Transporting radio signals using a low frequency band over copper cables

• US 10,333,584 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2016
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Politecnico di Milano
• Original Assignee: Politecnico di Milano
• Inventors: Spagnolini, Umberto
• Primary Examiner(s): Sobutka, Philip
• Application Number:
  US15/771,714
• Publication Number:
  US 20180351601A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,051 Days
• Field of Search: 455272, 4552771
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/25758 between a central unit and a single remote unit by means of an optical fibre
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/24 for communication between two or more posts wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

A conversion unit configured for downconverting a RF radio signal from a first RF band to a first LF band, and up-converting an electric signal from a second LF band to a second RF band; the LF and RF bands have same bandwidth, while RF bands are centered on central frequencies being higher than the LF central frequencies of the LF bands. The conversion unit selects the copper cable link and the first LF band on which transmitting the downconverted RF signal according to a predetermined criteria between a plurality of RF frequency bands and the copper cable links. Moreover, the conversion unit selects the RF connection and the second RF band on which transmitting the upconverted LF signal according to a predetermined criteria between said plurality of RF connections and a plurality of RF bands.

Claims

1. A method for transporting radio signals over copper cables, comprising:

receiving at least one RF signal in a radio-frequency band centered around an RF central frequency,

downconverting said at least one RF signal from the RF band to a LF band having same bandwidth of the RF band and being centered around a LF central frequency being lower than the RF central frequency, and

transmitting the downconverted RF signal on a copper cable link provided in a copper cable, each copper cable link comprising at least one twisted pair,

wherein the cable link and the LF band are selected among a plurality of LF frequency bands and a plurality of copper cable links according to a predetermined criteria which minimizes the far-end crosstalk.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving control commands and dynamically selecting wherein said copper cable link and said LF band based on the received control commands.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said predetermined criteria provides for selecting two or more LF bands, and wherein the method comprises downconverting the at least one RF signal in said two or more LF bands so as to obtain two or more respective LF signals, and transmitting the two or more LF signals onto one or more selected copper cable links.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein RF signals are analog signals and wherein downconverting the received RF signal comprises:

downconverting the RF signal to the LF band,

converting the downconverted signals into digital LF signals,

processing the digital LF signals, and

converting the processed digital LF signals into analog LF signals.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein two RF signals are received and downconverted in respective LF bands and wherein transmitting the two downconverted signals on copper cable links comprises:

generating common mode and differential mode voltages for the two downconverted signals, and

transmitting the common mode and differential mode voltages over two cable links.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising dynamically allocating one or more of the copper links used for transmission of LF signal to the power supply.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein a plurality of RF signals are received and downconverted in respective LF bands and wherein transmitting the plurality of downconverted signals on copper cable links comprises:

generating common mode and differential mode voltages for M pairs, with M integer, of said plurality of downconverted signals, and

transmitting the M differential mode voltages and M−

1 combinations of the common mode voltages on 2M−

1 copper links obtained in a cable comprising M twisted pairs, and

further comprising dynamically allocating one or more of the copper links used for transmission of LF signal to the power supply.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of RF signals are received and downconverted in respective LF bands and wherein transmitting the plurality of downconverted signals on copper cable links comprises:

generating common mode and differential mode voltages for M pairs, with M integer, of said plurality of downconverted signals, and

transmitting the M differential mode voltages and M−

1 combinations of the common mode voltages on 2M−

1 copper links obtained in a cable comprising M twisted pairs.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the copper cables comprises a plurality of twisted pairs and wherein the method provides for dynamically allocating a twisted pair of said plurality of twisted pairs alternately for power supplying of an active element and for transmission/reception of the signal in the LF band.

10. A method for transporting radio signals over copper cables, comprising:

receiving at least one RF signal in a radio-frequency band centered around an RF central frequency,

downconverting said at least one RF signal from the RF band to a LF band having a same bandwidth of the RF band and being centered around a LF central frequency lower than the RF central frequency, and

transmitting the downconverted RF signal on two or more copper cable links provided in a copper cable, each copper cable link comprising at least one twisted pair,

wherein the two or more copper cable links and the LF band are selected according to a predetermined criteria among a plurality of LF frequency bands and a plurality of copper cable links.

11. A method for transmitting signals transported over copper cables, comprising:

receiving an electric signal over a copper cable link, which comprises at least a twisted pair, the electric signal being transmitted in a LF band centered around a LF central frequency,

up-converting the received electric signal from the LF band to a RF band having same bandwidth of the LF band and being centered around a RF central frequency being higher than the LF central frequency, and

transmitting the up-converted electric signal to an antenna for radio transmission, wherein the antenna and the RF band are selected among a plurality of antennas and a plurality of frequency bands according to a predetermined criteria which minimizes the far-end crosstalk.

12. A conversion unit comprising:

an RF interface comprising a plurality of RF connections for receiving and transmitting RF signals in RF bands,

an LF interface for receiving and transmitting LF signals in LF bands over a plurality of copper cable links connected to the LF interface,

wherein the conversion unit is configured for

downconverting a RF radio signal received at the RF interface in a first RF band from the first RF band to a first LF band of the LF bands,

up-converting an electric signal received via one of the copper cable links in a second LF band from the second LF band to a second RF band,

wherein the first and second LF bands have the same bandwidth respectively of the first and second RF bands and wherein the first and second RF bands are centered on respective RF central frequencies being higher than the LF central frequencies of the first and second LF bands, and wherein

the conversion unit is adapted to select the copper cable link and the first LF band on which transmitting the downconverted RF signal according to a predetermined criteria between a plurality of RF frequency bands and said plurality of copper cable links, and

to select the RF connection and the second RF band on which transmitting the upconverted LF signal according to a predetermined criteria between said plurality of RF connections and a plurality of RF bands.

13. The conversion unit of claim 12, wherein the conversion unit is adapted to transmit the downconverted RF signal on two or more copper cable links of said plurality of copper cable links.

14. The conversion unit of claim 12, wherein the conversion unit is adapted to transmit the downconverted RF signal on two or more LF bands having same bandwidth of the first RF band and being centered on LF central frequencies being lower than the central frequency of the first RF band.

15. A remote unit, comprising:

a conversion unit according to claim 12,

an energy storing unit and

a power controller,

wherein the power controller is operatively connected to the conversion unit and is adapted to connect a copper cable link of said plurality of copper cable links to said energy storing unit in response to a command from the conversion unit.

16. A remote unit according to claim 15, further comprising at least one active element connected between the RF interface of said conversion unit and one or more antennas, said at least one active element being connected to the energy storing unit whereby active element can be supplied via said energy storing unit.

17. A radio access network comprising a remote unit according to claim 15 and at least a base band unit, wherein the remote unit and the base band unit are connected via one or more copper cables including said plurality of copper cable links.