METHOD FOR DATA TRANSMISSION USING A LINC AMPLIFIER, A LINC AMPLIFIER, A TRANSMITTING DEVICE, A RECEIVING DEVICE, AND A COMMUNICATION NETWORK THEREFOR

• US 20120039603A1
• Filed: 04/15/2010
• Published: 02/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Wiegner, Dirk, Templ, Wolfgang
• Granted Patent: US 9,264,359 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/25752 Optical arrangements for wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/25753 Distribution optical network, e.g. between a base station and a plurality of remote units
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/25758 between a central unit and a single remote unit by means of an optical fibre
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/25759 Details of the reception of RF signal or the optical conversion before the optical fibre
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/30 of propagation channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/309 Measuring or estimating channel quality parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0045 Arrangements at the receiver end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/203 Details of error rate determination, e.g. BER, FER or WER
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0092 Error control systems characterised by the topology of the transmission link
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/115 using a dedicated packet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/32 by discarding or delaying data units, e.g. packets or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/35 by embedding flow control information in regular packets, e.g. piggybacking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/12 using signalling between network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/12 based on transmission quality or channel quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0858 : collision detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 : Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

The invention concerns a method for transmission of a data signal from a transmitting device (BS) to a receiving device (RAH1) using a LINC amplifier (LINC1, LINC2) for signal amplification, wherein the data signal is represented by two phase modulated signal components of constant amplitude in a first part of the LINC amplifier (LINC1, LINC2) located in the transmitting device (BS), at least one of the two phase modulated signal components of constant amplitude is transmitted over at least one optical connection (OF1, 0F2, 0F4) from the transmitting device (BS) to the receiving device (RAH1), and the at least one of the two phase modulated signal components of constant amplitude is converted from an optical signal into an electrical signal in at least one opto-electrical converter (OE1, 0E2) located in said receiving device (RAH1), a LINC amplifier, a transmitting device, a receiving device, and a communication network therefor.

Claims

1. A method for transmission of a data signal from a transmitting device (BS) to at least one receiving device (RAH1) using a LINC amplifier (LINC1, LINC2) for signal amplification, wherein

the data signal is represented by two phase modulated signal components of constant amplitude in a first part of the LINC amplifier (LINC1, LINC2) located in the transmitting device (BS),

at least one of the two phase modulated signal components of constant amplitude is converted from an electrical signal into an optical signal in at least one electro-optical converter (EO1, EO2) located in the transmitting device (BS),

the at least one of the two phase modulated signal components of constant amplitude is transmitted over at least one optical connection (OF1, OF2, OF4) from the transmitting device (BS) to the at least one receiving device (RAH1),

the at least one of the two phase modulated signal components of constant amplitude is converted from an optical signal into an electrical signal in at least one opto-electrical converter (OE1, OE2) located in said at least one receiving device (RAH1),

and the two phase modulated signal components of constant amplitude are amplified and combined in a second part of the LINC amplifier (LINC1, LINC2) that is located in said at least one receiving device (RAH1).

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein

said at least one of the two phase modulated signal components of constant amplitude is converted from an analogue electrical signal to a digital electrical signal in the transmitting device (BS),

said at least one of the two phase modulated signal components of constant amplitude is transmitted as a digital optical signal over the at least one optical connection (OF1, OF2, OF4)

and said at least one of the two phase modulated signal components of constant amplitude is converted from a digital electrical signal to an analogue electrical signal in the receiving device (RAH1).

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein

a radio frequency carrier signal is converted from an electrical signal into an optical radio frequency carrier signal in a further electro-optical converter (EO3, EO4) in the transmitting device (BS),

said at least one of the two phase modulated signal components of constant amplitude is added with the optical radio frequency carrier signal resulting in a combined optical signal,

the combined optical signal is converted from an optical signal into an electrical signal in an opto-electrical converter (OE1, OE2) in said at least one receiving device (RAH1)

and said at least one of the two phase modulated signal components of constant amplitude is upconverted to radio frequency domain by multiplication with the optical radio frequency carrier signal applying optical heterodyning in the opto-electrical converter (OE1, OE2).

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein

an output signal of the LINC amplifier (LINC1, LINC2) is fed back to the transmitting device (BS),

and based on said fed back output signal, the LINC amplifier (LINC1, LINC2) is controlled or linearized.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said transmitting device (BS) is a base station and said at least one receiving device (RAH1) is a remote antenna head, and said data signal is transmitted from the base station (BS) via the at least one remote antenna head (RAH1) to a user terminal (UE1).

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein data signals from the base station (BS) are transmitted via at least two remote antenna heads (RAH3, RAH4) to a user terminal (UE4) applying beamforming or multiple-input-multiple-output.

7. A method according to claim 1 herein

the two phase modulated signal components of constant amplitude are converted from electrical signals into optical signals in electro-optical converters (EO1, EO2) in the transmitting device (BS),

the two phase modulated signal components of constant amplitude are optically multiplexed in an optical multiplexer (MUX) located in the transmitting device (BS),

the two phase modulated signal components of constant amplitude are transmitted over one optical connection (OF4) from the transmitting device (BS) to an optical demultiplexer (DEMUX) located in the at east one receiving device (RAH1),

and the two phase modulated signal components of constant amplitude are optically demultiplexed in the optical demultiplexer (DEMUX).

8. A LINC amplifier (LINC1, LINC2) wherein

a first part of the a LINC amplifier (LINC1, LINC2) comprises a first signal path for a first phase modulated signal component of constant amplitude, a second signal path for a second phase modulated signal component of constant amplitude, and at least one electro-optical converter (EO1, EO2) for converting at least one of the two phase modulated signal components of constant amplitude from electrical signals into optical signals,

a second part of the LINC amplifier (LINC1, LINC2) comprises at least one opto-electrical converter (OE1, OE2) for converting at least one of the two phase modulated signal components of constant amplitude from optical signals into electrical signals, a first output stage (OS1) for amplification of the first phase modulated signal component, a second output stage (OS2) for amplification of the second phase modulated signal component, and a combiner (C) for combining the two amplified phase modulated signal components of constant amplitude,

and said first and second part of the LINC amplifier (LINC1, LINC2) are connected by at least one optical connection (OF1, OF2, OF4).

9. A LINC amplifier (LINC1, LINC2) according to claim 8, wherein said combiner (C) is a Chireix or Wilkinson combiner.

10. A transmitting device (BS) for transmission of signals to at least one receiving device (RAH1) wherein said transmitting device (BS) comprises as a first part of a LINC amplifier (LINC1, LINC2)

a first signal path for a first phase modulated signal component of constant amplitude,

a second signal path for a second phase modulated signal component of constant amplitude,

and at least one electro-optical converter (EO1, EO2) for converting at least one of the two phase modulated signal components from electrical signals into optical signals.

11. A transmitting device (BS) according to claim 10, wherein said transmitting device (BS) is a base station (BS) for transmission of signals via a remote antenna head (RAH1) to a user terminal (UE1).

12. A transmitting device (BS) according to claim 10, wherein the transmitting device (BS) is used for a communication network applying the standard Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, Third Generation Partnership Project Long Term Evolution, or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access.

13. A receiving device (RAH1) for reception of signals sent from a transmitting device (BS) wherein said receiving device (RAH1) comprises as a second part of a LINC amplifier (LINC1, LINC2)

at least one opto-electrical converter (OE1, OE2) for converting at least one of two phase modulated signal components of constant amplitude from optical signals into electrical signals,

a first output stage (OS1) for amplification of the first phase modulated signal component,

a second output stage (OS2) for amplification of the second phase modulated signal component,

and a combiner (C) for combining the two amplified phase modulated signal components of constant amplitude.

14. A receiving device (RAH1) according to claim 13, wherein said receiving device (RAH1) is a remote antenna head (RAH1) for reception of signals sent from a base station (BS).

15. A communication network (CN) comprising at least one base station (BS) and at least one remote antenna head (RAH1) for transmission of signals from said base station (BS) via said remote antenna head (RAH1) to a user terminal (UE1) wherein

said at least one base station comprises as a first part of a LINC amplifier (LINC1, LINC2) a first signal path for a first phase modulated signal component of constant amplitude, a second signal path for a second phase modulated signal component of constant amplitude, and at least one electro-optical converter (EO1, EO2) for converting at least one of the two phase modulated signal components of constant amplitude from electrical signals into optical signals,

said at least one remote antenna head (RAH1) comprises as a second part of the LINC amplifier (LINC1, LINC2) at least one opto-electrical converter (OE1, OE2) for converting at least one of the two phase modulated signal components of constant amplitude from optical signals into electrical signals, a first output stage (OS1) for amplification of the first phase modulated signal component, a second output stage (OS2) for amplification of the second phase modulated signal component, and a combiner for combining the two amplified phase modulated signal components of constant amplitude,

and said at least one base station (BS) is connected through an optical connection (OF1, OF2, OF4) with said at least one remote antenna head (RAH1).