Network node and method for configuring a radio network node based on expected cell conditions obtained from an analysis of a landscape visible in a photograph

Abstract

A method performed by a network node is provided The method is for configuring a radio network node in a wireless communications network. The network node obtains (301) information. The information relates to expected cell conditions of one or more cells nearby the radio network node. The information is based on an analysis of a landscape visible in a photograph, photo, where the landscape is surrounding the radio network node. Based on the information, the network node selects (302) configuration parameters for operating the radio network node. The network node configures (303) the radio network node with the selected configuration parameters.

Description

[0001] A NETWORK NODE AND METHODS THEREIN IN A WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS

[0002] NETWORK

[0003] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0004] Embodiments herein relate to a network node and methods therein. In some aspects, they relate to configuring a radio network node in a wireless communications network.

[0005] BACKGROUND

[0006] In a typical wireless communication network, wireless devices, also known as wireless communication devices, mobile stations, stations (STA) and / or User Equipment (UE), communicate via a Wide Area Network or a Local Area Network such as a Wi-Fi network or a cellular network comprising a Radio Access Network (RAN) part and a Core Network (CN) part. The RAN covers a geographical area which is divided into service areas or cell areas, which may also be referred to as a beam or a beam group, with each service area or cell area being served by a radio network node such as a radio access node e.g., a Wi-Fi access point, a Base Station (BS) or a radio base station (RBS), which in some networks may also be denoted, for example, a Base Station (BS), a NodeB, eNodeB (eNB), or gNodeB (gNB) as denoted in Fifth Generation (5G) telecommunications. A service area or cell area is a geographical area where radio coverage is provided by the radio network node. The radio network node communicates over an air interface operating on a radio frequency with the wireless devices within the range of the radio network node.

[0007] 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is the standardization body for specifying the standards for the cellular system evolution, e.g., including 3G, 4G, 5G and the future evolutions. Specifications for Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E- UTRA) and Evolved Packet System (EPS) have been completed within the 3GPP. In 4G also called a Fourth Generation (4G) network, EPS is core network and E-UTRA is radio access network. In 5G, 5G Core (5GC) is core network, NR is radio access network. As a continued network evolution, the new release of 3GPP specifies a 5G network also referred to as 5G New Radio (NR) and 5GC.

[0008] Frequency bands for 5G NR are being separated into two different frequency ranges, Frequency Range 1 (FR1) and Frequency Range 2 (FR2). FR1 comprises sub-6 GHz frequency bands. Some of these bands are bands traditionally used by legacy standards but have been extended to cover potential new spectrum offerings from 410 MHz to 7125 MHz. FR2 comprises frequency bands from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. Bands in this millimeter wave range have shorter range but higher available bandwidth than bands in the FR1.

[0009] Multi-antenna techniques may significantly increase the data rates and reliability of a wireless communication system. For a wireless connection between a single user, such as UE, and a base station (BS), the performance is in particular improved if both the transmitter and the receiver are equipped with multiple antennas, which results in a Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) communication channel. This may be referred to as Single-User (SU)-MIMO. In the scenario where MIMO techniques is used for the wireless connection between multiple users and the base station, MIMO enables the users to communicate with the base station simultaneously using the same time-frequency resources by spatially separating the users, which increases further the cell capacity. This may be referred to as Multi-User (MU)-MIMO. Note that MU-MIMO may benefit when each UE only has one antenna. The cell capacity can be increased with respect to the number of antennas at the BS side. Due to that, more and more antennas are employed in BS. Such systems and / or related techniques are commonly referred to as massive MIMO.

[0010] Massive MIMO is a key technology in base stations, allowing beamforming of control and data transmission and reception. A massive MIMO toolbox comprises many standardized and proprietary methods and procedures, from which certain features or configurations may be selected. For example, a base station may support selectable / enabled alternatives such as:

[0011] - Selection between different beam shapes for Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) transmission.

[0012] - Choice of codebook-based or reciprocity based beamforming.

[0013] - Choice of single-user or multi-user MIMO.

[0014] - Interference Sensing such as Ericsson Interference Sensing (EIS),

[0015] - Selection of beam management strategy.

[0016] - Selecting configurations for a Narrowband receiver.

[0017] In addition to selecting which algorithm to use there is typically also a set of parameters that is used to further configure the algorithms to a desired gNB behaviour, like e.g. filter coefficients, constants etc. The configuration of a gNB is central for how the massive MIMO product in the gNB will operate and perform. A simple illustration of the configuration process is described in Figure 1 where a network configuration unit 10 generates a set of gNB configuration parameters for one or multiple radio network nodes such as e.g., gNBs, such as gNB 11 and gNB 12 in Figure 1. The network configuration unit 10 may be operated using manual procedures, e.g. an administrator defining certain settings and / or requirements related to the network, combined with automized procedures where e.g. observed network behaviour is used to set, or tune, settings and / or requirements. The provided information to the network configuration unit is used to produce a set of gNB configuration parameters that in turn will determine the behaviour of the gNB, such as gNB 11 and gNB 12.

[0018] The best choice of tools from the Massive MIMO toolbox will depend on the conditions in the cell, where the served and interfered users, e.g., UEs, are, what their channels look like, etc. Observability or measurements of such conditions may require scarce radio resources and consume a lot of processing power and signalling bandwidth, for instance if there is a need to estimate channel conditions to users in neighboring cells.

[0019] This results in that currently the full potential of Massive MIMO is not used.

[0020] SUMMARY

[0021] As part of developing embodiments herein, the inventors identified some problems that first will be described.

[0022] In many cases, it is not feasible to get a detailed insight into the cell conditions so a selection from a small set of generic configurations is used instead. While this may give a robust behaviour it will not realize the full potential of Massive MIMO for operating the gNB.

[0023] An object of embodiments herein is to improve the operation of a radio network node in a wireless communications network.

[0024] According to an aspect of embodiments herein, the object is achieved by a method performed by a network node. The method is for configuring a radio network node in a wireless communications network. The network node obtains information. The information relates to expected cell conditions of one or more cells nearby the radio network node. The information is based on an analysis of a landscape visible in a photograph, photo, where the landscape is surrounding the radio network node. Based on the information, the network node selects configuration parameters for operating the radio network node. The network node configures the radio network node with the selected configuration parameters.

[0025] According to another aspect of embodiments herein, the object is achieved by a network node. The network node is adapted to configure a radio network node in a wireless communications network. The network node is further configured to:

[0026] - Obtain information. The information is adapted to relate to expected cell conditions of one or more cells nearby the radio network node. The information is adapted to be based on an analysis of a landscape visible in a photograph, photo. The landscape is to be surrounding the radio network node.

[0027] - Based on the information, select configuration parameters for operating the radio network node, and

[0028] - configure the radio network node with the selected configuration parameters.

[0029] Embodiments herein may provide one or more of the following advantages:

[0030] It is an easy method. Photos are easy to obtain, consume no radio resources, and are capable of provide accurate insights into expected cell conditions, such as where the users are, how they move, neighboring cells, and environmental characteristics such as blocking and or reflecting objects, near-field interferer, etc. Furthermore, information about the expected behaviour in terms of propagation characteristics may also be obtained such as spatial directions of blocking or reflecting objects, near-field interferes etc.

[0031] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Examples of embodiments herein are described in more detail with reference to attached drawings in which:

[0033] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating prior art.

[0034] Figure 2 is a schematic overview illustrating embodiments of a communications network.

[0035] Figure 3 is a flowchart depicting an embodiment of a method in a network node. Figure 4 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an example embodiment herein. Figure 5 shows example photographs of landscapes surrounding a radio network. Figure 6 is a schematic block diagram illustrating embodiments of a network node. Figure 7 schematically illustrates embodiments of a communication system.

[0036] Figure 8 is a generalized block diagram of embodiments of a UE.

[0037] Figure 9 is a generalized block diagram of embodiments of a network node.

[0038] Figure 10 is a generalized block diagram of embodiments of a virtualization environment.

[0039] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] Example embodiments herein provide the use of visual information, extracted from photographs (photo)s, e.g., from or of a radio network node, e.g., a gNB, site to guide a Massive MIMO product configuration, e.g. by deriving additional information about the cell conditions from one or more photos, or by using the photos as input to an Artificial Intelligence (Al) algorithm that has been trained.

[0041] An analyse of one or more photos e.g., by means of a trained Al model will result in surprisingly accurate insights into expected cell conditions, e.g. where the users, such as the UEs, are, how they move, etc.

[0042] Some examples of embodiments herein e.g. relate to beam forming, cell shaping, site configuration, image analysis relating to a radio network node.

[0043] Figure 2 is a schematic overview depicting a wireless communications network 100 wherein embodiments herein may be implemented. The communications network 100 comprises one or more RANs, and one or more CNs. The communications network 100 may use 5G NR but may further use a number of other different technologies, such as, 6G, Wi-Fi, Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Global System for Mobile communications / enhanced Data rate for GSM Evolution (GSM / EDGE), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), or Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), just to mention a few possible implementations.

[0044] Radio network nodes, such as a radio network node 110, operate in the RAN the wireless communications network 100. The radio network node 110 may be located indoor or outdoor. The radio network node 110 may be a transmission and reception point e.g. a radio access network node such as a base station, e.g. a radio base station such as a NodeB, an evolved Node B (eNB, eNode B), an NR Node B (gNB), a base transceiver station, a radio remote unit, an Access Point Base Station, a base station router, a transmission arrangement of a radio base station, a stand-alone access point, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) access point or an Access Point Station (AP STA), an access controller, or any other network unit capable of communicating with UEs, such as a UE 120, within radio coverage of the radio network node 110. The radio network node 110 may be referred to as a serving base station and communicates with the UE 120 with Downlink (DL) transmissions to the UE 120 and Uplink (UL) transmissions from the UE 120.

[0045] UEs operate in the communication network 100, such as e.g. the UE 120. The UEs such as e.g. the UE 120, may e.g. be a wireless device, an NR device, a mobile station, a wireless terminal, an Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-loT) device, an Machine-Type Communications (MTC) device, a WiFi device, an LTE device and an a non-access point (non-AP) STA, a STA, that communicates via a base station such as e.g. a base station 105, one or more Access Networks (AN), e.g. a RAN, to one or more core network (CN) nodes, in one or more CNs. It should be understood by the skilled in the art that “UE” is a non-limiting term which means any terminal, client, mobile client, IMS client, wireless communication terminal, user equipment, Device to Device (D2D) terminal, or node e.g. smart phone, laptop, mobile phone, sensor, relay, mobile tablets or even a car or any small base station communicating within a cell.

[0046] A first network node 130, in some embodiments referred to as a configuration unit, is operating in the wireless communications network 100. The first network node 130 is referred to as the network node 130 for simplicity. The network node 130 performs methods herein for configuring the radio network node 110 in the wireless communications network 100. In some embodiments the network node 130 performs all actions in the methods herein.

[0047] In some alternative actions a second network node 140 is operating in the wireless communications network 100. In these embodiments, the second network node 140 performs some actions and provides information relating to the performed actions to the network node 130 as a basis for performing further actions in the methods. Methods according to embodiments herein are performed by the network node 130 in some embodiments by the second network node 140. These nodes may be Distributed Nodes (DN)s and functionality, e.g. comprised in a cloud 170 as shown in Figure 2.

[0048] A number of embodiments will now be described, some of which may be seen as alternatives, while some may be used in combination.

[0049] Figure 3 shows example embodiments of a method performed by the network node 130, e.g., a configuration unit. The method is for configuring a radio network node 110 in a wireless communications network 100. The radio network node 110 may use a Ml MO antenna system.

[0050] The method comprises the following actions, which actions may be taken in any suitable order.

[0051] According to an example scenario, the network node 130 is about to configure the radio network node 110 based on one or more photos.

[0052] Action 301.

[0053] The network node 130 obtains information. This information will e.g., be used later on as a basis for selecting configuration parameters. The information relates to expected cell conditions of one or more cells nearby the radio network node 110.

[0054] Expected cell conditions when used herein may e.g., mean knowledge about areas where the users are expected to be located or how they move, knowledge about the expected propagation characteristics such as e.g. the spatial directions of blocking or reflecting objects, knowledge about line-of-sight / non-line-of-sight directions in the cell, or knowledge about objects in nearfield of antenna, i.e. objects that may impact for example Passive Intermodulation (PIM).

[0055] Cells nearby the radio network node 100 may e.g. mean neighbouring cells.

[0056] The information is based on an analysis of a landscape visible in a photo, e.g., multiple photos, where the landscape is surrounding the radio network node 110. The photo may comprise one or more photos. A landscape when used herein may e.g., comprise a town, a countryside, a forest, an indoor environment, type of town, such as urban, dense urban, high rise urban, low rise urban, suburban, etc. The photo of the landscape may comprise information at different granularity levels like e.g. information related to the direction and / or location of a large building, located far away from the radio network node, as well as information related to the direction and / or location of a smaller object, located very close to the radio network node, like e.g. a metal pole.

[0057] A landscape surrounding the radio network node 110 e.g., means a 360 degrees vision in line of sight from the radio network node 110, but may also mean one or more sectors of a 360 degrees vision in line of sight seen from the radio network node 110 or above from the radio network node 110. In some embodiments a landscape surrounding the radio network node 110 extends beyond the vision in line of sight seen from the radio network node 110.

[0058] In some embodiments, the information is obtained by: Obtaining the photo, extracting visible details of the landscape from the photo, and analysing the visible details of the landscape. This will be explained later on in this document.

[0059] In some other embodiments, the information is obtained by receiving the information from the second network node 140.

[0060] The analysis of the landscape may be based on visible details of the landscape extracted from the photo. The visible details may comprise any one or more out of:

[0061] - Directional information of a horizon,

[0062] - Fraction of one or more roads,

[0063] - Direction of one or more roads,

[0064] - Heights of one or more buildings,

[0065] - Materials of one or more buildings,

[0066] - Environmental aspects comprising anyone or more out of: Vegetation, forest, rivers, and lakes.

[0067] - Indoor surroundings, when the radio network node 110 is located indoor, Shape and material of closely located objects, for example nearfield objects “rusty bolt”” and building edges.

[0068] The analysis of the landscape visible in the photo to achieve the information related to the expected cell conditions, may be performed by using an Al algorithm. The Al algorithm when used herein may e.g., be based on a Neural Network (NN), a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) or Image Segmentation. However, any Al algorithm with a feedback loop suitable to perform the analysis may be used.

[0069] The information that is achieved, related to the expected cell conditions, may be updated based on information obtained from operational logs of the radio network node 110. The method used to extract information from the photo is updated based on information obtained from the radio network node 110. Such information may for example include link performance, traffic logs and other network data.

[0070] Typical network logs provide information of how the network and the radio network node 110 is performing. This may be used as input to the Al algorithm.

[0071] As an example, with reference to the upper photo in Figure 5, by analysis of the photo with the lake, an Al algorithm detected the lake and thus expects that there will be little traffic generated there. It does not detect any detail that at the end of the lake there is a port, and from typical network logs it may be seen that on a periodic bases, there are ferries traversing the lake and thus sporadic high traffic volumes along a specific part of the route. This information is then fed back to the network node 140 which when later operated may predict sporadic traffic on a lake hence providing networks with this information.

[0072] As another example, with reference to the lower photo in Figure 5, the Al algorithm may detect a photo of a building expecting it to have energy-coated glass, hence bad performance for users in this area, resulting in possibly low traffic or need from certain UE configurations to reach the radio network node 110. However, analysis of UE path loss measurements indicate that the energy windows are of newer versions where the energycoating have been performed in a way to allow for radio signal to penetrate. Thus feedback is given to the Al algorithm that this type of building in this type of town etc. has a high chance of not limiting radio waves. This may then be considered in later Al-picture configuration extraction.

[0073] The photo may comprise any one or more out of a video and a still image. The photo may in some embodiments illustrate visible light. In other embodiments the photo may illustrate infrared light (IR) or ultraviolet light (UV). The photo may in some embodiments illustrate a combination of spectrums of light. A radar-scan image as well be used and any combinations of above types.

[0074] Action 302.

[0075] Based on the information, the network node 130 selects configuration parameters for operating the radio network node 110.

[0076] The selected configuration parameters may be related to Ml MO.

[0077] A configuration parameter when used herein may e.g. be an-lntended coverage, i.e. shape of single / or multiple SSB beams, and sweeping periodicity of SSB. -codebook configuration (for example beam nulling / limitations)

[0078] -area dependent codebook-vs-reciprocity allocation (where each type is the preferred default)

[0079] -direction where power restrictions apply (interference nulling, Spatial PIM mitigation.

[0080] Action 303.

[0081] The network node 130 then configures the radio network node 110 with the selected configuration parameters.

[0082] The configuration parameters may be used in any one or more out of:

[0083] - an algorithm that derives Downlink, DL, MIMO transmission wights, and / or

[0084] - algorithms for selecting between different precoding algorithms, and / or

[0085] - an algorithm that derives Uplink, UL, MIMO reception wights, and / or

[0086] - an algorithm that analyses and / or processes received data, and / or

[0087] - an algorithm that generates User Equipment, UE, configuration data.

[0088] In this way by using the methods above, e.g., more granularity for configurations instead of a few default setups is provided, an easier and / or automated cell setup not requiring detailed analysis of an expert in the area is provided, and automated limitations of radiation in unwanted directions is provided.

[0089] Embodiments herein such as the embodiments mentioned above will now be further described and exemplified. The text below is applicable to and may be combined with any suitable embodiment described above.

[0090] Embodiments herein provide the use of photos as input for estimating cell conditions and selecting configuration parameters such as e.g., massive MIMO product configurations parameters for the radio network node 110, e.g., a deployed gNB. As hinted above, this may be done by using the following steps when configuring the radio network node 110, such as a given gNB. Steps 401-405 are illustrated in Figure 4.

[0091] The network node 130 or in some embodiments the second network node 140 obtains 401 a photo, e.g. from the site where the radio network node 130 is being and / or has been deployed. The network node 130 or in some embodiments the second network node 140 may analyze 402 the photo by means of a computer program and / or an operator associated with the radio network node 110, being able to extract information from photos. This information may for example comprise directional information of the horizon, information of fraction and / or direction of roads, information of building heights and potentially material, environmental aspects, vegetation, forest, rivers, lakes etc.

[0092] In the embodiments where the above action is performed by the second network node 140, the second network node 140 provides 403 the network node 130 e.g., a network configuration unit, with the extracted information. It should be noted that this may be in addition to already existing other information, such as default SSB guidelines, e.g., vertical and horizontal shape and directions, standard SI NR configurations for switching between SRS and codebook. The steps 401-403 relate to and may be combined with Action 301 described above.

[0093] The network node 130 uses the extracted information as a basis for selecting 404, also referred to as deriving, the configuration parameters, such as e.g., a subset of the configuration parameters for the radio network node 110. A subset of the configuration parameters e.g., comprises any parameters used to setup the network. Some of them will impact the a-d algorithms below. Out of these “Some of them” a few will be selected based on information from the photo, but most likely not all. The configuration parameters may be used in any one or more out of: a) An algorithm that derives DL MIMO transmission wights, including algorithms for selecting between different precoding algorithms such as for example reciprocity vs. codebook based precoding, and / or b) an algorithm that derives UL MIMO reception wights, and / or c) an algorithm that analyzes / processes received data, and / or d) an algorithm that generates UE configuration data.

[0094] Step 404 relates to and may be combined with Action 302 described above.

[0095] The network node 130 then configures 405 the radio network node 110 with the derived configuration parameters.

[0096] Step 404 relates to and may be combined with Action 302 described above. Embodiments herein will now be further described in more detail. The text below is applicable to and may be combined with any suitable embodiment described above.

[0097] Obtaining a photo from the site where the gNB is being / has been deployed.

[0098] This relates to and may be combined with Action 301 and step 401 described above.

[0099] The photo may be obtained by a camera integrated into the radio network node 110 and / or the radio network node 110 site. The radio network node 110 may be located indoor or outdoor. As an alternative, the photo may be obtained from a drone above the radio network node 110 and / or the radio network node 110 site. Another alternative is provided by a closely located radar equipment, and / or a Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar).

[0100] In some embodiments the photo is obtained when deploying the radio network node 110 site.

[0101] It should be noted that the photo may be any one or more out of a video and still images.

[0102] Using the photo with a computer program and / or an operator able to extract information from photos.

[0103] This relates to and may be combined with Action 301 and step 402 described above.

[0104] Consider the two photos depicted in Figure 5. Each one of the two photos represents a respective view from two different Massive MIMO sites associated to a respective cell of different embodiments of the radio network node 110. The upper photo depicts a cell where the landscape is represented by a countryside with a lake in. I.e., the radio network node is in this embodiment located in the countryside. The lower photo depicts a cell where the landscape is represented by a town. I.e., the radio network node 110 is in this embodiment located in a town.

[0105] By analysing the photo, e.g., by means of a computer program and / or an operator associated with the radio network node 110, the network node 130 or the second network node 140 is able to accurately establish e.g., in which directions the UEs such as e.g. the UE 120, 120 are moving, whether they are mostly indoors or outdoors, and whether they will be moving slow or fast. By taking knowledge of radio wave propagation into consideration, it is further possible to assess that UEs in the cell shown the upper photo depicting the countryside will have higher path gain, less angle and delay dispersion in the channel, and higher Doppler spread compared to the UEs in the cell shown in the lower photo depicting the town. Alternatively, an Al algorithm may be trained based on detailed measurements or observations in a few cells such that it is possible to assess these conditions in other cells based only on the photos. This may be performed by training that may be updated based on later radio measurements of said scenario. Typical speed on a road may be derived based on doppler analysis of radio signals, various roads may have different speed limits in different countries or part of countries, time of year etc. Information of building material can be updated based on signal street estimated of reflections and / or diffraction on specific directions / objects.

[0106] The above listed examples explain the analyzing of the photo, and how information is extracted and represented in some way. The information may in turn e.g., represent properties, related to the given radio network node 110, that may be relevant for some aspects of the gNB operation.

[0107] It is emphasized that although it is illustrated here as a separate node, the second network node 140, detached from the network node 130, it is fully possible that they are carried out jointly in the same network node, the network node 130. In some other embodiments machine learning has been used to design the network node 130 or the second network node 140 to use the raw data from the photo directly.

[0108] Providing the network node 130 with the extracted information

[0109] This relates to and may be combined with Action 301 and step 403 described above.

[0110] In this step the extracted information based on the visible details of the landscape of the photo is provided by the second network node 140 to the network node 130.

[0111] This may be in addition to already existing information. The existing information may e.g., relate to typical configuration parameters, default tilt, default algorithm behaviours such as when to switch between codebook and SRS, and several other details in how algorithms behave. As an example, some algorithms work differently based on UE speeds, and a typical value 83m / s may be assumed as there is no other information of the cell. So, in terms of upper Figure 5, the 3m / s would be the default configuration in all areas except for where the roads are detected, and a default speed for the road may be assumed if no additional side information, e.g., reading of road-sign or radio measurements is available. This relates to the embodiments where step 401-402 is performed by the second network node 140 and in this step 403 is provided to the network node 130, which in this way obtains the information.

[0112] The network node 130 uses the extracted information as a basis when deriving, also referred to as selecting, the configuration parameters.

[0113] This relates to and may be combined with Action 302 and step 404 described above.

[0114] The configuration parameters according to embodiments herein may relate to a subset of the total number of configuration parameters that will configure the network node 110. The configuration parameters according to embodiments herein may e.g., be used in algorithms that derive DL MIMO transmission wights. Examples of such algorithms may comprise any one or more out of:

[0115] - Algorithms that adapt the cell shape to follow roads, buildings and / or the horizon.

[0116] - In general, algorithms that derive statistics related transmission (tx) and / or reception (rx) spatial power distribution and use this to optimize DL transmissions.

[0117] - Algorithms that analyze if the same area or building is visible from multiple sites. If so, UEs located in this region may benefit from coordination, either via cell shaping or via dynamic interference suppression which then may be activated from the configuration parameters.

[0118] - Algorithms that identify directions where transmitted power and / or interference should be limited. These directions may for example represent:

[0119] • A hospital that may contain radio-sensitive equipment.

[0120] • So-called “Rusty bolts”, e.g., objects that may cause non-linear PIM.

[0121] • Radio telescopes, fixed links, and other co- or adjacent channel, e.g., algorithms that try to predict and / or extrapolate channel information.

[0122] The configuration parameters may also be used of algorithms that derive UL MIMO reception wights. Examples of this may comprise:

[0123] - Algorithms that select a set of beams for a narrowband receiver of the radio network node 110 based on directions in which UEs or reflections are most likely.

[0124] - Algorithms optimizing the settings of UL channel estimation algorithms.

[0125] - In general, algorithms that derive statistics related tx and / or rx spatial power distribution and use these statistics to optimize UL reception. The configuration parameters may also be used of algorithms that analyse and / or process received data such as e.g.:

[0126] - Photos may be used for estimating direction dependent probabilities of line-of-sight conditions, which is important knowledge for e.g. positioning algorithms. Hence, a positioning algorithm may utilize this side information.

[0127] - For sensing purposes, an algorithm may be operated that identifies beneficial areas with free sight between transmitter and potential targets as well as areas that are obscured by buildings or clutter, where sensing is less appropriate. The output of this algorithm may hence serve as side information to a sensing algorithm.

[0128] The configuration parameters may also be used of algorithms that generates UE configuration data that is transmitted to UEs in the cell, e.g.:

[0129] - An identified major road carrying a lot of traffic should allow predetermination of likely beam switches or handovers. In some embodiments this information is extracted and used to perform a conditional handover configuration of UEs in the cell.

[0130] - In some embodiments the configuration parameters represent information about DL Channel State Information (CSI) codebook settings to use for a UE when operating in feedback-based CSI mode.

[0131] Configure the radio network node 110 with the selected, also referred to as derived, configuration parameters.

[0132] This relates to and may be combined with Action 303 and step 405 described above.

[0133] The radio network node 1110 is configured just as in prior art.

[0134] Embodiments herein may be used in a feature where a cell shape may automatically be generated based on inputs of desired vertical and horizontal coverage. Configuring this desired coverage may hence require detailed understanding from the operator about the specific cell environment. Information which to large part may be extracted from visual inspection. To perform the method actions above, the network node 130 is adapted to configure the radio network node 110 in the wireless communications network 100.

[0135] The radio network node 110 may comprise an arrangement as depicted in Figure 6. The radio network node 110 may comprise an input and output interface 600 configured to communicate in the wireless communications network 100, e.g., with the second network node 140 and the UE 120. The input and output interface 600 may comprise a wireless receiver not shown, and a wireless transmitter not shown.

[0136] The network node 130 is configured to obtain information, which information is adapted to relate to expected cell conditions of one or more cells nearby the radio network node 110. The information is adapted to be based on an analysis of a landscape visible in a photograph, photo, and which landscape is to be surrounding the radio network node 110.

[0137] The network node 130 is further configured to, based on the information, select configuration parameters for operating the radio network node 110.

[0138] The network node 130 is further configured to configure the radio network node 110 with the selected configuration parameters.

[0139] The network node 130 may further be configured to obtain the information by any one out of:

[0140] - obtain the photo, extract visible details of the landscape from the photo, and analyze the visible details of the landscape, or

[0141] - receive the information from a second network node 140.

[0142] The analysis of the landscape may be adapted to be based on visible details of the landscape extracted from the photo, which visible details are adapted to comprise any one or more out of:

[0143] - Directional information of a horizon,

[0144] - Fraction of one or more roads,

[0145] - Direction of one or more roads,

[0146] - Heights of one or more buildings,

[0147] - Materials of one or more buildings,

[0148] - Environmental aspects comprising anyone or more out of: Vegetation, forest, rivers, and lakes.

[0149] - Indoor surroundings, when the radio network node 110 is located indoor,

[0150] - Shape and material of closely located objects, for example nearfield objects “rusty bolt”” and building edges. The analysis of the landscape visible in the photo to achieve the information related to the expected cell conditions, is in some embodiments adapted to be performed by the use of an Al algorithm. The achieved information related to the expected cell conditions, may be updated based on information obtained from operational logs of the radio network node 110.

[0151] The radio network node 110 may be configured to use a MIMO antenna system.

[0152] The selected configuration parameters may be adapted to relate to MIMO. In some embodiments, the configuration parameters are adapted to be used in any one or more out of:

[0153] - An algorithm that derives DL MIMO transmission wights, and / or

[0154] - algorithms for selecting between different precoding algorithms, and / or

[0155] - an algorithm that derives UL MIMO reception wights, and / or

[0156] - an algorithm that analyses and / or processes received data, and / or

[0157] - an algorithm that generates UE configuration data.

[0158] The photo may be adapted to comprise any one or more out of a video and a still image.

[0159] Embodiments herein may be implemented through a processor or one or more processors, such as the processor 610 of a processing circuitry in the network node 130 depicted in Figure 6, together with computer program code for performing the functions and actions of the embodiments herein. The program code mentioned above may also be provided as a computer program product, for instance in the form of a data carrier carrying computer program code for performing the embodiments herein when being loaded into the network node 130. One such carrier may be in the form of a CD ROM disc. It is however feasible with other data carriers such as a memory stick. The computer program code may furthermore be provided as pure program code on a server and downloaded to the network node 130.

[0160] The network edge node 130, may further comprise a memory 620, comprising one or more memory units. The memory 620 comprises instructions executable by the processor 610 in the network node 130. The memory is arranged to be used to store e.g., media functions, indications, tags, information, data, configurations, communication data, and applications to perform the methods herein when being executed in the network node 130. In some embodiments, a computer program 630, comprises instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor 610, cause the at least one processor of the network node 130, to perform the actions above.

[0161] In some embodiments, a carrier 640, comprises the computer program 630, wherein the carrier 640, is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, an electromagnetic signal, a magnetic signal, an electric signal, a radio signal, a microwave signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.

[0162] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that units in the network node 130 described above may refer to a combination of analog and digital circuits, and / or one or more processors configured with software and / or firmware, e.g. stored in the network node 130, that when executed by the one or more processors such as the processor described above. One or more of these processors, as well as the other digital hardware, may be included in a single Application-Specific Integrated Circuitry ASIC, or several processors and various digital hardware may be distributed among several separate components, whether individually packaged or assembled into a System-on-a-Chip (SoC).

[0163] Figure 7 shows an example of a communication system QQ100 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0164] In the example, the communication system QQ100 includes a telecommunication network QQ102 that includes an access network QQ104, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network QQ106, which includes one or more core network nodes QQ108. The access network QQ104 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes QQ110a and QQ110b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes QQ110), or any other similar 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points. Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network QQ102 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network QQ102 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunication network QQ102, including one or more network nodes QQ110 and / or core network nodes QQ108.

[0165] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (0-Rll), an open distributed unit (0-Dll), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O- CLI-CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an A1 , F1 , W1, E1 , E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes QQ110 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs QQ112a, QQ112b, QQ112c, and QQ112d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs QQ112) to the core network QQ106 over one or more wireless connections.

[0166] 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 QQ100 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 QQ100 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0167] The UEs QQ112 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 QQ110 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes QQ110 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs QQ112 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network QQ102 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 QQ102.

[0168] In the depicted example, the core network QQ106 connects the network nodes QQ110 to one or more host computing systems, such as host QQ116. 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 QQ106 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node QQ108) 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 QQ108. 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 (ALISF), 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).

[0169] The host QQ116 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network QQ104 and / or the telecommunication network QQ102. The host QQ116 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.

[0170] As a whole, the communication system QQ100 of 9 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, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0171] In some examples, the telecommunication network QQ102 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network QQ102 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network QQ102. For example, the telecommunications network QQ102 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 services to yet further UEs.

[0172] In some examples, the UEs QQ112 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 QQ104 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network QQ104. 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).

[0173] In the example, the hub QQ114 communicates with the access network QQ104 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE QQ112c and / or QQ112d) and network nodes (e.g., network node QQ110b). In some examples, the hub QQ114 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub QQ114 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network QQ106 for the UEs. As another example, the hub QQ114 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 QQ110, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub QQ114. As another example, the hub QQ114 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 QQ114 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR device, display, loudspeaker, or other media delivery device, the hub QQ114 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub QQ114 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub QQ114 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0174] The hub QQ114 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node QQ110b. The hub QQ114 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub QQ114 and UEs (e.g., UE QQ112c and / or QQ112d), and between the hub QQ114 and the core network QQ106. In other examples, the hub QQ114 is connected to the core network QQ106 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub QQ114 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network QQ104 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes QQ110 while still connected via the hub QQ114 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub QQ114 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 QQ110b. In other embodiments, the hub QQ114 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node QQ110b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0175] Figure 8 shows a UE QQ200 in accordance with some embodiments. The UE QQ200 presents additional details of some embodiments of the UE QQ112 of Figure 7. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes such as e.g. the network node 130 and the radio network node 110 and / or other UEs such as e.g., the UE 120. 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 / playback device, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop- embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), an Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR) device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle, 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-loT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE. A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP 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, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0176] The UE QQ200 includes processing circuitry QQ202 that is operatively coupled via a bus QQ204 to an input / output interface QQ206, a power source QQ208, a memory QQ210, a communication interface QQ212, 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.

[0177] The processing circuitry QQ202 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 QQ210. The processing circuitry QQ202 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 QQ202 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0178] In the example, the input / output interface QQ206 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 QQ200. 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.

[0179] In some embodiments, the power source QQ208 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 QQ208 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source QQ208 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE QQ200 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source QQ208. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source QQ208 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE QQ200 to which power is supplied.

[0180] The memory QQ210 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 read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory QQ210 includes one or more application programs QQ214, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data QQ216. The memory QQ210 may store, for use by the UE QQ200, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0181] The memory QQ210 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 IIICC may for example be an embedded IIICC (elllCC), integrated IIICC (illlCC) or a removable IIICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory QQ210 may allow the UE QQ200 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 QQ210, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0182] The processing circuitry QQ202 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface QQ212. The communication interface QQ212 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna QQ222. The communication interface QQ212 may include one or 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 QQ218 and / or a receiver QQ220 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter QQ218 and receiver QQ220 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna QQ222) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0183] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface QQ212 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.

[0184] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface QQ212, 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).

[0185] 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.

[0186] 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, city wearable 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 smartwatch, a fitness tracker, 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 QQ200 shown in Figure 8.

[0187] 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 transmits 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 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-loT 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. 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.

[0188] Figure 9 shows a network node QQ300 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, in a 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)), O- RAN nodes or components of an O-RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O-DU, O-CU).

[0189] 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, distributed units (e.g., in an O-RAN access node) 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).

[0190] 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- cel l / 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). The network node QQ300 includes a processing circuitry QQ302, a memory QQ304, a communication interface QQ306, and a power source QQ308. The network node QQ300 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 QQ300 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 QQ300 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory QQ304 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna QQ310 may be shared by different RATs). The network node QQ300 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node QQ300, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node QQ300.

[0191] The processing circuitry QQ302 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 QQ300 components, such as the memory QQ304, to provide network node QQ300 functionality.

[0192] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry QQ312 and baseband processing circuitry QQ314. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry QQ312 and the baseband processing circuitry QQ314 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 QQ312 and baseband processing circuitry QQ314 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units. The memory QQ304 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 QQ302. The memory QQ304 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 QQ302 and utilized by the network node QQ300. The memory QQ304 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry QQ302 and / or any data received via the communication interface QQ306. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 and memory QQ304 is integrated.

[0193] The communication interface QQ306 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 QQ306 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) QQ316 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface QQ306 also includes radio front-end circuitry QQ318 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna QQ310. Radio front-end circuitry QQ318 comprises filters QQ320 and amplifiers QQ322. The radio front-end circuitry QQ318 may be connected to an antenna QQ310 and processing circuitry QQ302. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna QQ310 and processing circuitry QQ302. The radio front-end circuitry QQ318 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 QQ318 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters QQ320 and / or amplifiers QQ322. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna QQ310. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna QQ310 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry QQ318. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry QQ302. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components. In certain alternative embodiments, the network node QQ300 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry QQ318, instead, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna QQ310. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry QQ312 is part of the communication interface QQ306. In still other embodiments, the communication interface QQ306 includes one or more ports or terminals QQ316, the radio front-end circuitry QQ318, and the RF transceiver circuitry QQ312, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface QQ306 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry QQ314, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0194] The antenna QQ310 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna QQ310 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry QQ318 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna QQ310 is separate from the network node QQ300 and connectable to the network node QQ300 through an interface or port.

[0195] The antenna QQ310, communication interface QQ306, and / or the processing circuitry QQ302 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 QQ310, the communication interface QQ306, and / or the processing circuitry QQ302 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.

[0196] The power source QQ308 provides power to the various components of network node QQ300 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source QQ308 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node QQ300 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node QQ300 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 QQ308. As a further example, the power source QQ308 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.

[0197] Embodiments of the network node QQ300 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 7 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 QQ300 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node QQ300 and to allow output of information from the network node QQ300. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node QQ300. In some embodiments providing a core network node, such as core network node QQ108 of FIG. QQ1, some components, such as the radio front-end circuitry QQ318 and the RF transceiver circuitry QQ312 may be omitted.

[0198] Figure 10 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment QQ400 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 QQ400 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. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment QQ400 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface. Virtualization may facilitate distributed implementations of a network node, UE, core network node, or host.

[0199] Applications QQ402 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein. Hardware QQ404 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 QQ406 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs QQ408a and QQ408b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs QQ408), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer QQ406 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs QQ408.

[0200] The VMs QQ408 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer QQ406. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance QQ402 may be implemented on one or more of VMs QQ408, 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.

[0201] In the context of NFV, a VM QQ408 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 QQ408, and that part of hardware QQ404 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 QQ408 on top of the hardware QQ404 and corresponds to the application QQ402.

[0202] Hardware QQ404 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware QQ404 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware QQ404 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 QQ410, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications QQ402. In some embodiments, hardware QQ404 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 QQ412 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0203] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes) 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 circuitry and 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.

[0204] 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.

[0205] When using the word "comprise" or “comprising” it shall be interpreted as non- limiting, i.e. meaning "consist at least of".

[0206] The embodiments herein are not limited to the preferred embodiments described above. Various alternatives, modifications and equivalents may be used.

Claims

1. CLAIMS1 . A method performed by a network node (130) for configuring a radio network node (110) in a wireless communications network (100), the method comprising: obtaining (301) information, which information relates to expected cell conditions of one or more cells nearby the radio network node (110), which information is based on an analysis of a landscape visible in a photograph, photo, and which landscape is surrounding the radio network node (110), based on the information, selecting (302) configuration parameters for operating the radio network node (110), and configuring (303) the radio network node (110) with the selected configuration parameters.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the obtaining (301) of the information is obtained by any one out of:- obtaining the photo, extracting visible details of the landscape from the photo, and analysing the visible details of the landscape, or- receiving the information from a second network node (140).

3. The method according to any of the claims 1-2, wherein the analysis of the landscape is based on visible details of the landscape extracted from the photo, which visible details comprise any one or more out of:- Directional information of a horizon,- Fraction of one or more roads,- Direction of one or more roads,- Heights of one or more buildings,- Materials of one or more buildings,- Environmental aspects comprising anyone or more out of: Vegetation, forest, rivers, and lakes.- Indoor surroundings, when the radio network node (110) is located indoor,- Shape and material of closely located objects.

4. The method according to any of the claims 1-3, wherein the analysis of the landscape visible in the photo to achieve the information related to the expected cell conditions, is performed by using an Artificial Intelligence, Al, algorithm.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the achieved information related to the expected cell conditions, is updated based on information obtained from operational logs of the radio network node (110).

6. The method according to any of claims 1-5, wherein any one or more out of: the radio network node (110) is using a Multiple Input Multiple Output, MIMO antenna system, and the selected configuration parameters are related to MIMO.

7. The method according to any of the claims 1-6, wherein the configuration parameters are to be used in any one or more out of:- an algorithm that derives Downlink, DL, MIMO transmission wights, and / or- algorithms for selecting between different precoding algorithms, and / or- an algorithm that derives Uplink, UL, MIMO reception wights, and / or- an algorithm that analyses and / or processes received data, and / or- an algorithm that generates User Equipment, UE, configuration data.

8. The method according to any of claims 1-7, wherein the photo comprises any one or more out of a video and a still image.

9. A computer program (630) comprising instructions, which when executed by a processor (610), causes the processor (610) to perform actions according to any of the claims 1-8.

10. A carrier (640) comprising the computer program (630) of claim 9, wherein the carrier (640) is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, an electromagnetic signal, a magnetic signal, an electric signal, a radio signal, a microwave signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.

11. A network node (130) adapted to configure a radio network node (110) in a wireless communications network (100), the network node (130) is further configured to: obtain information, which information is adapted to relate to expected cell conditions of one or more cells nearby the radio network node (110), which information is adapted to be based on an analysis of a landscape visible in a photograph, photo, and which landscape is to be surrounding the radio network node (110), based on the information, select configuration parameters for operating the radio network node (110), and configure the radio network node (110) with the selected configuration parameters.

12. The network node (130) according to claim 11 , further being configured to obtain the information by anyone out of:- obtain the photo, extract visible details of the landscape from the photo, and analyse the visible details of the landscape, or- receive the information from a second network node (140).

13. The network node (130) according to any of the claims 11-12, wherein the analysis of the landscape is adapted to be based on visible details of the landscape extracted from the photo, which visible details are adapted to comprise any one or more out of:- Directional information of a horizon,- Fraction of one or more roads,- Direction of one or more roads,- Heights of one or more buildings,- Materials of one or more buildings,- Environmental aspects comprising anyone or more out of: Vegetation, forest, rivers, and lakes.- Indoor surroundings, when the radio network node (110) is located indoor,- Shape and material of closely located objects.

14. The network node (130) according to any of the claims 11-13, wherein the analysis of the landscape visible in the photo to achieve the information related to theexpected cell conditions, is adapted to be performed by the use of an Artificial Intelligence, Al, algorithm.

15. The network node (130) according to claim 14, wherein the achieve information related to the expected cell conditions, is adapted to be updated based on information obtained from operational logs of the radio network node (110).

16. The network node (130) according to any of claims 11-15, wherein any one or more out of: the radio network node (110) is configured to use a Multiple Input Multiple Output, MIMO, antenna system, and the selected configuration parameters are adapted to relate to MIMO.

17. The network node (130) according to any of the claims 11-16, wherein the configuration parameters are adapted to be used in any one or more out of:- an algorithm that derives Downlink, DL, MIMO transmission wights, and / or- algorithms for selecting between different precoding algorithms, and / or- an algorithm that derives Uplink, UL, MIMO reception wights, and / or- an algorithm that analyses and / or processes received data, and / or- an algorithm that generates User Equipment, UE, configuration data.

18. The network node (130) according to any of claims 11-17, wherein the photo is adapted to comprise any one or more out of a video and a still image.

Images