Radio-Over-Fiber (RoF) System for Protocol-Independent Wired and/or Wireless Communication

• US 20110116794A1
• Filed: 11/13/2009
• Published: 05/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Optical Communications LLC (Corning Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Corning Cable Systems LLC (Corning Incorporated)
• Inventors: George, Jacob, Sauer, Michael, Thelen, Dean M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,280,259 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/25751 Optical arrangements for CATV or video distribution adaptations of television systems for optical transmission H04N7/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/25754 Star network topology
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0067 Provisions for optical access or distribution networks, e.g. Gigabit Ethernet Passive Optical Network (GE-PON), ATM-based Passive Optical Network (A-PON), PON-Ring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 between access points

Abstract

An optically-switched fiber optic communication system, such as a Radio-over-Fiber (RoF) based optical fiber link system, may be used to increase the range of peer-to-peer communications. The optically-switched fiber optic communication system may include a head-end unit (HEU) having an optical switch bank. Fiber optic cables comprising optical fibers optically couple the HEU to one or more remote access points in different coverage areas. The optical switch bank in the HEU provides a link between the remote access points in the different coverage areas such that devices in the different cellular coverage areas can communicate with each other over the optical fibers through the HEU. By using the optically-switched fiber optic communication system, the range and coverage of communication between devices may be extended such that devices in different coverage areas and devices using different communication protocols can communicate.

Claims

1. An optical fiber-based wireless communication system, comprising:

a head-end unit (HEU) having an optical switch bank; and

a plurality of fiber optic cables each comprising at least one optical fiber and configured to carry a Radio-over-Fiber (RoF) signal from the HEU to a plurality of remote access points, wherein a first one of the plurality of remote access points is configured to form a corresponding first coverage area, and a second one of the plurality of remote access points is configured to form a corresponding second, different coverage area,

wherein the optical switch bank is configured to dynamically establish a RoF-based optical link over at least one of the plurality of fiber optic cables such that a first peer device in the first coverage area can communicate with a second peer device in the second coverage area at least in part over the RoF-based optical link.

2. The optical fiber-based wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the first one of the plurality of remote access points is configured to wirelessly communicate with the first peer device;

and

the second one of the plurality of remote access points is configured to wirelessly communicate with the second peer device.

3. The optical fiber-based wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the first and second ones of the plurality of remote access points are broadband access points.

4. The optical fiber-based wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the HEU is further configured to receive a request from a first one of the first and second peer devices to communicate with a second one of the first and second peer devices via at least one Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) access point associated with at least one of the first and second peer devices.

5. The optical fiber-based wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the HEU is further configured to automatically establish the RoF-based optical link between the first coverage area and the second coverage area when signals received at the HEU from the first peer device in the first coverage area and signals received from the second peer device in the second coverage area have common radio frequencies.

6. The optical fiber-based wireless communication system of claim 4, wherein the HEU is optically coupled to the at least one WLAN access point via a fiber optic cable comprising at least one optical fiber.

7. The optical fiber-based wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second ones of the plurality of remote access points is a coexistent access point configured to communicate via both Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) and broadband signals.

8. The optical fiber-based wireless communication system of claim 7, wherein the at least one coexistent access point is optically coupled to the HEU via a fiber optic cable comprising at least one optical fiber.

9. The optical fiber-based wireless communication system of claim 1, further comprising at least one Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) access point configured to receive a request from a device other than the first and second peer devices to establish communications between the first and second peer devices.

10. The optical fiber-based wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the first one of the plurality of remote access points is configured to wirelessly communicate with the first peer device using a different wireless communication protocol than a protocol used by the second one of the plurality of remote access points to wirelessly communicate with the second peer device.

11. The optical fiber-based wireless communication system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the wireless communication protocols used by the first one or second one of the plurality of remote access points to wirelessly communicate with the first or second peer device is a proprietary wireless communication protocol.

12. The optical fiber-based wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the optical switch bank further comprises at least one optical amplifier.

13. The optical fiber-based wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the HEU further comprises a video broadcast unit configured to split a video signal received at the HEU to a plurality of devices over a plurality of fiber optic cables comprising at least one optical fiber.

14. The optical fiber-based wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of remote access units further comprises at least one of a radio frequency (RF) input/output, a DC input/output, and an optical input/output.

15. The optical fiber-based wireless communication system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the plurality of remote access units further comprises at least one of a laser diode, a photo detector, a transimpedance amplifier, and at least one switch configured to selectively connect at least one optical fiber to either the RF input/output and/or the optical input/output.

16. The optical fiber-based wireless communication system of claim 1, further comprising a processor in the HEU configured to process requests for peer-to-peer communication between the first and second peer devices.

17. A method of enabling communication between a first peer device in a first coverage area and a second peer device in a second, different coverage area, comprising:

optically linking a plurality of remote access points to a head-end unit (HEU) via a plurality of fiber optic cables, each of the plurality of fiber optic cables comprising at least one optical fiber and configured to carry a Radio-over-Fiber (RoF) signal from the HEU to the plurality of remote access points;

forming a first coverage area associated with a first one of the plurality of remote access points;

forming a second coverage area associated with a second one of the plurality of remote access points different from the first coverage area; and

dynamically establishing a RoF-based optical link over at least one of the plurality of fiber optic cables to allow the first peer device to communicate with the second peer device at least in part over the RoF-based optical link.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the first one of the plurality of remote access points wirelessly communicating with the first peer device and the second one of the plurality of remote access points wirelessly communicating with the second peer device.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving a request to establish communications between the first peer device and the second peer device from one of the first and second peer devices.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving a request to establish communications between the first peer device and the second peer device from a device other than one of the first and second peer devices.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

sensing a radio frequency of at least one signal received from the first peer device in the first coverage area and a radio frequency of at least one signal received from the second peer device in the second coverage area; and

automatically establishing the RoF-based optical link between the first coverage area and the second coverage area when the radio frequency of the at least one signal received from the first peer device in the first coverage area and the radio frequency of the at least one signal received from the second peer device in the second coverage area are common radio frequencies.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving a request to establish communications between the first peer device and the second peer device at a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) access point optically coupled to the HEU via a fiber optic cable comprising at least one optical fiber.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising the first one of the plurality of remote access points wirelessly communicating with the first peer device using a different wireless communication protocol than a protocol used by the second one of the plurality of remote access points to wirelessly communicate with the second peer device.

24. The method of claim 17, further comprising at least one of the plurality of remote access points wirelessly communicating with at least one of the first or second peer device using a proprietary wireless communication protocol.

25. The method of claim 17, further comprising exchanging data between the first and second peer devices at least in part over the RoF-based optical link.

26. A head-end unit (HEU) in an optical fiber-based wireless communication system, comprising:

an optical switch bank; and

a plurality of ports configured to receive a plurality of fiber optic cables, each of the plurality of fiber optic cables comprising at least one optical fiber and configured to carry a Radio-over-Fiber (RoF) signal from the HEU to a plurality of remote access points, wherein a first one of the plurality of remote access points is configured to form a corresponding first cellular coverage area where a first peer device is located and a second one of the plurality of remote access points is configured to form a corresponding second, different cellular coverage area where a second peer device is located,

wherein the optical switch bank is configured to dynamically establish a RoF-based optical link over at least one of the plurality of fiber optic cables such that the first peer device communicates with the second peer device at least in part over the RoF-based optical link.

27. The HEU of claim 26, further comprising a processor configured to process requests for peer-to-peer communication between the first and second peer devices.

28. The HEU of claim 26, wherein the optical switch bank further comprises at least one optical amplifier.