Dell Products Inc.

Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (publ)

Tommy Ivarsson

John Bradley Deforge

Sewvanda Don

Mikhail Shenouda

Danyi Rong

Ahmad Farhoodi

Ankur Pimpale

Hong Ren

Ping Yu

Peter Hazy

Michael Roger

Thomas Leonard Trevor Plestid

Lei Wang

Christien Leblanc

Eliana Yepez

Nanping Ding

Vikas Arora

Haobo Xing

The described technology is directed towards conveying, from a distributed unit to a radio unit, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol-related data for each symbol of a slot for downlink transmissions by the radio unit. The symbol-related data includes information about each OFDM symbol's power, and the highest order of modulation used per symbol. The conveyed data can indicate a totally blank OFDM symbol. The per-slot symbol-related data can be conveyed in a control plane message to the radio unit, which, in an Open-Radio Access Network (O-RAN) network, can be formatted as a control plane section message type. Based on the slot information, a radio unit can configure the radio unit's power amplifiers, perform crest factor reduction, and/or digital pre-distortion tuning according to dynamic changes in the incoming downlink traffic, which can result in significant reduction in the power amplifiers' power consumption to boost the radio unit's overall energy efficiency.

Control plane message for slot information conveyance

A system can comprise a distributed unit that is configured to process traffic and traffic load scheduling to produce processed traffic, and to communicate the processed traffic and traffic load scheduling to the radio unit. The system can further comprise a radio unit that is configured to modify operational parameters of the radio unit based on the processed traffic and traffic load scheduling received from the distributed unit.

Modifying radio unit operational parameters

The described technology is generally directed towards scheduling, by a distributed unit, the injection of custom traffic (signals/data) by a radio unit into a radio unit communications path. The scheduling can be such that the custom traffic can be interleaved with to live-air and/or non-live-air traffic, for example. The radio unit can request unscheduled physical resource blocks for custom traffic to be inserted by the radio unit, and the distributed unit can communicate the timing and scheduling (identify the unscheduled physical resource blocks) to the radio unit in response to the request. The custom traffic is configured to perform some action by the radio unit, such as to perform antenna calibration, to perform test and measurement operations to obtain performance data, and the like. Performance data can be used, for example, to modify operating parameters of the radio unit to improve performance of the radio unit.

Distributed unit scheduling for radio unit-based custom traffic insertion

A system can comprise a memory that is configured to store and retrieve a first signal. The system can further comprise a generator that is configured to generate first in-phase, quadrature sub-carrier values. The system can further comprise a look up table that stores predetermined second in-phase, quadrature sub-carrier values. The system can further comprise a pseudo-random look up table generator that is configured to operate on the predetermined second in-phase, quadrature sub-carrier values to produce a pseudo-random symbol of data values. The system can further comprise a component that is configured to time align, buffer, and inject a second signal into a radio used by the system, wherein the second signal is selected from the memory, the generator, the look up table, and the pseudo-random look up table generator.

Custom signal data generation in a radio system

Technology described herein can gather time domain power data for enabling real-time adjustment of one or more parameters of a radio system. In an embodiment, a system can comprise a processor that is configured to control collection of power data from a radio system, a read circuit communicatively coupled to the processor and controlled by the processor to read, at the radio system, the power data in a time domain, across at least a portion of a downlink chain or an uplink chain of the radio system, along a selected time range that is defined by a specified upper limit of time and a specified lower limit of time, and a memory communicatively coupled to the processor and that receives and stores the power data as stored power data in the time domain from the read circuit.

Power detection in the time domain data on a periodic basis

A system can comprise a radio unit comprising a digital front end, wherein the digital front end comprises a group of tap points that are configured to receive a first custom signal. The system can also comprise a first component that is configured to originate the first custom signal. The system can also comprise a second component that is configured to select a first tap point of the group of tap points, and inject the first custom signal into the first tap point.

Signal injection at radio tap points in a time domain

A system can comprise a radio unit. The system can further comprise a group of antenna branches of the radio unit. The system can further comprise a group of digital front ends of the radio unit, wherein respective digital front ends of the group of digital front ends are configured to process data of respective antenna branches of the group of antenna branches. The system can further comprise a digital front end super path that is configured to select between the group of antenna branches, wherein the digital front end super path comprises a tap point at which data processed via the digital front end super path is able to be accessed.

Digital front end super paths

The described technology is generally directed towards terminating performance data, obtained by a radio unit, at a distributed unit (node) coupled to the radio unit. The distributed unit coordinates with the radio unit to synchronize receiving the performance data from the radio unit. This can include communicating with the radio unit to generate the performance data at the radio unit based on processing custom signal data. The custom signal data can be generated and injected into a communications path by the distributed unit and/or the radio unit. For example, the initial custom signal data can be evaluated versus the resulting received data after transmission to determine difference data, which is indicative of performance. The performance data can be used as desired by the distributed unit, including to modify operating parameters of the radio unit to improve the current performance of the radio unit.

Distributed unit-based termination of radio performance data

The described technology is generally directed towards scheduling, by a distributed unit, the injection of custom traffic (signals/data) into a radio unit communications path. The distributed unit coordinates with the radio unit to schedule and synchronize such custom traffic in unscheduled (physical resource block), such as interleaved with to live-air and non-live-air traffic. The radio unit can request the unscheduled physical resource blocks for custom traffic to be inserted by the radio unit. Alternatively, the distributed unit can inject the custom traffic in otherwise unscheduled physical resource blocks for sending to the radio unit. The custom traffic is configured to perform some action by the radio unit, such as to perform antenna calibration, to perform test and measurement operations to obtain performance data, and the like. Performance data can be used, for example, to modify operating parameters of the radio unit to improve performance of the radio unit.

Distributed unit-based custom traffic insertion for live-air and non-live-air signals

Parsing of C-plane messages is described, e.g., C-plane messages that are communicated from an open RAN distributed unit (O-DU) to an open RAN radio unit (O-RU) in order to determine whether a particular symbol that is to be subsequently communicated via U-plane messages is blank (e.g., no physical resource blocks (PRB)) or not blank (e.g., at least one PRB). A bitmap can be constructed by the O-RU having a bit length equal to the number of symbols to be communicated, where each bit of the bitmap corresponds to one of the symbols. Values of each bit of the bitmap can indicate whether a corresponding symbol is blank or not blank, and, if blank, some devices can be powered down to conserve power on a symbol-by-symbol basis in a manner that is compliant with Open RAN specifications and does not presume the same vendor for O-RU and O-DU.

Open RAN radio unit power saving on per-symbol basis

An error correction component and ΔTΘM function determine correction factors from a feedback signal to use by digital predistortion to cancel distortion caused by a power amplifier and also determine correction factors that may be used to determine Time of Arrival of an isolation leakage signal. Correction factors may be stored in, or retrieved from, multiple ΔTΘM functions, which may be part of an ASIC along with the error correction component. The isolation leakage signal may be canceled within the error correction component, resulting in a leakage residual signal that may facilitate determining the ToA of the leakage signal. Cancelling the isolation leakage signal facilitates better sensitivity in detecting the presence of, or ToA of, other signals present at the same port of a circulator from which the isolation leakage signal flows to the error correction component.

Detection, cancellation, and evaluation of signals in a wireless communication radio unit

An error correction component and ΔTΘM compensation function determine correction factors from a feedback signal to use by digital predistortion to cancel distortion caused by a power amplifier and also determine correction factors that may be used to determine Time of Arrival of an isolation leakage signal. Correction factors may be stored in, or retrieved from, multiple ΔTΘM functions, which may be part of an ASIC along with the error correction component. The isolation leakage signal may be canceled within the error correction component, resulting in a leakage residual signal that may facilitate determining the ToA of the leakage signal. Cancelling the isolation leakage signal facilitates better sensitivity in detecting the presence of, or ToA of, other signals present at the same port of a circulator from which the isolation leakage signal flows to the error correction component.

Detection and cancellation of unwanted signals in a wireless communication radio unit

A system can comprise a radio unit comprising a digital front end chain. The system can further comprise a tap point disposed within the digital front end chain, wherein the tap point is configured to time align a signal at the tap point with a system time of the radio unit. The system can further comprise a first hardware component that is configured to selectively read the signal at the tap point to produce a read signal. The system can further comprise a second hardware component that is configured to store the read signal.

Capture and storage from signal tap points in a radio

Technology described herein can detect and statistically analyze frequency domain power data for enabling real-time adjustment of one or more parameters of a radio system. In an embodiment, a system can comprise a processor and a read circuit communicatively coupled to the processor, wherein the processor controls the read circuit to read power data in a frequency domain from a radio system, and an analysis component communicatively coupled to the processor and that compares the power data in the frequency domain to a power threshold, wherein, based on a result of the power data being compared to the power threshold, the analysis component sorts the power data into bins at a storage component communicatively coupled to the processor. In one or more embodiments, power data in the frequency domain is collected at a frequency of a subcarrier and/or at a frequency between subcarriers.

Power detection in the frequency domain on a subcarrier by subcarrier basis with statistical counters

Technology described herein can gather and statistically analyze time domain power data for enabling real-time adjustment of one or more parameters of a radio system. In an embodiment, a system can comprise a processor and a read circuit communicatively coupled to the processor, wherein the processor controls the read circuit to read power data in a time domain from a radio system, and an analysis component communicatively coupled to the processor, wherein the analysis component compares the power data in the time domain to a power threshold, and wherein, based on a result of the power data being compared to the power threshold, the analysis component sorts the power data into bins at a storage component communicatively coupled to the processor.

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Ottawa, Canada

Tommy Ivarsson