Tentative Scheduling and Encoding to Reduce CRAN Midhaul Latency
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In CRAN architectures, the need for coordinating scheduling information between centralized and distributed units leads to increased latency due to the information being carried twice over the midhaul interface, reducing the available latency budget for processing operations.
Innovation Solution
A method involving tentative scheduling and encoding of data transmissions based on physical channel information, performed by a centralized unit, followed by buffering and encoding in a tentative fashion, allowing for direct output to a distributed unit, which then schedules and transmits the data on a TTI-by-TTI basis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If scheduling information is coordinated between centralized unit and distributed units by carrying it twice over the midhaul interface, then scheduling coordination and interference management are improved, but latency increases and available latency budget for processing is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The centralized unit performs scheduling decisions and generates scheduling information in advance before data transmissions arrive at the distributed unit. By preparing the scheduling grant beforehand and including it in the data transmission packets, the system eliminates the need for separate scheduling coordination signaling over the midhaul interface, thus reducing latency while maintaining coordination reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the scheduling information with the data transmissions themselves. Instead of carrying scheduling information separately and requiring round-trip communication for coordination, the scheduling grant is integrated into the data packets that travel over the midhaul interface, combining multiple functions into a single transmission stream
2Measurement precision
If scheduling information is carried twice over the midhaul interface for coordination, then scheduling accuracy is improved, but bandwidth consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The scheduling information is merged with the data transmission packets, eliminating redundant copies of scheduling data that would otherwise be transmitted separately. This integration reduces the total amount of data that must traverse the midhaul interface while preserving scheduling accuracy through the inclusion of scheduling grants within the data packets
3Reliability
If centralized scheduling is implemented for interference management and coordinated transmission, then interference management capability is improved, but processing time for scheduling operations is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The centralized unit performs interference management calculations and scheduling decisions in advance, before data transmissions arrive at the distributed unit. By pre-computing the scheduling grants and including them in the data packets, the system maintains centralized interference management capability while minimizing the processing time required when data actually needs to be transmitted
Data Source
AI summary
A method is disclosed including receiving data transmissions indicative of data to be transmitted via the wireless communication network and obtaining physical channel information indicative of one or more parameters representing channel information and/or quality information associated with at least one physical channel used for transmitting the data transmissions to one or more mobile devices of the wireless communication network. The method also includes scheduling the data transmissions based at least partially on the physical channel information. A tentative scheduling grant is determined for at least a part of the data transmissions to be encoded tentatively. The method also includes encoding at least a part of the data transmissions, which is performed and/or controlled in a tentatively upon reception of the data transmissions, and the data transmissions are encoded based on the tentative scheduling grant. The method further includes outputting the encoded data transmissions upon completion of the encoding.