US 12,308,880 B2
Access network and wireless device
Filippo Ponzini, Pisa (IT); and Giulio Bottari, Pisa (IT)
Assigned to Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (Publ), Stockholm (SE)
Appl. No. 17/784,831
Filed by Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ), Stockholm (SE)
PCT Filed Dec. 13, 2019, PCT No. PCT/EP2019/084999
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 13, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/115611, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 17, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0007844 A1, Jan. 12, 2023
Int. Cl. H04B 10/114 (2013.01); H04B 10/116 (2013.01); H04W 36/00 (2009.01); H04W 76/10 (2018.01)
CPC H04B 10/1149 (2013.01) [H04B 10/116 (2013.01); H04W 36/0022 (2013.01); H04W 76/10 (2018.02)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An access network for communication with a wireless device, the access network comprising:
a plurality of antennas, each antenna being configured to provide a cell for radio frequency communication with the wireless device;
a plurality of sets of optical elements configured for optical communication with the wireless device, the sets of optical elements being configured for spatial multiplexing and configured to combine signals received by two or more optical elements from a common optical link to generate a single signal, the single signal having a higher signal to noise ratio than individual signals received by the respective optical elements; and
a processor and a memory, the memory containing instructions executable by the processor whereby the processor is operative to:
connect to the wireless device with both the radio frequency communication and optical communication, the optical communication controlled by one or more layers of a protocol stack of the radio frequency communication;
connect to the wireless device with the radio frequency communication at least in a downlink direction, the radio frequency communication being used in an uplink direction for control signaling, only;
connect to the wireless device with the optical communication at least in the uplink direction; and
handover the wireless device between cells for radio frequency communication with the wireless device and between the sets of optical elements, the handover of the wireless device between the sets of optical elements being controlled by the radio frequency communication.