Radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) chip(s) for providing distributed antenna system functionalities, and related components, systems, and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9485803-B2
Application number	US-201615137389-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 25, 2016
Priority date	Mar 23, 2012
Publication date	Nov 1, 2016
Grant date	Nov 1, 2016

Abstract

Radio-frequency (RF) integrated circuit (RFIC) chip(s) allow for the integration of multiple electronic circuits on a chip to provide distributed antenna system functionalities. RFIC chips are employed in central unit and remote unit components, reducing component cost and size, increasing performance and reliability, while reducing power consumption. The components are also easier to manufacture. The RFIC chip(s) can be employed in distributed antenna systems and components that support RF communications services and/or digital data services.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for providing communications signals in a central unit in a distributed antenna system, comprising:
receiving downlink radio-frequency (RF) communication signals at a RF communications frequency for a RF communications service in a communications interface;
receiving uplink RF communication signals at the RF communications frequency for the RF communications service in the communications interface;
shifting a frequency of the downlink RF communication signals to an intermediate frequency (IF) having a different frequency than the RF communications frequency, to provide downlink IF communications signals in a first frequency conversion circuitry;
shifting the frequency of uplink IF communication signals to the RF communications frequency to provide the uplink RF communications signals in a second frequency conversion circuitry, wherein at least one of the first frequency conversion circuitry and the second frequency conversion circuitry are provided in at least one RF integrated circuit (IC) (RFIC) chip;
receiving second downlink RF communication signals at a second RF communications frequency for a second RF communications service in the communications interface;
receiving second uplink RF communication signals at the second RF communications frequency for the second RF communications service in the communications interface;
shifting the frequency of the second downlink RF communication signals to a second IF having a different frequency than the second RF communications frequency, in a third frequency conversion circuitry provided in the at least one RFIC chip, to provide second downlink IF communications signals; and
shifting the frequency of second uplink IF communication signals to the second RF communications frequency in a fourth frequency conversion circuitry provided in the at least one RFIC chip, to provide the second uplink RF communications signals.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising a communications interface comprising communications circuitry provided in a communications interface RFIC chip, the communications circuitry configured to:
receive the downlink IF communications signals in the communications interface;
provide the downlink IF communications signals from the communications interface to one or more remote units (RUs);
receive the uplink IF communication signals from the one or more RUs in the communications interface; and
provide the uplink IF communication signals from the communications interface to the at least one RFIC chip.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
synthesizing in synthesizer circuitry in the at least one RFIC chip, at least one first local oscillator (LO) signal and at least one second LO signal;
providing the first LO signal to the at least one RFIC chip; and
providing the second LO signal to the at least one RFIC chip.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the at least one RFIC chip comprises a synthesizer RFIC chip comprising the synthesizer circuitry.

5. A method for providing communications signals in a central unit in a distributed antenna system, comprising:
receiving downlink radio-frequency (RF) communication signals at a RF communications frequency for a RF communications service in a communications interface;
receiving uplink RF communication signals at the RF communications frequency for the RF communications service in the communications interface;
shifting a frequency of the downlink RF communication signals to an intermediate frequency (IF) having a different frequency than the RF communications frequency, to provide downlink IF communications signals in a first frequency conversion circuitry;
shifting the frequency of uplink IF communication signals to the RF communications frequency to provide the uplink RF communications signals in a second frequency conversion circuitry, wherein
at least one of the first frequency conversion circuitry and the second frequency conversion circuitry are provided in at least one RF integrated circuit (IC) (RFIC) chip,
the downlink RF communication signals are comprised of MIMO downlink RF communication signals,
the uplink RF communications signals are comprised of MIMO uplink RF communication signals,
the downlink IF communication signals are comprised of MIMO downlink IF communication signals, and
the uplink IF communications signals are comprised of MIMO uplink IF communications signals;

receiving second MIMO downlink RF communication signals at the RF communications frequency for the RF communications service in the communications interface;
receiving second MIMO uplink RF communication signals at the RF communications frequency for the RF communications service in the communications interface;
shifting the frequency of the second MIMO downlink RF communication signals to a second intermediate frequency (IF) having a different frequency than the RF communications frequency in a third frequency conversion circuitry provided in the at least one RFIC chip, to provide second MIMO downlink IF communications signals; and
shifting the frequency of second MIMO uplink IF communication signals to the RF communications frequency in a fourth frequency conversion circuitry provided in the at least one RFIC chip, to provide the second MIMO uplink RF communications signals.

6. A method of providing received communications signals in a remote unit (RU), comprising:
receiving downlink intermediate frequency (IF) communication signals at an IF for a radio-frequency (RF) communications service in a RF communications interface;
receiving uplink RF communication signals at a RF communications frequency for a RF communications service in a RF communications interface;
shifting a frequency of downlink IF communication signals to the RF communications frequency of the RF communications service in a first frequency conversion circuitry provided in at least one RF integrated circuit (IC) (RFIC) chip, to radiate downlink RF communications signals over a first antenna element;
shifting the frequency of uplink RF communication signals received from a second antenna element to the IF in a second frequency conversion circuitry provided in the at least one RFIC chip, to provide uplink IF communications signals;
receiving second downlink intermediate frequency (IF) communication signals at a second IF for a second RF communications service in the RF communications interface;
receiving second uplink RF communication signals at a second RF communications frequency for the second RF communications service;
shifting the frequency of the second downlink IF communication signals to the second RF communications frequency of second RF communications service in a third frequency conversion circuitry provided in the at least one RFIC chip, to radiate a second downlink RF communications signals over a third antenna element; and
shifting the frequency of second uplink RF communication signals received from a fourth antenna element to the second IF in a fourth frequency conversion circuitry provided in the at least one RFIC chip, to provide second uplink IF communications signals.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising synthesizing, in synthesizer circuitry provided in a synthesizer RFIC chip, at least one first local oscillator (LO) signal provided to a first RFIC chip, and at least one second LO signal provided to a second RFIC chip.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
receiving in the first frequency conversion circuitry the at least one first frequency conversion LO signal to shift the frequency of the downlink IF communication signals to the RF communications frequency to provide the downlink RF communications signals; and
receiving in the second frequency conversion circuitry the at least one second LO signal to

Assignees

• Corning Optical Communications Wireless Ltd

Inventors

• Saban Ofer
• Shapira Isaac

Classifications

• H04W88/085 Primary

  Access point devices with remote components · CPC title

• H04L2012/6459

  Multiplexing, e.g. TDMA, CDMA · CPC title

• H04B1/0075 Primary

  using different intermediate frequencied for the different bands · CPC title

• Y02D30/70

  in wireless communication networks · CPC title

• H04B7/0413

  MIMO systems · CPC title