Remote distributed antenna system

• US 9,930,668 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2016
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2013
• 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: Barzegar, Farhad, Barnickel, Jr., Donald J, Blandino, George, Gerszberg, Irwin, Henry, Paul Shala, Willis, III, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pezzlo, John
• Application Number:
  US15/158,798
• Publication Number:
  US 20160269156A1
• Time in Patent Office: 677 Days
• Field of Search: 370315, 370329, 370430
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/246 specially adapted for base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/155 Ground-based stations H04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15542 Selecting at relay station its transmit and receive resources selection of wireless resources by user or terminal H04W72/02; arrangements affording multiple use of the transmission path by two-dimensional division of the resources H04L5/0003, or by allocating sub-channels H04L5/003
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2612 Arrangements for wireless medium access control, e.g. by allocating physical layer transmission capacity H04B7/2615 - H04B7/2643 take precedence; provision for broadband connection H04Q11/0478
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0003 Two-dimensional division time-code division H04J11/00, H04J13/00; for time-space division H04B7/0413, H04B7/0697
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0023 Time-frequency-space
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA

Abstract

A distributed antenna system is provided that frequency shifts the output of one or more microcells to a 60 GHz or higher frequency range for transmission to a set of distributed antennas. The cellular band outputs of these microcell base station devices are used to modulate a 60 GHz (or higher) carrier wave, yielding a group of subcarriers on the 60 GHz carrier wave. This group will then be transmitted in the air via analog microwave RF unit, after which it can be repeated or radiated to the surrounding area. The repeaters amplify the signal and resend it on the air again toward the next repeater. In places where a microcell is required, the 60 GHz signal is shifted in frequency back to its original frequency (e.g., the 1.9 GHz cellular band) and radiated locally to nearby mobile devices.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

an antenna;

a memory to store instructions; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, to execute the instructions to facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising;

receiving a first guided electromagnetic wave guided by a surface of a transmission medium, the first guided electromagnetic wave conveying a first signal that had been modulated in a cellular band prior to the receiving;

obtaining the first signal from the first guided electromagnetic wave;

mixing a carrier wave signal with the first signal to generate a frequency converted signal in the cellular band; and

transmitting, by the antenna, a first wireless signal based on the frequency converted signal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first signal comprises a set of subcarrier signals received from a set of base station devices.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein portions of the set of subcarrier signals are directed to respective sets of wireless communication devices.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the set of subcarrier signals is combined by frequency division multiplexing.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the first wireless signal comprises routing information that indicates to which wireless communication device of a set of wireless communication devices, a subcarrier signal of the set of subcarrier signals received from the set of base station devices is directed.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first wireless signal has a frequency of at least 28 GHz.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first signal conforms to a mobile network communications protocol.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, by the antenna, a second wireless signal from a wireless communication device, wherein the second wireless signal is in the cellular band;

extracting a second signal from the second wireless signal;

determining to which a base station device, of a set of base station devices, the second signal corresponds; and

sending the second signal to the base station device to which the second signal corresponds.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the second signal is transmitted to the base station device, to which the second signal corresponds, by way of a second guided electromagnetic wave guided by the surface of the transmission medium.

10. A system, comprising:

an antenna;

a memory to store instructions; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, to execute the instructions to facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising;

receiving, by the antenna, a first wireless signal in a cellular band, wherein the first wireless signal is generated by a communication device, and wherein the first wireless signal includes first data;

generating a first signal from the first wireless signal;

mixing a first carrier wave signal with the first signal to generate a first frequency converted signal in a millimeter-wave band; and

transmitting a first electromagnetic wave based on the first frequency converted signal, wherein the first electromagnetic wave is guided by a surface of a transmission medium.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a second electromagnetic wave guided by the surface of the transmission medium;

generating a second signal from the second electromagnetic wave, the second signal including second data;

mixing a second carrier wave signal with the second signal to generate a second frequency converted signal in the cellular band; and

transmitting, by the antenna, a second wireless signal based on the second frequency converted signal, wherein the second wireless signal is directed to the communication device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the second electromagnetic wave comprises an identifier that identifies a base station device that generated the second electromagnetic wave.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise amplifying the second frequency converted signal with an amplifier before transmitting the second wireless signal.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise improving a signal to noise ratio of the first wireless signal with an amplifier before generating the first signal.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the first wireless signal comprises a plurality of signals including the first signal.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the generating comprises selecting the first signal from the plurality of signals.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the plurality of signals is combined by frequency division multiplexing.

18. A method, comprising:

receiving, by an antenna, a first wireless signal in a cellular band;

identifying, by a system, a first signal from a plurality of signals included in the first wireless signal, wherein the first signal is generated by a communication device, and wherein the plurality of signals is carried in a plurality of channels;

obtaining, by the system, the first signal from the first wireless signal;

generating, by the system, a first electromagnetic wave including the first signal; and

coupling, by the system, the first electromagnetic wave to a surface of a transmission medium, wherein the first electromagnetic wave is guided by the transmission medium and is directed to a recipient device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the generating further comprises converting the first signal to a frequency converted signal in a millimeter-wave band.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving a second electromagnetic wave guided by the surface of the transmission medium;

generating a second signal from the second electromagnetic wave; and

transmitting, by the antenna, a second wireless signal including the second signal, the second wireless signal operating in the cellular band, and the second wireless signal directed to the communication device.