Patent Grant
11670875
The present disclosure generally relates to a housing for a small cell. More particularly, but not exclusively, the present disclosure relates to a housing with dedicated areas for external antennas that appear integrated with the housing.
A mobile network operator (MNO) is an entity that operates a cellular communications system. Mobile network operators may be private entities, public entities such as would be owned and controlled by a government, public-private partnership entities, or other entities. A mobile network operator may be a for-profit entity, a non-profit entity, or an entity having some other financial model.
As the term is used in the present disclosure, an MNO may also be referred to as a wireless carrier, a cell service provider, a wireless service provider, cellular company, and many other like terms. An MNO provides cellular-based wireless communication services.
An MNO is different from a provider of other wireless services because the MNO owns or otherwise controls certain specific elements that are necessary to deliver wireless communication services to an end user. These necessary specific elements that set apart an MNO from providers of other wireless service include radio spectrum allocation (i.e., one or more radio spectrum licenses from a regulatory or government entity), wireless network infrastructure, and back haul infrastructure. These infrastructure elements enable the MNO to provide wireless voice, data, or voice and data services to subscribers using frequencies that are allocated as part of the licensed radio spectrum. In addition, though not required, an MNO will generally also have an available infrastructure to charge and collect money for use of its wireless services, a customer service infrastructure, repair personnel and facilities, and the ability to provision computing devices (e.g., cell phones, smart phones, tablets, global positioning service (GPS) devices, vehicle-based devices, and the like) for permissive use of its wireless network services.
In some cases, MNOs or other entities provide non-cellular wireless services such as “WiFi” services. WiFi services are known to pass communications according to a communications standard administered by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). One such standard is referred to as IEEE 802.11. These non-cellular wireless communication services may be available to the public free or for a cost. These non-cellular wireless communication services may be available in restaurants, airports, airplanes, public buildings, and the like. Even when these WiFi services are provided by an MNO, these WiFi services are not considered “MNO services” or “cellular-based” services because they are delivered to end user devices using non-cellular frequencies and protocols. What's more, even if some portion of WiFi-delivered data is passed over a cellular-based network (e.g., infrastructure downstream of a WiFi access point couples communications to or through a cellular-based network), these services are still not considered MNO services, cellular-based services, or carrier services because the interface to the end-user device is enabled via WiFi services and not by cellular-based services.
In some cases, an MNO operates and offers access to its own branded cellular-based infrastructure. In other cases, an MNO provides access to its cellular-based infrastructure to other entities that provide services under a different brand. These other entities may be known as “downstream” or “virtual” carriers or by other such titles and phrases. The term MNO in the present disclosure includes actual mobile network operators, virtual network operators, and other such entities when the underlying wireless services are provided to an end user via the necessary specific elements that set apart an MNO from other providers of wireless service.
For reference but not completeness, some known MNOs of the Americas include AT&T, BELL, CLARO, ENTEL, MOVILNET, MOVISTAR, ROGERS, SPRINT, T-MOBILE, TELCEL, TELUS, TIM, VERIZON, and VIVO. Some European MNOs include EE, MEGAFON, MTS, O2, ORANGE, and VODAFONE. Some Asia-Pacific MNOs include AIRTEL, AIS, BSNL, CHINA MOBILE, CHINA TELECOM, CHINA UNICOM, DEA CELLULAR, JIO, KT, NTT DOCOMO, SK TELECOM, SOFTBANK CORP, TELSTRA, and VODAFONE.
In a cellular-based network, wireless communications to and from a user's mobile device occur at various frequencies and according to a protocol controlled by the MNO. The user's mobile device includes a wireless transceiver arranged communicate according to the MNO controlled frequency and protocol. During communications, the user's wireless transceiver is communicatively coupled to a wireless transceiver commissioned by the MNO. The data sent a received between the two wireless transceivers may include voice communications, short message service (SMS) messages, electronic mail, internet traffic, and any other such data.
The large area over which an MNO's cellular-based network operates is divided into areas called macrocells, which may be abbreviated simply to “cells.” Many adjacent macrocells are formed to provide wireless cellular-based network coverage over a wide geographic area. Each macrocell may be served by one or more MNO commissioned transceivers. Typically, however, each macrocell is served by three macrocell sites, which may also be referred to as base stations, base transceivers, cell towers, cell stations, or the like. Neighboring macrocells are generally arranged to use different frequencies, phases, or other distributive characteristics of the MNOs licensed frequency spectrum to reduce or avoid interference between macrocells. The macrocells and the mobile computing devices provisioned by the MNO to operate on its network are arranged to cooperate communicatively such that a mobile device may continue seamless communications as the mobile device moves from one macrocell to another.
The hexagonal shaped cells shown in
A representation of a macrocell tower 12 is also illustrated in
The macrocell tower 12 of
Power and land-based communication services are provided to the macrocell tower 12 by a cable assembly 20. In at least some cellular-based network communications, the cable assembly 20 includes fiber optic cable to pass data sent to or from a mobile device from or into the public switched telephone network (PSTN), which is not shown. A core switched network device (not shown) may be used to pass voice and text data; a packet switched network device (not shown) may be used to pass electronic mail, internet, and other packetized data.
Macrocell 22h of
In the enlarged view of
In the smaller areas shown in macrocell 22d, which may exist in any macrocell 22a-22h, an MNO may determine that additional network coverage is necessary, but the smaller area is not desirably serviceable by a macrocell tower 12. In these cases, the MNO may deploy a “small cell” to provide wireless cellular-based network communication services.
Conventional streetlight systems are known to those of ordinary skill in the street-lighting arts. Conventional streetlights are typically mounted above a roadway, parking lot, or the like on a streetlight pole, lamppost, or some other elevated structure. Historically, street lighting was provided by incandescent filament-based lighting sources. In modern times, high-intensity discharge lighting sources such as high-pressure sodium lamps are used to light streets and other areas. Even more recently, light emitting diode (LED) based luminaires are deployed to provide bright, controllable lighting with lower power consumption. In order to safely and effectively fulfill the needs of municipalities, governments, and private entities in a cost-efficient manner, most streetlight systems and sub-systems conform to one or more standards promulgated by a standards body.
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a standards body that publishes and promotes standards for certain electrical equipment, mechanical equipment, and electromechanical equipment in use today. ANSI is a private, non-profit organization that oversees and administers development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, protocols, and the like. It is also known that ANSI coordinates at least some U.S. standards with at least some international standards, which permits products manufactured according to U.S. standards to be used in other non-U.S. countries in the world.
Various standards developed by organizations, government agencies, consumer groups, companies, and others are accredited by ANSI. These standards are developed and promoted to provide consistent characteristics, definitions, terms, testing, implementation, and performance in products that are compliant with a given standard.
The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) is one such organization that develops, promotes, or otherwise partners with ANSI. According to publicly available information, the NEMA is the largest trade association of electrical equipment manufacturers in the United States. NEMA is a consortium of several hundred member companies that manufacture products used in the generation, transmission, distribution, control, and end use of electricity. These products are used in utility, industrial, commercial, institutional, and residential applications including lighting products installed over roadways, parking lots, constructions sites, pedestrian malls, manufacturing floors, and the like.
NEMA publishes standards documents, application guides, white papers, and other technical papers. NEMA also publishes and promotes several hundred technical standards for electrical enclosures, controllers, communication protocols, motors, wire, plugs, and receptacles among other equipment. Certain ones of NEMA's American National Standards directed toward Roadway and Area Lighting Equipment are referred to as ANSI C136 standards. At least one NEMA standard, referred to as ANSI C136.41, is directed to external locking type photo-control devices for street and area lighting.
All of the subject matter discussed in the Background section is not necessarily prior art and should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its discussion in the Background section. Along these lines, any recognition of problems in the prior art discussed in the Background section or associated with such subject matter should not be treated as prior art unless expressly stated to be prior art. Instead, the discussion of any subject matter in the Background section should be treated as part of the inventor's approach to the particular problem, which, in and of itself, may also be inventive.
The following is a summary of the present disclosure to provide an introductory understanding of some features and context. This summary is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the present disclosure or to delineate the scope of the disclosure. This summary presents certain concepts of the present disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is later presented.
The device, method, and system embodiments described in this disclosure (i.e., the teachings of this disclosure) are directed toward a small cell housing that includes at least one chamber arranged to contain a plurality of stacked circuit boards or certain other modules, a NEMA-based connector integrated with the chamber, and at least one structure integrated into a wall of the chamber. The at least one structure is arranged to contain an antenna that is external to the one or more internal chambers. The antenna, when mounted, visually appears integrated with the small cell housing. The structure has at least one pass-through arranged to permit communicative coupling of the antenna to at least one of the plurality of stacked circuit boards or modules.
In a first embodiment, a small cell housing includes one or more external surfaces, one or more internal chambers, at least one standardized connector, at least one antenna, at least one antenna-containment structure, a signal conduit, and at least one sub-structure arranged to route the signal conduit from the at least one antenna to cellular-band transceiver circuitry. The one or more internal chambers are arranged to contain power supply circuitry and cellular-band transceiver circuitry, and the one or more internal chambers have internal surfaces that form the one or more chambers. The standardized connector is arranged to pass power to the power supply circuitry when the small cell housing is electromechanically coupled to a streetlight, and the standardized connector is compliant with a roadway area lighting standard promoted by a standards body. The at least one antenna is positioned external to the one or more internal chambers, and the at least one antenna-containment structure, which is arranged to contain the at least one antenna, visually appears integrated with at least a portion of the one or more external surfaces. The external surfaces can also be considered visible external surfaces since they can be viewed if observed by a person, a drone, a camera or other optical imager without having to move other any items. The housing might be mounted on a street light and thus the external surfaces can be viewed if the observer, drone or camera is at the correct location, which if installed might be above the light pole itself.
In at least some cases of the first embodiment, the standardized connector is compliant with American National Standards Institute (ANSI) C136, and particularly in some cases, ANSI C136.41-2013. In some cases, the standardized connector is compliant with a specification promoted by National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA).
In some cases of the first embodiment, the at least one antenna-containment structure is a separate and distinct structure coupled to the small cell housing. Sometimes, the small cell housing further includes electromagnetic shielding between the at least one antenna and the power supply circuitry, and/or between at least one antenna and the cellular-band transceiver circuitry.
At least one heat-transfer structure arranged to transfer heat from inside the one or more internal chambers to outside the one or more internal chambers may be included in some cases of the first embodiment. In these or other case, the small cell housing of the first embodiment may include a second standardized connector arranged to pass power though the small cell housing to a light control device that is electromechanically coupleable to the small cell housing.
In some cases, the small cell housing according to the first embodiment includes at least one pocket that ingresses into at least one of the one or more visible external surfaces. In these cases, the at least one antenna-containment structure is arranged to mate with the at least one pocket. In some cases, at least a portion of the visible external surfaces are formed from a plastic material, and in these or other cases, at least a portion of the visible external surfaces are shaped to reduce wind-loading effects.
In a second embodiment, a system includes a plurality of light poles in a determined geographic area. Each light pole has a light source positioned in a luminaire at least twenty feet above ground level. In selected ones of the light poles in the determined geographic area, a respective small cell is electromechanically coupled to the luminaire of the selected light pole, and the electromechanical coupling is performed via a standardized connector that is compliant with a roadway area lighting standard promoted by a standards body. Each small cell in the system is arranged in a housing that includes one or more internal chambers, power supply circuitry that receives power via the standardized connector, cellular-band transceiver circuitry, at least one antenna positioned external to the one or more internal chambers, at least one signal conduit communicatively coupling the at least one antenna to the cellular-band transceiver circuitry, at least one a sub-structure arranged to route the at least one signal conduit from the at least one antenna to the cellular-band transceiver circuitry, and at least one antenna-containment structure visually appearing integrated with at least a portion of one or more visible external surfaces of the housing. The at least one antenna-containment structure arranged to contain the at least one antenna.
In some cases of the second embodiment, the cellular-band transceiver circuitry is operable as at least one a microcell, a metrocell, a picocell, a femtocell, and a remote radio head. In some cases, at least one antenna-containment structure is substantially formed from plastic. In these or other cases, at least one sub-structure includes an aperture through a wall of the housing.
In still other cases of the second embodiment, each housing includes at least four antennas, and four respective antenna-containment structures contain the four antennas. Sometimes, the at least four antennas and the cellular-band transceiver circuitry are arranged for multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) communications. In at least some cases, at least one electromagnetic shielding structure is positioned between the at least one antenna and the power supply circuitry.
In a third embodiment, a streetlight-mountable small cell includes a housing having one or more external surfaces exposed to atmospheric conditions when the small cell is deployed on a streetlight. One or more internal chambers are formed in the housing, power supply circuitry is contained in a first one of the one or more internal chambers, and cellular-band transceiver circuitry is contained in a second one of the one or more internal chambers. A standardized connector is arranged to pass power to the power supply circuitry when the small cell housing is deployed on the streetlight. At least one antenna is positioned external to the one or more internal chambers and contained by at least one antenna-containment structure that visually appears integrated with the one or more external surfaces. A signal conduit communicatively couples the at least one antenna to the cellular-band transceiver circuitry, at least one sub-structure is arranged to route the signal conduit from the at least one antenna to the cellular-band transceiver circuitry.
This Brief Summary has been provided to describe certain concepts in a simplified form that are further described in more detail in the Detailed Description. The Brief Summary does not limit the scope of the claimed subject matter, but rather the words of the claims themselves determine the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments are described with reference to the following drawings, wherein like labels refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified. The sizes and relative positions of elements in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, some of the shapes of various elements are selected, enlarged, and positioned to improve drawing legibility. The particular shapes of the elements as drawn have been selected for ease of recognition in the drawings. One or more embodiments are described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
The present disclosure may be understood more readily by reference to this detailed description and the accompanying figures. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and is not limiting to the claims unless a court or accepted body of competent jurisdiction determines that such terminology is limiting. Unless specifically defined herein, the terminology used herein is to be given its traditional meaning as known in the relevant art.
In the following description, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various disclosed embodiments. However, one skilled in the relevant art will recognize that embodiments may be practiced without one or more of these specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures associated with computing systems including client and server computing systems, as well as networks have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring descriptions of the embodiments.
It is generally known that a “small cell” is a term of art in the cellular-based industry. A mobile device provisioned by a mobile network operator (MNO) communicates with a small cell in the same or similar manner that the mobile device communicates with a macrocell tower 12. In at least some cases, an active communication session formed between a small cell and a mobile device may be handed off to or from a small cell as the mobile device moves into or out from the active range of the small cell. For example, a user having an active communication session enabled by a small cell may be in motion, and when the mobile device is in motion, the active communication session may in some cases be automatically and seamlessly handed off and continue via another small cell or via a macrocell tower 12.
As is known, many different types of small cells are deployed by MNOs to serve particular geographic areas within a larger macrocell. Some of the different types are microcells, metrocells, picocells, and femtocells. In at least some cases, a small cell as described in the present disclosure may include a remote radio head or other like wireless radio cellular-band transceiver circuitry used in the telecommunications industry. Microcells generally cover an area having diameter less than about one mile and operate with a radiated power of about five watts (5 W) to ten watts (10 W). Metrocells generally cover an area having a diameter of less than about a half mile and operate with a radiated power of about 5 W or less. Metrocells can provide wireless cellular-based service for up to about 200 concurrent mobile devices. Picocells generally cover an area having a diameter less than about 500 feet and operate with a radiated power of about 100 milliwatts (mW) to 5 W; providing cellular-based wireless service for up to about 5 dozen concurrent mobile devices. Femtocells generally cover areas having a diameter less than about 30 feet and operate with a radiated power of about 10 mW to 1000 mW to provide cellular-based service for up to just a few mobile devices.
A remote radio head (RRH), which may also be called a remote radio unit (RRU), includes transceiver circuitry. For example, in some cases, the RRH contains RF circuitry, analog-to-digital (A2D) converters, digital-to-analog (D2A) converters, up/down converters, an electrical-to-optical interface, an optical-to-electrical interface, RF power devices, and operational and management processing capabilities. In many cases, an RRH is arranged with two, four, eight, or some other number of antennas that allow for multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) operations. In embodiments of the present disclosure, a small cell housing is configured with a plurality of antenna-containment structures to support multipath propagation, envelope tracking technologies, and other MIMO-based features.
The RRH is communicatively coupled to a control module. In many cases, the control module is operated by an MNO or an agent of an MNO. One of skill in the art will recognized that the control module may be referred to as a base station, a base transceiver station (BTS), a NodeB, an eNodeB, or some other like term. To avoid unnecessarily obscuring the embodiments described herein, the operations of the control module are understood by ones of ordinary skill in the art and outside the scope of the present disclosure.
The RRH is often, but not always, communicatively coupled to control module via a fiber optic cable. In some cases, the communicatively coupling may be made via copper or another electrically conductive material, via wirelessly beamed light, via microwave or other wireless medium, or via still some other portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. The protocol used to provide or otherwise facilitate such communications is outside the scope of the present disclosure.
A remote radio head (RRH), which may also be called a remote radio unit (RRU), is arranged for placement in a suitable location that facilitates wireless radio communications. In some non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure, housings for small cells, and particularly RRH's, femtocells, picocells, and metrocells, are arranged for placement on streetlights. Nevertheless, the principles of the present disclosure may be suitably applied to other city-scape structures where blending a small cell housing and camouflaging the antennas of the small cell are desirable.
Small cells are usually owned, installed, maintained, controlled, or otherwise permitted for use by the MNO on whose network they will operate. Even in cases of femtocells, which may be installed by a non-MNO entity, the femtocells are deployed and provisioned by the MNO for operation on the MNO's wireless cellular-based network. This provisioning is necessary in a small cell because the small cell operates in the MNO's licensed frequency spectrum. In addition to having a front end with a cellular-based interface, the small cell has a back end that provides backhaul services for the device. Small cell backhaul is the transmission link between the small cell and the MNO's core network. In some small cells, backhaul services are provided across conventional broadband internet services such as digital subscriber line (DSL), cable, a T1 line, or some other wide area network access point.
Small cells may include multiple antennas that transmit signals to and receive signals from user devices, for example. If a small cell has a small physical footprint, the antennas of the small cell are located relatively close to one another. Radio frequency (RF) (i.e., approximately 20 kHz to 300 GHz) co-site interference may occur when two or more co-located RF systems have a negative impact on each other. For example, operation of a transmitter of the small cell may negatively impact reception by one or more receivers of the small cell. The degree to which such a transmitter negatively impacts the reception by the receivers depends on a number of factors, including the distance between transmitting and receiving antennas, the radiation pattern of the transmitting antenna, the gain patterns of the receiving antennas, the magnitude of the power level of transmitted signals, and the frequencies of transmitted and received signals, for example.
A small cell housing as contemplated in the present disclosure includes one or more chambers arranged to contain one or a plurality of modules or stacked circuit boards, a NEMA-based connector integrated with the chamber, and at least one structure ingressing into a wall of the chamber. The at least one structure is arranged to contain an antenna or a plurality of antennas external to the chamber or plurality of chambers. Each such antenna, when mounted, visually appears integrated with the chamber or may in some cases not be visible at all from outside the small cell housing. The structure has at least one pass-through arranged to communicatively couple the antenna or plurality of antennas to at least one circuit of the modules or plurality of stacked circuit boards.
In the embodiment of
In various intervals, which may be regular or irregular intervals, light poles 30 are placed in proximity to the public roadways. The light poles may be formed of a metal, a wood, a composite, or any other suitable material. The light poles 30 may be vertical or formed in some other shape. Typically, a light pole 30 may rise 25-50 feet above the ground. In other cases, light poles 30 contemplated in the present disclosure may rise less than 25 feet or more than 50 feet above the ground.
The light poles 30 of
In
The small cell 100a of
Optionally, the small cell 100 includes one or more cable glands 106. The embodiment of
The small cell 100a of
The small cell 100a of
To further reduce wind loading, the housing of the small cell 100a may be formed of any one or more of metal, plastic, composites, or the like alone or in combination. Selectively using such materials may act to reduce the weight of the small cell 100a. In many cases, the small cell 100a will weigh between seven and ten kilograms (7 to 10 kg). In other cases, a small cell weighing less than seven kilograms (7 kg) or more than ten kilograms (10 kg) is contemplated. By reducing the weight, and the wind profile, as described in the present disclosure, the small cell embodiments and the streetlights on which they are installed can withstand hurricanes, blizzards, and other harsh atmospheric conditions.
Small cell 100 is contained in a housing 110. All or various portions of the housing may be arranged of suitable materials (e.g., metal, wood, composites, alloys, and the like), have a suitable shape, and weigh an acceptable amount as discussed in the present disclosure. Certain features contained in, near, or otherwise associated with the housing 110, as described herein, are optional. Except where expressly described, the sizes, shapes, placement, and other characteristics of the schematic diagram of
The small cell 100 includes a first standardized connector 104a. The small cell 100 may optionally include a second standardized connector 104b. The second standardized connector 104b is along the lines of the standardized connector 104 of
The small cell housing 110 includes one or more internal chambers 112a, 112b, 112c, 112d. Any suitable number of internal chambers may be formed. Is represented in
The various internal chambers 112a-112d of the small cell housing 110 may be formed by any suitable number of internal surfaces. In the embodiment of
In at least some cases, one or more internal walls 120 may include electromagnetic shielding. For example, electromagnetic shielding may be arranged between antenna structures and the power supply circuitry, between antenna structures and the cellular-band transceiver circuitry, and between any of the other structures contained within or in proximity of the small cell 100. In addition to electromagnetic shielding, the internal walls 120 may provide thermal shielding between various modules of the small cell 100. In the internal walls 120 may provide, or otherwise include, mechanical or physical support for the housing to prevent deformation, twisting, expansion, and the like. These internal structures may be used to assist in the assembly of the small cell 100 and for other purposes. In at least some cases, for example, circuitry or other intellectual property (e.g., software, firmware, board layout, and the like) may be provided and permanently sealed (e.g., via potting, epoxy, or the like) in one internal chamber during one manufacturing process, which secures such intellectual property from other entities or actors in the manufacturing process.
In the embodiment of
The small cell housing 110 may include defining walls that have external surfaces 120a and internal surfaces 120b of walls that define the perimeter of the small cell housing 110. The external surfaces 120a are exposed to atmospheric conditions when the small cell is deployed on a streetlight.
The external surfaces 120a can also be considered visible external surfaces 102a. These surfaces can be viewed if observed by a person, a drone, a camera or other optical imager without having to move other any items. The housing might be mounted on a street light and thus the external surfaces can be viewed if the observer, drone or camera is at the correct location, which if installed might be above the light pole itself.
A single visible external surface 120a and a single internal surface 120b of a wall that defines the perimeter of the small cell housing 110 are identified, but one of skill in the art will recognize that various other small cell housings will have any suitable number of visible external surfaces and internal surfaces on walls that define the perimeter. A non-limiting set of small cell embodiments are represented in the figures of the present disclosure. These and other small cell embodiments contemplated by the inventors are arranged to reduce wind loading of the small cell, and in at least some cases, the small cells are arranged with one or more antenna-containment structures 122 that visually appear integrated with at least a portion of the one or more visible external surfaces 120a.
A small cell 100 will include one or more antennas 124 positioned external to the one or more internal chambers. The antennas 124 are contained within particular antenna-containment structures 122. In the embodiment of
Each antenna 124 is communicatively coupled to the cellular-based transceiver circuitry 116 by a signal conduit 126. The signal conduit 126 may be any suitable communication medium, such as electrically conductive wire or cable, a light-based cable or circuitry, or the like. The signal conduit 126 may form a direct connection between the antenna 124 and the cellular-based transceiver circuitry 116. Alternatively, one or more connectors, translation circuits, or other such structures may intervene in the communication path between the antenna 124 and the cellular-based transceiver circuitry 116 without departing from the concepts disclosed herein.
In at least some cases, a small cell housing 110 may include additional sub-structures 128 arranged to route the signal conduit 126. The sub-structures 128 may include one or more apertures through a wall of the housing 110, shaped tabs, friction fittings, standoffs, bosses, or any other suitable structures. The sub-structures 128 may provide strain relief for the signal conduit 126. Alternatively, or additionally, the sub-structures 128 may be arranged to reduce noise in the communication signals, distance between the signal conduit 126 and noise generating circuitry, and other such desirable features.
The present disclosure contemplates many different arrangements of antenna-containment structures 122 and antennas 120. Three embodiments are represented in
A first antenna 124a is positioned external to the internal chambers 112a-112d of the small cell 100. The first antenna 124a is contained in an antenna-containment structure 122a. In this case, the antenna-containment structure 122 is a separate and distinct structure. Both the first antenna 124a and the antenna-containment structure 122a are coupled to the housing 110. The antenna-containment structure 122a of
A second antenna 124b is positioned partially external to internal chamber 112d and partially internal to internal chamber 112d. The corresponding antenna-containment structure 122b is also formed partially internal and partially external to internal chamber 112d. In such an arrangement, the antenna-containment structure 122b will visually appear integrated with at least a portion of a visible external surface of the housing 110. For brevity, and clarity in the illustration, a signal conduit 126 is understood to be present, but not shown.
A third antenna 124c is contained by an antenna-containment structure 122c. In this embodiment, a pocket 130 ingresses into a visible external surface of the housing 110. The antenna-containment structure 122c is arranged to mate with the pocket 130. In this way, a visible external surface of the antenna-containment structure 122c may appear as part of a uniform external surface of the small cell housing 110. In at least some of these cases, the antenna-containment structure 122c may be virtually imperceptible to the human eye as a separate structure. For example, the small cell 100 may appear as a single box from the outside, but internally, one or more antennas are separated from the internal chambers of the small cell housing 110, and the antennas may be electromagnetically shielded from the power supply circuitry 114 and other circuitry of the small cell 100. It may be desirable to form antenna-containment structures in this way to reduce wind the loading of the small cell that is mounted on a streetlight luminaire 32 while not reducing the operational telecommunications characteristics of the small cell 100.
The power supply circuitry 114 may be arranged to receive power that his passed via the first standardized connector 104a. The power in the first standardized connector 104a is available when the small cell 100 is electromechanically coupled to a streetlight. When a second optional standardized connector 104b is present, the power received via the streetlight luminaire 32 may be passed to the second standardized connector 104b. Though it is outside the scope of the present disclosure, one of skill in the art will recognize that the power supply circuitry 114 may further be adapted and used by the cellular-based transceiver circuitry 116, and the other circuitry 118 contained in or proximal to the small cell housing 110.
The cellular-based transceiver circuitry 110 may include any suitable circuitry arranged to communicate voice, data, and other information wirelessly within a cellular telecommunications network (e.g., 4G, 5G, LTE, mmWave, or any other suitable cellular telecommunications paradigms known to those of skill in the art) operated by an MNO or its agent.
The optional other circuitry 118 may include a light control circuitry, management control circuitry, and any other suitable circuits. The optional other circuitry may, for example, include a processor, memory, and software or firmware stored in the memory that is executable by the processor. In these cases, the other circuitry 118 may provide any number of “smart city” features in addition to providing small cell functionality.
In at least some cases, the other circuitry 118 may be partially or fully arranged external to the small cell housing 110. For example, in at least some cases, an internet of things (IOT) device such as an air quality sensor may be mounted external to the small cell housing 110. Such an IOT device may mounted to a support arm 34 (
The small cell housing 110b identifies four antenna-containment structures 122, a clamp 102, certain sets of heat transfer structures 108, and a smart lighting control device 132 that is electromechanically coupled to the small cell 100b via a first standardized connector 104a that is compliant with a roadway area lighting standard promoted by a standards body. Each of the antenna-containment structures 122 includes at least one antenna (not visible in
In some embodiments, the antenna-containment structures 122 are spaced about the housing 110b and positioned proximate to, or adjacent, corners of the small cell housing 110b, as shown in
The small cell 100c of
The small cell 100d of
In the embodiments illustrated in
Additional details of the small cell 100d are evident in
As even more evident in
In
The small cell 100d of
The cross-sectional embodiments of
In
In
The embodiments of
The small cell 100j of
The figures in the present disclosure illustrate portions of one or more non-limiting computing device embodiments. The computing devices may include operative hardware found in conventional computing device apparatuses such as one or more processors, volatile and non-volatile memory, serial and parallel input/output (I/O) circuitry compliant with various standards and protocols, wired and/or wireless networking circuitry (e.g., a communications transceiver), one or more user interface (UI) modules, logic, and other electronic circuitry.
Processing devices, or “processors,” as described herein, include central processing units (CPU's), microcontrollers (MCU), digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), peripheral interface controllers (PIC), state machines, and the like. Accordingly, a processor as described herein includes any device, system, or part thereof that controls at least one operation, and such a device may be implemented in hardware, firmware, or software, or some combination of at least two of the same. The functionality associated with any particular processor may be centralized or distributed, whether locally or remotely. Processors may interchangeably refer to any type of electronic control circuitry configured to execute programmed software instructions. The programmed instructions may be high-level software instructions, compiled software instructions, assembly-language software instructions, object code, binary code, micro-code, or the like. The programmed instructions may reside in internal or external memory or may be hard-coded as a state machine or set of control signals. According to methods and devices referenced herein, one or more embodiments describe software executable by the processor, which when executed, carries out one or more of the method acts.
The present application discusses several embodiments that include or otherwise cooperate with one or more computing devices. It is recognized that these computing devices are arranged to perform one or more algorithms to implement the inventive concepts taught herein. Each of said algorithms is understood to be a finite sequence of steps for solving a logical or mathematical problem or performing a task. Any or all of the algorithms taught in the present disclosure may be demonstrated by formulas, flow charts, data flow diagrams, narratives in the specification, and other such means as evident in the present disclosure. Along these lines, the structures to carry out the algorithms disclosed herein include at least one processing device executing at least one software instruction retrieved from at least one memory device. The structures may, as the case may be, further include suitable input circuits known to one of skill in the art (e.g., keyboards, buttons, memory devices, communication circuits, touch screen inputs, and any other integrated and peripheral circuit inputs (e.g., accelerometers, thermometers, light detection circuits and other such sensors)), suitable output circuits known to one of skill in the art (e.g., displays, light sources, audio devices, tactile devices, control signals, switches, relays, and the like), and any additional circuits or other structures taught in the present disclosure. To this end, every invocation of means or step plus function elements in any of the claims, if so desired, will be expressly recited.
As known by one skilled in the art, a computing device has one or more memories, and each memory comprises any combination of volatile and non-volatile computer-readable media for reading and writing. Volatile computer-readable media includes, for example, random access memory (RAM). Non-volatile computer-readable media includes, for example, read only memory (ROM), magnetic media such as a hard-disk, an optical disk, a flash memory device, a CD-ROM, and/or the like. In some cases, a particular memory is separated virtually or physically into separate areas, such as a first memory, a second memory, a third memory, etc. In these cases, it is understood that the different divisions of memory may be in different devices or embodied in a single memory. The memory in some cases is a non-transitory computer medium configured to store software instructions arranged to be executed by a processor. Some or all of the stored contents of a memory may include software instructions executable by a processing device to carry out one or more particular acts.
The computing devices illustrated herein may further include operative software found in a conventional computing device such as an operating system or task loop, software drivers to direct operations through I/O circuitry, networking circuitry, and other peripheral component circuitry. In addition, the computing devices may include operative application software such as network software for communicating with other computing devices, database software for building and maintaining databases, and task management software where appropriate for distributing the communication and/or operational workload amongst various processors. In some cases, the computing device is a single hardware machine having at least some of the hardware and software listed herein, and in other cases, the computing device is a networked collection of hardware and software machines working together in a server farm to execute the functions of one or more embodiments described herein. Some aspects of the conventional hardware and software of the computing device are not shown in the figures for simplicity.
When so arranged as described herein, each computing device may be transformed from a generic and unspecific computing device to a combination device arranged comprising hardware and software configured for a specific and particular purpose such as to provide a determined technical solution. When so arranged as described herein, to the extent that any of the inventive concepts described herein are found by a body of competent adjudication to be subsumed in an abstract idea, the ordered combination of elements and limitations are expressly presented to provide a requisite inventive concept by transforming the abstract idea into a tangible and concrete practical application of that abstract idea.
The embodiments described herein use computerized technology to improve the technology of, but other techniques and tools remain available. Therefore, the claimed subject matter does not foreclose the whole or even substantial technological area. The innovation described herein uses both new and known building blocks combined in new and useful ways along with other structures and limitations to create something more than has heretofore been conventionally known. The embodiments improve on computing systems which, when un-programmed or differently programmed, cannot perform or provide the specific system features claimed herein. The embodiments described in the present disclosure improve upon known processes and techniques. The computerized acts described in the embodiments herein are not purely conventional and are not well understood. Instead, the acts are new to the industry. Furthermore, the combination of acts as described in conjunction with the present embodiments provides new information, motivation, and business results that are not already present when the acts are considered separately. There is no prevailing, accepted definition for what constitutes an abstract idea. To the extent the concepts discussed in the present disclosure may be considered abstract, the claims present significantly more tangible, practical, and concrete applications of said allegedly abstract concepts. And said claims also improve previously known computer-based systems that perform operations.
Software may include a fully executable software program, a simple configuration data file, a link to additional directions, or any combination of known software types. When a computing device updates software, the update may be small or large. For example, in some cases, a computing device downloads a small configuration data file to as part of software, and in other cases, a computing device completely replaces most or all of the present software on itself or another computing device with a fresh version. In some cases, software, data, or software and data is encrypted, encoded, and/or otherwise compressed for reasons that include security, privacy, data transfer speed, data cost, or the like.
Database structures, if any are present in the systems described herein, may be formed in a single database or multiple databases. In some cases, hardware or software storage repositories are shared amongst various functions of the particular system or systems to which they are associated. A database may be formed as part of a local system or local area network. Alternatively, or in addition, a database may be formed remotely, such as within a distributed “cloud” computing system, which would be accessible via a wide area network or some other network.
Input/output (I/O) circuitry and user interface (UI) modules include serial ports, parallel ports, universal serial bus (USB) ports, IEEE 802.11 transceivers and other transceivers compliant with protocols administered by one or more standard-setting bodies, displays, projectors, printers, keyboards, computer mice, microphones, micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS) devices such as accelerometers, and the like.
In at least one embodiment, devices may communicate with other devices via communication over a network. The network may involve an Internet connection or some other type of local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN). Non-limiting examples of structures that enable or form parts of a network include, but are not limited to, an Ethernet, twisted pair Ethernet, digital subscriber loop (DSL) devices, wireless LAN, Wi-Fi, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), or the like.
In the present disclosure, memory may be used in one configuration or another. The memory may be configured to store data. In the alternative or in addition, the memory may be a non-transitory computer readable medium (CRM). The CRM is configured to store computing instructions executable by a processor. The computing instructions may be stored individually or as groups of instructions in files. The files may include functions, services, libraries, and the like. The files may include one or more computer programs or may be part of a larger computer program. Alternatively, or in addition, each file may include data or other computational support material useful to carry out the computing functions of a system.
Where a range of values is provided, it is understood that each intervening value, to the tenth of the unit of the lower limit unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, between the upper and lower limit of that range and any other stated or intervening value in that stated range is encompassed within the invention. The upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges may independently be included in the smaller ranges is also encompassed within the invention, subject to any specifically excluded limit in the stated range. Where the stated range includes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are also included in the invention.
Unless defined otherwise, the technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can also be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, a limited number of the exemplary methods and materials are described herein.
In the present disclosure, when an element (e.g., component, circuit, device, apparatus, structure, layer, material, or the like) is referred to as being “on,” “coupled to,” or “connected to” another element, the elements can be directly on, directly coupled to, or directly connected to each other, or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly coupled to,” or “directly connected to” another element, there are no intervening elements present.
The terms “include” and “comprise” as well as derivatives and variations thereof, in all of their syntactic contexts, are to be construed without limitation in an open, inclusive sense, (e.g., “including, but not limited to”). The term “or,” is inclusive, meaning and/or. The phrases “associated with” and “associated therewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, can be understood as meaning to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like.
Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” and variations thereof means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
In the present disclosure, the terms first, second, etc., may be used to describe various elements, however, these elements are not be limited by these terms unless the context clearly requires such limitation. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first machine could be termed a second machine, and, similarly, a second machine could be termed a first machine, without departing from the scope of the inventive concept.
The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” in the present disclosure include plural referents unless the content and context clearly dictates otherwise. The conjunctive terms, “and” and “or” are generally employed in the broadest sense to include “and/or” unless the content and context clearly dictates inclusivity or exclusivity as the case may be. The composition of “and” and “or” when recited herein as “and/or” encompasses an embodiment that includes all of the elements associated thereto and at least one more alternative embodiment that includes fewer than all of the elements associated thereto.
In the present disclosure, conjunctive lists make use of a comma, which may be known as an Oxford comma, a Harvard comma, a serial comma, or another like term. Such lists are intended to connect words, clauses or sentences such that the thing following the comma is also included in the list.
The headings and Abstract of the Disclosure provided herein are for convenience only and do not interpret the scope or meaning of the embodiments.
U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/851,050, filed May 21, 2019, is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. Various features of the embodiments are optional, and, features of one embodiment may be suitably combined with other embodiments. Aspects of the embodiments can be modified, if necessary, to employ concepts of the various patents, application and publications to provide yet further embodiments.
These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims are not limited by the disclosure.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/851,050, filed May 21, 2019, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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| 20150349399 | Lasier | Dec 2015 | A1 |
| 20170317400 | Robinson | Nov 2017 | A1 |
| 20180045388 | McDowell | Feb 2018 | A1 |
| 20180226367 | Babcock | Aug 2018 | A1 |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20200373682 A1 | Nov 2020 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62851050 | May 2019 | US |
