REMOTE ANTENNA CLUSTERS AND RELATED SYSTEMS, COMPONENTS, AND METHODS SUPPORTING DIGITAL DATA SIGNAL PROPAGATION BETWEEN REMOTE ANTENNA UNITS

• US 20150195038A1
• Filed: 03/20/2015
• Published: 07/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Optical Communications LLC (Corning Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Corning Optical Communications LLC (Corning Incorporated)
• Inventors: Berlin, Igor, Harris, Dan, Sauer, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 10,014,944 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 10/25758 between a central unit and a single remote unit by means of an optical fibre
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

Distributed antenna systems supporting digital data signal propagation between remote antenna clusters, and related distributed antenna systems, components and methods are disclosed. The distributed antenna systems facilitate distributing digital data signals to provide digital data services remotely to distributed remote antenna units. The digital data signals may be propagated between remote antenna units within a remote antenna cluster for digital data signals transmitted to wireless client devices in the distributed antenna system and for digital data signals received from wireless client devices in the distributed antenna system. Received digital data signals from wireless client devices can be propagated from remote antenna unit to remote antenna unit in a remote antenna cluster until the digital data signals reach a wired network device for communication over a network. The remote antenna units may be configured to support high-frequency digital data signal to support larger channel bandwidths and in turn higher data rate transfers.

Claims

1. A remote antenna cluster supporting signal propagation among remote antenna units, comprising:

a first remote antenna unit (RAU) configured to;

receive downlink signals over at least one downlink communications link and communicate the received downlink signals to client devices;

receive uplink signals from the client devices and communicate the received uplink signals over at least one uplink communications link;

propagate received downlink signals to at least one second RAU; and

receive uplink signals from the at least one second RAU for communication over the at least one uplink communications link;

the at least one second RAU configured to;

receive the downlink signals and communicate the received downlink signals to client devices;

receive uplink signals from the client devices; and

propagate the received uplink signals for receipt by the first RAU.

2. The remote antenna cluster of claim 1, wherein the at least one second RAU is further configured to propagate received downlink signals to another RAU.

3. The remote antenna cluster of claim 1, wherein the first RAU is configured to propagate the received downlink signals from the at least one downlink communications link.

4. The remote antenna cluster of claim 1, wherein the first RAU is configured to propagate the received downlink signals over a physical communications link to the at least one second RAU.

5. The remote antenna cluster of claim 4, wherein the physical communications link is comprised from the group consisting of at least one electrical conductor and at least one optical fiber.

6. The remote antenna cluster of claim 5, wherein the physical communications link further includes a power link configured to deliver power to the first RAU.

7. The remote antenna cluster of claim 1, wherein the first RAU is configured to propagate the received downlink signals wirelessly to the at least one second RAU.

8. The remote antenna cluster of claim 1, wherein the first RAU is configured to receive the uplink signals from the at least one second RAU over a physical communications link.

9. The remote antenna cluster of claim 1, wherein the first RAU is configured to wirelessly receive the uplink signals from the at least one second RAU.

10. The remote antenna cluster of claim 1, wherein the at least one second RAU is comprised of a plurality of second RAUs.

11. The remote antenna cluster of claim 10, wherein a first RAU among the plurality of second RAUs is configured to:

propagate downlink signals to a second RAU among the plurality of second RAUs; and

receive uplink signals from the second RAU among the plurality of second RAUs.

12. The remote antenna cluster of claim 11, wherein the second RAU among the plurality of second RAUs is configured to:

propagate downlink signals to the first RAU among the plurality of second RAUs; and

receive uplink signals from the first RAU among the plurality of second RAUs.

13. The remote antenna cluster of claim 1, wherein the first RAU and the at least one second RAU are configured in a RAU cluster.

14. The remote antenna cluster of claim 1, wherein the downlink signals are modulated about a center frequency of 60 GHz.

15. The remote antenna cluster of claim 1, wherein at least one of the at least one downlink communications link and the at least one uplink communications link further includes a power link configured to deliver power to the at least one second RAU.

16. The remote antenna cluster of claim 1, wherein the at least one downlink communications link is comprised of a single optical fiber.

17. The remote antenna cluster of claim 1, wherein the at least one uplink communications link is comprised of a single optical fiber.

18. The remote antenna cluster of claim 1, wherein the at least one downlink communications link is comprised of a plurality of optical fibers.

19. The remote antenna cluster of claim 1, wherein the at least one uplink communications link is comprised of a plurality of optical fibers.

20. The remote antenna cluster of claim 1, further comprising a frequency multiplexor configured to frequency multiplex IQ modulated downlink signals communicated over the at least one downlink communications link to the first RAU.

21. The remote antenna cluster of claim 1, further comprising a frequency de-multiplexor configured to frequency de-multiplex IQ modulated downlink signals received from the at least one downlink communications link.

22. The remote antenna cluster of claim 1, wherein the first RAU is configured to:

wirelessly communicate the received downlink signals to wireless client devices; and

wirelessly receive the uplink signals from the wireless client devices.

23. The remote antenna cluster of claim 1, wherein the at least one second RAU is configured to:

wirelessly communicate the received downlink signals to wireless client devices; and

wirelessly receive the uplink signals from the wireless client devices.

24. The remote antenna cluster of claim 1, wherein the first RAU is configured to:

receive the downlink signals from a remotely located controller; and

communicate the received uplink signals over the at least one uplink communications link to the remotely located controller.

25. The remote antenna cluster of claim 24, wherein the remotely located controller is comprised of a switch.

26. The remote antenna cluster of claim 25, wherein the switch is comprised of an Ethernet switch.

27. A method of propagating signals between remote antenna units in a remote antenna cluster, comprising:

receiving in a first remote antenna unit (RAU) downlink signals over at least one downlink communications link and communicating the received downlink signals to client devices;

receiving in the first RAU, uplink signals from the client devices and communicating the received uplink signals over at least one uplink communications link;

propagating the received downlink signals from the first RAU to at least one second RAU; and

receiving uplink signals from the at least one second RAU for communication over the at least one uplink communications link;

receiving in the at least one second RAU the downlink signals and communicating the received downlink signals to client devices;

receiving in the at least one second RAU uplink signals from the client devices; and

propagating the received downlink signals and the received uplink signals for receipt by the first RAU.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising the at least one second RAU propagating received downlink signals to another RAU.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising the first RAU propagating the received downlink signals from the at least one downlink communications link.

30. The method of claim 27, further comprising the first RAU propagating the received downlink signals over a physical communications link to the at least one second RAU.

31. The method of claim 27, comprising:

receiving in the first RAU, the downlink signals over the at least one downlink communications link from a remotely located controller; and

communicating the received uplink signals over the at least one uplink communications link to the remotely located controller.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the remotely located controller is comprised of a switch.