Systems and methods for simultaneous sampling of serial digital data streams from multiple analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), including in distributed antenna systems

A system for simultaneous sampling of digital data streams from analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), comprising:

• a controller unit, comprising:
• a chip select output port, a clock output port, and a plurality of data input ports each configured to receive a digital data stream;
• and
• a processor configured to:
• communicate a chip select signal on the chip select output port to receive a digital data stream on each of the plurality of data input ports simultaneously;
• and
• communicate a clock signal on the clock output port;
• and
• a plurality of ADCs, each ADC among the plurality of ADCs comprising:
• a chip select input port electrically coupled to the chip select output port of the controller unit;
• a clock input port electrically coupled to the clock output port of the controller unit;
• a data output port electrically coupled to a corresponding data input port among the plurality of data input ports of the controller unit;
• and
• provide the digital data stream, wherein
• the ADC is configured to receive an analog signal from a power detector and convert the analog signal to provide a digital data stream on the data output port in response to receiving the clock signal on the clock input port.

A method for simultaneously sampling digital data streams from multiple analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), comprising:

• communicating a chip select signal to a plurality of chip select input ports in a corresponding plurality of ADCs to simultaneously activate the plurality of ADCs;
• communicating a clock signal to a corresponding plurality of clock input ports in the plurality of ADCs;
• receiving a plurality of digital data streams from the corresponding plurality of ADCs in a corresponding data input port among a plurality of data input ports;
• and
• simultaneously sampling the plurality of digital data streams received in the plurality of data input ports from the plurality of ADCs, wherein
• communicating the clock signal comprises communicating the clock signal comprising clock pulses to a plurality of clock input ports in the plurality of ADCs;
• and
• simultaneously sampling the plurality of digital data streams further comprises simultaneously sampling one bit from each of the plurality of digital data streams for each clock pulse of the clock signal.

A method for simultaneously sampling serial digital data streams from multiple analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) in a distributed communication system, comprising:

• communicating a chip select signal to a plurality of chip select input ports in a corresponding plurality of ADCs to simultaneously activate the plurality of ADCs;
• communicating a clock signal to a corresponding plurality of clock input ports in the plurality of ADCs;
• communicating at least one configuration signal on a data input port of each ADC to configure which channel of the corresponding ADC to convert and to configure a number of bits for the corresponding ADC to provide in a serial digital data stream;
• receiving a plurality of serial digital data streams from the corresponding plurality of ADCs in a corresponding data input port among a plurality of data input ports;
• sampling the plurality of serial digital data streams received in the plurality of data input ports from the plurality of ADCs;
• and
• not communicating the chip select signal on the chip select input port of each ADC among the plurality of ADCs.