Shared Fronthaul Capacity Coordination for Baseband Units
Solution Overview
Problem
In wireless communication networks, shared fronthaul connections between base station systems face issues such as unacceptable queueing and packet losses due to uncoordinated usage, leading to radio performance degradation and high capital and operating expenses from over-dimensioning, while existing solutions like packet marking and scheduling coordination are inefficient and costly.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that coordinates fronthaul capacity and required capacity across base station systems to determine time unit transmission restrictions, optimizing resource allocation and avoiding packet drops by sending masks to BBUs to manage fronthaul usage below capacity, allowing dynamic sharing with minimal message exchange.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If fronthaul connection is shared between multiple base station systems without coordination, then capital expenses and operating expenses are reduced by avoiding over-dimensioning, but queueing and packet losses increase leading to radio performance degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic sharing of fronthaul connections by allowing base station systems to dynamically adjust their usage of shared fronthaul resources based on current traffic conditions and coordination signals from other sharing systems. This enables the fronthaul capacity to be flexibly allocated among multiple base station systems without requiring dedicated reserved capacity for each system, thereby avoiding over-dimensioning while maintaining reliable service through active coordination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs feedback mechanisms where base station systems exchanging coordination information about their fronthaul usage, traffic load, and quality of service metrics. This feedback enables each system to adjust its transmission patterns and resource allocation to prevent queueing and packet losses, ensuring that shared fronthaul connections maintain acceptable radio performance even under varying load conditions.
2Reliability
If fronthaul connection is dimensioned for simultaneous peak rates, then radio performance is maintained by avoiding queueing and packet losses, but capital expenses and operating expenses increase due to over-dimensioning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces static over-provisioning with dynamic resource allocation. Instead of dimensioning fronthaul connections for simultaneous peak rates of all base station systems, the system dynamically adjusts capacity allocation based on actual simultaneous demand, using coordination protocols to manage shared resources efficiently. This maintains radio performance during peak periods while avoiding the permanent over-dimensioning that would be required without dynamic management.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of shared fronthaul connections by implementing variable transmission rates, adjustable buffering policies, and dynamic quality of service thresholds. These parameter changes enable the system to adapt fronthaul capacity utilization to actual traffic conditions, maintaining reliable radio performance during peak periods while reducing average capacity requirements compared to static over-dimensioning approaches.
3Reliability
If packet marking and dropping is used to manage fronthaul traffic, then queueing and packet losses are controlled, but message exchange increases and coordination efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex packet marking and dropping logic from the data plane and relocates coordination functions to a separate control plane. By separating these functions, the system reduces coordination overhead in the high-speed data path while maintaining reliable traffic management through centralized or distributed control mechanisms that handle capacity allocation and quality of service enforcement with minimal message exchange.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary coordination entities or protocols that mediate between multiple base station systems sharing fronthaul connections. These intermediaries handle the complex coordination tasks, such as capacity negotiation, quality of service enforcement, and traffic prioritization, thereby reducing the direct coordination overhead between individual base station systems while maintaining reliable fronthaul traffic management.
Data Source
AI summary
A method performed by a system having a plurality of base station systems, each base station system comprising a baseband unit, BBU and a radio unit, RU interconnected via a fronthaul connection that is shared between the base station systems. Fronthaul capacity information on transmission capacity of the shared fronthaul connection and information on required capacity for transmission and/or reception of wireless signals by the RU of the respective base station system are obtained. Time unit transmission restrictions for the respective base station system is determined based on the fronthaul capacity information and on the information on required capacity, which time unit transmission restrictions results in fronthaul usage below the transmission capacity of the part of the fronthaul connection. Information on the determined time unit transmission restrictions is sent to the BBU of the respective base station system.