DETERMINING ACTUAL LOOP GAIN IN A DISTRIBUTED ANTENNA SYSTEM (DAS)

摘要

Embodiments of the disclosure relate to determining actual loop gain in a distributed antenna system (DAS). In this regard, a test signal(s) having a first power level is injected into a DAS from a first contact point. The test signal(s) is configured to propagate from the first contact point to a second contact point over a downlink path and an uplink path, thus creating a signal loop(s). A second power level of the test signal(s) is measured at the second contact point, and an actual loop gain of the DAS is determined by subtracting the first power level from the second power level. By determining the actual loop gain of the DAS, it is possible to further determine a gain margin of the DAS. Based on the gain margin, it is possible to determine optimization possibilities for the DAS to maximize capacity and performance of the DAS.

主权项

1. A distributed antenna system (DAS) configured to enable actual loop gain measurement, comprising:
a plurality of remote antenna units (RAUs); a head end unit (HEU) configured to:
distribute a downlink signal to at least one RAU among the plurality of RAUs; andreceive an uplink signal from the at least one RAU; a switch circuit disposed in a downlink path in the HEU and configured to disconnect the downlink path into a first contact point and a second contact point; a signal generator communicatively coupled to the first contact point and configured to provide at least one test signal having a first power level to the first contact point for distribution to the at least one RAU on the downlink path; and a receiver communicatively coupled to the second contact point and configured to:
receive at least one loopback test signal having a second power level from the second contact point;determine a difference between the first power level of the at least one test signal at the first contact point and the second power level of the at least one loopback test signal at the second contact point; anddetermine an actual loop gain of the DAS based on the determined difference between the first power level and the second power level.