Abstract:
In order to reduce the time required to set up a base station or required to update software, a communication apparatus ( 10 ) comprises: a plurality of antenna units ( 11   a - 11   e ) for communicating with mobile station apparatuses; a base station unit ( 12 ) that functions as a plurality of virtual base stations for communicating with the mobile station apparatuses by use of the antenna units ( 11   a - 11   e ); and a virtual management server unit ( 15 ) that functions as a logical server for managing the plurality of virtual base stations.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    This disclosure relates to a communication apparatus, a communication method and a storage medium. 
       BACKGROUND ART 
       [0002]    In a wireless communication network system like an LTE (LONG TERM EVOLUTION) system, there is a case where an EMS (ELEMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM) that manages establishment, operation and maintenance of each element such as a base station constituting a system in an integrated manner is used. 
         [0003]      FIG. 4  is a diagram showing a structure of an LTE system  90  that is a related technology of the present invention. This LTE system  90  manages a plurality of base stations by an EMS. Specifically, the LTE system  90  has a plurality of eNodeBs  91  as a base station, and each eNodeB  91  is managed by the EMS. The EMS includes an EMS server  92  which manages the plurality of eNodeBs  91  in a lump and an EMS client  93  that operates the EMS server  92  by remote control. Each eNodeB  91  is coupled to the EMS server  92  via a network. 
         [0004]    In this LTE system  90 , in a case of establishing a new eNodeB  91 , the eNodeB  91  comes to be a management target device of the EMS by being coupled to the network and software SW (SOFTWARE) being downloaded into the eNodeB  91  from the EMS server  92 . When the software SW is updated, the software SW is downloaded to each eNodeB from the EMS server  92  via the network. 
         [0005]    In recent years, a virtualization technology is becoming to be used widely, and the virtualization technology may be used also in the field of the wireless communication. For example, in patent literature 1, there is disclosed a technology to form a plurality of virtual wireless networks by one physical wireless base station. Further, in patent literature 2, there is disclosed a technology to form a plurality of virtual APs (ACCESS POINTs) in one physical AP. In these technologies, on the occasion of adding a device, the functions of a plurality of devices can be realized logically only by changing setting, and space needed for installing hardware is reduced and labor needed for operation of a system can be reduced without needing to install a new hardware. 
       CITATION LIST 
     Patent Literature 
       [0006]    [PTL 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-020626 
         [0007]    [PTL 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-266942 
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     Technical Problem 
       [0008]    However, as shown in  FIG. 4 , when the virtualization technologies of patent literatures 1 and 2 are applied to a system that manages a plurality of base stations by an EMS to realize a plurality of base stations virtually, an EMS server is coupled to each of the plurality of virtual base stations via a network. Accordingly, when new establishment of a virtual base station or update of software is carried out, information required for the new establishment of the base station or the update of the software will be sent to each of the virtual base stations separately via the network. For this reason, there is a problem that a time needed for download of software becomes long in a case where a band of the network is not being reserved sufficiently or a case where the file size of the software is large. 
         [0009]    One object of an exemplary embodiment is to provide a communication apparatus capable of reducing a time needed for new establishment of a base station and update of software. Meanwhile, it should be noted that this object is only one of a plurality of objects that embodiments disclosed in this description is trying to achieve. The other objects or problems to be solved and new features are clarified from the statements of this description or the accompanying drawings. 
       SOLUTION TO PROBLEM 
       [0010]    A communication apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment includes: a plurality of antenna units configured to communicate with a mobile station apparatus; a base station unit configured to function as a plurality of virtual base stations configured to communicate with the mobile station apparatus using each of the antenna units; and a virtual management server unit configured to function as a logical server configured to manage the plurality of virtual base stations. 
         [0011]    A communication method according to another exemplary embodiment includes: making a communication apparatus including a plurality of antenna units to communicate with a mobile station apparatus function as a plurality of virtual base stations configured to communicate with the mobile station apparatus using each of the antenna units; and making the communication apparatus function as a logical server configured to manage the plurality of virtual base stations. 
         [0012]    A storage medium according to another exemplary embodiment stores a program that makes a computer including a plurality of antenna units configured to communicate with a mobile station apparatus function as a base station unit configured to function as a plurality of virtual base stations configured to communicate with the mobile station apparatus using each of the antenna units, and a virtual management server unit configured to function as a logical server configured to manage the plurality of virtual base stations. 
       ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECT OF INVENTION 
       [0013]    According to an exemplary embodiment, a time needed for new establishment of a base station and update of software can be reduced. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram showing a structure of a communication apparatus  10  according to an exemplary embodiment. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a diagram for describing operations to add a virtual base station in the communication device  10 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a diagram for describing operations to update software in the communication apparatus  10 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a comparative example for the present invention, and is a diagram showing a structure of the LTE system  90  that manages a plurality of base stations by an EMS. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0018]    Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Meanwhile, in the description and drawings, overlapped explanation may be omitted by attaching a same sign to a component having an identical function. 
         [0019]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram showing a structure of the communication apparatus  10  according to one exemplary embodiment. The communication apparatus  10  has a plurality of antenna units  11   a - 11   e , a base station unit  12  and an EMS server unit  15 . 
         [0020]    The antenna units  11   a - 11   e  are physical antennas, and communicate with mobile station apparatuses by operating according to directions from the base station unit  12 . 
         [0021]    The base station unit  12  functions as a plurality of virtual base stations which communicate with the mobile station apparatuses using each of antenna units  11 . The base station unit  12  includes an eNodeB common unit  13  that is an example of a common base station unit which performs operations common to the plurality of the virtual base stations, and a plurality of eNodeB individual units  14   a - 14   e  which are examples of individual base station units which perform operations specific to each virtual base station. The eNodeB common unit  13  and eNodeB individual units  14  are realized virtually, and by the eNodeB common unit  13  and the eNodeB individual units  14  cooperating, the base station unit  12  functions as the plurality of virtual base stations which are logical base stations. 
         [0022]    The EMS server unit  15  is a virtual management server unit which functions as a logical server to perform concentrated management of the plurality of virtual base stations. The EMS server unit  15  collects information which indicates states of the plurality of virtual base stations to monitor the states, and configures virtual base stations. 
         [0023]      FIG. 2  is a diagram for describing operations to add a virtual base station in the communication apparatus  10 . In the communication apparatus  10 , the eNodeB individual units  14   a - 14   d  are being established corresponding to each of the antenna units  11   a - 11   d.  On the occasion of adding a new virtual base station to this communication apparatus  10 , the EMS server unit  15  adds an eNodeB individual unit  14   e  virtually. The EMS server unit  15  sets a parameter which relates to the new virtual base station so that the added eNodeB individual unit  14   e  may function as a base station to communicate using the antenna units  11   e . The EMS server unit  15  does not need to download software of the eNodeB common unit  13  newly at the time of adding a new virtual base station, and should simply set the parameter. 
         [0024]      FIG. 3  is a diagram for describing operations to update software of a virtual base station in the communication apparatus  10 . On the occasion of updating software of a virtual base station in the communication apparatus  10 , the EMS server unit  15  does not need to download software to each virtual base station. The EMS server unit  15  should simply perform download only to the single eNodeB common unit (FTP (FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOL) transfer in the identical hardware). 
         [0025]    The EMS server unit  15  accepts notification of a state of each virtual base station, and records the accepted notification in a predetermined log file, or notifies an administrator of abnormality by e-mail, for example. 
         [0026]    Meanwhile, the EMS server unit  15  is operated by remote control from an EMS client  20 . An administrator of the communication apparatus  10  can add a new virtual base station to the communication apparatus  10  and observe a state of each virtual base station by operating the EMS client  20 . 
         [0027]    As it has been described above, according to the one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the communication apparatus  10  has a plurality of antenna units  11   a - 11   e,  the base station unit  12  and the EMS server unit  15 . The antenna units  11   a - 11   e  communicate with mobile station apparatuses, and the base station unit  12  functions as a plurality of virtual base stations which communicate with the mobile station apparatuses using each of the antenna units  11   a - 11   e . The EMS server unit  15  functions as a logical server which manages a plurality of virtual base stations. As a result, a plurality of base stations and a server which manages the plurality of virtual base stations are constituted virtually in the same hardware, and, therefore, on the occasion of establishing a base station newly, the EMS server unit  15  only has to add a virtual base station. In addition, because, on the occasion of updating software for managing each base station, the EMS server unit  15  only has to transmit related data within the same hardware without involving a network, a time needed for new establishment of a base station and update of software can be reduced. 
         [0028]    According to the above-mentioned exemplary embodiment, the base station unit  12  includes the eNodeB common unit  13  that is a common base station unit which performs operations common to a plurality of virtual base stations and a plurality of eNodeB individual units  14   a - 14   e  that are individual base station units which perform operations specific to each virtual base station. As a result, because the functions common to a plurality of virtual base stations are gathered together, on the occasion of updating software for managing each base station, the EMS server unit  15  should simply transmit the software to only the single eNodeB common unit  13 , and a time needed for the new establishment of a base station and the update of the software can be reduced more certainly. 
         [0029]    According to the above-mentioned exemplary embodiment, the eNodeB common unit  13  and the eNodeB individual units  14   a - 14   e  are realized virtually. On the occasion of adding a new virtual base station, the EMS server unit  15  adds the eNodeB individual unit  14   e,  and sets a parameter which relates to the virtual base station added newly. As a result, labor needed for adding a base station can be reduced. 
       Modifications 
       [0030]    Although the present invention has been described with reference to the exemplary embodiment above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned exemplary embodiment. Various modifications which a person skilled in the art can understand can be performed in the composition and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0031]    For example, although, in the above-mentioned exemplary embodiment, it has been assumed that an eNodeB which is a base station used in a LTE system and an EMS server which is a control server managing base stations are operated virtually in the same hardware, the present invention is not limited to such example. For example, the technology of the present invention may be applied to a communication system besides the LTE system. For example, a 3G (3RD GENERATION) system and a 2G (2ND GENERATION) system are cited as a communication system besides a LTE system, and the technology of the present invention can be applied to a system including base stations besides the ones cited here and a server which manages such base stations. 
         [0032]    Although, in the above-mentioned exemplary embodiment, a communication apparatus having five antenna units  11   a - 11   e  has been described, the present invention is not limited to this example. The technology of the present invention can be applied to a communication apparatus having an antenna unit of no smaller than 2. An antenna unit may be installed in a communication apparatus in advance, or it may be installed in a communication apparatus newly on the occasion of a virtual base station being added. 
         [0033]    According to the above-mentioned exemplary embodiment, although the functions of the communication apparatus  10  has been described mainly, the present invention can be implemented as a method and a program for making a computer function as the communication apparatus  10 , and a storage medium storing the program. 
         [0034]    This application claims priority based on Japanese application Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-082691 filed on Apr. 14, 2014, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. 
       REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 
       [0000]    
       
         Communication apparatus 
           11   a - 11   e  Antenna unit 
           12  Base station unit 
           13  eNodeB common unit (common base station unit) 
           14   a - 14   e  eNodeB individual unit (individual base station unit) 
           15  EMS server unit (virtual management server unit) 
           20  EMS client