Optimizing remote antenna unit performance using an alternative data channel

• US 10,009,094 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2017
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Optical Communications LLC (Corning Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Corning Optical Communications Wireless Ltd. (Corning Incorporated)
• Inventors: Malach, Adi
• Primary Examiner(s): MITCHELL, NATHAN A
• Application Number:
  US15/590,216
• Publication Number:
  US 20170244475A1
• Time in Patent Office: 413 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2609 Arrangements for range control, e.g. by using remote antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/20 using signal quality detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0057 Physical resource allocation for CQI
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0238 where the received signal is an unwanted signal, e.g. interference or idle signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method and system for monitoring and optimizing a network may include configuring a remote antenna unit with a first transceiver for uplinking and downlinking a signal of a cellular service and with a second transceiver for uplinking and downlinking of the signal of at least one of a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi or Zigbee service. Performance data is collected from at least one user equipment configured for connecting to the remote antenna unit. The collected performance data is routed to a performance data collector configured to aggregate the performance data. The aggregated performance data is correlated. The network is optimized based on the correlated performance data.

Claims

1. A network optimization system comprising:

a plurality of remote units, each configured to receive optical communications from at least one of a plurality of optical conductors, and each comprising at least one transceiver configured for uplinking and downlinking a signal of a cellular service, and for uplinking and downlinking a signal of at least one of a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi or Zigbee service;

a router configured to route performance data collected from at least one user equipment configured for wirelessly connecting to the remote units, wherein the user equipment is configured to execute an instance of a data service configured to collect data on a performance of the network;

a performance data collector configured to aggregate the collected performance data; and

an optimizer controller configured to correlate the aggregated performance data to determine adjustments to the remote units based on the correlated performance data, wherein

each remote unit is configured to receive the performance data from the at least one user equipment and transmit the performance data using the transceiver over a management channel configured to monitor or control at least one cellular service.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the performance data is transmitted using at least one of a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi or Zigbee service, but is transmitted over at least one optical fiber cable that is also configured to transmit signals for at least one cellular service.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the performance data is accumulated and averaged over a period of time, and is mapped in real time as a heat map configured for use in optimizing a network.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the optimizer controller is configured to instruct the remote units to increase or decrease signal strength.

5. A network optimization system comprising:

a plurality of remote units, each configured to receive optical communications from at least one of a plurality of optical conductors, and each comprising at least one transceiver configured for uplinking and downlinking a signal of a cellular service, and for uplinking and downlinking a signal of at least one of a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi or Zigbee service;

a router configured to route performance data collected from at least one user equipment configured for connecting to the remote units, where the user equipment is configured to execute an instance of a data service configured to collect data on a performance of the network;

a performance data collector configured to aggregate the collected performance data; and

an optimizer controller configured to correlate the aggregated performance data to determine adjustments to the remote units based on the correlated performance data, and to perform optimization activities.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the optimization activities include instructing the remote units to change power level in order to increase or decrease signal strength.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the plurality of remote units includes a first and a second remote unit, and the optimization activities comprise instructing the router to change a routing to the at least one user equipment from the first remote unit to the second remote unit.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein each remote unit further comprises:

a first antenna configured for transmitting and receiving cellular signals; and

a second antenna configured for transmitting and receiving at least one of a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi or Zigbee signal.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the performance data is accumulated and averaged over a period of time, and is mapped in real time as a heat map configured for use in optimizing a network.

10. A network optimization system comprising:

a plurality of remote units, each configured to receive optical communications, and each comprising;

at least one transceiver configured for uplinking and downlinking a signal of a cellular service, and for uplinking and downlinking a signal of at least one of a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi or Zigbee service;

a first antenna configured for transmitting and receiving cellular signals; and

a second antenna configured for transmitting and receiving at least one of a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi or Zigbee signal;

a router configured to route performance data collected from at least one user equipment configured for connecting to the remote units, where the user equipment is configured to execute an instance of a data service configured to collect data on a performance of the network;

a performance data collector configured to aggregate the collected performance data; and

an optimizer controller configured to correlate the aggregated performance data to determine adjustments to the remote units based on the correlated performance data.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein each remote unit is configured to receive the performance data from the at least one user equipment and transmit the performance data using its respective at least one transceiver.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the performance data is transmitted over a management channel configured to monitor or control at least one cellular service, wherein the performance data is transmitted using at least one of a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi or Zigbee service but is transmitted over at least one optical fiber cable that is also configured to transmit signals for at least one cellular service.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the performance data is accumulated and averaged over a period of time, and is mapped in real time as a heat map configured for use in optimizing a network.

14. A network optimization system comprising:

an optical fiber infrastructure;

a plurality of remote units, each configured to receive optical communications over the optical fiber infrastructure, and each comprising;

at least one transceiver configured for uplinking and downlinking a signal of a cellular service, and for uplinking and downlinking a signal of at least one of a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi or Zigbee service;

at least one antenna configured for transmitting and receiving cellular signals and for transmitting and receiving at least one of a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi or Zigbee signal;

a router configured to route performance data collected from at least one user equipment configured for connecting to the remote units, wherein the user equipment is configured to execute an instance of a data service configured to collect data on a performance of the network;

a performance data collector configured to aggregate the collected performance data; and

an optimizer controller configured to correlate the aggregated performance data to determine adjustments to the remote units.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein each remote unit is configured to receive the performance data from the at least one user equipment and transmit the performance data using its respective at least one transceiver.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the performance data is transmitted over a management channel configured to monitor or control at least one cellular service, wherein the performance data is transmitted using at least one of a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi or Zigbee service but is transmitted over at least one optical fiber cable that is also configured to transmit signals for at least one cellular service.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the optimizer controller is further configured for performing optimization activities including adjusting antenna signal strength and routing among the remote units.