Network termination and methods for use therewith

• US 9,912,382 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2016
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bennett, Robert, Henry, Paul Shala, Gerszberg, Irwin, Barzegar, Farhad, Barnickel, Donald J, Willis, III, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Burd, Kevin M
• Application Number:
  US15/179,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20160359649A1
• Time in Patent Office: 634 Days
• Field of Search: 375256, 375257, 375219, 375220, 375222
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00007 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/52 Systems for transmission between fixed stations via waveguides
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/56 Circuits for coupling, blocking, or by-passing of signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/22 Capacitive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/28 using the near field of leaky cables, e.g. of leaky coaxial cables
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/75 for isolation purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/04 using two or more spaced independent antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2854 Wide area networks, e.g. public data networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/0002 analog front ends; means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line duplex arrangements H04L5/143
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/121 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a network termination includes a downstream channel modulator modulates downstream data into downstream channel signals to convey the downstream data via a guided electromagnetic wave that is bound to a transmission medium of a guided wave communication system. A host interface sends the downstream channel signals to the guided wave communication system and receives upstream channel signals corresponding to upstream frequency channels from the guided wave communication system. An upstream channel demodulator demodulates upstream channel signals into upstream data. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A network termination comprising:

a first interface configured to receive first data from a communication network and to send second data to the communication network;

a channel modulator configured to convert the first data, by physical layer processing, into first channel signals formatted in accordance with a wireless standard communication protocol, the first channel signals compatible with direct wireless connectivity to wireless devices via the wireless standard communication protocol without requiring either analog to digital conversion or digital to analog conversion analog conversion, the first channel signals corresponding to first frequency channels of a distributed antenna system that facilitates wireless network connectivity to wireless devices;

a second interface, coupled to a fiber optic link, configured to send the first channel signals formatted in accordance with the wireless standard communication protocol over the fiber optic link to the distributed antenna system and to receive second channel signals formatted in accordance with the wireless standard communication protocol via the fiber optic link, the second channel signals corresponding to second frequency channels of the distributed antenna system; and

a channel demodulator configured to convert the second channel signals in accordance with the wireless standard communication protocol into the second data.

2. The network termination of claim 1, wherein the first channel signals include signals that are formatted in at least two differing communication protocols.

3. The network termination of claim 2, wherein the distributed antenna system includes a plurality of client node devices at differing locations that each include client node antennas that facilitate wireless network connectivity to other client devices.

4. The network termination of claim 3, wherein the plurality of client node devices operates based on an analog signal processing of the first channel signals.

5. The network termination of claim 4, wherein the analog signal processing does not require either an analog to digital conversion or a digital to analog conversion.

6. The network termination of claim 1, wherein a first subset of the first channel signals is modulated in accordance with a first standard protocol and a second subset of the first channel signals is modulated in accordance with a second standard protocol that differs from the first standard protocol.

7. The network termination of claim 1, wherein a first subset of the second channel signals is demodulated in accordance with a first standard protocol and a second subset of the second channel signals is demodulated in accordance with a second standard protocol that differs from the first standard protocol.

8. The network termination of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the second channel signals and at least a portion of the first channel signals are formatted in accordance with a data over cable system interface specification (DOCSIS) protocol.

9. The network termination of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the second channel signals and at least a portion of the first channel signals are formatted in accordance with a fifth generation (5G) mobile wireless protocol.

10. A method comprising:

receiving first data from a communication network;

converting the first data into first channel signals by physical layer processing, into first channel signals formatted in accordance with a wireless standard communication protocol, the first channel signals compatible with direct wireless connectivity to wireless devices via the wireless standard communication protocol without requiring either analog to digital conversion or digital to analog conversion analog conversion, the first channel signals corresponding to first frequency channels of a distributed antenna system that transmits and receives free space wireless signals in a millimeter wave frequency band to and from the wireless devices;

sending the first channel signals in accordance with a wireless standard communication protocol to the distributed antenna system via a fiber optic link;

receiving second channel signals in accordance with a wireless standard communication protocol from the distributed antenna system via the fiber optic link, the second channel signals corresponding to second frequency channels;

converting the second channel signals in accordance with a wireless standard communication protocol into second data; and

sending the second data to the communication network.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first channel signals include signals that are formatted in at least two differing communication protocols.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the distributed antenna system includes a plurality of client node devices at differing locations that each include client node antennas that facilitate wireless network connectivity to other client devices.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of client node devices operates based on an analog signal processing of the first channel signals.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the analog signal processing does not require either an analog to digital conversion or a digital to analog conversion.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein a first subset of the first channel signals is modulated in accordance with a first standard protocol and a second subset of the first channel signals is modulated in accordance with a second standard protocol that differs from the first standard protocol.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the first channel signals are sent to the distributed antenna system and the second channel signals are received from the distributed antenna system, via a fiber optic cable interface.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein at least a portion of the second channel signals and at least a portion of the first channel signals are formatted in accordance with a data over cable system interface specification protocol or a fifth generation (5G) mobile wireless protocol.

18. A network termination comprising:

a channel modulator configured to convert first data into first channel signals, by physical layer processing, into first channel signals formatted in accordance with a wireless standard communication protocol, the first channel signals compatible with wireless connectivity to wireless devices via the wireless standard communication protocol without requiring either analog to digital conversion or digital to analog conversion analog conversion, to convey the first data via a distributed antenna system;

an interface configured to send the first channel signals, coupled to a fiber optic link configured to send the first channel signals formatted in accordance with the wireless standard communication protocol over the fiber optic link to the distributed antenna system for transmission to a plurality of wireless devices via at least one antenna and to receive second channel signals formatted in accordance with the wireless standard communication protocol from the plurality of wireless devices via the distributed antenna system and the at least one antenna; and

a channel demodulator configured to convert the second channel signals in accordance with the wireless standard communication protocol into second data.

19. The network termination of claim 18, wherein the distributed antenna system includes a plurality of client node devices at differing locations that each include client node antennas that facilitate wireless network connectivity to client devices.