WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICE, WIRELESS COMMUNICATION METHOD, CONTROL DEVICE, AND CONTROL METHOD

• US 20170208525A1
• Filed: 01/12/2017
• Published: 07/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: TAKAHASHI, HIROSHI, SHIRAKATA, NAGANORI, IRIE, MASATAKA
• Granted Patent: US 10,470,096 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0408 using two or more beams, i.e. beam diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0003 by switching between different modulation schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0005 applied to payload information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0009 by adapting the channel coding H04L1/1812 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0011 applied to payload information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0015 characterised by the adaptation strategy
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0092 Error control systems characterised by the topology of the transmission link
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0079 in case of hand-off failure or rejection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/008375 based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/06 Reselecting a communication resource in the serving access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/22 for handling the traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/302 due to low signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/305 Handover due to radio link failure control signalling for hand-off failure H04W36/0079
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points

Abstract

A wireless communication device includes: 1st to Mth communication processors, respectively corresponding to 1st to Mth sectors (where M is an integer equal to or greater than 2), that communicate with a wireless terminal by using a beam in any of N directions (where N is an integer equal to or greater than 2) in one of the 1st to Mth sectors; and a handover controller that determines whether or not to perform handover of the 1st communication processor, according to a position in a 1st sector of the beam used by the 1st communication processor, a communication quality between the 1st communication processor and the wireless terminal, and a value related to traffic on the 2nd communication processor in a 2nd sector adjacent to the 1st sector.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device, comprising:

1st to Mth communication processors, respectively corresponding to 1st to Mth sectors (where M is an integer equal to or greater than

     2), which in operation, each communicate with a wireless terminal by using a beam in any of N directions (where N is an integer equal to or greater than

     2) in one of the 1st to Mth sectors; and

a handover controller, which in operation, determines whether or not to perform handover of the 1st communication processor, according to a position in a 1st sector of the beam used by the 1st communication processor, a communication quality between the 1st communication processor and the wireless terminal, and a value related to traffic on the 2nd communication processor in a 2nd sector adjacent to the 1st sector.

2. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein

in a case where all of (i) to (iii) are satisfied:

(i) the position in the 1st sector of the beam used by the 1st communication processor is up to a Kth beam (where K is an integer equal to or greater than 1, and less than or equal to N/2) starting from a boundary between the 1st sector and the 2nd sector from among the beams in N directions,

(ii) the communication quality is less than or equal to a first threshold value, and

(iii) the value related to traffic is equal to or greater than a second threshold value,

the handover controller determines not to perform handover of the 1st communication processor, and output a control signal instructing to extend a communication area provided by one beam used by the 1st communication processor.

3. The wireless communication device according to claim 2, wherein

the 1st communication processor is configured with a plurality of modulation and coding schemes (MCSes) that indicate a combination of a modulation scheme and a coding scheme, and changes the MCS used by the 1st communication processor to the MCS with the lowest communication rate according to the control signal.

4. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein

the handover controller additionally determines whether or not to perform handover of the 1st communication processor according to a communication area provided by one beam used by the 1st communication processor.

5. The wireless communication device according to claim 4, wherein

in a case where all of (iv) to (vii) are satisfied:

(iv) the position in the 1st sector of the beam used by the 1st communication processor is up to a Kth beam (where K is an integer equal to or greater than 1, and less than or equal to N/2) starting from a boundary between the 1st sector and the 2nd sector from among the beams in N directions,

(v) the communication quality is less than or equal to a first threshold value,

(vi) the value related to traffic is equal to or greater than a second threshold value, and

(vii) the communication area provided by one beam used by the 1st communication processor is the widest,

the handover controller determines to perform handover of the 1st communication processor.

6. The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein

the 1st to Mth communication processors use a millimeter wave band.

7. A wireless communication method, comprising:

in a 1st communication processor of a wireless communication device corresponding to a 1st sector from among 1st to Mth sectors (where M is an integer equal to or greater than

     2), each communicating with a wireless terminal by using a beam in any of N directions (where N is an integer equal to or greater than

     2); and

determining whether or not to perform handover of the 1st communication processor of the wireless communication device, according to a position in the 1st sector of the beam used by the 1st communication processor of the wireless communication device, a communication quality between the 1st communication processor and the wireless terminal, and a value related to traffic on a 2nd communication processor of the wireless communication device corresponding to a 2nd sector adjacent to the 1st sector.

8. A control device, comprising:

a communicator, which in operation, connects to a wireless communication device including 1st to Mth communication processors (where M is an integer equal to or greater than

     2), which in operation, each communicate with a wireless terminal, the wireless communication device using for the communication a beam in any of N directions (where N is an integer equal to or greater than

     2) in one of the 1st to Mth communication processors that respectively correspond to 1st to Mth sectors, and the communicator receives information related to a handover determination, including a position in the 1st sector of the beam used by the 1st communication processor of the wireless communication device, a communication quality between the 1st communication processor of the wireless communication device and the wireless terminal, and a value related to traffic on the 2nd communication processor of the wireless communication device corresponding to a 2nd sector adjacent to the 1st sector; and

a handover controller, which in operation, determines whether or not to perform handover of the 1st communication processor of the wireless communication device by using the received information related to the handover determination.

9. A control method, comprising:

connecting to a wireless communication device including 1st to Mth communication processors (where M is an integer equal to or greater than

     2) that communicate with a wireless terminal, the wireless communication device using for the communication a beam in any of N directions (where N is an integer equal to or greater than

     2) in one of the 1st to Mth communication processors that respectively correspond to 1st to Mth sectors, and receiving information related to a handover determination, including a position in the 1st sector of the beam used by the 1st communication processor of the wireless communication device, a communication quality between the 1st communication processor of the wireless communication device and the wireless terminal, and a value related to traffic on the 2nd communication processor of the wireless communication device corresponding to a 2nd sector adjacent to the 1st sector; and

determining whether or not to perform handover of the 1st communication processor of the wireless communication device by using the received information related to the handover determination.