Individualized gain control of remote uplink band paths in a remote unit in a distributed antenna system (DAS), based on combined uplink power level in the remote unit

• US 9,730,228 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2014
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Optical Communications LLC (Corning Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Corning Optical Communications Wireless Ltd. (Corning Incorporated)
• Inventors: Harel, Dror
• Primary Examiner(s): Rutkowski, Jeffrey M
• Assistant Examiner(s): TACDIRAN, ANDRE GEE
• Application Number:
  US14/473,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20160066331A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/42 in systems with time, space, frequency or polarisation diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/52 using AGC [Automatic Gain Control] circuits or amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0473 the resource being transmission power
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

Individualized gain control of remote uplink band paths in a remote unit in a distributed antenna system (DAS) based on combined uplink power level in the remote unit. The combined uplink power of a combined uplink communications signal in a remote unit is measured. If the combined uplink power level exceeds a defined uplink threshold power level for the remote unit, the gain is reduced for individual uplink band paths that provide a higher power contribution to the combined uplink power of combined uplink communications signal in the remote unit. This allows the initial uplink gain of the uplink band paths in a remote unit to be set higher to increase sensitivity, because the gain of the uplink band paths providing higher power contributions to the combined uplink power in the remote unit can be reduced, without reducing gain in other uplink band paths of the remote unit.

Claims

1. A remote gain control system for providing individualized gain control of at least one remote uplink band path in a remote unit in a distributed antenna system (DAS), comprising:

a plurality of remote uplink band power measurement circuits each coupled to a respective remote uplink band path among a plurality of remote uplink band paths each carrying at least one uplink band communications signal in the remote unit, each remote uplink band power measurement circuit among the plurality of remote uplink band power measurement circuits configured to;

measure an individual respective remote uplink band power of an uplink band communications signal in the remote uplink band path in the remote unit to generate a plurality of individual remote uplink band power measurements, the remote uplink band path located in the remote unit; and

provide an individual respective remote uplink band power measurement indicative of the measured individual respective remote uplink band power of the uplink band communications signal in the respective remote uplink band path; and

a remote combined uplink power measurement circuit coupled to a remote combined uplink path located in the remote unit carrying a combined uplink communications signal comprised of a combined plurality of the uplink band communications signals, the remote combined uplink power measurement circuit configured to;

measure a remote combined uplink power of the combined uplink communications signal in the remote combined uplink path; and

provide a remote combined uplink power measurement indicative of the measured remote combined uplink power of the combined uplink communications signal in the remote combined uplink path; and

a remote controller configured to;

(a) receive the remote combined uplink power measurement for the remote unit;

(b) receive at least one of the plurality of individual remote uplink band power measurements for each remote uplink band path of the plurality of remote uplink band paths in the remote unit; and

(c) determine if the remote combined uplink power measurement is greater than a remote combined uplink threshold power level for the remote unit;

(d) if the remote combined uplink power measurement is greater than the remote combined uplink threshold power level for the remote unit;

identify high power remote uplink band paths among the plurality of remote uplink band paths; and

direct a remote uplink band gain control circuit for at least one remote uplink band path identified as a high power remote uplink band path, to reduce an uplink band gain of the respective remote uplink band path by a defined remote uplink band gain level.

2. The remote gain control system of claim 1, wherein the remote controller is configured to identify as the high power remote uplink band paths, at least one remote uplink band path among the plurality of remote uplink band paths that has an individual remote uplink band power measurement above a remote uplink band threshold power level.

3. The remote gain control system of claim 1, wherein the remote controller is further configured to:

determine if the remote combined uplink power measurement is less than the remote combined uplink threshold power level for the remote unit; and

if the remote combined uplink power measurement is less than the remote combined uplink threshold power level for the remote unit, direct the remote uplink band gain control circuit for each remote uplink band path not identified as a high power remote uplink band path, to increase the uplink band gain of the respective remote uplink band path by the defined remote uplink band gain level.

4. The remote gain control system of claim 3, wherein the defined remote uplink band gain level is in steps lower than approximately 20 dB.

5. The remote gain control system of claim 4, wherein the remote controller is configured to determine if the remote combined uplink power measurement is less than the remote combined uplink threshold power level for the remote unit within a defined combined uplink power level tolerance.

6. The remote gain control system of claim 1, wherein the remote controller is further configured to set the uplink band gain of the plurality of remote uplink band paths to an initial remote uplink band gain level before performing tasks (a)-(d).

7. The remote gain control system of claim 6, wherein the initial remote uplink band gain level is comprised of a maximum remote uplink band gain level.

8. The remote gain control system of claim 7, wherein the maximum remote uplink band gain level is approximately 10 dB up to 30 dB.

9. The remote gain control system of claim 7, wherein the remote controller is further configured to:

determine if the remote combined uplink power measurement is less than the remote combined uplink threshold power level for the remote unit;

if the remote combined uplink power measurement is less than the remote combined uplink threshold power level for the remote unit;

determine if any remote uplink band path gains of the plurality of remote uplink band paths exceed the maximum remote uplink band gain level; and

for each remote uplink band path gain among the plurality of remote uplink band paths that does not exceed the maximum remote uplink band gain level, direct the remote uplink band gain control circuit for each remote uplink band path not identified as a high power remote uplink band path, to increase the uplink band gain of the respective remote uplink band path by a defined remote uplink band gain level.

10. The remote gain control system of claim 1, further comprising the remote controller repeatedly performing tasks (a)-(d).

11. The remote gain control system of claim 1, wherein the remote combined uplink power measurement circuit comprises a remote combined uplink power detector configured to measure the remote combined uplink power of the combined uplink communications signal.

12. The remote gain control system of claim 1, further comprising the remote uplink band gain control circuit disposed in each remote uplink band path among the plurality of remote uplink band paths in the remote unit.

13. The remote gain control system of claim 12, wherein the remote combined uplink band power measurement circuit and the remote uplink band gain control circuit are provided in a remote uplink gain control system.

14. The remote gain control system of claim 12, wherein the remote uplink band gain control circuit disposed in each remote uplink band path among the plurality of remote uplink band paths comprises a remote uplink band automatic level control (ALC) circuit further configured to limit a remote uplink band power level of the remote uplink band path based on the remote uplink gain adjustment signal.

15. The remote gain control system of claim 12, wherein the remote uplink band gain control circuit comprises a remote uplink band automatic gain control (AGC) circuit configured to adjust the remote uplink band gain of the remote uplink band path based on the remote uplink band gain adjustment signal.

16. A method of providing individualized gain control of uplink paths in one or more remote units in a distributed antenna system (DAS) based on individual remote unit contribution to a combined uplink power, comprising:

measuring an individual respective remote uplink band power of each of a plurality of uplink band communications signals in a corresponding plurality of remote uplink band paths in at least one remote unit of the one or more remote units to generate a plurality of individual remote uplink band power measurements;

providing the plurality of individual remote uplink band power measurements corresponding to each remote uplink band path among the plurality of remote uplink band paths indicative of the measured remote uplink band power of at least one uplink band communications signal in the corresponding remote uplink band path;

measuring a remote combined uplink power of a combined uplink communications signal comprised of the plurality of uplink band communications signals in a remote combined uplink path located in the at least one remote unit;

providing a remote combined uplink power measurement indicative of the measured remote combined uplink power of the combined uplink communications signal in the remote combined uplink path;

determining if the remote combined uplink power measurement is greater than a remote combined uplink threshold power level for the at least one remote unit; and

if the remote combined uplink power measurement is greater than the remote combined uplink threshold power level for the at least one remote unit;

identifying high power remote uplink band paths among the plurality of remote uplink band paths; and

for at least one remote uplink band path identified as a high power remote uplink band path, reducing an uplink band gain of the respective remote uplink band path by a defined remote uplink band gain level.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising identifying as the high power remote uplink band paths, at least one remote uplink band path among the plurality of remote uplink band paths that has an individual remote uplink band power measurement above a remote uplink band threshold power level.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining if the remote combined uplink power measurement is less than the remote combined uplink threshold power level for the at least one remote unit; and

if the remote combined uplink power measurement is less than the remote combined uplink threshold power level for the at least one remote unit, for each remote uplink band path not identified as a high power remote uplink band path, increasing the uplink band gain of the respective remote uplink band path by the defined remote uplink band gain level.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising determining if the remote combined uplink power measurement is less than the remote combined uplink threshold power level for the at least one remote unit within a defined combined uplink power level tolerance.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising setting the uplink band gain of the plurality of remote uplink band paths to a maximum remote uplink band gain level.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

determining if the remote combined uplink power measurement is less than the remote combined uplink threshold power level for the at least one remote unit;

if the remote combined uplink power measurement is less than the remote combined uplink threshold power level for the at least one remote unit;

determining if any remote uplink band path gains of the plurality of remote uplink band paths exceed the maximum remote uplink band gain level; and

for each remote uplink band path gain among the plurality of remote uplink band paths that does not exceed the maximum remote uplink band gain level, for each remote uplink band path not identified as a high power remote uplink band path, increasing the uplink band gain of the respective remote uplink band path by a defined remote uplink band gain level.