US 12,133,153 B2
Fronthaul interface for use with a cloud radio access network
Balaji B Raghothaman, Chester Springs, PA (US); Irfaan Ahamed Salahuddeen, Acton, MA (US); and Arthur J. Barabell, Sudbury, MA (US)
Assigned to CommScope Technologies LLC, Claremont, NC (US)
Filed by CommScope Technologies LLC, Hickory, NC (US)
Filed on Oct. 21, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/048,724.
Application 18/048,724 is a continuation of application No. 16/918,691, filed on Jul. 1, 2020, granted, now 11,496,943.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/956,402, filed on Jan. 2, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/895,625, filed on Sep. 4, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/870,025, filed on Jul. 2, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2023/0131685 A1, Apr. 27, 2023
Int. Cl. H04W 40/02 (2009.01); H04L 5/00 (2006.01); H04L 12/18 (2006.01); H04L 69/164 (2022.01); H04L 69/22 (2022.01); H04W 4/06 (2009.01); H04W 24/10 (2009.01); H04W 72/04 (2023.01); H04W 72/21 (2023.01); H04W 88/08 (2009.01); H04W 92/20 (2009.01)
CPC H04W 40/02 (2013.01) [H04L 5/0044 (2013.01); H04L 5/0048 (2013.01); H04L 12/1845 (2013.01); H04L 69/164 (2013.01); H04L 69/22 (2013.01); H04W 4/06 (2013.01); H04W 24/10 (2013.01); H04W 72/04 (2013.01); H04W 72/21 (2023.01); H04W 88/085 (2013.01); H04W 92/20 (2013.01); H04L 12/189 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system, comprising:
a plurality (N) of remote units (RUs), each being configured to exchange radio frequency signals with at least one user equipment (UE);
a centralized unit having circuitry and communicatively coupled to the plurality of remote units via a fronthaul network; and
an entity having at least one processor configured to perform deep packet inspection, the entity communicatively coupled to the centralized unit via the fronthaul network;
wherein the centralized unit is configured to transmit sets of data to the plurality of remote units across the fronthaul network in packets, each of the sets of data mapped to at least one of the plurality of remote units and each of the packets including a respective bitmask with N bits indicating each remote unit the associated packet is intended for, wherein there is a one-to-one mapping between the N RUs and the N bits in the respective bitmask, each bit mapped to a unique single RU;
wherein a first bitmask indicates two or more RUs a first packet with user plane data is intended for by setting the corresponding two or more of the N bits in the first bitmask;
wherein the entity is configured to perform the deep packet inspection on the packets in order to determine each remote unit the packets are intended for and communicate each packet to each remote unit the packet is intended for over the fronthaul network.