Patent Application
20080252553
To maintain the desired signal alignment, an antenna such as a reflector antenna should be rigidly mounted. Antennas are typically mounted to the roofs and or sides of structures. A mounting foot is used to directly attach the antenna to the desired mounting surface, for example via screws or lag bolts, the remainder of the antenna mount is coupled to the mounting foot. To universalize antenna mounts for a wide range of mounting surface angles, the connection between the mounting feet and the further struts and or braces of the antenna mount is fixable at a range of different angles.
The antenna mounting feet must securely support the entire antenna mass and also withstand any expected environmental factors such as wind shear and or ice loading.
Prior antenna mounting feet have been formed from, for example, planar mounting plates with a domed area stamped in a central area, allowing a carriage bolt to be positioned in the domed area projecting normal to the mounting plate for connection to the antenna mount. The normal to the mounting plate connection requires further hardware to create a variable mounting angle functionality.
Another simplified mounting foot solution is an L shaped bracket. Although this type of mounting foot is simple to manufacture, to have adequate strength, the L shaped bracket requires application of a heavy gauge metal material, significantly increasing the materials costs and overall weight of the antenna mount.
The increasing competition for reflector antennas and associated mounting assemblies adapted for both industrial and high volume consumer applications such as data, VSAT, satellite tv and or internet communications has focused attention on cost reductions resulting from increased materials, manufacturing and service efficiencies. Further, reductions in required assembly operations and the total number of discrete parts are desired.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus that overcomes deficiencies in the prior art.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the invention and, together with the general and detailed descriptions of the invention appearing herein, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
A mounting foot according to the invention may be used for example as part of an antenna mount with a main support that is stabilized by two adjustable length struts each attached to a desired mounting structure such as the wall or roof by one of the antenna mounting feet.
Because the height and or angle at which the adjustable length struts are attached to the mounting structure may vary, the antenna mount is mountable upon a range of surfaces upon which an angle between the antenna mounting foot and the adjustable length struts is variable.
As shown in the various views of FIGS. 1 and 3-5, an antenna mounting foot 2 according to the invention is a unitary blank 4, as shown in
As best shown in
The antenna mounting foot 2 may be formed in a single step stamping operation using a two part tool to simultaneously form all of the necessary bends. A flat blank from stock plate or roll material of generally constant thickness, for example as shown in
The end(s) 16 which finally end up at the periphery of the planar base surface 8 may be provided with rounded edge(s) 26 to provide with an antenna mounting foot 2 without sharp edges, but that requires no secondary finishing steps. For corrosion resistance, a metal material with corrosion resistant properties such as stainless steel and or galvanized steel may be used and or in the alternative a final corrosion resistant coating, plating or paint may be applied.
The present invention provides an antenna mounting foot 2 with improved strength, weight and cost characteristics. The antenna mounting foot may be precision manufactured in a simplified blank forming and stamping process from commonly available metal stock material.
Where in the foregoing description reference has been made to ratios, integers, components or modules having known equivalents then such equivalents are herein incorporated as if individually set forth.
While the present invention has been illustrated by the description of the embodiments thereof, and while the embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not the intention of the applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus, methods, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departure from the spirit or scope of applicant's general inventive concept. Further, it is to be appreciated that improvements and/or modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention as defined by the following claims.
