Duplex Headend Units in Distributed Antenna Systems

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Solution Overview

Problem

Distributed antenna systems, particularly in emergency service networks, face challenges in achieving high availability due to the lack of redundancy in link connections between headend and sub-nodes, leading to potential service disruptions during errors.

Innovation Solution

The system implements duplication of headend units and the use of redundancy links to switch frame transmission paths in case of link errors, ensuring continuous service by activating alternative paths for frame transmission.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If link duplication is implemented in distributed antenna system, then system availability is improved, but facility cost and operation cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem availabilityVSAvoidfacility cost
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements link duplication by pre-establishing redundant transmission paths between headend units and sub-nodes before failures occur. When a link failure is detected, the system can immediately switch to the pre-configured redundant link without requiring complex real-time path computation, thereby improving availability while controlling complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates duplicate copies of critical communication paths by establishing secondary links that mirror primary links. These redundant links are configured in advance and can be activated when primary links fail, providing a straightforward method to improve reliability without requiring complex system reconfiguration.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

2Reliability

If headend unit duplication is implemented, then service continuity is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice continuityVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-configures duplicate headend units and establishes their communication pathways before failures occur. The redundant headend units are kept in standby mode with pre-synchronized data, allowing immediate takeover when primary headend units fail, thus ensuring service continuity without requiring complex real-time switching logic.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements headend unit duplication by creating exact copies of headend functionality in separate physical units. These duplicate units include all necessary processing capabilities and are pre-integrated into the system architecture, providing a straightforward failover mechanism that improves service continuity while maintaining manageable system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

3Reliability

If redundancy links are added for error protection, then frame transmission reliability is improved, but network complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveframe transmission reliabilityVSAvoidnetwork complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-establishes redundant frame transmission paths and configures the switching logic in advance. When frame transmission errors are detected on primary links, the system can immediately route frames through pre-configured redundant links without requiring complex real-time path computation or dynamic reconfiguration, thereby improving transmission reliability while controlling network complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3846491B1Duplexing in distributed antenna system
Publication Date: 2025.01.01 SOLID
  • EP3846491B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3846491B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3846491B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A distributed antenna system of the present invention implements duplication by a method of configuring a first headend unit and a second headend unit in an active state or in a standby state and connecting a hub unit or a remote unit to the first headend unit and the second headend unit and by a method of connecting, through a redundancy link, a hub unit or remote units of a branch group branched from and connected to each headend unit, activating the redundancy link according to the control of an active headend unit when an error occurs in a frame transmission path, and changing logical port states of a hub unit or remote units that cannot transmit frames due to the error in order to change the frame transmission path so that frame transmission is possible through the activated redundancy link.