Systems, methods, and devices for increasing radio frequency (RF) power in distributed antenna systems

• US 10,148,347 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2017
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Optical Communications LLC (Corning Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Corning Optical Communications LLC (Corning Incorporated)
• Inventors: Berlin, Igor, Cune, William Patrick, Greene, Jason Elliott
• Primary Examiner(s): Singh, Dalzid E
• Application Number:
  US15/719,703
• Publication Number:
  US 20180026713A1
• Time in Patent Office: 431 Days
• Field of Search: 398116
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/25753 Distribution optical network, e.g. between a base station and a plurality of remote units
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/808 Electrical power feeding of an optical transmission system
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/024 Co-operative use of antennas of several sites, e.g. in co-ordinated multipoint or co-operative multiple-input multiple-output [MIMO] systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0426 Power distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15507 Relay station based processing for cell extension or control of coverage area, network planning with network coordinated processing with regard to cell extension H04W16/26; network topologies using dedicated repeater stations H04W84/047; terminal devices adapted for relaying to or from an other terminal H04W88/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

A communications system is disclosed that includes at least one remote expansion unit (RXU) that is operatively coupled to at least one remote unit (RU). The at least one RU is configured to receive a first and a second downlink optical radio frequency (RF) communications signal. The at least one RU comprises at least one optical-to-electrical (O/E) converter configured to convert the first and second downlink optical RF communications signals to respective first and second downlink electrical RF communications signals. The at least one RXU is configured to receive the second downlink electrical RF communications signal from the at least one RU. The RU may comprise selection circuitry configured to identify which of the downlink electrical communications signals are sent to the RXU. The RXU may be configured to provide an uplink electrical RF communications signal received from a client device to the RU.

Claims

1. A communications system, comprising:

at least one remote unit (RU) configured to receive a first downlink optical radio frequency (RF) communications signal and a second downlink optical RF communications signal, wherein the at least one RU comprises;

at least one optical-to-electrical (O/E) converter configured to convert the first downlink optical RF communications signal and the second downlink optical RF communications signal to a respective first downlink electrical RF communications signal and a second downlink electrical RF communications signal; and

at least one electrical-to-optical (E/O) converter configured to convert an uplink electrical RF communications signal to an uplink optical RF communications signal; and

at least one remote expansion unit (RXU) operatively coupled to the at least one RU and comprising at least one antenna, the at least one RXU configured to receive the second downlink electrical RF communications signal from the at least one RU.

2. The communications system of claim 1, wherein the at least one RXU is configured to receive at least one electrical RF communications signal from at least one client device via the at least one antenna.

3. The communications system of claim 1, wherein the at least one RXU is configured to provide an uplink electrical RF communications signal received from a client device to the at least one RU.

4. The communications system of claim 3, wherein the at least one RXU further comprises at least one frequency conversion interface configured to frequency convert the uplink electrical RF communications signal.

5. The communications system of claim 1, wherein the first and second downlink optical RF communications signals are in a first frequency band, and the at least one RXU is configured to receive the second downlink electrical RF communications signal in the first frequency band from the at least one RU.

6. The communications system of claim 5, wherein the at least one RXU is configured to receive an uplink RF communications signal in the first frequency band.

7. The communications system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the at least one RU and the at least one RXU further comprises a detector configured to provide a signal indicative of a total power of an RF signal received by the at least one of the at least one RU or the at least one RXU.

8. The communications system of claim 1, wherein the at least one RU is configured to receive the first downlink optical RF communications signal and the second downlink optical RF communications signal from a first service provider among a plurality of service providers, and the at least one RXU is configured to receive the second downlink electrical RF communications signal from the at least one RU.

9. The communications system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of RUs and a plurality of RXUs, each of the plurality of RXUs operatively coupled with at least one of the plurality of RUs, wherein:

at least one of the plurality of RUs is configured to receive the first downlink optical RF communications signal and the second downlink optical RF communications signal in a second frequency band; and

at least one of the plurality of RXUs is configured to receive the second downlink electrical RF communications signal in the second frequency band from at least one RU among the plurality of RUs.

10. The communications system of claim 1, wherein the first downlink optical RF communications signal is comprised of a first RF multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) signal for a MIMO communications service, and the second downlink optical RF communications signal is comprised of a second RF MIMO signal for the MIMO communications service.

11. The communications system of claim 10, wherein the at least one O/E converter is configured to convert the first RF MIMO signal and the second RF MIMO signal to a first electrical RF MIMO signal and a second electrical RF MIMO signal;

and

wherein the first electrical RF MIMO signal is of a first frequency, and the second electrical RF MIMO signal received by the at least one RXU is of a second frequency different from the first frequency.

12. The communications system of claim 11, wherein the at least one RXU is further configured to frequency shift the second electrical RF MIMO signal to the first frequency.

13. The communications system of claim 1, wherein the first downlink optical RF communications signal is comprised of a first RF digital signal, and the second downlink optical RF communications signal is comprised of a second RF digital signal.

14. A communications system, comprising:

at least one remote unit (RU) configured to receive a plurality of downlink optical communications signals; and

at least one remote expansion unit (RXU) operatively coupled to the at least one RU and comprising at least one antenna configured to communicate with one or more client devices,

wherein the at least one RU comprises;

at least one optical-to-electrical (O/E) converter configured to convert the plurality of downlink optical communications signals to a respective plurality of downlink electrical communications signals;

at least one electrical-to-optical (E/O) converter configured to convert an uplink electrical communications signal to an uplink optical communications signal; and

selection circuitry configured to identify selected signals from the plurality of downlink electrical communications signals to be sent to the at least one RXU.

15. The communications system of claim 14, wherein the at least one RXU is configured to provide an uplink electrical communications signal received from a client device to the at least one RU.

16. The communications system of claim 15, wherein the at least one E/O converter is configured to convert the uplink electrical communications signal received from the at least one RXU to an uplink optical communications signal.

17. The communications system of claim 15, wherein the at least one RXU comprises at least one frequency conversion interface configured to frequency convert the uplink electrical communications signal.

18. The communications system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the at least one RU and the at least one RXU further comprises a detector configured to provide a signal indicative of a total power of a signal received by the at least one of the at least one RU or the at least one RXU.

19. The communications system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the at least one RU and the at least one RXU further comprises an RF communications module configured to provide RF communications services to and/or from the one or more client devices.

20. The communications system of claim 14, wherein the at least one RU further comprises a digital data services (DDS) module configured to provide media conversion and to route digital data service signals received from a digital data services switch to the one or more client devices communicatively coupled to the at least one RU and configured to receive digital data services.