Patent Grant
8810989
Various exemplary embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to alternating-current (AC) suppression filters.
Lightning strikes have been a persistent problem for electrical devices, as lightning strikes produce electrical surges that may cause catastrophic damage to electronics. This results in cost not only to replace the damaged equipment, but also in the period that the electrical system is down due to the damaged component. Various solutions have been proposed to address this issue, whether they are devices and/or systems to specifically address lightning strikes, more comprehensive coverage for electrical surges, or foundational design strategies that emphasize proper grounding of electrical equipment.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to include a lightning suppression and surge protection solution in a communication base station. In particular, it would be desirable to include a lightning suppression or surge protection filter in a base station that allows the base station to operate at high power levels, for example over 200 W.
A brief summary of various exemplary embodiments is presented. Some simplifications and omissions may be made in the following summary, which is intended to highlight and introduce some aspects of the various exemplary embodiments, but not to limit the scope of the invention. Detailed descriptions of a preferred exemplary embodiment adequate to allow those of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the inventive concepts will follow in the later sections.
Various embodiments may relate to a base station element including: a housing forming a cavity; and a filter that receives a signal, suppresses an alternating-current (AC) portion of the signal and passes a direct-current (DC) portion of the signal, the filter comprising: a flat inductor disposed inside the cavity, and a tap pin disposed inside the cavity and connected to a first end of the flat inductor.
Various embodiments may also relate to a method of suppressing an alternating-current (AC) portion of a signal, the method including: providing a base station element comprising a housing forming a cavity; providing a filter comprising a flat inductor disposed inside the cavity, and a tap pin disposed inside the cavity and connected to a first end of the flat inductor; receiving, by the filter, the signal; suppressing, by the filter, the AC portion of the signal; and passing, by the filter, a direct-current (DC) portion of the signal.
It should be apparent that, in this manner, various exemplary embodiments enable a base station with an AC suppression filter. Particularly, by providing a filter with DC pass including a flat inductor, a cost-effective solution for lightning suppression and surge protection may be provided.
In order to better understand various exemplary embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings wherein:
Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals refer to like components or steps, there are disclosed broad aspects of various exemplary embodiments.
A communication base station may be hardware that may house one or more components to enable communications with other devices in a wired or wireless communications network. The base station may also include other components for safety and maintenance, such as, for example, an AC-suppression filter that may be used for surge protection. The base station may be hardware connected to a wired and/or wireless communications system and may be configured to operate based on the protocol used within the communications system. The base station may be connected to one or more antennas, which may receive electromagnetic waves and convert the waves into signals. In some embodiments, the base station may include a transceiver. In such instances, the antenna may convert electrical signals to electromagnetic waves and may transmit the waves to other devices in the communications system. The base station may include a high power cavity filter that filters incoming RF signals. The cavity filter may include additional low power circuitry on a printed circuit board (PCB). The PCB is connected to the cavity filter via a tap. Because the base station is connected to an antenna, the base station may be susceptible to lighting strikes or other high power surges. Accordingly, the base station may include an AC suppression filter to provide protection from lightning and other high power surges. Further, the base station may include an auto-transformer.
The cavity 203 may include free space within the base station element 200. Cavity 203 may be designed to include a cavity filter. In some embodiments, the base station element 200 may include multiple cavities 203 that may include one or more flat inductors 207. In some embodiments, the cavity 203 may include multiple flat inductors 207. This may occur, for example, when the AC-suppression filter uses multiple flat inductors 207. The configuration of the cavity 203, including its volume and shape, may be based, for example, on the components housed within the cavity and the desired filter characteristics. For example, in the illustrative embodiment, the tap pin 205 and the flat inductor 207 may be included within the cavity 203.
Tap pin 205 may be hardware in the cavity 203 that connects the inductor to other components in the AC-suppression filter. For example, the tap pin 205 may act as an electrical port to connect the filter to other components in the base station. In such instances, the tap pin 205 may receive the signal and transmit the signal to the inductor 207. Alternatively, the tap pin 205 may act as an output port and may transmit the filtered signal from the inductor 207 to other components in the base station element 200.
The flat inductor 400 may be formed by photo-etching or cutting a plate to result in the shape of the flat inductor. Such manufacturing technique allows for a precise and repeatable flat inductor that will have a small variation in its characteristics. Further, the flat inductor has a benefit over a traditional coiled inductor. The coiled inductor is more difficult to wind consistently to result in repeatable inductor characteristics. Also, the coiled structure is not as strong and rigid as the structure of the flat inductor 400.
Although the various exemplary embodiments have been described in detail with particular reference to certain exemplary aspects thereof, it should be understood that the invention is capable of other embodiments and its details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects. As is readily apparent to those skilled in the art, variations and modifications can be effected while remaining within the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing disclosure, description, and figures are for illustrative purposes only and do not in any way limit the invention, which is defined only by the claims.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20120264486 A1 | Oct 2012 | US |
