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-10601511-B2
Application number	US-201816000029-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 5, 2018
Priority date	Feb 27, 2013
Publication date	Mar 24, 2020
Grant date	Mar 24, 2020

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 non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions for directing a processor to perform a method, wherein the instructions, when executed, direct the processor to:
assign each component downlink signal received at a plurality of head-end side inputs to at least one of a plurality of remote side optical outputs of a multiplex switch unit in a wireless communication system, including selectively assigning at least one downlink radio frequency (RF) communication signal and at least one downlink digital data (DD) signal of each component downlink signal to a specific common remote side optical output based on a determination that the at least one downlink RF communication signal and the at least one downlink DD signal are to be transmitted to a common remote unit, wherein the specific common remote side optical output corresponds to the common remote unit, and wherein a plurality of component downlink signals comprising at least one downlink RF communication signal and at least one downlink (DD signal are received at the plurality of head-end side inputs of the multiplex switch unit; and
for each remote side optical output:
instruct the multiplex switch unit to multiplex the respective assigned component downlink signals into a combined optical downlink signal; and
instruct the multiplex switch unit to transmit the respective combined optical downlink signal to the assigned at least one of the plurality of remote side optical outputs.

2. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further directed to instruct the multiplex switch unit to multiplex the plurality of component downlink signals into the combined optical downlink signal by wave division multiplexing the plurality of component downlink signals into the combined optical downlink signal.

3. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the plurality of component downlink signals are received at respective head-end side inputs from at least one service matrix unit, each service matrix unit transmitting at least one downlink RF communication signal and at least one downlink DD signal to at least one respective head-end side input.

4. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of optical uplink signals are received at a plurality of remote side optical inputs, wherein each of the plurality of remote side optical inputs is complementary to a corresponding one of the plurality of remote side optical outputs, each optical uplink signal of the plurality of optical uplink signals comprising at least one component optical uplink signal.

5. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 4 , wherein:
at least one optical uplink signal is a combined optical uplink signal comprising a 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.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 5 , wherein the processor is further directed to:
for each remote side optical input receiving a combined optical uplink signal, instruct the multiplex switch unit to separate each combined optical uplink signal into each of a respective component optical uplink signal of the plurality of component optical uplink signals; and
instruct the multiplex switch unit to transmit each component optical uplink signal toward a respective at least one head-end side output.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6 , wherein the processor is further directed to instruct the multiplex switch unit to transmit at least some of the plurality of component optical uplink signals from respective head-end side outputs to at least one service matrix unit, each service matrix unit receiving at least one uplink RF communication signal and at least one uplink DD signal from at least one respective head-end side output.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of component downlink signals are electrical signals, the multiplex switch unit comprises at least one electro-optical converter, and wherein the processor is further configured to instruct the multiplex switch unit to convert each component downlink signal into a respective component optical downlink signal.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein each combined optical downlink signal is a wave division multiplexed optical signal.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein each combined optical downlink signal is generated by a wave division multiplexer (WDM) associated with the multiplex switch unit.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6 , wherein the at least one head-end side output comprises electrical outputs, and the multiplex switch unit further comprises at least one electro-optical converter, and wherein the processor is further configured to instruct the multiplex switch unit to convert each component optical uplink signal into a respective component electrical uplink signal and transmit each respective component electrical uplink signal to the respective at least one head-end side output.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6 , wherein each combined optical uplink signal is a wave division multiplexed optical signal.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 , wherein each combined optical uplink signal is divided by a wave division divider (WDD) associated with the multiplex switch unit.

14. A method of operating a multiplex switch unit for a wireless communication system comprising a plurality of remote units having at least one antenna assembly and being optically coupled to the multiplex switch unit, comprising:
receiving, at a plurality of head-end side inputs of the multiplex switch unit, 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;
assigning each component downlink signal received at the plurality of head-end side inputs to at least one of a plurality of remote side optical outputs of the multiplex switch unit, including selectively assigning at least one downlink RF communication signal and at least one downlink DD signal to a specific common remote side optical output based on a determination that the at least one downlink RF communication signal and the at least one downlink DD signal are to be transmitted to a common remote unit, wherein the specific common remote side optical output corresponds to the common remote unit, and;
for each remote side optical output:
multiplexing the respective assigned component downlink signals into a combined optical downlink signal; and
transmitting the respective combined optical downlink signal to the assigned at least one of the plurality of remote side optical outputs;

receiving, at a plurality of remote side optical inputs, a plurality of optical uplink signals, each optical uplink signal comprising at least one component optical uplink signal, wherein each of the plurality of remote side optical inputs is complementary to a corresponding one of the plurality of remote side optical outputs, and wherein:
at least one optical uplink signal is a combined optical uplink signal comprising a 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;

for each remote side optical input, receiving a combined optical uplink signal, separa

Assignees

• Corning Optical Communications LLC

Inventors

• Cune William Patrick
• Saban Ofer
• Shapira Isaac

Classifications

• H04Q2011/0016

  using wavelength multiplexing or demultiplexing · CPC title

• H04B10/25752 Primary

  Optical arrangements for wireless networks · CPC title

• H04J14/0246

  using one wavelength per ONU · CPC title

• H04B10/25753 Primary

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

• H04W88/085

  Access point devices with remote components · CPC title