METHOD FOR TRANSMITTING AND RECEIVING ETHERNET DATA BETWEEN DIGITAL UNIT AND RF UNIT AND APPARATUS THEREOF

• US 20110182255A1
• Filed: 01/19/2011
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: MOON, Han-Ul, KIM, Keun-Bok, CHOI, Chang-Won, KIM, Chang-Won
• Granted Patent: US 8,514,800 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0094 Indication of how sub-channels of the path are allocated
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/02 Data link layer protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

A method for transmitting Ethernet data in a Digital Unit (DU) that processes a baseband and interfaces with at least two Radio Frequency (RF) Units (RUs) is provided. The method includes setting location information of two or more Ethernet channels in a first subchannel of a radio frame, allocating the two or more Ethernet channels in second subchannels of the radio frame, using the location information, and transmitting the radio frame to the at least two RUs.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting Ethernet data in a Digital Unit (DU) that processes a baseband and interfaces with at least two Radio Frequency (RF) Units (RUs), the method comprising:

setting location information of two or more Ethernet channels in a first subchannel of a radio frame;

allocating the two or more Ethernet channels in second subchannels of the radio frame, based on the location information; and

transmitting the radio frame to the at least two RUs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the radio frame comprises a Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) radio frame.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first subchannel comprises a vendor-specific subchannel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information comprises information about an Ethernet start pointer and an Ethernet end pointer for separating a second subchannel of the radio frame into two or more Ethernet channels.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the allocating of the Ethernet channels comprises:

allocating the two or more Ethernet channels for the at least two RUs in the second subchannels; and

multiplexing the allocated two or more Ethernet channels.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the RU comprises a Remote RF Unit (RRU).

7. A Digital Unit (DU) for transmitting Ethernet data and for processing a baseband and interfacing with at least two Radio Frequency (RF) Units (RUs), the DU comprising:

a controller for setting location information of two or more Ethernet channels in a first subchannel of a radio frame; and

an Ethernet interface module for allocating the two or more Ethernet channels in second subchannels of the radio frame, based on the location information, and transmitting the radio frame to the at least two RUs.

8. The DU of claim 7, wherein the radio frame comprises a Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) radio frame.

9. The DU of claim 8, wherein the first subchannel comprises a vendor-specific subchannel.

10. The DU of claim 7, wherein the location information comprises information about an Ethernet start pointer and an Ethernet end pointer for separating the second subchannel of the radio frame into the two or more Ethernet channels.

11. The DU of claim 7, wherein to allocate the Ethernet channels, the Ethernet interface module allocates the two or more Ethernet channels for the at least two RUs in the second subchannels, and multiplexes the allocated two or more Ethernet channels.

12. The DU of claim 7, wherein the RU comprises a Remote RF Unit (RRU).

13. A method for receiving Ethernet data in a Radio Frequency (RF) Unit (RU) that processes a radio signal and interfaces with a Digital Unit (DU), the method comprising:

receiving a radio frame from the DU;

detecting location information of an Ethernet channel allocated to the RU from location information of two or more Ethernet channels, which are set in a subchannel of the radio frame; and

detecting Ethernet data based on the Ethernet channel indicated by the detected location information.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the radio frame comprises a Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) radio frame.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the subchannel comprises a vendor-specific subchannel.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the detected location information comprises information about an Ethernet start pointer and an Ethernet end pointer, which point to a location of an Ethernet channel allocated to the RU in the radio frame.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the receiving of the radio frame from the DU comprises:

receiving a data stream from the DU; and

demultiplexing the received data stream.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the RU comprises a Remote RF Unit (RRU).

19. A Radio Frequency (RF) Unit (RU) for receiving Ethernet data and for processing a radio signal and interfacing with a Digital Unit (DU), the RU comprising:

an Ethernet interface module for receiving a radio frame from the DU, for detecting location information of an Ethernet channel allocated to the RU from location information of two or more Ethernet channels, which is set in a subchannel of the radio frame, and for detecting Ethernet data based on an Ethernet channel indicated by the detected location information.

20. The RU of claim 19, wherein the radio frame comprises a Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) radio frame.

21. The RU of claim 20, wherein the subchannel comprises a vendor-specific subchannel.

22. The RU of claim 19, wherein the detected location information comprises information about an Ethernet start pointer and an Ethernet end pointer, which point to a location of an Ethernet channel allocated to the RU in the radio frame.

23. The RU of claim 19, wherein to receive the radio frame, the Ethernet interface module receives a data stream from the DU and demultiplexes the received data stream.

24. The RU of claim 19, wherein the RU comprises a Remote RF Unit (RRU).

25. A base station comprising:

a Digital Unit (DU) including a controller for setting location information of two or more Ethernet subchannels in a first subchannel of a radio frame and an Ethernet interface module for allocating the two or more Ethernet channels in second subchannels of the radio frame based on the location information, and for transmitting the radio frame; and

at least two Radio Frequency Units (RUs), each RU including an Ethernet interface module for receiving the radio frame from the DU, for detecting the location information, and for detecting Ethernet data based on an Ethernet channel indicated by the location information.

26. The base station of claim 25, wherein the detected information comprises information about an Ethernet start pointer and an Ethernet end pointer, which point to a location of an Ethernet channel allocated to the RU in the radio frame.