Daisy-Chained Remote Unit Ring for Fault-Tolerant DAS Links
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wireless network operators face challenges in maximizing DAS network capacity while maintaining cost-effectiveness and high remote unit availability, particularly due to issues with electronic and optical connections that can lead to failures and reduced availability.
Innovation Solution
A distributed antenna system with Digital Access Units (DAUs) and Digital Remote Units (DRUs) configured in daisy-chained ring configurations, providing fault tolerance, dynamic load balancing, and self-healing capabilities to ensure high availability and flexibility in managing radio resources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional DAS architectures with linear daisy-chained remote units are used, then the system is simpler to deploy, but the system lacks fault tolerance and self-healing capabilities when transport media connections fail
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by enabling the DAS system to dynamically switch between different operational modes (linear daisy-chained mode and ring mode) based on connection status. When transport media connections fail, the system automatically reconfigures itself into a ring topology to maintain fault tolerance and self-healing capabilities, thereby improving reliability without requiring permanent complex architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-configuring remote units with the capability to operate in both linear and ring topologies. The system prepares backup pathways in advance by establishing ring connections between adjacent remote units, so that when failures occur, the pre-established alternative paths enable immediate failover without requiring complex real-time reconfiguration
2Reliability
If additional transport facilities are deployed to improve redundancy, then system availability increases, but installation and lease costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of multiple transport connections by having remote units participate in both linear daisy-chained communication and ring topology communication simultaneously. This allows the same physical transport facilities to serve dual purposes: normal operational data transmission and backup fault tolerance pathways, thereby achieving redundancy without requiring separate dedicated backup infrastructure
3Productivity
If dynamic reconfigurations are implemented to adapt to changing network conditions, then radio resource efficiency improves, but system complexity and re-arrangement costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic reconfiguration capabilities that allow the DAS system to adapt to changing network conditions by switching between linear and ring modes, adjusting data flow paths, and reallocating radio resources based on subscriber needs and network traffic patterns. This dynamic adaptability improves radio resource efficiency while keeping reconfiguration complexity manageable through automated control mechanisms
Data Source
AI summary
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. More specifically, the present invention relates to a DAS utilizing one or more Daisy-Chained Rings of Remote Units. 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.