Control device, control method, and program

Abstract

Provided is a control device comprising: an information acquisition unit that acquires communication state information including the communication load of each of a plurality of communication terminals performing wireless communication with a wireless base station that provides wireless communication and wireless power transmission by beamforming; a determination unit that determines a power transmission schedule for the plurality of communication terminals, on the basis of the communication state information of the plurality of communication terminals; and a control unit that controls the wireless base station so that wireless power is transmitted to the plurality of communication terminals according to the power transmission schedule determined by the determination unit.

Description

Control device, control method, and program

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device, a control method, and a program.

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a system comprising a base station and terminal device capable of communicating with each other using a plurality of radio resources selectively, wherein the base station has a communication signal processing unit that generates a transmission signal including a dummy signal for wireless power transmission using unused radio resources among the plurality of radio resources that are not used for communication, and a radio processing unit that transmits the transmission signal including the dummy signal for wireless power transmission to the terminal device, and the terminal device has a radio processing unit that receives the transmission signal including the dummy signal transmitted from the base station, and a power output unit that outputs the power of the received signal, which has received the transmission signal including the dummy signal, as received power. Patent Document 2 describes a technology in a mobile communication system in which a base station simultaneously transmits information signals and energy signals to a terminal device. Patent Document 3 describes an information processing device characterized by comprising a determination unit that determines the priority of power transmission to a charging target based on target information relating to the charging target, and a power transmission control unit that controls wireless power transmission to the charging target by radio wave reception method based on the priority. Patent Document 4 describes a power transmission device comprising a control unit for controlling a power transmission unit that performs wireless power transmission, the control unit comprising means for causing the power transmission unit to radiate a first power transmission beam with a first power set, and means for determining a second power usable in wireless power transmission targeting a power receiving device by referring to feedback information relating to the reception result of the first power transmission beam in the power receiving device and the power receiving capacity of the power receiving device, wherein the first power is weaker than the second power. [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2023-056738 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2024 / 042629 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2021-191120 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2022-034225

[0003] When integrating wireless power transmission (wireless power supply) and wireless communication, it is considered desirable for MIMO beamforming to address differences in the communication loads of each communication terminal. Conventionally, however, power has been distributed evenly to all terminals or transmitted based on fixed priorities. There have been problems in that optimal power transmission according to the communication load and the like of each communication terminal cannot be performed, and it is difficult to efficiently supply energy to communication terminals in motion or those with high communication loads.

[0004] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a control device having a technique contributing to the solution of such problems is provided. The control device may include an information acquisition unit that acquires communication status information including the communication load of each of a plurality of communication terminals that are wirelessly communicating with a wireless base station that provides wireless communication and wireless power transmission by beamforming. The control device may include a determination unit that determines a power transmission schedule for the plurality of communication terminals based on the communication status information of the plurality of communication terminals. The control device may include a control unit that controls the wireless base station to perform wireless power transmission to the plurality of communication terminals according to the power transmission schedule determined by the determination unit. A control device comprising the above.

[0005] In the control device, the determination unit may determine the power transmission schedule so as to preferentially transmit power to communication terminals having a higher communication load among the plurality of communication terminals.

[0006] In any of the above control devices, the communication status information may further include the communication quality of each of the plurality of communication terminals.

[0007] In any of the above control devices, the information acquisition unit may further acquire the remaining battery level of each of the plurality of communication terminals, and the determination unit may determine the power transmission schedule for the plurality of communication terminals based further on the remaining battery levels of the plurality of communication terminals. The determination unit may determine the power transmission schedule so as to preferentially transmit power to communication terminals having a lower remaining battery level.

[0008] In any of the control devices described above, the information acquisition unit may further acquire location information for each of the plurality of communication terminals, and the determination unit may determine the power transmission schedule for the plurality of communication terminals based on map data of the area covered by the wireless base station and the location information of the plurality of communication terminals. The determination unit may determine the power transmission schedule so as to give higher priority to power transmission to the communication terminals among the plurality of communication terminals that are less likely to be located in an environment where charging is possible.

[0009] In any of the control devices described above, the information acquisition unit may further acquire the movement speed of each of the plurality of communication terminals, and the determination unit may determine the power transmission schedule for the plurality of communication terminals based on the movement speeds of the plurality of communication terminals. The determination unit may determine the power transmission schedule so as to give higher priority to power transmission to the communication terminals with slower movement speeds among the plurality of communication terminals.

[0010] In any of the control devices described above, the information acquisition unit may further acquire communication quality priority information indicating the priority of communication quality for each of the plurality of communication terminals, and the determination unit may determine the ratio of wireless communication to wireless power transmission for each of the plurality of communication terminals based on the communication quality priority information for each of the plurality of communication terminals.

[0011] Any of the above-mentioned control devices may include a RAN control unit that performs RAN control and an AI processing unit that performs AI processing.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a program is provided for causing a computer to function as the control device.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a control method performed by a computer is provided. The control method may include an information acquisition step of acquiring communication status information, including communication load, for each of a plurality of communication terminals that are communicating wirelessly with a wireless base station that provides wireless communication and wireless power transmission by beamforming. The control method may include a decision step of determining a power transmission schedule for the plurality of communication terminals based on the communication status information of the plurality of communication terminals. The control method may include a control step of controlling wireless power transmission to the plurality of communication terminals in accordance with the power transmission schedule determined in the decision step.

[0014] AI processing can be categorized into two types: AI processing related to RAN control (sometimes referred to as RAN-controlled AI processing) and AI processing not related to RAN control (sometimes referred to as non-RAN-controlled AI processing).

[0015] An example of AI-based RAN control processing is the RIC (RAN Intelligent Controller). The RIC is a technology that uses AI to optimize RAN wireless resources and automate RAN operations. The RIC includes Non-RT RIC and Near-RT RIC (Near-Real Time RIC). The Non-RT RIC is sometimes called Centralized RIC. The Non-RT RIC is located within the SMO (Service Management and Orchestration), which manages and orchestrates the RAN. The Non-RT RIC generates and notifies policies related to RAN control and transmits information to the Near-RT RIC. For example, a Non-RT RIC generates a learning model for RAN control by performing machine learning using data collected from the RAN, and sends it to a Near-RT RIC. A Near-RT RIC is sometimes called a Distributed RIC. Compared to a Non-RT RIC, a Near-RT RIC is located closer to the RAN nodes (RU (Radio Unit), DU (Distributed Unit), CU (Central Unit)) and performs control of the RAN nodes and resources. Compared to a Non-RT RIC, a Near-RT RIC performs processing with higher real-time capabilities. For example, a Near-RT RIC performs inference processing related to RAN control using the learning model obtained from a Non-RT RIC. RAN control AI processing is not limited to RICs.

[0016] Non-RAN-controlled AI processing may correspond to so-called MEC (Multi-access Edge Computing) applications. Examples of non-RAN-controlled AI processing include, but are not limited to, monitoring AI execution processing that determines the situation within the imaging range of an input image, and response AI execution processing that outputs a response to an inquiry made by a user.

[0017] It should be noted that the above summary of the invention does not enumerate all the necessary features of the present invention. Furthermore, subcombinations of these features may also constitute an invention.

[0018] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of processing by the control device 100. This is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of processing by the control device 100. This is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of processing by the control device 100. This is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of processing by the control device 100. This is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of processing by the control device 100. This is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of processing by the control device 100. This is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of processing by the control device 100. An example of the functional configuration of the control device 100 is schematically shown. An example of the placement environment of the control device 100 is schematically shown. An example of the functional configuration of the control device 100 is schematically shown. An example of the hardware configuration of the computer 1200 that functions as the control device 100 is schematically shown.

[0019] The present invention will be described below through embodiments, but these embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the claims. Furthermore, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0020] Figure 1 schematically shows an example of a control device 100. The control device 100 controls a wireless base station 200. The control device 100 may control multiple wireless base stations 200.

[0021] The wireless base station 200 provides wireless communication and wireless power transmission to communication terminals 300 within the communication area 210 by beamforming. The communication area 210 may be a single cell or a multi-cell.

[0022] The communication terminal 300 may be a so-called UE (User Equipment). The communication terminal 300 may be a smartphone. The communication terminal 300 may be a tablet device. The communication terminal 300 may be a PC (Personal Computer). The communication terminal 300 may be a wearable device. The communication terminal 300 may be an IoT (Internet of Things) device. The communication terminal 300 may include any device that falls under IoE (Internet of Everything).

[0023] The wireless base station 200 uses, for example, an array antenna such as a phased array antenna to realize wireless communication and wireless power transmission using millimeter waves. The wireless base station 200 may utilize the beamforming function of the antenna to use different millimeter wave frequency bands for wireless communication and wireless power transmission depending on the time and space.

[0024] The wireless base station 200 may, for example, implement wireless power transmission and wireless communication in different frequency bands. The wireless base station 200 may, for example, implement wireless power transmission and wireless communication using time-division multiplexing. The wireless base station 200 may, for example, integrate wireless communication and wireless power transmission by adding a DC component to the communication signal. The wireless base station 200 may concentrate the energy beam when transmitting wireless power and spread the signal over a wide area when transmitting wireless communication.

[0025] The control device 100 determines the power transmission schedule for the wireless base station 200 to the multiple communication terminals 300. The power transmission schedule may include the order in which power is transmitted to the multiple communication terminals 300 located in the communication area 210, and the amount of power or transmission time for each of the multiple communication terminals 300.

[0026] The control device 100 controls the radio base station 200 to perform wireless power transmission to multiple communication terminals 300 according to the determined power transmission schedule. The control device 100 may control the radio base station 200, for example, by transmitting the determined power transmission schedule and an instruction to perform wireless power transmission according to the power transmission schedule to the radio base station 200.

[0027] The wireless base station 200 may perform wireless power transmission to multiple communication terminals 300 in accordance with a pre-configured power transmission policy and a power transmission schedule obtained from the control device 100.

[0028] For example, when wireless power transmission and wireless communication are implemented using time-division multiplexing, the wireless base station 200 determines the order of power transmission and the amount of power or power transmission time during the time period in which wireless power transmission is performed, according to the power transmission schedule obtained from the control device 100.

[0029] For example, when wireless power transmission and wireless communication are implemented in different frequency bands, until communication is made with the first communication terminal 300 in the power transmission schedule obtained from the control device 100, wireless communication using the entire frequency band is provided. At the time of communication with the first communication terminal 300, a portion of the frequency band is used for wireless communication and the other portion for wireless power transmission. Subsequently, until communication is made with the second communication terminal 300, wireless communication using the entire frequency band is provided. At the time of communication with the second communication terminal 300, a portion of the frequency band is used for wireless communication and the other portion for wireless power transmission. By performing wireless power transmission in this manner, wireless power transmission is executed according to the power transmission schedule.

[0030] For example, when integrating wireless communication and wireless power transmission by adding a DC component to the communication signal, the DC component is not added to the communication signal until communication is made with the communication terminal 300 that is first in the power transmission schedule obtained from the control device 100. The DC component is then added when communication is made with the first communication terminal 300. After that, the DC component is not added to the communication signal until communication is made with the second communication terminal 300. The DC component is then added when communication is made with the second communication terminal 300. By performing wireless power transmission in accordance with this flow, wireless power transmission is carried out according to the power transmission schedule.

[0031] The control device 100 may control the wireless base station 200 by issuing appropriate instructions to the wireless base station 200 in accordance with the determined power transmission schedule. The control device 100 may, in the same manner as described above, instruct the wireless power transmission to a plurality of communication terminals 300 in accordance with a preset power transmission policy and power transmission schedule.

[0032] The control device 100 determines a power supply schedule according to the situation. For example, the control device 100 acquires communication status information, including communication load, for each of the multiple communication terminals 300, and determines a power supply schedule for the multiple communication terminals 300 based on the communication status information of the multiple communication terminals 300.

[0033] Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of processing by the control device 100. In the example shown in Figure 2, the control device 100 determines the power transmission schedule based on the communication load 302 of each of the multiple communication terminals 300.

[0034] The communication load 302 can be any information that indicates the communication load of the communication terminal 300. For example, the communication load 302 is the average communication volume for each predetermined period. The communication load 302 may be, for example, the average communication volume per unit time.

[0035] The control device 100 may determine the power transmission schedule to prioritize power supply to communication terminals 300 with higher communication loads 302. For example, the control device 100 may prioritize power supply in order of highest communication load 302. For example, the control device 100 may increase the amount of power supplied as the communication load 302 increases. A high communication load 302 means high power consumption. Therefore, by determining the power transmission schedule in this way, it is possible to prioritize power supply to communication terminals 300 that consume a lot of power and have a high need for power supply.

[0036] The control device 100 may adjust the amount of power transmitted in a manner appropriate to the power transmission method. For example, when wireless power transmission and wireless communication are implemented using time-division multiplexing, the control device 100 increases the amount of power transmitted by increasing the total time of wireless power transmission. For example, when wireless power transmission and wireless communication are implemented in different frequency bands, the control device 100 increases the amount of power transmitted by widening the frequency band used for wireless power transmission or by increasing the total time spent performing wireless power transmission and wireless communication. For example, when wireless communication and wireless power transmission are integrated by adding a DC component to the communication signal, the control device 100 increases the amount of power transmitted by increasing the time for which the DC component is added to the communication signal or by increasing the amount of DC component added to the communication signal.

[0037] Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of processing by the control device 100. In the example shown in Figure 3, the control device 100 determines the power transmission schedule based on communication status information, including communication load 302 and communication quality 304, for each of the multiple communication terminals 300.

[0038] The communication quality 304 can be any information that indicates the communication quality of the communication terminal 300. For example, the communication quality 304 may be RSRQ (Reference Signal Received Quality). The communication quality 304 may also be SINR (Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio). The communication quality 304 may be other than these.

[0039] For example, if there are multiple communication terminals 300 with the same communication load 302, the control device 100 will determine the power transmission schedule so that power is supplied to the communication terminal 300 with the lower communication quality 304 as a priority. For example, if the control device 100 sets the power transmission order in descending order of communication load 302, it will set the power transmission order for communication terminals 300 with the same communication load 302 in descending order of communication quality 304. For example, if the control device 100 sets the power transmission amount to be greater for higher communication loads 302, it will set the power transmission amount to communication terminals 300 with the same communication load 302 to be greater for those with lower communication quality 304. Lower communication quality 304 means that more power is used for communication, which can lead to higher power consumption. Therefore, by determining the power transmission schedule in this way, it is possible to prioritize power supply to communication terminals 300 that may have high power consumption and therefore a high need for power transmission.

[0040] The control device 100 may determine the power transmission schedule based solely on the communication quality 304. For example, the control device 100 may determine the power transmission schedule so that power is supplied with higher priority to communication terminals 300 with lower communication quality 304. For example, the control device 100 may determine the power transmission order to those with lower communication quality 304. For example, the control device 100 may increase the amount of power transmitted as the communication quality 304 decreases.

[0041] The control device 100 may determine a power transmission schedule based on the result of adding the communication load 302 and the communication quality 304 with weights. For example, the control device 100 applies preset weights to a larger value as the communication load 302 is higher and a larger value as the communication quality 304 is lower, and determines a power transmission schedule that preferentially transmits power to the communication terminal 300 with a larger result of addition or multiplication.

[0042] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of the processing by the control device 100. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the control device 100 determines a power transmission schedule based on the communication load 302 and the battery remaining amount 306 of each of the plurality of communication terminals 300.

[0043] For example, when there are a plurality of communication terminals 300 with equal communication loads 302, the control device 100 determines a power transmission schedule to preferentially transmit power to the communication terminal 300 with a smaller remaining battery amount 306 among them. For example, when the control device 100 arranges the order of power transmission in descending order of the communication load 302, it arranges the order of power transmission of the communication terminals 300 with equal communication loads 302 in ascending order of the remaining battery amount 306. For example, when the control device 100 increases the power transmission amount as the communication load 302 is higher, it increases the power transmission amount for the communication terminals 300 with equal communication loads 302 as the remaining battery amount 306 is smaller. This makes it possible to preferentially transmit power to the communication terminal 300 with a higher need for power transmission.

[0044] The control device 100 may determine a power transmission schedule based only on the remaining battery amount 306. For example, the control device 100 determines a power transmission schedule to preferentially transmit power to the communication terminal 300 with a smaller remaining battery amount 306. For example, the control device 100 arranges the order of power transmission in ascending order of the remaining battery amount 306. For example, the control device 100 increases the power transmission amount as the remaining battery amount 306 is smaller.

[0045] The control device 100 may determine a power transmission schedule based on the result of adding the communication load 302 and the battery remaining amount 306 with weights attached. For example, the control device 100 applies preset weights to a larger value as the communication load 302 is higher and a larger value as the battery remaining amount 306 is smaller, and determines a power transmission schedule for preferentially transmitting power to the communication terminal 300 with a larger result obtained by addition or multiplication.

[0046] Similarly, the control device 100 may determine a power transmission schedule based on the result of adding the battery remaining amount 306 and the communication quality 304 with weights attached. For example, the control device 100 applies preset weights to a larger value as the battery remaining amount 306 is smaller and a larger value as the communication quality 304 is lower, and determines a power transmission schedule for preferentially transmitting power to the communication terminal 300 with a larger result obtained by addition or multiplication.

[0047] The control device 100 may determine a power transmission schedule based on the result of adding the communication load 302, the communication quality 304, and the battery remaining amount 306 with weights attached. For example, the control device 100 applies preset weights to a larger value as the communication load 302 is higher, a larger value as the communication quality 304 is lower, and a larger value as the battery remaining amount 306 is smaller, and determines a power transmission schedule for preferentially transmitting power to the communication terminal 300 with a larger result obtained by addition or multiplication.

[0048] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of the processing by the control device 100. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the control device 100 determines a power transmission schedule based on the communication load 302 and the moving speed 308 of each of the plurality of communication terminals 300.

[0049] For example, if there are multiple communication terminals 300 with the same communication load 302, the control device 100 determines the power transmission schedule so that power is supplied preferentially to the communication terminal 300 with the slower movement speed 308. For example, if the control device 100 sets the power transmission order in descending order of communication load 302, it sets the power transmission order for communication terminals 300 with the same communication load 302 in descending order of movement speed 308. For example, if the control device 100 sets the power transmission amount to be greater for higher communication loads 302, it sets the power transmission amount to communication terminals 300 with the same communication load 302 to be greater for slower movement speeds 308. This makes it possible to preferentially supply power to communication terminals 300 that have slower movement speeds and can receive power more stably.

[0050] The control device 100 may determine the power transmission schedule based solely on the movement speed 308. For example, the control device 100 may determine the power transmission schedule so that power is given higher priority to communication terminals 300 with slower movement speeds 308. For example, the control device 100 may determine the power transmission order to those with slower movement speeds 308. For example, the control device 100 may increase the amount of power transmitted as the movement speed 308 slower.

[0051] The control device 100 may determine the power transmission schedule based on the result of adding weighted values ​​to the communication load 302 and the movement speed 308. For example, the control device 100 determines a power transmission schedule that prioritizes power transmission to communication terminals 300 whose sum is larger when the communication load 302 is higher and when the movement speed 308 is slower, after applying preset weights to these values ​​and adding or multiplying them.

[0052] The control device 100 may similarly determine the power transmission schedule based on the result of weighting and adding the movement speed 308 and communication quality 304. For example, the control device 100 determines a power transmission schedule that prioritizes power transmission to communication terminals 300 whose values ​​are larger when the movement speed 308 is slower and when the communication quality 304 is lower, by applying preset weights and adding or multiplying them.

[0053] The control device 100 may similarly determine the power transmission schedule based on the result of adding weighted values ​​to the movement speed 308 and the battery level 306. For example, the control device 100 determines a power transmission schedule that prioritizes power transmission to communication terminals 300 whose values ​​are larger when the movement speed 308 is slower and when the battery level 306 is lower, by applying preset weights and adding or multiplying them.

[0054] The control device 100 may determine the power transmission schedule based on two or more of the following: communication load 302, communication quality 304, and battery level 306, and the moving speed 308.

[0055] Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of processing by the control device 100. The control device 100 may determine a power transmission schedule for the multiple communication terminals 300 based on map data 50 of the area covered by the wireless base station 200 and the location information of the multiple communication terminals 300.

[0056] The control device 100 may determine, based on the location information of the multiple communication terminals 300 and the map data 50, whether each of the multiple communication terminals 300 is likely to be located in a charging environment. For example, the control device 100 may determine that a communication terminal 300 located within the building's area is more likely to be located in a charging environment than a communication terminal 300 located outside the building's area. If the map data 50 includes information on locations where the communication terminals 300 can be charged, the control device 100 may determine that the shorter the distance between the location of the communication terminal 300 and the location where the communication terminal 300 can be charged, the more likely it is to be located in a charging environment.

[0057] The control device 100 may use location information related to the owners of multiple communication terminals 300. The control device 100 may determine that the shorter the distance between the location of a communication terminal 300 and the location related to the owner of the communication terminal 300, the higher the probability that it is located in a charging environment. The location related to the owner of the communication terminal 300 may be the owner's address. The location related to the owner of the communication terminal 300 may also be the location of the organization to which the owner belongs. The organization to which the owner belongs may be the company, school, etc. to which the owner belongs.

[0058] For example, when there are multiple communication terminals 300 with the same communication load 302, the control device 100 determines a power transmission schedule that prioritizes power transmission to the communication terminal 300 that is less likely to be located in a charging environment. For example, when the control device 100 sets the power transmission order in descending order of communication load 302, it sets the power transmission order for communication terminals 300 with the same communication load 302 in descending order of likelihood of being located in a charging environment. For example, when the control device 100 sets the power transmission amount to be greater for higher communication loads 302, it sets the power transmission amount to communication terminals 300 with the same communication load 302 to be greater for those less likely to be located in a charging environment. This makes it possible to prioritize power transmission to communication terminals 300 that are considered to have a higher need for charging, such as when there is no place to charge nearby.

[0059] The control device 100 may determine the power transmission schedule based solely on the location information and map data 50 of the multiple communication terminals 300. For example, the control device 100 may determine a power transmission schedule that prioritizes power transmission to communication terminals 300 that are less likely to be located in a charging environment. For example, the control device 100 may set the power transmission order in descending order of likelihood of being located in a charging environment. For example, the control device 100 may set the amount of power transmitted to increase the less likely a terminal is to be located in a charging environment.

[0060] The control device 100 may determine the power transmission schedule based on at least one of the communication quality 304, battery level 306, and movement speed 308, along with the location information and map data 50 of the multiple communication terminals 300. The control device 100 may also determine the power transmission schedule based on two or more of the communication load 302, communication quality 304, battery level 306, and movement speed 308, along with the location information and map data 50 of the multiple communication terminals 300.

[0061] Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of processing by the control device 100. The control device 100 may determine the ratio of wireless communication and wireless power transmission for each of the multiple communication terminals 300 based on communication quality priority information indicating the priority of communication quality for each of the multiple communication terminals 300.

[0062] Communication quality priority information may be registered in advance, and the control device 100 may refer to the communication quality priority information that has been registered in advance.

[0063] For example, the control device 100 increases the ratio of wireless communication to wireless power transmission for communication terminals 300 with a higher priority for communication quality. Conversely, the control device 100 decreases the ratio of wireless communication to wireless power transmission for communication terminals 300 with a lower priority for communication quality.

[0064] The control device 100 may adjust the ratio of wireless communication to wireless power transmission in a manner appropriate to the power transmission method. For example, when wireless power transmission and wireless communication are implemented using time-division multiplexing, the control device 100 increases the ratio of wireless power transmission by increasing the total time of wireless power transmission. For example, when wireless power transmission and wireless communication are implemented in different frequency bands, the control device 100 increases the ratio of wireless power transmission by widening the frequency band used for wireless power transmission. For example, when wireless communication and wireless power transmission are integrated by adding a DC component to the communication signal, the control device 100 increases the ratio of wireless power transmission by increasing the DC component added to the communication signal.

[0065] Figure 8 schematically shows an example of the functional configuration of the control device 100. The control device 100 comprises a storage unit 102, an information acquisition unit 104, a decision unit 106, and a control unit 108.

[0066] The memory unit 102 stores various types of information. For example, the memory unit 102 stores map data 50 for various locations. The memory unit 102 stores at least the map data 50 for the areas covered by the wireless base stations 200 that are under the management of the control device 100.

[0067] The information acquisition unit 104 acquires information related to each of the multiple communication terminals 300 that are communicating wirelessly with the wireless base station 200, which provides wireless communication and wireless power transmission to multiple communication terminals 300 by beamforming. The information acquisition unit 104 stores the acquired information in the storage unit 102.

[0068] For example, the information acquisition unit 104 acquires communication status information, including the communication load of the communication terminal 300. The information acquisition unit 104 may also acquire communication status information, further including the communication quality of the communication terminal 300. The information acquisition unit 104 may receive the communication status information of the communication terminal 300 from the communication terminal 300. The information acquisition unit 104 may receive the communication status information of the communication terminal 300 from the wireless base station 200.

[0069] For example, the information acquisition unit 104 acquires the battery level of the communication terminal 300. The information acquisition unit 104 may receive the battery level of the communication terminal 300 from the communication terminal 300. The information acquisition unit 104 may also receive the battery level of the communication terminal 300, which is managed by the wireless base station 200, from the wireless base station 200.

[0070] For example, the information acquisition unit 104 acquires location information of the communication terminal 300. The location information of the communication terminal 300 may include latitude and longitude. The information acquisition unit 104 may receive location information of the communication terminal 300, which has been determined by the communication terminal 300, from the communication terminal 300. The information acquisition unit 104 may also receive location information of the communication terminal 300, which has been determined by the radio base station 200, from the radio base station 200.

[0071] For example, the information acquisition unit 104 acquires the movement speed of the communication terminal 300. The information acquisition unit 104 may receive the movement speed of the communication terminal 300 measured by the communication terminal 300 from the communication terminal 300. The information acquisition unit 104 may also receive the movement speed of the communication terminal 300 estimated by the wireless base station 200 from the wireless base station 200.

[0072] For example, the information acquisition unit 104 acquires communication quality priority information of the communication terminal 300. The information acquisition unit 104 may receive the communication quality priority information of the communication terminal 300 from the communication terminal 300. The information acquisition unit 104 may acquire the communication quality priority information of the communication terminal 300, which is managed in the core network, from the core network.

[0073] The decision unit 106 determines a power transmission schedule for the multiple communication terminals 300 based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 104.

[0074] For example, the decision unit 106 determines a power transmission schedule for a plurality of communication terminals 300 based on the communication load 302 of the plurality of communication terminals 300. The decision unit 106 may determine the power transmission schedule so that power is supplied with higher priority to the communication terminals 300 with higher communication loads 302 among the plurality of communication terminals 300. For example, the decision unit 106 may set the order in which power is supplied to the plurality of communication terminals 300 in descending order of communication load 302. For example, the decision unit 106 may set the amount of power supplied to the plurality of communication terminals 300 to be greater the higher the communication load 302. For example, the decision unit 106 may set the order in which power is supplied to the plurality of communication terminals 300 in descending order of communication load 302, and also set the amount of power supplied to the plurality of communication terminals 300 to be greater the higher the communication load 302.

[0075] For example, the decision unit 106 determines a power transmission schedule for the multiple communication terminals 300 based on the communication quality 304 of the multiple communication terminals 300. The decision unit 106 may determine the power transmission schedule so that power is supplied with higher priority to the communication terminals 300 with lower communication quality 304. For example, the decision unit 106 may set the power transmission order for the multiple communication terminals 300 in descending order of communication quality 304. For example, the decision unit 106 may set the amount of power supplied to the multiple communication terminals 300 to be greater the lower the communication quality 304. For example, the decision unit 106 may set the power transmission order for the multiple communication terminals 300 in descending order of communication quality 304, and also set the amount of power supplied to the multiple communication terminals 300 to be greater the lower the communication quality 304.

[0076] For example, the decision unit 106 determines a power supply schedule for the multiple communication terminals 300 based on the battery levels 306 of the multiple communication terminals 300. The decision unit 106 may determine the power supply schedule so that power is supplied with greater priority to the communication terminals 300 with lower battery levels 306. For example, the decision unit 106 may set the power supply order for the multiple communication terminals 300 in order of lowest battery level 306. For example, the decision unit 106 may set the amount of power supplied to the multiple communication terminals 300 to be greater the lower the battery level 306. For example, the decision unit 106 may set the power supply order for the multiple communication terminals 300 in order of lowest battery level 306, and also set the amount of power supplied to the multiple communication terminals 300 to be greater the lower the battery level 306.

[0077] For example, the decision unit 106 determines a power transmission schedule for the multiple communication terminals 300 based on the movement speeds 308 of the multiple communication terminals 300. The decision unit 106 may determine the power transmission schedule so that power is given priority to communication terminals with slower movement speeds 308 among the multiple communication terminals 300. For example, the decision unit 106 may set the order of power transmission for the multiple communication terminals 300 in order of slowest movement speed 308. For example, the decision unit 106 may set the amount of power transmitted to the multiple communication terminals 300 to be greater the slower the movement speed 308. For example, the decision unit 106 may set the order of power transmission for the multiple communication terminals 300 in order of slowest movement speed 308, and also set the amount of power transmitted to the multiple communication terminals 300 to be greater the slower the movement speed 308.

[0078] The determination unit 106 may determine a power supply schedule for the multiple communication terminals 300 based on the map data 50 and the location information of the multiple communication terminals 300. The determination unit 106 may determine the power supply schedule so that power is supplied with greater priority to the communication terminals 300 that are less likely to be located in a charging environment. For example, the determination unit 106 may set the order in which power is supplied to the multiple communication terminals 300 in order of increasing likelihood of being located in a charging environment. For example, the determination unit 106 may set the amount of power supplied to the multiple communication terminals 300 to be greater the less likely they are to be located in a charging environment. For example, the determination unit 106 may set the order in which power is supplied to the multiple communication terminals 300 in order of increasing likelihood of being located in a charging environment, and also set the amount of power supplied to the multiple communication terminals 300 to be greater the less likely they are to be located in a charging environment.

[0079] The determination unit 106 may determine a power supply schedule for a plurality of communication terminals 300 based on a plurality of the following: communication load 302, communication quality 304, battery level 306, movement speed 308, and location information and map data 50. When using communication load 302, the determination unit 106 may prioritize power supply to communication terminals 300 with a higher communication load 302; when using communication quality 304, it may prioritize power supply to communication terminals 300 with a lower communication quality 304; when using battery level 306, it may prioritize power supply to communication terminals 300 with a lower battery level 306; when using movement speed 308, it may prioritize power supply to communication terminals 300 with a slower movement speed 308; and when using location information and map data 50, it may prioritize power supply to communication terminals 300 that are less likely to be in a charging environment. The determination unit 106 may combine these to determine a power supply schedule for a plurality of communication terminals 300.

[0080] The determination unit 106 may determine the ratio of wireless communication to wireless power transmission for each of the multiple communication terminals 300 based on the communication quality priority information of each of the multiple communication terminals 300. For example, the determination unit 106 may increase the ratio of wireless communication to wireless power transmission for communication terminals 300 with a higher communication quality priority. Conversely, the determination unit 106 may decrease the ratio of wireless communication to wireless power transmission for communication terminals 300 with a lower communication quality priority.

[0081] The control unit 108 controls the radio base station 200 to perform wireless power transmission to multiple communication terminals 300 according to the power transmission schedule determined by the determination unit 106. For example, the control unit 108 controls the radio base station 200 by transmitting the power transmission schedule determined by the determination unit 106 and an instruction to perform wireless power transmission according to the power transmission schedule to the radio base station 200. The control unit 108 may also control the radio base station 200 by giving appropriate instructions to the radio base station 200 according to the power transmission schedule determined by the determination unit 106.

[0082] Figure 9 schematically shows an example of an environment to which the control device 100 is applied. The environment shown in Figure 9 comprises a management infrastructure 400, a plurality of distributed infrastructures 500, and a plurality of wireless base stations 200. In this environment, the management infrastructure 400 and the plurality of distributed infrastructures 500 may cooperate to control the RAN 250 and perform AI processing.

[0083] RAN250 may be a virtualized vRAN (Virtual RAN). RAN250 may also be a physical RAN. In this example, we will mainly explain the case where RAN250 is a vRAN.

[0084] The AI ​​processing performed by the management infrastructure 400 and the multiple distributed infrastructures 500 may include RAN control AI processing. The AI ​​processing performed by the management infrastructure 400 and the multiple distributed infrastructures 500 may include non-RAN control AI processing.

[0085] The distributed infrastructure 500 may be data centers located in various locations. The distributed infrastructure 500 may be composed of multiple devices. The distributed infrastructure 500 may be implemented on a virtualization infrastructure consisting of multiple devices. The distributed infrastructure 500 may be implemented by a single device. That is, the distributed infrastructure 500 may be a distributed device. The distributed infrastructure 500 may function as a BBU (BaseBand Unit), and the wireless base station 200 may function as an RRU (Remote Radio Unit). The distributed infrastructure 500 may implement a CU. The distributed infrastructure 500 may implement a DU. The distributed infrastructure 500 may implement a UPF (User Plane Function).

[0086] The management infrastructure 400 may be a data center that manages multiple distributed infrastructures 500. The management infrastructure 400 may be composed of multiple devices. The management infrastructure 400 may be implemented on a virtualization infrastructure consisting of multiple devices. The management infrastructure 400 may be implemented by a single device. In other words, the management infrastructure 400 may be a management device.

[0087] The management infrastructure 400 may be called the Core Brain, and the distributed infrastructure 500 may be called the Regional Brain. Note that Figure 6 illustrates a case where a single-layer distributed infrastructure 500 is located below the management infrastructure 400, but it is not limited to this. The distributed infrastructure 500 may have multiple layers. For example, if two layers of distributed infrastructure 500 are located below the management infrastructure 400, the management infrastructure 400 may be called the Core Brain, the distributed infrastructure 500 in the layer below it may be called the Regional Brain, and the distributed infrastructure 500 in the layer below that may be called the Sub-Regional Brain.

[0088] The distributed infrastructure 500 may have one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units). The distributed infrastructure 500 may have one or more GPUs (Graphics Processing Units). The distributed infrastructure 500 may have multiple superchips, each connected to a CPU and a GPU by an interconnect. This interconnect may be memory consistent and capable of achieving high bandwidth and low latency. Thus, the distributed infrastructure 500 may have CPU resources and GPU resources as computing resources.

[0089] In this example, the control device 100 may be located on a distributed infrastructure 500. The control device 100 located on the distributed infrastructure 500 may perform RAN control and AI processing.

[0090] Figure 10 schematically shows an example of the functional configuration of the control device 100 when it is deployed on a distributed infrastructure 500. Here, we will mainly explain the differences from Figure 8. The control device 100 comprises a RAN control unit 120 that performs RAN control and an AI processing unit 130 that performs AI processing.

[0091] Figure 11 schematically shows an example of the hardware configuration of a computer 1200 that functions as a control device 100. A program installed on the computer 1200 can cause the computer 1200 to function as one or more "parts" of the apparatus according to this embodiment, or to cause the computer 1200 to execute operations associated with the apparatus according to this embodiment or such one or more "parts", and / or to cause the computer 1200 to execute a process or a stage of such process according to this embodiment. Such a program may be executed by the CPU 1212 to cause the computer 1200 to execute specific operations associated with some or all of the blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein.

[0092] The computer 1200 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 1212, a GPU 1213, a RAM 1214, and a graphics controller 1216, which are interconnected by a host controller 1210. The computer 1200 also includes input / output units such as a communication interface 1222, a storage device 1224, a DVD drive 1226, and an IC card drive, which are connected to the host controller 1210 via an input / output controller 1220. The DVD drive 1226 may be a DVD-ROM drive and a DVD-RAM drive, etc. The storage device 1224 may be a hard disk drive and a solid-state drive, etc. The computer 1200 also includes legacy input / output units such as a ROM 1230 and a keyboard, which are connected to the input / output controller 1220 via an input / output chip 1240.

[0093] The CPU 1212 operates according to the programs stored in the ROM 1230 and RAM 1214, thereby controlling each unit. The graphics controller 1216 acquires the image data generated by the CPU 1212 and stores it in the frame buffer provided in the RAM 1214 or within itself, so that the image data is displayed on the display device 1218.

[0094] The communication interface 1222 communicates with other electronic devices via a network. The storage device 1224 stores programs and data used by the CPU 1212 in the computer 1200. The DVD drive 1226 reads programs or data from the DVD-ROM 1227, etc., and provides them to the storage device 1224. The IC card drive reads programs and data from the IC card and / or writes programs and data to the IC card.

[0095] The ROM 1230 stores boot programs and / or hardware-dependent programs of the computer 1200, which are executed by the computer 1200 when activated. The input / output chip 1240 may also connect various input / output units to the input / output controller 1220 via USB ports, parallel ports, serial ports, keyboard ports, mouse ports, etc.

[0096] The program is provided on a computer-readable storage medium such as a DVD-ROM 1227 or an IC card. The program is read from the computer-readable storage medium and installed on a storage device 1224, RAM 1214, or ROM 1230, which are examples of computer-readable storage media, and executed by the CPU 1212. The information processing described within these programs is read by the computer 1200, resulting in coordination between the program and the various types of hardware resources described above. The apparatus or method may be configured to realize the operation or processing of information in accordance with the use of the computer 1200.

[0097] For example, when communication is performed between a computer 1200 and an external device, the CPU 1212 may execute a communication program loaded into the RAM 1214 and, based on the processing described in the communication program, instruct the communication interface 1222 to perform communication processing. Under the control of the CPU 1212, the communication interface 1222 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer area provided in a recording medium such as the RAM 1214, storage device 1224, DVD-ROM 1227, or IC card, transmits the read transmission data to the network, or writes received data received from the network to a reception buffer area or the like provided on the recording medium.

[0098] Furthermore, the CPU 1212 may read all or necessary parts of a file or database stored on an external recording medium such as a storage device 1224, a DVD drive 1226 (DVD-ROM 1227), or an IC card into the RAM 1214, and perform various types of processing on the data in the RAM 1214. The CPU 1212 may then write the processed data back to the external recording medium.

[0099] Various types of information, such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases, may be stored on the recording medium and subjected to information processing. The CPU 1212 may perform various types of processing on the data read from the RAM 1214, including various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgments, conditional branching, unconditional branching, information retrieval / replacement, etc., as described throughout this disclosure and specified by the program instruction sequence, and write the results back to the RAM 1214. The CPU 1212 may also retrieve information in files, databases, etc., within the recording medium. For example, if a plurality of entries are stored in the recording medium, each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute, the CPU 1212 may search among the plurality of entries for an entry that matches the specified condition for the attribute value of the first attribute, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in that entry, and thereby obtain the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0100] The program or software module described above may be stored on or near the computer 1200 in a computer-readable storage medium. Alternatively, a recording medium such as a hard disk or RAM provided within a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can be used as a computer-readable storage medium, thereby providing the program to the computer 1200 via the network.

[0101] In this embodiment, blocks in the flowchart and block diagram may represent a stage in a process in which an operation is performed or a "part" of a device that has the role of performing an operation. A particular stage and "part" may be implemented by a dedicated circuit, a programmable circuit supplied with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium, and / or a processor supplied with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium. The dedicated circuit may include digital and / or analog hardware circuits, and may include integrated circuits (ICs) and / or discrete circuits. The programmable circuit may include reconfigurable hardware circuits, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and programmable logic arrays (PLAs), which include logical AND, logical OR, exclusive OR, negated AND, negated OR, and other logical operations, flip-flops, registers, and memory elements.

[0102] A computer-readable storage medium may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions to be executed by a suitable device, and as a result, a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein will comprise a product that includes instructions that can be executed to create means for performing operations specified in a flowchart or block diagram. Examples of computer-readable storage media may include electronic storage media, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, electromagnetic storage media, semiconductor storage media, etc. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media may include floppy disks, diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), static random access memory (SRAM), compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital multipurpose disk (DVD), Blu-ray® disk, memory stick, integrated circuit card, etc.

[0103] Computer-readable instructions may include assembler instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, or source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk®, Java®, C++, and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as the C programming language or similar programming languages.

[0104] Computer-readable instructions may be provided locally or via a wide area network (WAN) such as a local area network (LAN) or the internet to a processor or programmable circuit of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or another programmable data processing device, so that the processor or programmable circuit of the programmable data processing device, such as a computer, may execute the computer-readable instructions to generate means for performing operations specified in a flowchart or block diagram. Here, the computer may be a PC (personal computer), a tablet computer, a smartphone, a workstation, a server computer, a general-purpose computer, or a special-purpose computer, and may also be a computer system in which multiple computers are connected. Such a computer system in which multiple computers are connected is also called a distributed computing system and is a computer in a broad sense. In a distributed computing system, multiple computers execute a program collectively by each computer executing a part of the program and passing data during program execution between computers as needed.

[0105] Examples of processors include computer processors, central processing units (CPUs), processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, and microcontrollers. A computer may have one or more processors. In a multiprocessor system with multiple processors, each processor executes a portion of the program, and the processors collectively execute the program by passing program execution data between them as needed. For example, in the execution of multitasks, each of the multiple processors may execute a portion of each task in small chunks by switching tasks at each time slice. In this case, which part of a program each processor executes changes dynamically. Which part of a program each of the multiple processors executes may also be statically determined by multiprocessor-aware programming.

[0106] By using the invention according to this embodiment, it is possible to contribute to improving the accuracy of wireless communication and wireless power transmission, and to contribute to achieving at least one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Goal 9, "Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation," and Goal 11, "Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable."

[0107] Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It will be clear from the claims that such modified or improved forms may also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0108] It should be noted that the execution order of operations, procedures, steps, and stages in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specifications, and drawings is not explicitly stated as "before" or "prior to," and that these can be performed in any order unless the output of a previous operation is used in a later operation. Even if the operation flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is described using phrases such as "first," and "next," for convenience, this does not mean that it is mandatory to perform the operations in that order.

[0109] 50 Map data, 100 Control device, 102 Storage unit, 104 Information acquisition unit, 106 Decision unit, 108 Control unit, 120 RAN control unit, 130 AI processing unit, 200 Wireless base station, 210 Communication area, 250 RAN, 300 Communication terminal, 302 Communication load, 304 Communication quality, 306 Battery level, 308 Movement speed, 400 Management base, 500 Distributed base, 1200 Computer, 1210 Host controller, 1212 CPU, 1213 GPU, 1214 RAM, 1216 Graphics controller, 1218 Display device, 1220 Input / Output controller, 1222 Communication interface, 1224 Storage device, 1226 DVD drive, 1227 DVD-ROM, 1230 ROM, 1240 Input / Output chip

Claims

1. A control device comprising: an information acquisition unit that acquires communication status information, including communication load, for each of the multiple communication terminals that are communicating wirelessly with a wireless base station that provides wireless communication and wireless power transmission to multiple communication terminals by beamforming; a determination unit that determines a power transmission schedule for the multiple communication terminals based on the communication status information of the multiple communication terminals; and a control unit that controls the wireless base station to perform wireless power transmission to the multiple communication terminals in accordance with the power transmission schedule determined by the determination unit.

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the power transmission schedule so as to give higher priority to power transmission to the communication terminal with the higher communication load among the plurality of communication terminals.

3. The control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the communication status information further includes the communication quality of each of the plurality of communication terminals.

4. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the information acquisition unit further acquires the remaining battery level of each of the plurality of communication terminals, and the determination unit further determines the power supply schedule for the plurality of communication terminals based on the remaining battery levels of the plurality of communication terminals.

5. The control device according to claim 4, wherein the determination unit determines the power transmission schedule so as to give higher priority to power transmission to communication terminals with lower battery levels.

6. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the information acquisition unit further acquires location information for each of the plurality of communication terminals, and the determination unit further determines the power transmission schedule for the plurality of communication terminals based on map data of the area covered by the wireless base station and the location information of the plurality of communication terminals.

7. The control device according to claim 6, wherein the determination unit determines the power transmission schedule so as to give higher priority to power transmission to the communication terminals among the plurality of communication terminals that are less likely to be located in an environment where charging is possible.

8. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the information acquisition unit further acquires the movement speed of each of the plurality of communication terminals, and the determination unit further determines the power transmission schedule for the plurality of communication terminals based on the movement speeds of the plurality of communication terminals.

9. The control device according to claim 8, wherein the determination unit determines the power transmission schedule so as to give higher priority to power transmission to the communication terminal with a slower movement speed among the plurality of communication terminals.

10. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the information acquisition unit further acquires communication quality priority information indicating the priority of communication quality for each of the plurality of communication terminals, and the determination unit determines the ratio of wireless communication and wireless power transmission for each of the plurality of communication terminals based on the communication quality priority information for each of the plurality of communication terminals.

11. A control device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, comprising a RAN control unit that performs RAN control and an AI processing unit that performs AI processing.

12. A program for causing a computer to function as a control device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. A control method performed by a computer, comprising: an information acquisition step of acquiring communication status information, including communication load, for each of a plurality of communication terminals that are communicating wirelessly with a wireless base station that provides wireless communication and wireless power transmission by beamforming; a decision step of determining a power transmission schedule for the plurality of communication terminals based on the communication status information of the plurality of communication terminals; and a control step of controlling the plurality of communication terminals to perform wireless power transmission in accordance with the power transmission schedule determined in the decision step.

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