Canceling narrowband interfering signals in a distributed antenna system

1. A cancellation sub-system for canceling narrowband interfering signal components in a remote antenna unit of a distributed antenna system, the cancellation sub-system comprising:

a decimator module configured for decimating a reference signal including a narrowband interfering signal component and sampled from an uplink signal including the narrowband interfering signal component and traversing an uplink path of the remote antenna unit;

a filter communicatively coupled to the decimator module and configured for generating a cancellation signal from the reference signal by attenuating frequency components of the reference signal using a passband corresponding to a frequency band that includes the narrowband interfering signal component;

an interpolator module communicatively coupled to the filter and configured for interpolating the cancellation signal to a sampling rate of the uplink signal traversing the uplink path; and

a combiner module communicatively coupled to the uplink path and a reference path in parallel with the uplink path, wherein the reference path comprises the decimator module, the filter, and the interpolator module, wherein the combiner module is configured to subtract the cancellation signal traversing the reference path from the uplink signal traversing the uplink path.

2. The cancellation sub-system of claim 1 , further comprising:

a first complex mixer communicatively coupled to a receiver of the remote antenna unit and the decimator module, wherein the first complex mixer is configured for shifting a center frequency of the reference signal from an initial center frequency at an input of the first complex mixer to zero hertz; and

a second complex mixer communicatively coupled to the combiner module and configured to shift a center frequency of the uplink signal outputted from the combiner module to the initial center frequency.

3. The cancellation sub-system of claim 2 , wherein the first complex mixer and the second complex mixer are disposed in the uplink path.

4. The cancellation sub-system of claim 2 , wherein the first complex mixer and the second complex mixer are disposed in the reference path in parallel with the uplink path.

5. The cancellation sub-system of claim 2 , further comprising:

an additional reference path in parallel with the uplink path and the reference path, wherein the additional reference path comprises:

an additional decimator module configured for decimating an additional reference signal, wherein the additional reference signal is sampled from the uplink signal including the narrowband interfering signal component;

an additional filter communicatively coupled to the additional decimator module and configured for generating an additional cancellation signal from the reference signal by attenuating frequency components of the additional reference signal using an additional passband corresponding to an additional frequency band that includes an additional narrowband interfering signal component, wherein the frequency band that includes the narrowband interfering signal component is different from the frequency band that includes the additional narrowband interfering signal component, and

an additional interpolator module communicatively coupled to the filter and configured for interpolating the additional cancellation signal to the sampling rate of the uplink signal traversing the uplink path;

wherein the combiner module is communicatively coupled to the additional reference path and is configured to subtract the additional cancellation signal from the uplink signal traversing the uplink path.

6. A remote antenna unit configured for canceling narrowband interfering signal components in a distributed antenna system, the remote antenna unit comprising:

a receiver configured to receive an uplink signal traversing an uplink path of the remote antenna unit;

a cancellation sub-system communicatively coupled to the receiver, the cancellation sub-system comprising:

a decimator module configured for decimating a reference signal including a narrowband interfering signal component and sampled from an uplink signal including the narrowband interfering signal component and traversing an uplink path of the remote antenna unit,

a filter communicatively coupled to the decimator module and configured for generating a cancellation signal from the reference signal by attenuating frequency components of the reference signal using a passband corresponding to a frequency band that includes the narrowband interfering signal component,

an interpolator module communicatively coupled to the filter and configured for interpolating the cancellation signal to a sampling rate of the uplink signal traversing the uplink path, and

a combiner module communicatively coupled to the uplink path and a reference path in parallel with the uplink path, wherein the reference path comprises the decimator module, the filter, and the interpolator module, wherein the combiner module is configured to subtract the cancellation signal traversing the reference path from the uplink signal traversing the uplink path.

7. The remote antenna unit of claim 6 , further comprising a detection unit communicatively coupled to the receiver and the cancellation sub-system, wherein the detection unit is configured for:

detecting the narrowband interfering signal component;

determining the frequency band that includes the narrowband interfering signal component; and

configuring the cancellation sub-system with the frequency band that includes the narrowband interfering signal component.

8. The remote antenna unit of claim 7 , wherein the detection unit is configured for detecting the narrowband interfering signal component by:

determining a distribution of power levels for a plurality of signal components of the uplink signal; and

determining that the uplink signal includes the narrowband interfering signal component based on a spacing of the distribution of power levels.

9. The remote antenna unit of claim 7 , wherein the detection unit is configured for detecting the narrowband interfering signal component by:

generating an auto-regression model of the uplink signal comprising a plurality of poles; and

determining that the uplink signal includes the narrowband interfering signal component based on a spacing of the plurality of poles.

10. The remote antenna unit of claim 6 , further comprising:

a first complex mixer communicatively coupled to the receiver and the decimator module, wherein the first complex mixer is configured for shifting a center frequency of the reference signal from an initial center frequency at an input of the first complex mixer to zero hertz; and

a second complex mixer communicatively coupled to the combiner module and configured to shift a center frequency of the uplink signal outputted from the combiner module to the initial center frequency.

11. The remote antenna unit of claim 10 , wherein the first complex mixer and the second complex mixer are disposed in the uplink path.

12. The remote antenna unit of claim 10 , wherein the first complex mixer and the second complex mixer are disposed in the reference path in parallel with the uplink path.

13. The remote antenna unit of claim 6 , wherein the cancellation sub-system further comprises:

an additional reference path in parallel with the uplink path and the reference path, wherein the reference path comprises:

an additional decimator module configured for decimating an additional reference signal, wherein the additional reference signal is sampled from the uplink signal including the narrowband interfering signal component;

an additional filter communicatively coupled to the additional decimator module and configured for generating an additional cancellation signal from the reference signal by attenuating frequency components of the additional reference signal using an additional passband corresponding to an additional frequency band that includes an additional narrowband interfering signal component, wherein the frequency band that includes the narrowband interfering signal component is different from the frequency band that includes the additional narrowband interfering signal component, and

an additional interpolator module communicatively coupled to the filter and configured for interpolating the additional cancellation signal to the sampling rate of the uplink signal traversing the uplink path;

wherein the combiner module is communicatively coupled to the additional reference path and is configured to subtract the additional cancellation signal from the uplink signal traversing the uplink path.

14. The remote antenna unit of claim 6 , wherein at least one of the decimator module and the interpolator module comprises a cascaded integrator-comb filter.

15. A method for canceling narrowband interfering signal components in a remote antenna unit of a distributed antenna system, the method comprising:

receiving, by a receiver of the remote antenna unit, an uplink signal traversing an uplink path of the remote antenna unit;

decimating a reference signal including a narrowband interfering signal component and sampled from an uplink signal including the narrowband interfering signal component and traversing an uplink path of the remote antenna unit;

generating a cancellation signal from the reference signal by attenuating frequency components of the reference signal using a passband corresponding to a frequency band that includes the narrowband interfering signal component;

interpolating the cancellation signal to a sampling rate of the uplink signal traversing the uplink path, and

subtracting the cancellation signal from the uplink signal.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

shifting a center frequency of the reference signal and a center frequency of the uplink signal from an initial center frequency to zero hertz prior to decimating the reference signal; and

shifting the center frequency of the uplink signal to the initial center frequency after subtracting the cancellation signal from the uplink signal.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

shifting a center frequency of the reference signal from an initial center frequency to zero hertz prior to decimating the reference signal; and

shifting a center frequency of the cancellation signal to the initial center frequency prior to subtracting the cancellation signal from the uplink signal.

18. The method of claim 15 , comprising:

decimating an additional reference signal, wherein the additional reference signal is sampled from the uplink signal including the narrowband interfering signal component;

generating an additional cancellation signal from the additional reference signal by attenuating frequency components of the additional reference signal using an additional passband corresponding to an additional frequency band that includes an additional narrowband interfering signal component, wherein the frequency band that includes the narrowband interfering signal component is different from the frequency band that includes the additional narrowband interfering signal component;

interpolating the additional cancellation signal to the sampling rate of the uplink signal traversing the uplink path; and

subtracting the additional cancellation signal from the uplink signal.

19. The method of claim 15 , further comprising detecting the narrowband interfering signal component, wherein detecting the narrowband interfering signal component comprises:

determining a distribution of power levels for a plurality of signal components of the uplink signal; and

determining that the uplink signal includes the narrowband interfering signal component based on a spacing of the distribution of power levels.

20. The method of claim 15 , further comprising detecting the narrowband interfering signal component, wherein detecting the narrowband interfering signal component comprises:

generating an auto-regression model of the uplink signal comprising a plurality of poles; and

determining that the uplink signal includes the narrowband interfering signal component based on a spacing of the plurality of poles.