Transmission Of Multiprotocol Data in a Distributed Antenna System

In a distributed antenna system (DAS) that includes at least one radio equipment (RE), a method of data distribution in the DAS and a local area network (LAN) in proximity with the DAS, wherein the data include signal samples and data packets, wherein the data packets are transmitted from one or more LAN segments of the LAN, wherein each data packet contains a plurality of data bits organized in accordance with a LAN protocol used by the LAN, the data packet including an address information associated with a source device of a corresponding LAN segment, wherein the RE is coupled to receive an analog signal from an antenna, the RE including an analog to digital converter (ADC) applied to the analog signal and a digital downconverter (DDC) to produce the signal samples of one or more antenna-carriers, the method comprising:

• receiving the data packets from the corresponding LAN segment at a corresponding RE, wherein the corresponding LAN segment is coupled to communicate with the corresponding RE;
• mapping the data packets and the signal samples output from the DDC at the corresponding RE to one or more mixed-data frames, the mixed-data frames having a frame structure in accordance with a radio data interface protocol, the frame structure including a user data portion and a control information portion, the user data portion including a plurality of containers, wherein a first set of containers in the mixed-data frame contain the data bits of the data packets from the corresponding LAN segment and a second set of containers in the mixed-data frame contain the signal samples of a corresponding antenna-carrier;
• transmitting the mixed-data frame over a data transfer interface to a gateway;
• receiving the mixed-data frame at the gateway;
• retrieving the data bits and the signal samples from the mixed-data frame, wherein the data bits from the corresponding LAN segment are retrieved from the first set of containers in the mixed-data frame and the signal samples of the corresponding antenna-carrier are retrieved from the second set of containers in the mixed-data frame;
• formatting the data bits into one or more reconstructed data packets in accordance with the LAN protocol for transmission to a switch;
• and
• mapping the signal samples into one or more radio data frames in accordance with the radio data interface protocol for transfer to a radio equipment controller (REC) via a serial data link.

In a distributed antenna system (DAS) that includes at least one radio equipment (RE), an apparatus for data distribution in the DAS and a local area network (LAN) in proximity with the DAS, wherein the data include signal samples from a radio equipment controller (REC) and data packets from a switch, wherein the data packets are destined for one or more LAN segments of the LAN, wherein each data packet contains a plurality of data bits organized in accordance with a LAN protocol used by the LAN, the data packet including an address information associated with a destination device of a corresponding LAN segment, wherein each signal sample corresponds to an antenna-carrier, each RE including a digital upconverter (DUC) and a digital to analog converter (DAC) to process the signal samples of one or more antenna-carriers for transmission via an antenna, the apparatus comprising:

• a gateway, including one or more gateway ports coupled to receive one or more streams of the data packets from the switch, wherein the stream of the data packets destined for the corresponding LAN segment are received over a given gateway port, wherein the corresponding LAN segment is coupled to communicate with a corresponding RE, the gateway coupled to receive the signal samples from the REC via a serial data link, wherein the signal samples are organized into one or more radio data frames having a frame structure in accordance with a radio data interface protocol, the frame structure including a user data portion and a control information portion, the user data portion including a plurality of containers, wherein the plurality of containers are assigned to corresponding antenna-carriers of the corresponding RE, wherein a given container includes one or more of the signal samples of the corresponding antenna-carrier, the gateway coupled to communicate via a data transfer interface for each RE, the gateway comprising:
• one or more mixed-data framers, wherein each mixed-data framer maps the data packets and the signal samples for the corresponding RE into one or more mixed-data frames, the mixed-data frames having the frame structure in accordance with the radio data interface protocol, wherein a first set of containers in a user data portion of the mixed-data frame contains the data bits of the data packets for the corresponding LAN segment and a second set of containers in the user data portion of the mixed-data frame contains the signal samples of the corresponding antenna-carrier;
• and
• the data transfer interface coupled to the mixed-data framer for transmitting the mixed-data frame to the corresponding RE;
• the apparatus further comprising at the RE:
• a mixed-data deframer coupled to receive the mixed-data frame at the corresponding RE from the data transfer interface, the mixed-data deframer retrieving the data bits and the signal samples from the mixed-data frame, wherein the data bits for the corresponding LAN segment are retrieved from the first set of containers in the mixed-data frame and the signal samples of the corresponding antenna-carrier are retrieved from the second set of containers in the mixed-data frame, the mixed-data deframer providing the signal samples to the DUC;
• and
• formatting logic receiving the data bits from the mixed-data deframer and forming one or more reconstructed data packets in accordance with the LAN protocol for transmission to the corresponding LAN segment.

In a distributed antenna system (DAS) that includes at least one radio equipment (RE), an apparatus for data distribution in the DAS and a local area network (LAN) in proximity with the DAS, wherein the data include signal samples and data packets, wherein the data packets are transmitted from one or more LAN segments of the LAN, wherein the each data packet contains a plurality of data bits organized in accordance with a LAN protocol used by the LAN, the data packet including an address information associated with a source device of a corresponding LAN segment, wherein the RE is coupled to receive an analog signal from an antenna, the RE including an analog to digital converter (ADC) applied to the analog signal and a digital downconverter (DDC) to produce the signal samples of one or more antenna-carriers, the apparatus comprising:

• a mixed-data framer receiving the signal samples output from the DDC of a corresponding RE and the data bits of the data packets from the corresponding LAN segment, wherein the corresponding LAN segment is coupled to communicate with the corresponding RE, the mixed-data framer mapping the data bits and the signal samples to one or more mixed-data frames, the mixed-data frames having a frame structure in accordance with a radio data interface protocol, the frame structure including a user data portion and a control information portion, the user data portion including a plurality of containers, wherein a first set of containers in the mixed-data frame contain the data bits of the data packets from the corresponding LAN segment and a second set of containers in the mixed-data frame contain the signal samples of a corresponding antenna-carrier;
• a gateway coupled to receive the mixed-data frame from the corresponding RE via a data transfer interface;
• the gateway comprising:
• a mixed-data deframer retrieving the data bits and the signal samples from the mixed-data frame, wherein the data bits from the corresponding LAN segment are retrieved from the first set of containers in the mixed-data frame and the signal samples of the corresponding antenna-carrier are retrieved from the second set of containers in the mixed-data frame;
• formatting logic coupled to receive the data bits from the mixed-data deframer and formatting the data bits into one or more reconstructed data packets in accordance with the LAN protocol for transmission to a switch;
• and
• a radio data framer coupled to receive the signal samples from the mixed-data deframer and mapping the signal samples into one or more radio data frames in accordance with the radio data interface protocol for transfer to a radio equipment controller (REC) via a serial data link.

A radio network access device arranged for an addressed packet protocol including packets having destination addresses and a wireless cellular protocol, comprising:

• a radio or radios including one or more antennas configured for data communications according to wireless cellular protocol;
• a first data port configured for data communications according to a time division multiplexed container protocol;
• a second data port configured for data communications according to the addressed packet protocol;
• and
• a processor coupled to the radio or radios and the first and second data ports, including logic to process uplink data packets from the addressed packet protocol and an uplink stream of signal samples from wireless cellular protocol, and to produce mixed-data communications according to a time division multiplexed container protocol, including a first set of output containers carrying parts of the uplink data packets and a second set of output containers carrying groups of the uplink signal samples, and to transmit the first and second sets of output containers on the first data port.