Patent Publication Number: US-9406994-B2

Title: Remote antenna deployment latch

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/797,398, filed Mar. 12, 2013, entitled “Remote Antenna Deployment Latch,” which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Antenna designs encompass a wide range of configurations and are used for a variety of different applications. For example, some antennas are designed for use at a fixed elevation angle and for rotation to a desired azimuth. Such antennas may be deployable from a stowed position or configuration to a deployed position in which the antennas are oriented at the fixed elevation or operating angle. Typically, an antenna is maintained at its operating angle by the means in which it was deployed or moved from its stowed position. However, in some cases, the means for deploying an antenna are not sufficient to maintain the antenna at the operating angle. Typically, various types of latches have been implemented to lock antennas in the operating angles once deployed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description which follows, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which together illustrate, by way of example, features of the invention; and, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an example illustration of a deployable antenna system having a remote antenna deployment latch in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is side view of the deployable antenna system of  FIG. 1 , with an antenna in a stowed configuration. 
         FIG. 3  is side view of the deployable antenna system of  FIG. 1 , with the antenna moving between the stowed position and a deployed position. 
         FIG. 4  is side view of the deployable antenna system of  FIG. 1 , with the antenna in the deployed position prior to securing the antenna and unlocking movement about an azimuth axis. 
         FIG. 5  is side view of the deployable antenna system of  FIG. 1 , with the antenna secured in the deployed position and free to move about the azimuth axis. 
         FIG. 6  is an example illustration of a deployable antenna system having a remote antenna deployment latch in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated, and specific language will be used herein to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As used herein, the term “substantially” refers to the complete or nearly complete extent or degree of an action, characteristic, property, state, structure, item, or result. For example, an object that is “substantially” enclosed would mean that the object is either completely enclosed or nearly completely enclosed. The exact allowable degree of deviation from absolute completeness may in some cases depend on the specific context. However, generally speaking the nearness of completion will be so as to have the same overall result as if absolute and total completion were obtained. The use of “substantially” is equally applicable when used in a negative connotation to refer to the complete or near complete lack of an action, characteristic, property, state, structure, item, or result. 
     As used herein, “adjacent” refers to the proximity of two structures or elements. Particularly, elements that are identified as being “adjacent” may be either abutting or connected. Such elements may also be near or close to each other without necessarily contacting each other. The exact degree of proximity may in some cases depend on the specific context. 
     An initial overview of technology embodiments is provided below and then specific technology embodiments are described in further detail later. This initial summary is intended to aid readers in understanding the technology more quickly but is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the technology nor is it intended to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
     Although typical antenna latches have been effective in locking and maintaining antennas at the operating elevation angles when deployed, the locations of the latches are not readily accessible by antenna operators. Additionally, operators may need to unlock the antenna for movement to a desired azimuth once the antenna has been deployed. Thus, typical antenna latch designs can hinder operator convenience and speed, as well as present safety concerns, in order for the operator to prepare an antenna for use. 
     Accordingly, a remote antenna deployment latch is disclosed that allows an antenna operator to operate a latch locking the antenna in an operating elevation angle as well as unlocking the antenna for movement to a desired azimuth during operation. The remote antenna deployment latch can include a latch assembly having a latch pin movable to alternately secure an antenna in, and release the antenna from, a deployed position. The remote antenna deployment latch can also include an azimuth pin movable to alternately lock and unlock rotation of the antenna about an azimuth axis. In addition, the remote antenna deployment latch can include a remote control assembly operably coupled to the latch pin and the azimuth pin to simultaneously secure the antenna in the deployed position and unlock rotation of the antenna about the azimuth axis. 
     In one aspect, a deployable antenna system is disclosed. The deployable antenna system can include an antenna movable between a stowed position and  5   a  deployed position, and rotatable about an azimuth axis, and a remote antenna deployment latch. The remote antenna deployment latch can comprise a latch assembly having a latch pin movable to alternately secure the antenna in, and release the antenna from, the deployed position. The remote antenna deployment latch can also comprise an azimuth pin movable to alternately lock and unlock rotation of the antenna about the azimuth axis. Additionally, the remote antenna deployment latch can comprise a remote control assembly operably coupled to the latch pin and the azimuth pin to simultaneously secure the antenna in the deployed position and unlock rotation of the antenna about the azimuth axis. 
     One embodiment of a deployable antenna system  100  is illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The deployable antenna system  100  can comprise an antenna  110  supported by a platform  120  that is movable relative to a base  130 . The base  130  can be at a permanently fixed location or configured for mobility, such as on a truck or a trailer. With the antenna  110  in the deployed position  101  illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the platform  120  can rotate in direction  103  about azimuth axis  104  to facilitate operation of the antenna  110 . As discussed further hereinafter, the antenna  110  can be moved to a stowed position. For example the antenna  110  can be rotatably coupled to the platform  120  for movement in direction  105  about a deployment axis  106  between stowed and deployed positions. 
     The deployable antenna system  100  can also include a remote antenna deployment latch  140  having a latch assembly  141 , an azimuth pin  142 , and a remote control assembly  143 . The latch assembly  141  can include a latch pin  144  movable to alternately secure the antenna  110  in, and release the antenna from, the deployed position  101 . The azimuth pin  142  can be movable to alternately lock and unlock rotation of the antenna  110  about the azimuth axis  104  by interfacing with the base  130 , such as via an opening  131 . The remote control assembly  143  can be operably coupled to the latch pin  144  and the azimuth pin  142  to simultaneously secure the antenna  110  in the deployed position  101  and unlock rotation of the antenna  110  about the azimuth axis  104 . In one aspect, the remote control assembly  143  can simultaneously release the antenna  110  from the deployed position  101  and lock rotation of the antenna  110  about the azimuth axis  104 . 
     The latch assembly  141  can be supported by a latch support arm  145  supported by the movable platform  120 . The latch assembly  141  can include a hard stop  150  configured to interface with an antenna latching feature  111  and establish the deployed position  101  of the antenna  110 . The latch assembly  141  can include one or more latch pin support members  151   a ,  151   b  to position the latch pin  144  relative to the hard stop  150 . The position of the latch pin  144  relative to the hard stop  150  can facilitate contact with the antenna latching feature  111  when the latch pin  144  secures the antenna  110  in the deployed position  101 . Contacting the antenna latching feature  111  with both the hard stop  150  and the latch pin  144  can form a coupling that has improved stiffness over mere contact between the antenna latching feature  111  and the hard stop  150 . One benefit of a high stiffness coupling is improved antenna pointing accuracy, which can improve antenna performance for high frequency applications. 
     In one aspect, the remote control assembly  143  can be supported by the movable platform  120 . In some embodiments, the remote control assembly  143  can be mechanically coupled to the latch pin  144  and the azimuth pin  142 . The remote control assembly  143  can have a lever  160  configured to cause movement of the latch pin  144  and the azimuth pin  142 . For example, the lever  160  can cause movement of a yoke  161  coupled to the latch pin  144  and the azimuth pin  142 . The yoke  161  can mechanically move the latch pin  144  via a push-pull cable  162   a . In one aspect, the yoke  161  can also mechanically move a second latch pin located on an opposite side of the antenna  110  via push-pull cable  162   b . By including a second latch pin in contact with a second antenna latching feature on the opposite side of the antenna  110 , stiffness of the antenna couplings in the deployed position can be improved over using only a single latch pin. Thus, in some embodiments, the remote control assembly  143  can remotely move multiple latch pins at once for securing or releasing the antenna. Although no springs are shown, it should be recognized that some embodiments can incorporate one or more springs tending to bias movement of the latch pin  144  and/or the azimuth pin  142 . 
     In addition, the yoke  161  can mechanically move the azimuth pin  142 . Thus, as the yoke  161  moves, one or more latch pins  144  can be caused to move, as well as the azimuth pin  142 . In some embodiments, the yoke  161  can be hydraulically or pneumatically coupled to the latch pin  144  and/or the azimuth pin  142  such that movement of the yoke operates a piston to hydraulically or pneumatically move the latch pin  144  and/or the azimuth pin  142 . Additionally, some embodiments can combine mechanical, hydraulic, and/or pneumatic couplings between the yoke  161  and the latch pin  144  and/or the azimuth pin  142  in order to cause movement of the latch pin  144  and/or the azimuth pin  142  in response to movement by the yoke  161 . The common connection between the yoke  161 , the latch pins  144 , and the azimuth pin  142  can therefore facilitate simultaneous operation of the latch pins  144  and the azimuth pin  142 . The lever  160  can comprise any suitable type of lever for moving the yoke  161 . In some aspects, the lever  160  comprises a toggle lever, an over cam lever, an over center lever, or any other lever operable to move between two positions and cause linear movement of the yoke  161 . With such a lever  160 , the latch pin  144  and the azimuth pin  142  can be caused to move fully between latched/unlatched positions and unlocked/locked positions, respectively. 
       FIGS. 2-5  illustrate the deployable antenna system  100  in operation. For example,  FIG. 2  illustrates the antenna  110  in a stowed position  102 . With the antenna  110  in the stowed position  102 , the remote control assembly  143  can be configured such that the azimuth pin  142  is engaged with the base  130  to lock the platform  120  in a fixed position relative to the base  130  to prevent relative movement of the platform  120  about the azimuth axis  104 . In addition, the remote control assembly  143  can be configured such that the latch pin  144  is positioned to allow the antenna latching feature  111  to rotate with the antenna  110  in direction  105  into contact with the hard stop  150  to position the antenna at a predetermined operation elevation angle  112 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , once the antenna latching feature  111  has contacted the hard stop  150  and positioned the antenna at the operational angle  112 , the remote control assembly  143  can be operated, such as by moving lever  160  in direction  107 , to cause the latch pin  144  to move in direction  108  to secure the antenna latching feature  111  and, thus, the antenna  110  in the deployed position  101 . Because the azimuth pin  142  and the latch pin  144  are both coupled to the yoke  161 , the operation of the remote control assembly  143  can simultaneously cause the azimuth pin  142  to move in direction  109  to unlock relative movement of the movable platform  120  and the base  130  about the azimuth axis  104 . The location of the remote control assembly  143  can facilitate ease of use by an operator and improve safety in that the operator can secure the antenna  110  in the deployed position  101  and unlock rotation about the azimuth axis  104  without the necessity of climbing onto the base  130  or movable platform  120 . With the antenna  110  locked in the deployed position  101  and the movable platform  120  supporting the antenna  110  free to rotate about the azimuth axis  104 , the antenna  110  can be operated. In some embodiments, the remote antenna deployment latch  140  can include purely mechanical structures or systems for remotely operating the latch. In other embodiments, the remote antenna deployment latch  140  can include mechanical, hydraulic, and/or pneumatic structures and systems for remotely operating the latch. 
     It should be recognized that the antenna  110  can be moved from the deployed position  101  to the stowed position  102  by reversing the order of the operations discussed above with respect to  FIGS. 2-5 . For example, operation of the remote control assembly  143  can simultaneously lock the movable platform  120  relative to the base  130  and release the antenna  110  from the deployed position  101  for movement to the stowed position  102 . This can prevent the antenna  110  from rotating freely about the azimuth axis  104  as the antenna  110  moves between the deployed position  101  and the stowed position  102 , which can provide a safety benefit. For example, uncontrolled rotation of the movable platform  120  can occur when the antenna  110  is between the deployed and stowed positions  101 ,  102 , such as at a low elevation angle, and the movable platform  120  is not leveled. Such uncontrolled antenna  110  rotation can cause the base  130 , such as a trailer or vehicle, to tip over, or allow the antenna  110  to strike someone standing close by. 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , a deployable antenna system  200  is illustrated having a remote antenna deployment latch  240  that can include electrical and/or mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic structures and systems for remotely operating the latch. For example, remote control assembly  243  can include an electric motor  247  and a switch  247  for operating the motor  247 . The motor  247  can cause movement of an azimuth pin  242  to lock/unlock rotation about the azimuth axis  204 . In one aspect, the switch  247  can also be electrically coupled via lines  262   a ,  262   b  to one or more electric motors  248  operable to cause movement of one or more latch pins  244  to secure/release an antenna  210  in a deployed position  201 . The electric motors  246 ,  247  can cause the respective azimuth pin  242  and latch pin  244  to move via gears, hydraulics, pneumatics, or any other suitable means. In some embodiments, the electric motor  246  can hydraulically or pneumatically cause motion of one or more latch pins  244  by pressurizing lines  262   a ,  262   b . The remote antenna deployment latch  240  can therefore function to move the azimuth pin  242  and the latch pin  244  to simultaneously secure the antenna  210  in the deployed position  201  and unlock movement of the antenna  210  about the azimuth axis  204 . 
     In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a method for facilitating use of a deployable antenna is disclosed. The method can comprise providing a latch assembly having a latch pin movable to alternately secure an antenna in, and release the antenna from, a deployed position. The method can also comprise providing an azimuth pin movable to alternately lock and unlock rotation of the antenna about an azimuth axis. Additionally, the method can comprise facilitating simultaneous operation of the latch pin and the azimuth pin, wherein the antenna is secured in the deployed position and rotation of the antenna about the azimuth axis is unlocked. It is noted that no specific order is required in this method, though generally in one embodiment, these method steps can be carried out sequentially. 
     In one aspect, the method can further comprise facilitating simultaneous operation of the latch pin and the azimuth pin comprises operably coupling a remote control assembly to the latch pin and the azimuth pin. In another aspect, the remote control assembly can comprise a lever operably coupled to a yoke, wherein the yoke mechanically moves the azimuth pin and is coupled to a push-pull cable to mechanically move the latch pin. 
     It is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention disclosed are not limited to the particular structures, process steps, or materials disclosed herein, but are extended to equivalents thereof as would be recognized by those ordinarily skilled in the relevant arts. It should also be understood that terminology employed herein is used for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. 
     Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, 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. 
     As used herein, a plurality of items, structural elements, compositional elements, and/or materials may be presented in a common list for convenience. However, these lists should be construed as though each member of the list is individually identified as a separate and unique member. Thus, no individual member of such list should be construed as a de facto equivalent of any other member of the same list solely based on their presentation in a common group without indications to the contrary. In addition, various embodiments and example of the present invention may be referred to herein along with alternatives for the various components thereof. It is understood that such embodiments, examples, and alternatives are not to be construed as de facto equivalents of one another, but are to be considered as separate and autonomous representations of the present invention. 
     Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the description, numerous specific details are provided, such as examples of lengths, widths, shapes, etc., to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention. 
     While the foregoing examples are illustrative of the principles of the present invention in one or more particular applications, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications in form, usage and details of implementation can be made without the exercise of inventive faculty, and without departing from the principles and concepts of the invention. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except as by the claims set forth below.