Partitioning a time-division-based communications link for communicating multiple types of communications signals in a wireless distribution system (WDS)

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10820319-B2
Application number	US-201816195775-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2018
Priority date	Aug 8, 2016
Publication date	Oct 27, 2020
Grant date	Oct 27, 2020

Abstract

Embodiments of the disclosure relate to partitioning a time-division-based communications link for communicating multiple types of communications signals in a wireless distribution system (WDS). A WDS is configured to communicate multiple types of communications signals over a time-division-based communications link. For example, the WDS may be configured to communicate a digital baseband signal as a first type of communications signal and an Ethernet signal as a second type of communications signal. In this regard, a protocols division routing circuit(s) is provided in the WDS and configured to partition the time-division-based communications link between multiple types of communications signals based on a link configuration ratio. By partitioning the time-division-based communications link based on the link configuration ratio, it is possible to partition the time-division-based communications link according to actual capacity needs of the multiple types of communications signals, thus optimizing throughput and performance of the WDS.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for partitioning a time-division-based communications link in a wireless distribution system (WDS) comprising a plurality of remote units, comprising:
communicating, from a central digital routing unit (DRU), a first type communications signal with a first signal source;
communicating, from the central DRU, a second type communications signal with a second signal source;
determining, using a link configuration controller communicatively coupled to a central protocols division routing circuit (PDRC) in the central DRU and a remote PDRC in a remote cluster in the plurality of remote units, a link configuration ratio for the time-division-based communications link based on one or more predefined link configuration policies;
providing, from the link configuration controller to the central PDRC, the link configuration ratio; and
communicating, from the central PDRC in the central DRU to the remote PDRC in the remote cluster in the plurality of remote units, the first type communications signal and the second type communications signal at different times over the time-division-based communications link based on the link configuration ratio;
wherein the remote cluster comprises:
at least one first remote antenna unit (RAU) configured to communicate the first type communications signal and the second type communications signal with the remote PDRC;

at least one first daisy-chained remote unit configured to communicate the second type communications signal with the at least one first RAU;
at least one first remote cluster PDRC configured to communicate the first type communications signal and the second type communications signal over a remote cluster time-division-based communications link based on a second link configuration ratio;
at least one second remote cluster PDRC configured to communicate the first type communications signal and the second type communications signal with the at least one first remote cluster PDRC over the remote cluster time-division-based communications link based on the second link configuration ratio;
at least one second RAU configured to communicate the first type communications signal and the second type communications signal with the at least one second remote cluster PDRC; and
at least one second daisy-chained remote unit configured to communicate the second type communications signal with the at least one second RAU.

Assignees

• Corning Optical Communications LLC

Inventors

• Harel Dror
• Mizrahi Gavriel
• Nisan Ofer

Classifications

• H04L41/0893

  Assignment of logical groups to network elements · CPC title

• H04W72/0446 Primary

  Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames · CPC title

• H04Q11/00 Primary

  Selecting arrangements for multiplex systems (multiplex systems H04J) · CPC title

• H04L5/0037

  Inter-user or inter-terminal allocation · CPC title

• H04B10/00

  Transmission systems employing electromagnetic waves other than radio-waves, e.g. infrared, visible or ultraviolet light, or employing corpuscular radiation, e.g. quantum communication · CPC title