Patent Application
20160218411
Various aspects of the present disclosure relate to antennas, and, more particularly, to a tilt indicator mechanism for indicating an angle of tilt of an antennas.
Based on network coverage requirements, operators often adjust a radiation pattern of an antenna. When required, alteration of the vertical angle of the antenna's beam, also known as “tilt”, may be used to adjust the coverage area of the antenna. Adjusting an antenna's angle of tilt has been implemented both mechanically and electrically, either individually or in combination. To advisably show the effect of the adjustment, the antenna may be equipped with a tilt indicator. For example, a tilt indicator may take the form of an indicator rod with markings displayed thereon, to provide a visual indication of the tilt adjustment setting to an individual (e.g., technician, operation, etc.,) making the tilt adjustment. The attached markings may be indicative of tilt degree settings associated with the propagation direction of a beam produced by the antenna.
Unfortunately, conventional construction and placement of the tilt indicator may make the tilt indicator susceptible to damage. For example, to be visible to those operating on the antenna, the tilt indicator may be positioned at least partially outside an enclosure of the antenna. Also, the tilt indicator may be typically constructed of a rigid plastic material, causing the rod to be easily damaged when the antenna may be placed in certain positions, and when subjected to bending loads.
Accordingly, there is a need for a tilt indicator made of flexible material so as to allow the tilt indicator to bend without breaking when subjected to bending loads.
Various aspects of the present disclosure may be directed to an antenna tilt indicator constructed from a flexible material so as to allow the tilt indicator to bend without breaking when subjected to bending loads. The tilt indicator may take the form of an elongated rod with indicia imprinted thereon. The indicia may be indicative of the degree of tilt of an antenna to which the tilt indicator may be attached. In some embodiments, the indicia may be imprinted by laser markings directly on a surface of the tilt indicator.
The following detailed description of the invention will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
In the drawings:
Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not limiting. The words “lower,” “bottom,” “upper” and “top” designate directions in the drawings to which reference is made. Unless specifically set forth herein, the terms “a,” “an” and “the” are not limited to one element, but instead should be read as meaning “at least one.” The terminology includes the words noted above, derivatives thereof and words of similar import. It should also be understood that the terms “about,” “approximately,” “generally,” “substantially” and like terms, used herein when referring to a dimension or characteristic of a component of the invention, indicate that the described dimension/characteristic is not a strict boundary or parameter and does not exclude minor variations therefrom that are functionally similar. At a minimum, such references that include a numerical parameter would include variations that, using mathematical and industrial principles accepted in the art (e.g., rounding, measurement or other systematic errors, manufacturing tolerances, etc.), would not vary the least significant digit.
Conventional construction and placement of a tilt indicator makes it susceptible to damage. For example, to be visible to those operating on the antenna, the tilt indicator may be positioned at least partially outside an enclosure of the antenna. Also, the tilt indicator may be typically constructed of a rigid plastic material, such as Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate (ASA), causing the tilt indicator to be easily damaged when the antenna may be placed in certain positions, and when subjected to bending loads. For example, referring to
Referring now to
The flexible tilt indicator 209 may be constructed from a flexible material, such as thermoplastic Polyolefin Elastomer (TEO), manufactured by RTP Co. headquartered in Winona, Minn. 55987 USA. Further, according to an aspect of present disclosure, the flexible tilt indicator 209 may be constructed by injection molding. As used herein, injection molding may refer to a process wherein a material may be formed into a shape by forcing the material into a mold or die by fluidizing the material and injecting the fluidized material into the mold by applying a pressure to the fluidized material. The flexible tilt indicator 209 may take the form of an elongated rod, or any other shape capable of visibly indicating a degree of tilt of an antenna 100. It should be noted that the flexible tilt indicator 209 may be constructed from other material as well. For example, the flexible tilt indicator 209 may be constructed from any flexible material in keeping with the spirit of the disclosure. It should also be noted that the flexible tilt indicator 209 may be created via other processes besides injection molding in keeping with the spirit of the disclosure. Being constructed of such a resilient material, the flexible tilt indicator 209 may be capable of bending without breaking when subjected to bending loads, and subsequently return to its original shape. An example of the flexible tilt indicator 209 being subjected to bending without damage is shown in
To address such label damage, according to an aspect of the present disclosure, instead of attaching a label, a surface of the flexible tilt indicator 209 may be marked directly with tilt indicia by way of a laser printing device. For example, and as shown in
According to aspects of the present disclosure, the flexible tilt indicator 209 may also be used to adjust the tilt of the antenna 100 in addition to providing a visual indication of the tilt of the antenna 100 to which it may be attached. A view of a non-limiting example of a base station antenna 100 with the enclosure 101 removed, according to an aspect of the present disclosure, is depicted in
The material from which the flexible tilt indicator 209 may be constructed may be resilient, yet stiff enough to be used as tilt adjustment device as well. For example, such tilt indicators 209 may be constructed from a flexible material, such as thermoplastic Polyolefin Elastomer (TEO), 2800 B-75D, manufactured by RTP Co. headquartered in Winona, Minn. 55987 USA. It should be noted that the flexible tilt indicator 209 may be constructed from other material as well. For example, the flexible tilt indicator 209 may be constructed from any flexible, resilient material capable of such dual purposes (e.g., visual indication and adjustment) in keeping with the spirit of the invention.
Various embodiments of the invention have now been discussed in detail; however, the invention should not be understood as being limited to these embodiments. It should also be appreciated that various modifications, adaptations, and alternative embodiments thereof may be made within the scope and spirit of the present invention.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/108,702, filed on Jan. 28, 2015, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62108702 | Jan 2015 | US |
