PROVIDING DIGITAL DATA SERVICES IN OPTICAL FIBER-BASED DISTRIBUTED RADIO FREQUENCY (RF) COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS, AND RELATED COMPONENTS AND METHODS

摘要

Optical fiber-based distributed communications systems that provide and support both RF communication services and digital data services are disclosed herein. The RF communication services and digital data services can be distributed over optical fiber to client devices, such as remote antenna units for example. In certain embodiments, digital data services can be distributed over optical fiber separate from optical fiber distributing RF communication services. In other embodiments, digital data services can be distributed over common optical fiber with RF communication services. For example, digital data services can be distributed over common optical fiber with RF communication services at different wavelengths through wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) and/or at different frequencies through frequency-division multiplexing (FDM). Power distributed in the optical fiber-based distributed communications system to provide power to remote antenna units can also be accessed to provide power to digital data service components.

主权项

1. A method for distributing radio frequency (RF) communications and digital data services (DDS) to at least one remote antenna unit (RAU), comprising:
receiving, at a head-end unit (HEU), at least one downlink electrical RF communications signal; converting, at the HEU, the at least one downlink electrical RF communications signal into at least one downlink optical RF communications signal to be communicated over at least one communications downlink to the at least one RAU; receiving, at the HEU, at least one uplink optical RF communications signal over at least one communications uplink from the at least one RAU; converting the at least one uplink optical RF communications signal into at least one uplink electrical RF communications signal; receiving at least one downlink electrical signal containing at least one DDS; converting the at least one downlink electrical signal containing at least one DDS to at least one downlink optical digital signal containing at least one DDS; providing the at least one downlink optical digital signal containing at least one DDS over at least one second communications downlink to the at least one RAU; receiving at least one uplink optical digital signal over at least one second communications uplink from the at least one RAU; converting the at least one uplink optical digital signal to at least one uplink electrical digital signal; and distributing at least one of the at least one downlink optical RF communications signal and at least one of the at least one downlink optical digital signal containing at least one DDS over a common optical fiber, wherein the at least one communications downlink and the at least one communications uplink include at least one optical fiber.