Distributed antenna system
The present disclosure is a novel utility of a software defined radio (SDR) based Distributed Antenna System (DAS) that is field reconfigurable and support multi-modulation schemes (modulation-independent), multi-carriers, multi-frequency bands and multi-channels. The present invention enables a high degree of flexibility to manage, control, enhance, facilitate the usage and performance of a distributed wireless network such as Flexible Simulcast, automatic traffic load-balancing, network and radio resource optimization, network calibration, autonomous/assisted commissioning, carrier pooling, automatic frequency selection, frequency carrier placement, traffic monitoring, traffic tagging, pilot beacon, etc. As a result, a DAS in accordance with the present invention can increase the efficiency and traffic capacity of the operators' wireless network.
1. A system for transporting wireless communications, comprising:
a baseband unit;
a plurality of signal sources, including at least a first signal source and a second signal source;
a plurality of remote units, including at least a first remote unit and a second remote unit;
wherein the baseband unit comprises a plurality of interfaces to communicatively couple the baseband unit to the plurality of signal sources;
wherein the baseband unit is configured to receive a plurality of radio resources from the first signal source and the second signal source;
wherein the baseband unit is configured to send a digital representation of a first set of radio resources to the first remote unit at a first point in time, the first set of radio resources for transmission at an antenna of the first remote unit;
wherein the baseband unit is configured to send a digital representation of a second set of radio resources to the first remote unit at a second point in time, the second set of radio resources for transmission at the antenna of the first remote unit;
wherein a number of radio resources in the first set of radio resources is different from a number of radio resources in the second set of radio resources; and
wherein the baseband unit is configured to receive digital signals from each of the plurality of remote units.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein the baseband unit is configured to packetize each digital representation of a radio resource.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein the digital representation of the first set of radio resources includes destination information identifying the first remote unit and the digital representation of the second set of radio resources includes destination information identifying the first remote unit.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein the first set of radio resources is a subset of the plurality of radio resources and includes at least some radio resources from the first signal source and at least some radio resources from the second signal source.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein the baseband unit and at least one of the plurality of signal sources are part of a baseband controller.
6. The system of claim 1 wherein the baseband unit further comprises at least one interface to communicatively couple the baseband unit to one or more additional baseband units.
7. The system of claim 6 wherein the one or more additional baseband units includes a plurality of additional baseband units, and the baseband unit is connected to at least a first one of the plurality of additional baseband units through a direct connection and at least a second one of the plurality of additional baseband units through an indirect connection.
8. A baseband controller for use in the transport of wireless communications, comprising:
a plurality of interfaces to communicatively couple a baseband unit to a plurality of signal sources, including at least a first signal source and a second signal source;
at least one interface to communicatively couple the baseband unit to a plurality of remote units, including at least a first remote unit;
wherein the baseband unit is configured to receive a plurality of radio resources from the first signal source and the second signal source;
wherein the baseband unit is configured to send digital representations of a first set of radio resources to the first remote unit at a first point in time, the first set of radio resources for transmission at an antenna of the first remote unit;
wherein the baseband unit is configured to send digital representations of a second set of radio resources to the first remote unit at a second point in time, the second set of radio resources for transmission at the antenna of the first remote unit; and
wherein a number of radio resources in the first set of radio resources is different from a number of radio resources in the second set of radio resources.
9. The baseband controller of claim 8 wherein the baseband unit is configured to packetize each digital representation of a radio resource.
10. The baseband controller of claim 8 wherein the digital representation of the first set of radio resources includes destination information identifying the first remote unit and the digital representation of the second set of radio resources includes destination information identifying the first remote unit.
11. The baseband controller of claim 8 wherein the first set of radio resources is a subset of the plurality of radio resources and includes at least some radio resources from the first signal source and at least some radio resources from the second signal source.
12. The baseband controller of claim 8 wherein the baseband unit further comprises at least one interface to communicatively couple the baseband unit to one or more additional baseband units.
13. The baseband controller of claim 8 wherein the plurality of radio resources include a first composite signal from the first signal source and a second composite signal from the second signal source, and the baseband unit is configured to form the digital representation of the first set of radio resources from a first subset of the first composite signal and a second subset of the second composite signal.
14. A method for providing digital signals in a Distributed Antenna System (DAS), comprising:
receiving at a baseband unit, from a plurality of signal sources including at least a first signal source and a second signal source, a plurality of radio resources;
transmitting from the baseband unit, at a first point in time, a digital representation of a first set of radio resources to a first remote unit, the first set of radio resources for transmission at an antenna of the first remote unit;
transmitting from the baseband unit, at a second point in time, a digital representation of a second set of radio resources to the first remote unit, the second set of radio resources for transmission at the antenna of the first remote unit;
wherein a number of radio resources in the first set of radio resources is different from a number of radio resources in the second set of radio resources.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein the digital representation of the first set of radio resources includes destination information identifying the first remote unit and the digital representation of the second set of radio resources includes destination information identifying the second remote unit.
16. The method of claim 14 wherein the first set of radio resources is a subset of the plurality of radio resources and includes at least some radio resources from the first signal source and at least some radio resources from the second signal source.
17. The method of claim 14 further comprising receiving at the baseband unit, from at least one additional baseband unit, a second plurality of radio resources.
18. The method of claim 14 wherein the plurality of radio resources include a first composite signal from the first signal source and a second composite signal from the second signal source, the method further comprising forming, at the baseband unit, the digital representation of the first set of radio resources from a first subset of the first composite signal and a second subset of the second composite signal.
19. The method of claim 14 further comprising packetizing, at the baseband unit, at least a subset of the plurality of radio resources.