Method and apparatus for managing a fault in a distributed antenna system

• US 9,912,419 B1
• Filed: 08/24/2016
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2016
• 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: Blandino, George, Gerszberg, Irwin, Lubranski, Leon, Van Brakle, Tracy
• Primary Examiner(s): Siddiqui, Kashif
• Application Number:
  US15/246,223
• Publication Number:
  US 20180062774A1
• Time in Patent Office: 559 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/17 Detection of non-compliance or faulty performance, e.g. response deviations H04B17/18 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/28 for reactive routing

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, receiving, by a first antenna system of a distributed antenna system, a first wireless signal from a second antenna system of the distributed antenna system, the second antenna system included in a first series of antenna systems of the distributed antenna system, detecting an operational fault in the second antenna system, and redirecting, by the first antenna system, a first wireless transmission to a third antenna system of the distributed antenna system, the third antenna system included in a second series of antenna systems of the distributed antenna system, the first series of antenna systems providing first communication services, the second series of antenna systems providing second communication services, and the second communication services utilized at least in part as backup communication services when a communication fault is detected in the first series of antenna systems. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a first antenna system of a distributed antenna system, a first wireless signal from a second antenna system of the distributed antenna system, wherein the second antenna system is included in a first series of antenna systems of the distributed antenna system, wherein the first wireless signal operates at a first carrier frequency, wherein the first wireless signal comprises a first modulated signal generated by modulating a first signal according to a first signaling protocol, and wherein the second antenna system generates the first wireless signal by frequency-shifting the first modulated signal in a first cellular band to the first carrier frequency without modifying the first signaling protocol of the first modulated signal;

detecting, by the first antenna system, an operational fault in the second antenna system based on the first wireless signal; and

responsive to the detecting, redirecting, by the first antenna system, a first wireless transmission to a third antenna system of the distributed antenna system, wherein the third antenna system is included in a second series of antenna systems of the distributed antenna system, wherein the first series of antenna systems provides first communication services, wherein the second series of antenna systems provides second communication services, and wherein a portion of the second communication services is used to mitigate the operational fault in the second antenna system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting comprises comparing a signal strength of the first wireless signal to a threshold.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the detecting comprises determining that the signal strength of the first wireless signal is below the threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting comprises comparing an operational characteristic of the first wireless signal to an operational criterion.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the first antenna system, a second wireless signal from the third antenna system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second wireless signal operates at a second carrier frequency, wherein the second wireless signal comprises a second modulated signal generated by modulating a second signal according to a second signaling protocol.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the third antenna system generates the second wireless signal by frequency-shifting the second modulated signal in a second cellular band to the second carrier frequency without modifying the second signaling protocol of the second modulated signal.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising analyzing the second wireless signal.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the redirecting the first wireless transmission to the third antenna system is responsive to detecting, according to the analyzing the second wireless signal, that the third antenna system is capable of being used to mitigate the operational fault in the second antenna system.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the analyzing the second wireless signal comprises comparing a signal strength of the second wireless signal to a threshold, and wherein the redirecting the first wireless transmission to the third antenna system is responsive to determining that the signal strength of the second wireless signal is above the threshold.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the analyzing the second wireless signal comprises comparing an operational characteristic of the second wireless signal to an operational criterion.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first series of antenna systems of the distributed antenna system comprises a first spanning tree of the distributed antenna system, and wherein the second series of antenna systems of the distributed antenna system comprises a second spanning tree of the distributed antenna system.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the first antenna system, that the operational fault in the second antenna system has been mitigated; and

redirecting, by the first antenna system, the first wireless transmission to the second antenna system.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the redirecting the first wireless transmission to the second antenna system further comprises transmitting a message to the third antenna system indicating that the first wireless transmission is being redirected to the second antenna system.

15. A first antenna system of a distributed antenna system, comprising:

an antenna;

a processing system including a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

receiving, by the antenna, a first wireless signal from a second antenna system of the distributed antenna system, wherein the second antenna system is included in a first series of antenna systems of the distributed antenna system;

detecting an operational fault in the second antenna system according to one or more signal characteristics determined from the first wireless signal; and

responsive to the detecting, redirecting a wireless transmission to a third antenna system of the distributed antenna system, wherein the third antenna system is included in a second series of antenna systems of the distributed antenna system, wherein the first series of antenna systems provides first communication services, wherein the second series of antenna systems provides second communication services, and wherein the second communication services are utilized at least in part as backup communication services when the operational fault in the second antenna system is detected.

16. The first antenna system of claim 15, wherein the first wireless signal operates at a first carrier frequency, wherein the first wireless signal comprises a first modulated signal generated by modulating a first signal according to a first signaling protocol, wherein the second antenna system generates the first wireless signal by frequency-shifting the first modulated signal in a first cellular band to the first carrier frequency without modifying the first signaling protocol of the first modulated signal.

17. The first antenna system of claim 15, wherein the detecting comprises analyzing the first wireless signal by comparing a signal strength of the first wireless signal to a threshold, comparing an operational characteristic of the first wireless signal to an operational criterion, or any combination thereof.

18. The first antenna system of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise receiving, by the antenna, a second wireless signal from the third antenna system, and wherein the redirecting the wireless transmission to the third antenna system is responsive to detecting, according to analyzing the second wireless signal, that the third antenna system is capable of being used to mitigate the operational fault in the second antenna system.

19. A first antenna system of a distributed antenna system, comprising:

means for receiving a first wireless signal from a second antenna system of the distributed antenna system, wherein the second antenna system is included in a first series of antenna systems of the distributed antenna system;

means for detecting an operational fault in the second antenna system; and

responsive to the detecting, means for redirecting a wireless transmission to a third antenna system of the distributed antenna system, wherein the third antenna system is included in a second series of antenna systems of the distributed antenna system, wherein the first series of antenna systems provides first communication services, and wherein the second series of antenna systems provides second communication services utilized at least in part as backup communication services when the operational fault in the second antenna system is detected.

20. The first antenna system of claim 19, further comprising:

means for determining that the operational fault in the second antenna system has been mitigated; and

means for redirecting the wireless transmission to the second antenna system.