Computer-implemented method, dynamic spectrum sharing apparatus, and product

Abstract

A method, apparatus, system, and computer program product for performing dynamic spectrum sharing in a wireless communication system. A control plane message identifying a radio resource of a plurality of radio resources is generated for controlling transmission of a data packet of a plurality of data packets between a plurality of communication devices. The generated control plane message is transmitted. Transmission of the data packet in a user plane is controlled using the identified radio resource.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] In some implementations, the present subject matter relates to telecommunications systems, and more specifically, to dynamic spectrum sharing in wireless communication systems such as Long Term Evolution (“LTE”) and New Radio for 5G (“NR”), which may include lower-layer discrete architectures. Background Technology

[0002] In today's world, cellular networks provide on-demand communication capabilities to individuals and businesses. Typically, a cellular network is a wireless network that can be distributed across terrestrial areas (called cells). Each such cell is served by at least one fixed-location transceiver, referred to as a cell site or base station. Each cell can use a different set of frequencies than its neighboring cells to avoid interference and provide improved service within each cell. When cells are connected together, they provide radio coverage over a wide geographical area, enabling a large number of mobile phones and / or other wireless devices or portable transceivers to communicate with each other and with fixed transceivers and telephones anywhere in the network. This communication is performed through base stations, even when a mobile transceiver moves through more than one cell during transmission. Major wireless communication providers have deployed such cell sites worldwide, allowing mobile phones and mobile computing devices to connect to the public switched telephone network and the public internet.

[0003] A mobile phone is a portable telephone capable of receiving and / or making telephone and / or data calls via a cell site or tower, which transmits signals to and from the mobile phone using radio waves. Given the large number of mobile phone users, current mobile phone networks offer limited shared resources. In this regard, cell sites and mobile phones can vary frequencies and use low-power transmitters to allow many callers to use the network simultaneously with less interference. The coverage of a cell site may depend on a specific geographic location and / or the number of users who may be using the network. For example, in urban areas, a cell site may have a range of approximately 1 / 2 mile; in rural areas, the range can reach 5 miles; and in some areas, users can receive signals from cell sites as far as 25 miles away.

[0004] The following are some examples of digital cellular technologies used by communication providers: Global System for Mobile Communications (“GSM”), General Packet Radio Service (“GPRS”), cdmaOne, CDMA2000, Evolution-Data Optimized (“EV-DO”), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (“EDGE”), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (“UMTS”), Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (“DECT”), Digital AMPS (“IS-136 / TDMA”), and Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (“iDEN”). Long Term Evolution (LTE), or 4G LTE, developed by the Third Generation Partnership Project (“3GPP”) standards body, is a high-speed data communication standard for mobile phones and data terminals. The 5G LTE standard is currently under development. LTE is based on GSM / EDGE and UMTS / High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA) digital cellular technologies and allows for increased capacity and speed through the use of different radio interfaces and core network improvements.

[0005] Mobile devices are used to receive and transmit various types of data, such as voice data (e.g., phone calls), email, text messages, internet browsing, video data (e.g., videos, video calls, augmented / virtual reality, etc.), and audio data (e.g., music streaming). Different types of data may require different transmission bandwidths. For example, reproducing high-definition video of good quality on a mobile device may require higher bandwidth compared to sending an email or text message to the mobile device. 5G NR networks implement network slicing to accommodate different types of data traffic, usage, etc. However, end-to-end network slicing and selection are not yet clearly defined. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In some embodiments, the present subject relates to a computer-implemented method for performing dynamic spectrum sharing in a wireless communication network. The method may include generating a control plane message that identifies radio resources among a plurality of radio resources for controlling the transmission of data packets among a plurality of communication devices, transmitting the generated control plane message, and controlling the transmission of data packets in the user plane using the identified radio resources.

[0007] In some implementations, the current subject may include one or more of the following optional features. Transmission of the generated control plane message may include transmitting the generated control plane message from a first communication device to a second communication device among a plurality of communication devices. Furthermore, at least one of generation, transmission, and control may be performed by a base station. The base station may include at least one of the following communication components: one or more remote radio units and one or more distributed units.

[0008] In some implementations, the identified radio resources may include at least one of the following: one or more physical resource blocks, one or more resource elements, one or more carrier components, and any combination thereof. Furthermore, the identified radio resources may be configured to be identified using a resource element mask. In some implementations, the generated control plane messages may be transmitted from one or more distributed units (DFUs) of one or more base stations to one or more remote units of the base stations. DFUs may include at least one of the following: DFUs operating in a first type of communication network and DFUs operating in a second type of communication network. Remote units associated with one or more base stations and having the identified radio resources may be configured to be controlled by one or more DFUs operating in the first and second type of communication networks. As an example, the first type of communication network may include a new radio communication network, and the second type of communication network may include a Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication network.

[0009] In some implementations, a distributed unit operating in a first type of communication network can be configured to be communicatively coupled to a distributed unit operating in a second type of communication network via an interface to coordinate the sharing of multiple radio resources, thereby controlling the operation of remote units. Furthermore, the distributed units operating in the first and second types of communication networks can be configured to determine the allocation of radio resources among multiple radio resources to control the operation of one or more remote units. The allocation can be determined using a bitmap of radio resources allocated by at least one of the following: the distributed unit operating in the first type of communication network, the distributed unit operating in the second type of communication network, and any combination thereof.

[0010] The document also describes a non-transitory computer program product (i.e., a physically embodied computer program product) that stores instructions, causing at least one data processor to perform the operations described herein when executed by one or more data processors in one or more computing systems. Similarly, it describes a computer system that may include one or more data processors and memory coupled to one or more data processors. The memory may temporarily or permanently store instructions that cause at least one processor to perform one or more of the operations described herein. Furthermore, these methods may be implemented by one or more data processors within a single computing system or distributed among two or more computing systems. Such computing systems may be interconnected and may exchange data and / or commands or other instructions via one or more connections (including, but not limited to, connections over a network (e.g., the Internet, wireless wide area network, local area network, wide area network, wireless network, etc.)), direct connections between one or more computing systems, etc.

[0011] Details of one or more variations of the subject matter described herein are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the following description. Further features and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the description, the accompanying drawings, and the claims. Attached Figure Description

[0012] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate certain aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein and, together with the description, help to explain some principles related to the disclosed embodiments. In the drawings,

[0013] Figure 1a An exemplary conventional Long Term Evolution (“LTE”) communication system is illustrated;

[0014] Figure 1b It shows Figure 1a Further details of the exemplary LTE system shown;

[0015] Figure 1c It shows Figure 1a Additional details of the Evolution Packet Core of the exemplary LTE system shown; Figure 1d It shows Figure 1a The exemplary evolution node B of the exemplary LTE system shown;

[0016] Figure 2 It shows Figures 1a-1d Further details of the evolution node B shown;

[0017] Figure 3 An exemplary virtual radio access network is shown, according to some implementations of the present topic;

[0018] Figure 4An exemplary 3GPP discrete architecture is shown to provide its users with access to higher frequency bands;

[0019] Figure 5 An exemplary communication system for performing dynamic spectrum sharing processes (e.g., using one or more DUs to control a single RU unit, wherein the DU can communicate with components of different types of communication networks (e.g., LTE, NR)) according to some embodiments of the present topic is shown.

[0020] Figure 6 An exemplary control plane message including a resource element mask field is shown;

[0021] Figure 7 The following are some implementations of the present topic for use in DU (e.g., LTE DU and NR DU, such as Figure 5 An exemplary process for performing dynamic resource coordination between (as shown);

[0022] Figure 8 The following are examples of implementations of the method according to the current topic: Figure 7 An exemplary interface system for the process shown;

[0023] Figure 9 Exemplary systems according to some implementations of the present topic are shown; and

[0024] Figure 10 Exemplary methods according to some implementations of the current topic are shown. Detailed Implementation

[0025] This topic provides systems and methods that can be implemented in a lower-level, decoupled architecture for wireless communication systems. Such systems can include a variety of wireless communication systems, including 5G new radio communication systems, LTE communication systems, and so on.

[0026] One or more aspects of the current topic can be incorporated into the transmitter and / or receiver components of base stations (e.g., gNodeB, eNodeB, etc.) in such communication systems. The following is a general discussion of Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication systems and 5G new radio communication systems.

[0027] I. Long Term Evolution (LTE) Communications System

[0028] Figures 1a-1c and Figure 2An exemplary legacy Long Term Evolution (“LTE”) communication system 100 and its various components are illustrated. As is well known, LTE systems, or 4G LTE, are managed by a wireless communication standard for high-speed data transmission between mobile phones and data terminals. This standard is based on GSM / EDGE (“Global System for Mobile Communications” / “Enhanced Data Rate Evolution of GSM”) and UMTS / HSPA (“Universal Mobile Telecommunications System” / “High Speed ​​Packet Access”) network technologies. This standard is developed by 3GPP (“3rd Generation Partnership Project”).

[0029] like Figure 1a As shown, system 100 may include an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (“EUTRAN”) 102, an evolved packet core (“EPC”) 108, and a packet data network (“PDN”) 101, wherein EUTRAN 102 and EPC 108 provide communication between user equipment 104 and PDN 101. EUTRAN 102 may include multiple evolved Node Bs (“eNodeB”, “ENODEB”, “enodeb”, or “eNB”) or base stations 106 (a, b, c) (e.g., Figure 1b As shown, base station 106 provides communication capabilities to multiple user equipment 104 (a, b, c). User equipment 104 can be mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, personal computers, personal digital assistants ("PDAs"), servers, data terminals, and / or any other type of user equipment, and / or any combination thereof. User equipment 104 can connect to EPC 108 via any eNodeB 106, and ultimately to PDN 101. Typically, user equipment 104 can connect to the nearest eNodeB 106. In LTE system 100, EUTRAN 102 and EPC 108 work together to provide connectivity, mobility, and services to user equipment 104.

[0030] Figure 1b It shows Figure 1aFurther details of network 100 shown are provided below. As described above, EUTRAN 102 includes multiple eNodeBs 106, also referred to as cell sites. The eNodeBs 106 provide radio functions and perform critical control functions, including scheduling or management of air link resources, active mode mobility or handover, and service admission control. The eNodeBs 106 are responsible for selecting which mobility management entities (MMEs), such as… Figure 1c (As shown) will provide user equipment 104 services and be responsible for protocol features such as header compression and encryption. The eNodeB106 constituting EUTRAN102 cooperate with each other for radio resource management and handover.

[0031] Communication between user equipment 104 and eNodeB 106 occurs via air interface 122 (also known as the "LTE-Uu" interface). For example... Figure 1b As shown, air interface 122 provides communication between user equipment 104b and eNodeB 106a. Air interface 122 uses Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) and Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA), and OFDMA variants, on both the downlink and uplink. OFDMA allows the use of various known antenna technologies, such as Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO).

[0032] Air interface 122 uses various protocols, including radio resource control (RRC) for signaling between user equipment 104 and eNodeB 106, and protocols for signaling between user equipment 104 and MME (such as...). Figure 1c The signaling between User Equipment 104 and eNodeB 106 is a non-access stratum (NAS). In addition to signaling, user traffic is transmitted between User Equipment 104 and eNodeB 106. Both signaling and traffic in System 100 are carried by physical layer (PHY) channels.

[0033] Multiple eNodeB 106s can interconnect with each other using X2 interfaces 130 (a, b, c). For example... Figure 1aAs shown, X2 interface 130a provides interconnection between eNodeB 106a and eNodeB 106b; X2 interface 130b provides interconnection between eNodeB 106a and eNodeB 106c; and X2 interface 130c provides interconnection between eNodeB 106b and eNodeB 106c. X2 interfaces can be established between two eNodeBs to provide signal exchange, which may include load or interference-related information and handover-related information. eNodeB 106 communicates with the evolved packet core 108 via S1 interface 124 (a, b, c). S1 interface 124 can be divided into two interfaces: one for the control plane (in... Figure 1c The diagram shows the control plane interface (S1-MME interface) 128), and another for the user plane (in... Figure 1c The image shows the user plane interface (S1-U interface) 125.

[0034] EPC 108 establishes and enforces Quality of Service (QoS) for user services and allows user equips 104 with consistent Internet Protocol (IP) addresses while mobile. It should be noted that each node in network 100 has its own IP address. EPC 108 is designed to interoperate with legacy wireless networks. EPC 108 also aims to separate the control plane (i.e., signaling) and user plane (i.e., traffic) in the core network architecture, allowing for greater flexibility in implementation and independent scalability of control and user data functions.

[0035] The EPC 108 architecture is specifically designed for packetized data and Figure 1c This is illustrated in more detail below. EPC 108 includes a serving gateway (S-GW) 110, a PDN gateway (P-GW) 112, a mobility management entity (“MME”) 114, a home subscriber server (“HSS”) 116 (the subscriber database of EPC 108), and a policy control and charging rules function (“PCRF”) 118. Some of these (e.g., S-GW, P-GW, MME, and HSS) are typically combined into nodes depending on the manufacturer’s implementation.

[0036] The S-GW 110 functions as an IP packet data router and is the bearer path anchor for user equipment (UE) within EPC 108. Therefore, when UE moves from one eNodeB 106 to another during mobility operations, the S-GW 110 remains unchanged, and the bearer path to EUTRAN 102 is switched to communicate with the new eNodeB 106 serving UE 104. If UE 104 moves to the domain of another S-GW 110, the MME 114 forwards all UE bearer paths to the new S-GW. The S-GW 110 establishes bearer paths to one or more P-GWs 112 for UEs. If downlink data is received from an idle UE, the S-GW 110 buffers downlink packets and requests the MME 114 to locate and reconstruct the bearer path to and through EUTRAN 102.

[0037] P-GW 112 is EPC 108 (as well as User Equipment 104 and EUTRAN 102) and PDN 101 (such as... Figure 1a The gateway between the user equipment (S-GW) and the user equipment (S-GW) 112 is used as a router for user traffic and performs functions on behalf of the user equipment. These include assigning IP addresses to the user equipment, packet filtering of downstream user traffic to ensure it is placed on the appropriate bearer path, and implementing downstream QoS (including data rate). Depending on the service the subscriber is using, there may be multiple user data bearer paths between the user equipment 104 and the P-GW 112. The subscriber may use services on a PDN served by different P-GWs, in which case the user equipment has at least one bearer path established to each P-GW 112. During a switch of the user equipment from one eNodeB to another, if the S-GW 110 is also changing, the bearer path from the P-GW 112 will switch to the new S-GW.

[0038] MME 114 manages User Equipment 104 within EPC 108, including managing subscriber authentication, maintaining the background of authenticated User Equipment 104, establishing data bearer paths for user traffic in the network, and keeping track of the location of idle mobile devices that have not left the network. For idle User Equipment 104 that needs to reconnect to the access network to receive downlink data, MME 114 initiates paging to locate the User Equipment and re-establishes bearer paths to and through EUTRAN 102. The MME 114 for a particular User Equipment 104 is selected by the eNodeB 106 from which the User Equipment 104 accesses the system from which it originated. For load sharing and redundancy purposes, the MME is typically part of the set of MMEs in EPC 108. When establishing user data bearer paths, MME 114 is responsible for selecting P-GW 112 and S-GW 110, which will form the ends of the data path through EPC 108.

[0039] PCRF 118 is responsible for policy control decisions and for controlling flow-based billing functions within the policy control enforcement function ("PCEF") residing in P-GW 110. PCRF 118 provides QoS authorization (QoS class identifier ("QCI") and bit rate), which determines how a specific data flow is processed in the PCEF and ensures consistency with the user's subscription profile.

[0040] As mentioned above, IP service 119 is provided by PDN 101 (such as...) Figure 1a (as shown) to provide.

[0041] Figure 1d An exemplary structure of eNodeB 106 is shown. eNodeB 106 may include at least one remote radio head (RRH) 132 (typically there may be three RRH 132s) and a baseband unit (BBU) 134. The RRH 132 may be connected to an antenna 136. The RRH 132 and BBU 134 can be connected using an optical interface conforming to the Common Radio Interface / Enhanced CPRI (“CPRI / eCPRI”) 142 standard specification. The BBU 134 may be responsible for digital baseband signal processing, S1 line termination, X2 line termination, call processing, and surveillance control processing. From EPC 108 ( Figure 1d IP packets received (not shown) can be modulated into digital baseband signals and transmitted to RRH 132. Conversely, digital baseband signals received from RRH 132 can be demodulated into IP packets for transmission to EPC 108.

[0042] The RRH 132 can transmit and receive wireless signals using antenna 136. The RRH 132 can convert digital baseband signals from the BBU 134 (using converter (“CONV”) 140) into radio frequency (“RF”) signals and amplify them (using amplifier (“AMP”) 138) for transmission to user equipment 104. Figure 1d (Not shown in the image). Instead, the RF signal received from user equipment 104 is amplified (using AMP 138) and converted (using CONV 140) into a digital baseband signal for transmission to BBU 134.

[0043] Figure 2 Additional details of the exemplary eNodeB 106 are shown. The eNodeB 106 comprises multiple layers: LTE Layer 1 202, LTE Layer 2 204, and LTE Layer 3 206. LTE Layer 1 includes the Physical Layer (“PHY”). LTE Layer 2 includes Medium Access Control (“MAC”), Radio Link Control (“RLC”), and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (“PDCP”). LTE Layer 3 includes various functions and protocols, including Radio Resource Control (“RRC”), Dynamic Resource Allocation, eNodeB Measurement Configuration and Provisioning, Radio Admission Control, Connection Mobility Control, and Radio Resource Management (“RRM”). The RLC protocol is an Automatic Repeat Request (“ARQ”) segmentation protocol used on the cellular air interface. The RRC protocol handles LTE Layer 3 control plane signaling between the user equipment and the EUTRAN. RRC includes functions such as connection establishment and release, system information broadcasting, radio bearer establishment / reconfiguration and release, RRC connection mobility procedures, paging notification and release, and outer loop power control. PDCP performs IP header compression and decompression, user data transmission, and maintenance of radio bearer serial numbers. Figure 1d As shown, BBU 134 may include LTE layers L1-L3.

[0044] One of the primary functions of eNodeB 106 is radio resource management, which includes scheduling of uplink and downlink air interface resources of user equipment 104, control of bearer resources, and admission control. Acting as an agent for EPC 108, eNodeB 106 is responsible for transmitting paging messages, which are used to locate mobile devices when they are idle. eNodeB 106 transmits common control channel information, header compression, encryption and decryption of user data transmitted over the air, and establishes handover reports and triggering criteria. As mentioned above, for handover and interference management purposes, eNodeB 106 can cooperate with other eNodeB 106s via the X2 interface. eNodeB 106 communicates with the EPC's MME via the S1-MME interface and connects to the S-GW using the S1-U interface. Furthermore, eNodeB 106 exchanges user data with the S-GW via the S1-U interface. eNodeB 106 and EPC 108 have a many-to-many relationship to support load sharing and redundancy between the MME and S-GW. The eNodeB 106 selects an MME from a set of MMEs, allowing multiple MMEs to share the load to avoid congestion.

[0045] II.5G NR wireless communication network

[0046] In some implementations, the current subject matter relates to 5G new radio (“NR”) communication systems. 5G NR is the next telecommunications standard, surpassing the 4G / IMT-Advanced standard. 5G networks offer significantly higher capacity than current 4G, allowing for a greater number of mobile broadband users per area unit and enabling higher and / or unlimited (in gigabytes) data volumes per month per user. This allows users to stream high-definition media for hours daily using mobile devices, even without Wi-Fi. 5G networks offer improved support for device-to-device communication, lower costs, lower latency than 4G equipment, and lower battery consumption. For large numbers of users, such networks offer data rates of tens of megabits per second, and for metropolitan areas, data rates of 100 Mbps, with 1 Gb / s simultaneously transmitting to users in restricted areas (such as office buildings). They can simultaneously connect a large number of wireless sensor networks, improving spectrum efficiency, coverage, and signaling efficiency, with latency of 1-10 milliseconds, a reduction compared to existing systems.

[0047] Figure 3An exemplary virtual radio access network 300 is illustrated. Network 300 can provide communication between various components, including base stations (e.g., eNodeB, gNodeB) 301, radio equipment 303, centralized unit 302, digital unit (distributed unit "DU" 304) and radio equipment 306. Components in system 300 can be communicatively coupled to the core using a backhaul link 305. Centralized unit ("CU") 302 can be communicatively coupled to distributed unit ("DU") 304 using a midhaul connection 308. Radio frequency ("RU") component 306 can be communicatively coupled to DU 304 using a fronthaul connection 310.

[0048] In some implementations, CU 302 may provide intelligent communication capabilities to one or more DU units 308. Units 302 and 304 may include one or more base stations, macro base stations, micro base stations, remote radio heads, and / or any combination thereof.

[0049] In a lower-level discrete architecture environment, the CPRI bandwidth requirement for NR can be 100s Gb / s. CPRI compression can be implemented in DU and RU (e.g., Figure 3 (As shown). In 5G communication systems, compressed CPRI on Ethernet frames is called eCPRI and is the recommended fronthaul interface (e.g., interface 307). This architecture allows for fronthaul / midhaul standardization, which can include higher-layer decoupling (e.g., option 2 or option 3-1 (upper / lower RLC decoupling architecture)) and fronthaul with L1 decoupling architecture (option 7).

[0050] In some implementations, a lower-layer decoupled architecture (e.g., option 7) may include a receiver in the uplink, joint processing across multiple transmission points (TPs) for both the downlink (DL) and uplink (UL), and bandwidth and latency requirements to facilitate deployment. Furthermore, the lower-layer decoupled architecture of the present topic may include a separation between unit-level processing and user-level processing, which may include unit-level processing in a remote unit (“RU”) and user-level processing in a DU. Additionally, using the lower-layer decoupled architecture of the present topic, frequency domain samples can be transmitted via Ethernet fronthaul, where the frequency domain samples can be compressed to reduce fronthaul bandwidth.

[0051] Figure 4An exemplary communication system 400 is shown that can implement 5G technology and can provide its users with access to higher frequency bands (e.g., greater than 10 GHz). System 400 may include macrocells 402 and small cells 404 and 406.

[0052] Mobile device 408 can be configured to communicate with one or more small cells 404, 406. System 400 can allow separation of the control plane (C-plane) and user plane (U-plane) between macrocell 402 and small cells 404, 406, wherein the C-plane and U-plane use different frequency bands. Specifically, small cells 404, 406 can be configured to utilize higher frequency bands when communicating with mobile device 408. Macrocell 402 can utilize existing cellular bands for C-plane communication. Mobile device 408 can be communicationally coupled via U-plane 412, wherein small cells (e.g., small cell 406) can provide higher data rates and more flexible / high-cost / energy-efficient operation. Macrocell 402 can maintain good connectivity and mobility via C-plane 410. Furthermore, in some cases, LTE control channels (e.g., Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) / Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH)) and NR control channels (e.g., PUCCH / PDCCH) can be transmitted on the same frequency.

[0053] III. Dynamic Spectrum Sharing

[0054] In some implementations, for the purpose of allowing communication with different types of radio equipment, the present subject can be configured to perform dynamic spectrum sharing in a communication network that may include LTE-based communication nodes (e.g., eNodeBs and / or any other type of existing base station) and 5G-based communication nodes (e.g., gNodeBs, etc.). When LTE and NR follow similar waveforms and similar baseline frame structures (e.g., in LTE: one PRB may be 12 subcarriers with a 15 kHz subcarrier spacing (SCS); in NR: the SCS may be 15, 30, or 60 kHz in frequency range 1 (FR1), and 60, 120, or 240 kHz in frequency range 2 (FR2), dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) can be accomplished by partitioning or splitting radio resources into one or more LTE-based resource elements (LTE-REs) and one or more NR-based resource elements (NR-REs). As can be understood, radio resources can be allocated between any other type of system (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, 5G, 6G, and / or any other system). This allocation of radio resources allows operators to gradually introduce 5G communication capabilities using existing LTE frequency bands without affecting the service of existing LTE (or other types of system) customers.

[0055] In some implementations, to perform dynamic spectrum sharing, the present topic can be configured to allow LTE distributed units (DUs) and NR DUs to simultaneously control a single radio unit (RU), thereby enabling the partitioning and coordination of radio resources among these DUs. As discussed below, the present topic can also be configured to address the problem of LTE communication networks where each physical resource block (PRB) has resource elements for transmitting the cell-specific reference signal (CRS) occupying each PRB in LTE.

[0056] A. Resource element-based partitioning for LTE and NR DU

[0057] According to some implementation methods of the current topic Figure 5An exemplary communication system 500 is shown for performing dynamic spectrum sharing processes (e.g., using one or more DUs to control a single RU unit, wherein the DU can communicate with components of different types of communication networks (e.g., LTE, NR).

[0058] System 500 may include one or more user equipment units 502 (a, b), wherein, as a non-limiting example, user equipment unit 502a may be configured to operate in a first type of communication network (e.g., NR), and user equipment unit 502b may be configured to operate in a second type of communication network (e.g., LTE). The component operating in the first type of communication network is designated using "a" in the reference numerals, and the component operating in the second type of communication network is designated using "b" in the reference numerals. It is understood that user equipment units 502 may be configured to have various capabilities, such that one user equipment unit can operate in both NR and LTE while another operates only in LTE, one UE can operate only in NR while another UE operates only in LTE, and so on.

[0059] System 500 may also include a common remote unit 503, one or more distributed units DU1-DU2 505 (a, b), and one or more corresponding control plane portions CU-CP1-CP2 507 (a, b) of a centralized unit. Before radio access technology (RAT) splitting occurs at the distributed unit 505, all user equipment 502 can access the same remote unit 503, wherein the DU unit 505 can be configured to control the same RU 503. Furthermore, reference will be made below. Figures 7-8 As described, the DU 505 can be communicatively coupled via interface 520 for the purpose of performing dynamic resource coordination processes.

[0060] Similar to the discussion above, RAT resource isolation can be provided starting from DU 503. In particular, in addition to the individual DU1-DU2 505 and control sections CU-CP1-CP2 507, a separate CU-UP instance 508 (a, b) can be generated for each section via a radio access network, and each section can be configured to serve or allow access by the corresponding user equipment 502 (a, b).

[0061] Furthermore, due to the different types of communication networks used in system 500, the CU-CP1 507a instance can be part of a first-class (e.g., NR) communication network configured to serve UE 502a and can be communicatively coupled to the access and mobility function (AMF) 510a. However, the CU-CP2 instance, which can be part of a second-class (e.g., LTE) communication network configured to serve UE 502b, can be communicatively coupled to the mobility management entity (MME) 511. Additionally, the CU-UP1 508 instance can be communicatively coupled to the user plane function (UPF1) 512a and the session management function (SMF1) 514a. The CU-UP2 508b instance can be communicatively coupled to the serving gateway (SGW) 513 and the PDN gateway (PGW) 515.

[0062] Furthermore, DU1 505a can control RU 503, including controlling the radio bandwidth and allocating specific resource elements (REs) within the carrier bandwidth to the NR RAT. DU2 505b can be configured to also control RU 503. Specifically, each DU 505 can be configured to control RU 503 by indicating which I / Q samples are / have / will be transmitted and / or received on which component carriers and / or which set of PRBs and / or which set of resource elements within the carrier bandwidth will be handled by which DU 505. Each DU 505 can be identified by a specific DU port identifier to ensure correct data transmission / reception between RU 503 and the specific DU 505. Additionally, messages exchanged between DU 505 and RU 503 can include segmented type control messages, which may include an eCPRI transport header, DU port identifier, carrier element identifier (to distinguish between carrier elements that may be supported by RU 503), and RU port ID (to identify the specific RU).

[0063] Using the control plane of system 500, RU 503 (via the fronthaul C plane) can be instructed to process downlink and uplink user plane traffic (e.g., I / Q samples) from / to specific resource elements of DU2505b (e.g., LTE) and from / to specific resource elements of DU1 505a (e.g., NR). Specifically, each DU 505 can configure / control different resource elements within RU 503. Resource element masks (e.g., “reMask”) that can be included in control plane messages can be used to control how resource elements are used for the transmission of / reception of fronthaul user plane traffic to / from a specific DU 505. Figure 6 An exemplary control plane message 600 including a resource element mask field 602 is shown. Each bit setting in the resource element mask can indicate whether segmentation control applies to a resource element transmitted in a user plane message (e.g., 0 - not applicable; 1 - applicable). The most significant bit (MSB) can indicate the value of the resource element with the lowest frequency in the PRB, where different resource element masks can be used to indicate different resource elements. In some implementations, the DU 505 can mask resource elements based on a CRS rate matching mode that can be configured in the DU 505, where LTE-based components can be configured to transmit CRS (e.g., any bit corresponding to an LTE-based CRS resource element can be set to 0 in the resource element mask). Furthermore, for any uplink data, the RU can be configured to send samples to the correct DU 505 based on which resource element the I / Q sample is received.

[0064] Figure 7 The following are some embodiments of the present topic for use in DU 505 (e.g., LTE DU 505b and NR DU 505a, as shown in the present topic). Figure 5 An exemplary process 700 for performing dynamic resource coordination between (shown) components. It should be noted that any resource element for which the CRS must be transmitted by the LTE component can only be used by the DU 505b (i.e., the LTE DU); therefore, process 700 can be applied to perform dynamic coordination for remaining resource elements that do not have such a requirement. Figure 8 As shown, process 700 can be executed via interface system 800 by the respective scheduler components of DU 505a and DU 505b. Specifically, as Figure 8As shown, messages sent as part of process 700 (described below) can be transmitted between radio network layer 802 and transport network layer 804 via interface 806 (e.g., coordinating radio network layer 802 and transport network layer 804). Radio network layer 802 may include application layer 803 (e.g., the application layer may refer to the DU-DU resource coordination protocol application layer) among other layers. Transport network layer 804 may include a stream control transmission protocol (SCTP) layer (standardized by the IETF in RFC 4960) 805, IP layer 807, data link layer 809, and physical layer 811 among other layers. In some embodiments, the SCTP layer may be configured to initiate message transmission between DUs (e.g., as part of process 700). In some embodiments, the DU-DU interface may refer to Xn', and the application protocol may refer to Xn'-AP.

[0065] Return to reference Figure 7 At 702, a setup request message can be transmitted from one DU to another (e.g., DU 505a to DU 505b). It is understood that any DU can initiate procedure 700. At 704, a response message is received from the second DU (e.g., DU 505b to DU 505a). These messages can be configured to exchange various system-level details (including: service unit, unit ID, overall system bandwidth, absolute radio-frequency channel number (ARFCN) per carrier in the service unit, REs scheduled by the DU for a specific RAT, and at least one of any other information).

[0066] At 706, a resource coordination request message can be transmitted from one DU to another (e.g., DU 505a to DU 505b). At 708, a response message can be received. These messages can be configured to exchange dynamic resource allocation status between DUs 505. Similar to the messages in 702-704, any DU 505 can be configured to initiate a request at 706. The responding DU can be configured to provide an indication of resource allocations it can agree to (e.g., resource allocations available for coordination, available resource allocations, etc.). In some implementations, the request message (at 706) can be configured to include an indication of a proposed resource allocation for the initiating DU. For example, if DU 505a (e.g., an NR DU) initiates a request (at 706), it can be configured to transmit the resource allocation it needs to DU 505b, leaving the remaining resources to DU 505b (e.g., an LTE DU). In some implementations, the response message (at 708) can be configured to include a resource allocation agreed upon by the responding party (e.g., LTE DU 505b). For example, the agreed resource allocation can be transmitted as a list of PRB IDs, where, for each PRB in the list, a bitmap may be included allocating resource elements for use by the initiating entity. Alternatively or otherwise, the agreed resource allocation may include resource elements from PRBs numbered from 0 to 83. For LTE, a PRB contains a total of 84 resource elements, i.e., 12 subcarriers multiplied by 7 symbols. For NR, a PRB may contain 14 symbols.

[0067] If an agreement is reached on the resources, coordination of the resource elements using the information already exchanged by DU 505 can be performed at 710-712. This may involve the DU instructing the RU which REs can be controlled by which DU. In some implementations, forward control plane (C-plane) messages can be used for these purposes, and reMask can be used to indicate the REs scheduled to the DU (as discussed above). Alternatively, process 706 can be performed again.

[0068] In some implementations, the current topic can be configured to be implemented in system 900, such as Figure 9As shown. System 900 may include one or more of a processor 910, a memory 920, a storage device 930, and an input / output device 940. Each of components 910, 920, 930, and 940 may be interconnected using a system bus 950. Processor 910 may be configured to process instructions to execute within system 900. In some embodiments, processor 910 may be a single-threaded processor. In alternative embodiments, processor 910 may be a multi-threaded processor. Processor 910 may also be configured to process instructions stored in memory 920 or stored on storage device 930, including receiving or sending information via input / output device 940. Memory 920 may store information within system 900. In some embodiments, memory 920 may be a computer-readable medium. In alternative embodiments, memory 920 may be a volatile memory cell. In still other embodiments, memory 920 may be a non-volatile memory cell. Storage device 930 is capable of providing mass storage for system 900. In some embodiments, storage device 930 may be a computer-readable medium. In alternative embodiments, storage device 930 may be a floppy disk device, hard disk device, optical disk device, magnetic tape device, non-volatile solid-state memory, or any other type of storage device. Input / output device 940 may be configured to provide input / output operations to system 900. In some embodiments, input / output device 940 may include a keyboard and / or a pointing device. In alternative embodiments, input / output device 940 may include a display unit for displaying a graphical user interface.

[0069] Figure 10 An exemplary method 1000 according to some implementations of the present subject is shown. At 1002, a control plane message identifying radio resources among a plurality of radio resources can be generated for controlling the transmission of data packets among a plurality of data packets between a plurality of communication devices. At 1004, the generated control plane message can be sent (e.g., from DU 505 to RU 503, such as...). Figure 5 (As shown). At 1006, using the identified radio resources, the transmission of data packets can be controlled in the user plane.

[0070] In some implementations, the current subject may include one or more of the following optional features. Transmission of the generated control plane message may include transmitting the generated control plane message from a first communication device to a second communication device among a plurality of communication devices. Furthermore, at least one of generation, transmission, and control may be performed by a base station. The base station may include at least one of the following communication components: one or more remote radio units and one or more distributed units.

[0071] In some implementations, the identified radio resources may include at least one of the following: one or more physical resource blocks, one or more resource elements, one or more carrier components, and any combination thereof. Furthermore, the identified radio resources may be configured to be identified using a resource element mask. In some implementations, the generated control plane messages may be transmitted from one or more distributed units (DFUs) of one or more base stations to one or more remote units of the base stations. DFUs may include at least one of the following: DFUs operating in a first type of communication network and DFUs operating in a second type of communication network. Remote units associated with one or more base stations and having the identified radio resources may be configured to be controlled by one or more DFUs operating in the first and second type of communication networks. As an example, the first type of communication network may include a new radio communication network, and the second type of communication network may include a Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication network.

[0072] In some implementations, a distributed unit operating in a first type of communication network can be configured to be communicatively coupled to a distributed unit operating in a second type of communication network via an interface to coordinate the sharing of multiple radio resources, thereby controlling the operation of remote units. Furthermore, the distributed units operating in the first and second types of communication networks can be configured to determine the allocation of radio resources among multiple radio resources to control the operation of one or more remote units. The allocation can be determined using a bitmap of radio resources allocated by at least one of the following: the distributed unit operating in the first type of communication network, the distributed unit operating in the second type of communication network, and any combination thereof.

[0073] The systems and methods disclosed herein can be embodied in various forms, including, for example, a data processor, such as a computer, which also includes databases, digital electronic circuits, firmware, software, or combinations thereof. Furthermore, the aforementioned features and other aspects and principles of the embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in various environments. Such environments and related applications can be specifically constructed to perform various processes and operations according to the disclosed embodiments, or they can include general-purpose computers or computing platforms that are selectively activated or reconfigured by code to provide necessary functionality. The processes disclosed herein are inherently independent of any particular computer, network, architecture, environment, or other device, and can be implemented through appropriate combinations of hardware, software, and / or firmware. For example, various general-purpose machines can be used with programs written according to the teachings of the disclosed embodiments, or it may be more convenient to construct dedicated devices or systems to perform the required methods and techniques.

[0074] The systems and methods disclosed herein can be implemented as computer program products, that is, computer programs tangibly embodied in an information carrier, such as in a machine-readable storage device or in a propagating signal, for execution by a data processing apparatus (e.g., a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple computers) or for controlling the operation of the data processing apparatus. Computer programs can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and can be deployed in any form, including as standalone programs or as modules, components, subroutines, or other units suitable for use in a computing environment. Computer programs can be deployed to execute on a single computer or multiple computers at a single site, or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected via a communication network.

[0075] As used in this article, the term "user" can refer to any entity, including people or computers.

[0076] While ordinal numbers such as first, second, etc., can be associated with sequence in certain situations, the ordinal numbers used in this document do not necessarily indicate sequence. For example, ordinal numbers can only be used to distinguish one item from another. For example, to distinguish between the first and second events, but without implying any chronological order or fixed reference system (so that the first event in one paragraph may be different from the first event in another paragraph).

[0077] The foregoing description is intended to illustrate, and not limit, the scope of the invention, which is defined by the scope of the appended claims. Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.

[0078] These computer programs (also referred to as programs, software, software applications, applications, components, or code) include machine instructions for a programmable processor and can be implemented in high-level programming and / or object-oriented programming languages, and / or assembly / machine languages. As used herein, the term "machine-readable medium" means any computer program product, apparatus, and / or device (e.g., disk, optical disk, memory, and programmable logic device, PLD) used to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor, including machine-readable media that receive machine instructions as machine-readable signals. The term "machine-readable signal" means any signal used to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor. Machine-readable media may store such machine instructions non-transitory, such as non-transitory solid-state memory or magnetic hard disk drives or any equivalent storage medium. Machine-readable media may alternatively or additionally store such machine instructions temporarily, such as processor caches or other random access memory associated with one or more physical processor cores.

[0079] To provide interaction with the user, the subjects described herein can be implemented on a computer with a display device, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) or liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and pointing device (e.g., a mouse or trackball), through which the user can provide input to the computer. Other types of devices can also be used to provide interaction with the user. For example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, such as visual, auditory, or tactile feedback; input from the user can be received in any form, including but not limited to acoustic, speech, or tactile input.

[0080] The subject matter described herein can be implemented in a computing system that includes backend components (e.g., one or more data servers), middleware components (e.g., one or more application servers), frontend components (e.g., one or more client computers with a graphical user interface or web browser through which users can interact with embodiments of the subject matter described herein), or any combination of such backend, middleware, or frontend components. The components of the system can be interconnected via digital data communication (e.g., a communication network) of any form or medium. Examples of communication networks include, but are not limited to, local area networks (“LANs”), wide area networks (“WANs”), and the Internet.

[0081] A computing system may include clients and servers. Clients and servers are typically, but not exclusively, geographically separated and usually interact through a communication network. The client-server relationship is established by computer programs running on their respective computers that have a client-server relationship with each other.

[0082] The embodiments described above do not represent all embodiments consistent with the subject matter described herein. Rather, they are merely examples of aspects consistent with the described subject matter. Although some variations have been described in detail above, other modifications or additions are possible. In particular, further features and / or variations may be provided in addition to those set forth herein. For example, the embodiments described above can be adapted for various combinations and sub-combinations of the disclosed features and / or combinations and sub-combinations of several further features disclosed above. Furthermore, the logical flows depicted in the accompanying drawings and / or described herein do not necessarily require the specific order or chronological sequence shown to achieve the desired results. Other embodiments may be within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising: Generate control plane messages to identify radio resources among multiple radio resources, and use them to control the transmission of data packets among multiple data packets between multiple communication devices; Transmit the generated control plane messages; as well as The transmission of the data packets in the user plane is controlled using the identified radio resources; The identified radio resources include at least one of the following: one or more physical resource blocks, one or more resource elements, one or more carrier components, and any combination thereof; The identified radio resources are configured to be identified using resource element masks; and Each bit setting in the resource element mask indicates whether segmentation control applies to resource elements in the transmitted data packets.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The transmission of the generated control plane message further includes sending the generated control plane message from a first communication device among a plurality of communication devices to a second communication device.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, At least one of the generation, the transmission, and the control is performed by the base station.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The base station includes at least one of the following communication components: one or more remote radio units and one or more distributed units.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The generated control plane messages are sent from one or more distributed units of one or more base stations to one or more remote units of the one or more base stations.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, The one or more distributed units include at least one of the following: one or more distributed units operating in a first type of communication network and one or more distributed units operating in a second type of communication network; One or more remote units associated with one or more base stations and having identified radio resources are configured to be controlled by one or more distributed units operating in the first type of communication network and the second type of communication network.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, The first type of communication network includes new radio communication networks, and the second type of communication network includes Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication networks.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein, One or more distributed units operating in the first type of communication network are configured to be communicatively coupled to one or more distributed units operating in the second type of communication network via an interface, so as to coordinate the sharing of the plurality of radio resources and thereby control the operation of the one or more remote units.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, One or more distributed units operating in the first type of communication network and one or more distributed units operating in the second type of communication network are configured to determine the allocation of radio resources among the plurality of radio resources in order to control the operation of the one or more remote units.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The allocation is determined using a bitmap of radio resources allocated by at least one of the following: one or more distributed units operating in the first type of communication network, one or more distributed units operating in the second type of communication network, and any combination thereof.

11. An apparatus for dynamic spectrum sharing, comprising: At least one programmable processor; as well as A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one programmable processor, cause the at least one programmable processor to perform operations including: Generate control plane messages to identify radio resources among multiple radio resources, and use them to control the transmission of data packets among multiple data packets between multiple communication devices; Transmit the generated control plane messages; as well as The transmission of the data packets in the user plane is controlled using the identified radio resources; The identified radio resources include at least one of the following: one or more physical resource blocks, one or more resource elements, one or more carrier components, and any combination thereof; the identified radio resources are configured to be identified using a resource element mask; as well as Each bit setting in the resource element mask indicates whether segmentation control applies to resource elements in the transmitted data packets.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein, The transmission of the generated control plane message further includes sending the generated control plane message from a first communication device among a plurality of communication devices to a second communication device.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein, At least one of the generation, the transmission, and the control is performed by the base station.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein, The base station includes at least one of the following communication components: one or more remote radio units and one or more distributed units.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein, The generated control plane messages are transmitted from one or more distributed units of one or more base stations to one or more remote units of the one or more base stations.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein, The one or more distributed units include at least one of the following: one or more distributed units operating in a first type of communication network and one or more distributed units operating in a second type of communication network; One or more remote units associated with one or more base stations and having identified radio resources are configured to be controlled by one or more distributed units operating in the first type of communication network and the second type of communication network.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein, The first type of communication network includes new radio communication networks, and the second type of communication network includes Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication networks.

18. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein, One or more distributed units operating in the first type of communication network are configured to be communicatively coupled via an interface to one or more distributed units operating in the second type of communication network to coordinate the sharing of multiple radio resources, thereby controlling the operation of one or more remote units.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein, One or more distributed units operating in the first type of communication network and one or more distributed units operating in the second type of communication network are configured to determine the allocation of radio resources among a plurality of radio resources in order to control the operation of the one or more remote units.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein, The allocation is determined using a bitmap of radio resources allocated by at least one of the following: one or more distributed units operating in the first type of communication network, one or more distributed units operating in the second type of communication network, and any combination thereof.

21. A computer program product, comprising: A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one programmable processor, cause the at least one programmable processor to perform operations including: Generate control plane messages to identify radio resources among multiple radio resources, and use them to control the transmission of data packets among multiple data packets between multiple communication devices; Transmit the generated control plane messages; as well as The transmission of the data packets in the user plane is controlled using the identified radio resources; The identified radio resources include at least one of the following: one or more physical resource blocks, one or more resource elements, one or more carrier components, and any combination thereof; The identified radio resources are configured to be identified using resource element masks; and Each bit setting in the resource element mask indicates whether segmentation control applies to resource elements in the transmitted data packets.

22. The computer program product according to claim 21, wherein, The transmission of the generated control plane message further includes sending the generated control plane message from a first communication device among a plurality of communication devices to a second communication device.

23. The computer program product according to claim 22, wherein, At least one of the generation, the transmission, and the control is performed by the base station.

24. The computer program product according to claim 23, wherein, The base station includes at least one of the following communication components: one or more remote radio units and one or more distributed units.

25. The computer program product according to claim 21, wherein, The generated control plane messages are transmitted from one or more distributed units of one or more base stations to one or more remote units of the one or more base stations.

26. The computer program product according to claim 25, wherein, The one or more distributed units include at least one of the following: one or more distributed units operating in a first type of communication network and one or more distributed units operating in a second type of communication network; One or more remote units associated with one or more base stations and having identified radio resources are configured to be controlled by one or more distributed units operating in the first type of communication network and the second type of communication network.

27. The computer program product according to claim 26, wherein, The first type of communication network includes new radio communication networks, and the second type of communication network includes Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication networks.

28. The computer program product according to claim 26, wherein, One or more distributed units operating in the first type of communication network are configured to be communicatively coupled to one or more distributed units operating in the second type of communication network via an interface to coordinate the sharing of multiple radio resources, thereby controlling the operation of the one or more remote units.

29. The computer program product according to claim 28, wherein, One or more distributed units operating in the first type of communication network and one or more distributed units operating in the second type of communication network are configured to determine the allocation of radio resources among a plurality of radio resources in order to control the operation of one or more remote units.

30. The computer program product according to claim 29, wherein, The allocation is determined using a bitmap of radio resources allocated by at least one of the following: one or more distributed units operating in the first type of communication network, one or more distributed units operating in the second type of communication network, and any combination thereof.

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