US009531473B2
`
`a2) United States Patent
`US 9,531,473 B2
`(10) Patent No.:
`*Dec. 27, 2016
`(45) Date of Patent:
`Lemson et al.
`
`
`(54)
`
`(71)
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`(72)
`
`(21)
`(22)
`(65)
`
`(63)
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`(51)
`
`(52)
`
`(58)
`
`REMOTELY RECONFIGURABLE
`DISTRIBUTED ANTENNA SYSTEM AND
`METHODS
`
`HO3F 1/3247; HO3F 3/24; HO3F
`2200/204; HO3F 2201/3224; HO3F
`2201/3233; HO4L 25/02; HO4L 5/0048
`(Continued)
`
`Applicant: DALI SYSTEMS CoO. LTD., George
`Town, Grand Cayman (KY)
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`
`Inventors: Paul Lemson, Woodinville, WA (US);
`Shawn Patrick Stapleton, Burnaby
`(CA); Sasa Trajkovie, Burnaby (CA);
`Albert S. Lee, San Mateo, CA (US)
`
`Assignee: DALI WIRELESS, INC., Menlo Park,
`CA (US)
`
`Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
`
`This patent is subject to
`claimer.
`
`a terminal dis-
`
`Appl. No.: 14/949,405
`
`Filed:
`
`Nov. 23, 2015
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`5,880,863 A
`6,353,600 Bl
`
`Rideout et al.
`3/1999
`Schwartz et al.
`3/2002
`(Continued)
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`CN
`CN
`
`6/2009
`101453699 A
`6/2009
`101453799 A
`(Continued)
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`Notification of Transmittal of the International Search Report and.
`the Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority, or the
`Declaration and International Search Report and Written Opinion of
`
`the International Searching Authority for International Application
`No. PCT/US2011/048004 mailed on Jan. 5, 2012, 6 pages.
`
`Prior Publication Data
`
`(Continued)
`
`US 2016/0080082 Al
`
`Mar. 17, 2016
`
`Related U.S. Application Data
`
`Continuation of application No. 14/169,719, filed on
`Jan. 31, 2014, which is a continuation of application
`
`Int. Cl.
`HO4W 72/00
`H04B 10/2575
`
`(Continued)
`
`(2009.01)
`(2013.01)
`(Continued)
`
`US. Cl.
`CPC ........ H04B 10/2575 (2013.01); HO3F 1/3247
`(2013.01); HO3F 3/24 (2013.01);
`
`(Continued)
`Field of Classification Search
`CPC . H04B 10/2575; HO4W 24/02; HO4W 88/085;
`
`Primary Examiner — Dominic Rego
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm — Kilpatrick Townsend &
`Stockton LLP
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`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 disclosure
`enables a high degree of flexibility to manage, control,
`enhance, facilitate the usage and performance of a distrib-
`uted wireless network such as flexible simulcast, automatic
`traffic load-balancing, network and radio resource optimi-
`zation, network calibration, autonomous/assisted commis-
`sioning, carrier pooling, automatic frequency selection, fre-
`
`(Continued)
`
`
`
`Pilot Beacon Inzcor Localization System Yor CLINA 2nd WCORA,
`
`
`
`Page 1
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`CommScope Ex. 1016
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`T-Mobile Ex. 1016
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`US 9,531,473 B2
`Page 2
`
`2003/0181221 Al
`2004/0053624 Al
`2005/0152695 Al
`2005/0181812 Al
`2005/0206564 Al
`2005/0220066 Al
`2006/0270366 Al
`2007/0019598 Al
`2007/0058742 Al
`2007/0065078 Al*
`
`2007/0116046 Al*
`
`2007/0147488 Al*
`
`2007/0177552 Al
`2008/0051129 Al
`2008/0146146 Al
`2008/0225816 Al
`2008/0240036 Al
`2009/0274048 Al
`2010/0087227 Al
`2010/0136998 Al
`2010/0202565 Al*
`
`2010/0279704 Al
`2010/0299173 Al*
`
`2010/0311372 A1l*
`
`2011/0103309 Al*
`
`quency carrier placement, traffic monitoring, traffic tagging,
`pilot beacon, etc.
`
`21 Claims, 7 Drawing Sheets
`
`(60)
`
`(51)
`
`(52)
`
`(58)
`
`Related U.S. Application Data
`
`No. 13/211,243, filed on Aug. 16, 2011, now Pat. No.
`8,682,338.
`
`Provisional application No. 61/382,836, filed on Sep.
`14, 2010.
`
`(2006.01)
`(2006.01)
`(2006.01)
`(2006.01)
`(2009.01)
`(2009.01)
`
`Int. Cl.
`HO3F 1/32
`HO3F 3/24
`HOAL 5/00
`HOAL 25/02
`HO4W 24/02
`HO4W 88/08
`U.S. Cl.
`CPC veseescscees HO4L 5/0048 (2013.01); HO4E 25/02
`(2013.01); HO4W 24/02 (2013.01); Ho4w
`88/085 (2013.01); HO3F 2200/204 (2013.01);
`HO3F 2201/3224 (2013.01); HO3F 2201/3233
`(2013.01)
`
`Field of Classification Search
`USPC viceceseeecnees 455/562.1, 436, 443-445, 447,
`450-454,455/464, 509; 370/328, 310.2,
`338
`
`See application file for complete search history.
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
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`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`CN
`CN
`EP
`JP
`JP
`JP
`JP
`JP
`JP
`JP
`JP
`JP
`KR
`WO
`WO
`WO
`Wo
`WO
`WO
`WO
`WO
`
`101521893 A
`103201958 A
`2606576
`2004-147009 A2
`2007-523577 A
`2007-235738 A
`2007-529926 A
`2008-506322 A
`2008-099137 A2
`2008-516503 A
`2009-296335 A2
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`
`the Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority, or the
`
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`
`the International Searching Authority for International Application
`No. PCT/US2011/047995 mailed on Dec. 22, 2011, 7 pages.
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`Non-Final Office Action of May 30, 2013 for U.S. Appl. No.
`13/211,243, 10 pages.
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`11 pages.
`
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`
`
`US 9,531,473 B2
`Page 3
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`(56)
`
`References Cited
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`Non-Final Office Action for U.S. Appl. No. 14/169,719 mailed on
`Sep. 10, 2015, 12 pages.
`Notice of Allowance for U.S. Appl. No. 14/169,719, mailed Apr. 13,
`2016, 7 pages.
`
`* cited by examiner
`
`Page 3
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Dec. 27, 2016
`
`Sheet 1 of 7
`
`US 9,531,473 B2
`
`Flexible Simulcast Downlink Exaraple
`
`Figure 4:
`
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`Page 4
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`U.S. Patent
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`Dec. 27, 2016
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`Sheet 2 of 7
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`US 9,531,473 B2
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`U.S. Patent
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`Dec. 27, 2016
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`Sheet 3 of 7
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`US 9,531,473 B2
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`Pilot Beacon indoor Localization System for CDMA and WCDMA
`
`Figura 3.
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`U.S. Patent
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`Dec. 27, 2016
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`Sheet 4 of 7
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`US 9,531,473 B2
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`Page 7
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`CommScope Ex. 1016
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`indoor Localization System of GSM and LTE
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`U.S. Patent
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`Dec. 27, 2016
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`Sheet 5 of 7
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`US 9,531,473 B2
`
`
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`U.S. Patent
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`Dec. 27, 2016
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`Sheet 6 of 7
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`US 9,531,473 B2
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`CommScope Ex. 1016
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`Figure 6
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`U.S. Patent
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`Dec. 27, 2016
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`Sheet 7 of 7
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`US 9,531,473 B2
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`Figure 7: Embedded Software Control Modules
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`RRU Embedded Scofivare Control Module
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`US 9,531,473 B2
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`2
`A second candidate approach involves deployment of a
`DAS along with a centralized group of base stations dedi-
`cated to the DAS. A conventional DAS deployment falls into
`one of two categories. The first type of DAS is “fixed”,
`where the system configuration doesn’t change based on
`time of day or other information about usage. The remote
`units associated with the DAS are set up during the design
`process so that a particular block of base station radio
`resources is thought to be enough to serve each small group
`of DAS remote units. A notable disadvantage of this
`approach is that most enterprises seem to undergo frequent
`re-arrangements and re-organizations of various groups
`within the enterprise. Therefore, it’s highly likely that the
`initial setup will need to be changed from time to time,
`requiring deployment of additional
`staff and
`contract
`resources with appropriate levels of expertise regarding
`wireless networks.
`The second type of DAS is equipped with a type of
`network switch which allows the location and quantity of
`DAS remote units associated with any particular centralized
`base station to be changed manually. Although this approach
`would seem to allow dynamic reconfiguration based on the
`needs of the enterprise or based on time of day, it frequently
`requires deployment of additional staff resources for real-
`time management of the network. Another issue is that it’s
`not always correct or best to make the same DAS remote
`unit configuration changes back and forth on each day of the
`week at the same times of day. Frequently it is difficult or
`impractical for an enterprise IT manager to monitor the
`subscriber loading on each base station. And it
`is almost
`certain that the enterprise IT manager has no practical way
`to determine the loading at a given time of day for each DAS
`remote unit; they can only guess.
`Another major limitation of prior art DAS deployments is
`related to their installation, commissioning and optimization
`process. Some challenging issues which must be overcome
`include selecting remote unit antenna locations to ensure
`proper coverage while minimizing downlink interference
`from outdoor macro cell sites, minimizing uplink interfer-
`ence to outdoor macro cell sites, and ensuring proper intra-
`system handovers while indoors and while moving from
`outdoors to indoors (and vice-versa). The process of per-
`forming such deployment optimization is frequently char-
`acterized as trial-and-error and as such, the results may not
`be consistent with a high quality of service.
`A major limitation of prior art DAS equipment employing
`digital transmission links such as optical fiber or wired
`Ethernet is the fact that the prior-art RF-to-digital conver-
`sion techniques utilize an approach whereby the system
`converts a single broad RF bandwidth of e.g., 10 to 25 MHz
`to digital. Therefore all the signals, whether weak or strong,
`desired or undesired, contained within that broad bandwidth
`are converted to digital, whether those signals are desired or
`not. This approach frequently leads to inefficiencies within
`the DAS which limit the DAS network capacity. It would be
`preferable to employ an
`alternative approach yielding
`greater efficiencies and improved flexibility, particularly for
`neutral host applications.
`In 2008 the FCC further clarified its E-911 requirements
`with regard to Phase 2 accuracy for mobile wireless net-
`works. The information required in Phase 2
`is the mobile
`phone number and the physical location, within a few dozen
`yards, from which the call was made. The Canadian gov-
`ernment is reportedly considering enacting similar require-
`ments. Also the FCC is eager to see US mobile network
`operators provide positioning services with enhanced accu-
`racy for E-911 for indoor subscribers. There is
`a reported
`
`1
`REMOTELY RECONFIGURABLE
`DISTRIBUTED ANTENNA SYSTEM AND
`METHODS
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`CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED
`APPLICATIONS
`
`O°
`an
`
`This application is a continuation of U.S. patent applica-
`tion Ser. No. 14/169,719, filed Jan. 31, 2014, which is
`a
`continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/211,243,
`filed Aug. 16, 2011, which claims the benefit of U.S. Patent
`Application No. 61/382,836, filed Sep. 14, 2010, the disclo-
`sures of which are hereby incorporated by reference for all
`purposes.
`
`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`
`The present invention generally relates to wireless com-
`munication systems employing Distributed Antenna Sys-
`tems (DAS) as part of a distributed wireless network. More
`specifically, the present invention relates to
`a DAS utilizing
`software defined radio (SDR).
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`Wireless and mobile network operators face the continu-
`ing challenge of building networks that effectively manage
`high data-traffic growth rates. Mobility and an increased
`level of multimedia content for end users requires end-to-
`end network adaptations that support both new services and
`the increased demand for broadband and flat-rate Internet
`access. One of the most difficult challenges faced by net-
`work operators is caused by the physical movements of
`subscribers from one location to another, and particularly
`when wireless subscribers congregate in large numbers at
`one location. A notable example is
`a business enterprise
`facility during lunchtime, when a large number of wireless
`subscribers visit a cafeteria location in the building. At that
`time, a large number of subscribers have moved away from
`their offices and usual work areas. It’s likely that during
`lunchtime there are many locations throughout the facility
`where there are very few subscribers. If the indoor wireless
`network resources were properly sized during the design
`process for subscriber loading as it is during normal working
`hours when subscribers are in their normal work areas, it is
`very likely that the lunchtime scenario will present some
`unexpected challenges with regard to available wireless
`capacity and data throughput.
`To accommodate this variation in subscriber loading,
`there are several candidate prior art approaches.
`One approach is to deploy many low-power high-capacity
`base stations throughout the facility. The quantity of base
`stations is determined based on the coverage of each base
`station and the total space to be covered. Each of these base
`stations is provisioned with enough radio resources, i.e.,
`capacity and broadband data throughput to accommodate the
`maximum subscriber loading which occurs during the
`course of the workday and work week. Although this
`approach typically yields a high quality of service, the
`notable disadvantage of this approach is that during a major
`part of the time many of the base stations’ capacity is being
`wasted. Since a typical indoor wireless network deployment
`involves capital and operational costs which are assessed on
`a per-subscriber basis for each base station, the typically
`high total life cycle cost for a given enterprise facility is far
`from optimal.
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`US 9,531,473 B2
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`3
`effort within the FCC to try to mandate Phase 2 accuracy
`indoors, within the next 2 years.
`Many wireless networks employ mobile and fixed broad-
`band wireless terminals which employ GPS-based E-911
`location services. It has been demonstrated that GPS signals
`from satellites outdoors don’t propagate well into the indoor
`space. Therefore an alternative, more robust E-911 location
`determination approach is required for indoors, particularly
`if the FCC requirements are changed to be more stringent.
`Several US operators have expressed concern about how
`they
`can
`practically
`and
`cost-effectively
`obtain
`these
`enhanced location accuracy capabilities. Operators are very
`eager to identify a cost-effective approach which can be
`deployed indoors for enhanced location accuracy.
`One proposed approach toward indoor location accuracy
`enhancement for CDMA networks would employ a separate
`unit known as
`a CDMA Pilot Beacon. A notable disadvan-
`tage of this approach for an indoor OAS application is that
`since the CDMA Pilot Beacon unit is
`a separate and dedi-
`cated device and not integrated within the OAS, it would
`likely be costly to deploy. The Pilot Beacon approach for
`CDMA networks employs a Pilot Beacon with a unique PN
`code (in that area) which effectively divides a particular
`CDMA network coverage area (e.g., indoors) into multiple
`small zones (which each correspond to the coverage area of
`a low-power Pilot Beacon). Each Pilot Beacon’s location,
`PN code and RF Power level are known by the network.
`Each Pilot Beacon must be synchronized to the COMA
`network, via GPS or local base station connection. A vari-
`able delay setting permits each Pilot Beacon to have the
`appropriate system timing to permit triangulation and/or
`Cell 10 position determination. One optional but potentially
`costly enhancement to this approach would employ a Wire-
`less Modem for each Pilot Beacon to provide remote
`Alarms, Control and Monitoring of each CDMA Pilot Bea-
`con. No known solution for indoor location accuracy
`enhancement has been publicly proposed for WCDMA
`networks.
`toward
`approach
`technically-proven
`One
`candidate
`indoor location accuracy enhancement for GSM networks
`would employ a separate unit known as a Location Mea-
`surement Unit or LMU. A notable disadvantage of this
`approach for an indoor DAS application is that, since the
`LMU is a separate and dedicated device and not integrated
`within the DAS, it is costly to deploy. Each LMU requires
`a backhaul facility to a central server which analyzes the
`LMU measurements. The LMU backhaul cost adds to the
`total cost of deploying the enhanced accuracy E-911 solution
`for GSM networks. Despite the availability of the already
`technically-proven LMU approach, it has not been widely
`deployed in conjunction with indoor DAS.
`Based on the prior art approaches described herein, it is
`apparent that a highly efficient, easily deployed and dynami-
`cally reconfigurable wireless network is not achievable with
`prior art systems and capabilities.
`
`BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`The present invention substantially overcomes the limi-
`tations of the prior art discussed above. The advanced
`system architecture of the present invention provides a high
`degree of flexibility to manage, control, enhance and facili-
`tate radio resource efficiency, usage and overall performance
`of the distributed wireless network. This advanced system
`architecture enables specialized applications and enhance-
`ments including flexible simulcast, automatic traffic load-
`balancing, network and radio resource optimization, net-
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`commissioning,
`autonomous/assisted
`calibration,
`work
`carrier pooling, automatic frequency selection, radio fre-
`quency carrier placement, traffic monitoring, traffic tagging,
`and indoor location determination using pilot beacons. The
`present invention can also serve multiple operators, multi-
`mode radios (modulation-independent) and multi-frequency
`bands per operator to increase the efficiency and traffic
`capacity of the operators’ wireless networks.
`Accordingly, it
`is an object of the present invention to
`provide a capability for Flexible Simulcast. With Flexible
`Simulcast, the amount of radio resources (such as RF
`carriers, CDMA codes or TDMA time slots) assigned to a
`particular RRU or group of RRUs by each RRU Access
`Module can be set via software control as described here-
`inafter to meet desired capacity and throughput objectives or
`wireless subscriber needs.
`To achieve these and other
`objects, an aspect of the present invention employs soft-
`ware-programmable frequency selective Digital Up-Con-
`verters (DUCs) and Digital Down-Converters (DDCs). A
`software-defined Remote Radio Head architecture is used
`for cost-effective optimization of the radio performance.
`Frequency selective DDCs and DUCs at the Remote Radio
`Head enable a high signal to noise ratio (SNR) which
`maximize the throughput data rate. An embodiment shown
`in FIG. 1 depicts a basic structure and provides an example
`of a Flexible Simulcast downlink transport scenario. FIG. 2
`depicts an embodiment of a basic structure of a Flexible
`Simulcast uplink transport scenario.
`It is a further object of the present invention to facilitate
`conversion and transport of several discrete relatively nar-
`row RF bandwidths. In another aspect of the invention, an
`embodiment converts only that plurality of specific, rela-
`tively narrow bandwidths that carry useful information.
`Thus, this aspect of the present invention allows more
`efficient use of the available optical fiber transport band-
`width for neutral host applications, and facilitates transport
`of more operators’ band segments over the optical fiber. To
`achieve the above result,
`the present invention utilizes
`frequency-selective filtering
`at
`the Remote Radio Head
`which enhances the system performance. In some embodi-
`ments of this aspect of the invention, noise reduction via
`frequency-selective filtering at the Remote Radio Head is
`utilized for maximizing the SNR and consequently maxi-
`mizing the data throughput. It
`is
`a further object of the
`present invention to provide CDMA and WCDMA indoor
`location accuracy enhancement. In an aspect of the present
`invention, an embodiment provides enhanced location accu-
`racy performance by employing pilot beacons. FIG. 3
`depicts a typical indoor system employing multiple Remote
`Radio Head Units (RRUs) and a central Digital Access Unit
`(DAU). The Remote Radio Heads have a unique beacon that
`is distinct and identifies that particular indoor cell. The
`mobile user will use the beacon information to assist in the
`localization to a particular cell.
`It is
`a further object of the present invention to enhance
`GSM and LTE indoor location accuracy. In another aspect,
`an embodiment of the present invention provides localiza-
`tion of a user based on the radio signature of the mobile
`device. FIG. 4 depicts a typical indoor system employing
`multiple Remote Radio Head Units (RRUs) and a
`central
`Digital Access Unit (DAU). In accordance with the inven-
`tion, each Remote Radio Head provides unique header
`information on data received by that Remote Radio Head.
`The system of the invention uses this header information in
`conjunction with the mobile user’s radio signature to local-
`ize the user to a particular cell. It is a further object of the
`present invention to re-route local traffic to Internet VOIP,
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`US 9,531,473 B2
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`5
`Wi-Fi or WiMAX. In this aspect of the invention, an
`embodiment determines the radio signatures of the indi-
`vidual users within a DAU or Island of DAUs and uses this
`information to identify if the users are located within the
`coverage area associated with a specific DAU or Island of
`DAUs. The DAUs track the radio signatures of all the active
`users within its network and record a running data base
`containing information pertaining to them. One embodiment
`of the present invention is
`for the Network Operations
`Center (NOC) to inform the DAU that, e.g., two specific
`users are collocated within the same DAU or Island of
`DAUs, as depicted in FIG. 6. The DAUs then reroute the
`users to Internet VOIP, Wi-Fi or WiMAX as appropriate.
`Another embodiment of the present invention is to deter-
`mine the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of the individual
`users’
`Wi-Fi
`connections.
`If
`the
`individual
`users’
`IP
`addresses are within the same DAU or Island of DAUs, the
`data call for these users is rerouted over the internal network.
`Applications of the present invention are suitable to be
`employed with distributed base stations, distributed antenna
`systems, distributed repeaters, mobile equipment and wire-
`less terminals, portable wireless devices, and other wireless
`communication systems such as microwave and satellite
`communications. The present invention is also field upgrad-
`able through a link such as an Ethernet connection to
`a
`remote computing center.
`Appendix I is a glossary of terms used herein, including
`acronyms.
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`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`30
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`Further objects and advantages of the present invention
`can be more fully understood from the following detailed
`description taken in conjunction with the accompanying
`drawings in which:
`FIG. 1
`is a block diagram according to one embodiment
`of the invention showing the basic structure and an example
`of a Flexible Simulcast downlink transport scenario based
`on having 2 DAU and 4 DRU.
`FIG. 2 is a block diagram in accordance with an embodi-
`ment of the invention showing the basic structure and an
`example of a Flexible Simulcast uplink transport scenario
`based on having 2 DAU and 4 DRU.
`FIG.
`3 shows an embodiment of an indoor system
`employing multiple Remote Radio Head Units (RRUs) and
`a central Digital Access Unit (DAU).
`FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of an indoor system in
`accordance with the invention which employs multiple
`Remote Radio Head Units (RRUs) and a central Digital
`Access Unit (DAU).
`FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a cellular network
`system employing multiple Remote Radio Heads according
`to the present invention.
`FIG. 6
`is
`a depiction of local connectivity according to
`one embodiment of the present invention.
`FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of the basic structure of
`the embedded software control modules which manage key
`functions of the DAU and RRU, in accordance with the
`present invention.
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`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`INVENTION
`
`a novel Reconfigurable Distrib-
`The present invention is
`uted Antenna System that provides a high degree of flex-
`ibility to manage, control, re-configure, enhance and facili-
`tate
`the
`radio
`resource
`efficiency,
`usage
`and
`overall
`
`6
`network. An
`wireless
`distributed
`the
`performance of
`embodiment of the Reconfigurable Distributed Antenna Sys-
`tem in accordance with the present invention is shown in
`FIG. 1. The Flexible Simulcast System 100 can be used to
`explain the operation of Flexible Simulcast with regard to
`downlink signals. The system employs a Digital Access Unit
`functionality (hereinafter “DAU”’). The DAU serves as an
`interface to the base station (BTS). The DAU is (at one end)
`connected to the BTS, and on the other side connected to
`multiple RRUs. For the downlink (DL) path, RF signals
`received from the BTS are separately down-converted, digi-
`tized, and converted to baseband (using a Digital Down-
`Converter). Data streams are then I/Q mapped and framed.
`Specific parallel data streams are then independently seri-
`alized and translated to optical signals using pluggable SFP
`modules, and delivered to different RRUs over optical fiber
`cable. For the uplink (UL) path optical signals received from
`RRUs are deserialized, deframed, and up-converted digitally
`using a Digital Up-Converter. Data streams are then inde-
`pendently converted to the analog domain and up-converted
`to the appropriate RF frequency band. The RF signal is then
`delivered to the BTS. An embodiment of the system is
`mainly comprised of DAU1 indicated at 101, RRU1 indi-
`cated at 103, RRU2 indicated at 104, DAU2 indicated at
`102, RRU3 indicated at 105, and RRU4 indicated at 106. A
`composite downlink input signal 107 from, e.g.,
`a base
`station belonging to one wireless operator enters DAU1 at
`the DAU1 RF input port. Composite signal 107 is comprised
`of Carriers 1-4. A second composite downlink input signal
`from e.g.,
`a second base station belonging to the same
`wireless operator enters DAU2 at the DAU2 RF input port.
`Composite signal 108 is comprised of Carriers 5-8. The
`functionality of DAU1, DAU2, RRU1, RRU2, RRU3 and
`RRU4 are explained in detail by U.S. Provisional Applica-
`tion Ser. No. 61/374593, entitled “Neutral Host Architecture
`for a Distributed Antenna System,” filed Aug. 17, 2010 and
`attached hereto as an appendix. One optical output of DAU1
`is fed to RRU1. A second optical output of DAU1 is fed via
`bidirectional optical cable 113 to DAU2. This connection
`facilitates networking of DAU1 and DAU2, which means
`that all of Carriers 1-8 are available within DAU1 and
`DAU2 to trans