Communication system, main unit, radio access unit and communication method

• US 9,485,023 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2015
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Sato, Takaaski, Goto, Fumitoshi, Shiohara, Masafumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bello, Agustin
• Application Number:
  US14/699,080
• Publication Number:
  US 20150236786A1
• Time in Patent Office: 552 Days
• Field of Search: 398115-118
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/25752 Optical arrangements for wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/25754 Star network topology
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/02 Wavelength-division multiplex systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/003 Arrangements for allocating sub-channels of the transmission path
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points

Abstract

A plurality of radio access units form the single cell of a first communication system, while forming respective individual multi-cells of a second communication system within the single cell. The plurality of radio access units transmit a downstream signal of the first communication system input from a main unit to a terminal using the first communication system of the single cell, while each transmitting a downstream signal of the second communication input from the main unit to a terminal using the communication system of the corresponding respective one of the multi-cells.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a base station apparatus;

a plurality of radio access units; and

a main unit configured to relay signals between the base station apparatus and the plurality of radio access units, wherein;

each of the plurality of radio access units is configured to;

define a single cell of a first communication system managed by the base station apparatus, in combination with other radio access units in the plurality of radio access units, and

define a cell of a second communication system managed by a base station function of each of the plurality of radio access units.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein:

the main unit is further configured to relay signals of the second communication system between a network and the plurality of radio access units,

the main unit and each of the plurality of radio access units are configured to be connected to each other by first optical transmission channels, and

the main unit and each of the plurality of radio access units are configured to exchange a first multiplexed signal on which a signal of the first communication system and a signal of second communication system are multiplexed by wavelength-division-multiplexing, via the first optical transmission channels.

3. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein:

the main unit and the base station apparatus are configured to be connected to each other by a second optical transmission channel, and

the main unit and the base station apparatus exchange a second multiplexed signal on which an uplink signal of the first communication system and an downlink signal of the first communication system are multiplexed by wavelength-division-multiplexing, via the second optical transmission channel.

4. A main unit comprising:

a receiving section configured to receive a downlink signal of a first communication system and downlink signals of a second communication system;

a splitting section configured to split the received downlink signal of the first communication system into a plurality of downlink signals of the first communication system;

a multiplexing section configured to;

add a dummy bit to each of the received downlink signals of the second communication system, and

generate multiplexed signals, by multiplexing, per frame, each of the split downlink signals of the first communication system and each of the received downlink signals of the second communication system to which the dummy bit is added; and

a transmitting section transmit the multiplexed signals to a plurality of radio access units.

5. The main unit according to claim 4, wherein:

the multiplexing section is configured to generate the multiplexed signals, by performing wavelength-division-multiplexing, and

the transmitting section is configured to transmit the multiplexed signal via an optical transmission channel.

6. A main unit comprising:

a receiving section configured to receive multiplexed signals from a plurality of radio access units;

a de-multiplexing section configured to;

de-multiplex, per frame, the received multiplexed signals to generate split uplink signals of the first communication system and uplink signals of the second communication system including a dummy bit, and

remove the dummy bit from the uplink signals of the second communication system including the dummy bit;

a synthesizing section configured to synthesize the split uplink signals of the first communication system to generate an uplink signal of the first communication system; and

a transmitting section configured to transmit the uplink signal to a base station which manages a single cell of the first communication system, and to transmit the signals of the second communication system without the dummy bits to a network of the second communication system.

7. The main unit according to claim 6, wherein:

the receiving section is configured to connect with the plurality of multiplexed signals via optical transmission channel, and

the multiplexed signal is generated by performing wavelength-division-multiplexing at the plurality of radio access units.

8. A radio access unit comprising:

a communication section configured to exchange a signal of a first communication system and a signal of a second communication system with a main unit;

a cell defusing section configured to define a single cell of the first communication system in combination with other radio access units, the single cell being managed by a base station apparatus which generates the signal of the first communication system; and

a base station function section configured to form a cell of the second communication system, and to manage the cell of the second communication system.

9. The radio access unit according to claim 8, wherein the communication section is configured to be connected with the main unit by an optical transmission channel, and to exchange a multiplexed signal on which the signal of the first communication system and the signal of the second communication system are multiplexed by wavelength-division-multiplexing, via the optical transmission channel.

10. The radio access unit according to claim 9, wherein the communication section is further configured to, when the communication section receives, from the main unit, a multiplexed signal on which a downlink signal of the first communication system and a downlink signal of the second communication system are multiplexed, de-multiplex the multiplexed signal and remove dummy bits included in a de-multiplexed downlink signal of the second communication system.

11. The radio access unit according to claim 9 wherein the communication sections is further configured to, when the communication section transmits an uplink signal of the first communication system and an uplink signal of the second communication system to the main unit, add dummy bits to the uplink signal of the second communication system and perform the wavelength-division-multiplexing on the uplink signal of the first communication system and the uplink signal of the second communication system with the dummy bits.