BACKGROUND

A duplexer is typically used to implement frequency domain duplexing of transmission and reception frequency bands in wireless communications devices. In one common implementation, a duplexer comprises two filters: a downlink (D/L) filter and an uplink (U/L) filter. The duplexer has a common port at which the downlink filter and the uplink filter are coupled. The common port is configured to be coupled to an antenna. The downlink filter and uplink filter typically have frequency bands that are distinct and non-overlapping. The frequency bands of the downlink filter and the uplink filter respectively fall within the downlink and uplink frequency bands that the particular wireless communications device used with the duplexer is configured to support.

One example of such a wireless communications device is a remote antenna unit (RAU) used in a distributed antenna system (DAS). Alternatively, the wireless communications device can be the communications system including the DAS and any cellular base station(s) coupled to the DAS.

A DAS is used to improve the wireless coverage provided by one or more cellular base stations. A DAS typically includes one or more master units that are communicatively coupled to a plurality of remote antenna units. Each remote antenna unit can be coupled directly to one or more of the master units or indirectly via one or more other remote antenna units and/or via one or more intermediary or expansion units. Wireless communications devices such as a DAS may be deployed in many different wireless networks that employ many different frequency bands. To support such variations in frequency bands, the remote antenna units of a DAS can be designed so that the frequencies of the signals transmitted and received by the primary signal paths of the remote antenna units are configurable. Even though the frequencies transmitted and received by the primary signal paths of the remote antenna unit are configurable, the transmit and receive frequency bands of the duplexer typically are not. Thus, remote antenna units that support different frequency bands primarily differ from each other only by the pair of downlink and uplink frequency bands of the duplexers used with those remote antenna units.

Because the insertion loss of the downlink filter and uplink filter of each duplexer unit type (or model) varies, the power level of the signals in the downlink and uplink signal paths of a remote antenna unit typically must be equalized to compensate for such variations. Conventionally, this is accomplished by manufacturing a specific remote antenna unit type (or model) whose downlink and uplink signal path gains have been adjusted to compensate for the variations in duplexer filter insertion loss. As a result, DAS manufacturers typically must make, stock, and sell a unique model of remote antenna unit for each pair of transmit and receive frequency bands, which can be financially inefficient.

SUMMARY

A method for configuring downlink and uplink signal paths is provided. The method comprises: after at least one duplexer unit is coupled to a primary uplink signal path and a primary downlink signal path, receiving duplexer identifier data from each at least one duplexer unit, where each duplexer identifier data comprises at least one of: adjustment data corresponding to the duplexer unit type and an identifier of duplexer unit type, wherein the identifier of duplexer unit type comprises at least one of: at least one measured characteristics of the corresponding duplexer unit and an alphanumeric data identifier, and where the identifier of the duplexer unit type is unique for a corresponding duplexer unit type; if at least one duplexer identifier data does not include adjustment data, then determining adjustment data based upon the corresponding duplexer identifier data; and based upon the adjustment data, automatically sending control signals for affecting adjustment of at least one component of the downlink and uplink signal paths to compensate for the insertion losses of a downlink filter and an uplink filter of each duplexer, where the downlink signal path comprises a secondary downlink signal path in each of the at least one duplexer and the primary downlink signal path, and the uplink signal path comprises a secondary uplink signal path in of the at least one duplexer and the primary uplink signal path.

