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

• US 10,523,327 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2018
• Issued: 12/31/2019
• 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): Wolf, Darren E
• Application Number:
  US16/225,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20190123826A1
• Time in Patent Office: 377 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 10/29 Repeaters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/40 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/50 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/60 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

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.

Claims

1. A digital-analog interface module (DAIM) in a main wireless communication system (WCS) to support a wide-area WCS, 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 WCS component in a remote WCS in the wide-area WCS;

an analog local distribution interface configured to distribute a downlink analog radio frequency (RF) signal to a remote antenna unit (RAU) in the main WCS;

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 WCS;

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 converter 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; and

a digital communications interface coupled to the digital signal processing circuit, the digital communications interface being configured to receive a downlink digital baseband signal from a digital signal source.

2. The DAIM of claim 1, 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.

3. The DAIM of claim 1, wherein the downlink digital baseband signal is configured to be in compliance with a common public radio interface (CPRI) format.

4. The DAIM of claim 1, further comprising a digital bus interface comprising an upstream digital bus interface coupled to the digital signal processing circuit and is configured to be coupled with a second downstream digital bus interface comprised in a second DAIM that is logically configured as an upstream DAIM to the DAIM.

5. The DAIM of claim 4, wherein the digital bus interface further comprises a downstream digital bus interface coupled to the digital signal processing circuit and is configured to be coupled with a third upstream digital bus interface comprised in a third DAIM that is logically configured as a downstream DAIM to the DAIM.

6. The DAIM of claim 5, 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.

7. A digital-analog interface module (DAIM) in a main wireless communication system (WCS) to support a wide-area WCS, 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 WCS component in a remote WCS in the wide-area WCS;

an analog local distribution interface configured to distribute a downlink analog radio frequency (RF) signal to a remote antenna unit (RAU) in the main WCS;

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 WCS;

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 converter 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 WCS component; and

a digital signal processing controller communicatively coupled to the digital signal processing circuit, the digital signal processing controller being 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.

8. The DAIM of claim 7, further comprising:

a digital bus interface comprising;

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

a downstream digital bus interface coupled to the digital signal processing circuit and is configured to be coupled with a third upstream digital bus interface comprised in a third DAIM that is logically configured as a downstream DAIM to the DAIM.

9. The DAIM of claim 7, 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.

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

receive a combined uplink digital RF signal from the remote WCS 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.

11. An optical fiber-based wide-area wireless communication system (WCS), comprising:

a main WCS 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 (O/E) converter; and

one or more remote WCSs 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-WCS 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; and

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.

12. The optical fiber-based wide-area WCS of claim 11, wherein the digital bus interface further comprises 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.

13. The optical fiber-based wide-area WCS of claim 12, wherein the DAIM among the one or more DAIMs in the main HEU further comprises:

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; and

an RF conditioning circuit coupled to the analog communications interface and the analog local distribution interface.

14. The optical fiber-based wide-area WCS of claim 13, wherein the DAIM among the one or more DAIMs in the main HEU further comprises:

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.

15. The optical fiber-based wide-area WCS of claim 11, wherein a remote-HEU DIM among the one or more remote-HEU DIMs comprised in the remote HEU among the one or more remote HEUs comprises:

a remote-DIM upstream digital bus interface;

a remote-DIM downstream digital bus interface; and

at least one remote-DIM digital remote distribution interface.

16. The optical fiber-based wide-area WCS of claim 11, wherein a DAIM among the one or more DAIMs comprised in the main HEU comprises a plurality of digital remote distribution interfaces.

17. The optical fiber-based wide-area WCS of claim 16, wherein:

the plurality of digital remote distribution interfaces comprised in the DAIM is coupled to a main-HEU wavelength-division multiplexer (WDM); and

the main-HEU WDM is coupled to a respective optical fiber-based downlink digital communications medium and a respective optical fiber-based uplink digital communications medium.

18. The optical fiber-based wide-area WCS of claim 16, wherein the plurality of digital remote distribution interfaces comprised in the DAIM is coupled to a plurality of respective optical fiber-based downlink digital communications mediums and a plurality of respective optical fiber-based uplink digital communications mediums, respectively.