Method for efficiently managing antenna device, and fronthaul device using same method

Abstract

In a method for managing an antenna device through a fronthaul multiplexer device according to an aspect of the present invention, configuration information of an antenna device is transmitted to a fronthaul multiplexer device, and whenever each antenna device is activated, the fronthaul multiplexer device transmits, on behalf of a distributed base station device, the configuration information of the antenna device, so as to reduce the burden on the distributed base station device and enable an efficient antenna device configuration.

Description

Efficient antenna device management method and fronthaul device using the method

[0001] The present invention relates to a relay technology for an open radio access network (O-RAN), and more specifically, to a technology for managing multiple antenna units (RUs) through a fronthaul multiplexer unit (FHM) rather than a distributed base station unit (DU).

[0002] O-RAN (Open Radio Access Network) is an open standardization of the fronthaul interface that connects the antenna units (Radio Units, RUs) and distributed units (DUs) required for implementing base station equipment. Furthermore, a method for providing shared cell services based on this open interface has also been standardized. Shared cell services involve one or more antenna devices forming the same cell to provide the same service. To achieve this, it defines Copy and Combine functions to transmit identical data to multiple antenna devices forming the same cell.

[0003] More specifically, a fronthaul multiplexer device is introduced to provide shared cell services, and a network structure in which multiple antenna devices are connected to the fronthaul multiplexer is defined. In the case of downlink data transmission, when a single data is transmitted from a distributed base station device, the fronthaul multiplexer copies and transmits the data received from the distributed base station device to multiple antenna devices constituting the same cell that are preset. In the case of uplink data transmission, data is transmitted from each antenna device constituting the same cell, and the data is received by the fronthaul multiplexer device, converted into a single data, and then transmitted to the distributed base station device. This process is called the combine operation.

[0004] In order to perform the Copy and Combine operations in the fronthaul multiplexer device as described above, it must know which cell each of the antenna devices connected to it belongs to. The O-RAN standard requires that this information be set from the distributed base station device to the fronthaul multiplexer device. Therefore, the fronthaul multiplexer device performs the Copy and Combine operations based on the information set in the distributed base station device.

[0005] Each antenna device connected to the fronthaul multiplexer requires various configuration information to process data transmitted in the O-RAN interface standard, and this is configured at the distributed base station. In other words, regardless of whether each antenna device connected to the fronthaul multiplexer constitutes the same cell, each antenna device is configured to receive configuration information directly from the distributed base station, and the distributed base station is defined in the standard to manage each antenna device.

[0006] However, considering shared cell services, a single piece of data is copied and transmitted to each antenna device, and each antenna device must process this data identically. This means that the settings related to data processing at an antenna device must be identical across all antenna devices in the same cell. Therefore, individually configuring the same settings related to data processing for each antenna device in a distributed base station device would be a repetitive task. If there were a way to improve this, it would reduce the overhead of distributed base stations and enable efficient antenna device management.

[0007] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a function capable of efficiently transmitting and managing the same configuration information to each antenna device when using a fronthaul multiplexer device to provide a shared cell service in an open fronthaul network.

[0008] An efficient antenna device management method according to one aspect of the present invention is a method for setting up and managing an antenna device in an open fronthaul network, comprising a shared cell information transmission step of a distributed base station device, a shared cell information storage step of a fronthaul multiplexer device, an antenna device setting information transmission step of a distributed base station device, an antenna device setting information storage step of a fronthaul multiplexer device, and an antenna device setting information transmission step of the fronthaul multiplexer device.

[0009] The shared cell information transmission step of the distributed base station device is the step where the distributed base station device transmits the shared cell information to the fronthaul multiplexer device.

[0010] The shared cell information storage step of the fronthaul multiplexer device is a step of storing and managing the shared cell information received by the fronthaul multiplexer device.

[0011] The step of transmitting antenna device configuration information of a distributed base station device is a step in which the distributed base station device transmits configuration information of the antenna device to a fronthaul multiplexer device.

[0012] The step of storing antenna device configuration information of a fronthaul multiplexer device is a step of storing and managing configuration information of an antenna device received by the fronthaul multiplexer device.

[0013] The antenna device configuration information transfer step of the fronthaul multiplexer device is a step in which the fronthaul multiplexer device transfers configuration information to each antenna device belonging to the same shared cell.

[0014] In a case where an open fronthaul network using an efficient antenna device management method according to one aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of shared cells, a shared cell information transmission step of a distributed base station device, a shared cell information storage step of a fronthaul multiplexer device, an antenna device configuration information transmission step of the distributed base station device, and an antenna device configuration information storage step of the fronthaul multiplexer device are performed for each shared cell, and the antenna device configuration information storage step of the fronthaul multiplexer device is a step in which the fronthaul multiplexer device stores and manages configuration information of antenna devices for a plurality of shared cells, and stores and manages the configuration information transmitted from the distributed base station device for each shared cell.

[0015] In the step of storing antenna device setting information of a fronthaul multiplex device of an efficient antenna device management method according to one aspect of the present invention, data processing information to be set for each antenna device can be generated based on shared cell information for each antenna device and stored by adding it to the setting information.

[0016] According to one aspect of the present invention, a front-haul multiplexer device for managing an antenna device includes a packet receiving unit, a packet transmitting unit, a management information packet processing unit, a shared cell information management unit, and an antenna device management unit.

[0017] The packet receiving unit receives a downlink packet from a distributed base station device and an uplink packet from an antenna device and determines whether it is a management information packet or a data information packet.

[0018] The packet transmission unit transmits uplink packets to the distributed base station device and downlink packets to the antenna device.

[0019] The management information packet processing unit receives the management information packet, determines whether it is a shared cell information packet or an antenna device setting information packet, and transmits it.

[0020] The shared cell information management unit receives shared cell information packets and stores and manages shared cell information.

[0021] The antenna device management unit receives antenna device configuration information packets and stores and manages configuration information of the antenna device.

[0022] The antenna device management unit can store and manage the above-mentioned setting information received from the distributed base station device for each shared cell.

[0023] The antenna device management unit can generate data processing information that needs to be set for each antenna device based on shared cell information for each antenna device and add it to the above setting information to store it.

[0024] According to the present invention, when providing a shared cell service based on a fronthaul multiplexer device in an open fronthaul network, the configuration of each antenna device is efficiently performed in the fronthaul multiplexer device, thereby reducing the management overhead of distributed base station devices and enabling efficient management of the antenna devices.

[0025] Figure 1 illustrates an example of an open fronthaul network structure composed of a distributed base station device, a fronthaul multiplexer device, and a plurality of antenna devices.

[0026] Figure 2 illustrates a procedure for managing a front-haul multiplexer device and each antenna device in a distributed base station device of the prior art.

[0027] FIG. 3 illustrates a procedure for transmitting management information to each antenna device through a front-hole multiplexer device according to the present invention.

[0028] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an efficient antenna device management method according to one aspect of the present invention.

[0029] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a front-hole multiplexer device according to one aspect of the present invention.

[0030] The aforementioned and additional aspects are concretized through embodiments described with reference to the attached drawings. It is understood that various combinations of components of each embodiment are possible within the embodiment, as long as there is no other mention or contradiction between them. Each block of the block diagram may represent a physical component in some cases, but may also represent a logical representation of a portion of the function of a single physical component or a function spanning multiple physical components. Sometimes, the entity of a block or a portion thereof may be a set of program instructions. These blocks may be implemented in whole or in part by hardware, software, or a combination thereof.

[0031]

[0032] Configuring each antenna device in a distributed base station is based on the NetConf protocol and uses a data model defined as YANG. The YANG model used by each antenna device is standardized and can be divided into two parts: one representing the antenna device's hardware and implemented software information, and the other representing information required for data processing. This specification only describes the information that must be configured for data processing in each antenna device.

[0033] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an open fronthaul network structure composed of a distributed base station device, a fronthaul multiplexer device, and a plurality of antenna devices. FIG. 1 illustrates a distributed base station device (100, O-DU) in which one fronthaul multiplexer device (110, FHM) is connected, and N antenna devices (120-1, 120-2, 120-3, 120-4, …, 120-N, O-RU) are connected to one fronthaul multiplexer device (110). The example of the open fronthaul network structure illustrated in FIG. 1 provides a shared cell function by utilizing the fronthaul multiplexer (FHM) device (110). At this time, the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) has settings for a shared cell service, and the corresponding setting information is transmitted from the distributed base station device (100) to the fronthaul multiplexer device (110). The setup information for the shared cell service includes interface information connected to the distributed base station device (100), interface information connected to the antenna devices (120-1 to N) that constitute the shared cell, information on downlink data transmitted from the distributed base station device (100) to each antenna device (120-1 to N) and information for transmitting the downlink data, and information on uplink data transmitted from each antenna device (120-1 to N) to the distributed base station device (100) and information for transmitting the uplink data.

[0034] In addition, the distributed base station device (100) transmits configuration information to each antenna device (120-1 to N) so that data transmitted through an open network interface can be processed. The configuration information transmitted to each antenna device (120-1 to N) includes interface information for receiving downlink data or transmitting uplink data, information for transmitting downlink data to each antenna and information necessary for converting it to wireless data, information necessary for receiving uplink data from each antenna and converting it to wired data, and antenna information for transmitting and receiving wireless data.

[0035] The above interface information is information required for transmitting and receiving data between the antenna devices (120-1 to N) and the devices connected to the fronthaul network, i.e., the distributed base station device (100) or the fronthaul multiplexer device (110), and in case of Ethernet communication, it is the MAC (Media Access Control) layer address of the antenna devices (120-1 to N), the MAC layer address of the distributed base station device (100) or the fronthaul multiplexer device (110), and virtual LAN (VLAN) ID information. Information for transmitting downlink data to each antenna is to set an ID that distinguishes the physical antennas of the antenna devices (120-1 to N), and this ID is transmitted together when transmitting downlink data, thereby informing the antenna devices (120-1 to N) of which antenna the downlink data should be transmitted through. Information required for changing downlink data into wireless data includes iFFT information required for converting a digital signal performed in the antenna devices (120-1 to N) into an analog signal, information on signal strength, etc. The information required to receive uplink data from each antenna and convert it into wired data includes information on the frequency band at which the antenna devices (120-1 to N) operate, information on the frequency at which data transmitted by each wireless channel can be received, etc. The antenna information for transmitting and receiving wireless data includes the number of physical antennas, location information for each antenna, and information on the angle at which the antennas are mounted.

[0036] FIG. 2 illustrates a procedure for managing a fronthaul multiplexer device and each antenna device in a distributed base station device of the prior art. In the example of FIG. 2, when the fronthaul multiplexer device (210) is installed, the distributed base station device (200) enables the fronthaul multiplexer device (210) to provide a shared cell service through transmission of setting information for the shared cell service (S200). In addition, whenever an antenna device (220-1 to N) is connected to the fronthaul multiplexer device (210), the distributed base station device (200) enables each antenna device (220-1 to N) to process data transmitted through an open network interface through transmission of antenna device setting information (S210, S220, S230, S240, S250). At this time, if each antenna device (220-1 to N) constitutes the same shared cell, the antenna device setting information transmitted to each antenna device (220-1 to N) is mostly the same information, and the same operation is repeated.

[0037] FIG. 3 illustrates a procedure for transmitting management information to each antenna device through a fronthaul multiplexer device according to the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3, in the present invention, unlike the prior art, when the distributed base station device (100) transmits antenna device configuration information to the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) once for a shared cell (S300), the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) transmits the antenna device configuration information to antenna devices (120-1 to N) belonging to the same shared cell (S310, S320, S330, S340, S350).

[0038] In the example of FIG. 3, when the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) is installed, the distributed base station device (100) transmits configuration information for the shared cell service (S200) so that the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) can provide the shared cell service. In addition, the distributed base station device (100) transmits configuration information of the antenna devices constituting the shared cell to the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) (S300). Thereafter, whenever each antenna device (120-1 to N) is connected to the fronthaul multiplexer device (110), the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) transmits antenna device configuration information to each antenna device (120-1 to N) based on the antenna device configuration information transmitted from the distributed base station device (100) (S310, S320, S330, S340, S350), thereby enabling each antenna device (120-1 to N) to process data transmitted through the open network interface.

[0039] The antenna device setting information transmitted by the front-hole multiplexer device (110) to each antenna device (120-1 to N) is information that the antenna devices (120-1 to N) must use when processing data, and as mentioned above, includes interface information for receiving downlink data or transmitting uplink data, information for transmitting downlink data to each antenna and information required for changing it to wireless data, information required for receiving uplink data from each antenna and changing it to wired data, and antenna information for transmitting and receiving wireless data. This antenna device setup information can be generated based on interface information connected to the distributed base station device (100) included in the setup information for the shared cell service transmitted from the distributed base station device (100) for shared cell setup, interface information connected to the antenna devices (120-1 to N) constituting the shared cell, information on downlink data transmitted from the distributed base station device (100) to each antenna device (120-1 to N) and information for transmitting downlink data, and information on uplink data transmitted from each antenna device (120-1 to N) to the distributed base station device (100) and information for transmitting uplink data.

[0040] The front-hole multiplexer device (110) can check the shared cell ID (ID) to which the antenna device (120-1 to N) belongs when the antenna device (120-1 to N) is connected to the corresponding interface based on the interface information to which the antenna device (120-1 to N) constituting the shared cell is connected.

[0041] Based on this, information on the interface required for receiving downlink data or transmitting uplink data can be confirmed from the interface information connected to the distributed base station device (100). This information includes Ethernet MAC address information and VLAN ID information.

[0042] Information for transmitting downlink data to each antenna and information required for changing it to wireless data and information required for receiving uplink data from each antenna and changing it to wired data can be generated from information on downlink data transmitted from the distributed base station device (100) to each antenna device (120-1 to N) and information for transmitting downlink data, and information on uplink data transmitted from each antenna device (120-1 to N) to the distributed base station device (100) and information for transmitting uplink data. The packet flow information that the antenna devices (120-1 to N) must receive (including the Flow ID information defined as eAxC ID in the open fronthaul interface standard, the address information of the transmitting / receiving device to which the packet is transmitted, VLAN ID information, and if the packet is compressed, the compression technique used and the parameters required for the compression technique) is the same as the packet flow information that the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) performs copying and combining, and the method by which the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) and the antenna devices (120-1 to N) determine the packet flow is also the same. The packet flow determination may first determine whether the packet can be received based on the address and VLAN ID of the transmitting / receiving device, secondly determine which location the data in the resource map defined in the NR standard belongs to, and thirdly determine through which antenna the packet should be transmitted using the eAxC ID. And if the packet is compressed, it may be to decompress it, or if the packet is compressed, it may be to determine which compression technique and parameters to use.

[0043] Accordingly, the front hole multiplexer device (110) can generate and store information to be set in the antenna devices (120-1 to N) from the shared cell setting information.

[0044] FIG. 4 is a flow chart of an efficient antenna device management method according to one aspect of the present invention. The efficient antenna device management method according to one aspect of the present invention is a method for setting up and managing antenna devices (120-1 to N) in an open fronthaul network, and includes a shared cell information transmission step of a distributed base station device (100), a shared cell information storage step of a fronthaul multiplexer device (110), an antenna device setting information transmission step of the distributed base station device (100), an antenna device setting information storage step of the fronthaul multiplexer device (110), and an antenna device setting information transmission step of the fronthaul multiplexer device (110).

[0045] When a fronthaul multiplexer device is connected, the distributed base station device (100) first performs a step of checking the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) and setting basic information for use of the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) (S1000). The step of checking the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) and setting basic information for use of the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) by the distributed base station device (100) is a step of setting the management interface of the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) according to the order defined in the open interface standard (S1002), a step of checking the specifications of the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) (S1004), a step of checking the open fronthaul network structure connected via the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) (S1006), and a step of updating the software of the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) if necessary (S1008). The software update of the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) is performed when the distributed base station device (100) instructs the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) to update the software.

[0046] The shared cell setting for the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) is performed through the shared cell information transmission step of the distributed base station device (100) and the shared cell information storage step of the fronthaul multiplexer device (110).

[0047] The shared cell information transmission step of the distributed base station device (100) is a step in which the distributed base station device (100) transmits the shared cell information to the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) (S1020). The distributed base station device (100) transmits packet copy and packet combine setting information for providing a shared cell service to the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) so that the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) performs settings for the shared cell operation. The shared cell information is setting information for the shared cell service, and includes interface information connected to the distributed base station device (100), interface information connected to the antenna devices (120-1 to N) constituting the shared cell, information on downlink data transmitted from the distributed base station device (100) to each antenna device (120-1 to N) and information for transmitting the downlink data, and information on uplink data transmitted from each antenna device (120-1 to N) to the distributed base station device (100) and information for transmitting the uplink data. That is, shared cell information may include interface information to which antenna devices (120-1 to N) belonging to the shared cell can be connected, Ethernet address and VLAN ID information to be used for packet transmission, packet flow information for which packet copying is to be performed (including Flow ID defined as eAxC ID in the open fronthaul interface standard), packet flow information for which packet merging is to be performed, compression algorithms for decompression and recompression in case of compression, and related information.

[0048] The shared cell information storage step of the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) is a step for storing and managing the shared cell information received by the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) (S1040). The fronthaul multiplexer device (110) performs settings for shared cell operations according to the received shared cell information. The fronthaul multiplexer device (110) copies downlink packets received from distributed antenna devices (120-1 to N) according to these settings and transmits them to base station devices of the same shared cell, and combines uplink packets received from base station devices belonging to the same shared cell.

[0049] The antenna device configuration information transmission step of the distributed base station device (100) is a step in which the distributed base station device (100) transmits the antenna device configuration information to the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) (S1060). In the antenna device configuration information transmission step of the distributed base station device (100), the distributed base station device (100) transmits to the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) information that sets each antenna device (120-1 to N) to process data when it receives it through the fronthaul interface. In the prior art illustrated in FIG. 2, the distributed base station device (100) directly transmitted the antenna device configuration information to each antenna device (120-1 to N), but the present invention uses the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) as a proxy device for the corresponding configuration information. That is, unlike the prior art, the present invention transmits the antenna device configuration information to the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) only once, regardless of the number of antenna devices constituting the shared cell.

[0050] The step of storing antenna device setting information of the front-hole multiplexer device (110) is a step of storing and managing antenna device setting information received by the front-hole multiplexer device (110) (S1080).

[0051] The antenna device configuration information transmission step of the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) is a step in which the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) transmits configuration information to each antenna device (120-1 to N) belonging to the same shared cell (S1100). When the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) confirms that the connection of the antenna device (120-1 to N) to the interface of each fronthaul multiplexer device (110) constituting the shared cell is activated, the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) confirms configuration information to be commonly applied to the antenna devices (120-1 to N) belonging to the shared cell and transmits the same to the antenna devices (120-1 to N). In addition, the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) transmits data processing information of the antenna devices (120-1 to N) constituting the shared cell. The data processing information of the antenna devices (120-1 to N) includes interface information for receiving downlink data or transmitting uplink data, information for transmitting downlink data to each antenna and information required for converting it into wireless data, information required for receiving uplink data from each antenna and converting it into wired data, and antenna information for transmitting and receiving wireless data.

[0052] When an open fronthaul network using an efficient antenna device management method according to one aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of shared cells, the shared cell information transmission step of the distributed base station device (100), the shared cell information storage step of the fronthaul multiplexer device (110), the antenna device setting information transmission step of the distributed base station device (100), and the antenna device setting information storage step of the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) are performed for each shared cell.

[0053] At this time, the step of storing the antenna device setting information of the fronthaul multiplexer device is a step in which the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) stores and manages the antenna device setting information for a plurality of shared cells, and is a step in which the setting information received from the distributed base station device (100) is stored and managed for each shared cell. When the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) confirms that the connection of the antenna devices (120-1 to N) to the interface of each fronthaul multiplexer device (110) constituting the shared cell is activated, the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) determines to which shared cell the antenna devices (120-1 to N) with activated connection belong based on the preset shared cell information, and then confirms the setting information to be commonly applied to the antenna devices (120-1 to N) belonging to the shared cell and transmits it to the antenna devices (120-1 to N). In addition, the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) transmits data processing information of the antenna devices (120-1 to N) constituting the shared cell.

[0054] In the step of storing antenna device setting information of a front-haul multiplex device of an efficient antenna device management method according to one aspect of the present invention, data processing information to be set for each antenna device (120-1 to N) based on shared cell information for each antenna device can be generated and stored by adding it to the setting information.

[0055] The front-hole multiplexer device (110) can independently generate and store data processing information of each antenna device (120-1 to N) based on preset shared cell setting information.

[0056] The fronthaul multiplexer device (110) checks the shared cell ID (ID) to which the antenna devices (120-1 to N) constituting the shared cell belong when the antenna devices (120-1 to N) are connected to the corresponding interface based on the interface information to which the antenna devices (120-1 to N) are connected. Based on this, the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) can check information on the interface required for receiving downlink data or transmitting uplink data from the interface information connected to the distributed base station device (100). This information includes Ethernet MAC address information and VLAN ID information.

[0057] The front-hole multiplexer device (110) can generate information for transmitting downlink data to each antenna, information necessary for changing it into wireless data, information necessary for receiving uplink data from each antenna and changing it into wired data, information about downlink data transmitted from the distributed base station device (100) to each antenna device (120-1 to N) and information for transmitting downlink data, and information about uplink data transmitted from each antenna device (120-1 to N) to the distributed base station device (100) and information for transmitting uplink data.

[0058] Fig. 5 illustrates a block diagram of a fronthaul multiplexer device (110) according to one aspect of the present invention. The fronthaul multiplexer device (110) for managing an antenna device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a packet receiving unit (111), a packet transmitting unit (112), a management information packet processing unit (113), a shared cell information management unit (114), and an antenna device management unit (115).

[0059] Additionally, for packet processing, the front-hole multiplexer device (110) further includes a data processing unit (116), a downlink packet copy unit (117), and an uplink packet merge unit (118).

[0060] The packet receiving unit (111) receives a downlink packet transmitted from a distributed base station device (100) and an uplink packet transmitted from an antenna device (120-1 to N) and determines whether the packet is a management information packet containing management information or a data information packet to be transmitted to a user. If the packet receiving unit (111) determines that the received packet is a management information packet, it transmits it to the management information packet processing unit (113).

[0061] The packet transmission unit (112) transmits uplink packets to the distributed base station device (100) and downlink packets to the antenna devices (120-1 to N).

[0062] The data processing unit (116) determines the data information packet and divides it into an uplink packet and a downlink packet, and transmits the packet divided into a downlink packet to a downlink packet copy unit (117), and transmits the packet divided into an uplink packet to an uplink packet merge unit (118).

[0063] The management information packet processing unit (113) receives the management information packet, determines whether it is a shared cell information packet or an antenna device setting information packet, and transmits it. After receiving the management information packet, the management information packet processing unit (113) determines whether the information contains shared cell setting information or antenna device setting information, and if it is shared cell setting information, transmits it to the shared cell information management unit (114), and if it is antenna device setting information, transmits it to the antenna device management unit (115).

[0064] The shared cell information management unit (114) receives the shared cell information packet and stores and manages the shared cell information. Based on the transmitted information, the shared cell information management unit (114) stores and manages interface information to which the antenna devices (120-1 to N) belonging to the shared cell can be connected, Ethernet address and VLAN ID information to be used for packet transmission, packet flow information for which packet copying is to be performed (including Flow ID defined as eAxC ID in the open fronthaul interface standard), packet flow information for which packet merging is to be performed, compression algorithms for decompression and recompression in case of compression, and related information.

[0065] The antenna device management unit (115) receives an antenna device configuration information packet and stores and manages the antenna device configuration information. The antenna device management unit (115) stores and manages fronthaul interface information for data processing configuration of the antenna devices (120-1 to N), packet flow information, antenna information that must transmit data corresponding to each flow ID, information necessary for data conversion before wirelessly transmitting data received with each flow ID, etc. In addition, when the antenna device management unit (115) confirms that the connection of the antenna devices (120-1 to N) to the interface of each fronthaul multiplexer device (110) constituting the shared cell is activated, the antenna device management unit (115) transmits the antenna device configuration information to the antenna devices (120-1 to N) whose connection is activated.

[0066] The downlink packet copy unit (117) copies packets based on packet copy information stored and managed by the shared cell information management unit (114) and transmits them to the packet transmitter for transmission to each antenna device (120-1 to N), and the uplink packet merge unit (118) combines packets based on packet merge information stored and managed by the shared cell information management unit (114) and transmits them to the packet transmitter for transmission to the distributed base station device (100).

[0067] When a fronthaul multiplexer device (110) according to one aspect of the present invention is used in an open fronthaul network including a plurality of shared cells, the antenna device management unit (115) can store and manage the setting information received from the distributed base station device (100) for each shared cell.

[0068] At this time, the antenna device management unit (115) can store and manage the above-mentioned setting information transmitted from the distributed base station device (100) for each shared cell when the fronthaul multiplexer device (110) is used in an open fronthaul network including a plurality of shared cells. When the antenna device management unit (115) confirms that the connection of the antenna device (120-1 to N) to each interface constituting the shared cell is activated, it confirms to which shared cell the antenna device (120-1 to N) with activated connection belongs based on the preset shared cell information, and then confirms the setting information to be commonly applied to the antenna devices (120-1 to N) belonging to the shared cell and transmits it to the antenna devices (120-1 to N). In addition, the antenna device management unit (115) transmits data processing information of the antenna devices (120-1 to N) constituting the shared cell.

[0069] The antenna device management unit (115) can generate data processing information that must be set for each antenna device (120-1 to N) based on shared cell information for each antenna device, add it to the above setting information, and store it.

[0070] The antenna device management unit (115) verifies the shared cell ID (ID) to which the antenna device (120-1 to N) belongs when the antenna device (120-1 to N) is connected to the corresponding interface based on the interface information to which the antenna device (120-1 to N) constituting the shared cell is connected. Based on this, the antenna device management unit (115) can verify information on the interface required for receiving downlink data or transmitting uplink data from the interface information connected to the distributed base station device (100). This information includes Ethernet MAC address information and VLAN ID information.

[0071] The antenna device management unit (115) can generate information for transmitting downlink data to each antenna, information necessary for changing it to wireless data, information necessary for receiving uplink data from each antenna and changing it to wired data, information about downlink data transmitted from the distributed base station device (100) to each antenna device (120-1 to N) and information for transmitting downlink data, and information about uplink data transmitted from each antenna device (120-1 to N) to the distributed base station device (100) and information for transmitting uplink data.

[0072]

[0073] While the present invention has been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples, it is not limited thereto and should be construed to encompass various modifications that would be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. The scope of the patent claims is intended to encompass such modifications.

Claims

1. A method for managing an antenna device through a fronthaul multiplexer device that provides a shared cell service between a distributed base station unit (DU) and one or more antenna devices (RU), A step in which a distributed base station device transmits shared cell information to a fronthaul multiplexer device; A step for storing and managing shared cell information by a fronthole multiplexer device; A step in which a distributed base station device transmits configuration information of an antenna device to a fronthaul multiplexer device; A step for storing and managing configuration information of an antenna device by a front-hole multiplexer device; and A step in which a fronthole multiplexer device transmits configuration information to each antenna device belonging to the same shared cell; An efficient antenna device management method comprising:

2. In paragraph 1, A method for efficiently managing an antenna device, wherein the step of storing and managing configuration information of an antenna device by a fronthole multiplexer device stores and manages the configuration information received from a distributed base station device for each shared cell.

3. In paragraph 1, A method for efficiently managing antenna devices, wherein the step of storing and managing configuration information of an antenna device by a front-hole multiplexer device generates data processing information to be set for each antenna device based on shared cell information for each antenna device, adds it to the configuration information, and stores it.

4. A packet receiving unit that receives a downlink packet from a distributed base station device and an uplink packet from an antenna device and determines whether it is a management information packet or a data information packet; A packet transmission unit that transmits uplink packets to a distributed base station device and downlink packets to an antenna device; A management information packet processing unit that receives a management information packet, determines whether it is a shared cell information packet or an antenna device setting information packet, and transmits it; A shared cell information management unit that receives shared cell information packets and stores and manages shared cell information; An antenna device management unit that receives an antenna device configuration information packet and stores and manages the configuration information of the antenna device; A front-hole multiplexer device for managing an antenna device, comprising:

5. In paragraph 4, An antenna device management unit is a fronthaul multiplexer device that manages an antenna device, storing and managing the above-mentioned setting information received from a distributed base station device for each shared cell.

6. In paragraph 4, An antenna device management unit is a fronthaul multiplexer device that manages antenna devices, which generates data processing information to be set for each antenna device based on shared cell information for each antenna device, adds it to the above-mentioned setting information, and stores it.

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