Antenna control system
Contents
1. No 6 198 458 B1 THE TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an antenna control system for varying the beam tilt of one or more antenna More par ticularly although not exclusively the present invention relates to a drive system for use in an antenna which incor porates one or more phase shifter BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In order to produce downtilt in the beam produced by an antenna array for example a panel antenna it is possible to either mechanically tilt the panel antenna or electrically steer the beam radiated from the panel antenna according to tech niques known in the art Panel antennas such as those to which the present appli cation is concerned are often located on the sides of buildings or similar structures Mechanical tilting of the antenna away from the side of the building increases the susceptibility of the installation to wind induced vibration and can impact on the visual environment in situations where significant amounts of downtilt are required In order to avoid the above difficulties electrical beam steering can be effected by introducing phase delays into the signal input into radiating elements or groups of radiating elements in an antenna array Such techniques are described in New Zealand Patent Specification No 235010 Various phase delay techniques are known including inserting variable length delay lines into the network feeding to the radiating element or elements or using PIN d2. wherein said main controller informs said user interface that said main controller is unable to communicate with said antenna controller 6 The antenna control system according to claim 4 wherein said main controller informs said user interface that it is unable to adjust said antenna position to a desired antenna position 7 The antenna control system according to claim 1 further comprising an antenna controller memory connected to said antenna controller for storing at least one of an antenna address and said antenna position 8 The antenna control system according to claim 1 further comprising a main controller memory connected to said main controller for storing at least one of an antenna address and said antenna position 9 The antenna control system according to claim 1 further comprising a motor for adjusting said antenna position and a driver connected to said motor and said antenna control ler for activating said motor 10 An antenna control system for controlling a plurality of antennas comprising a plurality of sensors each for detecting positions of a respective one of said antennas aplurality of antenna controllers each communicating with corresponding sensors of said plurality of sensors for controlling a position of said associated antenna and a main controller communicating with said antenna con trollers in order to control said antenna controllers 11 The antenna control system according to claim 10
3. 1994 Mobile Telephone Panel Array MTPA Antenna Varitilt Continu ously Variable Electrical Downtilt Models Deltec Sep 1994 Second Generation Variable Electrical Tilt Panel Antenna Radio Frequency Systems Pty Ltd Australia CTIA Technical Meeting Mar 1994 Sumitomo Electric Technical Review No 143 pp 136 139 Sep 1993 w English translation cited by examiner US 8 558 739 B2 Sheet 1 of 8 Oct 15 2013 U S Patent py L EE uM D D rea O B FIG 1 U S Patent Oct 15 2013 Sheet 2 of 8 US 8 558 739 B2 FIG 2 U S Patent Oct 15 2013 Sheet 3 of 8 US 8 558 739 B2 US 8 558 739 B2 Sheet 4 of 8 Oct 15 2013 U S Patent u Q u l ppa TLL lg 7 lt lt 9I A 7 Z 6 A 27277 DE tU 8 ee A Y St Li U S Patent Oct 15 2013 Sheet 5 of 8 US 8 558 739 B2 FIG 5 US 8 558 739 B2 Sheet 6 of 8 Oct 15 2013 U S Patent 8 9 013 Gh ae la imr pum MM MATE ir ton ad ot U S Patent Oct 15 2013 Sheet 7 of 8 US 8 558 739 B2 au FIG 8 U S Patent Oct 15 2013 Sheet 8 of 8 US 8 558 739 B2 FIG 9 US 8 558 739 B2 1 ANTENNA CONTROL SYSTEM This is a continuation of application Ser No 09 713 614 filed Nov 15 2000 entitled Antenna Control System now U S Pat No 6 346 924 which is a continuation of applica tion Ser No 08 817 445 filed Oct 16 1995 entitled Antenna Control System now U S Pat
4. 2 and 3 respectively First portions 14 and 15 of phase shifters 2 and 3 may be moved relative to second portions 16 and 17 of phase shifters 2 and 3 to vary the phase of signals supplied by lines 18 19 20 and 21 to respective radiating elements When phase shifters 1 2 and 3 are adjusted in the correct respective portions the beam emitted by the antenna can be tilted as required It will be appreciated that where a less defined beam is required fewer phase shifters may be employed To achieve even continuous beam tilting for the embodi ment shown in FIG 1 the first portions 14 and 15 of phase shifters 2 and 3 should move relative to the second portion 16 and 17 of phase shifters 2 and 3 at the same rate The first portion 8 of phase shifter 1 must however move relative to the second portion 9 of phase shifter 1 at twice this rate In the arrangement shown second portion 9 of phase shifter 1 is connected to carriage 22 Movement of carriage 22 results in movement of first portions 14 and 15 of phase shifters 2 and 3 via push rods 10 and 11 Referring now to FIG 4 operation of the phase shifter drive mechanism will be explained Second portion 9 of phase shifter 1 is mounted to a carriage 22 which can move left and right Ifcarriage 22 is moved to the left first portions 14 and 15 of phase shifters 2 and 3 will be moved to the left via push rods 10 and 11 First portion 8 of phase shifter 1 may be moved relative to second portion 9 of phase
5. are sheathed by conduit 78 Lines 71 and 72 supply current to drive motor 41 Section 73 ensures that if threaded member 34 is driven to either the left hand side limit or the right hand side limit it can only be driven in the opposite direction In the position shown in FIG 7 switch 45 directly connects line 71 to switch 46 via diode 74 In the position shown switch 46 connects line 71 to motor 41 via diode 75 This is the normal position of the switches when threaded member 34 is not at either extreme limit When threaded member 34 is driven to the extreme left for example and actuates switch 45 then switch 45 open circuits the path via diode 74 Diode 74 allows current flow in the direction allowing motor 41 to drive to the left Accord ingly when switch 45 is open motor 41 can only drive in such a direction as to drive threaded member 34 to the right i e current in the direction allowed by diode 75 Likewise if threaded member 34 is driven to the extreme right switch 46 is opened to break the path via diode 75 This prevents motor 41 driving in such a direction as to drive threaded member 34 further to the right Lines 76 and 77 are connected to reed switch 43 so that the opening and closing of reed switch 43 may be monitored by an external control unit In use the opening and closing of reed switch 43 may be monitored to determine the position of threaded member 34 and hence the corresponding degree of tilt ofthe antenna To
6. desired antenna position 28 An antenna control system comprising a sensor for detecting a position of a down tilt antenna without respect to a satellite position an antenna controller communicating with said sensor for controlling said antenna position a main controller communicating with said antenna con troller in order to control said antenna controller wherein said main controller is remotely located from said down tilt antenna and an antenna controller memory connected to said antenna controller for storing at least one of an antenna address and said antenna position 29 The antenna control system according to claim 28 further comprising a main controller memory connected to said main controller for storing at least one of an antenna address and said antenna position 30 The antenna control system according to claim 28 further comprising a motor for adjusting said antenna position and a driver connected to said motor and said antenna control ler for activating said motor 31 An antenna control system comprising a sensor for detecting a position of a down tilt antenna without respect to a satellite position an antenna controller communicating with said sensor for controlling said antenna position US 8 558 739 B2 13 a main controller communicating with said antenna con troller in order to control said antenna controller and a user interface communicating with said main controller to operate said mai
7. for Premium Antenna with EDT and AS Australia Telecom Sep 1993 W H Kummer Feeding and Phase Scanning Microwave Scanning Antennas ed R C Hansen vol III Array Systems pp 2 9 48 85 114 121 128 131 Academic Press 1966 Dietrich Louis Structure and Emission Properties of an Electrically Controlled Secondary Radar Antenna NIG Technical Reports vol 57 pp 161 165 Mar 1977 w English translation B Y Mills et al The Sydney University Cross type Radio Tele scope Proceedings of the I R E Australia pp 156 163 Feb 1963 A Okuyama et al Base Station Antenna Systems for Car and Handheld Cellular Phones Mitsubishi Denki Giho vol 68 No 12 pp 23 26 1994 w English Abstract Peter Strickland et al Microstrip Base Station Antennas for Cellu lar Communications IEEE 1991 Gottfried Vogt An Electronic Method for Steering the Beam and Polarization of HF Antennas JRE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation pp 193 200 Mar 1962 Gary Wilson Electrical Downtilt Through Beam Steering Versus Mechanical Downtilt IEEE May 18 1992 Yoshihide Yamada et al Law Sidelobe and Tilted Beam Base Station Antennas for Smaller Cell Systems IEEE 1989 CEC 901 Cellular Antenna Controller User s Manual CAL Corp Apr 2 1992 Electrically Tilted Panel Antennas Radio Frequency Systems Pty Ltd Australia IMCE Engineering Meeting Mar 1993 Field Adiustable Downtilt Models Deltec May
8. forth Although this invention has been described by way of example it is to be appreciated that improvements and or modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention Industrial Applicability The present invention may find particular application in antenna systems such as those used in cellular communica tion systems 10 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 10 The invention claimed is 1 Anantenna control system for a land based mobile radio system comprising a sensor for detecting a position of a down tilt antenna with respect to cell coverage and without respect to a satellite position an antenna controller communicating with said sensor for controlling said antenna position and a main controller communicating with said antenna con troller in order to control said antenna controller 2 The antenna control system according to claim 1 wherein said main controller is remotely located from said down tilt antenna 3 The antenna control system according to claim 1 further comprising a user interface communicating with said main controller to operate said main controller 4 The antenna control system according to claim 2 wherein a user interface transmits data to said main controller to position said down tilt antenna and receives data from said main controller indicating said antenna position 5 The antenna control system according to claim 4
9. further comprising a serial interface connecting said main controller and said antenna controllers 12 The antenna control system according to claim 10 further comprising a parallel interface connecting said main controller to each of said antenna controllers 13 The antenna control system according to claim 10 further comprising a wireless communication interface including a plurality oftransceivers individually connected to respective antenna controllers of said plurality of antenna controllers and a transceiver connected to said main control ler for providing communications between said plurality of antenna controllers and said main controller 14 The antenna control system according to claim 10 further comprising a plurality of antenna controller memo ries wherein each antenna controller memory is respectively US 8 558 739 B2 11 connected to each of said plurality of antenna controllers for storing at least one of an antenna address and said antenna position 15 The antenna control system according to claim 10 further comprising a main controller memory connected to said main controller for storing at least one of an antenna address and said antenna position 16 The antenna system according to claim 10 further comprising a plurality of motors each for adjusting said position of the associated antennas and a driver connected to each of said plurality of motors for driving said plurality of motors 17 An antenna
10. made A rack error signal may be displayed if the array has not operated correctly This will indicate that an operator should inspect the array Adjustment of the array may also be performed remotely Controller 80 may be connected to modem 86 via serial line 87 which may connect via telephone line 88 to a central controller 89 Alternatively the controller 80 may be con nected to a central controller 89 via a radio link etc The functions previously discussed may be effected remotely at central controller 89 In a computer controlled system adjust ments may be made by a computer without operator interven tion In this way the system can be integrated as part of a control strategy for a cellular base station For example a remote control centre 89 may adjust the downtilt of antennas at a cellular base station remotely to adjust the size of the cell in response to traffic demand It will be appreciated that the capability to continuously and remotely control the electrical downtilt of a number of antenna of a cellular base station may be utilised in a number of control strategies Central controller 89 may be a computer such as an IBM compatible PC running a windows based software program A main screen of the program may show information regard ing the antenna under control as follows CURRENT NEW NAME TYPE ANGLE VALUE STATUS GROUP 1 antenna 1 1 south VTOI 12 125 setting antenna 2 1 north VTOI 12 12 5 queued antenna 3
11. magnets 44 pass thereby In this way the number of rotations of shaft 31 may be monitored Limit switches 45 and 46 may be provided so that the motor is prevented from further driving shaft 31 in a given direction if threaded mem ber 34 abuts a lever of limit switch 45 or 46 respectively Operation of the drive means according to the second embodiment will now be described by way of example Motor 41 may rotate shaft 31 in an anticlockwise direction viewed from right to left along shaft 31 Threaded member 37 is driven by second threaded portion 33 to move push rods 47 and 48 to the left and thus to adjust phase shifters 39 and 40 Threaded member 34 is driven to the left at three times the rate ofthreaded member 37 First portion 35 thus moves to the left at three times the rate of second portion 38 First portion 35 therefore moves relative to second portion 38 at twice the speed the first portions of phase shifters 39 and 40 move relative to their respective second portions In this way delays are introduced in the paths to respective radiating elements so as to produce an evenly tilting beam The conductivity of reed switch 43 is monitored so that the number of rotations or part rotations of shaft 31 may be um 0 an 5 20 25 35 40 45 50 55 65 6 monitored If the motor continues driving shaft 31 until threaded member 34 abuts the lever of limit switch 45 then logic circuitry will only permit motor 41 t
12. plurality of phase shifters connected to an array of radiating elements said mechanical adjustment means including first means for moving a first portion of a first phase shifter relative to a second portion of said first phase shifter to vary the phase difference between output signals from the first phase shifter and second means for moving a first portion of a second phase shifter relative to a second portion of said second phase shifter to vary the phase difference between output sig nals from the second phase shifter wherein the second phase shifter is fed from an output of the first phase shifter and the degree of movement of the second means is dependent upon the degree of movement of the first means Preferably movement of the second means results in simultaneous movement of a first portion of a third phase shifter with respect to a second portion of the third phase shifter wherein the third phase shifter is fed from an output of the first phase shifter Preferably the outputs of the second and third phase shifters are connected to radiating elements so as to produce a beam which tilts as the first and second means adjusts the phase shifters Preferably the movement of the first portion of the first phase shifter a first distance relative to the second portion of the first phase shifter results in relative movement between first portions of the second and third phase shifters relative to second portions of the second and third
13. shifter 1 to vary the phase of signal supplied to phase shifters 2 and 3 According to this first embodiment a rack 23 is secured to first portion 8 of phase shifter 1 Upon rotation of gear wheel 24 first portion 8 of phase shifter 1 may be moved to the left or the right A smaller gear wheel 25 is secured to and rotates with gear wheel 24 This gear wheel engages with a rack 26 US 8 558 739 B2 5 provided on carriage 22 A further gear wheel 27 is provided which may be driven to rotate gear wheels 24 and 25 simul taneously Gear wheel 24 has 90 teeth whereas gear wheel 25 has 30 teeth It will therefore be appreciated that rotation of gear wheel 24 results in first portion 8 of phase shifter 1 being moved three times as far as carriage 22 and hence first portions 14 and 15 of phase shifters 2 and 3 However as carriage 22 is moving in the same direction as the first portion 8 of phase shifter 1 it will be appreciated that the relative movement between first portion 8 and second portion 9 of phase shifter 1 is twice that of the relative movement between the first and second portions of phase shifters 2 and 3 Accord ingly this arrangement results in the relative phase shift pro duced by phase shifter 1 being twice that produced by phase shifters 2 and 3 as required to produce even beam tilting in a branched feed arrangement The particular arrangement is shown in more detail in FIGS 2 to 4 It will be appreciated that gear wheel
14. troller to position said antenna and receives data from said main controller indicating said position 33 The method according to claim 22 wherein the tilt position is an electrical down tilt 34 The method according to claim 22 wherein the tilt position is a position of at least one phase shifter koko oko oko
15. 1 west VTOI 12 12 5 queued GROUP 2 antenna 4 2 south VTOI 6 pending antenna 5 2 north VTO1 6 oF nudging antenna 6 2 west VTOI 6 faulty US 8 558 739 B2 9 The antennas may be arranged in groups at each site Group 1 for example contains antennas 1 2 and 3 The following information about each antenna is given Name this is the user assigned name such as 1 south 1 north 1 west etc Type this is the antenna type which the controller commu nicates to the PC at start up Current Angle this is the actual degree of beam tilt of an antenna which is communicated from the controller to the PC at start up The controller also supplies to the PC each antenna s minimum and maximum angles of tilt New Value by moving a pointer to the row of an antenna and clicking a button of a mouse the settings of an antenna may be varied When a user clicks on the mouse the following options may be selected Name the user may change the group or antenna name Adjust a user may enter a new angle in the new value column to set the antenna to a new value Nudge the user may enter a relative value i e increase or decrease the tilt of an antenna by a prede termined amount Measure the controller may be instructed to measure the actual angle of tilt of an antenna or group of antennas If an antenna is in a fault condition then it may not be adjusted and if a user clicks on a mouse when that antenna is highlighted a dialogu
16. 174403 7 1990 5 184 140 A 2 1993 Hariu et al JP 2 290306 11 1990 5 214 364 A 5 1993 Perdue etal wee 318 600 JP 4 286407 10 1992 5 227 806 A 7 1993 Eguchi JP 4 320121 11 1992 5 241 319 A 8 1993 Shimizu JP 4 320122 11 1992 5 274 382 A 12 1993 Wills et al JP 5 37222 2 1993 5 281 974 A 1 1994 Kuramoto et al JP 5 75340 3 1993 5 300 935 A 4 1994 Yu JP 5 121902 5 1993 5 440 318 A 8 1995 Butland et al JP 5 121915 5 1993 5 463 401 A 10 1995 Iwasaki JP 05 121915 5 1993 5 488 737 A 1 1996 Harbin et al JP 5 191129 7 1993 5 504 466 A 4 1996 Chan Son Lint et al JP 6 140985 5 1994 5 512 914 A 4 1996 Hadzoglou et al JP 6 196927 7 1994 5 521 604 A 5 1996 Yamashita JP 8 196927 7 1994 5 551 060 A 8 1996 Fujii et al JP 6 260823 9 1994 5 583 514 A 12 1996 Fulop JP 6 326501 11 1994 5 596 329 A 1 1997 Searle et al vu 342 374 NZ 264864 11 1994 5 610 617 A 3 1997 Gans etal o Wo 3 nc en 5 617 103 A 4 1997 Koscica et al wo WO 89 07837 8 1989 5 621 752 A 4 1997 Antonio et al WO WO 92 16061 9 1992 5 623 270 A 4 1997 Kempkes et al WO WO 93 12587 6 1993 5 661 488 A 8 1997 Kudo WO WO 95 28747 10 1995 5 771 017 A 6 1998 Dean et al 5 801 600 A 9 1998 Butland et al OTHER PUBLICATIONS 5 805 996 A 9 1998 Salmela 5 809 395 A 9 1998 Hamilton Piercy et al Cheston T C Beam Steering of Planar Phased Arrays Phased 5 818 385 A 10 1998 Bartholomew 342 372 Array Antennas Arthur A Oliver ed p 219 220 Artech House 5 860 056 A 1 1999 Pond I
17. 27 may be driven by any appropriate manual or driven means Gear wheel 27 may be adjusted by a knob lever stepper motor or other driven actuator A keeper 28 may be secured in place to prevent movement once the desired settings of the phase shifters have been achieved Referring now to FIGS 5 and 6 a second embodiment will be described As seen in FIG 5 the arrangement is substan tially the same as that shown in the first embodiment except forthe drive mechanism 30 employed which is shown in FIG 6 In this embodiment the drive mechanism includes a shaft 31 having a first threaded portion 32 and a second threaded portion 33 provided thereon A first threaded member 34 is connected to a first portion 35 of primary phase shifter 36 A second threaded member 37 is connected to the second por tion 38 of primary phase shifter 36 First threaded portion 32 is of three times the pitch of second threaded portion 33 e g the pitch ofthe first threaded portion 32 is 6 mm whereas the pitch of the second threaded portion is 2 mm In this way first portion 35 is driven in the direction of movement at three times that of second portion 38 In this way the phase shift produced by primary phase shifter 36 is twice that of second and third phase shifters 39 and 40 Shaft 31 is rotated by motor 41 This may suitably be a geared down 12 volt DC motor The other end of shaft 31 is supported by end bearing 42 A reed switch 43 is provided to detect when
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19. Jr 2 648 000 A 8 1953 White 2 773 254 A 12 1956 Engelmann 2 836 814 A 5 1958 Nail 2 961 620 A 11 1960 Sommers 2 968 808 A 1 1961 Russell Continued FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS AU A 38746 93 7 1993 AU B 38746 93 7 1993 Continued OTHER PUBLICATIONS PCT International Search Report for International Application No PCT US02 01993 which is a related patent application Continued Primary Examiner Dao Phan 74 Attorney Agent or Firm Husch Blackwell LLP 57 ABSTRACT An antenna control system enabling the remote variation of antenna beam tilt A drive means continuously adjusts phase shifters of a feed distribution network to radiating elements to continuously vary antenna beam tilt A controller enables the beam tilt of a number of antenna at a site to be remotely varied 36 Claims 8 Drawing Sheets US 8 558 739 B2 Page 2 56 References Cited DE 3322 986 A 6 1983 DE 3323 234 A 6 1983 U S PATENT DOCUMENTS DE 3323 234 Al 10 1985 EP 137 562 A 10 1983 3 032 759 A 5 1962 Ashby EP 0137562 A2 4 1985 3 032 763 A 5 1962 Sletten EP 0 156 294 A2 10 1985 3 255 450 A 6 1966 Butler EP 241 153 A 4 1986 3 277 481 A 10 1966 Robin et al EP 0241153 B1 10 1987 3 522 558 A 8 1970 Stafford et al EP 357 165 A 8 1988 3 940 770 A 2 1976 Fassett et al EP 398 637 A 5 1989 3 969 729 A 7 1976 Nemit EP 0357165 A2 3 1990 4 129 872 A 12 1978 Toman EP 0398637 A2 11 1990 4 176 354 A 11 1979 Hsiao et al EP 0423512 A2 4 1991
20. and the previously recorded angle of downtilt may be displayed as follows set array tilt array 01 4 6 In this example the previously set angle of downtilt with 4 6 Using the up down keys 84 85 a new angle may be entered Controller 80 may then provide a current to motor 41 via lines 71 and 72 to drive threaded portion 34 in the desired direction to alter the downtilt The opening and closing of reed switch 43 is monitored so that threaded member 34 is moved in the desired direction for a predetermined number of pulses from reed switch 43 The downtilt for any other array may be changed in the same manner if the controlleris locked a user may view an angle of downtilt but will not be able to alter the angle If the measure array option is selected the present angle of downtilt of the antenna may be determined Upon selecting the measure tilt function from the base menu the following display appears measure tilt array 01 X X The up down buttons may be used to select the desired array The enter key will accept the selected array To measure the actual angle of downtilt controller 80 drives a motor 41 of an array to drive member 34 to the right Motor 41 is driven 0 an 5 20 25 40 45 65 8 until threaded member 34 abuts switch 46 The controller 80 counts the number of pulses from reed switch 43 to determine how far threaded portion 34 has traveled At the extreme right position the control
21. az United States Patent Heinz et al US008558739B2 US 8 558 739 B2 Oct 15 2013 10 Patent No 45 Date of Patent 54 ANTENNA CONTROL SYSTEM 75 Inventors William Emil Heinz Wellington NZ Mathias Martin Ernest Ehlen Wellington NZ 73 Assignee Andrew LLC Hickory NC US Notice Subject to any disclaimer the term of this patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U S C 154 b by 2918 days This patent is subject to a terminal dis claimer 21 Appl No 10 025 155 22 Filed Dec 18 2001 65 Prior Publication Data US 2002 0113750 A1 Aug 22 2002 Related U S Application Data 63 Continuation of application No 09 713 614 filed on Nov 15 2000 now Pat No 6 346 924 which is a continuation of application No 08 817 445 filed on Apr 30 1997 now Pat No 6 198 458 30 Foreign Application Priority Data N YV24 11994 INZ 5 ierit tens 264864 Aug 15 1995 NZ spinanie 272778 51 Int CI H01Q 3 00 2006 01 52 U S CI USPC tt ttiag 342 359 342 74 343 766 58 Field of Classification Search USPC ur 342 74 359 368 372 343 763 766 See application file for complete search history 56 References Cited U S PATENT DOCUMENTS 2 041 600 A 5 1936 Friis 2 239 775 A 4 1941 Bruce 2 245 660 A 6 1941 Feldman et al 2 247 666 A 7 1941 Potter 2 432 134 A 12 1947 Bagnall 2 502 359 A 3 1950 Wheeler 2 540 696 A 2 1951 Smith Jr 2 596 966 A 5 1952 Lindsay
22. control system for controlling a plurality of antennas located on a tower each antenna having a position said antenna control system comprising a plurality of sensors each sensor associated with one of said plurality of antennas for detecting said antenna positions a plurality of antenna controllers each connected to a respective one of said plurality of sensors for reading said detected antenna positions and for adjusting said antenna positions based on said detected antenna posi tions and a main controller communicating with said plurality of antenna controllers for controlling said plurality of antenna controllers to adjust said antenna positions 18 An antenna control system according to claim 17 wherein said main controller is remotely located from said plurality of antenna controllers 19 An antenna control system according to claim 17 wherein said main controller is remotely located from said tower 20 The antenna control system according to claim 17 further comprising a plurality of motor driving assemblies for adjusting said antenna positions wherein each of said plurality of motor driving assemblies are controlled by respective ones of said plurality of antenna controllers 21 The antenna control system according to claim 20 wherein the motor driving assemblies comprise a gear train of phase shifters to steer radiation emitted from said antennas a stepper motor to drive said gear train of phase shifters a gear s
23. d the controller may adjust the downtilt for the plurality of antennas and store the degree of downtilt of each antenna in memory Preferably the controller may be controlled remotely from a control centre so that a plurality of such systems may be remotely controlled as part of a control strategy for a number of cellular base stations Preferably the electromechanical means varies the electri cal downtilt of each antenna and means are included for monitoring the electromechanical means and providing sig nals representative of the position of the electromechanical means to the controller BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying draw ings in which FIG 1 shows a panel antenna incorporating a phase shifter drive mechanism according to a first embodiment of the invention FIG 2 illustrates a primary phase shifter incorporating a gear rack FIG 3 illustrates an exploded view of the adjustment assembly incorporated into the carriage FIG 4 shows diagrammatically the operation of the drive mechanism according to the first embodiment FIG 5 shows a panel antenna incorporating a phase shifter drive mechanism according to a second embodiment of the invention 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 4 FIG 6 shows the phase shifter drive mechanism of FIG 5 in detail FIG 7 shows the electrical connection o
24. ded at the base of an antenna site to allow an operator to adjust the tilt of a plurality of antennas at ground level rather than requiring a serviceman to climb up the antenna structure 92 and adjust each antenna manually Alternatively controller 80 may be a hand held unit which can be plugged into a connector at the base of an antenna to adjust the antenna at a site Controller 80 may include a display 81 an escape button 82 an enter button 83 an up button 84 and down button 85 At power up display 81 may simply display a home menu such as Deltec NZ Ltd 1995 Upon pressing any key a base menu may be displayed including options such as unlock controls set array tilt measure tilt enable array disable array lock controls The up down keys may be used to move through the menu and the enter key 83 used to select an option If unlock controls is selected a user will then be required to enter a three digit code The up down keys may be used to move through the numbers 0 to 9 and enter used to select each number If the correct code is entered locked released appears If the incorrect code is entered controls locked appears and a user is returned to the home menu If set array tilt is selected from the base menu the following may appear set array tilt array 01 X X The up down keys 84 85 may be used to select the desired array number The enter key accepts the selected array
25. direction Beam tilt may be produced in any desired direction Another particular feature of the variable differential phase shifters is that they provide a continuous phase adjustment in 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 2 contrast with the more conventional stepped phase adjust ments normally found in PIN diode or stepped length delay line phase shifters In a panel antenna of the type presently under consider ation it is desirable to adjust the entire phase shifter array simultaneously so that a desired is degree of beam tilt may be set by the adjustment of a single mechanical setting means The mechanical drive which performs such an adjustment must result in reproducible downtilt angles and be able to be adapted to provide for a number of different phase shifter array configurations It is also desirable that the beam tilt of an antenna may be varied remotely to avoid the need for personnel to climb a structure to adjust antenna beam tilt DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Itis an object of the present invention to provide a mechani cal drive system for use in adjusting mechanical phase shifters which mitigates the abovementioned difficulties pro vides a solution to the design requirements of the antennas or antenna arrays described above or at least provides the public with a useful choice Accordingly there is provided a mechanical adjustment means for adjusting the relative phase shifts produced by a
26. e box will appear instructing the user to clear the fault before adjusting the antenna Each antenna also includes a field indicating the status of the antenna as follows O K the antenna is functioning normally Queued an instruction to read measure set or nudge the antenna has been queued until the controller is ready Reading when information about an antenna is being read from the controller Measuring when the actual degree of tilt ofthe antenna is being measured Setting when a new tilt angle is being set Nudging when the tilt angle of the antenna is being nudged Faulty where an antenna is faulty When adjusting measuring or nudging an antenna a further dialogue box may appear describing the action that has been instructed and asking a user to confirm that the action should be taken This safeguards against undesired commands being carried out Information for a site may be stored in a file which can be recalled when the antenna is to be monitored or adjusted again It will be appreciated that the software may be modi fied for any required control application Controller 80 may be a fixed controller installed in the base of an antenna site or could be a portable control unit which is plugged into connectors from control lines 78 Where in the foregoing description reference has been made to integers or components having known equivalents then such equivalents are herein incorporated as if individu ally set
27. f the motor switches and reed switch of the drive mechanism shown in FIG 6 FIG 8 shows a controller for controlling the drive mecha nism shown in FIGS 6 and 7 FIG 9 shows an antenna system according to one aspect of the present invention having a plurality of antennas controlled by a controller BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Referring to FIG 1 there is shown the back side of a panel antenna 4 having a first phase shifter 1 a second phase shifter 2 a third phase shifter 3 and a phase shifter drive mechanism 5 Feed line 6 is connected to input 7 of phase shifter 1 A first portion 8 of phase shifter 1 is moveable relative to a second portion 9 of phase shifter 1 Output signals from phase shifter 1 are supplied via lines 10 and 11 to inputs 12 and 13 of phase shifters 2 and 3 respectively Feed lines 10 and 11 comprise coaxial push rods which serve the functions both of feeding signals from the outputs of phase shifter 1 to phase shifters 2 and 3 and moving first portions 14 and 15 of phase shifters 2 and 3 relative to second portion 16 and 17 of phase shifters 2 and 3 respec tively Signals output from phase shifters 2 and 3 are supplied via coaxial lines 18 19 20 and 21 to be fed to respective radiating elements not shown In use first portion 8 of phase shifter 1 may be moved relative to second portion 9 of phase shifter 1 to change the relative phase of signals supplied via lines 10 and 11 to phase shifters
28. haft disposed between said gear train and said stepper motor and a stepper motor driver for powering said stepper motor 22 A method of positioning a down tilt antenna in an antenna control system used in land based mobile communi cations said antenna control system including a main con troller an antenna controller an antenna motor driver assem bly and a sensor said method comprising A establishing a current position of said down tilt antenna by 1 sending an antenna check command to said antenna controller 11 reading a tilt position stored in a memory of said antenna controller and iii sending the tilt position read from said memory to said main controller and B adjusting the tilt of the down tilt antenna by 1 sending a change tilt command to said main control ler 11 calculating a difference between said tilt position and said change tilt command to determine an antenna adjust command and Gii sending said antenna adjust command to said antenna motor driver assembly to adjust the tilt of the down tilt antenna 5 20 25 40 45 50 55 60 65 12 23 The method according to claim 22 wherein step B further comprises iv reading the newly adjusted tilt position of said antenna via said sensor and v writing said newly adjusted tilt position as said tilt position in said memory of said antenna controller 24 A method of performing a system check on a tilt antenna contr
29. iodes to vary the phase of a signal transmitted through the feeder network A further means for varying the phase of two signals is described in PCT NZ94 00107 whose disclosure is incorpo rated herein by reference This specification describes a mechanically operated variable differential phase shifter incorporating one input and two outputs For the present purposes it is sufficient to note that phase shifters such as those described in PCT NZ94 00107 are adjusted mechanically by sliding an external sleeve along the body of the phase shifter which alters the relative phase of the signals at the phase shifter outputs Atypical panel antenna will incorporate one or more phase shifters and the present particular embodiment includes three phase shifters A signal is input to the primary phase shifter which splits the signal into two signals having a desired phase relationship Each phase shifted signal is then input into a secondary phase shifter whose outputs feeds at least one radiating element In this manner a progressive phase shift can be achieved across the entire radiating element array thus providing a means for electrically adjusting the downtilt of the radiated beam Other phase distributions are possible depending on the application and shape of the radiated beam While the steering action is discussed in the context of downtilt of the radiated beam it is to be understood that the present detailed description is not limited to such a
30. ler 80 determines and displays the angle of downtilt calculated in accordance with the number of pulses connected from reed switch 43 The controller 80 then drives threaded member 34 back in the opposite direction for the same number of pulses from reed switch 43 so that it returns to the same position The angle of downtilt for each antenna may be stored in memory of controller 80 This value will be updated whenever the actual angle of downtilt is measured in this way The measure tilt function may not be used if the controller is locked Controller 80 may include tables in memory containing the number of pulses from reed switch 43 that must be counted for threaded member 34 to achieve each desired degree of downtilt This may be stored as a table containing the number of pulses for each required degree of downtilt which may be in 0 1 steps This approach ensures that any non linearities of the antenna may be compensated for as the tables will give the actual amount of movement required to achieve a desired downtilt for a given antenna The enable array function may be used to enable each array when installed The controller 80 will be prevented from moving any array that has not been enabled Controller 80 will record in memory which arrays have been enabled The disable array function may be used to disable arrays in a similar manner The lock controls function may be used to lock the con troller once adjustment has been
31. n controller 14 35 An antenna control system comprising a sensor for detecting a position of components used to down tilt an antenna and by this action determine the down tilt of the antenna wherein the position of the down tilt antenna is an electri 5 ap antenna controller communicating with said sensor for s down tilt i 7 controlling said antenna position atte SDN control systemcompri ing a main controller communicating with said antenna con a sensor for detecting a position of a down tilt antenna kn troller in order to control said antenna controller without respect to a satellite position 2 I3 19 Mr wherein said main controller is remotely located from an antenna controller communicating with said sensor for 10 NOME said antenna controlling said antenna position inter icati ith said mai troll a main controller communicating with said antenna con a n sp E NERA zu NI A MAN CONTONE troller in order to control said antenna controller and 9 Me e n nes CONTO er an di id ant a user interface communicating with said main controller anam elit Do E icu i MR B Sal Rove to operate said main controller controller for storing at least one of an antenna address wherein the position of the down tilt antenna is a position of at least one phase shifter and said antenna position 36 The antenna control system according to claim 35 wherein the user interface transmits data to said main con
32. nc 1992 6 198 458 Bl 3 2001 Heinz et al Lovis Dietrich Structure and emission properties of an electroni 6 346 924 B1 2 2002 Heinz etal 343 853 cally controlled secondary radar antenna NIG Technical Reports V 57 p 161 165 Bad Neuheim conference Mar 8 11 1997 FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS Strickland Peter Microstrip Base Station Antennas for Cellular Communications IEEE CH2944 7 91 0000 0166 p 166 171 AU 4162593 A 1 1994 1991 AU B 41625 93 1 1994 900 MHz Base Station Antennas for Mobile Communication AU B 80057 94 5 1995 Kathrein US 8 558 739 B2 Page 3 56 References Cited OTHER PUBLICATIONS Variable Elevation Beam Aerial Systems for 11 2 Metres Journal IEE Part IIA vol 93 1946 Bacon G E Radar Antennas Bell Systems Technical Journal vol 28 Apr 1947 pp 219 to 317 Friis H T and Lewis W D The Sydney University Cross Type Radio Telescope Proceedings of the IRE Australia Feb 1963 pp 156 to 165 Mills B Y et al Microwave Scanning Systems published about 1985 pp 48 to 131 Low Sidelobe and Titled Beam Base Station Antennas for Smaller Cell Systems published in or about 1989 Yarriada amp Kijima NTT Radio Communication Systems Laboratories pp 138 to 141 Electrical Downtilt Through Beam Steering versus Mechanical Downtilt G Wilson published May 18 1992 pp 1 4 Mobile Telephone Panel Array MTPA Antenna Field Adjustable Downtilt Model
33. o drive in the opposite direction Likewise if threaded member 34 abuts the lever of limit switch 46 the motor 41 will only be permitted to drive in the opposite direction It will be appreciated that the techniques of both embodi ments could be employed in antenna arrays using a larger number of phase shifters In such applications the relative movement of the first portion of each phase shifter relative to the second portion of each phase shifter would decreased by a factor of 2 for each successive phase shifter along each branch The ratios used may be varied if the radiation pattern ofthe antenna needs to be altered to account for the directivity ofthe individual radiating elements and the effect of the back panel as the amount of downtilt is varied Components of the drive mechanism 30 are preferably formed of plastics where possible to reduce intermodula tion Threaded members 34 and 37 preferably include plastic links to phase shifter 36 to reduce intermodulation It will be appreciated that a number of mechanical drive arrangements may be used to achieve adjustment of the phase shifters in the desired ratio It is also to be appreciated that sophisticated control electronics may be employed although the simplicity of construction ofthe present invention is seen as an advantage FIG 7 shows how motor 41 reed switch 43 and switches 45 and 46 are connected to lines 71 72 76 and 77 from an external controller Lines 71 72 76 and 77
34. o the first portion of the first phase shifter The second means includes a second threaded portion provided on said shaft and a second cooperating threaded member connected to the first portion of the second phase shifter The arrangement is such that rota tion of the shaft causes the first portion of the first phase shifter to move relative to the second portion of the first phase shifter at a rate of about twice that of the movement of the first portion of the second phase shifter relative to the second portion of the second phase shifter Preferably the second threaded member is connected to the second portion of the first phase shifter and moves the first portion of the second phase shifter via a push rod This push rod is preferably a coaxial line connecting an output from the first phase shifter to the input to the second phase shifter Preferably there is further provided a third phase shifter fed from a second output of the first phase shifter via a push rod which moves a first portion of the third phase shifter in unison with the first portion of the second phase shifter According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an antenna system comprising one or more antenna including electromechanical means for varying the downtilt of the antenna and a controller external to the antenna for supplying drive signals to the electromechanical means for adjusting downtilt Preferably the system includes a plurality of antennas an
35. ol system having a main controller a plurality of antenna controllers and a user interface said method com prising A requesting a system check by a user via said user interface B transmitting an antenna check command from said main controller to an addressed one of said plurality of antenna controllers C returning an antenna position from said addressed antenna controller to said main controller and D determining whether the addressed antenna controller responded 25 An antenna control system comprising a sensor for detecting a position of a down tilt antenna without respect to a satellite position an antenna controller communicating with said sensor for controlling said antenna position a main controller communicating with said antenna con troller in order to control said antenna controller and a user interface communicating with said main controller to operate said main controller wherein the user interface transmits data to said main con troller to position said down tilt antenna and receives data from said main controller indicating said antenna position 26 The antenna control system according to claim 25 wherein said main controller informs said user interface that said main controller is unable to communicate with said antenna controller 27 The antenna control system according to claim 25 wherein said main controller informs said user interface that itis unable to adjust said antenna position to a
36. phase shifters of about twice the first distance According to a first preferred embodiment the first means includes a gear wheel which drives a rack connected to a first portion of the first phase shifter arranged so that rotation of the first gear wheel causes the first portion of the first phase shifter to move relative to the second portion of the first phase shifter Preferably the second portion of the first phase shifter is mounted to a carriage and the outputs of the first phase shifter are connected to inputs of the second and third phase shifters by push rods so that movement of the second portion of the first phase shifter moves the first portions of the second and third phase shifters with respect to the second portions of the second and third phase shifters US 8 558 739 B2 3 Preferably a second gear is provided co axial with and connected to a shaft driving the first gear which drives a rack connected to the second part of the first phase shifter so that rotation of the second gear causes movement of the first portion of the second and third phase shifters relative to the second portions of the second and third phase shifters Preferably the ratio between the first and second gear wheels is about 3 1 According to a second embodiment of the present inven tion the adjustment means includes a shaft and said first means includes a first threaded portion provided on said shaft and a first cooperating threaded member connected t
37. s published in Australia on or about May 4 1994 Mobile Telephone and Panel Array MTPA Antenna VARITILT Continuously Variable Electrical Downtilt Models including speci fications sheet published in Australia on or about Sep 1994 Supplementary European Search Report for Application No EP 95 93 3674 dated Jan 9 1999 International Search Report for PCT NZ 95 00106 mailed Jan 23 1998 2006 Notification of Acceptance of the Request for Invalidation re CN 95 196 544 1 English translation Jun 14 2007 Decision on Examination of the Request for Invalida tion re CN Appl No 95 196 544 1 w English translation 2008 Decision of Beijing First Intermediate Court of People s Republic of China re CN Appl No CN 95 196 544 1 w English summary 2008 Administrative Judgment of Beijing Higher Court re CN Appl No CN Appl No CN 95 196 544 1 English translation Apr 20 11 Notification of Acceptance of the Request for Invalidation re CN 02 118 420 8 English translation G E Bacon Variable Elevation Beam Aerial Systems for 1 ometers Journal IEE vol 93 Feb 11 1946 G A E Crone et al Technology Advances in Reconfigurable Con toured Beam Reflector Antennas in Europe Proc 13 AIAA Int l Conference on Communications Satellite Systems pp 255 263 1990 H T Friis et al Radar Antennas The Bell System Technical Jour nal vol XXVI No 2 pp 218 317 Apr 1947 B Heath Design Specification
38. select an initial angle of downtilt threaded member 34 may be driven to the extreme right An external controller may provide a current in one direction to motor 41 to drive member 34 to the right The motor will continue to be driven to the right until threaded portion 34 abuts switch 46 When switch 46 is opened diode 75 will be open circuited which will prevent the motor being driven further to the right The controller will sense that threaded member 34 is at its extreme right position as it will detect that reed switch 43 is not opening and closing After a predetermined delay the controller may then provide a current in the opposite direction via lines 71 and 72 to motor 41 to drive it to the left As the motor is driven to the left the controller will monitor the US 8 558 739 B2 7 opening and closing of reed switch 43 to determine how far threaded member 34 has moved to the left The controller will continue to move threaded member 34 to the left until reed switch 43 has opened and closed a predetermined number of times corresponding to a desired angle of downtilt Alterna tively threaded member 34 may be driven to the extreme left and then back to the right As shown in FIG 9 at an antenna site a number of such panels 90 may be installed and controlled by a single control ler 80 as shown in FIG 8 The four wires 71 72 76 and 77 correspond to respective cable groups 78 to three such antenna panels Controller 80 may be provi
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