Fronthaul bandwidth reduction in radio access network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025192939-A1
Application number	US-202318840821-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 22, 2023
Priority date	Feb 22, 2022
Publication date	Jun 12, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

Various techniques for reducing fronthaul bandwidth usage or contention in radio access networks are described. A base station is configured so that each of RUs is configured to: receive, at that RU, an SRS transmission from a UE; perform, by the RU, at least some of a high physical layer (PHY) baseband processing for the received SRS transmission; and transmit fronthaul data for the received SRS transmission to the distributed unit over the fronthaul network, wherein the fronthaul data comprises a payload including data generated in connection with performing at least some of the high PHY based processing for the received SRS transmission.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system comprising:
a distributed unit; and a plurality of radio units to wirelessly transmit and receive radio frequency signals to and from user equipment (UEs) using a wireless interface, each of the radio units associated with a respective set of antennas; wherein the distributed unit is communicatively coupled to the plurality of radio units over a fronthaul network; wherein the distributed unit and the radio units are configured to implement a base station to provide wireless services to UEs using a cell; wherein the distributed unit is configured to, for each of the UEs, determine a respective subset of the radio units to wirelessly transmit to that UE based on information derived from Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) transmissions from that UE received at all of the radio units; and wherein the base station is configured so that each of the RUs is configured to:
receive, at that RU, an SRS transmission from a UE;
perform, by that RU, at least some of the high physical layer (PHY) baseband processing for the received SRS transmission; and
transmit fronthaul data for the received SRS transmission to the distributed unit over the fronthaul network, wherein the fronthaul data comprises a payload including data generated in connection with performing at least some of the high PHY baseband processing for the received SRS transmission.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the base station is configured so that each of the RUs is configured to not perform any high PHY baseband processing for uplink transmissions other than SRS transmissions.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the base station is configured so that each of the RUs is configured to perform at least some high PHY baseband processing for Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) transmissions.

4 . A method of communicating fronthaul data for Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) transmissions in a system comprising a distributed unit and a plurality of radio units to wirelessly transmit and receive radio frequency signals to and from user equipment (UEs) using a wireless interface, each of the radio units associated with a respective set of antennas, wherein the distributed unit is communicatively coupled to the plurality of radio units over a fronthaul network, wherein the distributed unit and the radio units are configured to implement a base station to provide wireless services to UEs using a cell, the method comprising:
at each of the RUs:
receiving, at that RU, an SRS transmission from a UE;
performing, by that RU, at least some of the high physical layer (PHY) baseband processing for the received SRS transmission; and
transmitting fronthaul data for the received SRS transmission to the distributed unit over the fronthaul network, wherein the fronthaul data comprises a payload including data generated in connection with performing at least some of the high PHY baseband processing for the received SRS transmission;
wherein the distributed unit is configured to, for each of the UEs, determine a respective subset of the radio units to wirelessly transmit to that UE based on information derived from the SRS transmissions from that UE received at all of the radio units.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the base station is configured so that each of the RUs is configured to not perform any high PHY baseband processing for uplink transmissions other than SRS transmissions.

6 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the base station is configured so that each of the RUs is configured to perform at least some high PHY baseband processing for Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) transmissions.

7 . A system comprising:
a distributed unit; and a plurality of radio units to wirelessly transmit and receive radio frequency signals to and from user equipment (UEs) using a wireless interface, each of the radio units associated with a respective set of antennas; wherein the distributed unit is communicatively coupled to the plurality of radio units over a fronthaul network; wherein the distributed unit and the radio units are configured to implement a base station to provide wireless services to UEs using a cell; wherein the base station is configured to:
receive an uplink transmission from a UE using multiple radio units;
perform, by each of the multiple radio units, at least some physical layer (PHY) baseband processing for the uplink transmission; and
start transmitting respective fronthaul data for the uplink transmission to the distributed unit over the fronthaul network from said multiple radio units at different times.

8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the base station is configured to do at least one of:
simultaneously wirelessly transmit separate downlink user data intended for different UEs using a same set of physical resource blocks (PRBs) for the cell using different subsets of the radio units; and simultaneously wirelessly receiving separate uplink user data intended for different UEs using a same set of PRBs for the cell using different subsets of the radio units.

9 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the base station is configured so that each radio unit is configured to use a parameter specifying a value for an offset that radio unit is configured to use to determine when to start transmitting the respective fronthaul data produced at that radio unit.

10 . A method of communicating fronthaul data for Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) transmissions in a system comprising a distributed unit and a plurality of radio units to wirelessly transmit and receive radio frequency signals to and from user equipment (UEs) using a wireless interface, each of the radio units associated with a respective set of antennas, wherein the distributed unit is communicatively coupled to the plurality of radio units over a fronthaul network, wherein the distributed unit and the radio units are configured to implement a base station to provide wireless services to UEs using a cell, the method comprising:
receiving an uplink transmission from a UE using multiple radio units; performing, by each of the multiple radio units, at least some physical layer (PHY) baseband processing for the uplink transmission; and starting transmitting respective fronthaul data for the uplink transmission to the distributed unit over the fronthaul network from said multiple radio units at different times.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the base station is configured to do at least one of:
simultaneously wirelessly transmit separate downlink user data intended for different UEs using a same set of physical resource blocks (PRBs) for the cell using different subsets of the radio units; and simultaneously wirelessly receiving separate uplink user data intended for different UEs using a same set of PRBs for the cell using different subsets of the radio units.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the base station is configured so that each radio unit is configured to use a parameter specifying a value for an offset that radio unit is configured to use to determine when to start transmitting the respective fronthaul data produced at that radio unit.

13 . A system comprising:
a distributed unit; and a plurality of radio units to wirelessly transmit and receive radio frequency signals to and from user equipment (UEs) using a wireless interface, each of the radio units associated with a respective set of antennas; wherein the distributed unit is communicatively coupled to the plurality of radio units over a fronthaul network; wherein the distributed unit and the radio units are configured to implement a base station to provide wireless services to UEs using a cell;

Assignees

• Commscope Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Salahuddeen Irfaan Ahamed
• Sandberg Stuart D
• Ranson Christopher Goodman
• Pianka Boaz
• Armao Calogero
• Sharma Sunit Kumar

Classifications

• H04W74/0833

  Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access · CPC title

• H04L5/0048 Primary

  Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver (allocation of control signalling H04L5/0053; use of control signalling H04L5/0091) · CPC title