O-RAN – 前传延迟及其管理

O-RAN – 前传延迟及其管理

O-RAN拆分选项 7-2x在无线接口的 PHY 层中引入了O-DU和O-RU之间的功能拆分。这种拆分会导致 O-DU 和 O-RU 之间交换的数据的传输和接收出现一些延迟，这种延迟称为前传延迟。前传量取决于拓扑、 O-DU 和 O-RU 的连接方式以及底层传输（路由器和交换机）网络。

前传延迟管理

前传延迟管理需要根据无线接口(Uu) 的发送/接收时序和HARQ 程序的重传时序在前传上传输C/U 平面消息。此延迟管理允许采用基于eCPRI框架的接收窗口和发送窗口的概念。

下图显示了从 O-DU 到 O-RU 的传输延迟管理。在从前传接收到频域中OFDM 信号的IQ 采样序列后，O-RU 会及时执行某些 IFFT、模拟转换、BF 等，以便在给定特定时间资源（无线帧、子帧、时隙、OFDM 符号）的情况下在无线接口上传输信号。为此， O-RU 的接收窗口位置设置在无线接口上的传输定时之前，偏移量与此 O-RU处理延迟相对应。

同时，O-DU 将 C/U 平面消息发送到前传，以便它在 O-RU接收窗口内传送。因此，O-DU 的传输窗口位置设置在到无线接口的传输定时之前，偏移量与 O-RU处理延迟和前传延迟相对应。这里，前传延迟包括前传距离和交换机处理延迟等可变因素。

• O-RU接收窗口的大小被校准为可以覆盖前传延迟和 O-DU传输窗口大小的波动的长度。
• O-DU传输窗口的大小是在考虑了O-DU将 C/U-Plane 消息传输到前传所需的处理时间后计算出来的。

使用相同类型窗口的延迟管理也适用于从 O-RU 到 O-DU 方向的传输。此外，前传规范为 C 平面和 U 平面定义了单独的窗口。

O-RAN – Fronthaul Delay and Its Management

O-RAN Split Option 7-2x, introduced a functional split between O-DU and O-RU within the PHY Layer of the radio interface. This split cause some delay in transmission and reception of data exchanged between O-DU and O-RU, this delay is know as Fronthaul Delay. The amount of fronthaul depend up on the topology, how O-DU and O-RU are connected and underlaying transport (router and Switches) network.

Fronthaul Delay Management

Fronthaul Delay Management is required to transmit C/U-Plane messages on the fronthaul in accordance with transmit/receive timing of the radio interface (Uu) and retransmission timing of the HARQ procedure. This delay management enables to adopt the concept of a receive window and transmit window based on the eCPRI framework.

Delay management for transmission from the O- DU to O-RU is shown in below figure. Upon receiving the IQ sample sequence of the OFDM signal in the frequency domain from the fronthaul, the O-RU does certain IFFT, analog conversion, BF, etc. in time for transmitting the signal on the radio interface given specific time resources (radio frame, subframe, slot, OFDM symbol). For this reason, the receive window position of the O-RU is set before transmission timing on the radio interface at an offset corresponding to this O-RU processing delay.

The O-DU, meanwhile, transmit a C/U-Plane message to the fronthaul so that it is delivered within the O-RU receive window. Accordingly, the transmit window position of the O-DU is set before transmission timing to the radio interface at an offset corresponding to O-RU processing delay and fronthaul delay. Here, fronthaul delay includes variable elements such as fronthaul distance and switch processing delay.

• The size of the O-RU receive window is calibrate to a length that can cover this fluctuation in fronthaul delay and size of the O-DU transmit window.
• The size of the O-DU transmit window is calculated after accounting the processing time required for the O-DU to transmit the C/U-Plane message to the fronthaul.
  Delay management using the same type of windows is also applied for transmission in the direction from O-RU to O-DU. Additionally, the fronthaul specifications define separate windows for the C-Plane and U-Plane.

Reference:

• Overview of O-RAN Fronthaul Specifications- White Paper From Docomo
• O-RAN Specification