Identifying remote units in a wireless distribution system (WDS) based on assigned unique temporal delay patterns

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9807558-B2
Application number	US-201715472881-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 29, 2017
Priority date	Mar 23, 2016
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

Embodiments of the disclosure relate to identifying remote units in a wireless distribution system (WDS) based on assigned unique temporal delay patterns. The WDS includes a plurality of remote units configured to communicate communications signals in signal paths. Each of the signal paths is assigned a unique temporal delay pattern. The communications signals are digitally delayed by respective delay elements based on the plurality of unique temporal delay patterns to provide delayed communications signals. A remote unit identification system analyzes a delayed communications signal to determine a respective temporal delay pattern associated within the delayed communication signal. By uniquely identifying a remote unit from which a delayed communication signal is communicated, it is possible to determine the locations client devices in the WDS, thus enabling a variety of location-based services and optimizations in the WDS.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wireless distribution system (WDS), comprising:
a plurality of signal paths;
a plurality of remote units, each remote unit among the plurality of remote units communicatively coupled to a respective signal path among the plurality of signal paths;
a central unit configured to communicate a respective communications signal among a plurality of communications signals to each remote unit among the plurality of remote units in the respective signal path communicatively coupled to the remote unit;
a plurality of delay elements disposed in the plurality of signal paths, respectively, wherein each delay element among the plurality of delay elements is configured to digitally delay the respective communications signal communicated in the respective signal path according to a respective unique temporal delay pattern among a plurality of unique temporal delay patterns assigned to a respective remote unit among the plurality of remote units communicatively coupled to the respective signal path to provide a delayed communications signal in the respective signal path; and
a remote unit identification system, comprising:
a controller configured to assign the plurality of unique temporal delay patterns to the plurality of remote units in the WDS; and
a determination unit configured to:
for at least one delayed communications signal provided in at least one signal path among the plurality of signal paths:
determine a unique temporal delay pattern associated with the at least one delayed communications signal; and
identify a remote unit among the plurality of remote units communicatively coupled to the at least one signal path based on the unique temporal delay pattern.

2. The WDS of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of uplink signal paths, wherein:
each remote unit among the plurality of remote units is communicatively coupled to a respective uplink signal path among the plurality of uplink signal paths;
the central unit is further configured to receive a respective uplink communications signal among a plurality of uplink communications signals from each remote unit among the plurality of remote units in the respective uplink signal path communicatively coupled to the remote unit;
each delay element among the plurality of delay elements is further configured to digitally delay the respective uplink communications signal communicated in the respective uplink signal path according to the unique temporal delay pattern assigned to the respective remote unit communicatively coupled to the respective uplink signal path to provide a delayed uplink communications signal in the respective uplink signal path; and
the determination unit is further configured to:
for at least one delayed uplink communications signal provided in at least one uplink signal path among the plurality of uplink signal paths:
determine a unique temporal delay pattern associated with the at least one delayed uplink communications signal; and
identify a remote unit among the plurality of remote units communicatively coupled to the at least one uplink signal path based on the unique temporal delay pattern.

3. The WDS of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of downlink signal paths, wherein:
each remote unit among the plurality of remote units is communicatively coupled to a respective downlink signal path among the plurality of downlink signal paths;
the central unit is further configured to communicate a respective downlink communications signal among a plurality of downlink communications signals to each remote unit among the plurality of remote units over the respective downlink signal path communicatively coupled to the remote unit;
each delay element among the plurality of delay elements is further configured to digitally delay the respective downlink communications signal communicated in the respective downlink signal path according to the unique temporal delay pattern assigned to the respective remote unit communicatively coupled to the respective downlink signal path to provide a delayed downlink communications signal in the respective downlink signal path; and
the determination unit is further configured to:
for at least one delayed downlink communications signal provided in at least one downlink signal path among the plurality of downlink signal paths:
determine a unique temporal delay pattern associated with the at least one delayed downlink communications signal; and
identify a remote unit among the plurality of remote units communicatively coupled to the at least one downlink signal path based on the unique temporal delay pattern.

4. The WDS of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of downlink signal paths and a plurality of uplink signal paths, wherein:
each remote unit among the plurality of remote units is communicatively coupled to a respective downlink signal path among the plurality of downlink signal paths and a respective uplink signal path among the plurality of uplink signal paths;
the central unit is further configured to:
communicate a respective downlink communications signal among a plurality of downlink communications signals with each remote unit among the plurality of remote units in the respective downlink signal path communicatively coupled to the remote unit; and
communicate a respective uplink communications signal among a plurality of uplink communications signals with each remote unit among the plurality of remote units in the respective uplink signal path communicatively coupled to the remote unit; and

each delay element among the plurality of delay elements is further configured to:
digitally delay the respective downlink communications signal communicated in the respective downlink signal path according to the unique temporal delay pattern assigned to the respective remote unit communicatively coupled to the respective downlink signal path to provide a delayed downlink communications signal in the respective downlink signal path; and
digitally delay the respective uplink communications signal communicated in the respective uplink signal path according to the unique temporal delay pattern assigned to the respective remote unit communicatively coupled to the respective uplink signal path to provide a delayed uplink communications signal in the respective uplink signal path; and

the determination unit is further configured to:
for at least one delayed downlink communications signal provided in at least one downlink signal path among the plurality of downlink signal paths and at least one delayed uplink communications signal provided in at least one uplink signal path among the plurality of uplink signal paths:
determine a unique temporal delay pattern associated with the at least one delayed downlink communications signal and the at least one delayed uplink communications signal; and
identify a remote unit among the plurality of remote units communicatively coupled to the at least one downlink signal path and the at least one uplink signal path based on the unique temporal delay pattern.

5. The WDS of claim 1 , wherein:
each unique temporal delay pattern among the plurality of unique temporal delay patterns comprises a plurality of temporal delay periods corresponding to a plurality of temporal delay values, respectively; and
a sequence of the plurality of temporal delay values makes each unique temporal delay pattern among the plurality of unique temporal delay patterns uniquely distinguishable from rest of the plurality of unique temporal delay patterns.

6. The WDS of claim 5 , wherein each of the plurality of temporal delay values in each of the plurality of unique temporal delay patterns is a multiple of a predefined temporal unit (TU).

7. The WDS of claim 5 , wherein each delay element among the pl

Assignees

• Corning Optical Communications Wireless Ltd
• Corning Optical Communications Wireless Ltd

Inventors

• Shekalim Parwiz

Classifications

• H04W4/023 Primary

  using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds · CPC title

• H04W16/26

  Cell enhancers {or enhancement}, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow · CPC title

• H04W4/06

  Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services · CPC title

• H04W64/003

  locating network equipment · CPC title

• H04W88/085

  Access point devices with remote components · CPC title