KR20150016840A - Signal path switching apparatus and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are an apparatus for switching a signal path and an operating method thereof, which are capable of automatically and electrically switching a signal path between a plurality of base station modules and a plurality of wireless communication modules and further improving the efficiency of wireless resources used in a detachable base station apparatus by automatically switching the signal path. The apparatus includes a signal path switching unit and a control unit.

Description

Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to a signal path switching device and a signal path switching device,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a signal path switching device and a method of operating a signal path switching device and more particularly to a detachable base station device having a separate structure of a base station module (DU) and a wireless communication module (RU) The signal path between the wireless communication module (DU) and the wireless communication module (RU) can be automatically changed (changed) without manually changing the signal path, and furthermore, A path switching device and a signal path switching device.

In order to accommodate surging data usage, communication systems are evolving to a higher frequency efficiency system, and as a part of the existing base station device structure in which DU (Digital Unit) and RU (Remote Unit) A structure of a base station apparatus in which DU and RU are separated and installed at a remote location has emerged.

In a base station apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a separate base station apparatus) having a DU and RU separate structure, a backhaul for connecting DU to the core network and a front hole for connecting DU and RU are required. And the front hole for connection between DU and RU employs an optical line as an interface.

In a communication system employing such a detachable base station apparatus, when a signal path between a DU and an RU is changed, a device management worker moves to a position where the DU is installed, and an optical cable port of the RU connected to the DU is physically And reconnected to the port of the desired DU.

However, since the conventional manual changing method of physically detaching / reconnecting the signal path between the DU and the RU in the separate base station apparatus as described above is necessary because the inputting and moving time of the device management personnel is indispensable, It is limited to actively and quickly cope with sudden failure situations.

Therefore, in the present invention, the signal path between the base station module (DU) and the wireless communication module (RU) can be automatically changed (changed) without manually changing the signal path to the separate base station apparatus, To improve the radio resource efficiency of the separate base station apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a separate base station apparatus in which a signal path between a base station module (DU) and a wireless communication module (RU) The present invention also provides a method of operating a signal path switching apparatus and a signal path switching apparatus capable of increasing the radio resource efficiency of a separate base station apparatus by automatically switching to a signal path.

In order to accomplish the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a signal path switching apparatus, including a plurality of base station modules and a plurality of wireless communication modules, each having a separate structure, A signal path switching unit for forming signal paths for the plurality of wireless communication modules to be connected to any one of the plurality of base station modules; And at least some of the plurality of wireless communication modules related to the switching event among the plurality of wireless communication modules are connected to a base station module other than a base station module connected to the plurality of base station modules, And a control unit for controlling the signal path switching unit to switch the signal path to the communication module.

Preferably, each of the plurality of base station modules is provided with two or more ports to which different cell identifiers are assigned, and the signal path switching unit may switch between the plurality of wireless communication modules, The signal path switching unit may control the signal path switching unit to switch the signal path for at least some of the wireless communication modules so that at least some of the wireless communication modules associated with the event are connected to other ports of the same base station module .

Preferably, the switching event includes a first switching event that is generated when a failure condition is confirmed for a specific one of the plurality of base station modules, and the control unit, when the first switching event occurs, The signal path switching unit may control the signal path switching unit to switch a signal path to the specific wireless communication module so that a specific wireless communication module connected to the module is connected to a base station module other than the specific base station module.

Preferably, the switching event includes a second switching event and a second switching event, which are generated when a specific base station module whose traffic amount decreases below a specific reference value among the plurality of base station modules is increased, And a third switching event generated when the second switching event occurs, wherein the controller controls the switching of the at least one of the at least two wireless communication modules connected to the at least two specific base station modules, The signal path switching unit controls the signal path switching unit to switch the signal path to the at least two wireless communication modules so as to be connected to one base station module, and when the third switching event is generated, Wherein at least one of the at least two wireless communication modules is connected to the specific base station For switching a signal path for it said some of the wireless communication module to be connected with other base modules, not the module may control the switching section signal paths.

Preferably, the switching event includes a fourth switching event which is generated when a switching command is received from an external control system, and the control unit controls, when the fourth switching event occurs, The signal path switching unit may control the signal path switching unit to switch the signal path to the specific wireless communication module so that the module is connected to the base station module other than the base station module to which the module is connected.

Preferably, the optical signal from the plurality of base station modules is converted into a signal of a specific type that can be transmitted through a signal path formed by the signal path switching unit, transferred to the signal path switching unit, And a second conversion module for converting the optical signal from the plurality of wireless communication modules into the signal of the specific type and outputting the optical signal to the signal path switching section And a second conversion unit for converting the signal of the specific type transmitted from the signal path switching unit into an optical signal and transmitting the optical signal to the plurality of wireless communication modules.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a separate base station apparatus having a plurality of base station modules and a plurality of wireless communication modules in a separated structure, A signal path forming step of forming a signal path for each of the plurality of wireless communication modules so as to be connected to one of the plurality of base station modules for each communication module; Wherein at least some of the plurality of wireless communication modules related to the switching event among the plurality of wireless communication modules are connected to a base station module other than a base station module connected to the plurality of base station modules, And a signal path switching step of switching the signal path to the module.

Preferably, the switching event includes a first switching event that is generated when a fault condition is confirmed for a specific one of the plurality of the base station modules, and the signal path switching step includes, during the first switching event, The signal path to the specific wireless communication module can be switched so that the specific wireless communication module connected to the specific base station module is connected to the base station module other than the specific base station module.

Preferably, the switching event includes a second switching event and a second switching event, which are generated when a specific base station module whose traffic amount decreases below a specific reference value among the plurality of base station modules is increased, And at least one of a plurality of wireless communication modules connected to the at least two specific base station modules is connected to the plurality of base stations at the time of the second switching event, The signal path for the at least two wireless communication modules is switched so that the at least one wireless communication module is connected to the same one of the modules, and when the third switching event is generated, If some of the communication modules are not in the specific base station module It is possible to transfer a signal path for said some of the wireless communication module to be connected to the module.

Preferably, the switching event includes a fourth switching event which is generated when a switching command is received from an external control system, and the signal path switching step includes switching, at the time of the fourth switching event, The signal path for the specific wireless communication module may be switched so that the specific wireless communication module is connected to the base station module other than the base station module to which the specific wireless communication module is connected.

Thus, according to the signal path switching device and the operation method of the signal path switching device of the present invention, the signal path between the base station module DU and the wireless communication module RU is automatically changed And the radio resource efficiency of the separate base station apparatus can be increased through automatic switching to a signaling path.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a signal path switching device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of a signal path switching device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
3 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an example in which the cell area of the separate base station apparatus changes according to the signal path switching by the signal path switching apparatus of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a signal path switching apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

1, a signal path switching apparatus 100 according to the present invention includes a detachable base station apparatus 30 having a plurality of base station modules 10 and a plurality of wireless communication modules 20 in a separated structure, (Switch) a signal path between a plurality of base station modules 10 and a plurality of wireless communication modules 20 in association with each other.

1, the separate base station device 30 includes a plurality of base station modules 10 and a plurality of wireless communication modules 20 in a separate structure (not shown) Respectively.

Each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3,... Included in the plurality of wireless communication modules 20 performs D / A conversion on a signal received from the base station module connected thereto and performs up- Signal, processes the radio signal received from the mobile station in reverse, and transmits the radio signal to the base station module connected thereto. The wireless communication module may include an ADC (Analog Digital Converter), a transceiver, an amplifier, an antenna, and the like.

Each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3,... May correspond to an RU (Remote Unit) and may include an RF unit.

Each of the base station modules 1, 2, 3,... Included in the plurality of base station modules 10 provides a communication service to a terminal connected thereto through a connected wireless communication module.

That is, each base station module 1, 2, 3... Is connected to an external device (e.g., a broadband router) through a backhaul and is connected in its cell area through at least one wireless communication module connected thereto It is possible to provide communication services such as voice and data to the terminal.

Each of the base station modules 1, 2, 3,... Can include a baseband signal processor that can correspond to a DU (Digital Unit) and process a signal transmitted and received through an RF unit included in the wireless communication module. Each of the base station modules 1, 2, 3,... Is preferably installed at the same place.

It is preferable that a plurality of base station modules 10 and a plurality of wireless communication modules 20 are connected via an optical line.

In order to change (switch) the signal path between the DU and the RU in this separate base station device 30, in the past, since the device management worker directly followed the manual changing method of physically removing / reconnecting the signal path, the irregular traffic amount And the occurrence of sudden failure situations.

Accordingly, in the present invention, the signal path between the DU and the RU is automatically changed (switched) to the separate base station apparatus 30.

1, a signal path switching device 100 according to the present invention includes a plurality of base station modules 10 and a plurality of wireless communication modules 20 constituting a separate base station device 30, Lt; / RTI >

The signal path switching device 100 is connected to a plurality of wireless communication modules 20 to be connected to any one of a plurality of base station modules 10 for each of the plurality of wireless communication modules 20, Thereby forming a signal path for the communication module 20.

For example, it is assumed that the initial setting information for allowing each of the plurality of wireless communication modules 20 to be connected to the same one base station module 1 is preset, and the signal path switching device 100 includes a detachable base station device 30 The base station module 1 according to the initial setting information is selected from a plurality of base station modules 10 for each of the plurality of wireless communication modules 20 in accordance with the above- The signal path to the plurality of wireless communication modules 20 can be switched.

Therefore, the signal path switching device 100 is provided with the same one base station 20 for each of the plurality of wireless communication modules 20, that is, for each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, ... included in the plurality of wireless communication modules 20. [ To form a signal path for each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, ... so as to be connected to the module 1.

In this way, the signal path switching device 100, in the state in which the signal path for the plurality of wireless communication modules 20 is formed, is connected to the switching event among the plurality of wireless communication modules 20 The signal path to the at least some wireless communication modules may be switched such that at least some of the wireless communication modules are connected to the base station module other than the base station modules connected to the plurality of base station modules 10.

Here, the switching event includes a first switching event that occurs when a fault condition is confirmed for a specific one of the plurality of the base station modules 10, a first switching event that occurs when a traffic amount of the plurality of the base station modules 10 decreases below a specific reference value, A second switching event which is generated when a specific base station module whose traffic amount increases beyond a specific reference value among the plurality of base station modules 10 is detected, And a fourth switching event that occurs when an instruction is received.

At this time, the control system 200 monitors the amount of traffic of each base station device in the communication system including the separate base station device 30, the number of terminals connected to each base station device, the occurrence of a failure situation of each base station device, (E.g., an operation management system (EMS)) or a communication system manager PC for monitoring and managing each base station apparatus in the communication system, such as allocating radio resources to each base station apparatus.

Thus, the signal path switching device 100, in a state in which the signal path for the plurality of wireless communication modules 20 is formed, is connected to the first switch event, the second switch event, the third switch event and the fourth switch event , At least some of the plurality of wireless communication modules related to the switching event occurring in the plurality of wireless communication modules (20) are connected to the other base station modules The signal path to at least some of the wireless communication modules can be automatically switched.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the signal path switching device 100 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail.

The signal path switching device 100 according to the present invention is a signal path switching device 100 that is connected to a base station module among a plurality of base station modules 10 for each of a plurality of wireless communication modules 20 A signal path switching unit 130 for establishing a signal path for the wireless communication module 20 of the wireless communication module 20 and at least a part of the plurality of wireless communication modules 20 related to the switching event, A control unit 140 for controlling the signal path switching unit 130 to switch a signal path to at least a part of the plurality of base station modules 10 to be connected to a base station module other than a base station module connected to the base station module .

1, a signal path switching apparatus 100 according to the present invention includes a first converter 110 and a second converter 110 between a plurality of base station modules 10 and a signal path switching unit 130, And may further include a second conversion unit 120 between the path switching unit 130 and the plurality of wireless communication modules 20. [

The first conversion unit 110 converts an optical signal transmitted through a light path from a plurality of base station modules 10 into a specific type signal that can be transmitted through a signal path formed by the signal path switching unit 130, Converts the signal of the specific type transmitted from the signal path switching unit 130 into an optical signal, and transmits the optical signal to the plurality of base station modules 10 through the optical path.

Here, the specific type of signal is preferably an electrical signal.

The second conversion unit 120 converts an optical signal transmitted through the optical line from the plurality of wireless communication modules 20 into a signal of a specific type, that is, an electrical signal, and transmits the signal to the signal path switching unit 130, Converts a signal of a specific type, that is, an electrical signal, transmitted from the path switching unit 130 into an optical signal, and transmits the optical signal to a plurality of wireless communication modules 20 through an optical line.

Assuming that a signal path is formed by the signal path switching unit 130 so that the base station module 1 of the plurality of base station modules 10 and the wireless communication module 1 of the plurality of wireless communication modules 20 are connected, In the case of the downlink, the optical signal transmitted from the base station module 1 through the optical line is converted into an electrical signal in the first conversion unit 110 and then transmitted to the signal path switching unit 130, The signal is converted into an optical signal by the second conversion unit 120 and transmitted to the wireless communication module 1 through the optical line.

On the other hand, in the case of the uplink, the optical signal transmitted from the wireless communication module 1 through the optical line is converted into an electrical signal in the second conversion unit 120 and is transmitted to the signal path switching unit 130, The optical signal is transmitted to the first converter 110 through a signal path formed by the optical fiber 130 and then converted into an optical signal by the first converter 110 and transmitted to the base station module 1 through the optical line.

The reason why the first conversion unit 110 and the second conversion unit 120 for converting the optical signal and the electrical signal are located at both ends of the signal path switching unit 130 is as follows. If the optical signal is applied as it is in the case where the signal path is switched by the optical fiber 130, there is a possibility that the reliability of the signal transmission may be problematic.

The signal path switching unit 130 is connected to the plurality of wireless communication modules 20 to be connected to any one of the plurality of base station modules 10 for each of the plurality of wireless communication modules 20, (20).

For example, it is assumed that initial setting information for allowing a plurality of wireless communication modules 20 to be connected to the same single base station module 1 is set to a predetermined state, and the signal path switching unit 130 includes a detachable base station apparatus 30 The base station module 1 according to the initial setting information is selected from a plurality of base station modules 10 for each of the plurality of wireless communication modules 20 in accordance with the above- The signal path to the plurality of wireless communication modules 20 can be switched.

The signal path switching unit 130 is provided for each of the plurality of wireless communication modules 20, that is, the plurality of wireless communication modules 20, To form a signal path for each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, ... so as to be connected to the module 1.

In this case, since each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, ... of the distributed base station device 30 is connected to the same one base station module 1, each wireless communication module 1, (PCI) assigned to the base station module 1, and the distributed base station device 30 uses one cell identifier (PCI) based on each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, PCI) can be formed.

When the distributed base station device 30 forms one cell area, inter-cell interference is naturally reduced as compared with the case where the distributed base station device 30 forms a plurality of cell areas. As a result, Will be improved.

Hereinafter, for convenience of description, description will be made on the assumption that each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 included in the plurality of wireless communication modules 20 is upgraded.

In addition, the base station modules 1, 2, 3, ... may be provided with two or more ports to which different cell identifiers (PCI) are allocated.

By referring to the case where each of the plurality of wireless communication modules 20 includes respective wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and each of the base station modules 1, 2, 3, ... has two or more ports, As shown in FIG. 3A, when all of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the distributed base station 30 are connected to the same one Port 1 of the same base station module 1 Therefore, each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 uses the same cell identifier (PCI) assigned to the base station module 1, , 4, 5, and may form one cell region C1 having one cell identifier (PCI).

At least some of the plurality of wireless communication modules related to the switching event among the plurality of wireless communication modules 20 may be connected to the other base station modules 10, And controls the signal path switching unit 130 to switch the signal path for the at least some wireless communication modules to be connected to the module.

More specifically, the control unit 140 determines whether or not a preset switching event occurs in a state where the signal path switching unit 130 forms a signal path to the plurality of wireless communication modules 20 as described above .

Here, the switching event includes a first switching event that occurs when a fault condition is confirmed for a specific one of the plurality of the base station modules 10, a first switching event that occurs when a traffic amount of the plurality of the base station modules 10 decreases below a specific reference value, A second switching event which is generated when a specific base station module whose traffic amount increases beyond a specific reference value among the plurality of base station modules 10 is detected, And a fourth switching event that occurs when an instruction is received.

First, when it is determined that the first switching event has occurred, the controller 140 determines whether the first switching event has occurred. If it is determined that the first switching event has occurred, It is possible to control the signal path switching unit 130 to switch the signal path to the specific wireless communication module so that the specific wireless communication module connected to the module is connected to the base station module other than the specific base station module.

For example, as described above, each of the plurality of wireless communication modules 20, i.e., each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 included in the plurality of wireless communication modules 20, It is assumed that a signal path for each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 is formed so that the failure condition is confirmed for the base station module 1.

In this case, the control unit 140 determines that the first switching event has occurred, and determines that the specific wireless communication module, i.e., each wireless communication module 1, 2, 3, 4 (5) is connected to a base station module other than the base station module 1 (for example, the base station module 2), and controls the signal path switcher 130 to switch the signal path to each of the wireless communication modules 1, can do.

Accordingly, the signal path switching unit 130 is provided for each of the plurality of wireless communication modules 20, that is, for each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 included in the plurality of wireless communication modules 20, The signal paths to the respective wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 may be re-formed to be connected to the base station module 2.

In this case, since all of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the distributed base station apparatus 30 are connected to the same one Port 1 of the same base station module 2, One cell region can be formed based on the respective wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

If the third switch event is generated, the controller 140 determines whether a third switch event has occurred. If it is determined that a third switch event has occurred, When the number of the wireless communication modules connected to the specific base station module and the number of the wireless communication modules connected to the specific base station module increases according to the occurrence of the traffic, The signal path switching unit 130 can be controlled to switch the signal path to the wireless communication module.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3A, when a plurality of wireless communication modules 20, that is, a plurality of wireless communication modules 20 included in the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are formed so as to be connected to the same one Port 1 of the base station module 1, and it is assumed that the traffic amount of the base station module 1 increases to be higher than a specific reference value do.

In this case, the control unit 140 determines that the third switching event has occurred, and determines that the specific wireless communication module connected to the specific base station module, that is, the base station module 1, that is, each wireless communication module 1, , 4, 5 are 2 or more.

When it is confirmed that the specific wireless communication module connected to the base station module 1, i.e., each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 is two or more, And 5, the signal path switching unit 130 may be controlled to switch the signal path to some of the wireless communication modules so that some of the wireless communication modules are connected to the base station module other than the base station module 1.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, the control unit 140 causes the wireless communication module 1 among the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 to maintain the signal path as it is with Port 1 of the base station module 1, The wireless communication modules 2, 3, 4 and 5 may be connected to different wireless communication modules, that is, the remaining wireless communication modules 2, 3, 4, and 5 may be connected to the different base station modules 2, , The signal path switching unit 130 can be controlled to switch the signal paths to the wireless communication modules 2, 3, 4,

3B, each of the plurality of wireless communication modules 20, that is, each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4 included in the plurality of wireless communication modules 20, 5, the wireless communication module 1 is connected to the port 1 of the base station module 1, the wireless communication module 2 is connected to the port 1 of the base station module 2, the wireless communication module 3 is connected to the port 1 of the base station module 3, , And the signal path to each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 may be re-established such that the wireless communication module 5 is connected to Port 1 of the base station module 5.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 3B, since the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the distributed base station device 30 are connected to different base station modules, 3, 4 and 5 use different cell identifiers (PCI), and the distributed base station device 30 uses different cell identifiers (PCI) based on the respective wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, C3, C4, C5, and C6 having the cell regions C2, C3, C4, C5, and C6.

If the distributed base station device 30 forms a plurality of cell areas, the inter-cell interference will increase as compared with the case where the distributed base station device 30 forms one cell area. However, The possible radio resources will increase, which will also improve the intra-cell transmission rate.

Meanwhile, in the control unit 140, the wireless communication module 1 of each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 keeps the signal path as it is with the Port 1 of the base station module 1 connected thereto, 2, 3, 4, 5 so as to be connected to the different base station modules 2, 3 by bundling the wireless communication modules 4, It is also possible to control the switching unit 130.

The signal path switching unit 130 is connected to each of the plurality of wireless communication modules 20, that is, each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 included in the plurality of wireless communication modules 20, The wireless communication modules 2 and 3 are connected to Port 1 of the base station module 2 and the wireless communication modules 4 and 5 are connected to Port 1 of the base station module 3 in Port 1 of the base station module 1, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > a < / RTI >

Since the different cell identifiers (PCI) are assigned to the respective ports of the base station module 1, the control unit 140 selects one of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, The signal path switching unit 130 may be controlled so that the wireless communication modules 2, 3, 4, and 5 are connected to other ports of the base station module 1 to switch the signal paths to the wireless communication modules.

That is, when it is confirmed that there are two or more specific wireless communication modules connected to the base station module 1, that is, each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, , 5 are connected to other ports (for example, Port 2, Port 3, etc.) of the same base station module 1 other than the port 1 connected to the base station module 1 by the signal path switching The control unit 130 may be controlled.

For example, the control unit 140 allows the wireless communication module 1 among the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 to maintain the signal path as it is with the Port 1 of the base station module 1 connected to the base station 1, 3, 4 and 5, the signal paths to the wireless communication modules 2 and 3 are switched so that the wireless communication modules 2 and 3 are connected to the other port 2 of the same base station module 1, It is also possible to control the signal path switching unit 130 to switch the signal path to the wireless communication modules 4 and 5 so as to be connected to the other Port 3 of the wireless communication modules 4 and 5.

In this case, since the wireless communication module 1, the wireless communication module 2, and the wireless communication module 4 of the distributed base station device 30 are connected to different ports of the base station module, The wireless communication modules 2 and 3 and the wireless communication modules 4 and 5 use different cell identifiers (PCI), and the distributed base station device 30 uses the wireless communication module 1 and the wireless communication modules 2 and 3 and the wireless communication module 4 , And 5, respectively.

At this time, the control unit 140 controls the signals for the wireless communication modules 2, 3, 4, 5 so that the remaining wireless communication modules 2, 3, 4, 5 are connected to the other ports of the same base station module 1, When it is determined that the traffic volume for Port3 of the base station module 1 is also equal to or greater than a preset reference value when the signal path switching unit 130 is controlled to switch the path, Modules 4 and 5 may be connected to Port 1 of another base station module 2.

If it is determined that the second switching event has occurred, the controller 140 determines that the second switching event has occurred, and if the second switching event has occurred, A signal path switching unit 130 for switching signal paths for the two or more wireless communication modules so that all of the two or more wireless communication modules connected to two or more specific base station modules are connected to the same one of the plurality of base station modules 10 Can be controlled.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, each of the plurality of wireless communication modules 20, that is, each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 included in the plurality of wireless communication modules 20, It is assumed that a signal path for each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 is formed so as to be connected to the module, and it is assumed that the traffic amount of the base station module 1 and the base station module 2 decreases below a certain reference value.

In this case, the control unit 140 determines that a second switching event has occurred, and determines that two or more specific base station modules, i.e., two or more wireless communication modules connected to the base station module 1 and the base station module 2, The signal path switching unit 130 can be controlled to switch the signal path to each of the wireless communication modules 1 and 2 so that the communication modules 1 and 2 are connected to the same one base station module (for example, the base station module 1).

For example, as shown in C of FIG. 3, the control unit 140 determines whether the traffic amount of each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 is connected to the base station module 1 and the base station module 2, Controls the signal path switching unit 130 to switch the signal path to each of the wireless communication modules 1 and 2 so as to be connected to the same Port 1 of the same one base station module 1 only for the wireless communication modules 1 and 2 connected thereto, Each of the remaining wireless communication modules 3, 4, and 5 among the modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 can maintain the signal path as it is with the base station modules 3,

In this case, as shown in FIG. 3C, each of the wireless communication modules 1 and 2 of the distributed base station device 30 is connected to the same one Port 1 of the same one base station module 1, and each wireless communication module 3, 4, 5 are connected to different base station modules, wireless communication modules 1 and 2 use the same one cell identifier (PCI) and each wireless communication module 3, 4, and 5 uses different cell identifiers (PCI) , The distributed base station apparatus 30 forms a plurality of cell areas C7, C4, C5, and C6 having different cell identifiers (PCI) based on the respective wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, can do.

On the other hand, for another example, as shown in FIG. 3B, a plurality of wireless communication modules 20, that is, a plurality of wireless communication modules 20, It is assumed that signal paths for the respective wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are formed so as to be connected to different base station modules, and the traffic amounts of all of the base station modules 1, .

In this case, the control unit 140 determines that the second switching event has occurred, and determines that two or more specific base station modules, that is, the base station modules 1, 2, 3, 4, The signal paths to the respective wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are set so that the communication modules, that is, the respective wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are connected to the same one base station module So that the signal path switching unit 130 can be controlled.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3A, when the traffic amount is decreased to a specific reference value or less, that is, the controller 140 determines that the base stations 1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5, and 5 to be connected to the same Port 1 of one base station module 1, the signal path switching unit 130 can be controlled to switch the signal paths to the respective wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, .

In this case, as shown in FIG. 3A, each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the distributed base station apparatus 30 is connected to the same one Port 1 of the same one base station module 1, The communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 use the same one cell identifier (PCI), and the distributed base station device 30 uses the cell identifiers One cell region C1 can be formed.

3B, each of the plurality of wireless communication modules 20, that is, each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2 included in the plurality of wireless communication modules 20, 3, 4, and 5 so that the signal path for each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 is formed so as to be connected to the different base station modules. do.

In this case, the control unit 140 determines that the first switching event has occurred, and determines that a specific base station module, i.e., a specific wireless communication module, i.e., a base station module 2 to which the wireless communication module 2 is connected, It is possible to control the signal path switching unit 130 to switch the signal path to the wireless communication module 2 so as to be connected to the other base station module.

In this case, if there is a base station module 6, for example, a base station module 6, which is not activated among the plurality of base station modules 10, the controller 140 controls the wireless communication module 2 such that the wireless communication module 2 is connected to a base station module The signal path switching unit 130 can be controlled so as to switch the signal path to the wireless communication module 2.

However, if there is no base station module that is not activated among the plurality of base station modules 10, the controller 140 determines whether the base station module, for example, the base station module 1, 2, 3, 4, The signal path switching unit 130 may be controlled to switch the signal path to the wireless communication module 2 so as to be connected to the base station module (e.g., the base station module 1).

If it is determined that the fourth switching event has occurred as a result of determining whether or not the switching event is generated, the control unit 140 determines whether the fourth switching event has occurred, The signal path switching unit 130 may be controlled to switch the signal path to the specific wireless communication module so that the communication module is connected to the base station module other than the base station module connected to the base station module.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 is connected to each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, It is assumed that the wireless communication module 1 or 2 as the specific wireless communication module has received the designated switching command.

In this case, the controller 140 determines that the fourth switching event has occurred, and determines that the wireless communication modules 1 and 2 designated according to the switching command are not the base station modules 1 and 2 to which the base station modules 1 and 2 are connected, The signal path switching unit 130 is switched to switch the signal path to the wireless communication modules 1 and 2 so as to be connected to the base station module 6 or a plurality of the base station modules 10 that are not activated (for example, the base station module 6) Can be controlled.

3, the signal path switching unit 130 is connected to each of the plurality of wireless communication modules 20, that is, each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4 included in the plurality of wireless communication modules 20 5, the wireless communication module 1 is connected to Port 1 of the base station module 6, the wireless communication module 3 is connected to Port 1 of the base station module 3, the wireless communication module 4 is connected to Port 1 of the base station module 4, The signal path to each wireless communication module 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 may be re-formed so as to be connected to Port 1.

In this case, as shown in D of FIG. 3, each of the wireless communication modules 1 and 2 of the distributed base station apparatus 30 is connected to the same one Port 1 of the same one base station module 6, and each of the wireless communication modules 3, 5 are connected to the different base station modules, the distributed base station device 30 is configured to transmit a plurality of cell areas (PD) having different cell identifiers (PCI) based on the respective wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, C8, C4, C5, C6).

As described above, in the signal path switching apparatus according to the present invention, when the signal path between the DU and the RU of the distributed base station apparatus is to be changed (switched), the signal path switching apparatus, Type base station apparatus and a plurality of wireless communication modules of the base station apparatus.

In addition, the signal path switching apparatus according to the present invention automatically distributes the signal path between the DU and the RU to the distributed base station apparatus in accordance with the irregular traffic volume change, It is possible to increase the available radio resources according to the situation by allowing the base station apparatus to form a plurality of cell areas or to form a single cell area adaptively to changes in irregular traffic volume and sudden failure situations and change orders The inter-cell interference can be reduced, and the radio resource efficiency of the separate base station apparatus can be increased.

Hereinafter, the operation of the signal path switching apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. For convenience of description, the reference numerals of FIGS. 1 and 3 will be described.

A method of operating a signal path switching device according to the present invention, which is located on a light path between a plurality of base station modules (10) and a plurality of wireless communication modules (20) constituting a separate base station device (30) When the operation of the wireless communication module 30 is started (S100), it is determined whether any one of the plurality of base station modules 10 The signal paths to the plurality of wireless communication modules 20 may be switched so as to be connected to the base station module 1 (S110).

The method for operating the signal path switching device according to the present invention is characterized in that the same one of the same one of the base station modules 1 is used for each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 included in the plurality of wireless communication modules 20 3, 4, and 5 so as to be connected to Port 1 of the wireless communication module.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 3A, since each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the distributed base station apparatus 30 is connected to the same one Port 1 of one base station module 1, Each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 uses the same cell identifier (PCI) assigned to the base station module 1, , And one cell region (C1) having one cell identifier (PCI) based on the cell identifier

The method for operating the signal path switching device according to the present invention is characterized in that the signal path switching device according to the present invention includes a first conversion unit 110 and a second conversion unit 120, Modules 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 5 are converted into electrical signals, converted to optical signals through the formed signal path, and then transmitted to optical communication modules 1, 5, and in the case of the uplink, the optical signals transmitted through the optical lines from the respective wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are converted into electrical signals, And transmits it to the base station module 1 through the optical line (S120).

In the operation method of the signal path switching device according to the present invention, it is determined whether a preset switching event occurs in a state in which the signal paths for the plurality of wireless communication modules 20 are formed (S130).

In the operation method of the signal path switching device according to the present invention, when a preset switching event is generated (Yes in S130), the generated switching event is the first switching event, the second switching event, the third switching event, It is determined which event is the switch event.

In the operation method of the signal path switching device according to the present invention, it is determined whether the generated switching event is a first switching event according to the occurrence of the fault situation (S140). If the switching event is not the first switching event, (Step S150).

For example, as shown in FIG. 3A, when a plurality of wireless communication modules 20, that is, a plurality of wireless communication modules 20 included in the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are formed so as to be connected to the same one Port 1 of the base station module 1, and it is assumed that the traffic amount of the base station module 1 increases to be higher than a specific reference value do.

In the operation method of the signal path switching device according to the present invention, if it is determined that the generated switching event is the third switching event (Yes in S150) That is, whether each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 is two or more (S153).

In the operation method of the signal path switching device according to the present invention, if it is confirmed that there are two or more specific wireless communication modules connected to the base station module 1, that is, each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, The signal paths to some of the wireless communication modules are switched so that some of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are connected to other base station modules other than the base station module 1 or other ports of the same base station module 1 (S155).

For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, in the method of operating the signal path switching device according to the present invention, the wireless communication module 1 among the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, The signal path is maintained, and some wireless communication modules among the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, that is, the remaining wireless communication modules 2, 3, 4, 5 are not the base station module 1, 4, 5, so that the signal paths to the wireless communication modules 2, 3, 4, 5 can be switched.

3B, each of the plurality of wireless communication modules 20, that is, each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2 included in the plurality of wireless communication modules 20, The wireless communication module 2 is connected to Port 1 of the base station module 2, the wireless communication module 3 is connected to Port 1 of the base station module 3, the wireless communication module 4 is connected to the base station module 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 so that the wireless communication module 5 is connected to the Port 1 of the base station module 5 in Port 1 of the wireless communication module 1, 4,

In this case, as shown in FIG. 3B, since the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the distributed base station device 30 are connected to different base station modules, 3, 4 and 5 use different cell identifiers (PCI), and the distributed base station device 30 uses different cell identifiers (PCI) based on the respective wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, C3, C4, C5, and C6 having the cell regions C2, C3, C4, C5, and C6.

Thereafter, if the operation of the distributed base station apparatus 30 is not terminated (No in S180), the operation method of the signal path switching apparatus according to the present invention proceeds to S120, and then, in S130, And if so, which transfer event has occurred.

The operation method of the signal path switching device according to the present invention is such that if the generated switch event is not the first switch event (S140 No) and the third switch event (S150 No) It is determined whether the base station module is a second switch event in which two or more are confirmed (S160).

For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, each of the plurality of wireless communication modules 20, that is, each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 included in the plurality of wireless communication modules 20, It is assumed that a signal path for each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 is formed so as to be connected to the module, and it is assumed that the traffic amount of the base station module 1 and the base station module 2 decreases below a certain reference value.

If it is determined that the generated switching event is a second switching event (Yes in S160), the operation of the signal path switching device according to the present invention is performed by the two or more specific base station modules, i.e., the base station module 1 and the base station module 1, The signal path to each of the wireless communication modules 1 and 2 is switched so that the two or more wireless communication modules connected to the module 2 and the two or more wireless communication modules 1 and 2 are connected to the same port of one same base station module (for example, the base station module 1) (S165).

For example, as shown in FIG. 3C, the operation method of the signal path switching device according to the present invention is such that the traffic amount of each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 is reduced to a specific reference value or less, 1 and the base station module 2 are connected to the same Port 1 of the same base station module 1 only for the wireless communication modules 1 and 2 connected to the base station module 2, 2, 3, 4, and 5, the remaining wireless communication modules 2, 3, and 4 can re-establish the signal path so that the signal path is maintained as it is with the base station modules 3,

In this case, as shown in FIG. 3C, each of the wireless communication modules 1 and 2 of the distributed base station device 30 is connected to the same one Port 1 of the same one base station module 1, and each wireless communication module 3, 4, 5 are connected to different base station modules, wireless communication modules 1 and 2 use the same one cell identifier (PCI) and each wireless communication module 3, 4, and 5 uses different cell identifiers (PCI) , The distributed base station apparatus 30 forms a plurality of cell areas C7, C4, C5, and C6 having different cell identifiers (PCI) based on the respective wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, something to do.

Thereafter, if the operation of the distributed base station apparatus 30 is not terminated (No in S180), the operation method of the signal path switching apparatus according to the present invention proceeds to S120, and then, in S130, And if so, which transfer event has occurred.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, each of the plurality of wireless communication modules 20, that is, each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 included in the plurality of wireless communication modules 20, It is assumed that a signal path for each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 is formed so as to be connected to the module, and a failure situation is confirmed for the base station module 2.

If it is determined that the generated switching event is the first switching event (Yes in S140), the operation of the signal path switching device according to the present invention is performed by the specific base station module, that is, The signal path to the wireless communication module 2 may be switched so that the wireless communication module 2 is connected to a base station module other than the connected base station module 2 (e.g., the base station module 1) (S145).

In this case, as shown in FIG. 3C, each of the wireless communication modules 1 and 2 of the distributed base station device 30 is connected to the same one Port 1 of the same one base station module 1, and each wireless communication module 3, 4, 5 are connected to different base station modules, wireless communication modules 1 and 2 use the same one cell identifier (PCI) and each wireless communication module 3, 4, and 5 uses different cell identifiers (PCI) , The distributed base station apparatus 30 forms a plurality of cell areas C7, C4, C5, and C6 having different cell identifiers (PCI) based on the respective wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, something to do.

Thereafter, if the operation of the distributed base station apparatus 30 is not terminated (No in S180), the operation method of the signal path switching apparatus according to the present invention proceeds to S120, and then, in S130, And if so, which transfer event has occurred.

If the occurrence of the changeover event is not the first changeover event (S140 No), the changeover event is not the third changeover event (S150 No) and the second changeover event is not the changeover event (S160 No) Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 4 < / RTI >

For example, as shown in C of FIG. 3, each of the wireless communication modules 1 and 2 included in one of the wireless communication modules 1, 2 and 3 is connected to one base station module 1, It is assumed that a signal path for the modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 is formed, and a case where a wireless communication module 1 or 2 designated as a specific wireless communication module receives a switching command.

In this case, the operation method of the signal path switching device according to the present invention determines that the fourth switching event has occurred, and determines that the wireless communication modules 1 and 2 designated according to the switching command are other base station modules The signal path to the wireless communication modules 1 and 2 may be switched so as to be connected to the base station module 6 or a plurality of base station modules 10 that are not activated among the plurality of base station modules 10 (for example, the base station module 6) S170).

3, the method of operating the signal path switching device according to the present invention is characterized in that the plurality of wireless communication modules 20, that is, the wireless communication modules 1, 2 included in the plurality of wireless communication modules 20 The wireless communication module 3 is connected to Port 1 of the base station module 3, the wireless communication module 4 is connected to Port 1 of the base station module 4, the wireless communication module 5 is connected to Port 1 of the base station module 3, The signal path to each of the wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 may be reconfigured to be connected to Port 1 of the base station module 5.

In this case, as shown in D of FIG. 3, each of the wireless communication modules 1 and 2 of the distributed base station apparatus 30 is connected to the same one Port 1 of the same one base station module 6, and each of the wireless communication modules 3, 5 are connected to the different base station modules, the distributed base station device 30 is configured to transmit a plurality of cell areas (PD) having different cell identifiers (PCI) based on the respective wireless communication modules 1, 2, 3, C8, C4, C5, C6).

As described above, in the method of operating the signal path switching device according to the present invention, when the signal path between the DU and the RU of the distributed base station device is to be changed (switched), the manual changing method by the existing device management personnel The present invention provides an effect of automatically switching between a plurality of base station modules and a plurality of wireless communication modules of the distributed base station apparatus.

In addition, a method of operating a signal path switching device according to the present invention is a method for automatically switching a signal path between a DU and an RU in accordance with a change in an irregular traffic volume, a sudden failure situation, , The distributed base station apparatus is capable of forming a plurality of cell regions or a single cell region adaptively in response to a change in an irregular traffic volume and a sudden failure situation and a switching command, And the inter-cell interference can be reduced to increase the radio resource efficiency of the separate base station apparatus.

The method of operating the signal path switching device according to an embodiment of the present invention may be implemented in the form of a program command that can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like, alone or in combination. The program instructions recorded on the medium may be those specially designed and constructed for the present invention or may be available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of computer-readable media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tape; optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs; magnetic media such as floppy disks; Magneto-optical media, and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include machine language code such as those produced by a compiler, as well as high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware devices described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the present invention, and vice versa.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

According to the signal path switching device and the operating method of the signal path switching device according to the present invention, the signal path between the base station module (DU) and the wireless communication module (RU) is automatically changed In addition, since it is possible to increase the radio resource efficiency of the separate base station apparatus through automatic switching to a signal path, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the applied apparatus It is an invention that is industrially applicable because it is not only possible to market or operate, but can be practically and practically carried out.

10: a plurality of base station modules 20: a plurality of wireless communication modules
30: detachable base station device
100: Signal path switching device
110: first conversion unit 120: second conversion unit
130: signal path switching unit 140:
200: Control system

Claims (10)

A plurality of wireless communication modules each having a plurality of base station modules and a plurality of wireless communication modules separated from each other by a plurality of wireless communication modules so as to be connected to any one of the plurality of base station modules for each of the plurality of wireless communication modules, A signal path switching unit for forming a signal path for the module; And
Wherein at least some of the plurality of wireless communication modules related to the switching event among the plurality of wireless communication modules are connected to a base station module other than a base station module connected to the plurality of base station modules, And a control unit for controlling the signal path switching unit to switch the signal path to the module. The method according to claim 1,
Each of the plurality of base station modules is provided with two or more ports to which different cell identifiers are assigned,
The signal path switching unit includes:
Wherein at least some of the plurality of wireless communication modules related to the switching event among the plurality of wireless communication modules are connected to other ports of the same base station module, And the signal path switching unit controls the signal path switching unit to switch the signal path for the signal path switching unit. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the switching event includes a first switching event that is generated when a fault condition is confirmed for a specific one of the plurality of base station modules,
Wherein,
The control unit controls the signal path switching unit to switch the signal path to the specific wireless communication module so that the specific wireless communication module connected to the specific base station module is connected to the base station module other than the specific base station module, The signal path switching device comprising: The method according to claim 1,
The switching event is generated when a second switching event and a second base station module in which a traffic amount of the plurality of base station modules is reduced to a specific reference value or below are detected, And a third switching event,
Wherein,
The signal path for the two or more wireless communication modules is switched so that all of the at least two wireless communication modules connected to the at least two specific base station modules are connected to the same one of the plurality of base station modules at the time of the occurrence of the second switching event The signal path switching unit controls the signal path switching unit,
When a third wireless communication module is connected to the specific base station module at a time of generating the third switching event, if the wireless communication module is connected to a base station module other than the specific base station module, And controls the signal path switching section to switch the signal path to the module. The method according to claim 1,
The switching event includes a fourth switching event which is generated when a switching command is received from an external control system,
Wherein,
The control unit controls the signal path switching unit to switch the signal path to the specific wireless communication module so that the specific wireless communication module designated according to the switching command is connected to the base station module other than the base station module connected to the base station module Wherein said signal path switching device comprises: The method according to claim 1,
And converting the optical signal from the plurality of base station modules into a specific type signal that can be transmitted through a signal path formed by the signal path switching unit and transmitting the signal to the signal path switching unit, A first conversion unit for converting a signal of the optical signal into an optical signal and transmitting the optical signal to the plurality of base station modules,
Converting the optical signal from the plurality of wireless communication modules into the signal of the specific type and transferring the signal to the signal path switching unit and converting the signal of the specific type transmitted from the signal path switching unit into an optical signal, And a second conversion unit for transferring the signal to the communication module. A plurality of wireless communication modules, each of which is connected to one of the plurality of base station modules, for each of the plurality of wireless communication modules, in association with a separate base station apparatus having a plurality of base station modules and a plurality of wireless communication modules in a separated structure, A signal path forming step of forming a signal path for the signal path;
Wherein at least some of the plurality of wireless communication modules related to the switching event among the plurality of wireless communication modules are connected to a base station module other than a base station module connected to the plurality of base station modules, And a signal path switching step of switching a signal path to the module. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the switching event includes a first switching event that is generated when a fault condition is confirmed for a specific one of the plurality of base station modules,
The signal path switching step includes:
Wherein the signal path for the specific wireless communication module is switched so that a specific wireless communication module connected to the specific base station module is connected to a base station module other than the specific base station module when the first switching event occurs, A method of operating a transfer device. 8. The method of claim 7,
The switching event is generated when a second switching event and a second base station module in which a traffic amount of the plurality of base station modules is reduced to a specific reference value or below are detected, And a third switching event,
The signal path switching step includes:
The signal path for the two or more wireless communication modules is switched so that all of the at least two wireless communication modules connected to the at least two specific base station modules are connected to the same one of the plurality of base station modules at the time of the occurrence of the second switching event and,
When a third wireless communication module is connected to the specific base station module at a time of generating the third switching event, if the wireless communication module is connected to a base station module other than the specific base station module, And the signal path for the module is switched. 8. The method of claim 7,
The switching event includes a fourth switching event which is generated when a switching command is received from an external control system,
The signal path switching step includes:
When the fourth switch event is generated, switching the signal path for the specific wireless communication module such that the specific wireless communication module designated in accordance with the switching command is connected to a base station module other than the base station module connected to the base station module. Method of operation of the device.

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