Patent Publication Number: US-11646483-B2

Title: Universal antenna mount and base plate therefor

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application is a divisional of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/585,417, filed Sep. 27, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,152,688, which claims priority from and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/737,353, filed Sep. 27, 2018, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present application is directed generally toward communication antennas, and more particularly to mounting structures for communications 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). 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 some 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. 
     In addition, 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. 
     Some small cell antenna configurations may comprise a generally cylindrical unit with three antennas deployed at 120 degree angles to one another. An exemplary cylindrical antenna unit is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 9,433,034 to Hendrix, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety. Such antenna units are typically mounted on the top of a monopole. 
     In view of the foregoing, it may be desirable to provide additional monopole mounting arrangements. 
     SUMMARY 
     As a first aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to a mount for an antenna comprising: a base panel; a plurality of first spokes extending radially outwardly from the base panel, each of the first spokes being cantilevered and including a first slot; and a plurality of second spokes, each of the second spokes including a vertical member and a flange that is generally parallel with the base panel and generally perpendicular to the vertical member, each of the second spokes including a second slot, and each of the flanges including a third slot. 
     As a second aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to a base plate for an antenna mount comprising: a main panel; a central opening in the main panel; a first set of discontinuous slots in the main panel that define a first circle radially outward from the central opening; a second set of discontinuous slots in the main panel that define a second circle radially outward from the first circle; and a plurality of extensions that extend generally radially outwardly from the main panel, each of the extensions including a third slot. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         FIG.  1    is a bottom perspective view of an antenna mount according to embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG.  2    is a side view of the antenna mount of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  3    is a top view of the antenna mount of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  4    is a bottom view of the antenna mount of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  5    is a top view of a blank that can be used to form the antenna mount of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  6    is a top perspective view of the antenna mount of  FIG.  1    mounted atop the supports of a monopole via a base plate according to embodiments of the invention, with the antenna mount in a first orientation. 
         FIG.  6 A  is a top perspective view of the base plate of  FIG.  6   . 
         FIG.  7    is a bottom perspective view of the antenna mount of  FIG.  1    mounted on the base plate of  FIG.  6    in a second, inverted orientation. 
         FIG.  8    is a top perspective view of the antenna mount of  FIG.  1    mounted on a base plate according to alternative embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG.  9    is a top perspective view of the antenna mount of  FIG.  1    mounted on a side-mount platform according to embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG.  10    is a top perspective view of the antenna mount of  FIG.  1    mounted in its inverted orientation on a side-mount platform. 
         FIG.  11    is a top perspective view of the side-mounting platform of  FIG.  9    with a C-shaped mounting bracket mounted thereon. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in 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. In the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements throughout. Thicknesses and dimensions of some components may be exaggerated for clarity. 
     Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including 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. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. 
     The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein the expression “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. 
     In addition, spatially relative terms, such as “under”, “below”, “lower”, “over”, “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature&#39;s relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. 
     Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity. 
     Referring now to the drawings, a mount for a telecommunications antenna unit is illustrated in  FIGS.  1 - 4    and designated broadly at  100 . The mount  100  includes a main panel  102  with a central hole  103  and six spokes  105 - 110  extending radially outwardly therefrom. The odd-numbered spokes  105 ,  107 ,  109  are cantilevered members with unsupported free ends. An oblong slot  111  is present in each of the spokes  105 ,  107 ,  109 . Each of the even-numbered spokes  106 ,  108 ,  110  is supported from underneath by a vertical member  112 , which merges at its upper end with a respective spoke  106 ,  108 ,  110  and at its lower end with a flange  114 . An oblong slot  116  is present in each of the spokes  106 ,  108 ,  110  and extends slightly into the main panel  102 . Also, an oblong slot  118  is present in each of the flanges  114 . 
     As can be seen in  FIG.  3   , in the illustrated embodiment the odd-numbered spokes  105 ,  107 ,  109  extend radially outwardly from the main panel  102  a similar distance to that of the even-numbered spokes  106 ,  108 ,  110 . The slots  111  are similar in size to the slots  116 , but are positioned slightly radially outwardly of the slots  116 . The slots  118  in the flanges  114  are somewhat shorter than the slots  111 ,  116  and are positioned such that the radially-outward ends of the slots  118  generally align with the radially-outward ends of the slots  116 . 
       FIG.  5    shows that the mount  100  can be formed from a flat blank  150 . The flat blank  150  can be created from a flat sheet of material, such as steel, by any number of methods, such as stamping. The longer extensions  152  of the blank  150  can then be bent twice to form the spokes  106 ,  108 ,  110 , the vertical members  112  and the flanges  114 . The shorter extensions  154  of the blank  150  are not bent and remain coplanar with the main panel  102  to form the spokes  105 ,  107 ,  109 . 
     As can be seen in  FIG.  6   , the mount  100  can be employed to serve as a mounting point for a cylindrical antenna unit. The mount  100  can be mounted on a base plate  200 , which in turn is mounted on three supports  300  (reinforced by a ring  302 ) that extend from the top of a monopole (not shown). As shown in  FIG.  6 A , the base plate  200  is generally planar and somewhat triangular in shape. A hole  202  is present in the center of the base plate  200  to provide routing for cables. Two different sets of three discontinuous slots are present in the base plate  200 ; one set of slots  204  is adjacent the hole  202  and defines a circle A; and a second set of slots  206  is radially outwardly of the slots  204  and defines a circle B that is larger in diameter than circle A. Three extensions  208  extend radially outwardly from locations separated by about 120 degrees. Each of the extensions  208  extends at an oblique angle of between about 30 and 70 degrees relative to an imaginary diameter of the base plate  200  (see  FIG.  6   , which shows an oblique angle a of about 45 degrees). Also, an oblong slot  210  is present in each of the extensions  208 . 
     As can be seen in  FIG.  6   , the base plate  200  can be attached to the supports  300  of a monopole via screws or other fasteners that are inserted into the slots  210  in the extensions  208 . The oblique orientation of the slots  210  can enable the base plate  200  to be mounted on monopoles having supports  300  with different spacing by simply rotating the base plate  200 ; in one embodiment, the slots  210  have a length of about 4 inches and are skewed from the diameter at angle of 45 degrees, which enables the base plate  200  to be mounted on monopoles that are 5 to 11 inches in diameter. 
     Once the base plate  200  is mounted on the monopole, the mount  100  can then be mounted on the base plate  200 . In the orientation shown in  FIG.  6   , the mount is attached to the base plate  200  via fasteners inserted through the slots  204  of the base plate  200  and the slots  114  of the mount  100 . This arrangement presents the main panel  102  and slots  111 ,  116  of the mount  100  for potential mounting of an antenna via screws or other threaded fasteners inserted through the slots  111  or the slots  116 . These slots  111 ,  116  can serve to mount a large number of different antennas. 
     In addition, the slots  204 ,  206  are of sufficient arc length (typically between about 30 and 70 degrees) that the mount  100  can be mounted relative to the base plate  200  over a range of angular orientations. This enables the mount  100  to be rotated to a desired angular position for the mounting of the antenna thereon. 
     Alternatively, as shown in  FIG.  7   , the mount  100  can be mounted “upside-down” on the base plate  200 , with screws or other fasteners inserted through the slots  206  of the base plate  200  and through the slots  116  of the mount  100 . This orientation presents the flanges  114  and their slots  118  for mounting of an antenna. 
     As another alternative, the mount  100  can be mounted to a base plate  200 ′ of a different configuration (see  FIG.  8   ). The base plate  200 ′ has two sets of slots  204 ′,  206 ′ similar to the slots  204 ,  206  of the base plate  200 . However, the base plate  200 ′ has four extensions  208 ′ that extend radially outwardly of the main panel  202 ′, each of which includes a slot  210 ′ that is generally circumferentially disposed. This arrangement may be well-suited for the attachment of the base plate  200 ′ (and subsequently the mount  100 ) to the top surface of a monopole  300 ′ that lacks supports  300 . 
     As another alternative, the mount  100  can be employed with a side mounted antenna via a cantilevered mounting platform  400 . The mounting platform  400  includes two rails  402  with mounting holes  404 . In some embodiments, a strengthening cover  406  may also be attached to the rails  402 . The platform  400  also includes a vertical mounting box  408  that can be mounted to a pole or other structure via rods  410 . Once mounted on the mounting structure, the platform  400  can serve as a mounting location for a mount  100 , either in the orientation shown in  FIG.  9    (which matches that of  FIG.  6   ), or in the upside-down orientation of  FIG.  10   . In either orientation, the mount  100  can support an antenna from underneath. 
     As a further alternative, the mounting platform  400  may be employed with a C-shaped bracket  500  that mounts via a flange  502  on the rails  402  and provides a vertical surface  504  for the mounting of a panel antenna (see  FIG.  10   ). 
     The mount  100  and base plate  200  are typically formed of a metallic material, such as steel or aluminum. The mount  100  may be of any thickness, but should be of sufficient thickness to provide a rigid mounting location for the antenna; a thickness of between about 0.188 and 0.375 inch is typical. Similarly, the base plate  200  may be should be of sufficient thickness to provide a rigid mounting location for the antenna; a thickness of between about 0.188 and 0.375 inch is typical. 
     The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims. The invention is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.