The present invention relates to a radio frequency assembly. More specifically the present invention relates to a radio frequency unit and a bracket configured for attachment of the radio frequency unit to the bracket and for attachment of the bracket to an attachment surface.
In a city there is a large demand for telecommunication services. This is achieved by arranging a large number of base stations over the city. Small integrated base stations (BTS), may be installed on poles such as, e.g., light poles, street sign poles and walls. The BTS contains radio and antenna components and may also contain base band functionality. The base band functionality may be implemented as an external or remote solution. In some cases only the antenna of the BTS is installed on the poles. In this application the word radio frequency unit is used for the equipment to be installed on the pole. Thus, the radio frequency unit comprises at least an antenna. It is vital that the installation of the radio frequency unit is very easy and quick to do for one person, and that it requires only basic tools. It must be easy to quickly adjust the azimuth angle (horizontal antenna radiation angle). It should also be possible to mount as many as three radio frequency units around a pole, on the same height, without interfering with each other or affecting each other. Thus, it is desirable if the radio frequency units may be installed and uninstalled in any order, so that the radio frequency unit that is installed firstly may be uninstalled firstly.
An existing method for angle adjustment of radio frequency units is to use an adjustable bracket placed on the lower end of the radio frequency unit. The adjustable bracket is a bracket having multiple parts which are joined in a rotation interface. The design rotational axis is placed between the radio frequency unit and the installation pole/wall, and is thus arranged at the joint between two parts of the bracket.
The solutions according to conventional technology are relatively large. This leads to the distance between the pole and the radio frequency unit becoming large, which in turn leads to higher forces on the bracket and also contribute to undesirable appearance.
The solutions according to conventional technology also have the drawback that two brackets are needed which makes the installation time longer and more difficult. Vertical alignment accuracy of the radio frequency unit is difficult with solutions according to conventional technology.
An objective of the present invention is to provide a solution which mitigates or solves the drawbacks and problems of conventional solutions.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a radio frequency assembly with which the distance between the attachment surface and the radio frequency unit can be made smaller than in solution according to conventional technology.
An “or” in this description and the corresponding claims is to be understood as a mathematical OR which covers “and” and “or”, and is not to be understood as an XOR (exclusive OR).
The above objectives are fulfilled by the subject matter of the independent claims. Further advantageous implementation forms of the present invention can be found in the dependent claims.
According to a first aspect of the present invention a radio frequency assembly is provided which comprises a radio frequency unit comprising at least one unit connection member and at least one antenna, a bracket comprising at least one bracket connection member, and at least one fastening member. At least one of said at least one unit connection member and said at least one bracket connection member is curved. Each unit connection member is configured to be connectable to a respective bracket connection member with use of the fastening member.
In this application radio frequency should be interpreted as the frequency range from 1 MHz to 300 GHz.
A radio frequency unit in a radio frequency assembly according to the first aspect comprises at least one antenna. The radio frequency unit may also comprise an integrated radio unit. It is also possible that the radio frequency unit comprises a base station.
In solutions according to conventional technology the azimuth adjustment is arranged between the pole/wall and a radiofrequency unit such as a base station. The disadvantage of such solutions according to conventional technology is that the distance between the pole and the radiofrequency unit is relatively large. A large distance between the pole and the radiofrequency unit will result in large forces on the bracket and also contribute to an undesirable appearance of the installation of the radio frequency unit on a pole.
Another problem is that, with the azimuth rotation axis offset from the centre of the radio frequency unit there is a risk of interference with other antennas or equipment during adjustment. The total volume required for the installation of solutions according to conventional technology is 3 times larger than the volume required for installation of a radio frequency assembly according to the first aspect. The total weight of the bracket is halved compared to conventional solutions.
The first aspect provides a solution to the problems with the prior art. As at least one of said at least one unit connection member and said at least one bracket connection member is curved the distance between the pole and the radio frequency unit may be kept small. At the same time the first aspect enables rotation of the radio frequency unit.
In a first possible implementation form of a radio frequency assembly according to the first aspect, the curved of said at least one unit connection member and said at least one bracket connection member is curved around an axis, wherein the axis is parallel to an attachment surface when the radio frequency assembly is attached to the attachment surface. The first implementation form enables rotation of the radio frequency unit around an axis which is parallel to the attachment surface.
In a second possible implementation form of a radio frequency assembly according to the first possible implementation form of the first aspect or to first aspect as such, only said at least one unit connection member is curved. The second possible implementation form of a radio frequency assembly enables the bracket to be compact. This is advantageous as the manufacturing cost for the bracket is minimized in this way. The radio frequency unit is normally sufficiently large to house a curved unit connection member without affecting the size of the radio frequency unit. Thus, the second possible implementation form enables minimization of the overall size of the radio frequency assembly.
In a third possible implementation form of a radio frequency assembly according to the second possible implementation form of the first aspect, at least one bracket connection member defines a hole or a slit, wherein the fastening member is configured to extend through the hole or the slit. It is possible to have the bracket connection member configured differently. However, a hole or a slit enables the use of a fastening member such as a screw or bolt.
In a fourth possible implementation form of a radio frequency assembly according to the third possible implementation form of the first aspect, the hole is formed as a keyhole to enable one of said at least one fastening member to enter through a wide part of the hole and engage with a narrow part of the hole. This is an advantageous design of the bracket connection member as this enables the radio frequency unit to be temporarily attached to the bracket. The fastening member may be at least one screw that is temporarily attached to the radio frequency unit. The bracket may be pre-installed on the pole. The installation of the radio frequency unit on the bracket is then done easily by hooking the screw onto the hole formed as a keyhole so that the screw enters the narrow part of the keyhole. Finally, the screw may be tightened to get the screw in engagement with the narrow part of the keyhole.
In a fifth possible implementation form of a radio frequency assembly according to any one of the second and third possible implementation forms of the first aspect, each unit connection member comprises at least one flange. The flange extends along the unit connection member. The fastening member is configured to be engagable with the flange. By having the unit connection member in the form of a flange it is easy to design a suitable fastening member.
In a sixth possible implementation form of a radio frequency assembly according to any one of the second to fifth possible implementation forms of the first aspect, each unit connection member comprises a groove extending along the unit connection member, wherein the fastening member is configured to be engagable with the groove. By arranging the unit connection member to comprise a groove the distance between the radio frequency unit and the attachment surface may be minimized as only the bracket has to be between the radio frequency unit and the attachment surface. The groove may be configured in many different ways to allow engagement of the fastening member with the groove.
In a seventh possible implementation form of a radio frequency assembly according to the sixth possible implementation form of the first aspect, the flange is arranged in the groove. By arranging the flange in the groove the flange and the fastening member may engage with each other while the distance between the radio frequency unit and the attachment surface may be kept small.
In an eighth possible implementation form of a radio frequency assembly according to the seventh possible implementation form of the first aspect, two parallel flanges are arranged in each groove. Each fastening member comprises a slider slidably configured in each groove and a connector, wherein the connector is configured to engage with the bracket connection member and is connectable to the slider, and wherein the slider and the connector are configured to attach the bracket connection member to the unit connection member. By having two parallel flanges in the groove it is possible to arrange a slider in the groove on the inside of the parallel flanges. The flanges may be made thin so that the distance between the slider and the bracket may be made small. It is advantageous to have a small distance between the slider and the bracket to minimize the forces on the fastening member.
In a ninth possible implementation form of a radio frequency assembly according to any one of the preceding implementation forms of the first aspect or to the first aspect as such, the bracket is configured to be attached to an attachment surface using at least one screw. By configuring the bracket to be attached to an attachment surface using at least one screw it is possible to use the same bracket for attachment to a plane surface and to a pole.
In a tenth possible implementation form of a radio frequency assembly according to any one of the preceding implementation forms of the first aspect or to the first aspect as such, the bracket comprises at least one slot or indentation for a band for attachment of the bracket to an attachment surface of a pole. By providing a slot or indentation for a band in the bracket the radio frequency unit may be arranged close to the bracket while there is still room for a band for attachment of the bracket to a pole.
In an eleventh possible implementation form of a radio frequency assembly according to the tenth possible implementation form of the first aspect, the bracket defines a contact surface, wherein the bracket is configured to be in contact with the attachment surface of the pole along the contact surface, wherein a contact surface indentation is arranged in the contact surface of the bracket, and wherein the contact surface indentation is sufficiently large for at least two bands to be arranged in the contact surface indentation adjacent to each other along the longitudinal axis of the pole. By having such a contact surface indentation in the contact surface of the bracket it is possible to attach more than one radio frequency assembly at the same height on the same pole while still allowing the radio frequency assemblies to the detached in any order. When attaching a second radio frequency assembly with a second bracket after a first radio frequency assembly with a first bracket the band is arranged in the slot or indentation of the second bracket and in the contact surface indentation of the first bracket. The band attaching the second bracket will then not interfere with the first bracket which makes it possible to detach the first bracket while the second bracket is still attached to the pole.
In a twelfth possible implementation form of a radio frequency assembly according to any one of the ninth to eleventh possible implementation form of the first aspect, the radio frequency assembly further comprises adjustment screws at one end of the bracket, wherein the adjustment screws are configured to extend an adjustable distance out from the side of the bracket facing the attachment surface, in order to adjust the angle between the radio frequency unit and the attachment surface by adjustment of the adjustment screws. By the radio frequency assembly comprising adjustment screws it is possible to adjust the angle of the radio frequency unit in relation to the longitudinal axis of the pole while still keeping the bracket connection member and the unit connection member uncomplicated.
In a thirteenth possible implementation form of a radio frequency assembly according to any one of the preceding implementation forms or to the first aspect as such, the radio frequency unit is configured to be attached to an attachment surface with the longitudinal axis in an angle to the attachment surface, wherein the angle is in the interval 0-10°. By having an angular adjustability the radio frequency unit may be adjusted to the specific environment in which it is installed.
In a possible implementation form of a radio frequency assembly according to any one of the preceding implementation forms or to the first aspect as such the radio frequency unit or parts of it are cylindrical. According to another possible implementation form the radio frequency unit is partly or entirely circularly cylindrical. A partly cylindrical, partly circularly or entirely circularly cylindrical radio frequency unit allows attachment close to the pole without any risk for the radio frequency unit to get into contact with the attachment surface during adjustment of the radio frequency unit during adjustment of the position of the unit connection member in relation to the bracket connection member. It is of course also possible to avoid that the radio frequency unit gets into contact with the attachment surface by arranging an arbitrarily shaped radio frequency unit at an appropriate distance from the attachment surface.
In the following detailed description of embodiments of the invention the same reference numeral will be used for the corresponding feature in the different drawings. The drawings are not drawn to scale.
The first bracket connection member 114 is connected to the first unit connection member 110 and the second bracket connection member 116 is connected to the second unit connection member 112, in a first position in
Also shown in
As is most clearly shown in
In
The bracket 104 may be attached to the attachment surface using bands 154 (
Also shown in
When the radio frequency assembly 100 is to be installed on an attachment surface the bracket may be installed firstly together with the first slider 142, the second slider 142′, the first screw 126 and the second screw 180. The radio frequency unit 102 may then be attached to the bracket by hanging it onto the first screw 126 and the second screw 180. Finally the first screw 126 and the second screw 180 are tightened to secure the radio frequency unit 102 in the desired position on the attachment surface 106.
This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/EP2015/054061, filed on Feb. 26, 2015, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20170352939 A1 | Dec 2017 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/EP2015/054061 | Feb 2015 | US |
Child | 15686726 | US |