Optical signal control device, optical signal control system, and optical signal control method

Abstract

This optical signal control device is connected to a radio control device that, in an open radio access network, controls the radio access network. This optical signal control device comprises an optical signal control unit that, in coordination with the radio control device, performs communication control of at least one optical signal forwarding device that is provided to at least one among the fronthaul, the midhaul, and the backhaul of the open radio access network, so as to increase the network quality of the open radio access network.

Description

Optical Signal Control Device, Optical Signal Control System, and Optical Signal Control Method

[0001] The present invention relates to an optical signal control device, an optical signal control system, and an optical signal control method.

[0002] Conventionally, as techniques for signal transfer, Non-Patent Documents 1 to 5 and the like are known. In a conventional signal transfer system, a configuration as shown in FIG. 6 is used. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, a conventional signal transfer system 90 includes a CN (Core Network) 70, a packet transfer device 71, a CU (Central Unit) 72, a packet transfer device 73, a DU (Distributed Unit) 74, a packet transfer device 75, a RU (Radio Unit) 76, a UE (User Equipment) 77, and a RIC (RAN (Radio Access Network) Intelligent Controller) 80.

[0003] In FIG. 6, the CN 70 is a network to which a device that communicates with the UE 77 is connected via the packet transfer device 71, the CU 72, the packet transfer device 73, the DU 74, the packet transfer device 75, and the RU 76. The packet transfer device 71 is disposed in a backhaul, which is an interval between the CN 70 and the CU 72, and is a device that transmits an electrical signal between the CN 70 and the CU 72.

[0004] The CU 72 is a device that processes signals exchanged between the CN 70 and the UE 77 as part of a base station device. The packet transfer device 73 is disposed in a midhaul, which is an interval between the CU 72 and the DU 74, and is a device that transmits an electrical signal between the CU 72 and the DU 74. The DU 74 is a device that processes signals exchanged between the CN 70 and the UE 77 as part of a base station device.

[0005] The packet transfer device 75 is disposed in a fronthaul, which is an interval between the DU 74 and the RU 76, and is a device that transmits an electrical signal between the DU 74 and the RU 76. The UE 77 is a device such as a mobile terminal used by a user, and communicates with other devices connected to the CN 70. The RIC 80 is a device that controls the CU 72, the DU 74, and the RU 76 so that appropriate communication can be performed between the CN 70 and the UE 77.

[0006] “O-RAN Architecture Description 12.0,” O-RAN Alliance, 2024. “O-RAN Xhaul Transport Requirements 1.0,” O-RAN Alliance, 2024. “Open All-Photonic Network Functional Architecture,” IOWN Global Forum, 2023. “A Description of the Open ROADM Service Model,” Open ROADM MSA, 2024. “MUST Optical SDN Controller NBI Technical Requirements Document,” TELECOM INFRA PROJECT, 2024.

[0007] In the conventional signal transmission system 90, a packet network composed of switches and routers is applied to the X-haul (Non-Patent Literature 2) of the Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) (Non-Patent Literature 1), namely the fronthaul section between DU74 and RU76, the midhaul section between CU72 and DU74, and the backhaul section between CN70 and CU72. As a result, in the conventional signal transmission system 90, delays and jitter increase due to traffic congestion in switches and routers, and power consumption increases due to the electrical processing involved in signal transmission.

[0008] The present invention aims to provide a technology that enables reliable signal transfer with low delay, jitter, and power consumption.

[0009] One aspect of the present invention is an optical signal control device connected to a radio control device that controls a radio access network in an open radio access network, the optical signal control device comprising an optical signal control unit that, in conjunction with the radio control device, controls the communication of at least one optical signal transmission device provided in at least one of the fronthaul, midhaul, and backhaul of the open radio access network, in order to improve the network quality of the open radio access network.

[0010] Another aspect of the present invention is an optical signal control system comprising a wireless control device for controlling a wireless access network in an open wireless access network, and an optical signal control device connected to the wireless control device, wherein the optical signal control device includes an optical signal control unit that, in conjunction with the wireless control device, controls the communication of at least one optical signal transmission device provided in at least one of the fronthaul, midhaul, and backhaul of the open wireless access network, in order to improve the network quality of the open wireless access network.

[0011] Furthermore, yet another aspect of the present invention is an optical signal control method used in an optical signal control device connected to a radio control device that controls a radio access network in an open radio access network, wherein the optical signal control method, in conjunction with the radio control device, controls the communication of at least one optical signal transmission device provided in at least one of the fronthaul, midhaul, and backhaul of the open radio access network, in order to improve the network quality of the open radio access network.

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to perform highly reliable signal transfer with low delay, jitter, and power consumption.

[0013] This is a schematic diagram of an optical signal control system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a schematic diagram of an optical signal control system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. This is a schematic diagram of an optical signal control system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. This is a schematic diagram of an optical signal control system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. This is a schematic diagram of an optical signal control system according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. This is a schematic diagram of a conventional signal transfer system.

[0014] Hereinafter, several embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0015] [First Embodiment] First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an optical signal control system 100-1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The optical signal control system 100-1 comprises a CN 10, an APN (All-Photonic Network) device 11, a CU 12, an APN device 13, a DU 14, an APN device 15, a RU 16, a UE 17, an APN control device 20-1 (also referred to as an optical signal control device), and a wireless control device 30-1. The CN 10 is connected to the APN device 11. The CN 10 is a network to which devices that communicate with the UE 17 are connected via the APN device 11, CU 12, APN device 13, DU 14, APN device 15, and RU 16.

[0016] The APN device 11 is connected to the CN 10 and CU 12. In other words, the APN device 11 is installed in the backhaul, which is the section between the CN 10 and CU 12. The APN device 11 is composed of components such as APN-G (APN Gateway), APN-I (APN Interchange), APN-T (APN Transceiver), APN-FX ​​(APN Fiber Cross-connect) in Open APN Architecture (Non-Patent Literature 3), or ROADM (Reconfigurable Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer) and transponders in OLS (Optical Line System) (Non-Patent Literature 4, 5).

[0017] CU12 is connected to APN device 11 and APN device 13. CU12 is composed of an O-RAN CU (O-CU) in O-RAN (Non-Patent Literature 1). APN device 13 is connected to CU12 and DU14. In other words, APN device 13 is installed in the mid-hall, which is the section between CU12 and DU14. APN device 13 is a device with the same configuration as APN device 11.

[0018] DU14 is connected to APN device 13 and APN device 15. DU14 is an O-RAN DU (O-DU) in O-RAN (Non-Patent Literature 1). APN device 15 is connected to DU14 and RU16. In other words, APN device 15 is installed in the front hall, which is the section between DU14 and RU16. APN device 15 is a device with the same configuration as APN device 11.

[0019] RU16 is connected to the APN device 15 and UE17. RU16 is an O-RAN RU (O-RU) in O-RAN (Non-Patent Literature 1). UE17 is connected to RU16. UE17 is a device such as a mobile terminal used by the user and communicates with other devices connected to CN10.

[0020] The APN control device 20-1 is an APN-C (APN controller). The APN control device 20-1 is connected to a wireless control device 30-1 that controls the wireless access network in O-RAN. The APN control device 20-1 is composed of, for example, an APN-C in Open APN Architecture, a ROADM Network Controller in Open ROADM (Reconfigurable Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer) MSA (Non-Patent Literature 4), or an Optical SDN (Software Defined Network) Domain Controller in TIP (TELECOM INFRA PROJECT) (Non-Patent Literature 5).

[0021] The APN control device 20-1 includes an APN acquisition unit 21-1 (also referred to as an optical quality information acquisition unit), an APN analysis unit 22-1 (also referred to as an optical quality information analysis unit), and an APN control unit 23-1 (also referred to as an optical signal control unit).

[0022] The APN collection unit 21-1 collects first optical quality information related to the first optical transfer path used by the APN device 11 from the APN device 11. The APN collection unit 21-1 also collects second optical quality information related to the second optical transfer path used by the APN device 13 from the APN device 13. The APN collection unit 21-1 also collects third optical quality information related to the third optical transfer path used by the APN device 15 from the APN device 15.

[0023] The first optical quality information is, for example, information regarding the received power of an optical transceiver connected to the APN device 11. The second optical quality information is, for example, information regarding the received power of an optical transceiver connected to the APN device 13. The third optical quality information is, for example, information regarding the received power of an optical transceiver connected to the APN device 15.

[0024] The APN analysis unit 22-1 determines whether or not to change the routing of the APN devices 11, 13, and 15 based on at least one of the first to third optical quality information obtained from the APN collection unit 21-1, and outputs a control instruction including the determination result to the APN control unit 23-1. For example, if the quality of at least one of the first route (backhaul route), second route (midhaul route), and third route (fronthaul route) indicated by the first to third optical quality information is lower than a predetermined quality, the APN analysis unit 22-1 generates a determination result indicating that the route with the lower quality needs to be changed to another route.

[0025] Furthermore, the APN analysis unit 22-1 may determine whether or not to change the routing of the APN devices 11, 13, and 15 based on at least one of the first to third optical quality information obtained from the APN collection unit 21-1, as well as at least one of the first to third wireless quality information received from the wireless control device 30-1, and output a control instruction including the determination result to the APN control unit 23-1. For example, if the quality of at least one of the first route (backhaul route), second route (midhaul route), and third route (fronthaul route) indicated by the first to third optical quality information is lower than a predetermined quality, the APN analysis unit 22-1 generates a determination result indicating that the low-quality route needs to be changed to another route. Also, if the quality of at least one of the first to third wireless quality information is lower than a predetermined quality, the APN analysis unit 22-1 generates a determination result indicating that the low-quality CU12, DU14, and RU16 need to be switched to the high-quality CU12, DU14, and RU16.

[0026] The APN control unit 23-1, in conjunction with the radio control device 30-1, controls the communication of at least one APN device 11, 13, 15 located in at least one of the fronthaul, midhaul, and backhaul of the O-RAN in order to improve the network quality of the O-RAN. Based on control instructions obtained from the APN analysis unit 22-1, the APN control unit 23-1 transmits route change control instructions to the APN devices 11, 13, 15. Alternatively, the APN control unit 23-1 may transmit route change control instructions to the APN devices 11, 13, 15 based on control instructions received from the radio control device 30-1 instead of the APN analysis unit 22-1. In this case, the APN control device 20-1 may receive the control instructions transmitted from the radio control device 30-1 via a higher-level control device, such as an orchestrator.

[0027] The wireless control device 30-1 according to the first embodiment is a Non-RT RIC (Non-Real Time RIC), which is a type of RIC (RAN Intelligent Controller). The wireless control device 30-1, which processes wireless signals, is connected to the APN control device 20-1, which processes optical signals, by an optical wireless interoperation interface. The wireless control device 30-1 includes a RAN collection unit 31-1, a RAN analysis unit 32-1, and a RAN control unit 33-1.

[0028] The RAN collection unit 31-1 collects first radio quality information from the CU 12. The RAN collection unit 31-1 also collects second radio quality information from the DU 14. The RAN collection unit 31-1 also collects third radio quality information from the RU 16.

[0029] The first to third wireless quality information includes information such as the throughput and received signal strength of UE17, or the wireless bandwidth utilization rate and number of UE connections of RU16. The first to third optical quality information collected by the APN collection unit 21-1 and the first to third wireless quality information collected by the RAN collection unit 31-1 may be aggregated and stored in either the APN control device 20-1 or the wireless control device 30-1. Alternatively, the collection of the first to third optical quality information and the first to third wireless quality information may be performed by only one of the APN control device 20-1 or the wireless control device 30-1.

[0030] The RAN analysis unit 32-1 determines whether or not to change the connection of CU12, DU14, and RU16 based on at least one of the first to third wireless quality information acquired from the RAN collection unit 31-1, and outputs a control instruction including the determination result to the RAN control unit 33-1. For example, if the quality of at least one of the first to third wireless quality information is lower than a predetermined quality, the RAN analysis unit 32-1 generates a determination result indicating that it is necessary to switch the CU12, DU14, and RU16 with lower quality to the CU12, DU14, and RU16 with better quality.

[0031] Furthermore, the RAN analysis unit 32-1 may determine whether or not to change the connection of CU12, DU14, and RU16 based on at least one of the first to third wireless quality information acquired from the RAN collection unit 31-1, as well as at least one of the first to third optical quality information received from the APN control device 20-1, and transmit a control instruction including the determination result to the APN control unit 23-1. For example, if the quality of at least one of the first to third wireless quality information is lower than a predetermined quality, the RAN analysis unit 32-1 may generate a determination result indicating that it is necessary to switch the lower quality CU12, DU14, and RU16 to the higher quality CU12, DU14, and RU16. In addition, if the quality of at least one of the first path (backhaul path), second path (midhaul path), and third path (fronthaul path) indicated by the first to third optical quality information is lower than a predetermined quality, the RAN analysis unit 32-1 may generate a determination result indicating that it is necessary to change the lower quality path to another path.

[0032] The RAN control unit 33-1 transmits control instructions for connection changes to CU12, DU14, and RU16 based on control instructions obtained from the RAN analysis unit 32-1. Alternatively, the RAN control unit 33-1 may transmit control instructions for connection changes to CU12, DU14, and RU16 based on control instructions received from the APN control device 20-1, rather than from the RAN analysis unit 32-1. In this case, the wireless control device 30-1 may receive the control instructions transmitted from the APN control device 20-1 via a higher-level control device, such as an orchestrator.

[0033] The control instructions for route changes transmitted to the APN devices 11, 13, and 15 are, for example, instructions related to changing the signal output port or changing the wavelength path. The control instructions for connection changes transmitted to the CU 12, DU 14, and RU 16 are, for example, instructions related to handing over the UE 17 or changing the destination CU 12 and DU 14.

[0034] In the first embodiment, APN (All-Photonic Network) (Non-Patent Literature 3) is applied to the fronthaul, midhaul, and backhaul of the O-RAN, eliminating switches and routers that perform packet processing in signal transmission in the O-RAN, and performing only optical transmission by APN devices 11, 13, and 15. While the application of APN can achieve low latency, low jitter, and low power consumption in the RAN, the fact that APN devices 11, 13, and 15 no longer perform packet processing makes it difficult to perform autonomous distributed route changes, which may reduce the flexibility of route changes and the reliability of rapid fault recovery. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the APN control device 20-1 and the wireless control device 30-1 are linked by an optical-wireless interoperation interface, and APN route changes are performed in conjunction with connection changes in the RAN. As a result, in the first embodiment, it is possible to achieve a RAN with lower latency, lower jitter, and lower power consumption than conventional methods, while maintaining the flexibility of route changes and the reliability of fault recovery that could be achieved in conventional packet networks.

[0035] [Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the optical signal control system 100-2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment, the same parts as in the first embodiment will not be described.

[0036] The optical signal control system 100-2 comprises a CN 10, an APN device 11, a CU 12, an APN device 13, a DU 14, an APN device 15, a RU 16, a UE 17, an APN control device 20-2 (also referred to as an optical signal control device), a wireless control device 30-2, and an orchestrator 40-2.

[0037] The APN control device 20-2 is an APN-C. The APN control device 20-2 is connected to the radio control device 30-2 and the orchestrator 40-2 that control the radio access network in O-RAN. The APN control device 20-2 is composed of, for example, an APN-C in Open APN Architecture, a ROADM Network Controller in Open ROADM (Reconfigurable Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer) MSA (Non-Patent Literature 4), or an Optical SDN (Software Defined Network) Domain Controller in TIP (TELECOM INFRA PROJECT) (Non-Patent Literature 5).

[0038] The APN control device 20-2 includes an APN acquisition unit 21-2 (also referred to as an optical quality information acquisition unit) and an APN control unit 23-2 (also referred to as an optical signal control unit). The APN control device according to the second embodiment differs from the APN control device according to the first embodiment in that it does not have an APN analysis unit.

[0039] The APN collection unit 21-2 collects first optical quality information relating to the first optical transfer path used by the APN device 11 from the APN device 11 and transmits it to the E2E (End-to-End) collection unit 41-2 of the orchestrator 40-2. The APN collection unit 21-1 also collects second optical quality information relating to the second optical transfer path used by the APN device 13 from the APN device 13 and transmits it to the E2E collection unit 41-2 of the orchestrator 40-2. The APN collection unit 21-1 also collects third optical quality information relating to the third optical transfer path used by the APN device 15 from the APN device 15 and transmits it to the E2E collection unit 41-2 of the orchestrator 40-2.

[0040] The APN control unit 23-2, in conjunction with the radio control device 30-2 and at least one of the orchestrator 40-2, controls the communication of at least one APN device 11, 13, 15 located in at least one of the fronthaul, midhaul, and backhaul of the O-RAN in order to improve the network quality of the O-RAN. Based on control instructions received from the E2E control unit 43-2 of the orchestrator 40-2, the APN control unit 23-2 transmits route change control instructions to the APN devices 11, 13, 15.

[0041] The wireless control device 30-2 according to the second embodiment is a Non-RT RIC (Non-Real Time RIC), which is a type of RIC. The wireless control device 30-2, which processes wireless signals, is connected to the APN control device 20-2, which processes optical signals, by an optical wireless interoperation interface.

[0042] The wireless control device 30-2 includes a RAN collection unit 31-2 and a RAN control unit 33-2. Unlike the wireless control device according to the first embodiment, the wireless control device according to the second embodiment does not have a RAN analysis unit. The RAN collection unit 31-2 collects first wireless quality information from the CU 12 and transmits it to the E2E collection unit 41-2 of the orchestrator 40-2. The RAN collection unit 31-2 also collects second wireless quality information from the DU 14 and transmits it to the E2E collection unit 41-2 of the orchestrator 40-2. The RAN collection unit 31-2 also collects third wireless quality information from the RU 16 and transmits it to the E2E collection unit 41-2 of the orchestrator 40-2.

[0043] Based on the control instructions received from the E2E control unit 42-2 of the orchestrator 40-2, the RAN control unit 33-2 transmits control instructions for changing the connection to CU12, DU14, and RU16.

[0044] The orchestrator 40-2 includes an E2E collection unit 41-2, an E2E analysis unit 42-2, and an E2E control unit 43-2. The E2E collection unit 41-2 receives the first to third optical quality information collected by the APN collection unit 21-2 of the APN control device 20-2. Also, the E2E collection unit 41-2 receives the first to third radio quality information collected by the RAN collection unit 31-2 of the radio control device 30-2.

[0045] The E2E analysis unit 42-2 determines whether to change the paths of the APN devices 11, 13, and 15 based on at least one of the first to third optical quality information acquired from the E2E collection unit 41-2, and generates a control instruction including the determination result. For example, when the quality of at least any one of the first to third optical quality information indicating the first path (backhaul path), the second path (midhaul path), and the third path (fronthaul path) is lower than a predetermined quality, the E2E analysis unit 42-2 generates a determination result that it is necessary to change the path with low quality to another path.

[0046] Also, the E2E analysis unit 42-2 determines whether to change the connections of the CU 12, DU 14, and RU 16 based on at least one of the first to third radio quality information acquired from the RAN collection unit 31-2, and generates a control instruction including the determination result. For example, when the quality of at least any one of the first to third radio quality information is lower than a predetermined quality, the E2E analysis unit 42-2 generates a determination result that it is necessary to switch the CU 12, DU 14, and RU 16 with low quality to the CU 12, DU 14, and RU 16 with good quality.

[0047] The E2E control unit 43-2 transmits, to the APN control unit 23-2 of the APN control device 20-2, a control instruction acquired from the E2E analysis unit 42-2 and related to the path change of the APN devices 11, 13, and 15. Also, the E2E control unit 43-2 transmits, to the RAN control unit 33-2 of the radio control device 30-2, a control instruction acquired from the E2E analysis unit 42-2 and related to the connection change of the CU 12, DU 14, and RU 16.

[0048] According to the second embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, while maintaining the flexibility of route change and the reliability of fault recovery that could be achieved in a conventional packet network, a RAN with lower latency, lower jitter, and lower power consumption than before can be realized. Also, in the second embodiment, different from the first embodiment, since the APN control device 20-2 does not include an APN analysis unit, the configuration of the APN control device 20-2 can be simplified.

[0049] [Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of an optical signal control system 100-3 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the third embodiment, descriptions of parts similar to those in the first embodiment are omitted.

[0050] The optical signal control system 100-3 includes a CN10, an APN device 11, a CU12, an APN device 13, a DU14, an APN device 15, a RU16, a UE17, an APN control device 20-3 (also referred to as an optical signal control device), and a radio control device 50-3. The APN control device 20-3 is connected to a radio control device 50-3 that controls a radio access network in an O-RAN. The APN control device 20-3 includes an APN collection unit 21-3 (also referred to as an optical quality information collection unit), an APN analysis unit 22-3 (also referred to as an optical quality information analysis unit), and an APN control unit 23-3 (also referred to as an optical signal control unit).

[0051] The APN collection unit 21-3 collects first optical quality information regarding a first optical transfer path used by the APN device 11 from the APN device 11. Also, the APN collection unit 21-3 collects second optical quality information regarding a second optical transfer path used by the APN device 13 from the APN device 13. Also, the APN collection unit 21-3 collects third optical quality information regarding a third optical transfer path used by the APN device 15 from the APN device

[0052] The APN analysis unit 22-3 determines whether or not to change the routing of the APN devices 11, 13, and 15 based on the first to third optical quality information acquired from the APN acquisition unit 21-3, and outputs a control instruction including the determination result to the APN control unit 23-3. For example, if the quality of at least one of the first route (backhaul route), second route (midhaul route), and third route (fronthaul route) indicated by the first to third optical quality information is lower than a predetermined quality, the APN analysis unit 22-3 generates a determination result indicating that the route with the lower quality needs to be changed to another route.

[0053] Furthermore, the APN analysis unit 22-3 may determine whether or not to change the routing of the APN devices 11, 13, and 15 based on the first to third optical quality information acquired from the APN collection unit 21-3, as well as the first and second radio quality information received from the radio control device 50-1, and output a control instruction including the determination result to the APN control unit 23-3. For example, if the quality of at least one of the first route (backhaul route), second route (midhaul route), and third route (fronthaul route) indicated by the first to third optical quality information is lower than a predetermined quality, the APN analysis unit 22-3 generates a determination result indicating that the lower quality route needs to be changed to another route. Also, if the quality of at least one of the first and second radio quality information is lower than a predetermined quality, the APN analysis unit 22-3 generates a determination result indicating that the lower quality CU 12 and DU 14 need to be switched to a higher quality CU 12 and DU 14.

[0054] The APN control unit 23-3, in conjunction with the radio control device 50-3, controls the communication of at least one APN device 11, 13, 15 located in at least one of the fronthaul, midhaul, and backhaul of the O-RAN in order to improve the network quality of the O-RAN. Based on control instructions obtained from the APN analysis unit 22-3, the APN control unit 23-3 transmits route change control instructions to the APN devices 11, 13, 15. Alternatively, the APN control unit 23-3 may transmit route change control instructions to the APN devices 11, 13, 15 based on control instructions received from the radio control device 50-3 instead of the APN analysis unit 22-3.

[0055] The wireless control device 50-3 according to the third embodiment is a Near-RT RIC (Near Real Time RIC), which is a type of RIC (RAN Intelligent Controller). In the first embodiment, the case in which a Non-RT RIC is used as the wireless control device 30-1 was described, but the difference between a Non-RT RIC and a Near-RT RIC is the length of the series of control loops for acquisition, analysis, and control. In a Non-RT RIC, the control loop length is 1 second or more, whereas in a Near-RT RIC, the control loop length is 10 ms to 1 second (Non-Patent Literature 1).

[0056] The wireless control device 50-3, which processes wireless signals, is connected to the APN control device 20-3, which processes optical signals, via an optical wireless interoperation interface. The wireless control device 50-1 includes a RAN collection unit 51-3, a RAN analysis unit 52-3, and a RAN control unit 53-3.

[0057] The RAN collection unit 51-3 collects first radio quality information from the CU 12. The RAN collection unit 51-3 also collects second radio quality information from the DU 14. Note that the O-RAN's Near-RT RIC does not collect radio quality information from the RU 16 or control the RU 16. Therefore, in the third embodiment, only the CU 12 and DU 14 are connected to the RAN collection unit 51-3 and the RAN control unit 53-3 of the radio control device 50-3.

[0058] In the third embodiment, the first and second wireless quality information refers to information such as the throughput of the UE 17, the received signal strength, or the number of UE connections. The first to third optical quality information collected by the APN collection unit 21-3 and the first and second wireless quality information collected by the RAN collection unit 51-3 may be aggregated and stored in either the APN control device 20-3 or the wireless control device 50-3. Alternatively, the collection of the first to third optical quality information and the first and second wireless quality information may be performed by only one of the APN control device 20-3 or the wireless control device 50-3.

[0059] The RAN analysis unit 52-3 determines whether or not to change the connection of CU12, DU14, and RU16 based on the first and second wireless quality information acquired from the RAN collection unit 51-3, and transmits a control instruction including the determination result to the APN control unit 23-3. For example, if the quality of at least one of the first and second wireless quality information is lower than a predetermined quality, the RAN analysis unit 53-1 generates a determination result indicating that it is necessary to switch the CU12 and DU14 with lower quality to the CU12 and DU14 with better quality.

[0060] Furthermore, the RAN analysis unit 52-3 may determine whether or not to change the connection of CU12, DU14, and RU16 based on the first and second radio quality information acquired from the RAN collection unit 51-3, as well as the first to third optical quality information received from the APN control device 20-3, and transmit a control instruction including the determination result to the APN control unit 23-3. For example, if the quality of at least one of the first and second radio quality information is lower than a predetermined quality, the RAN analysis unit 52-3 may generate a determination result indicating that it is necessary to switch the lower quality CU12 and DU14 to the higher quality CU12 and DU14. Also, if the quality of at least one of the first path (backhaul path), second path (midhaul path), and third path (fronthaul path) indicated by the first to third optical quality information is lower than a predetermined quality, the RAN analysis unit 52-3 may generate a determination result indicating that it is necessary to change the lower quality path to another path.

[0061] The RAN control unit 53-3 transmits control instructions for connection changes to the CU 12 and DU 14 based on control instructions received from the RAN analysis unit 52-3. Alternatively, the RAN control unit 53-3 may transmit control instructions for connection changes to the CU 12 and DU 14 based on control instructions received from the APN control device 20-3, rather than from the RAN analysis unit 52-3.

[0062] According to the third embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, it is possible to achieve a RAN with lower latency, lower jitter, and lower power consumption than conventional methods while maintaining the flexibility of route changes and the reliability of fault recovery that could be achieved in conventional packet networks. Furthermore, unlike the first embodiment, the third embodiment does not collect wireless quality information from the RU 16 or perform connection change processing on the RU 16, thus simplifying the processing of the optical signal control system 100-3.

[0063] [Fourth Embodiment] Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the optical signal control system 100-4 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the fourth embodiment, the same parts as in the first embodiment will not be described.

[0064] The optical signal control system 100-4 comprises a CN 10, an APN device 11, a CU 12, an APN device 13, a DU 14, an APN device 15, a RU 16, a UE 17, an APN control device 20-4 (also referred to as an optical signal control device), an orchestrator 40-4, and a wireless control device 50-4.

[0065] The APN control device 20-4 is an APN-C. The APN control device 20-4 is connected to the radio control device 50-4 and the orchestrator 40-4 that control the radio access network in O-RAN. The APN control device 20-4 is composed of, for example, an APN-C in Open APN Architecture, a ROADM Network Controller in Open ROADM (Reconfigurable Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer) MSA (Non-Patent Literature 4), or an Optical SDN (Software Defined Network) Domain Controller in TIP (TELECOM INFRA PROJECT) (Non-Patent Literature 5).

[0066] The APN control device 20-4 includes an APN acquisition unit 21-4 (also referred to as an optical quality information acquisition unit) and an APN control unit 23-4 (also referred to as an optical signal control unit). Unlike the APN control device according to the third embodiment, the APN control device according to the fourth embodiment does not have an APN analysis unit.

[0067] The APN collection unit 21-4 collects first optical quality information relating to the first optical transfer path used by the APN device 11 from the APN device 11 and transmits it to the E2E collection unit 41-4 of the orchestrator 40-4. The APN collection unit 21-4 also collects second optical quality information relating to the second optical transfer path used by the APN device 13 from the APN device 13 and transmits it to the E2E collection unit 41-4 of the orchestrator 40-4. The APN collection unit 21-4 also collects third optical quality information relating to the third optical transfer path used by the APN device 15 from the APN device 15 and transmits it to the E2E collection unit 41-4 of the orchestrator 40-4.

[0068] The APN control unit 23-4, in conjunction with the radio control device 50-4 and at least one of the orchestrators 40-4, controls the communication of at least one APN device 11, 13, 15 located in at least one of the fronthaul, midhaul, and backhaul of the O-RAN in order to improve the network quality of the O-RAN. Based on control instructions received from the E2E control unit 43-4 of the orchestrator 40-4, the APN control unit 23-4 transmits route change control instructions to the APN devices 11, 13, 15.

[0069] The wireless control device 50-4 according to the fourth embodiment is a Near-RT RIC, which is a type of RIC. In the first embodiment, the case in which a Non-RT RIC is used as the wireless control device 30-1 was described, but the difference between a Non-RT RIC and a Near-RT RIC is the length of the series of control loops for acquisition, analysis, and control. In a Non-RT RIC, the control loop length is 1 second or more, whereas in a Near-RT RIC, the control loop length is 10 ms to 1 second (Non-Patent Literature 1). The wireless control device 50-4, which processes wireless signals, is connected to the APN control device 20-4, which processes optical signals, by an optical wireless interoperation interface.

[0070] The wireless control device 50-4 includes a RAN collection unit 51-4 and a RAN control unit 53-4. Unlike the wireless control device according to the third embodiment, the wireless control device according to the fourth embodiment does not have a RAN analysis unit.

[0071] The RAN collection unit 51-4 collects first wireless quality information from the CU 12 and transmits it to the E2E collection unit 41-4 of the orchestrator 40-4. The RAN collection unit 51-4 also collects second wireless quality information from the DU 14 and transmits it to the E2E collection unit 41-4 of the orchestrator 40-4. The RAN control unit 53-4 transmits control instructions for connection changes to the CU 12 and DU 14 based on the control instructions received from the E2E control unit 42-4 of the orchestrator 40-4.

[0072] The orchestrator 40-4 includes an E2E collection unit 41-4, an E2E analysis unit 42-4, and an E2E control unit 43-4. The E2E collection unit 41-4 receives first to third optical quality information collected by the APN collection unit 21-4 of the APN control device 20-4. The E2E collection unit 41-4 also receives first and second wireless quality information collected by the RAN collection unit 51-4 of the wireless control device 50-4.

[0073] The E2E analysis unit 42-4 determines whether or not to change the paths of the APN devices 11, 13, and 15 based on the first to third optical quality information obtained from the E2E collection unit 41-4, and generates a control instruction including the determination result. For example, if the quality of at least one of the first path (backhaul path), second path (midhaul path), and third path (fronthaul path) indicated by the first to third optical quality information is lower than a predetermined quality, the E2E analysis unit 42-4 generates a determination result indicating that the path with the lower quality needs to be changed to another path.

[0074] Furthermore, the E2E analysis unit 42-4 determines whether or not to change the connection of CU12 and DU14 based on the first and second wireless quality information obtained from the RAN collection unit 51-4, and generates a control instruction including the determination result. For example, if the quality of at least one of the first and second wireless quality information is lower than a predetermined quality, the E2E analysis unit 42-4 generates a determination result indicating that it is necessary to switch the CU12 and DU14 with lower quality to the CU12 and DU14 with better quality.

[0075] The E2E control unit 43-4 transmits control instructions obtained from the E2E analysis unit 42-4, specifically control instructions related to route changes for the APN devices 11, 13, and 15, to the APN control unit 23-4 of the APN control device 20-4. The E2E control unit 43-4 also transmits control instructions obtained from the E2E analysis unit 42-4, specifically control instructions related to connection changes for CU 12, DU 14, and RU 16, to the RAN control unit 53-4 of the wireless control device 50-4.

[0076] According to the fourth embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, it is possible to achieve a RAN with lower latency, lower jitter, and lower power consumption than conventional methods while maintaining the flexibility of route changes and the reliability of fault recovery that could be achieved in conventional packet networks. Furthermore, in the fourth embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the APN control device 50-4 does not have an APN analysis unit, so the configuration of the APN control device 50-4 can be simplified. Also, in the fourth embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, wireless quality information is not collected from the RU 16, and connection change processing is not performed on the RU 16, so the processing of the optical signal control system 100-4 can be simplified.

[0077] [Fifth Embodiment] Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the optical signal control system 100-5 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. In the fifth embodiment, the same parts as in the first embodiment will not be described.

[0078] The optical signal control system 100-5 comprises a CN 10, an APN device 11, a CU 12, an APN device 13, a DU 14, an APN device 15, a RU 16, a UE 17, and a network controller 60-5 (also referred to as an optical signal control device). The network controller 60-5 is a device that has the functions of both the APN control device 20-1 and the wireless control device 30-1 of the first embodiment.

[0079] The network controller 60-5 includes an APN collection unit 61-5 (also referred to as an optical quality information collection unit), an APN control unit 62-5 (also referred to as an optical signal control unit), an analysis unit 63-5 (also referred to as an optical quality information analysis unit), a RAN collection unit 64-5, and a RAN control unit 65-5. The APN collection unit 61-5 collects first optical quality information relating to the first optical transfer path used by the APN device 11 from the APN device 11. The APN collection unit 61-5 also collects second optical quality information relating to the second optical transfer path used by the APN device 13 from the APN device 13. The APN collection unit 61-5 also collects third optical quality information relating to the third optical transfer path used by the APN device 15 from the APN device 15.

[0080] The analysis unit 63-5 determines whether or not to change the routing of the APN devices 11, 13, and 15 based on the first to third optical quality information acquired from the APN collection unit 61-5, and outputs a control instruction including the determination result to the APN control unit 62-5. For example, if the quality of at least one of the first route (backhaul route), second route (midhaul route), and third route (fronthaul route) indicated by the first to third optical quality information is lower than a predetermined quality, the analysis unit 63-5 generates a determination result indicating that the route with the lower quality needs to be changed to another route.

[0081] Furthermore, the analysis unit 63-5 determines whether or not to change the connection of CU12, DU14, and RU16 based on the first to third wireless quality information acquired from the RAN collection unit 64-5, and outputs a control instruction including the determination result to the RAN control unit 65-5. For example, if the quality of at least one of the first to third wireless quality information is lower than a predetermined quality, the analysis unit 63-5 generates a determination result indicating that it is necessary to switch the CU12, DU14, and RU16 with lower quality to the CU12, DU14, and RU16 with better quality.

[0082] The APN control unit 62-5 is connected to the RAN control unit 65-5, which controls the wireless access network in the O-RAN, within the network controller 60-5. The APN control unit 62-5 works in conjunction with the RAN control unit 65-5 to control the communication of at least one APN device 11, 13, 15, which is provided in at least one of the fronthaul, midhaul, and backhaul of the O-RAN, in order to improve the network quality of the O-RAN. Based on control instructions obtained from the analysis unit 63-5, the APN control unit 62-5 transmits route change control instructions to the APN devices 11, 13, 15. The RAN collection unit 64-5 collects first wireless quality information from the CU 12. The RAN collection unit 64-5 also collects second wireless quality information from the DU 14. The RAN collection unit 64-5 also collects third wireless quality information from the RU 16. The RAN control unit 65-5 transmits control instructions for changing connections to CU12, DU14, and RU16 based on the control instructions received from the analysis unit 63-5.

[0083] According to the fifth embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, it is possible to achieve a RAN with lower latency, lower jitter, and lower power consumption than conventional methods while maintaining the flexibility of route changes and the reliability of fault recovery that could be achieved in conventional packet networks. Furthermore, unlike the first embodiment, in the fifth embodiment, it is not necessary to provide the APN control device and the wireless control device separately, and it is not necessary to provide an optical wireless cooperation interface to connect the APN control device and the wireless control device, thus simplifying the configuration of the optical signal control system 100-5.

[0084] In the optical signal control systems 100-1 to 100-5 according to the first to fifth embodiments described above, the case in which one CN10, APN device 11, CU12, APN device 13, DU14, APN device 15, RU16, and UE17 are each provided has been described, but the system is not limited to this, and multiple units may be provided.

[0085] In the first to fifth embodiments described above, an example of applying one aspect of the present invention to optical signal control systems 100-1 to 100-5 was explained. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and an aspect of the present invention may also be applied to an optical signal control method. For example, as an optical signal control method used in an APN control device or network controller (also referred to as an optical signal control device) that controls an open wireless access network comprising CU10, DU14, and RU16, the present invention may collect first optical quality information relating to a first optical transmission path used by an APN device 11 (also referred to as a first optical signal transmission device) provided between CN10 and CU12, second optical quality information relating to a second optical transmission path used by an APN device 13 (also referred to as a second optical signal transmission device) provided between CU12 and DU14, and third optical quality information relating to a third optical transmission path used by an APN device 15 (also referred to as a third optical signal transmission device) provided between DU14 and RU16. Furthermore, the first to third optical transfer paths used by the APN devices 11, 13, and 15 may be controlled based on at least one of the first to third optical quality information.

[0086] Furthermore, at least some of the functions of each part of each device constituting the optical signal control systems 100-1 to 100-5 according to the first to fifth embodiments of the present invention may be implemented by a computer. In that case, the functions may be implemented by recording a program for implementing this function on a computer-readable recording medium, and then loading and executing the program recorded on this recording medium into a computer system. Herein, "computer system" includes hardware such as an OS (Operating System) and peripheral devices. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs (Read Only Memory), CD-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard disks built into a computer system. In addition, "computer-readable recording medium" may also include those that dynamically hold programs for a short period of time, such as communication lines used when transmitting programs via networks such as the Internet or communication lines such as telephone lines, and those that hold programs for a certain period of time, such as volatile memory inside a computer system that acts as a server or client in such cases. Furthermore, the above program may be for the purpose of realizing some of the functions described above, or it may be able to realize the above functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system, or it may be realized using a programmable logic device such as an FPGA.

[0087] Although several embodiments of this invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments and includes designs and the like that do not depart from the spirit of this invention.

[0088] The present invention can be applied to signal transmission devices, signal transmission systems, and signal transmission methods that require low delay, jitter, and power consumption, and reliable signal transmission.

[0089] 10...CN, 11...APN device, 12...CU, 13...APN device, 14...DU, 15...APN device, 16...RU, 17...UE, 20-1 to 20-4...APN control device, 21-1 to 21-4...APN collection unit, 22-1, 22-3...APN analysis unit, 23-1 to 23-4...APN control unit, 30-1 to 30-2...Wireless control device, 31-1, 31-2...RAN collection unit, 32-1...RAN analysis unit, 33-1, 33-2...RAN control unit, 40-2, 40-4...Orchestrator, 41-2, 41-4...E2E collection unit, 42-2, 42-4...E2E analysis unit, 43-2, 43-4...E2E control unit, 50-3... Wireless control device, 51-3, 51-4... RAN collection unit, 52-3... RAN analysis unit, 53-3, 53-4... RAN control unit, 60... Network controller, 61-5... APN collection unit, 62-5... APN control unit, 63-5... Analysis unit, 64-5... RAN collection unit, 65-5... RAN control unit, 100-1 to 100-5... Optical signal control system

Claims

1. An optical signal control device connected to a radio control device that controls a radio access network in an open radio access network, comprising an optical signal control unit that, in conjunction with the radio control device, controls the communication of at least one optical signal transmission device provided in at least one of the fronthaul, midhaul, and backhaul of the open radio access network in order to improve the network quality of the open radio access network.

2. The open radio access network comprises a CU (Central Unit), a DU (Distributed Unit), and a RU (Radio Unit), and the at least one optical signal transfer device comprises a first optical signal transfer device, a second optical signal transfer device, and a third optical signal transfer device, and the optical signal control unit comprises an optical quality information collection unit that collects: first optical quality information relating to a first optical transfer path used by the first optical signal transfer device provided between the core network and the CU; second optical quality information relating to a second optical transfer path used by the second optical signal transfer device provided between the CU and the DU; and third optical quality information relating to a third optical transfer path used by the third optical signal transfer device provided between the DU and the RU; and the optical signal control device according to claim 1, which controls at least one of the first to third optical transfer paths used by the first to third optical signal transfer devices based on at least one of the first to third optical quality information.

3. The optical signal control device according to claim 2, wherein the optical signal control unit controls at least one of the first to third optical transmission paths used by the first to third optical signal transmission device based on first radio quality information collected from the CU, second radio quality information collected from the DU, and at least one of the first to third optical quality information.

4. The optical signal control device according to claim 3, wherein the optical signal control unit controls at least one of the first to third optical transmission paths used by the first to third optical signal transmission device, based on third radio quality information collected from the RU.

5. The optical signal control unit obtains an analysis result based on at least one of the first to third wireless quality information from the wireless control unit, and controls at least one of the first to third optical transmission paths used by the first to third optical signal transmission device based on the analysis result obtained from the wireless control unit, according to claim 4.

6. The optical signal control device according to claim 4, wherein the optical signal control unit obtains analysis results based on the first to third optical quality information and at least one of the first to third wireless quality information from the orchestrator device, and controls at least one of the first to third optical transmission paths used by the first to third optical signal transmission device based on the analysis results obtained from the orchestrator device.

7. An optical signal control system comprising a radio control device for controlling a radio access network in an open radio access network, and an optical signal control device connected to the radio control device, wherein the optical signal control device comprises an optical signal control unit that, in conjunction with the radio control device, controls the communication of at least one optical signal transmission device provided in at least one of the fronthaul, midhaul, and backhaul of the open radio access network, in order to improve the network quality of the open radio access network.

8. An optical signal control method used in an optical signal control device connected to a radio control device that controls a radio access network in an open radio access network, wherein the optical signal control method, in conjunction with the radio control device, controls the communication of at least one optical signal transmission device provided in at least one of the fronthaul, midhaul, and backhaul of the open radio access network, in order to improve the network quality of the open radio access network.

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