Base Station Resource Scheduling via Remote Active Antenna Unit
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing base station structure with a digital unit (DU) and radio unit (RU) separation faces high latency issues, making it difficult to meet end-to-end latency requirements for next-generation communication systems like 5G, and requires high data transmit rates for technologies like massive MIMO, necessitating additional infrastructure.
Innovation Solution
A new base station structure with a remote active antenna unit and a central unit, where the remote active antenna unit performs scheduling and resource allocation based on information from the central unit, using a distributed radio resource manager and software-defined radio technology to optimize radio resource management and reduce bandwidth requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by stationary object
If a digital unit (DU) and radio unit (RU) are separated in a cloud communication center, then operation cost and power consumption are reduced, but latency increases to several hundreds of μs making direct retransmission difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The base station is segmented into a central unit (CU) and a remote unit (RU), where the CU handles non-time-critical functions and the RU handles time-critical scheduling and retransmission functions. This segmentation allows power consumption to be reduced in the CU while latency is minimized in the RU, resolving the contradiction between energy efficiency and low latency.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a common public radio interface (CPRI) is used for DU-RU connection, then a standardized interface is provided, but a very high data transmit rate is required for next-generation technologies like massive MIMO requiring additional optical infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameters of the interface between CU and RU by defining a new fronthaul interface with optimized data rates and protocols tailored for 5G and massive MIMO, rather than using the legacy CPRI interface. This allows the system to achieve the required high data rates without being constrained by CPRI's infrastructure requirements.
3Extent of automation
If scheduling is performed at the digital unit (DU), then centralized resource management is achieved, but retransmission scheduling cannot be performed directly due to latency
Solution Approach 1:
The scheduling function is segmented between CU and RU, with the RU performing autonomous scheduling and retransmission scheduling for time-critical operations, while the CU performs non-time-critical resource management. This segmentation restores scheduling efficiency by enabling direct retransmission at the RU without waiting for CU processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The RU acts as an intermediary that handles time-critical scheduling and retransmission functions locally, mediating between the centralized CU and the radio interface. This allows the system to maintain centralized resource management while enabling fast local responses for retransmissions.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are a base station apparatus, a resource management method, and a data processing method. The base station apparatus includes: a remote active antenna unit configured to perform transmission and reception of a wireless signal to and from a terminal; and a central unit connected to the remote active antenna unit, configured to process a signal received from the terminal or a signal to be transferred to the terminal, and configured to transfer resource allocation information to the remote active antenna unit, in which the remote active antenna unit schedules a data and a resource for the terminal based on resource allocation information received from the central unit.