Antenna array sharing in a multi-operator radio node in a communications system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10693528-B1
Application number	US-201916442223-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jun 14, 2019
Priority date	Jun 14, 2019
Publication date	Jun 23, 2020
Grant date	Jun 23, 2020

Abstract

A multi-operator radio node for a communications system that supports sharing a common antenna array while supporting individual spectrum of multiple service providers. The multi-operator radio node includes signal processing circuits for each supported service provider. Each signal processing circuit is configured to receive communications signals for a supported service provider to be distributed through a common antenna array to wireless client devices. Each signal processing circuit includes a modem that processes the received communications signals for spectrum of its service provider to provide signal streams to be distributed to co-located antenna elements in the antenna array. Summation circuits are provided at the front end of each RF chain circuit to combine signal streams of the spectrum of the service providers directed to the same antenna element in the antenna array to form signal beams in individual spectrum layers of the service providers.

First claim

We claim:

1. A radio node for distributing communications signals in a communications system, comprising:
a first signal processing circuit, comprising:
a first downlink input port configured to receive a first downlink communications signal from a first signal source associated with a first service provider; and
a first modem coupled to the first downlink input port, the first modem configured to form a plurality of first downlink signal streams in an individual spectrum of the first service provider and distribute each of the plurality of first downlink signal streams to a respective downlink signal processing output port among a plurality of first downlink signal processing output ports;

a second signal processing circuit, comprising:
a second downlink input port configured to receive a second downlink communications signal from a second signal source associated with a second service provider having a spectrum different than the spectrum of the first service provider;
a second modem coupled to the second downlink input port, the second modem configured to form a plurality of second downlink signal streams in an individual spectrum of the second service provider and distribute each of the plurality of second downlink signal streams to a respective downlink signal processing output port among a plurality of second downlink signal processing output ports; and

a plurality of downlink combiner circuits each comprising a first downlink combiner input port coupled to a first downlink signal processing output port among the plurality of first downlink signal processing output ports, a second downlink combiner input port coupled to a second downlink signal processing output port among the plurality of second downlink signal processing output ports, and a downlink combiner output port coupled to a respective radio-frequency (RF) chain circuit among a plurality of RF chain circuits;
each downlink combiner circuit among the plurality of downlink combiner circuits configured to combine a downlink signal stream among the plurality of first downlink signal streams on the first downlink combiner input port and a downlink signal stream among the plurality of second downlink signal streams on the second downlink combiner input port to generate a combined downlink signal stream on the downlink combiner output port;

the plurality of RF chain circuits each coupled to a downlink combiner output port of a respective downlink combiner circuit among the plurality of downlink combiner circuits and a respective antenna element among a plurality of antenna elements in an antenna array;
each RF chain circuit among the plurality of RF chain circuits configured to receive a respective combined downlink signal stream on the coupled downlink combiner output port, process the combined downlink signal stream into a combined RF downlink signal stream, and distribute the processed combined RF downlink signal stream to the coupled antenna element among the plurality of antenna elements in the antenna array.

2. The radio node of claim 1 , further comprising:
a third signal processing circuit, comprising:
a third downlink input port configured to receive third downlink communication information from a third signal source associated with a third service provider having a spectrum different than the spectrum of the first service provider and the second service provider; and
a third modem coupled to the third downlink input port, the third modem configured to form a plurality of third downlink signal streams in an individual spectrum of the third service provider and distribute each of the plurality of third downlink signal streams to a respective downlink signal processing output port among a plurality of third downlink signal processing output ports;

the plurality of downlink combiner circuits each further comprising a third downlink combiner input port coupled to a downlink signal processing output port among the plurality of third downlink signal processing output ports;
each downlink combiner circuit among the plurality of downlink combiner circuits configured to combine a downlink signal stream among the plurality of third downlink signal streams on the third downlink combiner input port with the downlink signal stream of the plurality of first downlink signal streams on the first downlink combiner input port and the downlink signal stream of the plurality of second downlink signal streams on the second downlink combiner input port, to generate the combined downlink signal stream on the downlink combiner output port.

3. The radio node of claim 1 , wherein:
the first modem is configured to form the plurality of first downlink signal streams as a plurality of first digital downlink signal streams;
the second modem is configured to form the plurality of second downlink signal streams as a plurality of second digital downlink signal streams; and
each downlink combiner circuit among the plurality of downlink combiner circuits is configured to combine a digital downlink signal stream of the plurality of first digital downlink signal streams on the first downlink combiner input port and a digital downlink signal stream of the plurality of second digital downlink signal streams on the second downlink combiner input port to generate the combined downlink signal stream comprising a combined digital downlink signal stream on the downlink combiner output port.

4. The radio node of claim 3 , wherein:
the plurality of first digital downlink signal streams are each represented by an in-phase/quadrature (I/Q) signal of the modulated digital downlink signal stream; and
the plurality of second digital downlink signal streams are each represented by an I/Q signal of the modulated digital downlink signal stream.

5. The radio node of claim 3 , wherein each downlink combiner circuit among the plurality of downlink combiner circuits comprises a downlink digital summation circuit configured to sum the digital downlink signal stream of the plurality of first digital downlink signal streams on the first downlink combiner input port and the digital downlink signal stream of the plurality of second digital downlink signal streams on the second downlink combiner input port to generate the combined digital downlink signal stream.

6. The radio node of claim 3 , wherein:
each RF chain circuit among the plurality of RF chain circuits comprises a digital-to-analog (D/A) converter circuit and is configured to process the combined digital downlink signal stream into a processed combined digital downlink signal stream, by the D/A converter circuit being configured to convert the combined digital downlink signal stream into a combined RF downlink signal stream; and
each RF chain circuit among the plurality of RF chain circuits is configured to distribute the combined RF downlink signal stream to the coupled antenna element among the plurality of antenna elements in the antenna array.

7. The radio node of claim 1 , wherein:
each RF chain circuit among the plurality of RF chain circuits comprises a power amplifier circuit configured to amplify the combined RF downlink signal stream into an amplified combined RF downlink signal stream; and
each RF chain circuit among the plurality of RF chain circuits is configured to distribute the amplified combined RF downlink signal stream to the coupled antenna element among the plurality of antenna elements in the antenna array.

8. The radio node of claim 1 , wherein:
each RF chain circuit among the plurality of RF chain circuits comprises a frequency up-converter circuit configured to up-convert a frequency of the combined RF downlink signal stream into an up-converted combined RF downlink signal stream; and
each RF chain circuit among the plurality of RF chain

Assignees

• Corning Res & Dev Corp
• Corning Reaserch & Dev Corporation

Inventors

• Berlin Igor
• Shapira Yair Zeev

Classifications

• H04B2001/307

  using n-port mixer · CPC title

• H04W16/14

  Spectrum sharing arrangements {between different networks} · CPC title

• H04L5/0023

  Time-frequency-space · CPC title

• H04B7/0617 Primary

  for beam forming · CPC title

• H04B7/0452

  Multi-user MIMO systems · CPC title