Transmit power violation protection mechanism in the radio unit of a disaggregated base station

Abstract

The present disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus for preventing transmit power violations in a radio unit (RU) of a decomposed base station. For example, when a distributed unit (DU) provides frequency domain samples to the RU, the DU may set a reference input level that causes the RU to scale the gain lineup to avoid saturation or sensitivity issues in the signal processing chain while ramping up to the desired transmit power. Therefore, to avoid signal saturation or clipping at the RU, the RU may monitor energy estimation measurements and take remedial action when a transmit power violation occurs. For example, in the event that the energy estimation measurement fails to meet one or more thresholds, the RU may provide one or more system alarms to the DU or prevent transmission over the air interface.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This patent application claims priority to U.S. non-provisional patent application No. 17 / 656,706, filed on March 28, 2022, entitled "TRANSMIT POWER VIOLATION PROTECTION MECHANISM IN A RADIOUNIT OF A DISAGGREGATED BASE STATION," which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless communications and to techniques associated with a transmit (Tx) power violation protection mechanism in a radio unit (RU) of a disaggregated base station. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide a variety of telecommunication services, such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasting. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple access technologies that can support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power, etc.). Examples of such multiple access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems, and long term evolution (LTE). LTE / LTE-Advanced is a set of enhancements to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile standard promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

[0005] A wireless network may include one or more base stations that support communications for a user equipment (UE) or multiple UEs. A UE may communicate with a base station via downlink communications and uplink communications. A "downlink" (or "DL") refers to the communication link from a base station to a UE, and an "uplink" (or "UL") refers to the communication link from a UE to a base station.

[0006] These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different UEs to communicate at a city, country, region, or global level. New Radio (NR), which may also be referred to as 5G, is a set of enhancements to the LTE mobile standard promulgated by 3GPP. NR is designed to better support mobile broadband Internet access by using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) (CP-OFDM) with a cyclic prefix (CP) on the downlink, using CP-OFDM or single carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) (also known as discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) on the uplink, and supporting beamforming, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, and carrier aggregation to improve spectrum efficiency, reduce costs, improve services, utilize new spectrum, and better integrate with other open standards. Summary of the invention

[0007] The systems, methods and devices of the present disclosure each have several innovative aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for the desirable attributes disclosed herein.

[0008] One innovative aspect of the subject matter described in the present disclosure may be implemented in a method of wireless communication performed by a device of a radio unit (RU). The method may include: receiving one or more frequency domain samples from a distributed unit (DU) via a fronthaul interface; performing energy estimation measurements associated with sending one or more time domain samples corresponding to the one or more frequency domain samples over an air interface based on control information associated with the one or more frequency domain samples; and providing one or more system alarms to the DU via the fronthaul interface to indicate a transmit power violation based on the energy estimation measurements failing to meet one or more thresholds.

[0009] In some aspects, the one or more thresholds may include at least one secondary threshold associated with triggering the one or more system alarms and at least one primary threshold associated with preventing the transmission of the one or more time domain samples in addition to triggering the one or more system alarms. In some aspects, the method may include: transmitting the one or more time domain samples over the air interface based on the energy estimation measurement failing to satisfy the at least one secondary threshold and satisfying the at least one primary threshold. In some aspects, the method may include: preventing the transmission of the one or more time domain samples over the air interface based on the energy estimation measurement failing to satisfy the at least one secondary threshold and failing to satisfy the at least one primary threshold.

[0010] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in the present disclosure may be implemented in an apparatus of a RU for wireless communication. The apparatus may include: one or more interfaces configured to obtain one or more frequency domain samples from a DU. The apparatus may include: a processing system configured to perform energy estimation measurements associated with sending one or more time domain samples corresponding to the one or more frequency domain samples based on control information associated with the one or more frequency domain samples. The one or more interfaces may be configured to output one or more system alarms to the DU to indicate a transmit power violation based on the energy estimation measurement failing to meet one or more thresholds.

[0011] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in the present disclosure can be implemented in a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The non-transitory computer-readable medium can store one or more instructions for wireless communication. The one or more instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the RU, can cause the one or more processors to: receive one or more frequency domain samples from the DU via a fronthaul interface; perform energy estimation measurements associated with sending one or more time domain samples corresponding to the one or more frequency domain samples over an air interface based on control information associated with the one or more frequency domain samples; and provide one or more system alarms to the DU via the fronthaul interface to indicate a transmit power violation based on the energy estimation measurement failing to meet one or more thresholds.

[0012] Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in the present disclosure can be implemented in an apparatus for wireless communication. The apparatus may include: a component for receiving one or more frequency domain samples from a DU via a fronthaul interface; a component for performing energy estimation measurements associated with sending one or more time domain samples corresponding to the one or more frequency domain samples over an air interface based on control information associated with the one or more frequency domain samples; and a component for providing one or more system alarms to the DU via the fronthaul interface to indicate a transmit power violation based on the energy estimation measurements failing to meet one or more thresholds.

[0013] Aspects generally include methods, apparatus, systems, computer program products, non-transitory computer-readable media, user equipment, base stations, central units, distributed units, radio units, wireless communication devices, or processing systems as generally described herein with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying figures.

[0014] Details of one or more specific implementations of the subject matter described in this disclosure are set forth in the drawings and description. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the description, drawings, and claims. Note that the relative dimensions in the drawings may not be drawn to scale. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless network.

[0016] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a base station communicates with a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network.

[0017] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a decomposed base station architecture.

[0018] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example associated with a transmit (Tx) power violation protection mechanism in a radio unit (RU) of a decomposed base station.

[0019] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an example process as performed by a RU of a decomposed base station.

[0020] Figure 6 is an illustration of an example apparatus for wireless communications.

[0021] The same reference numbers and designations in different drawings represent the same elements. Summary of the invention

[0023] For the purpose of describing the innovative aspects of the present disclosure, the following description refers to certain specific implementations. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in a variety of different ways. Some examples in the present disclosure are based on wireless and wired local area network (LAN) communications in accordance with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 wireless standard, the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet standard, and the IEEE 1901 Power Line Communication (PLC) standard. However, the specific implementations described can be implemented in any device, system, or network capable of sending and receiving radio frequency signals in accordance with any of the following wireless communication protocols: including any of the IEEE 802.11 standards, Standard, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), GSM / General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA), Wideband CDMA (W-CDMA), Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), 1xEV-DO, EV-DO Revision A, EV-DO Revision B, High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), High Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed ​​Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), Evolved High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA+), Long Term Evolution (LTE), AMPS or other known signals for communication within a wireless network, a cellular network, or an Internet of Things (IoT) network (such as, a system utilizing 3G technology, 4G technology or 5G technology or their further implementations).

[0024] As described herein, a wireless network may include one or more base stations having a disaggregated architecture based on a lower layer functional split (e.g., split 7-2x defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)). For example, the lower layer functional split may separate the base station functionality into a distributed unit (DU) and a radio unit (RU) that communicate over a fronthaul interface, wherein the DU corresponds to a logical unit or logical node that controls the operation of one or more RUs, which typically correspond to a logical unit or logical node that hosts radio frequency (RF) processing functions or lower physical (PHY) layer functions to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UEs. For example, on the downlink, OFDM phase compensation, inverse fast Fourier transform (iFFT), cyclic prefix (CP) addition, and digital beamforming functions reside in the RU, and the remaining PHY functions including resource element (RE) mapping, layer mapping, modulation, scrambling, rate matching, and decoding reside in the DU, wherein pre-decoding resides in the RU or the DU (e.g., depending on the capabilities or configuration of the RU or the DU).

[0025] Generally speaking, when the DU controls the operation of the RU on the downlink, the DU may provide a control plane message to the RU via a fronthaul interface to indicate control information associated with the downlink transmission (e.g., physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), or scheduling information for another suitable downlink transmission), and may further provide a user plane message including in-phase / quadrature (IQ) data samples in the FFT frequency domain to the RU via the fronthaul interface. The RU then performs iFFT (as well as other functions) to convert the IQ data samples from the frequency domain to the time domain, and sends the time domain data samples to one or more UEs over the air interface based on the control information. Therefore, in a decomposed base station architecture in which the DU controls the RU via a fronthaul interface, the DU is configured to generate downlink IQ data samples that the RU ultimately sends to one or more UEs over the air interface, which essentially disconnects the data generation entity (DU) and the actual sending entity (RU). In addition, the decomposed base station architecture can support massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, where the DU can define the beamforming weights to be applied by the RU when transmitting over the air interface.

[0026] In some cases, allowing the DU to set the beamforming weights and other transmit parameters applied at the RU may result in signal saturation, clipping, or other adverse conditions at the RU (e.g., where the DU miscalculates the beamforming weights). For example, when the DU passes IQ data samples to the RU, the IQ data samples may be associated with a reference input power level (e.g., an IQ power level in full decibel scale (dBFS) that logarithmically represents the power level for the IQ samples carried over the fronthaul interface). Based on the reference input power level, the RU scales the gain lineup in the signal processing chain (e.g., a transmit (Tx) path including one or more power amplifiers, filters, mixers, or other suitable components) to achieve the required Tx antenna power. For example, in some cases, the control information provided by the DU may indicate the RF output power level (in decibel milliwatts (dBm)) to be used for transmission over the air interface (e.g., at an RF reference plane assuming a lossless antenna). The RU then determines the downlink gain to be achieved in the Tx path as the difference between the RF output level and the reference input power level, and performs digital power scaling to set the gain lineup to avoid saturation or sensitivity issues in any part of the signal processing chain while ramping up to the desired output power level (e.g., required Tx antenna power).

[0027] Although the DU is generally responsible for scaling the reference input power level of the IQ data samples transmitted over the fronthaul interface to avoid saturation in the RU, there are some situations where the DU may transmit data that will cause signal saturation, clipping, or distortion at the RU. For example, signal saturation, clipping, or distortion may occur at the RU in the case where the DU transmits IQ data samples with a higher reference input power level (e.g., a reference input power level that exceeds the capabilities of the RU) due to misconfiguration or failure, or in the case where the DU misconfigures the beamforming weights in a manner that causes saturation in one or more ports, etc. In such cases, signal saturation, clipping, or distortion may have destructive effects, such as degrading the error vector magnitude (EVM) of the transmitted signal and thereby degrading the performance of the UE connected to the RU, resulting in out-of-band emissions that may increase the adjacent channel leakage ratio (ACLR) or otherwise violate one or more requirements associated with transmitting over the air interface (e.g., defined by one or more wireless communication standards (such as 3GPP) or regulatory agencies (such as the Federal Communications Commission)), or having a risk of causing physical damage to hardware components (e.g., power amplifiers) of the RU, etc.

[0028] Some aspects described herein relate to systems, methods, devices or techniques for preventing Tx power violations in the RU of a decomposed base station. For example, when the DU provides IQ frequency domain samples to the RU, the DU may set a reference input level that causes the RU scaling gain lineup to ramp up to the required transmit power. Therefore, in order to avoid signal saturation, clipping or distortion at the RU, the RU may monitor energy estimation measurements within the Tx signal processing chain and take remedial actions when a transmit power violation occurs. For example, in the case where the energy estimation measurement fails to meet one or more thresholds, the RU may provide one or more system alarms to the DU or prevent transmission over the air interface. In addition, in the case where the RU includes multiple Tx ports and / or multiple Tx antennas, the Tx power violation protection technology described herein may be used on a per-Tx port and / or per-Tx antenna basis. For example, the RU may monitor energy estimation measurements associated with each Tx port and / or Tx antenna, and may transmit system alarms and / or prevent transmission to the DU on a per-port and / or per-antenna basis.

[0029] Specific implementations of the subject matter described in the present disclosure may be implemented to achieve one or more of the following potential advantages. In some cases, the Tx power violation protection mechanisms described herein may be used in a decentralized or disaggregated base station architecture to detect and prevent signal saturation in the RU or outliers or anomalies in DU behavior. In addition, detecting and preventing Tx power violations in the RU may improve the quality of signals transmitted by the RU (e.g., EVM), reduce out-of-band emissions, reduce the risk of physical damage to hardware components in the RU, or otherwise maintain high-quality downlink (transmit) performance of the RU. In addition, in the event that the RU provides one or more system alarms to the DU to indicate when a Tx power violation occurs, the one or more system alarms may provide the DU with information that can be used to detect or remedy problems that may have caused a Tx power violation (e.g., a failure or misconfiguration of a reference input power level to the RU or beamforming weights to be applied at the RU).

[0030] Figure 1 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless network 100. The wireless network 100 may be a 5G (e.g., NR) network or a 4G (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE)) network, etc. or may include elements thereof. The wireless network 100 may include one or more entities, such as one or more base stations 110 (shown as BS110a, BS110b, BS110c, and BS110d), a user equipment (UE) 120 or multiple UEs 120 (shown as UE 120a, UE 120b, UE 120c, UE 120d, and UE 120e), or other network entities. The base station 110 is an example of a network entity that communicates with the UE 120. The base station 110 (sometimes referred to as a BS) may include, for example, an NR base station, an LTE base station, a Node B, an eNB (e.g., in 4G), a gNB (e.g., in 5G), an access point, or a transmit receive point (TRP). Each base station 110 may provide communication coverage for a particular geographic area. In the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), the term "cell" can refer to the coverage area of ​​a base station 110 or a base station subsystem serving the coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0031] The base station 110 may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, or another type of cell. A macro cell may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by a UE 120 with a service subscription. A pico cell may cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by a UE 120 with a service subscription. A femto cell may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a residence) and may allow restricted access by a UE 120 associated with the femto cell (e.g., a UE 120 in a closed subscriber group (CSG)). A base station 110 for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro base station. A base station 110 for a pico cell may be referred to as a pico base station. A base station 110 for a femto cell may be referred to as a femto base station or a home base station. In Figure 1 In the example shown in , BS 110a may be a macro base station for macro cell 102a, BS 110b may be a pico base station for pico cell 102b, and BS 110c may be a femto base station for femto cell 102c. A base station may support one or more (eg, three) cells.

[0032] In some examples, a cell may not necessarily be stationary, and the geographic area of ​​the cell may move depending on the location of a mobile base station 110 (e.g., a mobile base station). In some examples, base stations 110 may be interconnected to each other or to one or more other base stations 110 or network nodes (not shown) in wireless network 100 using any suitable transport network via various types of backhaul interfaces (such as direct physical connections or virtual networks).

[0033] The wireless network 100 may include one or more relay stations. A relay station is an entity that can receive data transmissions from an upstream station (e.g., a base station 110 or a UE 120) and transmit the data transmissions to a downstream station (e.g., a UE 120 or a base station 110). A relay station may be a UE 120 that is capable of relaying transmissions for other UEs 120. Figure 1 In the example shown, BS 110d (eg, a relay base station) may communicate with BS 110a (eg, a macro base station) and UE 120d to facilitate communication between BS 110a and UE 120d. Base station 110 that relays communication may be referred to as a relay station, relay base station, or relay.

[0034] The wireless network 100 may be a heterogeneous network including different types of base stations 110, such as macro base stations, pico base stations, femto base stations, or relay base stations. These different types of base stations 110 may have different transmit power levels, different coverage areas, or different impacts on interference in the wireless network 100. For example, a macro base station may have a high transmit power level (e.g., 5 watts to 40 watts), while a pico base station, a femto base station, and a relay base station may have a lower transmit power level (e.g., 0.1 watt to 2 watts).

[0035] A network controller 130 may be coupled to or in communication with a set of base stations 110 and may provide coordination and control for these base stations 110. The network controller 130 may communicate with the base stations 110 via backhaul communication links. The base stations 110 may communicate directly with each other or indirectly via wireless or wired backhaul links.

[0036] UE 120 may be dispersed throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE 120 may be stationary or mobile. UE 120 may include, for example, an access terminal, a terminal, a mobile station, or a subscriber unit. UE 120 may be a cellular phone (e.g., a smart phone), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a tablet computer, a camera, a gaming device, a netbook, a smartbook, an ultrabook, a medical device, a biometric device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch, smart clothing, smart glasses, a smart wristband, smart jewelry (e.g., a smart ring or a smart bracelet)), an entertainment device (e.g., a music device, a video device, or a satellite radio), an in-vehicle component or sensor, a smart meter / sensor, industrial manufacturing equipment, a global positioning system device, or any other suitable device configured to communicate via a wireless or wired medium.

[0037] Some UEs 120 may be considered as machine type communication (MTC) UEs or evolved or enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) UEs. MTC UEs or eMTC UEs may include, for example, robots, drones, remote devices, sensors, meters, monitors, or location tags, which may communicate with a base station, another device (e.g., a remote device), or some other entity. Some UEs 120 may be considered as Internet of Things (IoT) devices, or may be implemented as NB-IoT (narrowband IoT) devices. Some UEs 120 may be considered as user premises equipment. UE 120 may be included inside a housing that houses components of UE 120, such as a processor component or a memory component. In some examples, the processor component and the memory component may be coupled together. For example, a processor component (e.g., one or more processors) and a memory component (e.g., a memory) may be operably coupled, communicatively coupled, electronically coupled, or electrically coupled.

[0038] In general, any number of wireless networks 100 may be deployed in a given geographic area. Each wireless network 100 may support a specific RAT and may operate on one or more frequencies. RAT may also be referred to as a radio technology or air interface. Frequency may also be referred to as a carrier or frequency channel. In a given geographic area, each frequency may support a single RAT to avoid interference between wireless networks of different RATs. In some cases, NR or 5G RAT networks may be deployed.

[0039] In some examples, two or more UEs 120 (e.g., shown as UE 120a and UE 120e) may communicate directly using one or more sidelink channels (e.g., without using base station 110 as an intermediary to communicate with each other). For example, UE 120 may communicate using peer-to-peer (P2P) communication, device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) protocols (e.g., which may include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) protocols, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) protocols, or vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) protocols), or mesh networks. In such examples, UE 120 may perform scheduling operations, resource selection operations, or other operations described elsewhere herein as being performed by base station 110.

[0040] The devices of the wireless network 100 may communicate using an electromagnetic spectrum, which may be subdivided into various categories, bands, or channels by frequency or wavelength. For example, the devices of the wireless network 100 may communicate using one or more operating bands. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been identified as frequency ranges designated FR1 (410 MHz-7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz-52.6 GHz). It should be understood that although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is generally (interchangeably) referred to as the "below 6 GHz" band in various documents and articles. A similar naming problem sometimes occurs with respect to FR2, which is generally (interchangeably) referred to as the "millimeter wave" band in documents and articles, although it is different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz-300 GHz) identified as the "millimeter wave" band by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

[0041] Frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are generally referred to as mid-band frequencies. Recent 5G NR research has identified the operating bands for these mid-band frequencies as frequency range designation FR3 (7.125GHz-24.25GHz). The bands falling within FR3 can inherit FR1 characteristics or FR2 characteristics, and thus the features of FR1 or FR2 can be effectively extended to mid-band frequencies. In addition, higher frequency bands are currently being explored to extend 5G NR operations to more than 52.6GHz. For example, three higher operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6GHz-71GHz), FR4 (52.6GHz-114.25GHz) and FR5 (114.25GHz-300GHz). Each of these higher frequency bands falls within the EHF band.

[0042] With these examples in mind, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that the term "sub-6 GHz," if used herein, may broadly refer to frequencies that may be less than 6 GHz, frequencies that may be within FR1, or may include mid-band frequencies. Additionally, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that the term "millimeter wave," when used herein, may broadly refer to frequencies that may include mid-band frequencies, may be within FR2, FR4, FR4-a, FR4-1, or FR5, or may be within the EHF band. It is contemplated that the frequencies included in these operating bands (e.g., FR1, FR2, FR3, FR4, FR4-a, FR4-1, or FR5) may be modified, and that the techniques described herein are applicable to those modified frequency ranges.

[0043] The deployment of a communication system (such as a 5G NR system) can be arranged with various components or components in a variety of ways. In a 5G NR system or network, a network node, a network entity, a mobility element of a network, a RAN node, a core network node, a network element or a network equipment (such as a base station (e.g., base station 110), or one or more units (or one or more components) that perform base station functionality can be implemented in an aggregated or decomposed architecture. For example, a BS (such as a B node (NB), an eNB, an NR BS, a 5G NNB, an access point (AP), a TRP or a cell) can be implemented as an aggregated base station (also called an independent BS or a monolithic BS) or a decomposed base station.

[0044] A converged base station may be configured to utilize a radio protocol stack physically or logically integrated within a single RAN node. A decomposed base station may be configured to utilize a protocol stack physically or logically distributed between two or more units, such as one or more central units (CU), one or more distributed units (DU), or one or more radio units (RU). In some aspects, a CU may be implemented within a RAN node, and one or more DUs may be co-located with the CU, or alternatively, may be geographically or virtually distributed in one or more other RAN nodes. A DU may be implemented to communicate with one or more RUs. Each of a CU, a DU, and a RU may also be implemented as a virtual unit, such as a virtual centralized unit (VCU), a virtual distributed unit (VDU), or a virtual radio unit (VRU).

[0045] Base station type operations or network designs may take into account the aggregated nature of base station functionality. For example, a disaggregated base station may be used in an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an O-RAN (such as a network configuration initiated by the O-RAN Alliance), or a virtualized radio access network (vRAN, also known as a cloud radio access network (C-RAN)). Decomposition may include distributing functionality across two or more units at various physical locations, as well as virtually distributing functionality of at least one unit, which may enable flexibility in network design. Individual units of a disaggregated base station or disaggregated RAN architecture may be configured for wired or wireless communication with at least one other unit.

[0046] Thus, as described herein, the term "base station" (e.g., base station 110) or "network node" or "network entity" may refer to an aggregated base station, a decomposed base station, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a relay node, or one or more components thereof. For example, in some aspects, the term "base station", "network node" or "network entity" may refer to a CU, a DU, a RU, a near real-time (near RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC), a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the term "base station", "network node" or "network entity" may refer to a device configured to perform one or more functions (such as those described herein in conjunction with base station 110). In some aspects, the term "base station", "network node" or "network entity" may refer to a plurality of devices configured to perform the one or more functions. For example, in some distributed systems, each of a plurality of different devices (which may be located in the same geographical location or in different geographical locations) may be configured to perform at least a portion of a function, or to repeat the execution of at least a portion of the function, and the term "base station", "network node" or "network entity" may refer to any one or more of these different devices. In some aspects, the terms "base station", "network node" or "network entity" may refer to one or more virtual base stations or one or more virtual base station functions. For example, in some aspects, two or more base station functions may be instantiated on a single device. In some aspects, the terms "base station", "network node" or "network entity" may refer to one of the base station functions but not another base station function. In this way, a single device may include more than one base station.

[0047] In some aspects, the base station 110 may include a communication manager 150. As described in more detail elsewhere herein, the communication manager 150 may be associated with the RU and may receive one or more frequency domain samples from the DU via a fronthaul interface; perform energy estimation measurements associated with transmitting one or more time domain samples corresponding to the one or more frequency domain samples over an air interface based on control information associated with the one or more frequency domain samples; and provide one or more system alerts to the DU via the fronthaul interface to indicate a transmit power violation based on the energy estimation measurements failing to meet one or more thresholds. Additionally or alternatively, the communication manager 150 may perform one or more other operations described herein.

[0048] Figure 2 2 is a diagram illustrating an example 200 of base station 110 communicating with UE 120 in wireless network 100. Base station 110 may be equipped with a set of antennas 234a through 234t, such as T antennas (T ≥ 1). UE 120 may be equipped with a set of antennas 252a through 252r, such as R antennas (R ≥ 1).

[0049] At the base station 110, the transmit processor 220 may receive data intended for the UE 120 (or a set of UEs 120) from the data source 212. The transmit processor 220 may use one or more channel quality indicators (CQIs) received from the UE 120 to select one or more modulation and coding schemes (MCSs) for the UE 120. The base station 110 may process (e.g., encode and modulate) the data for the UE 120 using the MCS selected for the UE 120 and may provide data symbols to the UE 120. The transmit processor 220 may process system information (e.g., for semi-static resource partitioning information (SRPI)) and control information (e.g., CQI requests, grants, or upper layer signaling) and provide overhead symbols and control symbols. The transmit processor 220 may generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., cell-specific reference signals (CRS) or demodulation reference signals (DMRS)) and synchronization signals (e.g., primary synchronization signals (PSS) or secondary synchronization signals (SSS)). The transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 230 may perform spatial processing (e.g., pre-coding) on ​​data symbols, control symbols, overhead symbols, or reference symbols, where applicable, and may provide a set of output symbol streams (e.g., T output symbol streams) to a corresponding set of modems 232 (e.g., T modems) (shown as modems 232a to 232t). For example, each output symbol stream may be provided to a modulator component (shown as MOD) of the modem 232. Each modem 232 may process a corresponding output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM) using a corresponding modulator component to obtain an output sample stream. Each modem 232 may also process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, or up-convert) the output sample stream using a corresponding modulator component to obtain a downlink signal. The modems 232a to 232t may transmit a set of downlink signals (e.g., T downlink signals) via a set of corresponding antennas 234 (e.g., T antennas) (shown as antennas 234a to 234t).

[0050] At the UE 120, a group of antennas 252 (shown as antennas 252a to 252r) may receive downlink signals from the base station 110 or other base stations 110, and may provide a group of received signals (e.g., R received signals) to a group of modems 254 (e.g., R modems) (shown as modems 254a to 254r). For example, each received signal may be provided to a demodulator component (shown as DEMOD) of the modem 254. Each modem 254 may use a corresponding demodulator component to condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, or digitize) the received signal to obtain input samples. Each modem 254 may use a demodulator component to further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM) to obtain received symbols. A MIMO detector 256 may obtain received symbols from the modem 254, may perform MIMO detection on the received symbols where applicable, and may provide detected symbols. The receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, may provide decoded data for the UE 120 to the data sink 260, and may provide decoded control information and system information to the controller / processor 280. The term "controller / processor" may refer to one or more controllers, one or more processors, or a combination thereof. The channel processor may determine a reference signal received power (RSRP) parameter, a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) parameter, a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) parameter, or a CQI parameter, among other things. In some examples, one or more components of the UE 120 may be included in a housing.

[0051] The network controller 130 may include a communication unit 294, a controller / processor 290, and a memory 292. The network controller 130 may include, for example, one or more devices in a core network. The network controller 130 may communicate with the base station 110 via the communication unit 294.

[0052] One or more antennas (e.g., antennas 234a to 234t or antennas 252a to 252r) may include or may be included in one or more antenna panels, one or more antenna groups, one or more sets of antenna elements, or one or more antenna arrays, etc. An antenna panel, antenna group, set of antenna elements, or antenna array may include one or more antenna elements (in a single housing or multiple housings), a set of coplanar antenna elements, a set of non-coplanar antenna elements, or coupled to one or more transmit or receive components (such as Figure 2 One or more antenna elements of one or more components).

[0053] On the uplink, at the UE 120, the transmit processor 264 may receive and process data from the data source 262 and control information from the controller / processor 280 (e.g., for reports including RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, or CQI). The transmit processor 264 may generate reference symbols for one or more reference signals. The symbols from the transmit processor 264 may be pre-decoded by the TX MIMO processor 266, where applicable, further processed by the modem 254 (e.g., for DFT-s-OFDM or CP-OFDM), and transmitted to the base station 110. In some examples, the modem 254 of the UE 120 may include a modulator and a demodulator. In some examples, the UE 120 includes a transceiver. The transceiver may include any combination of an antenna 252, a modem 254, a MIMO detector 256, a receive processor 258, a transmit processor 264, or a TX MIMO processor 266. The transceiver may be used by a processor (eg, controller / processor 280) and memory 282 to perform aspects of any of the processes described herein.

[0054] At the base station 110, uplink signals from the UE 120 or other UEs may be received by the antenna 234, processed by the modem 232 (e.g., a demodulator component of the modem 232, shown as DEMOD), detected by the MIMO detector 236 where applicable, and further processed by the receive processor 238 to obtain decoded data and control information transmitted by the UE 120. The receive processor 238 may provide the decoded data to the data sink 239 and the decoded control information to the controller / processor 240. The base station 110 may include a communication unit 244 and may communicate with the network controller 130 via the communication unit 244. The base station 110 may include a scheduler 246 that schedules one or more UEs 120 for downlink or uplink communication. In some examples, the modem 232 of the base station 110 may include a modulator and a demodulator. In some examples, the base station 110 includes a transceiver. The transceiver may include any combination of antenna 234, modem 232, MIMO detector 236, receive processor 238, transmit processor 220, or TX MIMO processor 230. The transceiver may be used by a processor (e.g., controller / processor 240) and memory 242 to perform aspects of any of the processes described herein.

[0055] In some aspects, controller / processor 240 may be a component of a processing system. A processing system may generally be a system or series of machines or components that receives inputs and processes the inputs to produce a set of outputs that may be passed to other systems or components, such as base station 110. For example, a processing system of base station 110 may be a system that includes various other components or subcomponents of base station 110.

[0056] The processing system of base station 110 may interface with one or more other components of base station 110, may process information (such as input or signal) received from one or more other components, or may output information to one or more other components. For example, a chip or modem of base station 110 may include a processing system, a first interface for receiving or obtaining information, and a second interface for outputting, sending, or providing information. In some examples, the first interface may be an interface between a processing system of a chip or modem and a receiver, so that base station 110 may receive information or signal input, and may pass information to the processing system. In some examples, the second interface may be an interface between a processing system of a chip or modem and a transmitter, so that base station 110 may send information output from the chip or modem. Those of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the second interface may also obtain or receive information or signal input, and the first interface may also output, send, or provide information.

[0057] The controller / processor 240 of the base station 110, the controller / processor 280 of the UE 120, or Figure 2 Any other component of the RU or DU may perform one or more techniques associated with the Tx power violation protection mechanism in the RU of the decomposed base station, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. In some aspects, the RU or DU described herein is Figure 2 The base station 110 shown is included in the base station 110, or includes one or more components of the base station 110. For example, the controller / processor 240 of the base station 110, the controller / processor 280 of the UE 120, or Figure 2 Any other component (or combination of components) may perform or direct, for example Figure 5 500 or other processes as described herein. Memory 242 and memory 282 may store data and program codes for base station 110 and UE 120, respectively. In some examples, memory 242 and memory 282 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions (e.g., code or program code) for wireless communication. For example, the one or more instructions, when executed by one or more processors of base station 110 or UE 120 (e.g., directly, or after compilation, conversion, or interpretation), may cause one or more processors, UE 120, or base station 110 to perform or direct, for example, Figure 5The operations of process 500 or other processes as described herein. In some examples, executing instructions may include running instructions, converting instructions, compiling instructions, or interpreting instructions.

[0058] In some aspects, the base station 110 (e.g., an RU associated with the base station 110) includes: means for receiving one or more frequency domain samples from the DU via a fronthaul interface; means for performing energy estimation measurements associated with transmitting one or more time domain samples corresponding to the one or more frequency domain samples over an air interface based on control information associated with the one or more frequency domain samples; or means for providing one or more system alarms to the DU via the fronthaul interface to indicate a transmit power violation based on a failure of the energy estimation measurements to meet one or more thresholds. Means for the base station 110 to perform operations described herein may include, for example, one or more of the communication manager 150, the transmit processor 220, the TX MIMO processor 230, the modem 232, the antenna 234, the MIMO detector 236, the receive processor 238, the controller / processor 240, the memory 242, or the scheduler 246.

[0059] although Figure 2 The blocks in the 200 and 210 are illustrated as distinct components, but the functions described with respect to these blocks may be implemented with a single hardware, software, or combined component or various combinations of components. For example, the functions described with respect to the transmit processor 264, the receive processor 258, the TX MIMO processor 266, or another processor may be performed by or under the control of the controller / processor 280.

[0060] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example 300 of a decomposed base station architecture.

[0061] Figure 3 The decomposed base station architecture shown may include one or more CUs 310 that may communicate directly with a core network 320 via a backhaul link, or indirectly with a core network 320 through one or more decomposed base station units, such as a near-RT RIC 325 via an E2 link, or a non-RT RIC 315 associated with a service management and orchestration (SMO) framework 305, or both. The CU 310 may communicate with one or more DUs 330 via respective midhaul links, such as an F1 interface. The DU 330 may communicate with one or more RUs 340 via respective fronthaul links. The RU 340 may communicate with respective UEs 120 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links, which may be referred to herein as air interfaces. In some aspects, a UE 120 may be served simultaneously by multiple RUs 340.

[0062] Each of these units (e.g., CU 310, DU 330, and RU 340) and the near-RT RIC 325, non-RTRIC 315, and SMO framework 305 may include one or more interfaces, or may be coupled to one or more interfaces, which are configured to receive, send, or otherwise communicate signals, data, or information (collectively referred to as signals) via a wired transmission medium or a wireless transmission medium. Each of these units or an associated processor or controller that provides instructions to the communication interface of these units may be configured to communicate with one or more of the other units via a transmission medium. For example, these units may include a wired interface that is configured to receive or send signals to one or more of the other units via a wired transmission medium. Additionally, these units may include a wireless interface (e.g., an air interface), which may include a receiver, transmitter, or transceiver (such as an RF transceiver) configured to receive signals, send signals, or both to one or more of the other units via a wireless transmission medium.

[0063] In some aspects, CU 310 may host one or more higher layer control functions. Such control functions may include radio resource control (RRC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), or service data adaptation protocol (SDAP). Each control function may be implemented as having an interface configured to communicate signals with other control functions hosted by CU 310. CU 310 may be configured to handle user plane functionality (e.g., central unit-user plane (CU-UP)), control plane functionality (e.g., central unit-control plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some aspects, CU 310 may be logically split into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. When implemented in an O-RAN configuration, the CU-UP unit may communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP unit via an interface (such as an E1 interface). As needed, CU 310 may be implemented to communicate with DU 330 for network control and signaling.

[0064] DU 330 may correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more base station functions for controlling the operation of one or more RU 340. In some aspects, DU 330 may host one or more of a radio link control (RLC) layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, and one or more high physical (PHY) layers (such as modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, or modulation and demodulation) based on a functional split such as that defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). In some aspects, DU 330 may further host one or more low PHY layers. Each layer (or module) may be implemented with an interface that is configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by DU 330 or with control functions hosted by CU 310.

[0065] The lower layer functionality may be implemented by one or more RUs 340. In some deployments, the RU 340 controlled by the DU 330 may correspond to a logical node that hosts RF processing functions or low PHY layer functions (such as performing fast Fourier transform (FFT), inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming, or physical random access channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering) or both based on functional splitting such as lower layer functional splitting. In such an architecture, the RU 340 may be implemented to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UEs 120. In some aspects, real-time and non-real-time aspects of control plane and user plane communications with the RU 340 may be controlled by the corresponding DU 330. In some scenarios, this configuration may enable the implementation of the DU 330 and the CU 310 in a cloud-based RAN architecture (such as a vRAN architecture).

[0066] The SMO framework 305 may be configured to support RAN deployment and provisioning of non-virtualized network elements and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 305 may be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, which may be managed via an operation and maintenance interface (such as an O1 interface). For virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 305 may be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform (such as an open cloud (O-Cloud) 390) to perform network element lifecycle management (such as instantiating virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface (such as an O2 interface). Such virtualized network elements may include, but are not limited to, CU 310, DU 330, RU 340, and near-RT RIC 325. In some aspects, the SMO framework 305 may communicate with hardware aspects of the 4G RAN (such as an open eNB (O-eNB) 311) via the O1 interface. Additionally, in some aspects, the SMO framework 305 may communicate directly with one or more RUs 340 via the O1 interface. The SMO framework 305 may also include a non-RT RIC 315 configured to support the functionality of the SMO framework 305 .

[0067] The non-RT RIC 315 may be configured to include logic functions that enable non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) workflows including model training and updating, or policy-based guidance of applications / features in the near-RT RIC 325. The non-RT RIC 315 may be coupled to or communicate with the near-RT RIC 325 (such as via an A1 interface). The near-RT RIC 325 may be configured to include logic functions that enable near-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via data collection and actions through an interface (such as via an E2 interface) that connects one or more CUs 310, one or more DUs 330, or both, and the O-eNB with the near-RT RIC 325.

[0068] In some aspects, in order to generate an AI / ML model to be deployed in the near-RT RIC 325, the non-RT RIC 315 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server. Such information may be utilized by the near-RT RIC 325 and may be received from a non-network data source or from a network function at the SMO framework 305 or the non-RT RIC 315. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 315 or the near-RT RIC 325 may be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 315 may monitor long-term trends and patterns of performance and employ AI / ML models to perform corrective actions through the SMO framework 305 (such as via reconfiguration of O1) or via the creation of RAN management policies (such as A1 policies).

[0069] Figure 4 4 is a diagram illustrating an example 400 associated with a Tx power violation protection mechanism in a RU of a decomposed base station. Figure 4 As shown, example 400 includes a DU and a RU communicating via a fronthaul link (eg, the DU and the RU are associated with a disaggregated base station architecture such as an O-RAN architecture). Figure 4 As shown, the DU and RU may be associated with a downlink functional split, wherein the RU includes hardware components (e.g., radio hardware) that implement lower PHY functions (such as, performing iFFT, cyclic prefix addition, or digital or analog beamforming, etc.), and further, wherein the DU that controls the RU implements higher PHY functions (such as, RE mapping, pre-decoding, layer mapping, modulation, rate matching and decoding, etc.).

[0070] like Figure 4 And as shown by reference numeral 410, the DU may communicate one or more messages to the RU via the fronthaul interface to deliver frequency domain IQ samples and associated control information to the RU. In some aspects, the message communicated from the DU to the RU via the fronthaul interface may use the enhanced Common Public Radio Interface (eCPRI) protocol, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Ethernet Radio Encapsulation and Mapping Standard, or another suitable protocol as an encapsulation mechanism for user plane messages carrying downlink user plane data (e.g., frequency domain IQ samples corresponding to PDCCH or PDSCH). For example, when controlling the downlink transmission function of the RU, the DU may generate frequency domain IQ data samples and deliver the frequency domain IQ data samples to the RU symbol by symbol as user plane messages. In addition, the control information associated with the frequency domain IQ data samples may be carried in a control plane message that is sent in a frame physically separated from the user plane message carrying the frequency domain IQ data samples. For example, in some aspects, a control plane message communicated from the DU to the RU in time slot n may carry control information for frequency domain IQ data samples communicated from the DU to the RU in time slot n+1.

[0071] In some aspects, the control information communicated from the DU to the RU may generally include scheduling information and beamforming commands that control the operation of the RU. For example, the control information communicated from the DU to the RU may include scheduling information for frequency domain IQ samples to be delivered in one or more user plane messages, information indicating the FFT size, cyclic prefix length, or subcarrier spacing, downlink beamforming commands including beam indexes and beamforming weights to be applied by the RU, or power information such as a reference input power level for frequency domain IQ samples delivered from the DU to the RU and a Tx output power to be used by the RU. Thus, in some aspects, the RU may generally perform an iFFT to convert the IQ data samples from the frequency domain to the time domain, and may perform digital power scaling to set a gain profile to achieve a downlink gain defined by the difference between the reference input power level of the frequency domain IQ samples delivered from the DU to the RU and the desired Tx output power.

[0072] In general, as described herein, the DU is responsible for scaling the reference input power level of the frequency domain IQ data samples transmitted over the fronthaul interface to avoid saturation, clipping, distortion, or other adverse signal processing issues in the RU. However, there are various situations in which the DU may transmit data that will cause signal saturation, clipping, or distortion at the RU. For example, signal saturation, clipping, or distortion may occur when the reference input power level of the frequency domain IQ data samples transmitted by the DU exceeds the capabilities of the RU or the expected value indicated in the control information, or when the DU misconfigures the beamforming weights. Therefore, in order to avoid destructive effects (such as degrading the EVM of the signal sent by the RU, causing out-of-band emissions that may increase ACLR or otherwise violate one or more requirements associated with transmitting over the air interface, or the risk of physical damage to the hardware components of the RU (e.g., power amplifiers)), the RU may employ a Tx power violation protection mechanism to detect and prevent conditions that may cause signal saturation, clipping, or distortion.

[0073] For example, Figure 4And as shown by reference numeral 420, the RU may perform energy estimation to obtain energy estimation measurements associated with the transmitted IQ data samples. For example, in some aspects, the RU may be equipped with the ability to perform FFT energy estimation in the frequency domain (e.g., the amplitude spectrum or energy spectral density of the frequency domain IQ data samples received from the DU), and may continuously monitor the energy estimation measurements to determine whether a Tx power violation has occurred. Additionally or alternatively, the RU may perform energy estimation measurements based on control information associated with the frequency domain IQ samples (such as beamforming weights to be used by the RU, reference input power levels, or required output Tx power, etc.). In addition, in the case where the RU includes multiple Tx ports and / or multiple Tx antennas, the RU may obtain separate energy estimation measurements associated with each Tx port and / or Tx antenna to determine whether a Tx power violation has occurred on a per Tx port and / or per Tx antenna basis.

[0074] Thus, one or more thresholds may be defined based on power levels or energy estimation measurements that are likely or likely to result in signal quality degradation, out-of-band emissions, physical hardware damage, or other adverse or destructive effects on signals to be sent by the RU over the air interface, and the RU may compare the energy estimation measurements to the thresholds to detect and prevent such Tx power violations. For example, in some aspects, the one or more thresholds may include one or more secondary thresholds that define Tx power violations (e.g., maximum ACLR) that do not cause a high risk of hardware damage or failure to fulfill the requirements of the air interface, wherein the RU may send over the air interface even if the energy estimation measurement fails to meet the one or more secondary thresholds. In addition, in some aspects, the one or more thresholds may include one or more primary thresholds that define Tx power violations associated with a high risk of hardware damage or failure to fulfill the requirements of the air interface, wherein if the energy estimation measurement fails to meet the one or more primary thresholds, the RU may be prevented from sending over the air interface. Therefore, as described herein, the RU may continuously monitor energy estimation measurements of frequency domain IQ data samples transmitted from the DU to determine whether to scale the gain lineup to send time domain IQ data samples corresponding to the frequency domain IQ data samples (e.g., after applying iFFT to the frequency domain IQ data samples) or to prevent sending time domain IQ data samples corresponding to the frequency domain IQ data samples.

[0075] Specifically, Figure 4And as shown by reference numeral 430, the RU may apply the necessary downlink gain to scale the power level from the reference input power level to the required Tx output power level, and send a signal over the air interface (e.g., to one or more connected UEs) based on the energy estimation measurement satisfying one or more thresholds. For example, in the case where the energy estimation measurement satisfies (e.g., is not equal to or exceeds) any of one or more thresholds defining power levels that may cause signal saturation, clipping, distortion, signal quality degradation, out-of-band emission, or hardware damage, the RU may apply the necessary downlink gain and send over the air interface in a normal manner. Additionally or alternatively, in the case where the energy estimation measurement satisfies (e.g., is not equal to or exceeds) any of one or more primary thresholds associated with possible hardware damage or a risk of violating out-of-band emission requirements, the RU may apply the necessary downlink gain and send over the air interface (e.g., if the energy estimation measurement fails to satisfy one or more secondary thresholds, sending over the air interface may be allowed, provided that the energy estimation measurement satisfies one or more primary thresholds). Alternatively, as shown by reference numeral 440, in the case where the energy estimation measurement fails to satisfy one or more primary thresholds, the RU may prevent sending over the air interface. For example, in the case where the RU detects that one or more symbols fail to meet (e.g., equal to or exceed) one or more primary thresholds, the RU may block transmission of the corresponding port or carrier to avoid adverse consequences that may be caused by high power levels. In addition, in the case where the RU includes multiple Tx ports and / or multiple Tx antennas, the RU may determine whether to send an appropriate signal over the air interface or block transmission on a per-port or per-antenna basis (e.g., based on energy estimation measurements associated with a particular port meeting or failing to meet secondary thresholds and / or primary thresholds).

[0076] In some aspects, such as Figure 4And as shown by reference numeral 450, the RU may provide one or more system alarms to the DU via the fronthaul interface to indicate when one or more Tx power violations are detected. For example, in some aspects, one or more system alarms may be provided in the event that an energy estimation measurement performed at the RU results in a minor power violation (e.g., only a minor threshold is failed to be met) or a major power violation (e.g., a major threshold is failed to be met). The DU may then use one or more system alarms to attempt to diagnose or remedy the condition that may have caused the Tx power violation (e.g., adjust the beamforming weights to be used at the RU or reduce the reference input power level or Tx output power level). In addition, as described herein, when the RU has multiple Tx ports or multiple Tx antennas, the system alarm may be activated and transmitted to the DU on a per-port or per-antenna basis. For example, in such cases, the RU may transmit information to the DU to indicate that a Tx power violation or other suitable error event has occurred on a particular Tx port and / or a particular Tx antenna (e.g., to enable the DU to adjust the beamforming weights, reference input power level, Tx output power level, and / or other suitable transmit parameters on a per-port or per-antenna basis).

[0077] Figure 5 5 is a diagram of an example process 500, such as performed by an apparatus of an RU. Process 500 is an example of an apparatus of an RU (eg, an apparatus of RU 340 or base station 110) performing operations associated with a Tx power violation protection mechanism.

[0078] like Figure 5 As shown, in some aspects, process 500 may include: receiving one or more frequency domain samples from a DU via a fronthaul interface (block 510). For example, a device of a RU (such as by using Figure 6 The depicted communication manager 150 or receiving component 602) can receive one or more frequency domain samples from the DU via a fronthaul interface.

[0079] like Figure 5 As further shown in FIG. 5 , in some aspects, process 500 may include: performing energy estimation measurements associated with transmitting one or more time domain samples corresponding to the one or more frequency domain samples over an air interface based on control information associated with the one or more frequency domain samples (block 520). For example, a device of an RU (such as by using Figure 6 The communication manager 150 or energy estimation component 608 depicted in FIG. 1 may perform energy estimation measurements associated with sending one or more time domain samples corresponding to the one or more frequency domain samples over an air interface based on control information associated with the one or more frequency domain samples.

[0080] like Figure 5As further shown in FIG. 5 , in some aspects, process 500 may include providing one or more system alerts to the DU via the fronthaul interface to indicate a transmit power violation based on the energy estimation measurement failing to meet one or more thresholds (block 530). For example, a device of the RU (such as by using Figure 6 The communication manager 150, the transmission component 604, or the Tx power violation protection component 610 depicted in FIG. 6 may provide one or more system alarms to the DU via the fronthaul interface to indicate a transmit power violation based on the energy estimation measurement failing to meet one or more thresholds.

[0081] Process 500 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described in connection with process 500 or in connection with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

[0082] In a first additional aspect, the control information associated with the one or more frequency domain samples comprises a reference input power level.

[0083] In a second additional aspect, alone or in combination with the first aspect, the control information associated with the one or more frequency domain samples comprises beamforming weights to be used for transmitting the one or more time domain samples.

[0084] In a third additional aspect, alone or in combination with one or both of the first and second aspects, the energy estimation measurement is based on a reference input power level and a transmit antenna power required to transmit the one or more time domain samples over an air interface.

[0085] In a fourth additional aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to third aspects, the one or more thresholds are based on one or more transmit antenna power levels that cause signal saturation or clipping at the RU.

[0086] In a fifth additional aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to fourth aspects, the one or more thresholds include at least one secondary threshold associated with triggering one or more system alarms and at least one primary threshold associated with preventing the sending of one or more time domain samples in addition to triggering one or more system alarms.

[0087] In a sixth additional aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first to fifth aspects, process 500 includes sending one or more time domain samples over an air interface based on an energy estimation measurement failing to satisfy at least one secondary threshold and satisfying at least one primary threshold.

[0088] In a seventh additional aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of aspects 1 to 6, process 500 includes preventing one or more time domain samples from being sent over an air interface based on an energy estimation measurement failing to satisfy at least one secondary threshold and failing to satisfy at least one primary threshold.

[0089] Although Figure 5 An example block diagram of process 500 is shown, but in some aspects, process 500 may include Figure 5 Additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or blocks arranged in a different manner than those depicted in the process 500. Additionally or alternatively, two or more of the blocks in the process 500 may be performed in parallel.

[0090] Figure 6 6 is a diagram of an example apparatus 600 for wireless communication. The apparatus 600 may be an RU, or the RU may include the apparatus 600. In some aspects, the apparatus 600 includes a receiving component 602 and a transmitting component 604 that may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses or one or more other components). As shown, the apparatus 600 may communicate with another apparatus 606 (such as a UE, a base station, or another wireless communication device) using the receiving component 602 and the transmitting component 604. As further shown, the apparatus 600 may include a communication manager 150. The communication manager 150 may include one or more of an energy estimation component 608 or a Tx power violation protection component 610, etc.

[0091] In some aspects, the apparatus 600 may be configured to perform the Figure 4 Additionally or alternatively, the apparatus 600 may be configured to perform one or more processes described herein, such as Figure 5 In some aspects, the apparatus 600 or Figure 6 One or more of the components shown in the figure may include a combination of Figure 2 One or more components of the RU. Additionally or alternatively, Figure 6 One or more of the components shown in the figure may be combined with Figure 2 Additionally or alternatively, one or more components in the component set may be at least partially implemented as software stored in a memory. For example, a component (or a portion of a component) may be implemented as instructions or codes stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by a controller or processor to perform the function or operation of the component.

[0092] The receiving component 602 may receive communications, such as reference signals, control information, data communications, or combinations thereof, from the device 606. The receiving component 602 may provide the received communications to one or more other components of the device 600. In some aspects, the receiving component 602 may perform signal processing (such as filtering, amplification, demodulation, analog-to-digital conversion, demultiplexing, deinterleaving, demapping, equalization, interference cancellation, or decoding, etc.) on the received communications and may provide the processed signals to one or more other components of the device 600. In some aspects, the receiving component 602 may include combining Figure 2 One or more antennas, modems, demodulators, MIMO detectors, receive processors, controllers / processors, memories or combinations thereof of the RU.

[0093] Transmit component 604 may transmit communications, such as reference signals, control information, data communications, or combinations thereof, to device 606. In some aspects, one or more other components of device 600 may generate communications and may provide the generated communications to transmit component 604 for transmission to device 606. In some aspects, transmit component 604 may perform signal processing (such as filtering, amplification, modulation, digital-to-analog conversion, multiplexing, interleaving, mapping, or encoding, etc.) on the generated communications and may transmit the processed signals to device 606. In some aspects, transmit component 604 may include in conjunction with Figure 2 One or more antennas, modems, modulators, transmit MIMO processors, transmit processors, controllers / processors, memories, or combinations thereof of the RU. In some aspects, the transmit component 604 can be co-located with the receive component 602 in a transceiver.

[0094] The receiving component 602 can receive one or more frequency domain samples from the DU via the fronthaul interface. The energy estimation component 608 can perform energy estimation measurements associated with transmitting one or more time domain samples corresponding to the one or more frequency domain samples over the air interface based on control information associated with the one or more frequency domain samples. The transmitting component 604 or the Tx power violation protection component 610 can provide one or more system alarms to the DU via the fronthaul interface to indicate a transmit power violation based on the energy estimation measurements failing to meet one or more thresholds.

[0095] Transmitting component 604 can transmit the one or more time domain samples over the air interface based on the energy estimation measurement failing to satisfy at least one secondary threshold and satisfying at least one primary threshold.

[0096] Tx power violation protection component 610 can prevent one or more time domain samples from being transmitted over the air interface based on the energy estimation measurement failing to satisfy at least one secondary threshold and failing to satisfy at least one primary threshold.

[0097] Figure 6 The number and arrangement of components shown are provided as examples. Figure 6 There may be additional components, fewer components, different components, or differently arranged components than those shown. Figure 6 Two or more components shown may be implemented in a single component, or Figure 6 The single components shown may be implemented as multiple, distributed components. Additionally or alternatively, Figure 6 The illustrated set (e.g., one or more) of components may be executed as described by Figure 6 Another collection of components shown performs one or more functions.

[0098] The following provides an overview of some aspects of the disclosure:

[0099] Aspect 1: A method of wireless communication performed by an apparatus of an RU, comprising: receiving one or more frequency domain samples from a DU via a fronthaul interface; performing energy estimation measurements associated with sending one or more time domain samples corresponding to the one or more frequency domain samples via an air interface based on control information associated with the one or more frequency domain samples; and providing one or more system alarms to the DU via the fronthaul interface to indicate a transmit power violation based on the energy estimation measurements failing to meet one or more thresholds.

[0100] Aspect 2: The method according to aspect 1, wherein the control information associated with the one or more frequency domain samples includes a reference input power level.

[0101] Aspect 3: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 2, wherein the control information associated with the one or more frequency domain samples includes beamforming weights to be used for sending the one or more time domain samples.

[0102] Aspect 4: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 3, wherein the energy estimation measurement is based on a reference input power level and a transmit antenna power required to transmit the one or more time domain samples over the air interface.

[0103] Aspect 5: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 4, wherein the one or more thresholds are based on one or more transmit antenna power levels that cause signal saturation or clipping at the RU.

[0104] Aspect 6: A method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 5, wherein the one or more thresholds include at least one secondary threshold associated with triggering the one or more system alarms and at least one primary threshold associated with preventing the sending of the one or more time domain samples in addition to triggering the one or more system alarms.

[0105] Aspect 7: The method according to aspect 6 further includes: sending the one or more time domain samples over the air interface based on the energy estimation measurement failing to meet the at least one secondary threshold and meeting the at least one primary threshold.

[0106] Aspect 8: The method according to aspect 6 further includes: preventing the transmission of the one or more time domain samples over the air interface based on the energy estimation measurement failing to meet the at least one secondary threshold and failing to meet the at least one primary threshold.

[0107] Aspect 9: An apparatus for performing wireless communications at a device, comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform one or more of the methods described in Aspects 1 to 8.

[0108] Aspect 10: A device for wireless communication, comprising: a memory; and one or more processors, the one or more processors coupled to the memory, the one or more processors configured to execute the method according to one or more of aspects 1 to 8.

[0109] Aspect 11: An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: at least one component for performing the method according to one or more of aspects 1 to 8.

[0110] Aspect 12: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform the method according to one or more of aspects 1 to 8.

[0111] Aspect 13: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing an instruction set for wireless communication, the instruction set comprising one or more instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the device to perform one or more of the methods described in aspects 1 to 8.

[0112] The foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the aspects to the precise forms disclosed. Modifications and variations may be made in light of the disclosure or may be acquired from practice of the aspects.

[0113] As used herein, the term "component" is intended to be broadly interpreted as hardware, firmware, or a combination of hardware and software. As used herein, a processor is implemented in hardware, firmware, or a combination of hardware and software. As used herein, the phrase "based on" is intended to be broadly interpreted as "based at least in part on". As used herein, depending on the context, "satisfying a threshold" may refer to a value greater than a threshold, greater than or equal to a threshold, less than a threshold, less than or equal to a threshold, equal to a threshold, not equal to a threshold, etc. As used herein, a phrase referring to "at least one of" a list of items refers to any combination of these items (including a single member). As an example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to cover: a, b, c, a+b, a+c, b+c, and a+b+c.

[0114] In addition, as used herein, the articles "one" and "an" are intended to include one or more items, and can be used interchangeably with "one or more". In addition, as used herein, the article "said / the" is intended to include one or more items connected to the article "said / the", and can be used interchangeably with "one or more". In addition, as used herein, the terms "set" and "group" are intended to include one or more items (e.g., related items, unrelated items, or a combination of related and unrelated items), and can be used interchangeably with "one or more". If you want to refer to only one item, use the phrase "only one" or similar terms. Moreover, as used herein, the term "having" and similar terms are intended to be open terms that do not limit the elements (e.g., elements "having" A can also have B) that they modify. In addition, as used herein, the term "or" is intended to be inclusive when used in a sequence, and can be used interchangeably with "and / or", unless otherwise explicitly stated (e.g., in the case of being used in combination with "any one of" or "only one of").

[0115] The various illustrative logics, logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic processes described in conjunction with the various aspects disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. The interchangeability of hardware and software has been generally described in terms of functionality and is illustrated in the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and processes described herein. Whether such functionality is implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0116] The hardware and data processing apparatus for implementing the various illustrative logic components, logic blocks, modules and circuits described in conjunction with the various aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or executed using a general purpose single-chip or multi-chip processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors and a DSP core, or any other such configuration. In some aspects, specific processes and methods may be performed by circuit systems dedicated to a given function.

[0117] In one or more aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, digital electronic circuitry, computer software, firmware, including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or in any combination thereof. Aspects of the subject matter described in this specification may also be implemented as one or more computer programs (e.g., one or more modules of computer program instructions) encoded on computer storage media to be executed by a data processing apparatus or to control the operation of the data processing apparatus.

[0118] If implemented in software, the function can be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium or sent by a computer-readable medium. The process of the method or algorithm disclosed herein can be implemented in a processor executable software module that can reside on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include both computer storage media and communication media, and communication media include any medium that can realize the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. The storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage devices, disk storage devices or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired program code in the form of an instruction or data structure and can be accessed by a computer. In addition, any connection can be appropriately referred to as a computer-readable medium. Disks and optical disks as used herein include compact disks (CDs), laser disks, optical disks, digital versatile disks (DVDs), floppy disks and blue optical disks, wherein disks usually reproduce data magnetically, and optical disks reproduce data optically with lasers. The combination of media described herein should also be included in the scope of computer-readable media. Additionally, the operations of a method or algorithm may be located as a code and instruction set, or any combination of code and instruction sets, on a machine-readable medium or computer-readable medium, which may be incorporated into a computer program product.

[0119] Various modifications to the various aspects described in this disclosure may be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects without departing from the spirit or scope of protection of the disclosure. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but should be granted the broadest scope consistent with the disclosure, the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0120] In addition, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the terms "upper" and "lower" are sometimes used for convenience in describing the drawings and indicate relative positions corresponding to the orientation of the drawings on a correctly oriented page and may not reflect the correct orientation of any device implemented.

[0121] Certain features described in this specification in the context of independent aspects may also be implemented in combination in a single aspect. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single aspect may also be implemented in multiple aspects individually or in any suitable subcombination. In addition, although features may be described as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination may be removed from the combination in some cases, and a claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination, or a variation of a subcombination.

[0122] Similarly, although the operations are depicted in a specific order in the figure, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the specific order shown or in a sequential order, or to perform all the illustrated operations to achieve the desired result. Further, the accompanying drawings may schematically depict one or more example processes in the form of a flow chart. However, other operations not depicted can be incorporated into the example processes schematically illustrated. For example, one or more additional operations can be performed before, after, at the same time, or between any operations in the illustrated operations. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing are advantageous. In addition, the separation of various system components in the various aspects described should not be understood as requiring such separation in all aspects, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products. Additionally, other aspects also fall within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions recorded in the claims can be performed in different orders and still achieve the desired result.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication performed by an apparatus of a radio unit (RU), comprising: receiving one or more frequency domain samples from a distributed unit (DU) via a fronthaul interface; performing energy estimation measurements associated with transmitting over an air interface one or more time domain samples corresponding to the one or more frequency domain samples based on control information associated with the one or more frequency domain samples; as well as One or more system alerts are provided to the DU via the fronthaul interface to indicate a transmit power violation based on the energy estimation measurement failing to meet one or more thresholds. 2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the control information associated with the one or more frequency domain samples comprises a reference input power level. 3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the control information associated with the one or more frequency domain samples comprises beamforming weights to be used to transmit the one or more time domain samples.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the energy estimation measurement is based on a reference input power level and a transmit antenna power required to transmit the one or more time domain samples over the air interface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more thresholds are based on one or more transmit antenna power levels that cause signal saturation or clipping at the RU.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more thresholds include at least one secondary threshold associated with raising the one or more system alarms and at least one primary threshold associated with preventing the sending of the one or more time-domain samples in addition to raising the one or more system alarms.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: The one or more time domain samples are sent over the air interface based on the energy estimation measurement failing to satisfy the at least one secondary threshold and satisfying the at least one primary threshold.

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: Transmission of the one or more time domain samples over the air interface is prevented based on the energy estimate measurement failing to satisfy the at least one secondary threshold and failing to satisfy the at least one primary threshold.

9. An apparatus of a radio unit (RU) for wireless communication, comprising: a first interface configured to obtain one or more frequency domain samples from a distributed unit (DU); and a processing system configured to perform energy estimation measurements associated with transmitting one or more time domain samples corresponding to the one or more frequency domain samples over a second interface based on control information associated with the one or more frequency domain samples, Wherein the first interface is configured to output one or more system alerts to the DU to indicate a transmit power violation based on the energy estimation measurement failing to meet one or more thresholds.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the control information associated with the one or more frequency domain samples comprises a reference input power level.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the control information associated with the one or more frequency domain samples comprises beamforming weights to be used to transmit the one or more time domain samples.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the energy estimation measurement is based on a reference input power level and a transmit antenna power required to transmit the one or more time domain samples over the second interface.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the one or more thresholds are based on one or more transmit antenna power levels that cause signal saturation or clipping at the RU.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the one or more thresholds include at least one secondary threshold associated with raising the one or more system alarms and at least one primary threshold associated with preventing transmission of the one or more time-domain samples in addition to raising the one or more system alarms.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising: A second interface is configured to output the one or more time domain samples based on the energy estimation measurement failing to satisfy the at least one secondary threshold and satisfying the at least one primary threshold.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processing system is configured to prevent transmission of the one or more time domain samples over the second interface based on the energy estimate measurement failing to satisfy the at least one secondary threshold and failing to satisfy the at least one primary threshold.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing an instruction set for wireless communication, the instruction set comprising: One or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of a radio unit (RU), cause the radio unit to: receiving one or more frequency domain samples from a distributed unit (DU) via a fronthaul interface; performing energy estimation measurements associated with transmitting over an air interface one or more time domain samples corresponding to the one or more frequency domain samples based on control information associated with the one or more frequency domain samples; as well as One or more system alerts are provided to the DU via the fronthaul interface to indicate a transmit power violation based on the energy estimation measurement failing to meet one or more thresholds.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the one or more thresholds are based on one or more transmit antenna power levels that cause signal saturation or clipping at the RU.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the RU to: The one or more time domain samples are sent over the air interface based on the energy estimate measurement failing to satisfy at least one secondary threshold and satisfying at least one primary threshold.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the RU to: Transmission of the one or more time domain samples over an air interface is prevented based on the energy estimate measurement failing to satisfy at least one secondary threshold and failing to satisfy at least one primary threshold.

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