JP2000174536A - Beam control antenna device and antenna control method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] In a high-speed transmission wireless communication, an optimum antenna beam pattern is formed by a simple and inexpensive signal processing circuit.
An object of the present invention is to provide a beam control antenna device and an antenna control method realized by simple and high-speed processing. Kind Code: A1 A plurality of weighting vectors constituted by weighting amounts set in a plurality of antenna elements are prepared in advance, stored in a storage device, and before performing communication, the weighting vector stored by the storage means is determined. Sequentially calling, setting this to each antenna element, measuring the communication channel characteristics at that time, determining in advance the optimum weighting vector that realizes the optimum communication channel characteristics according to a predetermined evaluation criterion, A weight corresponding to the weight vector is set for each antenna element.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a beam control antenna device and an antenna control method for forming a desired antenna beam according to a situation, which are used in a radio communication base station or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a base station antenna for wireless communication such as a cellular phone, an omnidirectional antenna (FIG. 6) that uniformly radiates a beam in all angle regions in a horizontal plane and a sector beam antenna that irradiates a beam in a certain angle region. (FIG. 7)
It is common to use

[0003] These conventional systems have the advantage that the antenna configuration is simple because the beam shape itself is fixed, and that the system can communicate with any user (terminal) within the irradiation area, while having the advantage of being able to communicate with the user. In communication, the fixed antenna beam limits the gain, so the line gain cannot be increased, and the illuminated area cannot be widened.Especially, radio waves are radiated to directions other than the user communicating when transmitting from the base station. Therefore, there is also a problem that interference occurs in communication within the area of another user or another base station.

As a means for solving such a problem, it has been considered to use an adaptive array antenna as shown in FIG. 8 for a base station. As shown in FIG. 9, the adaptive array antenna has an advantage that an optimum antenna beam pattern can be adaptively formed for a specific user performing communication according to the radio wave propagation environment at each time. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the beam can be directed so as to form the maximum gain in the direction of the user, and a null (zero point) is formed in the direction of the radio wave which causes interference (interference) in the communication between the users. Can be.

For this reason, the line gain for a specific user can be maximized, the communication area of the base station can be expanded, and a radio communication system can be prevented from radiating radio waves from the base station in unnecessary directions. There is an interference suppression effect as a whole, and communication quality can be improved.

In order to form such a beam, it is necessary to perform signal processing for optimizing the amount of weight set for each antenna based on a signal received by each antenna element so as to form an optimum beam. become.

In practice, this signal processing converts a signal received by each antenna into a digital signal, and converts the signal into a digital signal (DSP).
It is common to calculate with a signal processing device such as an ignal processor.

[0008]

However, in the conventional adaptive array antenna, a signal processing algorithm for determining some weighting amount is used before the weighting amount set for each antenna is optimized. There is a problem that the value does not converge unless the calculation is performed and the calculation is repeated several times.

In particular, when the communication transmission speed is high,
There are situations where the solution does not converge sufficiently and a good antenna beam pattern cannot be formed, or it takes time for the solution to converge and the previous communication data must be discarded. .

In order to cope with a high transmission speed, a method of increasing the speed of the signal processing circuit by operating a plurality of DSPs of the highest level in parallel is conceivable, but in this case, the signal processing circuit is very complicated. And the cost is high, and the power consumption and the like also increase.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such a problem. In a high-speed transmission wireless communication, an optimum antenna beam pattern can be simply and quickly processed by a simple and inexpensive signal processing circuit. An object of the present invention is to provide a beam control antenna device and an antenna control method realized by processing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A beam control antenna apparatus according to the present invention comprises a plurality of antenna elements, weighting means for setting a predetermined weighting amount for signals transmitted and received by each of the antenna elements, and a weighting means for each of the antenna elements. Storage means for storing a plurality of weighting vectors constituted by the respective weighting amounts to be set; measuring means for measuring a communication channel characteristic in a state where one of the plurality of weighting vectors is set; Selecting means for selecting, from the plurality of weighting vectors, a weighting vector for realizing a communication transmission path characteristic based on a predetermined evaluation criterion from the communication transmission path characteristic, and at the time of communication, corresponding to the weighting vector selected by the selection means. The amount of weight to be set is set for a plurality of antenna elements.

With the above configuration, the weighting vector is stored in the storage device in advance, the weighting vector is sequentially called from the storage device before communication, and the weighting amount corresponding to the weighting vector is set in each antenna element. At that time, the communication channel characteristics are measured, and based on the measured value, an optimum weight vector according to a certain evaluation criterion is obtained for each user.At the time of communication, a weight corresponding to the optimum weight vector is assigned to each antenna element. Can be set.

Further, the beam control antenna apparatus according to the present invention further comprises a detecting means for detecting a receiving intensity of the received signal, and the selecting means sets a weighting vector when the receiving intensity detected by the detecting means becomes maximum. , Is selected.

[0014] With the above configuration, the respective receiving intensities at the base station when each weighting vector is set can be measured by the receiving device at the subsequent stage of the beam control antenna device.
Based on this reception intensity, a weighting vector that realizes the maximum reception intensity can be selected and set during communication.

Further, the beam control antenna apparatus of the present invention further comprises a receiving means for receiving the reception strength of the signal detected by another communication apparatus which has received the transmitted signal, and the selecting means comprises: And selecting a weighting vector for the case where the reception intensity received in step (1) is maximized.

With the above-described configuration, the reception strength of each communication partner when each weighting vector is set can be measured by the receiver of the communication partner, and the measured value can be transmitted to the base station. In, a weighting vector that realizes the maximum reception intensity can be selected based on the reception intensity, and can be set during communication.

Further, the beam control antenna device of the present invention comprises:
A plurality of antenna elements, weighting means for setting a predetermined weighting amount for a signal transmitted and received in each of the antenna elements, and storage means for storing a plurality of weighting vectors constituted by weighting amounts set for each of the antenna elements. Communication transmission in a state where one of a plurality of weighting vectors is set between registration means for registering another communication apparatus communicating with the present apparatus and another communication apparatus registered by the registration means. Measuring means for measuring road characteristics;
Selecting means for selecting, from a plurality of weighting vectors, a weighting vector for realizing a communication transmission path characteristic based on a predetermined evaluation criterion from the communication transmission path characteristic measured by the measuring means; A weighting amount corresponding to the obtained weighting vector is set for a plurality of antenna elements.

With the above configuration, in the weight vector storing step, a plurality of weight vectors obtained in advance by a method such as a computer simulation are stored, and in the user registration step, a communication partner with a possibility of communication is stored. At the point in time when a certain user is registered, the stored weighting vectors are sequentially called and set from the storage device, and the transmission path characteristics for each user and each weighting vector are grasped by measuring and understanding the transmission path characteristics at that time. You can create tables.

Based on this table, it is possible to know in advance the optimal weighting vector that realizes the best transmission characteristics for each user. next,
In the optimal antenna pattern setting step at the time of communication, an optimal line state at the time of communication can be realized by setting an optimal weight vector obtained from the table.

Further, in the beam control antenna device according to the present invention, when a plurality of communication devices are registered, the selecting means includes:
It is characterized in that a weight vector that minimizes mutual interference in communication with a plurality of registered communication devices is selected from a plurality of weight vectors.

With the above-described configuration, using the table, it is possible to obtain a combination of users who can communicate without interfering with each other even when performing simultaneous communication and an optimum weighting vector for each user set in that case. Can be. Also, when a plurality of users try to communicate at the same time, it can be determined that there is a possible combination of the same frequency or the same channel among the plurality of users, and in that case, the same frequency or the same channel is set to the user. be able to.

In the antenna control method according to the present invention, a first step of selecting one from a memory storing a plurality of weighting vectors constituted by respective weighting amounts set for each of the plurality of antenna elements, A second step of setting respective weights of the plurality of antenna elements by the weighted vector, a third step of measuring communication channel characteristics in a state of being weighted by the weight vector, and a third step Is performed a plurality of times based on a plurality of weighting vectors, and the measured plurality of communication channel characteristics are compared to determine a communication channel characteristic based on a predetermined evaluation criterion, and the communication channel characteristics are realized. A fifth step of determining the weight of the antenna element by the weight vector to be performed.

Also, the antenna control method according to the present invention includes a first step of selecting one from a memory storing a plurality of weighting vectors constituted by respective weighting amounts set for each of a plurality of antenna elements; Between a second step of registering another communication device that communicates with the other communication device and the other communication device registered by the second step.
A third step of measuring communication channel characteristics in a state weighted by the weight vector selected in the step, a fourth step of performing the third step a plurality of times based on the plurality of weight vectors, A fifth step of comparing the communication channel characteristics, determining the communication channel characteristics based on a predetermined evaluation criterion, and determining the weight of the antenna element with a weight vector realizing the communication channel characteristics. Characterize.

[0024]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration diagram of a beam control antenna device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As an example, a case where four antenna elements 11, 12, 13, and 14 are shared for transmission and reception will be described.

Switches 21, 22, 23, and 24 are connected to the antenna elements 11, 12, 13, and 14, respectively, to switch between transmission and reception. Here, in the receiving system, the received signal from each antenna element is input to amplifiers (low noise amplification) 35, 36, 37, 38, respectively.
Here, the received signal is amplified.

Thereafter, the frequency converters 45, 46, 47, 4
8 converts the frequency band of the received signal from the radio frequency (RF) to the intermediate frequency (IF) or the baseband (BB).
In this IF band or BB band, weighters 55, 56,
Signals received from the antenna elements are weighted by 57 and 58.

Here, amplitude weighting for changing only the amplitude component of the received signal as weighting by the weighting device,
Three types of phase weighting can be selected: phase weighting that changes only the phase component of the received signal, and complex weighting that changes both the amplitude and the phase.

As a method of weighting the amplitude, a variable amplifier or a variable attenuator can be used, and as a method of weighting the phase, a variable phase shifter can be used. In the case of complex weighting, these may be combined.

The above description is for the case where the received signal is an analog signal. However, it is also possible to perform weighting in a digital signal domain by using an analog / digital (A / D) converter or the like. In the present invention, regardless of these weighting methods, it suffices to have means for weighting the received signal of each antenna element. Thereafter, the weighted received signals are combined by the combiner 62 and transmitted to the receiver.

In the transmission system, the transmission signal transmitted from the transmitter is distributed by distributor 61, and each transmission signal is individually weighted. The weighting means is the same as in the case of the receiving system.
52, 53, and 54.

Each of the transmission signals is supplied to a frequency converter 4
The frequency is converted to an RF band by 1, 42, 43, 44 and amplified by amplifiers (high-power amplifiers) 31, 32, 33, 34. As in the receiving system, the weighting means operates at the intermediate frequency (I
It may be performed in F) or in the baseband (BB).

The weighting amount set in reception and transmission is controlled by weighting control device 50. Here, the feature of the present invention is that a plurality of combinations (weighting vectors) of weighting amounts to be set for each antenna element are prepared in advance and stored in the storage device 49. Therefore, in the beam control antenna apparatus of the present invention, the weighting vector for realizing the optimum characteristics is obtained by successively repeating the operation of extracting the weighting vector stored in the storage device and actually weighting the weighting vector based on the vector. You can choose a vector.

With the above-described configuration, the one that realizes the optimum characteristic can be selected from a plurality of weighting vectors by a simple process. Optimize the weighting amount by some algorithm like the conventional adaptive array,
It does not take time until the weighting amount converges.

Accordingly, there is an advantage that the configuration of the weight control circuit is simplified and the processing time is short. This is particularly effective when a real-time process is required in a high-speed transmission wireless communication system.

On the other hand, unlike the conventional adaptive array, it seems that there is a concern that the optimum characteristics cannot be realized because the weighting amount is not mathematically optimized. By calculating the weighting vector based on computer simulation or the like, it is possible to obtain practically satisfactory characteristics.

A specific method for selecting a weight vector realizing an optimum characteristic will be described below. Here, the optimal characteristics include those that increase the strength of the transmitted / received signal, those that increase the signal-to-noise ratio (S / N), and those that reduce the error rate (BER). Measurement can be easily performed by a receiver connected to the beam control antenna apparatus of the present invention, a receiver of a communication partner, or the like.

For example, as an optimum characteristic, in a case where the evaluation standard is to maximize the signal strength (signal power) received by the beam control antenna device in the transmission path characteristics of the radio for communication, the beam control antenna This is made possible by measuring the reception strength at a receiver connected to the device.

In the beam control antenna device, weighting vectors are sequentially set, and the one that maximizes the received signal strength for each weighting vector is determined and stored as the optimum weighting vector, and the optimum weighting vector is stored during communication. What is necessary is just to perform communication by the antenna pattern by a weight vector.

In this case, too, the apparatus configuration and control method can be easily realized by the conventional one, and the optimum transmission path characteristics in the receiving system can be realized. It is effective when the capacity can be improved.

As the optimum characteristic, when the maximum transmission signal strength (signal power) transmitted by the beam control antenna device is used as an evaluation criterion in the transmission path characteristics of the communication radio, the beam control antenna is used. This can be achieved by measuring the reception intensity at the receiver of the wireless device of the other party communicating with the device.

In the beam control antenna device, weighting vectors are sequentially set, the transmission signal strength of each weighting vector is measured, and the value is transmitted to the beam control antenna side so that the strength is maximized. What is necessary is just to judge the information as an optimal weight vector, store it, and perform communication using an antenna pattern based on the optimal weight vector during communication.

Also in this case, the device configuration and the control method can be easily realized by the conventional device, and the optimum transmission path characteristics in the transmission system can be realized. It is effective when the capacity can be improved.

Hereinafter, a specific operation of the beam control antenna device according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The operation procedure is described below. The storage device 49 stores the weighting amounts corresponding to the plurality of antenna patterns. At the time of user registration, the transmission path characteristics for each antenna pattern are measured. Select the optimal antenna pattern during communication.

FIG. 2 shows an image of the weighting amount stored in the storage device 49 in relation to the above procedure. As shown in the figure, eight antenna patterns (weighting vectors) are prepared in advance, and weighting amounts (amplitude weighting and phase weighting) for each antenna element corresponding to each are stored.

Here, by setting the weighting amount corresponding to each antenna pattern to the antenna element, the combined directivity (synthesized pattern) of the entire antenna is obtained, for example, as shown in FIG. Here, in each antenna pattern, the beam direction and the position of the zero point (null point) are set to be different from each other. These weights are determined in advance by computer simulation or the like.

The following procedure is an operation to be performed when a user to be communicated with by the beam control antenna apparatus of the present invention occurs. For example, when the user A is newly registered as a communication partner with the beam control antenna device, the storage device 49 in the beam control antenna device of the present invention.
Sequentially take out the antenna patterns 1 to 8 stored in
The weighting amount is set.

During this time, communication with users other than the user A is temporarily stopped, and the beam control antenna apparatus performs communication with only the user A. Here, the transmission path characteristics when the antenna pattern is changed one after another are measured. For example, transmission is performed from the user A side, and the beam control antenna apparatus side receives the radio wave from the user A by switching the antenna pattern and measures the reception intensity. FIG. 4 shows an example of a measurement result (relative value of reception intensity) at that time.

In this example, the antenna pattern that can satisfactorily receive the radio wave from user A is antenna pattern 1 or antenna pattern 2 (for example, reception intensity relative value 10
On the other hand, the antenna patterns that do not receive the radio wave from the user A are the antenna patterns 3, 6, and 8 (for example, when the reception intensity relative value 3 or less is the level that cannot be received). ).

Similarly, the same measurement is performed in advance for other users, and a table as shown in FIG. 4 is always prepared on the beam control antenna apparatus side (for example, when there is an increase or decrease of users). Update regularly).

By creating a table as described above, it becomes possible to immediately extract and set an optimum antenna pattern (weighting vector) when necessary.
In particular, when the base station and the terminal are spatially fixed as in the case of a WLL (Wireless Local Loop), the radio wave propagation environment is temporally fixed. Is very effective as a method for simplifying control during communication and realizing optimum transmission path characteristics.

By creating this table, if the antenna pattern used by one user cannot be received by another user, this antenna pattern does not interfere with other users. It can be seen that it is. If this relationship can be realized between the two users, the two users will not interfere with each other even if they use the same frequency, and the frequency can be used effectively.

More specifically, using the table of FIG. 4, for example, users who can share frequency with user A are D,
F and G. Here, when user A and user D share a frequency, antenna pattern 1 is used for user A, and antenna pattern 3 is used for user D.
, The beam control antenna device may perform communication.

Therefore, in the procedure (1), (1) measurement is performed to create a reception intensity table for each antenna pattern, (2) a combination of users that can share a frequency is extracted, and (3) a combination of users is used. That is, the antenna patterns to be used are determined.

As described above, it is possible to know in advance the combinations of users that can share frequencies, and it is convenient to allocate the same frequency (same channel) during communication and to effectively use frequency resources. In this case, the number of users that can be accommodated by the base station can be improved, and the effect is large in terms of reducing the cost of the entire system.

Finally, the antenna control during communication, which is the procedure (1), will be described. Normally, in mobile communication, a terminal requests a communication to a base station using a control channel before performing communication (call). The beam control antenna device of the present invention can be applied, for example, as a base station device based on such a situation.

It is assumed that the base station (beam control antenna device) can first grasp how many users need to communicate at the same time by using this control channel. The following operation is performed according to the situation of the user.

(A) When Only One User Communicates Simultaneously: In this case, an optimal antenna pattern is used for the user who communicates. For example, the one having the highest reception intensity corresponds to this, and in the example of FIG.
In order to communicate with the antenna pattern 1, the antenna pattern 1 having the highest reception intensity is used.

(B) When there are a plurality of users who communicate simultaneously and there is a combination that can share frequencies: In this case,
Appropriate antenna patterns are used for combinations where frequencies can be shared. The user who can share the frequency communicates on the same frequency (same channel). In the example of FIG. 4, when users A and D make a communication request at the same time, antenna pattern 1 is used for user A, and antenna pattern 3 is used for user D.
, The two users communicate at the same frequency.

(C) Although there are a plurality of users who communicate simultaneously,
When frequency sharing is not possible: In this case, different frequencies (channels) are given to each user, and an optimal antenna pattern is set for each user. In the example of FIG. 4, when users A and B make a communication request at the same time, since there is no combination of antenna patterns that can share the frequency between the two users, each user performs communication at a different frequency, Antenna pattern 1 is set for user A, and antenna pattern 2 is set for user B.

As described above, in the present embodiment, an optimal antenna pattern can be set for each user by controlling only by taking out and setting the weighting amount stored in the storage device. For this reason, by optimizing the transmission / reception intensity, the transmission / reception sensitivity can be improved, and the communication quality can be improved.

Further, since the strength of transmission and reception can be improved, the communication area can be expanded as compared with a normal antenna device. Therefore, when the beam control antenna apparatus of the present invention is used as a base station, there is an advantage that the installation interval of the base stations can be widened, and the cost of the entire system can be reduced by reducing the number of base stations. .

Further, the signal processing in the present embodiment is very simple, and it is possible to perform beam control at a higher speed as compared with a conventional adaptive array antenna or the like.
Therefore, it is very useful for high-speed, large-capacity wireless communication expected to increase in the future.

The configuration and control method of this embodiment can realize an optimum antenna pattern in reception or transmission even without a compensation function (calibration function) of the antenna device, and can improve characteristics and reduce costs. It is valid. Further, in the present embodiment, by selecting the optimum one from a plurality of weight vector candidates, the optimum one is determined based on the actually measured transmission path characteristics. Therefore, even if there is a deviation, the value is automatically taken into account. The most appropriate weighting vector is selected from among the above. Therefore, an optimum antenna pattern can be set without adding a calibration function.

[0065]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, a plurality of users can communicate by sharing the same frequency. For this reason, frequency resources can be effectively used. In other words, more users can be tolerated by one base station, which leads to equivalent cost reduction.

In particular, in a WLL (Wireless Local Loop) system in which a user is fixed to a base station,
Channel characteristics measured in advance can be used as long as the user distribution does not change, and based on this, user multiplexing (SD
MA: Spatial Division Multiple Access) can be effectively realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a beam control antenna device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of each weight of an antenna pattern in the beam control antenna device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an antenna pattern in the beam control antenna device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an antenna pattern and a transmission path characteristic for each user in the beam control antenna device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an operation example in the beam control antenna device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a pattern of a base station antenna according to a conventional method.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a pattern of a base station antenna according to a conventional method.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an adaptive array antenna which is a conventional system.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an antenna pattern using a conventional adaptive array antenna.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 to 14 Antenna elements 71 to 74 Antenna elements 21 to 24 Switches 31 to 38 Amplifiers 41 to 48 Frequency converters 51 to 58 Weighters 75 to 78 ... weighting device 49 ... storage device 50 ... weighting control device 70 ... weighting control device 61 ... distributor 62 ... synthesizer 79 ... synthesizer

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5J021 AA05 AA06 AA11 CA06 DB01 EA04 FA06 FA12 FA17 FA26 FA29 FA30 FA32 GA01 GA06 HA10 5K059 CC02 CC03 CC04 DD33 DD37

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A weighting vector comprising a plurality of antenna elements, weighting means for setting a predetermined weighting amount for a signal transmitted and received by each of the antenna elements, and a weighting amount set for each of the antenna elements. Storage means for storing a plurality of weighted vectors; measuring means for measuring communication channel characteristics in a state where one of the plurality of weighting vectors is set; and a predetermined evaluation based on the communication channel characteristics measured by the measuring unit. Selecting means for selecting, from the plurality of weighting vectors, a weighting vector for realizing a communication transmission path characteristic based on a criterion, wherein at the time of communication, the weighting amount corresponding to the weighting vector selected by the selecting means is set to the A beam control antenna device, wherein the beam control antenna device is set for a plurality of antenna elements. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a detection unit configured to detect a reception intensity of the received signal, wherein the selection unit selects the weighting vector when the reception intensity detected by the detection unit is maximized. The beam control antenna device according to claim 1, wherein: 3. A receiving unit for receiving a reception intensity of the signal detected by another communication device which has received the transmitted signal, wherein the selection unit determines that the reception intensity received by the reception unit is 2. The beam control antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the weighting vector having the maximum value is selected. 4. A weighting vector comprising a plurality of antenna elements, weighting means for setting predetermined weighting amounts for signals transmitted and received by each of the antenna elements, and a weighting amount set for each of the antenna elements. Storage means for storing a plurality of communication devices communicating with the present device, registration means for registering another communication device, and the other communication device registered by the registration means. Measuring means for measuring communication channel characteristics in a state in which one of the following is set, and a weighting vector for realizing communication channel characteristics based on a predetermined evaluation criterion from the communication channel characteristics measured by the measuring unit, And selecting means for selecting from a plurality of weighting vectors, wherein at the time of communication, the weighting vector selected by the selecting means is selected. Beam control antenna apparatus characterized by setting the weighting factors to respond to the plurality of antenna elements. 5. When a plurality of said communication devices are registered, said selecting means selects a weighting value which minimizes mutual interference in communication with said plurality of registered communication devices from said plurality of weighting vectors. 5. The beam control antenna device according to claim 4, wherein a vector is selected. 6. An antenna control method for a beam control antenna device having a plurality of antenna elements, wherein one of a plurality of weighting vectors configured by weighting amounts set for each of the plurality of antenna elements is stored in a memory. A first step of selecting, a second step of setting respective weights of the plurality of antenna elements by the selected weight vector, and measuring a communication channel characteristic in a state of being weighted by the weight vector. A third step of performing the third step a plurality of times based on the plurality of weighting vectors; and comparing a plurality of measured communication channel characteristics to perform communication transmission based on a predetermined evaluation criterion. Determining the channel characteristics, and weighting the antenna elements with the weight vector realizing the communication transmission channel characteristics. Antenna control method for, comprising the fifth step of the constant. 7. A method of controlling an antenna of a beam control antenna device having a plurality of antenna elements, wherein one of a plurality of weighting vectors configured by respective weighting amounts set for each of the plurality of antenna elements is stored in a memory. A first step of selecting and a second step of registering another communication device that communicates with the device.
And a third step of measuring a communication channel characteristic in a state weighted by the weight vector selected in the first step between the other communication device registered in the second step and A fourth step of performing the third step a plurality of times based on the plurality of weighting vectors, and comparing the measured plurality of communication channel characteristics to determine a communication channel characteristic based on a predetermined evaluation criterion; A fifth step of determining the weight of the antenna element with the weight vector for realizing the communication transmission path characteristics.