WO2025111925A1 - Method of analog beam indicator for fapi interface - Google Patents

Method of analog beam indicator for fapi interface Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2025111925A1
WO2025111925A1 PCT/CN2023/135406 CN2023135406W WO2025111925A1 WO 2025111925 A1 WO2025111925 A1 WO 2025111925A1 CN 2023135406 W CN2023135406 W CN 2023135406W WO 2025111925 A1 WO2025111925 A1 WO 2025111925A1
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Prior art keywords
analog
beamforming
gnb
interface
pdu
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French (fr)
Inventor
Jianying LIU
Ermao ZHANG
Fan Yang
Miao Zhang
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Mavenir Systems Inc
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Mavenir Systems Inc
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Priority to PCT/CN2023/135406 priority Critical patent/WO2025111925A1/en
Publication of WO2025111925A1 publication Critical patent/WO2025111925A1/en
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W24/00—Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
    • H04W24/02—Arrangements for optimising operational condition
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W88/00—Devices specially adapted for wireless communication networks, e.g. terminals, base stations or access point devices
    • H04W88/08—Access point devices
    • H04W88/085—Access point devices with remote components

Definitions

  • the present disclosure relates to systems and methods for radio access networks.
  • FAPI is a common standard agreed between chipset and component suppliers and mobile base station integrators. It is an API for hardware components implementing 3GPP physical layer functions and “software stacks” implementing higher layers. FAPI has already been widely adopted in the vast majority of 2G, 3G and 4G system-on-a-chip based small cells and the 5G version has been updated to ensure it meets industry needs and aligns with 3GPP standards. FAPI specifications provide an open, multi-vendor platform for all stakeholders.
  • FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system architecture.
  • FIG. 2 shows an example of a User Plane Stack.
  • FIG. 3 shows an example of a Control Plane Stack.
  • FIG. 4 shows an example of a Separation of CU-CP (CU-Control Plane) and CU-UP (CU-User Plane) .
  • FIG. 5 shows an example of a Separation of CU-CP (CU-Control Plane) and CU-UP (CU-User Plane) .
  • FIG. 6 shows a DL (Downlink) Layer 2 Structure.
  • FIG. 7 shows an exemplary logical flow for implementing an RB allocation policy.
  • FIG. 8 shows an L2 Data Flow example.
  • FIG. 9 shows an example of an O-RAN architecture.
  • FIG. 10 describes an E-UTRAN architecture.
  • FIG. 11 describes an EN-DC architecture.
  • FIG. 12 describes a flow for an RU to exchange beamforming weight information via the M-plane to an SMO.
  • AMF Access and Mobility Management Function
  • API Application Platform Interface
  • C-RAN cloud radio access network
  • CSI-RS Channel-State-Information Reference Signal
  • SSB Synchronization Signal and PBCH block
  • DCI Downlink Control Information
  • eNB evolved Node B
  • gNB g NodeB
  • IoT Internet of Things
  • MIMO multiple-in multiple-out
  • M-plane Management plane interface between SMO and O-RU
  • NR-U New Radio –User Plane
  • OFDM orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing
  • O-RAN Open Radio Access Network
  • PDCP Packet Data Convergence Protocol
  • PDCCH Physical Downlink Control Channel
  • PDSCH Physical Downlink Shared Channel
  • PUCCH Physical Uplink Control Channel
  • PUSCH Physical Uplink Shared Channel
  • PRACH Physical Random Access Channel
  • PRB Physical Resource Block
  • PDCP Packet Data Convergence Protocol
  • RMM Radio resource management
  • S-GW Serving Gateway
  • TLV Type Length Value
  • ⁇ Channel the contiguous frequency range between lower and upper-frequency limits.
  • ⁇ DL Downlink: data flow towards the radiating antenna (generally on the LLS interface) .
  • O-CU O-RAN Control Unit –a logical node hosting PDCP, RRC, SDAP and other control functions.
  • O-DU O-RAN Distributed Unit: a logical node hosting RLC/MAC/High-PHY layers based on a lower layer functional split.
  • O-RU O-RAN Radio Unit: a logical node hosting Low-PHY layer and RF processing based on a lower layer functional split. This is similar to 3GPP’s “TRP” or “RRH” but more specific in including the Low-PHY layer (FFT/iFFT, PRACH extraction) .
  • ⁇ UL Uplink: data flow away from the radiating antenna (generally on the LLS interface)
  • RAN Radio Access Networks
  • CU central unit
  • DU distributed unit
  • BBUs baseband units
  • CUs are usually located in the cloud on commercial off the shelf servers, while DUs can be distributed. while the RF and real-time critical functions can be processed in the remote radio unit (RU) .
  • FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system 100 for implementations as described herein.
  • System 100 includes a NR UE 101, a NR gNB 106.
  • the NR UE and NR gNB are communicatively coupled via a Uu interface 120.
  • NR UE 101 includes electronic circuitry, namely circuitry 102, that performs operations on behalf of NR UE 101 to execute methods described herein.
  • Circuity 102 may be implemented with any or all of (a) discrete electronic components, (b) firmware, and (c) a programmable circuit 102A.
  • NR gNB 106 includes electronic circuitry, namely circuitry 107, that performs operations on behalf of NR gNB 106 to execute methods described herein.
  • Circuity 107 may be implemented with any or all of (a) discrete electronic components, (b) firmware, and (c) a programmable circuit 107A.
  • Programmable circuit 107A which is an implementation of circuitry 107, includes a processor 108 and a memory 109.
  • Processor 108 is an electronic device configured of logic circuitry that responds to and executes instructions.
  • Memory 109 is a tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable storage device encoded with a computer program.
  • memory 109 stores data and instructions, i.e., program code, that are readable and executable by processor 108 for controlling operations of processor 108.
  • Memory 109 may be implemented in a random-access memory (RAM) , a hard drive, a read only memory (ROM) , or a combination thereof.
  • One of the components of memory 109 is a program module, namely module 110.
  • Module 110 contains instructions for controlling processor 108 to execute operations described herein on behalf of NR gNB 106.
  • module is used herein to denote a functional operation that may be embodied either as a stand-alone component or as an integrated configuration of a plurality of subordinate components.
  • each of module 105 and 110 may be implemented as a single module or as a plurality of modules that operate in cooperation with one another.
  • Storage device 130 is a tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable storage device that stores module 110 thereon.
  • Examples of storage device 130 include (a) a compact disk, (b) a magnetic tape, (c) a read only memory, (d) an optical storage medium, (e) a hard drive, (f) a memory unit consisting of multiple parallel hard drives, (g) a universal serial bus (USB) flash drive, (h) a random-access memory, and (i) an electronic storage device coupled to NR gNB 106 via a data communications network.
  • Uu Interface (120) is the radio link between the NR UE and NR gNB, which is compliant to the 5G NR specification.
  • UEs 101 can be dispersed throughout wireless communication network , and each UE may be stationary or mobile.
  • a UE includes: an access terminal, a terminal, a mobile station, a subscriber unit, a station, etc.
  • a UE can also include be a cellular phone (e.g., a smart phone) , a personal digital assistant (PDA) , a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a tablet, a camera, a gaming device, a drone, a robot/robotic device, a netbook, a smartbook, an ultrabook, a medical device, medical equipment, a healthcare device, a biometric sensor/device, a wearable device such as a smart watch, smart clothing, smart glasses, a smart wristband, and/or smart jewelry (e.g., a smart ring, a smart bracelet, etc.
  • a cellular phone e.g
  • UEs can include UEs considered as machine-type communication (MTC) UEs or enhanced/evolved MTC (eMTC) UEs.
  • MTC/eMTC UEs that can be implemented as IoT UEs.
  • IoT UEs include, for example, robots/robotic devices, drones, remote devices, sensors, meters, monitors, cameras, location tags, etc., that can communicate with a BS, another device (e.g., remote device) , or some other entity.
  • a wireless node can provide, for example, connectivity for or to a network (e.g., a wide area network such as Internet or a cellular network) via a wired or wireless communication link.
  • One or more UEs 101 in the wireless communication network can be a narrowband bandwidth UE.
  • devices with limited communication resources e.g. smaller bandwidth, are considered as narrowband UEs.
  • legacy devices such as legacy and/or advanced UEs (e.g., in LTE) can be considered as wideband UEs.
  • Wideband UEs are generally understood as devices that use greater amounts of bandwidth than narrowband UEs.
  • the UEs 101 are configured to connect, for example, communicatively couple, with an or RAN.
  • the RAN may be an NG RAN or a 5G RAN, an E-UTRAN, an MF RAN, or a legacy RAN, such as a UTRAN or GERAN.
  • the term “NG RAN” or the like refers to a RAN 110 that operates in an NR or 5G system
  • the term “E-UTRAN” or the like refers to a RAN that operates in an LTE or 4G system
  • MF RAN refers to a RAN that operates in an MF system 100.
  • the UEs 101 utilize connections (or channels) , respectively, each of which comprises a physical communications interface or layer.
  • the physical DL channels include the PDSCH, PMCH, PDCCH, EPDCCH, MPDCCH, R-PDCCH, SPDCCH, PBCH, PCFICH, PHICH, NPBCH, NPDCCH, NPDSCH, and/or any other physical DL channels mentioned herein.
  • the physical UL channels include the PRACH, PUSCH, PUCCH, SPUCCH, NPRACH, NPUSCH, and/or any other physical UL channels mentioned herein.
  • the RAN can include one or more AN nodes or RAN nodes. These access nodes can be referred to as BS, gNBs, RAN nodes, eNBs, NodeBs, RSUs, MF-APs, TRxPs or TRPs, and so forth, and comprise ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations providing coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell) .
  • NG RAN node refers to a RAN node that operates in an NR or 5G system (e.g., a gNB)
  • E-UTRAN node refers to a RAN node that operates in an LTE or 4G system (e.g., an eNB)
  • the RAN nodes can be implemented as one or more of a dedicated physical device such as a macrocell base station, and/or a low power base station for providing femtocells, picocells or other like cells having smaller coverage areas, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth compared to macrocells.
  • all or parts of the RAN nodes can be implemented as one or more software entities running on server computers as part of a virtual network, which may be referred to as a CRAN and/or a vBBU.
  • the CRAN or vBBU may implement a RAN function split, such as a PDCP split wherein RRC and PDCP layers are operated by the CRAN/vBBU and other L2 protocol entities are operated by individual RAN nodes; a MAC/PHY split wherein RRC, PDCP, RLC, and MAC layers are operated by the CRAN/vBBU and the PHY layer is operated by individual RAN nodes; or a “lower PHY” split wherein RRC, PDCP, RLC, MAC layers and upper portions of the PHY layer are operated by the CRAN/vBBU and lower portions of the PHY layer are operated by individual RAN nodes.
  • a RAN function split such as a PDCP split wherein RRC and PDCP layers are operated by the CRAN/vB
  • an individual RAN node can represent individual gNB-DUs that are connected to a gNB-CU via individual F1 interfaces.
  • the gNB-DUs may include one or more remote radio heads (RRH) , and the gNB-CU may be operated by a server that is located in the RAN or by a server pool in a similar manner as the CRAN/vBBU.
  • RRH remote radio heads
  • One or more of the RAN nodes can be next generation eNBs (ng-eNBs) , which are RAN nodes that provide E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol terminations toward the UEs 101, and are connected to a 5GC via an NG interface.
  • ng-eNBs next generation eNBs
  • the MF-APs are entities that provide MultiFire radio services, and may be similar to eNBs in an 3GPP architecture.
  • a scheduling entity e.g.: BS, gNB, etc.
  • a scheduling entity can be configured to schedule, assign, reconfigure, and release resources for one or more subordinate entities.
  • a UE 101 (or other device) may function as master node scheduling entity, scheduling resources for one or more secondary node subordinate entities (e.g., one or more other UEs 101) .
  • a scheduling entity and one or more subordinate entities may communicate utilizing the scheduled resources.
  • BS or gNB may be equipped with T antennas and UE 101 may be equipped with R antennas, where in general T ⁇ 1 and R ⁇ 1.
  • a transmit processor is configured to receive data from a data source for one or more UEs 101 and select one or more modulation and coding schemes (MCS) for each UE based on channel quality indicators (CQIs) received from the UE 101.
  • MCS modulation and coding schemes
  • CQIs channel quality indicators
  • the BS is configured to process (e.g., encode and modulate) the data for each UE 101 based on the MCS (s) selected for the UE 101, and provide data symbols for all UEs.
  • a transmit processor is also configured to process system information (e.g., for static resource partitioning information (SRPI) , etc.
  • SRPI static resource partitioning information
  • Processor 108 may also generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., the cell-specific reference signal (CRS) ) and synchronization signals (e.g., the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and the secondary synchronization signal (SSS) ) .
  • a transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor can be configured perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on the data symbols, the control symbols, the overhead symbols, and/or the reference symbols, if applicable, andcan be configured to provide T output symbol streams to T modulators (MODs) .
  • Each modulator can be configured to process a respective output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM, etc. ) to obtain an output sample stream.
  • Each modulator can further be configured to process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and upconvert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal.
  • T downlink signals from modulators can be transmitted via T antennas.
  • 5G NR New Radio
  • PHY physical
  • MAC Medium Access Control
  • RLC Radio Link Control
  • PDCP Packet Data Convergence Protocol
  • SDAP Service Data Adaptation Protocol
  • RRC Radio Resource Control
  • PDCP Packet Data Convergence Protocol
  • SDAP Service Data Adaptation Protocol
  • RRC Radio Resource Control
  • PDCP Packet Data Convergence Protocol
  • SDAP Service Data Adaptation Protocol
  • RRC Radio Resource Control
  • PDCP Packet Data Convergence Protocol
  • SDAP Service Data Adaptation Protocol
  • FIG. 2 shows an example of a User Plane Stack as descried in 3GPP TS 38.300.
  • FIG. 3 shows an example of a Control Plane Stack as described in 3GPP TS 38.300.
  • NG-RAN NG-Radio Access Network
  • F1 is the interface between gNB-CU (gNB –Centralized Unit) and gNB-DU (gNB –Distributed Unit)
  • NG is the interface between gNB-CU (or gNB) and 5GC (5G Core)
  • E1 is the interface between CU-CP (CU-Control Plane) and CU-UP (CU-User Plane)
  • Xn is interface between gNBs.
  • a gNB may consist of a gNB-CU-CP, multiple gNB-CU-UPs and multiple gNB-DUs.
  • the gNB-CU-CP is connected to the gNB-DU through the F1-C interface and to the gNB-CU-UP through the E1 interface.
  • the gNB-CU-UP is connected to the gNB-DU through the F1-U interface and to the gNB-CU-CP through the E1 interface.
  • One gNB-DU is connected to only one gNB-CU-CP and one gNB-CU-UP is connected to only one gNB-CU-CP.
  • FIG. 4 shows an example of an NG-RAN Architecture as described in 3GPP TS 38.501.
  • FIG. 5 shows an example of a Separation of CU-CP (CU-Control Plane) and CU-UP (CU-User Plane) as described in 3GPP TS 38.401.
  • L2 Layer 2 of 5G NR is split into the following sublayers is described in 3GPP TS 38.300) :
  • MAC Medium Access Control
  • the MAC sublayer offers Logical Channels (LCs) to the RLC sublayer. This layer runs a MAC scheduler to schedule radio resources across different LCs (and their associated radio bearers) .
  • LCs Logical Channels
  • This layer runs a MAC scheduler to schedule radio resources across different LCs (and their associated radio bearers) .
  • Radio Link Control The RLC sublayer offers RLC channels to the PDCP sublayer.
  • the RLC sublayer supports three transmission modes: RLC-Transparent Mode (RLC-TM) , RLC-Unacknowledged Mode (RLC-UM) and RLC-Acknowledgement Mode (RLC-AM) .
  • RLC configuration is per logical channel. It hosts ARQ (Automatic Repeat Request) protocol for RLC-AM mode.
  • PDCP Packet Data Convergence Protocol
  • the PDCP sublayer offers Radio Bearers (RBs) to the SDAP sublayer.
  • Radio Bearers There are two types of Radio Bearers: Data Radio Bearers (DRBs) for data and Signaling Radio Bearers (SRBs) for control plane.
  • DRBs Data Radio Bearers
  • SRBs Signaling Radio Bearers
  • SDAP Service Data Adaptation Protocol
  • 5G Core 5G Core
  • This sublayer provides mapping between a QoS flow and a DRB. It marks QoS Flow Id in DL (downlink) as well as UL (uplink packets) .
  • FIG. 6 shows a DL (Downlink) Layer 2 Structure as described in 3GPP TS 38.300.
  • FIG. 7 shows an UL (uplink) Layer 2 Structure in accord with 3GPP TS38.300.
  • FIG. 8 shows an L2 Data Flow example in accord with 3GPP TS 38.300 ( [H denotes headers or subheaders in FIG. 17] .
  • O-RAN which is based on disaggregated components and connected through open and standardized interfaces is based on 3GPP NG-RAN.
  • DU Distributed Unit
  • CU Centralized Unit
  • COTS Communication off-the-shelf
  • FIG. 9 shows and example of an O-RAN architecture.
  • the CU and the DU are connected using the F1 interface (with F1-C for control plane and F1-U for user plane traffic) over the midhaul (MH) path.
  • F1 interface with F1-C for control plane and F1-U for user plane traffic
  • MH midhaul
  • One DU could host multiple cells (for example, one DU could host 24 cells) and each cell may support many users. For example, one cell may support 600 RRC Connected users and out of these 600, there may be 200 Active users (i.e users which have data to send at a given point of time) .
  • a cell site could consist of multiple sectors and each sector may support multiple cells.
  • one site could consist of three sectors and each sector could support 8 cells (with 8 cells in each sector on different frequency bands) .
  • One CU-CP could support multiple DUs and thus multiple cells.
  • a CU-CP could support 1000 cells and around 100,000 UEs.
  • Each UE could support multiple DRBs and there could be multiple instances of CU-UP to serve these DRBs.
  • each UE could support 4 DRBs, and 400,000 DRBs (correspnding to 100,000 UEs) may be served by five CU-UP instances (and one CU-CP instance) .
  • DU could be located in a private data center or it could be located at a cell-site too. CU could also be located in a private data center or even hosted on a public cloud system. DU and CU could be tens of kilometers away. CU could communicate with 5G core system which could also be hosted in the same public cloud system (or could be hosted by a different cloud provider) .
  • RU Radio Unit
  • FH fronthaul
  • the E2 nodes (CU and DU) are connected to the near-real-time RIC using the E2 interface.
  • the E2 interface is used to send data (e.g., user, cell, slice KPMs) from the RAN, and deploy control actions and policies to the RAN at near-real-time RIC.
  • the application or service at the near-real-time RIC that deploys the control actions and policies to the RAN are called xApps.
  • the near-real-time RIC is connected to the non-real-time RIC using the A1 interface.
  • the E-UTRAN comprises of eNBs, providing the E-UTRA U-plane (PDCP/RLC/MAC/PHY) and control plane (RRC) protocol terminations towards the UE.
  • the eNBs are interconnected with each other by means of the X2 interface.
  • the eNBs are also connected by means of the S1 interface to the EPC (Evolved Packet Core) , more specifically to the MME (Mobility Management Entity) by means of the S1-MME interface and to the Serving Gateway (S-GW) by means of the S1-U interface.
  • EPC Evolved Packet Core
  • MME Mobility Management Entity
  • S-GW Serving Gateway
  • E-UTRAN also supports MR-DC via E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity (EN-DC) , in which a UE is connected to one eNB that acts as a MN and one en-gNB that acts as a SN.
  • EN-DC E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity
  • the eNB is connected to the EPC via the S1 interface and to the en-gNB via the X2 interface.
  • the en-gNB might also be connected to the EPC via the S1-U interface and other en-gNBs via the X2-U interface.
  • EN-DC and en-gNB comprises gNB-CU and gNB-DU (s) .
  • E-UTRAN also supports and NG-RAN architecture.
  • An NG-RAN node is either:
  • a gNB providing NR user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards the UE;
  • an ng-eNB providing E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards the UE.
  • 3GPP TS 38.300 17.3.0. 3GPP TS 38.300 17.3.0.
  • the gNBs and ng-eNBs are interconnected with each other by means of the Xn interface.
  • the gNBs and ng-eNBs are also connected by means of the NG interfaces to the 5GC, more specifically to the AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) by means of the NG-C interface and to the UPF (User Plane Function) by means of the NG-U interface.
  • the gNB and ng-eNB host functions for Radio Resource Management such as: Radio Bearer Control, Radio Admission Control, Connection Mobility Control, Dynamic allocation of resources to UEs in both uplink and downlink (scheduling) , connection setup and release; session Management; QoS Flow management and mapping to data radio bearers; Dual Connectivity. Tight interworking between NR and E-UTRA.
  • NB-IoT UE is supported by ng-eNB.
  • the gNB and ng-eNB host functions such as functions for Radio Resource Management: Radio Bearer Control, Radio Admission Control, Connection Mobility Control, Dynamic allocation of resources to UEs in both uplink and downlink (scheduling) , connection setup and release; session Management; QoS Flow management and mapping to data radio bearers; Dual Connectivity; Tight interworking between NR and E-UTRA.
  • Radio Resource Management Radio Bearer Control, Radio Admission Control, Connection Mobility Control, Dynamic allocation of resources to UEs in both uplink and downlink (scheduling) , connection setup and release; session Management; QoS Flow management and mapping to data radio bearers; Dual Connectivity; Tight interworking between NR and E-UTRA.
  • NB-IoT UE is supported by ng-eNB.
  • control information (e.g., scheduling information) may be provided for broadcast and/or multicast operation.
  • the UE may monitor different bundle sizes for the control channel depending on the maximum number of repetitions.
  • the FAPI specification as of the present disclosure only includes digital beamforming indicators from L2 to L1. And per PRG/BFG for a UE can be a beam and the beam id of this PRG/BFG is transmitted from L2 to L1. Each beam id corresponds to a weight vector pre-stored at cell configuration and maps the logical port indexed by digBFInterface to output baseband ports.
  • Each UE has a beam, and the beam id can be transmitted from L2 to L1.
  • 3GPP defined 5G NR architecture comprises the 5G Core (AMF and UPF) and 5G gNB (gNB-CU and gNB-DU) .
  • FIG. 12 shows a FAPI interface architecture.
  • FAPI is an internal interface within gNB-DU.
  • P7 and P5 interfaces are used for transmitting data messages and control messages between L2 and L1, and the P19 interface is used for fronted control.
  • P7 interface such as PDCCH PDU which only includes digital beamforming in Beamforming info, as shown in Table 1, and part of Tx precoding and beamforming PDU is shown in Table 2 [1] .
  • the beam id is for each PRG.
  • configuration messages are enhanced, as follows:
  • a configuration message is configured to include an “analog beamforming capabilities” .
  • the analog beamforming capabilities parameter is defined in the parameters (PARAM) .
  • a response to the analog beamforming capabilities parameter is used for reporting the supported analog beamforming capabilities by L1.
  • An analog beamforming capabilities structure is defined to include fields for the structure.
  • the slot messages can be enhanced as follows:
  • DL DCI PDU, PDSCH PDU, CSI-RS PDU, SSB PDU, PRS PDU, PUSCH PDU, MsgA-PUSCH PDU, PUCCH PDU, and SRS PDU can be enhanced to include a Tx/Rx Analog beamforming PDU and beamforming indicator.
  • Tx/Rx analog beamforming information is also defined.
  • PRACH PDU also can be enhanced to comprise a PRACH Analog beamforming and beamforming indicator.
  • PRACH Analog beamforming is defined as described herein.
  • PHY API procedures include configuration procedures and slot procedures.
  • the configuration procedures can be static or semi-static procedures and are used for transmitting configuration messages.
  • the slot procedures are dynamic procedures and are used for transmitting slot messages.
  • the configuration procedures and slot procedures may not need to be enhanced for analog beam-forming indicators.
  • a “Respond” is used for reporting the supported digital beamforming capabilities by L1 in the existing FAPI specification.
  • An “analog beamforming capabilities” is defined in the PARAM.
  • the response for analog beamforming capabilities can be used for reporting the supported analog beamforming capabilities by L1.
  • Table 3 shows a PARAM Respond TLV lists are configured with an analog beamforming capabilities category, which are described in Table 4.
  • the analog beamforming capabilities structure is defined as follows. The structure can be extended by adding other fields.
  • the slot messages can be enhanced.
  • the details are as follows:
  • DL DCI PDU, PDSCH PDU, CSI-RS PDU, SSB PDU, PRS PDU, PUSCH PDU, MsgA-PUSCH PDU, PUCCH PDU, and SRS PDU can be enhanced, and as shown in Table 5.
  • Tx/Rx Analog beamforming PDU can be included in DL DCI PDU, PDSCH PDU, CSI-RS PDU, SSB PDU, PRS PDU, PUSCH PDU, MsgA-PUSCH PDU, PUCCH PDU, and SRS PDU.
  • a Tx/Rx analog beam-forming information is defined.
  • the format is shown in Table 6.
  • a PRACH Analog beamforming is defined. The format is shown in Table 8.
  • a beam ID corresponds to each RO in which each beam ID includes a value from a low RO index to a high index.
  • implementations and embodiments can be implemented by computer program instructions. These program instructions can be provided to a processor to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute on the processor, create means for implementing the actions specified herein.
  • the computer program instructions can be executed by a processor to cause a series of operational steps to be performed by the processor to produce a computer-implemented process such that the instructions, which execute on the processor to provide steps for implementing the actions specified.
  • some of the steps can also be performed across more than one processor, such as might arise in a multi-processor computer system or even a group of multiple computer systems.
  • one or more blocks or combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustration can also be performed concurrently with other blocks or combinations of blocks, or even in a different sequence than illustrated without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.

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Abstract

Systems and methods for including an Analog Beam Indicator in a FAPI interface.

Description

METHOD OF ANALOG BEAM INDICATOR FOR FAPI INTERFACE
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED TECHNOLOGY
a. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for radio access networks.
b. Description of the Related Art
FAPI is a common standard agreed between chipset and component suppliers and mobile base station integrators. It is an API for hardware components implementing 3GPP physical layer functions and “software stacks” implementing higher layers. FAPI has already been widely adopted in the vast majority of 2G, 3G and 4G system-on-a-chip based small cells and the 5G version has been updated to ensure it meets industry needs and aligns with 3GPP standards. FAPI specifications provide an open, multi-vendor platform for all stakeholders.
OVERVIEW OF IMPLEMENTATIONS
Described is a system and method for FAPI enhancement of the analog beam indicator. Implementations are on L2 and L1.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system architecture.
FIG. 2 shows an example of a User Plane Stack.
FIG. 3 shows an example of a Control Plane Stack.
FIG. 4 shows an example of a Separation of CU-CP (CU-Control Plane) and CU-UP (CU-User Plane) .
FIG. 5 shows an example of a Separation of CU-CP (CU-Control Plane) and CU-UP (CU-User Plane) .
FIG. 6 shows a DL (Downlink) Layer 2 Structure.
FIG. 7 shows an exemplary logical flow for implementing an RB allocation policy.
FIG. 8 shows an L2 Data Flow example.
FIG. 9 shows an example of an O-RAN architecture.
FIG. 10 describes an E-UTRAN architecture.
FIG. 11 describes an EN-DC architecture.
FIG. 12 describes a flow for an RU to exchange beamforming weight information via the M-plane to an SMO.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE IMPLEMENTATIONS
Reference is made to Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. The present disclosure employs abbreviations, terms and technology defined in accord with Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and/or Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) technology standards and papers, including the following standards and definitions. 3GPP and IETF technical specifications (TS) , standards (including proposed standards) , technical reports (TR) and other papers are incorporated by reference in their entirety hereby, define the related terms and architecture reference models that follow.
[1] 5G FAPI: PHY API specification December 2022.
3GPP TS 23.501 V 18.1.0 2023-04-05
3GPP TS 38.300 V 17.4.0 03-28-2023
3GPP TS 38.401 V 17.4.0 2023-04-03
3GPP TS 38.501 V 18.1.0 2023-04-05
3GPP TS 38.425 17.3.0, 2023-04-03
Acronyms
3GPP: Third generation partnership project
2G: Second Generation
3G: Third Generation
4G: Fourth Generation
5G: Fifth Generation
AMF: Access and Mobility Management Function
API: Application Platform Interface
BS: Base Station
BFG: beamforming group
C-RAN: cloud radio access network
CU: Central unit
CQI: Channel Quality Indicator
CSI: Channel State Information
CSI-RS: Channel-State-Information Reference Signal
SSB: Synchronization Signal and PBCH block
DL: Downlink
DCI: Downlink Control Information
DU: Distribution unit
EPC: Evolved Packet Core
eNB: evolved Node B
gNB: g NodeB
EN-DC
IoT: Internet of Things
L1: Layer 1
L2: Layer 2
L3: Layer 3
RLC: Radio Link Control
RRC: Radio Resource Control
RU: Radio Unit
U-plane: User plane
UPF: User Plane Function
UE: user equipment
UL: uplink
MIMO: multiple-in multiple-out
MME: Mobility Management Entity
MR-DC: Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity
M-plane: Management plane interface between SMO and O-RU
NB: Narrowband
NR: New Radio
NR-U: New Radio –User Plane
OFDM: orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing
O-RAN: Open Radio Access Network
PDB: Packet Delay Budget
QCI: QoS Class Identifier
QFI: QoS Flow Id
QoS : Quality of Service
PDCP : Packet Data Convergence Protocol
PDCCH: Physical Downlink Control Channel
PDSCH: Physical Downlink Shared Channel
PDU: Protocol Data Unit
PMI: Precoding matrix indicator
PUCCH: Physical Uplink Control Channel
PUSCH: Physical Uplink Shared Channel
PRACH: Physical Random Access Channel
PRB: Physical Resource Block
PRS: Positioning Reference signal
PDCP: Packet Data Convergence Protocol
RLC: Ratio Link Control
MAC: Medium Access Control
PHY: Physical Layer
PRG: Precoding Resource block Group
RAT: Radio Access Technology
RB: Resource Block
RI: Rank Indicator
RLC: Radio Link Control
RU: Radio Unit
RMM: Radio resource management
SN: Signal Node
SR: Scheduling Request
SMO: Service Management and Orchestration system
S-GW: Serving Gateway
TLV: Type Length Value
Definitions
ο Channel: the contiguous frequency range between lower and upper-frequency limits.
ο DL: Downlink: data flow towards the radiating antenna (generally on the LLS interface) .
ο O-CU: O-RAN Control Unit –a logical node hosting PDCP, RRC, SDAP and other control functions.
ο O-DU: O-RAN Distributed Unit: a logical node hosting RLC/MAC/High-PHY layers based on a lower layer functional split.
ο O-RU: O-RAN Radio Unit: a logical node hosting Low-PHY layer and RF processing based on a lower layer functional split. This is similar to 3GPP’s “TRP” or “RRH” but more specific in including the Low-PHY layer (FFT/iFFT, PRACH extraction) .
ο UL: Uplink: data flow away from the radiating antenna (generally on the LLS interface)
Described are implementations technology for a cloud-based Radio Access Networks (RAN) , where a significant portion of the RAN layer processing is performed at a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) . Both CUs and DUs are also known as the baseband units (BBUs) . CUs are usually located in the cloud on commercial off the shelf servers, while DUs can be distributed. while the RF and real-time critical functions can be processed in the remote radio unit (RU) .
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system 100 for implementations as described herein. System 100 includes a NR UE 101, a NR gNB 106. The NR UE and NR gNB are communicatively coupled via a Uu interface 120.
NR UE 101 includes electronic circuitry, namely circuitry 102, that performs operations on behalf of NR UE 101 to execute methods described herein.  Circuity 102 may be implemented with any or all of (a) discrete electronic components, (b) firmware, and (c) a programmable circuit 102A.
NR gNB 106 includes electronic circuitry, namely circuitry 107, that performs operations on behalf of NR gNB 106 to execute methods described herein. Circuity 107 may be implemented with any or all of (a) discrete electronic components, (b) firmware, and (c) a programmable circuit 107A.
Programmable circuit 107A, which is an implementation of circuitry 107, includes a processor 108 and a memory 109. Processor 108 is an electronic device configured of logic circuitry that responds to and executes instructions. Memory 109 is a tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable storage device encoded with a computer program. In this regard, memory 109 stores data and instructions, i.e., program code, that are readable and executable by processor 108 for controlling operations of processor 108. Memory 109 may be implemented in a random-access memory (RAM) , a hard drive, a read only memory (ROM) , or a combination thereof. One of the components of memory 109 is a program module, namely module 110. Module 110 contains instructions for controlling processor 108 to execute operations described herein on behalf of NR gNB 106.
The term "module" is used herein to denote a functional operation that may be embodied either as a stand-alone component or as an integrated configuration of a plurality of subordinate components. Thus, each of module 105 and 110 may be implemented as a single module or as a plurality of modules that operate in cooperation with one another.
While modules 110 are indicated as being already loaded into memories 109, and module 110 may be configured on a storage device 130 for subsequent loading into their memories 109. Storage device 130 is a tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable storage device that stores module 110 thereon. Examples of storage device 130 include (a) a compact disk, (b) a magnetic tape, (c) a read only memory, (d) an optical storage medium, (e) a hard drive, (f) a memory  unit consisting of multiple parallel hard drives, (g) a universal serial bus (USB) flash drive, (h) a random-access memory, and (i) an electronic storage device coupled to NR gNB 106 via a data communications network.
Uu Interface (120) is the radio link between the NR UE and NR gNB, which is compliant to the 5G NR specification.
UEs 101 can be dispersed throughout wireless communication network , and each UE may be stationary or mobile. A UE includes: an access terminal, a terminal, a mobile station, a subscriber unit, a station, etc. A UE can also include be a cellular phone (e.g., a smart phone) , a personal digital assistant (PDA) , a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a tablet, a camera, a gaming device, a drone, a robot/robotic device, a netbook, a smartbook, an ultrabook, a medical device, medical equipment, a healthcare device, a biometric sensor/device, a wearable device such as a smart watch, smart clothing, smart glasses, a smart wristband, and/or smart jewelry (e.g., a smart ring, a smart bracelet, etc. ) , an entertainment device (e.g., a music device, a video device, a satellite radio, etc. ) , industrial manufacturing equipment, a global positioning system (GPS) device, or any other suitable device configured to communicate via a wireless or wired medium. UEs can include UEs considered as machine-type communication (MTC) UEs or enhanced/evolved MTC (eMTC) UEs. MTC/eMTC UEs that can be implemented as IoT UEs. IoT UEs include, for example, robots/robotic devices, drones, remote devices, sensors, meters, monitors, cameras, location tags, etc., that can communicate with a BS, another device (e.g., remote device) , or some other entity. A wireless node can provide, for example, connectivity for or to a network (e.g., a wide area network such as Internet or a cellular network) via a wired or wireless communication link.
One or more UEs 101 in the wireless communication network (e.g., an LTE network) can be a narrowband bandwidth UE. As used herein, devices with limited communication resources, e.g. smaller bandwidth, are considered as  narrowband UEs. Similarly, legacy devices, such as legacy and/or advanced UEs (e.g., in LTE) can be considered as wideband UEs. Wideband UEs are generally understood as devices that use greater amounts of bandwidth than narrowband UEs.
The UEs 101 are configured to connect, for example, communicatively couple, with an or RAN. In embodiments, the RAN may be an NG RAN or a 5G RAN, an E-UTRAN, an MF RAN, or a legacy RAN, such as a UTRAN or GERAN. The term “NG RAN” or the like refers to a RAN 110 that operates in an NR or 5G system, the term “E-UTRAN” or the like refers to a RAN that operates in an LTE or 4G system, and the term “MF RAN” or the like refers to a RAN that operates in an MF system 100. The UEs 101 utilize connections (or channels) , respectively, each of which comprises a physical communications interface or layer. The connections and may can comprise several different physical DL channels and several different physical UL channels. As examples, the physical DL channels include the PDSCH, PMCH, PDCCH, EPDCCH, MPDCCH, R-PDCCH, SPDCCH, PBCH, PCFICH, PHICH, NPBCH, NPDCCH, NPDSCH, and/or any other physical DL channels mentioned herein. As examples, the physical UL channels include the PRACH, PUSCH, PUCCH, SPUCCH, NPRACH, NPUSCH, and/or any other physical UL channels mentioned herein.
The RAN can include one or more AN nodes or RAN nodes. These access nodes can be referred to as BS, gNBs, RAN nodes, eNBs, NodeBs, RSUs, MF-APs, TRxPs or TRPs, and so forth, and comprise ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations providing coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell) . The term “NG RAN node” or the like refers to a RAN node that operates in an NR or 5G system (e.g., a gNB) , and the term “E-UTRAN node” or the like refers to a RAN node that operates in an LTE or 4G system (e.g., an eNB) . According to various embodiments, the RAN nodes can be implemented as one or more of a dedicated physical device such as a macrocell base station, and/or a low power base station for providing femtocells, picocells or other like cells having smaller coverage areas, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth compared to macrocells.
In some embodiments, all or parts of the RAN nodes can be implemented as one or more software entities running on server computers as part of a virtual network, which may be referred to as a CRAN and/or a vBBU. In these embodiments, the CRAN or vBBU may implement a RAN function split, such as a PDCP split wherein RRC and PDCP layers are operated by the CRAN/vBBU and other L2 protocol entities are operated by individual RAN nodes; a MAC/PHY split wherein RRC, PDCP, RLC, and MAC layers are operated by the CRAN/vBBU and the PHY layer is operated by individual RAN nodes; or a “lower PHY” split wherein RRC, PDCP, RLC, MAC layers and upper portions of the PHY layer are operated by the CRAN/vBBU and lower portions of the PHY layer are operated by individual RAN nodes. This virtualized framework allows the freed-up processor cores of the RAN nodes to perform other virtualized applications. In some implementations, an individual RAN node can represent individual gNB-DUs that are connected to a gNB-CU via individual F1 interfaces. In these implementations, the gNB-DUs may include one or more remote radio heads (RRH) , and the gNB-CU may be operated by a server that is located in the RAN or by a server pool in a similar manner as the CRAN/vBBU. One or more of the RAN nodes can be next generation eNBs (ng-eNBs) , which are RAN nodes that provide E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol terminations toward the UEs 101, and are connected to a 5GC via an NG interface. In MF implementations, the MF-APs are entities that provide MultiFire radio services, and may be similar to eNBs in an 3GPP architecture.
In some implementations, access to a wireless interface can be scheduled, wherein a scheduling entity (e.g.: BS, gNB, etc. ) allocates bandwidth resources for devices and equipment within its service area or cell. As scheduling entity can be configured to schedule, assign, reconfigure, and release resources for one or more subordinate entities. In some examples, a UE 101 (or other device) may function as master node scheduling entity, scheduling resources for one or more secondary node subordinate entities (e.g., one or more other UEs 101) . Thus, in a wireless communication network with a scheduled access to time-frequency resources and having a cellular configuration, a P2P configuration, and a mesh  configuration, a scheduling entity and one or more subordinate entities may communicate utilizing the scheduled resources.
BS or gNB may be equipped with T antennas and UE 101 may be equipped with R antennas, where in general T≥1 and R≥1. At BS, a transmit processor is configured to receive data from a data source for one or more UEs 101 and select one or more modulation and coding schemes (MCS) for each UE based on channel quality indicators (CQIs) received from the UE 101. The BS is configured to process (e.g., encode and modulate) the data for each UE 101 based on the MCS (s) selected for the UE 101, and provide data symbols for all UEs. A transmit processor is also configured to process system information (e.g., for static resource partitioning information (SRPI) , etc. ) and control information (e.g., CQI requests, grants, upper layer signaling, etc. ) and can provide overhead symbols and control symbols. Processor 108 may also generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., the cell-specific reference signal (CRS) ) and synchronization signals (e.g., the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and the secondary synchronization signal (SSS) ) . A transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor can be configured perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on the data symbols, the control symbols, the overhead symbols, and/or the reference symbols, if applicable, andcan be configured to provide T output symbol streams to T modulators (MODs) . Each modulator can be configured to process a respective output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM, etc. ) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator can further be configured to process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and upconvert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. T downlink signals from modulators can be transmitted via T antennas.
An overview of 5G NR Stacks is as follows. 5G NR (New Radio) user and control plane functions with monolithic gNB (gNodeB) are shown in the figures below. For the user plane, PHY (physical) , MAC (Medium Access Control) , RLC (Radio Link Control) , PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol) and SDAP (Service Data Adaptation Protocol) sublayers are terminated in the gNB on the network side.  For the control plane, RRC (Radio Resource Control) , PDCP, RLC, MAC and PHY sublayers are terminated in the gNB on the network side and NAS (Non-Access Stratum) is terminated in the AMF (Access Mobility Function) on the network side. FIG. 2 shows an example of a User Plane Stack as descried in 3GPP TS 38.300. FIG. 3 shows an example of a Control Plane Stack as described in 3GPP TS 38.300.
An NG-RAN (NG-Radio Access Network) architecture from 3GPP TS 38.401 is described below. F1 is the interface between gNB-CU (gNB –Centralized Unit) and gNB-DU (gNB –Distributed Unit) , NG is the interface between gNB-CU (or gNB) and 5GC (5G Core) , E1 is the interface between CU-CP (CU-Control Plane) and CU-UP (CU-User Plane) , and Xn is interface between gNBs.
A gNB may consist of a gNB-CU-CP, multiple gNB-CU-UPs and multiple gNB-DUs. The gNB-CU-CP is connected to the gNB-DU through the F1-C interface and to the gNB-CU-UP through the E1 interface. The gNB-CU-UP is connected to the gNB-DU through the F1-U interface and to the gNB-CU-CP through the E1 interface. One gNB-DU is connected to only one gNB-CU-CP and one gNB-CU-UP is connected to only one gNB-CU-CP. FIG. 4 shows an example of an NG-RAN Architecture as described in 3GPP TS 38.501. FIG. 5 shows an example of a Separation of CU-CP (CU-Control Plane) and CU-UP (CU-User Plane) as described in 3GPP TS 38.401.
A Layer 2 (L2) of 5G NR is split into the following sublayers is described in 3GPP TS 38.300) :
○ Medium Access Control (MAC) : The MAC sublayer offers Logical Channels (LCs) to the RLC sublayer. This layer runs a MAC scheduler to schedule radio resources across different LCs (and their associated radio bearers) .
○ Radio Link Control (RLC) : The RLC sublayer offers RLC channels to the PDCP sublayer. The RLC sublayer supports three transmission modes: RLC-Transparent Mode (RLC-TM) , RLC-Unacknowledged Mode (RLC-UM) and RLC-Acknowledgement Mode (RLC-AM) . RLC configuration  is per logical channel. It hosts ARQ (Automatic Repeat Request) protocol for RLC-AM mode.
○ Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) : The PDCP sublayer offers Radio Bearers (RBs) to the SDAP sublayer. There are two types of Radio Bearers: Data Radio Bearers (DRBs) for data and Signaling Radio Bearers (SRBs) for control plane.
○ Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) : The SDAP offers QoS Flows to the 5GC (5G Core) . This sublayer provides mapping between a QoS flow and a DRB. It marks QoS Flow Id in DL (downlink) as well as UL (uplink packets) .
FIG. 6 shows a DL (Downlink) Layer 2 Structure as described in 3GPP TS 38.300. FIG. 7 shows an UL (uplink) Layer 2 Structure in accord with 3GPP TS38.300. FIG. 8 shows an L2 Data Flow example in accord with 3GPP TS 38.300 ( [H denotes headers or subheaders in FIG. 17] .
O-RAN, which is based on disaggregated components and connected through open and standardized interfaces is based on 3GPP NG-RAN. An overview of O-RAN with disaggregated RAN (CU, DU, and RU) , near-real-time RIC and non-real-time RIC is shown in the figure below. Here, DU (Distributed Unit) and CU (Centralized Unit) are typically implemented using COTS (Commercial off-the-shelf) hardware.
FIG. 9 shows and example of an O-RAN architecture. As in FIG. 9, the CU and the DU are connected using the F1 interface (with F1-C for control plane and F1-U for user plane traffic) over the midhaul (MH) path. One DU could host multiple cells (for example, one DU could host 24 cells) and each cell may support many users. For example, one cell may support 600 RRC Connected users and out of these 600, there may be 200 Active users (i.e users which have data to send at a given point of time) .
A cell site could consist of multiple sectors and each sector may support multiple cells. For example one site could consist of three sectors and each sector could support 8 cells (with 8 cells in each sector on different frequency bands) . One CU-CP could support multiple DUs and thus multiple cells. For example, a CU-CP could support 1000 cells and around 100,000 UEs. Each UE could support multiple DRBs and there could be multiple instances of CU-UP to serve these DRBs. For example, each UE could support 4 DRBs, and 400,000 DRBs (correspnding to 100,000 UEs) may be served by five CU-UP instances (and one CU-CP instance) .
DU could be located in a private data center or it could be located at a cell-site too. CU could also be located in a private data center or even hosted on a public cloud system. DU and CU could be tens of kilometers away. CU could communicate with 5G core system which could also be hosted in the same public cloud system (or could be hosted by a different cloud provider) . RU (Radio Unit) is located at cell-site and communicated with DU via a fronthaul (FH) interface.
The E2 nodes (CU and DU) are connected to the near-real-time RIC using the E2 interface. The E2 interface is used to send data (e.g., user, cell, slice KPMs) from the RAN, and deploy control actions and policies to the RAN at near-real-time RIC. The application or service at the near-real-time RIC that deploys the control actions and policies to the RAN are called xApps. The near-real-time RIC is connected to the non-real-time RIC using the A1 interface.
An E-UTRAN architecture is illustrated in FIG. 10. The E-UTRAN comprises of eNBs, providing the E-UTRA U-plane (PDCP/RLC/MAC/PHY) and control plane (RRC) protocol terminations towards the UE. The eNBs are interconnected with each other by means of the X2 interface. The eNBs are also connected by means of the S1 interface to the EPC (Evolved Packet Core) , more specifically to the MME (Mobility Management Entity) by means of the S1-MME interface and to the Serving Gateway (S-GW) by means of the S1-U interface. The S1 interface supports a many-to-many relation between MMEs /Serving Gateways and eNBs.
E-UTRAN also supports MR-DC via E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity (EN-DC) , in which a UE is connected to one eNB that acts as a MN and one en-gNB that acts as a SN. An EN-DC architecture is illustrated in FIG. 11. The eNB is connected to the EPC via the S1 interface and to the en-gNB via the X2 interface. The en-gNB might also be connected to the EPC via the S1-U interface and other en-gNBs via the X2-U interface. In EN-DC, and en-gNB comprises gNB-CU and gNB-DU (s) .
E-UTRAN also supports and NG-RAN architecture. An NG-RAN node is either:
a gNB, providing NR user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards the UE; or
an ng-eNB, providing E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards the UE. (3GPP TS 38.300 17.3.0. )
As shown in FIGS. 10-11, the gNBs and ng-eNBs are interconnected with each other by means of the Xn interface. The gNBs and ng-eNBs are also connected by means of the NG interfaces to the 5GC, more specifically to the AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) by means of the NG-C interface and to the UPF (User Plane Function) by means of the NG-U interface. The gNB and ng-eNB host functions for Radio Resource Management such as: Radio Bearer Control, Radio Admission Control, Connection Mobility Control, Dynamic allocation of resources to UEs in both uplink and downlink (scheduling) , connection setup and release; session Management; QoS Flow management and mapping to data radio bearers; Dual Connectivity. Tight interworking between NR and E-UTRA. NB-IoT UE is supported by ng-eNB.
The gNB and ng-eNB host functions such as functions for Radio Resource Management: Radio Bearer Control, Radio Admission Control, Connection Mobility Control, Dynamic allocation of resources to UEs in both uplink and downlink (scheduling) , connection setup and release; session Management; QoS  Flow management and mapping to data radio bearers; Dual Connectivity; Tight interworking between NR and E-UTRA. NB-IoT UE is supported by ng-eNB.
In an example, control information (e.g., scheduling information) may be provided for broadcast and/or multicast operation. The UE may monitor different bundle sizes for the control channel depending on the maximum number of repetitions.
The FAPI specification as of the present disclosure only includes digital beamforming indicators from L2 to L1. And per PRG/BFG for a UE can be a beam and the beam id of this PRG/BFG is transmitted from L2 to L1. Each beam id corresponds to a weight vector pre-stored at cell configuration and maps the logical port indexed by digBFInterface to output baseband ports.
In the mmW frequency band, analog beamforming is used. Each UE has a beam, and the beam id can be transmitted from L2 to L1.
When analog beamforming is used by gNB-DU, new information about analog beam indicators is needed. What is needed is for this information to be defined for FAPI.
As shown above, 3GPP defined 5G NR architecture comprises the 5G Core (AMF and UPF) and 5G gNB (gNB-CU and gNB-DU) .
FIG. 12 shows a FAPI interface architecture. FAPI is an internal interface within gNB-DU. P7 and P5 interfaces are used for transmitting data messages and control messages between L2 and L1, and the P19 interface is used for fronted control.
An example is given for P7 interface, such as PDCCH PDU which only includes digital beamforming in Beamforming info, as shown in Table 1, and part of Tx precoding and beamforming PDU is shown in Table 2 [1] . As shown in Table 1 and Table 2, the beam id is for each PRG.
Table 1
Table 2
Described are implementations that make enhancements to the analog beam indicator for FAPI.
In an implementation, configuration messages are enhanced, as follows:
A configuration message is configured to include an “analog beamforming capabilities” . The analog beamforming capabilities parameter is defined in the parameters (PARAM) . A response to the analog beamforming capabilities parameter is used for reporting the supported analog beamforming capabilities by L1.
An analog beamforming capabilities structure is defined to include fields for the structure. The slot messages can be enhanced as follows:
DL DCI PDU, PDSCH PDU, CSI-RS PDU, SSB PDU, PRS PDU, PUSCH PDU, MsgA-PUSCH PDU, PUCCH PDU, and SRS PDU can be enhanced to include a Tx/Rx Analog beamforming PDU and beamforming indicator. Tx/Rx analog beamforming information is also defined.
In addition to the above PDUs, PRACH PDU also can be enhanced to comprise a PRACH Analog beamforming and beamforming indicator.
PRACH Analog beamforming is defined as described herein.
PHY API procedures include configuration procedures and slot procedures. The configuration procedures can be static or semi-static procedures and are used for transmitting configuration messages. The slot procedures are dynamic procedures and are used for transmitting slot messages.
The configuration procedures and slot procedures may not need to be enhanced for analog beam-forming indicators.
The configuration messages are enhanced. The details are as follows:
Spatial Multiplexing and MIMO Capabilities are configured in the PARAM. A “Respond” is used for reporting the supported digital beamforming capabilities by L1 in the existing FAPI specification.
An “analog beamforming capabilities” is defined in the PARAM. The response for analog beamforming capabilities can be used for reporting the supported analog beamforming capabilities by L1. Table 3 shows a PARAM Respond TLV lists are configured with an analog beamforming capabilities category, which are described in Table 4.
Table 3 PARAM. Respond TLV lists
The analog beamforming capabilities structure is defined as follows. The structure can be extended by adding other fields.

Table 4 Analog beamforming capabilities
The slot messages can be enhanced. The details are as follows:
DL DCI PDU, PDSCH PDU, CSI-RS PDU, SSB PDU, PRS PDU, PUSCH PDU, MsgA-PUSCH PDU, PUCCH PDU, and SRS PDU can be enhanced, and as shown in Table 5.
Tx/Rx Analog beamforming PDU can be included in DL DCI PDU, PDSCH PDU, CSI-RS PDU, SSB PDU, PRS PDU, PUSCH PDU, MsgA-PUSCH PDU, PUCCH PDU, and SRS PDU.
Table 5 DL DCI PDU, PDSCH PDU, CSI-RS PDU, SSB PDU, PRS PDU, PUSCH PDU, MsgA-PUSCH PDU, PUCCH PDU, and SRS PDU
A Tx/Rx analog beam-forming information is defined. The format is shown in Table 6.
Table 6 Tx/Rx Analog beamforming PDU
In addition to the above PDUs, PRACH PDU can be enhanced, as shown in Table 7.
Table 7 PRACH PDU
A PRACH Analog beamforming is defined. The format is shown in Table 8. A beam ID corresponds to each RO in which each beam ID includes a value from a low RO index to a high index.
Table 8 PRACH Analog beamforming PDU
It will be understood that implementations and embodiments can be implemented by computer program instructions. These program instructions can  be provided to a processor to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute on the processor, create means for implementing the actions specified herein. The computer program instructions can be executed by a processor to cause a series of operational steps to be performed by the processor to produce a computer-implemented process such that the instructions, which execute on the processor to provide steps for implementing the actions specified. Moreover, some of the steps can also be performed across more than one processor, such as might arise in a multi-processor computer system or even a group of multiple computer systems. In addition, one or more blocks or combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustration can also be performed concurrently with other blocks or combinations of blocks, or even in a different sequence than illustrated without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.

Claims (8)

  1. A method for a FAPI analog beam indicator, comprising:
    configuration procedures and slot procedures for analog beamforming indicators.
  2. The method of claim 1, comprising an “analog beamfoming capability” parameter (PARAM) , configured to obtain a response used for reporting supported analog beamforming capabilities by L1.
  3. The method of claim 2, wherein analog beamforming capability PARAM comprises:
    a Maximum Num CC *BW in MHz *Layers product for DL field; and
    a Maximum Num CC *BW in MHz *Layers product for UL field.
  4. The method of claim 2, wherein analog beamforming capability PARAM comprises:
    a Beamforming indicator field;
    a Precoding and Beamforming field; and
    a Tx/Rx Analog beamforming field.
  5. The method of claim 1, comprising a Tx/Rx analog beam-forming information format comprising an analog beam index identifier field.
  6. The method of claim 2, wherein analog beamforming capability PARAM comprises:
    a Beamforming indicator field;
    a Beamforming field; and
    a PRACH Analog beamforming field.
  7. The method of claim 1, comprising a PRACH Analog beamforming format, including a beam ID corresponding to each RO, the beam ID being having value from a low RO index value to a high RO index value.
  8. The method of claim 7, the PRACH Analog beamforming format including, for each RO, an Analog beam index identifier field.
PCT/CN2023/135406 2023-11-30 2023-11-30 Method of analog beam indicator for fapi interface Pending WO2025111925A1 (en)

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Citations (3)

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US20210135722A1 (en) * 2019-11-04 2021-05-06 Mavenir Networks, Inc. Method for beamforming weights transmission over o-ran fronthaul interface in c-rans
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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20210135722A1 (en) * 2019-11-04 2021-05-06 Mavenir Networks, Inc. Method for beamforming weights transmission over o-ran fronthaul interface in c-rans
WO2022221854A1 (en) * 2021-04-14 2022-10-20 Qualcomm Incorporated Prioritized signaling via functional application programming interface (fapi)
US20230087665A1 (en) * 2021-09-22 2023-03-23 Qualcomm Incorporated Passthrough of messages in an accelerator of a distributed unit

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