JP2020202437A - Base station device, direction determination method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To suppress the decrease in average throughput.SOLUTION: The base station device includes: an image acquisition unit that acquires images picked up from the position of own device; an image analysis unit that analyzes the images and detects objects imaged in the image; an estimation unit that estimates the position of a terminal device based on a piece of information that represents the detected object; and a direction control unit that determines the direction to emit radio waves to the terminal device based on the position of the estimated terminal device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to base station equipment, orientation methods, and programs.

In recent years, with the development of information and communication technology, the amount of information flowing on a communication network has increased dramatically. On the other hand, in the field of wireless communication (wireless communication), the capacity of communication is being increased by using a high frequency band that enables transmission of a larger amount of information. In recent years, for example, the use of millimeter wave bands has been promoted. In addition, a wireless access point equipped with a standardized technology (IEEE802.11ad) that realizes higher-speed communication is also commercially available.

However, radio waves have the characteristic that the higher the frequency band, the higher the straightness and the more difficult it is to get behind obstacles. Therefore, when the terminal or surrounding obstacles move to block the radio waves in the high frequency band that come and go between the wireless access point and the terminal, the communication is likely to be interrupted. In this case, at present, in order to maintain the communication connection, it is common to switch to communication using radio waves in a low frequency band (for example, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz band, etc.) that easily wraps around behind obstacles. Therefore, in order to maintain higher throughput, it is necessary to prevent radio waves in the high frequency band from being blocked as much as possible so that communication is not interrupted.

Further, recently, there is beamforming as a technique capable of increasing the intensity of radio waves having the same output and reducing the interference between the wireless access point and the terminal (for example, Patent Document 1). Beamforming is a particularly effective technique in high frequency bands where radio waves are likely to be attenuated. In beamforming, the emission direction of radio waves that optimizes communication quality is estimated based on the radio wave conditions. Then, a radio wave having a narrow bandwidth is emitted in the estimated direction by the antenna having high directivity. Recently, wireless access points that communicate using high frequency bands are becoming widespread, but it is essential to make effective use of beamforming in order to always perform communication using radio waves in high frequency bands. ing.

JP-A-2019-4415

However, at present, even when beamforming is used, the communication quality deteriorates when the radio waves passing between the wireless access point and the terminal are blocked. For example, radio waves may be blocked by the movement of a terminal or surrounding obstacles. In this case, for example, beamforming may not be possible, it may take time to perform beamforming, or the communication status may become unstable. As a result, there is a problem that switching to communication using radio waves in a low frequency band occurs, and the average throughput decreases.

In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a base station apparatus, a direction determination method, and a program capable of improving communication stability and suppressing a decrease in average throughput.

One aspect of the present invention is an image acquisition unit that acquires an image captured from the position of its own device, an image analysis unit that analyzes the image and detects an object captured in the image, and the detected object. A base station device including an estimation unit that estimates the position of the terminal device based on the information indicating the above, and a direction control unit that determines the direction in which radio waves are emitted to the terminal device based on the estimated position of the terminal device. Is.

Further, one aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned base station device, and the estimation unit is the terminal detected in the past when the terminal device is not detected by the analysis of the image by the image analysis unit. The position of the terminal device is estimated based on the change in the position of the device.

Further, one aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned base station device, and the estimation unit is the object detected in the past when the terminal device is not detected by the analysis of the image by the image analysis unit. The position of the terminal device is estimated based on the change in the position of the object from the position of.

Further, one aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned base station device, in which the image analysis unit detects an object that reflects the radio waves, and the direction control unit uses the reflection of the radio waves by the object to cause the terminal. The direction in which the radio wave is emitted is determined so that the radio wave reaches the device.

Further, one aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned base station device, in which the direction control unit has the same estimated position of the terminal device and the position of the terminal device estimated in the past. , The direction in which radio waves are emitted to the terminal device is not changed.

Further, one aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned base station device, and the direction control unit is based on a learned model in which learning about the emission direction of the radio wave is made based on the position of the terminal device. Determines the direction in which radio waves are emitted to the terminal device.

Further, one aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned base station device, and the direction control unit has already learned about the emission direction of the radio wave based on the positional relationship between the terminal device and the object. The direction in which radio waves are emitted to the terminal device is determined based on the model.

Further, one aspect of the present invention is an image acquisition step of acquiring an image captured from the position of the own device, an image analysis step of analyzing the image and detecting an object captured in the image, and detection. A direction having an estimation step of estimating the position of the terminal device based on the information indicating the object, and a direction control step of determining the direction of emitting radio waves to the terminal device based on the estimated position of the terminal device. It is a determination method.

Further, one aspect of the present invention includes an image acquisition step of acquiring an image captured from the position of the own device on a computer, an image analysis step of analyzing the image and detecting an object captured in the image. An estimation step of estimating the position of the terminal device based on the detected information indicating the object, and a direction control step of determining the direction of emitting a radio wave to the terminal device based on the estimated position of the terminal device. It is a program to execute.

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve communication stability and suppress a decrease in average throughput.

It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the communication situation in the communication system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the communication situation in the communication system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the communication situation at the time of switching to the radio wave of a low frequency band. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the communication situation in the communication system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of the base station apparatus 10 which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation of the base station apparatus 10 which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the communication situation in the communication system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the communication situation in the communication system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the communication situation in the communication system which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this invention.

<First Embodiment>
Hereinafter, the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The communication system according to the first embodiment described below is, for example, a communication system that realizes communication between a wireless access point installed in a factory and a terminal device possessed by a worker working in the factory. Can be applied. The terminal device owned by the worker communicates with the server device via the wireless access point.

The terminal device is, for example, a wearable terminal or a mobile terminal such as a tablet terminal. The terminal device provides the worker with, for example, an AR (Augmented Reality) or VR (Virtual Reality) function. By performing the work according to the image displayed by AR or VR, the worker can perform the work in the factory even if he / she does not have specialized skills. In general, such AR and VR are required to transmit a large amount of data at high speed. In order to deal with this, as an example, the communication system according to the present embodiment shall perform communication by using high frequency band radio waves and beamforming technology.

However, the communication system according to the present embodiment is not limited to the communication system in the factory as described above. The communication system according to the present embodiment can be widely applied when a user performs wireless communication using a wireless access point. The communication system according to the present embodiment is a particularly effective communication system in an environment in which, for example, the communication status changes due to the movement of at least one of a terminal device possessed by a user and surrounding objects. The communication system according to the present embodiment realizes optimum beamforming in response to changes in the environment due to movement of the terminal device and surrounding objects.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a communication situation in the communication system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the space sp includes a base station device 10, a terminal device 20, and an obstacle ob1. The communication system is composed of a base station device 10 and a terminal device 20. The space sp is, for example, a space in a factory. The base station device 10 is, for example, a wireless access point. The terminal device 20 is, for example, a wearable terminal or a tablet terminal owned by a factory worker. The obstacle ob1 is an obstacle that blocks radio waves that travel between the base station device 10 and the terminal device 20. The obstacle ob1 in this case is, for example, a static object such as a pillar or a shelf.

Although only one terminal device 20 is shown in order to make the drawings easier to see, a configuration in which a plurality of terminal devices 20 communicate with the base station device 10 may be used. Further, a plurality of base station devices 10 may be installed in the space sp. Further, a plurality of obstacles ob1 may exist in the space sp.

For example, as shown in FIG. 1, when the terminal device 20 is located at a position where the obstacle ob1 does not exist between the base station device 10 and the terminal device 20, the base station device 10 is subjected to beam forming. The radio wave emitted in the direction of the terminal device 20 propagates on the path rt01 and reaches the terminal device 20 directly. Therefore, the base station device 10 and the terminal device 20 can communicate with each other.

On the other hand, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, after that, the terminal device 20 moves, and the terminal device 20 moves to a position where the obstacle ob1 exists between the base station device 10 and the terminal device 20. It shall be. In this case, the radio wave emitted from the base station device 10 in the direction of the terminal device 20 by beamforming propagates along the path rt02 and reaches the obstacle ob1. As a result, the radio wave emitted toward the terminal device 20 is blocked by the obstacle ob1. Therefore, the communication between the base station device 10 and the terminal device 20 may be interrupted.

Similarly, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a communication situation in the communication system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the base station device 10, the terminal device 20, and the obstacle ob1 exist in the space sp. The obstacle ob1 in this case is, for example, a dynamic object such as a human being or a dolly.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, when the terminal device 20 is located at a position where the obstacle ob1 does not exist between the base station device 10 and the terminal device 20, the base station device 10 is subjected to beam forming. The radio wave emitted in the direction of the terminal device 20 propagates on the path rt03 and reaches the terminal device 20 directly. Therefore, the base station device 10 and the terminal device 20 can communicate with each other.

On the other hand, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, after that, the obstacle ob1 moves, and the obstacle ob1 moves to a position where the obstacle ob1 exists between the base station device 10 and the terminal device 20. It shall be. In this case, the radio wave emitted from the base station device 10 toward the terminal device 20 by beamforming is blocked by the obstacle ob1. Therefore, the communication between the base station device 10 and the terminal device 20 may be interrupted.

In this way, the movement of the terminal device 20 and the obstacle ob1 may block radio waves. In this case, the communication connection is generally maintained by switching to a radio wave in a low frequency band that easily wraps around behind an obstacle.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a communication state when switching to a radio wave in a low frequency band. As shown in FIG. 3, low frequency band radio waves are generally emitted concentrically from the base station apparatus 10. Even if the obstacle ob1 is present at a position where the obstacle ob1 exists between the base station device 10 and the terminal device 20, the radio waves in the low frequency band emitted from the base station device 10 are still present. , The obstacle ob1 can be circumvented to reach the terminal device 20. However, in this case, since radio waves in a low frequency band are used, there is a high possibility that the throughput will decrease.

However, when radio waves are emitted from the base station device 10 in the direction of the terminal device 20 by beamforming, even if the radio waves are blocked by the obstacle ob1, for example, a surrounding wall, ceiling, or object. By using the reflection of radio waves due to such factors, it may be possible to maintain a communication connection using radio waves in a high frequency band.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a communication situation in the communication system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the radio wave emitted from the base station device 10 toward the wall of the space sp propagates along the path rt04 and is reflected by the wall. As a result, the radio wave (reflected wave) reflected by the wall wraps around the obstacle ob1 and reaches the terminal device 20. Therefore, the base station device 10 and the terminal device 20 can communicate with each other using radio waves in a high frequency band without being switched to communication using radio waves in a low frequency band. This maintains high throughput.

The base station apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment acquires an image in which the surroundings of the own apparatus (base station apparatus 10) are captured by, for example, a camera or the like. The base station device 10 estimates the positional relationship between its own device (base station device 10), the terminal device 20 and the obstacle ob1 by analyzing the image, and the characteristics of the wall and the obstacle ob1 in the space sp. (For example, the surface material, etc.) can be estimated. As a result, when radio waves are emitted from the base station device 10 in the direction of the terminal device 20 by beamforming, even if the radio waves are blocked by an obstacle ob1 or the like, the communication system according to the present embodiment. Can maintain a communication connection by radio waves in a high frequency band as much as possible.

[Functional configuration of base station equipment]
Hereinafter, the functional configuration of the base station apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the base station apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, the base station apparatus 10 includes a receiving unit 101, an analysis unit 102, a control unit 103, a transmission output / output direction adjusting unit 104, an image acquisition unit 105, and an image analysis unit 106. The storage unit 107, the estimation unit 108, and the learning unit 109 are included.

The antenna 100 is an antenna capable of actively controlling the directivity. For example, the antenna 100 includes an active phased array antenna and the like that realize beamforming by arranging a plurality of antenna elements and having a dedicated transmission / reception module for each antenna element.

The receiving unit 101 acquires the reception result of the radio wave by the antenna 100. The receiving unit 101 outputs information indicating the reception status of radio waves to the analysis unit 102 based on the acquired reception result.

The analysis unit 102 acquires information indicating the reception status of radio waves output from the reception unit 101. Based on the acquired information, the analysis unit 102 identifies whether or not a communication connection is being made with the terminal device 20. When the communication connection is in progress, the analysis unit 102 estimates the direction in which the terminal device 20 is located and the distance from the own device (base station device 10) to the terminal device 20 based on the acquired information, and optimally transmits the terminal device 20. Specify the output and output direction. The analysis unit 102 outputs information indicating the specified transmission output and output direction to the control unit 103. Further, when the communication with the terminal device 20 is interrupted, the analysis unit 102 outputs information indicating that the communication is interrupted to the control unit 103.

The control unit 103 controls the operation of each functional unit of the base station apparatus 10. The control unit 103 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), for example. For example, the control unit 103 realizes each functional unit included in the base station apparatus 10 as software by reading and executing a program stored in the storage unit 107 described later.

The control unit 103 acquires the information output from the analysis unit 102. The control unit 103 determines the communication parameter based on the acquired information. The communication parameters referred to here are, for example, a value indicating a transmission output and an output direction, and information indicating whether to perform communication by beamforming or communication using radio waves in a low frequency band. The control unit 103 outputs the determined communication parameter to the transmission output / output direction adjustment unit 104.

The transmission output / output direction adjustment unit 104 acquires the communication parameters output from the control unit 103. The transmission output / output direction adjustment unit 104 controls the transmission of radio waves by the antenna 100 based on the acquired communication parameters.

The configuration up to this point is the same as the functional configuration of a conventional general base station apparatus having a beamforming function. The base station apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment further includes a functional unit described below.

The image acquisition unit 105 acquires the image data output from the image pickup unit CM. The image data is image data in which the surroundings are captured at the position of the own device (base station device 10). The image acquisition unit 105 outputs the acquired image data to the image analysis unit 106.

The image pickup unit CM is, for example, an optical sensor (for example, a camera) attached to the base station device 10. The imaging unit CM images the surroundings at predetermined intervals (for example, every second). The range to be imaged may be, for example, a predetermined range centered on the direction in which the antenna 100 is directed, or the entire circumference (360 degrees in the horizontal direction or 360 degrees in both the horizontal and vertical directions). There may be. The imaging unit CM may be a functional unit built in the base station device 10.

The image analysis unit 106 acquires the image data output from the image acquisition unit 105. The image analysis unit 106 analyzes an image based on the acquired image data. The image analysis unit 106 detects an imaged object (for example, a terminal device 20, an obstacle ob1, a wall, etc.) by image analysis. In addition, the image analysis unit 106 estimates, for example, the distance to the detected object by image analysis. The image analysis unit 106 outputs information indicating the analysis result to the estimation unit 108. Further, the image analysis unit 106 stores information indicating the analysis result in the storage unit 107.

The storage unit 107 is a storage medium such as a storage medium such as a RAM (Random Access Memory; read / write memory), a flash memory, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), and an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or a storage medium thereof. It is composed of any combination of storage media.

The storage unit 107 stores various information regarding the space sp. The storage unit 107 stores in advance information indicating the positional relationship between the own device (base station device 10) and a static object (for example, a wall, a ceiling, an obstacle, etc.). The information indicating the positional relationship is, for example, the distance from the own device (base station device 10) to the object, the angle (horizontal angle, vertical angle), and the like.

In addition, the storage unit 107 stores information indicating the image analysis result output from the image analysis unit 106. Further, the storage unit 107 stores the information estimated by the estimation unit 108, which will be described later. The storage unit 107 stores information indicating the learning result of machine learning by the learning unit 109, which will be described later. Further, the storage unit 107 may be configured to further store the image data itself acquired by the image acquisition unit 105.

The estimation unit 108 acquires the information indicating the analysis result of the image output from the image analysis unit 106. The estimation unit 108 estimates the current positions of the terminal device 20 and the obstacle ob1 based on the analysis results of a plurality of images captured in time series by the imaging unit CM. For example, the estimation unit 108 predicts the moving direction and the moving distance of the terminal device 20 and the obstacle ob1 based on the positions of the terminal device 20 and the obstacle ob1 in each analysis result of the plurality of images, thereby predicting the current position. To estimate.

When the estimation unit 108 has a positional relationship such that an obstacle ob1 exists between its own device (base station device 10) and the terminal device 20, the radio wave is reflected by an object in the space sp to cause the radio wave. Search for a propagation path to reach the terminal device 20 located behind the obstacle ob1. At this time, the estimation unit 108 may perform a search using various information regarding the space sp stored in the storage unit 107.

The estimation unit 108 identifies the emission direction of the radio wave based on the searched propagation path. The estimation unit 108 outputs information indicating the emission direction of the specified radio wave to the control unit 103. Further, the estimation unit 108 stores information indicating the emission direction of the specified radio wave in the storage unit 107.

The learning unit 109 performs machine learning using the information stored in the storage unit 107. For example, the learning unit 109 includes information indicating the positions of the terminal device 20 and the obstacle ob1 stored in the storage unit 107, and a radio wave specified by the estimation unit 108 (stored in the storage unit 107) based on the positions. By performing machine learning using teacher data including information indicating the emission direction of the above and information indicating the result (for example, communication state) of actually emitting radio waves in the emission direction as input, the optimum emission direction of radio waves can be obtained. Generates a trained model that has been trained in. The learning unit 109 stores the generated learned model in the storage unit 107.

In this case, the estimation unit 108 specifies the emission direction of the radio wave by using the information indicating the analysis result of the image output from the image analysis unit 106 and the above-mentioned learned model stored in the storage unit 107. You may.

Further, for example, the learning unit 109 receives the image data stored in the storage unit 107 and the information indicating the image analysis result of the image data by the image analysis unit 106 (stored in the storage unit 107) as input to the machine. A trained model is generated by training. The learning unit 109 stores the generated learned model in the storage unit 107.

In this case, the image analysis unit 106 uses the image data acquired from the image acquisition unit 105 and the above-mentioned trained model stored in the storage unit 107 to derive information indicating the image analysis result. May be good. The information indicating the analysis result of the image is, for example, information indicating the captured object, the position of the object, the distance from the own device (base station device 10) to the object, and the like.

The control unit 103 acquires the information output from the estimation unit 108. The control unit 103 determines the above-mentioned communication parameters based on the information output from the estimation unit 108 and the information output from the analysis unit 102. For example, when the control unit 103 acquires information indicating the emission direction of the radio wave from the estimation unit 108, the control unit 103 determines the communication parameter based on the information.

On the other hand, when the control unit 103 does not acquire the information indicating the emission direction of the radio wave from the estimation unit 108, the control unit 103 determines the communication parameter based on the information acquired from the analysis unit 102, for example. That is, in this case, the emission direction is determined by beamforming based on the prior art, which determines the emission direction of the radio wave only from the radio wave condition.

Further, for example, the control unit 103 is determined based on the communication quality realized when the communication parameter determined based on the information output from the estimation unit 108 is used and the information output from the analysis unit 102. The communication quality realized when the above communication parameters are used may be estimated and compared, and the communication parameter estimated to have higher communication quality may be selected.

[Operation of base station equipment]
Hereinafter, an example of the operation of the base station apparatus 10 will be described.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the base station apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The operation shown in this flowchart starts, for example, when image data is output from the imaging unit CM to the image acquisition unit 105.

The image acquisition unit 105 acquires the image data output from the image pickup unit CM (step S001). The image acquisition unit 105 outputs the acquired image data to the image analysis unit 106.

The image analysis unit 106 acquires the image data output from the image acquisition unit 105. The image analysis unit 106 analyzes an image based on the acquired image data (step S002). The image analysis unit 106 detects an imaged object (for example, a terminal device 20, an obstacle ob1, a wall, etc.) by image analysis. The image analysis unit 106 outputs information indicating the analysis result to the estimation unit 108.

When the terminal device 20 is detected by the image analysis by the image analysis unit 106 (step S003 · Yes), the estimation unit 108 uses the current position of the terminal device 20 based on the information indicating the analysis result acquired from the image analysis unit 106. Is specified (step S004). The estimation unit 108 specifies the emission direction of the radio wave based on the information indicating the current position of the specified terminal device 20 (step S005). The estimation unit 108 outputs information indicating the emission direction of the specified radio wave to the control unit 103.

When the terminal device 20 is not detected by the image analysis by the image analysis unit 106 (step S003 / No), the estimation unit 108 is based on the image analysis performed in the past (most recently) stored in the storage unit 107. Information indicating the analysis result of each of the time-series images is acquired (step S006).

The estimation unit 108 is based on the information indicating the analysis result acquired from the image analysis unit 106 and the information indicating the respective analysis results of the time-series images based on the image analysis performed in the past acquired from the storage unit 107. , Estimate the current position of the terminal device 20 (step S007). The estimation unit 108 specifies the emission direction of the radio wave based on the information indicating the estimated current position of the terminal device 20 (step S008). The estimation unit 108 outputs information indicating the emission direction of the specified radio wave to the control unit 103.

The control unit 103 acquires information indicating the emission direction of the radio wave output from the estimation unit 108. When the emission direction of the radio wave based on the information output from the estimation unit 108 is different from the current emission direction of the radio wave (that is, the direction in which the antenna 100 is directed) (step S009 / Yes), the control unit 103 transmits. The emission direction of the radio wave by the antenna 100 is changed to the emission direction of the radio wave based on the information output from the estimation unit 108 via the output / output direction adjusting unit 104 (step S010).

When the radio wave emission direction based on the information output from the estimation unit 108 is the same as the current radio wave emission direction (step S009 / No), the control unit 103 changes the radio wave emission direction by the antenna 100. I won't let you.
This completes the operation of the base station device 10 shown in the flowchart of FIG.

As described above, the base station device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention analyzes the image with the image acquisition unit 105 that acquires an image captured from the position of the own device (base station device 10). An image analysis unit 106 that detects an object captured in the image, an estimation unit 108 that estimates the position of the terminal device 20 based on the detected information indicating the object, and the estimated terminal device 20. It includes a direction control unit (control unit 103) that determines the direction in which radio waves are emitted to the terminal device 20 based on the position.

By providing the above configuration, the base station device 10 according to the first embodiment can identify (or estimate) the position of the terminal device 20 by image analysis, or can be located between the base station device 10 and the terminal device 20. It is possible to identify (or estimate) the position of an obstacle that interferes with the radio waves that come and go, and to detect a wall or an object in the space sp for reflecting the radio waves. As a result, even if the base station device 10 according to the first embodiment has a positional relationship such that the obstacle ob1 is located between the own device (base station device 10) and the terminal device 20, for example. By searching for a propagation path that reflects radio waves to a wall, an object, or the like, a directional radio wave using a high frequency band can reach the terminal device 20.

As a result, according to the present embodiment, the ratio of the communication time by the radio wave using the low frequency band can be reduced as compared with the conventional technique, so that the improvement of the communication stability and the decrease of the average throughput can be suppressed. it can.

Since the base station device 10 according to the present embodiment estimates the position of the terminal device 20 by image analysis, the position of the terminal device 20 is estimated in consideration of the positions of various objects existing in the space sp. be able to. For example, in the base station device 10 according to the present embodiment, it can be estimated that the terminal device 20 is not located at the position where the object is placed. Therefore, the base station device 10 can narrow down the candidates for the current position of the terminal device 20. As a result, the accuracy of estimating the current position of the terminal device 20 becomes higher, and the time required for the estimation becomes shorter.

As described above, the base station apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment complements the conventional technique of optimizing the propagation path of radio waves only from the radio wave condition by further utilizing the image analysis technique. Further, as described above, the base station apparatus 10 can not only search for the optimum radio wave propagation path based on the analysis result of the current image, but also search in the past by including the learning unit 109. It is possible to perform a search considering the information about the propagated path. As a result, the base station apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment can optimize the radio wave propagation path with higher accuracy.

Further, by having the learning unit 109 learn in advance, for example, even in the first environment, the base station apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment can flexibly deal with the propagation path of radio waves. It can be optimized. The case where the environment is the first time referred to here is, for example, the case where the user moves for the first time, or the case where the position of the object changes due to the layout change in the space sp.

Further, the communication system according to the present embodiment is different from the conventional technique of optimizing the propagation path of radio waves only by the radio wave condition, and can be realized even when the terminal device side does not have the beamforming function, for example. .. As a result, it is possible to divert an existing terminal device that does not have a beamforming function, so that the system introduction cost can be reduced.

Further, in the conventional technique of optimizing the radio wave propagation path only by the radio wave condition, the optimum radio wave propagation path is determined especially when the radio wave condition is changed due to the movement of the terminal device 20 or surrounding objects. It may take some time to do so. On the other hand, since the base station device 10 according to the present embodiment can specify (or estimate) the position of the terminal device 20 by image analysis, even when the radio wave condition changes frequently, The search for the optimum radio wave propagation path can be performed more quickly and stably.

Further, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to perform image analysis using an image captured by a general camera and a general image analysis device, and it is not necessary to prepare an expensive dedicated device or the like. The communication system according to the present embodiment can be realized, for example, by simply attaching a general camera, an image analysis device, or the like to an existing wireless access point. As a result, the communication system according to the present embodiment can improve communication stability and suppress a decrease in average throughput at low cost.

The base station device 10 may emit radio waves toward the ceiling and be reflected by the learning unit 109 described above, for example, "when the terminal device 20 is located behind an obstacle. Information such as "optimal" may be learned and stored in the storage unit 107. In this case, the base station apparatus 10 can determine the emission direction of radio waves more quickly in response to changes in the environment.

Not only is the learning unit 109 learning information about the surrounding environment and storing it in the storage unit 107, but also various information about the surrounding environment is stored in the storage unit 107 in advance by, for example, manually by a system operator or the like. You may do so. The information regarding the surrounding environment referred to here is, for example, information such as the positional relationship of an object in the space sp, the material of the surface of the object (or the reflectance of radio waves), and the position where each object can move. By utilizing such pre-stored information, it becomes possible to optimize the radio wave propagation path with higher accuracy and higher speed.

Since the base station device 10 according to the present embodiment recognizes the terminal device 20 by image analysis, for example, when a plurality of terminal devices 20 exist in the space sp, the plurality of terminal devices 20 are identified respectively. It is possible to do. Thereby, for example, the base station device 10 according to the present embodiment provides the terminal device 20 with a communication connection service having a priority such as preferentially communicating with the specific terminal device 20. Can be done.

<Second embodiment>
Hereinafter, the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The communication system according to the second embodiment described below analyzes an image captured around the own device (base station device 10), identifies the captured object, and transmits radio waves of the identified object. Estimate the degree of reflection (eg reflectance). Then, the communication system according to the present embodiment determines the emission direction of the radio wave in consideration of the estimated degree of reflection.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a communication situation in the communication system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, the space sp includes a base station device 10, a terminal device 20, an obstacle ob1, an object ob2, and a window wd. The communication system is composed of a base station device 10 and a terminal device 20.

The space sp is, for example, a space in a factory. The base station device 10 is, for example, a wireless access point. The terminal device 20 is, for example, a wearable terminal or a tablet terminal owned by a factory worker. The obstacle ob1 is an obstacle that blocks radio waves that travel between the base station device 10 and the terminal device 20. The object ob2 is an object located behind the terminal device 20 when viewed from the position of the base station device 10. The obstacle ob1 and the object ob2 in this case are static objects such as pillars and shelves. The obstacle ob1 and the object ob2 may be dynamic objects. The window wd is a transparent window such as glass installed on one surface of the wall of the space sp.

Although only one terminal device 20 is shown in order to make the drawings easier to see, a plurality of terminal devices 20 may be configured to communicate with the base station device 10. Further, a plurality of base station devices 10 may be installed in the space sp. Further, a plurality of obstacles ob1 and objects ob2 may exist in the space sp.

For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the terminal device 20 exists at a position where the obstacle ob1 exists between the base station device 10 and the terminal device 20 due to the movement of the terminal device 20 or the like. To do. In this case, when a radio wave is emitted from the base station device 10 in the direction of the terminal device 20 by beamforming, the radio wave is blocked by the obstacle ob1. Therefore, the communication connection between the base station device 10 and the terminal device 20 may be interrupted. Therefore, it is not appropriate to directly reach the terminal device 20 from the base station device 10 by beamforming.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, for example, the base station device 10 allows the radio wave to reach the terminal device 20 via the propagation path rt05, and the radio wave is sent to the terminal device 20 via the propagation path rt06. It can be thought of as a way to reach it. The propagation path rt05 is a propagation path in which the base station device 10 emits radio waves toward the wall, reflects the radio waves, and reaches the terminal device 20. On the other hand, the propagation path rt06 is a propagation path in which the base station device 10 emits radio waves in the direction of the object ob2, reflects the radio waves, and reaches the terminal device 20.

As shown in FIG. 7, in the case of the propagation path rt05, the window wd is installed at the position where the radio wave is reflected. When the material of the window wd is glass, radio waves are generally transmitted with almost no reflection. In the case of the propagation path rt05, the base station device 10 according to the present embodiment recognizes that the window wd exists at the position where the radio wave is reflected, and thus the direction of the terminal device 20 from the base station device 10 by beamforming. It can be estimated that the radio waves emitted to the terminal device 20 hardly reach the terminal device 20. Therefore, for example, when the current position of the terminal device 20 is the position shown in FIG. 7, the base station device 10 determines the emission direction of the radio wave so as to be the propagation path rt06 instead of the propagation path rt05.

The base station device 10 identifies the material (on the surface) at the position where the radio wave is reflected, for example, by performing image analysis on the image of the surroundings. Then, the base station apparatus 10 specifies the degree of reflection at the position where the radio wave is reflected, for example, based on the data indicating the degree of reflection (for example, the reflectance) for each material stored in advance. The base station device 10 identifies an appropriate radio wave propagation path based on the specified reflection degree, and determines the radio wave emission direction.

Further, the base station device 10 may have a configuration in which information indicating the material (or the degree of reflection) for each position of the wall in the space sp is stored in advance. In this case, for example, the base station device 10 specifies the degree of reflection at the position where the radio wave is reflected based on the information. Then, the base station device 10 may specify an appropriate radio wave propagation path based on the specified degree of reflection and determine the radio wave emission direction.

[Functional configuration of base station equipment]
Hereinafter, the functional configuration of the base station apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment will be described. The block diagram showing the functional configuration of the base station apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment is the same as the block diagram showing the functional configuration of the base station apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. Therefore, FIG. 5 will be diverted and described. Further, the description of the parts common to the functional configuration of the base station device 10 according to the first embodiment will be omitted, and the parts different from the functional configuration of the base station device 10 according to the first embodiment will be described below.

The image analysis unit 106 acquires the image data output from the image acquisition unit 105. The image analysis unit 106 analyzes an image based on the acquired image data. The image analysis unit 106 detects an imaged object (for example, a terminal device 20, an obstacle, a wall / ceiling, etc.) by image analysis.

In addition, the image analysis unit 106 estimates the material of the detected object (for example, an obstacle, a wall, a ceiling, etc.) by image analysis. The image analysis unit 106 outputs information indicating the analysis result to the estimation unit 108. Further, the image analysis unit 106 stores information indicating the analysis result in the storage unit 107.

The storage unit 107 stores in advance information indicating the degree of reflection (for example, reflectance) of radio waves for each material.

When the estimation unit 108 has a positional relationship such that an obstacle ob1 exists between its own device (base station device 10) and the terminal device 20, the radio wave is reflected by an object in the space sp to cause the radio wave. Search for a propagation path of radio waves that causes the device to reach the terminal device 20 located behind the obstacle ob1. At this time, the estimation unit 108 may perform a search using various information regarding the space sp stored in the storage unit 107.

For example, when a plurality of propagation paths are searched, the estimation unit 108 specifies the degree of reflection at the position where the radio wave is reflected based on the information stored in the storage unit 107. As described above, the information stored in the storage unit 107 is information indicating the degree of reflection (for example, reflectance) of radio waves for each material.

The estimation unit 108 estimates the radio wave intensity in the terminal device 20 for each propagation path, for example, based on the specified degree of reflection. Then, the estimation unit 108 selects, for example, a propagation path that maximizes the estimated radio wave intensity. Then, the estimation unit 108 specifies the emission direction of the radio wave based on the selected propagation path. The estimation unit 108 outputs information indicating the emission direction of the specified radio wave to the control unit 103. Further, the estimation unit 108 stores information indicating the emission direction of the specified radio wave in the storage unit 107.

By providing the above configuration, the base station apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment can estimate the degree of reflection (for example, reflectance) of radio waves by an object, so that the propagation path of radio waves with higher throughput can be obtained. Can be selected. As a result, the base station apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment can suppress a decrease in average throughput.

The base station device 10 according to the second embodiment can identify whether or not the detected object is an object that transmits radio waves by image analysis. Therefore, for example, when it is not desired to emit radio waves to the outside of the space sp, the base station device 10 does not select a propagation path in which the radio waves are reflected at the position of the wall presumed to be a material that transmits the radio waves. By doing so, it is possible to prevent radio waves from being emitted outside the space sp. As a result, the base station apparatus 10 can improve the security.

Since the base station device 10 according to the second embodiment can prevent radio waves from being emitted in a specific direction, for example, when a plurality of base station devices 10 are installed in the space sp. In the above, the configuration may be such that radio waves are not emitted in the direction of the communication area covered by the other base station device 10. In this case, the base station device 10 according to the second embodiment can reduce the occurrence of radio wave interference between the plurality of base station devices 10, and thus can suppress a decrease in throughput.

<Third embodiment>
Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The base station device 10 according to the third embodiment described below is a terminal device located behind an obstacle or the like based on a radio wave having the strongest reception strength and a radio wave having the second strongest reception strength. Estimate the position of 20 more accurately.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a communication situation in the communication system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, the base station device 10, the terminal device 20, and the obstacle ob1 exist in the space sp. The communication system is composed of a base station device 10 and a terminal device 20.

The space sp is, for example, a space in a factory. The base station device 10 is, for example, a wireless access point. The terminal device 20 is, for example, a wearable terminal or a tablet terminal owned by a factory worker. The obstacle ob1 is an obstacle that blocks radio waves that travel between the base station device 10 and the terminal device 20. The obstacle ob1 in this case is, for example, a static object such as a pillar or a shelf. The obstacle ob1 may be a dynamic object.

When the positional relationship between the base station device 10 and the terminal device 20 and the obstacle ob1 is as shown in FIG. 8, for example, the radio wave emitted from the terminal device 20 is reflected only once on the wall. There is a propagation path rt07 that reaches the base station device 10 and a propagation path rt08 that the radio waves emitted from the terminal device 20 are reflected twice on the wall and reach the base station device 10.

In general, the smaller the number of reflections, the more the attenuation of radio waves is suppressed. Therefore, in FIG. 8, the reception intensity of the radio wave arriving at the base station device 10 via the propagation path rt07 is the strongest, and the reception intensity of the radio wave arriving at the base station device 10 via the propagation path rt08 is the second. It is presumed to be strong against.

The conventional base station device that determines the optimum radio wave emission direction only from the radio wave condition cannot recognize the position of the wall on which the radio wave is reflected. Therefore, the conventional base station device may erroneously recognize that the terminal device 20 exists at the position shown by the broken line in FIG. 8, for example.

On the other hand, the base station apparatus 10 according to the third embodiment can recognize the position of an object such as a wall or an obstacle by image analysis or the like. Therefore, for example, the base station apparatus 10 estimates that the radio wave having the highest reception strength is the radio wave that has arrived via the propagation path rt07 (reflected only once by the wall), and the radio wave having the second highest reception strength. Can be estimated to be radio waves arriving via the propagation path rt08 (reflected twice by the wall). Then, the base station device 10 can estimate the position where the propagation path rt07 and the propagation path rt08 overlap as the current position of the terminal device 20. As a result, the base station device 10 can estimate the position of the terminal device 20 with higher accuracy.

<Fourth Embodiment>
Hereinafter, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

When the base station device 10 according to the fourth embodiment described below recognizes that the position of the terminal device 20 has not moved based on the image analysis even if the reception status of radio waves changes. Does not change the emission direction of radio waves. As a result, the base station device 10 according to the fourth embodiment can suppress an unstable change in the radio wave emitting direction.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a communication situation in the communication system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 9, the base station device 10 and the terminal device 20 are present in the space sp. The communication system is composed of a base station device 10 and a terminal device 20. The space sp is, for example, a space in a factory. The base station device 10 is, for example, a wireless access point. The terminal device 20 is, for example, a wearable terminal or a tablet terminal owned by a factory worker.

As shown in FIG. 9, for example, it is assumed that the terminal device 20 is located near the wall. The base station device 10 may be located near the wall, or both the base station device 10 and the terminal device 20 may be located near the wall.

Generally, when a wall, an obstacle, or the like exists near the source of radio waves, a strong reflected wave is generated. Therefore, in the conventional base station device that determines the optimum radio wave emission direction only from the radio wave condition, as shown in FIG. 9, the propagation path rt09 at which the radio wave directly reaches the terminal device 20 and the terminal device reflected on the wall. Unstable communication may occur by frequently switching between the propagation path rt10 reaching 20 and the propagation path rt10.

On the other hand, the base station device 10 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention can specify the position of the terminal device 20 by image analysis or the like. Alternatively, since the base station device 10 can recognize the position of an object such as a wall or an obstacle by image analysis or the like, the position of the terminal device 20 can be estimated. As a result, the base station device 10 can recognize that the position of the terminal device 20 has not changed. When the position of the terminal device 20 has not changed, the base station device 10 can stabilize the communication with the terminal device 20 by not changing the emission direction of the radio wave.

Even if there are no walls or obstacles near the source of the radio waves, the radio wave conditions may change momentarily and become unstable due to various factors that affect the environment. .. In this case, in the conventional technique of determining the optimum radio wave emitting direction only from the radio wave condition, the radio wave emitting direction may be frequently switched. On the other hand, since the base station device 10 according to the present embodiment determines the propagation path of the radio wave based on the position of the terminal device 20 specified (or estimated) by the image analysis, the emission direction of the radio wave is careless. It is possible to prevent switching.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the specific configuration is not limited to the above, and various design changes and the like can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Is.

In addition, a part or all of the base station apparatus 10 in the above-described embodiment may be realized by a computer. In that case, the program for realizing this control function may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium may be read by the computer system and executed.
The "computer system" referred to here is a computer system built in the base station apparatus 10, and includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. Further, the "computer-readable recording medium" refers to a portable medium such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, or a CD-ROM, or a storage device such as a hard disk built in a computer system.

Furthermore, a "computer-readable recording medium" is a medium that dynamically holds a program for a short period of time, such as a communication line when a program is transmitted via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. In that case, a program may be held for a certain period of time, such as a volatile memory inside a computer system serving as a server or a client. Further, the above-mentioned program may be a program for realizing a part of the above-mentioned functions, and may be a program for realizing the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system.

Further, the base station apparatus 10 in the above-described embodiment may be realized as an integrated circuit such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration). Each functional block of the base station apparatus 10 may be individually made into a processor, or a part or all of them may be integrated into a processor. Further, the method of making an integrated circuit is not limited to LSI, and may be realized by a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor. Further, when an integrated circuit technology that replaces an LSI appears due to advances in semiconductor technology, an integrated circuit based on this technology may be used.

10 ... Base station device, 20 ... Terminal device, 100 ... Antenna, 101 ... Receiver unit, 102 ... Analysis unit, 103 ... Control unit, 104 ... Transmission output / output Direction adjustment unit, 105 ... image acquisition unit, 106 ... image analysis unit, 107 ... storage unit, 108 ... estimation unit, 109 ... learning unit

One aspect of the present invention is an image acquisition unit that acquires an image captured from the position of its own device, an image analysis unit that analyzes the image and detects an object captured in the image, and the detected object. It includes an estimation unit that estimates a position of the terminal apparatus based on the information indicating the, and a direction control unit for determining a direction to fire a radio to said terminal device based on the position of the estimated the terminal device, the image The analysis unit detects a reflecting object indicating an object that reflects the radio wave, estimates the degree of reflection of the radio wave by the detected reflecting object, and the direction control unit estimates the image analysis unit. This is a base station device that determines the direction based on the degree of reflection .

Further, one aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned base station apparatus, in which the material of the reflecting object is specified, and the reflection is based on the specified material and information indicating the degree of reflection of radio waves for each material. The degree of reflection of the radio wave by the object is estimated, the direction control unit selects the propagation path of the radio wave based on the degree of reflection estimated by the image analysis unit, and the said propagating path according to the selected propagation path. Determine the direction.

Further, one aspect of the present invention is an image acquisition step in which a computer acquires an image captured from the position of its own device, and a first aspect in which the computer analyzes the image and detects an object captured in the image . an image analysis step, the computer, the estimating step of estimating the position of the terminal apparatus based on the information indicating the detected the object, the computer, the radio to said terminal device based on the position of the estimated said terminal device A first direction control step for determining the emission direction, and a second image analysis in which a computer detects a reflecting object indicating an object that reflects the radio wave and estimates the degree of reflection of the radio wave by the detected reflecting object. A direction determination method comprising a step and a second direction control step in which the computer determines the direction based on the degree of reflection .

Further, one aspect of the present invention is an image acquisition step of acquiring an image captured from the position of the own device by a computer, and a first image analysis step of analyzing the image and detecting an object captured by the image. An estimation step of estimating the position of the terminal device based on the detected information indicating the object, and a first direction for determining the direction of emitting a radio wave to the terminal device based on the estimated position of the terminal device. A control step, a second image analysis step of detecting a reflecting object indicating an object that reflects the radio wave, and estimating the degree of reflection of the radio wave by the detected reflecting object, and the direction based on the degree of reflection. It is a program for executing the second direction control step to be determined .

Claims (9)

An image acquisition unit that acquires an image captured from the position of the own device,
An image analysis unit that analyzes the image and detects an object captured in the image,
An estimation unit that estimates the position of the terminal device based on the detected information indicating the object,
A direction control unit that determines the direction in which radio waves are emitted to the terminal device based on the estimated position of the terminal device.
Base station equipment equipped with. The estimation unit
When the terminal device is not detected by the analysis of the image by the image analysis unit,
The base station device according to claim 1, wherein the position of the terminal device is estimated based on a change in the position of the terminal device detected in the past. The estimation unit
When the terminal device is not detected by the analysis of the image by the image analysis unit,
The base station device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the position of the terminal device is estimated based on the change in the position of the object from the position of the object detected in the past. The image analysis unit
The object that reflects the radio wave is detected,
The direction control unit
The base station device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the direction in which the radio waves are emitted is determined so that the radio waves reach the terminal device by the reflection of the radio waves by the object. The direction control unit
When the estimated position of the terminal device and the position of the terminal device estimated in the past are the same,
The base station device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which does not change the direction in which radio waves are emitted to the terminal device. The direction control unit
Any one of claims 1 to 5 for determining the direction in which radio waves are emitted to the terminal device based on a learned model in which learning about the emission direction of the radio waves is made based on the position of the terminal device. The base station apparatus described in. The direction control unit
Claims 1 to 5 determine the direction in which radio waves are emitted to the terminal device based on a learned model in which learning about the emission direction of the radio waves is made based on the positional relationship between the terminal device and the object. The base station device according to any one of the items. An image acquisition step to acquire an image captured from the position of the own device,
An image analysis step of analyzing the image and detecting an object captured in the image,
An estimation step of estimating the position of the terminal device based on the detected information indicating the object, and
A direction control step for determining the direction in which radio waves are emitted to the terminal device based on the estimated position of the terminal device, and
Direction determination method having. On the computer
An image acquisition step to acquire an image captured from the position of the own device,
An image analysis step of analyzing the image and detecting an object captured in the image,
An estimation step of estimating the position of the terminal device based on the detected information indicating the object, and
A direction control step for determining the direction in which radio waves are emitted to the terminal device based on the estimated position of the terminal device, and
A program to execute.

Images