in Fig. 2, since the direction of signal flow is reversed. In other words, in relay station device 11, signals from base station device 12 are filtered and then subjected to predetermined processing, and the processed signals are wirelessly transmitted to terminal device C1.

[0025] The on / off switching control unit 131-1 switches the operation state of the RF functional unit D1 between on and off. In this embodiment, when the RF functional unit D1 is in an on state (which may also be called an active state), it performs an operation of relaying wireless communication performed between the terminal device C1 and the base station device 12. On the other hand, in this embodiment, when the RF functional unit D1 is in an off state (which may also be called an inactive state), it does not perform an operation of relaying wireless communication performed between the terminal device C1 and the base station device 12.

[0026] In this embodiment, the on / off switching control units 131-1 to 131-4 control the on / off switching of the RF function units D1 to D4 based on a predetermined instruction signal transmitted from the base station device 12 to the relay station device 11.

[0027] Here, the on and off states of each of the RF functional units D1 to D4 are, for example, states in which less power is consumed in the off state than in the on state. Therefore, the off state of each of the RF functional units D1 to D4 does not necessarily have to be a state in which all of the functions of the RF functional units D1 to D4 are turned off, and may be, for example, a state in which some of the functions of the RF functional units D1 to D4 are turned off.

[0028] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the description is given using the expression that each of the RF functional units D1 to D4 is switched between an on state and an off state, but, for example, an expression that each of the antenna ports (one or both of each of the antenna ports P1 to P4 and each of the antenna ports P11 to P14) is switched between an on state and an off state may also be used. Furthermore, the on / off switching control unit 131-1 may have a configuration that switches, for example, the connection between each of the antenna ports (one or both of each of the antenna ports P1 to P4 and each of the antenna ports P11 to P14) and an antenna (one or both of each of the antennas A1 to A4 and each of the antennas B1 to B4) between an on state and an off state.

[0029] In this embodiment, relay station device 11 includes four RF functional units D1 to D4, but the number of RF functional units may be any number equal to or greater than 2. In addition, in this embodiment, BPFs are used as filters 111-1 to 111-4 that can extract only signals (signal components) in specific frequency bands, but filters of other configurations (combinations of two or more filters) may also be used.

[0030] Furthermore, in this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, a configuration is shown in which the RF functional units D1 to D4 are equipped with filters 111-1 to 111-4 and processing units 112-1 to 112-4. However, the internal configuration of each of the RF functional units D1 to D4 may be arbitrary. The content of the predetermined processing performed by each of the processing units 112-1 to 112-4 is not particularly limited. For example, the content of the predetermined processing may involve only amplifying (e.g., power amplifying) the extracted signal, and relaying the signal in the same frequency band. Alternatively, the content of the predetermined processing may involve amplifying (e.g., power amplifying) the extracted signal, and also involving frequency conversion processing that converts the center frequency of the extracted signal to another arbitrary frequency band, and relaying the signal in a different frequency band. Note that, in this embodiment, the RF functional units D1 to D4 do not have a demodulation function.

[0031] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a configuration is shown in which on / off switching control units 131-1 to 131-4 are provided in each of processing units 112-1 to 112-4, but on / off switching control units 131-1 to 131-4 may be provided at any location in relay station device 11. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a configuration is shown in which separate on / off switching control units 131-1 to 131-4 are provided for each of processing units 112-1 to 112-4, but as another example, a common on / off switching control unit may be provided for all processing units 112-1 to 112-4.

[0032] In this embodiment, for each of the RF functional units D1 to D4 in the relay station device 11, the antennas A1 to A4 for wireless communication with the terminal devices C1 to Cm and the antennas B1 to B4 for wireless communication with the base station device 12 are shown as separate antennas, but as another example, these may be shared. In this case, the antenna ports P1 to P4 and the antenna ports P11 to P14 are shared antenna ports.

[0033] <Base Station Device> Base station device 12 includes an on / off instruction unit 211. The on / off instruction unit 211 has a function of wirelessly transmitting a predetermined instruction signal to relay station device 11. Here, the on / off instruction unit 211 may be provided as a function separate from other communication function units, or may be provided as an integrated unit with other communication functions, for example.

[0034] <Component Carriers of Carrier Aggregation> In this embodiment, CA component carriers (CCs) are used in the communication system 1. In this embodiment, a case where four CCs, CC(1) to CC(4), are used is shown.

[0035] 3A to 3E show examples of component carriers (CCs). In the graphs shown in each of Fig. 3A to 3E, the horizontal axis represents frequency and the vertical axis represents signal strength.

[0036] 3A is a diagram illustrating an example of component carriers of CC (1) to CC (4) according to the embodiment. The graph in FIG. 3A shows a characteristic 2011 of CC (1), a characteristic 2012 of CC (2), a characteristic 2013 of CC (3), and a characteristic 2014 of CC (4).

[0037] Fig. 3B is a diagram illustrating an example of a component carrier of CC (1) according to the embodiment. Fig. 3C is a diagram illustrating an example of a component carrier of CC (2) according to the embodiment. Fig. 3D is a diagram illustrating an example of a component carrier of CC (3) according to the embodiment. Fig. 3E is a diagram illustrating an example of a component carrier of CC (4) according to the embodiment.

[0038] Here, in the example of FIG. 2, the signal wirelessly transmitted from the terminal device C1 includes four CCs, CC(1) to CC(4), as in the example of FIG. 3A. Also, in the example of FIG. 2, the signal extracted by the filter 111-1 of the RF functional unit D1 includes one CC, CC(1), as in the example of FIG. 3B. FIG. 3B illustrates a passband F1, which is the frequency band extracted by the filter 111-1. Similarly, in the example of FIG. 2, the signal extracted by the filter 111-2 of the RF functional unit D2 includes one CC, CC(2), as in the example of FIG. 3C. FIG. 3C illustrates a passband F2, which is the frequency band extracted by the filter 111-2. Similarly, in the example of FIG. 2, the signal extracted by the filter 111-3 of the RF functional unit D3 includes one CC, CC(3), as in the example of FIG. 3D. FIG. 3D illustrates a passband F3, which is the frequency band extracted by the filter 111-3. Similarly, in the example of Fig. 2, the signal extracted by the filter 111-4 of the RF functional unit D4 includes one CC, CC(4), as in the example of Fig. 3E, which illustrates a passband F4, which is the frequency band extracted by the filter 111-4.

[0039] 4 is a diagram showing an example of a situation in which a signal of CC(1) according to an embodiment is communicated. Fig. 4 shows an example of a situation in which only a signal of a signal component of CC(1) is transmitted wirelessly from a terminal device C1 in a communication system 1 similar to that shown in Fig. 2. In this case, in the base station device 12, the on / off instruction unit 211 wirelessly transmits a predetermined instruction signal W1 to the relay station device 11. In the example of Fig. 4, the instruction signal W1 includes an instruction to operate the RF function unit D1 corresponding to the frequency band of CC(1) while stopping the operation of the RF function units D2 to D4 corresponding to other frequency bands.

[0040] 4, in the relay device 11, the RF functional unit D1 is turned on and operates normally. Meanwhile, the other RF functional units D2 to D4 are switched off and do not operate by the on / off switching control units 131-2 to 131-4 in accordance with the instruction signal W1 received from the base station device 12. As a result, only the RF functional unit D1 required for CC(1) is turned on and operates, while the other RF functional units D2 to D4 are turned off and do not operate.

[0041] 3A to 3E illustrate signal components of multiple frequency bands (in this embodiment, multiple component carriers). Note that the signal components of multiple frequency bands may be arranged in, for example, continuous frequency bands, or may be arranged in discrete frequency bands. For example, the CCs of NR may be in different frequency bands as in LTE, but different CCs may exist consecutively in the same frequency band.

[0042] Furthermore, the signal components of multiple frequency bands (multiple component carriers in this embodiment) may be communicated separately, or two or more signal components may be communicated simultaneously. The two or more signal components communicated simultaneously may be adjacent frequency bands, such as a combination of CC(1) and CC(2), or may be discrete frequency bands, such as a combination of CC(1) and CC(3).

[0043] In this embodiment, relay station device 11 is provided with antenna ports equal to the number of any CCs that may be used for CA communication via relay station device 11 in the area where relay station device 11 is installed. In this case, relay station device 11 may, for example, support all CCs, or may support only a specific subset of CCs. When relay station device 11 supports only a specific subset of CCs, for example, relay station device 11 may be configured to notify base station device 12 of its capability when making an initial connection with base station device 12 using a function such as NCR-MT (Mobile termination), or may be configured to register the capability of relay station device 11 in base station device 12 or the like in advance. Here, in NCR, the capability of the relay station device is configured to be registered in advance on the base station device or network (NW) side.

[0044] In the NCR, the NCR-Fwd is a function that amplifies and transfers uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) RF signals between the gNB and the user equipment (UE). The NCR-Fwd communicates with the UE via the Access Link and with the gNB via the Backhaul Link. In the NCR, the NCR-MT is a function that exchanges information with the gNB. The NCR-MT communicates with the gNB via the Control Link (C-Link). The base is the radio access line (NR Uu) interface.

[0045] <Communication of an instruction signal> Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a signal communication flow including an instruction signal according to the embodiment. Fig. 5 shows a relay station device 11, a base station device 12, and a terminal device C1.

[0046] (Process T1) When controlling communication, the base station device 12 wirelessly transmits to the relay station device 11, via the on / off instruction unit 211, an instruction signal for switching on and off each of the RF function units D1 to D4 in the relay station device 11. As a result, in the relay station device 11, each of the RF function units D1 to D4 is turned on or off in accordance with the instruction signal.

[0047] (Process T2) The base station device 12 also wirelessly transmits a CC notification signal (CC designation signal) to the terminal device C1. As a result, the terminal device C1 performs wireless transmission using the CC of the notified frequency band in accordance with the notification signal. In this embodiment, the notification signal is a signal that notifies the terminal device C1 of CA resource allocation from the base station device 12.

[0048] Here, the on / off instruction unit 211 of the base station device 12 matches the CC used by the terminal device C1 with the CC that instructs the relay station device 11 to switch to the on state. As a result, the frequency band used for transmission by the terminal device C1 matches the frequency band that is switched to the on state in the relay station device 11.

[0049] As a specific example, when base station device 12 notifies terminal device C1 of the CC index of CA (CA resource allocation) by (processing T2), base station device 12 may notify relay station device 11 of a predetermined instruction signal by (processing T1). The instruction signal may include, for example, information instructing the on / off of RF functional units D1 to D4 corresponding to the CC (information instructing the on / off of the antenna port corresponding to the CC), or may include the CC index itself. The instruction signal controls the on / off of each of the RF functional units D1 to D4 in relay station device 11 (the on / off of each antenna port). In this specific example, a new communication step (processing T1) is added in which base station device 12 transmits an instruction signal including control information related to the CC of CA to relay station device 11. That is, for example, the base station device 12 notifies the terminal device C1 of the resource allocation of the CA, and notifies the relay station device 11 of instruction information regarding the on / off of the RF function unit or antenna port corresponding to the CC in the CA.

[0050] In the example of Figure 5, a configuration is shown in which the timing of (process T1) precedes the timing of (process T2), but as another example, a configuration in which the timing of (process T2) precedes the timing of (process T1), or a configuration in which these timings are simultaneous (or nearly simultaneous), may be used.

[0051] 5, the signal (instruction signal) transmitted from base station device 12 to relay station device 11 in (process T1) and the signal transmitted from base station device 12 to terminal device C1 in (process T2) are shown as separate signals, but as another example, these signals may be shared. In this case, the shared signal wirelessly transmitted from base station device 12 is received by both relay station device 11 and terminal device C1.

[0052] Here, in this embodiment, a configuration is shown in which the instruction signal from the on / off instruction unit 211 does not give a particular instruction (information representing the instruction content) to an RF functional unit (any of the RF functional units D1 to D4) to be in the on state, but gives a predetermined instruction (information representing the instruction content) to an RF functional unit (any of the RF functional units D1 to D4) to be in the off state. As another example, a configuration may be used in which no particular instruction (information representing the instruction content) is given to an RF functional unit (any of the RF functional units D1 to D4) to be in the off state, but gives a predetermined instruction (information representing the instruction content) to an RF functional unit (any of the RF functional units D1 to D4) to be in the on state, or a configuration may be used in which a predetermined instruction (information representing the instruction content) is given to both of them.

[0053] As described above, the relay station device 11 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of n (four in the present embodiment) RF functional units (RF functional units D1 to D4 in the present embodiment), each having an antenna port (antenna ports P1 to P4 and antenna ports P11 to P14 in the present embodiment), and on / off switching control units (on / off switching control units 131-1 to 131-4 in the present embodiment) that control switching between the on state and the off state of each RF functional unit based on a received predetermined instruction signal. Each RF functional unit corresponds to one of a plurality of frequency bands. In the on state, the RF functional unit performs predetermined processing on signal components of the received signal to be relayed, which are in the frequency band corresponding to each RF functional unit.

[0054] Therefore, in the relay station device 11 according to this embodiment, each RF functional unit can be switched between an on state and an off state. Therefore, for example, by turning on only the RF functional units required for relay processing, it is possible to achieve efficiency such as reduced power consumption compared to a case where all RF functional units are always on.

[0055] For example, when relaying a communication signal (a signal to be relayed) communicated between a base station device (base station device 12 in this embodiment) and a terminal device (terminal device C1 in this embodiment), the relay station device 11 controls the on / off of the RF radio unit (the on / off of the antenna port) using an instruction signal from the base station device, thereby making it possible to reduce unnecessary power consumption that may occur during relaying. In other words, when relaying, the relay station device 11 can reduce power consumption by only performing relay processing corresponding to signals (signal components) in a frequency band in which the signal (signal component) to be relayed exists. In other words, when relaying a communication signal, the base station device can individually control the on / off of each of the multiple RF radio units (the on / off of the antenna port) included in the relay station device 11 according to the frequency band corresponding to the communication signal.

[0056] Here, when signals (signal components) of two or more different frequency bands are to be relayed simultaneously, the signal that combines the signals (signal components) of these two or more different frequency bands becomes the signal to be relayed. On the other hand, when a signal (signal component) of only one frequency band is to be relayed, the signal (signal component) of that frequency band becomes the signal to be relayed. Furthermore, for example, signals (signal components) of two or more different frequency bands may each carry different information, but the same information may also be carried.

[0057] Furthermore, in relay station device 11 according to this embodiment, the signal to be relayed is a communication signal of carrier aggregation. Each signal component of a plurality of frequency bands corresponds to each component carrier in carrier aggregation. Therefore, relay station device 11 according to this embodiment is applicable to a communication system that uses carrier aggregation.

[0058] For example, in an L1 relay station device that supports communications in which different information is carried on component carriers of multiple frequency bands, such as carrier aggregation, relay processing can be switched on / off for each RF function unit (for each antenna port) corresponding to each frequency band (each component carrier).

[0059] Furthermore, in the relay station device 11 according to the present embodiment, the predetermined processing of the RF functional unit does not include demodulation processing. Therefore, in the relay station device 11 according to the present embodiment, even when an RF functional unit without a demodulation function is used, it is possible to achieve efficiency such as reduced power consumption.

[0060] In addition, if the RF function unit has a demodulation function, it is possible that the problem to be solved by this embodiment will not occur, but the technology of this embodiment may be applied when the RF function unit has a demodulation function.

[0061] Furthermore, in the relay station device 11 according to the present embodiment, the instruction signal is transmitted wirelessly from a communication device with which the relay station device is communicating. Therefore, in the relay station device 11 according to the present embodiment, the on / off switching of each RF function unit can be controlled from an external communication device. Here, the communication device is, for example, a base station device, but as another example, it may be a terminal device. As yet another example, when multiple relay station devices including the relay station device 11 continuously relay a signal to be relayed in series, a relay station device (another relay station device) preceding the relay station device 11 may transmit an instruction signal to the relay station device 11. In this case, the other relay station device corresponds to the communication device that transmits the instruction signal. As a result, when multiple relay station devices continuously relay a signal to be relayed, the other relay station devices can control the on / off switching of the RF function unit of the relay station device 11 in advance. It is also possible to provide a communication method performed in the communication device.

[0062] Here, the configuration for controlling the on / off of each RF functional unit in the relay station device as in this embodiment may be applied, for example, only to a signal transmitted from one communication device to another communication device, or may be applied to both a signal transmitted from one communication device to another communication device and a signal transmitted from the other communication device to the one communication device. Note that the one communication device and the other communication device may be, for example, a base station device and a terminal device, or a terminal device and a base station device, in the order of description.

[0063] Furthermore, signals that are subjected to various processes in a communication system including a relay station device according to this embodiment may be handled, for example, in the form of a digital signal, or in the form of an analog signal, or may be handled in part in the form of a digital signal and in other parts in the form of an analog signal. Furthermore, the relay station device according to this embodiment may be installed, for example, at a fixed location, or may be installed in a mobile device that can move. The mobile device may be, for example, an automobile, an airplane, or an unmanned aerial vehicle (a so-called drone).

[0064] [Regarding the above embodiment] As a result of the above, it is possible to realize an improvement in the overall service quality in, for example, a wireless network, which makes it possible to contribute to Goal 9 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) led by the United Nations, which is to "build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation."

[0065] A program for implementing the functions of any of the components of any of the above-described devices may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium and then loaded into a computer system for execution. The term "computer system" as used herein includes hardware such as an operating system or peripheral devices. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and compact disc (CD)-read-only memories (ROMs), as well as storage devices such as hard disks built into computer systems. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording medium" also includes devices that retain a program for a certain period of time, such as volatile memory within a computer system that acts as a server or client when a program is transmitted via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. Such volatile memory may be, for example, random access memory (RAM). The recording medium may also be, for example, a non-transitory recording medium.

[0066] The above program may also be transmitted from a computer system storing the program in a storage device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium or by transmission waves in the transmission medium. Here, the "transmission medium" that transmits the program refers to a medium that has the function of transmitting information, such as a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. The above program may also be intended to realize part of the above-mentioned functions. Furthermore, the above program may be a so-called differential file that can realize the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system. A differential file may also be called a differential program.

[0067] Furthermore, the functions of any of the components in any of the above-described devices may be implemented by a processor. For example, each process in the embodiments may be implemented by a processor operating based on information such as a program and a computer-readable recording medium storing information such as the program. Here, the functions of each unit of the processor may be implemented by, for example, individual hardware, or may be implemented by integrated hardware. For example, the processor may include hardware, and the hardware may include at least one of a circuit for processing digital signals and a circuit for processing analog signals. For example, the processor may be configured using one or more circuit devices mounted on a circuit board, or one or both of one or more circuit elements. An integrated circuit (IC) or the like may be used as the circuit device, and a resistor or a capacitor may be used as the circuit element.

[0068] Here, the processor may be, for example, a CPU. However, the processor is not limited to a CPU, and various types of processors, such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), may be used. The processor may also be, for example, a hardware circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The processor may also be, for example, composed of multiple CPUs, or may also be composed of a hardware circuit such as multiple ASICs. The processor may also be, for example, composed of a combination of multiple CPUs and a hardware circuit such as multiple ASICs. The processor may also include, for example, one or more of an amplifier circuit or a filter circuit that processes analog signals.

[0069] The embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, but the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and includes designs within the scope that do not deviate from the gist of this disclosure.

[0070] The relay station device, communication device, communication system, and communication method according to the present disclosure can improve efficiency, such as reducing power consumption.

[0071] 1...Communication system, 11...Relay station device, 12...Base station device, 111-1 to 111-4...Filter, 112-1 to 112-4...Processing unit, 131-1 to 131-4...On / off switching control unit, 211...On / off instruction unit, 2011 to 2014...Characteristics, A1 to A4, B1 to B4...Antenna, C1 to Cm...Terminal device, D1 to D4...RF function unit, F1 to F4...Passband, P1 to P4, P11 to P14...Antenna port, W1...Instruction signal

Claims

1. A relay station device comprising: a plurality of (n) RF (Radio Frequency) functional units, each having an antenna port; and an on / off switching control unit that controls switching between the on and off states of each RF functional unit based on a specific instruction signal received; each of the RF functional units corresponds to a respective one of a number of frequency bands; and when in the on state, the RF functional unit performs a specific processing on signal components of a received signal to be relayed, the signal components being in a frequency band corresponding to each of the RF functional units.

2. The relay station device according to claim 1, wherein the signal to be relayed is a carrier aggregation communication signal, and each of the signal components in the plurality of frequency bands corresponds to each of the component carriers in the carrier aggregation.

3. The relay station device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined processing of the RF functional unit does not include demodulation processing.

4. The relay station device according to claim 1, wherein the instruction signal is transmitted wirelessly from a communication device that is to be a communication partner.

5. A communications device that transmits an instruction signal to a relay station device that includes a plurality of (n) RF (Radio Frequency) functional units, each having an antenna port, and an on / off switching control unit that controls switching between the on and off states of each RF functional unit based on a received predetermined instruction signal, the communications device further including an on / off instruction unit that transmits the instruction signal to the relay station device, wherein each of the RF functional units in the relay station device corresponds to one of a plurality of frequency bands, and when in the on state, the RF functional unit performs a predetermined processing on the signal components of the received signal to be relayed, which are in the frequency band corresponding to each of the RF functional units.

6. A communication system having a communication device and a relay station device, wherein the relay station device comprises: a plurality of (n) RF (Radio Frequency) functional units, each having an antenna port; and an on / off switching control unit that controls switching between the on state and the off state of each RF functional unit based on a received predetermined instruction signal, wherein each of the RF functional units corresponds to a respective one of a plurality of frequency bands, and when in the on state, the RF functional unit performs predetermined processing on signal components of a received signal to be relayed, the signal components being in a frequency band corresponding to each of the RF functional units, and the communication device comprises an on / off instruction unit that transmits the instruction signal to the relay station device.

7. A communication method in a communication system having a communication device and a relay station device, wherein the relay station device comprises: a plurality of (n) RF (Radio Frequency) functional units, each having an antenna port; and an on / off switching control unit that controls switching between the on state and the off state of each RF functional unit based on a received predetermined instruction signal, wherein each of the RF functional units corresponds to a respective one of a plurality of frequency bands, and when in the on state, the RF functional unit performs predetermined processing on signal components of a received signal to be relayed, the signal components being in a frequency band corresponding to each of the RF functional units, and the communication device transmits the instruction signal to the relay station device using an on / off instruction unit.

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