Improved lower layer split for closed loop power control

Abstract

A radio unit, RU, in a network node (710A, 710B, 900, 1102, 1204) in a communication network can receive (601) an uplink, UL, signal from one or more user equipments, UEs. The RU can estimate (603) a received signal power per UE based on demodulation reference signal, DMRS, symbols or data symbols. The RU can send (605) the received signal power estimates to a distributed unit, DU.

Description

IMPROVED LOWER LAYER SPLIT FOR CLOSED LOOP POWER CONTROLTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to communications, and more particularly to communication methods and related devices and nodes supporting wireless communications.BACKGROUND

[0002] Massive multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) techniques have been first adopted to practice in long term evolution (LTE). In 5G, it becomes one key technology component, which will be deployed on a much larger scale than in LTE. It features with a large number of antennas used on the base-station side, where the number of antennas is typically much larger than the number of user-layers, for example, 64 antennas serving 8 or 16 user-layers in frequency range 1 (FR1), which comprises sub-6 GHz frequency bands, and 256 / 512 antennas serving 2 or 4 layers in frequency range 2 (FR2), which comprises frequency bands from 24.25 GHz to 71.0 GHz. A user layer when used herein e.g., means an independent downlink or uplink data stream intended for one user. One user or UE may have one or multiple user layers. User layer is also referred to as layer, e.g., using 3GPP terminology. Massive MIMO is also referred to as massive beamforming, which is able to form narrow beams focusing on different directions to counteract against the increased path loss at higher frequency bands. It also benefits multiuser MIMO which allows for transmissions from / to multiple users simultaneously over separate spatial channels resolved by the massive MIMO technologies, while keeping high capacity for each user. Therefore, it can significantly increase the spectrum efficiency and cell capacity.

[0003] At the base-station side, the interface between the distributed unit (DU) and the radio unit (RU) is the fronthaul interface, as illustrated in Figure 1. The great benefits of massive MIMO at the air-interface also introduce new challenges at the base-station side. The legacy common public radio interface (CPRI)-type fronthaul transports time-domain IQ samples per antenna branch. As the number of antennas scales up in massive MIMO systems, the required fronthaul capacity also increases proportionally, which significantly drives up the fronthaul costs. To address this challenge, the fronthaul interface evolved from CPRI (Common Public Radio Interface) to eCPRI (enhanced or evolved CPRI). In eCPRI, other functional split options between a DU and a RU are supported, referred to as different lower-layer split (LLS) options. In the eCPRI specification, the terms eREC (eCPRI Radio Equipment Control) and eRE (eCPRI Radio Equipment) are used instead of DU and RU. The basic idea is to move the frequencydomain beamforming function from DU to RU so that frequency-domain IQ samples or data ofuser-layers are transported over the fronthaul interface. Note that the frequency-domain beamforming is sometimes also referred to as precoding in the downlink (DL) direction and equalizing or pre-equalizing in uplink (UL) direction. By doing this, the required fronthaul capacity and thereby the fronthaul costs are significantly reduced, as the number of user layers is typically much fewer than the number of antennas in massive MIMO. In an open radio access network (O-RAN), DU is referred to as O-DU while RU is referred to as O-RU.SUMMARY

[0004] According to some embodiments, a method performed by a radio unit, RU, in a network node in a communication network is provided. The method includes receiving an uplink, UL, signal from one or more user equipments, UEs. The method further includes estimating a received signal power per UE based on demodulation reference signal, DMRS, symbols or data symbols. The method further includes sending the received signal power estimates to a distributed unit, DU.

[0005] According to other embodiments, a method performed by a distributed unit, DU, in a network node in a communication network is provided. The method includes receiving received signal power estimates per UE from a radio unit, RU. The method further includes determining a power adjustment of a UE transmit power of a UE using a closed loop power control algorithm based on the signal power estimates per UE received. The method further includes sending the power adjustment via the RU to the UE using a transmission power control, TPC command, in a physical downlink control channel, PDCCH, channel.

[0006] According to other embodiments, a communication device, a network node, a computer program, a computer program product, a host, or a system is provided to perform one of the above methods.

[0007] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantage(s). Closed loop power control is improved by estimating received signal power in the RU and sending the received signal power estimates to the DU.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate certain non-limiting embodiments of inventive concepts. In the drawings:

[0009] Figure 1 is an illustration of a fronthaul interface between a RU (radio unit) and a DU (distributed unit);

[0010] Figure 2 is an illustration of SRS-based beamforming specified in current UL specification of 0-RAN WG4;

[0011] Figure 3 is an illustration of DMRS-based beamforming in another UL functional division;

[0012] Figure 4 is an illustration of an improved closed loop power control for SRS-based beamforming according to some embodiments;

[0013] Figure 5 is an illustration of an improved closed loop power control for SRS-based beamforming according to some other embodiments;

[0014] Figure 6 is an overall flow chart illustrating operations of an improved closed loop power control for SRS-based beamforming according to some embodiments;

[0015] Figure 7 is a block diagram of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments;

[0016] Figure 8 is a block diagram of a user equipment in accordance with some embodiments;

[0017] Figure 9 is a block diagram of a network node in accordance with some embodiments;

[0018] Figure 10 is a block diagram of a host computer communicating with a user equipment in accordance with some embodiments;

[0019] Figure 11 is a block diagram of a virtualization environment in accordance with some embodiments; and

[0020] Figure 12 is a block diagram of a host computer communicating via a base station with a user equipment over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art, in which examples of embodiments of inventive concepts are shown. Inventive concepts may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of present inventive concepts to those skilled in the art. It should also be noted that these embodiments are not mutually exclusive. Components from one embodiment may be tacitly assumed to be present / used in another embodiment.

[0022] Figure 2 shows the sounding reference signal (SRS)-based beamforming specified in the UL specification of the current O-RAN WG4 standard. In Figure 2, signals from, e.g., a UE, are received by the RU and a fast Fourier transform (FFT) and cyclic prefix (CP) removal is performed on the signals in the FFT and CP removal block, resulting in data and demodulation reference signal (DMRS) symbols. Sounding reference signals (SRS) symbols are extracted by the RU in the extract SRS symbols block and sent to the SRS channel estimation block in the DU where the DU performs SRS channel estimation based on the extracted SRS symbols. The SRS channel estimation is provided to the beamforming weight calculation block where the DU calculates beamforming weights based on the SRS channel estimation. The DU sends beamforming weights to the beamforming block in the RU where the RU determines the beams based on the beamforming weights. The output of the beamforming block is beamformed data symbols and beamformed DMRS symbols, which are sent to the DU. The DMRS symbols are extracted by the DU in the extract DMRS symbols block and fed into the DMRS channel estimation block where the DMRS channel is estimated. The DMRS channel estimation is provided to the equalizer weight calculation block where equalizer weights are calculated and provided to the equalization block. The beamformed data symbols are provided to the equalization block where the beamformed data symbols are equalized using the equalizer weight calculations. The output of the equalization block and SINR (signal to interference plus noise ratio) information is provided to layer demapping and demodulation block where layer demapping and demodulation are performed taking into account the SINR and the output is provided to the decoding block for decoding the signals.

[0023] By having the beamforming function in the RU (or the O-RU), the number of spatial streams going through the fronthaul interface becomes smaller than the number of antenna branches. However, the beamforming weights are calculated in the DU (or the O-DU) based on the SRS signal sent back from the O-RU. It is also referred to as SRS-based beamforming. Since the SRS channel estimates correspond to an earlier channel, the required number of spatial streams after beamforming is still much larger than the number of layers to avoid performance loss, compared to the performance using CPRI-based fronthaul. There is a tradeoff between the number of spatial streams used and the performance.

[0024] Figure 2 also shows how closed loop power control in DU is implemented in the current O-RAN WG4 specification. A closed loop power control algorithm runs in the DU and receives signal power estimation of the beamforming output by the signal power estimation block and sends TPC (Transmit Power Control) command via PDCCH (physical downlink control channel) to UE to adjust UE’s transmit power in UL. The TPC command contains theinformation of the power adjustment, e.g., +1 dB, -1 dB, 0 dB etc. UE receives the TPC command and adjust the transmit power of next transmissions accordingly until receiving the next TPC command from base station. The purpose of closed loop power control is to keep the transmit power of each individual UE at a proper level to achieve good UE throughput over the whole network. The closed loop power control also prevents UEs transmitting too high power which increases the intra-cell and inter-cell interferences that in turn reduces the UE throughput. The closed loop power control also prevents UEs transmitting too low power which reduces the UE throughput as well. For example, one strategy is to control the UE transmit power such that the received PSD (power spectrum density) per UE, e.g., the signal power per PRB (physical resource block) per UE, is equal at the antennas of the base station. In addition to the received signal power estimates, other metrics such as signal to noise and interference ratio (SINR), block error rate (BLER), etc. can also be considered in the close-power control loop. Nevertheless, the receiver power estimation is needed for the closed loop power control. In the current O-RAN WG4 specification, as shown in Figure 2, signal power per UE is estimated in the DU. It can be based on the received IQ data of the reference signal (e.g., DMRS) or the data signal, or both. Then the estimated signal power is used by the closed loop power control to send TPC commands to UEs for transmit power adjustment.

[0025] Figure 3 shows another UL functional division being standardized in O-RAN WG4. It moves the demodulation reference signal (DMRS) channel estimation and beamforming weight calculation to O-RU. Accordingly, the beamforming in the RU is based on the DMRS channel estimates, instead of the SRS channel estimates. It is also referred to as DMRS -based beamforming. The DMRS symbols are embedded in every slot together with the PUSCH data symbols. Therefore, the beamforming performance is improved since it is based on the channel estimates representing the current channel which data transmission experiences. There is no channel aging effect as in the SRS -based beamforming. Another benefit of this method is that the number of spatial streams after beamforming can be further reduced to the number of layers, which further reduces the fronthaul bit rate. Currently, the DMRS-based beamforming assumes to use the same closed loop power control as in the SRS-based beamforming. The signal power estimate is done in DU, based on the received IQ data of the reference signal (e.g., DMRS) or the data signal, or both.

[0026] There currently exists certain challenge(s). In SRS-based beamforming described above, the beamforming weights for each UE are typically unchanged before next SRS signal is received. In this case, the beamforming gain is unchanged for each period between two SRS transmissions. This means that the time variation of signal power per UE after beamformingreflects the time variation of the received signal power per UE before beamforming due to the channel changes between RU and UE for the period. This can be used to determine the UE transmit power adjustment for closed loop power control. It should be noted that the received signal power per UE after beamforming does not equal to the received signal power per UE at the antennas before beamforming, because the number of the number of beamforming output ports (i.e., the number of spatial streams over fronthaul) is less than the beamforming input ports (i.e., the number of antennas). But the beamforming can be designed to capture most of the channel energy with the number of output ports available in the beamforming. For example, using multiple beams based on DFT (discrete Fourier transform) can capture most of the channel energy since the multipath channel propagation of a UE concentrates in some directions. Nevertheless, the accuracy of received signal power estimation depends on the beamforming algorithm and the spatial property of the channel. All these considerations presented above place a lot of constraints on how beamforming can be done to make the closed loop power control to work properly, e.g., the beamforming weights per UE need to be unchanged, more spatial streams needed in order to capture most of the energy. The constraints may limit the performance or increase fronthaul bit rate. If the beamforming algorithm doesn’t follow these constraints, it may cause some issues for closed-loop power control. And, after getting the new SRS, the beamforming weights will be updated. This will cause a glitch in received signal power. The signal power estimate is normally time filtered. Such glitches can cause issues in the time filtering that affects the signal power estimate accuracy. Therefore, the current closed loop power control based on the signal power estimation after beamforming is not considered as optimal.

[0027] In DMRS-based beamforming described above, the beamforming weights are calculated based on DMRS symbols in each slot. Therefore, the beamforming weights will change in every slot due to UE mobility and the time variation of inter-cell interferences. This means that the beamforming gain will vary from slot to slot. For DMRS-based beamforming, a well-used beamforming method is referred to as whitening matched filter (WMF). The WMF beamforming weights are optimized for increasing the UE signal strength while mitigating intercell interferences. The weights change when the UE channel changes and / or the inter-cell interferences change. If the weights change in time due to the change of the inter-cell interference, the time variation of the signal power after beamforming will not reflect the original signal power variation of each UE received at the antennas before beamforming, which depends only on the channel between RU and UEs. If the beamforming weights only depend on the channel between RU and UE (i.e., without considering inter-cell interference), e.g., usingMRC (maximum ratio combining) method, the time variation of the signal power after beamforming may reflect the original signal power variation of each UE received at the antennas before beamforming. However, the performance will be worse than the beamforming method considering inter-cell interferences, e.g., WMF method, in presence of inter-cell interferences. Therefore, performing closed loop power control using the signal power estimates in DU will not be optimal, which would cause performance degradation.

[0028] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. Signal power estimation is done in RU and RU sends the signal power estimates to DU. Then, DU uses the received signal power estimates to perform closed loop power control.

[0029] As previously stated, the beamforming weights for each UE are typically required to be unchanged before next SRS signal is received in conventional SRS-based beamforming as described above. In this case, the beamforming gain is unchanged for each period. This means that the time variation of signal power per UE after beamforming reflects the time variation of the received signal power per UE before beamforming due to the channel changes between RU and UE for the period. This can be used to determine the UE transmit power adjustment for closed loop power control. It should be noted that the received signal power per UE after beamforming does not equal to the received signal power per UE at the antennas before beamforming, because the number of the number of beamforming output ports (i.e., the number of spatial streams over fronthaul) is less than the beamforming input ports (i.e., the number of antennas). But the beamforming can be designed to capture most of the channel energy with the number of output ports available in the beamforming. For example, using multiple beams based on DFT (discrete Fourier transform) can capture most of the channel energy since the multipath channel propagation of a UE concentrates in some directions. Nevertheless, the accuracy of received signal power estimation depends on the beamforming algorithm and the spatial property of the channel. All these considerations presented above place a lot of constraints on how beamforming can be done to make the closed loop power control to work properly, e.g., the beamforming weights per UE need to be unchanged, more spatial streams needed in order to capture most of the energy. The constraints may limit the performance or increase fronthaul bit rate. If the beamforming algorithm doesn’t follow these constraints, it may cause some issues for close-loop power control. And, after getting the new SRS, the beamforming weights will be updated. This will cause a glitch in received signal power. The signal power estimate is normally time filtered. Such glitches can cause issues in the time filtering that affects the signal power estimate accuracy. Therefore, the current closed loop power control based on the signal powerestimation after beamforming is not considered as optimal.

[0030] Similarly, in conventional DMRS-based beamforming as described above, the beamforming weights are calculated based on DMRS symbols in each slot. Therefore, the beamforming weights will change in every slot due to UE mobility and the time variation of inter-cell interferences. It means that the beamforming gain will vary from slot to slot. For DMRS-based beamforming, a well -used beamforming method is referred to as whitening matched filter (WMF). The WMF beamforming weights are optimized for increasing the UE signal strength while mitigating inter-cell interferences. The weights change when the UE channel changes and / or the inter-cell interferences change. If the weights change in time due to the change of the inter-cell interference, the time variation of the signal power after beamforming will not reflect the original signal power variation of each UE received at the antennas before beamforming, which depends only on the channel between RU and UEs. If the beamforming weights only depend on the channel between RU and UE (i.e., without considering inter-cell interference), e.g., using MRC (maximum ratio combining) method, the time variation of the signal power after beamforming may reflect the original signal power variation of each UE received at the antennas before beamforming. However, the performance will be worse than the beamforming method considering inter-cell interferences, e.g., WMF method, in presence of inter-cell interferences.. Therefore, performing closed loop power control using the signal power estimates in DU will not be optimal, which would cause performance degradation.

[0031] In the embodiments described above, signal power estimation is done in the RU and the RU sends the signal power estimates to the DU. Then, the DU uses the received signal power estimates to perform closed loop power control.

[0032] Figure 4 illustrates the closed loop power control algorithm for SRS-based beamforming where the RU performs the operations of the signal power estimation block instead of the DU performing the operations as illustrated in Figure 2. This is illustrated in Figure 4 by the signal power estimation block being on the RU side of the fronthaul interface where it estimates signal power of the data and demodulation reference signal (DMRS) symbols output from the FFT and CP removal block before frequency-domain beamforming operation. The estimated signal power is provided to the closed loop power control in the DU.

[0033] Figure 5 illustrates the closed loop power control algorithm for DMRS-based beamforming where the RU performs the operations of the signal power estimation block instead of the DU performing the operations as illustrated in Figure 3. This is illustrated in Figure 5 by the signal power estimation block being on the RU side of the fronthaul interface where it estimates signal power of the data and demodulation reference signal (DMRS) symbolsoutput from the FFT and CP removal block before frequency-domain beamforming operation. The estimated signal power is provided to the closed loop power control in the DU.

[0034] Figure 6 illustrates operations the RU, the DU, and the UE performs to perform closed loop power control of UE transmit power according to various embodiments. In Figure 6, the RU performs operations in blocks 601-605. The DU performs operations in blocks 607-611. The UE performs operations in block 613.

[0035] Turning to Figure 6, the RU receives an uplink, UL, signal from one or more user equipments, UEs, in block 601.

[0036] In block 603, the RU estimates (e.g., calculates) a received signal power per UE based on demodulation reference signal, DMRS, symbols or data symbols or DMRS symbols and data symbols. In some embodiments, the calculation of received signal power can be based on a total signal power of all antennas. In the frequency domain, the calculation in some embodiments is the total signal power of all physical resource blocks, PRBs, scheduled to each UE. In the frequency domain, the calculation in other embodiments is an averaged signal power per PRB, averaged over all PRBs scheduled to each UE. In other embodiments (in the frequency domain), the calculation is an averaged signal power per resource element, RE, averaged over all REs scheduled to each UE.

[0037] In some embodiments, the calculation of received signal power is the average signal power per antenna, averaged over all antennas. In the frequency domain, the calculation in some embodiments is the total signal power of all physical resource blocks, PRBs, scheduled to each UE. In the frequency domain, the calculation in other embodiments is an averaged signal power per PRB, averaged over all PRBs scheduled to each UE. In other embodiments (in the frequency domain), the calculation is an averaged signal power per resource element, RE, averaged over all REs scheduled to each UE.

[0038] In some embodiments, the calculation of received signal power is compensated based on a DL antenna gain and a SSB (synchronization signal blocks) beamforming gain. Note that the SSB beamforming gain is used for open loop power control, where UE measures the received SSB signal power to determine the initial UL transmit power.

[0039] In some embodiments, the calculation of received signal power is performed per slot. In other embodiments, the calculation of received signal power is filtered over multiple slots including a current slot and previous slots.

[0040] In block 605, the RU sends the signal power estimates to the DU. The RU can send it per slot or per multiple slots.

[0041] In block 607, the DU receives signal power estimates per UE from the RU.

[0042] In block 609, the DU runs a closed loop power control algorithm based on the signal power estimates received to calculate a power adjustment of a UE transmit power. The closed loop power control algorithm can be any algorithm used by the network and may be different for different cells in a network, for different UEs, for different networks, for different times in the network, etc.

[0043] In block 611, the DU sends the power adjustment via RU to the UE using a transmission power control, TPC, command in a PDCCH (physical downlink control channel) channel.

[0044] In block 613, the UE receives the TPC command having the power adjustment and adjusts the UEs transmit power in transmissions to the DU via the RU.

[0045] Figure 7 shows an example of a communication system 700 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0046] In the example, the communication system 700 includes a telecommunication network 702 that includes an access network 704, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 706, which includes one or more core network nodes 708. The access network 704 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 710A and 710B (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 710), or any other similar 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3 GPP) access node or non-3GPP access point. The network nodes 710 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 712A, 712B, 712C, and 712D (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 712) to the core network 706 over one or more wireless connections.

[0047] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 700 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 700 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0048] The UEs 712 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 710 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 710 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with theUEs 712 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 702 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 702.

[0049] In the depicted example, the core network 706 connects the network nodes 710 to one or more hosts, such as host 716. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 706 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 708) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 708. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0050] The host 716 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 704 and / or the telecommunication network 702, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 716 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0051] As a whole, the communication system 700 of Figure 7 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access(WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi (Light Fidelity), and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa (Long Range) and Sigfox.

[0052] In some examples, the telecommunication network 702 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 702 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 702. For example, the telecommunications network 702 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT (Internet of Things) services to yet further UEs.

[0053] In some examples, the UEs 712 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 704 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 704. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi -RAT or multi -standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e., being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved- UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0054] In the example, the hub 714 communicates with the access network 704 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 712C and / or 712D) and network nodes (e.g., network node 710B). In some examples, the hub 714 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 714 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 706 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 714 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 710, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 714. As another example, the hub 714 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 714 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 714 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 714 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 714acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0055] The hub 714 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 710B. The hub 714 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 714 and UEs (e.g., UE 712C and / or 712D), and between the hub 714 and the core network 706. In other examples, the hub 714 is connected to the core network 706 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 714 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 704 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 710 while still connected via the hub 714 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 714 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node 710B. In other embodiments, the hub 714 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 710B, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0056] Figure 8 shows a UE 800 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0057] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3 GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle- to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, anend user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0058] The UE 800 includes processing circuitry 802 that is operatively coupled via a bus 804 to an input / output interface 806, a power source 808, a memory 810, a communication interface 812, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 8. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0059] The processing circuitry 802 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 810. The processing circuitry 802 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 802 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0060] In the example, the input / output interface 806 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 800. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0061] In some embodiments, the power source 808 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet),photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source 808 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 808 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 800 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 808. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 808 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 800 to which power is supplied.

[0062] The memory 810 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable readonly memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 810 includes one or more application programs 814, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 816. The memory 810 may store, for use by the UE 800, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0063] The memory 810 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory 810 may allow the UE 800 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 810, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0064] The processing circuitry 802 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 812. The communication interface 812 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 822. The communication interface 812 may include oneor more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 818 and / or a receiver 820 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 818 and receiver 820 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 822) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0065] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 812 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short- range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0066] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 812, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0067] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0068] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, citywearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 800 shown in Figure 8.

[0069] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmit the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3 GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0070] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g., by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0071] Figure 9 shows a network node 900 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, ina telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (gNBs)).

[0072] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0073] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi -standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0074] The network node 900 includes a processing circuitry 902, a memory 904, a communication interface 906, and a power source 908. The network node 900 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 900 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 900 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 904 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 910 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 900 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 900, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wirelesstechnologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 900.

[0075] The processing circuitry 902 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 900 components, such as the memory 904, to provide network node 900 functionality.

[0076] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 902 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 902 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 912 and baseband processing circuitry 914. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 912 and the baseband processing circuitry 914 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 912 and baseband processing circuitry 914 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0077] The memory 904 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer- readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 902. The memory 904 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 902 and utilized by the network node 900. The memory 904 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 902 and / or any data received via the communication interface 906. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 902 and memory 904 is integrated.

[0078] The communication interface 906 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 906 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 916 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 906 also includes radio front-end circuitry 918 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 910. Radio front-end circuitry 918 comprises filters 920 and amplifiers 922. Theradio front-end circuitry 918 may be connected to an antenna 910 and processing circuitry 902. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 910 and processing circuitry 902. The radio front-end circuitry 918 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 918 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 920 and / or amplifiers 922. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 910. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 910 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 918. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 902. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0079] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 900 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 918, instead, the processing circuitry 902 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 910. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 912 is part of the communication interface 906. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 906 includes one or more ports or terminals 916, the radio front-end circuitry 918, and the RF transceiver circuitry 912, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 906 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 914, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0080] The antenna 910 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 910 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 918 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 910 is separate from the network node 900 and connectable to the network node 900 through an interface or port.

[0081] The antenna 910, communication interface 906, and / or the processing circuitry 902 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 910, the communication interface 906, and / or the processing circuitry 902 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0082] The power source 908 provides power to the various components of network node 900 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level neededfor each respective component). The power source 908 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 900 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 900 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 908. As a further example, the power source 908 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0083] Embodiments of the network node 900 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 9 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 900 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 900 and to allow output of information from the network node 900. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 900.

[0084] Figure 10 is a block diagram of a host 1000, which may be an embodiment of the host 716 of Figure 7, in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host 1000 may be or comprise various combinations hardware and / or software, including a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, container, or processing resources in a server farm. The host 1000 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0085] The host 1000 includes processing circuitry 1002 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1004 to an input / output interface 1006, a network interface 1008, a power source 1010, and a memory 1012. Other components may be included in other embodiments. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the devices of previous figures, such as Figures 8 and 9, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of host 1000.

[0086] The memory 1012 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs 1014 and data 1016, which may include user data, e.g., data generated by a UE for the host 1000 or data generated by the host 1000 for a UE. Embodiments of the host 1000 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs 1014 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Versatile Video Coding (VVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC),Advanced Video Coding (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAC, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding for multiple different classes, types, or implementations of UEs (e.g., handsets, desktop computers, wearable display systems, heads-up display systems). The host application programs 1014 may also provide for user authentication and licensing checks and may periodically report health, routes, and content availability to a central node, such as a device in or on the edge of a core network. Accordingly, the host 1000 may select and / or indicate a different host for over-the-top services for a UE. The host application programs 1014 may support various protocols, such as the HTTP Live Streaming (EILS) protocol, Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0087] Figure 11 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1100 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 1100 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized.

[0088] Applications 1102 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment 1100 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0089] Hardware 1104 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1106 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 1108 A and 1108B (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 1108), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 1106 may present a virtual operating platform that appears likenetworking hardware to the VMs 1108.

[0090] The VMs 1108 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1106. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 1102 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 1108, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0091] In the context of NFV, a VM 1108 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 1108, and that part of hardware 1104 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 1108 on top of the hardware 1104 and corresponds to the application 1102.

[0092] Hardware 1104 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 1104 may implement some functions via virtualization.Alternatively, hardware 1104 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g., such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 1110, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 1102. In some embodiments, hardware 1104 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 1112 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0093] Figure 12 shows a communication diagram of a host 1202 communicating via a network node 1204 with a UE 1206 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments. Example implementations, in accordance with various embodiments, of the UE (such as a UE 712A of Figure 7 and / or UE 800 of Figure 8), network node (such as network node 710A of Figure 7 and / or network node 900 of Figure 9), and host (such as host 716 of Figure 7 and / or host 1000 of Figure 10) discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now bedescribed with reference to Figure 12.

[0094] Like host 1000, embodiments of host 1202 include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host 1202 also includes software, which is stored in or accessible by the host 1202 and executable by the processing circuitry. The software includes a host application that may be operable to provide a service to a remote user, such as the UE 1206 connecting via an over-the-top (OTT) connection 1250 extending between the UE 1206 and host 1202. In providing the service to the remote user, a host application may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection 1250.

[0095] The network node 1204 includes hardware enabling it to communicate with the host 1202 and UE 1206. The connection 1260 may be direct or pass through a core network (like core network 706 of Figure 7) and / or one or more other intermediate networks, such as one or more public, private, or hosted networks. For example, an intermediate network may be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0096] The UE 1206 includes hardware and software, which is stored in or accessible by UE 1206 and executable by the UE’s processing circuitry. The software includes a client application, such as a web browser or operator-specific “app” that may be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via UE 1206 with the support of the host 1202. In the host 1202, an executing host application may communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection 1250 terminating at the UE 1206 and host 1202. In providing the service to the user, the UE's client application may receive request data from the host's host application and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 1250 may transfer both the request data and the user data. The UE's client application may interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides to the host application through the OTT connection 1250.

[0097] The OTT connection 1250 may extend via a connection 1260 between the host 1202 and the network node 1204 and via a wireless connection 1270 between the network node 1204 and the UE 1206 to provide the connection between the host 1202 and the UE 1206. The connection 1260 and wireless connection 1270, over which the OTT connection 1250 may be provided, have been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between the host 1202 and the UE 1206 via the network node 1204, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices.

[0098] As an example of transmitting data via the OTT connection 1250, in step 1208, the host 1202 provides user data, which may be performed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a particular human user interacting with the UE 1206. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with a UE 1206 that shares data with thehost 1202 without explicit human interaction. In step 1210, the host 1202 initiates a transmission carrying the user data towards the UE 1206. The host 1202 may initiate the transmission responsive to a request transmitted by the UE 1206. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE 1206 or by operation of the client application executing on the UE 1206. The transmission may pass via the network node 1204, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step 1212, the network node 1204 transmits to the UE 1206 the user data that was carried in the transmission that the host 1202 initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1214, the UE 1206 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executed on the UE 1206 associated with the host application executed by the host 1202.

[0099] In some examples, the UE 1206 executes a client application which provides user data to the host 1202. The user data may be provided in reaction to or response to the data received from the host 1202. Accordingly, in step 1216, the UE 1206 may provide user data, which may be performed by executing the client application. In providing the user data, the client application may further consider user input received from the user via an input / output interface of the UE 1206. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE 1206 initiates, in step 1218, transmission of the user data towards the host 1202 via the network node 1204. In step 1220, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node 1204 receives user data from the UE 1206 and initiates transmission of the received user data towards the host 1202. In step 1222, the host 1202 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE 1206.

[0100] In an example scenario, factory status information may be collected and analyzed by the host 1202. As another example, the host 1202 may process audio and video data which may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating maps. As another example, the host 1202 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicle congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights). As another example, the host 1202 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. As another example, the host 1202 may store or control access to media content such as video, audio, VR or AR which it can broadcast, multicast or unicast to UEs. As other examples, the host 1202 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time critical electrical load to balance power generation needs, location services, presentation services (such as compiling diagrams etc. from data collected from remote devices), or any other function of collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing and / or transmitting data.

[0101] In some examples, a measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency and other factors on which the one or more embodiments improve. There may further be an optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1250 between the host 1202 and UE 1206, in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and / or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in software and hardware of the host 1202 and / or UE 1206. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection 1250 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying values of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or supplying values of other physical quantities from which software may compute or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguring of the OTT connection 1250 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing etc.; the reconfiguring need not directly alter the operation of the network node 1204. Such procedures and functionalities may be known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency and the like, by the host 1202. The measurements may be implemented in that software causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using the OTT connection 1250 while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[0102] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitryand the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0103] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

[0104] Example Embodiments are described below.

[0105] Embodiment 1. A method performed by a radio unit, RU, in a network node (710A, 710B, 900, 1102, 1204) in a communication network, the method comprising: receiving (601) an uplink, UL, signal from one or more user equipments, UEs; estimating (603) a received signal power per UE based on demodulation reference signal, DMRS, symbols or data symbols or DMRS symbols and data symbols; and sending (605) the received signal power estimates to a distributed unit, DU.

[0106] Embodiment 2. The method of Embodiment 1, wherein estimating the received signal power per UE comprises calculating received signal power based on a total signal power of all antennas.

[0107] Embodiment 3. The method of Embodiment 2, wherein calculating the received signal power based on the total signal power of all antennas comprises calculating the received signal power by calculating a total signal power of all physical resource blocks, PRBs, scheduled to each UE.

[0108] Embodiment 4. The method of Embodiment 2, wherein calculating the received signal power based on the total signal power of all antennas comprises calculating the received signal power by calculating an averaged signal power per physical resource block, PRB, averaged over all PRBs scheduled to each UE.

[0109] Embodiment 5. The method of Embodiment 2, wherein calculating the received signal power based on the total signal power of all antennas comprises calculating the receivedsignal power by calculating an averaged signal power per resource element, RE, averaged over all REs scheduled to each UE.

[0110] Embodiment 6. The method of Embodiment 1, wherein estimating the received signal power per UE comprises calculating received signal power based on an average signal power per antenna, averaged over all antennas.

[0111] Embodiment 7. The method of Embodiment 6, wherein calculating the received signal power based on the average signal power per antenna, averaged over all antennas comprises calculating the received signal power by calculating a total signal power of all physical resource blocks, PRBs, scheduled to each UE.

[0112] Embodiment 8. The method of Embodiment 6, wherein calculating the received signal power based on the average signal power per antenna, averaged over all antennas comprises calculating the received signal power by calculating an averaged signal power per physical resource block, PRB, averaged over all PRBs scheduled to each UE.

[0113] Embodiment 9. The method of Embodiment 6, wherein calculating the received signal power based on the average signal power per antenna, averaged over all antennas comprises calculating the received signal power by calculating an averaged signal power per resource element, RE, averaged over all REs scheduled to each UE.

[0114] Embodiment 10. The method of any of Embodiments 1-9, wherein estimating the received signal power per UE comprises compensating the calculation of received signal power based on a DL antenna gain and a synchronization signal blocks, SSB, beamforming gain.

[0115] Embodiment 11. The method of any of Embodiments 1-10, wherein estimating the received signal power comprises estimating the received signal power per slot.

[0116] Embodiment 12. The method of any of Embodiments 1-10, wherein estimating the received signal power comprises filtering the calculation of received signal power over multiple slots including a current slot and previous slots.

[0117] Embodiment 13. The method of any of Embodiments 1-12, wherein sending the received signal power estimates to the DU comprises sending the receives signal power estimates per slot.

[0118] Embodiment 14. The method of any of Embodiments 1-12, wherein sending the received signal power estimates to the DU comprises sending the receives signal power estimates per multiple slots.

[0119] Embodiment 15. A method performed by a distributed unit, DU, in a network node (710A, 710B, 900, 1102, 1204) in a communication network, the method comprising receiving (607) received signal power estimates per UE from a radio unit, RU;running (609) a closed loop power control algorithm based on the signal power estimates per UE received to calculate a power adjustment of a UE transmit power of a UE; sending (611) the power adjustment via the RU to the UE using a transmission power control, TPC command, in a physical downlink control channel, PDCCH, channel.

[0120] Embodiment 16. A radio unit in a network node (710A, 710B, 900, 1102, 1204) comprising: processing circuitry (902); and memory (904) coupled with the processing circuitry, wherein the memory includes instructions that when executed by the processing circuitry causes the RAN node to perform operations according to any of Embodiments 1-12.

[0121] Embodiment 17. A radio unit, RU, in a network node (710A, 710B, 900, 1102, 1204) adapted to perform according to any of Embodiments 1-14.

[0122] Embodiment 18. A computer program comprising program code to be executed by processing circuitry (902) in a radio unit, RU, of a network node (400, 710A, 710B, 900, 1102, 1204), whereby execution of the program code causes the RU in the network node (710A, 710B, 900, 1102, 1204) to perform operations according to any of Embodiments 1-14.

[0123] Embodiment 19. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium including program code to be executed by processing circuitry (902) of a radio unit, RU, of a network node (710 A, 710B, 900, 1102, 1204), whereby execution of the program code causes the RU in the network node (710A, 710B, 900, 1102, 1204) to perform operations according to any of embodiments 1-14.

[0124] Embodiment 20. A distributed unit, DU, in a network node (710A, 710B, 900, 1102, 1204) comprising: processing circuitry (902); and memory (904) coupled with the processing circuitry, wherein the memory includes instructions that when executed by the processing circuitry causes the DU in the network node to perform operations according to Embodiment 15.

[0125] Embodiment 21. A distributed unit, DU, in a network node (710A, 710B, 900, 1102, 1204) adapted to perform according to Embodiment 15.

[0126] Embodiment 22. A computer program comprising program code to be executed by processing circuitry (902) in a distributed unit, DU, of a network node (400, 710A, 710B, 900, 1102, 1204), whereby execution of the program code causes the DU in the network node (710 A, 710B, 900, 1102, 1204) to perform operations according to Embodiment 15.

[0127] Embodiment 23. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storagemedium including program code to be executed by processing circuitry (902) of a distributed unit, DU, of a network node (710 A, 71 OB, 900, 1102, 1204), whereby execution of the program code causes the DU in the network node (710 A, 710B, 900, 1102, 1204) to perform operations according to Embodiments 15.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A method performed by a radio unit, RU, in a network node (710 A, 71 OB, 900, 1102, 1204) in a communication network, the method comprising: receiving (601) an uplink, UL, signal from one or more user equipments, UEs; estimating (603) a received signal power per UE based on demodulation reference signal, DMRS, symbols or data symbols; and sending (605) the received signal power estimates to a distributed unit, DU.

2. The method of Claim 1, wherein estimating the received signal power per UE comprises calculating received signal power based on a total signal power of all antennas.

3. The method of Claim 2, wherein calculating the received signal power based on the total signal power of all antennas comprises calculating the received signal power by calculating a total signal power of all physical resource blocks, PRBs, scheduled to each UE.

4. The method of Claim 2, wherein calculating the received signal power based on the total signal power of all antennas comprises calculating the received signal power by calculating an averaged signal power per physical resource block, PRB, averaged over all PRBs scheduled to each UE.

5. The method of Claim 1, wherein estimating the received signal power per UE comprises calculating received signal power based on an average signal power per antenna, averaged over all antennas.

6. The method of any of Claims 1-5, wherein estimating the received signal power per UE comprises at least one of: compensating the calculation of received signal power based on a DL antenna gain and a synchronization signal blocks, SSB, beamforming gain; and estimating the received signal power per UE comprises estimating the received signal power per slot.

7. The method of any of Claims 1-6, wherein estimating the received signal power comprises filtering the calculation of received signal power over multiple slots including a current slot and previous slots.

8. The method of any of Claims 1-7, wherein sending the received signal power estimates to the DU comprises sending the received signal power estimates per slot.

9. The method of any of Claims 1-7, wherein sending the received signal power estimates to the DU comprises sending the received signal power estimates per multiple slots.

10. The method of any of Claims 1-9, wherein estimating the received signal power per UE based on both the DMRS symbols and the data symbols.

11. The method of any of Claims 1-10, wherein the RU is configured to use DMRS beamforming without equalization.

12. The method of any of Claims 1-11, wherein estimating the received signal power per UE comprises estimating the received signal per layer associated with each UE.

13. A method performed by a distributed unit, DU, in a network node (710A, 71 OB, 900, 1102, 1204) in a communication network, the method comprising: receiving (607) received signal power estimates per UE from a radio unit, RU; determining (609) a power adjustment of a UE transmit power of a UE using a closed loop power control algorithm based on the signal power estimates per UE received; and sending (611) the power adjustment via the RU to the UE using a transmission power control, TPC, command, in a physical downlink control channel, PDCCH, channel.

14. The method of Claim 13, wherein receiving the received signal power estimates per UE from the RU comprises receiving the received signal power estimates per layer per UE from the RU.

15. The method of any of Claims 13-14, wherein receiving the received signal power estimates comprises: receiving first received signal power estimates over a first slot; andreceiving second received signal power estimates over a second slot that is subsequent to the first slot, wherein determining the power adjustment of the UE transmit power comprises determining the power adjustment based on filtering the first received signal power estimates and the second received signal power estimates.

16. The method of any of Claims 13-15, wherein the RU is configured to use DMRS beamforming without equalization.

17. A radio unit, RU, in a network node (710A, 710B, 900, 1102, 1204) adapted to perform operations comprising: receiving (601) an uplink, UL, signal from one or more user equipments, UEs; estimating (603) a received signal power per UE based on demodulation reference signal, DMRS, symbols or data symbols; and sending (605) the received signal power estimates to a distributed unit, DU.

18. The RU of Claim 17, the operations further comprising any of the operations of Claims 2- 12.

19. A computer program comprising program code to be executed by processing circuitry (902) in a radio unit, RU, of a network node (400, 710A, 710B, 900, 1102, 1204), whereby execution of the program code causes the RU in the network node (710 A, 710B, 900, 1102, 1204) to perform operations comprising: receiving (601) an uplink, UL, signal from one or more user equipments, UEs; estimating (603) a received signal power per UE based on demodulation reference signal, DMRS, symbols or data symbols; and sending (605) the received signal power estimates to a distributed unit, DU.

20. The computer program of Claim 19, the operations further comprising any of the operations of Claims 2-12.

21. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium including program code to be executed by processing circuitry (902) of a radio unit, RU, of a network node (710 A, 710B, 900, 1102, 1204), whereby execution of the program code causes the RU inthe network node (710A, 710B, 900, 1102, 1204) to perform operations comprising: receiving (601) an uplink, UL, signal from one or more user equipments, UEs; estimating (603) a received signal power per UE based on demodulation reference signal, DMRS, symbols or data symbols; and sending (605) the received signal power estimates to a distributed unit, DU.

22. The computer program product of Claim 20, the operations further comprising any of the operations of Claims 2-12.

23. A radio unit, RU, in a network node (710A, 710B, 900, 1102, 1204) comprising: processing circuitry (902); and memory (904) coupled with the processing circuitry, wherein the memory includes instructions that when executed by the processing circuitry causes the RAN node to perform operations comprising: receiving (601) an uplink, UL, signal from one or more user equipments, UEs; estimating (603) a received signal power per UE based on demodulation reference signal, DMRS, symbols or data symbols; and sending (605) the received signal power estimates to a distributed unit, DU.

24. The RU of Claim 23, the operations further comprising any of the operations of Claims 2- 12.

25. A distributed unit, DU, in a network node (710A, 710B, 900, 1102, 1204) adapted to perform operations comprising: receiving (607) received signal power estimates per UE from a radio unit, RU; determining (609) a power adjustment of a UE transmit power of a UE using a closed loop power control algorithm based on the signal power estimates per UE received; and sending (611) the power adjustment via the RU to the UE using a transmission power control, TPC command, in a physical downlink control channel, PDCCH, channel.

26. The DU of Claim 25, the operations further comprising any of the operations of Claims 14-16.

26. A computer program comprising program code to be executed by processing circuitry(902) in a distributed unit, DU, of a network node (400, 710A, 71 OB, 900, 1102, 1204), whereby execution of the program code causes the DU in the network node (710 A, 710B, 900, 1102, 1204) to perform operations comprising: receiving (607) received signal power estimates per UE from a radio unit, RU; determining (609) a power adjustment of a UE transmit power of a UE using a closed loop power control algorithm based on the signal power estimates per UE received; and sending (611) the power adjustment via the RU to the UE using a transmission power control, TPC command, in a physical downlink control channel, PDCCH, channel.

27. The computer program of Claim 26, the operations further comprising any of the operations of Claims 14-16.

28. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium including program code to be executed by processing circuitry (902) of a distributed unit, DU, of a network node (710 A, 710B, 900, 1102, 1204), whereby execution of the program code causes the DU in the network node (710A, 710B, 900, 1102, 1204) to perform operations comprising: receiving (607) received signal power estimates per UE from a radio unit, RU; determining (609) a power adjustment of a UE transmit power of a UE using a closed loop power control algorithm based on the signal power estimates per UE received; and sending (611) the power adjustment via the RU to the UE using a transmission power control, TPC command, in a physical downlink control channel, PDCCH, channel.

29. The computer program product of Claim 28, the operations further comprising any of the operations of Claims 14-16.

30. A distributed unit, DU, in a network node (710A, 710B, 900, 1102, 1204) comprising: processing circuitry (902); and memory (904) coupled with the processing circuitry, wherein the memory includes instructions that when executed by the processing circuitry causes the DU in the network node to perform operations comprising: receiving (607) received signal power estimates per UE from a radio unit, RU; determining (609) a power adjustment of a UE transmit power of a UE using a closed loop power control algorithm based on the signal power estimates per UE received; and sending (611) the power adjustment via the RU to the UE using a transmissionpower control, TPC command, in a physical downlink control channel, PDCCH, channel.

31. The DU of Claim 30, the operations further comprising any of the operations of Claims

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