JP7536206B1 - Apparatus, MEC device and system for wireless power supply - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a system that can reduce power consumption of a target device capable of being wirelessly powered and can authenticate the target device. [Solution] The system includes one or more target devices capable of being wirelessly powered, a base station, and an MEC device. The target device has an IC device in which unique identification information capable of identifying the target device is stored, and transmits the unique identification information stored in the IC device to the MEC device via the base station. The MEC device stores multiple pieces of unique identification information used for authenticating each of multiple target devices capable of being wirelessly powered, receives unique identification information from the target device via the base station, and authenticates the target device based on the received unique identification information and the stored unique identification information. [Selected Figure] Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to authentication of target devices such as terminal devices capable of wireless power supply.

Conventionally, a communication system is known in which communication is performed between a base station (communication relay device) and a terminal device using at least some of multiple radio resources set in a radio frame (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

International Publication No. 2017/164220

In conventional communication systems, terminal devices that communicate by connecting to communication relay devices such as base stations and wireless LAN access point devices include portable terminal devices that mainly use power supplied from an internal battery. These terminal devices require the cumbersome task of charging the internal battery when the remaining charge in the internal battery becomes low. Furthermore, terminal devices that use power supplied from a wired power line rather than from an internal battery are limited to use in locations where such a power line is available. As such, there is no power supply infrastructure in place that can supply power to various terminal devices that communicate by connecting to communication relay devices such as base stations.

In particular, in fifth-generation and subsequent next-generation communication systems, a rapid increase in terminal devices (e.g., user devices, IoT devices, etc.) that communicate by connecting to communication relay devices such as base stations and wireless LAN access point devices is expected, and progress is being made in developing a communication infrastructure that can handle the huge amount of traffic. However, a power supply infrastructure capable of supplying power to the huge number of terminal devices that will be performing the above-mentioned communication remains underdeveloped.

As one type of power supply infrastructure, a wireless power transmission system is being considered that supplies power to a target device, such as a terminal device, via an electromagnetic wave beam that has directionality in the direction of the target device. This wireless power transmission system has the problem of reducing the power consumption of the target device that can be wirelessly powered, and of authenticating the target device.

A system according to one aspect of the present invention is a system for wireless power supply. The system includes one or more target devices capable of wireless power supply, a base station capable of communicating with the target devices and supplying power wirelessly to the target devices, and an MEC device capable of communicating with the target devices via the base station. The target devices have an IC device in which unique identification information capable of identifying the target devices is stored, and the unique identification information stored in the IC device is transmitted to the MEC device via the base station. The MEC device stores multiple unique identification information capable of identifying each of multiple target devices capable of wireless power supply, receives the unique identification information from the target devices via the base station, and performs authentication of the target devices based on the unique identification information received from the target devices and the stored unique identification information.

In the system, the MEC device may acquire target-related information for the multiple target devices, the target device including at least one of information about the target device and information about the user of the target device, and the unique identification information, and for a specific target device that has been successfully authenticated, generate power supply control information for forming a beam with the base station antenna and wirelessly supplying power to the multiple target devices based on the target-related information, and transmit the power supply control information to the base station. The base station may receive the power supply control information from the MEC device, form the beam based on the power supply control information, and transmit a transmission signal for wireless power transmission to the specific target device via the beam.

In the system, the target-related information may include at least one of status information for each of the plurality of target devices and status information for each user of the plurality of target devices, and the power supply control information may include beam direction indication information that indicates the direction of the beam.

In the system, the specific target device that has been successfully authenticated may be a plurality of target devices, and the beam direction instruction information may include a priority heat map capable of identifying the positions of the plurality of target devices and the priority of wireless power supply to the plurality of target devices. Here, the MEC device may assign a weight to each of the plurality of target devices or each of the users of the plurality of target devices based on the target-related information, and create the priority heat map based on the position information of each of the plurality of target devices and information on the weight assigned to each of the plurality of target devices or each of the plurality of users.

In the system, the target-related information may include information on a plurality of tokens issued to each of the plurality of target devices or to each of the users of the plurality of target devices for use in a power supply service, information on the remaining battery capacity of each of the plurality of target devices, and location information of each of the plurality of target devices. Here, the MEC device may assign the weight based on the information on the plurality of tokens and the information on the remaining battery capacity of each of the plurality of target devices.

The system may include a plurality of the MEC devices, and each of the plurality of MEC devices may transfer and record usage history information of wireless power supply from the base station corresponding to the MEC device to the target device in a distributed ledger constructed in a blockchain network system or in a server provided in a core network of a mobile communication network or an external network.

In the system, a blockchain network system may be constructed that includes multiple sets of the base station and the MEC device, and the multiple MEC devices are connected, and a distributed ledger may be constructed in the blockchain network system using the computing areas of the multiple MEC devices.

A target device capable of being wirelessly powered according to another aspect of the present invention includes an IC device that stores unique identification information that can identify the target device, and a means for transmitting the unique identification information stored in the IC device to an MEC device via a base station.

An MEC device according to yet another aspect of the present invention is an MEC device capable of communicating with one or more target devices capable of being wirelessly powered via a base station. This MEC device includes a means for storing multiple pieces of unique identification information capable of identifying each of multiple target devices capable of being wirelessly powered, a means for receiving the unique identification information stored in an IC device possessed by the target device from the target device via the base station, and a means for authenticating the target device based on the unique identification information received from the target device and the stored unique identification information.

The MEC device may include a means for acquiring target-related information for the plurality of target devices, the target device including at least one of information about the target device and information about the user of the target device, and the unique identification information; a means for generating power supply control information for a specific target device that has been successfully authenticated based on the target-related information, for forming a beam in the base station antenna and wirelessly supplying power to the plurality of target devices, and a means for transmitting the power supply control information to the base station.

In the MEC device, the target-related information may include at least one of status information for each of the plurality of target devices and status information for each user of the plurality of target devices, and the power supply control information may include beam direction indication information that indicates the direction of the beam.

In the MEC device, the specific target device that has been successfully authenticated may be a plurality of target devices, the beam direction instruction information may include a priority heat map that can identify the positions of the plurality of target devices and the priority of wireless power supply to the plurality of target devices, and the MEC device may include a means for assigning a weight to each of the plurality of specific target devices or each user of the plurality of specific target devices based on the target related information, and a means for creating the priority heat map based on position information of each of the plurality of specific target devices and information on the weight assigned to each of the plurality of specific target devices or each of the plurality of users.

In the MEC device, the target-related information includes information on a plurality of tokens issued to each of the plurality of specific target devices or to each user of the plurality of specific target devices for use in a power supply service, information on the remaining battery charge of each of the plurality of specific target devices, and location information of each of the plurality of specific target devices, and the MEC device may include a means for assigning the weight based on the information on the plurality of tokens and the information on the remaining battery charge of each of the plurality of specific target devices.

The MEC device may include a means for transferring and recording usage history information of wireless power supply from the base station corresponding to the MEC device to the multiple target devices to a distributed ledger constructed in a blockchain network system or a server provided in a core network of a mobile communication network or an external network.

In the MEC device, the computing area of the MEC device may be used to build a distributed ledger in a blockchain network system to which multiple MEC devices are connected.

The program used to generate the power supply control information (beam direction instruction information), assign the weights, and create the priority heat map may be a trained model created by machine learning.

The present invention makes it possible to reduce the power consumption of a target device that can be wirelessly powered and to authenticate the target device.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a schematic overall configuration of a system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of various information transmitted and received during terminal authentication and base station antenna control in the system according to the embodiment. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a procedure for terminal authentication and base station antenna control in a system according to an embodiment; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the amplitude and phase of a signal supplied to each antenna element of a base station antenna in the system according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of information transmitted and received between a blockchain network (BCN) system, an MEC device, and a target device (IoT terminal) in a method of terminal authentication, weight assignment, and priority heat map creation in a system according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of terminal authentication in the system according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of terminal authentication in the system according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram showing an example of wireless power transmission to a target device (IoT terminal) via a blockchain network (BCN) system, an MEC device, and a base station in a system according to an embodiment. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a blockchain network (BCN) system and a distributed ledger in a system according to an embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The system according to the embodiment described in this specification is a wireless power transmission system in which a blockchain network (BCN) system or server, a base station of a mobile communication network capable of communicating with a target device (e.g., an IoT terminal, an IoT tag), and an MEC device cooperate to effectively supply power to each of a plurality of target devices (e.g., an IoT terminal). In addition, in the system of this embodiment, a beam for wireless power transmission (hereinafter also referred to as a "WPT beam") is directed to each of the plurality of target devices, and power can be effectively supplied from the base station to each of the target devices. In addition, in the system of this embodiment, a power supply service in which power can be supplied to a plurality of target devices in real time with low latency can be realized by performing autonomous distributed control with the MEC device. Furthermore, in the system of this embodiment, an autonomous distributed base station in which a plurality of base stations capable of autonomously supplying power to a plurality of target devices are distributed can be provided by performing autonomous distributed control with the MEC device.

In particular, the system according to the embodiment is provided with an IC device (authentication IC) 350 in which unique identification information (unique ID) capable of identifying a target device 30 that is permitted to use a wireless power supply service is stored, and the MEC device 20, which is an external device (external resource), authenticates the target device 30 based on the unique identification information (unique ID) received from the target device 30 via the base station 10, thereby reducing the power consumption of the target device 30 and also functioning as an authentication system capable of authenticating the target device 30.

Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the overall schematic configuration of a system according to this embodiment. Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of various information transmitted and received in terminal authentication and base station antenna control of the system. The system according to this embodiment has a cellular base station 10 that forms a communication area (cell) 10A, and an MEC device 20. The system according to this embodiment may further have a target device 30 that is connected to the base station 10 when present in the communication area 10A and is capable of wireless communication with the base station 10.

In the system shown in the examples of Figures 1, 2, and the figures described below, six target devices 30(1)-30(3), 30(n)-30(n+2) are present in the communication area (cell) 10A of the base station 10, but the number of target devices 30 may be one to five, or seven or more. When multiple target devices need to be distinguished from one another, they are given identification numbers such as target devices 30(1)-30(3), and when describing a single target device or matters common to multiple target devices, the identification numbers are not used.

The base station 10 is, for example, a base station (e.g., eNodeB, gNodeB) that complies with the standard of a mobile communication system such as the fifth generation currently used in mobile communications or the standard of a mobile communication system of a later generation (e.g., B5G (Beyond 5G) or 6G). The base station 10 has a function of performing DL (downlink) and UL (uplink) communications with the target device 30, as well as a function as a wireless power transmission device for WPT to the target device 30, and is therefore also referred to as a "WPT mobile communication base station" in the following description of the embodiment. The wireless medium for communication between the base station 10 and the target device 30 and for WPT from the base station 10 to the target device 30 is, for example, microwave or millimeter wave radio waves.

The base station 10 is equipped with a base station antenna 110 that can be used for wireless power transmission (WPT). For example, the base station antenna 110 is a large-aperture (e.g., several tens of cm x several tens of cm) antenna (rectenna array) having multiple antenna elements arranged in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional configuration. When wireless power transmission (WPT) is being performed, the transmission power of each of the multiple antenna elements of the base station antenna (array antenna) 110 is, for example, several hundreds of μW to several tens of mW.

The base station antenna 110 may be configured with a single antenna or multiple antennas. The base station antenna 110 may be shared for data transmission between the target device 30 and wireless power transmission (WPT) to the target device 30, or may be configured with a communication antenna used for data transmission between the target device 30 and a WPT antenna used for wireless power transmission (WPT) to the target device 30 separately.

The base station antenna (array antenna) 110 may also be used as an antenna device that communicates with multiple target devices 30 using a massive MIMO (mMIMO) transmission method via microwave or millimeter wave radio waves.

All or part of the communication area (cell) 10A of the base station 10 is a wireless power transmission area (hereinafter referred to as the "WPT area") that can supply power from the base station 10 to the target device 30 via a focused beam 10B formed by beamforming. When the radio waves for power supply transmitted from the base station 10 to the target device 30 located about 10 m away from the base station 10 are millimeter waves, the electric field in the WPT area is a near field rather than a far field.

The base station 10 receives target-related information regarding the target device 30 from the target device 30 through UL communication with the target device 30 and transfers it to the MEC device 20. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, when multiple target devices 30(1) to 30(3), 30(n) to 30(n+2) are present in the communication area (cell) 10A, the base station 10 receives target-related information regarding each target device 30 from the target device 30 through UL communication with each of the multiple target devices 30(1) to 30(3), 30(n) to 30(n+2) and transfers it to the MEC device 20.

The target-related information includes, for example, information including at least one of the status information of the target device 30 and the status information of the user who owns the target device 30 (hereinafter also referred to as "terminal/user status information"), and unique identification information capable of identifying the target device 30 (hereinafter also referred to as "unique ID" or "terminal unique ID"). The status information of the target device 30 includes information such as the location information of the target device 30, information on the remaining charge of the rechargeable battery (cell) of the target device 30, and the number of tokens issued to the target device 30. The status information of the user includes information such as the number of tokens issued to the user.

The token is a token issued to the target device 30 or to each user of the target device 30 for use of the WPT power supply service. The token can be used as a billing element (chargeable item) for the usage fee for using the WPT power supply service. The token may be an NFT (non-fungible token), which is non-substitutable digital data on a blockchain.

The authentication of the target device 30 is, for example, authentication (terminal authentication) that verifies whether the target device 30 that received the unique ID is a terminal device that is preregistered in the MEC device 20 as a device permitted for wireless power supply. The authentication of the target device 30 may also be authentication (user authentication, administrator authentication, or operator authentication) that verifies whether the target device 30 that received the unique ID is a device that is preregistered in the MEC device 20 as a device corresponding to a user, administrator, or operator permitted for wireless power supply.

The unique ID can be read from an IC device (hereinafter also referred to as "authentication IC") mounted on the target device 30 and transmitted to the MEC device 20 via the base station 10 by UL communication of the target device 30. The unique ID is unique identification information that is pre-stored in each of a plurality of authentication ICs that can be mounted on the target device 30 and differs for each authentication IC. By incorporating an authentication IC in which a unique ID is stored into the target device 30, the unique ID can be used as unique identification information that differs for each target device.

The base station 10 may transmit and receive signals to and from the target device 30 located in the vicinity of the base station 10 through short-range communication, and may acquire location information of the target device 30 by measuring the direction of the target device 30 and the distance between the target device 30 and the base station 10 to identify the location of the target device 30. The wireless communication method for short-range communication is, for example, a BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy) communication method, or a communication method using UWB (ultra-wideband) radio waves as a wireless medium. UWB is a communication technology using weak radio waves in a wide band (for example, a bandwidth of several hundred MHz centered on any frequency in the several GHz band) and is defined in IEEE 802.15.4. In addition, the direction of the target device 30 and the distance between the target device 30 and the base station 10 may be measured using a radio wave reception angle (AoA: Angle of Arrival) detection method, a TDOA (Time Difference Of Arrival) method, or the like.

The position of the target device 30 may be identified by capturing an image of the periphery of the base station 10 using a single or multiple cameras (imaging means) installed in the base station 10 and analyzing the captured image. For example, the angle of the direction of the target device 30 (angle from a predetermined reference direction) and the distance to the target device 30 may be estimated on the image captured by the base station 10, and the position of the target device 30 may be identified based on the estimation result.

The base station 10 may obtain the location information of the target device 30 via a fixed terminal device (e.g., an IoT terminal or IoT device) that is installed at known position coordinates in the vicinity of the target device 30 and can communicate with the base station 10. The fixed terminal device, for example, transmits and receives signals via short-range communication between the target device 30 located in the vicinity of the fixed terminal device, and measures the direction of the target device 30 and the distance between the target device 30 and the base station 10 to identify the location of the target device 30. The fixed terminal device transmits the location information of the target device 30 to the base station 10.

The fixed terminal device has a first communication function for wirelessly communicating with the base station 10 by a first wireless communication method of mobile communication, and a second communication function for wirelessly communicating with the target device 30 by a second wireless communication method. The second wireless communication method is a short-range communication method such as the BLE communication method or a communication method using UWB (ultra-wideband) radio waves as the wireless medium. The IoT terminal or IoT device as the fixed terminal device is, for example, a fixed sensor (for example, a temperature and humidity sensor, an illuminance sensor, a human presence sensor, etc.). The fixed terminal device may be, for example, a fixed access point device with a wireless connection (for example, a wireless LAN connection) fixedly arranged in the communication area (cell) 10A or an area nearby, or a terminal device (UE) such as a smartphone as a mobile station of mobile communication having a function as a parent device for the target device (child device) 30.

The position of the fixed terminal device may be identified by capturing an image of the periphery of the base station 10 using a single or multiple cameras (imaging means) installed in the base station 10 and analyzing the captured image. For example, the angle of the direction of the fixed terminal device (angle from a predetermined reference direction) and the distance to the fixed terminal device may be estimated on the image captured by the base station 10, and the position of the fixed terminal device may be identified based on the estimation result.

The MEC device 20 is a server (hereinafter, also referred to as "MEC" for short) with MEC (short for "multi-access edge computing" or "mobile edge computing") functions that place computer resources near the base station 10 and perform processing of various services. The MEC device 20 is connected, for example, to a node in the core network 40 of the mobile communication network or to a node on the path between the core network 40 and the base station 10. In the example of FIG. 1, the MEC device 20 is connected to a UPF (User Plane Function) 401 located on the base station side of the core network 40. The UPF 401 is a node of the U-plane that forwards user data packets. The MEC device 20 may be provided in a single base station or in each of multiple base stations.

The MEC device 20 has a function of performing authentication and status management for the target device 30 that can transmit wireless power (can be wirelessly powered) from the base station 10. For example, the MEC device 20 has a function (means) of pre-storing multiple unique IDs used for authentication of multiple target devices 30 that can be wirelessly powered, receiving the unique ID from the target device 30 via the base station 10, and authenticating the target device 30 based on the unique ID received from the target device 30 and the unique ID pre-stored in the MEC device 20.

The MEC device 20 may have a function (e.g., a function as a virtual terminal management machine) to virtually perform authentication and status management for the target device 30 to which wireless power can be transmitted (powered) from the base station 10.

The MEC device 20 also has a WPT control function that controls WPT power supply by wireless power transmission from the base station 10 to the target device. WPT control includes, for example, acquiring and processing target-related information (e.g., terminal/user status information) regarding the target device 30 that is the target of WPT power supply, selecting the target device 30 that is the target of WPT power supply, and determining the schedule for WPT power supply.

In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the MEC device 20 acquires target-related information including a unique ID and terminal/user status information for each of the multiple target devices 30(1)-30(3), 30(n)-30(n+2) via the base station 10, and performs authentication for each target device based on the target-related information. At the same time, the MEC device 20 autonomously generates power supply control information for forming beams 10B(1), 10B(n) with the base station antenna 110 and wirelessly supplying power to the multiple specific target devices 30(1)-30(3), 30(n)-30(n+2) that have been successfully authenticated, and transmits the power supply control information to the base station 10. The power supply control information includes, for example, beam direction instruction information (for example, a priority heat map described later) that indicates the direction of the beams 10B(1), 10B(n).

The base station 10 receives power supply control information from the MEC device 20, and performs WPT beamforming to form beams 10B(1) and 10B(n) based on the power supply control information, and transmits a transmission signal for wireless power transmission to the multiple specific target devices 30(1) to 30(3), 30(n) to 30(n+2) via the beams 10B(1) and 10B(n).

In the system of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, multiple groups G(1), G(n) are formed based on the location information of multiple target devices 30, each of which is a user group including multiple target devices located close to each other, and the base station antenna 110 of the base station 10 is controlled to form a beam 10B for each group G. For example, in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the first group G(1) is formed to include multiple target devices 30(1), 30(2), and 30(3) located close to each other, and the base station 10 forms a first beam 10B(1) toward the area of group G(1). Also, the nth group G(n) is formed to include multiple target devices 30(n), 30(n+1), and 30(n+2) located close to each other, and the base station 10 forms an nth beam 10B(n) toward the area of group G(n).

The systems of Figures 1 and 2 may also include a blockchain network (BCN) system 50 to which multiple MEC devices 20 can be connected, and a distributed ledger may be constructed in the BCN system 50 using the computing areas of the multiple MEC devices 20.

The distributed ledger here is a distributed ledger configured so that multiple nodes constituting a blockchain network (BCN) maintain the same database. In particular, the distributed ledger constructed in the BCN system 50 is a distributed ledger in which the order of any transaction and its collection of blocks is determined according to a predetermined algorithm, and each MEC device, which is a node of the BCN, recognizes it as correct. The distributed ledger of the BCN is tamper-resistant because the blocks are linked by hash and all transaction records remain intact.

Each of the multiple MEC devices 20 can transfer and record usage history information of wireless power supply from the base station 10 corresponding to the MEC device 20 to the multiple target devices 30 in a distributed ledger constructed in the BCN system 50. The usage history information includes, for example, as shown in Table 1, the user name of each user, the number of tokens owned by each user, the location of the IoT terminal 30 owned by each user, and the identification number of the group to which the IoT terminal 30 owned by each user belongs.

The wireless power supply usage history information may be transferred to and recorded in an external server provided in the core network 40 of the mobile communication network or an external network. The external server may be a server configured with a single computer device, or may be a cloud server configured with multiple computer devices that can communicate with each other via a network.

The target device 30 is, for example, a terminal device (hereinafter also referred to as "UE" (user equipment)) serving as a mobile station in a mobile communication system. The target device 30 may be a combination of a communication device (e.g., a mobile communication module) capable of wireless communication with the base station 10 and various devices such as sensors (e.g., an IoT device, an IoT tag, etc.).

The target device 30 may be equipped with a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver such as GPS, and may identify the position (latitude, longitude, altitude) of the target device (own device) 30 based on the reception results of the receiver.

The target device 30 may transmit and receive signals between the base station 10, whose location is known, using a short-range communication method such as the aforementioned BLE communication method or a communication method using UWB (ultra-wideband) radio waves as a wireless medium, and may determine the location of the target device (own device) 30 by measuring the direction of the base station 10 and the distance between the target device 30 and the base station 10.

The target device 30 may determine the location information of the target device (own device) 30 via a fixed terminal device (e.g., an IoT device) installed at known position coordinates in the vicinity of the target device 30. The target device 30, for example, transmits and receives signals by short-range communication with one or more fixed terminal devices located in the vicinity of the target device 30, and determines the location of the target device (own device) 30 by measuring the direction of the fixed terminal devices and the distance between the target device 30 and the fixed terminal devices.

The fixed terminal device may be, for example, an IoT device such as a fixed sensor (e.g., a temperature and humidity sensor, an illuminance sensor, a human presence sensor, etc.), a fixed access point device, or a terminal device (UE) such as a smartphone that functions as a mobile station for mobile communications and has the function of a parent device for the target device (child device) 30.

The position of the target device 30 may be identified by capturing an image of the periphery of the target device 30 using a single or multiple cameras (imaging means) provided on the target device (own device) 30, and analyzing the captured image. For example, the angle of the direction of the base station 10 (angle from a specified reference direction) and the distance to the base station 10 may be estimated on an image captured by the target device 30, and the position of the target device (own device) 30 may be identified based on the estimation result. Also, the angle of the direction of the fixed terminal device (angle from a specified reference direction) and the distance to the fixed terminal device may be estimated on an image captured by the target device 30, and the position of the target device (own device) 30 may be identified based on the estimation result.

In the following embodiment, we will explain the case where the target device 30 is an IoT device (hereinafter also referred to as an "IoT terminal") that is a terminal device that can connect to the Internet via the base station 10 (the same applies to Figures 6 to 8 described below).

Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of terminal authentication and base station antenna 110 control procedures in a system according to an embodiment. The base station antenna 110 control procedure S100 illustrated in Figure 3 includes a unique ID and status information acquisition step S110, a weight assignment step S120, a priority heat map creation step S130, and a WPT beam control step S140.

In the unique ID and status information acquisition step S110, the WPT/mobile communications base station 10 divides the multiple IoT terminals 30 present in the target communication area 10A into multiple groups (user groups) G(1), G(m), and G(n), and acquires the unique ID of the IoT terminal 30 and terminal/user status information including the location information of the IoT terminal 30 for each group. The terminal/user status information includes information on the remaining battery capacity of the IoT terminal 30 and the number of tokens held by the user who owns the IoT terminal 30.

In the example of Figure 3, the position information of each IoT terminal 30 is obtained as coordinates ( _x1 , _y1 ), ( _x2 , _y2 ), ( _xn , yn), and ( _xm , _ym ) in a two-dimensional xy coordinate system with a specific position on the ground (e.g., the position of the base _station 10) as the origin.

The location information may be information on the latitude, longitude, and altitude of each IoT terminal 30 measured (detected) based on the reception results received by a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver such as GPS incorporated in each IoT terminal. The location information of each IoT terminal 30 may also be location information acquired using the aforementioned UWB or BLE short-range communication between the base station 10 and the IoT terminal 30. The location information of each IoT terminal 30 may also be acquired by image recognition based on an image of the surroundings including the base station 10, etc., captured by a camera (imaging means) incorporated in each IoT terminal 30.

The WPT/mobile communication base station 10 receives terminal/user status information including the unique ID of each IoT terminal 30 and the location information of each IoT terminal 30 from each IoT terminal 30 via UL communication of mobile communication with each IoT terminal 30, and transfers the information to the MEC device 20.

Next, in the weighting step S120, the MEC device 20 authenticates each IoT terminal 30 based on the unique ID received from each IoT terminal 30, and assigns a weight W to a number of specific IoT terminals 30 (IoT terminals 30 preregistered in the MEC device 20) that have been successfully authenticated according to their status information (such as remaining battery power and the number of tokens owned by the corresponding user), and creates a weight list L indicating the correspondence between the position information of each IoT terminal 30 and the weight W. Here, the weight W is an index value indicating the priority of WPT power supply to the IoT terminal 30, and the larger the value of the weight W, the higher the priority of WPT power supply to the corresponding IoT terminal 30.

Next, in the priority heat map creation step S130, the MEC device 20 creates (generates) a priority heat map M based on the position information and weight W information of each IoT terminal. The priority heat map M is map data that can identify the positions of multiple IoT terminals (target devices) 30 and the priority of wireless power supply to the multiple IoT terminals 30. For example, the priority heat map M is a two-dimensional map that shows the positions of the IoT terminals 30 in each of multiple groups G(1), G(m), and G(n) and the distribution of the priorities of the power supply targets for which each base station 10 forms a WPT beam. In the illustrated example of the priority heat map M, the priority f(x, y) of the power supply target at each position (x, y) is shown by the level of density. The MEC device 20 transmits the created priority heat map M to the WPT/mobile communication base station 10.

Next, in the WPT beam control step S140, the WPT/mobile communication base station 10 controls the directions of the WPT beams 10B(1), 10B(m) and 10B(n) by controlling the phase and amplitude of the base station antenna 110 based on the priority heat map M received from the MEC device.

Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a base station antenna (WPT antenna) 110 in a system according to this embodiment. The base station antenna (WPT antenna) 110 has N antenna elements 110E(1) to 110E(N) arranged in a predetermined direction and at predetermined intervals. In the aforementioned WPT beam control step S140, the amplitude and phase of the signal supplied to each antenna element 110E(1) to 110E(N) of the base station antenna 110 are controlled.

The base station antenna (WPT antenna) 110 is constructed using a phased array antenna or a distributed cooperative antenna. A phased array antenna is an antenna that steers beams in any direction by adjusting the amplitude and phase of the signal input to each antenna element 110E(1)-110E(N). A distributed cooperative antenna is an antenna that creates a hotspot in any area by adjusting the amplitude and phase of the signal input to each antenna element 110E(1)-110E(N).

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of information transmitted and received between a blockchain network (BCN) system 50, an MEC device 20, and a target device (IoT device) 30 in a method of terminal authentication, weighting, and creating a priority heat map of a system according to an embodiment. The method of weighting and creating a priority heat map in FIG. 5 includes a token assignment step S210, a user-specific list generation step S220, a unique ID and status information including battery remaining amount information transfer step S230, a wait list/priority heat map generation step S240, and a usage history information (transaction history information) transfer/record step S250. In the example of FIG. 5, the user-specific list generation step S220, the unique ID and status information transfer step S230, and the wait list/priority heat map generation step S240 are executed by a virtual terminal management machine constructed in the MEC device 20.

In the token granting step S210, the blockchain network (BCN) system 50 issues a token (e.g., NFT) to each of the multiple users 1 to n and distributes it to each user's IoT terminal 30(1), 30(m), 30(n) via the UPF 401 of the core network 40. The token (e.g., NFT) is distributed, for example, according to the contribution of the user, the IoT terminal, or both to the blockchain network (BCN) system.

Next, in a user-specific list generation step S220, the MEC device 20 generates a user-specific list for each of the multiple users 1 to n. In the user-specific list, for each user, for each of the multiple IoT terminals to which wireless power supply of the user is permitted, a terminal-specific ID as identification information of the IoT terminal, the number of tokens granted to the IoT terminal, and information on the remaining battery capacity [%] of the IoT terminal are recorded, as shown in Table 2 for example. The information on the remaining battery capacity is updated at the timing when status information is acquired in the next step S230.

Next, in a unique ID and status information transfer step S230, the MEC device 20 acquires the terminal unique ID stored in the authentication IC 350 of the IoT terminal 30 and terminal/user status information from each user's IoT terminal 30(1), 30(m), 30(n) present in the communication area (cell) 10A of the WPT/mobile communication base station 10. The terminal/user status information includes the token ownership status (e.g., number of tokens) of each user's IoT terminal 30(1), 30(m), 30(n), remaining battery amount information and location information of each user's IoT terminal 30(1), 30(m), 30(n).

Next, in a weight list/priority heat map generation step S240, the MEC device 20 generates an intra-cell terminal list for a specific IoT terminal 30 whose terminal-specific ID is registered in advance in the user-specific list of each user among the multiple IoT terminals 30 present in the cell of the target communication area 10A. Then, the MEC device 20 calculates a weight W to be assigned to the IoT terminals 30(1), 30(m), and 30(n) of each terminal-specific ID in the intra-cell terminal list. For example, when the terminal-specific IDs of the IoT terminals 30(1), 30(m), and 30(n) in FIG. 5 are included in the intra-cell terminal list, the MEC device 20 calculates the weight W to be assigned to each IoT terminal 30(1), 30(m), and 30(n) based on the terminal/user status information acquired from the IoT terminals 30(1), 30(m), and 30(n) of each user, using the following formula (1). In addition, the MEC device 20 generates a weight list L in which the position information of the IoT terminals 30(1), 30(m), and 30(n) of each user is associated with a weight W.

Here, Nt is the number of tokens distributed to the IoT terminal of the target user, and N0 is the total number of tokens distributed to all IoT terminals 30 present in the communication area (cell) 10A. Also, Br is the remaining battery charge of the target IoT terminal 30, and B0 is the total remaining battery charge of all IoT terminals 30 present in the communication area (cell) 10A. Also, C1 is a coefficient for tokens, C2 is a coefficient for the remaining battery charge, and α is an adjustment value for the weight W.

The MEC device 20 generates a priority heat map based on the wait list L, and transmits a WPT beam direction instruction and a WPT power transmission instruction including the priority heat map to the WPT/mobile communications base station 10. The WPT/mobile communications base station 10 generates an antenna element phase amplitude list, which is a list of phases and amplitudes to be applied to each antenna element of the base station antenna 110, based on the priority heat map received from the MEC device 20, and irradiates WPT radio waves to supply power to each IoT terminal via multiple beams.

Next, in step S250 of transferring and recording usage history information (transaction history information), the MEC device 20 transfers and records the usage history information of the WPT power supply service as transaction history information in the distributed ledger of the blockchain network (BCN) system 50.

Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of terminal authentication in a system according to an embodiment. In Figure 6, a WPT/mobile communication base station (hereinafter referred to as "base station" in this example) 10 is equipped with a base station antenna 110 configured by separately providing a communication antenna 111 and a WPT antenna 112. Each of the communication antenna 111 and the WPT antenna 112 is, for example, an array antenna having a large number of antenna elements. Furthermore, multiple base station antennas 110 may be arranged corresponding to multiple sector cells.

The base station 10 further includes a wireless communication unit 120 that transmits data to and from the IoT terminal 30 as a target device via the communication antenna 111, and a WPT power transmission unit 130 that transmits energy to the IoT terminal 30 via the WPT antenna 112, through wireless power transmission (WPT). The wireless communication unit 120 includes, for example, a communication signal processing unit and a wireless processing unit. The communication signal processing unit processes signals such as various user data and control information transmitted and received between the IoT terminal 30. The wireless processing unit transmits a transmission signal generated by the communication signal processing unit from the communication antenna 111 to the IoT terminal 30, and outputs a received signal received from the IoT terminal 30 via the communication antenna 111 to the communication signal processing unit.

When communicating on the downlink to multiple IoT terminals 30, the wireless communication unit 120 may perform beamforming (BF) control to form individual beams for each IoT terminal 30 or for each terminal group in a target area to which the multiple IoT terminals 30 belong. The BF control may be performed by digital BF control in the frequency domain in the communication signal processing unit, or may be performed by analog BF control in the wireless processing unit.

In addition, in this embodiment, the wireless communication unit 120 transfers the target-related information, including the unique ID and remaining battery level information received from the IoT terminal 30, to the MEC device 20.

The WPT power transmission unit 130 generates an antenna element phase amplitude list, which is a list of phases and amplitudes to be applied to each antenna element of the WPT antenna 112, based on, for example, the power supply control information received from the MEC device 20 (for example, the WPT beam direction instruction and power transmission instruction including the above-mentioned priority heat map), and irradiates WPT radio waves to supply power to each IoT terminal 30 via multiple beams formed by the WPT antenna 112. The antenna element phase amplitude list may be generated by the MEC device 20 and transmitted to the WPT power transmission unit 130 of the base station 10.

When transmitting energy (WPT transmission) to multiple IoT terminals 30, the WPT power transmission unit 130 may perform beamforming (BF) control to form individual beams for each IoT terminal 30 or for each terminal group in a target area to which the multiple IoT terminals 30 belong, and may perform energy transmission (WPT transmission) for each IoT terminal 30 or for each terminal group. The BF control may be performed by digital BF control in the frequency domain or analog BF control.

In FIG. 6, the IoT terminal 30 is equipped with a terminal antenna 310 that is configured by separately providing a communication antenna 311 and a WPT antenna 312. The communication antenna 311 and the WPT antenna 312 are each, for example, an array antenna having a large number of antenna elements.

The IoT terminal 30 further includes a wireless communication unit 320 that transmits data to and from the base station 10 via a communication antenna 311, a WPT power receiving unit 330 for receiving wireless power transmission (WPT), which is energy transmission from the base station 10 via a WPT antenna 312, a battery 340 that can be charged with the electric energy received by the WPT power receiving unit 330, and a control unit 360 that has an authentication IC 350. The battery 340 supplies power to each unit in the terminal, such as the control unit 360.

The wireless communication unit 320 transmits a transmission signal generated by the communication signal processing unit from the communication antenna 311 to the base station 10, and outputs a received signal received from the base station 10 via the communication antenna 311 to the communication signal processing unit.

In addition, in this embodiment, the wireless communication unit 320 transmits to the base station 10 the target-related information, which includes the unique ID read from the authentication IC 350 of the control unit 360 and the remaining battery charge information measured by the control unit 360.

The WPT power receiving unit 330 receives the WPT radio waves transmitted from the base station 10. The WPT power receiving unit 330 also has, for example, a rectifier, and outputs the power of the received signal that receives the WPT signal from the base station 10 as received power for charging the battery. The battery 340 can be charged by the received power output from the WPT power receiving unit 330.

The control unit 360 controls each part in the terminal according to the execution content of an application program (hereinafter also referred to as a "WPT application") for using a wireless power transmission (WPT) service that is executed in the application execution processing unit (application execution environment). The control unit 360 may also control each part in the terminal according to the execution content of an external WPT application that is executed in an external device.

The control unit 360 can, for example, measure the output voltage of the battery 340 and perform control so as to estimate the remaining charge of the battery 340 based on the measurement result. The control unit 360 can also perform control so as to read out a unique ID written in advance in the authentication IC 350 and output it as terminal identification information for identifying the IoT terminal 30. The unique ID and remaining charge information of the battery output from the control unit 360 are transmitted to the base station 10 via the wireless communication unit 320 and the communication antenna 311.

The authentication IC 350 may have the functions of the control unit 360. The authentication IC 350 may have any form (for example, a chip, a module, a device, a card, etc.). The authentication IC 350 may be detachable from the main body of the IoT terminal 30.

In the system of FIG. 6, the control unit 360 having the authentication IC 350 has a function of assigning a unique ID to the IoT terminal 30 in which the authentication IC 350 is mounted, and a function of measuring the output voltage of the battery 340 of the IoT terminal 30. These functions allow the authentication IC 350 to add individual information unique to the IoT terminal 30 to communication data to the MEC device 20 via the base station 10 while recognizing the status of the power supply/battery remaining capacity.

In the system of FIG. 6, the MEC device 20 performs terminal authentication for each IoT terminal 30 based on the unique ID received from each of the multiple IoT terminals 30 in the cell of the target area via the base station 10, and generates the above-mentioned all-terminal list in the cell for a specific IoT terminal 30 that has been successfully authenticated. Furthermore, the MEC device 20 has a function to transmit to the base station 10 a WPT power transmission instruction to form a WPT beam and wirelessly supply power to a specific IoT terminal 30 located in the cell of the target area based on the all-terminal list in the cell. The MEC device 20 also has a function to refer to the information of the IoT terminal 30 using the WPT power supply service and the user information for the BCN system 50 (or an external server).

Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of terminal authentication in the system according to the embodiment. The example in Figure 7 is an example in which the base station 10 and the IoT terminal 30 each have an antenna for communication and WPT (shared antenna), and data transmission and energy transmission (WPT) between the base station 10 and the IoT terminal 30 are performed using time division multiplexing (TDM). Note that in Figure 7, parts that are common to Figure 6 are given the same reference numerals and descriptions are omitted.

In FIG. 7, the WPT/mobile communication base station (hereinafter referred to as the "base station" in this example) 10 is equipped with a communication/WPT antenna (hereinafter referred to as the "base station antenna" in this example) 110, which is used as a communication antenna and a WPT antenna, as a base station antenna. The base station antenna 110 is, for example, an array antenna having a large number of antenna elements. In addition, multiple base station antennas 110 may be arranged corresponding to multiple sector cells.

The base station 10 further includes a wireless communication and WPT power transmission unit 140. The wireless communication and WPT power transmission unit 140 transmits data to and from the IoT terminal 30 as a target device via the base station antenna 110, and also transmits wireless power (WPT), which is energy transmission to the IoT terminal 30 via the base station antenna 110.

The wireless communication and WPT power transmission unit 140 includes a communication signal processing unit and a wireless processing unit. The communication signal processing unit processes signals such as various user data and control information transmitted and received between the IoT terminal 30. The wireless processing unit transmits a transmission signal generated by the communication signal processing unit from the base station antenna 110 to the IoT terminal 30, and outputs a received signal received from the IoT terminal 30 via the base station antenna 110 to the communication signal processing unit.

The communication signal processing unit of the wireless communication and WPT power transmission unit 140 generates a downlink transmission signal including a dummy signal for WPT using a wireless resource that is not used for communication among multiple wireless resources during downlink communication with the IoT terminal 30. The downlink transmission signal including the dummy signal for WPT can be generated by modulating it with any modulation method. For example, the dummy signal for WPT may be a signal modulated with a symbol point having the maximum amplitude among multiple symbol points of a digital modulation method. For example, the generation of the transmission signal may include primary modulation such as QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) and secondary modulation such as OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing modulation). In addition, the process of including a dummy signal for WPT using a wireless resource that is not used for communication in the transmission signal for downlink communication with the IoT terminal 30 may be performed autonomously by the base station 10, or may be performed based on a request or instruction from the IoT terminal 30 or a request or instruction from the management server.

In addition, the wireless processing unit of the wireless communication and WPT power transmission unit 140 transmits a downlink transmission signal including a dummy signal for WPT generated by the communication signal processing unit to the IoT terminal 30 via the base station antenna 110.

When communicating with the IoT terminal 30 on the downlink, the base station 10 may perform beamforming (BF) control to form an individual beam for each IoT terminal 30 or for each terminal group in a target area to which multiple IoT terminals 30 belong, and may perform wireless power transmission for each IoT terminal 30 or for each terminal group. The BF control for each IoT terminal 30 or for each terminal group may be performed by digital BF control in the frequency domain or may be performed by analog BF control.

In addition, in this embodiment, the wireless communication and WPT power transmission unit 140 transfers the target-related information, including the unique ID and remaining battery charge information received from the IoT terminal 30, to the MEC device 20.

The wireless communication and WPT power transmission unit 140 generates an antenna element phase amplitude list, which is a list of phases and amplitudes to be applied to each antenna element of the base station antenna 110, based on, for example, the power supply control information received from the MEC device 20 (for example, the WPT beam direction instruction and power transmission instruction including the above-mentioned priority heat map), and irradiates WPT radio waves to supply power to each IoT terminal 30 via multiple beams formed by the base station antenna 110. Note that the antenna element phase amplitude list may be generated by the MEC device 20 and transmitted to the wireless communication and WPT power transmission unit 140 of the base station 10.

When transmitting energy (WPT transmission) to multiple IoT terminals 30, the wireless communication and WPT power transmission unit 140 may perform beamforming (BF) control to form individual beams for each IoT terminal 30 or for each terminal group in a target area to which the multiple IoT terminals 30 belong, and perform energy transmission (WPT transmission) for each IoT terminal 30 or for each terminal group. The BF control may be performed by digital BF control in the frequency domain or analog BF control.

In FIG. 7, the IoT terminal 30 includes a communication/WPT antenna (hereinafter, referred to as the "terminal antenna" in this example) 310 as a terminal antenna that is used both as a communication antenna and a WPT antenna. The terminal antenna 310 is, for example, an array antenna having a large number of antenna elements.

The IoT terminal 30 further includes a wireless communication unit 320, a WPT power receiving unit 330, a battery 340, a control unit 360 having an authentication IC 350, and a switch 390. The switch 390 is provided between the terminal antenna 310 and the wireless communication unit 320, and switches (switches paths) between the receiving path to the wireless communication unit 320 and the receiving path to the WPT power receiving unit 330 in synchronization with the data transmission timing and energy transmission (WPT) timing of the transmitting base station 10 in the time division multiplexing (TDM) system.

In the system of FIG. 7, the control unit 360 having the authentication IC 350 has a function of assigning a unique ID to the IoT terminal 30 in which the authentication IC 350 is mounted, and a function of measuring the output voltage of the battery 340 of the IoT terminal 30. These functions allow the authentication IC 350 to add individual information unique to the IoT terminal 30 to communication data to the MEC device 20 via the base station 10 while recognizing the status of the power supply/battery remaining capacity.

In the system of FIG. 7, the MEC device 20 performs terminal authentication for each IoT terminal 30 based on the unique ID received from each of the multiple IoT terminals 30 in the cell of the target area via the base station 10, and generates the above-mentioned all-terminals-in-cell list for a specific IoT terminal 30 that has been successfully authenticated. Furthermore, the MEC device 20 has a function to transmit to the base station 10 a WPT power transmission instruction to form a WPT beam and wirelessly supply power to a specific IoT terminal 30 located in the cell of the target area based on the all-terminals-in-cell list. The MEC device 20 also has a function to refer to the information of the IoT terminal 30 using the WPT power supply service and the user information for the BCN system 50 (or an external server).

Figure 8 is a sequence diagram showing an example of wireless power transmission to a target device (IoT device) 30 via a blockchain network (BCN) system 50, MEC device 20, and base station 10 in a system according to an embodiment. Note that in the example of Figure 8, the MEC device 20 transmits usage history information (transaction history information) to the BCN system 50, but the usage history information (transaction history information) may also be transmitted to the external server described above.

In FIG. 8, first, before starting a WPT power supply service to a user's IoT terminal 30, the MEC device 20 sends a ledger information request and an update request to the BCN system 50 along with the latest usage history information (transaction history information) held by the MEC device (own device) 20 (S301). The BCN system 50 then updates the distributed ledger based on the usage history information (transaction history information) received from the MEC device 20 (S302) and sends the updated ledger information to the MEC device 20 (S303). The MEC device 20 stores the ledger information received from the BCN system 50 in the MEC device (own device) 20.

Next, a loop is executed to use the WPT power supply service for the user's IoT terminal 30. In this loop, first, the MEC device 20 acquires terminal/user status information including unique IDs (terminal identification information) and remaining battery information for multiple IoT terminals 30 located in the target communication area via the WPT/mobile communication base station 10 (S304 to S310). The MEC device 20 refers to a ledger (a user-specific list for each user described above) stored in the MEC device (own device) 20, and updates the ledger (user-specific list for each user) based on the terminal/user status information including the unique ID acquired from each IoT terminal 30 (S311).

Here, if the unique ID (terminal identification information) received from the IoT terminal 30 is not in the ledger (No in S312), the MEC device 20 transmits terminal/user status information including the unique ID, a ledger information request, and an update request to the BCN system 50, and the BCN system 50 may update the distributed ledger based on the information received from the MEC device 20 (S313).

Next, the MEC device 20 executes an authentication process based on the unique ID acquired from each IoT terminal 30, and for a number of specific IoT terminals 30 for which authentication has been successful, calculates a weight W for each IoT terminal 30 based on the terminal/user status information including remaining battery information acquired from the IoT terminal 30 and assigns it to each IoT terminal 30 (S314), and creates and generates a priority heat map M for the target communication area based on the weight W assigned to each IoT terminal 30 and the position information of each IoT terminal 30 (S315). The MEC device 20 transmits the generated priority heat map M, WPT beam direction instruction, and WPT power transmission instruction to the WPT/mobile communication base station 10 as power supply control information at a timing specified by a predetermined schedule (S316).

Next, the WPT/mobile communication base station 10 generates an antenna element phase amplitude list, which is a list of phases and amplitudes to be applied to each antenna element of the base station antenna 110, based on the priority heat map M received from the MEC device 20 (S317). Based on the generated antenna element phase amplitude list, the MEC device 20 sets the phase and amplitude of the signal to be input to each antenna element of the base station antenna (WPT antenna) 110 during WPT power supply (S318), and irradiates WPT radio waves to supply power to each IoT terminal via multiple beams (S319).

The antenna element phase amplitude list may be generated by the MEC device 20 and transmitted to the WPT/mobile communication base station 10 together with the WPT beam direction instruction and the WPT power transmission instruction. In this case, the MEC device 20 sets the phase and amplitude of the signal to be input to each antenna element of the base station antenna (WPT antenna) 110 during WPT power supply based on the antenna element phase amplitude list received from the MEC device 20.

After transmitting a WPT beam direction instruction and a power transmission instruction including an antenna element phase amplitude list to the WPT/mobile communication base station 10, the MEC device 20 transmits a ledger information request and an update request together with the latest usage history information (transaction history information) to the BCN system 50 (S320). The BCN system 50 updates the distributed ledger based on the usage history information (transaction history information) received from the MEC device 20 (S321) and transmits the updated ledger information to the MEC device 20 (S322). Meanwhile, each IoT terminal 30 irradiated with the WPT radio waves updates the terminal/user status information stored in the IoT terminal 30 (S323).

9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a blockchain network (BCN) system 50 and a distributed ledger 60 in a system according to an embodiment. In the example of FIG. 7, an inter-MEC distributed network is constructed in which a plurality of MEC devices 20 provided to correspond to a plurality of base stations 10 can communicate with each other via the BCN system 50. The distributed ledger 60 constructed in the BCN system 50 is managed by blockchain technology such as Proof of Work/Proof of Stake. The distributed ledger 60 records terminal/user status information such as the location information and battery remaining amount of an IoT terminal owned by a user, and the number of tokens distributed to a user (or an IoT terminal owned by a user). The blockchain network (BCN) system 50 and the distributed ledger 60 are maintained using the computer area of each MEC device 20. Each MEC device 20 autonomously generates a WPT priority heat map based on the distributed ledger 60. For each of the multiple MEC devices 20, the WPT antenna of the base station 10 corresponding to the MEC device 20 is controlled based on the WPT priority heat map generated by the MEC device 20.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the IC device (authentication IC) 350 storing unique identification information (unique ID) is mounted on the target device 30, and terminal authentication is performed based on the terminal identification information (unique ID) read from the IC device (authentication IC) 350, thereby enabling authentication and status management of the target device 30. Moreover, the device additionally mounted on the target device 30 to store the unique identification information (unique ID) used for terminal authentication is the IC device (authentication IC) 350 that can reduce power consumption, and furthermore, the terminal authentication process, which uses a large amount of computational resources, can be performed by the MEC device 20 rather than the target device 30, thereby enabling low power consumption of the target device 30.

In addition, according to this embodiment, a beam 10B directed toward the target device 30 is formed based on target-related information including the position information of the target device 30, and WPT radio waves are irradiated via the beam 10B to supply power to the target device 30, thereby effectively supplying power to each of multiple specific target devices 30 that have been successfully authenticated by the MEC device 20.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the control of the base station antenna (WPT antenna) 110 that forms a beam that irradiates WPT radio waves to supply power to the target device 30 and the control of power supply from the base station 10 to the target device 30 can be performed autonomously by the MEC device 20 corresponding to the base station 10 without going through the core network 40, so it is possible to realize a power supply service that can supply power to multiple specific target devices 30 that have been successfully authenticated by the MEC device 20 in real time with low latency.

According to this embodiment, by using a blockchain network (BCN) system 50 in which a distributed ledger is constructed that can record usage history information of WPT power supply for each target device from multiple MEC devices 20, it is possible to provide an autonomous distributed base station 10 in which multiple base stations 10 that can autonomously supply power to multiple specific target devices 30 that have been successfully authenticated by each MEC device 20 are distributed.

In addition, the present invention can effectively supply power to each target device in a power supply infrastructure that supplies power to a large number of target devices, thereby contributing to the achievement of Goal 9 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is to "build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and promote innovation and infrastructure."

The processing steps described in this specification and the components of the blockchain network system, MEC device, base station, relay device, target device, IC device (authentication IC), communication system, authentication system, and wireless power transmission system can be implemented by various means. For example, these steps and components may be implemented by hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof.

Regarding hardware implementation, the processing units and other means used to realize the above steps and components in an entity (e.g., various wireless communication devices, base station devices (Node B, Node G), terminal devices, hard disk drive devices, or optical disk drive devices) may be implemented in one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processors (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, computers, or combinations thereof.

Also, for firmware and/or software implementations, the means such as processing units used to realize the above components may be implemented with programs (e.g., codes such as procedures, functions, modules, instructions, etc.) that perform the functions described herein. In general, any computer/processor readable medium tangibly embodying firmware and/or software code may be used to implement the means such as processing units used to realize the above steps and components described herein. For example, the firmware and/or software code may be stored in a memory and executed by a computer or processor, for example in a control device. The memory may be implemented inside the computer or processor or external to the processor. The firmware and/or software code may also be stored in a computer or processor readable medium, such as, for example, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, floppy disks, compact disks (CDs), digital versatile disks (DVDs), magnetic or optical data storage devices, etc. The code may be executed by one or more computers or processors and may cause the computers or processors to perform certain aspects of the functionality described herein.

The medium may be a non-transitory recording medium. The program code may be in any format as long as it can be read and executed by a computer, processor, or other device or machine, and the format is not limited to a specific format. For example, the program code may be any of source code, object code, and binary code, or may be a mixture of two or more of these codes.

Moreover, the description of the embodiments disclosed herein is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to the present disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

10: Base station 10A: Communication area 10B: Beam 20: MEC device 30: Target device (IoT terminal)
40: Core network 50: Blockchain network system 110: Base station antenna (array antenna)

Claims (11)

A system for wireless power supply,
One or more target devices capable of being wirelessly powered;
A base station capable of communicating with the target device and wirelessly supplying power to the target device;
a MEC device capable of communicating with the target device via the base station;
The target device is
an IC device storing unique identification information capable of identifying the target device;
Transmitting the unique identification information stored in the IC device to the MEC device via the base station;
The MEC device comprises:
storing a plurality of unique identification information capable of identifying each of a plurality of target devices capable of being wirelessly powered;
receiving the unique identification information from the target device via the base station;
performing authentication of the target device based on the unique identification information received from the target device and the stored unique identification information;
A system characterized by: 2. The system of claim 1,
The MEC device comprises:
acquiring, for the plurality of target devices, target-related information including at least one of information about the target device and information about a user of the target device, and the unique identification information;
generating power supply control information for forming a beam at a base station antenna and wirelessly supplying power to the plurality of target devices based on the target-related information for the specific target device that has been successfully authenticated;
Transmitting the power supply control information to the base station;
The base station,
receiving the power supply control information from the MEC device;
forming the beam based on the power supply control information, and transmitting a transmission signal for wireless power transmission to the specific target device via the beam;
A system characterized by: In the system of claim 2,
the target-related information includes at least one of status information of each of the plurality of target devices and status information of each of the users of the plurality of target devices;
The power supply control information includes beam direction instruction information that indicates a direction of the beam.
A system characterized by: In the system of claim 3,
the specific target device that has been successfully authenticated is a plurality of target devices,
the beam direction instruction information includes a priority heat map capable of identifying positions of the plurality of target devices and priorities of wireless power supply to the plurality of target devices;
The MEC device comprises:
assigning a weight to each of the plurality of target devices or to each user of the plurality of target devices based on the target-related information;
creating the priority heat map based on location information of each of the plurality of target devices and information on weights assigned to each of the plurality of target devices or each of the plurality of users;
A system characterized by: In the system of claim 4,
The target-related information includes information on a plurality of tokens issued to each of the plurality of target devices or to each of the users of the plurality of target devices for use in a power supply service, information on a remaining battery level of each of the plurality of target devices, and location information of each of the plurality of target devices;
The MEC device assigns the weight based on information on the plurality of tokens and information on remaining battery capacity of each of the plurality of target devices.
A system characterized by: A target device capable of being wirelessly powered,
an IC device storing unique identification information capable of identifying a target device and used for authentication for wireless power supply to the target device ;
a means for transmitting the unique identification information used for authentication for wireless power supply to the target device , the unique identification information being stored in the IC device, to an MEC device that performs authentication for wireless power supply to the target device, via a base station;
A target device comprising: A MEC device capable of communicating with one or more target devices capable of wirelessly supplying power via a base station,
A means for storing a plurality of unique identification information capable of identifying each of a plurality of target devices capable of being wirelessly powered;
means for receiving unique identification information stored in an IC device of the target device from the target device via the base station;
means for authenticating the target device based on unique identification information received from the target device and the stored unique identification information;
The MEC device comprises: The MEC apparatus of claim 7,
means for acquiring, for the plurality of target devices, target-related information including at least one of information about the target device and information about a user of the target device, and the unique identification information;
a means for generating power supply control information for forming a beam by a base station antenna and wirelessly supplying power to the plurality of target devices based on the target-related information for the specific target device that has been successfully authenticated;
means for transmitting the power supply control information to the base station;
The MEC device comprises: The MEC apparatus of claim 8,
the target-related information includes at least one of status information of each of the plurality of target devices and status information of each of the users of the plurality of target devices;
The power supply control information includes beam direction instruction information that indicates a direction of the beam.
1. An MEC device comprising: 10. The MEC apparatus of claim 9,
the specific target device that has been successfully authenticated is a plurality of target devices,
the beam direction instruction information includes a priority heat map capable of identifying positions of the plurality of target devices and priorities of wireless power supply to the plurality of target devices;
The MEC device is
a means for assigning a weight to each of the plurality of specific target devices or to each user of the plurality of specific target devices based on the target-related information;
and creating the priority heat map based on location information of each of the plurality of specific target devices and information on weights assigned to each of the plurality of specific target devices or each of the plurality of users.
1. An MEC device comprising: The MEC apparatus of claim 10,
The target-related information includes information on a plurality of tokens for use in a power supply service issued to each of the plurality of specific target devices or to each of users of the plurality of specific target devices, information on remaining battery capacity of each of the plurality of specific target devices, and location information of each of the plurality of specific target devices;
The MEC device includes a weighting unit that assigns the weight based on information on the plurality of tokens and information on remaining battery capacity of each of the plurality of specific target devices.
1. An MEC device comprising:

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