FREQUENCY TRANSLATION IN A VIRTUALIZED DISTRIBUTED ANTENNA SYSTEM

• US 20140036770A1
• Filed: 01/29/2013
• Published: 02/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dali Systems Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Dali Systems Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Stapleton, Shawn Patrick, Meerkeerk, Daryl
• Granted Patent: US 9,723,612 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/022 Site diversity; Macro-diversity using two or more spaced independent antennas H04B7/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15514 for shadowing compensation for satellite mobile telephony service systems H04B7/18536
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15542 Selecting at relay station its transmit and receive resources selection of wireless resources by user or terminal H04W72/02; arrangements affording multiple use of the transmission path by two-dimensional division of the resources H04L5/0003, or by allocating sub-channels H04L5/003
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/06 Reselecting a communication resource in the serving access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

A method for communicating with wireless user devices includes receiving a signal at a DAU, the signal residing within a first frequency band and processing the signal at the DAU. The method also includes transmitting the processed signal from the DAU and receiving the transmitted signal at a DRU. The method further includes converting the signal to a second frequency band different than the first frequency band.

Claims

1. A system for communicating with wireless user devices, the system comprising:

a base transceiver station (BTS) comprising at least one sector, each sector being configured to transmit radio-frequency (RF) signals within one or more first frequency bands;

a Digital Access Unit (DAU) coupled to the BTS and configured to;

receive at least some of the RF signals output by the base transceiver station;

process the at least some of the RF signals; and

transmit the processed signals; and

at least one Digital Remote Unite (DRU) configured to;

receive the processed signals; and

translate at least one of the processed signals to one or more second frequency bands different than the one or more first frequency bands.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one of the processed signals comprises a beacon signal.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one of the processed signals comprises a downlink signal.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one DRU is further configured to translate at least another of the processed signals to the one or more first frequency bands.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein each of the at least one of the processed signals and the at least another of the processed signals comprises a beacon signal.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the at least one of the processed signals comprises a beacon signal and the at least another of the processed signals comprises a downlink signal.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein processing the at least some of the RF signals comprises converting the at least some of the RF signals to optical signals.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more first frequency bands comprises the Cellular Band and wherein the one or more second frequency bands comprises the PCS band.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the BTS lacks hardware required to transmit signals within the one or more second frequency bands.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one DRU comprises a first DRU and a second DRU, and wherein:

the first DRU is configured to;

receive a first subset of the processed signals; and

translate at least one of the first subset of processed signals to the one or more first frequency bands; and

the second DRU is configured to;

receive a second subset of the processed signals; and

translate at least one of the second subset of processed signals to the one or more second frequency bands.

11. A method for communicating with wireless user devices, the method comprising:

receiving a signal at a DAU, the signal residing within a first frequency band;

processing the signal at the DAU;

transmitting the processed signal from the DAU;

receiving the transmitted signal at a DRU; and

converting the signal to a second frequency band different than the first frequency band.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the signal comprises a beacon signal.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the signal comprises a downlink signal.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

receiving a second signal at the DAU, the signal residing within the first frequency band;

processing the second signal at the DAU;

transmitting the processed second signal from the DAU;

receiving the transmitted second signal at the DRU; and

converting the second signal to the first frequency band.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein each of the signal and the second signal comprises a beacon signal.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the signal comprises a beacon signal and the second signal comprises a downlink signal.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein each of the signal and the second signal are received from a same BTS.

18. A method for communicating with wireless user devices, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of beacon signals, each of the plurality of beacon signals having originated at a BTS and having been transmitted by the BTS within one or more first RF frequency bands; and

translating each of the plurality of beacon signals to one or more second RF frequency bands different from the one or more first RF frequency bands,

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the one or more first RF frequency bands do not overlap with the one or more second RF frequency bands.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein a total frequency span of the one or more second RF frequency bands is greater than a total frequency span of the one or more first RF frequency bands.

21. A system for communicating with wireless user devices, the system comprising:

a Digital Access Unit (DAU) operable to receive at least one RF signal from a base station, wherein the at least one RF signal is associated with a first frequency band and the DAU includes;

an RF input;

a first mixer coupled to the RF input;

an oscillator coupled to the first mixer and operable to convert signals in the first frequency band to an intermediate frequency;

an A/D converter coupled to the mixer; and

a first FPGA coupled to the A/D converter;

a Digital Remote Unit (DRU) coupled to the DAU, wherein the DRU includes;

a second FPGA;

a D/A converter coupled to the second FPGA;

a second mixer coupled to the D/A converter and operable to convert signals at the intermediate frequency to a second frequency band different from the first frequency band; and

an RF output coupled to the second mixer; and

an antenna coupled to the DRU.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the first frequency band comprises a Cellular Band and the second frequency band comprises a PCS band.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the Cellular Band is at 850 MHz and the PCS band is at 1900 MHz.

24. The system of claim 21 wherein DRU is coupled to the DAU through an optical fiber connection.