Modular wireless communications platform

• US 9,941,921 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2017
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wala, Philip M., Koziy, Robert J., Zavadsky, Dean
• Primary Examiner(s): Lai, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Henson, Jamaal R
• Application Number:
  US15/444,134
• Publication Number:
  US 20170170864A1
• Time in Patent Office: 407 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/18 Input circuits, e.g. for coupling to an antenna or a transmission line coupling networks between antennas or lines and receivers independent of the nature of the receiver H03H
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

A modular wireless communications platform is provided. The modular wireless communications platform has a modular host unit and a modular remote unit in communication with the modular host unit. The modular host unit and remote unit include a serial radio frequency communicator configured to convert serial digital data into RF sampled data and configured to convert RF sampled data into serial digital data. The modular host unit and remote unit also include an interface coupled to the serial radio frequency communicator and configured to allow transfer of the RF sampled data from the serial radio frequency communicator to a digital to analog radio frequency transceiver module.

Claims

1. A distributed antenna system, comprising:

a host unit that includes;

at least one of;

a baseband processor configured to receive Internet Protocol (IP) data from an IP gateway, wherein the baseband processor is configured to perform baseband processing to place the IP data onto a channel, wherein the baseband processor is configured to convert between IP data and baseband, digital data;

or

an interface configured to receive baseband, digital data from a base station;

an radio frequency (RF) module coupled to a base station and configured to convert between RF signals configured for communication over an antenna and RF sampled data; and

a serializer/deserializer configured to convert between the baseband, digital data and one or more serial data streams, wherein the serializer/deserializer is further configured to convert between the RF sampled data and one or more second serial data streams;

a remote unit, coupled to the host unit over a communication medium, the remote unit including;

a serializer/deserializer, coupled to the communication medium, the serializer/deserializer configured to convert between the one or more serial data streams and RF sampled data wherein the serializer/deserializer further configured to convert between the one or more second serial data streams and RF sampled data;

an RF module, coupled to the serializer/deserializer, the RF module configured to convert between the RF sampled data and an RF signal; and

an antenna coupled to the RF module.

2. The distributed antenna system of claim 1, wherein the baseband, digital data corresponds to open base station architecture (OBSAI) protocol data or common public radio interface (CPRI) protocol data.

3. The distributed antenna system of claim 1, wherein the host unit further includes a multiplex module configured to multiplex the one or more serial data streams and the one or more second serial data streams for concurrent communication over the communication medium;

and

wherein the remote unit further includes a multiplex module configured to demultiplex the one or more serial data streams and the one or more second serial data streams.

4. The distributed antenna system of claim 1, wherein the host unit includes both the baseband processor and the interface.

5. The distributed antenna system of claim 1, wherein the host unit includes the baseband processor and does not include the interface.

6. The distributed antenna system of claim 1, wherein the host unit includes the interface and does not include the baseband processor.

7. A host unit of a distributed antenna system comprising:

at least one of;

a baseband processor configured to receive Internet Protocol (IP) data from an IP gateway, wherein the baseband processor is configured to perform baseband processing to place the IP data onto a channel, wherein the baseband processor is configured to convert between IP data and baseband, digital data;

or

an interface configured to communicate baseband, digital data with a base station;

an radio frequency (RF) module configured to communicate with a base station using RF signals configured for communication over an antenna, the RF module configured to convert between the RF signals configured for communication over an antenna and RF sampled data;

a serial interface configured to convert between the RF sampled data and first serial data, wherein the serial interface is further configured to convert between the baseband, digital data and second serial data;

wherein the host unit is configured to provide the first serial data and the second serial data to a communication medium for transmission to a remote unit of the distributed antenna system.

8. The host unit of claim 7, wherein the baseband, digital data complies with the open base station architecture (OBSAI) protocol or common public radio interface (CPRI) protocol.

9. The host unit of claim 7, wherein the host unit comprises both the baseband processor and the interface.

10. The host unit of claim 7, wherein the host unit includes the baseband processor and does not include the interface.

11. The host unit of claim 7, wherein the host unit includes the interface and does not include the baseband processor.

12. A method for radio frequency (RF) communications in a distributed antenna system, the method comprising:

receiving RF signals at a remote unit of the distributed antenna system from one or more mobile devices;

converting one or more of the received RF signals into one or more baseband, digital signals;

generating one or more serial data streams from the one or more baseband, digital signals;

transmitting the one or more serial data streams to a host unit of the distributed antenna system over a communication medium;

converting the one or more serial data streams to one or more baseband, digital signals at the host unit;

wherein the method further comprises at least one of;

generating Internet Protocol (IP) data from at least some of the one or more baseband, digital signals using baseband processing at the host unit;

or

transmitting at least some of the one or more baseband, digital signals from the host unit to a base station.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

converting one or more of the received RF signals into digital RF sampled data;

generating one or more second serial data streams from the digital RF sampled data;

transmitting the one or more second serial data streams to the host unit over the communication medium;

converting the one or more second serial data streams to one or more RF signals at the host unit; and

transmitting the one or more RF signals to a base station.

14. The method of claim 12, the method further comprising:

multiplexing the one or more serial data streams and the one or more second serial data streams at the remote unit for concurrent communication over the communication medium; and

demultiplexing the one or more serial data streams and the one or more second serial data streams at the host unit.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the method comprises both generating IP data from the one or more baseband, digital signals using baseband processing at the host unit and transmitting at least some of the one or more baseband, digital signals from the host unit to a base station.

16. A remote unit of a distributed antenna system, the remote unit comprising:

an interface configured to receive radio frequency (RF) signals from one or more mobile devices and convert one or more of the RF signals to baseband, digital data;

a baseband processor configured to convert between the baseband, digital data and Internet Protocol (IP) data;

a serial interface configured to convert between the IP data and one or more serial data streams, wherein the serial interface is configured to transmit the one or more serial data streams to a host unit over a communication medium.

17. The remote unit of claim 16, wherein the interface includes a first RF module configured to communicate with mobile devices using a first frequency band and a second RF module configured to communicate with mobile devices using a second frequency band.

18. The remote unit of claim 16, wherein the interface is further configured to convert one or more of the RF signals to sampled RF data, wherein the serial interface is further configured to convert between the sampled RF data and one or more second serial data streams, wherein the serial interface is further configured to transmit the one or more second serial data streams to the host unit over the communication medium.

19. The remote unit of claim 16, wherein the one or more serial data streams includes a plurality of serial data streams, wherein the remote unit further comprises a multiplex module configured to multiplex the plurality of serial data streams for concurrent communication over the communication medium.

20. A distributed antenna system, comprising:

a remote unit that includes;

an interface configured to receive radio frequency (RF) signals from one or more mobile devices, wherein the interface is configured to convert one or more of the received RF signals to one or more baseband, digital data;

a baseband processor configured to convert between at least some of the baseband, digital data and Internet Protocol (IP) data; and

a serial interface configured to convert between the IP data and one or more serial data streams; and

a host unit, coupled to the remote unit over a communication medium, wherein the host unit is configured to convert the one or more serial data streams to IP data and communicate the IP data to an IP gateway.

21. The distributed antenna system of claim 20, wherein the interface is further configured to convert one or more of the received RF signals to digital RF sampled data, wherein the serial interface is further configured to convert between the digital RF sampled data and one or more second serial data streams, wherein the host unit is further configured to convert the one or more second serial data streams to one or more RF signals and communicate the one or more RF signals to a base station.

22. The distributed antenna system of claim 21, wherein the remote unit further includes a multiplex module configured to multiplex the one or more serial data streams and the one or more second serial data streams for concurrent communication over the communication medium;

and

wherein the host unit further includes a multiplex module configured to demultiplex the one or more serial data streams and the one or more second serial data streams.

23. The distributed antenna system of claim 20, wherein the serial interface is further configured to convert between at least some of the baseband, digital data and one or more second serial data streams, wherein the host unit is configured to convert the one or more second serial data streams to baseband, digital signals,

wherein the host unit is further configured to at least one of:

generate IP data from at least some of the one or more baseband, digital signals using baseband processing at the host unit;

or

transmit at least some of the one or more baseband, digital signals from the host unit to a base station.

24. The distributed antenna system of claim 20, wherein the baseband, digital signals comprise open base station architecture (OBSAI) protocol signals or common public radio interface (CPRI) protocol signals.

25. A method for radio frequency (RF) communications in a distributed antenna system, the method comprising:

receiving RF signals at a remote unit of the distributed antenna system from one or more mobile devices;

converting one or more of the received RF signals into baseband, digital data;

generating Internet Protocol (IP) data from at least some of the baseband, digital data using baseband processing at the remote unit;

generating one or more serial data streams from the IP data;

transmitting the one or more serial data streams to a host unit of the distributed antenna system over a communication medium;

converting the one or more serial data streams to IP data at the host unit; and

transmitting IP data from the host unit to an IP gateway.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

converting one or more of the received RF signals to digital RF sampled data;

generating one or more second serial data streams from the digital RF sampled data;

transmitting the one or more second serial data streams to the host unit over the communication medium;

converting the one or more second serial data streams to RF signals at the host unit; and

transmitting the RF signals from the host unit to a base station.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

multiplexing the one or more serial data streams and the one or more second serial data streams at the remote unit for concurrent communication over the communication medium; and

demultiplexing the one or more serial data streams and the one or more second serial data streams at the host unit.

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

generating one or more second serial data streams from at least some of the baseband, digital data;

transmitting the one or more second serial data streams to the host unit over the communication medium;

converting the one or more second serial data streams to one or more baseband, digitals signals at the host unit;

wherein the method further comprises at least one of;

generating Internet Protocol (IP) data from at least some of the one or more baseband, digital signals using baseband processing at the host unit;

or

transmitting at least some of the one or more baseband, digital signals from the host unit to a base station.

29. The distributed antenna system of claim 28, wherein the baseband, digital signals comprise open base station architecture (OBSAI) protocol signals or common public radio interface (CPRI) protocol signals.