Patent ID: 7013087
Filing Date: 2006-03-14
Classification: H04B

Abstract:
1. A communication system using optical fibers, said communication system comprising: down- and up-link optical fibers; N radio access units, each of which has antenna means, connected to said down- and up-link optical fibers converts a down-link optical signal received from said down-link optical fiber to a down-link RF signal and sends said down-link RF signal by said antenna means, and converts an up-link RF signal received by said antenna means to an up-link optical signal and sends said up-link optical signal to said up-link optical fiber, said N being an integer equal to or greater than 1; a divider/combiner unit which: has a plurality of input/output terminals; connected to first and second communication systems corresponding to said plurality of input/output terminals, together with said down- and up-link optical fibers and said N radio access units connected to said down- and up-link optical fibers, respectively: converts a down-link RF signal input to each of said input/output terminals into an optical signal, and sends the converted optical signal as said down-link optical signal via said down-link optical fiber to those of said radio access units corresponding said first and second communication systems: and converts said up-link optical signal, sent over said up-link optical fiber from said radio access units corresponding to said first and second communication systems, into an up-link RF signal and providing an up-link RF signal input to each of said input/output terminal corresponding said first and second communication systems; and said first and second communication systems which are: a single-cell communication system for causing said N radio access units to function as a single cell corresponding to one of said plurality of input/output terminals; and a multi-cell communication system for causing said N radio access units to function as N multiple cells corresponding to the remaining N of said plurality of input/output terminals, wherein said single-cell communication system not being part of a multi-cell communication system.