Wireless network cable assembly

• US 9,893,812 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2016
• Issued: 02/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OFS Fitel LLC (Furukawa Electric Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: OFS Fitel LLC (Furukawa Electric Company Limited)
• Inventors: Boxer, Mark A, George, John E
• Primary Examiner(s): WANG, TED M
• Application Number:
  US15/082,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20170126321A1
• Time in Patent Office: 687 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/25753 Distribution optical network, e.g. between a base station and a plurality of remote units
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

An optical fiber-based cable is formed to include pre-manufactured wireless access nodes included at spaced-apart locations along a length of the optical fiber cable. Each wireless access node is formed to include an antenna, a wireless radio transceiver, and an optical transceiver. The cable is formed to include a plurality of optical transmission fibers, as well as a plurality of separate electrical power conductors. An optical fiber is terminated at the optical transceiver within the wireless node, and a power conductor from the cable terminates at the node and is used to energize both the wireless transceiver and the optical transceiver. The antenna is preferably formed as a sheathing member around at least a portion of components forming the node. Upon deployment, the wireless node portion of the cable is able to provide communication between the cable and wireless devices in its vicinity.

Claims

1. An optical fiber communication cable comprising:

a plurality of optical fibers disposed in an axial direction along a signal path, the plurality of optical fibers including a set of optical fibers for supporting downstream communication with a set of access nodes and a fronthaul communication fiber for supporting upstream optical communication from the set of access nodes;

a plurality of electrical power conductors disposed in the axial direction along the signal path; and

at least one embedded wireless access node disposed at a predetermined location along the signal path, the at least one embedded wireless access node functioning as a downstrearn access node termination for an optical fiber from the set of optical fibers, with a power conductor from the plurality of electrical power conductors coupled to the wireless access node for providing electrical power thereto, the embedded wireless node comprising

an antenna;

a wireless radio transceiver coupled to the antenna and powered by the coupled electrical power conductor, the wireless radio transceiver providing bidirectional communication with wireless devices within range of the antenna and converting communications between radio signals and electrical digital data signals;

an optical transceiver coupled to the associated downstream optical fiber and powered by the coupled electrical power conductor, the optical transceiver connected to the wireless radio transceiver for providing bidirectional communication with the wireless radio transceiver and converting communications between electrical digital data signals and optical digital data signals, and

an output optical fiber coupled between the optical transceiver and the fronthaul upstream communication fiber for coupling the converted optical digital data signals onto the fronthaul upstream communication fiber.

2. The optical fiber communication cable as defined in claim 1, wherein the at least one embedded wireless access node comprises a plurality of embedded wireless access nodes, disposed in a spaced-apart arrangement along a span of the optical fiber communication cable.

3. The optical fiber communication cable as defined in claim 2 wherein the spacing between adjacent wireless access nodes of the plurality of embedded wireless access nodes is essentially the same.

4. The optical fiber communication cable as defined in claim 2 wherein different spacings are used between adjacent embedded wireless access nodes of the plurality of embedded wireless access nodes, the different spacings associated with wireless devices within range of each wireless access node.

5. The optical fiber communication cable as defined in claim 2, wherein at least one group of embedded wireless access nodes is installed within the optical fiber communication cable during assembly.

6. The optical fiber communication cable as defined in claim 2, wherein at least one embedded wireless access node is installed during deployment of the optical fiber communication cable.

7. The optical fiber communication cable as defined in claim 2 wherein the optical fiber communication cable is disposed along an aerial installation for utilization with a plurality of fixed location wireless devices, the location of each embedded wireless access node based upon geographic location of the plurality of fixed location wireless devices.

8. The optical fiber communication cable as defined in claim 7 wherein one or more of the plurality of embedded wireless access nodes are configured to be attached to utility poles.

9. The optical fiber communication cable as defined in claim 7 wherein one or more of the plurality of embedded wireless access nodes are configured to be coaxial with the communication cable and disposed at locations between utility poles.

10. The optical fiber communication cable as defined in claim 2 wherein the optical fiber communication cable is disposed as an underground installation.

11. The optical fiber communication cable as defined in claim 2 wherein the optical fiber communication cable is disposed within a building as an interior wireless access network.

12. A wireless access node for utilization within an optical fiber communications cable including a set of downstream optical fiber and a single upstream fronthaul optical fiber, the wireless access node comprising

an antenna;

a wireless radio transceiver coupled to the antenna and powered by energy from a connected electrical power conductor, the wireless radio transceiver providing bidirectional communication with wireless devices within range of the antenna and converting communications between radio signals and electrical digital data signals; and

an optical transceiver coupled to a terminated downstream optical fiber and the upstream fronthaul optical fiber, the optical transceiver powered by the connected electrical power conductor and connected to the wireless radio transceiver for providing bidirectional communication with the wireless radio transceiver and converting communications between electrical digital data signals and optical digital data signals; and

an output optical fiber coupled between the optical transceiver and the fronthaul upstream communication fiber for coupling the converted optical digital data signals onto the fronthaul upstream communication fiber.

13. The wireless access node as defined in claim 12 wherein the wireless access node further comprises a hinged clam-shell housing for enclosing the antenna, the wireless radio transceiver and the optical transceiver.

14. The wireless access node as defined in claim 13 wherein the wireless radio transceiver is supported on a flexible substrate for facilitating enclosure within the hinged clam-shell housing.

15. The wireless access node as defined in claim 12, wherein the antenna comprises a multi-sector antenna.

16. The wireless access node as defined in claim 15, wherein the multi-sector antenna comprises a multi-frequency antenna.

17. The wireless access node as defined in claim 15, wherein the multi-sector antenna comprises a multi-beam antenna.

18. The wireless access node as defined in claim 12, wherein the antenna comprises a multiple-in multiple-out (MIMO) antenna.

19. The wireless access node as defined in claim 12, where the access node further comprises a power transformer coupled to the electrical power conductor and used to provide corrected power level inputs to the optical transceiver and the wireless radio transceiver for energizing both components.

20. The wireless access node as defined in claim 12, wherein the access node utilizes an optical fiber to provide lower power electrical input to the wireless radio transceiver and the optical transceiver.

21. A fiber-to-the-wireless node communication system comprising

an optical communications and power node for communicating with a backbone communication network;

a plurality of fixed-location wireless communication locations within a defined geographic area; and

a first optical fiber communication cable coupled to the optical communications and power node and distributed along the defined geographic area to communicate with the plurality of fixed-location wireless communication locations, the first optical fiber communication cable comprises

a plurality of optical fibers disposed in an axial direction along a signal path, the plurality of optical fibers including a set of optical fibers for supporting downstream communication from the optical communications and power node to a set of access nodes and a fronthaul communication fiber for supporting upstream optical communication from the set of access nodes to the optical communications and power node;

a plurality of electrical power conductors disposed in the axial direction along the signal path and receiving electrical power from the optical communications and power node; and

a plurality of embedded wireless access nodes disposed at predetermined locations along the signal path based upon the spacing of the plurality of fixed-location wireless communication locations, each embedded wireless access node functioning as a downstream access node termination for an optical fiber from the set of optical fibers, with a power conductor from the plurality of electrical power conductors coupled to the wireless access node for providing electrical power thereto, each embedded wireless node comprising

an antenna;

a wireless radio transceiver coupled to the antenna and powered by the coupled electrical power conductor, the wireless radio transceiver providing bidirectional communication with wireless devices within range of the antenna and converting communications between radio signals and electrical digital data signals;

an optical transceiver coupled to the associated downstream optical fiber and powered by the coupled electrical power conductor, the optical transceiver connected to the wireless radio transceiver for providing bidirectional communication with the wireless radio transceiver and converting communications between electrical digital data signals and optical digital data signals; and

an output optical fiber coupled between the optical transceiver and the fronthaul upstream communication fiber for coupling the converted optical digital data signals onto the fronthaul upstream communication fiber.

22. The fiber-to-the-wireless node communication system as defined in claim 21, wherein the communication system further comprises

a second optical fiber communication cable, coupled to an opposing end termination of the first optical fiber communication cable, so as to extend wireless communication to a set of fixed-location wireless communication locations, the second optical fiber communication cable comprising

a plurality of optical fibers disposed in an axial direction along a signal path, the plurality of optical fibers including a set of optical fibers for supporting downstream communication with a set of access nodes and a fronthaul communication fiber coupled to the fronthaul communication fiber of the first optical fiber communication cable;

a plurality of electrical power conductors disposed in the axial direction along the signal path and receiving electrical power from the optical communications and power node; and

a plurality of embedded wireless access nodes disposed at predetermined locations along the signal path based upon the spacing of the set of fixed-location wireless communication locations, each embedded wireless access node functioning as a downstream access node termination for an optical fiber from the set of optical fibers, with a power conductor from the plurality of electrical power conductors coupled to the wireless access node for providing electrical power thereto, each embedded wireless node comprising

an antenna;

a wireless radio transceiver coupled to the antenna and powered by the coupled electrical power conductor, the wireless radio transceiver providing bidirectional communication with wireless devices within range of the antenna and converting communications between radio signals and electrical digital data signals;

an optical transceiver coupled to the associated downstream optical fiber and powered by the coupled electrical power conductor, the optical transceiver connected to the wireless radio transceiver for providing bidirectional communication with the wireless radio transceiver and converting communications between electrical digital data signals and optical digital data signals; and

an output optical fiber coupled between the optical transceiver and the fronthaul upstream communication fiber for coupling the converted optical digital data signals onto the fronthaul upstream communication fiber.

23. The fiber-to-the-wireless node communication system as defined in claim 22 wherein the system further comprises additional optical fiber communication cables with embedded wireless access nodes concatenated in a series connection to the second optical fiber communication cable.