Distributed antenna communications system
View Patent ↗A distributed antenna system comprises a base transceiver station, a plurality of distributed antenna units and a signal routing apparatus. The base transceiver station has a plurality of output ports that generate a plurality of downlink signals having overlapping transmit frequencies and containing different communication content. The different communication content is directed toward each of a plurality of mobile units. The base transceiver station also has at least one uplink receive port that receives an uplink signal. The uplink signal includes communication content received from at least one of the mobile units. The plurality of distributed antenna units have coverage areas that are non-overlapping or only partially overlapping. The signal routing apparatus routes the downlink signals to the plurality of distributed antennas such that each of the plurality of downlink signals are transmitted by one or more of the distributed antennas and each distributed antenna only transmits one of the downlink signals.
1. A distributed antenna system comprising:
a plurality of distributed antenna units; and
a multi-port hub comprising:
a first interface for connection to a base transceiver station of a telecommunications system, the first interface comprising a plurality of downlink ports for receiving a plurality of downlink signals transmitted from the base transceiver station, the plurality of downlink signals having overlapping transmit frequencies and containing different communication content and a plurality of uplink ports for sending a plurality of uplink signals received from at least one of the distributed antenna units;
a second interface having a plurality of downlink ports for communicatively coupling the multi-port hub to the plurality of distributed antenna units and the second interface having a plurality of uplink ports for communicatively coupling the multi-port hub to the plurality of distributed antennas units; and
means for reconfiguring the multi-port hub among a plurality of predetermined configurations, each configuration routing one or more downlink ports of the first interface to a selected group of the downlink ports of the second interface and routing a selected group of the uplink ports of the second interface to one or more of the uplink ports of the first interface such that each of the plurality of downlink signals are transmitted by one or more of the distributed antennas and each distributed antenna only transmits one of the downlink signals.
2. The distributed antenna system of claim 1 , wherein the means for reconfiguring comprises a cross bar switch.
3. The distributed antenna system of claim 1 , wherein the means for reconfiguring comprises combiners and splitters.
4. The distributed antenna system of claim 1 , wherein the means for reconfiguring automatically senses connections to the base transceiver station.
5. The distributed antenna system of claim 1 , wherein there is a greater number of downlink ports of the second interface than downlink ports of the first interface.
6. The distributed antenna system of claim 1 , wherein there is a greater number of uplink ports of the second interface than uplink ports of the first interface.
7. The distributed antenna system of claim 1 , wherein the distributed antenna system is configured to distribute Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output (MIMO) signals.
8. The distributed antenna system of claim 1 , wherein the distributed antenna units are located indoors.
9. A method of distributing communications comprising:
receiving from a base transceiver station of a telecommunications system at a plurality of downlink ports included in a first interface of a multi-port hub included in a distributed antenna system a plurality of downlink signals transmitted from the base transceiver station, the plurality of downlink signals having overlapping transmit frequencies and containing different communication content;
sending a plurality of uplink signals from a plurality of uplink ports included in the first interface of the multi-port hub to the base transceiver station;
sending at least some of the downlink signals from a plurality of downlink ports included in a second interface of the multi-port hub to a plurality of distributed antenna units that are communicatively coupled to the multi-port hub;
receiving at least some of the uplink signals at a plurality of uplink ports included in the second interface from the plurality of distributed antenna units; and
reconfiguring the multi-port hub among a plurality of predetermined configurations, each configuration routing one or more downlink ports of the first interface to a selected group of the downlink ports of the second interface and routing a selected group of the uplink ports of the second interface to one or more of the uplink ports of the first interface such that each of the plurality of downlink signals are transmitted by one or more of the distributed antennas and each distributed antenna only transmits one of the downlink signals.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein reconfiguring the multi-port hub comprises using a cross bar switch to reconfigure the multi-port hub.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein reconfiguring the multi-port hub comprises using combiners and splitters.
12. The method of claim 9 , wherein reconfiguring the multi-port hub comprises automatically sensing connections to the base transceiver station.
13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of downlink signals transmitted from the base transceiver station comprises Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output (MIMO) downlink signals; and
wherein the uplink signals comprises Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output (MIMO) uplink signals.
14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the distributed antennas units are located indoors.
15. A multi-port hub for use in a distributed antenna system, the multi-port comprising:
a first interface for connection to a base transceiver station of a telecommunications system, the first interface comprising a plurality of downlink ports for receiving a plurality of downlink signals transmitted from the base transceiver station, the plurality of downlink signals having overlapping transmit frequencies and containing different communication content and a plurality of uplink ports for sending a plurality of uplink signals received from at least one of the distributed antenna units to the base transceiver station; and
a second interface having a plurality of downlink ports for communicatively coupling the multi-port hub to a plurality of distributed antenna units and the second interface having a plurality of uplink ports for communicatively coupling the multi-port hub the plurality of distributed antennas units; and
wherein the multi-port hub is configured to reconfigure the multi-port hub among a plurality of predetermined configurations, each configuration routing one or more downlink ports of the first interface to a selected group of the downlink ports of the second interface and routing a selected group of the uplink ports of the second interface to one or more of the uplink ports of the first interface such that each of the plurality of downlink signals are transmitted by one or more of the distributed antennas and each distributed antenna only transmits one of the downlink signals.
16. The multi-port hub of claim 15 , further comprising a cross bar switch to reconfigure the multi-port hub among the plurality of predetermined configurations.
17. The multi-port hub of claim 15 , further comprising combiners and splitters reconfigure the multi-port hub among the plurality of predetermined configurations.
18. The multi-port hub of claim 15 , wherein the multi-port hub is configured to automatically sense connections to the base transceiver station.
19. The multi-port hub of claim 15 , wherein the multi-port hub is configured to distribute Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output (MIMO) signals.
20. The multi-port hub of claim 15 , wherein the multi-port hub is configured to communicate with distributed antenna units that are located indoors.