Management device, management method, and program

Abstract

Provided is a management device comprising: an information acquisition unit that acquires received radio wave information from a plurality of reception devices located at different locations, the reception devices having received radio waves emitted by a wireless base station that emits radio waves in different directions by adjusting the electrical tilt of a phased array antenna in order to perform wireless communication and wireless power transmission; a noise analysis unit that analyzes and identifies noise included in the received radio waves for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna on the basis of a plurality of pieces of the received radio wave information acquired by the information acquisition unit from the plurality of reception devices; and a filter function determination unit that determines, on the basis of an analysis result from the noise analysis unit, a filter function to be applied to the phased array antenna for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna.

Description

Management device, management method, and program

[0001] This invention relates to a management device, a management method, and a program.

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a system comprising a base station and a 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 feature extraction device comprising a data acquisition unit that acquires time series data as input time series data, a plurality of digital filters that apply each digital filter to the input time series data acquired by the data acquisition unit and output filter response time series data which is time series data including time series features or frequency features after application for each digital filter, and a feature extraction unit that extracts feature quantities for each filter response time series data from the plurality of filter response time series data output by the plurality of filter application unit and outputs the extracted feature quantities as feature quantity data. [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2023-056738 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2021 / 205509

[0003] When wireless power transmission and wireless communication are integrated, there are problems such as a decrease in communication throughput or a decrease in received power due to adding different noise to the radio waves compared to the case of non-integration. Conventionally, fixed filtering or simple noise cancellation has been mainstream. However, when wireless power transmission and wireless communication are integrated, since the noise exhibits non-linear characteristics, there is a problem that it is difficult to remove with a fixed filter, a problem of lack of real-time responsiveness where it is impossible to immediately respond when the communication environment and frequency band change and the throughput decreases, and a problem of inability to perform individual optimization where the filter cannot handle noise with different characteristics in each communication environment.

[0004] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a management device having a technology that contributes to solving such problems is provided. The management device may include an information acquisition unit that acquires received radio wave information from a plurality of receiving devices located at different locations, which have received radio waves emitted by a radio base station that irradiates radio waves in different directions by adjusting the electrical tilt of a phased array antenna for performing wireless communication and wireless power transmission. The management device may include a noise analysis unit that analyzes and identifies the noise included in the received radio waves for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna based on the plurality of received radio wave information acquired by the information acquisition unit from the plurality of receiving devices. The management device may include a filter function determination unit that determines a filter function to be applied to the phased array antenna for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna based on the analysis result by the noise analysis unit.

[0005] In the management device, the filter function determination unit may determine a filter function that adjusts at least any one of the phase, amplitude, and frequency of the radio waves emitted by the phased array antenna so that the noise included in the received radio waves by the device that receives the radio waves emitted by the phased array antenna is reduced based on the analysis result by the noise analysis unit.

[0006] In any of the above-mentioned management devices, the noise analysis unit may analyze and identify noise contained in the received radio waves for each tilt angle and time of the phased array antenna based on the plurality of received radio wave information for each time period obtained by the information acquisition unit from the plurality of receiving devices, and the filter function determination unit may determine the filter function to be applied for each tilt angle and time period of the phased array antenna based on the analysis results by the noise analysis unit.

[0007] In any of the above-mentioned management devices, the information acquisition unit may further acquire weather data for each of the plurality of receiving devices indicating the weather at the location where the receiving device is located when it receives the radio waves from the wireless base station; the noise analysis unit may further analyze and identify the noise contained in the received radio waves for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna and for each weather condition, based on the plurality of weather data acquired by the information acquisition unit from the plurality of receiving devices; and the filter function determination unit may determine the filter function to be applied for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna and for each weather condition, based on the analysis results by the noise analysis unit.

[0008] Any of the management devices described above may include a learning execution unit that generates a learning model that takes the tilt angle of the phased array antenna as at least an input and outputs a filter function to be applied to the phased array antenna, using a plurality of learning data sets that include the tilt angle of the phased array antenna when the wireless base station emits radio waves for wireless communication and wireless power transmission, noise contained in the radio waves received by the receiving device, noise contained in the radio waves received by the receiving device when a plurality of filter functions are applied to the phased array antenna, and the plurality of filter functions applied to the phased array antenna, and the filter function determination unit may use the learning model to determine the filter function to be applied to the phased array antenna for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna. The learning execution unit may use a plurality of learning data sets, further including weather information indicating the weather in the area covered by the phased array antenna when the wireless base station emits radio waves to perform the wireless communication and wireless power transmission, to generate a learning model that takes the tilt angle of the phased array antenna and the weather information in the area covered by the phased array antenna as inputs and outputs a filter function to be applied to the phased array antenna. The weather information may include precipitation in the area covered by the phased array antenna. The learning execution unit may use a plurality of learning data sets, further including pedestrian flow information indicating the pedestrian flow in the area covered by the phased array antenna when the wireless base station emits radio waves to perform the wireless communication and wireless power transmission, to generate a learning model that takes the tilt angle of the phased array antenna and the pedestrian flow information in the area covered by the phased array antenna as inputs and outputs a filter function to be applied to the phased array antenna.

[0009] The management device may include a RAN control unit for controlling the RAN (Radio Access Network) and an AI processing unit for executing AI processing, and the AI ​​processing unit may include the learning execution unit.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a management method performed by a computer is provided. The management method may include an information acquisition step of acquiring received radio wave information from a plurality of receiving devices located in different locations that have received radio waves emitted by a radio base station for wireless communication and wireless power transmission, which irradiates radio waves in different directions by adjusting the electrical tilt of a phased array antenna. The management method may include a noise analysis step of analyzing and identifying noise contained in the received radio waves for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna based on a plurality of the received radio wave information acquired from the plurality of receiving devices in the information acquisition step. The management method may include a filter function determination step of determining a filter function to be applied to the phased array antenna for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna based on the analysis results in the noise analysis step.

[0011] 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).

[0012] 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.

[0013] 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.

[0014] It should be noted that the above summary of the invention does not list all the necessary features of the present invention. Furthermore, subcombinations of these features may also constitute an invention.

[0015] A schematic diagram of an example of the management device 100 is shown. This is an explanatory diagram for describing the wireless environment in each region. A schematic diagram of an example of the processing flow by the management device 100 is shown. A schematic diagram of an example of the processing flow by the management device 100 is shown. A schematic diagram of an example of the functional configuration of the management device 100 is shown. A schematic diagram of an example of an environment in which the management device 100 is applied is shown. A schematic diagram of an example of the functional configuration of the management device 100 when it is deployed on a distributed infrastructure 500 is shown. A schematic diagram of an example of the hardware configuration of a computer 1200 that functions as the management device 100 is shown.

[0016] 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.

[0017] Figure 1 schematically shows an example of a communication system 10. The communication system 10 includes a management device 100. The communication system 10 may include a plurality of wireless base stations 200. The wireless base stations 200 perform wireless communication and wireless power transmission using a phased array antenna 210. The communication system 10 may also include a plurality of receiving devices 300.

[0018] The phased array antenna 210 has multiple antenna elements 212. The radio base station 200 emits radio waves in different directions by adjusting the electrical tilt of the phased array antenna 210.

[0019] The receiving device 300 receives radio waves emitted by the radio base station 200. The receiving device 300 may be a user terminal that receives wireless communication services and wireless power transmission services from the radio base station 200. Examples of user terminals include smartphones, tablet terminals, and PCs (Personal Computers). The receiving device 300 may also be a portable device specifically designed for measuring radio waves emitted by the radio base station 200.

[0020] The management device 100 acquires received radio wave information from multiple receiving devices 300 located in different locations that receive radio waves emitted by a radio base station 200, which emits radio waves in different directions by adjusting the electrical tilt of the phased array antenna 210, for the purpose of wireless communication and wireless power transmission. The management device 100 may acquire received radio wave information for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210 from multiple receiving devices 300 that have received radio waves for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210. The receiving devices 300 may transmit the received radio wave information to the management device 100 via the radio base station 200. The receiving devices 300 may also transmit the received radio wave information to the management device 100 via other radio base stations 200. Based on the multiple received radio wave information acquired from the multiple receiving devices 300, the management device 100 analyzes and identifies the noise contained in the received radio waves for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210.

[0021] Possible causes of noise include distortion of the transmitted signal due to the nonlinearity of the power amplifier, electromagnetic interference due to the use of the same or adjacent frequency bands for power and communication, mutual demodulation of signals due to the mixing of different frequencies, multiple reflections and fading, the possibility of increased ambient background noise levels due to the high power output of wireless power transmission, interference noise when the harmonics of wireless power transmission overlap with the frequency band of the communication signal, fluctuations in the transmitted signal due to instability of power control, and impedance mismatch between the transmitting equipment and the antenna.

[0022] The management device 100, for example, instructs the wireless base station 200 to set the phased array antenna 210 to a certain tilt angle and output radio waves for wireless communication and wireless power transmission. The management device 100 acquires received radio wave information from one of the multiple receiving devices 300 that received the radio waves. The management device 100, for example, instructs the wireless base station 200 to output radio waves including a signal for noise measurement and acquires received radio wave information from one or more receiving devices 300 that received the radio waves. In addition to the received radio wave information, the management device 100 may also acquire a timestamp of when the radio waves were received and the location information of the receiving device 300 from one or more receiving devices 300 that received the radio waves. The management device 100 can identify noise contained in the received radio wave information by comparing the transmitted radio wave information, which is information about the radio waves transmitted by the wireless base station 200, with the received radio wave information acquired from the receiving devices 300. When the management device 100 acquires received radio wave information from multiple receiving devices 300, it may use the received radio wave information with the strongest received radio wave intensity to identify the noise contained in the received radio wave information. When the management device 100 acquires received radio wave information from multiple receiving devices 300, it may use the received radio wave information obtained by averaging the multiple received radio wave information to identify the noise contained in the received radio wave information, or it may identify multiple noises using each of the multiple received radio wave information and then average the multiple noises to identify the noise. The management device 100 may have the radio base station 200 set the phased array antenna 210 to various tilt angles and perform such measurements, thereby analyzing and identifying the noise contained in the received radio wave information for each of the multiple tilt angles of the phased array antenna 210.

[0023] Furthermore, if the management device 100 instructs the wireless base station 200 to set the phased array antenna 210 to a certain tilt angle and output radio waves for wireless communication and wireless power transmission, but none of the receiving devices 300 receive the radio waves and therefore cannot acquire received radio wave information, or if there is a receiving device 300 that receives the radio waves but the reception strength is too weak, the management device 100 may perform the measurement of the tilt angle at a different time. By continuously performing such processing, it is possible to perform measurements for various tilt angles.

[0024] Based on the analysis results, the control device 100 determines a filter function to be applied to the phased array antenna 210 for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210. For example, for each of a plurality of tilt angles, the control device 100 determines a filter function that adjusts at least one of the phase, amplitude, and frequency of the radio waves emitted by the phased array antenna 210, based on the analysis results, so as to reduce the noise contained in the radio waves received by the receiving device 300 that receives the radio waves emitted by the phased array antenna 210.

[0025] Conventionally, fixed noise reduction using filters was performed to remove noise added to the radio waves for wireless communication emitted by the phased array antenna 210. This reduced noise and contributed to improving communication quality. However, since the area covered by the coverage area 220 contains buildings and other structures, as well as natural objects such as trees, the propagation conditions of radio waves differ depending on the location, and different types of noise may be added. When providing wireless power transmission in addition to wireless communication, the radio waves emitted from the phased array antenna 210 become harmonics, making the impact of noise even more pronounced.

[0026] In contrast, the management device 100 according to this embodiment analyzes the noise added to the received radio waves for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210 and determines the filter function to be applied to the phased array antenna 210 for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210. This makes it possible to apply a filter function suitable for the location within the area covered by the coverage area 220, thereby contributing to improving the quality of wireless communication and wireless power transmission.

[0027] Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the wireless environment in different regions. For example, noise sources and reflection environments differ significantly between urban and suburban areas, resulting in vastly different noise characteristics affecting received radio waves.

[0028] Furthermore, even within the same urban area, differences in building layouts and other factors mean that noise sources and reflection environments vary from region to region, resulting in different tendencies for noise added to received radio waves. Similarly, even within the same suburban area, differences in noise sources and reflection environments mean that different tendencies for noise added to received radio waves.

[0029] The management device 100 may analyze the noise added to the received radio waves for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210 for each wireless base station 200, determine the filter function to be applied to the phased array antenna 210 for each tilt angle, and apply it to the phased array antenna 210. This makes it possible to optimize the system in a region-specific manner.

[0030] The communication system 10 may include a management device 100 for each wireless base station 200. The management device 100 may be located physically close to the wireless base station 200. The management device 100 may be located within the coverage area 220 or outside the coverage area 220. By providing a management device 100 for each wireless base station 200, the physical distance between the wireless base station 200 and the management device 100 can be shortened, improving real-time performance. Furthermore, it becomes possible to perform management that is closed to each region, thereby improving security.

[0031] Figure 3 schematically shows an example of the processing flow by the management device 100. Here, we will explain the processing flow for determining the filter function for each tilt angle by performing measurements for each different tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210 of one wireless base station 200.

[0032] In step 102 (sometimes abbreviated as S), the management device 100 instructs the wireless base station 200 to configure the phased array antenna 210. The management device 100 instructs the wireless base station 200 to set the tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210 to the tilt angle of the object to be measured.

[0033] In S102, the management device 100 causes the wireless base station 200 to output radio waves for wireless communication and wireless power transmission. In S106, the management device 100 obtains received radio wave information from the receiving device 300, which received the radio waves output by the wireless base station 200 in S104.

[0034] In S108, the control device 100 determines whether the measurement is complete or not. The control device 100 repeats steps S102 to S106 until the measurement is completed for all tilt angles that are scheduled to be measured.

[0035] In S110, the control device 100 analyzes the noise contained in the received radio waves using the received radio wave information for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210. In S112, based on the analysis results in S110, the control device 100 determines the filter function to be applied to the phased array antenna 210 for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210. Then, the process ends.

[0036] After performing the process shown in Figure 3, the management device 100 may notify the radio base station 200 of the filter function for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210. When the radio base station 200 outputs radio waves using the phased array antenna 210, it applies the filter function corresponding to the tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210 to the phased array antenna 210. This allows for the execution of a filter function optimized for each tilt angle, and can appropriately reduce noise when the user terminal receives the radio waves output by the phased array antenna 210.

[0037] Figure 4 schematically shows an example of the processing flow by the management device 100. Here, we will mainly explain the differences from Figure 3. In the example shown in Figure 4, the management device 100 applies various filter functions for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210, performs measurements for each filter function, and describes the processing flow to identify proven filter functions for each tilt angle.

[0038] In S202, the management device 100 instructs the wireless base station 200 to configure the phased array antenna 210. The management device 100 instructs the wireless base station 200 to set the tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210 to the tilt angle of the object to be measured.

[0039] In S204, the management device 100 instructs the wireless base station 200 to apply one of several types of filter functions to the phased array antenna 210. In S206, the management device 100 instructs the wireless base station 200 to output radio waves for wireless communication and wireless power transmission. In S208, the management device 100 obtains received radio wave information from the receiving device 300, which received the radio waves output by the wireless base station 200 in S206.

[0040] In S210, the control device 100 determines whether the measurement has been completed for all filter functions. The control device 100 repeats steps S204 to S208 until the measurement has been completed for all filter functions that are scheduled to be measured.

[0041] In S212, the management device 100 analyzes the noise contained in the received radio waves using the received radio wave information for each applied filter function. In S214, based on the analysis results in S212, the management device 100 determines the filter function to be applied to the phased array antenna 210 at the tilt angle set in S202. For example, the management device 100 determines the filter function that adds the least amount of noise to the received radio waves from among multiple filter functions.

[0042] In S216, the control device 100 determines whether the measurement has been completed for all tilt angles. The control device 100 repeats steps S202 to S214 until the measurement has been completed for all tilt angles that are scheduled to be measured.

[0043] After executing the process shown in FIG. 4, the management device 100 may notify the radio base station 200 of the filter function for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210. When outputting radio waves using the phased array antenna 210, the radio base station 200 applies the filter function corresponding to the tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210 to the phased array antenna 210. Thereby, it is possible to execute an optimized filter function for each tilt angle, and it may be possible to appropriately reduce the noise when the user terminal receives the radio waves output by the phased array antenna 210.

[0044] FIG. 5 schematically shows an example of the functional configuration of the management device 100. The management device 100 includes a storage unit 102, a base station management unit 104, an information acquisition unit 106, a noise analysis unit 108, a filter function determination unit 110, a filter application unit 112, and a learning execution unit 114. Note that it is not always essential for the management device 100 to include all of these.

[0045] The base station management unit 104 manages the radio base station 200. The base station management unit 104 may give various instructions to the radio base station 200. For example, the base station management unit 104 instructs the radio base station 200 to set the phased array antenna 210. For example, the base station management unit 104 instructs the radio base station 200 to adjust the electrical tilt of the phased array antenna 210. For example, the base station management unit 104 instructs the radio base station 200 to output radio waves using the phased array antenna 210.

[0046] The information acquisition unit 106 acquires various information. For example, the information acquisition unit 106 acquires received radio wave information, which is information on the received radio waves, from the receiving device 300 that has received the radio waves emitted using the phased array antenna 210 for the radio base station 200 to perform wireless communication and wireless power transmission according to the instructions of the base station management unit 104.

[0047] The noise analysis unit 108 analyzes the noise included in the received radio wave based on the received radio wave information acquired by the information acquisition unit 106. The noise analysis unit 108 analyzes the noise included in the received radio wave for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210 based on the plurality of received radio wave information acquired by the information acquisition unit 106 from the plurality of receiving devices 300.

[0048] The filter function determination unit 110 determines the filter function to be applied to the phased array antenna 210 for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210 based on the analysis result by the noise analysis unit 108.

[0049] The filter application unit 112 causes the radio base station 200 to apply the filter function determined by the filter function determination unit 110 to the phased array antenna 210. The filter application unit 112 notifies the radio base station 200 of the filter function for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210, and instructs to apply the specified filter function for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210. Note that the filter application unit 112 may notify the operator of the radio base station 200 of the filter function determined by the filter function determination unit 110, and the operator may set the filter function in the radio base station 200.

[0050] The filter function determination unit 110 determines a filter function that adjusts at least any one of the phase, amplitude, and frequency of the radio wave emitted by the phased array antenna 210 so that the noise included in the received radio wave by the device that receives the radio wave emitted by the phased array antenna 210 is reduced based on the analysis result by the noise analysis unit 108. How to apply what kind of filter function to reduce the noise when the noise included in the received radio wave is what kind of noise may be specified theoretically or may be specified by experiments.

[0051] The filter function determination unit 110 may determine the filter function to be applied to the phased array antenna 210 from a plurality of filter functions.

[0052] Multiple filter functions may include filter functions that adjust the phase of the radio waves emitted by the phased array antenna 210. Multiple filter functions may include multiple filter functions that adjust the phase of the radio waves emitted by the phased array antenna 210 by different amounts.

[0053] Multiple filter functions may include filter functions that adjust the amplitude of radio waves emitted by the phased array antenna 210. Multiple filter functions may include multiple filter functions that adjust the amplitude of radio waves emitted by the phased array antenna 210 by different amounts.

[0054] Multiple filter functions may include filter functions that adjust the frequency of radio waves emitted by the phased array antenna 210. Multiple filter functions may include multiple filter functions that adjust the frequency of radio waves emitted by the phased array antenna 210 by different amounts.

[0055] Multiple filter functions may include filter functions that adjust the phase and amplitude of the radio waves emitted by the phased array antenna 210. Multiple filter functions may include multiple filter functions that adjust the phase and amplitude of the radio waves emitted by the phased array antenna 210 by different amounts.

[0056] Multiple filter functions may include filter functions that adjust the phase and frequency of the radio waves emitted by the phased array antenna 210. Multiple filter functions may include multiple filter functions that adjust the phase and frequency of the radio waves emitted by the phased array antenna 210 by different amounts.

[0057] Multiple filter functions may include filter functions that adjust the amplitude and frequency of the radio waves emitted by the phased array antenna 210. Multiple filter functions may include multiple filter functions that adjust the amplitude and frequency of the radio waves emitted by the phased array antenna 210 by different amounts.

[0058] Multiple filter functions may include filter functions that adjust the phase, amplitude, and frequency of the radio waves emitted by the phased array antenna 210. Multiple filter functions may include multiple filter functions that adjust the phase, amplitude, and frequency of the radio waves emitted by the phased array antenna 210 by different amounts.

[0059] The base station management unit 104 may instruct the wireless base station 200 to output radio waves using the phased array antenna 210 for each of the multiple time periods. The noise analysis unit 108 may analyze the noise contained in the received radio waves for each tilt angle and time period of the phased array antenna 210 based on the multiple received radio wave information for each of the multiple time periods acquired by the information acquisition unit 106 from multiple receiving devices 300. The filter function determination unit 110 may determine the filter function to be applied for each tilt angle and time period of the phased array antenna 210 based on the analysis results by the noise analysis unit 108. The multiple time periods may be hourly time periods. The multiple time periods may also be multi-hour time periods, such as every two hours or every three hours. The multiple time periods may also be in minutes rather than hours.

[0060] Even within the same region, the flow of people and vehicles differs depending on the time of day, such as morning, midday, and night. The location of people and vehicles affects the attenuation and reflection of radio waves, resulting in different radio wave propagation environments. Therefore, by specifying the filter function to be applied for each tilt angle and time of day of the phased array antenna 210, it becomes possible to more effectively reduce the noise contained in the received radio waves.

[0061] The information acquisition unit 106 may acquire weather data for each of the multiple receiving devices 300, indicating the weather at the location where the receiving device 300 was located when it received radio waves from the radio base station 200. For example, the information acquisition unit 106 may acquire weather data for the location where the receiving device 300 is located from a weather server that provides weather data for various locations. The information acquisition unit 106 may also acquire weather data for the location where each of the multiple receiving devices 300 was located when it received radio waves from the radio base station 200.

[0062] Weather data may include weather types such as sunny, cloudy, rainy, and snowy. Weather data may include precipitation when the weather type is rainy. Weather data may include snowfall when the weather type is snowy.

[0063] The noise analysis unit 108 may analyze the noise contained in the received radio waves for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210 and for each weather condition, based on the multiple weather data acquired by the information acquisition unit 106 from multiple receiving devices 300. The filter function determination unit 110 may determine the filter function to be applied for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210 and for each weather condition, based on the analysis results by the noise analysis unit 108.

[0064] Even within the same region, radio wave propagation conditions can differ depending on the weather. For example, the attenuation of radio waves increases when it rains compared to when the weather is sunny. Therefore, by specifying the filter function to be applied for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210 and for each weather condition, it becomes possible to more effectively reduce the noise contained in the received radio waves.

[0065] As explained in Figure 4, the control device 100 may apply various filter functions to each tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210, perform measurements for each filter function, and identify a proven filter function for each tilt angle.

[0066] The base station management unit 104 may instruct the radio base station 200 to sequentially apply multiple filter functions for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210. The receiving device 300 may continuously provide received radio wave information to the management device 100.

[0067] The information acquisition unit 106 may acquire received radio wave information for each of the multiple filter functions applied to the phased array antenna 210 at each tilt angle. The noise analysis unit 108 may analyze the noise contained in the received radio wave for each of the multiple filter functions applied to the phased array antenna 210 at each tilt angle. The filter function determination unit 110 may determine which filter function to apply to the phased array antenna 210 at each tilt angle based on the analysis results by the noise analysis unit 108. The filter function determination unit 110 may determine which of the multiple filter functions contains the least noise in the received radio wave at each tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210 to apply to the phased array antenna 210. This makes it possible to determine which filter function to apply to the phased array antenna 210 is the filter function that has been proven to contain the least noise in the received radio wave when applied to the phased array antenna 210 at each tilt angle.

[0068] The information acquisition unit 106 may acquire received radio wave information for each tilt angle and time period of the phased array antenna 210, when each of the multiple filter functions is applied. The noise analysis unit 108 may analyze the noise contained in the received radio wave for each tilt angle and time period of the phased array antenna 210, when each of the multiple filter functions is applied. The filter function determination unit 110 may determine the filter function to be applied to the phased array antenna 210 for each tilt angle and time period of the phased array antenna 210 based on the analysis results by the noise analysis unit 108. The filter function determination unit 110 may determine the filter function that contains the least noise in the received radio wave among the multiple filter functions to be applied to the phased array antenna 210 for each tilt angle and time period of the phased array antenna 210. This allows us to determine which filter function, when applied to the phased array antenna 210 for each tilt angle and time period, has been proven to produce the least amount of noise in the received radio waves, and to select this filter function to be applied to the phased array antenna 210.

[0069] The information acquisition unit 106 may acquire received radio wave information for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210 and for each weather condition, when each of the multiple filter functions is applied. The noise analysis unit 108 may analyze the noise contained in the received radio waves for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210 and for each weather condition, when each of the multiple filter functions is applied. The filter function determination unit 110 may determine the filter function to be applied to the phased array antenna 210 for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210 and for each weather condition, based on the analysis results by the noise analysis unit 108. The filter function determination unit 110 may determine the filter function that contains the least noise in the received radio waves among the multiple filter functions to be applied to the phased array antenna 210 for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210 and for each weather condition. This makes it possible to determine which filter function, when applied to the phased array antenna 210, minimizes noise in the received radio waves for each tilt angle and weather condition of the phased array antenna 210, and to select the filter function to be applied to the phased array antenna 210.

[0070] The noise analysis unit 108 may store filter effect information in the storage unit 102 indicating whether or not the noise contained in the radio waves received by the receiving device has been reduced by applying each of the multiple filter functions for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210 and for each environment. The environment may include the time of day. The environment may include the weather.

[0071] The learning execution unit 114 generates a learning model for determining the filter function to be applied to the phased array antenna 210 by performing machine learning. The learning execution unit 114 may perform machine learning using filter effect information stored in the memory unit 102, which indicates whether or not the noise contained in the radio waves received by the receiving device has been reduced by applying each of the multiple filter functions for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210 and for each environment. For example, the learning execution unit 114 uses multiple learning data sets, which include a filter function that reduced the noise contained in the radio waves received by the receiving device 300 when the radio base station 200 emitted radio waves using the phased array antenna 210 for wireless communication and wireless power transmission, the tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210 when the radio waves were emitted, and environmental information indicating the environment of the radio base station 200 when the radio waves were emitted, to generate a learning model that takes the tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210 and environmental information as inputs and outputs the filter function to be applied to the phased array antenna 210. The learning execution unit 114 stores the generated learning model in the storage unit 102.

[0072] The filter function determination unit 110 may determine the filter function to be applied to the phased array antenna 210 for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210 using the learning model generated by the learning execution unit 114. The filter function determination unit 110 may input the tilt angle of the phased array antenna 210 and environmental information into the learning model generated by the learning execution unit 114, thereby obtaining the filter function to be applied to the phased array antenna 210 when it outputs radio waves at the input tilt angle in the environment indicated by the input environmental information.

[0073] The environmental information may include the time period during which the wireless base station 200 emits radio waves. By learning using environmental information that includes the time period during which the wireless base station 200 emits radio waves, and by inputting environmental information that includes the time period during which the wireless base station 200 emits radio waves into the learning model, it becomes possible to identify a filter function suitable for that time period.

[0074] The environmental information may include weather information indicating the weather in the area covered by the phased array antenna 210. The weather information may include precipitation in the area covered by the phased array antenna 210. By learning using environmental information including weather information when the radio base station 200 emits radio waves, and inputting the environmental information including weather information when the radio base station 200 emits radio waves into the learning model, it becomes possible to identify a filter function suitable for that weather.

[0075] The environmental information may include pedestrian flow information showing the flow of people in the area covered by the phased array antenna 210. The pedestrian flow information may show the flow of people at each location in the area covered by the phased array antenna 210. The pedestrian flow information may show the number of people and their movement at each location in the area covered by the phased array antenna 210. By learning using environmental information including pedestrian flow information when the radio base station 200 emits radio waves, and inputting the environmental information including pedestrian flow information when the radio base station 200 emits radio waves into the learning model, it becomes possible to identify a filter function suitable for that flow.

[0076] Figure 6 schematically shows an example of an environment to which the management device 100 is applied. The environment shown in Figure 6 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.

[0077] 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.

[0078] 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.

[0079] 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).

[0080] 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.

[0081] 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.

[0082] 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.

[0083] The management device 100 may be located on the distributed infrastructure 500. The management device 100 located on the distributed infrastructure 500 may perform RAN control and AI processing.

[0084] Figure 7 schematically shows an example of the functional configuration of the management device 100 when it is deployed on a distributed infrastructure 500. Here, we will mainly explain the differences from Figure 5. The management device 100 comprises a RAN control unit 120 that performs RAN control and an AI processing unit 130 that performs AI processing. The AI ​​processing unit 130 has a learning execution unit 114. The AI ​​processing unit 130 may also have a filter function determination unit 110. The AI ​​processing unit 130 may also have a filter application unit 112.

[0085] Figure 8 schematically shows an example of the hardware configuration of a computer 1200 that functions as a management 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.

[0086] 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.

[0087] 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.

[0088] 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.

[0089] 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.

[0090] 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.

[0091] 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.

[0092] 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.

[0093] 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.

[0094] 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.

[0095] 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.

[0096] 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.

[0097] 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.

[0098] 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.

[0099] 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.

[0100] 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."

[0101] 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.

[0102] 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.

[0103] 10 Communication system, 30 100 Management device, 102 Storage unit, 104 Base station management unit, 106 Information acquisition unit, 108 Noise analysis unit, 110 Filter function determination unit, 112 Filter application unit, 114 Learning execution unit, 120 RAN control unit, 130 AI processing unit, 200 Wireless base station, 210 Phased array antenna, 212 Antenna element, 220 Coverage area, 250 RAN, 300 Receiving device, 400 Management infrastructure, 500 Distributed infrastructure, 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 management device comprising: an information acquisition unit that acquires received radio wave information from multiple receiving devices located in different locations that receive radio waves emitted by a radio base station that irradiates radio waves in different directions by adjusting the electrical tilt of a phased array antenna for wireless communication and wireless power transmission; a noise analysis unit that analyzes and identifies noise contained in the received radio waves for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna based on the multiple received radio wave information acquired by the information acquisition unit from the multiple receiving devices; and a filter function determination unit that determines a filter function to be applied to the phased array antenna for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna based on the analysis results by the noise analysis unit.

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the filter function determination unit determines a filter function that adjusts at least one of the phase, amplitude, and frequency of the radio waves emitted by the phased array antenna so as to reduce the noise contained in the radio waves received by a device that receives radio waves emitted by the phased array antenna.

3. The management device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the noise analysis unit analyzes and identifies noise contained in the received radio waves for each tilt angle and time period of the phased array antenna based on the plurality of received radio wave information for each of the plurality of time periods acquired by the information acquisition unit from the plurality of receiving devices, and the filter function determination unit determines the filter function to be applied for each tilt angle and time period of the phased array antenna based on the analysis results by the noise analysis unit.

4. The information acquisition unit further acquires weather data for each of the plurality of receiving devices indicating the weather at the location where the receiving device is located when it receives the radio waves from the wireless base station; the noise analysis unit further analyzes and identifies noise contained in the received radio waves for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna and for each weather condition, based on the plurality of weather data acquired by the information acquisition unit from the plurality of receiving devices; and the filter function determination unit determines the filter function to be applied for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna and for each weather condition, based on the analysis results by the noise analysis unit, according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The management device according to claim 1, comprising: a learning execution unit that generates a learning model that takes the tilt angle of the phased array antenna and environmental information as inputs and outputs a filter function to be applied to the phased array antenna as output, using a plurality of learning data including a filter function that reduces noise contained in the radio waves received by a receiving device when the radio base station emits radio waves using the phased array antenna, the tilt angle of the phased array antenna when the radio waves are emitted, and environmental information indicating the environment of the radio base station when the radio waves are emitted; and a filter function determination unit that uses the learning model to determine the filter function to be applied to the phased array antenna for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna and for each environment.

6. The management device according to claim 5, wherein the environmental information includes the time period during which the wireless base station emits the radio waves.

7. The management device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the environmental information includes weather information indicating the weather in the area covered by the phased array antenna.

8. The management device according to claim 7, wherein the weather information includes precipitation in the area covered by the phased array antenna.

9. The management device according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the environmental information includes pedestrian flow information indicating the pedestrian flow in the area covered by the phased array antenna.

10. A management device according to any one of claims 5 to 9, comprising a RAN control unit that performs RAN control and an AI processing unit that performs AI processing, wherein the AI ​​processing unit has the learning execution unit.

11. A management method comprising: an information acquisition step of acquiring received radio wave information from multiple receiving devices located in different locations that have received radio waves emitted by a radio base station that irradiates radio waves in different directions by adjusting the electrical tilt of a phased array antenna in order to perform wireless communication and wireless power transmission; a noise analysis step of analyzing and identifying noise contained in the received radio waves for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna based on the multiple received radio wave information acquired from the multiple receiving devices in the information acquisition step; and a filter function determination step of determining a filter function to be applied to the phased array antenna for each tilt angle of the phased array antenna based on the analysis results in the noise analysis step.

12. A program for causing a computer to perform the management method described in claim 11.

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