Communication system and wireless network engineering support method

• US 10,433,182 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2017
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nakano, Ryo, Nishimura, Takuma, Moribe, Hirotaka, Tsunoo, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khai N
• Application Number:
  US16/309,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20190261191A1
• Time in Patent Office: 924 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/14 Relay systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/12 based on transmission quality or channel quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A network management device manages a wireless multi-hop network; a network configuration management unit that manages communication quality information between wireless devices and between the wireless devices and the gateway; a repeater necessity determination unit that determines whether to add a repeater for each of the wireless devices based on the communication quality information and selects the wireless device that is required to add the repeater based on a determination result; an access point determination unit determines access points for securing a predetermined communication quality for the wireless device selected; and a repeater placement determination unit that determines whether there is a repeater installation location indicating an installation range of the repeater for relaying the wireless device selected and the access point selected by the access point determination unit based on a communication range of the wireless device selected and a communication range of the access point selected.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a plurality of wireless devices;

a gateway that transmits and receives information with respect to each of the wireless devices; and

a network management device that manages a wireless multi-hop network including the wireless devices and the gateway,

the network management device including;

a network configuration management unit that manages communication quality information between the wireless devices and between the wireless devices and the gateway;

a repeater necessity determination unit that determines whether or not to add a repeater for each of the wireless devices based on the communication quality information and selects the wireless device that is required to add the repeater based on a determination result;

an access point determination unit that determines access points for securing a predetermined communication quality for the wireless device selected by the repeater necessity determination unit based on the communication quality information or positional information of the wireless devices and the gateway to select the access point from the wireless devices or the gateway based on the determination result; and

a repeater placement determination unit that determines whether there is a repeater installation location indicating an installation range of the repeater for relaying the wireless device selected by the repeater necessity determination unit and the access point selected by the access point determination unit based on a communication range of the wireless device selected by the repeater necessity determination unit and a communication range of the access point selected by the access point determination unit.

2. The communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the repeater necessity determination unit selects, as the wireless device required to add the repeater, the wireless device that is in an isolated state where there is no communication target which is directly communicable by one hop, the wireless device having no communication target which is directly communicable by one hop and whose communication quality is equal to or more than a threshold value, or a wireless device having one or more communication targets which are directly communicable by one hop and whose communication quality is equal to or more than the threshold value, but the number of which is less than N (N is any value of 1 or more).

3. The communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the access point determination unit selects, as the access point, another wireless device or the gateway, which is closest from the wireless devices selected by the repeater necessity determination unit, another wireless device or the gateway, which is highest in communication quality among the communication targets directly communicable with the wireless devices selected by the repeater necessity determination unit by one hop, another wireless device or the gateway, which is closest from the wireless device selected by the repeater necessity determination unit except for the communication target directly communicable with the wireless devices selected by the repeater necessity determination unit by one hop and whose communication quality is equal to or more than a threshold value, or another wireless device or the gateway, which is highest in communication quality among the communication targets directly communicable with the wireless devices selected by the repeater necessity determination unit by one hop except for the communication target directly communicable with the wireless devices selected by the repeater necessity determination unit by one hop and whose communication quality is equal to or more than a threshold value.

4. The communication system according to claim 1,

wherein when there is an overlapping portion indicating an area in which a communication range of the wireless device selected by the repeater necessity determination unit and a communication range of the access point selected by the access point determination unit overlap with each other, the repeater placement determination unit determines that there is the repeater placement location, and outputs the overlapping portion as the repeater installation location.

5. The communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the repeater placement determination unit determines that there is the repeater installation location when, with a pair of the wireless device selected by the repeater necessity determination unit and the access point selected by the access point determination unit, there is a further overlapping area in which a first overlapping portion indicating an area in which communication ranges of the pair overlap with each other overlaps with a second overlapping portion indicating an area in which communication ranges of another pair overlap with each other, and outputs the further overlapping area as the repeater installation location which is a third overlapping portion common to both of the pairs.

6. The communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the repeater placement determination unit virtually places one or more virtual terminals between the wireless device selected by the repeater necessity determination unit and the access point selected by the access point determination unit when there is no overlapping portion indicating an area in which a communication range of the wireless device selected by the repeater necessity determination unit and a communication range of the access point selected by the access point determination unit overlap with each other, and determines that there is the repeater installation location and outputs the first virtual overlapping portion and the second virtual overlapping portion as the repeater installation locations when there are a first virtual overlapping portion indicating an area in which the communication range of the wireless device selected by the repeater necessity determination unit and a communication range of the virtual terminal overlap with each other, and a second virtual overlapping portion indicating an area in which the communication range of the access point selected by the access point determination unit and the communication range of the virtual terminal overlap with each other.

7. The communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the repeater necessity determination unit preferentially selects the wireless device which is in an isolated state in which there is no communication target directly communicable by one hop or the wireless device having no communication target directly communicable by the one hop and whose communication quality is equal to or more than a threshold value as the wireless device required to add the repeater, and selects one or more wireless devices having the communication target which is directly communicable by the one hop and whose communication quality is equal to or more than the threshold value, and the number of which is less than N (N is any value of 1 or more) as the wireless device required to add the repeater only when there is no wireless device satisfying the condition.

8. The communication system according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit that displays the communication quality information managed by the network configuration management unit and the repeater placement location which is a determination result of the repeater placement determination unit in association with the wireless devices belonging to the wireless multi-hop network and the gateway.

9. A wireless network engineering support method in a network management device that manages a plurality of wireless devices and a gateway that transmits and receives information with respect to each of the wireless devices, comprising:

a first step of managing communication quality information between the wireless devices and between the wireless devices and the gateway;

a second step of determining whether or not to add a repeater for each of the wireless devices based on the communication quality information and selecting the wireless device that is required to add the repeater based on a determination result;

a third step of determining access points for securing a predetermined communication quality for the wireless device selected in the second step based on the communication quality information or positional information of the wireless devices and the gateway to select the access point from the wireless devices or the gateway based on the determination result; and

a fourth step of determining whether or not there is a repeater installation location indicating an installation range of the repeater for relaying the wireless device selected in the second step and the access point selected in the third step based on the communication range of the wireless device selected in the second step and the communication range of the access point selected in the third step.

10. The wireless network engineering support method according to claim 9,

wherein in the second step, the wireless device that is in an isolated state where there is no communication target which is directly communicable by one hop, the wireless device having no communication target which is directly communicable by one hop and whose communication quality is equal to or more than a threshold value, or a wireless device having one or more communication targets which are directly communicable by one hop and whose communication quality is equal to or more than the threshold value, but the number of which is less than N (N is any value of 1 or more) is selected as the wireless device required to add the repeater.

11. The wireless network engineering support method according to claim 9,

wherein, in the third step, another wireless device or the gateway, which is closest from the wireless devices selected in the second step, another wireless device or the gateway, which is highest in communication quality among the communication targets directly communicable with the wireless devices selected in the second step by one hop, another wireless device or the gateway, which is closest from the wireless device selected in the second step except for the communication target directly communicable with the wireless devices selected in the second step by one hop and whose communication quality is equal to or more than a threshold value, or another wireless device or the gateway, which is highest in communication quality among the communication targets directly communicable with the wireless devices selected in the second step by one hop except for the communication target directly communicable with the wireless devices selected in the second step by one hop and whose communication quality is equal to or more than a threshold value is selected as the access point.

12. The wireless network engineering support method according to claim 9,

wherein in the fourth step, when there is an overlapping portion indicating an area in which a communication range of the wireless device selected in the second step and a communication range of the access point selected in the third step overlap with each other, it is determined that there is the repeater placement location, and the overlapping portion is output as the repeater installation location.

13. The wireless network engineering support method according to claim 9,

wherein in the fourth step, with a pair of the wireless device selected in the second step and the access point selected in the third step, when there is a further overlapping area in which a first overlapping portion indicating an area in which communication ranges of the pair overlap with each other overlaps with a second overlapping portion indicating an area in which communication ranges of another pair overlap with each other, it is determined that there is the repeater installation location and the further overlapping area is output as the repeater installation location which is a third overlapping portion common to both of the pairs.

14. The wireless network engineering support method according to claim 9,

wherein in the fourth step, one or more virtual terminals are virtually placed between the wireless device selected in the second step and the access point selected in the third step when there is no overlapping portion indicating an area in which a communication range of the wireless device selected in the second step and a communication range of the access point selected in the third step overlap with each other, and it is determined that there is the repeater installation location and the first virtual overlapping portion and the second virtual overlapping portion are output as the repeater installation locations when there are a first virtual overlapping portion indicating an area in which the communication range of the wireless device selected in the second step and a communication range of the virtual terminal overlap with each other, and a second virtual overlapping portion indicating an area in which the communication range of the access point selected in the third step and the communication range of the virtual terminal overlap with each other.

15. The wireless network engineering support method according to claim 9,

wherein in the second step, the wireless device which is in an isolated state in which there is no communication target directly communicable by one hop or the wireless device having no communication target directly communicable by the one hop and whose communication quality is equal to or more than a threshold value is preferentially selected as the wireless device required to add the repeater, and only when there is no wireless device satisfying the condition, one or more wireless devices having the communication target which is directly communicable by the one hop and whose communication quality is equal to or more than the threshold value, and the number of which is less than N (N is any value of 1 or more) are selected as the wireless device required to add the repeater.