Deployable wireless infrastructures and methods of deploying wireless infrastructures

• US 9,455,784 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2013
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Optical Communications Wireless Ltd. (Corning Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Corning Optical Communications Wireless Ltd. (Corning Incorporated)
• Inventors: Cune, William Patrick, Greene, Jason Elliott, Toure', Mohamed Lamin
• Primary Examiner(s): Payne, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kretzer, Casey
• Application Number:
  US14/063,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20140119735A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/25754 Star network topology
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

Wireless infrastructures have hardware and cable components capable of mobile, rapid deployment and recovery. The wireless infrastructures can be transported to a deployment site and remote units deployed to individual coverage areas. A communications path is established between head end equipment and the remote units to provide wireless communications to the coverage areas. When the deployment has ended, the infrastructure can be recovered and transported from the deployment site for use at another deployment.

Claims

1. A method of temporarily deploying and recovering a wireless infrastructure, comprising:

providing a wireless infrastructure comprising head end equipment, at least one reel assembly, and at least three remote units at a deployment site in a vehicle, each remote unit including at least one antenna;

moving the remote units to respective coverage areas at the deployment site, wherein at least one of the respective coverage areas is at least 25 meters from the vehicle;

unspooling cables from the reel assembly while moving the remote units to the respective coverage areas to provide optical communications between the head end equipment in the vehicle and each of the remote units at their respective coverage areas, wherein at least one cable is extended at least 25 meters;

operating the wireless infrastructure with the head end equipment remaining in the vehicle and connected to the remote units by the cables from the reel assembly to provide wireless services to the respective coverage areas, wherein operating the wireless infrastructure comprises operating at least one of the remote units at a transmission power of at least 14 dBm; and

recovering the wireless infrastructure after operating the wireless infrastructure comprising moving the remote units back to the vehicle and retracting the cables of the reel assembly.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the wireless infrastructure at the deployment site comprises driving the wireless infrastructure to the deployment site in the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein recovering the wireless infrastructure comprises removing the wireless infrastructure from the deployment site using the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein providing the at least three remote units at the deployment site comprises driving the at least three remote units to the deployment site in the vehicle, and wherein recovering the wireless infrastructure comprises loading the at least three remote units in the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

connecting at least one of the cables to a first remote unit of the at least three remote units;

connecting at least one of the cables to a second remote unit of the at least three remote units;

connecting at least one of the cables to a third remote unit of the at least three remote units; and

commissioning the wireless infrastructure so that the wireless infrastructure is configured to provide wireless coverage to the coverage areas.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein operating the wireless infrastructure includes providing electrical power to the at least three remote units at the head end equipment.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein each respective coverage area of the at least three remote units is at least 500 square meters.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein unspooling cables from the reel assembly comprises extending at least one cable at least 100 meters.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein unspooling cables from the reel assembly comprises pulling at least one cable comprising at least one optical fiber and at least one electrical conductor.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein the reel assembly comprises a plurality of spools mounted on a common structure, wherein unspooling cables from the reel assembly comprises pulling the cables from the spools.

11. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one antenna of each of the at least three remote units comprises an antenna assembly for transmitting wireless signals into the coverage area of the respective remote unit, and for receiving wireless signals from the coverage area of the respective remote unit.

12. The method of claim 3, wherein at least one of the remote units has a coverage area of 1,000 square meters.

13. The method of claim 3, wherein operating the wireless infrastructure comprises operating the at least one of the remote units at a transmission power of at least 25 dBm.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the reel assembly remains in the vehicle during operation of the wireless infrastructure.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising transporting the recovered wireless infrastructure in the vehicle to another deployment to reuse the wireless infrastructure.

16. A method of temporarily deploying and recovering a wireless infrastructure, comprising:

providing a wireless infrastructure comprising head end equipment, at least one reel assembly, and at least three remote units at a deployment site in at least one vehicle, each remote unit including at least one antenna;

moving the remote units to respective coverage areas at the deployment site, wherein at least one of the respective coverage areas is at least 25 meters from the at least one vehicle;

unspooling cables from the reel assembly to provide optical communications between the head end equipment in the at least one vehicle and each of the remote units at their respective coverage areas, wherein at least one cable is extended at least 25 meters;

operating the wireless infrastructure to provide wireless services to the respective coverage areas, wherein operating the wireless infrastructure comprises operating at least one of the remote units at a transmission power of at least 14 dBm; and

recovering the wireless infrastructure after operating the wireless infrastructure,

wherein providing the wireless infrastructure at the deployment site comprises driving the wireless infrastructure to the deployment site in the at least one vehicle;

wherein recovering the wireless infrastructure comprises retracting cables on the reel assembly and removing the wireless infrastructure from the deployment site using the at least one vehicle;

wherein during the operating of the wireless infrastructure, the head end equipment remains on the at least one vehicle; and

wherein operating the wireless infrastructure includes providing electrical power to the at least three remote units at the reel assembly.

17. A vehicle for temporarily deploying and recovering a wireless infrastructure, the vehicle comprising:

head end equipment;

at least one reel assembly;

at least three remote units, each remote unit including at least one antenna, each remote unit configured to be removed from the vehicle and moved to respective coverage areas at a deployment site, wherein at least one of the respective coverage areas is at least 25 meters from the vehicle;

at least one fiber optic cable spooled around the at least one reel assembly, the at least one fiber optic cable configured to be unspooled while moving the at least three remote units to the respective coverage areas and extended at least 25 meters from the at least one reel assembly to provide wired optical communications between the head end equipment in the vehicle and each of the at least three remote units at their respective coverage areas; and

wherein the head end equipment is operable to provide wireless services to the at least three remote units at the respective coverage areas including operating at least one of the remote units at a transmission power of at least 14 dBm, while the head end equipment is on the vehicle; and

wherein the at least one fiber optic cable and the at least three remote units are configured to be recovered on the vehicle after the head end equipment provides the wireless services comprising by moving the remote units back to the vehicle and retracting the cables of the reel assembly.

18. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein the reel assembly is configured to remain in the vehicle during operation of the wireless infrastructure.

19. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein the wireless infrastructure is configured to be transported to another deployment for reuse after the wireless infrastructure is recovered on the vehicle.