TIME SYNCHRONIZED ROUTING IN A DISTRIBUTED ANTENNA SYSTEM

• US 20170118734A1
• Filed: 08/30/2016
• Published: 04/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dali Wireless Inc. (Dali Systems Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Dali Systems Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Stapleton, Shawn Patrick, Zhuang, Qianqi
• Granted Patent: US 10,045,314 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/06 based on characteristics of available antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0005 synchronizing of arrival of multiple uplinks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/003 Arrangements to increase tolerance to errors in transmission or reception timing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0045 compensating for timing error by altering transmission time
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A system for routing signals in a Distributed Antenna System includes a plurality of Digital Access Units (DAUs) and a plurality of Digital Remote Units (DRUs). The plurality of DAUs are coupled and operable to route signals between the plurality of DAUs. The plurality of DRUs are coupled to the plurality of DAUs and operable to transport signals between DRUs and DAUs. The system also includes a plurality of Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) and a plurality of Base Transceiver Station sector RF connections coupled to the plurality of DAUs and operable to route signals between the plurality of DAUs and the plurality of Base Transceiver Stations sector RF port connections. The system further includes one or more delay compensation merge units operable to delay signals transmitted from or received by each of the plurality of DRUs

Claims

1-12. -12. (canceled)

13. A system for transporting wireless communications, comprising:

at least one Digital Access Unit (DAU);

wherein the at least one DAU comprises at least one signal source interface to communicatively couple the at least one DAU to at least one signal source; and

wherein the at least one DAU is capable of receiving a plurality of downlink signals from the at least one signal source; and

a plurality of remote units;

wherein the at least one DAU further comprises at least one remote interface to communicatively couple the at least one DAU to the plurality of remote units;

wherein the at least one DAU is capable of receiving a plurality of uplink signals from the plurality of remote units; and

one or more delay compensation merge units configured to delay signals transmitted from or received by each of the plurality of remote units.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein each of the one or more delay compensation merge units are integrated as components of each of the plurality of remote units.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein at least one of the one or more delay compensation merge units is integrated as a component of the at least one DAU.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the at least one DAU comprises a plurality of DAUs, and the plurality of DAUs are coupled via at least one of Ethernet cable, Optical Fiber, Microwave Line of Sight Link, Wireless Link, or Satellite Link.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein the at least one DAU is coupled to the plurality of remote units via at least one of Ethernet cable, Optical Fiber, Microwave Line of Sight Link, Wireless Link, or Satellite Link.

18. The system of claim 13 wherein the plurality of remote units are connected to the at least one DAU in a daisy chain configuration.

19. The system of claim 13 wherein the at least one DAU creates a digital representation for each of the plurality of downlink signals.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the at least one DAU is capable of packetizing the digital representation for each of the plurality of downlink signals.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein the at least one DAU is capable of packetizing the digital representation for each of the plurality of downlink signals in compliance with the Common Public Interface Standard (CPRI) standard.

22. The system of claim 13 wherein each remote unit of the plurality of remote units creates a digital representation for each of the plurality of uplink signals.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein each remote unit of the plurality of remote units is capable of packetizing the digital representation for each of the plurality of uplink signals.

24. The system of claim 22 wherein each remote unit of the plurality of remote units is capable of packetizing the digital representation for each of the plurality of uplink signal in compliance with the Common Public Interface Standard (CPRI) standard.

25. The system of claim 13 wherein each of the one or more delay compensation merge units is operable to:

receive a first uplink signal from the plurality of uplink signals;

receive a second uplink signal from the plurality of uplink signals;

time-align the first uplink signal from the plurality of uplink signals with the second uplink signal from the plurality of uplink signals.

26. The system of claim 13 wherein the one or more delay compensation merge units includes a delay block operable to delay each of the plurality of downlink signals.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the delay block delays each of the plurality of downlink signals based on at least one of a fiber length delay;

a serializer/deserializer delay;

a measured delay;

or an electronic delay.

28. The system of claim 26 wherein the delay block implements a unique time delay for each remote unit of the plurality of remote units.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein the plurality of remote units is operable to synchronously transmit the plurality of downlink signals using the delay block and the unique time delay for each remote unit of the plurality of remote units.

30. The system of claim 13 further comprising a local router included in the at least one DAU, the local router comprising:

one or more uplink ports coupled to the local router operable to transmit the plurality of uplink signals;

one or more downlink ports coupled to the local router operable to receive the plurality of downlink signals from the at least one signal source;

a LAN port operable communicatively couple the at least one DAU to the plurality of remote units; and

one of the one or more delay compensation merge units disposed within the local router operable to process, sum, and delay the each of the plurality of uplink signals or each of the plurality of downlink signals.

31. The system of claim 13 further comprising a remote router included in at least one remote unit of the plurality of remote units;

the remote router comprising;

one or more uplink ports coupled to the remote router operable to receive the plurality of uplink signals from an RF network;

one or more downlink ports coupled to the remote router operable to transmit the plurality of downlink signals to the RF network;

a LAN port operable to communicatively couple the remote router to the at least one DAU; and

one of the one or more delay compensation merge units disposed within the remote router operable to process, sum, and delay each of the plurality of uplink signals or each of the plurality of downlink signals.

32. The system of claim 13 wherein:

the at least one signal source comprises a Base Transceiver Station (BTS);

the plurality of downlink signals comprise RF signals and are received through the at least one signal source interface; and

the plurality of uplink signals are received through the at least one remote interface.