Patent Application
20210116053
Cellular communications systems are used to provide wireless communications to fixed and mobile subscribers (herein “users”). In a typical cellular communications system, a geographic area is divided into a series of regions that are referred to as “cells,” and each cell is served by a base station. Each base station may include baseband equipment, remote radio units and base station antennas that are configured to provide two-way radio frequency (“RF”) communications with users within the cell. The base station antennas and remote radio units are often mounted on a tower or other raised structure.
Base station antennas are directional devices that can concentrate the RF energy that is transmitted or received in certain directions. The “gain” of a base station antenna in a given direction is a measure of the ability of the antenna to concentrate the RF energy in that direction. The radiation pattern that is generated by a base station antenna, which is also referred to as the “antenna beam,” is compilation of the gain of the antenna across all different directions. The radiation pattern of a base station antenna is typically designed to service a pre-defined coverage area such as the cell or a portion thereof that is typically referred to as a “sector.” A base station antenna is typically designed to have minimum gain levels throughout its pre-defined coverage area, and to have much lower gain levels outside of the coverage area to reduce interference with adjacent cells or sectors. Typically, a base station antenna includes one or more phase-controlled arrays of radiating elements, with the radiating elements arranged in one or more vertical columns when the antenna is mounted for use, where “vertical” refers to a direction that is generally perpendicular relative to the plane defined by the horizon.
In order to increase capacity, some cellular base stations now employ beam-forming radios and multi-column beam-forming antennas. In some beam-forming antennas, each column of radiating elements is coupled from a RF port on the antenna to a respective RF port of a remote radio unit. The remote radio unit may adjust the amplitude and phase of the sub-components of an RF signal that are passed to each RF port so that the columns of radiating elements work together to form a more focused, higher gain antenna beam that has a narrowed beamwidth in the azimuth and/or elevation planes.
As the number of columns of radiating elements increases the number of RF ports that must be connected between the remote radio unit and the antenna increases. For example, a four column beam forming array is typically fed by two RF ports per column as well as a calibration port for a total of nine ports. Each RF port on the antenna must be connected to the appropriate RF port on the remote radio unit in order for the remote radio unit to adjust the amplitude and phase of the sub-components of the RF signals that are passed to each RF port so that the columns of radiating elements can work together to form a more focused, higher gain antenna beam. If the RF ports on the remote radio unit are misconnected to the RF ports on the antenna, the system performance will be degraded. Moreover, it may be difficult to detect the cause of the system performance degradation because the physical connection of the RF ports is typically on a raised structure such as a tower.
The connections of the RF ports on the remote radio unit to the RF ports on the antenna are typically made by an installer operating at the top of the tower. The large number of connections that need to be made, the difficult installation conditions, and the increasing complexity of the equipment on the tower can result in the misconnection of the RF ports on the remote radio unit to the RF ports of the antenna.
A jumper cable management system that reduces such misconnections is desired.
In some embodiments, a cable management system for connecting an antenna and a radio unit comprises a plurality of jumper cables. A bracket comprises a plurality of channels where one of the plurality of channels receives one of the plurality of jumper cables. The position of the plurality of channels in the bracket corresponds to the position of a plurality of ports on communications equipment to which the plurality of jumper cables are to be connected.
The bracket may comprise a body of resilient, flexible material. The plurality of channels may be substantially C-shaped. The diameter of the one of the plurality of channels may be equal to or slightly less than an outer diameter of the one of the plurality of jumper cables. A fixing mechanism may fix the position of the one of the plurality of jumper cables relative to the one of the plurality of channels. The fixing mechanism may comprise at least one of friction between the one of the plurality of jumper cables and the one of the plurality of channels, compression of at least one of the plurality of jumper cables and the bracket, an adhesive, a sonic weld, an insert molded connection, a rubber grommet, a roughened surface, a plurality of dimples, and a raised ridge on the one of the plurality of channels. The one of the plurality of channels may comprise a lateral opening where the one of the plurality of jumper cables may be inserted into the one of the plurality of channels through the lateral opening. A door may be provided for closing the lateral opening of the one of the plurality of channels. The bracket may comprise a first body portion pivotably connected to a second body portion where the first body portion is movable relative to the second body portion between an open position and a closed position. The first body portion may comprise a plurality of first channel portions and the second body portion may comprise a plurality of second channel portions, wherein when the first body portion and the second body portion are in the closed position the plurality of first channel portions and the plurality of second channel portions combine to form the plurality of channels. The plurality of channels may be formed by a plurality of members and the plurality of members may be connected to one another by a connecting member. The connecting member may be flexible. Each of the plurality of members may include an opening for receiving one of the plurality of jumper cables. The connecting member may comprise at least one of a plastic strip, a rubber strip, a metallic cable, a non-metallic cable, a cord, a textile, a fabric, and a canvas. The bracket and the plurality of channels may be formed from at at least one of a textile material, a fabric material, and a canvas material where a plurality of joints may be formed by at least one of sewing, rivets, and adhesive to create the plurality of channels. The connecting member may comprise a first strip of flexible material, and a second strip of flexible material may be woven to the first strip of material to create the plurality of channels. The connecting member may comprise a first strip of flexible material, and a second strip of flexible material may be interlaced through a plurality of slits in the first strip of flexible material to create the plurality of channels.
In some embodiments, a cable management system for cellular communications system having a remote radio unit and an antenna where each of the antenna and the remote radio unit include a plurality of ports is provided. The cable management system comprises a jumper cable assembly connecting the plurality of ports on the antenna to the plurality of ports on the remote radio unit where the jumper cable assembly comprises a plurality of jumper cables configured to connect the plurality of ports on the antenna to the plurality of ports on the remote radio unit. A bracket includes a plurality of channels where one of the plurality of channels receives one of the plurality of jumper cables. The position of the plurality of channels in the bracket corresponds to the position of the plurality of ports on one of the antenna and the remote radio unit.
In some embodiments, a method of connecting a remote radio unit to an antenna in a cellular communications system where each of the antenna and the remote radio unit include a plurality of ports is provided. The method comprises providing a jumper cable assembly comprising a plurality of jumper cables configured to connect the plurality on ports of the antenna to the plurality of ports on the remote radio unit, and a bracket including a plurality of channels where one of the plurality of channels receives one of the plurality of jumper cables; arranging the plurality of jumper cables in the plurality of channels wherein a position of the plurality of channels corresponds to the position of the ports on one of the antenna and the remote radio unit; and connecting the jumper cables to one of the antenna and remote radio unit based on the position of the plurality of channels in the bracket.
Pursuant to embodiments of the present invention, a cable management system is provided that facilitates the installation and maintenance of base station antennas and remote radio units.
Aspects of the present invention will now be in discussed in greater detail with reference to
The beam-forming antenna 20 has four columns 110 of dual-polarized radiating elements 120 that are mounted on a planar backplane 102. Each column 110 of radiating elements 120 may have the same azimuth boresight pointing angle. The antenna 20 includes a total of eight RF ports 130, namely two RF ports 130 for each column (a RF port for each polarization), along with a ninth port 132 for calibration. A radome (not shown) is typically mounted over the radiating elements 120 to provide environmental protection. In the embodiment of
RF signals may be coupled between the RF ports 130 and the columns 110 of radiating elements 120. Since dual-polarized radiating elements 120 are provided, two RF ports 130 are associated with each column 110, with a first RF port feeding the first polarization radiators (e.g., −45° dipoles) and a second RF port feeding the second polarization radiators (e.g., +45° dipoles). Eight communication jumper cables 60, which may be implemented, for example, as connectorized coaxial jumper cables, may be provided that connect each of the RF ports 130 of the antenna to the corresponding eight RF ports 140 on remote radio unit 32. A ninth jumper cable 60 connects the port 132 from the calibration circuit to the corresponding calibration port 150 on the remote radio unit 32.
In some embodiments, the above-described RF ports, as well as any control ports, are mounted in the bottom end cap 133 of a base station antenna as shown in
As the number of ports required in some base station antennas is increased, while the overall size of the antennas are kept relatively constant, the spacing between the ports on the bottom end cap may be reduced significantly. This can be seen, for example, in
The eight RF ports 330 and the ninth calibration port 332 form an array of connector ports. Each port 330, 332 may be connected to an RF port on a RRU 32 by a suitable connectorized jumper cable such as, for example, a coaxial jumper cable (not shown). Accordingly, jumper cables that are external to the antenna may extend between each RF port 330/calibration port 332 and a respective port (not shown) on the remote radio unit 32 that is mounted on the back of the antenna 320. In the illustrated embodiment, nine coaxial jumper cables would extend between the nine ports that are provided on each antenna 320 and RRU's 32.
As cellular operators upgrade their networks to support fifth generation (“5G”) service, the base station antennas that are being deployed are becoming increasingly complex. For example, due to space constraints and/or allowable antenna counts on antenna towers of existing base stations, it may not be possible to simply add new antennas to support 5G service. Accordingly, cellular operators are opting to deploy antennas that support multiple generations of cellular service by including arrays of radiating elements that operate in a variety of different frequency bands in a single antenna. Thus, for example, it is common now for cellular operators to deploy a single base station antenna that supports service in three, four or even five different frequency bands. Moreover, in order to support 5G service, these antennas may include multi-column arrays of radiating elements that support active beamforming. Cellular operators are seeking to support all of these services in base station antennas that are comparable in size to conventional base station antennas that supported far fewer frequency bands. This raises a number of challenges.
One challenge in implementing the above-described base station antennas is that the number of RF ports included on the antenna is large and increasing. Antennas having six, eight or twelve RF ports are common, while newer antennas may require far more RF connections. For example, a base station antenna may include two linear arrays of low-band radiating elements, two linear arrays of first mid-band radiating elements, a four column planar array of second mid-band radiating elements and a four column planar array of high-band radiating elements. All of the radiating elements may comprise dual-polarized radiating elements. Consequently, each column of radiating elements will be fed by two separate connector ports on a radio, and thus a total of twenty-four RF connector ports are required on the base station antenna to pass RF signals between the twelve separate columns of radiating elements and their associated RF ports on the cellular radios. Moreover, each of the four column planar arrays of radiating elements are operated as a beamforming array, and hence a calibration connector port is required for each such array, raising the total number of RF ports required on the antenna to twenty-six. Other ports such as control ports are also typically required which are used, for example, to control electronic tilt circuits included in the antenna.
In order for the antenna to operate properly it is necessary that each jumper cable 60 connects one port on the antenna to the correct corresponding port on the RRU. If the RF ports on the antenna are misconnected to RF ports on the RRU, the beam forming capability of the RRU may be degraded or destroyed. One challenge in installing and maintaining base station antennas such as described above, is that as the number of RF ports on the antenna and RRUs increases, the opportunity for the installer to connect a RF port on the antenna to the wrong RF port on the RRU increases.
The jumper cable management system of the invention facilitates the installation of electronic communications equipment such as the antenna and the RRU and minimizes the opportunity for jumper cable misconnections to occur. The jumper cable management system of the invention uses a bracket to organize the jumper cables and to hold the jumper cables in a predetermined proper order such that the chance of a misconnecting a jumper cable during installation is lowered and a misconnected jumper cable will be readily apparent to the installer. Referring to
Each of the channels 404 may be formed with an opening 406 such that the jumper cables 60 may be forced into the channels 404 through the opening 406. The material of the body 402 is sufficiently deformable that the body 402, or portions of the body, can deform to allow the jumper cable 60 to pass between the edges of the opening 406 and into the channel 404. The resiliency of the material of the body 402 allows the body 402 to return to the undeformed state where the jumper cables 60 are securely held in the channels 404. The interior wall of the channels 404 may extend greater than 90 degrees but less than 360 degrees to create the opening 406 while still providing a gripping engagement with the jumper cables 60. For example, the channels 404 may extend for approximately 220-270 degrees depending on the flexibility of the material of the body 402.
In this regard, reference is made to
It is to be understood that the ports on the antenna and the ports on the RRU connected to that antenna may be arranged in different patterns such that different brackets 70-1, 70-2 may be used at each end of the jumper cables 60 with each bracket specifically configured to match the port layout of either the antenna or the RRU, as shown in
Referring to
In some embodiments, the compression of the deformable, resilient body 400 on the jumper cable may provide a sufficient fixing mechanism where the position of the bracket is fixed relative to the jumper cable by friction and/or the compression of the jumper cable and/or the bracket. In other embodiments, other mechanisms may be used. For example, adhesive 410 (
Each of the channels 804 may be formed with an opening 806 such that the jumper cables 60 may be inserted into the channels 804 through the opening 806. A door 820 is pivotably connected to the body 802 at a hinge 818 and is rotatable about the hinge 818 between an open position and a closed position. The hinge 818 may be a living hinge where the door 820 and body 802 are formed of one-piece of material, such as molded plastic. Alternatively, the hinge 818 may be a separate mechanical structure that pivotably connects the door 820 to the body 802. In the open position of the door 820, the jumper cables 60 may be inserted into the channels 804 through openings 806. In the closed position of the door 820, the door 820 closes the channel openings 806 to secure the jumper cables 60 in the bracket 800. The door 820 may be retained in the closed position by mating locking mechanisms 816 on the door 820 and the block 802. For example, the locking mechanisms 816 may comprise deformable members on one of the door 820 or the block 802 that engage mating apertures formed on the other one of the door 820 or the block 802. The locking mechanisms 816 may also include separate fasteners such as screws that engage threaded holes on the door and or body or snap clips. The locking mechanisms 816 may be releasable such that the door 820 may be opened after the locking mechanism 816 is engaged or the locking mechanism 816 may be permanent in that the door 820 is permanently secured to the block 802 after the locking mechanism is engaged.
The material of the body 802 may be sufficiently deformable that the body 802 may deform to allow the jumper cables 60 to pass between the edges of the openings 806 and into the channels 804. The resiliency of the material allows the block 802 to return to the undeformed state to hold the jumper cables 60 in the channels 804 as previously described. However, because the door 820 is used to retain the jumper cables 60 in the body 802, the body 802 may be made of a more rigid material where the jumper cables 60 may be inserted into the channels 804 without deforming the body where the door 820 exerts the holding force on the jumper cables 60.
A plurality of channel portions 904a, 904b are formed in the body portions 902a and 902b, respectively. The channel portions 904a, 904b may extend parallel to one another and through the body portions 902a, 902b. When the body portions 902a, 902b are in the closed position, the channel portions 904a on body portion 902a are aligned with the channel portions 904b on body portion 902b to create complete channels that extend through the bracket 900. The channel portions 904a, 904b have an internal shape that matches the shape of the jumper cables that are to be retained by the bracket 900. Because a standard communication jumper cable is typically tubular, the complete channels have a generally cylindrical shape. The diameters of the complete channels may be equal to or slightly less than the outer diameter of the jumper cables 60 such that the complete channels retain the jumper cables 60 in a secure manner where movement of the jumper cable in the complete channels is difficult. In this manner, the placement of the bracket 900 relative to the jumper cables 60 may be fixed. In the embodiment of
The diameter of the channels 1004 may be equal to or slightly less than the outer diameter of the jumper cables 60 such that the channels 1004 retain the jumper cables in a secure manner where movement of a jumper cable 60 in a channel 1004 is difficult. In this manner, the placement of the bracket 1000 relative to the jumper cables 60 may be substantially fixed. The channels 1004 may include any of the fixing mechanisms described above.
Each of the channels 1004 may be formed with an opening 1006 such that the jumper cables 60 may be forced into the channels 1004 through the openings 1006. The members 1009 are sufficiently deformable that the members 1009 can deform to allow a jumper cable 60 to pass between the edges of the opening 1006 and into the channel 1004. The resiliency of the members 1009 allows the members 1009 to return to the undeformed state where the jumper cables 60 are securely held in the channels 1004. The channels 1004 may extend greater than 90 degrees but less than 360 degrees to create the opening 1006 while still providing a gripping engagement with the jumper cables 60. For example, the channels 1004 may extend for approximately 220-270 degrees depending on the flexibility of the member 1009.
The material of the body 1009 may be sufficiently resiliently deformable that the body 1009 can deform to allow the jumper cables 60 to pass between the edges of the openings 1006 and into the channels 1004. The resiliency of the material allows the members 1009 to return to the undeformed state to hold the jumper cables 60 in the channels 1004. The wall of the channels may extend from greater than 90 degrees but less than 360 degrees to create the opening 1006. For example, the channels 1004 may extend for approximately 220-270 degrees depending on the flexibility of the material of the member 1009 as previously described. However, because the door 1120 is used to retain the jumper cables 60 in the channels 1004, the members 1009 may be made of a more rigid material where openings 1006 may be wide enough that the jumper cables 60 may be inserted into the channels 1004 without deforming the member 1009. In such an embodiment, the door 1120 exerts the holding force on the jumper cables 60.
A bracket as described herein is used to facilitate the proper installation and connection of the jumper cables to the RRU and the antenna. Once the jumper cables 60 are properly installed, the bracket is not necessarily required for the proper operation of the antenna. As a result, in some embodiments, the bracket need not be made especially durable or long-lasting and the bracket may be removed after installation.
An embodiment of a method of using, and the operation of, the jumper cable management system of the invention will now be described with respect to
As shown in
To install the jumper cable assembly, the installer climbs the tower, or otherwise accesses the antenna and RRU, with the jumper cable assembly of
The brackets also facilitate the installation of the jumper cables 60 in that the brackets function as jumper cable organizers and holders during the installation process. After the first jumper cable is connected to the first port on the RRU or antenna, the remaining jumper cables are held by the bracket in an orderly fashion where the installer has use of both hands to install the remaining jumper cables.
Embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of the present invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on” another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on” another element, there are no intervening elements present. It will also be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected” or “directly coupled” to another element, there are no intervening elements present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (i.e., “between” versus “directly between”, “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent”, etc.).
Relative terms such as “below” or “above” or “upper” or “lower” or “horizontal” or “vertical” may be used herein to describe a relationship of one element, layer or region to another element, layer or region as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that these terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” “comprising,” “includes” and/or “including” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Aspects and elements of all of the embodiments disclosed above can be combined in any way and/or combination with aspects or elements of other embodiments to provide a plurality of additional embodiments.
The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/924,299, filed Oct. 22, 2019, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62924299 | Oct 2019 | US |
