WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, USER TERMINAL, AND COMMUNICATION CONTROL METHOD

To stably ensure good communication between a user terminal and a base station even under a condition where degradation in communication quality arises due to a change in an orientation of a mobile body or due to shielding.SOLUTION: In a wireless communication system in which wireless communication takes place between a user terminal 7 mounted on an automobile V1 as a mobile body capable of moving on a road and an access point 4, the user terminal performs wireless communication with the access point by means of directional communication units 78, 79 that are capable of controlling directionality. In a case where the automobile having the user terminal mounted thereon changes an orientation thereof, for example, in a case of making a right or left turn at an intersection, the user terminal performs control on the directionality of the directional communication unit so as to improve quality of communication with the access point. Specifically, the user terminal performs control on the directional communication unit so that a width and/or a direction of an area covered by the directional communication unit of the user terminal is caused to change. In addition, the user terminal comprises: a forward directional communication unit 78 that has a forward directionality; and a rearward directional communication unit 79 that has a rearward directionality.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12 【課題】移動体の向きの変更による通信品質の劣化や、遮蔽による通信品質の劣化が発生する状況でも、ユーザ端末と基地局との良好な通信を安定して確保できるようにする。【解決手段】道路上を移動可能な移動体としての自動車Ｖ１に搭載されたユーザ端末７とアクセスポイント４とが無線通信を行う無線通信システムにおいて、ユーザ端末は、指向性を制御可能な指向性通信部７８，７９でアクセスポイントと無線通信を行い、自装置が搭載された自動車が向きを変更する場合、例えば交差点において右左折を行う場合に、アクセスポイントとの通信品質が向上するように、指向性通信部の指向性を制御する。特に、ユーザ端末は、自装置の指向性通信部のカバーエリアの幅及び方向の少なくともいずれかを変化させるように指向性通信部を制御する。また、ユーザ端末は、前方に指向性を有する前方指向性通信部７８と、後方に指向性を有する後方指向性通信部７９とを備える。【選択図】図１２