Digital-analog interface modules (DAIMs) for flexibly distributing digital and/or analog communications signals in wide-area analog distributed antenna systems (DASs)
First Claim
1. A digital-analog interface module (DAIM) in a main distributed antenna system (DAS) to support a wide-area DAS, comprising:
- an analog communications interface configured to receive a downlink analog communications signal from at least one of an analog signal source and a baseband signal source;
at least one digital remote distribution interface to be coupled with a remote DAS component in a remote DAS in the wide-area DAS;
an analog local distribution interface configured to distribute a downlink analog radio frequency (RF) signal to a remote antenna unit (RAU) in the main DAS;
an RF conditioning circuit coupled to the analog communications interface and the analog local distribution interface, the RF conditioning circuit is configured to;
receive the downlink analog communications signal from the analog signal source;
convert the downlink analog communications signal into the downlink analog RF signal adapted for distribution in the wide-area DAS;
provide the downlink analog RF signal to the analog local distribution interface; and
provide the downlink analog RF signal to an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter;
the A/D converter coupled to the RF conditioning circuit, wherein the A/D converter is configured to convert the downlink analog RF signal to generate a downlink digital RF signal;
a digital signal processing circuit coupled to the A/D converters and the at least one digital remote distribution interface;
wherein the digital signal processing circuit is configured to;
receive the downlink digital RF signal from the A/D converter;
convert the downlink digital RF signal to generate one or more first downlink digital RF signals;
combine one or more respective first downlink digital RF signals to generate a combined downlink digital RF signal; and
provide the combined downlink digital RF signal to the at least one digital remote distribution interface to be distributed to the remote DAS component;
a digital communications interface coupled to the digital signal processing circuit, the digital communications interface is configured to receive a downlink digital baseband signal from a digital signal source; and
a digital signal processing controller communicatively coupled to the digital signal processing circuit, the digital signal processing controller is configured to programmably determine the one or more respective first downlink digital RF signals among the one or more first downlink digital RF signals to be combined into the combined downlink digital RF signal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Embodiments of the disclosure relate to digital-analog interface modules (DAIMs) for flexibly distributing digital and/or analog communications signals in wide-area analog distributed antenna systems (DASs). In this regard, in one aspect, a DAIM is a multi-functional device capable of distributing the digital and/or analog communications signals to a local-area DASs in a wide-area DAS. The DAIM comprises an analog radio frequency (RF) communications signal interface for coupling with an analog signal source, a digital communications interface for coupling with a digital signal source, an analog local distribution interface for coupling with a remote antenna unit (RAU), and at least one digital remote distribution interface for coupling with a head-end unit (HEU) of the local-area DAS. By employing the DAIM in the wide-area DAS, it is possible to flexibly reconfigure the wide-area DAS for distributing digital and/or analog communications signals over the digital communications mediums.
857 Citations
27 Claims
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1. A digital-analog interface module (DAIM) in a main distributed antenna system (DAS) to support a wide-area DAS, comprising:
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an analog communications interface configured to receive a downlink analog communications signal from at least one of an analog signal source and a baseband signal source; at least one digital remote distribution interface to be coupled with a remote DAS component in a remote DAS in the wide-area DAS; an analog local distribution interface configured to distribute a downlink analog radio frequency (RF) signal to a remote antenna unit (RAU) in the main DAS; an RF conditioning circuit coupled to the analog communications interface and the analog local distribution interface, the RF conditioning circuit is configured to; receive the downlink analog communications signal from the analog signal source; convert the downlink analog communications signal into the downlink analog RF signal adapted for distribution in the wide-area DAS; provide the downlink analog RF signal to the analog local distribution interface; and provide the downlink analog RF signal to an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter; the A/D converter coupled to the RF conditioning circuit, wherein the A/D converter is configured to convert the downlink analog RF signal to generate a downlink digital RF signal; a digital signal processing circuit coupled to the A/D converters and the at least one digital remote distribution interface; wherein the digital signal processing circuit is configured to; receive the downlink digital RF signal from the A/D converter; convert the downlink digital RF signal to generate one or more first downlink digital RF signals; combine one or more respective first downlink digital RF signals to generate a combined downlink digital RF signal; and provide the combined downlink digital RF signal to the at least one digital remote distribution interface to be distributed to the remote DAS component; a digital communications interface coupled to the digital signal processing circuit, the digital communications interface is configured to receive a downlink digital baseband signal from a digital signal source; and a digital signal processing controller communicatively coupled to the digital signal processing circuit, the digital signal processing controller is configured to programmably determine the one or more respective first downlink digital RF signals among the one or more first downlink digital RF signals to be combined into the combined downlink digital RF signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An optical fiber-based wide-area distributed antenna system (DAS), comprising:
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a main DAS comprising a main head-end unit (HEU), wherein the main HEU comprises one or more digital-analog interface modules (DAIMs); wherein each of the one or more DAIMs is coupled to a respective optical fiber-based downlink digital communications medium via a respective electrical-to-optical (E/O) converter and is coupled to a respective optical fiber-based uplink digital communications medium via a respective optical-to-electrical (0/E) converter; and one or more remote DASs comprising one or more remote HEUs, respectively, wherein a remote HEU among the one or more remote HEUs comprises; one or more remote-HEU digital interface modules (DIMs) corresponding to one or more radio frequency (RF) bands, respectively, wherein at least one remote-HEU DIM among the one or more remote-HEU DIMs comprised in the remote HEU is configured to interface with a respective DAIM in the main HEU; wherein the at least one remote-HEU DIM configured to interface with the respective DAIM in the main HEU is coupled to the respective optical fiber-based downlink digital communications medium via a respective remote-HEU O/E converter and is coupled to the respective optical fiber-based uplink digital communications medium via a respective remote-HEU E/O converter; a remote-HEU RF combiner/splitter coupled to the one or more remote-HEU DIMs; a remote-HEU optical splitter/combiner coupled to the remote-HEU RF combiner/splitter; and one or more remote-HEU optical interface modules (OIMs) coupled to the remote-HEU optical splitter/combiner, wherein the one or more remote-HEU OIMs is coupled with one or more remote-DAS remote antenna units (RAUs), wherein a DAIM among the one or more DAIMs in the main HEU comprises; an analog communications interface to be coupled with an analog signal source associated with the main HEU; a digital bus interface, comprising; an upstream digital bus interface coupled to a second downstream digital bus interface comprised in a second DAIM among the one or more DAIMs, wherein the second DAIM is logically configured as an upstream DAIM to the DAIM; and a downstream digital bus interface coupled to a third upstream digital bus interface comprised in a third DAIM among the one or more DAIMs, wherein the third DAIM is logically configured as a downstream DAIM to the DAIM; at least one digital remote distribution interface coupled to a respective downlink communications medium and a respective uplink communications medium; an analog local distribution interface to be coupled with an RAU associated with the main HEU; a digital communications interface to be coupled with a digital signal source associated with the main HEU; an RF conditioning circuit coupled to the analog communications interface and the analog local distribution interface; an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter coupled to the RF conditioning circuit; a digital-to-analog (D/A) converter coupled to the RF conditioning circuit; a digital signal processing circuit coupled to the A/D converter, the D/A converter, the upstream digital bus interface, the downstream digital bus interface, the at least one digital remote distribution interface, and the digital communications interface; and a digital signal processing controller communicatively coupled to the digital signal processing circuit; wherein the digital signal processing circuit is configured to generate a combined downlink digital RF signal and provide the combined downlink digital RF signal to the at least one digital remote distribution interface. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification