ENCLOSURES FOR CELLULAR BASE STATION ASSEMBLIES AND BRACKET ASSEMBLIES FOR MOUNTING SAME

An enclosed antenna-RRU unit includes: an enclosure comprising a front wall, first and second side walls, a floor, a ceiling, and a rear wall; an internal support plate located adjacent the rear wall within the enclosure; an RRU mount plate mounted to the internal support plate; and an antenna-RRU unit housed in the enclosure and mounted to the RRU mount plate.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed generally toward antennas, and more particularly to mounting structures for antennas.

BACKGROUND

As wireless data service demands have grown, a conventional response has been to increase the number and capacity of conventional cellular Base Stations (Macro-Cells). The antennas used by such Macro-Cells are typically mounted on antenna towers. A conventional antenna tower has three or four legs on which antennas and supporting remote radio units (RRUs) are mounted, However, in sonic environments structures known as “monopoles” are used as mounting structures. Monopoles are typically employed when fewer antennas/RRUs are to be mounted, and/or when a structure of less height is required.

Macro-Cell sites are becoming less available, and available spectrum limits how much additional capacity can be derived from a given Macro-Cell. Accordingly, small cell RRU and antenna combinations have been developed to “fill in” underserved or congested areas that would otherwise be within a Macro-Cell site. Deployment of small cells, particularly in urban environments, is expected to continue to grow. Often such small cell configurations (sometimes termed “Metrocells”) are mounted on monopoles. Typically, these small cell configurations do not permit mounting of other equipment above the antenna.

In some instances, metrocells may be mounted on existing structures, such as buildings, billboards, kiosks, and the like. See, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2017/0324154 to Hendrix e al. and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2020/0411945 to Heath et al., each of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in full. In addition, metrocells may be mounted on streetlight poles and the like. See, e.g., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2021/0328337 to Gienger et al., the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein in full by references.

When metrocells are deployed in environments where aesthetic appearance is important (or even dictated by local regulation), the components of the metrocell antennas and RRUs) may be concealed from view via external housings and the like. As such, designs have been developed to conceal these components. One exemplary design is shown inFIG. 1, in which an assembly104) includes a luminaire arm12that supports a luminaire14, an RRU module15and an antenna module16. It can be seen that the RRU and antenna modules15,16are largely concealed and do not extend radially outwardly from the exterior of the underlying pole10. However, as the configurations and sizes of antennas and RRUs also vary between manufacturers and also change over time, techniques for concealing these components may also require new designs. Thus, it may be desirable to provide additional metrocell concealment arrangements.

SUMMARY

As a first aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to an enclosed antenna-RRU unit comprising: an enclosure comprising a front wall, first and second side walls, a floor, a ceiling, and a rear wall; an internal support plate located adjacent the rear wall within the enclosure; an RRU mount plate mounted to the internal support plate; and an antenna-RRU unit housed in the enclosure and mounted to the RRU mount plate.

As a second aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to a bracket assembly for mounting an antenna-RRU unit to a pole comprising: (a) an antenna bracket comprising a main panel and first and second opposed wings extending from opposed side edges of the main panel, wherein the first wing defines an acute angle with the main panel and the second wing defines an obtuse angle with the main panel; and (b) a pole bracket comprising a central strip, third and fourth wings located on opposite sides of the central strip. First, second, third and fourth mounting features are associated with the first, second, third and fourth wings, wherein the first mounting features engage the third mounting features and the second mounting features engage the fourth mounting features.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the figures, certain layers, components or features may be exaggerated for clarity, and broken lines illustrate optional features or operations unless specified otherwise. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein: rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

Referring now to the figures, an enclosure for providing concealment to an antenna-RRU unit is designated broadly at20and is shown inFIGS. 2A-2E. The enclosure20is generally box-shaped, with a front wall21, side walls22,23, a rear wall24, a floor25, and a ceiling26. These are described in greater detail below.

As can be discerned from the figures, a unitary main body30may form the front wall21and the side walls22,23. The front wall21includes a window27that may be sized for a particular radio. As shown inFIG. 3A, the main body30may be formed without the window27. which can then be cut out of a flat surface31of the main body30at the appropriate size for the antenna-RRU unit to be housed (see as an exampleFIG. 3B). It can also be seen that the main body30includes a lip34on each of its upper and lower edges to facilitate joining with the floor25and ceiling26.

Referring toFIGS. 3C and 3D, each of the floor25and the ceiling26includes a respective ventilation region28,29. Each of the ventilation regions28,29may include a skeletal web31with open areas32, and may have a perforated mesh33bonded onto its inner surface to enable the passage of air. Each of the floor25and ceiling26may have a flange to mate with the lips34of the main body30.

The math body30, the floor25and the ceiling26may be formed of a polymeric material, such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS). These components may be attached to each other in any manner known to be suitable for joining polymeric parts, such as ultrasonic welding, adhesives, or the like. The lips34and the flanges of the floor25and ceiling26may be configured and/or include features to facilitate bonding, and/or a gasket or O-ring to promote sealing.

The rear wall24is typically formed. of a metallic material, such as stainless steel, to provide a stable mounting location. As can be seen inFIGS. 2C and 6, the rear wall24is generally flat, but has side portions36that extend forwardly to meet the rear edges of the side walls22.,23, and slightly inset flanges37that extend forwardly of the side portions36to fit inwardly of the side walls22,23. The rear wall24may be attached to the side walls22,23via fasteners inserted through holes38in the side walls22,23and holes39in the inset flanges37. The rear wall24also includes a knockout area41that can provide access for routing cables into the enclosure20, a ventilation region42near its upper end, and eight mounting holes43arranged in two square patterns.

FIGS. 4A-4Cillustrate three different exemplary antenna-RRU units50,50′,50″ that may be housed in the enclosure20. The antenna/RRU units50,50′,50″ are “active-antenna” units, meaning that they are antenna-radio units that comprise both a transmit/receive radio and an antenna in the same unit. The illustrated antenna-RRU units50,50′,50″ are “5G” units, which are devices that meet the requisite high level of performance and precision to satisfy 5G protocols and performance requirements. Exemplary antenna-RRU units include Model No. At1K0X (available from Nokia—illustrated as antenna-RRU unit50), Model No. 1281 (available from Ericsson—illustrated as antenna-RRU unit50′), and Model No. 6701 (also available from Ericsson—illustrated as antenna-RRU unit50″).

FIGS. 4A-4Calso illustrate two different RRU mount plates60,60′ that may be employed in the mounting of the antenna-RRU units50,50′,50″. The RRU mount plate60, used to mount the antenna-RRU unit50, is a flat plate that includes four mounting holes61in square pattern near its center, and includes two mounting holes62that sandwich an oblong vertical slot63at each side edge. The RRU mount plate60′ has a flat main panel64with two wings65that are parallel to but offset rearwardly from the main panel64. The main panel64includes eight mounting holes66(two in each corner of the main panel64), and also includes two mounting holes62′ and a slot63′ in each wing65that are arranged in the same manner as the mounting holes62and slot63of the RRU mount plate60.

FIGS. 5A and 5Billustrate an internal support plate70that may be employed in the mounting of the antenna-RRU units50,50′,50″. The internal support plate70includes a main panel71and two wings72that are parallel to but forwardly offset from the main panel71. Transitions sections73line the side edges of the main panel71. Eight mounting holes74are present in the main panel71and are arranged in two square patterns that match those of the mounting holes43of the rear wall24. Three bolts or threaded rods75extend forwardly from each of the wings72; the bolts75are arranged in a vertical line.

As shown inFIG. 6, the internal support plate70is mounted inside of the enclosure20(specifically in front of the rear wall24). One of the RRU mounting plates60,60′ (the RRU mounting plate60′ is shown inFIG. 6) is then mounted to the internal support plate70via the bolts75being inserted into the mounting holes62′ and the slots63′.

FIGS. 7A-9Billustrate the mounting of antenna-RRU units50,50′,50″ within the enclosure20.FIGS. 7A and 7Billustrate the mounting of the antenna-RRU unit50in the enclosure20. As can be seen inFIG. 7A, the wings72of the internal mounting plate70overlie the outer edges of the RRU mount plate60, such that the bolts75may be inserted through the mounting holes62and slot63to attach the internal mounting plate70and the RRU mount plate60. The RRU50can be mounted to the RRU mount plate60via bolts or other fasteners inserted through the mounting holes61(not shown inFIG. 7A). The rear wall24is attached to a rear side of the internal support plate70via bolts or other fasteners85associated with an antenna bracket80and a pole bracket90, which are discussed in detail below. The main body30, the floor25and the ceiling26can then be attached to the rear wall24to complete the enclosure20. The front of the antenna-RRU unit50is substantially flush with the portion of the front wall21surrounding the window27.

FIGS. 8A and 8Billustrate the mounting of the antenna-RRU unit50′ within the enclosure20. This mounting utilizes the RRU mounting plate60′, which mounts to the internal support plate70via the bolts75inserted into the mounting holes62′ and slots63′. Notably, the RRU mounting plate60′ is oriented so that the main panel64is forward of the wings65. The rear wall24is attached to the internal support plate70as described above.FIGS. 9A and 9Billustrate the mounting of the antenna-RRU unit50″ within the enclosure20utilizing the mounting plate60′ in the same manner. As described above in connection with the antenna-RRU unit50, the antenna-RRU units50′,50″ are mounted in the enclosure20such that the front of each unit is substantially flush with the portion of the front wall21surrounding the window27. This positioning is due to the offset of the wings65from the main panel64of the RRU mounting plate60′ (the antenna-RRU units50′,50″ are narrower from front-to-back than the antenna-RRU unit50).

Referring now toFIGS. 10A-10C, the aforementioned antenna bracket80and pole bracket90are shown therein. Referring first toFIG. 10B, the antenna bracket80includes a main panel81with eight holes for bolts85arranged in two square patterns that match the mounting holes43in the rear wall24. One wing83extends rearwardly from a side edge of the main panel81at an obtuse angle (typically between about105and135degrees). Two vertical slots84are located in the wing83. A second wing86extends rearwardly horn the opposite side edge of the main panel at a generally right angle. A hook panel87with two hooks88extends rearwardly and outwardly from the wing86.

FIG. 10Aillustrates the pole bracket90. The pole bracket90includes a central strip91that includes a plurality of mounting holes92. A transition strip93is attached to each of the side edges of the central strip and extends at an obtuse angle thereto. Wings94a,94bare attached to respective edges of the transition strips93and extend at an angle thereto. The wing94aincludes two vertical slots95positioned to receive the hooks88of the antenna bracket80. The wing94bincludes two mounting holes96. A flange97extends from the wing94b.Two bolts, pins or other projections98extend forwardly and outwardly from the flange97. Each of the wings94a,94bincludes two mounting holes99.

As shown inFIGS. 10A-10C, three pole brackets90can be mounted to a pole105. Each of the pole brackets90is arranged with its central strip91and transition strips93wrapping partially around the pole105, as the pole105fits within a concave pocket formed by central strip91and the transition strips93. The pole brackets90may be secured to the pole90via fasteners inserted through the holes92in the central strip91, and/or by bolts or threaded rods106inserted through the mounting holes99in the wings94a,94bof adjacent pole brackets90. An antenna bracket80can then be mounted on a respective pole bracket90by inserting the hooks88into the slots95of the wings94a,and inserting the bolts or pins98through the slots84in the wing83. The bolts85are then inserted through the holes43in the rear panel24of the enclosure20and the mounting holes74of the internal support plate70. As shown inFIG. 6, the antenna-RRU unit50,50′,50″ and its corresponding RRU mount plate60,60′ are mounted to the internal support plate70, and the main body31, floor25and ceiling26are mounted onto the rear wall24. In this manner, all three enclosures20can be mounted essentially “flush” with the pole105. (In some embodiments, the pole105may be part of the foundation of an antenna module such as those described above).

In some embodiments, it may be desirable to mount the enclosure20and antenna-RRU unit50,50′,50″ mounted therein so that the antenna-RRU unit50,50′,50″ may be tilted up or down. In such an instance, and referring toFIGS. 11A-11C, an antenna bracket110comprising a main panel111with mounting holes112and side panels113is mounted to the rear wall24and internal support panel70in the manner described above (i.e., fasteners are inserted through the mounting holes112into the mounting holes43and74). Each of the side panels113has a hole114and a generally horizontal slot115. A tilt bracket120has a central panel121and side panels122. Each side panel122has pins123a,123bthat are positioned to be inserted into the hole114and slot115of an attached antenna bracket110. Each side panel122also includes holes126in its upper and lower corners. The holes126are configured to receive a mounting band (such as a band clamp or hose clamp) that is routed through the holes126of the three tilt brackets120for three different antenna-RRU units to mount them to a pole105. (Alternatively, the hose clamps can be employed to mount only one or two of the antenna-RRU units to the pole105).

As seen inFIG. 11A, for a zero-tilt antenna, the antenna bracket110bis oriented for mounting with the hole114above the slot115. The pin123aof the tilt bracket120fits in the hole114, and the pin123bfits in the slot115and resides in the forward end of the slot115. For an uptilted antenna (FIG. 11B), the orientation of the antenna bracket114) is the same, but the pin123bis positioned at the rear end of the slot115. For a downtilted antenna (FIG. 11C), the antenna bracket110is mounted to the rear wall24inverted from the orientation described above, such that the slots115are above the holes114. The pin123bis received in the hole114, and the pin123ais received in the slot115and positioned in the rear end thereof. Thus, the same combination of antenna bracket110and tilt bracket120may be used for any of the three positions.

The four different deployment positions described above are shown inFIGS. 12A-12D: downtilted (FIG. 12A), uptilted (FIG. 12B), zero-tilt (FIG. 12C), and flush mounted (FIG. 12D). In all of these deployments, the inclusion of the internal support plate70on the interior of the enclosure20enables three antenna-RRU units50,50′,50″ to be mounted with a relatively small footprint. In addition, the capability of using the same internal support plate70with different antenna-RRU units (even those from different manufacturers) can simplify manufacturing and reduce manufacturing costs. Similarly, the capability of using only two different RRU mounting plates60,60′ to mount three different antenna-RRU units can further simplify manufacturing and lower costs.

Those of skill in this art will appreciate that the components and assemblies discussed herein may take different forms. For example, the enclosure20may be farmed of more or fewer separate pieces. In some instances the window27in the front wall21may be formed as the front wall21itself is formed (rather than being cut out in a later operation). The antenna-RRU units may be mounted to project forwardly of the front wall21rather than being mounted flush. Other variations may also be suitable.

In addition, the RRU mount plates60,60′ may take different configurations, as may the internal support plate70. For example, in some embodiments, these components may be combined as a single integrated unit.

It will also be understood that the antenna bracket80and/or pole bracket90may take different configurations. For example, the hooks88of the antenna bracket80and the slots95of the pole bracket90may be reversed, as may the slots84of the antenna bracket80and the pins/bolts98of the pole bracket90. The hooks88, pins/bolts98and/or the slots84,95may be replaced with other mounting features. Other alternatives may also be feasible.

Further, the configurations of the antenna bracket110and the tilt bracket120may vary. As one example, the tilt bracket120may take a configuration similar to the antenna bracket80, which would enable it to be mounted on a pole using a pole bracket90. Other variations may also be suitable for use in connection with embodiments of the invention.