Wireless communication system, intent extraction device, wireless communication method, and intent extraction program

Abstract

A wireless communication system according to one embodiment includes a plurality of base stations and comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires information indicating an intent for wireless communication of each of a plurality of users each using a wireless terminal that connects to at least one of the base stations; an extraction unit that extracts each of the intents of the plurality of users acquired by the acquisition unit as an intent value obtained by quantifying the intent according to each predetermined index; a map generation unit that generates a map in which each data item based on the intent value extracted by the extraction unit is associated with the position of at least one of the base stations and the wireless terminals; an area division unit that divides an area on the map into a plurality of areas through classification based on the value of each data item; and a control unit that performs control so that the base stations and the wireless terminals perform wireless communication under different conditions for each area obtained through the division by the area division unit.

Description

Wireless communication system, requirement extraction device, wireless communication method, and requirement extraction program

[0001] The present invention relates to a wireless communication system, a requirement extraction device, a wireless communication method, and a requirement extraction program.

[0002] Users of communication services have the desire (intent) to have highly reliable and low-latency communications, while service providers have the desire to provide services at low cost and to increase user satisfaction.

[0003] However, user requirements for communications (including the services used, the usage environment and situation, etc.) are not always expressed quantitatively, and may be expressed using vague expressions that do not have specific indicators or values. For example, there is a known technology that collects information related to the requirements (intents) of users and service providers and converts this information into quantitative requirements (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

[0004] "Technology for extracting and converting diverse and ambiguous intents toward realizing Mintent," [online], NTT Research and Development Website, [searched April 23, 2024], Internet <URL: https: / / www.rd.ntt / research / JN202207_18762.html>

[0005] However, in the past, even if a user requested an increase in communication resources in wireless communication, the user's request was expressed vaguely, making it impossible to distinguish between areas (regions) where an increase in communication resources was required and areas where an increase in communication resources was not required.

[0006] For example, even if the requirements extracted from multiple adjacent areas have the same tendency, if the user inputs vague requirements (request notification / inquiry), the results when quantified may be different or may not fully satisfy the requirements.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a wireless communication system, a requirement extraction device, a wireless communication method, and a requirement extraction program that enable efficient control to satisfy the requirements of multiple users for wireless communication.

[0008] A wireless communication system according to one embodiment of the present invention is a wireless communication system having a plurality of base stations, and is characterized by having an acquisition unit that acquires information indicating the wireless communication requirements of each of a plurality of users who use wireless terminals connected to at least one of the base stations; an extraction unit that extracts the requirements of the multiple users acquired by the acquisition unit as requirement values ​​quantified for each predetermined indicator; a map generation unit that generates a map in which each piece of data based on the requirement values ​​extracted by the extraction unit is associated with the positions of at least one of the base stations and the wireless terminals; an area division unit that divides an area on the map into a plurality of areas by classification based on the values ​​of each piece of data; and a control unit that controls the base station and the wireless terminal to perform wireless communication under different conditions for each area divided by the area division unit.

[0009] Furthermore, a requirement extraction device according to one embodiment of the present invention is characterized by having an acquisition unit that acquires information indicating requirements for wireless communication from each of a plurality of users who use wireless terminals connected to at least one of a plurality of base stations; an extraction unit that extracts the requirements of the multiple users acquired by the acquisition unit as requirement values ​​quantified for each predetermined indicator; a map generation unit that generates a map in which each piece of data based on the requirement values ​​extracted by the extraction unit is associated with the positions of at least one of the base stations and the wireless terminals; an area division unit that divides an area on the map into a plurality of areas by classification based on the values ​​of each piece of data; and an output unit that outputs conditions for setting the base station and the wireless terminal to perform different wireless communication for each area divided by the area division unit.

[0010] Furthermore, a wireless communication method according to one embodiment of the present invention is a wireless communication method in which a plurality of base stations accommodate a plurality of wireless terminals, and is characterized by including the following steps: an acquisition step of acquiring information indicating the requirements for wireless communication of each of a plurality of users who use wireless terminals connected to at least one of the base stations; an extraction step of extracting the requirements of the plurality of users acquired by the acquisition step as requirement values ​​quantified for each predetermined indicator; a map generation step of generating a map in which each piece of data based on the requirement values ​​extracted by the extraction step is associated with the positions of at least one of the base stations and the wireless terminals; an area division step of dividing an area on the map into a plurality of areas by classification based on the values ​​of each piece of data; and a control step of controlling the base station and the wireless terminal to perform wireless communication under different conditions for each area divided by the area division step.

[0011] Furthermore, a requirement extraction program according to one embodiment of the present invention is a requirement extraction program for causing a computer to function as each part of a requirement extraction device having an acquisition unit that acquires information indicating the requirements for wireless communication of each of a plurality of users who use wireless terminals connected to at least one of a plurality of base stations; an extraction unit that extracts each of the requirements of the multiple users acquired by the acquisition unit as a requirement value quantified for each predetermined indicator; a map generation unit that generates a map in which each piece of data based on the requirement value extracted by the extraction unit is associated with the position of at least one of the base station and the wireless terminal; an area division unit that divides an area on the map into a plurality of areas by classification based on the value of each piece of data; and an output unit that outputs conditions for setting the base station and the wireless terminal to conduct different wireless communication for each area divided by the area division unit.

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently perform control that satisfies the needs of multiple users for wireless communication.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating functions of a base station and a request extraction device; FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating an operation example of a wireless communication system; FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating another operation example of a wireless communication system; FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating another configuration example of a wireless communication system; and FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a request extraction device according to an embodiment.

[0014] A wireless communication system according to an embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a wireless communication system 1 according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the wireless communication system 1 includes, for example, a plurality of base stations 2 and a request extraction device 3 connected via a wired or wireless network, and accommodates a plurality of wireless terminals 10.

[0015] The base station 2 functions as a transmitting station that transmits data to the wireless terminal 10. The base station 2 may be a wireless LAN base station or a Shared AP defined in IEEE 802.11bn. The base station 2 may also be a base station (cellular base station) in a mobile phone network.

[0016] The wireless terminals 10 are, for example, terminals carried by respective users. The request extractor 3 extracts, via a plurality of base stations 2, requests (intents) for wireless communication from users who use the respective wireless terminals 10.

[0017] The request extraction device 3 then controls the communication between the base station 2 and each of the wireless terminals 10 so as to satisfy the wireless communication requests of the multiple users based on the wireless communication requests of the users who use each of the wireless terminals 10.

[0018] The request extraction device 3 may exist independently, in a server (not shown), or on a cloud. The request extraction device 3 may also be a sharing AP.

[0019] 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating the functions of the base station 2 and the request extraction device 3. As shown in FIG. 2, the base station 2 includes, for example, a sensor 20, a storage unit 22, a communication unit 24, and a CPU 26.

[0020] The sensor 20 is, for example, a camera, and detects the environment around the base station 2 (such as the presence or absence of obstacles). For example, the sensor 20 may acquire human movement or the like by means of an image. Note that the sensor 20 may be an infrared sensor, an ultraviolet sensor, a sound sensor, a temperature sensor, or the like that detects environmental information around the base station 2, other than a camera, and may be a sensor having multiple detection functions.

[0021] The storage unit 22 stores the position (coordinate) data of the base station 2 itself, the coordinate data of the wireless terminals 10 (corresponding to users) accommodated therein, and communication quality information such as throughput, delay, PER, etc. In other words, the storage unit 22 functions as a terminal information storage unit that stores information related to the wireless terminals 10.

[0022] The positions of the base station 2 and the wireless terminal 10 may be detected using a GPS function or may be identified by wireless communication. In addition, the positions of the base station 2 and the wireless terminal 10 may be assumed to be fixed and notified in advance.

[0023] The communication unit 24 performs wired or wireless communication with the request extraction device 3. The CPU 26 controls each unit constituting the base station 2.

[0024] The requirement extraction device 3 includes a communication unit 30 , an acquisition unit 31 , an extraction unit 32 , an aggregation unit 33 , a map generation unit 34 , an area division unit 35 , an evaluation unit 36 ​​, an output unit 37 , and a control unit 38 .

[0025] The communication unit 30 performs wired or wireless communication with the base stations 2 and outputs various data received from each base station 2 to the acquisition unit 31 and the control unit 38 .

[0026] The acquisition unit 31 acquires information indicating requests for wireless communication from each of a plurality of users who use wireless terminals 10 connected to at least one of a plurality of base stations 2, and outputs the information to the extraction unit 32 and the control unit 38. For example, the acquisition unit 31 can acquire the user's requests for wireless communication by the user answering a question displayed on the wireless terminal 10.

[0027] The extracting unit 32 extracts the requests of the multiple users acquired by the acquiring unit 31 as request values ​​quantified for each predetermined index, and outputs the values ​​to the aggregating unit 33 and the control unit 38 .

[0028] The aggregation unit 33 aggregates the coordinate data of the base station 2 itself and the user that each base station 2 has, as well as the data detected by the sensor 20, matches it with each user's request, and outputs the results to the map generation unit 34 and the control unit 38.

[0029] The map generation unit 34 generates a map in which each piece of data based on the required values ​​extracted by the extraction unit 32 is associated with the position of at least one of the base station 2 and the wireless terminal 10, and outputs the map to the area division unit 35 and the control unit 38.

[0030] The area dividing unit 35 divides the area on the map generated by the map generating unit 34 into multiple areas by classifying the data (including processed data such as average values ​​and deviations) based on the required values ​​extracted by the extracting unit 32, for example, and outputs the results to the evaluating unit 36 ​​and the control unit 38.

[0031] The evaluation unit 36 ​​evaluates, for example, whether or not it is necessary to expand communication resources for each of the multiple areas divided by the area division unit 35, based on the map generated by the map generation unit 34 and the data based on the required values ​​extracted by the extraction unit 32, and outputs the results to the control unit 38.

[0032] The output unit 37 outputs to another device, for example, conditions for setting different wireless communications between the base station 2 and the wireless terminal 10 for each area divided by the area dividing unit 35. The communication unit 30 described above may have the function of the output unit 37.

[0033] The control unit 38 controls each unit constituting the request extraction device 3. For example, the control unit 38 controls the base station 2 and the wireless terminal 10 to perform wireless communication under different conditions for each area divided by the area dividing unit 35.

[0034] The functions of the request extraction device 3 may be provided by other devices constituting the wireless communication system 1, such as the base station 2, or by other devices (not shown) connected via a network.

[0035] Next, we will explain an example of the operation of the wireless communication system 1. Fig. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the operation of the wireless communication system 1. The requirement extraction device 3 generates a map in which each piece of data based on the requirement values ​​extracted by the extraction unit 32 is associated with the positions of at least one of the base station 2 and the wireless terminal 10.

[0036] For example, the request extraction device 3 divides an area into "area A" where wireless terminals 10 whose request values ​​indicating predetermined user requests are equal to or greater than a first threshold are concentrated. The request extraction device 3 also divides an area into "area B" where wireless terminals 10 whose request values ​​indicating predetermined user requests are less than the first threshold and equal to or greater than a second threshold are concentrated. The request extraction device 3 also divides an area into "area C" where wireless terminals 10 whose request values ​​indicating predetermined user requests are less than the second threshold are concentrated.

[0037] At this time, the requirement extraction device 3 may visualize the wireless terminals 10 in the divided areas by distinguishing them by color. Also, the requirement extraction device 3 may visualize each area using numbers, figures, graphs, etc.

[0038] Furthermore, if there is a wireless terminal 10 in the same area where the quality of wireless communication (for example, throughput, delay, PER, RSSI, etc.) fluctuates greatly, the request extraction device 3 may visualize the wireless terminal 10 as a user with large quality fluctuations.

[0039] Furthermore, the request extraction device 3 may generate a map in the map generation unit 34 by associating the deviation between the request extracted by the extraction unit 32 and the communication quality of the wireless terminal 10 with the location of the wireless terminal 10 or the base station 2. In this case, the map generation unit 34 may divide the deviation value into several stages and associate a color or the like with each stage. Furthermore, the map generation unit 34 may generate a map by calculating, for example, the number of people, the congestion rate, or the average movement speed.

[0040] Then, if, for example, the requests in area A contain many requests related to large capacity and the requests in area C contain few requests related to large capacity, the request extraction device 3 controls the allocation of part of the communication resources allocated to area A to area C.

[0041] In this way, the wireless communication system 1 can control the increase or decrease of limited communication resources for each divided area by checking the trend of requests for each divided area and the difference from the actual communication quality. Furthermore, even if the wireless communication system 1 cannot extract user requests completely, it can perform efficient control by complementing requests that have already been extracted.

[0042] Furthermore, the requirement extraction device 3 may perform clustering of users or division of regions based on the map generated by the map generation unit 34. In this case, the requirement extraction device 3 may use a hierarchical method such as a shortest distance method, or a non-hierarchical method such as a k-means method.

[0043] Furthermore, the wireless communication system 1 may be configured to present answer candidates to a question for a user displayed on the wireless terminal 10, based on the map generated by the map generation unit 34. For example, the wireless terminal 10 may present names of places or buildings, names and usage methods of applications used, means, required quality, etc. as answer candidates.

[0044] Furthermore, when acquiring requests from users in the same area, the wireless communication system 1 may reduce the number of questions to the users. For example, in an area where there are many users requesting high throughput, the wireless communication system 1 may assume that other users also require high throughput and reduce the number of questions regarding throughput.

[0045] Next, a description will be given of another example of the operation of the wireless communication system 1. Fig. 4 is a diagram schematically showing another example of the operation of the wireless communication system 1. Here, it is assumed that a shielding object (obstacle) 4 exists in the area A.

[0046] When representing the coordinates of the user (wireless terminal 10) or the base station 2 or when performing clustering, the wireless communication system 1 may take into account obstruction based on terrain information that utilizes a 3D model of the terrain including the obstruction 4. For example, when the obstruction 4 is present, the wireless communication system 1 may replace the actual distance to the user (a [m]) with a converted distance in the absence of obstruction (e.g., a' > a [m]) based on the value of radio wave attenuation due to the obstruction 4.

[0047] Furthermore, the wireless communication system 1 may be configured as a wireless communication system 1 that forms an area where radio waves can reach using a reflector 100, as shown in Fig. 5. In Fig. 5, user requests in each of the three divided areas are classified as requests X, Y, and Z, respectively.

[0048] In this way, the wireless communication system 1 generates a map in which each piece of data based on the requirement values ​​extracted by the extraction unit 32 is associated with the position of at least one of the base station 2 and the wireless terminal 10, and divides the area on the map into multiple areas by classifying the data based on the value of each piece of data, thereby making it possible to efficiently perform control that satisfies the requirements of multiple users for wireless communication.

[0049] In addition, each function possessed by the base station 2 and the request extraction device 3 may be configured in part or in whole by hardware such as a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or may be configured as a program executed by a processor such as a CPU.

[0050] For example, the requirement extraction device 3 can be realized using a computer and a program, and the program can be recorded on a storage medium or provided via a network.

[0051] 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a requirement extraction device 3 according to an embodiment. As shown in the figure, the requirement extraction device 3 has, for example, an input unit 50, an output unit 51, a communication unit 52, a CPU 53, a memory 54, and an HDD 55 connected via a bus 56, and functions as a computer. The requirement extraction device 3 is also configured to be able to input and output data to and from a computer-readable storage medium 57.

[0052] The input unit 50 is, for example, a keyboard and a mouse. The output unit 51 is, for example, a display device such as a display that outputs images. The communication unit 52 is, for example, a wired or wireless network interface, and may have a function as an output unit that outputs data to the outside.

[0053] As described above, the CPU 53 controls each component of the request extraction device 3 and performs predetermined processing, etc. The memory 54 and HDD 55 are storage units that store data, etc.

[0054] The storage medium 57 is capable of storing programs and the like that cause the requirements extraction device 3 to execute the functions of the requirements extraction device 3. The architecture that configures the requirements extraction device 3 is not limited to the example shown in FIG.

[0055] The functions performed by the components described herein may be implemented in circuitry or processing circuitry, including general purpose processors, application specific processors, integrated circuits, ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), a CPU (a Central Processing Unit), conventional circuits, and / or combinations thereof, programmed to perform the described functions.

[0056] A processor includes transistors and other circuits and is considered to be circuitry or processing circuitry. A processor may be a programmed processor that executes programs stored in memory.

[0057] In this specification, a circuitry, unit, or means is hardware that is programmed to realize or performs the described functions, which may be any hardware disclosed herein or any hardware known to be programmed to realize or perform the described functions.

[0058] If the hardware is a processor considered to be a type of circuitry, the circuitry, means, or unit is a combination of the hardware and software used to configure the hardware and / or processor.

[0059] 1...wireless communication system, 2...base station, 3...requirement extraction device, 4...shield, 10...wireless terminal, 20...sensor, 22...storage unit, 24...communication unit, 26...CPU, 30...communication unit, 31...acquisition unit, 32...extraction unit, 33...aggregation unit, 34...map generation unit, 35...area division unit, 36...evaluation unit, 37...output unit, 38...control unit, 50...input unit, 51...output unit, 52...communication unit, 53...CPU, 54...memory, 55...HDD, 56...bus, 57...storage medium, 100...reflector

Claims

1. A wireless communication system having a plurality of base stations, comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires information indicating the wireless communication requirements of each of a plurality of users who use wireless terminals connected to at least one of the base stations; an extraction unit that extracts the requirements of the multiple users acquired by the acquisition unit as requirement values ​​quantified for each predetermined index; a map generation unit that generates a map in which each piece of data based on the requirement values ​​extracted by the extraction unit is associated with the positions of at least one of the base stations and the wireless terminals; an area division unit that divides an area on the map into a plurality of areas by classification based on the values ​​of each piece of data; and a control unit that controls the base station and the wireless terminal to perform wireless communication under different conditions for each area divided by the area division unit.

2. A requirement extraction device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires information indicating requirements for wireless communication from each of multiple users who use wireless terminals connected to at least one of multiple base stations; an extraction unit that extracts the requirements of the multiple users acquired by the acquisition unit as requirement values ​​quantified for each predetermined indicator; a map generation unit that generates a map in which each piece of data based on the requirement values ​​extracted by the extraction unit is associated with the positions of at least one of the base stations and the wireless terminals; an area division unit that divides an area on the map into multiple areas by classification based on the values ​​of each piece of data; and an output unit that outputs, for each area divided by the area division unit, conditions for setting the base station and the wireless terminal to perform different wireless communication.

3. A wireless communication method for accommodating multiple wireless terminals using multiple base stations, comprising: an acquisition step of acquiring information indicating requirements for wireless communication from each of multiple users using wireless terminals connected to at least one of the base stations; an extraction step of extracting the requirements of the multiple users acquired by the acquisition step as requirement values ​​quantified for each predetermined index; a map generation step of generating a map in which each piece of data based on the requirement values ​​extracted by the extraction step is associated with the positions of at least one of the base stations and the wireless terminals; an area division step of dividing an area on the map into multiple areas by classification based on the values ​​of each piece of data; and a control step of controlling the base station and the wireless terminal to perform wireless communication under different conditions for each area divided by the area division step.

4. A requirements extraction program for causing a computer to function as each part of a requirements extraction device having: an acquisition unit that acquires information indicating the wireless communication requirements of each of multiple users who use wireless terminals connected to at least one of multiple base stations; an extraction unit that extracts the requirements of the multiple users acquired by the acquisition unit as requirement values ​​quantified for each predetermined index; a map generation unit that generates a map in which each piece of data based on the requirement values ​​extracted by the extraction unit is associated with the positions of at least one of the base stations and the wireless terminals; an area division unit that divides an area on the map into multiple areas by classification based on the values ​​of each piece of data; and an output unit that outputs, for each area divided by the area division unit, conditions for setting the base station and the wireless terminal to perform different wireless communications.

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