Digital interface modules (DIMs) for flexibly distributing digital and/or analog communications signals in wide-area analog distributed antenna systems (DASs)

• US 10,361,783 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2018
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Optical Communications LLC (Corning Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Corning Optical Communications LLC (Corning Incorporated)
• Inventors: Harel, Dror, Mizrahi, Gavriel
• Primary Examiner(s): Bello, Agustin
• Application Number:
  US15/964,984
• Publication Number:
  US 20180248628A1
• Time in Patent Office: 452 Days
• Field of Search: 398115-117
• 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: H04J 14/0204 Broadcast and select arrangements, e.g. with an optical splitter at the input before adding or dropping
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

Embodiments of the disclosure relate to digital interface modules (DIMs) for flexibly distributing digital and/or analog communications signals in wide-area analog distributed antenna systems (DASs). In this regard, in one aspect, a DIM is a multi-functional device capable of distributing the digital and/or analog communications signals to a local-area DASs in the wide-area DAS. The DIM comprises a digital communications interface for coupling with a digital signal source, an analog local distribution interface for coupling with an analog signal source, and at least one digital remote distribution interface for coupling with a head-end unit (HEU) of the local-area DAS. By employing the DIM 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.

Claims

1. A digital interface module (DIM) in a main distributed antenna system (DAS) to support a wide-area DAS, comprising:

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 receive a downlink analog radio frequency (RF) signal from a radio interface module (RIM) in the main DAS;

a digital bus interface, comprising;

an upstream digital bus interface to be coupled with a second downstream digital bus interface comprised in a second DIM that is logically configured as an upstream DIM to the DIM; and

a downstream digital bus interface to be coupled with a third upstream digital bus interface comprised in a third DIM that is logically configured as a downstream DIM to the DIM;

an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter coupled to the analog local distribution interface, wherein the A/D converter is configured to;

receive the downlink analog RF signal from the analog local distribution interface; and

convert the downlink analog RF signal to generate a downlink digital RF signal;

a digital signal processing circuit coupled to the A/D converter and the at least one digital remote distribution interface; and

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.

2. The DIM of claim 1, further comprising 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.

3. The DIM of claim 2, further comprising 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.

4. The DIM of claim 3, wherein the downlink digital baseband signal is configured to be in compliance with a common public radio interface (CPRI) format.

5. The DIM of claim 3, wherein the digital signal processing circuit is further configured to:

provide the one or more first downlink digital RF signals to the downstream digital bus interface;

provide the one or more first downlink digital RF signals to the upstream digital bus interface;

receive one or more second downlink digital RF signals from the upstream digital bus interface; and

provide the one or more second downlink digital RF signals to the downstream digital bus interface.

6. The DIM of claim 5, wherein the digital signal processing circuit is further configured to:

receive one or more third downlink digital RF signals from the downstream digital bus interface;

provide the one or more third downlink digital RF signals to the upstream digital bus interface; and

combine one or more respective second downlink digital RF signals and one or more respective third downlink digital RF signals to generate the combined downlink digital RF signal, wherein the one or more respective second downlink digital RF signals and the one or more respective third downlink digital RF signals are programmably determined by the digital signal processing controller among the one or more second downlink digital RF signals and the one or more third downlink digital RF signals, respectively.

7. The DIM of claim 3, wherein the digital signal processing circuit is further configured to:

convert the downlink digital baseband signal to generate one or more fourth downlink digital RF signals;

provide the one or more fourth downlink digital RF signals to the downstream digital bus interface;

provide the one or more fourth downlink digital RF signals to the upstream digital bus interface; and

combine one or more respective fourth downlink digital RF signals to generate the combined downlink digital RF signal, wherein the one or more respective fourth downlink digital RF signals are programmably determined by the digital signal processing controller among the one or more fourth downlink digital RF signals.

8. The DIM of claim 3, wherein the digital signal processing circuit is further configured to:

receive a combined uplink digital RF signal from the remote DAS component via the at least one digital remote distribution interface;

split the combined uplink digital RF signal to generate one or more first uplink digital RF signals;

provide the one or more first uplink digital RF signals to the downstream digital bus interface;

provide the one or more first uplink digital RF signals to the upstream digital bus interface; and

combine one or more respective first uplink digital RF signals to generate an uplink digital RF signal, wherein the one or more respective first uplink digital RF signals are programmably determined by the digital signal processing controller among the one or more first uplink digital RF signals.

9. The DIM of claim 8, wherein the digital signal processing circuit is further configured to:

receive one or more second uplink digital RF signals from the upstream digital bus interface;

provide the one or more second uplink digital RF signals to the downstream digital bus interface;

receive one or more third uplink digital RF signals from the downstream digital bus interface;

provide the one or more third uplink digital RF signals to the upstream digital bus interface; and

combine one or more respective second uplink digital RF signals and one or more respective third uplink digital RF signals to generate the uplink digital RF signal, wherein the one or more respective second uplink digital RF signals and the one or more respective third uplink digital RF signals are programmably determined by the digital signal processing controller among the one or more second uplink digital RF signals and the one or more third uplink digital RF signals, respectively.

10. The DIM of claim 8, wherein the digital signal processing circuit is further configured to:

receive an uplink digital baseband signal from the digital signal source via the digital communications interface;

convert the uplink digital baseband signal to generate one or more fourth uplink digital RF signals;

provide the one or more fourth uplink digital RF signals to the downstream digital bus interface;

provide the one or more fourth uplink digital RF signals to the upstream digital bus interface; and

combine one or more respective fourth uplink digital RF signals to the uplink digital RF signal, wherein the one or more respective fourth uplink digital RF signals are programmably determined by the digital signal processing controller among the one or more fourth uplink digital RF signals.

11. The DIM of claim 10, wherein the uplink digital baseband signal is configured to be in compliance with a common public radio interface (CPRI) format.

12. The DIM of claim 8, further comprising a digital-to-analog (D/A) converter coupled to the analog local distribution interface, wherein the D/A converter is configured to:

convert the uplink digital RF signal to generate an uplink analog RF signal; and

provide the uplink analog RF signal to the analog local distribution interface.

13. The DIM of claim 3, wherein the downlink digital baseband signal is configured to be in compliance with a common public radio interface (CPRI) format.