Communications system, control apparatus, and network management server

• US 10,218,561 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2016
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Chen, Shengxian, Lai, Zhichang, Wang, Ziqiang, Cao, Wenli, Liu, Tao, Cao, Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): Jain, Raj
• Application Number:
  US15/077,429
• Publication Number:
  US 20160204974A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,071 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/044 comprising hierarchical management structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

Embodiments of the disclosure describe a communications system, including: a control apparatus, multiple remote apparatuses, and a network management server, where the control apparatus communicates with and connects to the multiple remote apparatuses, and the control apparatus controls data aggregation and distribution of the multiple remote apparatuses; the control apparatus communicates with and connects to the network management server, and the network management server and the control apparatus transmit management data and feedback data according to a preset solution, so that the control apparatus and the multiple remote apparatuses are presented as only one network element on the network management server.

Claims

1. A communications system, comprising:

a control apparatus;

multiple remote apparatuses; and

a network management server;

wherein the control apparatus communicates with the multiple remote apparatuses, and wherein the control apparatus controls data aggregation of outgoing data from the multiple remote apparatuses and further controls distribution of incoming data to the multiple remote apparatuses;

wherein the control apparatus is configured to communicate with the network management server; and

wherein the network management server and the control apparatus are configured to transmit management data and feedback data according to a preset solution and using a unified interface, so that the control apparatus and the multiple remote apparatuses are presented as only one network element to the network management server.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein coverage ranges of the multiple remote apparatuses are different in size, wherein a remote apparatus with a coverage range greater than or equal to a specified value in the multiple remote apparatuses is configured to provide a coverage range of a large cell, and wherein a remote apparatus with a coverage range less than the specified value in the multiple remote apparatuses is configured to provide a coverage range of a small cell;

wherein the large cell is a cell with a signal range greater than or equal to the specified value; and

wherein the small cell is a cell with a signal range less than the specified value.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control apparatus has an interface paired with the network management server, and the control apparatus has an interface paired with each of the multiple remote apparatuses;

and

wherein the network management server and the control apparatus transmitting management data and feedback data according to a preset solution comprises;

the control apparatus receiving, by using the interface paired with the network management server, management data sent by the network management server, and distributing the management data to the multiple remote apparatuses by using the interface paired with each of the multiple remote apparatuses;

the control apparatus receiving, by using the interface paired with each of the multiple remote apparatuses, feedback data that is sent by the multiple remote apparatuses to the network management server; and

sending, by using the interface paired with the network management server, the feedback data and feedback data generated by the control apparatus to the network management server, so that the network management server presents the control apparatus and the multiple remote apparatuses controlled by the control apparatus as one network element.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control apparatus and each of the multiple remote apparatuses have an interface paired with the network management server, and the multiple remote apparatuses communicate with the network management server;

and

wherein that the network management server and the control apparatus transmitting management data and feedback data according to a preset solution comprises;

the network management server sending management data to the control apparatus by using an interface paired with the control apparatus, and receiving, by using the interface paired with the control apparatus, feedback data fed back by the control apparatus;

the network management server separately sending management data to the multiple remote apparatuses by separately using an interface paired with each of the multiple remote apparatuses, and receiving, by using the interface paired with each of the multiple remote apparatuses, feedback data fed back by the multiple remote apparatuses; and

the network management server presenting the control apparatus and the multiple remote apparatuses controlled by the control apparatus as one network element.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control apparatus has an interface paired with the network management server, and each of a part of the multiple remote apparatuses has an interface paired with the network management server, wherein the part of the remote apparatuses communicate with the network management server;

wherein that the network management server and the control apparatus transmit management data and feedback data according to a preset solution comprises;

the control apparatus receiving, by using the interface paired with the network management server, management data sent by the network management server;

distributing the management data to a remote apparatus that is in the multiple remote apparatuses and has no interface paired with the network management server;

receiving feedback data sent by the remote apparatus that has no interface paired with the network management server;

sending, by using the interface paired with the network management server, the feedback data and feedback data generated by the control apparatus to the network management server;

the network management server separately sending the management data to the part of the remote apparatuses by separately using an interface paired with each of the part of the remote apparatuses;

receiving, by using the interface paired with each of the part of the remote apparatuses, feedback data fed back by the part of the remote apparatuses; and

the network management server presenting the control apparatus and the multiple remote apparatuses controlled by the control apparatus as one network element.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein a remote apparatus that provides a small cell and is in the multiple remote apparatuses is arranged in a coverage range of a large cell or on an edge of a coverage range of a large cell.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein a radio access network (RAN) interface is used by the control apparatus and the multiple remote apparatuses, and wherein the RAN interface comprises an Si interface, an X2 interface, an Iub interface, an Abis interface, and a WiFi Capwap interface.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein data transmitted between the control apparatus and the multiple remote apparatuses is transmitted over a transmission link which is based on at least one of Ethernet, Internet Protocol (IP), or Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS).

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein a number of remote apparatuses in a base station can be dynamically deployed according to a network capacity requirement.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control apparatus is configured to manage the multiple remote apparatuses and transmission links between the control apparatus and the multiple remote apparatuses, and is further configured to communicate with the network management server.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control apparatus is one of an independent baseband unit or a baseband unit in a macro base station.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control apparatus supports an Ethernet, Internet protocol (IP), or Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) interface, and further supports multiple transmission technologies, wherein the multiple transmission technologies comprise wired transmission and wireless transmission.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the wired transmission comprises an x passive optical network (xPON), an x digital subscriber line (xDSL), Ethernet, an optical fiber, and a cable television network;

and

wherein the wireless transmission comprises microwave in a conventional frequency band, V-Band, E-Band, Sub 6 GHz, Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), television (TV) white spaces, and time division duplex (TDD) backhaul.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein the remote apparatus is a small-cell base station selected from at least one of:

Metrocell, Micro, Pico, Femto, and WiFi access point (AP).

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control apparatus and the remote apparatus are of a single standard or in multi-mode;

wherein the single standard comprises one of a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), and WiFi; and

wherein the multi-mode is a combination of single standards, wherein the combination of the single standards comprises at least two of the following;

GSM, UMTS, WiFi, and LTE.

16. The system according to claim 1, wherein the remote apparatus supports an Ethernet, Internet protocol (IP), or Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) interface, and further supports multiple transmission technologies, wherein the multiple transmission technologies comprise wired transmission and wireless transmission.

17. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control apparatus discovers, by using a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) of address autoconfiguration, a remote apparatus connected to the control apparatus.

18. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control apparatus queries the remote apparatus by using pre-configured information about remote apparatuses associated with the control apparatus.

19. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control apparatus obtains configuration information of the multiple remote apparatuses from the network management server and performs configuration for the multiple remote apparatuses.

20. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control apparatus has at least one of a data proxy function or a data gateway function.

21. The system according to claim 1, wherein the communications system further comprises a gateway device, wherein:

the control apparatus is configured to receive uplink data that is sent by the multiple remote apparatuses to the gateway device, and send the uplink data to the gateway device by using an interface paired with the gateway device; and

wherein the control apparatus is configured to receive, by using the interface, downlink data sent by the gateway device, and distribute the downlink data to the multiple remote apparatuses, so that the control apparatus and the multiple remote apparatuses are presented as only one network element on the gateway device.