阅读说明：本技术 通信设备、通信控制方法和计算机程序 (Communication apparatus, communication control method, and computer program ) 是由 高野裕昭 于 2018-05-10 设计创作，主要内容包括：[问题]提供一种通信设备,该通信设备在执行定向波束的通信时可以有效地使用资源。[解决方案]提供了一种通信设备,该通信设备包括控制单元,该控制单元对于包括多个定向波束的每个波束组,改变定向波束的扫描的设置,其中,控制单元根据所述波束组覆盖的范围的状况来调整构成每个波束组的定向波束的扫描的设置。([ problem ] to provide a communication device that can efficiently use resources when performing directional beam communication. [ solution ] Provided is a communication device including a control unit that changes, for each beam group including a plurality of directional beams, the setting of scanning of the directional beams, wherein the control unit adjusts the setting of scanning of the directional beams constituting each beam group according to the condition of the range covered by the beam group.)

1. A communication device, comprising:

a control unit configured to change settings of scanning of directional beams between beam groups, each beam group comprising a plurality of directional beams,

wherein the control unit adjusts the setting of the scanning of the directional beams in each beam group according to the state of the range covered by the beam group.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit sets the number of directional beams in a beam group to the setting.

3. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit sets a period of scanning of the beam group to the setting.

4. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit sets the output power from a directional beam in a beam group as the setting.

5. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the communication device to transmit information associated with a beam group.

6. The communication device according to claim 5, wherein the control unit causes the communication device to transmit information associated with a period of scanning as the information associated with the beam group.

7. The communication device according to claim 5, wherein the control unit causes the communication device to transmit information on a beam group to be observed by a terminal device configured to receive a directional beam as the information associated with the beam group.

8. The communication device according to claim 7, wherein the control unit includes information on a base station configured to output a directional beam in the information on the beam group to be observed.

9. The communication device according to claim 7, wherein the control unit includes information associated with a characteristic of the terminal device in the information on the beam group to be observed.

10. The communication device according to claim 9, wherein the control unit includes information associated with a moving state of the terminal device in the information associated with the characteristic of the terminal device.

11. The communication device according to claim 5, wherein the control unit causes the communication device to transmit, as the information associated with the beam group, information associated with evaluation of the beam group by a terminal device configured to receive a directional beam.

12. The communication device of claim 5, wherein the control unit causes the communication device to transmit information associated with a beam group once per a predetermined plurality of scans.

13. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the beam group comprises a plurality of directional beams in directions adjacent to each other.

14. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the beam group comprises directional beams from a plurality of base stations.

15. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the communication device is included in a base station.

16. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the communication device is provided to a terminal configured to wirelessly communicate with the base station using a directional beam.

17. A communication control method, comprising:

changing, by a processor, settings of a scan of directional beams between beam groups, each beam group including a plurality of directional beams; and

adjusting, by the processor, settings of the scanning of the directional beams in each beam group according to a state of a range covered by the beam group.

18. A computer program for causing a computer to execute:

changing a setting of a scan of directional beams between beam groups, each beam group including a plurality of directional beams; and

the settings of the scanning of the directional beams in each beam group are adjusted according to the state of the range covered by the beam group.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a communication apparatus, a communication control method, and a computer program.

Background

In 3GPP (third generation partnership project), various techniques for increasing the capacity of cellular systems have been currently studied in order to accommodate the explosively increasing traffic. For example, patent document 1 discloses a technique that has an object to make it possible to achieve better reception quality in the case of performing transmission with a directional beam.

Reference list

Patent document

Patent document 1: WO2016/121252A

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem

It is desirable to efficiently use resources when performing transmission with directional beams.

In view of this, the present disclosure proposes a novel and enhanced communication apparatus, communication control method, and computer program capable of effectively using resources in the case of performing transmission with directional beams.

Solution to the problem

According to the present disclosure, there is provided a communication apparatus including: a control unit configured to change settings of scanning of directional beams between beam groups, each beam group including a plurality of directional beams, wherein the control unit adjusts the settings of scanning of directional beams in each beam group according to a state of a range covered by the beam group.

Further, according to the present disclosure, there is provided a communication control method including: changing, by a processor, settings of a scan of directional beams between beam groups, each beam group including a plurality of directional beams; and adjusting, by the processor, settings of the scanning of the directional beams in each beam group according to a state of a range covered by the beam group.

Further, according to the present disclosure, there is provided a computer program for causing a computer to execute: changing a setting of a scan of directional beams between beam groups, each beam group including a plurality of directional beams; and adjusting the settings of the scanning of the directional beams in each beam group according to the state of the range covered by the beam group.

Advantageous effects of the invention

As described above, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a novel and enhanced communication apparatus, communication control method, and computer program capable of effectively using resources in the case of performing transmission with a directional beam.

Note that the above-described effects are not necessarily limited, and any of the effects described herein or other effects that can be grasped from the present specification may be provided in addition to or instead of the above-described effects.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an example of a base station in the case where only digital elements are used as antenna weights in beamforming.

Fig. 2 is an example of a base station in case of beamforming including phase shifters of analog units.

Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of beam scanning using a coarse beam.

Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of beam scanning using accurate beams.

Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a coarse beam.

Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of coarse beam generation including bundling of accurate beams.

Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a case where a plurality of base stations exist around a terminal.

Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of DL beam scanning processing of the base station and the terminal.

Fig. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of the base station 100 according to the embodiment.

Fig. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of the terminal device 200 according to the embodiment.

Fig. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a base station 100 that forms groups each including a plurality of beams.

Fig. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing base stations 100a and 100b forming groups each including a plurality of beams.

Fig. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the timing of beam scanning by the base station 100.

Fig. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing beam scanning of the base station 100.

Fig. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing beam scanning by the base station 100.

Fig. 17 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the base station 100 and the terminal apparatus 200 according to the embodiment.

Fig. 18 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the base stations 100a and 100b and the terminal apparatus 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 19 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the base station 100 and the terminal apparatus 200 according to the embodiment.

Fig. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the beam group system information providing mode of the base station 100.

Fig. 21 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the beam group system information providing mode of the base station 100.

Fig. 22 is a block diagram illustrating a first example of a schematic configuration of an eNB to which the technology according to the present disclosure may be applied.

Fig. 23 is a block diagram illustrating a second example of a schematic configuration of an eNB to which the technology according to the present disclosure may be applied.

Fig. 24 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a smartphone 900 to which the technology according to the present disclosure may be applied.

Fig. 25 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a car navigation device 920 to which the technique according to the present disclosure can be applied.

Detailed Description

Now, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that in this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and thus overlapping description is omitted.

Note that the following items are described in order.

1. Embodiments of the present disclosure

1.1, background

1.2, configuration example and operation example

2. Application example

3. Conclusion

<1, examples of the present disclosure >

[1.1, background ]

Before describing embodiments of the present disclosure in detail, a background of the embodiments of the present disclosure is described.

(codebook-based beams)

As described above, in 3GPP (third generation partnership project), various techniques for increasing the capacity of a cellular system have been currently studied in order to accommodate the explosively increased traffic. With respect to future wireless communication systems (5G) that have been studied in 3GPP, it is unlikely that a mechanism can be provided to steplessly change the beam transmitted by the base station to recreate the beam that follows the terminal. This is because the computational cost for recreating a new beam is incurred. In addition, in FD-MIMO in 3GPP Rel 13, a method has been adopted which creates beams transmitted by a base station in each direction in advance, and selects a beam required by a terminal from the pre-created beams to provide the beam. Such beams are referred to as "codebook-based beamforming". In order to prepare a beam for each angle from 0 ° to 360 ° in the horizontal direction, 360 types of beams are required. In the case where the beams overlap each other by half, 720 beams (which are twice as many as 360) are satisfactorily used as the codebook-based beams in the horizontal direction. In addition, in the case of preparing beams overlapping with each other by half for each angle from 0 ° to 180 ° in the vertical direction, 360 beams may cover an angle of 180 ° from-90 ° to +90 ° with the horizontal direction being 0 °.

(desirability of Beam Association)

In the future, a very large number of antenna elements, for example 256 (frequency band: 30GHz) or 1000 (frequency band: 70GHz) antenna elements, can be installed on a base station. When the number of antenna elements is increased in this way, a very sharp beam can be created by using the beamforming process of the antenna. For example, a very sharp beam with a half-value width (minimum angle indicating a gain drop of 3 dB) of 1 ° or less may be provided from the base station to the terminal.

In order to establish communication between a base station and a terminal, it is necessary to determine which beam is to be used in the base station. In the case of Downlink (DL) communication, it is necessary to determine a DL beam to be provided by a base station. Further, in the case of Uplink (UL) communication, it is necessary to determine an UL beam to be used in reception by the base station. The UL beam as the latter does not mean that the base station transmits radio waves, but means that an antenna that allows the base station to receive radio waves has directivity as a beam.

(Beam scanning)

By scanning a plurality of beam candidates from the base station (beam scanning), a terminal observing the beam candidates can determine a beam which the terminal easily receives among beams which can be used by the base station. Meanwhile, when the terminal transmits a UL RS (reference signal) and the base station receives the RS while performing beam scanning, the base station may determine a best reception beam for receiving a signal from the terminal.

(resources for performing beamforming)

Fig. 1 is an example of a base station in the case where only digital elements are used as antenna weights in beamforming. The configuration as described above in which only digital elements are used as antenna weights in beamforming is referred to as an "all-digital antenna architecture". In the case of an all-digital antenna architecture, as many different resources as beams are required when Tx scanning (transmit scanning) is performed. Meanwhile, when Rx scanning (reception scanning) is performed, all beams can be simultaneously received in one resource. Thus, in an all-digital antenna architecture, the amount of resources in the receive scan may be small. That is, when the all-digital reception scan is performed in the base station, the terminal only needs to transmit UL RS (resource signal) corresponding to one resource, and thus consumes little power. As used herein, "resource" refers to orthogonal resources using frequency or time. For example, a resource block or resource element of LTE corresponds to a "resource" as used herein.

Fig. 2 is an example of a base station in case of beamforming including phase shifters of analog units. The configuration of phase shifters including analog elements in beamforming is referred to as a "digital-to-analog hybrid antenna architecture". The digital-analog hybrid antenna architecture in fig. 2 includes a smaller number of digital units, each of which is hardware, and thus is advantageous in terms of cost. However, in the hybrid antenna architecture, the phase shifters connected to the antennas can transmit beams in only one direction, and as a result, as many resources as the number of beams are required in the transmission scan and the reception scan. This means that in order to perform reception scanning of the base station, the terminal is required to transmit UL RSs to all resources corresponding to the number of beams. Therefore, the terminal consumes a large amount of power.

In view of the practical use case, it is assumed that the hybrid architecture shown in fig. 2 is used. Therefore, it is important how to overcome the drawback of the hybrid architecture, i.e. different beams require different frequency or time resources.

(efficiency of Beam scanning)

If beams of each angle from 0 ° to 360 ° in the horizontal direction are prepared and beam scanning is performed using 360 resources to evaluate the beams one by one, the process takes a long time, the number of required resources is large, and the terminal consumes a large amount of power. The following techniques are therefore conceivable: the base station creates a coarse beam every 10 °, finds the best beam from among beams having a resolution of 10 ° by using 36 resources, and thereafter performs beam scanning using the accurate beam of each angle in the range of 10 °, thereby finding the best beam. In this case, the base station may determine the best beam by using 46 resources, which is 36+10, and thus may greatly reduce the number of resources from 360 to 46. Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of beam scanning using a coarse beam. Further, fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of beam scanning using accurate beams. The base station may bundle multiple exact beams to use the exact beams simultaneously, treating the exact beams as coarse beams. In that case, for example, a plurality of (e.g., three) adjacent exact beams are used simultaneously as the rough beam. The base station may provide a bundle of three exact beams as shown in fig. 6 to create the coarse beam shown in fig. 5. The three beams in fig. 6 transmitted at the same time and the same frequency may implement a coarse beam similar to that in fig. 5.

(Beam scanning from multiple base stations)

In the case where a plurality of base stations exist around the terminal, it is necessary to determine the transmission beams and the reception beams of the plurality of base stations for the terminal. Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a case where a plurality of base stations exist around a terminal. In the example shown in fig. 7, the beams optimal for the terminal 10 are the beam 2a of the base station 1a, the beam 2b of the base station 1b, and the beam 2c of the base station 1 c. As a method of determining the optimal beam, the following methods are conceivable: among the plurality of base stations 1a to 1c, the base station closest to the terminal 10 or the master base station finally determines the best beam based on the information from the terminal 10 and indicates the other base stations. In this case, a certain base station is required to determine the transmission beams and the reception beams of a plurality of base stations, thus increasing the burden on the terminal.

(Channel Reciprocity)

"channel reciprocity" means that the UL channel and the DL channel between the base station and the terminal are the same. In a TDD (time division duplex) system, since the same frequency band is used for UL and DL, channel reciprocity of UL and DL is substantially maintained. However, calibration operations need to be performed so that the analog units of the base station and the terminal have the same TX/RX characteristics, thereby maintaining reciprocity in both channels to the analog units of the space and the terminal.

When the terminal selects a DL beam from the base station and notifies the base station of the number of the beam while maintaining channel reciprocity, it is possible to determine an UL beam to be used by the base station without performing an operation of reception scanning. The combination of the coarse beam and the accurate beam described in the above section (beam scanning efficiency) is performed as follows.

(DL beam scanning processing)

Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of DL beam scanning processing of the base station and the terminal. First, the base station performs transmission scanning using a coarse beam for the terminal (step S11). The transmission scan is performed using a scan pattern specific to the base station. In other words, the transmission scan is base station specific or cell specific.

The terminal reports to the base station the number of the coarse beam desired by the terminal in question (step S12). For example, the terminal determines a desired coarse beam based on whether the beam has a maximum received power.

When the base station receives the report of the number of the coarse beam from the terminal, the base station performs transmission scanning using the accurate beam corresponding to the coarse beam (step S13). The transmission scan at this time may employ a terminal-specific scan pattern specifically prepared for the terminal. Alternatively, a scanning pattern common to all terminals may be prepared, and the base station may notify each terminal of a section to be monitored. In the former case, the transmission scan pattern itself is terminal-specific (UE-specific). In the latter case, it can be said that the setting of the transmission scan mode is terminal-specific (UE-specific).

The terminal reports to the base station the number of the exact beam desired by the terminal in question (step S14). For example, the terminal determines the exact beam desired based on whether the beam has the maximum received power.

When the base station receives the report of the number of the accurate beam from the terminal, the base station transmits DL user data to the terminal by using the accurate beam (step S15). Then, the base station receives UL user data from the terminal using the same accurate beam as that used for transmission, assuming that channel reciprocity is maintained (step S16).

(CQI (channel quality information) acquisition)

When the above beam scanning process has been completed, the optimal transmission beam of the base station used between the base station and the terminal can be determined. DL CQI acquisition is grasping channel quality and interference status when using the determined transmission beam. The terminal needs DL CQI acquisition to inform the base station of a modulation method and a coding rate that the terminal wants the base station to use in DL data transmission by using feedback using UL called "CQI (channel quality indicator) feedback". This feedback is performed as follows: the base station transmits a DL reference signal for DL CQI acquisition to the terminal, and the terminal receives the DL reference signal for DL CQI acquisition to evaluate a channel state. In this way, the terminal can determine a desired CQI (combination of modulation method and coding rate).

As described above, it is necessary for the base station to first determine a desired transmission beam in the beam scanning process, and for the terminal to determine CQI in the CQI acquisition process and to notify the base station of the CQI as CQI feedback.

When a base station configured to perform the beam scanning process as described above has no specific target terminal and provides a coarse beam uniformly in all directions, the base station wastes resources. Therefore, further reduction of resources needs to be achieved.

In view of the above points, the present disclosure has intensively studied on a technique that can further reduce resources used in performing beam scanning processing. As a result, the present disclosure has devised a technique that can further reduce the resources used in performing the beam scanning process, which will be described later.

[1.2, configuration example, and operation example ]

First, with reference to the drawings, a schematic configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is described. Fig. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to fig. 9, a system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a base station 100 and a terminal apparatus 200. For example, the system 1 is a system compliant with LTE, LTE-advanced or fifth generation mobile communication system (5G), or a communication standard equivalent thereto.

(base station 100)

The base station 100 performs wireless communication with the terminal device 200. For example, the base station 100 performs wireless communication with the terminal apparatus 200 located in the cell 101 of the base station 100.

Specifically, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the base station 100 performs beamforming. For example, the beamforming in question is large-scale (large-scale) MIMO beamforming. The beamforming in question may also be referred to as "massive (massive) MIMO beamforming", "free-dimension MIMO beamforming" or "three-dimensional beamforming". Specifically, for example, the base station 100 includes directional antennas that can be used in massive MIMO, and multiplies the weights set for the directional antennas in question by transmission signals, thereby performing massive MIMO beamforming.

(terminal device 200)

The terminal device 200 performs wireless communication with the base station 100. For example, the terminal apparatus 200 performs wireless communication with the base station 100 while being located in the cell 101 of the base station 100.

Subsequently, with reference to fig. 10 and 11, an example of the configuration of the base station 100 and the terminal device 200 is described.

First, with reference to fig. 10, an example of the configuration of a base station 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is described. Fig. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the base station 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to fig. 10, the base station 100 includes an antenna unit 110, a wireless communication unit 120, a network communication unit 130, a storage unit 140, and a processing unit 150.

(antenna element 110)

The antenna unit 110 transmits the signal output by the wireless communication unit 120 to a space as a radio wave. Further, the antenna unit 110 converts radio waves in the space into signals, and outputs the signals in question to the wireless communication unit 120.

For example, the antenna unit 110 includes a directional antenna. For example, the directional antennas in question are directional antennas that can be used in massive MIMO.

(Wireless communication unit 120)

The wireless communication unit 120 transmits and receives signals. For example, the wireless communication unit 120 transmits a downlink signal to the terminal device 200 and receives an uplink signal from the terminal device 200.

(network communication unit 130)

The network communication unit 130 transmits and receives information. For example, the network communication unit 130 transmits and receives information to and from another node. Examples of the further node in question include a further base station and a core network node.

(storage unit 140)

The storage unit 140 stores data and programs for the operation of the base station 100.

(processing unit 150)

The processing unit 150 provides various functions of the base station 100. The processing unit 150 includes an information acquisition unit 151 and a control unit 153. Note that the processing unit 150 may further include components other than these components. That is, the processing unit 150 may perform operations other than those of these components.

How the information acquisition unit 151 and the control unit 153 specifically operate is described in detail below.

Specifically, the information acquisition unit 151 acquires information transmitted from the terminal device 200, particularly information on the reception state of the beam transmitted by the base station 100.

Further, for example, the control unit 153 performs control of the transmission of beams and the setting of beam scanning from the base station 100.

Next, with reference to fig. 11, an example of the configuration of the terminal device 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is described. Fig. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the terminal device 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to fig. 11, the terminal device 200 includes an antenna unit 210, a wireless communication unit 220, a storage unit 230, and a processing unit 240.

(antenna unit 210)

The antenna unit 210 transmits a signal output by the wireless communication unit 220 to a space as a radio wave. Further, the antenna unit 210 converts radio waves in the space into signals, and outputs the signals in question to the wireless communication unit 220.

(Wireless communication unit 220)

The wireless communication unit 220 transmits and receives signals. For example, the wireless communication unit 220 receives a downlink signal from the base station 100 and transmits an uplink signal to the base station 100.

(storage unit 230)

The storage unit 230 stores data and programs for the operation of the terminal device 200.

(processing unit 240)

The processing unit 240 provides various functions of the terminal device 200. The processing unit 240 includes an information acquisition unit 241 and a control unit 243. Note that the processing unit 240 may further include components other than these components. That is, the processing unit 240 may perform operations other than those of these components.

How the information acquisition unit 241 and the control unit 243 specifically operate is described in detail below.

Subsequently, how the base station 100 specifically operates is described. When performing the beam scanning process, the base station 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure forms groups each including a plurality of beams, and performs beam scanning of each group. The number of beams in each group may be different from each other. Further, the base station 100 may form a beam group using beams provided by a plurality of antenna panels.

Fig. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a base station 100 that forms groups each including a plurality of beams. Fig. 12 shows three beam groups 1, 2 and 3. In the example shown in fig. 12, beam set 1 includes 13 beams, while beam sets 2 and 3 each include three beams. Of course, the number of beams in the beam group is not limited to this example.

When forming a group including a plurality of beams, the base station 100 may form a group including beams provided by the plurality of base stations 100. Fig. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing base stations 100a and 100b forming groups each including a plurality of beams. Fig. 13 shows three beam groups 1, 2 and 3. In the example shown in fig. 13, beam set 1 includes 13 beams from base station 100a and 13 beams from base station 100b, while beam sets 2 and 3 each include three beams from base station 100 a. Of course, the number of beams in the beam group is not limited to this example.

The base station 100 performs beam scanning in units of each beam group. The base station 100 changes the setting of beam sweep, e.g., the number of beams or the frequency of beam sweep, between beam groups. The base station 100 provides its resource location for each beam group. The base station 100 provides resource locations using, for example, system information, which is a broadcast signal or a dedicated signal for each terminal. When changing the setting of beam scanning between beam groups, the base station 100 can change the setting of beam scanning according to the state of the range covered by the beam group (e.g., the number of terminal apparatuses 200). For example, when there are many terminal apparatuses 200, the base station 100 may change the setting of beam scanning so as to frequently perform beam scanning of a beam group covering the range.

In the example shown in fig. 12, there are many terminal apparatuses 200 in the range covered by the beams in the beam group 1. Meanwhile, there is only one terminal apparatus 200 in the range covered by the beam in the beam group 1, and there is no terminal apparatus 200 in the range covered by the beam in the beam group 3. Therefore, the base station 100 sets the time between the end of beam scanning and the start of the next beam scanning to be shorter than the time of the remaining beam group for the beam group 1. In contrast, the base station 100 sets the time between the end of beam scanning and the start of the next beam scanning to be longer than that of the remaining beam group for the beam group 3 without the terminal apparatus 200.

Fig. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the timing of beam scanning by the base station 100. Fig. 14 illustrates an example of the timing of beam scanning of the beam groups 1, 2, and 3 illustrated in fig. 12. As shown in fig. 14, the base station 100 sets the time between the end of beam scanning and the start of the next beam scanning to be shorter than that of the remaining beam group for the beam group 1. Further, as shown in fig. 14, the base station 100 sets the time between the end of beam scanning and the start of the next beam scanning to be longer than that of the remaining beam group for the beam group 3.

In the case of performing beam scanning with the beam group 1 (e.g., using different time or frequency resources), the base station 100 transmits 13 beams by using respective resources at 13 beam transmission timings. Fig. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing beam scanning by the base station 100 with the beam group 1. That is, the base station 100 does not simultaneously provide data of 13 beams, but performs beam scanning like a beacon. Meanwhile, the beams belonging to the beam groups 2 and 3 travel in a direction greatly different from that of the beam group 1 with respect to the base station 100, and therefore, even when the beams belonging to the beam groups 2 and 3 are transmitted using exactly the same time or frequency as the beam group 1, the terminal apparatus 200 does not observe interference. A terminal that can observe a beam belonging to beam group 2 cannot observe a beam belonging to beam group 3 at all, or can hardly observe the beam in question. Fig. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing beam scanning by the base station 100 with the beam groups 2 and 3. In this case, the power supplied to the beam belonging to the beam group 2 and the beam belonging to the beam group 3 is half of the power supplied to the beam belonging to the beam group 1. The base station 100 notifies the terminal apparatus 200 of the value of power for each beam group in advance. When the base station 100 notifies the terminal apparatus 200 of the value of the power for each beam group in advance, the base station 100 can fairly evaluate the beam quality of the beam groups (i.e., beam groups 1, 2, and 3). Even when the base station 100 has grasped the difference in power between the groups, since the terminal apparatus 200 selects a limited preferred beam and reports information associated with the preferred beam to the base station 100, the terminal apparatus 200 is required to grasp the difference in transmission power between the beam groups. In addition, when such a difference in power is notified for each beam, the amount of information to be notified is large. Therefore, it is very important that the base station 100 notifies the difference in power for each beam group. This is because the number of beams is very large.

The base station 100 adjusts the interval between the end of beam scanning and the start of the next beam scanning not only for beam scanning using a coarse beam but also for beam scanning using an accurate beam according to the number of terminal apparatuses 200.

Table 1 is an example of information associated with a beam group notified to the terminal apparatus 200 by the base station 100. With such information notified to the terminal apparatus 200 by the base station 100, the terminal apparatus 200 can appropriately evaluate beams belonging to each beam group.

[ Table 1]

(Table 1: example of information associated with a Beam group)

Fig. 17 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the base station 100 and the terminal apparatus 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 17 shows an operation example when the terminal apparatus 200 determines an optimal beam from beams transmitted by the base station 100 and performs transmission or reception of data between the base station 100 and the terminal apparatus 200 by beamforming. Now, an operation example of the base station 100 and the terminal apparatus 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is described with reference to fig. 17.

The base station 100 first transmits scheduling information on the coarse beam group to the terminal apparatus 200 (step S101). The scheduling information is information indicating a time or frequency resource location of beams belonging to the coarse beam group.

Subsequently, the base station 100 performs transmission scanning using the coarse beam in units of beam groups for the terminal apparatus 200 based on the scheduling information on the coarse beam group that has been transmitted in step S101 (step S102). The transmission scan is performed using a scan pattern specific to the base station. In other words, the transmission scan is base station specific or cell specific.

The terminal apparatus 200 reports the number of the coarse beam desired by the terminal apparatus 200 to the base station 100 (step S103). For example, the terminal apparatus 200 determines a desired coarse beam based on whether the beam has the maximum reception power.

When the base station 100 receives the report of the number of the coarse beam from the terminal apparatus 200, the base station 100 transmits scheduling information on the accurate beam group corresponding to the coarse beam to the terminal apparatus 200 (step S104). The scheduling information is information indicating a time or frequency resource location of beams belonging to an accurate beam group.

Subsequently, the base station 100 performs transmission scanning using accurate beams in units of beam groups for the terminal device 200 based on the scheduling information on the accurate beam groups that has been transmitted in step S104 (step S105). The transmission scan at this time may employ a terminal-specific scan pattern specifically prepared for the terminal. Alternatively, a scanning pattern common to all terminals may be prepared, and the base station may notify each terminal of a section to be monitored. In the former case, the transmission scan pattern itself is terminal-specific (UE-specific). In the latter case, the setting of the transmission scan mode is terminal-specific (UE-specific).

The terminal apparatus 200 reports the number of the exact beam desired by the terminal apparatus 200 to the base station 100 (step S106). For example, the terminal apparatus 200 determines the desired accurate beam based on whether the beam has the maximum reception power.

When the base station 100 receives the report of the number of the accurate beam from the terminal apparatus 200, the base station 100 transmits DL user data to the terminal by using the accurate beam (step S107). Then, the base station 100 receives data from the terminal using the same accurate beam as that used for transmission on the assumption that channel reciprocity is maintained, and thus receives UL user data from the terminal device 200 (step S108).

The base station 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure groups beams in this manner and performs beam scanning in units of groups, thereby enabling beam scanning to be achieved using resources efficiently.

Fig. 13 shows base stations 100a and 100b forming groups each including a plurality of beams. That is, the beam set 1 includes a total of 26 beams from the base stations 100a and 100 b. With beam grouping across base stations, the terminal apparatus 200 can effectively observe beams provided by a plurality of base stations.

In the present embodiment, a beam group may be formed using a plurality of beams provided by a plurality of base stations 100 or beams provided by a plurality of antenna panels. By grouping beams from a plurality of base stations 100 or a plurality of antenna panels into one beam group in this way, the terminal apparatus 200 observes beams in continuous time, and thus the terminal apparatus 200 can have an uninterrupted operation time. Therefore, the terminal device 200 can enter a mode that consumes little power, for example, without performing the beam observing operation, which can result in reduction of power consumption.

In the case where there are a plurality of (e.g., five) base stations 100, the terminal apparatus 200 is required to observe the beam scanning of different base stations 100 in different five time periods. This increases the burden on the terminal device 200. Meanwhile, the technique of grouping beams from a plurality of base stations 100 or a plurality of antenna panels into one beam group is more effective in scanning using an accurate beam than in scanning using a coarse beam. When the plurality of base stations 100 transmit beams to the terminal apparatus 200 in cooperation with each other in continuous time, the burden on the terminal apparatus 200 can be reduced.

Fig. 18 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the base stations 100a and 100b and the terminal apparatus 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 18 shows an operation example when the terminal apparatus 200 determines an optimum beam from beams transmitted by the base stations 100a and 100b and performs transmission or reception of data between the terminal apparatus 200 and the base stations 100a and 100b by beamforming. Now, an operation example of the base stations 100a and 100b and the terminal device 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is described with reference to fig. 18.

The base station 100a first performs transmission scanning using a coarse beam in units of beam groups based on scheduling information on the coarse beam group that has been previously provided to the terminal apparatus 200 (step S111).

The terminal apparatus 200 reports the number of the coarse beam desired by the terminal apparatus 200 to the base station 100a (step S112). For example, the terminal apparatus 200 determines a desired coarse beam based on whether the beam has the maximum reception power.

When the beam scanning of the base station 100a ends, the base station 100b configured to transmit beams belonging to the same beam group then performs transmission scanning using a coarse beam in units of beam groups based on the scheduling information on the coarse beam group, which has been previously provided to the terminal apparatus 200. (step S113).

The terminal apparatus 200 reports the number of the coarse beam desired by the terminal apparatus 200 to the base station 100b (step S114). For example, the terminal apparatus 200 determines a desired coarse beam based on whether the beam has the maximum reception power.

When the beam scanning of the base station 100b ends, the base station 100a forms a beam group (referred to as "beam group 3") including a plurality of accurate beams when providing the plurality of accurate beams to the base station 100 b. To form a beam group, the base station 100a notifies the base station 100b of the resource location and request of the beam group (step S115). In the case of responding to the request from the base station 100a, the base station 100b sends back an ACK (step S116).

The base station 100a, which has received the ACK from the base station 100b, notifies the terminal apparatus 200 of the time or frequency resource position of the beam group 3 (step S117). The base stations 100a and 100b form the beam group 3 by using the scheduled time or frequency resources in cooperation with each other, thereby performing beam scanning with accurate beams (step S118).

The terminal apparatus 200 reports the number of the exact beam desired by the terminal apparatus 200 to the base station 100a (step S119). For example, the terminal apparatus 200 determines the desired accurate beam based on whether the beam has the maximum reception power.

When the base station 100 receives the report of the number of the accurate beam from the terminal apparatus 200, the base station 100 transmits DL user data to the terminal by using the accurate beam (step S120). Then, the base station 100 receives data from the terminal using the same accurate beam as that used for transmission on the assumption that channel reciprocity is maintained, and thus receives UL user data from the terminal device 200 (step S121).

The terminal apparatus 200 operates in this manner, thereby being able to observe accurate beams from a plurality of base stations by observing only one location. To achieve this, the concept of beam groups formed by multiple base stations is important. In the operation example shown in fig. 18, the terminal device 200 may receive beam scans of beam groups formed by the base stations 100a and 100b, and may also receive beam scans of beam groups formed by another base station at another time. Therefore, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, in the case where the number of base stations related to the terminal apparatus 200 increases, the burden on the terminal apparatus 200 can be reduced.

As described above, a beam group may be not only a group of beams in the same base station but also a group of beams from a plurality of base stations. The above-described effects are obtained by grouping beams from a plurality of base stations. Specifically, in the case where the terminal apparatus 200 sets beams from a plurality of base stations as one group and observes beam scanning of the beam group, the burden on the terminal apparatus 200 is smaller than in the case where the terminal apparatus 200 monitors beams from the base stations one by one to determine an appropriate beam. Meanwhile, in the case where there are a plurality of base stations or in the case where a plurality of antenna panels are installed on the base stations, it is unknown to predict how many beam groups are increased, and it is necessary for the terminal apparatus 200 to monitor how long the beam scanning is to observe the entire beam scanning.

Accordingly, the base station 100 notifies the terminal of the period of the beam group or groups to be observed by the terminal device 200 and the start time of beam scanning of the beam group. The period is a period longer than the period in which the synchronization signal is supplied, for example, 5 msec or 10 msec. The terminal device 200 observes beams in the plurality of target beam groups during the period. By performing beam observation in a specified period, the terminal apparatus 200 positively observes all beams from the base station 100.

Fig. 19 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the base station 100 and the terminal apparatus 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 19 shows an operation example when the terminal apparatus 200 determines an optimal beam from beams transmitted by the base station 100 and performs transmission or reception of data between the base station 100 and the terminal apparatus 200 by beamforming. Now, an operation example of the base station 100 and the terminal apparatus 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is described with reference to fig. 19.

The base station 100 notifies the terminal apparatus 200 of information about the maximum period and the offset or the maximum period or the offset (step S131). Table 2 is an example of information notified to the terminal apparatus 200 by the base station 100.

[ Table 2]

(Table 2: example of information associated with a Beam group)

The subsequent operation is similar to that shown in fig. 17. That is, the base station 100 first transmits scheduling information on the coarse beam group to the terminal apparatus 200 (step S132). Subsequently, the base station 100 performs transmission scanning using the coarse beam in units of beam groups for the terminal apparatus 200 based on the scheduling information on the coarse beam group that has been transmitted in step S132 (step S133). At this time, the terminal apparatus 200 observes the beam by using the information transmitted from the base station 100 in step S131. Then, the terminal apparatus 200 reports the number of the coarse beam desired by the terminal apparatus 200 to the base station 100 (step S134).

When the base station 100 receives the report of the number of the coarse beam from the terminal apparatus 200, the base station 100 transmits scheduling information on the accurate beam group corresponding to the coarse beam to the terminal apparatus 200 (step S135). Subsequently, the base station 100 performs transmission scanning using accurate beams in units of beam groups for the terminal apparatus 200 based on the scheduling information on the accurate beam groups that has been transmitted in step S135 (step S136). At this time, the terminal apparatus 200 observes the beam by using the information transmitted from the base station 100 in step S131.

The terminal apparatus 200 reports the number of the exact beam desired by the terminal apparatus 200 to the base station 100 (step S137). When the base station 100 receives the report of the number of the accurate beam from the terminal apparatus 200, the base station 100 transmits DL user data to the terminal by using the accurate beam (step S138). Then, the base station 100 receives data from the terminal using the same accurate beam as that used for transmission, assuming that channel reciprocity is maintained, and thus receives UL user data from the terminal device 200 (step S139).

In the case where the base station 100 notifies the terminal apparatus 200 of the maximum period of beam scanning, the terminal apparatus 200 positively monitors all beam groups by monitoring beams in the period. It is important here that the period information provided by the base station 100 is associated with neither a beam period nor a beam group period, but rather a period that allows the terminal device 200 to fully observe a plurality of beams or beam groups by observing the beams or beam groups in a time interval.

In the case of a UE-specific beam group, since the base station 100 specifies the direction in which the terminal apparatus 200 is to monitor the beam group, the burden on the terminal apparatus 200 is small. However, in the case where there are a plurality of cell-specific beam groups, when there is no information about which beam group to refer to, the terminal apparatus 200 observes beam scanning belonging to all the beam groups even if the terminal apparatus 200 is not required to monitor all the beam groups.

Therefore, the terminal apparatus 200 receives not only information on the period from the base station 100 but also information on which beam group is to be referred to from the base station 100, thereby being able to observe beam scanning of a specific beam group, instead of beam scanning belonging to all beam groups.

In order to allow the terminal apparatus 200 to freely select a beam group to be monitored, the base station 100 notifies the terminal apparatus 200 of the details of the beam group information. The base station 100 does not inform information on each beam but provides information on each beam group as a bundle of beams. By providing information on each beam group, the terminal apparatus 200 can reduce power consumed by reception to the minimum necessary. The base station 100 can notify the terminal apparatus 200 of beam group information using the system information. In the flowchart of fig. 19, the base station 100 may notify the terminal apparatus 200 of beam group information in step S131. Table 3 is an example of beam group information notified to the terminal apparatus 200 by the base station 100.

[ Table 3]

(Table 3: example of information associated with a Beam group)

A technique that allows a plurality of terminals to simultaneously receive downlink data at the same frequency and the same time is called "downlink multi-user MIMO (DL MU-MIMO)". In performing dl MU-MIMO it is important to determine which combination of terminals is used to perform MU-MIMO. This is called "terminal pairing". In this pairing, it is important that the beam suitable for terminal a does not act as an interference source for the other terminal B (terminal B hardly receives the beam) and vice versa. It is important that the beam suitable for terminal B does not act as an interference source for terminal a. It is important that, in forming the beam group, the base station forms a beam group including beams for terminal a and terminal B different from each other. The beam group is used as a beam group for terminal a and terminal B. However, when the base station does not specify how each of the terminal a and the terminal B evaluates the beam group, the terminal a cannot determine which beam preferably has high power and which beam preferably has low power.

Therefore, the base station 100 according to the present embodiment notifies the terminal device 200 which beam group of the plurality of beam groups is used for desired beam selection, and which beam group is used as an interference signal for beam evaluation. Table 4 is an example of beam group information notified to the terminal apparatus 200 by the base station 100.

[ Table 4]

(Table 4: example of information associated with a Beam group)

In table 4, in parentheses in the "content" column, an example of how the terminal apparatus 200 uses the content is described. The base station 100 may or may not include the information in parentheses in the information notified to the terminal apparatus 200.

Further, the base station 100 notifies the terminal device 200 which beam in one beam group to be provided is used for desired beam selection and which beam is used as an interference signal for beam evaluation. Table 5 is an example of beam group information notified to the terminal apparatus 200 by the base station 100.

[ Table 5]

Beam numbering	Content providing method and apparatus
		1 to 5	Desired signal
5 to 13	Interference signal

(Table 5: examples of information associated with beams in a beam group)

The terminal device 200 selects a signal having a large reception power as the desired signal and the interference signal. The beam having the largest received power among the desired signals is the desired beam. The beam having the largest received power among the interference signals indicates that the interference signals are the largest.

The terminal apparatus 200 evaluates the beam group in this way, thereby being able to calculate SINR (signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio) in consideration of MU-MIMO pairing to provide feedback on the receivable modulation method and coding rate and channel quality information to the base station 100.

Even when the terminal device 200 does not send channel quality information back to the base station 100, the terminal device 200 may collect information for MU-MIMO pairing with a beam group or by clarifying desired and interfering beams in a beam group. The terminal apparatus 200 notifies the base station 100 of the collected information. The base station 100 can efficiently perform pairing of the terminal device 200 by using the information transmitted from the terminal device 200.

In the above example, it is assumed that the base station 100 periodically provides beam scanning of the beam group. However, the following is conceivable: preferably, the base station 100 dynamically changes the period of beam scanning, e.g., of a beam group. In the case where the location of a beam group is specified using system information, RRC signaling, or other downlink control signals, the setting of the beam group is changed in a semi-static manner, and thus cannot be dynamically changed using such a method. Therefore, the concept of system information (beam group system information) on each beam group is introduced.

Accordingly, the base station 100 provides information on the beam group in the beam group. Specifically, the base station 100 provides information common to a plurality of beams belonging to a beam group and information on each beam belonging to the beam group as information on the beam group. Information common to a plurality of beams belonging to a beam group is a resource location to which the beam group is to be transmitted next. The resource location is informed by using time resources and frequency resources. The information on each beam belonging to the beam group is information on the transmission power of each beam and whether each beam is an interference source. The information given above is an example, and it is important that information on a beam group and information on beams belonging to the beam group are provided as beam group system information using beams belonging to the beam group. Generally, system information is provided as base station or cell information, but in the present embodiment, system information is provided using beam groups as system information on bundled beam groups as beams.

It is assumed that beams belonging to a beam group are provided to the terminal apparatus 200 through beam scanning at different times. In such a case, the terminal apparatus 200 monitoring the beam group cannot observe all beams. Therefore, all beams belonging to a certain beam group have the same beam group system information. With the beam group system information, all beams belonging to a certain beam group provide the same information.

Now consider how to reduce the overhead of resources for beam scanning. When performing four beam scans, in the last beam scan, the base station 100 provides the base station apparatus 100 with a set of a plurality of periods and offsets, which are set in advance, to be adopted by the base station 100, using the beam set system information provided by the beam scan. The following are important: rather than specifying the period and offset at each beam sweep, information is provided once every several beam sweeps, and how information is provided as to which set of periods and offsets are to be employed.

Fig. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the beam group system information providing mode of the base station 100. Fig. 20 illustrates an example of providing primary beam set system information every three beam scans. Reference numeral 301 denotes a period of beam scanning with information as beam group system information. Reference numeral 302 denotes a period of beam scanning having no information as beam set system information. In the case of performing beam scanning with information as beam set system information, the base station 100 has the beam set system information after the beam specific sequence. The sequence is a unique sequence such as an M sequence, and the sequences to be used for the beams are different from each other. As part of performing three beam sweeps, two beam sweeps without such beam set system information are performed. Accordingly, when the base station 100 performs three beam scans, the base station 100 may provide less resources to beams for performing two beam scans than beams having beam set system information.

Fig. 21 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the beam group system information providing mode of the base station 100. In fig. 21, each block represents a period of beam scanning of 13 beams. Furthermore, each block represents a beam sweep of the same beam group.

As in fig. 20, reference numeral 301 indicates that the beam scan has beam set system information, which is information associated with a beam set after a beam specific sequence, in each of the 13 beams. As in fig. 20, reference numeral 302 indicates that the beam sweep has only a beam specific sequence and no beam group system information. The resources required for the beam scanning indicated by reference numeral 302 are less than the resources required for the beam scanning indicated by reference numeral 301.

As shown in fig. 21, the base station 100 notifies the terminal device 200 of four configurations in advance using RRC signaling or entire cell system information in a semi-static manner. Then, the base station 100 specifies a configuration to be used next from the four configurations set in advance using the beam set system information. Configuration 1 is a setting that provides one beam set of system information per five beam scans. Configuration 2 has the same period and supply frequency of beam group system information as configuration 1, but the offset is different. Configuration 3 is a setting that provides one beam set system information per three beam scans. Configuration 4 is an arrangement that provides one beam group system information per five beam scans, and the period between a beam scan and a beam scan is longer than configuration 1. The base station 100 dynamically selects one of the preset beam group configurations, thereby enabling flexible and dynamic changes in the setting of beam scanning. In this way, the base station 100 can optimize resources for beam scanning, thereby being able to reduce signaling overhead for beam scanning. Further, the base station 100 may be expected to have improved throughput.

Note that, in the above example, the base station 100 generates beam groups each including a plurality of directional beams and changes the setting of beam scanning between the beam groups, but the present disclosure is not limited to this example. The terminal apparatus 200 may generate beam groups each including a plurality of directional beams in a similar manner. In such a case, the terminal device 200 may perform an operation of changing the setting of beam scanning between beam groups as described above.

<2, application example >

The techniques according to the present disclosure may be applied to a variety of products. For example, the base station 100 may be implemented as any type of eNB (evolved node B) such as a macro eNB or a small eNB. A small eNB may be an eNB that covers a smaller cell than a macro cell, such as a pico eNB, a micro eNB, or a home (femto) eNB. Alternatively, the base station 100 may be implemented as another type of base station, such as a node B or a BTS (base transceiver station). The base station 100 may include: a main body (also referred to as a "base station apparatus") configured to control wireless communication; and one or more RRHs (remote radio heads) arranged in a different location from the main body. In addition, various types of terminals described later can operate as the base station 100 by temporarily or semi-permanently performing a base station function.

Further, the terminal device 200 may be implemented as a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet PC (personal computer), a notebook computer, a portable game terminal, a portable/dongle-type mobile router, or a digital camera, or a vehicle-mounted terminal such as a car navigation device, for example. Further, the terminal device 2200 may be implemented as a terminal (also referred to as "MTC (machine type communication) terminal") configured to perform M2M (machine to machine) communication. In addition, the terminal device 2200 may be a wireless communication module (e.g., an integrated circuit module including one die) mounted on such a terminal.

(example of application of base station)

(first application example)

Fig. 22 is a block diagram illustrating a first example of a schematic configuration of an eNB to which the technology according to the present disclosure may be applied. eNB 800 includes one or more antennas 810 and base station equipment 820. The antennas 810 may each be connected to a base station device 820 through an RF cable.

The antennas 810 each include one or more antenna elements (e.g., multiple antenna elements of a MIMO antenna) and are used when the base station apparatus 820 transmits or receives wireless signals. As shown in fig. 22, eNB 800 may include multiple antennas 810. For example, the multiple antennas 810 may be compatible with multiple frequency bands used by the eNB 800. Note that although fig. 22 shows an example in which the eNB 800 includes multiple antennas 810, the eNB 800 may include only one antenna 810.

The base station apparatus 820 includes a controller 821, a memory 822, a network interface 823, and a wireless communication interface 825.

The controller 821 may be, for example, a CPU or a DSP, and operates various functions of higher layers of the base station apparatus 820. For example, the controller 821 generates a data packet from data in a signal processed by the wireless communication interface 825 and transmits the generated packet via the network interface 823. The controller 821 may bundle data from a plurality of baseband processors to generate a bundled packet and transmit the generated bundled packet. Further, the controller 821 may have a logical function of performing control such as radio resource control, radio bearer control, mobility management, admission control, or scheduling. Further, the controller 821 may perform the discussed control in cooperation with neighboring enbs or core network nodes. The memory 822 includes a RAM and a ROM, and stores programs executed by the controller 821 and various types of control data (e.g., a terminal list, transmission power data, and schedule data).

The network interface 823 is a communication interface for connecting the base station apparatus 820 to a core network 824. The controller 821 may communicate with a core network node or another eNB via a network interface 823. In this case, the eNB 800 may be connected to the core network node or another eNB through a logical interface (e.g., an S1 interface or an X2 interface). Network interface 823 may be a wired communication interface or a wireless communication interface for wireless backhaul. In the case where the network interface 823 is a wireless communication interface, the network interface 823 may use a higher frequency band for wireless communication than the frequency band used by the wireless communication interface 825.

The wireless communication interface 825 supports any cellular communication scheme such as LTE (long term evolution) or LTE-advanced, and provides wireless connectivity via the antenna 810 to terminals located in the cell of the eNB 800. The wireless communication interface 825 may generally include, for example, a baseband (BB) processor 826 and RF circuitry 827. The BB processor 826 may perform, for example, encoding/decoding, modulation/demodulation, and multiplexing/demultiplexing, thereby performing various types of signal processing of the respective layers, for example, L1, MAC (medium access control), RLC (radio link control), and PDCP (packet data convergence protocol). The BB processor 826 may have some or all of the above logic functions in place of the controller 821. The BB processor 826 may be a memory configured to store a communication control program, or may be a module comprising a processor and associated circuitry configured to execute the discussed program. The function of the BB processor 826 can be changed by updating the program. Further, the module may be a card or blade that is inserted into a slot of the base station device 820. Alternatively, the module may be a chip mounted on a card or blade. Meanwhile, the RF circuit 827 may include, for example, a mixer, a filter, and an amplifier, and transmits and receives a wireless signal via the antenna 810.

As shown in fig. 22, wireless communication interface 825 may include a plurality of BB processors 826. For example, the plurality of BB processors 826 may be compatible with a plurality of frequency bands used by the eNB 800. Further, as shown in fig. 22, the wireless communication interface 825 may include a plurality of RF circuits 827. For example, the plurality of RF circuits 827 may correspond to a plurality of antenna elements. Note that although fig. 22 shows an example in which the wireless communication interface 825 includes a plurality of BB processors 826 and a plurality of RF circuits 827, the number of BB processors 826 or RF circuits 827 of the wireless communication interface 825 may be one.

In the eNB 800 shown in fig. 22, one or more components (e.g., the processing unit 150) in the base station 100 described with reference to fig. 10 may be implemented by the wireless communication interface 825. Alternatively, at least some of these components may be implemented by the controller 821. As an example, eNB 800 may have installed thereon a module comprising a portion of wireless communication interface 825 (e.g., BB processor 826) or all of its components and/or controller 821, and one or more components may be implemented by the module in question. In this case, the module may store a program for causing the processor to function as one or more components (in other words, a program for causing the processor to execute the operation of one or more components), thereby executing the program in question. As another example, eNB 800 may have installed thereon a program for causing a processor to function as one or more components, and wireless communication interface 825 (e.g., BB processor 826) and/or controller 821 may execute the discussed program. As described above, the eNB 800, the base station apparatus 820, or the module may be provided as an apparatus including one or more components, and a program for causing a processor to function as the one or more components may be provided. A readable recording medium having the program recorded thereon may also be provided.

In addition, in the eNB 800 shown in fig. 22, the wireless communication unit 120 described with reference to fig. 10 may be implemented by the wireless communication interface 825 (e.g., the RF circuit 827). Further, the antenna unit 110 may be implemented by an antenna 810. Further, the interface between the processing unit 240 and an upper node or another base station device may be implemented by the controller 821 and/or the network interface 823.

(second application example)

Fig. 23 is a block diagram illustrating a second example of a schematic configuration of an eNB to which the technology according to the present disclosure may be applied. eNB830 includes one or more antennas 840, base station equipment 850, and RRHs 860. The antennas 840 may each be connected to the RRHs 860 by RF cables. Further, the base station apparatus 850 and RRH 860 may be connected to each other by a high-speed line such as a fiber optic cable.

The antennas 840 each include one or more antenna elements (e.g., multiple antenna elements of a MIMO antenna) and are used when the RRH 860 transmits or receives wireless signals. As shown in fig. 23, eNB830 may include multiple antennas 840. For example, the multiple antennas 840 may be compatible with multiple frequency bands used by the eNB 830. Note that although fig. 23 shows an example in which the eNB830 includes a plurality of antennas 840, the eNB830 may include one antenna 840.

Base station apparatus 850 comprises a controller 851, memory 852, network interface 853, wireless communication interface 855, and connection interface 857. The controller 851, memory 852, and network interface 853 are similar to the controller 821, memory 822, and network interface 823 described with reference to fig. 22.

The wireless communication interface 855 supports any cellular communication scheme, such as LTE or LTE-advanced, and provides wireless communication via the RRH 860 and the antenna 840 to terminals located in a sector corresponding to the RRH 860. The wireless communication interface 855 may generally include, for example, the BB processor 856. The BB processor 856 is similar to the BB processor 826 described with reference to fig. 22, except that the BB processor 856 is connected to the RF circuitry 864 of the RRH 860 via a connection interface 857. As shown in fig. 23, wireless communication interface 855 may include a plurality of BB processors 856. For example, the plurality of BB processors 856 may be compatible with a plurality of frequency bands used by the eNB 830. Note that although fig. 23 shows an example in which the wireless communication interface 855 includes a plurality of BB processors 856, the wireless communication interface 855 may include only one BB processor 856.

Connection interface 857 is an interface for connecting base station apparatus 850 (wireless communication interface 855) to RRH 860. Connection interface 857 may also be a communication module for communicating in a high speed line connecting base station apparatus 850 (wireless communication interface 855) to RRH 860.

Further, RRH 860 includes a connection interface 861 and a wireless communication interface 863.

The connection interface 861 is an interface for connecting the RRH 860 (wireless communication interface 863) to the base station apparatus 850. The connection interface 861 may also be a communication module for performing communication in a high-speed line.

Wireless communication interface 863 sends and receives wireless signals via antenna 840. The wireless communication interface 863 can generally include, for example, RF circuitry 864. The RF circuit 864 may include, for example, a mixer, a filter, and an amplifier, and transmits and receives a wireless signal via the antenna 840. As shown in fig. 23, wireless communication interface 863 can include a plurality of RF circuits 864. For example, the plurality of RF circuits 864 may correspond to a plurality of antenna elements. Note that although fig. 23 shows an example in which the wireless communication interface 863 includes the plurality of RF circuits 864, the wireless communication interface 863 may include one RF circuit 864.

In eNB830 shown in fig. 23, one or more components (e.g., processing unit 140) in base station 100 described with reference to fig. 10 may be implemented by wireless communication interface 855 and/or wireless communication interface 863. Alternatively, at least some of these components may be implemented by the controller 851. As an example, eNB830 may have installed thereon modules comprising a portion of wireless communication interface 855 (e.g., BB processor 856) or all of its components and/or controller 851, and one or more of the components may be implemented by the modules in question. In this case, the module may store a program for causing the processor to function as one or more components (in other words, a program for causing the processor to execute the operation of one or more components), thereby executing the program in question. As another example, eNB830 may have installed thereon a program for causing a processor to function as one or more components, and wireless communication interface 855 (e.g., BB processor 856) and/or controller 851 may perform the discussed program. As described above, the eNB830, the base station apparatus 850, or the module may be provided as an apparatus including one or more components, and a program for causing a processor to function as the one or more components may be provided. A readable recording medium having the program recorded thereon may also be provided.

Further, in the eNB830 shown in fig. 23, the wireless communication unit 120 described with reference to fig. 10 may be implemented by the wireless communication interface 825 (e.g., the RF circuit 827). Further, the antenna unit 110 may be implemented by an antenna 810. Further, the interface between the processing unit 240 and an upper node or another base station device may be implemented by the controller 821 and/or the network interface 823.

(application example of terminal device)

(first application example)

Fig. 24 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a smartphone 900 to which the technology according to the present disclosure may be applied. The smartphone 900 includes a processor 901, memory 902, storage 903, an external connection interface 904, a camera 906, sensors 907, a microphone 908, an input device 909, a display device 910, a speaker 911, a wireless communication interface 912, one or more antenna switches 915, one or more antennas 916, a bus 917, a battery 918, and an auxiliary controller 919.

The processor 901 may be, for example, a CPU or SoC (system on chip), and controls functions of an application layer and other layers of the smartphone 900. The memory 902 includes a RAM and a ROM, and stores programs and data executed by the processor 901. The storage 903 may include a storage medium such as a semiconductor memory or a hard disk. The external connection interface 904 is an interface for connecting an external device such as a memory card or a USB (universal serial bus) device to the smartphone 900.

The camera 906 includes an image sensor such as a CCD (charge coupled device) or a CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor), and generates a captured image. The sensor 907 may include a set of sensors such as a measurement sensor, a gyro sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, and an acceleration sensor. The microphone 908 converts sound input to the smartphone 900 into an audio signal. The input device 909 includes, for example, a touch sensor, a keypad, a keyboard, a button, or a switch configured to detect a touch on the screen of the display device 910, and receives an operation or information input from a user. The display device 910 includes a screen such as a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) or an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) display, and displays an output image of the smart phone 900. The speaker 911 converts an audio signal output from the smart phone 900 into sound.

The wireless communication interface 912 supports any cellular communication scheme, such as LTE or LTE-advanced, and performs wireless communication. The wireless communication interface 912 may generally include, for example, a BB processor 913 and RF circuitry 914. The BB processor 913 can perform, for example, encoding/decoding, modulation/demodulation, and multiplexing/demultiplexing, thereby performing various types of signal processing for wireless communication. Meanwhile, the RF circuit 914 may include, for example, a mixer, a filter, and an amplifier, and transmits and receives a wireless signal via the antenna 916. The wireless communication interface 912 may also be a single chip module on which the BB processor 913 and the RF circuit 914 are integrated. As shown in fig. 24, the wireless communication interface 912 may include a plurality of BB processors 913 and a plurality of RF circuits 914. Note that although fig. 24 shows an example in which the wireless communication interface 912 includes a plurality of BB processors 913 and a plurality of RF circuits 914, the number of BB processors 913 or RF circuits 914 of the wireless communication interface 912 may be one.

Further, the wireless communication interface 912 may support other types of wireless communication schemes such as a short-range wireless communication scheme, a near field communication scheme, and a wireless LAN (local area network) scheme in addition to the cellular communication scheme. In that case, the wireless communication interface 912 may include a BB processor 913 and RF circuits 914 for each wireless communication scheme.

The antenna switches 915 each switch the connection destination of the corresponding antenna 916 between a plurality of circuits (for example, circuits for different wireless communication schemes) in the wireless communication interface 912.

The antennas 916 each include one or more antenna elements (e.g., multiple antenna elements of a MIMO antenna) and are used when transmitting or receiving wireless signals via the wireless communication interface 912. As shown in fig. 24, the smartphone 900 may include multiple antennas 916. Note that although fig. 24 shows an example in which the smartphone 900 includes a plurality of antennas 916, the smartphone 900 may include one antenna 916.

Additionally, the smartphone 900 may include an antenna 916 for each wireless communication scheme. In that case, the antenna switch 915 may be omitted from the configuration of the smartphone 900.

The bus 917 connects the processor 901, the memory 902, the storage 903, the external connection interface 904, the camera 906, the sensor 907, the microphone 908, the input device 909, the display device 910, the speaker 911, the wireless communication interface 912, and the auxiliary controller 919 to each other. The battery 918 supplies power to each block of the smartphone 900 shown in fig. 24 via a feed line, which is partially shown as a dashed line in fig. 24. For example, the secondary controller 919 operates the minimum necessary functions of the smartphone 900 in a sleep mode.

In the smartphone 900 shown in fig. 24, one or more components (e.g., the processing unit 240) in the terminal device 200 described with reference to fig. 11 may be implemented by the wireless communication interface 912. Alternatively, at least some of the components may be implemented by the processor 901 or the secondary controller 919. As an example, the smartphone 900 may have installed thereon a module that includes a portion of the wireless communication interface 912 (e.g., the BB processor 913) or all of its components, the processor 901 and/or the secondary controller 919, and one or more of the components may be implemented by the module in question. In this case, the module may store a program for causing the processor to function as one or more components (in other words, a program for causing the processor to execute the operation of one or more components), thereby executing the program in question. As another example, the smartphone 900 may have installed thereon a program for causing a processor to function as one or more components, and the wireless communication interface 912 (e.g., BB processor 913), processor 901, and/or secondary controller 919 may execute the discussed program. As described above, the smart phone 900 or module may be provided as a device including one or more components, and may provide a program for causing a processor to function as the one or more components. A readable recording medium having the program recorded thereon may also be provided.

Further, in the smartphone 900 shown in fig. 24, for example, the wireless communication unit 220 described with reference to fig. 11 may be implemented by the wireless communication interface 912 (e.g., the RF circuit 914). Further, the antenna unit 210 may be implemented by an antenna 916.

(second application example)

Fig. 25 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a car navigation device 920 to which the technique according to the present disclosure can be applied. The car navigation device 920 includes a processor 921, a memory 922, a GPS (global positioning system) module 924, sensors 925, a data interface 926, a content player 927, a storage medium interface 928, an input device 929, a display device 930, a speaker 931, a wireless communication interface 933, one or more antenna switches 936, one or more antennas 937, and a battery 938.

The processor 921 may be, for example, a CPU or an SoC, and controls the navigation function and other functions of the car navigation device 920. The memory 922 includes a RAM and a ROM, and stores programs and data executed by the processor 921.

The GPS module 924 measures the position (e.g., latitude, longitude, and altitude) of the car navigation device 920 using GPS signals received from GPS satellites. The sensors 925 may include a set of sensors, such as a gyro sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, and a barometric pressure sensor. For example, the data interface 926 is connected to an on-vehicle network 941 via a terminal not shown, and acquires data generated by the vehicle, such as vehicle speed data.

The content player 927 reproduces content stored in a storage medium (e.g., a CD or DVD) inserted into the storage medium interface 928. The input device 929 includes, for example, a touch sensor, a button, or a switch configured to detect a touch on the screen of the display device 930, and receives an operation or information input from a user. The display device 930 includes a screen such as an LCD or OLED display, and displays reproduced contents or an image of a navigation function. The speaker 931 outputs reproduced content or a sound of a navigation function.

The wireless communication interface 933 supports any cellular communication scheme such as LTE or LTE-advanced, and performs wireless communication. Wireless communication interface 933 may generally include, for example, BB processor 934 and RF circuitry 935. The BB processor 934 may perform, for example, encoding/decoding, modulation/demodulation, and multiplexing/demultiplexing, thereby performing various types of signal processing for wireless communication. Meanwhile, the RF circuit 935 may include, for example, a mixer, a filter, and an amplifier, and transmit and receive a wireless signal via the antenna 937. The wireless communication interface 933 can be a single-chip module having the BB processor 934 and the RF circuitry 935 integrated thereon. As shown in fig. 25, the wireless communication interface 933 may include a plurality of BB processors 934 and a plurality of RF circuits 935. Note that although fig. 25 shows an example in which the wireless communication interface 933 includes the plurality of BB processors 934 and the plurality of RF circuits 935, the number of BB processors 934 or RF circuits 935 of the wireless communication interface 933 may be one.

Further, the wireless communication interface 933 may support other types of wireless communication schemes, such as a short-range wireless communication scheme, a near-field communication scheme, and a wireless LAN scheme, in addition to the cellular communication scheme. In that case, the wireless communication interface 933 may include a BB processor 934 and RF circuitry 935 for each wireless communication scheme.

Antenna switches 936 each switch the connection destination of the corresponding antenna 937 between a plurality of circuits (for example, circuits for different wireless communication schemes) in the wireless communication interface 933.

The antennas 937 each include one or more antenna elements (e.g., multiple antenna elements of a MIMO antenna) and are used when transmitting or receiving wireless signals via the wireless communication interface 933. As shown in fig. 25, the car navigation device 920 may include a plurality of antennas 937. Note that although fig. 25 shows an example in which the car navigation device 920 includes a plurality of antennas 937, the car navigation device 920 may include one antenna 937.

In addition, the car navigation device 920 may include an antenna 937 for each wireless communication scheme. In that case, the antenna switch 936 may be omitted from the configuration of the car navigation device 920.

The battery 938 supplies electric power to each block of the car navigation device 920 shown in fig. 25 via a feeder line, which is partially shown as a broken line in fig. 25. Further, the battery 938 accumulates electric power supplied from the vehicle.

In the car navigation device 920 shown in fig. 25, one or more components (e.g., the processing unit 240) in the terminal device 200 described with reference to fig. 11 may be implemented by the wireless communication interface 933. Alternatively, at least some of the components may be implemented by the processor 921. By way of example, the car navigation device 920 may have installed thereon a module that includes a portion of the wireless communication interface 933 (e.g., the BB processor 934) or all of its components and/or the processor 921, and one or more of the components may be implemented by the module in question. In this case, the module may store a program for causing the processor to function as one or more components (in other words, a program for causing the processor to execute the operation of one or more components), thereby executing the program in question. As another example, the car navigation device 920 may have installed thereon a program for causing a processor to function as one or more components, and the wireless communication interface 933 (e.g., BB processor 934) and/or the processor 921 may execute the discussed program. As described above, the car navigation device 920 or the module may be provided as a device including one or more components, and a program for causing a processor to function as the one or more components may be provided. A readable recording medium having the program recorded thereon may also be provided.

Further, in the car navigation device 920 shown in fig. 25, for example, the wireless communication unit 220 described with reference to fig. 11 may be realized by a wireless communication interface 912 (e.g., an RF circuit 914). Further, the antenna unit 210 may be implemented by an antenna 916.

Furthermore, the technology according to the present disclosure may also be implemented as an in-vehicle system (or vehicle) 940, the in-vehicle system (or vehicle) 940 including one or more blocks of the car navigation device 920, an in-vehicle network 941, and a vehicle module 942. The vehicle module 942 generates vehicle data such as a vehicle speed, an engine speed, or failure information, and outputs the generated data to the on-vehicle network 941.

Note that the enbs in the above description may each be a gNB (gdnodeb or next generation nodeb).

<3, conclusion >

As described above, according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided the base station 100 or the terminal apparatus 200 that can reduce resources used in performing beam scanning processing.

The respective steps of the processing performed by each apparatus described herein are not necessarily performed chronologically in the order shown in the time chart or the flowchart. For example, the respective steps of the processing performed by each device may be performed in an order different from that shown in the flowchart or in parallel with each other.

Further, a computer program for causing hardware (for example, CPU, ROM, and RAM) incorporated in each device to exhibit a function equivalent to the configuration of the device may be created. Further, a storage medium on which the computer program is stored may be provided. Further, by implementing each functional block in the functional block diagram in hardware, a series of processes can be implemented in hardware.

Up to this point, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to examples. It is apparent that those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains can make various changes or modifications within the scope of the technical idea described in the appended claims, and therefore, it should be understood that such changes or modifications naturally fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

Further, the effects described herein are merely illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive. That is, the technology according to the present disclosure may provide other effects that are obvious to those skilled in the art from the description of the present specification, in addition to or instead of the above-described effects.

Note that the following configuration also belongs to the technical scope of the present disclosure.

(1) A communication device, comprising:

a control unit configured to change settings of scanning of directional beams between beam groups, each beam group comprising a plurality of directional beams,

wherein the control unit adjusts the setting of the scanning of the directional beams in each beam group according to the state of the range covered by the beam group.

(2) The communication device according to item (1), wherein the control unit sets the number of directional beams in a beam group to the setting.

(3) The communication device according to item (1) or (2), wherein the control unit sets a period of scanning of the beam group to the setting.

(4) The communication apparatus according to any one of items (1) to (3), wherein the control unit sets the output power from the directional beam in the beam group as the setting.

(5) The communication device according to any one of items (1) to (4), wherein the control unit causes the communication device to transmit information associated with a beam group.

(6) The communication device according to item (5), wherein the control unit causes the communication device to transmit information associated with a period of scanning as the information associated with the beam group.

(7) The communication device according to item (5) or (6), wherein the control unit causes the communication device to transmit information on a beam group to be observed by a terminal device configured to receive a directional beam as the information associated with the beam group.

(8) The communication device according to item (7), wherein the control unit includes, in the information on the beam group to be observed, information on a base station configured to output a directional beam.

(9) The communication device according to item (7) or (8), wherein the control unit includes information associated with a characteristic of the terminal device in the information on the beam group to be observed.

(10) The communication device according to item (9), wherein the control unit includes information associated with a moving state of the terminal device in the information associated with the characteristic of the terminal device.

(11) The communication device according to any one of items (5) to (10), wherein the control unit causes the communication device to transmit, as the information associated with the beam group, information associated with evaluation of the beam group by a terminal device configured to receive a directional beam.

(12) The communication device according to any one of items (5) to (11), wherein the control unit causes the communication device to transmit the information associated with the beam group once per predetermined plurality of scans.

(13) The communication device according to any one of items (1) to (12), wherein the beam group includes a plurality of directional beams in directions adjacent to each other.

(14) The communication device of any of items (1) to (13), wherein the beam group comprises directional beams from a plurality of base stations.

(15) The communication device according to any one of items (1) to (14), wherein the communication device is included in a base station.

(16) The communication device according to any one of items (1) to (14), wherein the communication device is provided to a terminal configured to wirelessly communicate with the base station using a directional beam.

(17) A communication control method, comprising:

changing, by a processor, settings of a scan of directional beams between beam groups, each beam group including a plurality of directional beams; and

adjusting, by the processor, settings of the scanning of the directional beams in each beam group according to a state of a range covered by the beam group.

(18) A computer program for causing a computer to execute:

changing a setting of a scan of directional beams between beam groups, each beam group including a plurality of directional beams; and

the settings of the scanning of the directional beams in each beam group are adjusted according to the state of the range covered by the beam group.

[ list of reference numerals ]

100 base station

200 terminal device