WO2024252684A1 - Station placement design device, station placement design method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

This station placement design device designs an installation position and an orientation for a wireless base station or a relay station, the station placement design device including: a division unit for dividing a plurality of evaluation points in the wireless area into a predetermined number of clusters on the basis of the radio wave propagation loss amount between the evaluation points; an estimation unit for estimating, for each of the clusters, radio wave propagation to the evaluation points in the cluster from a candidate for the installation position for the wireless base station or relay station, the candidate being represented by a combination of the installation position and the orientation; and an output unit for outputting the installation position and the orientation for the wireless base station or relay station that achieves the maximum quality evaluation index at the evaluation points in the cluster, such output being performed on the basis of the estimation results of the radio wave propagation estimation.

Description

Station placement design device, station placement design method, and program

The present invention relates to a station placement design device, a station placement design method, and a program.

A station placement design device and a station placement design method are known that design appropriate locations for wireless base stations to build wireless service areas.

"Channel Design for Mobile Communications" NTT DoCoMo Technical Journal (Vol. 2 No. 4), [Retrieved May 30, 1992], Internet, <https://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/binary/pdf/corporate/technology/rd/technical_journal/bn/vol2_4/vol2_4_035jp.pdf>

　In conventional station placement design methods, the installation location and orientation of wireless base stations (wireless base stations or relay stations) are selected based on conditions such as the number of evaluation points that satisfy a specified wireless communication quality, for example, based on the results of simulating wireless communication quality at multiple evaluation points within a wireless area.

However, this method has the problem that when there are many candidates for the installation positions and orientations of wireless base stations, etc., the calculation results of all combinations of the installation positions and orientations of wireless base stations, etc. must be compared and evaluated, resulting in a huge amount of calculation time.

The embodiment of the present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and reduces the calculation time required for design in a station placement design device that designs the installation position and orientation of wireless base stations, etc.

In order to solve the above problems, a station location design device according to an embodiment of the present invention is a station location design device that designs the installation position and orientation of a wireless base station or relay station, and includes a division unit that divides a plurality of evaluation points within a wireless area into a predetermined number of clusters based on the amount of radio wave propagation loss between the evaluation points, an estimation unit that performs radio wave propagation estimation from candidate installation positions of the wireless base station or relay station represented by a combination of the installation position and orientation for each cluster to the evaluation point within the cluster, and an output unit that outputs the installation position and orientation of the wireless base station or relay station that maximizes the quality evaluation index at the evaluation point within the cluster based on the estimation result of the radio wave propagation estimation.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the calculation time required for design in a station placement design device that designs the installation position and orientation of a wireless base station, etc.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a station design device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a flowchart (1) illustrating an example of a station placement design process according to the present embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a station placement design process according to the embodiment. 11 is a flowchart (2) illustrating an example of a station placement design process according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a station design apparatus according to the present embodiment.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention (the present embodiment) will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is merely an example, and the embodiment to which the present invention is applicable is not limited to the following embodiment.

<Configuration example of station design device>
1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a station placement design device according to this embodiment. The station placement design device 100 is an information processing device having a computer configuration, or a system including multiple computers. The station placement design device 100 performs station placement design to design the installation position and orientation of an appropriate wireless base station or relay station (hereinafter referred to as "wireless base station, etc.") for constructing a wireless area, for example.

The station design device 100 realizes the functional configuration of an input unit 101, a division unit 102, an estimation unit 103, a calculation unit 104, an output unit 105, etc., by, for example, a computer included in the station design device 100 executing a program stored in a storage medium. The station design device 100 also has a memory unit 111 realized by, for example, a storage device of the computer included in the station design device 100.

The input unit 101 accepts various inputs to the station placement design device 100. For example, the input unit 101 accepts input of design conditions for station placement design, and stores the accepted design conditions in the storage unit 111, etc.

The design conditions for station design include, for example, information such as station location candidates, multiple evaluation points, required reception power (or required throughput), and the number of wireless base stations, etc. to be installed within the wireless area. Here, the station location candidates are, for example, candidate installation locations for wireless base stations, etc., expressed as a combination of the installation location and orientation of the wireless base stations, etc. Note that the orientation of the wireless base stations, etc. includes, for example, the orientation of the antennas equipped on the wireless base stations, etc., or the orientation in which the wireless base stations, etc. transmit and receive radio waves. The multiple evaluation points indicate the points within the wireless area where the reception power, etc. is evaluated. The required reception power (or required throughput) is, for example, a reference value (or target value) for determining whether sufficient reception power (or throughput) can be obtained at the evaluation point.

The division unit 102 executes a division process that divides a plurality of evaluation points in a wireless area into a predetermined number of clusters based on the amount of radio wave propagation loss between the evaluation points. Preferably, the division unit 102 divides the plurality of evaluation points into a predetermined number of clusters using the k-means++ method based on the radio wave spatial distance (the amount of radio wave propagation loss between the evaluation points). Preferably, the division unit 102 divides the plurality of evaluation points in a wireless area into clusters equal in number to the number of wireless base stations, etc., installed in the wireless area. Note that a specific example of the process of dividing a plurality of evaluation points into a predetermined number of clusters will be described later.

The estimation unit 103 executes an estimation process for estimating radio wave propagation from a station location candidate to an evaluation point within the cluster, for example, for each cluster divided by the division unit 102. For example, the estimation unit 103 calculates the received power at each evaluation point within the cluster for each station location candidate by simulating radio wave propagation characteristics such as ray tracing.

The calculation unit 104 calculates a quality evaluation index for each station position candidate for each cluster based on the radio wave propagation estimation result by the estimation unit 103. Examples of the quality evaluation index include the average value of the received power at each evaluation point in the cluster, or the average value of the throughput predicted based on the received power at each evaluation point in the cluster.

When using the average throughput value, the calculation unit 104 may convert the received power to the throughput using a conversion table between received power and throughput prepared in advance. Alternatively, the calculation unit 104 may input the received power to a prediction model that has been machine-learned in advance to predict the throughput based on the received power, etc., to predict the throughput.

The output unit 105 executes an output process to output, for each cluster, the installation position and orientation of the wireless base station, etc. (wireless base station or relay station) for which the quality evaluation index is the maximum, based on the quality evaluation index calculated by the calculation unit 104. As another example, the output unit 105 may output, for each cluster, the installation positions and orientations of a predetermined number of wireless base stations, etc., in descending order of the quality evaluation index, based on the quality evaluation index calculated by the calculation unit 104.

The storage unit 111 stores various information, data, programs, etc., including, for example, the design conditions for the station placement design received by the input unit 101 and the estimation results of the radio wave propagation estimation calculated by the estimation unit 103.

The functional configuration of the station placement design device 100 shown in FIG. 1 is an example. For example, the memory unit 111 may be realized by a storage server that the station placement design device 100 can access via a communication network, or a class service. Furthermore, each of the above functional configurations is not limited to a physical machine (computer), and may be realized, for example, by a program executed by a virtual machine on the cloud. Furthermore, at least a part of each of the above functional configurations may be realized by hardware.

<Processing flow>
Next, a process flow of the station placement design method according to this embodiment will be described.

(Channel placement design process 1)
2 is a flowchart showing an example of a station placement design process according to the present embodiment. This process shows an example of a station placement design process executed by the station placement design device 100 described with reference to FIG.

In step S201, the division unit 102 divides the multiple evaluation points in the wireless area into a predetermined number of clusters. For example, the division unit 102 performs clustering using the k-means++ method based on the radio wave spatial distance (the amount of radio wave propagation loss between the evaluation points).

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the station placement design process according to this embodiment. In the example of FIG. 3, a plurality of shields 301, a plurality of evaluation points 302 where the received power from a wireless base station or the like is evaluated, and a plurality of station placement position candidates 303 are arranged in a wireless area 300. Also, in the example of FIG. 3, as an example, the plurality of evaluation points 302 are divided into three clusters 304a, 304b, and 304c.

As a preferred example, the division unit 102 divides the multiple evaluation points 302 in the wireless area 300 into clusters equal in number to the number of wireless base stations, etc. (wireless base stations or relay stations) to be installed in the wireless area 300. This makes it possible to place a predetermined number of wireless base stations, etc. in the wireless area 300, for example, by determining the optimal placement position and orientation of the wireless base stations, etc. for each cluster.

In step S202, the estimation unit 103 performs radio wave propagation estimation from each station location candidate 303 to each evaluation point 302 in each cluster. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the estimation unit 103 calculates the received power from the station location candidate 303 to the evaluation point 302 in cluster 304a by radio wave propagation simulation such as ray tracing. In the same manner, the estimation unit 103 calculates the received power for all combinations of the station location candidate 303 and evaluation point 302 in cluster 304a. Furthermore, in the other clusters 304b and 304c, the estimation unit 103 calculates the received power for all combinations of the station location candidate 303 and evaluation point 302 in each cluster in the same manner.

The estimation unit 103 may store the radio wave propagation estimation result calculated in step S202 in the storage unit 111 or the like, and reuse the result when executing the process of FIG. 2 again.

In step S203, the calculation unit 104 calculates a quality evaluation index for each station position candidate 303 in each cluster based on the estimation result of the radio wave propagation estimation. Here, the quality evaluation index may be, for example, the average value of the received power received by each evaluation point 302 in the cluster from each station position candidate 303, or the average value of the throughput predicted based on the received power.

When predicting throughput, the calculation unit 104 may predict the throughput from, for example, a conversion table between received power and throughput that is prepared in advance by acquiring actual measurement data or by link level simulation or the like. Alternatively, the calculation unit 104 may predict the throughput by inputting the received power into a prediction model that has been machine-learned in advance to predict throughput from the received power. In addition, the quality evaluation index may be, for example, the achievement rate of the target received power (or target throughput), or the minimum received power (or minimum throughput), etc.

In step S204, the output unit 105 outputs, for each cluster, the installation position and orientation of the wireless base station or the like (wireless base station or relay station) that maximizes the quality evaluation index based on the quality evaluation index of each station position candidate 303.

By performing the process shown in FIG. 3, the station design device 100 can output the installation position and orientation of the wireless base station or the like that maximizes the quality evaluation index in each cluster.

(Channel placement design process 2)
Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the station placement design process according to this embodiment. This process shows another example of the station placement design process executed by the station placement design device 100 described in Fig. 1. Among the processes in Fig. 4, the processes in steps S201 to S203 are similar to the processes in steps S201 to S203 described in Fig. 2, so the description thereof will be omitted here.

In step S401, the output unit 105 outputs, for each cluster, the installation positions and orientations of a predetermined number of wireless base stations, etc., with the highest quality evaluation indexes, based on the quality evaluation index of each station position candidate 303. Preferably, the output unit 105 outputs the installation positions and orientations of a predetermined number of wireless base stations, etc., in descending order of the quality evaluation index.

The process of FIG. 4 makes it easy to determine the placement positions and orientations of wireless base stations, etc. so that the placement positions of wireless base stations, etc. are uniform, for example, when the placement positions of wireless base stations, etc. with the largest quality evaluation index are biased in each cluster.

(Cluster division process)
Here, an example of cluster division processing in which the division unit 102 divides a plurality of evaluation points 302 in the wireless area 300 into a predetermined number will be described.

When the number of wireless base stations, etc. is N (N is an integer equal to or greater than 2), the division unit 102 divides the multiple evaluation points 302 into N clusters using the k-means++ method.

k-means++ is a clustering method that divides given data into a specified number of clusters.

In k-means++, a randomly selected evaluation point i is used as the initial value, the distance D between this point and the nearest neighbor center is calculated, and a weighted probability distribution (D^2/ΣD^2) is used to randomly select evaluation point i+1, which will be the next cluster center. The division unit 102 repeats this process to select N cluster centers.

The division unit 102 also generates clusters using the following (Equation 1) with the selected N cluster centers as initial values.

　ここで、Cjはクラスタであり、||vi-mj||はセントロイド（クラスタ重心）とクラスタ要素との距離である。

Here, Cj is a cluster and ||vi-mj|| is the distance between the centroid (center of gravity of the cluster) and the cluster element.

In the above k-means++ method, in this embodiment, the amount of radio wave propagation loss (radio wave spatial distance) between the evaluation points 302 is used as the distance D between the evaluation points. The amount of radio wave loss between the evaluation points 302 is calculated by a radio wave propagation simulation or the like, taking into account the influence of multiple obstructions 301, as shown in FIG. 3, for example. Alternatively, the amount of radio wave loss between the evaluation points 302 may be actual measurement data or the like. In addition, the amount of radio wave loss between the evaluation points 302 may be calculated by the estimation unit 103, or may be a previously calculated or measured value stored in the storage unit 111 or the like.

The amount of radio wave propagation loss between the centroid and the cluster elements in (Equation 1) may be calculated and obtained each time, or the centroid may be regarded as being the same as the evaluation point A of the nearest coordinates, and the amount of radio wave propagation loss between evaluation point A and another evaluation point 302 may be used.

Here, the k-means++ method is one example, and the division unit 102 may divide the multiple evaluation points 302 into N clusters using the amount of radio wave propagation loss between the evaluation points 302 and other clustering algorithms.

As a result, the station placement design device 100 according to this embodiment is able to perform clustering calculations that take into account the obstruction 301. Therefore, the station placement design device 10 according to this embodiment is particularly suitable for station placement design in a system that uses a relatively high frequency band and in an environment where the influence of obstructions is significant, for example.

<Hardware configuration example>
(Hardware configuration of station design device)
Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the station design device according to this embodiment. The station design device 100 has, for example, the hardware configuration of a computer 500 as shown in Fig. 5. In the example of Fig. 5, the computer 500 has a processor 501, a memory 502, a storage device 503, a communication device 504, an input device 505, an output device 506, a bus B, etc.

The processor 501 is, for example, an arithmetic device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that realizes various functions by executing a specific program. The memory 502 is a storage medium readable by the computer 500, and includes, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory). The storage device 503 is a computer-readable storage medium, and may include, for example, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), various optical disks, and magneto-optical disks.

The communication device 504 includes one or more pieces of hardware (communication devices) for communicating with other devices via a wireless or wired network. The input device 505 is an input device (e.g., a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a switch, a button, a sensor, etc.) that accepts input from the outside. The output device 506 is an output device (e.g., a display, a speaker, an LED lamp, etc.) that outputs to the outside. The input device 505 and the output device 506 may be integrated into one configuration (e.g., an input/output device such as a touch panel display).

Bus B is commonly connected to each of the above components and transmits, for example, address signals, data signals, and various control signals. Note that the processor 501 is not limited to a CPU, and may be, for example, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

(supplement)
The station design device 100 in this embodiment is not limited to being realized by a dedicated device, but may be realized by a general-purpose computer. In that case, a program for realizing this function may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium may be read into a computer system and executed to realize the function. Note that the "computer system" here includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices.

In addition, "computer-readable recording media" includes various storage devices such as portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, as well as hard disks built into computer systems. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording media" may also include devices that dynamically hold a program for a short period of time, such as a communication line when transmitting a program via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line, and devices that hold a program for a certain period of time, such as volatile memory inside a computer system that serves as a server or client in such cases.

The above program may be for realizing some of the functions described above, or may be capable of realizing the functions described above in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system, or may be realized using hardware such as a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) or FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

Effects of the embodiment
According to this embodiment, in the station location design device 100 that designs the installation positions and orientations of radio base stations and the like, it is possible to reduce the calculation time required for design.

In addition, the station design device 100 is capable of performing clustering calculations that take into account the obstructions 301, making it particularly suitable for network design in systems that use relatively high frequency bands and in environments where the obstructions 301 have a large impact.

Summary of the embodiment
This specification discloses at least the following station placement design apparatus, station placement design method, and program.
(Section 1)
A station placement design device that designs an installation position and orientation of a radio base station or a relay station,
a division unit that divides a plurality of evaluation points in a wireless area into a predetermined number of clusters based on an amount of radio wave propagation loss between the evaluation points;
an estimation unit that performs radio wave propagation estimation from candidates for installation positions of the wireless base station or relay station, which are represented by a combination of the installation position and the orientation, to the evaluation point within the cluster, for each of the clusters;
an output unit that outputs, based on a result of the radio wave propagation estimation, an installation position and an orientation of the radio base station or the relay station that maximizes a quality evaluation index at the evaluation point in the cluster;
A station placement design device having the above-mentioned.
(Section 2)
2. The station location design device according to claim 1, wherein the division unit divides the plurality of evaluation points in the wireless area into the predetermined number of clusters using a k-means++ algorithm with the amount of radio wave propagation loss between the evaluation points as the distance between the evaluation points.
(Section 3)
The division unit divides the plurality of evaluation points in the wireless area into clusters equal in number to the number of the wireless base stations or the relay stations installed in the wireless area,
The output unit outputs, for each cluster, an installation position and an orientation of the wireless base station or the relay station that maximizes a quality evaluation index at the evaluation point in the cluster.
3. The station placement design device according to claim 1 or 2.
(Section 4)
The station location design device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the quality evaluation index includes an average value of received power at the evaluation point calculated by the radio wave propagation estimation, or an average value of throughput predicted based on the received power.
(Section 5)
The station location design device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the output unit outputs the installation positions and orientations of a predetermined number of the radio base stations or the relay stations having top quality evaluation indexes at the evaluation points within the cluster.
(Section 6)
A station location design device that designs an installation position and an orientation of a radio base station or a relay station,
A process of dividing a plurality of evaluation points in a wireless area into a predetermined number of clusters based on an amount of radio wave propagation loss between the evaluation points;
A process of performing radio wave propagation estimation to the evaluation point within the cluster from candidates for the installation positions of the wireless base station or relay station represented by a combination of the installation positions and orientations for each of the clusters;
a process of outputting, based on a result of the radio wave propagation estimation, an installation position and an orientation of the wireless base station or the relay station that maximizes a quality evaluation index at the evaluation point in the cluster;
A station placement design method that performs the above.
(Section 7)
A computer that designs the installation position and orientation of a wireless base station or a relay station,
A process of dividing a plurality of evaluation points in a wireless area into a predetermined number of clusters based on an amount of radio wave propagation loss between the evaluation points;
A process of performing radio wave propagation estimation to the evaluation point within the cluster from candidates for the installation positions of the wireless base station or relay station represented by a combination of the installation positions and orientations for each of the clusters;
a process of outputting, based on a result of the radio wave propagation estimation, an installation position and an orientation of the wireless base station or the relay station that maximizes a quality evaluation index at the evaluation point in the cluster;
A storage medium that stores a program that executes the program.

Although the present embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this specific embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention as described in the claims.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100: Station placement design device 102: Division unit 103: Estimation unit 104: Calculation unit 105: Output unit 111: Storage unit 500: Computer

Claims (7)

A station placement design device that designs an installation position and orientation of a radio base station or a relay station,
a division unit that divides a plurality of evaluation points in a wireless area into a predetermined number of clusters based on an amount of radio wave propagation loss between the evaluation points;
an estimation unit that performs radio wave propagation estimation from candidates for installation positions of the wireless base station or relay station, which are represented by a combination of the installation position and the orientation, to the evaluation point within the cluster, for each of the clusters;
an output unit that outputs, based on a result of the radio wave propagation estimation, an installation position and an orientation of the radio base station or the relay station that maximizes a quality evaluation index at the evaluation point in the cluster;
A station placement design device having the above-mentioned. The station placement design device according to claim 1, wherein the division unit divides the multiple evaluation points in the wireless area into the predetermined number of clusters using the k-means++ method with the amount of radio wave propagation loss between the evaluation points as the distance between the evaluation points. The division unit divides the plurality of evaluation points in the wireless area into clusters equal in number to the number of the wireless base stations or the relay stations installed in the wireless area,
The output unit outputs, for each cluster, an installation position and an orientation of the wireless base station or the relay station that maximizes a quality evaluation index at the evaluation point in the cluster.
The station placement design device according to claim 1 or 2. The station design device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the quality evaluation index includes an average value of received power at the evaluation point calculated by the radio wave propagation estimation, or an average value of throughput predicted based on the received power. The station placement design device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the output unit outputs the installation positions and orientations of a predetermined number of the wireless base stations or relay stations with top quality evaluation indices at the evaluation points in the cluster. A station location design device that designs an installation position and an orientation of a radio base station or a relay station,
A process of dividing a plurality of evaluation points in a wireless area into a predetermined number of clusters based on an amount of radio wave propagation loss between the evaluation points;
A process of performing radio wave propagation estimation to the evaluation point within the cluster from candidates for the installation positions of the wireless base station or relay station represented by a combination of the installation positions and orientations for each of the clusters;
a process of outputting, based on a result of the radio wave propagation estimation, an installation position and an orientation of the wireless base station or the relay station that maximizes a quality evaluation index at the evaluation point in the cluster;
A station placement design method that performs the above. A computer that designs the installation position and orientation of a wireless base station or a relay station,
A process of dividing a plurality of evaluation points in a wireless area into a predetermined number of clusters based on an amount of radio wave propagation loss between the evaluation points;
A process of performing radio wave propagation estimation to the evaluation point within the cluster from candidates for the installation positions of the wireless base station or relay station represented by a combination of the installation positions and orientations for each of the clusters;
a process of outputting, based on a result of the radio wave propagation estimation, an installation position and an orientation of the wireless base station or the relay station that maximizes a quality evaluation index at the evaluation point in the cluster;
A program to execute.

Images