Digital data services and/or power distribution in optical fiber-based distributed communications systems providing digital data and radio frequency (RF) communications services, and related components and methods

• US 9,525,488 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2011
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Optical Communications LLC (Corning Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Corning Optical Communications LLC (Corning Incorporated)
• Inventors: Beamon, Hubert Blair, Blackwell, Chois Alven Jr., Brower, Boyd Grant
• Primary Examiner(s): Cattungal, Ajay
• Application Number:
  US13/025,719
• Publication Number:
  US 20110268452A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,139 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0288 Multimode fibre, e.g. graded index core for compensating modal dispersion
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0365 arranged - - +
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 5/00 Circuit arrangements for transfer of electric power between ac networks and dc networks H02J3/36 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/25758 between a central unit and a single remote unit by means of an optical fibre
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/808 Electrical power feeding of an optical transmission system
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/542 the information being in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Embodiments include distribution in optical fiber-based distributed communications systems configured to provide digital data services and radio frequency (RF) communications services, and related components and methods. Embodiments disclosed include units that can be provided in optical fiber-based distributed communications systems that are configured to support RF communication services and digital data services. The units may also be configured to support providing distribution of power.

Claims

1. A distribution unit for an optical-fiber based distributed communications system, comprising:

at least one digital data services input configured to receive electrical digital data signals;

at least one downlink digital data services output configured to distribute downlink digital data signals representing the electrical digital data signals over at least one downlink digital data services line to at least one remote antenna unit (RAU);

at least one uplink digital data services output configured to distribute uplink digital data signals representing the electrical digital data signals over at least one uplink digital data services line from the at least one RAU;

at least one radio frequency (RF) communications services input configured to receive optical RF communications signals;

at least one RF communications services output configured to distribute the optical RF communications signals over at least one RF communications services optical fiber to the at least one RAU; and

at least one power output configured to distribute power over at least one power line to the at least one RAU.

2. The distribution unit of claim 1 provided as an interconnect unit (ICU).

3. The distribution unit of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one downlink digital data services line is comprised of at least one downlink digital data services optical fiber; and

the at least one uplink digital data services line is comprised of at least one uplink digital data services optical fiber.

4. The distribution unit of claim 1, wherein the at least one downlink digital data services output is configured to distribute downlink optical digital data signals over at least one downlink digital data services optical fiber to at least one RAU.

5. The distribution unit of claim 1, wherein the at least one uplink digital data services output is configured to distribute uplink optical digital data signals over at least one uplink digital data services optical fiber to at least one RAU.

6. The distribution unit of claim 1, wherein the at least one RF communications services output is comprised of at least one downlink RF communications services output configured to distribute downlink optical digital signals over at least one RF communications services downlink optical fiber to at least one RAU.

7. The distribution unit of claim 1, wherein the at least one RF communications services output is comprised of at least one uplink RF communications services output configured to distribute uplink optical digital signals over at least one uplink RF communications services optical fiber from the at least RAU.

8. The distribution unit of claim 1, wherein the at least downlink one digital data services line, the at least one uplink digital data services line, and the at least one RF communications services optical fiber are disposed in an array cable connected to the least one RAU.

9. The distribution unit of claim 1 disposed in a housing.

10. The distribution unit of claim 9, wherein the housing is comprised of a wall-mount housing.

11. The distribution unit of claim 1, further comprising at least one media controller configured to convert the electrical digital data signals from the at least one digital data services input into optical digital data signals.

12. The distribution unit of claim 11, wherein the at least one downlink digital data services output is configured to distribute the optical digital data signals over the at least one downlink digital data services line to at least one RAU.

13. The distribution unit of claim 11, wherein the at least one uplink digital data services output is configured to distribute the optical digital data signals over the at least one digital data services line to at least one RAU.

14. The distribution unit of claim 1, wherein the at least one downlink digital data services line, the at least one uplink digital data services line, the at least one RF communications services optical fiber, and the at least one power line are disposed in an array cable connected to the least one RAU.

15. The distribution unit of claim 1, wherein the at least one digital data services input, the at least one downlink digital data services output, the at least one uplink digital data services output, the at least one RF communications services input, and the at least one RF communications services output are provided in at least one distribution module.

16. The distribution unit of claim 15, wherein the at least one distribution module is configured to be installed in a housing.

17. The distribution unit of claim 15, further comprising at least one power supply configured to provide power to the at least one power output.

18. The distribution unit of claim 17, wherein the at least one power output is not co-located with the at least one distribution module.

19. The distribution unit of claim 15, further comprising a power supply not co-located with the at least one distribution module configured to provide power to the at least one power output in of the at least one distribution module.

20. The distribution unit of claim 15, wherein the at least one RF communications services input is not co-located with the at least one distribution module.

21. The distribution unit of claim 15, wherein the at least one digital data services input is not co-located with the at least one distribution module.

22. The distribution unit of claim 15, wherein the at least one distribution module is comprised of a plurality of distribution modules, each of the plurality of distribution modules including at least one digital data services input, at least one downlink digital data services output, at least one uplink digital data services output, at least one RF communications services input, and at least one RF communications services output.

23. The distribution unit of claim 22, further comprising a power supply in each of the plurality of distribution modules configured to provide power to the at least one power output in each of the plurality of distribution modules.

24. The distribution unit of claim 16, wherein the at least one distribution module is configured to be modularly installed in the housing.

25. The distribution unit of claim 1, wherein the at least one downlink digital data services line, the at least one uplink digital data services line, and the at least one RF communications services optical fiber are separate physical lines.

26. An optical-fiber based distributed communications system, comprising:

head-end equipment configured to;

receive downlink electrical radio frequency (RF) communications services signals; and

convert the downlink electrical RF communications services signals into downlink optical RF communications services signals to be communicated over at least one optical RF communications services downlink;

a controller configured to;

receive downlink digital data services signals containing at least one digital data service; and

provide the downlink digital data services signals over at least one digital data services downlink; and

a distribution unit, comprising;

at least one RF communications services input configured to receive the downlink optical RF communications services signals from the at least one downlink RF communications services downlink; and

at least one RF communications services output configured to distribute the downlink optical RF communications services signals over at least one RF communications services optical fiber to at least one remote antenna unit (RAU);

at least one digital data services input configured to receive the downlink digital data services signals from the at least one digital data services downlink;

at least one digital data services output configured to distribute the downlink digital data services signals over at least one digital data services line to the at least one RAU; and

at least one power output configured to distribute power over at least one power line to the at least one RAU.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein

the at least one RF communications services input is further configured to distribute uplink optical RF communications services signals from the at least one RAU over at least one uplink RF communication services uplink to head-end equipment;

and

the at least one digital data services input is further configured to distribute uplink digital data services signals from the at least one RAU over at least one digital data services uplink to the controller.

28. The system of claim 27, further comprising:

head-end equipment configured to;

receive the uplink optical RF communications services signals from the at least one RF communications services input;

convert the uplink optical RF communications services signals into uplink electrical RF communications services signals; and

wherein the controller is further configured to;

receive the uplink digital data services signals from the at least one digital data services input; and

provide the uplink digital data services signals over a digital data services network.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the at least one digital data services downlink is comprised of at least one digital data services downlink optical fiber.

30. The system of claim 26, wherein the downlink digital data services signals are comprised of downlink electrical digital data services signals, and further comprising at least one media controller configured to convert the downlink electrical digital data services signals from the digital data services input into downlink optical digital data services signals.

31. The system of claim 26, wherein the at least one digital data services input, the at least one digital data services output, the at least one RF communications services input, and the at least one RF communications services output are provided in at least one distribution module.

32. The system of claim 31, further comprising at least one power supply configured to provide power to the at least one power output.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the at least one power output is not co-located with the at least one distribution module.

34. The system of claim 31, further comprising a power supply not co-located with the at least one distribution module configured to provide power to the at least one power output in of the at least one distribution module.

35. The system of claim 31, wherein the at least one RF communications services input is not co-located with the at least one distribution module.

36. The system of claim 31, wherein the at least one digital data services input is not co-located with the at least one distribution module.

37. The system of claim 31, wherein the at least one distribution module is comprised of a plurality of distribution modules, each of the plurality of distribution modules including at least one digital data services input, at least one digital data services output, at least one RF communications services input, and at least one RF communications services output.

38. The system of claim 37, further comprising a power supply in each of the plurality of distribution modules configured to provide power to the at least one power output in each of the plurality of distribution modules.

39. The system of claim 26, wherein the at least one RF communications services optical fiber and the at least one digital data services line are separate physical lines.