MXPA98003534A - Microwave transceiver/antenna system with adjustable mounting and alignment mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

An integrated point-to-point microwave radio frequency unit/antenna system (20) includes a microwave transceiver/antenna unit (60), a housing support element (74) affixed to the microwave transceiver/antenna unit (60), and a mounting structure support element (80) engaged to the housing support element (74). The mounting structure support element (80) comprises a fixedly adjustable ball-and-socket element, with either the ball or the socket affixed to the housing support element (80) and the other affixed to an attachment structure (140). The mounting structure support element (80) permits the microwave transceiver/antenna unit (60) to be adjusted in three degrees of freedom.

Description

MICROWAVE TRANSCEIVER / ANTENNA SYSTEM WITH ADJUSTABLE ALIGNMENT AND MOUNTING MECHANISM FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to microwave radios and, more particularly, to a radiofrequency unit for a microwave radius.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Microwave radiocommunications are widely used to transfer large amounts of data, such as in terrestrial and space long-distance microwave communications links. They are also of interest for applications of lower power and shorter range, such as basic voice, video and data links between, for example, a cellular base station and the telephone exchange. In these applications, the transmission distance of the microwaves is usually about 1 / 2-5 miles (0.805-8.045 kilometers) the microwave signal can be a specific frequency in the range of about 2-94 GHz and the power output of the microwave transmitter is approximately 100 milliwatts. These microwave communication systems are generally referred to as "point-to-point" systems.

P1280 / 98MX Corresponding to high-power microwave communication systems, a conventional point-to-point system has three basic physical parts: a signal processing unit (SPU), sometimes referred to as the "indoor or low" unit ceiling "has the radiocomponents of the baseband, a radio frequency (RF) unit (RFU), sometimes referred to as the" outdoor or outdoor "unit, which has microwave-frequency radio components and an antenna. Because microwave power is required between the components operating at the microwave frequency, the radio frequency unit is located a few meters away from the antenna, which is ordinarily mounted on the outside and oriented towards another point terminal. point located at a certain distance. The antenna is usually a Cassegrain type satellite dish. The signal processing unit may be located some distance from the radiofrequency unit. An ordinary coaxial cable assembly extends between the signal processing unit and the radio frequency unit, but coaxial microwave power is required between the radio frequency unit and the antenna. As point-to-point systems become more popular, physical packaging becomes more P1280 / 98 Important X Radiofrequency units and existing antennas are bulky, heavy and, in many cases, difficult to assemble, align and keep aligned. With the proliferation of point-to-point systems in large cities, it has become increasingly difficult to find a new mounting space on existing poles and in some other places. Installers must lift the radiofrequency unit and the subsequently installed antenna to increasingly precarious locations in order to establish visual contact with the remote terminal. The radiofrequency unit and the antenna should be mounted in close proximity to each other. The conventional mounting systems for the radio frequency unit and the antenna include bracket, tension or wind arrangements and screw tempers. Great care must be taken during alignment of the antenna with a remote antenna by adjusting the mounting system. If the antenna must be replaced at a later time, the new antenna must be aligned again. To overcome these problems, the assignee of the present invention is developing a point-to-point microwave radiofrequency unit and an integrated antenna, which is much more compact and of less weight than conventional systems. However, the problem remains the assembly of the integrated unit in a way P1280 / 98MX such that the alignment becomes simple and convenient. Thus, there is a need for a mounting approach that is used in conjunction with the improved radio frequency and integrated antenna unit to overcome this problem. The present invention satisfies this need and, further, provides related advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an integrated point-to-point microwave radio frequency / antenna unit with a convenient mounting structure. The mounting structure allows the integrated radiofrequency / antenna unit to be mounted quickly and easily in a structure such as a pole by a single person. The alignment is made quickly with possible adjustment in three degrees of freedom-two angles for orientation purposes and one rotational to achieve the desired polarization. The support structure keeps the integrated radiofrequency / antenna unit in a fixed and stable orientation after the alignment is completed. If in a subsequent time, the integrated radio frequency / antenna unit must be replaced, it is easily dismantled and replaced by a single person. The mounting structure ensures that the replacement will be oriented towards the same remote terminal as the unit P1280 / 98MX withdrawal, something very convenient because the difficulty and the cost of the re-alignment can be high. The mounting structure is light and economical. According to the invention, an integrated point-to-point microwave antenna / radiofrequency unit system comprises a microwave transceiver / antenna unit, a housing support member fixed to the microwave transceiver / antenna unit and an element of support of the mounting structure coupled to the support element of the housing. The support element of the mounting structure comprises a ball or socket element and fixedly adjustable receptacle with a first ball or ball and socket fixed to the housing support member and the other fixed in a desirable manner to a connection structure such like a gag. The term "permanently adjustable" means that the element can be adjusted and then fixed in place after adjustment. The transceiver / microchip antenna preferably comprises a housing having a front or front face and a rear or rear face and a pack; Electronic micro-wave radio transceiver inside the housing, the electronic package has an external connection and an antenna connection. Preferably there is a fixed antenna to the front face of the P1280 / 98MX housing; and a microwave radio frequency feed that communicates between the antenna and the antenna connection of the electronic microwave transceiver package. In this approach, the support member of the housing is fixed to the rear face of the housing. The support structure of the mounting element preferably comprises a base comprising a base body, a female base surface of spherical receptacle on the base body and a base hole extending through the base body and the spherical receptacle surface, so minus two mounts for adjusting screws supported on the base body and an adjusting screw threadably coupled to each of the screw mounts. There is a ball or ball component comprising a spherical male ball or ball socket, having an external surface sized to be received within the female spherical base socket surface, a spherical spherical socket female surface concentric with the spherical socket male of the ball joint and of a radius smaller than this, an annular flange extending around a base of the ball or ball component and located so as to be engageable by the adjusting screws, an opening extending through a apex region of the remote male spherical receptacle surface from the base of the P1280 / 98MX ball or ball joint component and a mounting element engageable with the housing support element. A spherical locking nut comprises a male spherical locking nut surface dimensioned to be received within the female spherical receptacle surface and a bore for the locking nut extending therethrough in alignment with the base bore. A locking screw extends through the bore of the locking nut and the base bore and has a locking screw nut threadably coupled thereto. The ball-and-socket and socket mounting structure with its adjustment screws allows the transceiver / microwave antenna unit to be angularly aligned in elevation and azimuth direction by a coordinated movement of the adjustment screws. The opening in the ball or ball component allows varying the angular orientation in accordance with the size of the opening and it has been found that a total of 20 degrees of angular variation is satisfactory. Loosening all adjustment screws slightly, the entire microwave transceiver / antenna unit can be rotated near or around the direction pointing to the remote unit, so that the polarization of the signals P1280 / 98MX transmitted and received can be optimized. After the angular and rotational alignment is finished, the locking screw is tightened to hold the transceiver / microwave antenna unit in the selected fixed alignment. The adjustment screws may be loosened so that the transceiver / microwave antenna unit is not distorted, for example, due to temperature changes or even withdrawal. The present invention, used in conjunction with a convenient housing support member such as a dovetail bracket, allows the transceiver / microwave antenna unit to be aligned in a reproducible and accurate manner. If the microwave transceiver / antenna unit requires replacement, it can be easily removed and relocated, usually without the need for realignment. The entire system is much lighter and less bulky than the previous conventional point-to-point units. Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description of the preferred embodiment, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. The scope of the invention is not limited, however, to this preferred embodiment. P1280 / 98MX BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a radio transmitter and microwave receiver; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a radiofrequency unit and conventional microwave antenna; Figure 3A is a front or front perspective view of an integrated radiofrequency / antenna unit in accordance with the invention; Figure 3B is a rear perspective view of the integrated radiofrequency / antenna unit of Figure 3A; Figure 4 is an elevation view of a support structure of the mounting element; Figure 5 is a sectional view of the support structure of the mounting element of Figure 4 taken generally along the line 5-5; and Figure 6 is a schematic perspective view of a conventional radiofrequency unit and antenna and an integrated radiofrequency / antenna unit mounted on a pole.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the P1280 / 98MX electronics of a microwave radio transceiver system 20. The general electronic structure of this system 20 is known in the art and is described in greater detail, for example, in "RF Components for PCS Base Stations", published by Strategies Unlimited, 1996. The present invention resides not only in a change to this known and basic electronic approach but in its packaging and assembly in a very advantageous manner. The system 20 includes a signal processing unit 22 that processes the baseband signals, a radio frequency unit 24 that processes the microwave signals and a microwave antenna 26. The signal processing unit has an input / output 28 of voice, video and / or data link information. This input / output 28 is processed by the baseband circuitry 30 and a modulator / demodulator 32. In the signal processing unit 22, a controller 34 and a power supply 36 are also provided. The signal processing unit 22 communicates with the radio frequency unit 24 at low frequencies through a conventional coaxial signal cable 38. The radio frequency unit 24 includes a microwave transceiver 40 operating in a selected microwave frequency band within the wide band extending from about 2 to about P1280 / 98MX about 94 GHz (Gigahertz) by converting the low frequency signal of the signal processing unit 22. In the radio frequency unit 24 a controller 42 and a power supply 44 are provided. The microwave transceiver 40 has a connection antenna 46 in which a microwave radio frequency feed 48 is connected to provide a signal to the antenna 26 or to receive a signal from the antenna. The microwave radio frequency feed 48 can be a coaxial cable or a waveguide that can not be more than a few meters long without suffering significant attenuation in the signal. Figure 2 illustrates the implementation of a conventional radiofrequency unit 24 and antenna 26 of the prior art, connected by the microwave power 48, which uses the electronics approach of Figure 1. The radio frequency unit 24 typically has the measurements of 12 inches (30.48 cm) by 12 inches (30.48 cm) by 12 inches (30.48 cm) ) and weighs approximately 35 pounds (15.89 Kg). Antenna 26 is a Cassegrain satellite dish having a disk or dish diameter of approximately 12 inches (30.48 cm) or more and weighing approximately 15 pounds (6.81 Kg). Both components must be mounted in such a position that the antenna 26 can be oriented towards a similar terminal but P1280 / 98MX located remotely. The installer must find a way to mount the antenna 26 so that it is aligned with the antenna of the remote unit and mount the radiofrequency unit 24 so that it is still secure within the range allowed by the length of the microwave feed 48. Other versions of the previous approach of Figure 2 are known, wherein the satellite dish is directly fixed to the radio frequency unit but, this combined approach remains heavy and cumbersome to handle. Figures 3A and 3B show an integrated radiofrequency / antenna unit in front and back perspective views. This apparatus uses the general electronic approach of Figure 1 but, with a different architecture and antenna offering important advantages. An integrated radiofrequency / antenna unit 60 includes a housing 62 having an outer wall 64 and a front face 64a and a rear face 64b. A handle 65, which may be integral or detachable extends from the housing 62 and allows the radiofrequency / antenna unit 60 to be easily transported. The electronic radio frequency microwave transceiver package (not visible) is fixed in the housing 62. The electronic package includes the microwave transceiver 40, the controller 42 and the power supply 44. Part P1280 / 98MX of the outer wall 64, in this case the front face 64a, includes an integral flat antenna 68. The flat antenna 68 can be formed separately and attached to the wall 64, as illustrated, or it can be formed integrally as part from the wall itself. That portion of the wall 64 that is not the antenna 68 can be made of any operable material such as for example a metal or a plastic. A radar or radome dome (not shown) in the form of a sheet or sheet of plastic can be mounted on the face of the flat antenna 68 to protect it. The planar antenna 68 preferably is an antenna of continuous transverse projections (CTS). The CTS microwave antenna is known in the art for other applications and is described, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 5,266,961, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. The integrated radiofrequency / antenna unit 60 has an antenna connection and a radio frequency microwave power cable extending from the antenna connection to the back side of the flat antenna 68. However, that radiofrequency power is at most of 1-2 inches (2.54-5.08 cm) in length and is fully contained within the housing 62 and, accordingly, is not visible in Figures 3A and 3B. There is very little attenuation of the microwaves as the signal passes through this short feed. To the P1280 / 98MX installer is only requested to locate or position and fix in its place the only integrated radio frequency / antenna unit 60 and it has nothing to do with moving and placing or locating two units in a compatible way. Figure 3B illustrates a portion of a support member 70 by means of which the housing 64 and the connected components can be mounted on a mounting structure. The support member 70 includes a raised portion of the housing 64 in the form of a hat section 72 extending rearwardly from the rear face 64b. Fixed to the hat section 72 and extending further back therefrom, there is a first portion of the support member 70, a housing support member illustrated as a preferred dovetail male connector 74. The dovetail male connector 74 includes a relatively narrow base 76 and a laterally enlarged tang 78. A support member 90 of the mounting structure is illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. This support member 90 of the mounting structure is a part of the support element 70. As will be discussed in more detail subsequently, the function of the support element 90 of the mounting structure is to provide the connection between the support member 70 of the housing and P1280 / 98MX an external structure such as a pole. The support member 90 of the mounting structure includes a base 92, a ball joint component 94 which engages with the base 90 in the form of a ball and socket, a spherical locking nut 96 which maintains the ball joint component 94 with the base 90 in a selected orientation and a locking screw 98 which, when tightened, immobilizes the ball joint component 94 in the base 90, through the spherical locking nut 96. The ball component 94 engages with the support element of the housing, in the preferred case, the dovetail male connector 74, for supporting the radiofrequency / antenna unit. The base 92 includes a base body 100 having an axis 102 of the support member of the mounting structure. A base spherical receptacle female surface 104 forms a surface of the base body 100 and is centered on the shaft 102. A base bore 106 extends through the base body 100 coincident with the shaft 102 and penetrates through the female receptacle surface. spherical base 104. At least two adjustment screw assemblies 108 extend outwardly in the form of ears from the sides of the base body 100. Preferably there are four assemblies 108 for set screw, spaced at 90 degree intervals around the P1280 / 98MX perimeter of base body 100. Mounts 108 for adjusting screw include internal cords or threads (not visible). An adjusting screw 110 is threadedly engaged in the internal cords of each of the adjustment screw assemblies 108. The adjustment screws are preferably rounded at the ends remote or far from the heads. The adjustment screw mounts 108 are preferably oriented so that the axis 112 of the adjusting screw 110 forms an angle A with the axis 102 of the half of the desired adjustment angle, which is preferably about ± 20 degrees. The ball joint component 94 includes a spherical male ball socket 116 having an outer surface 118 dimensioned to be received within the female spherical base cup surface 104. The cup surfaces 116 and 104 are preferably hemispheres or a slightly smaller portion of a sphere, so that they can easily be coupled or uncoupled from one another. The spherical male receptacle 116 also includes a spherical spherical receptacle female surface 120 that is concentric with the spherical male ball socket 116 and smaller in radius than this. The ball joint component includes a base 122 to which the spherical male ball socket 116 is attached. An annular flange 124 extends around the ball joint.

P1280 / 98MX periphery or circumference of the base 122. The annular flange 124 is located so that it can be engaged by the rounded tips of the adjustment screws 110. The annular flange 124 is preferably oriented with an inclination so that its surface 126 fall approximately perpendicular to the axis 112 of the adjusting screw 110. An opening 128 extends through the spherical male ball socket 116 at its apex. The aperture 128 subtends an angle, preferably about ± 20 degrees from the axis 102 (40 degrees in total), with respect to the center of the spherical male ball socket 116, to allow angular adjustment up to that amount, as will be discussed subsequently. A female dovetail assembly element 80 engageable with the support member 74 of the male dovetail housing is fixed to the base 122 of the ball component 94, facing outwardly from the male spherical pocket 116. In the preferred embodiment , the mounting element is a second part of a dovetail connector, in this case, a shroud 130. The shroud 130 is sized to receive the tang 78 therein. A set screw 132 is provided to maintain the the tang 78 at a selected location within the shroud 130. The spherical locking nut 96 has a P1280 / 98MX male spherical locking nut surface 134 sized to be received within the spherical female ball socket surface 120. A bore 136 of the locking nut extends through the spherical locking nut 96 in alignment with the spherical locking nut 96. base bore 106. The locking screw 98 extends through the base bore 106 and bore 136 of the locking nut. The locking screw has a nut 138 of the locking screw engaged in a threaded manner therein. When the nut 138 is tightened, the spherical locking nut 96 is pushed against the spherical male ball socket 116 of the ball joint component 94, which in turn is pushed against the female base spherical socket surface 104 and the base 92. When the nut 138 loosens, the spherical locking nut 96 is allowed to oscillate in the form of a ball and socket with respect to the base 92, to the extent or extent permitted by the suspended angle of the opening 128. A connecting structure 140 is fixed to the base 92. The connecting structure 140 is selected to be compatible with the structure to which the housing 62 of the system 20 will be attached or connected. In a typical case, such as the connection to a vertical pole, the P1280 / 98MX connection structure 140 includes a jaw 142 for pipe which is fixed to the base 92 with screws 144. The pipe jaw 142 is dimensioned to allow connection with the vertical pole, as shown in Figure 6. However , the specific connection structure can be selected in accordance with particular assembly requirements. The assembly and alignment of the structure of the radiofrequency unit / microwave antenna is preferably achieved by fixing the connection structure 140 to the external support structure. In the preferred illustrated case, the tube clamp 142 is placed around a post, so that the support member shaft 102 of the mounting structure is roughened towards the remote location of another antenna. The radiofrequency / microwave antenna unit 60 is installed in the support member 90 of the mounting structure using the dovetail and mortise connection. The installation technician monitors a signal received through the radiofrequency / microwave antenna unit 60 from the remote location for the appropriate signal parameters. The locking screw 98 loosens slightly at this point to allow movement of the ball and socket structure but not as loose as P1280 / 98MX to allow a separation between the parts of the support element 90 of the mounting structure. The adjusting screws 110 are adjusted against the annular flange 124 to optimize the received signal parameter by changing the elevation and azimuth angles of the radiofrequency / microwave antenna unit 60, thereby aligning the radio frequency / antenna unit of the antenna. microwave. In a typical case, the parameter of interest of the signal is the amplitude of the signal and the adjustment screws 110 are varied to change the angles of alignment and to maximize the amplitude of the signal. At the same time, the ball and socket arrangement allows the radiofrequency / microwave antenna unit 60 to be rotated about the axis 102, so that the polarization angle is optimized with respect to the remote unit. When the signal is optimized, the locking screw nut 138 is tightened to hold or hold the radio frequency / microwave antenna unit 60 in the desired orientation. The adjusting screws 110 can be left in contact with the annular flange 124. However, more preferably, the adjusting screws 110 are made back out of contact with the annular flange 124, so that they can not exert any force against the flange. that would adversely affect the alignment (as experienced when the sun heats asymmetrically to the P1280 / 98MX support element of the mounting structure). The use of the ball and socket approach in a mounting structure is made possible by the light weight of the radiofrequency unit / microwave antenna and its integration in a single package. Assembly and alignment are easily achieved by one person. The ball and socket approach provides three degrees of freedom in alignment. The elevation and azimuth angles and the rotation around the axis to optimize the polarization. The use of the dovetail structure allows the radiofrequency / microwave antenna unit to be easily removed and replaced, when necessary, without realignment. Figure 6, which is a sketch and not a scale drawing, illustrates the mounting of a conventional radio frequency unit 200 and its antenna 202, connected by its microwave power 204, to a pole 206, as well as a radio frequency unit / integrated antenna and its mounting structure in accordance with the present approach. The antenna 202 is fixed to the post 206 by a combination of brackets, braces and winds (collectively, the bracket 208) whose positions can be adjusted by means of screw anchors, adjusting screws or the like. This approach of supports does not allow the easy immobilization of the antenna on the pole nor its P1280 / 98MX direct alignment, as with the present focus, does not allow for easy adjustment in elevation and azimuth, nor does it allow easy rotational adjustment for polarization alignment. In addition, if the antenna must be changed for any reason, the support structure must be disassembled to such an extent that full realignment is usually necessary. In contrast, the integrated radiofrequency / antenna unit is mounted to the pole 206 by the support element 90 of the mounting structure. The support member 90 of the mounting structure has the structure shown in Figures 4-5, which allows the alignment to be easily performed in the elevation and azimuth directions, as well as the polarization adjustment around the alignment direction . The support approach of the invention has been reduced to practice with a prototype integrated radiofrequency / antenna unit 60 for operation at a microwave frequency of 37-40 GHz, as shown in Figure 3A. The flat antenna has a width W of approximately 10-1 / 2 inches (25.4-1.27 cm), a length L of approximately 10-1 / 2 inches (25.4-1.27 cm) and a TA thickness of approximately 1 inch (2.54 cm) ). The rest of the components, the microwave transceiver 40, the controller 42 and the power supply 44 are P1280 / 98MX fit within a housing that has the same length and width and a TB thickness of approximately 2 inches (5.08 cm). The total size of the housing and the antenna package is approximately 12 inches (30.48 cm) by 12 inches (30.48 cm) by 3 inches (7.62 cm). The weight of the integrated radiofrequency / antenna unit 60 is approximately 13 pounds (5,902 Kg). It is highly desirable that this weight be less than about 15 pounds (6.81 Kg), since substantially larger weights become much more difficult for personnel to transport to the exposed mounting locations. The support approach described herein is completely satisfactory for the assembly of this device. Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and improvements may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. In accordance with this, the invention will not be limited with the exception of the appended claims.

P1280 / 98MX

Claims (9)

1. NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION Having described the present invention, it is considered as a novelty and, therefore, the content of the following CLAIMS is claimed as property: 1. An integrated system of radiofrequency unit / microwave antenna from point to point, comprising: a microwave transceiver / antenna unit; and a support member means of the mounting structure for supporting the microwave transceiver / antenna unit, the support member means of the mounting structure allows the microwave transceiver / antenna unit to be fixedly fixed with three degrees of freedom that include an adjustment in angular elevation, an angular azimuthal adjustment and a rotational adjustment. The system according to claim 1, wherein the support member means of the mounting structure comprises a fixedly adjustable ball and socket element, a first ball and socket will be attached to the microwave transceiver / antenna unit . The system according to claim 1, which also includes; a fixed connection structure to a second P1280 / 98MX ball joint and receptacle. The system according to claim 1, wherein the connection structure comprises: a jaw. The system according to claim 1, wherein the support element means of the mounting structure comprises: a base comprising: a base body, a female base spherical receptacle surface on the base body, a base hole that is extends through the base body and the base spherical receptacle female surface, at least two adjustment screw assemblies supported on the base body and an adjusting screw threadedly engaged to each of the screw assemblies, a component of ball joint comprising: a ball spherical male receptacle having an outer surface dimensioned to be received within the female spherical base socket surface, a spherical spherical socket female surface concentric with the socket P1280 / 98MX ball-and-socket male spherical having a smaller radius than the outer surface of the ball-and-socket male spherical receptacle, an annular flange extending around a base of the ball-and-socket component and located so as to be engageable by the screws of adjustment, an opening extending through an apex region of the nacho spherical receptacle remote from the base of the swivel component and a mounting element engageable with the microwave transceiver / antenna unit and a spherical locking nut comprising: a male spherical locking nut surface dimensioned to be received within the spherical female ball socket surface and a bore of the locking nut extending therethrough in alignment with the base bore and a locking screw which extends through the bore of the lock nut, the opening and the hole b and that it has a locking screw nut engaged in a threaded form in the P1280 / 98MX same. The system according to claim 1, wherein the microwave transceiver / antenna unit comprises: a housing having a front or front face and a rear or rear face; an electronic package of radio frequency microwave transceiver inside the housing, the electronic package has an external connection and an antenna connection; a fixed antenna to the front face of the housing; and a microwave radio frequency feed communicating between the antenna and the antenna connection of the electronic microwave transceiver package, and wherein a housing support member is fixed to the rear face of the housing. The system according to claim 6, wherein the axis of the adjustment screw is inclined with respect to the axis of the locking screw at an angle of approximately 20 degrees. The system according to claim 6, wherein there are four screw mounts located 90 degrees from each other around the circumference of the base body. P1280 / 98MX 9. The system according to claim 6, wherein the support element of the housing is one of mortise and tenon. P1280 / 98MX