Patent Application
20230048030
The present invention generally relates to radio communications systems and, more particularly, to base station antennas and remote radio units for cellular communications systems.
Cellular communications systems are well known in the art. In a 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. The base station may include one or more base station antennas that are configured to provide two-way radio Frequency Band (“RF”) communications with mobile subscribers that are geographically positioned within the cells served by the base station. Typically, the antennas are mounted on a tower or other raised structure, with the radiation beam(s) that are generated by each antenna directed outwardly to serve the respective coverage area.
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. In other embodiments, the antenna may have 24 RF ports as well as two calibration ports for a total of 26 ports. The number of ports on an antenna and corresponding remote radio unit are increasing such that antennas and remote radio units having 48 ports or an even greater number of ports are known. As the number of ports increases the complexity of connecting the ports on the antenna to the corresponding ports on the remote radio unit increases. Each RF port on the antenna must be connected to the appropriate RF port on the remote radio unit by a jumper cable. 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, and correcting the problem typically requires an expensive tower climb.
The connections of the RF ports on the remote radio unit to the RF ports on the antenna are typically made by a technician operating at the top of the tower or other structure. 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 jumper cable to the ports on the remote radio unit and the ports of the antenna.
In order to facilitate the installation of the antennas and remote radio units, it is known for technicians to use a color coding system to ensure that the jumper cable is connected to the correct corresponding ports on the antenna and the remote radio units. As currently devised, the technician, using a plumbing diagram, marks both ends of the jumper cable with colored tape, such as colored electrical tape. In some systems, each end of the jumper cable may be marked with up to four different color tapes selecting from up to nine different colors. The process of marking the jumper cables in this manner is time consuming and expensive.
Pursuant to embodiments of the present invention, coding systems and apparatuses for connecting jumper cables to the ports of antennas and remote radio units in cellular communications systems are provided. The coding apparatuses and systems are easier to use and more cost effective than existing systems, eliminate loose components, and reduce installation time.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the attached figures.
As shown in
The antenna 100 includes an antenna assembly that is positioned behind the radome 110 and may be mounted on a ground plane structure that may include RF choke sections and a reflector surface. Various mechanical and electronic components of the antenna may be mounted to the ground plane structure. These electronic and mechanical components include, among other things, phase shifters, remote electronic tilt (“RET”) units, mechanical linkages, diplexers, and the like.
The antenna assembly includes a plurality of radiating elements (not shown) that are mounted on the reflector surface of the ground plane structure 150. The radiating elements may include radiating elements that transmit and receive signals in different Frequency Bands. The radiating elements may form a plurality of arrays and may be divided into groups. In the illustrated embodiment, the antenna may include two single column arrays of cross-polarized radiating elements (herein “X-pol arrays”) for transmitting and receiving signals at 694-960 MHz; two single column X-pol arrays for transmitting and receiving signals at 1427-2690 MHz; a 1×4 column array for transmitting and receiving signals at 2300-2690 MHz and a separate 1×4 column array for transmitting and receiving signals at 3300-3800 MHz where a calibration port is provided for each 4-column array.
Referring to
Antennas having six, eight or twelve RF ports are common, while newer antennas may require far more RF connections such as the 24 RF ports of
Referring to
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 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. In order for the antenna to operate properly it is necessary that each jumper cable 300 connect one port 140 on the antenna 100 to the correct corresponding port 240 on each of the RRUs 200. 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 technician to connect a RF port on the antenna to the wrong RF port on the RRU increases. If this occurs then degraded service or even loss of the RF connection may occur. Such issues require expensive and time-consuming tower climbs to correct the situation. This problem may be exacerbated by the fact that the denser the array of RF ports the less room there is on the bottom end cap for labels that assist the technician in the installation process.
Referring to
The coding apparatus 400 comprises a body 402 having a plurality of coding symbols 404 formed thereon. In one embodiment, the coding symbols 404 comprise coding bands that extend about the entire periphery of the body 402 such that the coding symbols 404 are visible from any angle. Each of the coding symbols 404 comprises a visual and/or tactile indicator that may be viewed or otherwise sensed (such as by touch) by the technician. A selection mechanism is used to selectively reveal selected ones of the coding symbols where the combination of the selected ones of the coding symbols identifies the port to which the jumper cables is to be connected. In the present embodiment, the selection mechanism is a separate removable cover 406 covering each of the coding symbols 404 such that the covers may be removed to reveal the selected ones of the coding symbols. In a typical application two, three or four of the coding symbols 404 may be revealed to identify a port as will be hereinafter explained, although any number of coding symbols 404 may be used to identify a port. The coding symbols 404 that do not form part of the code for the port the jumper cable is to be connected remain covered by covers 406 such that less than all of the coding symbols 404 are revealed to create, in combination, the code that is used by the technician to identify the connection location (port 140/240) of the jumper cable.
In the embodiment of
The body 402 may be formed with a plurality of grooves 408 that receive the coding symbols 404. In some embodiments, the RE ports 140 and 240 on the antenna 100 and RRU 200, respectively, may be identified using three identifier variables (Sector, Frequency Band and Port number) with the calibration ports being identified using a fourth identifier, as will hereinafter be described. The coding symbols 404 may be divided into a corresponding number of sections 410, 412 and 414 (
In one embodiment, the body 402, the bands that form the coding symbols 404 and the removable covers 406 are made of a relatively soft, flexible material such as silicone. In one embodiment, the coding apparatus 400 may be molded in an insert molding operation. In such an operation, the bands that form the coding symbols 404 may be pre-formed and stacked in an injection mold. The material of the body 402 and covers 406 may then be injected into the mold. to form the body 102 under the coding rings 404 and the covers 106 over the coding rings 404 to create the coding apparatus as shown in
In order to allow the installer to identify the coding symbols 404 with the covers 406 in place, a symbol identifier is used. In one embodiment, the symbol identifier may comprise a letter, word, a color or other indicia formed on the cover 406 that corresponds to the coding symbol 404 covered by that cover 406. For example, a cover 406 that covers a RED coding symbol may include an “R” or the word “RED” or a small area of the color red on the outside of the cover. In other embodiments, the cover 406 may not completely cover the coding symbol 404 such that a small portion of the coding symbol 404 remains uncovered and is visible even when the covers 406 are attached to the body 402. For example, in the cylindrical arrangement shown in
The coding symbols 404 may include any visual and/or tactile indicator or combinations of such indicators. In one preferred embodiment, the indicator is a color band where each port on the RRU and antenna 100 may be identified by a known combination of three or four colored bands as will hereinafter be described. In the illustrated embodiment, the coding symbols 404 are formed of one of eight colors—red, green, blue, yellow, white, brown, purple, and orange. Other colors may be used in addition to those specifically set forth herein and a greater or fewer number of colors may be used. The body 402 may be formed of a contrasting color such as black to enhance visibility of the colored coding symbols. Moreover, each coding symbol 404 may use more than one color. While using color as the indicator is shown, other devices may be used as the indicator such as patterns, shapes, raised tactile areas, words, letters or the like or combinations of such devices. Moreover, the coding symbols 404 may correspond to the ASIG indicia 141 that are provided on the antenna 100.
Referring to
In the embodiment of
The coding apparatus 1400 includes a coding portion 1411 arranged opposite the guard boot, The body 1402 of the coding portion 1411 is formed as a hollow support cylinder 1415 on which the coding bands 1403 are rotatably mounted. The ports 140 and 240 on the antenna 100 and RRUs 200, respectively, may be identified using three identifier variables (Sector, Frequency Band and Port Number) with the calibration ports being identified using a fourth identifier, as will hereinafter be described. As a result, four coding bands 1403 are rotatably mounted on the body where each coding band 1403 includes at least one and in most cases a plurality of coding symbols 1404. Referring to
The code bands 1403 may include protrusions 1409 that extend through the wall of the support cylinder 1415 of the coding portion 1411 that may be accessed by a finger of the installer through the hollow support cylinder 1415 to independently rotate the code bands 1404.
In one embodiment, the body 1402 is made of a relatively soft, flexible material such as silicone. In one embodiment, the body 1402 including the support cylinder 1415 and the cover 1406 may be formed in a molding operation. The coding bands 1403 may be independently formed and inserted into the space between the support cylinder 1415 and the cover 1406. In some embodiments, the movable bands 1403 may be formed of a harder, rigid plastic material to facilitate the rotation of the bands 1403 over the support cylinder 1415. In some embodiments, the support cylinder 1415 and cover 1406 may also be made of a harder, rigid plastic provided that the interior diameter of the support cylinder 1415 is large enough to receive the connectors 306. The bands 1403 maybe rotated by the installer to reveal the coding symbols 1404 via apertures 1407 that, in combination, identify the port to which that jumper cable 300 is to be connected. A locking mechanism may be provided to fox the bands 1403 in position such as a tang and detent arrangement, catch, ratchet or the like.
As described above, the code symbols 1104 may include any visual and/or tactile indicator or combinations of such indicators, In one preferred embodiment, the indicator is a color where each port on the RRUs and antenna 100 may be identified by a known combination of three or four colors as will hereinafter be described. In the illustrated embodiment, the coding symbols 1404 are formed of one of eight colors—red, green, blue, yellow, white, brown, purple, and orange. The cover 1406 may be formed of a contrasting color such as black to enhance visibility of the coding symbols 1404. Moreover, each coding symbol 1404 may use more than one color. While using color as the indicator is shown, other devices may be used as the coding symbols such as patterns, shapes, raised tactile areas, words, letters or the like or combinations of such devices.
Referring to
In yet another embodiment of a coding apparatus, the coding portion described with respect to
In the embodiments described above, the coding apparatuses are made of resiliently flexible material or are made of resiliently flexible portions that allow the coding apparatuses to deform and be inserted onto the jumper cables 300 over the connectors 306. In other embodiments, the coding apparatuses may be made of a more rigid material and may have a clam shell structure such that the coding apparatuses may be opened by pivoting the clam shell halves about a hinge, such as a living hinge, and closed on the juniper cable 302 to hold the coding apparatus on the cable 302. A suitable lock such as a snap, deformable tang, friction fit or the like may be used to hold the coding apparatuses in the closed position. Other mechanisms for securing the coding apparatuses to the jumper cables 300 may be used such as straps, zip ties, adhesive, welding, clamps, heat shrink wrap or the like.
Operation of the coding systems and apparatuses will now be described. Referring to
The first identifier variable is the “Sector” and is identified in the illustrated embodiment as the “Alpha” Sector (
In some embodiments, the Sector may not have to be identified because the RRUs 200 and associated antenna 100 are in close proximity to one another such that the technician can easily recognize the antenna and the RRUs that are to be connected. However, in other embodiments, such as small cell and roof top applications, the antennas and RRUs may be spaced from one another such that it may be important to identify the Sector.
The second identifier variable is the “Frequency Band” where the Frequency Band refers to the different Frequency Bands supported by the antenna 100 and RRU 200. In the illustrated embodiment, six Frequency Bands are identified as “R”, “R”, “Z”, “Z”, “T4”, and “S4”. In addition to the six Frequency Bands two calibration ports are listed, one calibration port associated with the “T4” ports and the other calibration port associated with the “S4” ports. The six Technologies may each be identified by one of six coding symbols Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, White and Brown as shown in the second section 412 of
The third identifier variable is the “Port Number” where the Port Number refers to the specific ports on the antenna. In the illustrated embodiment twenty-four RF ports are identified as Port Numbers 1-24 plus the two calibration ports CAL 1 and CAL 2. Because the largest Frequency Bands (T4 and S4) have eight ports each, eight colors may be used to identify the ports. The ports may each be identified by one of eight color coding symbols Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, Purple, Orange, White and Brown shown in the third section 414 of
For the calibration ports CAL 1 and CAL 2, two colors are used to identify each calibration port. The calibration ports are identified by Red and Green. To identify the calibration ports in the embodiment of
This process is repeated for each jumper cable. Thus, looking at the first column of the code set forth in
The technician color codes each jumper cable prior to installation according to a “plumbing diagram” associated with the specific installation. It is to be understood that the code corresponding to the ports may differ between equipment manufacturers, service providers or the like and the specific codes shown in
Typically, the jumper cables 300 and coding apparatuses 400, 1400, 2400, 3400 are delivered to the work site with the coding apparatuses preinstalled on the jumper cables with one coding apparatus on each end of each jumper cable. It should be noted that the coding apparatuses may be different on each end of the same cable, although the codes displayed by the different coding apparatuses will be the same. Alternatively, the coding apparatuses 400, 1400, 2400, 3400 and jumper cables 300 may be delivered to the work site separately and the coding apparatuses 400, 1400, 2400, 3400 may be mounted on the jumper cables 300 at the work site by the technician; however, it may be preferable to preinstall the coding apparatuses 400, 1400, 2400 on the jumper cables by the manufacturer. The codes on the coding apparatuses may be set by a technician on the ground to identify each cable. The coding apparatuses greatly facilitate the ease and speed of coding the jumper cables as compared to existing systems that use colored electrical tape. The coded jumper cables may then be brought to the installation location such as a cell tower, roof top or the like and quickly and easily installed.
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.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2021/013053 | 1/12/2021 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62966181 | Jan 2020 | US |
