JPWO2017018070A1 - Wireless communication apparatus and installation method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

In a wireless communication apparatus that includes a plurality of wireless circuit units that can operate simultaneously and has a plurality of directional antennas connected to each wireless circuit unit, it is easy to avoid in-house interference. The wireless communication device (100) includes a plurality of wireless circuit units (21, 22) that can operate simultaneously, a directional antenna (3) that is connected to each of the wireless circuit units (21, 22), and directivity. A rotating part (5) is provided for each antenna (3) and rotates the directional antenna (3).

Description

  The present invention relates to a wireless communication device and an installation method thereof, and more particularly to a wireless communication device including a plurality of wireless circuit units that can operate simultaneously and an installation method thereof.

  Patent Document 1 describes a long-distance broadband mobile radio communication apparatus for both terminal stations and relay stations. The long-distance broadband mobile radio communication apparatus for both the terminal station and the relay station includes two transmitting / receiving units and two directional antennas that can operate simultaneously. One is directed to the terminal station and the other is directed to the ground station at the same time, and communicates simultaneously with the two opposite stations.

Japanese Patent Publication “Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-32739 (Publication Date: January 31, 2003)”

  The inventors of the present invention have intensively developed a wireless communication apparatus that includes a plurality of wireless circuit units that can operate simultaneously and can simultaneously communicate with a plurality of base stations. In particular, a technique is considered in which a plurality of directional antennas are connected to each radio circuit unit and communication is performed by, for example, a MIMO (Multi Input Multi Output) method or a transmission diversity method.

  However, according to the original knowledge of the present inventors, when connecting a plurality of directional antennas for each radio circuit unit, the directivity of the directional antenna is simply set to the communication destination base station as in the prior art. It is difficult to obtain good communication quality simply by turning it. This is because, as shown in FIG. 9, when there are a plurality of sets of a plurality of directional antenna groups facing in the same direction, it is difficult to avoid in-station interference, and reception sensitivity may be deteriorated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a main object of the present invention is to provide a wireless circuit that includes a plurality of wireless circuit units that can operate simultaneously and that has a plurality of directional antennas connected to each wireless circuit unit. It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique for facilitating avoidance of intra-station interference in a communication apparatus.

  A wireless communication device according to one embodiment of the present invention is provided with a plurality of wireless circuit units that can operate simultaneously, a plurality of directional antennas connected to each wireless circuit unit, and the directional antennas, A rotating unit that rotates the directional antenna so as to change the directionality of the directional antenna.

  Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, in a wireless communication apparatus that includes a plurality of radio circuit units that can operate simultaneously and that has a plurality of directional antennas connected to each radio circuit unit, it is possible to facilitate avoidance of intra-station interference. .

It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the radio | wireless communication apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the external appearance of the radio | wireless communication apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram explaining an example of the detailed structure of the antenna unit in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the variation of directivity adjustment in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the connector part in one modification of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the external appearance of the radio | wireless communication apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the variation of directivity adjustment in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the example of the external appearance of the radio | wireless communication apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram explaining the mode of the interference in a local station. It is a schematic diagram which shows arrangement | positioning of the antenna group in the modification of this invention. It is a flowchart explaining the example of the installation method of the radio | wireless communication apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions in the respective embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

Embodiment 1
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a wireless communication apparatus 100 according to an embodiment (Embodiment 1) of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a wireless communication device 100 includes a first wireless circuit unit (wireless circuit unit) 21, a second wireless circuit unit (wireless circuit unit) 22, a control unit 25, a housing 30, and a plurality of directional antennas. 3 is provided.

  Among the directional antennas 3 included in the wireless communication device 100, a part is connected to the first wireless circuit unit 21 (antenna group 1), and the other is connected to the second wireless circuit unit 22 (antenna group 2). ). The number of the directional antennas 3 connected to the first radio circuit unit 21 and the second radio circuit unit 22 is not particularly limited as long as both are plural.

  The first radio circuit 11 is configured by the first radio circuit unit 21 and the directional antenna 3 (antenna group 1) connected to the first radio circuit unit 21. The second radio circuit 12 is configured by the second radio circuit unit 22 and the directional antenna 3 (antenna group 2) connected to the second radio circuit unit 22.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to this, You may comprise so that a radio | wireless machine may be included further. That is, the wireless communication device 100 includes one or more wireless devices different from the first wireless device 11 and the second wireless device 12, and a plurality of directional antennas connected to the wireless circuit portion. 3 may be further provided.

  The first radio circuit unit 21 and the second radio circuit unit 22 are circuit units including a high-frequency circuit for transmitting and receiving a radio signal via the directional antenna 3, for example, a high-frequency switch, a duplexer, a filter, and a matching circuit , Amplifiers, mixers, oscillators and the like. The first radio circuit unit 21 and the second radio circuit unit 22 are configured to be operable at the same time. In other words, the first radio device 11 and the second radio device 12 are configured to be operable at the same time.

  Both the first radio circuit unit 21 and the second radio circuit unit 22 are connected to a control unit 25 that is a baseband unit, and the control unit 25 is connected to the radio in the first radio circuit unit 21 and the second radio circuit unit 22. Signal transmission and reception can be controlled simultaneously.

  The frequency at which the first radio circuit unit 21 and the second radio circuit unit 22 operate is not particularly limited. In one embodiment, the first radio circuit unit 21 and the second radio circuit unit 22 operate in different frequency bands. It may be configured to operate at close frequencies, or may operate at the same frequency band (however, the operating channels may be different). .)

  Further, the first radio circuit unit 21 and the second radio circuit unit 22 may be operated synchronously or asynchronously. For example, when both the first radio circuit unit 21 and the second radio circuit unit 22 are operated by TDD (Time Division Duplex), the first radio circuit unit 21 and the second radio circuit unit 22 are synchronized to transmit and receive each other. By controlling so that the timing does not overlap, the intra-station interference may be reduced.

  In one embodiment, the 1st radio circuit part 21 and the 2nd radio circuit part 22 can operate independently by a MIMO system or a transmission diversity system. In other words, the control unit 25 can control the first radio circuit unit 21 and the second radio circuit unit 22 to operate individually in the MIMO scheme or the transmission diversity scheme.

  The housing 30 stores the first radio circuit unit 21, the second radio circuit unit 22, and the control unit 25. The housing 30 is not particularly limited. For example, the housing 30 may be made of a dielectric material such as a resin, or a part or the whole of the housing 30 may be made of metal.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of the appearance of the wireless communication device 100 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the wireless communication device 100 includes L-shaped antenna units 1 a, 1 b, 1 c, 2 a, 2 b, and 2 c connected to the outside of the housing 30. The antenna units 1 a, 1 b, 1 c, 2 a, 2 b and 2 c are provided for each directional antenna 3, and from the side connected to the housing 30, the connector unit 6, the rotating unit 5, and the directional antenna A columnar portion 4 is provided to fix 3 to the inside. The antenna units 1 a, 1 b and 1 c belong to the antenna group 1 and incorporate a directional antenna 3 connected to the first radio circuit unit 21. Further, the antenna units 2 a, 2 b and 2 c belong to the antenna group 2 and incorporate the directional antenna 3 connected to the second radio circuit unit 22. Thus, in one embodiment, the antenna units incorporating the directional antennas 3 connected to the same wireless circuit unit are arranged on the same surface of the housing 30. In one embodiment, the antenna unit belonging to the antenna group 1 and the antenna unit belonging to the antenna group 2 are arranged on the mutually facing surfaces of the housing 30.

  In FIG. 2, the rotating unit 5 rotates the directional antenna 3 as indicated by a black line arrow. More specifically, the rotating unit 5 is provided for each directional antenna 3 and rotates the directional antenna 3. Thus, the directionality of the directional antenna 3 can be individually changed by rotating each directional antenna 3 independently. The rotating unit 5 may be manually rotated, or may be provided with a driving unit such as a motor so as to rotate automatically. Moreover, there is no restriction | limiting of rotation amount, For example, you may rotate 360 degrees and you may rotate now in the range of +/- 90 degrees.

  Thus, in this embodiment, since each directional antenna 3 rotates independently, the direction of directivity can be changed with a simple configuration, and can be adjusted according to the installation position, conditions, and the like. Thus, it is possible to easily distribute the optimum directivity.

  The rotation of the directional antenna 3 by the rotating unit 5 is not particularly limited as long as the direction of the directivity (radiation pattern) of the directional antenna 3 is changed. This is because if the direction of directivity of the directional antenna 3 can be individually changed, the intra-station interference can be reduced at least. Further, the rotation of the directional antenna 3 by the rotating unit 5 changes, for example, one or more directions selected from the directional beam (main lobe) direction, the side lobe direction, and the null direction of the directional antenna 3. It is more preferable that the

(Antenna unit)
Next, details of each antenna unit will be described. 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams for explaining an example of the detailed structure of the antenna unit. FIG. 3A shows the appearance of the antenna unit, and FIG. 3B shows the inside of the antenna unit.

  The columnar portion 4 is an antenna radome made of a dielectric material such as a resin, and the directional antenna 3 is fixed therein via a fixing portion 4a. The shape of the columnar part 4 is not particularly limited, and may be a columnar shape, an elliptical columnar shape, or a polygonal columnar shape. Further, the side surface of the columnar portion 4 may be smooth, or may be provided with any unevenness, for example, a groove or ridge extending in the axial direction or circumferential direction, or a spiral groove or ridge. Further, the side surface of the columnar portion 4 may be tapered or tapered toward the tip (the side opposite to the connector portion 6).

  However, only the directivity of the directional antenna 3 can be changed without changing the shape of the antenna unit by making the shape of the columnar part 4 viewed from the front end side of the columnar part 4 circular. In this case, the directivity direction of the directional antenna 3 may be confirmed by marking the surface of the columnar portion 4 by printing or the like.

  The storage unit for storing the directional antenna 3 is not limited to the columnar shape, and a storage unit having another shape may be used instead of the columnar portion 4. Even in such a case, only the directivity of the directional antenna 3 can be changed without changing the shape of the antenna unit by making the shape viewed from the tip side circular. Examples of such a shape include, but are not limited to, a rotating body such as a spherical shape (a solid formed by rotating a plane figure around the central axis).

  In one embodiment, the directional antenna 3 is a patch antenna, and includes a patch antenna element 3a and a ground plane 3b. Then, the power is fed by the coaxial cable 7 electrically or high-frequency connected to the first radio circuit unit 21 or the second radio circuit unit 22 and operates as a radiating element. The coaxial cable 7 includes a signal line 7a connected to the patch antenna element 3a and a ground line 7b connected to the ground surface 3b. For example, the first wireless circuit is connected via the terminal 6a of the connector unit 6. It is connected to a terminal on the side of the casing 30 connected to the unit 21 or the second radio circuit unit 22.

  In FIG. 3, a patch antenna is described as an example of the directional antenna 3. However, any antenna having directivity may be used, for example, a directional antenna combining a dipole antenna and a reflector. May be. Further, although the coaxial cable 7 is shown as a power supply line that supplies power to the directional antenna 3, the present invention is not limited to this, and any power supply line, for example, a microstrip line formed on a substrate may be used. . In addition, the directional antennas 3 included in the wireless communication apparatus 100 do not have to be the same, and may have different configurations and directivities.

  The rotating part 5 is a mechanical element that rotates the columnar part 4 around its central axis 4b. For example, the rotating part 5 may have a structure in which two plates are pivotally attached. By rotating the directional antenna 3 together with the directional antenna 3 fixed inside the columnar section 4 by the rotating section 5, the directional antenna 3 rotates and the directionality of the directional antenna 3 changes. .

  Further, the beam (main lobe) direction of the directional antenna 3 is not limited to this, but is preferably non-parallel to the central axis 4 b of the columnar portion 4. In particular, as shown by the white arrow in FIG. 3, the angle is in the range of 60 ° to 120 °, more preferably in the range of 75 ° to 105 ° with respect to the straight line parallel to the central axis 4b. It is suitable to meet at an angle, particularly preferably at an angle of 90 °. Thereby, the directivity direction of the directional antenna 3 can be suitably changed with the rotation of the columnar portion 4 as shown by the black line arrow in FIG. 3.

  The connector unit 6 is a member that connects the antenna unit to the housing 30. In the antenna unit, the columnar unit 4 is coupled to the connector unit 6 via the rotating unit 5. A terminal 6 a is provided on the side of the connector portion 6 that is connected to the housing 30. It is preferable that the whole connector part 6 is integrally molded.

  In addition, the shape of the connector part 6 is not limited to L shape. By adjusting the curvature of the connector part 6, the attachment angle of the columnar part 4 with respect to the housing | casing 30 can be varied, and the directivity adjustment range of each directional antenna 3 can be varied. The shape of each connector portion 6 may be the same as or different from each other. By selecting the shape of each connector portion 6 in this way, it is possible to realize adjustment of the directivity of the directional antenna 3 within a desired adjustment range.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the connector portion 6 includes a mechanically movable hinge structure (movable portion) 6b, and the mounting angle of the columnar portion 4 or the directional antenna 3 with respect to the housing 30 is movable. May be. With this configuration, the directivity adjustment range of the directional antenna 3 can be further expanded, and more free adjustment can be realized with a plurality of axes.

  Thus, each antenna unit with which the radio | wireless communication apparatus 100 is provided does not need to be the same, Each may have a mutually different structure.

(Effect of this embodiment)
According to the present embodiment, all the directional antennas 3 can be rotated independently, thereby being connected to the same radio circuit unit (first radio circuit unit 21 or second radio circuit unit 22). It is possible to individually adjust the direction of the beam (main lobe) of the directional antenna 3. Here, since the main lobe (main lobe) has a certain width (angle), the direction of the beam (main lobe) of the directional antenna 3 connected to the same radio circuit unit is individually adjusted. Thus, it is possible to direct nulls to other antennas without significantly reducing the gain in the direction of the base station. In other words, the beam (main lobe) of the directional antenna 3 connected to the first radio circuit unit 21 is connected to the second radio circuit unit 22 while generally directing the beam (main lobe) toward the base station serving as the communication partner. It is possible to direct a null (a direction in which the beam does not point) in the direction of the directional antenna 3 that is present. Similarly, the beam (main lobe) of the directional antenna 3 connected to the second radio circuit unit 22 is connected to the first radio circuit unit 21 while generally directing the beam (main lobe) toward the base station serving as the communication partner. It is possible to direct a null toward the directional antenna 3 that is being operated. This will be described in detail below with an example.

  FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining the state of intra-station interference. FIG. 9A is a diagram illustrating an example of the radiation pattern 8 of the single directional antenna 3. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the directional antenna 3 has a radiation pattern 8 having a beam (main lobe) direction A, a null direction B, and a side lobe direction C. 9B, all the beams (main lobes) of the directional antennas 3 belonging to the antenna group 1 are directed toward the base station direction D1 that is the communication counterpart of the first radio circuit unit 21, and the directivity belonging to the antenna group 2 is shown. The state of the intra-station interference when all the beams (main lobes) of the directional antenna 3 are directed toward the base station direction D2 as the communication counterpart of the second radio circuit unit 22 is shown. As shown in FIG. 9B, when many directional antennas 3 having the same directivity are arranged in each antenna group (antenna groups connected to the same radio circuit unit), one antenna is arranged. The side lobe direction of the radiation pattern 8 of the directional antenna 3 belonging to the group is directed to the directional antenna 3 belonging to the other antenna group, and as a result, intra-station interference (interference in the same apparatus) may occur (E1 to E1). E4).

  Here, the power input from the directional antenna 3 connected to a different wireless communication circuit (for example, input from the lower right directional antenna 3 to the upper left directional antenna 3 at E1 in FIG. 9B). Power) will appear as unnecessary power (noise). In order to perform high-quality communication, it is important how high power a desired signal can be received from the noise floor. Therefore, when the noise floor is increased, it is necessary to receive a (desired) signal at a higher level in order to realize the same quality communication (throughput or the like). Therefore, when interference occurs, problems such as a reduction in communication distance occur, and communication quality deteriorates.

  As described above, in a wireless communication apparatus that includes a plurality of radio circuit units that can operate simultaneously and has a plurality of directional antennas connected to each radio circuit unit, the directional antennas connected to the same radio circuit unit It is difficult to arrange the directivity between all the directional antennas in the null direction only by directing the directivity in the base station direction without adjusting the directivity independently. In particular, when a plurality of directional antennas are directed in the same direction (base station direction) in order to perform MIMO or transmission diversity communication, interference may increase and reception sensitivity may be significantly degraded. For example, when 3 × 3 MIMO communication is performed, there are three transmission and reception antennas, respectively. Therefore, 3 × 3 (= 9) times more noise is received in the reception circuit than one-to-one communication. The effect will be greater.

  On the other hand, as long as it is configured so that the directivity of the directional antenna 3 connected to the same wireless circuit unit can be independently adjusted like the wireless communication device 100 according to the present embodiment. 9C, the null direction of the radiation pattern 8 of the directional antenna 3 belonging to one antenna group is directed to the directional antenna 3 belonging to the other antenna group, so that intra-station interference Can be easily avoided.

  That is, according to the present embodiment, the directivity of the directional antenna 3 connected to each wireless circuit unit is generally directed toward the communication partner, and in the direction of the directional antenna 3 connected to another wireless communication device. Null can be directed, and intra-station interference can be greatly reduced. As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to facilitate the avoidance of the intra-station interference in the radio communication apparatus 100, and to provide a radio communication apparatus capable of ensuring good communication quality with small intra-station interference. it can.

  Here, when the radio circuit units (the first radio circuit unit 21 and the second radio circuit unit 22) included in the radio communication apparatus 100 operate at close frequencies, the radio circuit units operate in the same frequency band. However, when operating in the MIMO scheme or the transmission diversity scheme, the degradation of communication quality due to the influence of the interference within the local station becomes significant, but according to the present embodiment, it is easy to avoid the interference within the local station Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in communication quality. Further, even when the wireless circuit unit included in the wireless communication device 100 does not operate at a close frequency, the communication quality deteriorates due to the influence of the interference within the local station due to harmonics, noise, etc. However, according to the present embodiment, such a decrease in communication quality can be suppressed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the directional antenna 3 (antenna group 1) connected to the first radio circuit unit 21 is connected to the directional antenna 3 (antenna group 2) connected to the second radio circuit unit 22. In contrast, even in the case of being arranged on the opposite side across the housing 30, as shown in FIG.

  The arrangement relationship between the antenna groups is not limited to that arranged on the opposite side surface of the housing 30. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, it may be disposed on adjacent side surfaces of the housing 30. According to the arrangement of FIG. 10, the antenna group 1 (antenna units 1a, 1b and 1c) and the antenna group 2 (antenna units 2a, 2b and 2c) can be oriented 90 degrees different from each other. It is possible to reduce the interference within the local station. Further, the shape of the housing 30 is not limited to a rectangle, but may be a circle, another polygon such as a triangle, or a non-axisymmetric shape.

  In particular, the appearance (design) of the wireless communication device 100 is changed by changing the direction of the directivity of the directional antenna 3 by rotating the columnar portion 4 around the central axis 4b. In addition, the direction of the directivity of each directional antenna 3 can be changed, and even when the wireless communication apparatus 100 includes a large number of directional antennas 3, the directivity of each directional antenna 3 can be adjusted. In addition, the directivity antennas 3 can be prevented from physically interfering with each other, and can be adjusted to a desired directivity successfully.

(Direction adjustment variation)
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a variation of directivity adjustment in the wireless communication apparatus 100. In FIG. 4, white arrows indicate the directivity of the directional antenna 3 included in each antenna unit. In one aspect, as shown to (a)-(c) of FIG. 4, the antenna unit provided with the directional antenna 3 connected to the same radio | wireless circuit part is made into 1 set (namely, antenna unit 1a, 1b). And 1c and antenna units 2a, 2b and 2c), the orientation can be adjusted. In this case, each directional antenna 3 may be used alone, may be used for radio communication by the MIMO scheme or the transmission diversity scheme, or may be used for radio communication by the beam forming scheme. In another aspect, as shown in the antenna group 2 in FIG. 4D, a wide area can be secured by adjusting each directional antenna 3 to have directivity in different directions. May be. Furthermore, two directional antennas 3 out of the three included in each of the antenna groups 1 and 2 may be used for radio communication in the MIMO scheme or the transmission diversity scheme. In this case, the remaining one directional antenna 3 may or may not be used for diversity. In any case, as described above, it is preferable to avoid intra-station interference by individually adjusting the directivities of the directional antennas 3 connected to the same radio circuit unit.

  In the present embodiment, the installation method of the wireless communication device 100 is not particularly limited. For example, when the wireless communication device 100 is installed, each directional antenna 3 is set so that the throughput in wireless communication is maximized or the area is maximized. It is preferable to adjust the direction of the following, and examples thereof include the following installation method 1 and installation method 2. Only one of the following installation method 1 and installation method 2 may be used, or may be used in combination. In any installation method, the wireless communication device 100 wirelessly changes when the rotation angle of each directional antenna 3 connected to the same wireless circuit unit is independently changed in the environment where the wireless communication device 100 is installed. An evaluation step for estimating or measuring communication quality, and a setting step for individually setting the rotation angle at the time of installation of each directional antenna 3 of the wireless communication device 100 with reference to the wireless communication quality estimated or measured in the evaluation step And an installation step of installing the radio communication device 100 so that the rotation angle of each directional antenna 3 of the radio communication device 100 becomes the rotation angle at the time of installation set in the setting step.

(Installation method 1)
FIG. 11A is a flowchart for explaining an example of the installation method (installation method 1) of the wireless communication apparatus 100. The installation method 1 is a method of calculating the rotation angle (direction) of the directional antenna 3 installed in advance before arrival at the installation site.

  First, information (installation environment information) indicating the environment (for example, wall, ceiling, floor, etc.) of the place where the wireless communication device 100 is installed is input to the simulation tool (step S1). For example, on the simulation tool, a block (such as material selection) such as a wall and a door is arranged on the floor map. As the simulation tool, for example, a known simulation tool for radio wave propagation such as AirMagnet (http://www.toyo.co.jp/airmagnet/d_airmagnet_pn.html) can be suitably used.

  Subsequently, an optimal antenna direction is calculated by simulation. For example, on the simulation tool, the beam pattern of the directional antenna 3 is further arranged on the floor map on which the shielding object is arranged, and the rotation angle (orientation) of the directional antenna 3 is changed while the wireless communication throughput is changed. Radio communication quality such as RSCP (Received Signal Code Power), RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator), and coverage area is estimated by calculation (step S2, evaluation step). Then, the rotation angle (direction) of the directional antenna 3 is changed so as to maximize the calculated value of the wireless communication quality, and the optimum rotation angle (rotation angle at the time of installation) of the directional antenna 3 is set ( Step S3, setting step). At this time, by independently changing the rotation angle of each directional antenna 3 connected to the same radio circuit unit and individually setting the rotation angle of each directional antenna 3, for the reasons described above, It is possible to set a more preferable rotation angle of the directional antenna 3 in which interference is suppressed and wireless communication quality is high.

  In particular, by calculating a numerical value corresponding to the signal level of the channel frequency to be used, such as RSCP or RSSI, as the wireless communication quality, it is possible to calculate the noise level in addition to the carrier signal. Intra-station interference can be further suppressed. In the simulation, not only the rotation angle of each directional antenna 3 but also the throughput, area, etc. when the modulation method is changed may be calculated.

  Then, the wireless communication device 100 is installed by adjusting the rotation angle of each directional antenna 3 to the value set in step S3 (step S4, installation process). In this installation method, the accuracy changes depending on the degree of completion of the simulation tool itself and how much the actual environment and the simulation environment can be made the same.

(Installation method 2)
FIG. 11B is a flowchart for explaining another example (installation method 2) of the installation method of the wireless communication apparatus 100. The installation method 2 is a method of adjusting the rotation angle of the directional antenna 3 installed at the installation site.

  First, the wireless communication device 100 is temporarily installed at the actual installation site (step S11), the rotation angle (direction) of the directional antenna 3 is rotated, and wireless communication quality such as RSSI or RSCP is transmitted from the wireless communication device 100. Is displayed or output (step S12, evaluation step). Then, the rotation angle of each directional antenna 3 is individually set so as to maximize the throughput and the like (step S13, setting step). At this time, similarly to the installation method 1, by changing the rotation angle of each directional antenna 3 connected to the same radio circuit unit independently, and setting the rotation angle of each directional antenna 3 individually, For the reasons described above, it is possible to set a more preferable rotation angle of the directional antenna 3 in which the intra-station interference is suppressed and the wireless communication quality is high. Then, the wireless communication device 100 is installed in a real manner by adjusting the rotation angle of each directional antenna 3 to the value set in step S13 (step S4, installation process).

  In step S12, the wireless communication device 100 may be provided with a display unit so that throughput information is displayed on the display unit. The wireless communication device 100 may use wired or wireless information communication (transmission) means. Thus, information such as throughput may be transferred to a display device other than the wireless communication device 100. Examples of wired means include a LAN cable and USB. Examples of wireless means include WiFi (registered trademark), Z-Wave, Wi-SUN, and ZigBee (registered trademark). In the case of wireless means, the first wireless device 11, the second wireless device 12, or any directional antenna 3 may be used, and other configurations may be provided. The display device other than the wireless communication device 100 is not particularly limited, and a smartphone, a personal computer, or the like can be used. Further, in step S12, when a threshold value such as a target throughput is exceeded, the wireless communication device 100 or an output device other than the wireless communication device 100 may output and notify the sound.

[Embodiment 2]
FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating an example of an appearance of the wireless communication apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the connector unit 6 is linear, and the antenna units 1a, 1b, 1c, 2a, 2b, and 2c have a straight (straight) shape. By changing the shape of the connector part 6 in this way, the mounting angle of the columnar part 4 with respect to the housing 30 can be made different from that of the first embodiment, and the directivity adjustment range of each directional antenna 3 can be made different. it can.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a variation of directivity adjustment in the wireless communication apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 7, white arrows indicate the directivity of the directional antenna 3 included in each antenna unit. As in the first embodiment, the orientation is adjusted by setting a pair of antenna units each including the directional antenna 3 connected to the same wireless circuit unit, and each directional antenna 3 is singly or in whole or in part. May be used for radio communication in the MIMO system, transmission diversity system, or beam forming system (FIGS. 7A to 7E), and each directional antenna 3 has directivity in different directions. By adjusting as described above, a wide area may be secured ((f) in FIG. 7). In the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, it is preferable to avoid intra-station interference by individually adjusting the directivities of the directional antennas 3 connected to the same radio circuit unit.

[Embodiment 3]
As still another embodiment (Embodiment 3) of the present invention, a technique for further changing the range in which the directivity of each directional antenna 3 can be adjusted will be described. In the third embodiment, the wireless communication apparatus 100 includes both the linear antenna unit described in the first embodiment and the L-shaped antenna unit described in the second embodiment. In other words, the connector portion 6 connected to the housing 30 may include a plurality of types of connector portions 6 that make the attachment angles of the columnar portions 4 to the housing 30 different from each other. FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating an example of the appearance of the wireless communication apparatus 100 according to the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8A, the antenna units including the directional antennas 3 connected to the same wireless circuit unit may have the same shape, or as shown in FIG. As described above, the antenna units including the directional antennas 3 connected to the same wireless circuit unit may have different shapes. With the above configuration, the range in which the directivity of each directional antenna 3 can be adjusted can be set as desired. In particular, this is effective in securing a wide area by disaggregating the directivity of the directional antenna 3 connected to the same radio circuit unit. Further, by combining the straight antenna unit and the L-shaped antenna unit, the polarizations of the directional antennas 3 can be orthogonalized, and it is possible to further suppress the intra-station interference.

[Summary]
A wireless communication device (100) according to aspect 1 of the present invention includes a plurality of wireless circuit units (a first wireless circuit unit 21 and a second wireless circuit unit 22) that can operate simultaneously, and a plurality of wireless circuit units connected to each wireless circuit unit. A directional antenna (3) that is provided, and a rotating unit (5) that is provided for each directional antenna and rotates the directional antenna so as to change the direction of the directional antenna. ing.

  According to the above configuration, in a wireless communication apparatus that includes a plurality of radio circuit units that can operate simultaneously and has a plurality of directional antennas connected to each radio circuit unit, the directivity connected to the same radio circuit unit Since the directivity of the directional antenna can be adjusted independently, it is possible to facilitate the avoidance of the intra-station interference.

  In the wireless communication device according to aspect 2 of the present invention, in the aspect 1, the plurality of wireless circuit units may operate in the same frequency band. In addition, in the wireless communication device according to aspect 3 of the present invention, in each of the above aspects 1 or 2, each wireless circuit unit may be operable in a MIMO scheme or a transmission diversity scheme.

  According to the above configuration, the communication quality is significantly reduced due to the influence of the intra-station interference. However, according to the present invention, the avoidance of the intra-station interference can be facilitated. be able to.

  A wireless communication device according to aspect 4 of the present invention is the movable unit (hinge) that is provided for each of the directional antennas and adjusts the attachment angle of the directional antenna with respect to the housing of the wireless communication device. It may further comprise a structure 6b).

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to further expand the directivity adjustment range of the directional antenna 3 and realize more free adjustment.

  The wireless communication device according to aspect 5 of the present invention is the wireless communication apparatus according to aspects 1 to 4, further including a columnar portion (4) provided for each of the directional antennas, and fixing the directional antenna therein. May rotate the directional antenna by rotating the columnar portion around the central axis of the columnar portion.

  According to the above configuration, the directivity direction of each directional antenna can be changed without changing the appearance (design) of the wireless communication device, and the wireless communication device includes a plurality of directional antennas. However, when adjusting the directivities of the directional antennas, it is possible to avoid the physical interference between the directional antennas and to adjust the directivity successfully to the desired directivity.

  In the wireless communication device according to aspect 6 of the present invention, in the aspect 5, the main lobe direction of the directional antenna intersects with a straight line parallel to the central axis of the columnar part at an angle of 60 ° to 120 °. It may be.

  According to said structure, the directionality of a directional antenna can be changed suitably by rotation of a columnar part.

  A wireless communication device according to aspect 7 of the present invention includes the housing (30) that stores the plurality of wireless circuit units in the aspect 5 or 6, and the directional antenna and the directional antenna are fixed. An antenna unit (1a, 1b, 1c, 2a, 2b, 2c) is configured by the columnar portion and the rotating portion that rotates the columnar portion, and the antenna unit is mounted on the casing. A connector part (6) to be connected is further provided, and in the antenna unit, the columnar part may be connected to the connector part via the rotating part.

  According to said structure, the said radio | wireless communication apparatus can be implement | achieved suitably. In particular, by selecting the shape of the connector portion of the antenna unit connected to the housing, the directivity adjustment range of the directional antenna can be set to a desired range.

  The wireless communication device according to aspect 8 of the present invention is the wireless communication apparatus according to aspect 7, in which the connector part connected to the housing has a plurality of types of connector parts that have different attachment angles of the columnar part to the housing. May be included.

  According to said structure, the adjustment range of the directivity of a directional antenna can be made into a desired range. In particular, this is effective in securing a wide area by separating the directivities of the directional antennas connected to the same radio circuit unit.

  In the wireless communication device according to aspect 9 of the present invention, in the aspect 7 or 8, the plurality of wireless circuit units include a first wireless circuit unit (21) and a second wireless circuit unit (22). The directional antenna connected to the first radio circuit unit may be disposed on the opposite side of the casing with respect to the directional antenna connected to the second radio circuit unit. .

  According to the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 9, interference within the local station can occur, but according to the present invention, avoidance of such interference within the local station can be facilitated.

  A wireless communication device installation method according to aspect 10 of the present invention is the wireless communication device installation method according to aspects 1 to 9, and is connected to the same wireless circuit unit in an environment in which the wireless communication device is installed. Refer to the evaluation step of measuring or estimating the wireless communication quality of the wireless communication device when the rotation angle of each directional antenna is independently changed, and the wireless communication quality measured or estimated in the evaluation step A setting step for individually setting a rotation angle at the time of installation of each directional antenna of the wireless communication device, and the installation in which the rotation angle of each directional antenna of the wireless communication device is set in the setting step And an installation step of installing the wireless communication device so as to obtain a rotation angle at the time.

  According to the above configuration, the wireless communication quality of the wireless communication device when the rotation angle of each directional antenna connected to the same wireless circuit unit is independently changed in the environment where the wireless communication device is installed. Depending on the measured or estimated results, the rotation angle at the time of installation of each directional antenna of the wireless communication device is individually set, so that interference within the local station is suppressed and the wireless communication device is installed with high wireless communication quality. can do.

1, 2: antenna group, 1a, 1b, 1c, 2a, 2b, 2c: antenna unit, 3: directional antenna, 4: columnar part, 5: rotating part, 6: connector part, 6b: hinge structure (movable part) ), 7: coaxial cable, 8: radiation pattern (A: beam direction, B: null direction, C: sidelobe direction), 21: first radio circuit unit, 22: second radio circuit unit, 30: housing, 100: Wireless communication device

Claims (5)

A plurality of radio circuit units operable simultaneously;
A plurality of directional antennas connected to each radio circuit unit;
A wireless communication apparatus, comprising: a rotating unit that is provided for each directional antenna and rotates the directional antenna so as to change a directionality of the directional antenna.   The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of wireless circuit units operate in the same frequency band.   The wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each wireless circuit unit is operable by a MIMO system or a transmission diversity system.   The movable part which is provided for every said directional antenna and adjusts the attachment angle with respect to the housing | casing of the said radio | wireless communication apparatus of the said directional antenna is further provided. A wireless communication device according to 1. A method of installing a wireless communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Measure or estimate the wireless communication quality of the wireless communication device when the rotation angle of each directional antenna connected to the same wireless circuit unit is independently changed in the environment where the wireless communication device is installed An evaluation process;
Referring to the wireless communication quality measured or estimated in the evaluation step, a setting step for individually setting the rotation angle at the time of installation of each directional antenna of the wireless communication device;
An installation step of installing the wireless communication device so that the rotation angle of each directional antenna of the wireless communication device is the rotation angle at the time of installation set in the setting step. Installation method.

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