DYNAMIC SHARED CELL GROUPS
20230037701 · 2023-02-09
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
H04W24/10
ELECTRICITY
H04W16/14
ELECTRICITY
International classification
Abstract
A Shared Cell (SC) Controller uses deployment information, radio resource utilization measurements, cell load measurements, signal quality measurement, operator's policies and radio capabilities to make decisions on system configuration, re-configuration, and channel allocation related to the Shared Cell groups. The SC Controller may also use artificial intelligence/machine learning to predict future system state when making decisions on system configuration and channel allocation. The SC Controller can be implemented in the context of using a CBRS system, the ORAN architecture, and the Shared Cell group of Radio Units (RUs). SC Controller can be implemented as part of the Non-Real Time Radio Intelligent Controller (Non-RT RIC). The SC Controller interfaces with the Citizens Broadband Radio Service Device (CBSD) Controller, and the SC Controller sends the Shared Cell group information to the O-RU Controller so that the O-RU Controller can configure the radio components.
Claims
1. A wireless communications system operating in Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum in an Open Radio Access Network (ORAN) environment having radio components including at least one of an ORAN Radio Unit (O-RU), ORAN Distributed Unit (O-DU), and ORAN Centralized Unit (O-CU), comprising: an interface entity interfacing with a Spectrum Access System (SAS), wherein the interface entity is one of a CBRS Device (CBSD) Controller or a Domain Proxy (DP); a radio controller responsible for radio management and configuration, wherein the radio controller is configured as an O-RU controller; a shared cell (SC) controller; and a radio resource management functionality configured as part of one of i) a Non-Real Time Radio Intelligent Controller (Non-RT RIC) or ii) a Near Real Time Radio Intelligent Controller (Near-RT RIC).
2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the SC controller is an entity responsible for at least one of SC configuration and reconfiguration information including at least one of the following: initial configuration of an SC group, including configuring which O-RUs belong to the SC group when the system starts up; channel configuration for the SC group; setting maximum transmit power in downlink (DL) for all O-RUs in the SC group; reconfiguration of the SC group by at least one of adding and removing O-RUs to the SC group; creation of a new SC group during regular system operation; adding channels in the SC group; and at least one of removing and releasing channels in the SC group.
3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the SC controller uses at least one of the following network performance indicators to make decisions on SC group configuration: downlink (DL) total physical resource block (PRB) usage; uplink (UL) total PRB usage; distribution of DL total PRB usage; distribution of UL total PRB usage; DL PRB used for data traffic; DL total available PRB; UL PRB used for data traffic; UL total available PRB; random access channel (RACH) usage; average number of active user equipments (UEs) in the DL per cell; maximum number of active UEs in the DL per cell; average number of active UEs in the UL per cell; maximum number of active UEs in the UL per cell; signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio (SINR); reference signal receive power (RSRP); and reference signal received quality (RSRQ).
4. The system according to claim 3, where the SC controller uses the at least one of the network performance indicators to at least one of infer and predict at least one of future radio resource and cell conditions using at least one of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).
5. The system according to claim 2, wherein the SC controller uses O-RU capabilities and O-RU operational parameters to make a decision regarding at least one of the following SC group configurations: maximum transmit power; maximum number of carriers that can be supported; maximum bandwidth per component carrier; geographical location information including at least one of latitude, longitude, and altitude; and antenna configuration.
6. The system according to claim 2, wherein the SC controller uses policies provided from at least one of i) the cloud via O-RAN O2 interface, ii) an external source via O-RAN External Capabilities Interface, or iii) direct input from network operator via a graphic user interface (GUI), the policies including at least one of the following: maximizing cell throughput; maximizing UE throughput; minimizing interference; and maximizing the number of active UEs that can be supported in a cell.
7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the SC controller is included in the system as an application in the Non-RT MC domain.
8. The system according to claim 2, wherein the SC controller interfaces with one of the CBSD Controller or the DP.
9. The system according to claim 2, wherein the SC controller interfaces with a radio controller responsible for radio management and configuration.
10. The system according to claim 2, wherein the SC group configuration and reconfiguration information are provided to the O-RU controller via O-RAN R1 interface.
11. The system according to claim 3, wherein the at least one of the network performance indicators is provided to the SC controller via O-RAN R1 interface.
12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the SC controller is included in the system as one of a function or application as part of the O-RU controller.
13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the SC controller is included in the system as one of a function or an application as part of the CBSD Controller.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein the SC group configuration and reconfiguration information are provided to the O-RU controller via ORAN R1 interface.
15. The system according to claim 7, wherein the SC controller is included in the system as an rApp in the Non-RT MC domain.
16. The system according to claim 9, wherein the SC controller interfaces with the O-RU Controller.
17. The system according to claim 8, wherein the SC controller sends to the CBSD an SC carrier request object including at least one of the following information: O-RU identity; number of component carriers requested; bandwidth per component carrier in MHz; SC group identification (ID) to which the O-RU is assigned; and one of Interference Coordination Group (ICG) or Spectrum Reuse Group (SRG) Identity identifying a group of RUs that will not cause interference with one another other in the case the group of RUs use a spectrum grant with the same frequency range.
18. The system according to claim 1, wherein the SC controller is an entity responsible for at least one of SC configuration and reconfiguration information, and wherein the SC controller uses O-RU capabilities and O-RU operational parameters to make a decision regarding at least one of the following SC group configurations: maximum transmit power; maximum number of carriers that can be supported; maximum bandwidth per component carrier; geographical location information including at least one of latitude, longitude, and altitude; and antenna configuration.
19. The system according to claim 1, wherein the SC controller is an entity responsible for at least one of SC configuration and reconfiguration information, and wherein the SC controller uses at least one of the following policies: maximizing cell throughput; maximizing UE throughput; minimizing interference; and maximizing the number of active UEs that can be supported in a cell.
20. The system according to claim 1, wherein the SC controller is an entity responsible for at least one of SC configuration and reconfiguration information, and wherein at least one of: i) the SC controller is included in the system as an application in the Non-RT RIC domain; and ii) the SC controller interfaces with one of the CBSD Controller or the DP.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0048] As an example embodiment, a wireless communications system containing one or more Shared Cell Groups, operating in CBRS spectrum, and interfacing with the Spectrum Access System (SAS) is provided. The example embodiment of the wireless communication system can include, e.g., the following: [0049] Radio components (O-RU, O-DU, O-CU), [0050] ORAN Non-Real-Time RAN Intelligent Controller (Non-RT MC) framework, [0051] ORAN Near-Real-Time RAN Intelligent Controller (Near-RT RIC) framework, [0052] System Management and Orchestrator (SMO) Framework, [0053] O-RU Controller, which configures and manages the O-RUs, [0054] CBSD Controller, which interfaces with a Spectrum Access System (SAS) using the Wireless Innovation Forum (WINNF) CBSD-SAS Interface, [0055] A Shared Cell operating in FrontHaul Multiplexer (FHM) mode, and [0056] Shared Cell (SC) Controller.
[0057] The O-RU Controller is defined in the technical specification O-RAN.WG4.MP.0-v05.00 as a network function that is permitted to control the configuration of an O-RU. Examples of O-RU controllers include, an O-DU, a classical Network Management System (NMS), an O-RAN Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) function, or other network automation platforms. Although the O-RU Controller is assumed to be part of the SMO in the present disclosure for the sake of simplicity, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited in such manner, and the present disclosure is applicable to any system containing an O-RU Controller, deployed in any suitable fashion.
[0058] The CBSD Controller can be implemented, e.g., as an application that serves as the interface of the O-RUs with the Spectrum Access System (SAS), using the Wireless Innovation Forum (WINNF) CBSD-SAS Interface. The CBSD Controller may include Domain Proxy (DP) functionality as well as Radio Resource Management (RRM) functionality (e.g., channel selection based on spectrum availability). The CBSD Controller can be an application belonging to the Non-RT RIC, as an “rApp”. In the present disclosure, the CBSD Controller entity is utilized in the example embodiment, but the present disclosure is equally applicable for the case where a Domain Proxy is used instead of the CBSD Controller. Additionally, for the purpose of explaining the ideas herein, we will assume the CBSD Controller/DP is deployed as an rApp. However, the present disclosure is equally applicable in case a different deployment for the CBSD Controller/DP is chosen.
[0059] As the spectrum is reused by all O-RUs in a Shared Cell group, the spectrum is shared among all the UEs that are communicating using the O-RUs in that group.
[0060] The Shared Cell (SC) Controller is an entity that uses information about available spectrum (received from SAS) and current network conditions, including Signal to Noise ratio (SNR), Signal to Interference Ratio, and other information to decide on the best Shared Cell Group configuration for the system. The decisions that the SC Controller can implement include: [0061] 1) Initial configuration of a Shared Cell Group (i.e., which O-RUs belong to each shared cell Group when the system starts-up); [0062] 2) Reconfiguration of Shared Cell Groups by adding and/or removing O-RUs to an existing Shared Cell Group; [0063] 3) Creation of new Shared Cell Groups during regular system operation; [0064] 4) Adding channels (i.e., component carriers) in a Shared Cell Group; [0065] 5) Removing/releasing channels (i.e., component carriers) in a Shared Group.
[0066] Such decisions (as those outlined above) that can be taken by the SC Controller are not necessarily CBRS specific. However, the dynamic nature of the channel allocation in the CBRS system makes CBRS a great candidate to take advantage of this solution. Systems using licensed spectrum tend to follow a deployment plan, and not be dynamic in natured. Such systems tend to have predetermined and fixed configurations. However, the solution described herein can be applied to any wireless system using the Shared Cell grouping concept, or a similar concept, such as a Distributed Antenna System (DAS).
[0067] As an example, if a CBSD is allocated a given CBRS spectrum, e.g., a 10 MHz channel, this channel may be sufficient at the time of allocation to be shared with all O-RUs in the SC group. However, if the traffic in the cell increases (e.g., due to more users being connected, or higher throughput requirements) then the CBSD may ask for more spectrum. If more channels are not granted by the SAS due to unavailability, the SC Controller may choose to split a Shared Cell Group into 2 sub-groups, with each providing their own cells (i.e., separate PCI for each new sub-group), but still reusing the same frequency/channels in each sub-group. This would require the newly formed sub-groups to manage the interference they cause in one another. This can be done, for example, by adjusting antenna patterns. The sub-groups may be joined at a later point in time if more spectrum is available or if the demand decreases. For these reasons, the CBRS system is utilized as the example embodiment in the present disclosure, but the present disclosure is applicable to any system utilizing the ORAN Shared Cell concept or similar concept such as DAS.
[0068] In one example embodiment, a SC Controller is implemented and deployed as part of the Non-RT RIC. This is depicted in
[0069] In order to assist SC Controller 10001 to make decisions on Shared Cells Group configuration, measurements provided by the radio components (i.e., O-RU, O-DU, O-CU) to the SMO via the O1 interface 10006 may be used. The measurements to be provided via O1 are specified in the technical specifications 3GPP TS 28.552 and TS 36.425. These measurements may then be provided to the SC Controller via the R1 interface 10007. These measurements are not CBRS specific and they are defined in the 3GPP specifications for LTE and 5G-NR systems, whether or not CBRS is the specific spectrum that is utilized.
[0070] The following radio resource utilization measurements may be provided to the SC Controller via the R1 (services) interface 10007, e.g.: [0071] Downlink (DL) Total Physical Resource Block (PRB) Usage, [0072] Uplink (UL) Total PRB Usage, [0073] Distribution of DL Total PRB Usage, [0074] Distribution of UL total PRB usage, [0075] DL PRB used for data traffic, [0076] DL total available PRB, [0077] UL PRB used for data traffic, [0078] UL total available PRB, and [0079] Random Access Channel (RACH) Usage.
[0080] The following cell load measurements may be provided to the SC Controller via the R1 interface 10007, e.g.: [0081] Average number of Active User Equipments (UEs) in the DL per cell, [0082] Max number of Active UEs in the DL per cell, [0083] Average number of Active UEs in the UL per cell, and [0084] Max number of Active UEs in the UL per cell.
[0085] One or more of the following signal quality measurement may be provided to the SC Controller via the R1 interface 10007, e.g.: [0086] Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio (SINK), [0087] Reference Signal Receive Power (RSRP), and [0088] Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ).
[0089] In addition, these and other measurements may be used by the Non-RT RIC to predict future radio resource and cell conditions using Artificial Intelligent (AI)/Machine Learning (ML) 10008, as shown in
[0090] Information regarding the O-RUs in a Shared Cell Group need also be considered in the SC Controller decision process. This includes, e.g.: [0091] O-RU capabilities, [0092] maximum transmit power, [0093] maximum number of carriers that can be supported, [0094] maximum bandwidth per component carrier, [0095] O-RU operational parameters, [0096] Geographical location (latitude, longitude, altitude), and [0097] Antenna configuration.
[0098] Policies may be provided to the SC Controller 10001 from the O2 interface 10010 (coming from the cloud), from External sources via the “External Capabilities” interface 10011, or via other means such as direct input from network operator technician via a GUI. Policies may include, e.g.: [0099] Maximizing cell throughput, [0100] Maximizing UE throughput, [0101] Minimizing interference, and [0102] Maximizing the number of active UEs that can be supported in a cell.
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[0105] In accordance with the present disclosure, at the system startup, the SC Controller (e.g., 10001 of
[0112] During regular system operation, the SC Controller will make decisions related to SC Group modification. The SC Controller may add more channel to the group, relinquishing unused spectrum, split groups or combine groups.
[0113] The SC Controller may decide to split an SC Group into two or more groups, where each group operates in a different spectrum/channel. This allows the increase in system capacity and increase in the number of more active users that can be supported in the system.
[0114] The SC Controller may decide to split an SC Group into two or more groups, where each group operates in the same spectrum. This can be beneficial if the O-RUs in the original group are not able to properly synchronize, which makes it difficult for the FHM to combine the data received from the O-RUs in the group. This solution depends on the location of the O-RUs, otherwise there may be an increase on cell edge interference.
[0115] The SC Controller may decide to combine two or more SC Groups, creating a single group. This may be beneficial if there is a scarcity of radio resources, e.g., if the SAS can only assign a single channel/component carrier in a given geographical area, then it may be beneficial to combine all O-RUs into a single group. This solution may be utilized only if the O-RUs are near each other, e.g., maybe several O-RUs in the same floor of a building. Additionally, all the O-RUs need to be connected by the same FHM or in cascade mode.
[0116] When the SC Controller decides to modify the group, it will interact with the CBSD Controller and the O-RU Controller.
[0117] If the SC Controller wants to add a component carrier to the group, it will ask the CBSD Controller to acquire a grant from the SAS. It will provide the RU Identity or CBSD Identity, the number of component carriers being asked and the bandwidth of the component carrier. After successfully acquiring the grant from the SAS, the CBSD Controller sends the information to the SC Controller. The SC Controller passes the information to the O-RU Controller which then configures the radio components. Similar process is also followed if the SC Controller wants to relinquish a channel or make a modification (i.e., remove a channel and then add a new channel).
[0118] Exemplary messages for the communication between the SC Controller and the CBSD Controller may be as follows:
[0119] From SC Controller to CBSD Controller: scCarrierRequestArray
scCarrierRequestArray:
TABLE-US-00001 Parameter Description NAME: scCarrierRequestArray Array of scCarrierRequest objects. DATA TYPE: array of object: scCarrierRequest
scCarrierRequest Object:
TABLE-US-00002 Parameter Description NAME: ruId Required O-RU Identity DATA TYPE: string NAME: Required Number of CC being numberOfComponentCarrier requested DATA TYPE: integer NAME: Required In MHz bandwidthPerComponentCarrier DATA: integer NAME: scGroupId Required All the O-RUs that are DATA TYPE: string part of the same SC Group shall be assigned the same SC Group ID. The SC Group ID may map directly into the CBRS Co-existence Groups defined by CBRS Alliance or WINN Forum Common Channel Group (CCG) or Single Frequency Group (SFG) NAME: Optional Interference Coordination interferenceCoordinationGroup Group (ICG) or Spectrum DATA TYPE: string Reuse Group (SRG) Identity. This is a group of RU's that will not cause interference issues to each other if they use spectrum grants with the same frequency range. They do not have to use spectrum with the same frequency range.
[0120] From CBSD Controller to SC Controller: scCarrierResponseArray
scCarrierResponseArray:
TABLE-US-00003 Parameter Description NAME: scCarrierResponseArray Array of scCarrierResponse objects. DATA TYPE: array of object: scCarrierResponse
scCarrierResponse Object:
TABLE-US-00004 Parameter R/O/C Description NAME: ruId Required O-RU Identity DATA TYPE: string NAME: listofCarriers Conditional This parameter is an array of DATA TYPE: array of zero or more data objects, object: carrierInfo Granted Carrier, which describes a channel that is available for the O-RU. Included: If and only if the parameter Response is success. NAME: response Required This parameter includes DATA TYPE: enumerated: information on whether the success, fail corresponding O-RU request is approved or disapproved.
[0121] The carrierInfo Object:
TABLE-US-00005 Parameter R/O/C Description NAME: lowFrequency Required This parameter is the low DATA TYPE: number frequency of the frequency range granted NAME: highFrequency Required This parameter is the high DATA TYPE: number frequency of the frequency range granted NAME: maxEirp Optional Maximum EIRP likely to be DATA TYPE: number permitted for a Grant on this frequency range, given the O- RU/CBSD registration parameters, including location, antenna orientation and antenna pattern. The maximum EIRP is in the units of dBm/MHz and is an integer or a floating point value between −137 and +37 (dBm/MHz) inclusive.
[0122] After getting the successful response from the CBSD Controller, the SC Controller will pass the information to the O-RU Controller for re-configuration of the radio components. Exemplary messages for the communication between the SC Controller and the O-RU Controller may be as follows:
[0123] From SC Controller to O-RU Controller: scInformationArray
scInformationArray:
TABLE-US-00006 Parameter Description NAME: scInformationArray Array of scInformation objects. Each DATA TYPE: array of object: object represent the information for the O- scInformation RU Controller.
scInformation Object:
TABLE-US-00007 Parameter Description NAME: ruId Required O-RU Identity DATA TYPE: string NAME: Carriers to Add Optional DATA TYPE: array of object: carrierInfo NAME: Carriers to Remove Optional DATA TYPE: array of object: carrierInfo NAME: scGroupId Required Common Channel Group DATA TYPE: string (CCG) or Single Frequency Group (SFG) Identity is a same frequency group which is a group of O-RU's that have to use spectrum grants with the same frequency range. A Same Frequency group can be viewed as a subset of a Frequency Reuse group. NAME: Optional Interference Coordination interferenceCoordinationGroup Group (ICG) or Spectrum DATA TYPE: string Reuse Group (SRG) Identity. This is a group of RU's that will not cause interference issues to each other if they use spectrum grants with the same frequency range. They do not have to use spectrum with the same frequency range.