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-2018042010-A1
Application number	US-201615230949-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 8, 2016
Priority date	Aug 8, 2016
Publication date	Feb 8, 2018
Grant date	—

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

1 . A wireless distribution system (WDS), comprising:
a plurality of remote units, wherein at least one remote unit among the plurality of remote units comprises a remote cluster; a central digital routing unit (DRU) communicatively coupled to the plurality of remote units over a plurality of communications links, wherein the central DRU is communicatively coupled to the remote cluster by a time-division-based communications link among the plurality of communications links; the central DRU configured to:
communicate a first type communications signal with a first signal source; and
communicate a second type communications signal with a second signal source; and
at least one central protocols division routing circuit (PDRC) communicatively coupled to the central DRU and the time-division-based communications link, the at least one central PDRC configured to communicate the first type communications signal and the second type communications signal at different times over the time-division-based communications link with the remote cluster based on a link configuration ratio.

2 . The WDS of claim 1 , wherein a remote unit among the plurality of remote units is configured to communicate at least one of the first type communications signal and the second type communications signal with the central DRU.

3 . The WDS of claim 2 , wherein the remote unit configured to communicate the first type communications signal is selected from the group consisting of: a remote antenna unit (RAU); a Wi-Fi access point (AP); and a small cell.

4 . The WDS of claim 2 , wherein the remote unit configured to communicate the second type communications signal is selected from the group consisting of: an RAU; a Wi-Fi AP; and a small cell.

5 . The WDS of claim 2 , wherein the remote unit is further configured to communicate a control/management signal with the central DRU.

6 . The WDS of claim 5 , wherein the remote unit configured to communicate the control/management signal is selected from the group consisting of: an RAU; a Wi-Fi AP; and a small cell.

7 . The WDS of claim 1 , wherein the first signal source is comprised of a digital baseband unit (BBU) and the second signal source is comprised of an Ethernet signal source.

8 . The WDS of claim 7 , wherein:
the first type communications signal is comprised of a digital baseband type communications signal; and the second type communications signal is comprised of an Ethernet type communications signal.

9 . The WDS of claim 8 , wherein the first type communications signal is communicated based on a protocol selected from the group consisting of: a common public radio interface (CPRI) protocol; an open base station architecture initiative (OBSAI) protocol; an open radio equipment interface (ORI) protocol; and a proprietary protocol.

10 . The WDS of claim 8 , wherein the first type communications signal comprises in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) samples (IQ samples), wherein the IQ samples are digital data representing I and Q components of samples of the digital baseband type communications signal.

11 . The WDS of claim 1 , wherein the at least one central PDRC is provided in the central DRU and communicatively coupled to the time-division-based communications link.

12 . The WDS of claim 1 , further comprising at least one remote PDRC communicatively coupled to the remote cluster and the time-division-based communications link, the at least one remote PDRC configured to communicate the first type communications signal and the second type communications signal with the central DRU over the time-division-based communications link based on the link configuration ratio.

13 . The WDS of claim 12 , wherein the at least one remote PDRC is provided in the remote cluster.

14 . The WDS of claim 12 , further comprising a link configuration controller communicatively coupled to the at least one central PDRC and the at least one remote PDRC, the link configuration controller configured to:
determine the link configuration ratio for the time-division-based communications link based on one or more predefined link configuration policies; and provide the link configuration ratio to the at least one central PDRC and the at least one remote PDRC.

15 . The WDS of claim 14 , wherein the link configuration controller is further configured to provide the link configuration ratio to the at least one central PDRC and the at least one remote PDRC in one or more internet protocol (IP) packets.

16 . The WDS of claim 14 , wherein the remote cluster comprises:
at least one remote antenna unit (RAU) communicatively coupled to the at least one remote PDRC and configured to communicate the first type communications signal and the second type communications signal with the at least one remote PDRC; and at least one daisy-chained remote unit communicatively coupled to the at least one RAU and configured to communicate the second type communications signal with the at least one RAU.

17 . The WDS of claim 16 , wherein the at least one daisy-chained remote unit is comprised of a Wi-Fi access point (AP).

18 . The WDS of claim 16 , wherein the at least one RAU comprises the at least one remote PDRC.

19 . The WDS of claim 14 , 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 at least one 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.

20 . The WDS of claim 19 , wherein the link configuration controller is communicatively coupled to the at least one first remote cluster PDRC and the at least one second remote cluster PDRC, the link configuration controller further configured to:
determine the second link configuration ratio for the remote cluster time-division-based communications link based on the one or more predefined link configuration policies; and provide the second link configuration ratio to the at least one first remote cluster PDRC and the at least one second remote cluster PDRC.

21 . The WDS of claim 20 , wherein the link configuration controller is further configured to provide the second link configuration ratio to the at least one first remote cluster PDRC and the at least one second remote cluster PDRC in one or more internet protocol (IP) packets.

22 . The WDS of claim 19 , wherein the at least one first RAU comprises the at least one remote PDRC and the at least one first remote cluster PDRC.

23 . The

Assignees

• Corning Optical Communications Wireless Ltd

Inventors

• Harel Dror
• Mizrahi Gavriel
• Nisan Ofer

Classifications

• H04L41/0893

  Assignment of logical groups to network elements · CPC title

• H04B7/0413

  MIMO systems · 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

• H04W88/10

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