Modular wireless communications platform

• US 8,737,454 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2007
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Outdoor Wireless Networks LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ADC Telecommunications Incorporated (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Wala, Philip M., Koziy, Robert J., Zavadsky, Dean
• Primary Examiner(s): TSE, YOUNG TOI
• Application Number:
  US11/627,251
• Publication Number:
  US 20080181282A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,679 Days
• Field of Search: 375/219, 375/220, 375/222, 375/259, 370/278, 370/282, 455/73, 455/88, 455/557, 455/560, 455/561
• US Class Current: 375/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/18 Input circuits, e.g. for coupling to an antenna or a transmission line coupling networks between antennas or lines and receivers independent of the nature of the receiver H03H
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

A modular wireless communications platform is provided. The modular wireless communications platform has a modular host unit and a modular remote unit in communication with the modular host unit. The modular host unit has a serial radio frequency communicator configured to convert serial digital data into RF sampled data and configured to convert RF sampled data into serial digital data. The modular host unit also has an interface coupled to the serial radio frequency communicator and configured to allow transfer of the RF sampled data from the serial radio frequency communicator to a digital to analog radio frequency transceiver module. Likewise, the modular remote unit has a serial radio frequency communicator configured to convert serial digital data into RF sampled data and configured to convert RF sampled data into serial digital data. The modular remote unit also has an interface coupled to the serial radio frequency communicator and configured to allow transfer of the RF sampled data from the serial radio frequency communicator to a digital to analog radio frequency transceiver module.

Claims

1. A modular wireless communications platform comprising:

a modular host unit comprising;

a host serial radio frequency (SERF) communicator having a logic device programmed to convert reverse path serial digital data into reverse path host-side RF sampled data and programmed to convert forward path host-side RF sampled data into forward path serial digital data; and

a host interface coupled to the host SERF communicator, the host interface including a plurality of host digital to analog radio frequency transceiver (DART) connectors, each host DART connector configured to connect with an edge connector of one of a plurality of host DART modules configured to transmit RF signals to a base station and receive RF signals from the base station, wherein the host SERF communicator is configured to send the reverse path host-side RF sampled data through at least one of the host DART connectors to at least one of the host DART modules, wherein the modular host unit is field configurable such that other host DART modules can be inserted into each host DART connector to enable operation with different frequency bands or communication technologies; and

a modular remote unit in communication with the modular host unit comprising;

a remote SERF communicator configured to convert the forward path serial digital data into forward path remote-side RF sampled data and configured to convert reverse path remote-side RF sampled data into the reverse path serial digital data; and

a remote interface coupled to the remote SERF communicator, the remote interface including a plurality of remote DART connectors, each remote DART connector configured to connect with an edge connector of one of a plurality of remote DART modules, wherein the remote SERF communicator is configured to send the forward path remote-side RF sampled data through at least one of the remote DART connectors to at least one of the remote DART modules, wherein the modular remote unit is field configurable such that other remote DART modules can be inserted into each remote DART connector to enable operation with different frequency bands or communication technologies.

2. The modular wireless communications platform of claim 1, wherein the host SERF communicator of the modular host unit further comprises:

a plurality of host optical input/outputs, coupled to the logic device, configured to communicate the forward path serial digital data and the reverse path serial digital data; and

a plurality of host DART module links, coupled to the logic device, configured to communicate the forward path host-side RF sampled data and the reverse path host-side RF sampled data; and

wherein the remote SERF communicator of the modular remote unit comprises;

a plurality of remote optical input/outputs configured to communicate the forward path serial digital data and the reverse path serial digital data; and

a plurality of remote DART module links configured to communicate the forward path remote-side RF sampled data and the reverse path remote-side RF sampled data.

3. The modular wireless communications platform of claim 1, wherein the modular remote unit further includes a removable baseband unit coupled to the remote SERF communicator, wherein the removable baseband unit is configured to perform baseband processing on IP data and place the IP data onto a channel for the remote SERF communicator.

4. A modular remote radio head comprising:

a serial radio frequency (SERF) communicator having a logic device programmed to convert forward path serial digital data from a host unit, which receives RF signals from a base station into forward path remote-side RF sampled data and programmed to convert reverse path remote-side RF sampled data into reverse path serial digital data;

at least one first connector configured to accept insertion of an edge connector of a digital to analog radio frequency transceiver (DART) module, wherein the DART module is programmed to convert the forward path remote-side RF sampled data to forward path analog RF data and is programmed to convert reverse path analog RF data to the reverse path remote-side RF sampled data, the at least one first connector configured to couple the transceiver DART module to the SERF communicator;

at least one second connector configured to couple to an amplifier and configured to couple the amplifier to the DART module;

at least one third connector configured to couple to a duplexer and configured to couple the duplexer to the amplifier; and

an antenna coupled to the duplexer.

5. The modular remote radio head of claim 4, wherein the SERF communicator further comprises:

a plurality of optical input/outputs configured to communicate the forward path serial digital data and the reverse path serial digital data; and

a plurality of digital DART module links configured to communicate the forward path remote-side RF sampled data and the reverse path remote-side RF sampled data.

6. The modular remote radio head of claim 4, wherein the frequency transceiver DART module is programmed to transmit the forward path analog RF data within a certain frequency band and is programmed to receive the reverse path analog RF data within the certain frequency band.

7. The modular remote radio head of claim 4, wherein the frequency transceiver DART module is plugged into the at least one first connector.

8. The modular remote radio head of claim 4, wherein the SERF communicator is configured to convert the forward path serial digital data into the forward path remote-side RF sampled data and to convert the reverse path remote-side RF sampled data into the reverse path serial digital data for multiple DART modules.

9. The modular remote radio head of claim 8, wherein the multiple DART modules include different types of digital DART modules that communicate using different protocols or on different frequency bands.

10. The modular remote radio head of claim 4, further comprising

an optical multiplexer connected to the SERF communicator, wherein the optical multiplexer is configured to multiplex optical signals to a host unit from the SERF communicator or from the host unit to the SERF communicator.

11. The modular remote radio head of claim 4, further comprising

a removable baseband unit coupled to the SERF communicator, wherein the removable baseband unit is configured to perform baseband processing on IP data and place the IP data onto a channel for the SERF communicator.

12. A modular remote radio head for a wireless communication system comprising:

a serial radio frequency (SERF) communicator having a logic device programmed to convert forward path serial digital data from a host unit, which receives RF signals from a base station into forward path remote-side RF sampled data and programmed to convert reverse path remote-side RF sampled data into reverse path serial digital data; and

an interface having a plurality of connectors configured to connect to a plurality of edge connectors of a plurality of digital to analog radio frequency transceiver (DART) modules, wherein the DART modules are programmed to convert the forward path remote-side RF sampled data into forward path analog RF data and are programmed to convert reverse path analog RF data into the reverse path remote-side RF sampled data, and wherein the interface is coupled to the SERF communicator and configured to allow transfer of the forward path remote-side RF sampled data from the SERF communicator to the plurality of digital DART modules when plugged into the plurality of connectors.

13. The modular remote radio head of claim 12, wherein the DART modules are different types of DART modules, wherein each DART module of the different types of digital DART modules ere is configured to operate in a different respective frequency band or according to a different respective communication protocol.

14. The modular remote radio head of claim 12, wherein the SERF communicator is configured to transmit the reverse path serial digital data and receive the forward path serial digital data as high speed optical signals.

15. The modular remote radio head of claim 12, wherein the SERF communicator is configured to send the forward path remote-side RF sampled data to and receive the reverse path remote-side RF sampled data from the DART modules.

16. The modular remote radio head of claim 12, wherein the SERF communicator is configured to send the forward path serial digital data and receive the reverse path serial digital data as backhaul data such that the modular remote radio head functions as a range extender.

17. The modular remote radio head of claim 12, wherein the modular remote radio head further comprises a baseband unit, coupled to the SERF communicator, the baseband unit configured to process fronthaul data and cause the modular remote radio head to function as a remote base station.

18. The modular remote radio head of claim 12, wherein the modular remote radio head is configured to convert between fronthaul data and the forward path remote-side RF sampled data for a first transceiver DART module and to convert between backhaul data and the reverse path remote-side RF sampled data for a second DART module.

19. A modular remote radio head for a wireless communication system comprising:

a serial radio frequency (SERF) communicator comprising;

at least one optical input/output configured to receive and send serial digital data from/to a host unit, the host unit configured to receive and send RF signals from/to a base station;

a plurality of digital to analog radio frequency transceiver (DART) module links configured to transport digital RF sampled data;

wherein the SERF communicator is configured to multiplex and demultiplex signals between the plurality of digital transceiver DART module links and the at least one optical input/output; and

an interface including a plurality of DART connectors coupled to respective ones of the plurality of DART module links of the SERF communicator, each of the DART connectors is connected to an edge connector of one of a plurality of digital to DART modules such that the modular remote radio head is field configurable and other DART modules can be inserted into each DART connector to enable operation with different frequency bands or communication technologies, wherein the frequency transceiver plurality of DART modules provide bi-directional conversion between analog RF data and the digital RF sampled data.

20. The modular remote radio head of claim 19, wherein the SERF communicator further comprises at least one RJ-45 connector configured to send and receive IP packets from a host unit, wherein the serial SERF communicator is programmed to convert the IP packets to and from the digital RF sampled data for the plurality of digital transceiver DART modules.