Radio-over-fiber (RoF) optical fiber cable system with transponder diversity and RoF wireless picocellular system using same
First Claim
1. A radio-over-fiber (RoF) optical fiber cable system with transponder diversity for a RoF wireless picocellular system, the RoF optical fiber cable system comprising:
- at least one optical fiber cable;
two or more transponders optically supported by the at least one optical fiber cable, wherein the two or more transponders are arranged to form one or more groups of two or more proximately located transponders, wherein the transponders in a given transponder group are adapted to be sufficiently proximately located to one another to form corresponding two or more co-located picocells for the given transponder group, such that if one of the transponders in the given transponder group is unable to provide service for an area corresponding to a picocell for the given transponder group, another transponder in the given transponder group is adapted to provide continuing service for the area corresponding to the picocell for the given transponder group;
a diversity combiner optically coupled to each transponder and adapted to determine respective signal strengths from each transponder in each transponder group so as to ensure the transponder with the greatest signal strength in a given transponder group is used to form the picocell for the given transponder group.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A radio-over-fiber (RoF) optical fiber cable system with transponder diversity for a RoF wireless picocellular system that includes at least one optical fiber cable. The at least one optical fiber cable supports one or more groups of two or more transponders, wherein the transponders in a given group are arranged to form substantially co-located picocells. The transponders in each transponder group may also have one of two orthogonal antenna polarizations. A diversity combiner optically coupled to each transponder determines respective signal strengths from each transponder in each transponder group. The transponder with the greatest signal strength in a given transponder group is selected to form the picocell for the given group. This allows for the optical fiber cable system to adjust to changes in the signal strength of each picocell, such as caused by a transponder obstruction or failure.
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A radio-over-fiber (RoF) optical fiber cable system with transponder diversity for a RoF wireless picocellular system, the RoF optical fiber cable system comprising:
-
at least one optical fiber cable; two or more transponders optically supported by the at least one optical fiber cable, wherein the two or more transponders are arranged to form one or more groups of two or more proximately located transponders, wherein the transponders in a given transponder group are adapted to be sufficiently proximately located to one another to form corresponding two or more co-located picocells for the given transponder group, such that if one of the transponders in the given transponder group is unable to provide service for an area corresponding to a picocell for the given transponder group, another transponder in the given transponder group is adapted to provide continuing service for the area corresponding to the picocell for the given transponder group; a diversity combiner optically coupled to each transponder and adapted to determine respective signal strengths from each transponder in each transponder group so as to ensure the transponder with the greatest signal strength in a given transponder group is used to form the picocell for the given transponder group. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
-
13. A radio-over-fiber (RoF) wireless picocellular system comprising:
-
one or more RoF optical fiber cables adapted to operably support, either individually or collectively, one or more transponder groups each having two or more transponders, wherein each transponder is adapted to form a picocell co-located with picocells formed by the other transponders in the corresponding transponder group, such that if one of the transponders in the given transponder group is unable to provide service for an area corresponding to a picocell for the given transponder group, another transponder in the given transponder group is adapted to provide continuing service for the area corresponding to the picocell for the given transponder group; a central head-end station optically coupled to the one or more RoF optical fiber cables and adapted to provide downlink optical signals to each transponder and receive uplink optical signals from each transponder; a diversity combiner operably coupled to or included in the central head-end station and adapted to receive uplink signals from each transponder to determine relative uplink signal strengths from each transponder in each transponder group, including a greatest uplink signal strength; and wherein the central head-end station provides the downlink optical signals to the transponder in each transponder group having the greatest uplink signal strength. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. A method of providing transponder diversity in a wireless picocellular system, comprising:
-
optically supporting in one or more radio-over-fiber optical fiber cables one or more transponder groups each having two or more transponders, wherein the transponders in each transponder group are arranged to be sufficiently proximately located to one another to form co-located picocells for the given transponder group, such that if one of the transponders in the given transponder group is unable to provide service for an area corresponding to a picocell for the given transponder group, another transponder in the given transponder group is adapted to provide continuing service for the area corresponding to the picocell for the given transponder group; determining whether a transponder in a given transponder group has a greater signal strength than the other transponders; and addressing the transponder having the greater signal strength. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
-
Specification