Communication load estimation system, information processing device, method, and program

This application is a National Stage of International Application No. PCT/JP2016/087828, filed Dec. 19, 2016, claiming priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-000615, filed Jan. 5, 2016, the contents of all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

The present invention relates to a communication load estimation system for estimating a communication load of a wireless base station, an information processing device, a communication load estimation method, and a communication load estimation program.

In a mobile network, various traffic data are mixed and treated equally without any distinction, like in not only traffic data such as Web browsing data, video viewing data, and communication data, having high real-time property but also in traffic data such as downloaded content, and updated application data having low real-time property. Therefore, there has been a problem that an occurrence of a peak load reduces the communication quality of all traffic data.

There is an off-peak data transfer technology for intermittently transferring traffic data such as downloaded content having low real-time property when load of a wireless base station is low. The off-peak data transfer technology enables the peak load of the wireless base station to be leveled without reducing the communication quality of the traffic data such as Web browsing data, having high real-time property.

The off peak data transfer technology has a problem that how the communication load of the wireless base station should be accurately grasped. With respect to a technique of estimating a communication load, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of estimating a communication load of a wireless base station by using total received power and a signal to interference noise ratio of a reference signal.

Patent Literature

PTL 1: WO 2014/185048

Technical Problem

The problem is that, when the wireless base station uses two or more antennas for signal transmission, the estimation accuracy of the communication load decreases. The reason why is that, when the wireless base station uses two or more antennas for signal transmission, although the communication load of the wireless base station and a relationship between the total received power and the signal to interference noise ratio of the reference signal change, the method described in PTL 1 estimates the communication load on the premise of one antenna as the number of antennas.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a communication load estimation system, an information processing device, a communication load estimation method, and a communication load estimation program capable of accurately estimating the communication load of the wireless base station.

Solution to Problem

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication load estimation system including load estimation means for estimating a communication load of a wireless base station to be an object of estimation, using at least: a network parameter, which is a parameter concerning the number of antennas used for signal transmission of the wireless base station: a first quality measurement value, which is a measurement value concerning a quality of communication with the wireless base station and which includes at least total received power; and a second quality measurement value, which is a measurement value concerning a quality of communication with the wireless base station and which includes at least a signal to interference noise ratio of a reference signal.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication load estimation system including: provisional load calculation means for calculating a provisional communication load of a wireless base station to be an object of estimation, using at least a first quality measurement value, which is a measurement value concerning a quality of communication with the wireless base station and which includes at least total received power, and a second quality measurement value, which is a measurement value concerning a quality of communication with the wireless base station and which includes at least a signal to interference noise ratio of a reference signal; and load adjustment means for estimating the communication load of the wireless base station by adjusting the magnification or offset of the provisional communication load or both thereof, based on the range of value of the provisional communication load represented by a set of the provisional communication loads.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing device including load estimation means for estimating a communication load of a wireless base station to be an object of estimation, using at least: a network parameter, which is a parameter concerning the number of antennas used for signal transmission of the wireless base station: a first quality measurement value, which is a measurement value concerning a quality of communication with the wireless base station and which includes at least total received power; and a second quality measurement value, which is a measurement value concerning a quality of communication with the wireless base station and which includes at least a signal to interference noise ratio of a reference signal.

According to further another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication load estimation method wherein an information processing device, which is connectable to a wireless terminal or a wireless communication means included in the wireless terminal, estimates a communication load of a wireless base station to be an object of estimation, using at least: a network parameter, which is a parameter concerning the number of antennas used for signal transmission of the wireless base station: a first quality measurement value, which is a measurement value concerning a quality of communication with the wireless base station and which includes at least total received power; and a second quality measurement value, which is a measurement value concerning a quality of communication with the wireless base station and which includes at least a signal to interference noise ratio of a reference signal.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication load estimation program for causing a computer to perform processing of estimating a communication load of a wireless base station to be an object of estimation, using at least: a network parameter, which is a parameter concerning the number of antennas used for signal transmission of the wireless base station: a first quality measurement value, which is a measurement value concerning a quality of communication with the wireless base station and which includes at least total received power; and a second quality measurement value, which is a measurement value concerning a quality of communication with the wireless base station and which includes at least a signal to interference noise ratio of a reference signal.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

The present invention enables a provision of a communication load estimation system, an information processing device, a communication load estimation method, and a communication load estimation program capable of accurately estimating a communication load of a wireless base station.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a communication load estimation device of a first exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of the communication load estimation device of the first exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a more detailed flow of a load estimation unit 101 .

FIGS. 4( a ) and 4( b ) are explanatory diagrams illustrating an example of a resource block configuration of symbols to be measured such as a total received power or a signal to interference noise ratio of a reference signal.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a communication load estimation device of a second exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of the communication load estimation device of the second exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a communication load estimation device of a third exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a load estimation unit 101 .

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of the communication load estimation device of the third exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a communication load estimation device of a fourth exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a load estimation unit 101 .

FIG. 12 a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of the communication load estimation device of the fourth exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 13 a block diagram illustrating an outline of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating another configuration example of a communication load estimation system or an information processing device of the present invention.

Exemplary Embodiment 1

Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a communication load estimation device of a first exemplary embodiment. The communication load estimation device 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a load estimation unit 101 and a wireless communication unit 102 .

The wireless communication unit 102 acquires a network parameter P 1 concerning the number of antennas used for signal transmission by a wireless base station, a first quality indicator Q 1 which is a quality measurement value including at least total received power, a second quality indicator Q 2 which is a quality measurement value including at least a signal to interference noise ratio of a reference signal.

The load estimation unit 101 estimates a communication load of a wireless base station by using a network parameter P 1 acquired by the wireless communication unit 102 , the first quality indicator Q 1 , and the second quality indicator Q 2 .

The load estimation unit 101 may use previously set information as the network parameter P 1 or may use information previously stored in a predetermined storage device such as a storage device provided in the communication load estimation device. In that case, the acquisition processing of the network parameter P 1 in the wireless communication unit 102 is omitted. Moreover, the load estimating unit 101 may acquire the network parameter P 1 from an information processing device such as a server device or the like connected to the communication load estimation device 100 via a communication network.

The network parameter P 1 may be the number of transmitting antennas used for signal transmission by a wireless base station, itself, or may be another indicator that correlates with the number of antennas.

The first quality indicator Q 1 is a measurement value concerning a quality of communication and only needs to include total received power. The first quality indicator Q 1 may include, for example, a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), a reference signal received quality (RSRQ), or the like.

The second quality indicator Q 2 is a measurement value concerning a quality of communication and only need to include a signal to interference noise ratio of a reference signal. The second quality indicator Q 2 may include, for example, a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) or the like.

The communication load estimation device 100 may be, for example, a wireless terminal. In that case, the load estimation unit 101 is implemented by an information processing device which operates according to a program, such as, for example, a CPU provided in the wireless terminal. In addition, the load estimating unit 101 may be implemented by the CPU or the like provided in the information processing device such as a server device or the like connected via a communications network to a wireless terminal having a wireless communication unit 102 , in addition to being provided in the wireless terminal. In that case, the communication load estimation device 100 is a communication load estimation system including two or more devices.

The load estimation unit 101 performs communication load estimation described later, in the wireless terminal or in the information processing device.

The wireless communication unit 102 is provided in, for example, the wireless terminal and observes radio waves from the wireless base station as the object of estimation in the wireless terminal to acquire the network parameter P 1 , the first quality indicator Q 1 , the second quality indicator Q 2 , and the like.

Subsequently, the operation of this exemplary embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the communication load estimation device 100 of this exemplary embodiment. In the example illustrated in FIG. 2 , first, the wireless communication unit 102 acquires the network parameter P 1 , the first quality indicator Q 1 , and the second quality indicator Q 2 (step S 101 ). Subsequently, the load estimation unit 101 estimates (calculates) the communication load of the wireless base station on the basis of the network parameter P 1 , the first quality indicator Q 1 , and the second quality indicator Q 2 (step S 102 ).

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a more detailed flow of communication load estimation processing of the wireless base station (the above step S 102 ) in the load estimation unit 101 . As illustrated in FIG. 3 , the load estimation unit 101 may derive the number of antennas used for signal transmission of the wireless base station from, for example, the network parameter P 1 (step S 121 ), determine a formula in accordance with the number of antennas that has been derived in the above (step S 122 ), and calculate a communication load of the wireless base station as the object of estimation, using the determined formula (steps S 123 and S 124 ).

As a specific method of calculating the communication load, a component containing an interference noise component, which is included in the signal to interference noise ratio of the second quality indicator Q 2 , may be subtracted from the component containing the total received power of the first quality indicator Q 1 . It is assumed, however, that the selected formula contains a difference caused by the configuration of resource blocks in the symbol used for the measurement of the measurement value concerning the quality of communication, which varies with the number of antennas. For example, when the RSSI is decomposed in components, the RSSI is divided into received power of the reference signal, received power of a data signal and a control signal, interference power, and a noise. The received power of the reference signal or the number of resource elements of the reference signal, the received power of the data signal and the control signal, and the number of resource elements of the data signal and the control signal in the symbols to be measured such as RSSI, RSRP, RSRQ, and SINR depend on the number of antennas used for signal transmission of the wireless base station. Therefore, it is preferable to select a formula reflecting such differences.

Hereinafter, a description will be made on a method of calculating the communication load of the wireless base station with reference to a long term evolution (LTE) system as an example.

FIGS. 4( a ) and 4( b ) are explanatory diagrams illustrating an example of a resource block configuration used for the orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDM). FIG. 4 ( a ) illustrates an example of a resource block configuration when the number of antennas used for signal transmission is one, and FIG. 4 ( b ) illustrates an example of a resource block configuration when the number of antennas is two. In the figure, an individual square corresponds to a resource element. The OFDM symbol at a certain time includes not only a data signal and a control signal, but also a reference signal. In the case where the number of antennas is two or more, unused resource elements are contained in some cases as illustrated in FIG. 4 ( b ) .

For example, if the number of antennas used for signal transmission is one, the relationship between wave indicators may be represented as follows.

RSSI/N RB =2 RSRP k +10 u k RSRP k +(12 RSRP k /SINR k )  (1)

On the other hand, in the case where the number of antennas used for signal transmission is N TX , the relationship between the wave indicators may be represented as follows.

RSSI/N RB =4 RSRP k +8 u k N TX RSRP k +(12 RSRP k /SINR k )  (2)

According to the formulae (1) and (2), it is understood that RSSI as the total received power including interference power and noise can be represented by a sum of three terms. Incidentally, RSSI represents the received signal power of an OFDM symbol in which a reference signal is multiplexed. Moreover, N RB represents the total number of resource blocks of a wireless base station (in the case of an LTE system, the total number of resource blocks of the LTE system bandwidth). Furthermore, RSRP k represents the received signal power per one resource element of the reference signal in the cell k of the wireless base station as the object of estimation. Moreover, u k represents the communication load of the cell k of the wireless base station as the object of estimation. Furthermore, SINR k represents the ratio between the received signal power of the reference signal of the cell k of the wireless base station as the object of estimation and a sum of the interference signal power and noise power.

In view of the formulae (1) and (2), it is understood that RSSI as the total received power is divided into a term related to the reference signal (the first term on the right side), a term related to the data signal and the control signal (the second term on the right side), and a term related to interference power and noise (the third term on the right side). Furthermore, it is understood that the degree of contribution to RSSI of each term depends on whether the number of antennas is one or two or more.

In this exemplary embodiment, the communication load is enabled to be calculated accurately by subtracting the component containing the interference noise component included in the signal to interference noise ratio in the second quality indicator Q 2 from the component containing the total received power of the first quality indicator Q 1 in consideration of the degree of contribution to the total received power of each term.

As an example, the load estimation unit 101 may use the following formula properly according to, for example, the number of antennas N TX used for signal transmission of the cell k of the wireless base station when calculating the communication load u k of the cell k of the wireless base station, which is the object of estimation in LTE.

Specifically, if the number of antennas N TX used for signal transmission of the cell k of the wireless base station is one, the communication load u k may be calculated by using any one of the following formulae (1-1), (1-2), (1-3), (1 4), (1-5), (1-6), (1-7), (1-8), and (1-9). Incidentally, the calculation formula is not limited thereto, but any other mathematical formula predetermined based on the resource block configuration may be used.

On the other hand, if the number of antennas N TX used for signal transmission of the cell k of the wireless base station is two or more, the communication load u k may be calculated by using any one of the following formulae (2-1), (2-2), (2-3), (2-4), (2-5), (2-6), (2-7), (2-8), and (2-9). The calculation formula is not limited thereto, but any other mathematical formula predetermined according to the resource block configuration may be used.

In the above, RSRQ k represents a ratio between RSRP k and RSSI in the cell k of the wireless base station as the object of estimation. Additionally, a represents an adjustment term of noise power or the like. Moreover, P represents an adjustment term of transmission power in the case where the wireless base station transmits a signal. Further, although N RB is used in the right side of the first equal sign (=) in each of the above formulae, N RB can be determined by the following formula (3) or the like, for example, if N RB is not known. The right side of the second equal sign (=) in each of the above formulae is obtained by converting the right side of the first equal sign (=) to a formula without N RB by using the formula (3). Moreover, predetermined values may be used as α and P.

N RB =RSSI×RSRQ/RSRP   (3)

As described above, according to this exemplary embodiment, the communication load of the wireless base station is able to be estimated with high accuracy even if the number of antennas used for signal transmission of the wireless base station changes. This is because the communication load of the wireless base station is estimated by using the network parameter P 1 , the first quality indicator Q 1 , and the second quality indicator Q 2 . Particularly, a difference in the resource block configuration is reflected to the estimation by using a formula that depends on whether the number of antennas is one or two or more. Therefore the communication load can be estimated with high accuracy in comparison with a method of finding a communication load assuming that the number of antenna is one.

Exemplary Embodiment 2

Subsequently, description will be made on a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a communication load estimation device according to a second exemplary embodiment. The communication load estimation device 100 illustrated in FIG. 5 differs from the configuration of the first exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 in that the communication load estimation device 100 further includes a network parameter estimation unit 103 . In addition, the communication load estimation device 100 differs from the configuration of the first exemplary embodiment in that the wireless communication unit 102 acquires network information N 1 , instead of the network parameter P 1 .

In this exemplary embodiment, the network parameter estimation unit 103 derives the network parameter P 1 by using the network information N 1 concerning the number of antennas used for signal transmission of the wireless base station that the wireless communication unit 102 has acquired.

The network information N 1 is not particularly limited as far as the information is associated with the number of antennas used for signal transmission of the wireless base station. The network information N 1 may be, for example, a transmission mode. Furthermore, the network information N 1 may be, for example, an identification number (ID) that identifies a wireless base station or a cell of the wireless base station.

The wireless communication unit 102 acquires, for example, network information N 1 concerning the number of antennas used for signal transmission of the wireless base station, the first quality indicator Q 1 , and the second quality indicator Q 2 by, for example, observing waves.

The processing unit for acquiring the network information N 1 may be other than the wireless communication unit 102 . For example, the network parameter estimation unit 103 may acquire the network information N 1 which is set in advance. Specifically, the network information N 1 may be acquired via the wireless communication unit 102 and further may be acquired by reading information set in advance, for example. In that case, the information stored in advance in a storage device in the communication load estimation device 100 or in a wireless terminal having the wireless communication unit 102 may be used as the network information N 1 .

The network parameter estimation unit 103 derives the network parameter P 1 from the network information N 1 . The network parameter estimation unit 103 may derive the network parameter P 1 on the basis of predetermined correspondence between the network information N 1 and the network parameter P 1 .

For example, the communication load estimation device 100 may store information indicating the correspondence between the number of antennas used for signal transmission of the wireless base station and the network information N 1 in advance or may store the information indicating the correspondence between them in advance in a server device or the like accessible from the communication load estimation device 100 so that the network parameter estimation unit 103 is able to query the correspondence between them, if necessary.

The network parameter estimation unit 103 may be implemented by, for example, the CPU or the like included in the communication load estimation device 100 (for example, a wireless terminal or an information processing device such as a server device or the like connected via a communication network to the wireless terminal having a wireless communication unit 102 ). Other respects are the same as those of the first exemplary embodiment.

Subsequently, the operation of this exemplary embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of the communication load estimation device 100 of this exemplary embodiment. Incidentally, the same processes as in the first exemplary embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 6 , first, the wireless communication unit 102 acquires network information N 1 , the first quality indicator Q 1 , and the second quality indicator Q 2 (step S 201 ). Subsequently, the network parameter estimation unit 103 derives the network parameter P 1 from the acquired network information N 1 (step S 202 ). Thereafter, the load estimation unit 101 estimates (calculates) the communication load of the wireless base station on the basis of the network parameter P 1 , the first quality indicator Q 1 , and the second quality indicator Q 2 (step S 102 ).

As described above, according to this exemplary embodiment, the same advantageous effects as in the first exemplary embodiment can be achieved even in a situation where the communication load estimation device 100 cannot directly acquire the network parameter P 1 .

Exemplary Embodiment 3

Subsequently, description will be made on a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a communication load estimation device according to a third exemplary embodiment. The communication load estimation device 100 illustrated in FIG. 7 differs from the configuration of the second exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5 in that the network parameter estimation unit 103 outputs the network parameter P 1 with a communication load L 1 from the load estimation unit 101 as an input. In addition, the communication load estimation device 100 differs from the configuration of the second exemplary embodiment in that the processing of acquiring the network information N 1 in the wireless communication unit 102 is omitted.

In this exemplary embodiment, the load estimation unit 101 calculates the communication load L 1 , which is a provisional communication load of the wireless base station, by using the first quality indicator Q 1 and the second quality indicator Q 2 acquired by the wireless communication unit 102 . The network parameter estimation unit 103 then calculates the network parameter P 1 by using the communication load L 1 . Other respects may be the same as those of the second exemplary embodiment.

The communication load L 1 is a value of the communication load or a set thereof (for example, time-series data) calculated by using the first quality indicator Q 1 and the second quality indicator Q 2 . The communication load L 1 may be one determined by, for example, assuming that the number of antennas used for signal transmission of the wireless base station is one. More specifically, the communication load L 1 may be a value of a communication load or the time-series data thereof calculated by the above formula (1-1) or the like.

The network parameter estimation unit 103 derives the network parameter P 1 by analyzing the value of the communication load L 1 or a set thereof. The network parameter estimation unit 103 may analyze, for example, the range of value of the communication load L 1 and derive the network parameter P 1 according to the range of value.

For example, all of the above formulae (1-1), (1-2), and (1-3) are designed so that the communication load theoretically varies between 0 and 1. As an example of deriving the network parameter P 1 , the network parameter P 1 (more specifically, the number of antennas) is determined to be one if a communication load L 1 varies between 0 and 1 from the time-series data of the communication load L 1 , under the above conditions and assuming that such communication load is the communication load L 1 , and the network parameter P 1 is determined to be two if the communication load L 1 varies between 0.2 to 1.0, or the like.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a load estimation unit 101 of this exemplary embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 8 , the load estimation unit 101 of this exemplary embodiment may include a first load estimation unit 111 and a second load estimation unit 112 .

The first load estimation unit 111 in the load estimation unit 101 calculates the communication load L 1 , which is a provisional communication load of the wireless base station, by using the first quality indicator Q 1 and the second quality indicator Q 2 .

The second load estimation unit 112 calculates a communication load L 2 , which is a (original) communication load of the wireless base station as the object of estimation by using the first quality indicator Q 1 , the second quality indicator Q 2 , and the network parameter P 1 . The communication load L 2 corresponds to the communication load u k described above.

Subsequently, the operation of this exemplary embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the communication load estimation device 100 of this exemplary embodiment. Incidentally, the same processes as in the first exemplary embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 9 , first, the wireless communication unit 102 acquires the first quality indicator Q 1 and the second quality indicator Q 2 (step S 301 ). Subsequently, the load estimation unit 101 (more specifically, the first load estimation unit 111 ) calculates the provisional communication load (communication load L 1 ) by using the acquired first quality indicator Q 1 and second quality indicator Q 2 (step S 302 ). Subsequently, the network parameter estimation unit 103 derives the network parameter P 1 on the basis of the calculated communication load L 1 (step S 303 ). Finally, the load estimation unit 101 (more specifically, the second load estimation unit 112 ) estimates (calculates) the communication load L 2 on the basis of the network parameter P 1 , the first quality indicator Q 1 , and the second quality indicator Q 2 (step S 102 ).

For example, the processing of steps S 301 to S 302 may also be repeated until the communication load L 1 of a predetermined amount is acquired. Further, for example, information indicating the number of antennas (=1) is set to the initial value of the network parameter P 1 in advance and the network parameter P 1 may be updated appropriately on the basis of the communication load L 1 of the latest predetermined amount of communication load L 1 while the processing of steps S 301 to S 102 is repeated.

As described above, according to this exemplary embodiment, the same advantageous effects as in the first exemplary embodiment can be achieved even in a situation where the communication load estimation device 100 cannot directly acquire the network parameter P 1 and the network information N 1 .

Exemplary Embodiment 4

Subsequently, description will be made on a fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a communication load estimation device of the fourth exemplary embodiment. A communication load estimation device 100 illustrated in FIG. 10 is different from the configuration of the third exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7 in that the network parameter estimation unit 103 is omitted.

In this exemplary embodiment, similarly to the third exemplary embodiment, the load estimation unit 101 calculates the communication load L 1 , which is a provisional communication load of the wireless base station, by using the first quality indicator Q 1 and the second quality indicator Q 2 acquired by the wireless communication unit 102 . The load estimation unit 101 , then, derives the communication load L 2 , which is the object of estimation, by using the communication load L 1 .

The communication load L 1 is a communication load that is calculated by using the first quality indicator Q 1 and the second quality indicator Q 2 . Similarly to the third exemplary embodiment, the communication load L 1 may be one that is found by assuming that the number of antennas used for signal transmission of the wireless base station is one.

The load estimation unit 101 of this exemplary embodiment derives the communication load L 2 by analyzing the value of the communication load L 1 or a set thereof (for example, time-series data). The load estimation unit 101 may analyze, for example, the range of value of the communication load L 1 , adjust the magnification, the offset, or both of the magnification and the offset of the communication load L 1 according to the range of value of the communication load L 1 , and calculate a scale of the communication load L 1 that has been changed so as to fall within the assumed range of value as the communication load L 2 . Incidentally, the communication load L 2 is a communication load that is the object of estimation.

For example, the communication load L 1 is designed so as to vary between 0 and 1. Under this situation, in the case where it is determined that the range of value of the obtained communication load L 1 is wider or narrower (a predetermined percentage or less relative to the range of value or the like) than the range of 0 to 1, the communication load L 1 may be corrected so that the range of value falls within the range of 0 to 1 to calculate the communication load L 2 . At this time, the correction may be made assuming that the communication load L 2 varies between 0 and 1 without fail.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the load estimation unit 101 of this exemplary embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 11 , the load estimation unit 101 of this exemplary embodiment may include a first load estimation unit 111 and a load adjustment unit 113 .

The first load estimation unit 111 in the load estimation unit 101 calculates the communication load L 1 , which is a provisional communication load of the wireless base station, by using the first quality indicator Q 1 and the second quality indicator Q 2 , similarly to the third exemplary embodiment.

The load adjustment unit 113 analyzes the value of the communication load L 1 or a set thereof to derive the communication load L 2 .

Subsequently, the operation of this exemplary embodiment will be described. FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the communication load estimation device 100 of this exemplary embodiment. Incidentally, the same processes as those of the third exemplary embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 12 , first, the wireless communication unit 102 acquires the first quality indicator Q 1 and the second quality indicator Q 2 (step S 301 ). Subsequently, the load estimation unit 101 (more specifically, the first load estimation unit 111 ) calculates a provisional communication load (communication load L 1 ) by using the acquired first quality indicator Q 1 and second quality indicator Q 2 (step S 302 ). Finally, the load estimation unit 101 (more specifically, the load adjustment unit 113 ) adjusts the communication load L 1 , if necessary, and then calculates the communication load L 2 (step S 401 ).

As described above, according to this exemplary embodiment, the communication load can be accurately calculated even in a situation where the communication load estimation device 100 cannot directly acquire the network parameter P 1 and the network information N 1 . This is because, even after the number of antennas is fixed to a certain value (for example, 1) for the calculation, the value of the communication load based on an appropriate number of antennas can be calculated by determining the consistency of the range of value.

Subsequently, an outline of the present invention will be described. FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating the outline of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 13 , the communication load estimation system or the information processing device of the present invention includes a load estimation means 501 .

A load estimation unit 501 (for example, the load estimation unit 101 ) estimates a communication load of a wireless base station to be an object of estimation, using at least: a network parameter, which is a parameter concerning the number of antennas used for signal transmission of the wireless base station: a first quality measurement value, which is a measurement value concerning a quality of communication with the wireless base station and which includes at least total received power; and a second quality measurement value, which is a measurement value concerning a quality of communication with the wireless base station and which includes at least a signal to interference noise ratio of a reference signal.

With this configuration, the relationship between indicators depending on the number of antennas used for signal transmission of the wireless base station can be reflected on the method of calculating the communication load. Therefore, the communication load of the wireless base station is able to be estimated accurately.

The load estimation unit 501 may estimate the communication load of the wireless base station on the basis of a result of subtracting a component containing the interference noise component included in the signal to interference noise ratio from the component containing the total received power.

The load estimation unit 501 may determine a formula to be used out of two or more formulae according to the number of antennas used for signal transmission of the wireless base station, which is indicated by the network parameter.

For example, the formula to be selected may include a term with a ratio between the total received power and the received power of a reference signal per one resource block in a symbol to be measured such as RSSI, RSRP, or the like.

The communication load estimation system or the information processing device of the present invention may include a network information acquisition means (not illustrated) for acquiring network information associated with the number of antennas used for signal transmission of a wireless base station as the object of estimation and a network parameter deriving means (not illustrated) for deriving the network parameter from the network information.

Furthermore, the communication load estimation system or the information processing device of the present invention may include a provisional load calculation means (not illustrated) for calculating a provisional communication load of the wireless base station by using the first quality measurement value and the second quality measurement value and a network parameter deriving means (not illustrated) for deriving the network parameter on the basis of the provisional communication load.

Moreover, FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating another configuration example of the communication load estimation system or the information processing device of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 14 , the communication load estimation system or the information processing device of the present invention may include a provisional load calculation means 502 and a load adjustment means 503 .

The provisional load calculation means 502 (for example, the first load estimation unit 111 ) calculates a provisional communication load of a wireless base station to be an object of estimation by using a first quality measurement value, which is a measurement value concerning a quality of communication with the wireless base station and which includes at least total received power; and a second quality measurement value, which is a measurement value concerning a quality of communication with the wireless base station and which includes at least a signal to interference noise ratio of a reference signal.

The load adjustment means 503 (for example, the load adjustment unit 113 ) estimates the communication load of the wireless base station by adjusting the magnification or offset of the provisional communication load or both thereof on the basis of the range of value of the provisional communication load represented by a set of the provisional communication loads.

This configuration enables detection of an inconsistency in the range of value of the provisional communication load and calculation of the value of the communication load based on an appropriate number of antennas, thereby enabling accurate estimation of the communication load of the wireless base station.

Incidentally, the above exemplary embodiments may also be described as in the following supplementary note.

(Supplementary note 1) A communication load estimation system including load estimation means for estimating a communication load of a wireless base station to be an object of estimation, using at least: a network parameter, which is a parameter concerning the number of antennas used for signal transmission of the wireless base station: a first quality measurement value, which is a measurement value concerning a quality of communication with the wireless base station and which includes at least total received power; and a second quality measurement value, which is a measurement value concerning a quality of communication with the wireless base station and which includes at least a signal to interference noise ratio of a reference signal.

(Supplementary note 2) The communication load estimation system described in Supplementary note 1, wherein a communication load u k is calculated by any one of the above formulae (1-1), (1-2), (1-3), (1-4), (1-5), (1-6), (1-7), (1-8), and (1-9), where u k represents a communication load estimated by the load estimation means.

(Supplementary note 3) The communication load estimation system described in Supplementary note 1, wherein a communication load u k is calculated by any one of the above formulae (2-1), (2-2), (2-3), (2-4), (2-5), (2-6), (2-7), (2-8), and (2-9), where u k is a communication load estimated by the load estimation means.

(Supplementary note 4) The communication load estimation system described in Supplementary note 1, wherein the load estimation means calculates the communication load by using any one of the above formulae (1-1), (1-2), (1-3), (1-4), (1-5), (1-6), (1-7), (1-8), and (1-9) if the number of antennas used for signal transmission of a wireless base station indicated by a network parameter is one and wherein the communication load is calculated by using any one of the above formulae (2-1), (2-2), (2-3), (2-4), (2-5), (2-6), (2-7), (2-8), and (2-9) if the number of antennas is two.

(Supplementary note 5) The communication load estimation system described in Supplementary note 1, which includes provisional load calculation means for calculating a provisional communication load of the wireless base station by using the first quality measurement value and the second quality measurement value and network parameter deriving means for deriving the network parameter on the basis of the provisional communication load, wherein the network parameter deriving means derives the network parameter on the basis of the range of value of the provisional communication load indicated by a set of provisional communication loads.

(Supplementary note 6) An information processing device including: provisional load calculation means for calculating at least one provisional communication load of a wireless base station to be an object of estimation, using at least a first quality measurement value, which is a measurement value concerning a quality of communication with the wireless base station and which includes at least total received power, and a second quality measurement value, which is a measurement value concerning a quality of communication with the wireless base station and which includes at least a signal to interference noise ratio of a reference signal; and load adjustment means for estimating the communication load of the wireless base station by adjusting the magnification or offset of the provisional communication load or both thereof, based on the range of value of the provisional communication load represented by a set of the provisional communication loads.

(Supplementary note 7) A communication load estimation method wherein an information processing device, which is connectable to a wireless terminal or a wireless communication means included in the wireless terminal, calculates at least one provisional communication load of a wireless base station to be an object of estimation by using a first quality measurement value, which is a measurement value concerning a quality of communication with the wireless base station and which includes at least total received power; and a second quality measurement value, which is a measurement value concerning a quality of communication with the wireless base station and which includes at least a signal to interference noise ratio of a reference signal, adjusts the magnification or offset of the provisional communication load or both thereof, based on the range of value of the provisional communication load represented by a set of the calculated provisional communication loads, and estimates a communication load of the wireless base station.

(Supplementary note 8) A communication load estimation program for causing a computer to perform processing of calculating at least one provisional communication load of a wireless base station to be an object of estimation by using a first quality measurement value, which is a measurement value concerning a quality of communication with the wireless base station and which includes at least total received power; and a second quality measurement value, which is a measurement value concerning a quality of communication with the wireless base station and which includes at least a signal to interference noise ratio of a reference signal, and processing of adjusting the magnification or offset of the provisional communication load or both thereof, based on the range of value of the provisional communication load represented by a set of the calculated provisional communication loads and estimating a communication load of the wireless base station.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the exemplary embodiments and examples, the present invention is not limited to the above exemplary embodiments and examples. Various modifications, which can be understood by those skilled in the art, may be made in the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope thereof.

The present invention is applicable to a system that collects communication load information of a wireless base station or the like. In addition, the present invention is also applicable to a wireless communication system using a communication load of a wireless base station such as, for example, a wireless communication system that performs optimization of a wireless parameter, network setting, communication timing, and a communication bit rate.

100 Communication load estimation device

101 Load estimation unit

102 Wireless communication unit

103 Network parameter estimation unit

111 First load estimation unit

112 Second load estimation unit

113 Load adjustment unit

501 Load estimation means

502 Provisional load calculation means

503 Load adjustment means