Distributed antenna systems and methods of wireless communications for facilitating simulcasting and de-simulcasting of downlink transmissions

• US 9,276,685 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2012
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Soriaga, Joseph B., Lott, Christopher Gerard, Sun, Jing, Yazdi, Kambiz Azarian, Attar, Rashid Ahmed Akbar, Gowaikar, Radhika, Ghosh, Donna
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hai V
• Application Number:
  US13/461,065
• Publication Number:
  US 20130095873A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,400 Days
• Field of Search: 455/509
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/024 Co-operative use of antennas of several sites, e.g. in co-ordinated multipoint or co-operative multiple-input multiple-output [MIMO] systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/12 Frequency diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/22 Arrangements for broadcast of identical information via plural broadcast systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

Distributed antenna systems (DASs) can include a plurality of spatially separated remote antenna units. According to at least one example, a first group of remote antenna units can simulcast downlink transmissions on a first carrier with a particular sector identity (ID). A second group of remote antenna units, including at least one different remote antenna unit from the first group, can simulcast downlink transmissions on a second carrier with the same sector ID. According to at least one other example, two or more remote antenna units which include respective coverage areas that are non-adjacent to one another can be employed to simulcast downlink transmissions.

Claims

1. A distributed antenna system, comprising:

a plurality of remote antenna units spatially separated from one another, wherein each remote antenna unit is associated with a respective coverage area;

a first group of remote antenna units selected from the plurality of remote antenna units, the first group adapted to simulcast downlink transmissions with a sector identity (ID) on a first carrier; and

a second group of remote antenna units selected from the plurality of remote antenna units, the second group adapted to simulcast downlink transmission with the sector ID on a second carrier different from the first carrier;

wherein at least one remote antenna unit of the second group is associated with a respective coverage area that differs from respective coverage areas associated with the remote antenna units of the first group, and wherein at least one remote antenna unit of the second group is associated with a respective coverage that is the same as a respective coverage area associated with at least one remote antenna unit of the first group.

2. The distributed antenna system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of remote antenna units are communicatively coupled with at least one base station.

3. The distributed antenna system of claim 2, wherein the base station is coupled with an RF connection matrix for facilitating the simulcast downlink transmissions for the first group and the second group.

4. The distributed antenna system of claim 3, wherein the RF connection matrix comprises:

a first carrier-specific RF connection matrix module adapted to route a first downlink transmission to one or more remote antenna units for transmission on a first carrier; and

a second carrier-specific RF connection matrix module adapted to route a second downlink transmission to one or more remote antenna units for transmission on a second carrier.

5. The distributed antenna system of claim 2, wherein the base station includes an integrated base station simulcast controller module for facilitating the simulcast downlink transmissions for the first group and the second group.

6. The distributed antenna system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of remote antenna units are each communicatively coupled to a respective base station, and each respective base station is coupled with a base station simulcast controller module apparatus for facilitating the simulcast downlink transmissions for the first group and the second group.

7. The distributed antenna system of claim 1, wherein at least one remote antenna unit included in the first group is also included in the second group of remote antenna units, and is adapted to simulcast downlink transmissions on both the first carrier with the first group and on the second carrier with the second group.

8. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

simulcasting downlink transmissions on a first carrier with a first group of two or more remote antenna units employing a sector identity (ID); and

simulcasting downlink transmissions on a second carrier with a second group of two or more remote antenna units employing the sector ID, wherein at least one remote antenna unit of the second group is associated with a respective coverage area that differs from respective coverage areas associated with the remote antenna units of the first group, and wherein at least one remote antenna unit of the second group is associated with a respective coverage that is the same as a respective coverage area associated with at least one remote antenna unit of the first group.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

changing at least one remote antenna unit for the first group, the second group, or both the first group and the second group in response to at least one network traffic parameter.

10. A distributed antenna system, comprising:

means for simulcasting downlink transmissions on a first carrier with a first group of two or more remote antenna units employing a sector identity (ID); and

means for simulcasting downlink transmissions on a second carrier with a second group of two or more remote antenna units employing the sector ID, wherein at least one remote antenna unit of the second group is associated with a respective coverage area that differs from respective coverage areas associated with the remote antenna units of the first group, and wherein at least one remote antenna unit of the second group is associated with a respective coverage that is the same as a respective coverage area associated with at least one remote antenna unit of the first group.

11. The distributed antenna system of claim 10, further comprising:

means for changing at least one remote antenna unit for the first group, the second group, or both the first group and the second group in response to at least one network traffic parameter.

12. A computer program product embedded in a non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising:

a processor-readable medium comprising instructions, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor for;

simulcasting downlink transmissions on a first carrier with a first group of two or more remote antenna units employing a sector identity (ID); and

simulcasting downlink transmissions on a second carrier with a second group of two or more remote antenna units employing the sector ID, wherein at least one remote antenna unit of the second group is associated with a respective coverage area that differs from respective coverage areas associated with the remote antenna units of the first group, and wherein at least one remote antenna unit of the second group is associated with a respective coverage that is the same as a respective coverage area associated with at least one remote antenna unit of the first group.

13. The computer program product embedded in a non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the processor-readable medium further comprises instructions for:

changing at least one remote antenna unit for the first group, the second group, or both the first group and the second group in response to at least one network traffic parameter.