Device and method

Abstract

This device according to one aspect provides information pertaining to a new base station to be newly installed in a prescribed area. The device is provided with a radio wave map generation unit for generating a radio wave map indicating a distribution of radio wave intensities of radio waves in the prescribed area on the basis of a base station distance map indicating the distance from an existing base station transmitting radio waves for wireless communication, and a building height map including building height information, a determination unit for calculating a statistical value of the radio wave intensities for each of a plurality of regions in the radio wave map, identifying a weak radio wave area in which the statistical value of the radio wave intensities is lower than a reference value, and determining an installation position of the new base station within the weak radio wave area, and an output unit for outputting information indicating the determined installation position of the new base station.

Description

Apparatus and Method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and a method.

[0002] As a technology for improving the communication quality of mobile communication, for example, Patent Document 1 is known. Patent Document 1 describes a mobile terminal system including a mobile phone that holds radio wave intensity and position information when the radio wave intensity is below a predetermined threshold value, and an information integration server connected to the mobile phone via a public network. The mobile phone reads out the held radio wave intensity and position information and transmits them to the information integration server when a predetermined condition is satisfied. The information integration server determines a location for installing a new base station based on the transmitted radio wave intensity and position information.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011 - 172006

[0004] By installing a new base station in an area with low communication quality, the communication quality can be improved. To determine an appropriate installation location for the newly installed base station, it is required to grasp the communication quality of the entire service area of mobile communication. However, it is not easy to accurately grasp the communication quality within the service area. In the system described in Patent Document 1, the radio wave intensity within the provided area is collected using the user's mobile phone to measure the communication quality. However, generally, users are concentrated in some areas such as urban areas. Therefore, even with this system, it is difficult to accurately measure the communication quality of the entire service area. When the communication quality cannot be accurately grasped, it becomes difficult to determine an appropriate installation location for the newly installed base station.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide information indicating an appropriate installation location for a newly installed base station.

[0006] An apparatus according to one embodiment provides information about a newly installed base station within a predetermined area. This apparatus comprises: a radio wave map generation unit that generates a radio wave map showing the distribution of radio wave intensity within a predetermined area based on a base station distance map showing the distance from an existing base station that transmits radio waves for wireless communication and a building height map including building height information; a determination unit that calculates statistical values ​​of radio wave intensity for each of several regions within the radio wave map, identifies weak radio wave areas where the statistical values ​​of radio wave intensity are lower than a reference value, and determines the installation location of the new base station within the weak radio wave area; and an output unit that outputs information indicating the determined installation location of the new base station.

[0007] According to this disclosure, information indicating the installation location of a newly constructed base station can be provided.

[0008] This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an information providing device according to one embodiment. This is a diagram showing an example of measured value information. (a) shows an example of a building height map, (b) shows an example of a base station distance map, and (c) shows an example of a receiving station distance map. This shows an example of a radio wave map. This is a diagram schematically showing the learning method of a prediction model. This is a diagram showing an example of a frequency map. This is a diagram showing a method for identifying weak radio wave areas. This is a diagram showing an example of newly installed base station information. This is a diagram showing an example of a radio wave map after installation. This is a flowchart showing an information providing method according to one embodiment. This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an information providing device according to another embodiment. This is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of an information providing device.

[0009] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same or equivalent elements will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions will not be repeated.

[0010] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an information providing device 1 according to one embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the information providing device 1 provides information including the installation location of a new base station to be installed in order to improve communication quality. Communication quality refers to the performance of communication that affects the satisfaction experienced by users when using communication services. Generally, communication quality is comprehensively evaluated from indicators such as connectivity, throughput, latency, packet error rate, and call quality. These indicators are related to the strength of radio waves from the base station (radio wave strength). In other words, if the radio wave strength within the service area of ​​the communication service is high, communication quality tends to improve.

[0011] Base stations are located within the service area where communication services are provided and transmit and receive radio signals between communication terminals (mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, etc.) and the communication network. Base stations are equipped with hardware such as antennas, transmitters, receivers, and control devices. Base stations provide a communication area by transmitting radio waves to a specific range within the service area. Communication terminals located within the communication area can communicate by transmitting and receiving information via the base station. In the following explanation, base stations already installed within the service area are referred to as "existing base stations ES," and base stations newly installed within the service area to improve communication quality are referred to as "new base stations NS."

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the information providing device 1 includes an acquisition unit 11, a radio wave map generation unit 12, a frequency map generation unit 13, a determination unit 14, a post-installation radio wave map generation unit 15, an output unit 16, and a storage unit 20. In the example shown in Figure 1, the acquisition unit 11, the radio wave map generation unit 12, the frequency map generation unit 13, the determination unit 14, the post-installation radio wave map generation unit 15, the output unit 16, and the storage unit 20 are implemented by a single information providing device 1, but these functional elements may be distributed and arranged across multiple devices.

[0013] The acquisition unit 11, the radio wave map generation unit 12, the frequency map generation unit 13, the determination unit 14, the post-installation radio wave map generation unit 15, and the output unit 16 are all accessible to the storage unit 20. The storage unit 20 is a storage device that stores base station information 21, permitted location information 22, measurement value information 23, building height map 24, base station distance map 25, receiving station distance map 26, and prediction model 27. The storage unit 20 may be located inside the information providing device 1, as shown in Figure 1, or it may be located outside the information providing device 1 so that it can be accessed from the information providing device 1.

[0014] Base station information 21 includes information about existing base stations ES. Base station information 21 is registered by the administrator of the information providing device 1. For example, base station information 21 includes information indicating the installation location (latitude and longitude), installation height, transmission power, and radio frequency of existing base stations.

[0015] The permitted location information 22 includes information indicating permitted installation locations where a new base station NS can be installed. Generally, base stations are installed on rooftops of buildings, public facilities, commercial facilities, transmission towers, streetlights, utility poles, or in mountainous areas. A permitted installation location refers to a place where permission to install a new base station NS has been granted by the owner or manager of the building, structure, or land. For example, the permitted location information 22 includes information indicating the location (latitude and longitude) and installation height of the permitted installation location.

[0016] The measurement data information 23 includes measured radio wave intensity. Figure 2 shows an example of the measurement data information 23. As shown in Figure 2, the measurement data information 23 is information that associates the location information of the measurement point with the measured radio wave intensity. The measurement data information 23 is generated, for example, by obtaining the latitude and longitude of the measurement point using a positioning system such as GPS, and measuring the radio wave intensity at each measurement point using a measuring instrument. Since the radio wave intensity is measured on-site, there is a limit to the number of measurement points. For example, the measurement data information 23 stores measurement values ​​from several to several hundred measurement points per square kilometer.

[0017] The building height map 24 is data containing height information indicating the height of buildings or terrain at each point (each pixel) within a predetermined area centered on a certain reference position. Figure 3(a) shows an example of the building height map 24. The building height map 24 is image data having multiple pixels arranged in two dimensions. Each pixel corresponds to, for example, a 1m x 1m area. The brightness of each pixel indicates the height of the building or terrain. The brightness of each pixel included in the building height map 24 may be normalized to a range of 0 to 1. The building height map 24 can be generated, for example, from a 3D city model published by a public institution. An example of a 3D city model is the PLATEAU map published by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. The storage unit 20 may store multiple building height maps 24 centered on different reference positions.

[0018] The base station distance map 25 is data showing the distance from an existing base station ES to each point (each pixel). The base station distance map 25 is centered on the same reference position as the building height map 24 and has the same size and scale as the building height map 24. Figure 3(b) shows an example of the base station distance map 25. As shown in Figure 3(b), the base station distance map 25 is image data having multiple pixels arranged in two dimensions. Each pixel corresponds to, for example, a 1m x 1m area. The brightness of each pixel indicates the distance from the existing base station ES. The brightness of each pixel included in the base station distance map 25 may be normalized to a range of 0 to 1. The base station distance map 25 can be generated based on the location information corresponding to each pixel and the location information of the existing base station ES stored in the base station information 21. The storage unit 20 may store multiple base station distance maps 25 centered on different reference positions.

[0019] The receiving station distance map 26 is data that shows the distance from a reference position to each point (each pixel). The receiving station distance map 26 is centered on the same reference position as the building height map 24 and has the same size and scale as the building height map 24. Figure 3(c) shows an example of the receiving station distance map 26. As shown in Figure 3(c), the receiving station distance map 26 is image data having multiple pixels arranged in two dimensions. Each pixel corresponds to, for example, an area of ​​1m x 1m. The brightness of each pixel indicates the distance from the center of the image (reference position). The brightness of each pixel included in the receiving station distance map 26 may be normalized to a range of 0 to 1. The storage unit 20 may store multiple receiving station distance maps 26 centered on different reference positions.

[0020] The prediction model 27 is an AI model that has a machine learning-trained neural network. The prediction model 27 is machine learning-trained to take a building height map 24, a base station distance map 25, and a receiving station distance map 26 as input and output a radio wave map M1 that shows the distribution of radio wave intensity within a predetermined area. The prediction model 27 is trained by optimizing its parameters using known machine learning algorithms such as convolutional neural networks or recurrent neural networks. Details of the prediction model 27 will be described later.

[0021] Refer to Figure 1 again. The acquisition unit 11 acquires base station information 21, permitted location information 22, measurement value information 23, building height map 24, base station distance map 25, and receiving station distance map 26 from the storage unit 20.

[0022] The radio wave map generation unit 12 generates a radio wave map M1 that shows the distribution of radio wave intensity of radio waves transmitted from existing base station ES installed within a predetermined area, based on the building height map 24 and the base station distance map 25. Figure 4 shows an example of the radio wave map M1. As shown in Figure 4, the radio wave map M1 is image data having a plurality of pixels arranged in two dimensions. Each pixel corresponds to, for example, a 1m x 1m area. The brightness of each pixel indicates the predicted value of the radio wave intensity (received power (RSPR)) at each location. The brightness of each pixel included in the radio wave map M1 may be normalized to a range of 0 to 1. In the radio wave map M1 shown in Figure 4, the location with the highest brightness corresponds to the installation location of the existing base station ES.

[0023] The radio wave map generation unit 12 takes the building height map 24, base station distance map 25, and receiving station distance map 26 as input and generates the radio wave map M1 using a prediction model 27 that has been trained to output the radio wave map M1. First, the training phase of the prediction model 27 will be explained with reference to Figure 5. The prediction model 27 is trained using the measured value information 23, building height map 24, base station distance map 25, and receiving station distance map 26 as training datasets.

[0024] For example, as shown in Figure 5, the prediction model 27 takes a building height map 24, a base station distance map 25, and a receiving station distance map 26 as input and outputs a radio wave map M1 showing the distribution of predicted radio wave strength values. The prediction model 27 compares the predicted radio wave strength values ​​of the output radio wave map M1 with the measured radio wave strength values ​​included in the measured value information 23, and updates the parameters of the neural network of the prediction model 27 using backpropagation or the like to minimize the error between the predicted and measured radio wave strength values. By repeating the above training using a large number of training datasets, the radio wave map M1 output from the prediction model 27 can be made to closely resemble the actual distribution of radio wave strength. Note that the training dataset may include information indicating the transmission power or radio wave frequency of existing base station ESs, in addition to the building height map 24, base station distance map 25, and receiving station distance map 26.

[0025] Next, the operational phase of the prediction model 27 will be described. In order to generate the radio wave map M1, the radio wave map generation unit 12 selects one existing base station ES from among the multiple existing base station ESs included in the base station information 21 and acquires the installation location of the selected existing base station ES as the reference location. Then, the radio wave map generation unit 12 acquires a building height map 24, a base station distance map 25, and a receiving station distance map 26 corresponding to the reference location from the storage unit 20. Next, the radio wave map generation unit 12 inputs the acquired building height map 24, base station distance map 25, and receiving station distance map 26 into the prediction model 27. At this time, the radio wave map generation unit 12 may also input information indicating the transmission power or radio wave frequency of the existing base station ES into the prediction model 27, in addition to the building height map 24, base station distance map 25, and receiving station distance map 26. Once the building height map 24, base station distance map 25, and receiving station distance map 26 are input, the prediction model 27 outputs a radio wave map centered on the installation location of the selected existing base station ES. The radio wave map generation unit 12 repeats the above process for all existing base station ESs to generate multiple radio wave maps corresponding to multiple existing base station ESs, and then combines these multiple radio wave maps. In this way, as shown in Figure 4, a radio wave map M1 is generated that shows the radio wave intensity of radio waves transmitted from multiple existing base station ESs within the service area.

[0026] The frequency map generation unit 13 generates a frequency map Mf that shows the utilization status of radio wave frequencies within a predetermined area. The frequency map Mf is centered on the same point as the radio wave map M1 and has the same size and scale as the radio wave map M1. Figure 6 shows an example of the frequency map Mf. As shown in Figure 6, the frequency map Mf is image data having multiple pixels arranged in two dimensions. Each pixel corresponds to, for example, a 1m x 1m area. The brightness of each pixel indicates the frequency of the radio wave. That is, in the frequency map Mf shown in Figure 6, areas of different colors indicate that services are provided using radio waves of different frequencies.

[0027] The frequency map generation unit 13 obtains base station information 21 from the storage unit 20 in order to generate the frequency map Mf. Next, the frequency map generation unit 13 generates a radio wave map for each of the multiple existing base station ESs using the prediction model 27. At this time, the areas of the multiple radio wave maps generated for each of the multiple existing base station ESs are identical to each other. Then, the frequency map generation unit 13 compares the brightness values ​​of the same pixels in the multiple generated radio wave maps and sets the frequency of the existing base station ES corresponding to the radio wave map with the highest brightness value (highest radio wave intensity) as the brightness value of the pixel in the frequency map Mf. The frequency map generation unit 13 generates the frequency map Mf by performing the above process for all pixels.

[0028] The determination unit 14 determines the installation location, frequency, and transmission power of the new base station NS. As shown in Figure 1, the determination unit 14 includes an installation location determination unit 31, a frequency determination unit 32, and a transmission power determination unit 33.

[0029] The installation location determination unit 31 determines the installation location of the new base station NS. To this end, the installation location determination unit 31 applies kernel K to each pixel of the radio wave map M1 and calculates statistical values ​​of radio wave intensity for each of the multiple regions of the radio wave map M1. When the number of pixels in the radio wave map M1 is M × N, kernel K is a filter represented as an m × n matrix (where m < M and n < N). For example, kernel K is an average value filter where the weight of each element is (1 / number of elements in the kernel). For example, the installation location determination unit 31 multiplies the value of each element of kernel K by the pixel value of the radio wave map M1 that overlaps with the kernel K and sums them up. That is, the installation location determination unit 31 performs a convolution operation between the pixel value of the radio wave map M1 and the elements of kernel K. The sum obtained by the convolution is the average value of the pixel values ​​in the region of the radio wave map M1 corresponding to kernel K. Alternatively, the installation location determination unit 31 may calculate a weighted average or sum of the pixel values ​​in the region of the radio wave map M1 corresponding to kernel K.

[0030] The installation position determination unit 31 slides the kernel K one pixel at a time in the horizontal and vertical directions, and acquires the average value of the pixel values ​​in the area of ​​the radio wave map M1 that overlaps with the kernel K. The installation position determination unit 31 then identifies the area of ​​the radio wave map M1 where the acquired average value is lower than the reference value as a weak radio wave area LA. For example, in the radio wave map M1 shown in Figure 7, two areas with weak radio wave intensity are identified as weak radio wave areas LA.

[0031] The installation location determination unit 31 determines the installation location of the new base station NS within the specified weak radio wave area LA. For example, the installation location determination unit 31 determines the location of the permitted installation point within the weak radio wave area LA as the installation location of the new base station NS. The installation location determination unit 31 also determines the installation height corresponding to the permitted installation point within the weak radio wave area LA as the installation height of the new base station NS.

[0032] The frequency determination unit 32 determines the frequency of the radio waves transmitted from the newly installed base station NS based on the frequency map Mf. For example, the frequency determination unit 32 refers to the frequency map Mf to identify the frequency of the radio waves used at the installation location of the newly installed base station NS, and determines a frequency different from the identified frequency as the frequency of the newly installed base station NS. By setting the frequency of the newly installed base station NS to a frequency different from the identified frequency, interference between the radio waves of the newly installed base station NS and the radio waves of the existing base station ES is prevented.

[0033] The transmission power determination unit 33 determines the transmission power of the newly established base station NS. For example, the transmission power determination unit 33 optimizes the transmission power of the newly established base station NS so that it is the maximum transmission power within a range that does not interfere with radio waves from the existing base station ES. For example, the transmission power determination unit 33 generates a radio wave map of the weak radio wave area LA while decreasing the transmission power of the newly established base station NS by 1 dBm increments from the maximum power (for example, 23 dBm), and calculates the degree of improvement of the average value of the radio wave intensity in the weak radio wave area LA. Then, the transmission power determination unit 33 determines the transmission power of the newly established base station NS to be the transmission power that maximizes the degree of improvement.

[0034] Furthermore, the information providing device 1 only needs to determine the installation location of the new base station NS, and does not need to determine the frequency and transmission power. For example, if only one frequency is available, interference between the radio waves of the new base station NS and the radio waves of the existing base station ES can be prevented by adjusting the installation location of the new base station NS.

[0035] Once the installation location, frequency, and transmission power of the new base station NS are determined, the determination unit 14 outputs new base station information including the determined installation location, frequency, and transmission power. Figure 8 shows an example of new base station information. The new base station information shown in Figure 8 includes information indicating the installation location, installation height, transmission power, frequency, and degree of improvement in radio wave intensity for the two new base stations NS.

[0036] The post-installation radio wave map generation unit 15 generates a post-installation radio wave map M2 that shows the distribution of electric field strength when a new base station NS is installed in a weak radio wave area LA. Figure 9 shows an example of the post-installation radio wave map M2. As shown in Figure 9, the post-installation radio wave map M2 shows the distribution of electric field strength when a new base station NS is installed in each of the two weak radio wave areas LA. Similar to the radio wave map generation unit 12, the post-installation radio wave map generation unit 15 uses the prediction model 27 to output a radio wave map centered on the installation locations of multiple existing base stations ES. The post-installation radio wave map generation unit 15 also generates a radio wave map centered on the new installation location of the new base station NS determined by the determination unit 14. Then, the post-installation radio wave map generation unit 15 synthesizes the radio wave maps corresponding to the multiple existing base stations ES and the new base stations NS to generate the post-installation radio wave map M2.

[0037] The output unit 16 outputs the generated post-installation radio wave map M2. As described above, the post-installation radio wave map M2 includes information indicating the installation location of the newly installed base station NS. The output unit 16 may display the post-installation radio wave map M2 on the display device of the information providing device 1, or it may transmit the post-installation radio wave map M2 to the user's terminal via the network. The output unit 16 may also output new base station information along with the post-installation radio wave map M2, which includes information indicating the installation location, frequency, transmission power, and degree of improvement in radio wave intensity of the newly installed base station NS.

[0038] Next, with reference to Figure 10, an information provision method according to one embodiment will be described. The information provision method is a method for providing information indicating the installation location of a newly constructed base station NS. Figure 10 is a flowchart of the information provision method according to one embodiment.

[0039] As shown in Figure 10, in the information provision method according to one embodiment, first, an area where a new base station NS should be installed is selected (step ST1). The area where a new base station NS should be installed is an area where communication quality should be improved, and is specified, for example, by a user.

[0040] Next, the acquisition unit 11 acquires a building height map 24, a base station distance map 25, and a receiving station distance map 26 corresponding to a reference position within the designated area from the storage unit 20 (step ST2).

[0041] Next, the radio wave map generation unit 12 inputs the building height map 24, base station distance map 25, and receiving station distance map 26 into the prediction model 27 to generate the radio wave map M1 (step ST3). As shown in Figure 4, the radio wave map M1 is image data showing the electric field strength of radio waves transmitted by multiple existing base stations ES in a specified area. Next, the frequency map generation unit 13 generates a frequency map Mf showing the utilization status of radio wave frequencies within a specified area (step ST4).

[0042] Next, the acquisition unit 11 acquires permission location information 22 from the storage unit 20 (step ST5). Next, the determination unit 14 determines the installation location, frequency, and transmission power of the new base station NS (step ST6). For example, the installation location determination unit 31 of the determination unit 14 slides the kernel K horizontally and vertically on the radio wave map M1, acquires the average value of the pixel values ​​in the area of ​​the radio wave map M1 that overlaps with the kernel K, and identifies the area in the radio wave map M1 where the average value is lower than the reference value as a weak radio wave area LA. Then, the installation location determination unit 31 determines the permission location within the weak radio wave area LA as the installation location of the new base station NS.

[0043] Also, the frequency determination unit 32 determines the frequency of the new base station NS. For example, the frequency determination unit 32 refers to the frequency map Mf and determines a frequency different from the frequency of the radio wave used at the determined installation position of the new base station NS as the frequency of the new base station NS. The transmission power determination unit 33 determines the transmission power of the new base station NS. For example, the transmission power determination unit 33 determines the transmission power of the new base station NS so that it becomes the maximum transmission power within a range that does not interfere with the radio waves of the existing base station ES.

[0044] Next, the post-installation radio wave map generation unit 15 generates a post-installation radio wave map M2 showing the distribution of the electric field strength when the new base station NS is installed at the installation position determined in step ST6 (step ST7). Next, the output unit 16 outputs the generated post-installation radio wave map M2 (step ST8).

[0045] Generally, the distribution of radio wave intensity is carried out by a surveyor measuring the radio wave intensity using a dedicated measuring instrument at each measurement position. With such a survey method, it is difficult to densely survey the distribution of radio wave intensity within the service area due to physical constraints. When the radio wave intensity cannot be accurately grasped, it becomes difficult to determine an appropriate installation position for the new base station NS. In contrast, the information providing device 1 generates a radio wave map M1 showing the distribution of the radio wave intensity of the existing base station ES using the machine-learned prediction model 27. Since this prediction model 27 is learned using the measured values of the radio wave intensity, it is possible to generate a highly accurate distribution of the radio wave intensity based on spatially sparse measured values. Then, the information providing device 1 identifies the weak radio wave area LA where the radio wave intensity is low from this radio wave map M1, and determines the position within the weak radio wave area LA as the installation position of the new base station NS. Therefore, according to the information providing device 1, an appropriate installation position for the new base station NS can be determined.

[0046] Further, the information providing apparatus 1 generates an installed radio wave map M2 showing the distribution of radio wave intensity when the new base station NS is installed, and outputs the installed radio wave map M2. The installed radio wave map M2 is information indicating the degree of improvement of radio wave intensity when the new base station NS is installed at the installation position proposed by the information providing apparatus 1. Therefore, the information providing apparatus 1 can provide useful information regarding the installation of the new base station NS to the user.

[0047] Note that the information providing apparatus 1 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 1 described above. As shown in FIG. 11, at least a part of the base station information 21, the permitted location information 22, the measured value information 23, the building height map 24, the base station distance map 25, the receiving station distance map 26, and the prediction model 27 may be stored in a storage unit 20 arranged outside the information providing apparatus 1 so as to be accessible from the information providing apparatus 1. Further, each component of the information providing apparatus 1 may be implemented in a user terminal (for example, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet, etc.).

[0048] Note that the block diagram shown in FIG. 1 shows functional blocks. These functional blocks (components) are realized by an arbitrary combination of at least one of hardware and software. Also, the method of realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized using one physically or logically combined device, or two or more physically or logically separated devices may be directly or indirectly (for example, using wired, wireless, etc.) connected and realized using these multiple devices. The functional block may be realized by combining software with the above one device or the above multiple devices.

[0049] Functions include, but are not limited to, judgment, decision, determination, 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 all cases, as mentioned above, the method of implementation is not particularly limited.

[0050] For example, the information providing device 1 in one embodiment may function as a computer. Figure 12 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the information providing device 1 according to this embodiment. Physically, the information providing device 1 may be configured as a computer device including a processor 1001, memory 1002, storage 1003, communication device 1004, input device 1005, output device 1006, bus 1007, etc.

[0051] In the following explanation, the term "device" can be replaced with "circuit," "device," "unit," etc. The hardware configuration of the information providing device 1 may include one or more of the devices shown in Figure 12, or it may be configured without some of the devices.

[0052] Each function in the information providing device 1 is realized by loading predetermined software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 1001 and memory 1002, causing the processor 1001 to perform calculations and control communication by the communication device 1004, as well as the reading and / or writing of data to the memory 1002 and storage 1003.

[0053] 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, etc. For example, each component shown in Figure 1 may be implemented in the processor 1001.

[0054] Furthermore, the processor 1001 reads programs (program code), software modules, and data from the storage 1003 and / or 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. For example, each component of the information providing device 1 may be stored in the memory 1002 and implemented by a control program that runs on the processor 1001. Although the above-described processes have been explained as being executed by one processor 1001, they may be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be implemented on one or more chips. The program may also be transmitted from a network via a telecommunications line.

[0055] The memory 1002 is a computer-readable recording medium and may consist of at least one of the following: ROM (Read Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The memory 1002 may also be called a register, cache, main memory, etc. The memory 1002 can store executable programs (program code), software modules, etc., for carrying out an information processing method according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0056] The storage 1003 is a computer-readable recording medium and may consist of at least one of the following: an optical disc such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disc, a digital multipurpose disc, a Blu-ray® disc), a smart card, flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy® disk, a magnetic strip, etc. The storage 1003 may also be called an auxiliary storage device. The above-mentioned storage medium may be, for example, a database, server, or other suitable medium including memory 1002 and / or storage 1003.

[0057] The communication device 1004 is hardware (transceiver / receiver device) for communicating between computers via a wired and / or wireless network, and is also referred to as a network device, network controller, network card, communication module, etc.

[0058] 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).

[0059] 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 consist of a single bus or different buses may be used for communication between devices.

[0060] Furthermore, the information providing device 1 may be configured to include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), and an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and some or all of each functional block may be realized by such hardware. For example, the processor 1001 may be implemented using at least one of these hardware components.

[0061] The notification of information is not limited to the embodiments described herein and may be carried out by other means. For example, the notification of information may be carried out by physical layer signaling (e.g., DCI (Downlink Control Information), UCI (Uplink Control Information)), upper layer signaling (e.g., RRC (Radio Resource Control) signaling, MAC (Medium Access Control) signaling, broadcast information (MIB (Master Information Block), SIB (System Information Block))), 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.

[0062] Each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be applied to at least one of the following systems: LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4G (4th generation mobile communication system), 5G (5th generation mobile communication system), FRA (Future Radio Access), NR (new Radio), W-CDMA®, GSM®, CDMA2000, UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi®), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX®), IEEE 802.20, UWB (Ultra-WideBand), 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).

[0063] 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.

[0064] 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).

[0065] Information can be output from a higher layer (or lower layer) to a lower layer (or higher layer). Input and output may also occur via multiple network nodes.

[0066] Input and output information may be stored in a specific location (e.g., memory) or managed in 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.

[0067] 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).

[0068] 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).

[0069] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The present disclosure may be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the intent and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Accordingly, the descriptions in the present disclosure are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be restrictive in any way.

[0070] Software, whether called software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or by any other name, should be interpreted broadly 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.

[0071] Furthermore, software, instructions, 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 wired technologies such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, and digital subscriber lines (DSL) and / or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, these wired and / or wireless technologies are included in the definition of a transmission medium.

[0072] The information, signals, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using any of the various different techniques. 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.

[0073] In addition, terms described in this disclosure and / or terms necessary for understanding this specification may be replaced with terms having the same or similar meaning.

[0074] The terms “system” and “network” as used in this disclosure are interchangeable.

[0075] Furthermore, the information, parameters, etc., described in this disclosure may be expressed as absolute values, relative values ​​from a given value, or by corresponding other information. For example, wireless resources may be indicated by an index.

[0076] 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. Various channels (e.g., PUCCH, PDCCH, etc.) and information elements can be identified by any suitable name, and therefore, the various names assigned to these various channels and information elements are not restrictive in any way.

[0077] As used in this disclosure, the terms “determining” and “determining” may encompass a wide variety of actions. “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” 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 been "judged" or "decided" after resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc. In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering something as having been "judged" or "decided" after some action. Also, "judgment (decision)" can be reinterpreted as "assuming," "expecting," or "considering."

[0078] As used 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 on at least."

[0079] Where the terms “first,” “second,” etc., are used in this disclosure, no reference to those elements shall generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These terms may be used herein as a convenient way to distinguish between two or more elements. Accordingly, references to the first and second elements shall not imply that only two elements may be employed therein, or that the first element must precede the second element in any way.

[0080] In the configuration of each of the above devices, "means" may be replaced with "part," "circuit," "device," etc.

[0081] To the extent that “include,” “including,” and their variations are used herein or in the claims, these terms are intended to be inclusive, as is the term “comprising.” Furthermore, the term “or” as used herein or in the claims is not intended to be exclusive OR.

[0082] 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.

[0083] 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."

[0084] The information providing device 1 and information processing method disclosed herein may have the following configurations.

[0085] [1] A device that provides information relating to a newly installed base station in a predetermined area, comprising: a radio wave map generation unit that generates a radio wave map showing the distribution of radio wave intensity within the predetermined area based on a base station distance map showing the distance from an existing base station that transmits radio waves for wireless communication and a building height map including building height information; a determination unit that calculates statistical values ​​of radio wave intensity for each of a plurality of regions in the radio wave map, identifies weak radio wave areas in which the statistical values ​​of radio wave intensity are lower than a reference value, and determines the installation location of the newly installed base station within the weak radio wave area; and an output unit that outputs information indicating the determined installation location of the newly installed base station. [2] The device according to [1], wherein the statistical values ​​of radio wave intensity are the average value, weighted average value, or sum of the radio wave intensity in each region. [3] The apparatus according to [1] or [2], wherein the radio wave map is image data including M x N pixels, and the determination unit convolves the pixels of the radio wave map with the elements of the kernel while sliding a kernel having m x n elements (where m < M, n < N) in the vertical and horizontal directions of the radio wave map, and identifies the region within the kernel when the value of the convolvement is less than or equal to the reference value as the weak radio wave area. [4] The apparatus according to any one of [1] to [3], further comprising a storage unit that stores permission location information indicating the location of the permission location where the new base station is permitted to be installed, and the determination unit determines the location of the permission location within the weak radio wave area as the installation location of the new base station. [5] The apparatus according to any one of [1] to [4], further comprising a frequency map generation unit that generates a frequency map showing the usage status of the radio wave frequencies within the predetermined area, and the determination unit determines the frequencies available at the installation location of the new base station based on the frequency map. [6] The apparatus according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein the determination unit determines the transmission power of the new base station such that it does not interfere with the radio waves transmitted from the existing base station. [7] The apparatus according to any one of [1] to [6], further comprising a post-installation radio wave map generation unit that generates a post-installation radio wave map showing the distribution of radio wave intensity in the predetermined area when the new base station is installed in the weak radio wave area.[8] The apparatus according to any one of [1] to [7], wherein the determination unit generates information indicating the degree of improvement in the radio wave intensity within the weak radio wave area when the newly constructed base station is installed within the weak radio wave area. [9] The apparatus according to any one of [1] to [8], wherein the radio wave map generation unit generates the radio wave map using a prediction model that has been trained to take the base station distance map and the building height map as input and output the radio wave map, and the prediction model is trained using the base station distance map, the building height map and the measured radio wave intensity within the predetermined area.

[10] A method for providing information relating to a newly installed base station in a predetermined area, comprising: generating a radio wave map showing the distribution of radio wave intensity within the predetermined area based on a base station distance map showing the distance from an existing base station that transmits radio waves for wireless communication and a building height map including building height information; calculating statistical values ​​of radio wave intensity for each of a plurality of regions in the radio wave map, identifying weak radio wave areas in which the statistical values ​​of radio wave intensity are lower than a reference value, and determining the installation location of the newly installed base station within the weak radio wave area; and outputting information indicating the determined installation location of the newly installed base station.

[0086] 12...Radio wave map generation unit, 13...Frequency map generation unit, 14...Determination unit, 15...Post-installation radio wave map generation unit, 16...Output unit, 20...Storage unit, 22...Permission point information, 24...Map, 25...Base station distance map, 27...Prediction model, ES...Existing base station, K...Kernel, LA...Weak radio wave area, M1...Radio wave map, M2...Post-installation radio wave map, Mf...Frequency map, NS...New base station.

Claims

1. A device that provides information on a newly installed base station within a predetermined area, comprising: a radio wave map generation unit that generates a radio wave map showing the distribution of radio wave intensity within the predetermined area based on a base station distance map showing the distance from an existing base station that transmits radio waves for wireless communication and a building height map including building height information; a determination unit that calculates statistical values ​​of the radio wave intensity for each of several regions within the radio wave map, identifies weak radio wave areas where the statistical values ​​of the radio wave intensity are lower than a reference value, and determines the installation location of the new base station within the weak radio wave area; and an output unit that outputs information indicating the determined installation location of the new base station.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the statistical value of the radio wave intensity is the average value, weighted average value, or sum of the radio wave intensity in each region.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the radio wave map is image data including M × N pixels, and the determination unit convolves the pixels of the radio wave map with the elements of the kernel while sliding a kernel having m × n elements (where m < M, n < N) in the vertical and horizontal directions of the radio wave map, and identifies the region within the kernel as the weak radio wave area when the convolution value is less than or equal to the reference value.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit that stores permission location information indicating the location of a permission location where the installation of the new base station is permitted, wherein the determination unit determines the location of the permission location within the weak radio wave area as the installation location of the new base station.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a frequency map generation unit that generates a frequency map showing the utilization status of the radio wave frequencies within the predetermined area, wherein the determination unit determines the frequencies available at the installation location of the newly constructed base station based on the frequency map.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the transmission power of the new base station such that it does not interfere with the radio waves transmitted from the existing base station.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a post-installation radio wave map generation unit that generates a post-installation radio wave map showing the distribution of radio wave intensity within a predetermined area when the newly installed base station is installed within the weak radio wave area.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit generates information indicating the degree of improvement in the radio wave intensity within the weak radio wave area when the newly installed base station is installed within the weak radio wave area.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the radio wave map generation unit generates the radio wave map using a predictive model that has been trained to take the base station distance map and the building height map as input and output the radio wave map, and the predictive model is trained using the base station distance map, the building height map and the measured radio wave intensity within the predetermined area.

10. A method for providing information relating to a newly installed base station within a predetermined area, comprising: generating a radio wave map showing the distribution of radio wave intensity within the predetermined area based on a base station distance map showing the distance from an existing base station that transmits radio waves for wireless communication and a building height map including building height information; calculating statistical values ​​of radio wave intensity for each of several regions within the radio wave map, identifying weak radio wave areas where the statistical values ​​of radio wave intensity are lower than a reference value, and determining the installation location of the new base station within the weak radio wave area; and outputting information indicating the determined installation location of the new base station.

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