Network termination and methods for use therewith

• US 10,560,943 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2018
• Issued: 02/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bennett, Robert, Henry, Paul Shala, Gerszberg, Irwin, Barzegar, Farhad, Barnickel, Donald J., Willis, III, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Burd, Kevin M
• Application Number:
  US16/168,115
• Publication Number:
  US 20190059088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 476 Days
• Field of Search: 375256
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00007 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/52 Systems for transmission between fixed stations via waveguides
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/022 Site diversity; Macro-diversity using two or more spaced independent antennas H04B7/04
• 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: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0421 Circuit arrangements therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/121 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a repeater device having a first coupler to extract downstream channel signals from first guided electromagnetic waves bound to a transmission medium of a guided wave communication system. An amplifier amplifies the downstream channel signals to generate amplified downstream channel signals. A channel selection filter selects one or more of the amplified downstream channel signals to wirelessly transmit to the at least one client device via an antenna. A second coupler guides the amplified downstream channel signals to the transmission medium of the guided wave communication system to propagate as second guided electromagnetic waves. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A network termination comprising:

a first interface configured to receive first data from a communication network and to send second data to the communication network;

a channel modulator configured to modulate, by a first physical layer processing, the first data into first channel signals, the first physical layer processing formatting the first channel signals in accordance with a wireless standard communication protocol that is compatible with direct wireless connectivity to wireless devices via antennas of a distributed antenna system without requiring either an analog to digital conversion or a digital to analog conversion by a plurality of repeaters of the distributed antenna system, the formatting of the first channel signals further corresponding to first frequency channels of a guided wave communication system enabling the plurality of repeaters of the distributed antenna system to receive and repeat the first channel signals in a spectral segment of the distributed antenna system via a reference signal that reduces a phase error in conversion of the first channel signals from the spectral segment to the first frequency channels;

a second interface, coupled to a fiber optic link, configured to send the first channel signals formatted in accordance with the wireless standard communication protocol over the fiber optic link to the guided wave communication system and to receive second channel signals formatted in accordance with the wireless standard communication protocol via the fiber optic link, the second channel signals corresponding to second frequency channels from the guided wave communication system conveyed via a second guided electromagnetic wave; and

a channel demodulator configured to demodulate, by a second physical layer processing, the second channel signals in accordance with the wireless standard communication protocol into the second data.

2. The network termination of claim 1, wherein the channel modulator modulates the first channel signals to convey selected ones of the first channel signals to each of the plurality of repeaters to facilitate wireless transmissions to the wireless devices via the antennas of the distributed antenna system and wherein the plurality of repeaters each further generates selected ones of the second channel signals from wireless receptions from the wireless devices via the antennas of the distributed antenna system.

3. The network termination of claim 2, wherein the guided wave communication system includes a transmission medium that propagates a first guided electromagnetic wave without requiring an electrical return path and wherein the transmission medium includes a dielectric core surrounded by a cladding and the first guided electromagnetic wave is bound to the dielectric core.

4. The network termination of claim 3, wherein the first guided electromagnetic wave propagates along the transmission medium with a first portion of the first guided electromagnetic wave propagating within the dielectric core and a second portion of the first guided electromagnetic wave propagating inside the cladding.

5. The network termination of claim 3, wherein the transmission medium further includes a jacket that surrounds the cladding.

6. The network termination of claim 1, wherein a first subset of the first channel signals is modulated in accordance with a first standard protocol and a second subset of the first channel signals is modulated in accordance with a second standard protocol that differs from the first standard protocol.

7. The network termination of claim 1, wherein a first subset of the second channel signals is demodulated in accordance with a first standard protocol and a second subset of the second channel signals is demodulated in accordance with a second standard protocol that differs from the first standard protocol.

8. The network termination of claim 1, wherein the second interface is further configured to send a control channel over the fiber optic link to the distributed antenna system wherein the control channel includes instructions to at least one client node device of the distributed antenna system to dynamically select one or more of the first channel signals for wireless transmission to at least one client device via the antenna.

9. The network termination of claim 8, wherein the reference signal is transmitted at an out of band frequency relative to the control channel.

10. The network termination of claim 8, wherein the reference signal is transmitted at an in band frequency relative to the control channel.

11. The network termination of claim 8, wherein the control channel is transmitted via an ultra-wideband signaling.

12. The network termination of claim 8, wherein the control channel is one of a plurality of control channels.

13. A method comprising:

receiving first data from a communication network;

modulating, by a first physical layer processing, the first data into first channel signals, the first physical layer processing formatting the first channel signals in accordance with a wireless standard communication protocol that is compatible with direct wireless connectivity to wireless devices via antennas of a distributed antenna system without requiring either an analog to digital conversion or a digital to analog conversion by a plurality of repeaters of the distributed antenna system, the formatting of the first channel signals further corresponding to first frequency channels of a guided wave communication system enabling the plurality of repeaters of the distributed antenna system to receive and repeat the first channel signals in a spectral segment of the distributed antenna system via a reference signal that reduces a phase error in conversion of the first channel signals from the spectral segment to the first frequency channels;

sending the first channel signals formatted in accordance with the wireless standard communication protocol to the guided wave communication system via a wired connection;

receiving second channel signals formatted in accordance with the wireless standard communication protocol over the wired connection from the guided wave communication system via a second guided electromagnetic wave;

demodulating, by a second physical layer processing, the second channel signals in accordance with the wireless standard communication protocol into second data; and

sending the second data to the communication network.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the guided wave communication system includes a transmission medium that propagates a first guided electromagnetic wave without requiring an electrical return path and wherein the transmission medium includes a dielectric core surrounded by a cladding and the first guided electromagnetic wave is guided by the dielectric core.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first guided electromagnetic wave propagates along the transmission medium with a first portion of the first guided electromagnetic wave propagating within the dielectric core and a second portion of the first guided electromagnetic wave propagating inside the cladding.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the transmission medium further includes a jacket that surrounds the cladding.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein a first subset of the first channel signals is modulated in accordance with a first standard protocol and a second subset of the first channel signals is modulated in accordance with a second standard protocol that differs from the first standard protocol.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein at least a portion of the second channel signals and at least a portion of the first channel signals are formatted in accordance with a data over cable system interface specification protocol or a fifth generation (5G) mobile wireless protocol.

19. A network termination comprising:

a channel modulator configured to modulate, by a first physical layer processing, first data into first channel signals, the first physical layer processing formatting the first channel signals in accordance with a wireless standard communication protocol that is compatible with direct wireless connectivity to wireless devices via antennas of a distributed antenna system without requiring either an analog to digital conversion or a digital to analog conversion by a plurality of repeaters of the distributed antenna system, the formatting of the first channel signals further corresponding to first frequency channels of a guided wave communication system enabling the plurality of repeaters of the distributed antenna system to receive and repeat the first channel signals in a spectral segment of the distributed antenna system via a reference signal that reduces a phase error in conversion of the first channel signals from the spectral segment to the first frequency channels;

an interface, coupled to a fiber optic link, configured to send, via the fiber optic link, the first channel signals formatted in accordance with the wireless standard communication protocol to the guided wave communication system for transmission to a plurality of wireless devices via the distributed antenna system and to receive second channel signals formatted in accordance with the wireless standard communication protocol from the plurality of wireless devices via the distributed antenna system; and

a channel demodulator configured to demodulate, by a second physical layer processing, the second channel signals in accordance with the wireless standard communication protocol into second data.

20. The network termination of claim 19, wherein the guided wave communication system includes a transmission medium that propagates a guided electromagnetic wave without requiring an electrical return path and wherein the transmission medium includes a dielectric core surrounded by a cladding and a jacket and the guided electromagnetic wave is guided by the dielectric core.