Patent Publication Number: US-2023143698-A1

Title: Method for operating and running a system for mounting and controlling accumulators in workstations

Description:
FIELD OF APPLICATION 
     This invention is contained in the field of application of accumulating devices, more precisely in the field of the operation and functioning methods and processes of assembly and control systems for accumulators in workstations, more specifically in systems which can be used in equipment containing locks, both electromagnetic and electromechanical. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE STATE-OF-THE-ART 
     The use of battery packs as a secondary power supply has a great variety of applications, from the domestic use to the most different fields in the industry. Such battery packs are the uninterrupted power supplies or UPS, commonly referred to as No-Breaks. 
     In the telecommunication market, one of the main challenges involving the management of Radio-Base Stations (RBSs) is the continuous thefts of the UPS system’s batteries. A number of RBSs are installed in the field and/or in distant places and without continuous vigilance, making the UPSs batteries to be frequently stolen for use in vehicle audio systems, resale to other consumers or even for sales as scrap. 
     The telecommunication companies are estimated to suffer losses in the order of 30% of their battery farm, generating several problems, both in the purchase of new parts and work for field replacement and, in addition, the non-immediate replacement may cause failure and interruption of the RBS operation, resulting in fines and sanctions by the regulatory agencies. 
     In order to prevent this type of problem, there are some lines of action which can be implemented, such as, for example, inhibiting the theft by means of solutions intended to prevent or deter the removal of the battery from the RBS environment; disabling the battery operation by means of solutions to disable its operation, partially or permanently, upon the identification of a theft attempt; or, further, track the battery by means of a tracking solution, whether georeferenced of not, allowing to identify the battery location, and recover the asset and find the infringers. 
     Of the three solutions indicated above, the most feasible one, both economically and concerning its implementation, is to inhibit the theft, once the partial or total disabling of the battery still generates costs for replacing it, and tracking is difficult to be implemented once the recovery requires the use of police force. 
     The theft inhibition systems normally include the implementation of audible alarms in the RBSs. However, such solution is poorly efficient, because many RBSs are installed in distant places, making the access difficult and the alarm to be inefficient. 
     In order to prevent the battery from being stolen, ways to mechanically fix the battery into the RBS’ locker or cabinet are normally used, whether by using resins or locking mechanisms. 
     The use of resins to fix the battery into the cabinet make it difficult or even prevents its replacement if needed, and, thus, it’s a difficult to implement solution and hardly used. 
     The use of mechanical locks is efficient, but it causes some difficulties in case the battery requires replacement, because for the mechanical fixation is efficient, it cannot be exposed, so as to prevent violation by an infringer. Thus, the mechanical locks positioning and assembly also make the battery removal difficult by the technician in case of maintenance. 
     Thus, the state-of-the-art would benefit from a solution which presented an operation and functioning method for a system which allowed the control and assembly of batteries radio-base stations racks containing locks, both electromechanical and electromagnetic, and allowed the direct communication with the radio-base stations operators’ databases. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention is intended to present the operation and functioning method of an assembly and control system for batteries in radio-base stations which can be use in equipment containing locks, both electromechanical and electromagnetic. 
     An objective of this invention is also to present an operation and functioning method of an assembly and control system for batteries in radio-base stations which directly communicate with the radio-base stations operators’ databases. 
     A further objective of this invention is to present an operation and functioning method of an assembly and control system for batteries in radio-base stations which records all the maintenance requests, the conducted services, their operators, as well as failures which may exist during their operation. 
     Finally, another objective of this invention is to present an operation and functioning method of an assembly and control system for batteries in radio-base stations which continuously monitors the system during its working step. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The subject matter object of this Invention will be fully clear in its technical aspects from the detailed description which will be made based on the  FIGURE  listed below, on which 
       image 1 presents the flowchart of the steps of the operation and functioning method of an assembly and control system for batteries in radio-base stations. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In compliance with the objective presented by means of the brief description, this patent application addresses an “OPERATION AND FUNCTIONING METHOD OF AN ASSEMBLY AND CONTROL SYSTEM FOR ACCUMULATORES IN WORKSTATIONS”, which can be used in equipment containing locks, both electromechanical and electromagnetic. 
     The equipment containing electromechanical locks presents a locking set comprising at least one electromechanical lock and a coupling device attached to a bracket, on which the referred bracket is attached to the structure of a radio-base station cabinet or rack; a battery with at least a lock housing and an alignment element. 
     In its turn, the equipment containing electromagnetic locks presents batteries which receive a ferromagnetic element installed in its housing, preferably in its rear portion, to better use the space upon installation in the radio-base station, without preventing the installation of the ferromagnetic element in another portion of the referred batteries’ housing and also electromagnetic locks installed in the lower portion of the radio-base station rack, preferably in its rear inner portion, being that the amount of electromagnetic locks will be the same as the quantity of batteries, once each electromagnetic lock will fix a battery. Such electromagnetic locks, when energized by means of the resulting electromagnetic field, fix the battery to the radio-base station rack, more precisely by means of the electromagnetic action in the ferromagnetic element of the battery housing. 
     The assembly and control system presents a processing center, common to the two types of equipment, i.e., both the equipment provided with the electromechanical lock and the equipment provide with the electromagnetic lock, being that the processing central comprises at least a battery presence sensor, at least a radio-base station rack opening and closing sensor and an audible alarm device. 
     The processing center is also provided with a power supply switching system, being that such power supply switching system comprises a radio-base station rack busbar voltage meter and a backup battery. 
     The processing center is provided with a remote communication system, preferably of bluetooth low energy type, without prejudice of using another remote communication protocol such as, for example, NFC, Wi-Fi or others, provided they allow the communication with a cellular device interconnected to the operators’ databases, such interconnection being conducted by means of connection with a cloud-type system. 
     The initial step (a) of the system operation and functioning method is the identification of the equipment connected to the processing center, determining if that is an equipment provided with electromechanical lock or if an equipment provided with electromagnetic lock. 
     From such identification, the processing center sends a message to the database of the operator responsible for the radio-base station rack, as well as saving the equipment identification record in the cloud, preserving the data related to the date, time and responsible operator. 
     After the initial step (a), the system is started with the verification step (b), where the radio-base station rack door is closed. In this verification step, the processing center reads the door opening and closing sensor, the battery presence sensor and measures the radio-base station rack busbar voltage. 
     In case all the verification of the verification step (b) are correct, i.e., the battery presence sensor indicates it is in the correct position, the door opening and closing sensor indicates that the radio-base station rack door is closed and the voltage meter indicates an appropriate voltage for the system operation; the processing center will start its operation and will send a message to the database of the operator responsible for the radio-base station rack, as well as saving the equipment identification record in the cloud, preserving the data related to the date, time and operator responsible for the equipment startup. 
     If the measurement of the radio-base station rack busbar voltage presents a voltage value which prevents the correct operation of the electromechanical lock or the electromagnetic lock or even a voltage level which prevents the correct operation of the processing center, the switching system will switch the power supply to the backup battery and the system will start the operation and will send a message to the database of the operator responsible for the radio-base station rack, indicating operation under backup power supply, as well as saving the equipment identification record in the cloud, preserving the data related to the date, time and operator responsible for the equipment startup. 
     In case the radio-base station rack busbar voltage measurement sensor presents a voltage value which prevents the correct operation of the electromechanical lock or the electromagnetic lock or even a voltage level which prevents the correct operation of the processing center and the backup battery cannot provide the power supply demand of both equipment, the system will not start the operation and will send a message to the database of the operator responsible for the radio-base station rack, indicating backup power supply failure, as well as saving the equipment identification record in the cloud, preserving the data related to the date, time and operator responsible for the equipment startup attempt. 
     Once the equipment is started up, i.e., the verification conditions have been complied with, the work step (c) of the system operation and functioning method will start, where all the startup variable of the verification step (b) will be continuously monitored. 
     During the work step (c), where, as previously mentioned, all the variables are continuously verified, in case the door opening and closing sensor indicates that the door is in an open condition and the processing center has not received a maintenance or change request from the database of the operator responsible for the radio-base station rack, the audible alarm will be triggered and a violation attempt message will be sent to the database of the operator responsible for the rack, saving a failure record in the cloud, preserving the data related to date, time. The audible alarm will only be turned off when the door opening and closing sensor indicates that the door is in the closed condition and the operator’s database authorizes the audible alarm to be turned off by the processing center. 
     Still during the work step (c), with the variables being continuously verified, in case the battery presence sensor indicates that the battery is out of position, the processing center triggers the audible alarm and sends a violation message to the database of the operator responsible for the radio-base station rack, saving a failure record in the cloud preserving the date and time data. The audible alarm will only be turned off when the battery presence sensor indicates that the battery is in the correct position and the operator’s database authorizes the audible alarm to be turned off by means of a request to turn the audible alarm off by the processing center. 
     During the work step (c), in case the busbar voltage measurement indicates a voltage level insufficient to supply the electromechanical lock or the electromagnetic lock, or even if it’s not sufficient for the processing center power supply, the switching system will switch to power supply from the backup battery and a power supply shortage message will be sent to the database of the operator responsible for the radio-base station rack, saving a failure record in the cloud preserving the date and time data. 
     If, perhaps, the power supply from the backup battery is insufficient to supply the electromechanical or electromagnetic locks or even to supply the processing center, the referred processing center will send a message to the database of the operator responsible for the radio-base station rack, indicating a power supply failure, saving a failure record in the cloud preserving the date and time data. 
     The system’s operation and functioning method further present a maintenance step (d), where the work step (c) is interrupted and the verifications conducted during the work step (c) are suspended. Such maintenance step (d) will start from the receipt, by the processing center, of a maintenance request from the database of the operator responsible for the radio-base station rack. 
     Such maintenance step (d) is intended to allow authorized people to conduct maintenance services or replacement of parts, batteries, sensors, etc., in the radio-base station rack, without receiving any failure message by the processing center. The processing center will send a message to the database of the radio-base station operator indicating the start and end date of the maintenance, as well as the start and end time of the maintenance, the geographic location and the individual responsible for the referred maintenance in the field. 
     The maintenance step (d) will be completed when the operator [sic] the startup steps (a) and the verification step (b) of the concerned process. 
     The great advantage of the operation and functioning method of the assembly system and accumulators in workstations is that this is a simple to execute procedure, in addition to allowing its use both with electromechanical locking and electromagnetic locking equipment. 
     It should be understood that this description does not limit the implementation to the details described herein and that the invention is capable of other modalities and to be practiced or executed in a variety of modes, within the scope of the claims. Although specific terms have been used, such terms must be construed on a generic and descriptive sense, and not with a limiting purpose.