Serial Interface Bypass for CPRI Control Data in Base Stations
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Solution Overview
Problem
In large base stations, the number of lanes for data samples and control data between radio equipment units (RE) and radio equipment controllers (REC) is limited, restricting the ability to handle increased data loads and causing high interrupt loads on core processors due to the reliance on the Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) for both data streaming and control management.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a separate serial interface, such as sRIO, to bypass control and management traffic from the CPRI interface to the sRIO interface, allowing seamless conversion of selected control data into packets for transfer, thereby enhancing connectivity and reducing interrupt loads by utilizing the sRIO channel for daisy chain topology and packet-based communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If control data is transferred via CPRI interface, then data samples and control data can be streamed through a unified interface, but the number of available lanes is limited and interrupt loads on core processors increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments control data transfer from the unified CPRI interface by introducing a separate serial interface (sRIO) dedicated to control and management traffic. This segmentation allows IQ data samples to continue using CPRI lanes while control data uses the serial interface, effectively doubling the available communication paths without adding physical complexity to the radio unit connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts control and management traffic from the CPRI interface by routing it through a separate serial interface. The control data is taken out of the high-speed IQ data stream and handled independently through packet-based communication, reducing the burden on CPRI lanes and eliminating interrupt loads on core processors.
2Productivity
If more lanes are added to handle increased data loads, then data handling capacity increases, but the number of available lanes is limited by the CPRI interface specification
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds another dimension to data communication by introducing a serial interface that operates independently from the CPRI lane structure. This creates a parallel communication dimension where control data can flow without consuming CPRI lanes, effectively increasing total data handling capacity without being constrained by the limited number of physical lanes.
3Productivity
If a separate serial interface is implemented, then control data can be transferred independently from data samples, but additional hardware interfaces are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the serial interface multi-functional by using it for both control data transfer and as a daisy-chain connection between multiple radio units. The same serial interface infrastructure serves multiple purposes: carrying control traffic between RE and REC, enabling daisy-chain topology extension, and providing a backup communication path, thereby justifying the additional interface through its versatility.
Data Source
AI summary
Interfacing between radio units in a base station in a mobile communication system uses a common public radio interface CPRI for streaming IQ data samples and control data arranged in lanes. A separate serial interface sRIO is now additionally used for transferring selected control data arranged in packets to a controller, the selected control data being streamed between other radio units via the common public radio interface. In the radio unit, the selected control data are arranged in packets to be transmitted via the serial interface, and, vice versa, the selected control data arranged in packets received via the serial interface are arranged in lanes to be streamed. Advantageously the control data of the streaming CPRI interface is seamlessly transferred to the controller via the packet based serial interface.