# US 2018/0324691 A1 · Power management for remote antenna units 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 2018/0324691 A1 - Document ID: US20180324691A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/031,173 - Filed: 2018-07-10 - Published: 2018-11-08 - Earliest claimed: 2010-10-13 - Assignees: Corning Optical Communications LLC - Applicants: Corning Optical Communications LLC - Inventors: Christian Heidler; Jonathan Richard Hull; Jessica Joy Kedziora; Michael Sauer; Wolfgang Gottfried Tobias Schweiker - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180324691A1 ## CPC - H04W 52/0206: {in access points, e.g. base stations} - H04B 10/11: Arrangements specific to free-space transmission, i.e. transmission through air or vacuum - 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 52/0261: {managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level} - H04W 84/12: WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] - H04W 88/085: {Access point devices with remote components} - Y02D 30/70: in wireless communication networks - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H04B: TRANSMISSION - Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE ## Abstract Power management for a remote antenna unit(s) (RAUs) in a distributed antenna system. Power can be managed for an RAU configured to power modules and devices that may require more power to operate than power available to the RAU. For example, the RAU may be configured to include power-consuming RAU modules to provide distributed antenna system-related services. As another example, the RAU may be configured to provide power through powered ports in the RAU to power-consuming devices. Depending on the configuration of the RAU, the power-consuming RAU modules and/or power-consuming devices may demand more power than is available at the RAU. In this instance, the power available at the RAU can be distributed to the power-consuming modules and devices based on the priority of services desired to be provided by the RAU. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of operating a remote unit in a wireless communications system, the method comprising: receiving downlink optical communications signals at the remote unit; receiving an available power budget for at least one powered port configured to provide power to at least one power-consuming device connected to the at least one powered port based on power required by at least one power-consuming remote unit module; determining a device class of the at least one power-consuming device connected to the at least one powered port; enabling power for the at least one powered port if the available power budget is sufficient to power the at least one power-consuming device of the device class connected to the at least one powered port; disabling power for the at least one powered port if the available power budget is not sufficient to power the at least one power-consuming device of the device class; and transmitting radio frequency (RF) downlink signals into a coverage area. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, comprising communicating uplink optical communications signals from the remote unit. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, comprising receiving uplink RF communications signals from the coverage area. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, comprising converting the uplink RF communications signals to the uplink optical communications signals at an electrical-to-optical (E/O) converter in the remote unit. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, comprising converting the downlink optical communications signals to downlink electrical communications signals at an optical-to-electrical (O/E) converter in the remote unit. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the uplink optical communications signals are communicated to a head-end unit of the wireless communications system. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the uplink optical communications signals are communicated to a head-end unit of the wireless communications system. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one powered port is comprised of a plurality of powered ports, the method further comprising disabling at least one first port among the plurality of powered ports if the available power budget is only sufficient to power the at least one power-consuming device connected to at least one second port among the plurality of powered ports. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, comprising determining if a status of the at least one powered port has changed, and determining a device class of the at least one power-consuming device connected to the at least one powered port. ### Claim 10 A method of operating a remote unit in a wireless communications system comprising a plurality of remote units, the method comprising: receiving downlink communications signals at the remote unit; receiving an available power budget for at least one powered port configured to provide power to at least one power-consuming device connected to the at least one powered port based on power required by at least one power-consuming remote unit module; enabling power for the at least one powered port if the available power budget is sufficient to power the at least one power-consuming device connected to the at least one powered port; disabling the at least one powered port if the available power budget is not sufficient to power the at least one power-consuming device connected to the at least one powered port; and transmitting radio frequency (RF) downlink signals into a coverage area. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, comprising receiving uplink RF communications signals from the coverage area. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, comprising: converting the uplink RF communications signals to uplink optical communications signals at an electrical-to-optical (E/O) converter in the remote unit; and converting the downlink communications signals to downlink electrical communications signals at an optical-to-electrical (O/E) converter in the remote unit. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one powered port is comprised of a plurality of powered ports, the method further comprising disabling at least one first port among the plurality of powered ports if the available power budget is only sufficient to power the at least one power-consuming device connected to at least one second port among the plurality of powered ports. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, comprising determining if a status of the at least one powered port has changed, and determining a device class of the at least one power-consuming device connected to the at least one powered port. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, comprising determining if a status of the at least one powered port has changed, and determining a device class of the at least one power-consuming device connected to the at least one powered port. ### Claim 16 A method of operating a remote unit in a wireless communications system, the method comprising: receiving downlink optical communications signals at the remote unit; receiving an available power budget for at least one powered port configured to provide power to at least one power-consuming device connected to the at least one powered port based on power required by at least one power-consuming remote unit module; determining a device class of the at least one power-consuming device connected to the at least one powered port; enabling power for the at least one powered port if the available power budget is sufficient to power the at least one power-consuming device of the device class connected to the at least one powered port; disabling power for the at least one powered port if the available power budget is not sufficient to power the at least one power-consuming device of the device class; and transmitting radio frequency (RF) downlink signals into a coverage area. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, comprising: receiving uplink RF communications signals from the coverage area; converting the uplink RF communications signals to uplink optical communications at an electrical-to-optical (E/O) converter in the remote unit; and communicating the uplink optical communications signals from the remote unit.