WO2023187570A1

WO2023187570A1 - System and design method of a processing unit for a combined centralized and distributed unit

Info

Publication number: WO2023187570A1
Application number: PCT/IB2023/052919
Authority: WO
Inventors: Narender Kumar; Shakti Singh; Amrish Bansal; Brijesh Shah; Bajinder Pal Singh; Selvakumar Ganesan
Original assignee: Jio Platforms Limited
Priority date: 2022-03-31
Filing date: 2023-03-24
Publication date: 2023-10-05
Also published as: EP4402818A1; CN117157898A; KR20230142442A

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an efficient hardware architecture compliant with a 5G compliant radio access network (RAN) architecture. A combined centralized unit and a distributed unit (CCDU) is utilized for processing Level 1, 2, and 3 scheduling in a network. The CCDU design integrates the functionality of a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) and operates over a wide temperature range. A single CCDU is integrated with a 5G-NR MRU (5G-new radio multi-rat radio unit) and functions as the CU, DU to provide an improved radio performance based a coordination again observed across a coverage area. Further, the CCDU provides a low cost, power efficient solution that can be easily deployed on tower sites server racks.

Description

SYSTEM AND DESIGN METHOD OF A PROCESSING UNIT FOR A COMBINED CENTRALIZED AND DISTRIBUTED UNIT

RESERVATION OF RIGHTS

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to intellectual property rights such as, but are not limited to, copyright, design, trademark, integrated circuit (IC) layout design, and/or trade dress protection, belonging to Jio Platforms Limited (JPL) or its affiliates (hereinafter referred as owner). The owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all rights whatsoever. All rights to such intellectual property are fully reserved by the owner.

FIELD OF INVENTION

[0001] The embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to telecommunication basement applications. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to design of a processing unit of a combined centralized and distributed unit (CCDU).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The following description of related art is intended to provide background information pertaining to the field of the disclosure. This section may include certain aspects of the art that may be related to various features of the present disclosure. However, it should be appreciated that this section be used only to enhance the understanding of the reader with respect to the present disclosure, and not as admissions of prior art.

[0003] The fifth generation (5G) technology is expected to fundamentally transform the role that telecommunications technology plays in the industry and society at large. A gNodeB is a third generation partnership project (3 GPP) -compliant implementation of a 5G- new radio (5G-NR) base station. It consists of independent Network Functions, which implement 3 GPP-compliant NR Radio access network (RAN) protocols namely: physical layer (PHY), media access control layer (MAC), radio link control (RLC), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), radio resource control (RRC), Network Real-time Analysis Platform (NRAP). The gNB further incorporates three functional modules: the centralized unit (CU), the distributed unit (DU), and the Radio Unit (RU), which can be deployed in multiple combinations. They can run together or independently and can be deployed on either physical (e.g. a small cell chipset) or virtual resources (e.g. dedicated commercial off the shelf (COTS) server or shared cloud resources). The CU provides support for the higher layers of the protocol stack such as SDAP, PDCP and RRC while the DU provides support for the lower layers of the protocol stack such as radio link control (RLC), media access control (MAC) and Physical layer. In a 5G radio access network (RAN) architecture, the DU in the baseband unit (BBU) is responsible for real time LI and L2 scheduling functions and the CU is responsible for non-real time, higher L2 and L3.

[0004] However, in existing architectures, the DU and the CU units are physically separate and require exhaustive, complex methodologies and protocol support for the splitting of the gNB into the DU and CU. Splitting of CU and DU functionalities is the most outstanding issue in the gNB internal structure and these two entities are connected by a new interface called Fl. In most existing gNB nodes, CU and DU are physically separate, that is, the CU and DU are on separate boards and hence the splitting becomes more expensive in terms of realization of temperature requirement, vibration, dust, humidity, latency, power, radiation loss, bandwidth, more dependence on possible interfaces and maintaining the parameters for both the CU and DU separately.

[0005] Further, existing architectures are bulky and utilize higher power which adds to the total cost of manufacturing multiple units. Additionally, existing architectures cannot be maneuvered easily on the towers for installation.

[0006] Hence, there is a need in the art to provide for processing unit in the CCDU that can overcome the shortcomings of the existing prior art and provide customized and flexible splitting of the functionalities of CU and DU.

OBJECTS OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE

[0007] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies are as listed herein below.

[0008] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a processing unit that can support a centralized system in a single unit to reduce cost and increase reliability.

[0009] An object of the present disclosure is to design hardware on a single printed circuit board (PCB) approach by keeping all required system on a chip (SoC) on board.

[0010] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a system that can operate over a wide temperature range. [0011] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a system that supports synchronization required by a global positioning system (GPS), a precision time protocol (PTP), and a holdover.

[0012] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a system that facilitates site alarms over dry contacts to equip with an external alarm device.

[0013] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a system that operates witha standard telecom power supply (-48VDC) and the required protection for telecommunication sites.

[0014] An object of the present invention is to provide a high speed processing system that enhances the computation capabilities of the system.

SUMMARY

[0015] This section is provided to introduce certain objects and aspects of the present invention in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify the key features or the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0016] In order to achieve the aforementioned objectives, the present disclosure provides a processing system to control functioning of a combined centralized and distributive unit (CCDU). The system may include a single integrated board, the single integrated board may further include a housing with a processing unit. The processing unit may be coupled to a memory. The memory may store instructions to be executed by the processing unit. The processing unit may be configured to handle processing on behalf of the CCDU to perform a set of functionalities associated with a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) of a gNodeB such that the CU and the DU function from the single integrated board and communicate with a radio unit (RU) as a single CCDU. The processing unit may cause the CCDU to functionally split the CU and DU for a predefined set of level scheduling. The processing unit may manage, via a board management controller (BMC), one or more components of the single integrated board to assist in functioning of the CCDU from the single integrated board.

[0017] In an embodiment, the processing unit may manage one or more network interfaces to communicate with the RU and a backhaul network.

[0018] In an embodiment, the processing unit may include an accelerator unit to correct errors. [0019] In an embodiment, the processing unit may manage and control interfaces for one or more data input and output devices, one or more storage devices, and facilitate communication of the CCDU through a plurality of platforms including a platform controller hub and an ASIC.

[0020] In an embodiment, the processing unit may expand the one or more input and output devices by interfacing PCH with a second interface such as a direct media interface (DMI), a peripheral component interconnect (PCIe), a Genx4 interface, a serial peripheral interface (SPI) flash, and a serial AT attachment (SATA) for solid state drives (SSD).

[0021] In an embodiment, the processing unit may include a thermal management module configured to detect a variation in temperature across the CCDU, wherethe thermal management module operates over a predefined temperature range and a predefined environment condition.

[0022] In an embodiment, the processing unit may be configured with the BMC that may provide an Ethernet port for remote monitoring of the CCDU, where the BMC may be operatively coupled with the PCH through any of a low pin count (LPC), a USB, and a PCIe.

[0023] In an aspect, the present disclosure relates to a method to control functioning of a CCDU. The method may include performing, by a processing unit, a set of functionalities associated with a CU and a DU such that the CU and the DU function from a single integrated board and communicate with a radio unit as a single CCDU, where the single integrated board is configured in the processing unit, enabling, by the processing unit, the CCDU to functionally split the CU and DU for a predefined set of level scheduling, and managing, by the processing unit, via a board management controller (BMC), one or more components of the single integrated board to assist in functioning of the CCDU from the single integrated board.

[0024] In an aspect, the present disclosure relates to a non-transitory computer readable medium including processor-executable instructions that cause a processor to perform a set of functionalities associated with a CU and a DU such that the CU and the DU function from a single integrated board and communicate with a radio unit as a single combined centralized and distributive unit (CCDU), enable the CCDU to functionally split the CU and DU for a predefined set of level scheduling, and manage, via a board management controller (BMC), one or more components of the single integrated board to assist in functioning of the CCDU from the single integrated board. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0025] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, and constitute a part of this invention, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the disclosed methods and systems in which like reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the different drawings. Components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present invention. Some drawings may indicate the components using block diagrams and may not represent the internal circuitry of each component. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that invention of such drawings includes the invention of electrical components, electronic components or circuitry commonly used to implement such components.

[0026] FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary network architecture (100) in which or with which proposed system of the present disclosure can be implemented, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG. IB illustrates an exemplary system architecture (150) of the combined centralized and distributed unit (CCDU), in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary existing representation (200) of a centralized unit and a distributed unit of a gNodeB.

[0029] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary processing unit diagram (300) of the CCDU, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary computer system (400) in which or with which embodiments of the present invention can be utilized, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0031] The foregoing shall be more apparent from the following more detailed description of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

[0032] In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, various specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, that embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. Several features described hereafter can each be used independently of one another or with any combination of other features. An individual feature may not address all of the problems discussed above or might address only some of the problems discussed above. Some of the problems discussed above might not be fully addressed by any of the features described herein.

[0033] The ensuing description provides exemplary embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the disclosure. Rather, the ensuing description of the exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing an exemplary embodiment. It should be understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth.

[0034] Specific details are given in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. For example, circuits, systems, networks, processes, and other components may be shown as components in block diagram form in order not to obscure the embodiments in unnecessary detail. In other instances, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments.

[0035] Also, it is noted that individual embodiments may be described as a process which is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describe the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations may be re-arranged. A process is terminated when its operations are completed but could have additional steps not included in a figure. A process may correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination can correspond to a return of the function to the calling function or the main function.

[0036] The word “exemplary” and/or “demonstrative” is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. For the avoidance of doubt, the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited by such examples. In addition, any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” and/or “demonstrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs, nor is it meant to preclude equivalent exemplary structures and techniques known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes,” “has,” “contains,” and other similar words are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive — in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as an open transition word — without precluding any additional or other elements. [0037] Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” or “an instance” or “one instance” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0038] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0039] In the disclosure, various embodiments are described using terms used in some communication standards (e.g., 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP), extensible radio access network (xRAN), and open-radio access network (O-RAN)), but these are merely examples for description. Various embodiments of the disclosure may also be easily modified and applied to other communication systems.

[0040] Typically, a base station is a network infrastructure that provides wireless access to one or more terminals. The base station has coverage defined to be a predetermined geographic area based on the distance over which a signal may be transmitted. The base station may be referred to as, in addition to “base station,” “access point (AP),” “evolved NodeB (eNodeB) (eNB),” “5G node (5th generation node),” “next generation NodeB (gNB),” “wireless point,” “transmission/reception point (TRP),” or other terms having equivalent technical meanings.

[0041] Further, a protocol stack or network stack is an implementation of a computer networking protocol suite or protocol family for a telecommunication system consisting of a plurality of network devices. A 5G protocol stack may include layer-1 (LI) which is a PHYSICAL Layer. The 5G layer-2 (L2) may include MAC, RLC and PDCP. The 5G layer-3 (L3) is the RRC layer. [0042] The present invention provides a processing unit required for an efficient functionality of a combined centralized unit and a distributed unit (CCDU) for a 5G basement application that may need processing of Level 1, 2 and 3 of a network. A single board approach of the CCDU make the CCDU more reliable and less costly, but requires a thorough design of the processing unit that can support different kinds of synchronization and can provide site alarms over dry contacts to equip with external alarm device. In this description, numerous specific details such as logic implementations, types and interrelationships of system components, etc., may be set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of some embodiments.

[0043] It will be appreciated, however, by one skilled in the art that the invention may be practiced without such specific details. In other instances, control structures, gate level circuits, and/or full software instruction sequences have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure the invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art, with the included descriptions, will be able to implement appropriate functionality without undue experimentation.

[0044] Referring to FIG. 1A that illustrates an exemplary network architecture (100) for a 5G New radio (NR) network (also referred to as network architecture (100)) in which or with which the proposed system (110) can be implemented, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the exemplary network architecture (100) may be equipped with the proposed system (110) that may be associated with a 5G base station (104) (also referred to as gNodeB (104)). The gNodeB (104) may include at least three functional modules such as a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU) and a radio unit (RU). The gNodeB may be communicatively coupled to a plurality of first computing devices (102-1, 102-2, 102-3. . . 102-N) (interchangeably referred to as user equipment (102-1, 102-2, 102-3... 102-N) and (individually referred to as the user equipment (UE) (124) and collectively referred to as the UE (102)) via an Open radio access network Radio Unit (O- RU) (114).

[0045] In an exemplary embodiment, the system (110) may be configured with a combined CU and DU in a single platform or PCB and is simply referred to as CCDU (106) as illustrated in FIG. IB. The CCDU (106) may be operatively coupled to a radio unit (RU) (108) via one or more network interface cards (NIC). The CCDU (106) may include a processing unit (118), a Soft-Decision Forward Error Correction (SD-FEC) module (116), a backhaul Network interface card (NIC) (114), a fronthaul NIC (116), and the like. The backhaul NIC (114) may be further communicatively coupled to a backhaul network (112). The CU provides support for the higher layers of the protocol stack such as SDAP, PDCP and RRC while DU provides support for the lower layers of the protocol stack such as RLC, MAC and Physical layer. A single CU for each gNB, but one CU controls multiple DUs. Each DU is able to support one or more cells, so one gNB can control hundreds of cells.

[0046] Generally, an existing gNodeB internal structure (200) for a 5G core (206) is shown in FIG. 2 where it can be quite clear to a person not skilled in the art that the existing CU (202) and DU (204) are separate units connected by an Fl interface (208).

[0047] In an exemplary embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the system (110) or the CCDU (106) may include a processing unit (118) having one or more processors (302) coupled with a memory (304), wherein the memory may store instructions which when executed by the one or more processors (302) may cause the processing unit (118) to perform Fl and L2 functionalities. The one or more processor(s) (302) may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, edge or fog microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, logic circuitries, and/or any devices that process data based on operational instructions. Among other capabilities, the one or more processor(s) (302) may be configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory of the processing unit (118). The memory may be configured to store one or more computer-readable instructions or routines in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which may be fetched and executed to create or share data packets over a network service. The memory (304) may comprise any non-transitory storage device including, for example, volatile memory such as RAM, or non-volatile memory such as EPROM, flash memory, and the like.

[0048] In an embodiment, the system (110) may include a plurality of interfaces (306). The interfaces (306) may comprise a variety of interfaces, for example, interfaces for data input and output devices, referred to as RO devices, storage devices, and the like. The interfaces (306) may facilitate communication of the system (110) with a plurality of platforms such as a platform controller hub (320) and an enhance Application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) (318) comprising of (System on Chip) SoC components associated with the functioning of CCDU (106). In an exemplary embodiment, the SoC may include but not limited to a Soft-Decision Forward Error Correction (SD-FEC) module (116). The interface(s) (306) may also provide a communication pathway for one or more components of the CCDU (106). Examples of such components include, but are not limited to, processing unit/engine(s) (118) and a database (310).

[0049] In an exemplary embodiment, the system (110) may be assembled in a single board (interchangeably referred to as LAN on motherboard (LOM)) having a predefined number of layers. The predefined number of layers ensure that the system is not bulky and heavy. In a way of example but not limitation, the predefined number of layers can be at least 14. In an example the system (110) may include one or more network connections directly connected to the LOM. Instead of requiring a separate network interface card to access a local-area network, such as Ethernet, the circuits may be attached to the single board. An advantage of the system (110) can be an extra available peripheral component interconnect (PCI) slot that is not being used by a network adapter.

[0050] In an exemplary embodiment, the CCDU (106) may be designed for an outdoor application to operate over a predefined temperature range and a predefined environment condition unlike COTS (Commercial off the shelf s) servers which are used in AC environment. For example, the predefined temperature range may go be from 0° to at least 60° C in desert and other tropical and equatorial areas while predefined environment condition may include dry, humid, cold or dusty environment.

[0051] In an exemplary embodiment, the CCDU in the single board can have a chip down approach where one or more components corresponding to the network interface card (NIC) may be part of the single board that increases the mean time between failures (MTBF) and reduces the costs significantly. Since, the components are all combined in a single board hence separate components (cards) may not be required rather a single board may be used which will reduce not only the process of manufacturing but also will reduce the cost and increase the system reliability. Since, the components are all combined in a single board and controlled by the processor, hence separate components (cards) may not be required rather a single board may be used which will reduce not only the process of manufacturing but also will reduce the cost and increase the system reliability. Furthermore, CCDU is an integrated solution of Centralized Unit (CU) and Distributed Unit (DU) for 5G Network, which is nominal power consuming device that operates on less than 400W. The Combined Centralized and Distributed Unit (CCDU) design, with the disclosed processing system, is very compact and may be easily installed in Tower sites server racks. It may be further quick to deploy and delivers high performance with low power consumption.

[0052] In an exemplary embodiment, the system (110) may include at least Four (x4) 25G Fiber Optic (SFP) but not limited to it as a fronthaul connection to the fronthaul NIC (116) and at least two (x2) 10G Fiber Optic (SFP) as a backhaul connection to the backhaul network (112).

[0053] In an exemplary embodiment, the system (110) may be further coupled to one or more alarm devices (not shown in the FIG. IB) that may send alarm signals over dry contacts, temperature rise, critical environment conditions and critical electronic conditions. The system (110) may operate in a standard telecom power supply of -48VDC but not limited to it with all required protection for telecom sites.

Processing unit

[0054] The processing unit/engine(s) (118) may be implemented as a combination of hardware and programming (for example, programmable instructions) to implement one or more functionalities of the processing unit (118). In the examples described herein, such combinations of hardware and programming may be implemented in several different ways. For example, the programming for the processing unit (118) may be processor-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium and the hardware for the processing unit (118) may comprise a processing resource (for example, one or more processors), to execute such instructions. In the present examples, the machine-readable storage medium may store instructions that, when executed by the processing resource, implement the processing unit (118). In accordance with such examples, the system (110) may include the machine-readable storage medium storing the instructions and the processing resource to execute the instructions, or the machine-readable storage medium may be separate but accessible to the CCDU (106) and the processing resource. In other examples, the processing engine(s) (118) may be implemented by electronic circuitry.

[0055] The processing unit (118) may include one or more modules/engines selected from any of a base board management controller (BMC) (312), Local area Network (314) (interchangeably referred to as the Ethernet controllers (322), a clock synchronizer module (316), and other module(s) (318). In an example, the processing unit may be but not limited to a 32 core processing engine. The memory (204) may include but not limited to a 256 GB random access memory (RAM).

[0056] In an exemplary embodiment, the processing unit (118) may cause the CCDU (106) to functionally split the CU and DU for various level scheduling. In an exemplary embodiment, the processing unit (118) may cause the Distributed unit (DU) (106-2) to perform real time LI and L2 scheduling functions and the like based on a predefined set of instructions associated with the gNodeB (104). In another embodiment the processing unit (118) may cause the Centralised unit (DU) (106-1) to perform non-real time, higher L2 and L3 Layers scheduling functions and the like based on the predefined set of instructions associated with the gNodeB (104). The CU (106-1) may further be configured to control the functionalities of the DU through the processing unit (118). [0057] In an exemplary embodiment, the processor unit (118) may be scalable and may be provided with the Platform controller Hub (PCH) (320) to expand the input/outputs (I/Os) and the PCH (320) may be further interfaced with but not limited to a second interface such as a direct media interface (DMI) or a peripheral component interconnect (PCIe) or a Genx4 interface with the processor unit (118) and provide an interface to serial peripheral interface (SPI) flash for basic input output system (BIOS), PCIe and serial AT attachment (SATA) for solid state drives (SSD).

[0058] In an exemplary embodiment the BMC (312) may be used for the board management functionality that can provide an Ethernet port for remote monitoring of the processing unit (118). The BMC (312) may be operatively coupled with the PCH (320) through any of a low pin count (LPC), a USB and a PCIe.

[0059] In an exemplary embodiment, a communication network may include, by way of example but not limitation, at least a portion of one or more networks having one or more nodes that transmit, receive, forward, generate, buffer, store, route, switch, process, or a combination thereof, etc. one or more messages, packets, signals, waves, voltage or current levels, some combination thereof, or so forth. A network may include, by way of example but not limitation, one or more of: a wireless network, a wired network, an internet, an intranet, a public network, a private network, a packet- switched network, a circuit-switched network, an ad hoc network, an infrastructure network, a Public-Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a cable network, a cellular network, a satellite network, a fiber optic network, some combination thereof.

[0060] In an embodiment, the one or more user equipments (102) may communicate with the system (110) via set of executable instructions residing on any operating system. In an embodiment, the one or more user equipments (102) and the one or more mobile devices may include, but not limited to, any electrical, electronic, electro-mechanical or an equipment or a combination of one or more of the above devices such as mobile phone, smartphone, Virtual Reality (VR) devices, Augmented Reality (AR) devices, laptop, a general-purpose computer, desktop, personal digital assistant, tablet computer, mainframe computer, or any other computing device, wherein the computing device may include one or more in-built or externally coupled accessories including, but not limited to, a visual aid device such as camera, audio aid, a microphone, a keyboard, input devices for receiving input from a user such as touch pad, touch enabled screen, electronic pen, receiving devices for receiving any audio or visual signal in any range of frequencies and transmitting devices that can transmit any audio or visual signal in any range of frequencies. It may be appreciated that the one or more user equipments (102), and the one or more mobile devices may not be restricted to the mentioned devices and various other devices may be used. A smart computing device may be one of the appropriate systems for storing data and other private/sensitive information.

[0061] In an embodiment, the processing unit (118)may be configured as a data and processing control for the various modules of the CCDU (106) such as the BMC (312), the Ethernet controller (322), the ASIC (318), and the clock synchronizer module (316). The processing unit (118) may provide an integrated solution with the CU and the DU for the 5G -NR network.

Exemplary Computer System 400

[0062] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary computer system in which or with which embodiments of the present invention can be utilized in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4, computer system (400) can include an external storage device (410), a bus (420), a main memory (430), a read only memory (440), a mass storage device (450), communication port (460), and a processor (470). A person skilled in the art will appreciate that the computer system may include more than one processor and communication ports. Processor (470) may include various modules associated with embodiments of the present invention. Communication port (460) can be any of an (RS-232) port for use with a modem based dialup connection, a 10/100 Ethernet port, a Gigabit or 10 Gigabit port using copper or fibre, a serial port, a parallel port, or other existing or future ports. Communication port (460) may be chosen depending on a network, such a Focal Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), or any network to which computer system connects.

[0063] Memory (430) can be Random Access Memory (RAM), or any other dynamic storage device commonly known in the art. Read-only memory (440) can be any static storage device(s) e.g., but not limited to, a Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM) chips for storing static information e.g., start-up or basic input output system (BIOS) instructions for processor (470). Mass storage (450) may be any current or future mass storage solution, which can be used to store information and/or instructions. Exemplary mass storage solutions include, but are not limited to, Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA) or Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) hard disk drives or solid-state drives (internal or external, e.g., having Universal Serial Bus (USB) and/or Firewire interfaces), one or more optical discs, Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) storage, e.g. an array of disks (e.g., SATA arrays), [0064] Bus (420) communicatively couples processor(s) (470) with the other memory, storage and communication blocks. Bus (420) can be, e.g. a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) / PCI Extended (PCI-X) bus, Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), Universal Serial Bus (USB) or the like, for connecting expansion cards, drives and other subsystems as well as other buses, such a Front Side Bus (FSB), which connects processor (470) to software system.

[0065] Optionally, operator and administrative interfaces, e.g. a display, keyboard, and a cursor control device, may also be coupled to bus (420) to support direct operator interaction with a computer system. Other operator and administrative interfaces can be provided through network connections connected through communication port (460). Components described above are meant only to exemplify various possibilities. In no way should the aforementioned exemplary computer system limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0066] Thus, the present disclosure provides a unique and efficient hardware architecture design of a Combined centralized and Distributed Unit (CCDU) that can provide the functionality of CU and DU with a single box solution. The CCDU is designed for the outdoor application to operate over wide temperature range and different environment condition unlike commercial off the shelf (COTs) servers which are used in air conditioning (AC) environment quiet often. The CCDU may have a chip down approach where all the components corresponding to the NIC cards are part of the single board which increases the Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) and reduces cost significantly.

[0067] While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the invention. These and other changes in the preferred embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter to be implemented merely as illustrative of the invention and not as limitation.

ADVANTAGES OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE

[0068] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies are as listed herein below.

[0069] The present disclosure provides a processing unit that can support a centralized system in a single unit to reduce cost and increase reliability. [0070] The present disclosure provides a design hardware on a single printed circuit board (PCB) approach by keeping all required system on a chip (SoC) on board.

[0071] The present disclosure provides a system that can operate over a wide temperature range. [0072] The present disclosure provides a system that supports synchronization required by a global positioning system (GPS), a precision time protocol (PTP), and a holdover.

[0073] The present disclosure provides a system that facilitates site alarms over dry contacts to equip with an external alarm device. [0074] The present disclosure provides a system that operates with a standard telecom power supply (-48VDC) and the required protection for telecommunication sites.

[0075] The present disclosure provides a processing system that enhances the computation capabilities of the system.

[0076] The present disclosure provides a processing unit that establishes data and processing control over various modules of the CCDU to further generate an integrated solution for the 5G-new radio(5G-NR) network.

Claims

We Claim:

1. A system (110) to control functioning of a combined centralized and distributive unit (CCDU) (106), said system (110) comprising: a single integrated board, the single integrated board comprising: a housing configured with a processing unit (118), the processing unit (118) coupled with a memory, the memory storing instructions that cause the processing unit (118) to: perform a set of functionalities associated with a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) such that the CU and the DU function from the single integrated board and communicate with a radio unit (RU) (108) as the CCDU (106); enable the CCDU (106) to functionally split the CU and DU for a predefined set of level scheduling; and manage, via a board management controller (BMC) (312), one or more components of the single integrated board to assist in functioning of the CCDU (106) from the single integrated board.

2. The system (110) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit (118) is configured to manage one or more network interfaces to communicate with the RU (108) and a backhaul network (112).

3. The system (110) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit (118) is configured to use an accelerator unit to correct errors.

4. The system (110) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit (118) is configured to manage and control interfaces for one or more data input and output devices, one or more storage devices, and facilitate communication of the CCDU(106) through a plurality of platforms comprising a platform controller hub (PCH) (320) and an applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC) (318).

5. The system (110) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the processing unit (118) is configured to expand the one or more input and output devices by interfacing the PCH (320) with a second interface comprising a direct media interface (DMI), a peripheral component interconnect (PCIe), a plurality of interfaces, a serial peripheral interface (SPI) flash, and a serial AT attachment (SATA) for solid state drives (SSD).

6. The system (110) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit (118) comprises a thermal management module configured to detect a variation in temperature across the CCDU (106), and wherein the thermal management module operates over a predefined temperature range and a predefined environment condition.

7. The system (110) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the processing unit (118) is configured with the BMC (312)that provides an Ethernet port for remote monitoring of the CCDU (106), and wherein the BMC (312) is operatively coupled with the PCH (320) through any of a low pin count (LPC), a universal serial bus (USB), and a PCIe.

8. The system (110) as claimed on claim 1, wherein the processing unit (118) comprises a Local area Network controller (314) and a clock synchronizer module (316).

9. The system (110) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit (118) is configured to control one or more interfaces for functioning of the CCDU (106).

10. A method to control functioning of a combined centralized and distributive unit (CCDU) (106), the method comprising: performing, by a processing unit (118), a set of functionalities associated with a CU and a DU such that the CU and the DU function from a single integrated board and communicate with a radio unit as a single CCDU (106), wherein the single integrated board is configured in the processing unit (118); enabling, by the processing unit (118), the CCDU (106) to functionally split the CU and DU for a predefined set of level scheduling; and managing, by the processing unit (118), via a board management controller (BMC) (312), one or more components of the single integrated board to assist in functioning of the CCDU (106) from the single integrated board.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions that cause a processor to: perform a set of functionalities associated with a CU and a DU such that the CU and the DU function from a single integrated board and communicate with a radio unit as a single combined centralized and distributive unit (CCDU) (106); enable the CCDU (106) to functionally split the CU and DU for a predefined set of level scheduling; and manage, via a board management controller (BMC) (312), one or more components of the single integrated board to assist in functioning of the CCDU (106) from the single integrated board.