Communication system using cables carrying ethernet signals

• US 8,897,215 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2010
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Optical Communications LLC (Corning Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Corning Optical Communications Wireless Ltd. (Corning Incorporated)
• Inventors: Shapira, Isaac, Saban, Ofer, Hazani, Ami
• Primary Examiner(s): Beharry, Noel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ali, Farhad
• Application Number:
  US12/674,680
• Publication Number:
  US 20110170476A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,752 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/338
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/413 with random access, e.g. carrier-sense multiple-access with collision detection [CSMA-CD]

Abstract

It is provided a method for transmitting a wireless signal on Ethernet wiring The wireless signal is received in a hub unit for delivery to a remote unit In the hub unit the wireless signal is down converted to a down-converted frequency band for propagation on the Ethernet wiring A reference signal associated with a local oscillator used for the down conversion is embedded on a synchronous Ethernet stream that may include Ethernet data received at hub unit The synchronous Ethernet stream and the down converted wireless signal are submitted through the Ethernet wiring to the remote unit. The synchronous Ethernet stream may include data for management of electronic circuits installed in the remote unit, as well as a synchronization signal used thereof A converted replica of the first signal may be included in digital form in frames of the synchronous Ethernet stream.

Claims

1. A method for communicating a first signal on a wiring infrastructure, the first signal being carried initially over a first frequency band, the wiring infrastructure having two or more endpoint devices, each endpoint device being associated with a wireless device for the first frequency band, the method comprising:

in a first endpoint device of the two or more endpoint devices,

(a) converting the first signal from being carried over the first frequency band to being carried over a second frequency band, said second frequency band being able to propagate on the wiring infrastructure;

(b) embedding a reference signal on a synchronous Ethernet packet stream, said reference signal being usable for transforming the wireless signal from the first frequency band to the second frequency band and from the second frequency band to the first frequency band, said reference signal being recoverable from said packet stream; and

(c) submitting said packet stream and said converted first signal on the wiring infrastructure;

and in a second endpoint device of the two or more endpoint devices,

(d) recovering said reference signal from said packet stream; and

(e) using the recovered reference signal for transforming said first signal from being carried over said second frequency band to being carried on said first frequency band, wherein the converted first signal is included in digital format in certain frames of said packet stream;

wherein;

the first endpoint device is a hub unit associated to a cellular base station or to a cellular repeater, the first signal is a downlink cellular signal, and the second endpoint device is a remote unit associated with cellular end-user devices and with Ethernet destinations;

an uplink signal is transferred from said remote unit to said hub unit on said wiring infrastructure, said uplink signal is carried initially over an uplink frequency band, the uplink signal is communicated transferred by,

in said remote unit,

(i) down-converting said uplink signal from being carried over said uplink frequency band to being carried over a down-converted uplink frequency band, said down-converted uplink frequency band being able to propagate on the wiring infrastructure, said uplink frequency band and said down-converted uplink frequency band being associated by said reference signal; and

(ii) submitting said down-converted uplink signal on the wiring infrastructure; and

in said hub unit,

(iii) up-converting said down-converted uplink signal from being carried over said down-converted uplink frequency band to being carried over said uplink frequency band, thereby providing the up-converted uplink signal to the cellular base station or cellular repeater.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference signal is associated in frequency with said first frequency band and with said second frequency band.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a first local oscillator is used in said converting of said first signal in said first endpoint device, and a second local oscillator is used in said transforming of said first signal in said second endpoint device, the first and second local oscillators are synchronized by said reference signal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a first bit rate is used in received Ethernet signals received without said synchronous Ethernet stream and a second bit rate is used for said synchronous Ethernet stream, said second bit rate is at least 5% higher than said first bit rate.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said packet stream further includes data for management of electronic circuits installed in said second endpoint device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said packet stream further includes synchronization signal for electronic circuits installed in said second endpoint device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first frequency band is a cellular frequency band operating in one or more access methods selected from a group of multiple access methods consisting of frequency division multiple access, code division multiple access, time division multiple access and polarization division multiple access, and combinations thereof.

8. A hub unit for transmitting a first wireless signal on an Ethernet infrastructure to at least one remote unit, the hub unit and the at least one remote unit being associated with a wireless device for a first frequency band, the first signal being carried initially over a first frequency band, the hub unit being associated with a cellular base station or a cellular repeater, and the first signal being a downlink signal, the system comprising:

(a) a frequency conversion section adapted for converting the first signal from being carried over the first frequency band to being carried over a second frequency band, said second frequency band being able to propagate on the Ethernet wiring; and

(b) a packet synchronizer adapted for combining into a single Synchronous Ethernet stream at least a reference signal associating said first frequency band and said second frequency band, and Ethernet signals received at the first endpoint device, said reference signal being embedded in and recoverable from said single Synchronous Ethernet stream;

whereby said single synchronous Ethernet stream and said converted first signal being submitted on the Ethernet infrastructure, and upon arriving at the at least one remote unit, said reference signal being recovered from said single Synchronous Ethernet stream, and the converted first signal being shifted from being carried over said second frequency band to being carried over said first frequency band, the shifted first signal being wirelessly transmitted over said first frequency band,

wherein said frequency conversion section includes;

(i) a local oscillator for generating a signal synchronized with said reference signal;

(ii) a mixer for receiving said signal and said first signal and generating a plurality of sum and difference signals; and

(iii) a filter for selecting an appropriate signal from said plurality of sum and difference signals;

wherein the at least one remote unit is further configured to transfer an uplink signal to said hub unit on said Ethernet infrastructure, said uplink signal is carried initially over said first frequency band, the uplink signal is communicated transferred by;

in said remote unit,

(i) down-converting said uplink signal from being carried over said first frequency band to being carried over said second frequency band, said second frequency band being able to propagate on the Ethernet infrastructure, said first frequency band and said second frequency band being associated by said reference signal; and

(ii) submitting said down-converted uplink signal on the Ethernet infrastructure; and

in said hub unit,

(iii) up-converting said down-converted uplink signal from being carried over said second frequency band to being carried over said first frequency band, thereby providing the up-converted uplink signal to the cellular base station or cellular repeater.

9. The hub unit of claim 8, wherein said single Synchronous Ethernet stream is a synchronous Ethernet stream.

10. The hub unit of claim 9, wherein the bit rate of said synchronous Ethernet stream is at least 5% higher from respective bit rates of received Ethernet signals received without said synchronous Ethernet stream.

11. The hub unit of claim 9, wherein said packet synchronizer is adapted to embed in digital form a replica of said first signal into frames of said synchronous Ethernet stream.