Abstract: A flame retardant and/or crush-resistant optical cable is provided. The cable includes a plurality of optical fibers and an inner jacket surrounding the plurality of optical fibers. The inner jacket includes an inner layer and an outer layer. The cable includes an armor layer surrounding the inner jacket. The cable includes an outer jacket surrounding the armor layer. The inner layer of the inner jacket, the outer layer of the inner jacket and/or the outer jacket are formed from one or more different material providing different properties to the cable. For example, the outer jacket may be formed from a flame-retardant, zero-halogen polymer material, the inner layer of the inner jacket may be chemically resistant to inorganic material, and the outer layer of the inner jacket may be chemically resistant to organic material.

Abstract: A traceable cable includes at least one data transmission element, a jacket at least partially surrounding the at least one data transmission element, and a tracing optical fiber incorporated with and extending along a length (l) of the cable. The tracing optical fiber includes a core having a first index of refraction and a cladding having a second index of refraction less than the first index of refraction, with the cladding substantially surrounding the core. The tracing optical fiber also includes periodically spaced apart scattering sites spaced along the optical fiber at a spacing ratio of n sites per meter, wherein each scattering site is configured to scatter no more than about 1/(n*l) times optical power provided to the tracing optical fiber. Related systems and methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: Methods for cleaving an optical fiber that extends from a ferrule are provided herein. The ferrule can be aligned on a first side of a scribe wire and an unconstrained end of the optical fiber on a second side of the scribe wire. Tension can be applied to the scribe wire with the optical fiber. Relative motion between the scribe wire and the optical fiber can be caused, while the tension is applied with the optical fiber. The scribe wire and the optical fiber can be separated. A fiber optic shard can be cleaved from the optical fiber. The fiber optic shard may include the unconstrained end of the optical fiber.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure relate to reducing out-of-channel noise in a wireless distribution system (WDS). A digital filter in a remote unit is configured to suppress out-of-channel noise in a downlink digital communications signal based on at least one filter configuration parameter received from a control circuit. The control circuit is configured to determine the filter configuration parameter based on physical characteristics of the downlink digital communications signal. By suppressing the out-of-channel noise of the downlink digital communications signal, it is possible to provide a downlink RF communications signal communicated from the remote unit that complies with a spectrum emission mask (SEM).

Abstract: Power management techniques in distributed communication systems are disclosed herein. Related components, systems, and methods are also disclosed. In embodiments disclosed herein, services within a remote unit of the distributed communication system are selectively activated and power consumption is measured. From at least two measurements, a maximum power available may be calculated and compared to power requirements of the remote unit.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure relate to calibrating a power amplifier. The power amplifier calibration circuit is configured to provide a plurality of bias signal combinations each including a respective first bias signal and a respective second bias signal to the power amplifier. Power amplifier performance parameters for each of the bias signal combinations can be measured and provided to a control circuit in the power amplifier calibration circuit. The control circuit is configured to rank the measured power amplifier performance parameters based on predefined ranking criteria and determines a selected bias signal combination that can optimize the power amplifier performance parameters of the power amplifier. As such, it is possible to calibrate the power amplifier to operate at a balanced performance level, thus helping to improve radio frequency (RF) coverage and performance of the remote unit in a wireless distribution system (WDS).

Abstract: Optical network units (ONUs) for high bandwidth connectivity, and related components and methods are disclosed. A fiber optical network ends at an ONU, which may communicate with a subscriber unit wirelessly at an extremely high frequency avoiding the need to bury cable on the property of the subscriber. In one embodiment, an optical network unit (ONU) is provided. The ONU comprises a fiber interface configured to communicate with a fiber network. The ONU further comprises an optical/electrical converter configured to receive optical downlink signals at a first frequency from the fiber network through the fiber interface and convert the optical downlink signals to electrical downlink signals. The ONU further comprises electrical circuitry configured to frequency convert electrical downlink signals to extremely high frequency (EHF) downlink signals at an EHF, and a wireless transceiver configured to transmit the EHF downlink signals to a proximate subscriber unit through an antenna.

Abstract: Embodiments disclosed in the detailed description include supporting an add-on remote unit(s) (RU) in an optical fiber-based distributed antenna system (DAS) over existing optical fiber communications medium using radio frequency (RF) multiplexing. An existing DAS comprises at least one existing head end equipment (HEE) communicatively coupled to a plurality of existing RUs through an existing optical fiber communications medium. In aspects disclosed herein, an add-on RU is added to the existing DAS to support additional wireless communications. No new optical fibers are required to be deployed to support communications to the add-on RU in the existing DAS. Instead, the existing DAS is configured to support the add-on RU through the existing optical fiber communications medium using RF multiplexing. As a result, the add-on RU can be added to the existing optical fiber-based DAS without adding new optical fibers, thus leading to reduced service disruptions and deployment costs.

Abstract: Embodiments for providing reference signal generation redundancy in wireless communications systems are disclosed. To avoid a single point of failure in reference signal generation that could cause components relying on the reference signal to not operate properly, the reference signal generation circuits disclosed herein include a plurality of reference signal generation modules. One reference signal generation module is configured as the master reference signal generation module to generate a master reference signal distributed in the wireless communication system. The other reference signal generation modules are configured as slave reference signal generation modules. If a failure is detected in the generation of the master reference signal in the master reference signal generation module, another slave reference signal generation module is reconfigured to be the new master reference signal generation module to generate the master reference signal.

Abstract: One embodiment of the disclosure relates to radio frequency (RF) communication channel reconfiguration in remote antenna unit (RAU) coverage areas in a distributed antenna system (DAS) to reduce RF interferences. In this regard, a spectrum optimization unit dynamically reconfigures RF communication channels employed by RAU coverage areas in a DAS to reduce or avoid adjacent-channel and/or co-channel RF interferences. Each of the RAU coverage areas provides a respective sniffed RF signal to the spectrum optimization unit. The spectrum optimization unit analyzes the respective sniffed RF signal to determine a respective lesser-interfered RF communication channel for an RAU coverage area and dynamically reconfigures the RAU coverage area to communicate on the respective lesser-interfered RF communication channel.

Abstract: A phase locked loop (PLL) provides output signals at multiple frequencies. In particular, the PLL includes a phase detector and two voltage controlled oscillators (VCOs). One of the VCOs is selectively enabled depending on a desired output signal. The phase detector receives a reference signal and a feedback signal from the enabled one of the two VCOs. The phase detector outputs a control signal that controls the VCO that provided the feedback signal.

Abstract: Embodiments disclosed in the detailed description include analog distributed antenna system (DAS) supporting distribution of digital communications signals interfaced from a digital signal source and analog radio frequency (RF) communications signals. Analog RF communications signals received from analog RF signal sources are distributed in the analog DAS without being digitized. The analog DAS is also configured to interface with digital signal sources and compatibly distribute digital communications signals. Hence, a digital signal interface in head-end equipment (HEE) is configured to convert downlink digital communications signals to downlink analog RF communications signals for distribution to a plurality of remote units. The digital signal interface is also configured to convert uplink analog RF communications signals to uplink digital communications signals for distribution to the digital signal source(s).

Abstract: An optical fiber cleaving apparatus that employs a microchip laser system for cleaving an optical fiber is disclosed. The microchip laser system is operably arranged relative to an optical system that receives an initial laser beam and forms a focused laser beam that includes a focus spot. The focus spot is directed to the outer surface of the optical fiber to create an optical damage zone that includes at least one micro-crack necessary for performing the cleaving operation. Methods of aligning the optical fiber to the focus spot and performing the cleaving operation using the cleaving apparatus are also disclosed.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure relate to digital-analog interface modules (DAIMs) for flexibly distributing digital and/or analog communications signals in wide-area analog distributed antenna systems (DASs). In this regard, in one aspect, a DAIM is a multi-functional device capable of distributing the digital and/or analog communications signals to a local-area DASs in a wide-area DAS. The DAIM comprises an analog radio frequency (RF) communications signal interface for coupling with an analog signal source, a digital communications interface for coupling with a digital signal source, an analog local distribution interface for coupling with a remote antenna unit (RAU), and at least one digital remote distribution interface for coupling with a head-end unit (HEU) of the local-area DAS. By employing the DAIM in the wide-area DAS, it is possible to flexibly reconfigure the wide-area DAS for distributing digital and/or analog communications signals over the digital communications mediums.

Abstract: An example method comprises receiving an event notification from a cell in a current set of a user equipment, the event notification indicating an uplink signal strength from the user equipment to the cell relative to a threshold; and designating the cell as being either a viable candidate or not a viable candidate to be a serving cell based on the uplink signal strength relative to the threshold.

Abstract: An optical coupler that provides evanescent optical coupling includes an optical fiber and a waveguide. The optical fiber has a glass core, a glass inner cladding surrounding the glass core, and a polymeric outer cladding surrounding the glass inner cladding. The glass core and glass inner cladding define for the fiber a glass portion, which can be exposed at one end of the fiber by removing a portion of the polymeric outer cladding. The glass portion has a glass-portion surface. The waveguide has a waveguide core and a surface, and can be part of a photonic device. The glass portion of the fiber is interfaced with the waveguide to establish evanescent coupling between the fiber and the waveguide. Alignment features are used to facilitate aligning the fiber core to the waveguide core during the interfacing process to ensure suitable efficiency of the evanescent coupling.

Abstract: Methods for manufacturing cables and cables assemblies include providing powder particles within a tube extruded about optical fiber. The particles may be accelerated so that as they strike the tube and mechanically attach to the tube.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure are directed to a fiber optic spool drawer with a translatable and/or removable drawer for deployment of fiber optic cable. In exemplary aspects disclosed herein, the fiber optic spool drawer includes a housing with a translatable drawer and a rotatable spool disposed within an interior area of the housing. The translatable drawer includes a selective locking mechanism and is bidirectionally translatable within and bidirectionally removable from the housing. The rotatable spool is mounted to the translatable drawer and configured to rotate to deploy fiber optic cable. Still further, the fiber optic deployment assembly also includes front and back routing guides to manage and prevent damage to the fiber optic cables deployed. Accordingly, as an example, the fiber optic spool drawer may facilitate easy, efficient, and versatile fiber routing while preventing damage to the fiber optic cable.

Abstract: A radio node having a primary cell identity and a secondary cell identity operates the two cell identities at the same time. They are localized and occupy the same geographic location, but operate at different frequencies/channels. The primary cell (PCell) may encompass, e.g., one or more channels, e.g., 20 MHz, and the same can act as a coverage layer, providing a stable spectrum for communications, as these channels do not change. The secondary cell (SCell) operates at the same time, and can operate with higher reuse using multiple GAA channels as they are available (their availability may vary as they are dynamically allocated). This layer can act as a “capacity” layer as the multiple GAA channels can allow for high throughput when needed. That is, they are dynamically allocated, but high capacity can be enabled as a high number of such channels may be available at any one time.

Abstract: An optical interface device for a photonic integrated system includes a plug and a receptacle. The receptacle is operably arranged on a PIC that supports waveguides. The plug operably supports optical fibers. The receptacle and plug are configured to operably engage to establish optical communication between the optical fibers and the waveguides. A tab on the receptacle is configured to constrain longitudinal motion while allowing for lateral motion of the receptacle to adjust its position relative to the PIC to optimize alignment. The plug can include a spacer sized to fit within a recess defined by the tab to further facilitate alignment. The plug can also include lenses to establish the optical communication between the optical fibers and the waveguides. The receptacle and plug can be engaged and disengaged in a manner similar to conventional electrical connectors.