REMOTE DISTRIBUTED ANTENNA

• US 20090307739A1
• Filed: 06/05/2008
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Jacobs, Paul E., Dean, Richard Finch, Agre, Daniel H.
• Application Number:
  US12/133,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20090307739A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/118
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2381 Adapting the multiplex stream to a specific network, e.g. an Internet Protocol [IP] network transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2404 Monitoring of server processing errors or hardware failure error or fault detection G06F11/07; monitoring in general G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6112 involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6162 involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are described for configuring a CATV system as base station with a distributed antenna supporting a wireless communication system. The CATV system can be configured to implement a frequency translating repeater at each of a plurality of distribution points within the CATV distribution network.

Claims

1. A method of signal distribution, the method comprising:

multiplexing a wireless communication forward link signal with a wired communication system content to generate an aggregate forward link signal;

distributing the aggregate forward link signal across a wired distribution system to a plurality of radio access devices; and

receiving from the wired distribution system a subset of frequency translated wireless communication reverse link signals selectively transmitted by a subset of the plurality of radio access devices based in part on a reverse link signal power received at each of the subset of the plurality of radio access devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication forward link signal comprises a frequency offset wireless communication forward link signal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein multiplexing the wireless communication forward link signal with wired communication system content comprises frequency division multiplexing the frequency offset wireless communication forward link signal with television signals.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein distributing the aggregate forward link signal comprises distributing the aggregate forward link signal across a cable distribution system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the frequency translated wireless communication reverse link signals selectively transmitted by the subset of the plurality of radio access devices comprises receiving a frequency translated reverse link signal from each of the subset of the plurality of radio access devices for which the received reverse link signal exceeds a predetermined threshold by a predetermined amount.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined threshold comprises a thermal noise threshold.

7. A method of signal distribution, the method comprising:

receiving from a wired distribution system an aggregate forward link signal;

wireless transmitting a forward link signal based on at least a portion of the aggregate forward link signal using an antenna;

receiving, via the antenna, a reverse link signal; and

selectively coupling a frequency translated reverse link signal to the wired distribution system based on the reverse link signal.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein selectively coupling the frequency translated reverse link signal comprises:

comparing a signal metric value based on the reverse link signal to a predetermined threshold;

determining the signal metric value exceeds the predetermined threshold;

frequency converting the reverse link signal to the frequency translated reverse link signal; and

transmitting the frequency translated reverse link signal along a reverse link of the wired distribution system.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein comparing the signal metric value based on the reverse link signal to the predetermined threshold comprises comparing a reverse link signal power to a thermal noise value and determining a rise over thermal value.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising combining the frequency translated reverse link signal with uplink cable television signals to generate a composite uplink signal, and

wherein transmitting the frequency translated reverse link signal comprises transmitting the composite uplink signal.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein selectively coupling the frequency translated reverse link signal comprises:

comparing a signal metric value based on the reverse link signal to a predetermined threshold;

determining the signal metric value does not exceed the predetermined threshold; and

inhibiting transmission of the reverse link signal along a reverse link of the wired distribution system.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving the aggregate forward link signal comprises:

receiving a cable television signal; and

receiving a frequency offset forward link wireless communication signal frequency division multiplexed with the cable television signal.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein wireless transmitting the forward link signal comprises:

demultiplexing a frequency offset forward link wireless communication signal from a cable television signal;

frequency translating the frequency offset forward link wireless communication signal to the forward link signal; and

coupling the forward link signal to an antenna.

14. A signal distribution system, the system comprising:

a plurality of radio access devices, each radio access device including a wireless receiver configured to receive reverse link signals;

a comparator configured to compare a signal metric value based on the reverse link signal to a predetermined threshold;

a wired distribution system configured to receive a composite uplink signal and distribute the signal to a headend; and

a switch coupled to the radio access device and configured to selectively couple a signal based on the reverse link signals to the composite uplink signal.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein each radio access device further comprises a detector coupled to the wireless receiver and configured to determine a receive power as the signal metric value.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein each radio access device further comprises a forward link demultiplexer configured to demultiplex a frequency offset forward link signal from an aggregate downlink signal distributed by the wired distribution system.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the aggregate downlink signal comprises cable television content frequency division multiplexed with the frequency offset forward link signal.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein each radio access device further comprises:

a forward link frequency translator configured to frequency convert the frequency offset forward link signal to a forward link signal in an RF transmit band of a wireless communication system; and

a transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the forward link signal.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein each radio access device further comprises a reverse link frequency converter configured to frequency convert the reverse link signals to a frequency band within a frequency band of the composite uplink signal.

20. The system of claim 14, further comprising a thermal noise calibrator configured to determine a noise threshold, and wherein the predetermined threshold is based on the noise threshold.

21. A radio access device in a signal distribution system, the radio access device comprising:

a multiplexer/demultiplexer configured to receive an aggregate downlink signal from a headend and distributed by a wired distribution system, the demultiplexer configured to demultiplex a frequency offset forward link signal from a cable television content in the aggregate downlink signal;

a forward link frequency translator configured to frequency convert the frequency offset forward link signal to a forward link signal in an RF transmit band of a wireless communication system;

a transmitter coupled to the forward link frequency translator and configured to wirelessly transmit the forward link signal;

a receiver configured to receive a wireless reverse link signal;

a signal metric module coupled to an output of the receiver and configured to generate a signal metric value based on the reverse link signal;

a comparator configured to compare the signal metric value to a predetermined threshold; and

a switch coupled to the output of the receiver, the switch configured to selectively couple the reverse link signal to an uplink path based on a comparator output.

22. The radio access device of claim 21, further comprising:

a reverse link frequency translator coupled to the switch and configured to frequency convert the reverse link signal coupled to the uplink path to a frequency translated reverse link signal, and configured to couple the frequency translated reverse link signal to the multiplexer/demultiplexer; and

a cable uplink processor configured to couple a cable system uplink signal to the multiplexer/demultiplexer, and

wherein the multiplexer/demultiplexer multiplexes the frequency translated reverse link signal with the cable system uplink signal and transmits a multiplexed uplink signal on an uplink path of the wired distribution system.

23. The radio access device of claim 21, wherein the signal metric module comprises a power detector.

24. The radio access device of claim 21, wherein the predetermined threshold comprises a threshold based on a rise-over-thermal.

25. A signal distribution system, the system comprising:

means for multiplexing a frequency offset wireless communication forward link signal with a wired communication system content to generate an aggregate forward link signal;

means for distributing the aggregate forward link signal across a wired distribution system to a plurality of radio access devices; and

means for receiving from the wired distribution system a subset of frequency translated wireless communication reverse link signals selectively transmitted by a subset of the plurality of radio access devices based in part on a reverse link signal power received at each of the subset of the plurality of radio access devices.

26. A radio access device in a signal distribution system, the radio access device comprising:

means for receiving from a wired distribution system an aggregate forward link signal;

means for wireless transmitting a forward link signal based on at least a portion of the aggregate forward link signal using an antenna;

means for receiving, via the antenna, a reverse link signal; and

means for selectively coupling a frequency translated reverse link signal to the wired distribution system based on the reverse link signal.