# US 11,909,432 B2 · Universal digital card (UDC) for use as digital donor card or digital distribution card > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,909,432 B2 - Document ID: US11909432B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/391,570 - Filed: 2021-08-02 - Published: 2022-02-03 - Granted: 2024-02-20 - Earliest claimed: 2020-08-03 - Assignees: CommScope Technologies LLC - Applicants: CommScope Technologies LLC - Inventors: Thomas Kummetz; Tyler J Hanson; Ahmed H. Hmimy - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11909432B2 ## CPC - H04B 1/18: Input circuits, e.g. for coupling to an antenna or a transmission line (coupling networks between antennas or lines and receivers independent of the nature of the receiver H03H) - H01Q 1/246: {specially adapted for base stations} - H04B 1/0032: {with analogue quadrature frequency conversion to and from the baseband (quadrature modulators and demodulators per se H03D3/007, H03C3/40)} - H04B 1/40: Circuits - H04B: TRANSMISSION - H01Q: ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS (radiators or antennas for microwave heating H05B6/72) ## Abstract One embodiment is directed to a universal digital card (UDC) for use in a node of a distributed antenna system (DAS). The UDC is configured to convert data between an external interface format used to communicate on an external communication link and a fronthaul interface format natively used in the DAS. The UDC is configured to be selectively used either as: a donor card to communicatively couple the node to one or more base station entities via the external digital interface or a distribution card to communicatively couple the node to one or more non-DAS nodes, hubs, switches, or remote radio heads or one or more other DAS nodes access points. Other embodiments are disclosed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A universal digital card (UDC) for use in a distributed antenna system (DAS), the UDC comprising: an external digital interface to communicatively couple the UDC to an external communication link used to transmit and receive data in any of a plurality of different external interface formats; and wherein the UDC is configured to: receive data formatted according to any of the plurality of external interface formats from the external communication link via the external digital interface; transmit data formatted according to any of the plurality of external interface formats over the external communication link via the external digital interface; and wherein the UDC is configured to be selectively used either as: a donor card to communicatively couple the node to one or more base station entities via the external digital interface; or a distribution card to communicatively couple the node to one or more non-DAS nodes, hubs, switches, or remote radio heads or one or more other DAS nodes or access points. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The UDC of claim 1, wherein the UDC is configured for use in a subrack of a node of the DAS; wherein the UDC further comprises: a backplane interface to communicatively couple the UDC to a backplane of the subrack, wherein the backplane is configured to communicate fronthaul data in a digital fronthaul interface format natively used in the DAS; wherein the UDC is configured to: convert the received data to the digital fronthaul interface format natively used in the DAS; communicate the converted data over the backplane of the subrack via the backplane interface; receive data formatted according to the digital fronthaul interface format natively used in the DAS from the backplane of the subrack via the backplane interface; and convert the received data to any of the plurality of external interface formats. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The UDC of claim 2, wherein the digital fronthaul interface format natively used in the DAS comprises a proprietary time-domain baseband in-phase and quadrature (IQ) fronthaul format. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The UDC of claim 3, wherein the plurality of external interface formats comprises at least one of: an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) fronthaul interface format that uses an Option 7-2 functional split; a Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) fronthaul interface format; a compressed CPRI fronthaul interface format; an evolved CPRI (eCPRI) fronthaul interface format; an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1914.3 Radio-over-Ethernet (ROE) interface format; a functional application programming interface (FAPI) or a network FAPI (nFAPI) interface format; and a proprietary frequency-domain baseband IQ fronthaul interface format configured for use over a switched Ethernet network. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The UDC of claim 2, wherein the base station entities that the UDC is configured to couple the node to includes at least one of: a baseband unit (BBU) or virtualized BBU (vBBU) configured to communicate over the external communication link using a Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) fronthaul interface format or an evolved Common Public Radio Interface (eCPRI) interface format; an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) Distributed Unit (O-DU) or virtualized O-DU (vDU) configured to communicate over the external communication link using an O-RAN fronthaul interface format; and a small cell BBU (SC BBU) configured to communicate over the external communication link using a proprietary frequency-domain baseband IQ fronthaul interface format configured for use over a switched Ethernet network. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The UDC of claim 2, wherein the one or more DAS nodes or access points that the UDC is configured to couple the node to includes one or more high-capacity DAS nodes or access point configured to communicate over the external communication link using a high-capacity transport interface format. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The UDC of claim 2, wherein the one or more non-DAS nodes, hubs, or remote radio heads that the UDC is configured to couple the node to includes one or more: small cell radio points configured to communicate over the external communication link using a proprietary frequency-domain baseband IQ fronthaul interface format configured for use over a switched Ethernet network; Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) remote radio heads configured to communicate over the external communication link using a CPRI fronthaul interface format; evolved CPRI (eCPRI) remote radio heads configured to communicate over the external communication link using an eCPRI fronthaul interface format; and Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) Remote Units (O-RUs) configured to communicate over the external communication link using an O-RAN fronthaul interface format. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The UDC of claim 2, wherein the node of the DAS comprises at least one of a central access node (CAN), a transport expansion node (TEN), and a wide-area integration node (WIN). ### Claim 9 (depends on 2) The UDC of claim 2, wherein other types of donor cards and/or other types distribution cards are used in the subrack. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The UDC of claim 9, wherein the other types of donor cards comprise at least one of: RF donor cards, and CPRI digital donor cards. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The UDC of claim 9, wherein the other types of distribution cards comprise fiber distribution cards and copper twisted-pair distribution cards. ### Claim 12 A node of a distributed antenna system (DAS) comprising: a universal digital card (UDC) comprising: an external digital interface to communicatively couple the UDC to an external communication link used to transmit and receive data in any of a plurality of different external interface formats; and wherein the UDC is configured to: receive data formatted according to any of the plurality of external interfaces formats from the external communication link via the external digital interface; and transmit communicate the converted data formatted according to any of the plurality of external interface formats over the external communication link via the external digital interface; and wherein the UDC is configured to be selectively used either as: a donor card to communicatively couple the node to one or more base station entities via the external digital interface; or a distribution card to communicatively couple the node to one or more non-DAS nodes, hubs, switches, or remote radio heads or one or more other DAS nodes or access points. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The node of claim 12, wherein the node further comprises a subrack comprising a plurality of slots and a backplane; wherein the UDC comprises: a backplane interface to communicatively couple the UDC to the backplane of the subrack, wherein the backplane is configured to communicate fronthaul data in a digital fronthaul interface format natively used in the DAS; wherein the UDC is configured to: convert the received data to the digital fronthaul interface format natively used in the DAS; communicate the converted data over the backplane of the subrack via the backplane interface; receive data formatted according to the digital fronthaul interface format natively used in the DAS from the backplane of the subrack via the backplane interface; and convert the received data to any of the plurality of external interface formats. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The node of claim 13, wherein the digital fronthaul interface format natively used in the DAS comprises a proprietary time-domain baseband in-phase and quadrature (IQ) fronthaul format. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The node of claim 14, wherein the plurality of external interface formats comprises at least one of: an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) fronthaul interface format that uses an Option 7-2 functional split; a Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) fronthaul interface format; a compressed CPRI fronthaul interface format; an evolved CPRI (eCPRI) fronthaul interface format; an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1914.3 Radio-over-Ethernet (ROE) interface format; a functional application programming interface (FAPI) or a network FAPI (nFAPI) interface format; and a proprietary frequency-domain baseband IQ fronthaul interface format configured for use over a switched Ethernet network. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The node of claim 13, wherein the base station entities that the UDC is configured to couple the node to includes at least one of: a baseband unit (BBU) or virtualized BBU (vBBU) configured to communicate over the external communication link using a Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) fronthaul interface format or an evolved Common Public Radio Interface (eCPRI) interface format; an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) Distributed Unit (O-DU) or virtualized O-DU (vDU) configured to communicate over the external communication link using an O-RAN fronthaul interface format; and a small cell BBU (SC BBU) configured to communicate over the external communication link using a proprietary frequency-domain baseband IQ fronthaul interface format configured for use over a switched Ethernet network. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The node of claim 13, wherein the one or more DAS nodes or access points that the UDC is configured to couple the node to includes one or more high-capacity DAS nodes or access point configured to communicate over the external communication link using a high-capacity transport interface format. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The node of claim 13, wherein the one or more non-DAS nodes, hubs, or remote radio heads that the UDC is configured to couple the node to includes one or more: small cell radio points configured to communicate over the external communication link using a proprietary frequency-domain baseband IQ fronthaul interface format configured for use over a switched Ethernet network; Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) remote radio heads configured to communicate over the external communication link using a CPRI fronthaul interface format; evolved CPRI (eCPRI) remote radio heads configured to communicate over the external communication link using an eCPRI fronthaul interface format; and Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) Remote Units (O-RUs) configured to communicate over the external communication link using an O-RAN fronthaul interface format. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The node of claim 13, wherein the node of the DAS comprises at least one of a central access node (CAN), a transport expansion node (TEN), and a wide-area integration node (WIN). ### Claim 20 (depends on 13) The node of claim 13, wherein other types of donor cards and/or other types distribution cards are used in the subrack. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The node of claim 20, wherein the other types of donor cards comprise at least one of: RF donor cards, and CPRI digital donor cards. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The node of claim 20, wherein the other types of distribution cards comprise fiber distribution cards and copper twisted-pair distribution cards.