# US 2018/0026713 A1 · Systems, methods, and devices for increasing radio frequency (rf) power in distributed antenna systems > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0026713 A1 - Document ID: US20180026713A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/719,703 - Filed: 2017-09-29 - Published: 2018-01-25 - Earliest claimed: 2011-04-29 - Assignees: Corning Optical Communications LLC - Applicants: Corning Optical Communications LLC - Inventors: Igor Berlin; William Patrick Cune; Jason Elliott Greene - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180026713A1 ## CPC - H04B 7/2606: {Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels} - H04B 7/024: Co-operative use of antennas of several sites, e.g. in co-ordinated multipoint or co-operative multiple-input multiple-output [MIMO] systems - H04B 7/0426: Power distribution - H04B 7/15507: {Relay station based processing for cell extension or control of coverage area, (network planning with network coordinated processing with regard to cell extension H04W16/26; network topologies using dedicated repeater stations H04W84/047; terminal devices adapted for relaying to or from an other terminal H04W88/04)} - H04B 10/25753: {Distribution optical network, e.g. between a base station and a plurality of remote units} - H04B 10/808: {Electrical power feeding of an optical transmission system} - H04W 72/0453: Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA - H04B 1/40: Circuits - H04W 16/26: Cell enhancers {or enhancement}, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow - H04W 88/085: {Access point devices with remote components} - H04B: TRANSMISSION - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract A communications system is disclosed that includes at least one remote expansion unit (RXU) that is operatively coupled to at least one remote unit (RU). The at least one RU is configured to receive a first and a second downlink optical radio frequency (RF) communications signal. The at least one RU comprises at least one optical-to-electrical (O/E) converter configured to convert the first and second downlink optical RF communications signals to respective first and second downlink electrical RF communications signals. The at least one RXU is configured to receive the second downlink electrical RF communications signal from the at least one RU. The RU may comprise selection circuitry configured to identify which of the downlink electrical communications signals are sent to the RXU. The RXU may be configured to provide an uplink electrical RF communications signal received from a client device to the RU. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A communications system, comprising: at least one remote unit (RU) configured to receive a first downlink optical radio frequency (RF) communications signal and a second downlink optical RF communications signal, wherein the at least one RU comprises: at least one optical-to-electrical (O/E) converter configured to convert the first downlink optical RF communications signal and the second downlink optical RF communications signal to a respective first downlink electrical RF communications signal and a second downlink electrical RF communications signal; and at least one electrical-to-optical (E/O) converter configured to convert an uplink electrical RF communications signal to an uplink optical RF communications signal; and at least one remote expansion unit (RXU) operatively coupled to the at least one RU and comprising at least one antenna, the at least one RXU configured to receive the second downlink electrical RF communications signal from the at least one RU. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The communications system of claim 1, wherein the at least one RXU is configured to receive at least one electrical RF communications signal from at least one client device via the at least one antenna. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The communications system of claim 1, wherein the at least one RXU is configured to provide an uplink electrical RF communications signal received from a client device to the at least one RU. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The communications system of claim 1, wherein the first and second downlink optical RF communications signals are in a first frequency band, and the at least one RXU is configured to receive the second downlink electrical RF communications signal in the first frequency band from the at least one RU. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The communications system of claim 4, wherein the at least one RXU is configured to receive an uplink RF communications signal in the first frequency band. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The communications system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the at least one RU and the at least one RXU further comprises a detector configured to provide a signal indicative of a total power of an RF signal received by the at least one of the at least one RU or the at least one RXU. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The communications system of claim 1, wherein the at least one RU is configured to receive the first downlink optical RF communications signal and the second downlink optical RF communications signal from a first service provider among a plurality of service providers, and the at least one RXU is configured to receive the second downlink electrical RF communications signal from the at least one RU. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The communications system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of RUs and a plurality of RXUs, each of the plurality of RXUs operatively coupled with at least one of the plurality of RUs, wherein: at least one of the plurality of RUs is configured to receive the first downlink optical RF communications signal and the second downlink optical RF communications signal in a second frequency band; and at least one of the plurality of RXUs is configured to receive the second downlink electrical RF communications signal in the second frequency band from at least one RU among the plurality of RUs. ### Claim 9 (depends on 3) The communications system of claim 3, wherein the at least one RXU further comprises at least one frequency conversion interface configured to frequency convert the uplink electrical RF communications signal. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The communications system of claim 1, wherein the first downlink optical RF communications signal is comprised of a first RF multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) signal for a MIMO communications service, and the second downlink optical RF communications signal is comprised of a second RF MIMO signal for the MIMO communications service. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The communications system of claim 10, wherein the at least one O/E converter is configured to convert the first RF MIMO signal and the second RF MIMO signal to a first electrical RF MIMO signal and a second electrical RF MIMO signal; and wherein the first electrical RF MIMO signal is of a first frequency, and the second electrical RF MIMO signal received by the at least one RXU is of a second frequency different from the first frequency. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The communications system of claim 11, wherein the at least one RXU is further configured to frequency shift the second electrical RF MIMO signal to the first frequency. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The communications system of claim 1, wherein the first downlink optical RF communications signal is comprised of a first RF digital signal, and the second downlink optical RF communications signal is comprised of a second RF digital signal. ### Claim 14 A communications system, comprising: at least one remote unit (RU) configured to receive a plurality of downlink optical communications signals; and at least one remote expansion unit (RXU) operatively coupled to the at least one RU and comprising at least one antenna configured to communicate with one or more client devices, wherein the at least one RU comprises: at least one optical-to-electrical (O/E) converter configured to convert the plurality of downlink optical communications signals to a respective plurality of downlink electrical communications signals; at least one electrical-to-optical (E/O) converter configured to convert an uplink electrical communications signal to an uplink optical communications signal; and selection circuitry configured to identify selected signals from the plurality of downlink electrical communications signals to be sent to the at least one RXU. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The communications system of claim 14, wherein the at least one RXU is configured to provide an uplink electrical communications signal received from a client device to the at least one RU. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The communications system of claim 15, wherein the at least one E/O converter is configured to convert the uplink electrical communications signal received from the at least one RXU to an uplink optical communications signal. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The communications system of claim 15, wherein the at least one RXU comprises at least one frequency conversion interface configured to frequency convert the uplink electrical communications signal. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The communications system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the at least one RU and the at least one RXU further comprises a detector configured to provide a signal indicative of a total power of a signal received by the at least one of the at least one RU or the at least one RXU. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The communications system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the at least one RU and the at least one RXU further comprises an RF communications module configured to provide RF communications services to and/or from the one or more client devices. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) The communications system of claim 14, wherein the at least one RU further comprises a digital data services (DDS) module configured to provide media conversion and to route digital data service signals received from a digital data services switch to the one or more client devices communicatively coupled to the at least one RU and configured to receive digital data services.