Radio Controller for Disaggregated RAN Policy Management
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current mobile wireless network architectures face challenges in efficiently managing and optimizing real-time decisions for wireless user equipment, particularly in disaggregated Radio Access Networks (RAN) where the separation of control and user planes limits centralized control and decision-making capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A radio controller entity communicates with a centralized control plane or monolithic base station to obtain context information, determine policies based on conditions and actions, and execute decisions such as handover, load balancing, and MIMO transmission modes, enabling real-time management and optimization of wireless user equipment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the Base Station is split into Central Unit and Distributed Unit in a disaggregated RAN architecture, then implementation flexibility and vendor diversity are improved, but centralized control and decision-making capabilities deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a Radio Controller as an intermediary component that mediates between the Distributed Unit and the Core Network. The Radio Controller receives context information from the DU, makes intelligent decisions about resource allocation, handover, and scheduling, and generates control messages to manage the DU. This intermediary structure restores centralized control capabilities that were lost due to the CU-DU split, while preserving the implementation flexibility benefits of disaggregated architecture.
2Extent of automation
If the Control Plane part of the Central Unit is separated to create a radio controller, then intelligent decision-making is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by further dividing the Central Unit's Control Plane functions into a separate Radio Controller entity. This segmentation isolates the intelligent decision-making logic (context management, policy determination, control message generation) into a dedicated component that communicates with the DU through standardized interfaces. While this increases the number of system components, it also enables independent optimization, deployment, and management of the control intelligence, ultimately reducing operational complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A radio controller entity is in communication with a centralized control plane entity of a disaggregated base station, or with a monolithic base station, the disaggregated base station or monolithic base station serving wireless user equipment in a wireless network. The radio controller entity obtains from the centralized control plane entity or from the monolithic base station, a context associated with one or more user equipment served by the disaggregated base station or the monolithic base station. The radio controller entity determines a policy to be set. The policy defines a set of one or more rules, each rule including a condition and an action. The rule may include that the base station should query the radio controller for an instruction as to which action(s) to apply. The radio controller entity provides the policy to the centralized control plane entity or to the monolithic base station.