Information processing device, information processing method, and communication system

Abstract

This information processing device is provided with: a determination unit that determines whether or not an interference fringe formed by synthesis of a plurality of radio waves including a radio wave that has been reflected or transmitted by a propagation path control device satisfies a predetermined criterion, the propagation path control device having a structure that reflects or transmits an incoming radio wave and being capable of controlling reflection characteristics or transmission characteristics of the structure; and an interference fringe control unit that performs an operation for changing the interference fringe when the interference fringe satisfies the predetermined criterion.

Description

Information processing device, information processing method, and communication system

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a communication system.

[0002] As demand for communications expands, the depletion of radio wave resources (wireless resources) has become a problem. To address this issue, attention has been focused on technology that improves frequency utilization efficiency by dynamically changing radio wave propagation paths (channels). Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) are known as devices for changing propagation paths (hereinafter also referred to as propagation 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] International Publication No. 2023 / 058139

[0004] However, simply introducing RIS may not fully realize effective use of radio wave resources. For example, in communications using RIS, interference fringes may be formed in the communications environment due to the synthesis of multiple radio waves (e.g., direct waves and reflected waves). The formed interference fringes may affect the transmission or reception operations of the communications device, and as a result, the originally expected frequency utilization efficiency may not be realized.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure proposes an information processing device, an information processing method, and a communication system 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, an information processing device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a determination unit that determines whether interference fringes formed by combining a plurality of radio waves, including radio waves reflected or transmitted by a propagation 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, satisfy a predetermined criterion, and an interference fringe control unit that performs an operation to change the interference fringes when the interference fringes satisfy the predetermined criterion.

[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 state in which a RIS is installed in a communication environment. FIG. 3 is an image diagram of interference fringes. 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 communication system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a management device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a base station according to the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of a propagation path control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of a surface unit provided in a transmission path control device. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a terminal device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of a control station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication environment assumed in this embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating another example of a communication environment assumed in this embodiment. A flowchart illustrating interference fringe control processing according to Example 1. A diagram illustrating a relationship between a receiving operation of a communication device and interference fringes. A diagram for explaining a predetermined range. A flowchart illustrating interference fringe control processing according to Example 2.

[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] Additionally, in this description / specification, the phrase "at least one of" following a list of elements is understood to mean that the listed elements are optional. For example, "at least one of A, B, and C" means "(A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B, and C)." "At least one of A, B, or C" and "at least one of A, B, and / or C" are similar to "at least one of A, B, and C." Here, A, B, and C are all arbitrary expressions (e.g., words, phrases, clauses, terms, or items).

[0011] 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 distinguished by adding different numbers to the same reference numerals to the propagation path control device 30 as needed. １ , 30 ２ , and 30 ３ However, when there is no need to particularly distinguish between a plurality of components having substantially the same functional configuration, only the same reference numerals are used. For example, the propagation path 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 propagation path control device 30.

[0012] 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.

[0013] The present disclosure will be described in the following order: 1. Overview 1-1. Interference fringes 1-2. Problems 1-3. Overview of solutions 2. Configuration of communication system 2-1. Configuration of management device 2-2. Configuration of base station 2-3. Configuration of propagation path control device 2-4. Configuration of terminal device 2-5. Configuration of control station 3. Operation of communication system 3-1. Communication environment 3-2. Example 1 3-3. Example 2 4. Modification 5. Conclusion

[0014] <<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 technologies that improve frequency utilization efficiency by dynamically changing radio wave propagation paths. A known device for changing propagation paths (hereinafter also referred to as a propagation path control device) is a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS). A RIS is also called an intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) or an intelligent surface (IS).

[0015] 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 realizes 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 an incoming radio wave by manipulating the permittivity and / or permeability of the metasurface (metasurface element).

[0016] 2 and 3 are diagrams showing how a RIS is installed in a communication environment. Fig. 2 shows how one RIS is installed in a communication environment where a base station (BS) and a user equipment (UE) are located, and Fig. 3 shows how multiple RISs (RIS#1 and RIS#2 shown in Fig. 3) are installed in the communication environment where the base station (BS) and the user equipment (UE) are located. A control device inside or outside the RIS can control the reflection characteristics of the RIS to form a new propagation path or control the direction of the reflected wave to bypass an obstruction.

[0017] Various operation methods for the RIS are envisioned. For example, one of the operation methods for the RIS is to improve the rank of a MIMO (Multi-Input Multi-Output) channel. In this operation method, the RIS is controlled so that each eigenvalue resulting from decomposing a MIMO channel matrix using Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) is equalized. By arranging the RIS in a communication environment and forming a channel suitable for MIMO, efficient MIMO communication (also referred to as MIMO transmission) can be realized.

[0018] <1-1. Interference Fringes> In a communication environment where there are multiple entities that output / reflect / transmit radio waves, the radio waves from these entities combine to produce changes in power. For example, the power increases where multiple radio waves overlap in phase, and decreases where multiple radio waves overlap in opposite phases. Positions where power is strong (e.g., positions (lines) where power is greater than a predetermined threshold) and positions where power is weak (e.g., positions (lines) where power is greater than a predetermined threshold) alternate. A position where power is strong is, for example, a position where multiple radio waves overlap in phase, and a position where power is weak is, for example, a position where multiple radio waves overlap in opposite phase. In this embodiment, the fringes / patterns that occur in the communication environment due to these changes in power are called interference fringes. Interference fringes may also be called interference patterns.

[0019] FIG. 4 is an image diagram of interference fringes. Specifically, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing interference fringes formed in a communication environment by radio waves from two entities (BS / UE / RIS). In communication using a RIS, interference fringes may be formed by direct waves from the communication device (BS / UE) and reflected / transmitted waves from the RIS. For example, in the communication environment shown in FIG. 2, interference fringes may be formed by direct waves from the BS and reflected waves from the RIS. Interference fringes may also be formed by reflected / transmitted waves from multiple RISs. For example, in the communication environment shown in FIG. 3, interference fringes may be formed by reflected waves from RIS#1 and reflected waves from RIS#2.

[0020] Whether the receiving device (UE in the examples of Figures 2 and 3) receives overlapping radio waves in phase or out of phase depends, for example, on the direction of the reflected wave beam formed by the RIS and the receiving position of the radio waves (the position of the UE in the examples of Figures 2 and 3).

[0021] In the example of FIG. 4, there are two entities that output / reflect / transmit radio waves, but interference fringes are also formed in the same manner when there are three or more entities.

[0022] <1-2. Issues> The introduction of RIS is expected to improve frequency utilization efficiency. However, simply introducing RIS may not fully realize effective utilization of radio wave resources.

[0023] As mentioned above, in communications using RIS, interference fringes may be formed in the communications environment due to the synthesis of multiple radio waves. The spacing between these interference fringes varies depending on the frequency band used for communications. The spacing between interference fringes is, for example, the distance from one position (line) where power is intensified to the next position (line) where power is intensified. In the 3 to 5 GHz band, the spacing between interference fringes is, for example, approximately 5 to 10 cm.

[0024] Here, suppose that RIS is operated to improve the rank of a MIMO (Multi-Input Multi-Output) channel. When a communication device communicates in the 3 to 5 GHz band, in order to realize RIS control that maximizes the rank improvement of the MIMO channel, it is possible that the estimation accuracy of the antenna position (for example, the position of the receiving antenna of a terminal device) needs to be on the order of several centimeters.

[0025] In this regard, Patent Document 1 (WO 2023 / 058139) discloses a terminal that receives a PRS (Positioning Reference Signal) transmitted from a base station via a wireless relay device and performs positioning based on the PRS and information related to positioning. However, with the estimation accuracy of the current standard, it is extremely difficult to know the antenna position (terminal position) to an accuracy of several centimeters.

[0026] Another possible method is for a communication device to calculate a precoding sequence for optimal MIMO spatial multiplexing based on channel information between the BS and the RIS and between the RIS and the UE. However, when this method is adopted, the communication device needs to acquire channel information for each beam pattern of the RIS. In other words, since a huge amount of overhead occurs, there is a possibility that high frequency utilization efficiency cannot be obtained. Furthermore, if the RIS is not recognized by the BS / UE as a device on the network (if it is transparent to the base station), the operation of acquiring channel information between the BS and the RIS and between the RIS and the UE cannot even be performed.

[0027] In this way, interference fringes formed in the communication environment may affect the transmission or reception operation of the communication device, which may result in the originally expected frequency utilization efficiency not being achieved.

[0028] <1-3. Overview of Solution> Therefore, in this embodiment, the above-mentioned problems are solved as follows.

[0029] The communication system of this embodiment includes an information processing device that performs an operation to change interference fringes. The information processing device may be a RIS or a control station that controls the RIS. The information processing device may also be a communication device (e.g., a base station and / or a terminal device) that performs wireless communication in an environment where the RIS is installed. The communication device of this embodiment is capable of MIMO (Multi-Input Multi-Output) communication.

[0030] The information processing device determines whether interference fringes formed by combining multiple radio waves, including radio waves output from the communication device and radio waves reflected or transmitted by the RIS, satisfy a predetermined criterion. For example, the information processing device determines whether the spacing between the interference fringes falls within a predetermined range. If the spacing between the interference fringes falls within the predetermined range, the information processing device performs an operation to change the interference fringes.

[0031] For example, if the information processing device is a RIS or a control station that controls the RIS, the information processing device may change settings related to reflection or transmission of radio waves from the RIS when the interference fringe spacing falls within a predetermined range, so that the interference fringe spacing falls outside the predetermined range.

[0032] In addition, it is assumed that the information processing device is a base station. In this case, when the interference fringe spacing falls within a predetermined range, the information processing device may change settings related to wireless communication of a communication device (a base station or a terminal device whose wireless communication is controlled by the base station) so that the interference fringe spacing falls outside the predetermined range.

[0033] Here, the upper limit of the predetermined range may be a value determined based on the antenna position estimation accuracy required for improving the rank of the MIMO channel. For example, the upper limit of the predetermined range may be a value of 10 m or more, a value of 9 m or more, a value of 7 m or more, a value of 5 m or more, a value of 3 m or more, or a value of 1 m or more.

[0034] Note that, when the spacing between interference fringes is extremely small compared to the size of the antenna of the communication device, the effect of the strength of the radio waves (i.e., the interference fringes) on the reception operation of the communication device is negligible. Therefore, the lower limit of the predetermined range may be a value determined based on the size of the antenna of the communication device. For example, the lower limit of the predetermined range may be a value of 1 mm or less, a value of 3 mm or less, a value of 5 mm or less, a value of 7 mm or less, or a value of 9 mm or less.

[0035] This reduces the impact of interference fringes on the transmission or reception operation of the communication device, allowing the communication device to achieve stable communication. For example, even with current antenna position estimation accuracy (e.g., accuracy on the order of several meters / several tens of centimeters), RIS control is possible that maximizes MIMO channel rank improvement, allowing the communication device to perform MIMO communication at a stable bit rate without being significantly affected by interference fringes. As a result, frequency utilization efficiency is improved, allowing for effective use of radio wave resources. Furthermore, since high antenna position estimation accuracy (e.g., accuracy on the order of several centimeters) is not required, this also contributes to reducing device costs.

[0036] In the following description, reducing the antenna position estimation accuracy required to achieve a predetermined operation to a lower level than conventional accuracy (in other words, making it possible to achieve a predetermined operation even with conventional antenna position estimation accuracy) may be referred to as relaxing the antenna position estimation accuracy. For example, reducing the antenna position estimation accuracy required to achieve RIS control that maximizes the rank improvement of a MIMO channel from the order of several centimeters to the order of several meters / tens of centimeters (in other words, enabling RIS control that maximizes the rank improvement of a MIMO channel even with an antenna position estimation accuracy of the order of several meters / tens of centimeters) corresponds to relaxing the antenna position estimation accuracy.

[0037] The outline of this embodiment has been described above, and the communication system 1 of this embodiment will now be described in detail.

[0038] <<2. Configuration of the Communication System>> First, the configuration of the communication system 1 will be specifically described. Figures 5 and 6 are diagrams showing the configuration of the communication system 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 5, the communication system 1 includes a management device 10, a base station 20, a propagation path control device 30, and a terminal device 40. Note that the communication system 1 may also include devices other than those shown in Figure 5. For example, as shown in Figure 6, the communication system 1 may also include a control station 50 that controls multiple propagation path control devices 30. Of course, the communication system 1 may not include some of the devices shown in Figures 5 and 6.

[0039] 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. 5, this corresponds to the base station 20 and the terminal device 40.

[0040] The communication system 1 may include a plurality of management devices 10, base stations 20, propagation path control devices 30, terminal devices 40, and control stations 50. In the example of FIG. 5, 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. 5, the communication system 1 includes a propagation path control device 30. １ , propagation path control device 30 ２ , and the propagation 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. 6, the communication system 1 includes a control station 50.１ , and the control station 50 ２ The control station 50 that controls the plurality of propagation path control devices 30 may be one, or may be three or more.

[0041] The terminal device 40 may be configured to connect to a network using radio access technologies (RATs) such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), NR (New Radio), B5G (Beyond 5G), 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, B5G, or 6G). In the following description, the terminal device 40 may be referred to as UE (User Equipment).

[0042] 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.

[0043] 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.

[0044] 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, B5G and 6G are required to simultaneously achieve multiple axes of high speed, large capacity, low latency, high reliability, and multiple simultaneous connections.

[0045] 6G is the next generation of cellular communication technology after NR (5th generation mobile communications) and 5GS (5G system). 6G includes radio access technology and network technology 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 communication.

[0046] The wireless network may support at least one of radio access technologies (RATs) such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), NR (New Radio), B5G, 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, B5G, 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).

[0047] 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.

[0048] 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."

[0049] 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.

[0050] The terminal device 40 may be able to connect to a network using a wireless access technology (wireless communication method) other than LTE, NR, B5G, 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.

[0051] 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.

[0052] 5 and 6 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.

[0053] 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.

[0054] The following describes in detail the configuration of each communication device that constitutes the communication system 1. Note that the configuration of each communication device shown below is merely an example. The configuration of each communication device may be different from the configuration shown below.

[0055] 2-1. Configuration of the Management Device First, the configuration of the management device 10 will be described.

[0056] 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.

[0057] 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.

[0058] 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).

[0059] 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).

[0060] 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.

[0061] 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).

[0062] FIG. 7 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. 7 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.

[0063] 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.

[0064] 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.

[0065] 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.

[0066] The operation of the control unit 13 may be similar to the operation of each block included in the control unit 33 of the propagation path control device 30, or may be similar to the operation of each block included in the control unit 53 of the control station 50. The operation of the control unit 13 may also be similar to the operation of the control unit 23 of the base station 20, or may be similar to the operation of the control unit 43 of the terminal device 40.

[0067] <2-2. Configuration of Base Station> Next, the configuration of the base station 20 will be described.

[0068] The base station 20 is a wireless communication device that performs wireless communication with other wireless communication devices (for example, a terminal device 40 or another base station 20). The base station 20 may perform wireless communication with the terminal device 40 via a relay station, or may perform wireless communication directly with the terminal device 40. In the following description, the base station 20 may be referred to as a BS 20.

[0069] 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.

[0070] 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.

[0071] 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.

[0072] 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.

[0073] 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.

[0074] 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.

[0075] Here, the mobile body may be a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a mobile phone. The mobile body may be a mobile 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 mobile body that moves underground (e.g., in a tunnel) (e.g., a subway). The mobile body may also be a mobile body that moves on water (e.g., a ship such as a passenger ship, cargo ship, or hovercraft), or a mobile body that moves underwater (e.g., a submersible vessel such as a submersible boat, submarine, or unmanned submersible). The mobile body may also be a mobile body that moves in the atmosphere (e.g., an aircraft such as an airplane, airship, or drone).

[0076] 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.

[0077] The base station 20 is not limited to a ground station. The base station 20 may be a non-terrestrial base station (non-ground station) that can float in the air or space. The base station 20 may be an aircraft station or a satellite station.

[0078] A satellite station is a wireless communication device 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. The space vehicle may be at least one of an artificial satellite, a spacecraft, a space station, and a probe. Of course, the space vehicle may also be an artificial celestial body other than these. Note that a satellite that serves as a satellite station may be any of 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 orbiting (LEO), a medium Earth orbiting (MEO), a geostationary Earth orbiting (GEO), or a highly elliptical orbiting (HEO) satellite.

[0079] 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.

[0080] 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).

[0081] 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 imparts directionality to the 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. The base station 20 may also be configured to acquire detection data by performing sensing using the beam.

[0082] FIG. 8 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. The base station 20 may also include components other than these components. For example, the base station 20 may include a sensor unit having a configuration similar to the sensor unit 34 of the propagation path control device 30. Note that the configuration shown in FIG. 8 is a functional configuration, and the hardware configuration may be different. Furthermore, the functions of the base station 20 may be distributed and implemented across multiple physically separated components.

[0083] The wireless communication unit 21 is a signal processing unit for wireless communication with other wireless communication devices (e.g., at least one of the terminal device 40 and another base station 20). The wireless communication unit 21 may be referred to as a wireless transceiver or simply as a transceiver. In this case, the wireless communication unit 21 may be a transceiver (hereinafter referred to as a 3GPP transceiver) conforming to the specifications defined in the Technical Specification of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The 3GPP transceiver may be a 3G transceiver, a 4G (LTE) transceiver, a 5G (NR) transceiver, or a transceiver of a generation after 5G. 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, B5G, and 6G. The wireless communication unit 21 may support W-CDMA, cdma2000, etc. in addition to NR, LTE, B5G, and 6G. The wireless communication unit 21 may support automatic retransmission techniques such as HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest). Some or all of the processing performed by the wireless communication unit 21 may be performed by the control unit 23.

[0084] The wireless communication unit 21 includes a transmission processing unit 211, a reception processing unit 212, and an antenna 213. At least one of the transmission processing unit 211, the reception processing unit 212, and the antenna 213 may be considered as the wireless communication unit 21. The wireless communication unit 21 may include a plurality of transmission processing units 211, a plurality of reception processing units 212, and a plurality of 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 individually for each wireless access method. The transmission processing unit 211 and the reception processing unit 212 may be configured individually for LTE, NR, B5G, 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 of 45 degrees and -45 degrees from the vertical direction).

[0085] The transmission processing unit 211 performs transmission processing of the 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 (e.g., BPSK, QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM, 256QAM, or a higher-order multi-level modulation method). 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 the multiplexed signal 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.

[0086] 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.

[0087] The antenna 213 is an antenna device that converts electric current and radio waves into each other. The antenna 213 may be configured with a single antenna element, for example, a single 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.

[0088] 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.

[0089] 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. The control unit 23 may have the functionality of a Near-Real Time RIC.

[0090] The control unit 23 includes at least one block of an acquisition unit 231, a calculation unit 232, a determination unit 233, and an interference pattern control unit 234. Each block constituting the control unit 23 (the acquisition unit 231 to the interference pattern control unit 234) is a functional block that indicates the 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 as a functional unit different from the above-mentioned functional blocks. The method of configuring the functional blocks is arbitrary.

[0091] The operation of the control unit 23 may be similar to the operation of each block included in the control unit 33 of the propagation path control device 30, or may be similar to the operation of each block included in the control unit 43 of the terminal device 40, or may be similar to the operation of each block included 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.

[0092] 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. Note that the sensor unit 24 is not limited to a sensor that acquires information about objects around the device. The sensor unit 24 may also 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).

[0093] 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.

[0094] 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).

[0095] 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.

[0096] 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.

[0097] 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.

[0098] 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).

[0099] Furthermore, the sensor unit 24 may be a sensor that acquires various information for predicting the quality of a communication path (e.g., a propagation path formed by a communication device and / or a propagation path control device). For example, the sensor unit 24 may be 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.

[0100] 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.

[0101] 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).

[0102] 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.

[0103] 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.

[0104] 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.

[0105] 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).

[0106] 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.

[0107] 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 via the F1 interface described below. The gNB-CU and gNB-DU may be connected to a Near-Real Time RIC via the E2 interface.

[0108] 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 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 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 via the F1 interface described above. 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.

[0109] 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.

[0110] 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).

[0111] 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.

[0112] <2-3. Configuration of Propagation Path Control Device> Next, the configuration of the propagation path control device 30 will be described.

[0113] The propagation path control device 30 is a control device that dynamically changes the propagation path of radio waves. The propagation path control device 30 is typically a Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS). In the following description, the propagation path control device 30 may be referred to as RIS 30.

[0114] The propagation path control device 30 may be a RIS (referred to as a Cooperative RIS in this embodiment) that operates in cooperation with communication devices such as the base station 20, or may be a RIS (referred to as a Blind RIS in this embodiment) that operates without cooperation with communication devices. The propagation path control device 30 may also be a RIS that reflects or transmits incoming radio waves without amplifying them (referred to as a passive RIS in this embodiment), or a RIS that amplifies and reflects or transmits incoming radio waves (referred to as an active RIS in this embodiment). The propagation path control device 30 may be a device called a metasurface reflector or a device called a smart repeater. The propagation path control device 30 is not limited to a reflective device and may be, for example, a transmissive device. The term "propagation path control device 30" used in the following description may be rephrased as a RIS, IRS, IS, metasurface, smart surface, intelligent surface, metamaterial, or relay device.

[0115] The propagation path control device 30 has a structure that reflects or transmits the arriving radio waves. For example, the propagation path control device 30 may have, as a structure, a reflector formed of one or more metasurfaces (metasurface elements) that can dynamically control the permittivity and / or magnetic permeability. The propagation path control device 30 may also have, as a structure, a transmission plate that can control the refractive index and the like of the radio waves that pass through. The propagation path 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 arriving radio waves at a desired angle.

[0116] The propagation path control device 30 may be a device installed on the outer wall of a structure such as a building. By installing the propagation 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 propagation path control device 30 provided on the outer wall of the building and reach the terminal device 40. The propagation path control device 30 may also be a device mounted on a device. In this case, the propagation path control device 30 may be a mobile device. The mobile device may be a floating device. For example, the propagation 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.

[0117] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of a propagation path control device 30 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The propagation 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 propagation path control device 30 does not necessarily include all of these components. For example, the propagation path control device 30 does not necessarily include the sensor unit 34. The propagation path control device 30 may also include a plurality of these components. For example, the propagation 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. 9 is a functional configuration, and the hardware configuration may be different from this. Furthermore, the functions of the propagation path control device 30 may be distributed and implemented in a plurality of physically separated components.

[0118] The communication unit 31 is a communication interface for communicating with other communication devices (e.g., the management device 10, the base station 20, the terminal device 40, the control station 50, or another propagation 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 interface such as a NIC, or a USB interface configured with a USB host controller or a USB port. The communication unit 31 may be a wired interface or a wireless interface. For example, the communication unit 31 may be a wireless communication unit having a configuration similar to the wireless communication unit 21 provided in the base station 20 and / or the wireless communication unit 41 provided in the terminal device 40. The communication unit 31 is controlled by the control unit 33.

[0119] 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.

[0120] The control unit 33 is a controller (control device) that controls each unit of the propagation path control device 30. The control unit 33 is realized by a processor such as a CPU, an MPU, or a GPU. For example, the control unit 33 is realized by a processor executing various programs stored in a storage device inside the propagation 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 an FPGA. The control unit 33 may also be realized by a GPU. A CPU, an MPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, and a 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.

[0121] The control unit 33 includes at least one block of an acquisition unit 331, a calculation unit 332, a determination unit 333, and an interference pattern control unit 334. Each block constituting the control unit 33 (the acquisition unit 331 to the interference pattern control unit 334) 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 as a functional unit different from the above-mentioned functional blocks. The method of configuring the functional blocks is arbitrary.

[0122] The operation of the control unit 33 may be similar to the operation of each block included in the control unit 23 of the base station 20, or may be similar to the operation of each block included in the control unit 43 of the terminal device 40, or may be similar to the operation of each block included in the control unit 53 of the control station 50. 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 propagation path control devices 30.

[0123] 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, moving speed, tilt, vibration, rotation, etc. of the propagation path control device 30). Alternatively, the configuration of the sensor unit 34 may be the same as the configuration of the sensor unit 24 provided 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.

[0124] 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 propagation path control device 30 is not limited to a plate shape. For example, the propagation path control device 30 may be a sheet shape. A metasurface is a type of artificial medium (metamaterial) that realizes 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 propagation path control device 30 is not limited to a surface shape. The surface unit 35 mentioned in the following description can be rephrased as a metamaterial unit 35, a material unit 35, etc.

[0125] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the surface unit 35 included in the propagation path control device 30. The surface unit 35 includes a plurality of elements 351 that can change the characteristics related to the reflection or transmission of the incoming radio wave. The elements 351 are, for example, metasurface elements. In the example of FIG. 10, the surface unit 35 includes m×n elements 351 (elements 351 １１ ~Element 351 ｍｎ ) are provided. As shown in FIG. 10 , for example, two or more of the elements 351 are each provided with a channel estimation unit 353 in addition to a phase shifter 352 that manipulates reflected waves / transmitted waves. The propagation path control device 30 can switch the circuit connected to the two or more elements 351 from the phase shifter 352 to the channel estimation unit 353. The elements 351 on which the channel estimation unit 353 is provided may be all of the multiple elements 351 provided in the surface unit 35, or may be some of the multiple elements 351. A secondary modulation unit, an amplifier, etc. may be additionally provided in the phase shifter 352.

[0126] The channel estimation unit 353 performs an operation (e.g., a sounding operation) related to channel estimation in the arranged element 351 based on a channel estimation signal transmitted from the base station 20 or the terminal device 40. The propagation path control device 30 acquires information on the result of channel estimation from each channel estimation unit 353. Then, the propagation path control device 30 may transmit channel information generated based on the information on the result of channel estimation to another device (e.g., the management device 10, the base station 20, the terminal device 40, the control station 50, or another propagation path control device 30).

[0127] 2-4. Configuration of Terminal Device Next, the configuration of the terminal device 40 will be described.

[0128] The terminal device 40 is a wireless communication device that performs wireless communication with other wireless communication devices (for example, the base station 20 or other terminal devices 40). In the following description, the terminal device 40 may be referred to as a UE 40.

[0129] The terminal device 40 may be any type of information processing device (computer). 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), a notebook PC, or a portable game console. 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 broadcasting vehicle equipped with a communication device such as a field pickup unit (FPU). The terminal device 40 may also be a machine-to-machine (M2M) device or an Internet of Things (IoT) device. The terminal device 40 may also be a wearable device such as a smartwatch.

[0130] 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.

[0131] 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.

[0132] 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 a train that runs on a track, or may be a wireless communication device mounted on the vehicle. The mobile device may be a mobile terminal, or 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.

[0133] 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 via 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.

[0134] The terminal device 40 may be a relay terminal that relays communications to a remote terminal.

[0135] FIG. 11 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. The terminal device 40 may include components other than these components. For example, the terminal device 40 may include a sensor unit having a configuration similar to the sensor unit 34 of the propagation path control device 30. Note that the configuration shown in FIG. 11 is a functional configuration, and the hardware configuration may be different. Furthermore, the functions of the terminal device 40 may be distributed and implemented in multiple physically separated components.

[0136] The wireless communication unit 41 is a signal processing unit for wireless communication with other wireless communication devices (e.g., a base station 20 or another terminal device 40). The wireless communication unit 41 may be referred to as a wireless transceiver or simply as a transceiver. In this case, the wireless communication unit 41 may be a transceiver of a standard defined in the 3GPP technical specifications (hereinafter referred to as a 3GPP transceiver). The 3GPP transceiver may be a 3G transceiver, a 4G (LTE) transceiver, a 5G (NR) transceiver, or a transceiver of a generation after 5G. The wireless communication unit 41 is controlled, for example, 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, B5G, and 6G. In addition to NR, LTE, B5G, and 6G, the wireless communication unit 41 may also support W-CDMA, cdma2000, and the like. The wireless communication unit 41 may support an automatic repeat technique such as HARQ. A part or all of the processing performed by the wireless communication unit 41 may be performed by the control unit 43.

[0137] The wireless communication unit 41 includes a transmission processing unit 411, a reception processing unit 412, and an antenna 413. At least one of the transmission processing unit 411, the reception processing unit 412, and the antenna 413 may be considered as the wireless communication unit 41. The wireless communication unit 41 may include a plurality of transmission processing units 411, a plurality of reception processing units 412, and a plurality of antennas 413. When the wireless communication unit 41 supports a plurality of wireless access methods, each unit of the wireless communication unit 41 may be configured individually for each wireless access method. The transmission processing unit 411 and the reception processing unit 412 may be configured individually for LTE, NR, B5G, and 6G. The antenna 413 may be configured with a plurality of antenna elements, for example, a plurality of 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 of 45 degrees and -45 degrees from the vertical direction).

[0138] The storage unit 42 is a readable and writable storage device such as a DRAM, an SRAM, a flash memory, or a hard disk.

[0139] 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.

[0140] The control unit 43 includes at least one block of an acquisition unit 431, a calculation unit 432, a determination unit 433, and an interference pattern control unit 434. Each block constituting the control unit 43 (the acquisition unit 431 to the interference pattern control unit 434) 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 by functional units different from the above-mentioned functional blocks. The method of configuring the functional blocks is arbitrary.

[0141] The operation of the control unit 43 may be similar to the operation of each block included in the control unit 23 of the base station 20, or may be similar to the operation of each block included in the control unit 33 of the propagation path control device 30, or may be similar to the operation of each block included in the control unit 53 of the control station 50. The operation of the control unit 43 may also be similar to the operation of the control unit 13 of the management device 10.

[0142] 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.

[0143] 2-5. Configuration of the Control Station Next, the configuration of the control station 50 will be described.

[0144] The control station 50 is a control device that centrally controls a plurality of propagation path control devices 30. Note that the control station 50 may control only one propagation path control device 30. The control station 50 is also a type of communication device.

[0145] FIG. 12 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. 12 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.

[0146] 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 propagation 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 interface such as a NIC, or a USB 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.

[0147] 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.

[0148] 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.

[0149] The control unit 53 includes at least one block of an acquisition unit 531, a calculation unit 532, a determination unit 533, and an interference pattern control unit 534. Each block constituting the control unit 53 (the acquisition unit 531 to the interference pattern control unit 534) 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 by functional units different from the above-mentioned functional blocks. The method of configuring the functional blocks is arbitrary.

[0150] The operation of the control unit 53 may be similar to the operation of each block included in the control unit 23 of the base station 20, or may be similar to the operation of each block included in the control unit 33 of the propagation path control device 30, or may be similar to the operation of each block included in the control unit 43 of the terminal device 40. The operation of the control unit 53 may also be similar to the operation of the control unit 13 of the management device 10. The control unit 53 may also be configured to control the surface units 35 of multiple propagation path control devices 30.

[0151] 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, moving 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 34 included in the propagation path control device 30. 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.

[0152] <<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 in detail.

[0153] <3-1. Communication Environment> First, the communication environment assumed in this embodiment will be described.

[0154] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a communication environment assumed in this embodiment. In the example of Fig. 13, one or more propagation path control devices 30 are installed in an environment where one or more base stations 20 and multiple terminal devices 40 exist. More specifically, M propagation path control devices 30 are installed in an environment where one base station 20 and N terminal devices 40 exist. N and M are each integers equal to or greater than 1. The propagation path control device 30 is, for example, a RIS. The propagation path control device 30 may be fixed or mobile.

[0155] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing another example of a communication environment assumed in this embodiment. In the example of FIG. 14 , one or more propagation path control devices 30 are installed in an environment where one or more base stations 20 and multiple terminal devices 40 exist. More specifically, M propagation path control devices 30 are installed in an environment where one base station 20 and N terminal devices 40 exist. The propagation path control devices 30 may be fixed or mobile. In the example of FIG. 14 , a control station 50 is installed in addition to these devices. The control station 50 is connected to the multiple propagation path control devices 30 and controls these multiple propagation path control devices 30. In the example of FIG. 14 , the control station 50 controls the M propagation path control devices 30. Here, the control station 50 may control the propagation path control devices 30 by transmitting control information to the propagation path control devices 30.

[0156] In the examples of Figures 13 and 14, one base station 20 and N terminal devices 40 are shown as multiple communication devices located in the communication environment. However, there may be multiple base stations 20. Also, there may be only one terminal device 40. The communication device of this embodiment is equipped with multiple antennas and is capable of MIMO communication. In the examples of Figures 13 and 14, each of the one base station 20 and the N terminal devices 40 is equipped with multiple antennas and is capable of wireless communication (transmission operation and / or reception operation) using MIMO.

[0157] In this embodiment, interference fringes are formed in the communication environment by combining a plurality of radio waves, including radio waves output from a plurality of communication devices and radio waves reflected by or transmitted through the propagation path control device 30. Note that the plurality of communication devices may not include a base station 20. In other words, the plurality of communication devices may be composed of a plurality of terminal devices 40. The plurality of communication devices may not include a terminal device 40. In other words, the plurality of communication devices may be composed of a plurality of base stations 20.

[0158] 3-2. First Embodiment First, the operation of the communication system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described.

[0159] 15 is a flowchart illustrating an interference fringe control process according to Example 1. The interference fringe control process is a process for relaxing the accuracy of antenna position estimation.

[0160] As described above, relaxing the antenna position estimation accuracy means lowering the antenna position estimation accuracy required to achieve a predetermined operation, in other words, making it possible to achieve the predetermined operation even with the conventional antenna position estimation accuracy. Here, the predetermined operation is not limited to RIS control that maximizes rank improvement of the MIMO channel, but may also be an operation related to wireless communication of the communication device (transmission processing and / or reception processing).

[0161] The information processing device that executes the interference fringe control process shown in Fig. 15 may be the propagation path control device 30 or the control station 50. In the following description, it is assumed that the propagation path control device 30 executes the interference fringe control process shown in Fig. 15. When the control station 50 executes the interference fringe control process shown in Fig. 15, the description of the propagation path control device 30 shown below can be replaced with the control station 50 as appropriate. Furthermore, the descriptions of the control station 50 and another propagation path control device 30 can be replaced with devices related to control of the propagation path (the propagation path control device 30 and / or another control station 50), respectively.

[0162] The propagation path control device 30 may execute the interference fringe control process at regular intervals, or may execute the interference fringe control process at a timing triggered by another device (for example, at a timing when a control signal for interference fringe control is received from a communication device). The interference fringe control process according to the first embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0163] First, the propagation path control device 30 measures the angle of arrival of a signal arriving at the surface unit 35 from a communication device (base station 20 and / or terminal device 40) (step S101). This measurement may be performed using a channel estimation unit 353 provided in the surface unit 35 of the propagation path control device 30 and / or a wireless communication unit (e.g., communication unit 31) provided in the propagation path control device 30. The propagation path control device 30 may perform the measurement using an actually arriving data signal (at least one of a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), and a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH)), may perform the measurement using a control signal, or may perform the measurement using a signal for channel measurement (e.g., a Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) and / or a Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS)). Of course, the propagation path control device 30 may also perform the measurement using a newly defined signal (e.g., a newly defined RIS control signal).

[0164] Next, the propagation path control device 30 acquires information about the interference fringes (step S102). For example, the propagation path control device 30 may acquire information about the interference fringe interval or information about the interference fringe distribution as the information about the interference fringes. Here, the interference fringe interval is, for example, the interval from one position (line) where power is intensified to the next position (line) where power is intensified. For example, the interference fringe interval is the interval between positions where radio waves overlap in phase / opposite phase in the interference fringes formed by combining the direct wave and the RIS reflected wave. Furthermore, the interference fringe distribution is, for example, information about the distribution of power within a certain range, as shown in FIG. 4.

[0165] Here, the propagation path control device 30 may acquire information about interference fringes by calculating the interference fringe interval or the interference fringe distribution based on at least one piece of information from (A1) to (A10) below.

[0166] (A1) Information on the angle of arrival measured in step S101 (A2) Information on the orientation of the reflecting or transmitting surface of the propagation path control device 30 (A3) Position information of the communication device (base station 20 and / or terminal device 40) (A4) Position information of the propagation path control device 30 (A5) Information on the beamforming used by the communication device (base station 20 and / or terminal device 40) (A6) Information on the reflection pattern / transmission pattern of the propagation path control device 30 (A7) Information on the frequency band in which the propagation path control device 30 itself is operated (A8) Information on the BWP used by the communication device (base station 20 and / or terminal device 40) (A9) Information on the radio resources used by the communication device (base station 20 and / or terminal device 40) (A10) Information on the frequency position of the radio resources used by the communication device (base station 20 and / or terminal device 40)

[0167] Here, the reflection pattern is a pattern related to the reflection of an incoming radio wave (e.g., a conversion pattern of an incoming wave or a formation / generation pattern of a reflected wave). For example, the reflection pattern is a combination of configurations of a metasurface (metasurface element). Here, the configuration may be setting information for forming / generating a reflected wave for each metasurface (e.g., information related to permittivity and / or magnetic permeability). Note that the reflection pattern may also be a waveform pattern of a reflected wave formed by the combination of the configurations.

[0168] Furthermore, the transmission pattern is a pattern related to the transmission of incoming radio waves (for example, a conversion pattern of incoming waves or a formation / generation pattern of transmitted waves). For example, the transmission pattern is a combination of metasurface (metasurface element) configurations. Here, the configuration may be setting information for transmitting / generating transmitted waves for each metasurface (for example, information related to permittivity and / or magnetic permeability). Note that the transmission pattern may also be a waveform pattern of transmitted waves formed by the combination of the configurations.

[0169] The propagation path control device 30 may calculate the interference fringe spacing for each area defined by a grid of a certain size (i.e., for each grid), or may calculate the interference fringe spacing for each position of a receiving device. Here, the positions of the receiving devices may be the positions of all receiving devices located in the communication environment (for example, within a certain range from the propagation path control device 30 / base station 20), or may be the position of a receiving station that performs communication using the propagation path control device 30, among one or more receiving devices located in the communication environment. Note that the receiving device is a communication device (base station 20 or terminal device 40) that functions as a receiving station.

[0170] Here, the grid may be an area smaller than the zones and sectors defined in the 3GPP standard (for example, a very small grid such as 1 m x 1 m). The size of this grid may be defined based on the size of the service area in which communication services using the propagation path control device 30 are provided and / or topographical information provided by other systems.

[0171] The interference fringe spacing calculated by the propagation path control device 30 may be an average value, a maximum value, or a minimum value. For example, the interference fringe spacing calculated by the propagation path control device 30 may be the average / maximum / minimum interference fringe spacing for each grid, or the average / maximum / minimum interference fringe spacing at a specific position (a certain range from the receiving device). Of course, the interference fringe spacing calculated by the propagation path control device 30 may also be the average / maximum / minimum interference fringe spacing in a predetermined area (for example, the entire communication environment).

[0172] The information about interference fringes acquired by the propagation path control device 30 is not limited to information about the spacing between interference fringes. For example, the propagation path control device 30 may acquire at least one of the following information (B1) to (B4) for each grid / specific position.

[0173] (B1) Information on the spacing between interference fringes (for example, information on the average / maximum / minimum spacing between interference fringes) (B2) Information on the angle of the interference fringes (lines) (for example, information on the average angle) (B3) Information on the thickness of the interference fringes (lines) (for example, information on the average / maximum / minimum thickness) (B4) Information on the power of the interference fringes (for example, information on the average / maximum / minimum power)

[0174] The propagation path control device 30 may acquire (calculate) information about interference fringes based on the calculation results of the interference fringe distribution. The information about interference fringes may include information about the interference fringe distribution. In this case, the information about the interference fringe distribution does not necessarily have to be interference fringes for each grid / specific position. For example, the information about the interference fringe distribution may be information about the interference fringe distribution over a range larger than the grid (for example, information about the interference fringe pattern of the entire communication environment as shown in FIG. 4). In this case, the information about interference fringes acquired by the propagation path control device 30 may include, in addition to the information about the interference fringe distribution, information about the surrounding topography and / or information about the protected targets of other systems.

[0175] The propagation path control device 30 calculates the interference fringe spacing or interference fringe distribution for each combination of the link (for example, downlink (DL) / uplink (UL)) through which the propagation path control device 30 reflects / transmits and the reflection pattern / transmission pattern. Note that calculation may be performed only for the reflection pattern / transmission pattern currently in use by the propagation path control device 30. In this case, when the base station 20 and the terminal device 40 communicate using the propagation path control device 30, different reflection patterns / transmission patterns are applied to the propagation path control device 30 for the DL and UL. In addition, the interference fringes formed in the communication environment will differ in accordance with changes in the radio wave transmission source. Therefore, the propagation path control device 30 calculates the interference fringe spacing or interference fringe distribution twice the number of interference fringes in accordance with changes in the radio wave transmission source.

[0176] The propagation path control device 30 may reduce the number of interference fringes in calculating the interference fringe spacing or the interference fringe distribution in accordance with its own calculation capability. That is, the propagation path control device 30 may reduce the assumed changes in the radio wave transmission source in accordance with its own calculation capability. Of course, the propagation path control device 30 may also increase the number of interference fringes.

[0177] The calculation of the interference fringe spacing or the interference fringe distribution may be performed by another device. For example, the calculation of the interference fringe spacing or the interference fringe distribution may be performed by a server device on the Internet, by the management device 10, or by the control station 50. Of course, the calculation of the interference fringe spacing or the interference fringe distribution may be performed by the terminal device 40 or by another propagation path control device 30. When another device calculates the interference fringe spacing or the interference fringe distribution, the propagation path control device 30 may acquire the calculation results from the other device.

[0178] Next, the propagation path control device 30 determines whether the interference fringes satisfy a predetermined criterion (step S103). For example, the propagation path control device 30 may determine whether the interference fringe spacing or the interference fringe distribution meets a predetermined condition. The predetermined condition may be determined based on the relationship between the reception operation of the communication device and the interference fringes.

[0179] 16 is a diagram showing the relationship between the reception operation of a communication device and interference fringes. When interference fringes occur in communication interference, the received power fluctuates significantly as the communication device moves. In addition, the received power also varies significantly between the multiple antennas equipped in the communication device.

[0180] However, if the spacing between interference fringes is sufficiently small, each antenna will cross the interference fringes, and the effect of the interference fringes on the reception operation of the communication device can be ignored. In this case, the change in reception state due to the position of the communication device is small, and interference fringe control is not necessary. Here, a case where the spacing between interference fringes is sufficiently small means, for example, a case where the spacing between interference fringes is shorter than the length of the antenna of the communication device (base station 20 and / or terminal device 40).

[0181] Furthermore, if the spacing between interference fringes is sufficiently large, the communication device will be located at a peak or valley of the interference fringes, and the effect of the interference fringes on the reception operation of the communication device will be negligible. In this case, the change in reception state due to the position of the communication device is small, and interference fringe control is not necessary. Here, a case where the spacing between interference fringes is sufficiently large means, for example, a case where the spacing is larger than the size of the communication device (or antenna module) or the antenna (or antenna array) of the communication device.

[0182] Therefore, the predetermined condition may be whether or not the interference fringe spacing falls within a predetermined range. Fig. 17 is a diagram for explaining the predetermined range.

[0183] Here, the upper limit value (first threshold value) of the predetermined range may be a value determined based on the size of the communication device (or antenna module) or the antenna (or antenna array) of the communication device, or may be a value determined based on the antenna position estimation accuracy required to improve the rank of the MIMO channel. For example, the upper limit value of the predetermined range may be a value of 10 m or more, a value of 9 m or more, a value of 7 m or more, a value of 5 m or more, a value of 3 m or more, or a value of 1 m or more. Of course, the upper limit value of the predetermined range can be changed depending on the achievable antenna position estimation accuracy. For example, the upper limit value of the predetermined range may be a value of 90 cm or more, a value of 70 cm or more, a value of 50 cm or more, a value of 30 cm or more, or a value of 10 cm or more.

[0184] Furthermore, the lower limit value (second threshold value) of the predetermined range may be a value determined based on the size of the communication device (or antenna module) or the antenna (or antenna array) of the communication device. For example, the lower limit value of the predetermined range may be a value of 1 mm or less, a value of 3 mm or less, a value of 5 mm or less, a value of 7 mm or less, or a value of 9 mm or less. Of course, the lower limit value of the predetermined range can be changed depending on the feasible reception performance of the communication device (resistance to radio wave strength). For example, the lower limit value of the predetermined range may be a value of 1 cm or less, a value of 3 cm or less, a value of 5 cm or less, a value of 7 cm or less, a value of 9 cm or less, or a value of 10 cm or less.

[0185] The predetermined condition is not limited to whether the interference fringe spacing falls within a predetermined range. For example, the predetermined condition may be whether the interference fringe spacing is smaller than a first threshold value (the upper limit of the predetermined range) or whether the interference fringe spacing is larger than a second threshold value (the lower limit of the predetermined range).

[0186] Here, the thresholds (first threshold and / or second threshold) may be values ​​preset in the propagation path control device 30, or may be values ​​calculated based on information preset in the propagation path control device 30. Furthermore, the thresholds (first threshold and / or second threshold) may be values ​​acquired from another device (e.g., the management device 10, the base station 20, the terminal device 40, the control station 50, or another propagation path control device 30), or may be values ​​calculated based on values ​​acquired from another device. The thresholds may differ for each area (e.g., for each grid) or for each communication device (e.g., for each terminal device).

[0187] The interference fringe spacing used for the determination may be an average value, a maximum value, or a minimum value. For example, the interference fringe spacing may be the average / maximum / minimum interference fringe spacing for each grid, or the average / maximum / minimum interference fringe spacing at a specific position (a certain range from the receiving device). Of course, the interference fringe spacing calculated by the propagation path control device 30 may be the average / maximum / minimum interference fringe spacing in a predetermined area (for example, the entire communication environment).

[0188] The propagation path control device 30 may determine whether interference fringes in a partial area of ​​the communication environment satisfy a predetermined standard. For example, the propagation path control device 30 may determine whether the interference interval of a specific grid falls within a predetermined range, or whether the interference interval of a specific grid is smaller than a first threshold, or whether the interference fringe interval of a specific grid is larger than a second threshold. Furthermore, the propagation path control device 30 may determine whether the interference interval at the position of the receiving device falls within a predetermined range, or whether the interference interval at the position of the receiving device is smaller than a first threshold, or whether the interference fringe interval at the position of the receiving device is larger than a second threshold.

[0189] Here, the receiving devices to be determined by the propagation path control device 30 may be all receiving devices located in the communication environment (for example, within a certain range from the propagation path control device 30 / base station 20), or may be the position of a receiving station that performs communication using the propagation path control device 30, among one or more receiving devices located in the communication environment. Furthermore, the propagation path control device 30 may determine the receiving device to be determined based on a signal from another device. For example, the propagation path control device 30 may determine the terminal device 40 to be determined based on a control signal from the terminal device 40.

[0190] The propagation path control device 30 may perform the determination operation of step S103 at regular intervals, or may perform the determination operation of step S103 at a timing triggered by another device.

[0191] Furthermore, the propagation path control device 30 may perform the determination operation of step S103 at the timing when a radio wave is reflected / transmitted (i.e., at the timing when a signal arrives from a communication device). In this case, the propagation path control device 30 does not necessarily have to perform the determination operation for all incoming signals. For example, the propagation path control device 30 may perform the determination operation for signals whose received power is equal to or greater than a certain level.

[0192] Returning to FIG. 15, if the interference fringes do not satisfy the predetermined criteria (step S103: No), for example, if the interference fringe spacing is not within a predetermined range, the propagation path control device 30 terminates the interference fringe control process.

[0193] On the other hand, if the interference fringes satisfy the predetermined criteria (step S103: Yes), for example, if the interference fringe spacing falls within a predetermined range, the propagation path control device 30 performs an operation to relax the accuracy of antenna position estimation. For example, the propagation path control device 30 performs an operation to change the interference fringes (hereinafter also referred to as interference fringe control) as an operation to relax the accuracy of antenna position estimation (step S104).

[0194] The propagation path control device 30 may perform interference fringe control by itself, or may perform interference fringe control in cooperation with another device. The other device may be a communication device (a base station 20 and / or a terminal device 40) that performs wireless communication. Of course, the other device is not limited to a communication device that performs wireless communication. For example, the other device may include another propagation path control device 30. In this case, the propagation path control device 30 may perform interference fringe control in cooperation with a propagation path control device 30 that satisfies a predetermined condition (for example, a propagation path control device 30 located within a predetermined distance). In addition, the other device may include the management device 10, a control station 50, or a server device on the Internet. Note that only the other device (for example, a communication device that performs wireless communication) may perform interference fringe control. Alternatively, multiple devices may perform interference fringe control in an autonomous and distributed manner.

[0195] The propagation path control device 30 may change the settings (reflection pattern or transmission pattern) related to the reflection or transmission of radio waves as interference fringe control. Here, the directionality of the interference fringe control may be any of the directions shown in (C1) to (C2) below.

[0196] (C1) Changing the Interference Fringe Spacing The propagation path control device 30 may perform interference fringe control so as to change the interference fringe spacing. For example, the propagation path control device 30 may perform interference fringe control so as to change the interference fringe spacing. The propagation path control device 30 may perform interference fringe control so that the interference fringe spacing falls outside a predetermined range (for example, so that the interference fringe spacing does not fall between the first threshold and the second threshold). Furthermore, the propagation path control device 30 may perform interference fringe control so as to widen the interference fringe spacing (for example, so that the interference fringe spacing becomes larger than the first threshold) or so as to narrow the interference fringe spacing (for example, so that the interference fringe spacing becomes smaller than the second threshold). Here, the interference fringe spacing may be the interference spacing at the position of the receiving device. If the interference fringe spacing becomes larger, the spacing of the bit rate fluctuations due to the antenna position will widen. Furthermore, if the interference fringe spacing is sufficiently small compared to the physical size of the antenna, the bit rate fluctuations due to the antenna position will be reduced.

[0197] (C2) Changing the Position of Interference Fringes The propagation path control device 30 may perform interference fringe control so as to change the position of the interference fringes. The propagation path control device 30 may perform interference fringe control so that a portion of the interference fringe distribution where the interference fringe spacing is greater than a first threshold value is located at the position of the receiving device. The propagation path control device 30 may perform interference fringe control so that a portion of the interference fringe distribution where the interference fringe spacing is smaller than a second threshold value is located at the position of the receiving device. Furthermore, the propagation path control device 30 may perform interference fringe control so that a thick interference fringe portion of the interference fringe distribution is located at the position of the receiving device. The interference fringe spacing can also be increased by positioning the thick interference fringe portion at the position of the receiving device.

[0198] The pattern of interference fringes that can be formed (the spacing and / or shape of the interference fringes) is limited by the direction of arrival of the radio waves arriving from the communication device and the capabilities of the propagation path control device 30 (e.g., the achievable reflection angle or transmission angle). Therefore, the propagation path control device 30 may determine in which direction out of multiple directional directions (e.g., the multiple directional directions shown in (C1) to (C2)) to operate, based on the degree of freedom of its own settings. This determination may use at least one of information acquired from the communication device (base station 20 and / or terminal device 40), information acquired by the propagation path control device 30 itself (e.g., surrounding information), information on the phase resolution of the propagation path control device 30 itself, and information on the power amplification capability of the propagation path control device 30 itself.

[0199] Once the setting change is complete, the propagation path control device 30 ends the interference fringe control process.

[0200] 3-3. Second Embodiment Next, a description will be given of the operation of the communication system 1 according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, a communication device (base station 20 or terminal device 40) that performs wireless communication executes an interference fringe control process.

[0201] Fig. 18 is a flowchart showing an interference fringe control process according to the second embodiment. The information processing device that executes the interference fringe control process shown in Fig. 18 may be the base station 20 or the terminal device 40. In the following description, it is assumed that the base station 20 executes the interference fringe control process shown in Fig. 18. Note that, when the terminal device 40 executes the interference fringe control process shown in Fig. 18, the description of the base station 20 shown below can be replaced with the terminal device 40 as appropriate. Furthermore, the descriptions of the terminal device 40 and another base station 20 can be replaced with communication devices (the base station 20 and / or the other terminal device 40), respectively.

[0202] The base station 20 may execute the interference fringe control process at regular intervals, or may execute the interference fringe control process at a timing triggered by another device (for example, at a timing when a control signal for interference fringe control is received from a communication device). Hereinafter, the interference fringe control process according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0203] First, the base station 20 determines whether interference fringe control is necessary (step S201). For example, it determines whether or not the antenna position estimation accuracy needs to be relaxed. As described above, relaxing the antenna position estimation accuracy means lowering the antenna position estimation accuracy required to achieve a predetermined operation compared to the conventional accuracy. In other words, it means making it possible to achieve the predetermined operation even with the conventional antenna position estimation accuracy. Here, the predetermined operation is not limited to RIS control that maximizes the rank improvement of the MIMO channel, but may also be an operation related to wireless communication of the communication device (transmission processing and / or reception processing).

[0204] Here, the base station 20 may determine whether or not interference fringe control is necessary based on at least one piece of information from (D1) to (D8) below.

[0205] (D1) Average bit rate for each terminal device 40, (D2) Bit rate fluctuation, (D3) Average value of MIMO rank index, (D4) Fluctuation amount of MIMO rank index, (D5) Received SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio), (D6) Fluctuation amount of received SNR, (D7) Average MCS (Modulation and Coding Scheme), and (D8) Fluctuation amount of MCS.

[0206] For example, if the above-mentioned indicators (for example, at least one of the bit rate, rank index, received SNR, and MCS) are unstable and constantly fluctuating, the base station 20 determines that interference pattern control is necessary. If interference pattern control is not necessary (step S201: No), the base station 20 ends the interference pattern control process.

[0207] On the other hand, if interference fringe control is required (step S201: Yes), the base station 20 acquires information necessary for calculating the interference fringe spacing / interference fringe distribution from another device (e.g., the management device 10, the propagation path control device 30, the control station 50, the terminal device 40, another base station 20, or a server device on the Internet) (step S202). For example, the base station 20 acquires information necessary for calculating the interference fringe spacing / interference fringe distribution from the propagation path control device 30, the control station 50, or another communication device (e.g., a subordinate terminal device 40 and / or another base station 20).

[0208] Here, the information that the base station 20 acquires from other devices may be at least one of the following (E1) to (E10).

[0209] (E1) Information on the angle of arrival of radio waves arriving at the propagation path control device 30 (E2) Information on the orientation of the reflecting or transmitting surfaces of the propagation path control device 30 (E3) Position information of the communication device (base station 20 and / or terminal device 40) (E4) Position information of the propagation path control device 30 (E5) Information on the beamforming used by the communication device (base station 20 and / or terminal device 40) (E6) Information on the reflection pattern / transmission pattern of the propagation path control device 30 (E7) Information on the frequency band in which the propagation path control device 30 itself is operated (E8) Information on the BWP used by the communication device (base station 20 and / or terminal device 40) (E9) Information on the radio resources used by the communication device (base station 20 and / or terminal device 40) (E10) Information on the frequency position of the radio resources used by the communication device (base station 20 and / or terminal device 40)

[0210] Next, the base station 20 acquires information about the interference fringes (step S203). For example, the base station 20 may acquire information about the interval between interference fringes or information about the distribution of interference fringes as the information about the interference fringes. Here, the base station 20 may acquire the information about the interference fringes by calculating the interval between interference fringes or the distribution of interference fringes based on at least one of the information items (E1) to (E10) described above.

[0211] The base station 20 may calculate the interference fringe spacing for each area defined by a grid of a certain size (i.e., for each grid), or may calculate the interference fringe spacing for each position of a receiving device. Here, the positions of the receiving devices may be the positions of all receiving devices located in the communication environment (for example, the base station 20 / a certain range from the base station 20), or may be the position of a receiving station that performs communication using the propagation path control device 30 among one or more receiving devices located in the communication environment. Note that the receiving device is a communication device (base station 20 or terminal device 40) that functions as a receiving station.

[0212] Here, the grid may be an area smaller than the zones and sectors defined in the 3GPP standard (for example, a very small grid such as 1 m x 1 m). The size of this grid may be defined based on the size of the service area in which communication services are provided using the base station 20 and / or topographical information provided by other systems.

[0213] The interference fringe spacing calculated by the base station 20 may be an average value, a maximum value, or a minimum value. For example, the interference fringe spacing calculated by the base station 20 may be the average / maximum / minimum interference fringe spacing for each grid, or the average / maximum / minimum interference fringe spacing at a specific position (a certain range from the receiving device). Of course, the interference fringe spacing calculated by the base station 20 may also be the average / maximum / minimum interference fringe spacing in a predetermined area (for example, the entire communication environment).

[0214] The information about interference fringes acquired by the base station 20 is not limited to information about the spacing between interference fringes. For example, the base station 20 may acquire at least one of the following information (F1) to (F4) for each grid / specific position.

[0215] (F1) Information on the spacing between interference fringes (for example, information on the average / maximum / minimum spacing between interference fringes) (F2) Information on the angle of the interference fringes (lines) (for example, information on the average angle) (F3) Information on the thickness of the interference fringes (lines) (for example, information on the average / maximum / minimum thickness) (F4) Information on the power of the interference fringes (for example, information on the average / maximum / minimum power)

[0216] The base station 20 may acquire (calculate) information about interference fringes based on the calculation results of the interference fringe distribution. The information about interference fringes may include information about the interference fringe distribution. In this case, the information about the interference fringe distribution does not necessarily have to be information about interference fringes for each grid / specific position. For example, the information about the interference fringe distribution may be information about the interference fringe distribution over a range larger than the grid (e.g., information about the interference fringe pattern of the entire communication environment as shown in FIG. 4). In this case, the information about interference fringes acquired by the base station 20 may include, in addition to information about the interference fringe distribution, information about the surrounding topography and / or information about the protected targets of other systems.

[0217] Note that the base station 20 may reduce the number of interference fringes in calculating the interference fringe spacing or interference fringe distribution according to its own calculation capability. That is, the base station 20 may reduce the assumed changes in the radio wave transmission source according to its own calculation capability. Of course, the base station 20 may also increase the number of interference fringes.

[0218] The calculation of the interference fringe spacing or the interference fringe distribution may be performed by another device. For example, the calculation of the interference fringe spacing or the interference fringe distribution may be performed by a server device on the Internet, by the management device 10, by the propagation path control device 30, or by the control station 50. Of course, the calculation of the interference fringe spacing or the interference fringe distribution may be performed by the terminal device 40 or by another base station 20. When the calculation of the interference fringe spacing or the interference fringe distribution is performed by another device, the base station 20 may obtain the calculation result from the other device.

[0219] Next, the base station 20 determines whether the interference fringes satisfy a predetermined criterion (step S204). For example, the base station 20 may determine whether the interference fringe spacing or the interference fringe distribution meets a predetermined condition. The predetermined condition may be determined based on the relationship between the reception operation of the communication device and the interference fringes.

[0220] As described above, when the interference fringe spacing is sufficiently small, each antenna straddles the interference fringe, and the effect of the interference fringe on the reception operation of the communication device is negligible. Also, when the interference fringe spacing is sufficiently large, the communication device is located at a peak or valley of the interference fringe, and the effect of the interference fringe on the reception operation of the communication device is negligible. Therefore, the predetermined condition may be whether the interference fringe spacing falls within a predetermined range.

[0221] Here, the upper limit value (first threshold value) of the predetermined range may be a value determined based on the size of the communication device (or antenna module) or the antenna (or antenna array) of the communication device, or may be a value determined based on the antenna position estimation accuracy required to improve the rank of the MIMO channel. For example, the upper limit value of the predetermined range may be a value of 10 m or more, a value of 9 m or more, a value of 7 m or more, a value of 5 m or more, a value of 3 m or more, or a value of 1 m or more. Of course, the upper limit value of the predetermined range can be changed depending on the achievable antenna position estimation accuracy. For example, the upper limit value of the predetermined range may be a value of 90 cm or more, a value of 70 cm or more, a value of 50 cm or more, a value of 30 cm or more, or a value of 10 cm or more.

[0222] Furthermore, the lower limit value (second threshold value) of the predetermined range may be a value determined based on the size of the communication device (or antenna module) or the antenna (or antenna array) of the communication device. For example, the lower limit value of the predetermined range may be a value of 1 mm or less, a value of 3 mm or less, a value of 5 mm or less, a value of 7 mm or less, or a value of 9 mm or less. Of course, the lower limit value of the predetermined range can be changed depending on the feasible reception performance of the communication device (resistance to radio wave strength). For example, the lower limit value of the predetermined range may be a value of 1 cm or less, a value of 3 cm or less, a value of 5 cm or less, a value of 7 cm or less, a value of 9 cm or less, or a value of 10 cm or less.

[0223] The predetermined condition is not limited to whether the interference fringe spacing falls within a predetermined range. For example, the predetermined condition may be whether the interference fringe spacing is smaller than a first threshold value (the upper limit of the predetermined range) or whether the interference fringe spacing is larger than a second threshold value (the lower limit of the predetermined range).

[0224] Here, the threshold (first threshold and / or second threshold) may be a value preset in the base station 20, or may be a value calculated based on information preset in the base station 20. Furthermore, the threshold (first threshold and / or second threshold) may be a value acquired from another device (e.g., the management device 10, the propagation path control device 30, the terminal device 40, the control station 50, or another base station 20), or may be a value calculated based on a value acquired from another device. The threshold may differ for each area (e.g., for each grid) or for each communication device (e.g., for each terminal device).

[0225] The interference fringe spacing used for the determination may be an average value, a maximum value, or a minimum value. For example, the interference fringe spacing may be the average / maximum / minimum interference fringe spacing for each grid, or the average / maximum / minimum interference fringe spacing at a specific position (a certain range from the receiving device). Of course, the interference fringe spacing calculated by the base station 20 may also be the average / maximum / minimum interference fringe spacing in a predetermined area (for example, the entire communication environment).

[0226] The base station 20 may determine whether interference fringes in a part of the communication environment satisfy a predetermined standard. For example, the base station 20 may determine whether the interference interval of a specific grid falls within a predetermined range, or whether the interference interval of a specific grid is smaller than a first threshold, or whether the interference fringe interval of a specific grid is larger than a second threshold. The base station 20 may also determine whether the interference interval at the position of the receiving device falls within a predetermined range, or whether the interference interval at the position of the receiving device is smaller than a first threshold, or whether the interference fringe interval at the position of the receiving device is larger than a second threshold.

[0227] Here, the receiving device to be determined by the base station 20 may be all receiving devices located in the communication environment (for example, the base station 20 / a certain range from the base station 20), or may be the position of a receiving station that performs communication using the propagation path control device 30 among one or more receiving devices located in the communication environment. The base station 20 may also determine the receiving device to be determined based on a signal from another device. For example, the base station 20 may determine the terminal device 40 to be determined based on a control signal from the terminal device 40.

[0228] The base station 20 may perform the determination operation of step S204 at regular intervals, or may perform the determination operation of step S204 when triggered by another device, or may perform the determination operation of step S204 when transmitting radio waves.

[0229] If the interference fringes do not satisfy the predetermined standard (step S204: No), for example, if the interference fringe spacing is not within a predetermined range, the base station 20 ends the interference fringe control process.

[0230] On the other hand, if the interference fringes satisfy the predetermined criteria (step S204: Yes), for example, if the interference fringe spacing is within a predetermined range, the base station 20 performs an operation to relax the antenna position estimation accuracy. For example, the base station 20 performs an operation to change the interference fringes (hereinafter also referred to as interference fringe control) as the operation to relax the antenna position estimation accuracy (step S205).

[0231] The base station 20 may perform interference fringe control by itself, or may perform interference fringe control in cooperation with another device. The other device may be the propagation path control device 30. Of course, the other device is not limited to the propagation path control device 30. For example, the other device may include another base station 20. In this case, the base station 20 may perform interference fringe control in cooperation with a base station 20 that satisfies a predetermined condition (for example, a base station 20 located within a predetermined distance). In addition, the other device may include the management device 10, a terminal device 40, a control station 50, or a server device on the Internet. Note that only the other device (for example, the propagation path control device 30) may perform interference fringe control. Alternatively, multiple devices may perform interference fringe control in an autonomous and distributed manner.

[0232] The base station 20 may control the propagation path control device 30 or the control station 50 to control the interference fringes. For example, the base station 20 requests the propagation path control device 30 or the control station 50 to change settings related to the reflection or transmission of radio waves (a reflection pattern or a transmission pattern). At this time, the base station 20 may request the propagation path control device 30 to use a specific setting (a specific reflection pattern or a specific transmission pattern). The base station 20 may select communication parameters (e.g., a pre-coating pattern and / or a beam pattern) that result in desired interference fringes in the specific setting. The base station 20 may control the terminal device 40 so that the desired interference fringes are obtained. For example, the base station 20 may cause the terminal device 40 to change the communication parameters so that the desired interference fringes are obtained. The base station 20 may perform interference fringe control in cooperation with another communication device (e.g., another base station 20). The base station 20 may perform this interference pattern control (for example, requesting a change in settings and / or changing communication parameters) in UL / DL slot units, or in units of several tens of milliseconds to several seconds.

[0233] Here, the directionality of the interference fringe control may be any of the directions shown in (G1) to (G2) below.

[0234] (G1) Changing the Interference Fringe Spacing The base station 20 may perform interference fringe control so that the interference fringe spacing changes. For example, the base station 20 may perform interference fringe control so that the interference fringe spacing falls outside a predetermined range (e.g., so that the interference fringe spacing does not fall between the first threshold and the second threshold). The base station 20 may also perform interference fringe control so that the interference fringe spacing widens (e.g., so that the interference fringe spacing becomes larger than the first threshold) or narrows (e.g., so that the interference fringe spacing becomes smaller than the second threshold). Here, the interference fringe spacing may be the interference spacing at the position of the receiving device. If the interference fringe spacing becomes larger, the interval of bit rate fluctuation due to antenna position widens. Furthermore, if the interference fringe spacing is sufficiently small compared to the physical size of the antenna, the bit rate fluctuation due to antenna position decreases.

[0235] (G2) Changing the Position of Interference Fringes The base station 20 may perform interference fringe control so that the position of the interference fringes changes. The base station 20 may perform interference fringe control so that a portion of the interference fringe distribution where the interference fringe spacing is greater than a first threshold is located at the position of the receiving device. The base station 20 may perform interference fringe control so that a portion of the interference fringe distribution where the interference fringe spacing is smaller than a second threshold is located at the position of the receiving device. The base station 20 may also perform interference fringe control so that a thick interference fringe portion of the interference fringe distribution is located at the position of the receiving device. The interference fringe spacing can also be increased by positioning the thick interference fringe portion at the position of the receiving device. As a result, the interval of the bit rate fluctuation due to the antenna position is widened.

[0236] The pattern of interference fringes that can be formed (the spacing and / or shape of the interference fringes) is limited by the direction of arrival of the radio waves arriving from the communication device and the capabilities of the propagation path control device 30 (e.g., the achievable reflection angle or transmission angle). Therefore, the base station 20 may determine in which direction among multiple directional directions (e.g., the directional directions shown in (G1) to (G2)) the base station 20 will operate, based on the degree of freedom in setting the propagation path control device 30. This determination may use at least one of information acquired from other communication devices (the base station 20 and / or the terminal device 40), information acquired by the base station 20 itself (e.g., surrounding information), and information acquired from the propagation path control device 30 (e.g., information on the phase resolution of the propagation path control device 30 and information on the power amplification capability of the propagation path control device 30).

[0237] Once the setting change is complete, the base station 20 ends the interference fringe control process.

[0238] <<4. Modifications>> The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and various modifications and applications are possible.

[0239] For example, the propagation path control device 30 appearing in the above-described embodiment may be a reflecting plate / reflecting sheet capable of controlling reflection characteristics (e.g., reflection direction / reflectance, etc.), or may be a transmitting plate / transmitting sheet capable of controlling transmission characteristics (e.g., refraction direction).

[0240] In the above-described embodiment, the propagation path control device 30 is a device capable of controlling the reflection characteristics and / or transmission characteristics of a structure (e.g., the surface portion 35) that reflects and / or transmits incoming radio waves. However, the characteristics that the propagation path control device 30 can control are not limited to these. For example, the propagation path control device 30 may be configured to be capable of controlling the radiation angle (directivity) of the reflected and / or transmitted radio waves. In this case, the information processing device of this embodiment may change the radiation pattern as interference fringe control.

[0241] Here, the radiation pattern is a pattern related to the radiation of incoming radio waves (e.g., a conversion pattern of incoming waves or a formation / generation pattern of radiated waves). For example, the radiation pattern is a combination of configurations of metasurfaces (metasurface elements). Here, the configuration may be setting information for forming / generating radiated waves for each metasurface (e.g., information related to permittivity and / or permeability). Note that the radiation pattern may also be a waveform pattern of radiated waves formed by a combination of the configurations. Here, forming a reflection pattern refers to a state having intended radiation characteristics by a propagation path control device 30 (e.g., a RIS), for example, changing the permittivity and / or permeability of one or more metasurfaces (metasurface elements).

[0242] In the above-described embodiment, the surface unit 35 of the propagation path control device 30 can be considered as a structure capable of both reflecting and transmitting the incoming radio waves. For example, the surface unit 35 may be a structure configured with one or more elements capable of changing the reflection characteristics of the incoming radio waves and one or more elements capable of changing the transmission characteristics of the incoming radio waves.

[0243] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the interference fringe control performed by the information processing device may include not only changing one of the reflection pattern and the transmission pattern, but also changing both the reflection pattern and the transmission pattern. Note that the interference fringe control performed by the information processing device is not limited to changing at least one of the reflection pattern and the transmission pattern. The interference fringe control performed by the information processing device may also include changing the radiation pattern.

[0244] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the communication devices that communicate via the propagation path control device 30 (for example, the RIS) are the base station 20 and the terminal device 40, but the communication devices that communicate via the propagation path control device 30 are not limited to these. For example, the communication devices that communicate via the propagation path control device 30 may be the terminal device 40 and another terminal device 40, or the base station 20 and another base station 20. Of course, the communication devices may be other communication devices such as the management device 10 and the control station 50. In this case, the descriptions of the base station 20 and / or the terminal device 40 that appear in the above-described embodiment can be replaced with descriptions indicating other communication devices, as appropriate.

[0245] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the control station 50 is a device different from the communication device (e.g., the base station 20 and / or the terminal device 40) that performs wireless communication. However, the control station 50 may be one of a plurality of communication devices that perform wireless communication. For example, the control station 50 may be the base station 20 or the terminal device 40. The control station 50 may also be a control device (e.g., the control unit 23 or the control unit 43) that is included in the communication device. The control station 50 may also be one of a plurality of propagation path control devices 30, or may also be a control device (e.g., the control unit 53) that is included in the propagation path control device 30. Of course, the control station 50 may also be a device dedicated to controlling the propagation path control device 30.

[0246] Furthermore, the control station 50 may perform part or all of the processing executed by the control unit 33 of the propagation path control device 30. For example, the control station 50 may control the surface unit 35 of the propagation path control device 30 (for example, switching between a reflection pattern, a transmission pattern, or a radiation pattern).

[0247] The control device that controls the management device 10, base station 20, propagation path control device 30, terminal device 40, or control station 50 of this embodiment may be realized by a dedicated computer system or a general-purpose computer system.

[0248] For example, a program for executing the above-described operations is stored on a computer-readable recording medium such as an optical disk, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic tape, or a flexible disk and distributed. 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, the base station 20, the propagation path control device 30, the terminal device 40, or the control station 50. Alternatively, the control device may be a device (e.g., a control unit 13, a control unit 23, a control unit 33, a control unit 43, or a control unit 53) internal to the management device 10, the base station 20, the propagation path control device 30, the terminal device 40, or the control station 50.

[0249] 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.

[0250] 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.

[0251] 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.

[0252] 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.

[0253] 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).

[0254] The functions performed by the components described herein may be implemented in circuitry or processing circuitry programmed to perform the described functions. Here, the circuitry or processing circuitry may be a general-purpose processor, an application-specific processor, an integrated circuit, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a CPU (a Central Processing Unit), conventional circuitry, and / or a combination thereof. Processors include transistors and other circuits. A processor may be considered to be circuitry or processing circuitry. A processor may also be a programmed processor that executes a program stored in a memory.

[0255] In this specification, a circuit, unit, or means may be hardware that is programmed to realize a described function or that performs a described function. The hardware may be any hardware disclosed in this specification or any hardware that is programmed to realize or known to perform the described function. If the hardware is a processor, which is considered a type of circuitry, the circuit, means, or unit may be a combination of hardware and software used to configure the hardware and / or processor.

[0256] Furthermore, for example, the present embodiment can be implemented as any configuration constituting an apparatus or system. For example, the present embodiment can be implemented as a processor as a system LSI (Large Scale Integration), a module using multiple processors, a unit using multiple modules, or a set in which a unit further has additional functions. In other words, the present embodiment can also be implemented as a part of the configuration of an apparatus.

[0257] The system LSI may also be referred to as an SOC (System on Chip). In other words, each of the above-described or later-described devices (e.g., the management device 10, the base station 20, the terminal device 40, and the control station 50) may be interpreted as a processor (e.g., a CPU) serving as a system LSI (e.g., SoC), or as a module using or constituting the processor. Additionally or alternatively, the present embodiment may be implemented by any configuration constituting a device or system (e.g., a modem chip (baseband chip) or an RF (Radio Frequency) unit, or a combination thereof). The RF unit may include at least one of an RF circuit and an RF front-end. In other words, each of the above-described or later-described devices may be interpreted as a modem chip (baseband chip) or an RF unit, or a combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, each of the above-described or later-described devices may be interpreted as a module using or constituting a modem chip or an RF unit.

[0258] The modem chip performs signal processing for communications within a device (including the devices described above or below). The modem chip may have at least a modulator or demodulator function. The RF unit may have at least one of an RF transceiver (RF upconverter, RF downconverter), a power amplifier, and a low-noise amplifier function. The RF transceiver converts between baseband signals and RF frequencies. The power amplifier amplifies signals for transmission from an antenna. The low-noise amplifier amplifies weak signals received from the antenna. Additionally or alternatively, the RF unit (particularly, the RF front end) may include at least one of the above-mentioned power amplifier, low-noise amplifier, envelope tracker, filter, duplexer, multiplexer, antenna switch, and antenna tuner.

[0259] The combination of the modem chip and the RF unit may be referred to as a modem-RF system. At least a portion of the modem chip or the RF unit, or a combination thereof, may be included in a system LSI (e.g., SoC). For example, the processing performed by at least a portion of the modem chip or the RF unit, or a combination thereof (e.g., at least a portion of the MAC layer processing / PHY layer processing) may be realized by the system LSI. Here, the MAC layer processing or PHY layer processing may be at least a portion of the processing performed by the devices (e.g., the management device 10, the base station 20, the terminal device 40, and the control station 50) in the above-mentioned or later-described embodiments.

[0260] 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.

[0261] 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.

[0262] <<5. Conclusion>> As described above, according to this embodiment, the communication system 1 includes the propagation path control device 30 and multiple communication devices that communicate in a communication environment in which the propagation path control device 30 is installed. The communication devices are, for example, a base station 20 and / or a terminal device 40. The communication system 1 also includes an information processing device that performs an operation to change interference fringes. The information processing device may be the propagation path control device 30, a control station 50 that controls the propagation path control device 30, or a communication device (for example, the base station 20 and / or the terminal device 40).

[0263] The information processing device determines whether interference fringes formed by combining multiple radio waves, including radio waves output from the communication device and radio waves reflected or transmitted by the propagation path control device 30, satisfy a predetermined criterion. For example, the information processing device determines whether the interference fringe spacing falls within a predetermined range. If the interference fringe spacing falls within the predetermined range, the information processing device performs an operation to change the interference fringes (interference fringe control).

[0264] This reduces the impact of interference fringes on the transmission or reception operation of the communication device, allowing the communication device to achieve stable communication. For example, even with the current antenna position estimation accuracy, RIS control is possible that maximizes the rank improvement of the MIMO channel, so the communication device is less affected by interference fringes and can perform MIMO communication at a stable bit rate. As a result, frequency utilization efficiency is improved, allowing for effective use of radio wave resources. Furthermore, since there is no need to increase the antenna position estimation accuracy, this also contributes to reducing device costs.

[0265] 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.

[0266] 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.

[0267] The present technology may also be configured as follows: (1) An information processing device including: a determination unit that determines whether interference fringes formed by combining a plurality of radio waves, including radio waves reflected or transmitted by a propagation 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, satisfy a predetermined criterion; and an interference fringe control unit that performs an operation to change the interference fringes when the interference fringes satisfy the predetermined criterion. (2) The information processing device according to (1), wherein the determination unit determines whether the interference fringes formed by combining a plurality of radio waves, including radio waves output from a communication device that performs wireless communication and radio waves reflected or transmitted by the propagation path control device, satisfy the predetermined criterion. (3) The information processing device according to (2), wherein the communication device is a communication device capable of MIMO (Multi-Input Multi-Output) communication. (4) The information processing device according to (2) or (3), wherein the determination unit determines whether an interference fringe spacing or an interference fringe distribution of the interference fringes satisfies the predetermined criterion, and the interference fringe control unit performs an operation to change the interference fringes when the interference fringe spacing or the interference fringe distribution satisfies the predetermined criterion. (5) The information processing device according to (4), wherein the determination unit determines whether the interference fringe spacing falls within a predetermined range, and the interference fringe control unit performs an operation to change the interference fringes when the interference fringe spacing falls within the predetermined range. (6) The information processing device according to (4) or (5), wherein the information processing device is the propagation path control device or a control station that controls the propagation path control device. (7) The information processing device according to (6), wherein the interference fringe control unit changes a setting related to reflection or transmission of radio waves in the propagation path control device as an operation to change the interference fringes when the interference fringe spacing satisfies the predetermined criterion. (8) The information processing device according to (7), wherein the determination unit determines whether the interference fringe spacing falls within a predetermined range, and the interference fringe control unit changes the setting when the interference fringe spacing falls within the predetermined range so that the interference fringe spacing falls outside the predetermined range.(9) The information processing device according to (7), wherein the interference fringe control unit changes the setting so that a portion of the interference fringes with an interval between interference fringes larger than a predetermined threshold is positioned at the position of the communication device. (10) The information processing device according to (7), wherein the interference fringe control unit changes the setting so that a portion of the interference fringes with an interval between interference fringes smaller than a predetermined threshold is positioned at the position of the communication device. (11) The information processing device according to (7), wherein the interference fringe control unit changes the setting so that a thick portion of the interference fringes is positioned at the position of the communication device. (12) The information processing device according to (4) or (5), wherein the information processing device is a base station, and the communication device is the base station or a terminal device connected to the base station. (13) The information processing device according to (12), wherein the interference fringe control unit performs, when the interval between interference fringes satisfies the predetermined criterion, at least one of a request to change a setting related to reflection or transmission of radio waves of the propagation path control device and a change of a setting related to wireless communication of the communication device, as an operation to change the interference fringes. (14) The information processing device according to (13), wherein the determination unit determines whether the interference fringe spacing falls within a predetermined range, and the interference fringe control unit, if the interference fringe spacing falls within the predetermined range, changes the setting so that the interference fringe spacing falls outside the predetermined range. (15) The information processing device according to (13), wherein the interference fringe control unit changes the setting so that a portion of the interference fringes having an interference fringe spacing greater than a predetermined threshold is located at the position of the communication device. (16) The information processing device according to (13), wherein the interference fringe control unit changes the setting so that a portion of the interference fringes having an interference fringe spacing smaller than a predetermined threshold is located at the position of the communication device. (17) The information processing device according to (13), wherein the interference fringe control unit changes the setting so that a thick portion of the interference fringes is located at the position of the communication device. (18) The information processing device according to any one of (1) to (17), wherein the propagation path control device is a RIS (Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface).(19) An information processing method, comprising: determining whether interference fringes formed by combining a plurality of radio waves, including radio waves reflected or transmitted by a propagation 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, satisfy a predetermined criterion; and performing an operation to change the interference fringes if the interference fringes do not satisfy the predetermined criterion. (20) A communication system comprising a base station, a terminal device, and a propagation path control device having a structure that reflects or transmits radio waves and capable of controlling the reflection characteristics or transmission characteristics of the structure, wherein at least one of the base station, the terminal device, and the propagation path control device comprises: a determination unit that determines whether interference fringes formed by combining a plurality of radio waves, including radio waves output from at least one of the base station and the terminal device, and radio waves reflected or transmitted by the propagation path control device, satisfy a predetermined criterion; and an interference fringe control unit that performs an operation to change the interference fringes if the interference fringes do not satisfy the predetermined criterion.

[0268] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Communication system 10 Management device 20 Base station 30 Propagation path control device 40 Terminal device 50 Control station 11, 31, 51 Communication unit 21, 41 Wireless communication unit 12, 22, 32, 42, 52 Memory unit 13, 23, 33, 43, 53 Control unit 24, 34, 44, 54 Sensor unit 35 Surface unit 351 Element 352 Phase shifter 353 Channel estimation unit 211, 411 Transmission processing unit 212, 412 Reception processing unit 213, 413 Antenna 231, 331, 431, 531 Acquisition unit 232, 332, 432, 532 Calculation unit 233, 333, 433, 533 Discrimination unit 234, 334, 434, 534 Interference pattern control unit

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising: a determination unit that determines whether interference fringes formed by combining multiple radio waves, including radio waves reflected or transmitted by a propagation 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, satisfy a predetermined standard; and an interference fringe control unit that performs an operation to change the interference fringes when the interference fringes satisfy the predetermined standard.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the discrimination unit determines whether the interference fringes formed by combining multiple radio waves, including radio waves output from a communication device performing wireless communication and radio waves reflected or transmitted by the propagation path control device, satisfy the specified criteria.

3. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the communication device is a communication device capable of MIMO (Multi-Input Multi-Output) communication.

4. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the discrimination unit determines whether the interference fringe spacing or the interference fringe distribution of the interference fringes satisfies the predetermined criterion, and the interference fringe control unit performs an operation to change the interference fringes when the interference fringe spacing or the interference fringe distribution satisfies the predetermined criterion.

5. The information processing device according to claim 4, wherein the determination unit determines whether the interference fringe spacing falls within a predetermined range, and the interference fringe control unit performs an operation to change the interference fringes when the interference fringe spacing falls within the predetermined range.

6. The information processing device according to claim 4, wherein the information processing device is the propagation path control device or a control station that controls the propagation path control device.

7. The information processing device according to claim 6, wherein the interference fringe control unit changes settings relating to the reflection or transmission of radio waves in the propagation path control device as an operation for changing the interference fringes when the interference fringe spacing satisfies the predetermined criterion.

8. The information processing device according to claim 7, wherein the determination unit determines whether the interference fringe spacing falls within a predetermined range, and the interference fringe control unit changes the setting if the interference fringe spacing falls within the predetermined range so that the interference fringe spacing falls outside the predetermined range.

9. The information processing device according to claim 7, wherein the interference fringe control unit changes the setting so that a portion of the interference fringes where the spacing between interference fringes is greater than a predetermined threshold value is positioned at the position of the communication device.

10. The information processing device according to claim 7, wherein the interference fringe control unit changes the setting so that a portion of the interference fringes whose spacing is smaller than a predetermined threshold is positioned at the position of the communication device.

11. The information processing device according to claim 7, wherein the interference fringe control unit changes the setting so that a thicker portion of the interference fringes is positioned at the position of the communication device.

12. The information processing device according to claim 4, wherein the information processing device is a base station, and the communication device is the base station or a terminal device connected to the base station.

13. The information processing device according to claim 12, wherein when the interference fringe spacing satisfies the predetermined criterion, the interference fringe control unit performs at least one of the following actions to change the interference fringes: requesting a change in settings regarding the reflection or transmission of radio waves in the propagation path control device, and changing settings regarding wireless communication in the communication device.

14. The information processing device according to claim 13, wherein the determination unit determines whether the interference fringe spacing falls within a predetermined range, and the interference fringe control unit changes the setting if the interference fringe spacing falls within the predetermined range so that the interference fringe spacing falls outside the predetermined range.

15. The information processing device according to claim 13, wherein the interference fringe control unit changes the setting so that a portion of the interference fringes whose spacing is greater than a predetermined threshold is positioned at the position of the communication device.

16. The information processing device according to claim 13, wherein the interference fringe control unit changes the setting so that a portion of the interference fringes whose spacing is smaller than a predetermined threshold is positioned at the position of the communication device.

17. The information processing device according to claim 13, wherein the interference fringe control unit changes the setting so that a thicker portion of the interference fringes is positioned at the position of the communication device.

18. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the propagation path control device is a RIS (Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface).

19. An information processing method comprising: determining whether interference fringes formed by the synthesis of multiple radio waves, including radio waves reflected or transmitted by a propagation 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, satisfy a predetermined standard; and performing an operation to change the interference fringes if the interference fringes do not satisfy the predetermined standard.

20. A communication system comprising a base station, a terminal device, and a propagation path control device having a structure that reflects or transmits radio waves and capable of controlling the reflection or transmission characteristics of the structure, wherein at least one of the base station, the terminal device, and the propagation path control device comprises: a determination unit that determines whether interference fringes formed by combining multiple radio waves, including radio waves output from at least one of the base station and the terminal device and radio waves reflected or transmitted by the propagation path control device, satisfy a predetermined standard; and an interference fringe control unit that performs an operation to change the interference fringes when the interference fringes do not satisfy the predetermined standard.

Images