1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to antenna orientation, and in particular to a system and method for cellular telecommunications antenna orientation using tilt sensors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Antennas are commonly installed on structures, such as buildings and towers, at a height above the surface of the earth thereby permitting broadcast communication over a wide area. Some antennas are directional antennas requiring precise installation and orientation for optimal system performance. For example, the type of orientation that affects antenna broadcast communications include azimuth, elevation tilt, and slant. Therefore, depending upon the quantity and orientation of an array of antennas, each antenna will have an independent orientation in order to provide optimal performance.
Telecommunication antennas are typically directional antennas housed within an elongated enclosure. Previously, telecommunication antenna orientation was accomplished manually by conducting a rough approximation from ground level, e.g., by surveyors, followed by an antenna-level fine adjustment consisting of reorientation of the antenna enclosure by skilled technicians using special equipment and techniques. Such manual antenna orientation and adjustment procedures had a number of disadvantages. For example, they tended to be relatively expensive because the technicians were relatively highly-trained, and the equipment was relatively sophisticated. Moreover, determining antenna orientation at any given point in time required technicians to ascend a structure, individually assess antenna orientation and adjust the antenna position, one-by-one, using iterative procedures, which tended to be time-consuming, particularly for installations consisting of a number of antennas.
Another approach to manual telecommunication antenna orientation and adjustment uses the global navigation satellite system (GNSS, including GPS) receiver dishes mounted on frames, which in turn are temporarily mounted on the antennas for conducting azimuth, elevation tilt and slant orientation and adjustment of the antenna. The Boucher U.S. Pat. No. 6,897,828 and No. 7,180,471 are examples of such an approach. Multiple GPS receiver dishes in a predetermined spaced relation can be used for computing orientation of an antenna by triangulating the GPS signals, or a single GPS receiver dish can be moved from one location to another. However, the GPS receiver dishes and the frames on which they are mounted must be relocated for each separate antenna orientation and adjustment. Subsequent antenna adjustments require technicians to ascend the transmission structure to reattach the GPS equipment to the individual antenna enclosures in order to obtain orientation readings in real-time, followed by manual reorientation of the antenna by adjusting the mountings accordingly.
A significant disadvantage associated with the aforementioned and other previous antenna orientation and adjustment devices and methods involve their inability to continuously monitor antenna orientation and detect disorientation from a baseline orientation. Cellular telecommunications antennas are susceptible to physical disorientation from various causes, such as meteorological, geological, and other impact forces. For example, forces generated during a major storm may change the orientation of antenna housings on telecommunications towers and in other installations within an entire region resulting in communications performance degradation. Consequently, identification of antennas in need of reorientation, and reorientation of each affected antenna would require individualized physical attention from a technician. Therefore, an antenna orientation and adjustment system and method should not only facilitate initial orientation, but also facilitate ongoing orientation monitoring with an ability to detect conditions of disorientation, thereby requiring limited physical visits by technicians to antenna installations, and limited need for specialized equipment in order to effectuate installation and orientation of telecommunications antenna. Moreover, an antenna orientation system and method should be adaptable to existing antenna equipment permitting ease of installation and compliance with stringent regulatory requirements and approval procedures.
Heretofore there has not been available an antenna orientation system and method with the advantages and features of the present invention.
In the practice of an aspect of the present invention, a system and method is provided for orientating, and monitoring orientation of telecommunications antennas. The system includes an AISG compliant tilt sensor system mounted in-line between a telecommunications antenna enclosure and a communications cable, and positioned to measure the elevation tilt and slant of a telecommunications antenna enclosure relative to a reference axis. The tilt sensor system consists of a tilt sensor, which can be mounted in-line between a telecommunications antenna and a communications cable, or mounted directly to an antenna enclosure, that measures the angle of tilt and angle of slant of the enclosure with respect to a reference axis, and communicates the values through the communications cable using the AISG protocol for analysis by a telecommunications system operator.
The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention illustrating various objects and features thereof.
I. Introduction and Environment
As required, detailed aspects of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed aspects are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art how to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.
Certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience in reference only and will not be limiting. For example, top, bottom, front, back, right and left refer to the invention in relation as orientated in the view being referred to. Moreover, a straight line drawn from right to left through the geometric center of the front plate 40 defines a transverse axis, a straight line drawn from front to back through the geometric center of the front plate 40 defines a longitudinal axis, and a straight line drawn from top to bottom through the geometric center of the front plate 40 defines a vertical axis. Terminology referring to the orientation of the antenna 4 includes: azimuth, the angle from a reference line in a plane (typically level with the horizon) to a second reference line in the same plane resulting from rotation about a vertical axis; elevation tilt, the angle from a reference line in a plane (typically perpendicular to the plane level with the horizon, and at a 90 degree angle to the transverse axis) to a second reference line in the same plane resulting from rotation about a transverse axis; and slant, the angle from a reference line in a plane (typically perpendicular to the plane level with the horizon, and at a 90 degree angle to the longitudinal axis) to a second reference line in the same plane resulting from rotation about a longitudinal axis. The words, “inwardly” and “outwardly” refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the front plate 40 and designated parts of the antenna 4. Said terminology will include the words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof and words of similar meaning
II. Preferred Embodiment Sensor System 2
Referring to the drawings in more detail, in
Referring to
A tilt sensor 26 capable of measuring tilt and slant is mounted parallel with the surface of a PCB 18 containing a microprocessor 24, and related circuitry. The tilt sensor 26 is an electrical or electrical-mechanical device, such device may include, without limitation, an inclinometer, a dual axis accelerometer of the type manufactured by Memsic, Inc. of Andover Mass., or preferably, a dual axis digital inclinometer/accelerometer such as the type manufactured by Analog Devices, Inc. of Norwood Mass. The related circuitry consists of an RS485 driver, and a power supply.
Because the PCB 18 is perpendicular to the connectors 20, 22, the tilt sensor 26 is parallel with the bottom plate 16 and thereby capable of measuring the tilt and slant of the front plate 40 in relation to the reference axis 3. The microprocessor 24 and the related circuitry enable the tilt sensor 26 to communicate alignment of the antenna 4 to the network operator through the communications cable 10 using the AISG protocol in addition to information and parameters already available to the operator controlling antennas using the AISG protocol.
The sensor system 2 is positioned in-line between the antenna 4 and communications cable 10 by inserting the first connector 20 into the bulkhead connector 14 and mechanically securing thereto, and inserting the cable connector 12 into the second connector 22 and mechanically securing thereto.
Referring to
In
In this installation, the sensor system 2 is positioned in-line between the control unit 34 and the connector cable 10 by inserting the first connector 20 into the control unit connector 36 and mechanically securing thereto, and inserting the cable connector 12 into the second connector 22 and mechanically securing thereto. Because the control unit 34 and control unit connector 36 are perpendicular to the bottom plate 16, the tilt sensor 26 is capable of measuring the angle of tilt, and angle of slant of the front plate 40 in relation to the reference axis 3 as described above. Therefore, as described above, the tilt sensor 26 measures the tilt and slant of the antenna 4 and transmits the values to a network operator for analysis.
III. Alternative Embodiment Sensor System 52
A sensor system 52 comprising another embodiment or aspect of the present invention is shown in
The in-line connector assembly 53 is attached to the antenna 4 and communications cable 10 substantially as described above for the sensor system 2. Moreover, when the sensor system 52 is connected to the back plate 44, it 52 functions in the same manner, and is used in the same way by a network operator as the sensor system 2 above, and is capable of measuring angle of tilt and angle of slant of the front plate 40 of the antenna 4 in relation to a reference axis 3 because of the parallel relationship between the front plate 40 and back plate 44.
IV. Alternative Embodiment Sensor System 102
A sensor system 102 comprising yet another embodiment or aspect of the present invention is shown in
The alternative embodiment sensor system 102 is a solution for cellular network carriers which utilize multi-band antennas with remote electrical tilt (RET) controllers for one or more frequency bands. It is important for the network provider or carrier to know the mechanical tilt and roll of all directional antennas in the network. This is made complicated by multi-band antennas with multiple remote RET control units (RCUs). The multi-band antenna may have one more RCUs for every frequency band in use.
Each RCU can be controlled by one or more primary RET controllers (CCU). Such CCU controllers may be installed as a module inside a BTS station, but must also be part of the BTS or antenna transceiver. RET control can then be performed by either running control cables up the mast 6 or other structure a multi-band antenna is mounted to, or by combining the control signals with the transmitted radio signals over an antenna feeder cable. In this way, the RET controls stem from the individual CCU, thus forming separate systems.
The tilt sensor module 104 provides multiple individual communication ports 105 for multiple communication protocols. The tilt sensor module 104 shares its detected information over the multiple communication ports 105. The tilt sensor module 104 feeds into a master micro controller 106, which in turn communications with an unlimited number of slave micro controllers 108, at least one for each communication protocol. These slave controllers 108.1, 108.2, 108.n in turn control the slave communications modules 110.1, 110.2, 110.n, power supplies 112.1, 112.2, 112.n, and other components located in each protocol. Because each protocol contains a separate power supply 112, each protocol will respond as an individual device.
The tilt sensor module 104, as described in the previous embodiments, may be a one, two, or three axis accelerometer. The module 104 can communicate its readings across the communication ports 105 to the master controller 106, which then handles each of the unlimited number of slave protocol systems. This allows a single tilt sensor module 104 to capably orient and monitor a multi-band antenna no matter the number of protocols used by that antenna or the number of independent antenna motors or busses are included in the multi-band antenna.
It will be appreciated that the components of the sensor assemblies 2, 52, and 102 are AISG and 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) compliant, and can be used for various other applications. Moreover, the sensor assemblies 2, and 52 can be fabricated in various sizes and from a wide range of suitable materials, using various manufacturing and fabrication techniques.
It is to be understood that while certain aspects of the invention have been shown and described, the invention is not limited thereto and encompasses various other embodiments and aspects.
This application claims priority in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/160,641, filed Mar. 16, 2009, which is incorporated herein by reference.
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