Systems and methods of optical path protection for distributed antenna systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018102848-A1
Application number	US-201715838170-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 11, 2017
Priority date	Apr 28, 2006
Publication date	Apr 12, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Systems and methods for optical path protection for distributed antenna systems are provided. In one embodiment, a system comprises a hub and at least one node located remotely from the hub. The hub is coupled to the node by first and second fiber paths, the first fiber path comprising an uplink fiber and a downlink fiber, the second fiber path comprising an uplink fiber and a downlink fiber. The node is coupled to the downlink fibers of the first and second fiber paths via an optical combiner, and is further coupled to the uplink fibers of the first and second fiber paths via an optical splitter. The node further monitors a signal quality of a downlink optical signal and communicates to the hub information indicative of the signal quality. The hub switches communications between the hub and the node from the first to second fiber path based on the information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A first node of a distributed antenna system configured to communicate with at least one second node of the distributed antenna system, the at least one second node being remote from the first node, the first node comprising:
first and second optical-signal ports configured to receive first and second input optical signals via first and second fiber paths, respectively; an optical switch having first and second switch ports coupled to the first and second optical-signal ports, having a third switch port, and configured to couple, selectively, the first input optical signal or the second input optical signal to the third switch port in response to a quality of one of the first and second input optical signals; an optical transceiver configured to receive the coupled one of the first and second input optical signals from the third switch port and to convert the coupled one of the first and second input optical signals into a first electrical signal; and an interface circuit configured to convert the first electrical signal into an output RF signal.

2 . The first node of claim 1 wherein the interface circuit is configured to couple the output RF signal to an antenna.

3 . The first node of claim 2 , wherein:
the interface circuit is configured to receive an input RF signal from the antenna and to convert the input RF signal into a second electrical signal; the optical transceiver is configured to convert the second electrical signal into an output optical signal and to couple the output optical signal to the third switch port; and the optical switch is configured, selectively, to couple the output optical signal to one of the first and second optical ports in response to the quality of one of the first and second input optical signals.

4 . The first node of claim 1 , further comprising a quality circuit configured:
to determine the quality of the one of the first and second input optical signals that the optical switch is coupling to the third switch node; and to toggle the optical switch to couple the other of the first and second input optical signals to the third switch node in response to the quality circuit determining that the quality of the one of the first and second input optical signals is below a quality threshold.

5 . The first node of claim 1 , further comprising:
third and fourth optical-signal ports configured to provide first and second output optical signals to third and fourth fiber paths, respectively; wherein the optical switch circuit includes fourth and fifth switch ports respectively coupled to the third and fourth optical-signal ports, and includes a sixth switch port; wherein the interface circuit is configured to receive an input RF signal and to convert the input RF signal into a second electrical signal; the optical transceiver is configured to convert the second electrical signal into a third output optical signal and to couple the third output optical signal to the sixth switch port; and the optical switch is configured, selectively, to couple the third output optical signal to one of the third and fourth optical-signal ports in response to the quality of one of the first and second input optical signals.

6 . The first node of claim 5 , further comprising a quality circuit configured:
to determine the quality of the one of the first and second input optical signals that the optical switch is coupling to the third switch node; and to toggle the optical switch to couple the other of the first and second input optical signals to the third switch node, and to couple the third output optical signal to another one of the third and fourth optical-signal ports, in response to the quality circuit determining that the quality of the one of the first and second input optical signals is below a quality threshold.

7 . The first node of claim 2 , further comprising:
third and fourth optical-signal ports configured to provide first and second output optical signals to the at least one second node of the distributed antenna system via third and fourth fiber paths, respectively; wherein the optical switch circuit includes fourth and fifth switch ports respectively coupled to the third and fourth optical-signal ports, and includes a sixth switch port; wherein the interface circuit is configured to receive an input RF signal from the antenna and to convert the input RF signal into a second electrical signal; the optical transceiver is configured to convert the second electrical signal into a third output optical signal and to couple the third output optical signal to the sixth switch port; and the optical switch is configured, selectively, to couple the third output optical signal to one of the third and fourth optical-signal ports in response to the quality of one of the first and second input optical signals.

8 . A first node of a distributed antenna system, the first node comprising:
first and second optical-signal ports configured to receive first and second input optical signals from at least one second node of the distributed antenna system via first and second fiber paths, respectively, the at least one second node being remote from the first node; an optical switch having first and second switch ports coupled to the first and second optical-signal ports, having a third switch port, and configured to couple, selectively, the first input optical signal or the second input optical signal to the third switch port in response to a quality of one of the first and second input optical signals; an optical transceiver configured to receive the coupled one of the first and second input optical signals from the third switch port and to convert the coupled one of the first and second input optical signals into a first electrical signal; and an interface circuit configured to convert the first electrical signal into an output RF signal.

9 . A method, comprising:
receiving, via first and second optical paths, first and second input optical signals at first and second optical-signal ports, respectively, of a first node of a distributed antenna system; coupling, selectively, the first input optical signal or the second input optical signal to an optical transceiver in response to the quality of one of the first and second input optical signals; converting, with the optical transceiver, the coupled one of the first and second input optical signals into a first electrical signal; and converting the first electrical signal into an output RF signal.

10 . The method of claim 9 wherein receiving the first and second input optical signals includes receiving the first and second optical signals from at least one second node of the distributed antenna system, the at least one second node located remote from the first node.

11 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
coupling the output RF signal to an antenna; and radiating a transmission signal with the antenna in response to the output RF signal.

12 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
receiving, at the first node, an input RF signal from an antenna; converting the input RF signal into a second electrical signal; converting, with the optical transceiver, the second electrical signal into an output optical signal; coupling, selectively, the output optical signal to one of the first and second optical ports in response to the quality of one of the first and second input optical signals.

13 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
determining the quality of the one of the first and second input optical signals coupled to the optical transceiver; and coupling the other of the first and second input o

Assignees

• Commscope Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Sabat Jr John
• Hebert Thomas G

Classifications

• H04B10/25752 Primary

  Optical arrangements for wireless networks · CPC title

• H04B10/1127

  using two distinct parallel optical paths · CPC title