System and Method for an Agile Cloud Radio Access Network

• US 20140161447A1
• Filed: 06/20/2013
• Published: 06/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Graves, Alan Frank, Goodwill, Dominic, Bernier, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 9,258,629 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/48
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/62 Wavelength based optical switching H04Q11/0062
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0005 Switch and router aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0062 Network aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0056 Clos
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0081 Fault tolerance; Redundancy; Recovery; Reconfigurability
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0086 Network resource allocation, dimensioning or optimisation

Abstract

In one embodiment, a cloud radio access network (C-RAN) includes a first plurality of antennas and a first plurality of radio remote units (RRUs) coupled to the plurality of antennas. The C-RAN also includes a first plurality of broadband base units (BBUs) and a first photonic switch optically coupled between the first plurality of RRUs and the first plurality of BBUs.

Claims

1. A cloud radio access network (C-RAN) comprising:

a first plurality of antennas;

a first plurality of radio remote units (RRUs) coupled to the plurality of antennas;

a first plurality of broadband base units (BBUs); and

a first photonic switch optically coupled between the first plurality of RRUs and the first plurality of BBUs, wherein the first photonic switch is configured to link RRUs of the first plurality of RRUs to BBUs of the first plurality of BBUs.

2. The C-RAN of claim 1, wherein the first photonic switch is optically coupled to the first plurality of RRUs by a first plurality of optical fibers, and wherein the first photonic switch is optically coupled to the first plurality of BBUs by a second plurality of optical fibers.

3. The C-RAN of claim 1, wherein the plurality of antennas comprises a first antenna and a second antenna, wherein the first plurality of RRUs comprises a first group of RRUs and a second group of RRUs, wherein the first group of RRUs is coupled to the first antenna, wherein the second group of RRUs is coupled to the second antenna, and wherein the first group of RRUs and the first antenna are located at a first site, and wherein the second group of RRUs and the second antenna are located at a second site.

4. The C-RAN of claim 1, wherein the first photonic switch is configured to adjust a plurality of links between the first plurality of RRUs and the first plurality of BBUs in accordance with time of day traffic capacity levels.

5. The C-RAN of claim 4, wherein the time of day traffic capacity levels are in accordance with historical statistics gathering.

6. The C-RAN of claim 1, wherein the first photonic switch is configured to adjust a plurality of links between the first plurality of RRUs and the first plurality of BBUs in accordance with a detection of a localized high level of traffic.

7. The C-RAN of claim 6, wherein the localized high level of traffic is not in accordance with historical statistics gathering.

8. The C-RAN of claim 1, wherein the first photonic switch is configured to adjust a plurality of links between the first plurality of RRUs and the first plurality of BBUs in accordance with a measured traffic flow in the first plurality of links.

9. The C-RAN of claim 1, wherein the first photonic switch is configured to adjust a plurality of links between the first plurality of RRUs and the first plurality of BBUs in accordance with a detection of an equipment failure.

10. The C-RAN of claim 1, further comprising:

a second photonic switch optically coupled between the first photonic switch and the first plurality of RRUs;

a third photonic switch optically coupled to the first photonic switch and the second photonic switch; and

a second plurality of RRUs optically coupled to the third photonic switch.

11. The C-RAN of claim 10, further comprising:

a fourth photonic switch optically coupled to the second photonic switch and the third photonic switch; and

a third plurality of RRUs optically coupled to the fourth photonic switch.

12. The C-RAN of claim 11, further comprising:

a second plurality of BBUs; and

a fifth photonic switch optically coupled between the second plurality of BBUs and the fourth photonic switch, wherein the first plurality of BBUs is located at a first site, and wherein the second plurality of BBUs is located at a second site.

13. The C-RAN of claim 1, further comprising:

a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) multiplexer optically coupled between the first photonic switch and the first plurality of RRUs; and

a WDM demultiplexer optically coupled between the WDM multiplexer and a first RRU of the first plurality of RRUs.

14. The C-RAN of claim 1, wherein the first photonic switch is a transparent photonic switch configured to provide jitter free low latency links between the first plurality of RRUs and the first plurality of BBUs.

15. A method for adjusting links in a cloud radio access network (C-RAN), the method comprising:

unlinking, by a photonic switch, a first radio remote unit (RRU) of a plurality of RRUs from a first broadband base unit (BBU) of a plurality of BBUs, wherein the photonic switch is optically coupled between the first RRU and the first BBU; and

linking, by the photonic switch, a second RRU of the plurality of RRUs to the first BBU, wherein the photonic switch is optically coupled between the first BBU and the second RRU.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first RRU, the second RRU, and a first antenna are collocated.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the first RRU and a first antenna are located at a first site, and wherein the second RRU and a second antenna are located at a second site, the method further comprising:

powering down the first RRU; and

expanding a coverage area of the second antenna.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising powering down a second BBU of the plurality of BBUs, wherein the second BBU is optically coupled to the photonic switch.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising testing the first RRU.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein unlinking the first RRU from the first BBU is performed in accordance with a time of day.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising detecting a localized high level of traffic.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising detecting a change in traffic.

23. The method of claim 15, further comprising detecting an equipment outage.

24. The method of claim 15, further comprising detecting an increase in traffic from a first antenna coupled to the second RRU.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein there is a failure in an optical link between the photonic switch and the first RRU.

26. A method for adjusting links in a cloud radio access network (C-RAN), the method comprising:

deciding to adjust an old mapping between a plurality of BBUs and a plurality of RRUs to a new mapping, wherein a photonic switch is optically coupled between the plurality of RRUs and the plurality of BBUs;

determining a new mapping between the plurality of BBUs and the plurality of RRUs; and

adjusting a plurality of links between the plurality of BBUs and the plurality of RRUs in accordance with the new mapping.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein deciding to adjust the mapping between the plurality of BBUs and the plurality of RRUs comprises detecting a change in traffic in the C-RAN.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the change in traffic in the C-RAN comprises an emergence of a hotspot.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein deciding to adjust the mapping between the plurality of BBUs and the plurality of RRUs is performed in accordance with a schedule.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein determining the new mapping comprising minimizing optical path lengths between the plurality of BBUs and the plurality of RRUs.