Remote distributed antenna system

• US 10,051,630 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2016
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Barzegar, Farhad, Barnickel, Jr., Donald J., Blandino, George, Gerszberg, Irwin, Henry, Paul Shala, Willis, III, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pezzlo, John
• Application Number:
  US15/350,745
• Publication Number:
  US 20170064715A1
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 370315, 370329, 370430
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/246 specially adapted for base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/155 Ground-based stations H04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15542 Selecting at relay station its transmit and receive resources selection of wireless resources by user or terminal H04W72/02; arrangements affording multiple use of the transmission path by two-dimensional division of the resources H04L5/0003, or by allocating sub-channels H04L5/003
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2612 Arrangements for wireless medium access control, e.g. by allocating physical layer transmission capacity H04B7/2615 - H04B7/2643 take precedence; provision for broadband connection H04Q11/0478
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0003 Two-dimensional division time-code division H04J11/00, H04J13/00; for time-space division H04B7/0413, H04B7/0697
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0023 Time-frequency-space
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA

Abstract

A distributed antenna system is provided that frequency shifts the output of one or more microcells to a 60 GHz or higher frequency range for transmission to a set of distributed antennas. The cellular band outputs of these microcell base station devices are used to modulate a 60 GHz (or higher) carrier wave, yielding a group of subcarriers on the 60 GHz carrier wave. This group will then be transmitted in the air via analog microwave RF unit, after which it can be repeated or radiated to the surrounding area. The repeaters amplify the signal and resend it on the air again toward the next repeater. In places where a microcell is required, the 60 GHz signal is shifted in frequency back to its original frequency (e.g., the 1.9 GHz cellular band) and radiated locally to nearby mobile devices.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, to facilitate execution of the instructions to perform operations, comprising;

facilitating receipt of a first signal from a base station device;

selecting, according to a network traffic condition, a subcarrier from a set of subcarriers to identify a selected subcarrier for directing the first signal to a remote antenna of a remote antenna system;

converting, according to the selected subcarrier, a carrier wave signal with the first signal to generate a frequency converted signal at the selected subcarrier;

generating a first transmission that includes the frequency converted signal at the selected subcarrier, the first transmission further comprising metadata that indicates that the selected subcarrier in the first transmission is assigned to another system coupled to the remote antenna of the remote antenna system; and

directing the first transmission to at least a portion of the remote antenna system wirelessly.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first transmission comprises the set of subcarriers, each subcarrier of the set of subcarriers including one of a plurality of frequency converted signals generated from a plurality of signals received from a set of base station devices, wherein the plurality of frequency converted signals includes the frequency converted signal, wherein the selected subcarrier is included in the set of subcarriers, wherein the first signal is included in the plurality of signals, and wherein the base station device is included in the set of base station devices.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein subcarriers of the set of subcarriers are directed to respective remote antennas of the remote antenna system depending on the network traffic condition.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the set of subcarriers is combined by frequency division multiplexing.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first transmission is determined to be represented at or substantially at a frequency of at least 60 GHz, and wherein the processor comprises a plurality of processors operating in a distributed processing environment.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first signal conforms to a network communications protocol.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a second transmission wirelessly from the remote antenna.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise generating a second signal from the second transmission.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

identifying a selected base station device selected from a set of base station devices to which the second signal corresponds, the set of base station devices including the base station device; and

sending the second signal to the selected base station device.

10. A first system, comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, to facilitate execution of the instructions to perform operations, comprising;

receiving a first wireless transmission, the first wireless transmission including a first modulated signal having a first subcarrier of the first wireless transmission, the first subcarrier assigned to the first system, wherein a second system generates the first wireless transmission by converting a first carrier wave signal with a first signal in a frequency band to generate the first modulated signal having an operating frequency different from the frequency band, wherein the second system selects the first carrier wave signal according to a network traffic condition, and wherein the first carrier wave signal selected by the second system places the first modulated signal at the first subcarrier of the first wireless transmission;

generating the first signal from the first wireless transmission, wherein the first signal is in the frequency band;

transmitting the first signal to a communication device; and

retransmitting at least a portion of the first wireless transmission to generate a second wireless transmission.

11. The first system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a second signal from the communication device; and

converting a second carrier wave signal with the second signal to generate a second modulated signal,

wherein the second wireless transmission includes the second modulated signal in a second subcarrier of the second wireless transmission.

12. The first system of claim 11, wherein the second wireless transmission comprises an identifier that indicates a base station device with which the second wireless transmission is associated.

13. The first system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

boosting a signal to noise ratio of the first wireless transmission with a first amplifier before generating the first signal; and

amplifying the first wireless transmission with a second amplifier before retransmitting the first wireless transmission.

14. The first system of claim 10, wherein the first wireless transmission comprises a plurality of signals, and wherein the processor comprises a plurality of processors operating in a distributed processing environment.

15. The first system of claim 14, wherein the generating comprises selecting the first signal from the plurality of signals that is determined to be associated with the communication device.

16. The first system of claim 14, wherein signals of the plurality of signals are combined by frequency division multiplexing.

17. The first system of claim 10, wherein the first signal is formatted in accordance with a network communication protocol.

18. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a device comprising a processor, a wireless transmission directed to a first remote antenna, the wireless transmission generated by mixing a first carrier wave signal with a first signal of a plurality of signals in a frequency band to generate a first modulated signal having a first operating frequency different from the frequency band, wherein the first modulated signal is located in a first channel of a plurality of channels included in the wireless transmission, and wherein the first carrier wave signal is selected, according to a network traffic condition at the first remote antenna, for placement of the first modulated signal at the first channel of the plurality of channels included in the wireless transmission;

determining, by the device, that the first signal at the first channel of the plurality of channels included in the wireless transmission is assigned to the first remote antenna for processing;

generating, by the device, the first signal in the frequency band;

transmitting, by the device, the first signal directed to a communication device; and

retransmitting, by the device, at least a portion of the wireless transmission directed to a second remote antenna.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the generating the first signal comprises frequency-shifting the first signal to the frequency band.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving, by the device, a second signal from the communication device, wherein the second signal is in the frequency band; and

mixing, by the device, a second carrier wave signal with the second signal to generate a second modulated signal having a second operating frequency different from the frequency band, wherein the second modulated signal is included in a second channel of the plurality of channels included in the wireless transmission, and wherein the second channel is assigned to the second remote antenna for processing the second signal.