Hybrid intra-cell / inter-cell remote unit antenna bonding in multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) distributed antenna systems (DASs)

• US 9,531,452 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2015
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Optical Communications LLC (Corning Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Corning Optical Communications LLC (Corning Incorporated)
• Inventors: George, Jacob, Ng'Oma, Anthony, Sambaraju, Rakesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Singh, Hirdepal
• Assistant Examiner(s): Singh, Amneet
• Application Number:
  US14/721,357
• Publication Number:
  US 20150256237A1
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: H04B 7/026 Co-operative diversity, e.g. using fixed or mobile stations as relays
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality

Abstract

Hybrid intra-cell/inter-cell remote unit antenna bonding in multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) distributed antenna systems (DASs), and related components, systems, and methods. The MIMO DASs are capable of supporting distributed MIMO communications with client devices. To provide enhanced MIMO coverage areas, hybrid intra-cell/inter-cell remote unit antenna bonding is employed. For example, if a client device has acceptable MIMO communications signal quality with MIMO antennas within a single remote unit, intra-cell bonding of the MIMO antennas can be employed to provide MIMO coverage for MIMO communications, which may avoid power imbalance issues that would result with inter-cell bonded MIMO antennas. However, if a client device has acceptable MIMO communications signal quality with MIMO antennas in a separate, neighboring remote unit(s), inter-cell bonding of the MIMO antennas can be employed to provide MIMO coverage for MIMO communications.

Claims

1. A method of providing hybrid intra-cell/inter-cell remote unit antenna bonding for multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) communications with a client device in a MIMO distributed antenna system, comprising:

configuring intra-cell antenna bonding for intra-cell MIMO communications for a client device in a first remote unit in the MIMO distributed antenna system such that the client device communicates with a first MIMO antenna and a second MIMO antenna in the first remote unit in an intra-cell MIMO communications session;

receiving intra-cell antenna bonded MIMO communications signals from the client device at the first MIMO antenna and the second MIMO antenna in the first remote unit in the intra-cell MIMO communications session;

determining if the received intra-cell antenna bonded MIMO communications signals received by the first MIMO antenna and the second MIMO antenna of the first remote unit from the client device exceed a threshold MIMO communications signal quality; and

if the received intra-cell antenna bonded MIMO communications signals received by the first MIMO antenna and the second MIMO antenna of the first remote unit from the client device do not exceed the threshold MIMO communications signal quality;

receiving MIMO communications signals from the client device at a neighboring MIMO antenna of at least one neighboring remote unit to the first remote unit;

determining if the received MIMO communications signals received by the neighboring MIMO antenna of the at least one neighboring remote unit from the client device exceed a threshold MIMO communications signal quality; and

if the received MIMO communications signals received by the neighboring MIMO antenna of the at least one neighboring remote unit from the client device exceed the threshold MIMO communications signal quality, configuring inter-cell antenna bonding for inter-cell MIMO communications for the client device in the at least one neighboring remote unit in the MIMO distributed antenna system such that the client device communicates with the neighboring MIMO antenna in the at least one neighboring remote unit and at least one MIMO antenna among the first MIMO antenna and the second MIMO antenna in the first remote unit in an inter-cell MIMO communications session.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein if the received MIMO communications signals at a neighboring MIMO antenna of the at least one neighboring remote unit from the client device do not exceed the threshold MIMO communications signal quality, retaining the intra-cell antenna bonding for intra-cell MIMO communications for the client device in the first remote unit.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving MIMO communications signals from the client device at the neighboring MIMO antenna of the at least one neighboring remote unit and the at least one MIMO antenna among the first MIMO antenna and the second MIMO antenna in the first remote unit;

determining if the received MIMO communications signals by the neighboring MIMO antenna of the at least one neighboring remote unit from the client device exceed a threshold MIMO communications signal quality; and

if the received MIMO communications signals by the neighboring MIMO antenna of the at least one neighboring remote unit from the client device exceed the threshold MIMO communications signal quality, retaining inter-cell antenna bonding for inter-cell MIMO communications for the client device by the neighboring MIMO antenna of the at least one neighboring remote unit and the at least one MIMO antenna among the first MIMO antenna and the second MIMO antenna in the first remote in the at least one neighboring remote unit.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving MIMO communications signals from the client device at the neighboring MIMO antenna of the at least one neighboring remote unit and the at least one MIMO antenna among the first MIMO antenna and the second MIMO antenna in the first remote unit;

determining if the received MIMO communications signals by the neighboring MIMO antenna of the least one neighboring remote unit from the client device exceed a threshold MIMO communications signal quality; and

if the received MIMO communications signals by the neighboring MIMO antenna of the at least one neighboring remote unit from the client device do not exceed the threshold MIMO communications signal quality, configuring intra-cell antenna bonding for intra-cell MIMO communications for the client device with the first MIMO antenna and the second MIMO antenna in the first remote unit.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving MIMO communications signals from the client device at the neighboring MIMO antenna of at least one other neighboring remote unit to the at least one neighboring remote unit;

determining if the received MIMO communications signals by the neighboring MIMO antenna of the at least one other neighboring remote unit from the client device exceed a threshold MIMO communications signal quality; and

if the received MIMO communications signals by the neighboring MIMO antenna of the at least one other neighboring remote unit from the client device exceed the threshold MIMO communications signal quality, configuring inter-cell antenna bonding for MIMO communications for the client device with the at least one other neighboring remote unit in the MIMO distributed antenna system such that the client device communicates with the neighboring MIMO antenna of the at least one other neighboring remote unit and at least one neighboring MIMO antenna of the at least one other neighboring remote unit in an inter-cell MIMO communications session.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining if the received intra-cell antenna bonded MIMO communications signals by the first MIMO antenna and the second MIMO antenna of the first remote unit from the client device exceed a threshold MIMO communications signal strength.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining if the received MIMO communications signals at the at least one neighboring remote unit from the client device exceed a threshold MIMO communications signal strength.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the intra-cell antenna bonding for the intra-cell MIMO communications for the client device at a first remote unit in a dynamic cell antenna bonding table.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the inter-cell antenna bonding for the inter-cell MIMO communications for the client device at the at least one neighboring remote unit in a dynamic cell antenna bonding table if the received MIMO communications signals by the at least one neighboring MIMO antenna of the at least one neighboring remote unit from the client device exceed the threshold MIMO communications signal quality.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the at least one neighboring remote unit to the first remote unit from a remote unit mapping table.

11. A controller for providing hybrid intra-cell/inter-cell remote unit antenna bonding for multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) communications with a client device in a MIMO distributed antenna system, wherein the controller is configured to:

configure intra-cell antenna bonding for MIMO communications for a client device in a first remote unit in the MIMO distributed antenna system such that the client device communicates with a first MIMO antenna and a second MIMO antenna in the first remote unit in an intra-cell MIMO communications session;

receive intra-cell antenna bonded MIMO communications signals from the client device at the first MIMO antenna and the second MIMO antenna in the first remote unit in the intra-cell MIMO communications session;

determine if the received intra-cell antenna bonded MIMO communications signals received by the first MIMO antenna and the second MIMO antenna of the first remote unit from the client device exceed a threshold MIMO communications signal quality; and

if the received intra-cell antenna bonded MIMO communications signals received by the first MIMO antenna and the second MIMO antenna of the first remote unit from the client device do not exceed the threshold MIMO communications signal quality;

receive MIMO communications signals from the client device at a neighboring MIMO antenna of at least one neighboring remote unit to the first remote unit;

determine if the received MIMO communications signals received by the neighboring MIMO antenna of the at least one neighboring remote unit from the client device exceed a threshold MIMO communications signal quality; and

if the received MIMO communications signals received by the neighboring MIMO antenna of the at least one neighboring remote unit from the client device exceed the threshold MIMO communications signal quality, configure inter-cell antenna bonding for inter-cell MIMO communications for the client device in the at least one neighboring remote unit in the MIMO distributed antenna system such that the client devices communicates with the neighboring MIMO antenna in the neighboring remote unit and at least one MIMO antenna among the first MIMO antenna and the second MIMO antenna in the first remote unit in an inter-cell MIMO communications session.

12. The controller of claim 11, wherein if the received MIMO communications signals at a neighboring MIMO antenna of the at least one neighboring remote unit from the client device do not exceed the threshold MIMO communications signal quality, the controller is further configured to retain the intra-cell antenna bonding for intra-cell MIMO communications for the client device in the first remote unit.

13. The controller of claim 11, further configured to:

receive MIMO communications signals from the client device at the neighboring MIMO antenna of the at least one neighboring remote unit and the at least one MIMO antenna among the first MIMO antenna and the second MIMO antenna in the first remote unit;

determine if the received MIMO communications signals by the neighboring MIMO antenna of the at least one neighboring remote unit from the client device exceed a threshold MIMO communications signal quality; and

if the received MIMO communications signals by the neighboring MIMO antenna of the at least one neighboring remote unit from the client device exceed the threshold MIMO communications signal quality, retain inter-cell antenna bonding for inter-cell MIMO communications for the client device by the neighboring MIMO antenna of the at least one neighboring remote unit and the at least one MIMO antenna among the first MIMO antenna and the second MIMO antenna in the first remote unit in the at least one neighboring remote unit.

14. The controller of claim 11, further configured to:

receive MIMO communications signals from the client device at the neighboring MIMO antenna of the at least one neighboring remote unit and the at least one MIMO antenna among the first MIMO antenna and the second MIMO antenna in the first remote unit;

determine if the received MIMO communications signals by the neighboring MIMO antenna of the at least one neighboring remote unit from the client device exceed a threshold MIMO communications signal quality; and

if the received MIMO communications signals by the neighboring MIMO antenna of the at least one neighboring remote unit from the client device do not exceed the threshold MIMO communications signal quality, configure intra-cell antenna bonding for intra-cell MIMO communications for the client device with the first MIMO antenna and the second MIMO antenna in the first remote unit.

15. The controller of claim 11, further configured to:

receive MIMO communications signals from the client device at the neighboring MIMO antenna of at least one other neighboring remote unit to the at least one neighboring remote unit;

determine if the received MIMO communications signals by the neighboring MIMO antenna of the at least one other neighboring remote unit from the client device exceed a threshold MIMO communications signal quality; and

if the received MIMO communications signals by the neighboring MIMO antenna of the at least one other neighboring remote unit from the client device exceed the threshold MIMO communications signal quality, configure inter-cell antenna bonding for MIMO communications for the client device with the at least one other neighboring remote unit in the MIMO distributed antenna system such that the client device communicates with the neighboring MIMO antenna of the at least one other neighboring remote unit and at least one neighboring MIMO antenna of the at least one other neighboring remote unit in an inter-cell MIMO communications session.

16. The controller of claim 11, configured to determine if the received intra-cell antenna bonded MIMO communications signals by the first MIMO antenna and the second MIMO antenna of the first remote unit from the client device exceed a threshold MIMO communications signal strength.

17. The controller of claim 11, configured to determine if the received MIMO communications signals at the at least one neighboring remote unit from the client device exceed a threshold MIMO communications signal strength.

18. The controller of claim 11, configured to store the intra-cell antenna bonding for the intra-cell MIMO communications for the client device at the first remote unit in a dynamic cell antenna bonding table.

19. The controller of claim 11, configured to store the inter-cell antenna bonding for the inter-cell MIMO communications for the client device at the at least one neighboring remote unit in a dynamic cell antenna bonding table if the received MIMO communications signals by the at least one neighboring MIMO antenna of the at least one neighboring remote unit from the client device exceed the threshold MIMO communications signal quality.

20. The controller of claim 11, configured to identify the at least one neighboring remote unit to the first remote unit from a remote unit mapping table.