Wireless communication system, communication control device, and communication control method

Abstract

This communication control device acquires the processing capability of each of a plurality of communication devices present in a prescribed communication area and acquires an argument of the processing cost required for each communication device in order for the communication device to execute wireless communication. Furthermore, the communication control device adjusts an allocation processing cost allocated to each communication device on the basis of the processing capability of each communication device and the processing cost determined by using the argument, and feeds the adjusted allocation processing cost for each communication device back to the communication device. The communication devices determine the processing cost to be used for executing the wireless communication on the basis of the received allocation processing cost and execute the wireless communication.

Description

Wireless communication system, communication control device, and communication control method

[0001] This disclosure relates to a wireless communication system, a communication control device, and a communication control method for distributing the processing costs required for wireless communication across multiple communication devices.

[0002] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP: registered trademark) has standardized the 5th generation mobile communication system (also known as 5G, New Radio (NR), or Next Generation (NG)), and is also working on standardizing the next generation, known as Beyond 5G, 5G Evolution, or 6G (hereinafter, 6G).

[0003] 6G aims to further advance large capacity, low latency, and connectivity of numerous devices, while also achieving low power consumption, ensuring safety and security, autonomy, and scalability. From the perspective of achieving these technical goals, research and development of technologies that utilize information and communication engineering and computer science, such as edge computing and software-based solutions, is progressing, and the convergence and utilization of communication and computational processing are expected to advance rapidly (Non-Patent Literature 1).

[0004] In mobile communication networks, methods are known to optimize the balance between the desired communication quality and the processing costs required to ensure that communication quality (here, this can mean the computational processing power, computational power consumption, and processing delay associated with the computation related to the baseband processing of communication), such as reducing the computational processing related to beamforming determination between wireless base stations (BS) and numerous terminals (User Equipment, UE) (Non-Patent Literature 2) and reducing power consumption by controlling the transmission power (Non-Patent Literature 3).

[0005] "Network Computing," [online], Japan Science and Technology Agency, Internet (URL: https: / / www.jst.go.jp / crds / pdf / 2022 / FR / CRDS-FY2022-FR-04 / CRDS-FY2022-FR-04_20605.pdf) Patent No. 6666331, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-530757

[0006] However, the conventional methods described above do not necessarily achieve an optimal allocation of processing costs for the entire given communication area (e.g., cell or network) in environments where multiple BS, UE, and relay stations (RS) exist.

[0007] Furthermore, the parameters used to determine processing costs are limited, making it difficult to achieve a more precise calculation of processing costs.

[0008] Therefore, the following disclosure is made in light of these circumstances, and aims to provide a wireless communication system, a communication control device, and a communication control method that can achieve more precise calculation and overall optimization of processing costs allocated to communication devices in a predetermined communication domain, such as a communication network.

[0009] One aspect of the present disclosure is a wireless communication system (wireless communication system 10) including a communication control device (e.g., a wireless base station 100) and a plurality of communication devices (e.g., terminals 200), wherein the communication control device includes a processing capacity acquisition unit (processing capacity acquisition unit 120) that acquires the processing capacity of each of the plurality of communication devices located within a predetermined communication area, a cost argument acquisition unit (cost argument acquisition unit 130) that acquires arguments for the processing costs required for each of the communication devices to perform wireless communication, a calibration unit (calibration unit 150) that adjusts the allocated processing costs to be allocated to each of the communication devices based on the processing capacity of each of the communication devices and the processing costs determined using the arguments, and a feedback control unit (feedback control unit 160) that feeds back the allocated processing costs for each of the communication devices adjusted by the calibration unit to the communication devices, wherein the communication devices include a processing cost receiving unit (processing cost receiving unit 220) that receives the allocated processing costs, and a communication processing unit (communication processing unit 240) that determines the processing costs used to perform the wireless communication based on the allocated processing costs and performs the wireless communication.

[0010] Figure 1 is an overall schematic diagram of the wireless communication system 10. Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of the wireless base station 100. Figure 3 is a functional block diagram of the terminal 200. Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram of the calculation and management operation of processing costs in the wireless communication system 10. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the calculation and management operation flow (part 1) of processing costs in the wireless communication system 10. Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of the calculation and management operation flow (part 2) of processing costs in the wireless communication system 10. Figure 7 is a diagram showing an image of the allocation of processing costs between the base station, relay station and terminal. Figure 8 is a diagram showing example 1 of the operation of allocating processing costs to communication equipment. Figure 9 is a diagram showing example 2 of the operation of allocating processing costs to communication equipment. Figure 10 is a diagram showing example 3 of the operation of allocating processing costs to communication equipment. Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the wireless base station 100 and terminal 200.

[0011] The embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that identical or similar reference numerals are used to denote the same functions and components, and their descriptions will be omitted as appropriate.

[0012] (1) Overall schematic diagram 1 of the wireless communication system is an overall schematic diagram of the wireless communication system 10 according to this embodiment. The wireless communication system 10 includes a aggregation station 50, a wireless base station 100, and a terminal 200. The wireless communication system 10 is a wireless communication system that conforms to 5G New Radio (NR), which has been standardized by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP: registered trademark). The wireless communication system 10 may also be a wireless communication system that conforms to a method called Beyond 5G, 5G Evolution, or 6G. Alternatively, the wireless communication system 10 does not necessarily have to be a wireless communication system that conforms to the 3GPP technical standards, and may utilize other wireless communication technologies, including short-range wireless communication technology.

[0013] The radio base station 100 can perform wireless communication with the terminal 200. The radio base station 100 is one of the components of a radio access network (RAN) and may be called Node B, etc. (in the case of 3GPP). Alternatively, the radio base station 100 may be called an access point (AP), etc. The terminal 200 may be called User Equipment (UE), etc. (in the case of 3GPP), or may be called a host or device, etc. The wireless communication system 10 may also include a relay station (RS). The relay station may relay wireless communication between the radio base station 100 and the terminal 200.

[0014] The wireless communication system 10 may include a plurality of wireless base stations 100, and the plurality of wireless base stations 100 may be connected to an aggregation station 50. The aggregation station 50 can perform various settings for the wireless base stations 100 and manage the status of the wireless base stations 100. In this embodiment, the aggregation station 50 may also be responsible for calculating and managing the processing costs necessary to perform wireless communication while maintaining a predetermined communication quality at each of the wireless base stations 100 and terminals 200.

[0015] In this embodiment, the wireless base station 100 and the terminal 200 may constitute a communication device. Furthermore, the aggregation station 50 and the wireless base station 100 may constitute a communication control device. The wireless base station 100 may function as a communication device when the aggregation station 50 constitutes a communication control device. Also, the aggregation station 50 is not necessarily required; multiple wireless base stations 100 may operate standalone (SA) without being controlled or managed by the aggregation station 50.

[0016] The aggregation station 50 may, for example, be a network function (NF) that constitutes the core network (CN) (in the case of 3GPP). The aggregation station 50 may be implemented by an RIC (RAN Intelligent Controller) as defined by the O-RAN specification (e.g., O-RAN Architecture-Description 6.0).

[0017] The processing cost (G) here may refer to the computing power, power consumption, and processing delay associated with the baseband processing of communications. However, the processing cost is not necessarily limited to these parameters, and may also include other parameters that affect the maintenance of communication quality (e.g., computational load).

[0018] In the wireless communication system 10, processing costs can be allocated to each communication device in a manner that is optimal for the entire predetermined communication area (for example, within a cell or within a communication network). Specifically, in the wireless communication system 10, the content of the communication processing actually handled by each communication device (type of communication processing and / or processing volume, etc.) may be determined based on the processing capacity of each communication device and the processing costs allocated to each communication device (allocated processing costs).

[0019] (2) Functional Block Configuration of the Wireless Communication System Next, the functional block configuration of the wireless communication system 10 will be described. Specifically, the functional block configuration of the wireless base station 100 and the terminal 200 will be described.

[0020] (2.1) Wireless base station 100 Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of the wireless base station 100. As shown in Figure 2, the wireless base station 100 includes a wireless communication unit 110, a processing capacity acquisition unit 120, a cost argument acquisition unit 130, a processing cost calculation unit 140, a calibration unit 150, and a feedback control unit 160.

[0021] The wireless communication unit 110 performs wireless communication with the terminal 200. For example, the wireless communication unit 110 can send and receive wireless signals with the terminal 200 in accordance with 3GPP specifications. Specifically, the wireless communication unit 110 sends a downlink (DL) signal to the terminal 200 and receives an uplink (UL) signal from the terminal 200.

[0022] The processing capacity acquisition unit 120 acquires the processing capacity of each of the multiple communication devices. Specifically, the processing capacity acquisition unit 120 may acquire the processing capacity of each of the multiple terminals 200 located within a predetermined communication area. The predetermined communication area typically refers to the area within a cell (which may be one or more) formed by the radio base station 100. However, as will be described later, if the aggregation station 50 functions as a communication control device that manages the processing capacity and processing cost of each communication device, the predetermined communication area may refer to multiple cells formed by multiple radio base stations 100 connected to the aggregation station 50, or it may refer to the entire communication network composed of the wireless communication system 10.

[0023] The processing power (F) may be determined based on the performance (specifications) of each communication device (terminal 200). Specifically, the processing power acquisition unit 120 may acquire the processing power determined based on the performance of the central processing unit (CPU) that constitutes the communication device. The CPU performance may be based on the number of cores, clock frequency, etc., or on MIPS (Million Instructions Per Second), etc.

[0024] Furthermore, the processing capacity acquisition unit 120 may acquire processing capacity determined based on the performance of a server device to which the communication device can be connected. The performance of the server device may also be based on the performance of the CPU, similar to the communication device. Alternatively, the processing capacity acquisition unit 120 may acquire processing capacity determined based on the allowable power consumption of the communication device. Allowable power consumption may be the amount of energy (e.g., Wh) that the communication device is allowed to consume per unit time.

[0025] The cost argument acquisition unit 130 acquires the processing cost (G) arguments (cost arguments) required for each communication device (terminal 200) to perform wireless communication. The processing cost (G) arguments may be read as parameters.

[0026] Specifically, the cost argument acquisition unit 130 may acquire the usage status of the communication device as a cost argument. The usage status of the communication device may be quantified by some function based on actual traffic volume or power consumption per unit time, for example. Alternatively, the usage status of the communication device may be based on the CPU usage rate or the number of processing processes, etc.

[0027] Furthermore, the cost argument acquisition unit 130 may acquire the communication quality of the communication device as an argument. Here, communication quality refers to any objectively recognizable indicator of communication quality, such as EVM (Error Vector Magnitude) or throughput.

[0028] The processing cost calculation unit 140 can calculate the processing cost (G) to be borne by each communication device (terminal 200). Specifically, the processing cost calculation unit 140 uses the cost arguments obtained by the cost argument acquisition unit 130 to determine the processing cost to be borne by each communication device, that is, the amount of processing performed by each communication device.

[0029] For example, the processing cost calculation unit 140 calculates the processing cost required for a specific communication device A (G A ) the processing capacity (F A ), the usage status of communication device A, the communication quality on communication device A, etc. may be used as cost arguments to determine the cost. A >GA G A It is desirable that this be determined.

[0030] The calibration unit 150 adjusts the allocated processing cost to each communication device based on the processing capacity of each communication device and the processing cost determined using the cost argument. Specifically, the calibration unit 150 recognizes the processing capacity (F) and cost argument of each communication device located within a predetermined communication area (for example, within a cell formed by the wireless base station 100), and determines that the processing capacity and processing cost of all target communication devices are equal to F ALL >G ALL The processing cost to be allocated to each communication device is determined so as to satisfy the given relationship, and the processing cost actually allocated to each communication device (allocated processing cost) is adjusted based on the cost argument of each communication device.

[0031] Thus, the calibration unit 150 may adjust the allocation processing costs so that the allocation processing cost for each communication device is less than the processing capacity, and the total processing cost for the entire communication area is small.

[0032] The calibration unit 150 may readjust the allocation processing cost if the cost argument of at least one of the communication devices is updated. Specifically, if the usage status or communication quality of the communication devices changes, the calibration unit 150 may recalculate the processing cost and adjust the allocation processing cost allocated to each communication device.

[0033] The feedback control unit 160 feeds back the allocation processing cost for each communication device, which has been adjusted by the calibration unit 150, to the communication device. Specifically, the feedback control unit 160 may instruct the communication device to process the allocation processing cost for each communication device as the processing cost it should process. This instruction may be given, for example, from the wireless base station 100 to the terminal 200 by individual or shared control information (message).

[0034] (2.2) Terminal 200 Figure 3 is a functional block diagram of terminal 200. As shown in Figure 3, terminal 200 includes a wireless communication unit 210, a processing cost receiving unit 220, a processing capacity transmitting unit 230, and a communication processing unit 240.

[0035] The wireless communication unit 210 performs wireless communication with terminal 200. For example, the wireless communication unit 210 can transmit and receive wireless signals according to the specifications of the 3GPP with the wireless base station 100. Specifically, the wireless communication unit 210 transmits a UL signal to the wireless base station 100 and receives a DL signal from the wireless base station 100.

[0036] The processing cost receiving unit 220 receives the allocated processing cost distributed from the wireless base station 100 to terminal 200. Specifically, the allocated processing cost distributed to terminal 200 may be handled as the processing cost that terminal 200 should process.

[0037] The processing capacity transmitting unit 230 transmits the processing capacity that terminal 200 can exhibit to the wireless base station 100 (or the aggregation station 50). Specifically, the processing capacity transmitting unit 230 may transmit the processing capacity by individual or shared control information (message). The processing capacity may be transmitted, for example, by individual or shared control information (message). As described above, the processing capacity (F) may include not only terminal 200 itself but also the performance of the server device that terminal 200 can connect to.

[0038] The communication processing unit 240 determines the processing cost used for terminal 200 to perform wireless communication based on the allocated processing cost received by the processing cost receiving unit 220, and performs wireless communication. Specifically, the communication processing unit 240 secures the resources that can be used for terminal 200 to perform wireless communication based on the allocated processing cost instructed by the wireless base station 100 (or the aggregation station 50), and may perform the necessary wireless communication using the resources.

[0039] (3) Operation of the Wireless Communication System Next, the operation of the wireless communication system 10 will be described. Specifically, an example of an operation for optimizing the processing cost allocated (distributed) to each communication device in the wireless communication system 10 (communication network) will be described.

[0040] (3.1) Operational Overview In the wireless communication system 10, considering factors such as the usage status and communication quality of each communication device in the cell formed by a specific wireless base station (BS) (it may be multiple BSs), the necessary processing cost is allocated to each communication device so that the operation is optimized from the perspective of the entire system.

[0041] Also, flexible and distributed processing is possible, such as burdening another communication device with the calculation processing in a specific communication device. For example, when there is no computing resource in the terminal (UE) or the relay station (RS), the BS may be burdened with the processing. By such distribution of the processing cost, it is possible to improve the power consumption efficiency from the system perspective and enhance the user experience (UX) along with the improvement of the communication quality.

[0042] As described above, the processing capacity (F) of each communication device may be a function of not only the performance of the CPU constituting the communication device, but also the performance of the server device that the communication device can connect to, or the allowable power consumption for the communication device as an argument (parameter). Also, the processing capacity may be determined by a combination of these performances, etc.

[0043] The processing cost (G A ) required in a specific communication device A may be determined with the processing capacity (F A ) of the communication device A, the usage status of the communication device A, the communication quality in the communication device A, etc. as cost arguments. Note that G A may be determined so that F A > G A . In each communication device, it is ideal that G A with respect to F A can be minimized. The information indicating the processing capacity and / or the processing cost may be exchanged by an auxiliary signal transmitted and received between the BS-(RS)-UE.

[0044] As described above, the usage status may be quantified by some function based on, for example, the traffic volume or the actual power consumption per unit time. The communication quality may be an index by which the communication quality can be objectively recognized, such as EVM or throughput.

[0045] Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram of the calculation and management operation of processing costs in the wireless communication system 10. As shown in Figure 4, first, the range to which calibration (adjustment of allocated processing costs) is applied (for example, within a specific cell) may be determined.

[0046] Specifically, the BS may aggregate the cost arguments of each communication device (UE) located within a specific communication network (cell) and store (remember) the aggregated cost arguments (and the processing cost of each communication device) (Figure (1)). Furthermore, the BS may also select multiple neighboring BSs (cells) within the range of its available computing resources and include them in the calibration range.

[0047] Next, the BS performs the optimal allocation of the optimal processing cost (Figure (2)). Specifically, the BS uses the information it holds (processing cost and cost argument) to perform calibration (which may involve learning using artificial intelligence / machine learning (AIML)) and calculates the processing cost for each communication device. The BS then feeds back (FB) the calculated processing cost to each communication device (UE).

[0048] Next, the BS may recalculate the processing costs allocated to each communication device (allocated processing costs), that is, readjust the allocated processing costs (which may also be called recalibration). Specifically, the BS may perform recalibration in response to notification of events such as when there is an update to the cost argument or when computing resources are insufficient (overflow).

[0049] (3.2) Operation Flow Diagram 5 shows an example of the operation flow (1) for calculating and managing processing costs in the wireless communication system 10. Diagram 5 shows an example of the operation flow in which a wireless base station (BS, base station, etc. as appropriate) is responsible for calculating and managing processing costs.

[0050] As shown in Figure 5, a base station (BS) obtains cost arguments from UEs and RSs located within the cell formed by the BS, and aggregates them at the BS. These cost arguments may be obtained by adding them to existing control signals.

[0051] Since the aggregation station is not involved in calculating the processing cost, the BS calculates the processing cost for each communication device using AIML or other learning methods (however, learning is not mandatory) from the acquired cost arguments. The BS may notify each communication device of the processing details corresponding to the calculated processing cost.

[0052] Figure 6 shows an example of the calculation and management operation flow (part 2) for processing costs in the wireless communication system 10. Figure 6 shows an example of the operation flow in which the aggregation station is responsible for calculating and managing processing costs.

[0053] As shown in Figure 6, if the aggregation station is involved in calculating the processing cost, the aggregation station may aggregate information on the cost arguments of the communication devices (RS, UE) located within the cells formed by each BS. The aggregation station calculates the processing cost of each communication device from the acquired cost arguments using learning such as AIML (however, learning is not mandatory). The aggregation station may notify each communication device of the processing details corresponding to the calculated processing cost via the BS.

[0054] (3.3) Operation Example Next, an example of the operation of allocating processing costs will be described. Figure 7 shows an image of the allocation of processing costs between base stations, relay stations and terminals.

[0055] After calculating the processing cost (G) to be allocated to each communication device, the base station (BS) may, as an initial setting, reserve computing resources equivalent to the minimum bandwidth required to perform communication with each RS and each UE.

[0056] Regarding the routing order for allocating processing load to each communication device (RS, UE), some rule may be set (e.g., sorting by processing load, communication quality, or random selection). The BS may instruct each communication device to perform processing according to the calculated processing cost.

[0057] Furthermore, each communication device may delegate some or all of the instructed processing to an edge server or cloud server that is physically or logically located nearby and can be connected to. In addition, in order to achieve optimal operation of the wireless communication system 10 (communication network) as a whole, for example, processing of a specific UE may be handled by another device, such as an RS or BS. It is also possible to instruct a communication device that is not currently performing communication to perform only specific computational processing. If there is a difference in the amount of traffic between DL and UL, computational resources may be allocated according to the respective amounts of traffic for DL ​​and UL.

[0058] Figure 8 shows example 1 of the operation for allocating processing costs to communication devices. In operation example 1, processing costs are allocated considering the state of the communication devices. Note that, for convenience, Figure 8 focuses only on the computing resources of a specific communication device (the same applies hereafter).

[0059] As shown in Figure 8, the processing cost (allocated processing cost) to be allocated to UE1 and UE2 may be determined by considering the state of UE1 and UE2 (communication quality and operating time). Specifically, as shown in Figure 8, resources that were excessively allocated to UE1 may be reduced, and the processing cost equivalent to that reduction may be allocated to UE2.

[0060] Figure 9 shows example 2 of the operation for allocating processing costs to communication devices. In operation example 2, processing costs are allocated in a manner that does not depend on the communication devices (RS, UE). As shown in Figure 9, RS, UE2 require more processing costs, but the processing capacity of the communication device (F RS , F UE2 ) exceeds the processing capacity (F BS ) If there is available capacity in BS, RS and UE2 may allocate the processing load that they should originally perform, and BS may then perform the calculation.

[0061] Figure 10 shows example 3 of the operation for allocating processing costs to a communication device. In operation example 3, additional processing costs are allocated to the standby terminal (UE). As shown in Figure 10, UE2 is in a situation where more processing costs are required, but the processing capacity of the communication device (F UE2) exceeds the limit. Therefore, it is in a standby state and the processing capacity (F UE1 UE1 may be allocated the processing load that UE2 should originally perform to UE1, which has available resources, and UE1 may then perform the calculation.

[0062] According to the example of operation described above, in the wireless communication system 10, the processing cost allocated to each communication device (allocated processing cost) is adjusted based on the processing capacity of each communication device and the processing cost determined using cost arguments based on the usage status and communication quality. For example, the allocated processing cost is adjusted so that the allocated processing cost for each communication device is less than the processing capacity, and the total processing cost for the entire predetermined communication area (e.g., cell or network) is small.

[0063] Therefore, it is possible to achieve an optimal allocation of processing costs for the entire communication domain. Furthermore, because a variety of cost arguments can be used, it becomes possible to calculate the processing cost for each communication device with greater precision. In other words, according to the operation example described above, it is possible to achieve a more precise calculation of the processing costs allocated to communication devices and overall optimization within a given communication domain, such as a communication network.

[0064] In this embodiment, when the cost argument of the communication device is updated, the allocation processing cost can be readjusted. This makes it possible to achieve appropriate processing cost allocation according to the latest status of the communication device.

[0065] In this embodiment, the processing capacity of the communication device can be determined based on the performance of the CPU constituting the communication device, the performance of the server device to which the communication device can be connected, or the allowable power consumption of the communication device. Therefore, the processing capacity of the communication device can be evaluated more accurately and from multiple perspectives, and a more appropriate allocation of processing costs can be achieved.

[0066] (4) Other Embodiments Although embodiments have been described above, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the embodiments are not limited to those described and that various modifications and improvements are possible.

[0067] For example, in the embodiment described above, the wireless communication system 10 included a relay station (RS), but a relay station is not essential. In other words, the wireless communication system 10 may consist of a wireless base station 100 and a terminal 200.

[0068] Furthermore, the cost argument shown in the example is just one example; the cost argument may be other factors (for example, the firmware version of the communication device) in addition to the usage status and communication quality of the communication device.

[0069] In the above description, configure, activate, update, indicate, enable, specify, and select may be interpreted as interchangeable. Similarly, link, associate, correspond, and map may be interpreted as interchangeable, and allocate, assign, monitor, and map may also be interpreted as interchangeable.

[0070] Furthermore, "specific," "dedicated," "UE specific," and "UE individual" may be interpreted interchangeably. Similarly, "common," "shared," "group-common," "UE common," and "UE shared" may be interpreted interchangeably.

[0071] In this disclosure, terms such as “precoding,” “precoder,” “weight (precoding weight),” “quasi-co-location (QCL),” “transmission configuration indication state (TCI state),” “spatial relation,” “spatial domain filter,” “transmit power,” “phase rotation,” “antenna port,” “antenna port group,” “layer,” “number of layers,” “rank,” “resource,” “resource set,” “resource group,” “beam,” “beam width,” “beam angle,” “antenna,” “antenna element,” and “panel” may be used interchangeably.

[0072] Furthermore, the block diagrams (Figures 4 and 5) used in the description of the embodiments above show functional units. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Moreover, the method of realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized using one device that is physically or logically coupled, or it may be realized using two or more physically or logically separated devices that are directly or indirectly connected (for example, using wired or wireless connections). A functional block may also be realized by combining the one or more devices with software.

[0073] Functions include, but are not limited to, judgment, decision, judgment, calculation, calculation, processing, derivation, investigation, exploration, confirmation, reception, transmission, output, access, resolution, selection, selection, establishment, comparison, assumption, expectation, assumption, broadcasting, notifying, communicating, forwarding, configuring, reconfiguring, allocating (mapping), and assigning. For example, a functional block (configuration part) that enables transmission is called a transmitting unit or transmitter. In any case, as mentioned above, the method of implementation is not particularly limited.

[0074] Furthermore, the aforementioned wireless base station 100 and terminal 200 (the device) may function as a computer that processes the wireless communication method of this disclosure. Figure 11 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the device. A relay station may have a similar configuration. As shown in Figure 11, the device may be configured as a computer device including a processor 1001, memory 1002, storage 1003, communication device 1004, input device 1005, output device 1006, and bus 1007.

[0075] In the following explanation, the term "device" can be replaced with "circuit," "device," "unit," etc. The hardware configuration of the device may include one or more of the devices shown in the diagram, or it may be configured to omit some of the devices.

[0076] Each functional block of the device (see Figures 4 and 5) is implemented by any hardware element of the computer device, or a combination of such hardware elements.

[0077] Furthermore, each function in the device is realized by loading predetermined software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 1001 and memory 1002, which allows the processor 1001 to perform calculations, control communication by the communication device 1004, and control at least one of the reading and writing of data in the memory 1002 and storage 1003.

[0078] The processor 1001 controls the entire computer, for example, by running an operating system. The processor 1001 may consist of a central processing unit (CPU) that includes interfaces with peripheral devices, control units, arithmetic units, registers, and so on.

[0079] Furthermore, the processor 1001 reads programs (program code), software modules, data, etc., from at least one of the storage 1003 and the communication device 1004 into the memory 1002 and executes various processes accordingly. The program used is one that causes the computer to execute at least a part of the operations described in the above embodiment. Moreover, the above-mentioned various processes may be executed by one processor 1001, or by two or more processors 1001 simultaneously or sequentially. The processor 1001 may be implemented by one or more chips. The program may also be transmitted from a network via a telecommunications line.

[0080] Memory 1002 is a computer-readable recording medium and may consist of at least one of the following: Read Only Memory (ROM), Erasable Programmable ROM (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), etc. Memory 1002 may also be called a register, cache, main memory, etc. Memory 1002 can store a program (program code), software module, etc., that can execute a method according to one embodiment of this disclosure.

[0081] Storage 1003 is a computer-readable recording medium and may consist of at least one of the following: an optical disc such as a Compact Disc ROM (CD-ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., Compact Disc, Digital Multipurpose Disc, Blu-ray® Disc), a smart card, flash memory (e.g., a card, stick, key drive), a floppy® disk, a magnetic strip, etc. Storage 1003 may also be called an auxiliary storage device. The recording medium described above may also be, for example, a database, server, or other suitable medium including at least one of memory 1002 and storage 1003.

[0082] The communication device 1004 is hardware (transceiver / receiver device) for communicating between computers via at least one of a wired network and a wireless network, and is also referred to as a network device, network controller, network card, communication module, etc.

[0083] The communication device 1004 may be configured to include, for example, a high-frequency switch, a duplexer, a filter, a frequency synthesizer, etc., in order to implement at least one of frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD).

[0084] The input device 1005 is an input device that accepts input from an external source (e.g., a keyboard, mouse, microphone, switch, button, sensor, etc.). The output device 1006 is an output device that outputs to an external source (e.g., a display, speaker, LED lamp, etc.). The input device 1005 and the output device 1006 may be configured as an integrated unit (e.g., a touch panel).

[0085] Furthermore, each device, such as the processor 1001 and the memory 1002, is connected by a bus 1007 for communicating information. The bus 1007 may be configured using a single bus, or different buses may be configured for each device.

[0086] Furthermore, the device may include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), and a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and some or all of each functional block may be implemented by such hardware. For example, processor 1001 may be implemented using at least one of these hardware components.

[0087] Furthermore, notification of information is not limited to the embodiments described herein and may be carried out by other means. For example, notification of information may be carried out by physical layer signaling (e.g., Downlink Control Information (DCI), Uplink Control Information (UCI)), upper layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling, Medium Access Control (MAC) signaling, broadcast information (Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB))), other signals, or combinations thereof. RRC signaling may also be called RRC messages, and may be, for example, RRC Connection Setup messages, RRC Connection Reconfiguration messages, etc.

[0088] Each aspect / embodiment described herein may be applied to at least one of the following: Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 6th generation mobile communication system (6G), xth generation mobile communication system (xG) (where x is, for example, an integer or decimal), Future Radio Access (FRA), New Radio (NR), W-CDMA®, GSM®, CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi®), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX®), IEEE 802.20, Ultra-WideBand (UWB), Bluetooth®, and other appropriate systems, as well as next-generation systems extended based thereon. Furthermore, multiple systems may be applied in combination (for example, a combination of at least one of LTE and LTE-A with 5G).

[0089] The processing procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc., of each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be reordered, provided they do not contradict each other. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present various step elements using exemplary order and are not limited to the specific order presented.

[0090] The specific operations described in this disclosure as being performed by a base station may, in some cases, be performed by its upper node. In a network consisting of one or more network nodes having a base station, it is clear that various operations performed for communication with a terminal can be performed by the base station and at least one other network node (for example, an MME or S-GW, but not limited to these). Although the above example illustrates the case where there is one other network node besides the base station, it may also be a combination of multiple other network nodes (for example, an MME and an S-GW).

[0091] Information and signals (such as data) can be output from a higher layer (or lower layer) to a lower layer (or higher layer). Input and output may occur via multiple network nodes.

[0092] Input and output information may be stored in a specific location (e.g., memory) or managed using a management table. Input and output information may be overwritten, updated, or appended to. Output information may be deleted. Input information may be sent to other devices.

[0093] The determination may be made by a value represented by one bit (0 or 1), by a boolean value (true or false), or by a numerical comparison (for example, a comparison with a predetermined value).

[0094] Each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be used individually, in combination, or switched between as needed during implementation. Furthermore, notification of specific information (e.g., notification that "X is") is not limited to explicit notification, but may also be implicit (e.g., by not providing such notification).

[0095] Software should be broadly interpreted to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, execution threads, procedures, functions, and so on, whether they are called software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or by any other name.

[0096] Furthermore, software, instructions, information, etc., may be transmitted and received via a transmission medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using at least one of wired technologies (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, or Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)) and wireless technologies (such as infrared or microwave), then at least one of these wired and wireless technologies is included in the definition of a transmission medium.

[0097] The information, signals, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using any of the various different technologies. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

[0098] In addition, terms used in this disclosure and terms necessary for understanding this disclosure may be replaced with terms having the same or similar meanings. For example, at least one of the channel and symbol may be a signal (signaling). Also, a signal may be a message. Furthermore, a component carrier (CC) may be called a carrier frequency, cell, frequency carrier, etc.

[0099] The terms “system” and “network” as used in this disclosure are interchangeable.

[0100] Furthermore, the information, parameters, etc., described in this disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, relative values ​​from a given value, or other corresponding information. For example, wireless resources may be indicated by an index.

[0101] The names used for the parameters described above are not restrictive in any way. Furthermore, the formulas and other expressions using these parameters may differ from those expressly disclosed in this disclosure. Since various channels (e.g., PUCCH, PDCCH, etc.) and information elements can be identified by any suitable name, the various names assigned to these various channels and information elements are not restrictive in any way.

[0102] In this disclosure, terms such as "Base Station (BS)," "wireless base station," "fixed station," "NodeB," "eNodeB (eNB)," "gNodeB (gNB)," "access point," "transmission point," "reception point," "transmission / reception point," "cell," "sector," "cell group," "carrier," and "component carrier" may be used interchangeably. Base stations may also be referred to by terms such as macrocell, small cell, femtocell, and picocell.

[0103] A base station can house one or more (e.g., three) cells (also called sectors). If a base station houses multiple cells, the entire coverage area of ​​the base station can be divided into multiple smaller areas, each of which can also be provided with communication services by a base station subsystem (e.g., a small indoor base station (Remote Radio Head: RRH)).

[0104] The terms "cell" or "sector" refer to a portion or all of the coverage area of ​​at least one of the base stations and base station subsystems that provide communication services in this coverage.

[0105] In this disclosure, the transmission of information by a base station to a terminal may be interpreted as the base station instructing the terminal to perform control or operation based on the information.

[0106] In this disclosure, terms such as "Mobile Station (MS)," "user terminal," "User Equipment (UE)," and "terminal" may be used interchangeably.

[0107] A mobile station may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, or some other appropriate term.

[0108] At least one of the base station and the mobile station may be called a transmitting device, a receiving device, a communication device, etc. At least one of the base station and the mobile station may also be a device mounted on a mobile body, the mobile body itself, etc. The mobile body refers to a movable object, and its speed of movement is arbitrary. This also includes the case when the mobile body is stationary. The mobile body includes, but is not limited to, vehicles, transport vehicles, automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, connected cars, excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders, dump trucks, forklifts, trains, buses, handcarts, rickshaws, ships and other watercraft, airplanes, rockets, satellites, drones (registered trademark), multicopters, quadcopters, balloons, and items mounted on them. The mobile body may also be a mobile body that moves autonomously based on operation commands. It may be a vehicle (e.g., a car, an airplane, etc.), an unmanned mobile body (e.g., a drone, an autonomous vehicle, etc.), or a robot (manned or unmanned). Furthermore, at least one of the base station and the mobile station may include devices that do not necessarily move during communication operations. For example, at least one of the base station and the mobile station may be an IoT (Internet of Things) device such as a sensor.

[0109] Furthermore, the term "base station" in this disclosure may be interpreted as "mobile station" (user terminal, hereinafter the same). For example, the various aspects / embodiments of this disclosure may be applied to a configuration in which communication between a base station and a mobile station is replaced with communication between multiple mobile stations (which may be called, for example, Device-to-Device (D2D), Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), etc.). In this case, the mobile station may have the functions that a base station has. Also, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" may be interpreted as terms corresponding to terminal-to-terminal communication (for example, "side"). For example, uplink channel, downlink channel, etc. may be interpreted as side channel (or side link).

[0110] Similarly, the term "mobile station" in this disclosure may be interpreted as "base station." In this case, the base station may be configured to have the functions that a mobile station has.

[0111] A wireless frame may consist of one or more frames in the time domain. Each of these one or more frames in the time domain may be called a subframe. A subframe may further consist of one or more slots in the time domain. A subframe may have a fixed time length (e.g., 1 ms) that is independent of numerology.

[0112] Numerology may be communication parameters applied to at least one of the transmission and reception of a signal or channel. Numerology may include, for example, at least one of the following: subcarrier spacing (SCS), bandwidth, symbol length, cyclic prefix length, transmission time interval (TTI), number of symbols per TTI, radio frame configuration, specific filtering processes performed by the transceiver in the frequency domain, and specific windowing processes performed by the transceiver in the time domain.

[0113] A slot may consist of one or more symbols in the time domain (such as Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols or Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) symbols). A slot may also be a time unit based on neurology.

[0114] A slot may include multiple mini-slots. Each mini-slot may consist of one or more symbols in the time domain. Mini-slots may also be called sub-slots. Mini-slots may consist of fewer symbols than a slot. A PDSCH (or PUSCH) transmitted in a time unit larger than a mini-slot may be called PDSCH (or PUSCH) mapping type A. A PDSCH (or PUSCH) transmitted using a mini-slot may be called PDSCH (or PUSCH) mapping type B.

[0115] Wireless frames, subframes, slots, minislots, and symbols all represent units of time when transmitting a signal. Different names may be used for each of these terms.

[0116] For example, one subframe may be called a transmission time interval (TTI), multiple consecutive subframes may be called a TTI, or one slot or one minislot may be called a TTI. In other words, at least one of a subframe and a TTI may be a subframe in existing LTE (1ms), a period shorter than 1ms (e.g., 1-13 symbols), or a period longer than 1ms. Note that the unit representing the TTI may be called a slot, minislot, etc., instead of a subframe.

[0117] Here, TTI refers to, for example, the smallest unit of time for scheduling in wireless communication. For example, in an LTE system, the base station schedules each user terminal to allocate wireless resources (such as the frequency bandwidth and transmission power available to each user terminal) in TTI units. However, the definition of TTI is not limited to this.

[0118] TTI may be a transmission time unit for channel-encoded data packets (transport blocks), code blocks, code words, etc., or it may be a processing unit for scheduling, link adaptation, etc. Note that when a TTI is given, the actual time interval (e.g., number of symbols) in which the transport block, code block, code word, etc. are mapped may be shorter than the given TTI.

[0119] Furthermore, if one slot or one mini-slot is referred to as TTI, then one or more TTIs (i.e., one or more slots or one or more mini-slots) may constitute the minimum time unit of scheduling. In addition, the number of slots (number of mini-slots) that constitute the minimum time unit of scheduling may be controlled.

[0120] A TTI with a time length of 1ms may also be called a normal TTI, long TTI, normal subframe, long subframe, slot, etc. A TTI shorter than a normal TTI may also be called a shortened TTI, short TTI, partial or fractional TTI, shortened subframe, short subframe, mini slot, sub slot, slot, etc.

[0121] Furthermore, long TTIs (e.g., normal TTIs, subframes, etc.) may be interpreted as TTIs with a time length exceeding 1 ms, and short TTIs (e.g., shortened TTIs, etc.) may be interpreted as TTIs with a TTI length less than that of a long TTI but 1 ms or more.

[0122] A resource block (RB) is a resource allocation unit in the time domain and frequency domain, and in the frequency domain, it may contain one or more consecutive subcarriers. The number of subcarriers in an RB may be the same regardless of the neurology, for example, 12. The number of subcarriers in an RB may be determined based on the neurology.

[0123] Furthermore, the time domain of RB may contain one or more symbols and may be the length of one slot, one minislot, one subframe, or one TTI. One TTI, one subframe, etc., may each consist of one or more resource blocks.

[0124] One or more RBs may also be called a Physical RB (PRB), Sub-Carrier Group (SCG), Resource Element Group (REG), PRB pair, RB pair, etc.

[0125] Furthermore, a resource block may consist of one or more resource elements (REs). For example, one RE may be a radio resource area comprising one subcarrier and one symbol.

[0126] A Bandwidth Part (BWP), also known as a partial bandwidth, may represent a subset of consecutive common resource blocks (RBs) for a given neurology in a given carrier. Here, the common RBs may be identified by an index of the RBs relative to the carrier's common reference point. PRBs may be defined and numbered within a given BWP.

[0127] A BWP may include BWPs for UL (UL BWP) and BWPs for DL ​​(DL BWP). One or more BWPs may be set within a single carrier for a UE.

[0128] At least one of the configured BWPs may be active, and the UE does not need to assume that it will send or receive a given signal / channel outside of the active BWP. In this disclosure, terms such as "cell" and "carrier" may be read as "BWP".

[0129] The structures described above, such as wireless frames, subframes, slots, minislots, and symbols, are merely illustrative. For example, the number of subframes included in a wireless frame, the number of slots per subframe or wireless frame, the number of minislots included in a slot, the number of symbols and RBs included in a slot or minislot, the number of subcarriers included in an RB, and the number of symbols, symbol length, and cyclic prefix (CP) length within a TTI can be varied in various ways.

[0130] The terms “connected,” “coupled,” and any variations thereof mean any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements, and may include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are “connected” or “coupled” with each other. The coupling or connection between elements may be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. For example, “connection” may be reinterpreted as “access.” As used in this disclosure, two elements may be considered to be “connected” or “coupled” with each other using at least one of one or more wires, cables, and printed electrical connections, and, in some non-limiting and non-exclusive examples, electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency domain, microwave domain, and optical (both visible and invisible) domain.

[0131] The reference signal can also be abbreviated as Reference Signal (RS), and may be called a pilot depending on the applicable standard.

[0132] In this disclosure, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based solely on" unless otherwise specified. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based solely on" and "based at least on."

[0133] In the configuration of each of the above devices, "means" may be replaced with "part," "circuit," "device," etc.

[0134] Any reference to elements using designations such as “First,” “Second,” etc., as used in this disclosure does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used in this disclosure as a convenient way to distinguish between two or more elements. Accordingly, references to the First and Second elements do not imply that only two elements may be employed therein, or that the First element must precede the Second element in any way.

[0135] Where the terms “include,” “including,” and variations thereof are used in this disclosure, these terms are intended to be inclusive, as is the term “comprising.” Furthermore, the term “or” as used in this disclosure is not intended to be exclusive OR.

[0136] In this disclosure, if articles are added through translation, such as a, an, and the in English, this disclosure may include the fact that the noun following these articles is plural.

[0137] The terms “determining” and “determining” as used in this disclosure may encompass a wide variety of actions. “Determining” and “determining” may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up, searching, or inquiring (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), or ascertaining. “Determining” and “determining” may also include receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., sending information), inputting, outputting, or accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory). Furthermore, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering something as having "judgmented" or "decided" after resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc. In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering something as having "judgmented" or "decided" about some action. Also, "judgment (decision)" can be reinterpreted as "assuming," "expecting," or "considering."

[0138] In this disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." The term may also mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "combine" may be interpreted similarly to "different."

[0139] (Note) The above disclosure may also be expressed as follows: The first feature is a wireless communication system including a communication control device and a plurality of communication devices, wherein the communication control device includes a processing capacity acquisition unit that acquires the processing capacity of each of the plurality of communication devices located within a predetermined communication area, a cost argument acquisition unit that acquires arguments for the processing costs required for each of the communication devices to perform wireless communication, a calibration unit that adjusts the allocated processing costs allocated to each of the communication devices based on the processing capacity of each of the communication devices and the processing costs determined using the arguments, and a feedback control unit that feeds back the allocated processing costs for each of the communication devices adjusted by the calibration unit to the communication devices, wherein the communication devices include a processing cost receiving unit that receives the allocated processing costs and a communication processing unit that determines the processing costs used to perform the wireless communication based on the allocated processing costs and performs the wireless communication.

[0140] The second feature is that, in the first feature, the calibration unit readjusts the allocation processing cost when the argument is updated.

[0141] The third feature is that, in the first or second feature, the calibration unit adjusts the allocation processing cost so that the allocation processing cost in each of the communication devices is less than the processing capacity, and the total value of the processing cost for the entire communication area is small.

[0142] The fourth feature is that, in the first to third features, the processing capacity acquisition unit acquires the processing capacity determined based on the performance of the central processing unit constituting the communication device.

[0143] The fifth feature is that, in the first to fourth features, the processing capacity acquisition unit acquires the processing capacity determined based on the performance of the server device to which the communication device can be connected.

[0144] The sixth feature is that, in the first to fifth features, the processing capacity acquisition unit acquires the processing capacity determined based on the allowable power consumption for the communication device.

[0145] The seventh feature is that, in the first to sixth features, the cost argument acquisition unit acquires the usage status of the communication device as the argument.

[0146] The eighth feature is that, in the first to seventh features, the cost argument acquisition unit acquires the communication quality of the communication device as the argument.

[0147] 10 Wireless communication system 50 Aggregation station 100 Wireless base station 110 Wireless communication unit 120 Processing capacity acquisition unit 130 Cost argument acquisition unit 140 Processing cost calculation unit 150 Calibration unit 160 Feedback control unit 200 Terminal 210 Wireless communication unit 220 Processing cost receiving unit 230 Processing capacity transmission unit 240 Communication processing unit 1001 Processor 1002 Memory 1003 Storage 1004 Communication device 1005 Input device 1006 Output device 1007 Bus

Claims

1. A wireless communication system comprising a communication control device and a plurality of communication devices, wherein the communication control device comprises: a processing capacity acquisition unit that acquires the processing capacity of each of the plurality of communication devices located within a predetermined communication area; a cost argument acquisition unit that acquires arguments for the processing costs required for each of the communication devices to perform wireless communication; a calibration unit that adjusts the allocated processing costs to be distributed to each of the communication devices based on the processing capacity of each of the communication devices and the processing costs determined using the arguments; and a feedback control unit that feeds back the allocated processing costs for each of the communication devices adjusted by the calibration unit to the communication devices, wherein the communication devices comprise: a processing cost receiving unit that receives the allocated processing costs; and a communication processing unit that determines the processing costs used to perform the wireless communication based on the allocated processing costs and performs the wireless communication.

2. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the calibration unit readjusts the allocation processing cost when the argument is updated.

3. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the calibration unit adjusts the allocation processing cost in each of the communication devices such that the allocation processing cost is less than the processing capacity and the total value of the processing costs for the entire communication area is small.

4. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the processing capacity acquisition unit acquires the processing capacity determined based on the performance of the central processing unit constituting the communication device.

5. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the processing capacity acquisition unit acquires the processing capacity determined based on the performance of a server device to which the communication device can be connected.

6. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the processing capacity acquisition unit acquires the processing capacity determined based on the allowable power consumption for the communication device.

7. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the cost argument acquisition unit acquires the usage status of the communication device as the argument.

8. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein the cost argument acquisition unit acquires the communication quality of the communication device as the argument.

9. A communication control device comprising: a processing capacity acquisition unit that acquires the processing capacity of each of a plurality of communication devices located within a predetermined communication area; a cost argument acquisition unit that acquires arguments for the processing costs required for each of the communication devices to perform wireless communication; a calibration unit that adjusts the allocated processing costs to be distributed to each of the communication devices based on the processing capacity of each of the communication devices and the processing costs determined using the arguments; and a feedback control unit that feeds back the allocated processing costs for each of the communication devices adjusted by the calibration unit to the communication devices.

10. A communication control method comprising a communication control device and a plurality of communication devices, the method comprising: a step of the communication control device acquiring the processing capacity of each of the plurality of communication devices located within a predetermined communication area; a step of the communication control device acquiring arguments for the processing cost required for each of the communication devices to perform wireless communication; a step of the communication control device adjusting the allocated processing cost to be distributed to each of the communication devices based on the processing capacity of each of the communication devices and the processing cost determined using the arguments; a step of the communication control device feeding back the adjusted allocated processing cost for each of the communication devices to the communication devices; a step of the communication devices receiving the allocated processing cost; and a step of the communication devices determining the processing cost to be used to perform the wireless communication based on the allocated processing cost and performing the wireless communication.

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