Multiprotocol antenna system for multiple service providers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10321328-B2
Application number	US-201715842744-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 14, 2017
Priority date	Mar 27, 2000
Publication date	Jun 11, 2019
Grant date	Jun 11, 2019

Abstract

A radio access node is configured to digitize a first analog radio frequency signal in order to generate first digital data indicative of the first analog radio frequency signal and is configured to digitize a second analog radio frequency signal in order to generate second digital data indicative of the second analog radio frequency signal. The first analog radio frequency signal is broadcast from a first mobile unit using wireless service provided by a first wireless service provider. The second analog radio frequency signal is broadcast from a second mobile unit using wireless service provided by a second wireless service provider. The first and second digital data are transported from the radio access node to the base unit using a shared transport medium. The base unit is configured to produce information derived from the first digital data and the second digital data that is used in performing base station processing for the first mobile unit and the second mobile unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a hub unit configured to receive a plurality of downlink radio frequency (RF) carriers from a plurality of base stations via a plurality of analog downlink signals;
a plurality of radio access nodes, each of the plurality of radio access nodes located remotely from the hub unit and communicatively coupled to the hub unit;
wherein the hub unit comprises a plurality of analog-to-digital converters to produce digital versions of the analog downlink signals;
wherein the hub unit is configured to generate downlink digital data indicative of the downlink RF carriers using a plurality of channelizers;
wherein the hub unit is configured to generate the downlink digital data from the digital versions of the analog downlink signals;
wherein the hub unit is reconfigurable to selectively provide, to each of the plurality of radio access nodes, the downlink digital data associated with a respective two or more of the downlink RF carriers; and
wherein each of the plurality of radio access nodes is configured to generate, from the downlink digital data provided to that radio access node, a plurality of analog downlink RF signals using a plurality of digital-to-analog converters, wherein the plurality of analog downlink RF signals comprises the two or more downlink RF carriers associated with the downlink digital data provided to that radio access node, wherein that radio access node radiates the plurality of analog downlink RF signals in a respective coverage area associated with that radio access node.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein each channelizer in the hub unit comprises a respective digital filter.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the hub unit comprises at least one field programmable gate array (FGPA) that implements each channelizer.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of base stations is associated with a plurality of wireless service providers, wherein the hub unit is reconfigurable to selectively provide downlink digital data associated with more than one wireless service provider to at least one of the radio access nodes.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the system is configured so that each wireless service provider can customize one or more RF parameters of reconstructed analog RF versions of the downlink RF carriers for that wireless service provider.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of base stations is associated with a plurality of wireless air interfaces, wherein the hub unit is reconfigurable to selectively provide downlink digital data associated with more than one wireless air interface to at least one of the radio access nodes.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the system is configured to process the downlink RF carriers associated with different wireless air interfaces differently.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the hub unit comprises a reconfigurable interconnect to selectively provide, to each of the plurality of radio access nodes, the downlink digital data associated with the respective two or more of the downlink RF carriers.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein each radio access node is configured to receive a plurality analog uplink RF carriers associated with that radio access node, wherein the plurality of analog uplink RF carriers associated with that radio access node is transmitted from user equipment via one or more analog uplink signals;
wherein each radio access node is configured to generate uplink digital data indicative of the analog uplink RF carriers associated with and received at that radio access node using a plurality of channelizers;
wherein each radio access node is configured to provide, to the hub unit, the uplink digital data generated at that radio access node; and
wherein the hub unit is configured to reconstruct, from the uplink digital data provided to the hub unit from the plurality of radio access nodes, versions of the analog uplink RF carriers received at the radio access nodes and provide the versions to the base stations.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein each channelizer in each radio access node comprises a respective digital filter.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein each radio access node comprises at least one field programmable gate array (FGPA) that implements each channelizer in that radio access node.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of analog uplink RF carriers associated with and received at a first radio access node of the plurality of radio access nodes is the same as the plurality of analog uplink RF carriers associated with and received at at least one other radio access node of the plurality of radio access nodes.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of analog uplink RF carriers associated with and received at a first radio access node of the plurality of radio access nodes differs from the plurality of analog uplink RF carriers associated with and received at at least one other radio access node of the plurality of radio access nodes.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system comprises a plurality of hub units that are communicatively coupled to each other.

15. A system comprising:
a hub unit communicatively coupled to a plurality of base stations; and
a plurality of radio access nodes, each of the plurality of radio access nodes located remotely from the hub unit and communicatively coupled to the hub unit;
wherein each radio access node is configured to receive a plurality of uplink radio frequency (RF) carriers associated with that radio access node, wherein the plurality of uplink RF carriers associated with that radio access node is transmitted from user equipment via one or more analog uplink signals;
wherein each radio access node comprises a respective plurality of analog-to-digital converters to produce digital versions of the one or more analog uplink signals received at that radio access node;
wherein each radio access node is configured to generate uplink digital data indicative of the plurality of uplink RF carriers associated with and received at that radio access node using a plurality of channelizers;
wherein each radio access node is configured to generate the uplink digital data for that radio access node from the produced digital versions of the one or more analog uplink signals received at that radio access node;
wherein each radio access node is configured to provide, to the hub unit, the uplink digital data generated at that radio access node; and
wherein the hub unit is configured to generate, from the uplink digital data provided to the hub unit from the plurality of radio access nodes, a plurality of uplink base station signals associated with the plurality of uplink RF carriers received at the radio access nodes and provide the uplink base station signals to the plurality of base stations.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein each channelizer in each radio access node comprises a respective digital filter.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein each radio access node comprises at least one field programmable gate array (FGPA) that implements each channelizer in that radio access node.

18. The system of claim 15 , wherein at least one of the plurality of uplink base station signals comprises an analog uplink base station signal.

19. The system of claim 15 , wherein the hub unit is configured to generate the uplink base station signal associated with each of the plurality of uplink RF carriers received at the radio access nodes by summing together the uplink digital data associated with that uplink RF carrier that was rece

Assignees

• Commscope Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Sabat Jr John
• Yelle Peter

Classifications

• H04W88/10

  adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points · CPC title

• H04W16/14 Primary

  Spectrum sharing arrangements {between different networks} · CPC title

• H04W92/12

  between access points and access point controllers · CPC title

• H04W88/14

  Backbone network devices · CPC title

• H04W92/045 Primary

  between access point and backbone network device · CPC title