Monitoring non-supported wireless spectrum within coverage areas of distributed antenna systems (DASs)

• US 9,526,020 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2015
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Optical Communications LLC (Corning Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Corning Optical Communications Wireless Ltd. (Corning Incorporated)
• Inventors: Berlin, Igor, Daniel, Liav Moshe, Henia, Yoni, Reuven, Rami, Yakobi, Motti
• Primary Examiner(s): AYOTUNDE, AYODEJI O
• Application Number:
  US14/972,149
• Publication Number:
  US 20160105816A1
• Time in Patent Office: 369 Days
• Field of Search: 455/67.11, 455/84
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/25753 Distribution optical network, e.g. between a base station and a plurality of remote units
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

Monitoring non-supported wireless spectrum within a coverage area of a distributed antenna system (DAS) in which a listening module connected to a remote unit of the DAS monitors non-supported wireless frequencies (i.e., frequencies that are outside the frequency ranges supported by the downlink and uplink signals of the DAS), via one or more antennas. The listening module also transmits the wireless frequencies to a monitoring module connected to head-end equipment (HEE) of the DAS. In that manner, a monitoring module can use an existing DAS infrastructure to monitor non-supported portions of the wireless spectrum at remote locations. In addition to avoiding the need to run a parallel DAS infrastructure, the disclosed arrangements are also useful in shared spectrum environments and other environments where efficient spectrum utilization is desired.

Claims

1. An apparatus connected to at least one remote unit of a wireless system for monitoring non-supported wireless spectrum within a coverage area of the wireless system comprising:

at least one antenna configured to receive one or more electromagnetic signals;

a listening module connected to the at least one antenna comprising;

at least one input configured to receive the electromagnetic signals from the at least one antenna;

at least one output configured to transmit the electromagnetic signals over at least one optical uplink path of the wireless system to head-end equipment of the wireless system; and

at least one listening path disposed between the at least one input and the at least one output and configured to;

pass a non-supported radio band different than a supported radio band of the wireless system to the at least one output, and

prevent at least one radio band that includes the supported radio band of the wireless system from being passed to the at least one output.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one antenna is at least one broadband antenna connected to at least one remote unit of a plurality of remote units of the wireless system and configured to be used by the at least one remote unit for at least one of transmitting and receiving electromagnetic signals in the supported radio band.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one listening path comprises at least one filter and at least one mixer disposed between the at least one input and the at least one output.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the at least one listening path further comprises a signal gain amplifier and an analog/digital converter.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the plurality of remote units are distributed throughout a building infrastructure having a plurality of floors such that each of the plurality of floors has at least one remote unit and the head-end equipment is optically connected to each of the plurality of remote units via a fiber optic infrastructure.

6. A system for monitoring non-supported wireless spectrum within a coverage area of a wireless system having head-end equipment and a plurality of remote units, comprising:

a plurality of antennas configured to receive one or more electromagnetic signals;

a listening module connected to at least one of the plurality of remote units connected to at least one of the plurality of antennas, the listening module comprising;

at least one input configured to receive the electromagnetic signals from at least one of the antennas;

at least one output configured to transmit the electromagnetic signals over at least one uplink path of the wireless system; and

at least one listening path disposed between the at least one input and the at least one output and configured to pass a non-supported radio band different than a supported radio band of the wireless system to the at least one output, and to pass at least one supported radio band to the at least one output; and

a monitoring module connected to the head-end equipment comprising at least one input configured to receive the non-supported radio band passed by the at least one listening path of the listening module.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the antennas include broadband antennas connected to the remote units configured for at least one of transmitting and receiving electromagnetic signals in the supported radio band of the wireless system.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one listening path comprises at least one filter and at least one mixer disposed between the at least one input and the at least one output.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one listening path further comprises a signal gain amplifier and an analog/digital converter.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one listening path is further configured to prevent a radio band that includes the supported radio band of the wireless system from being passed to the at least one output.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of remote units are distributed throughout a building infrastructure having a plurality of floors such that each of the plurality of floors has at least one remote unit, and the head-end equipment is optically connected to each of the plurality of remote units via a fiber optic infrastructure.

12. A system for monitoring non-supported wireless spectrum within a coverage area of a wireless system having head-end equipment and a plurality of remote units, comprising:

head-end equipment comprising at least one optical interface module (OIM) and at least one radio interface module (RIM);

a plurality of antennas configured to receive one or more electromagnetic signals;

a listening module connected to at least one of the plurality of remote units, the listening module comprising;

at least one input configured to receive the electromagnetic signals from the at least one antenna;

at least one output configured to transmit the electromagnetic signals over at least one uplink path of the wireless system; and

at least one listening path disposed between the at least one input and the at least one output and configured to pass a non-supported radio band different than a supported radio band of the wireless system to the at least one output, and to pass at least one supported radio band to the at least one output; and

a monitoring module comprising at least one input configured to receive the non-supported radio band passed by the at least one listening path of the listening module from the at least one OIM.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one listening path comprises at least one filter, at least one mixer, a signal gain amplifier, and an analog/digital converter.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the RIM and the at least one input of the monitoring module are further configured to receive the non-supported radio band passed by the at least one listening path of the listening module.

15. A method of monitoring non-supported wireless spectrum within a coverage area of a wireless system, the method comprising:

receiving, at a plurality of antennas distributed throughout multiple floors of an infrastructure, one or more electromagnetic signals;

receiving, at a listening module connected to at least one of a plurality of remote units, the one or more electromagnetic signals from at least one of the plurality of antennas;

passing the one or more electromagnetic signals in a non-supported radio band different than a supported radio band of the wireless system to an output of the listening module; and

transmitting the non-supported radio band from the output of the listening module over an optical communications medium of the wireless system.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the listening module comprises at least one filter, at least one mixer, and a signal gain amplifier.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving, at least one monitoring module connected to head-end equipment of the wireless system, the non-supported radio band, wherein the head-end equipment is optically connected to each of the plurality of remote units via a fiber optic infrastructure.

18. An apparatus connected to at least one of a plurality of remote units of a distributed antenna system for monitoring non-supported wireless spectrum within a coverage area of the distributed antenna system, comprising:

a plurality of remote units, at least one of the remote units comprising at least one antenna configured to receive one or more electromagnetic signals from a coverage area and to transmit electromagnetic signals into the coverage area;

a listening module connected to the at least one antenna, the listening module comprising;

at least one input configured to receive the electromagnetic signals from the at least one antenna;

at least one output configured to transmit the electromagnetic signals over at least one uplink path of the DAS to head-end equipment of the DAS; and

at least one listening path comprising at least one filter and at least one mixer disposed between the at least one input and the at least one output, and configured to pass a non-supported radio band different than a supported radio band of the DAS to the at least one output.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the at least one listening path further comprises a signal gain amplifier and an analog/digital converter.