Systems and methods for emulating uplink diversity signals

• US 10,334,572 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2016
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hebert, Thomas G., Cannon, Jeffrey J., Zavadsky, Dean, Wala, Philip M., Forland, Jody
• Primary Examiner(s): Morlan, Robert M
• Application Number:
  US15/016,592
• Publication Number:
  US 20160234832A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0475 with means for limiting noise, interference or distortion H04B1/0483 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

A signal interface unit for interfacing uplink downstream signals from a downstream device with an upstream device includes at least one upstream interface configured to communicate a primary uplink upstream signal and at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal to an upstream device; a downstream interface configured to receive an uplink downstream signal from a downstream device; wherein the signal interface unit is configured to convert the uplink downstream signal into the primary uplink upstream signal; wherein the signal interface unit is further configured to generate the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal from at least one of the primary uplink upstream signal and the uplink downstream signal.

Claims

1. A signal interface unit for interfacing uplink downstream signals from a downstream device with an upstream device, the signal interface unit comprising:

at least one upstream interface configured to communicate a primary uplink upstream signal and at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal to an upstream device;

a downstream interface configured to receive an uplink downstream signal from a downstream device;

wherein the signal interface unit is configured to convert the uplink downstream signal into the primary uplink upstream signal;

wherein the signal interface unit is further configured to generate the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal from at least one of the primary uplink upstream signal and the uplink downstream signal.

2. The signal interface unit of claim 1, wherein the signal interface unit is configured to generate the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal by being configured to:

copy the primary uplink upstream signal to create the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal; and

adjust at least one attribute of the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal such that the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal is distinct from the primary uplink upstream signal.

3. The signal interface unit of claim 2, wherein the at least one attribute includes at least one gain, delay, and noise.

4. The signal interface unit of claim 2, wherein adjusting at least one attribute of the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal includes digitally adjusting the at least one attribute.

5. The signal interface unit of claim 1, wherein the signal interface unit is configured to generate the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal by being configured to:

copy the primary uplink upstream signal to create the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal;

adjust gain of the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal;

adjust delay of the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal; and

adjust noise of the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal.

6. The signal interface unit of claim 1, wherein the signal interface unit is configured to generate at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal by being configured to:

copy the uplink downstream signal into a duplicate uplink downstream signal;

adjust at least one attribute of the duplicate uplink downstream signal; and

convert the duplicate uplink downstream signal into the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal.

7. The signal interface unit of claim 1, wherein the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal includes a plurality of emulated-diversity uplink upstream signals.

8. The signal interface unit of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of emulated-diversity uplink upstream signals is generated such that all of the plurality of emulated-diversity uplink upstream signals are distinct from each other and the primary uplink upstream signal.

9. The signal interface unit of claim 1, wherein the signal interface unit is configured to convert the uplink downstream signal into the primary uplink upstream signal by converting between two distinct framing structures.

10. The signal interface unit of claim 1, wherein at least one of the uplink downstream signal and the primary uplink upstream signal includes I/Q pairs.

11. The signal interface unit of claim 1, wherein the signal interface unit is configured to convert the uplink downstream signal into the primary uplink upstream signal by converting from a first baseband representation to a second baseband representation.

12. The signal interface unit of claim 1, wherein the signal interface unit is configured to convert the uplink downstream signal into the primary uplink upstream signal by converting from an analog signal into a digital signal.

13. The signal interface unit of claim 1, wherein the upstream device is a base station configured to receive the primary uplink upstream signal and the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal.

14. The signal interface unit of claim 1, wherein the primary uplink upstream signal and the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal are formatted according to at least one of a Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) standard, an Open Base Station Architecture Initiative (OBSAI) standard, and an Open Radio Interface (ORI) standard.

15. The signal interface unit of claim 1, wherein the base station includes a dual diversity demodulator.

16. The signal interface unit of claim 1, wherein at least one alarm is triggered by the upstream device if the primary uplink upstream signal is either too similar or too dissimilar from the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal.

17. The signal interface unit of claim 1, wherein at least one alarm is triggered by the upstream device if at least a second attribute of the primary uplink upstream signal differs from the at least one attribute of the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal by at least one of:

more than a first threshold; and

less than a second threshold.

18. The signal interface unit of claim 1, wherein the downstream device includes at least one component of a distributed antenna system.

19. The signal interface unit of claim 18, wherein at least one component of the distributed antenna system provides the uplink downstream signal to the signal interface unit.

20. The signal interface unit of claim 18, wherein the distributed antenna system is a digital distributed antenna system including an antenna unit configured to:

receive radio frequency signals from a subscriber unit;

convert the radio frequency signals into digital signals; and

communicate the digital signals through the distributed antenna system and toward the signal interface unit.

21. The signal interface unit of claim 18, wherein the distributed antenna system is a hybrid distributed antenna system including:

an antenna unit configured to;

receive radio frequency signals from a subscriber unit;

convert the radio frequency signals into analog signals; and

communicate the analog signals through the distributed antenna system; and

an intermediary device configured to;

receive the analog signals from the antenna unit;

convert the analog signals into digital signals; and

communicate the analog signals through the distributed antenna system and toward the signal interface unit.

22. The signal interface unit of claim 18, wherein the distributed antenna system is an analog distributed antenna system including an antenna unit configured to:

receive radio frequency signals from a subscriber unit;

convert the radio frequency signals into analog signals; and

communicate the analog signals through the distributed antenna system and toward the signal interface unit.

23. The signal interface unit of claim 1, wherein the downstream device is at least one of a remote radio head and an antenna.

24. A method for emulating uplink diversity signals, comprising:

receiving an uplink downstream signal from a downstream device;

converting the uplink downstream signal into a primary uplink upstream signal;

generating at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal from at least one of the primary uplink upstream signal and the uplink downstream signal;

communicating the primary uplink upstream signal and the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal to an upstream device.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein generating the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal from at least one of the primary uplink upstream signal and the uplink downstream signal includes:

copying the primary uplink upstream signal to create the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal; and

adjusting at least one attribute of the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal such that the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal is distinct from the primary uplink upstream signal.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the at least one attribute includes at least one gain, delay, and noise.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein adjusting at least one attribute of the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal includes digitally adjusting the at least one attribute.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein generating the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal from at least one of the primary uplink upstream signal and the uplink downstream signal includes:

copying the primary uplink upstream signal to create the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal;

adjusting gain of the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal;

adjusting delay of the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal; and

adjusting noise of the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein generating the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal from at least one of the primary uplink upstream signal and the uplink downstream signal includes:

copying the uplink downstream signal into a duplicate uplink downstream signal;

adjusting at least one attribute of the duplicate uplink downstream signal; and

converting the duplicate uplink downstream signal into the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal includes a plurality of emulated-diversity uplink upstream signals.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising generating each of the plurality of emulated-diversity uplink upstream signals such that all of the plurality of emulated-diversity uplink upstream signals are distinct from each other and the primary uplink upstream signal.

32. The method of claim 24, wherein converting the uplink downstream signal into the primary uplink upstream signal includes converting between two distinct framing structures.

33. The method of claim 24, wherein at least one of the uplink downstream signal and the primary uplink upstream signal includes I/Q pairs.

34. The method of claim 24, wherein converting the uplink downstream signal into the primary uplink upstream signal includes converting from a first baseband representation to a second baseband representation.

35. The method of claim 24, wherein converting the uplink downstream signal into the primary uplink upstream signal includes converting from an analog signal into a digital signal.

36. The method of claim 24, wherein the upstream device is a base station configured to receive the primary uplink upstream signal and the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal.

37. The method of claim 24, wherein the primary uplink upstream signal and the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal are formatted according to at least one of a Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) standard, an Open Base Station Architecture Initiative (OBSAI) standard, and an Open Radio Interface (ORI) standard.

38. The method of claim 24, further comprising triggering at least one alarm if the primary uplink upstream signal is either too similar or too dissimilar from the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal.

39. The method of claim 24, further comprising triggering at least one alarm if at least a second attribute of the primary uplink upstream signal differs from the at least one attribute of the at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal by at least one of:

more than a first threshold; and

less than a second threshold.

40. The method of claim 24, wherein the downstream device includes at least one of a component of a distributed antenna system, a remote radio head, and an antenna.

41. A signal interface unit for interfacing uplink downstream signals from an antenna unit with a base station, the signal interface unit comprising:

a base station interface configured to communicate a primary uplink upstream signal and at least one emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal to a base station;

an antenna side interface configured to receive an uplink downstream signal from an antenna unit;

wherein the signal interface unit is configured to convert the uplink downstream signal into the primary uplink upstream signal;

wherein the signal interface unit is further configured to copy the primary uplink upstream signal into at an emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal and to adjust at least one of gain, delay, and noise of the emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal such that the emulated-diversity uplink upstream signal is distinct from the primary uplink upstream signal.