OPTICAL FIBER-BASED DISTRIBUTED RADIO FREQUENCY (RF) ANTENNA SYSTEMS SUPPORTING MULTIPLE-INPUT, MULTIPLE-OUTPUT (MIMO) CONFIGURATIONS, AND RELATED COMPONENTS AND METHODS
First Claim
1. An apparatus configured to distribute radio-frequency (RF) communications signals in a distributed antenna system in a multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) configuration, comprising:
- at least one first radio interface configured to distribute received first downlink electrical RF communications signals in a first radio band frequency into first downlink electrical RF communications signals;
at least one second radio interface configured to distribute received second downlink electrical RF communications signals in the first radio band frequency into second downlink electrical RF communications signals;
at least one first optical interface configured to;
receive the first downlink electrical RF communications signals from the at least one first radio interface;
convert the received first downlink electrical RF communications signals from the at least one first radio interface into first downlink optical RF communications signals;
distribute the first downlink optical RF communications signals over optical fiber in a first downlink communication path to at least one remote antenna unit (RAU); and
at least one second optical interface configured to;
receive the second downlink electrical RF communications signals from the at least one second radio interface;
convert the received second downlink electrical RF communications signals from the at least one second radio interface into second downlink optical RF communications signals; and
distribute the second downlink optical RF communications signals over optical fiber in a second downlink communication path to at least one second remote unit.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Optical fiber-based distributed antenna systems that support multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) antenna configurations and communications. Embodiments disclosed herein include optical fiber-based distributed antenna system that can be flexibly configured to support or not support MIMO communications configurations. In one embodiment, first and second MIMO communication paths are shared on the same optical fiber using frequency conversion to avoid interference issues, wherein the second communication path is provide to a remote extension unit to remote antenna unit. In another embodiment, the optical fiber-based distributed antenna systems may be configured to allow to provide MIMO communication configurations with existing components. Existing capacity of system components are employed to create second communication paths for MIMO configurations, thereby reducing overall capacity, but allowing avoidance of frequency conversion components and remote extension units.
-
Citations
29 Claims
-
1. An apparatus configured to distribute radio-frequency (RF) communications signals in a distributed antenna system in a multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) configuration, comprising:
-
at least one first radio interface configured to distribute received first downlink electrical RF communications signals in a first radio band frequency into first downlink electrical RF communications signals; at least one second radio interface configured to distribute received second downlink electrical RF communications signals in the first radio band frequency into second downlink electrical RF communications signals; at least one first optical interface configured to; receive the first downlink electrical RF communications signals from the at least one first radio interface; convert the received first downlink electrical RF communications signals from the at least one first radio interface into first downlink optical RF communications signals; distribute the first downlink optical RF communications signals over optical fiber in a first downlink communication path to at least one remote antenna unit (RAU); and at least one second optical interface configured to; receive the second downlink electrical RF communications signals from the at least one second radio interface; convert the received second downlink electrical RF communications signals from the at least one second radio interface into second downlink optical RF communications signals; and distribute the second downlink optical RF communications signals over optical fiber in a second downlink communication path to at least one second remote unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. A method of distributing radio-frequency (RF) communications signals in a distributed antenna system in a multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) configuration, comprising:
-
distributing received first downlink electrical RF communications signals in a first radio band frequency into first downlink electrical RF communications signals from at least one first radio interface; distributing received second downlink electrical RF communications signals in the first radio band frequency into second downlink electrical RF communications signals from at least one second radio interface; in at least one first optical interface; receiving the first downlink electrical RF communications signals from the at least one first radio interface; converting the received first downlink electrical RF communications signals from the at least one first radio interface into first downlink optical RF communications signals; distributing the first downlink optical RF communications signals over optical fiber in a first downlink communication path to at least one remote antenna unit (RAU); and in at least one second optical interface; receiving the second downlink electrical RF communications signals from the at least one second radio interface; converting the received second downlink electrical RF communications signals from the at least one second radio interface into second downlink optical RF communications signals; and distributing the second downlink optical RF communications signals over optical fiber in a second downlink communication path to at least one second remote unit. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
-
Specification