Providing simultaneous digital and analog services and optical fiber-based distributed antenna systems, and related components and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10014945-B2
Application number	US-201715437122-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 20, 2017
Priority date	Feb 27, 2013
Publication date	Jul 3, 2018
Grant date	Jul 3, 2018

Abstract

Embodiments relate to providing simultaneous digital and analog services in optical fiber-based distributed radio frequency (RF) antenna systems (DASs), and related components and methods. A multiplex switch unit associated with a head-end unit of a DAS can be configured to receive a plurality of analog and digital downlink signals from one or more sources, such as a service matrix unit, and to assign each downlink signal to be transmitted to one or more remote units of the DAS. In one example, when two or more downlink signals are assigned to be transmitted to the same remote unit, a wave division multiplexer/demultiplexer associated with the multiplex switch unit can be configured to wave division multiplex the component downlink signals into a combined downlink signal for remote side transmission and to demultiplex received combined uplink signals into their component uplink signals for head-end side transmission.

First claim

We claim:

1. A wireless communication system comprising:
a head-end unit including a multiplex switch unit; and
a plurality of remote units optically connected to the head-end unit and distributed among at least three floors of a building infrastructure, each remote unit having an antenna assembly and being configured to transmit wireless signals into a coverage area of the remote unit and to transmit wireless signals into the coverage area,
wherein the multiplex switch unit comprises:
a plurality of head-end side inputs configured to receive a plurality of component downlink signals comprising at least one downlink radio frequency (RF) communication signal and at least one downlink digital data (DD) signal;
a plurality of remote side optical outputs each configured to transmit at least one optical downlink signal to a respective remote unit of the plurality of remote units;
a switch connected between the plurality of head-end side inputs and the plurality of remote side optical outputs, configured to:
assign each component downlink signal received from the plurality of head-end side inputs to at least one remote unit, including assigning at least one downlink RF communication signal and at least one downlink DD signal to a common remote unit; and
for each remote unit:
multiplex the respective assigned component downlink signals into a combined optical downlink signal; and
transmit the respective combined optical downlink signal to the respective assigned at least one remote unit;

a plurality of remote side optical inputs each configured to receive at least one optical uplink signal, each optical uplink signal comprising at least one component optical uplink signal, wherein:
at least one optical uplink signal is a combined optical uplink signal comprising a first plurality of component optical uplink signals; and
at least one combined optical uplink signal comprises at least one uplink RF communication signal and at least one uplink DD signal; and

a plurality of head-end side outputs configured to transmit a second plurality of component optical uplink signals comprising at least one uplink RF communication signal and at least one uplink DD signal.

2. The wireless communication system of claim 1 , wherein each remote unit is optically connected to the head-end unit via an optical fiber path.

3. The wireless communication system of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of head-end side outputs are electrical outputs, and the switch further comprises at least one optical-to-electrical converter configured to convert each component optical uplink signal into a respective component electrical uplink signal and transmit each respective component electrical uplink signal to a respective at least one head-end side output.

4. The wireless communication system of claim 2 , wherein each combined optical uplink signal is a wave division multiplexed optical signal.

5. The wireless communication system of claim 2 , wherein each combined optical uplink signal is divided by a wave division divider (WDD) associated with the switch.

6. The wireless communication system of claim 2 , wherein at least some of the plurality of head-end side outputs are further configured to connect to at least one service matrix unit, each service matrix unit configured to receive at least one uplink RF communication signal and at least one uplink DD signal from at least one respective head-end side output.

7. The wireless communication system of claim 2 , wherein the switch is connected between the plurality of remote side optical inputs and the plurality of head-end side outputs, and is further configured to separate each combined optical uplink signal into each of the respective component optical uplink signals.

8. The wireless communication system of claim 7 , wherein the switch is further configured to:
assign each component optical uplink signal to at least one head-end side output, including assigning at least one uplink RF communication signal and at least one uplink DD signal to at least one head-end side output; and
transmit each respective component optical uplink signal toward a respective at least one head-end side output.

9. The wireless communication system of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of head-end side outputs are electrical outputs, and the switch further comprises at least one optical-to-electrical converter configured to convert each component optical uplink signal into a respective component electrical uplink signal and transmit each respective component electrical uplink signal to a respective at least one head-end side output.

10. The wireless communication system of claim 7 , wherein each combined optical uplink signal is a wave division multiplexed optical signal.

11. The wireless communication system of claim 7 , wherein each combined optical uplink signal is divided by a wave division divider (WDD) associated with the switch.

12. The wireless communication system of claim 11 , wherein at least some of the plurality of head-end side outputs are further configured to connect to at least one service matrix unit, each service matrix unit configured to receive at least one uplink RF communication signal and at least one uplink DD signal from at least one respective head-end side output.

13. The wireless communication system of claim 7 , wherein at least some of the plurality of head-end side outputs are further configured to connect to at least one service matrix unit, each service matrix unit configured to receive at least one uplink RF communication signal and at least one uplink DD signal from at least one respective head-end side output.

Assignees

• Corning Optical Communications Wireless Ltd

Inventors

• Cune William Patrick
• Saban Ofer
• Shapira Isaac

Classifications

• H04B10/25753 Primary

  Distribution optical network, e.g. between a base station and a plurality of remote units · CPC title

• H04B10/25752 Primary

  Optical arrangements for wireless networks · CPC title

• H04J14/0249

  for upstream transmission, e.g. ONU-to-OLT or ONU-to-ONU · CPC title

• H04Q11/0005

  Switch and router aspects · CPC title

• H04Q2011/0086

  Network resource allocation, dimensioning or optimisation · CPC title