Baseband unit (BBU) implementation for facilitating 6LoWPAN data access

• US 9,497,116 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2014
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Chakrabarti, Samita, Larkins, John, Rius I Riu, Jaume, Fornehed, John, Lu, Chenguang
• Primary Examiner(s): Phillips, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tsegaye, Saba
• Application Number:
  US14/187,158
• Publication Number:
  US 20150244618A1
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/52 Multiprotocol routers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/103 across network layers, e.g. resolution of network layer into physical layer addresses or address resolution protocol [ARP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/065 using assembly or disassembly of packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A scheme for providing access to 6LoWPAN data in a wireless access network. In one embodiment, a Digital Unit (DU) of the wireless access network is provided with IP bridging functionality for packaging 6LO data as a control channel message. When the DU element receives 6LO data from an external router, the data is packaged in a format specified for a control channel associated with a CPRI link coupling to a Radio Unit (RU). The bridging functionality is operative to transmit the control channel message (including the packaged 6LO data packets) to the RU element based on an address mapping between the destination IP address of the 6LO data packets and an address of the 6LO endpoint coupled to the RU element.

Claims

1. A method operating at a Digital Unit (DU) element of an access system for providing access with respect to information in Internet Protocol (IP) version 6 (IPv6) over Low Power Wireless Personal Area Network (6LoWPAN) format, the method comprising:

receiving 6LoWPAN data (“

6LO data”

) packets from a router coupled to an external packet-switched network;

examining a destination IP address of the 6LO data packets and determining an address of at least one radio dot (RD) element to which the 6LO data packets are to be delivered;

determining an address of a Radio Unit (RU) element corresponding to the at least one RD element;

repackaging the 6LO data packets in a format specified for a control/management (C/M) channel associated with a communication link disposed between the DU and RU elements and operable with Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) protocol; and

transmitting the repackaged 6LO data packets to the RU element as a CPRI C/M message via the communication link operable with CPRI protocol, the CPRI C/M message including the address of the at least one RD element.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one RD element'"'"'s address is determined by querying an IP-to-RD address mapping relationship database.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the corresponding RU element'"'"'s address is determined by querying an RD-to-RU address mapping relationship database.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one RD element'"'"'s address and the RU element'"'"'s address are determined by querying an IP-to-RD-to-RU address mapping relationship database.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

generating cellular communications radio bits relative to radio communications received from a cellular core network, wherein the cellular communications radio bits destined for the at least one RD element; and

multiplexing the cellular communications radio bits as in-phase and quadrature (IQ) data in a user plane of the CPRI protocol for transmission to the corresponding RU element via the communication link.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the cellular communications radio bits correspond to 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)-compliant cellular radio communications involving the at least one RD element.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one RD element includes a sensor component.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one RD element includes a 6LO access point (AP).

9. A method operating at a Radio Unit (RU) element of an access system providing access with respect to information in Internet Protocol (IP) version 6 (IPv6) over Low Power Wireless Personal Area Network (6LoWPAN) format, the method comprising:

receiving 6LoWPAN data (“

6LO data”

) packets from a Digital Unit (DU) element coupled to an external packet-switched network, wherein the 6LO data packets are packaged in a control/management (C/M) channel message associated with a communication link operable with Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) protocol;

unpacking the C/M message and obtaining a destination address of a radio dot (RD) element to which the 6LO data packets are to be delivered;

repackaging the 6LO data packets as a control channel message in a format specified for a control channel associated with an Ethernet cable link between the RU and RD elements; and

transmitting the repackaged 6LO data packets to the RD element via the Ethernet cable link as the control channel message.

10. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the baseband functionality of the DU element is configured to:

generate cellular communications radio bits relative to wireless communications received from the cellular telephony network, wherein the cellular communications radio bits destined for the at least one RD element; and

multiplex the cellular communications radio bits as in-phase and quadrature (IQ) data in a user plane of the CPRI protocol for transmission to the corresponding RU element via the communication link.

11. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the cellular communications bits correspond to 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)-compliant cellular radio communications involving the at least one RD element.

12. A system for providing access with respect to information in Internet Protocol (IP) version 6 (IPv6) over Low Power Wireless Personal Area Network (6LoWPAN) format, the system comprising:

a Digital Unit (DU) element having baseband functionality that is configured to interface with a cellular core network, the DU element including an interface for receiving 6LoWPAN data (“

6LO data”

) packets from a router coupled to an external packet-switched network;

a bridging function module included in the DU element and configured to;

examine a destination IP address of the 6LO data packets and determine an address of at least one radio dot (RD) element to which the 6LO data packets are to be delivered;

determine an address of a Radio Unit (RU) element corresponding to the at least one RD element; and

repackage the 6LO data packets in a format specified for a control/management (C/M) channel associated with a communication link disposed between the DU element and the corresponding RU element and operable with Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) protocol; and

a transceiver module included in the DU element for transmitting the repackaged 6LO data packets to the corresponding RU element as a CPRI C/M message via the communication link operable with CPRI protocol, the CPRI C/M message including the address of the at least one RD element.

13. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the bridging function module is operative to determine the at least one RD element'"'"'s address and the corresponding RU element'"'"'s address by querying an IP-to-RD-to-RU address mapping relationship database.

14. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the corresponding RU element is configured to:

unpack the CPRI C/M message received from the DU element and obtain the address of the at least one RD element;

repackage the 6LO data packets as a control channel message in a format specified for a control channel associated with an Ethernet cable link between the RU element and the at least one RD element and

transmit the repackaged 6LO data packets to the at least one RD element via the Ethernet cable link as the control channel message.

15. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the at least one RD element includes a sensor component.

16. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the at least one RD element includes a 6LO access point (AP).

17. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the communication link is an optical transmission link.

18. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the communication link is an electrical transmission link.

19. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the DU and RU elements are integrated as a single element.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a processor of a Digital Unit (DU) element configured to operate in an access system, facilitate access with respect to information in Internet Protocol (IP) version 6 (IPv6) over Low Power Wireless Personal Area Network (6LoWPAN) format, the computer-readable medium comprising:

a code portion for processing 6LoWPAN data (“

6LO data”

) packets received from a router coupled to an external packet-switched network;

a code portion for examining a destination IP address of the 6LO data packets and for determining an address of at least one radio dot (RD) element to which the 6LO data packets are to be delivered;

a code portion, responsive to determining the address of the at least one RD element, for determining an address of a Radio Unit (RU) element corresponding to the at least one RD element;

a code portion for repackaging the 6LO data packets in a format specified for a control/management (C/M) channel associated with a communication link disposed between the DU element and the corresponding RU element and operable with Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) protocol; and

a code portion for facilitating transmission of the repackaged 6LO data packets to the corresponding RU element as a CPRI C/M message via the communication link operable with the CPRI protocol, wherein CPRI C/M message includes the address of the at least one RD element.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 20, wherein the code portion for determining the at least one RD element'"'"'s address is configured to determine the address by querying an IP-to-RD address mapping relationship database.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 20, wherein the code portion for determining the corresponding RU element'"'"'s address is configured to determine the address by querying an RD-to-RU address mapping relationship database.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 20, further comprising:

a code portion for generating cellular communications radio bits relative to wireless communications received from a cellular core network, wherein the cellular communications radio bits destined for the at least one RD element; and

a code portion for multiplexing the cellular communications radio bits as in-phase and quadrature (IQ) data in a user plane of the CPRI protocol for transmission to the RU element via the communication link.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 23, wherein the cellular communications bits correspond to 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)-compliant cellular radio communications involving the at least one RD element.