Antenna and sector frame mounting system

Abstract

An antenna mounting system, the antenna mounting system having: a three-sector mounting assembly configured to be mounted to an antenna tower or a single pole; a plurality of horizontal bars mounted to the antenna tower or to the single bar, with at least two horizontal bars spaced apart in a longitudinal direction for each of the three sectors; and a plurality of antennas, at least two antennas per sector, each antenna having one or more mounting structures directly attached to respective two of the plurality of horizontal bars. The only used vertical rod is spaced apart from the antenna. The antenna may be a base station antenna, optionally having an active antenna unit.

Description

[0001] Related applications

[0002] This patent application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63 / 480,218, filed January 17, 2023, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates generally to antenna mounting systems and, more particularly, to mobile communication site mounting systems. Background Art

[0004] Various types of towers have been constructed for the purpose of supporting one or more antennas, such as those used to broadcast television and radio signals. Some towers are specifically designed for transmitting and receiving cellular telephone signals and other types of radio frequency (RF) signals. Typically, RF towers are tall, self-supporting structures of one of two types: lattice towers and tubular monopole towers.

[0005] RF towers are typically designed to allow personnel to climb to the top and remain there to install and / or repair RF antennas (e.g., cellular antennas) and other equipment connected to the tower. Platforms are often installed near the top of RF towers (e.g., cellular towers) to support personnel who may be responsible for installing and / or maintaining RF antennas (e.g., cellular antennas). Such platforms are designed to support the weight of a person and can also be used to support multiple RF antennas.

[0006] An exemplary platform is described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2011 / 0279347 to Pass et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety. The platform described by Pass et al. is a so-called "six-sector" platform. Most antenna arrangements include antennas pointing away from the tower in three different directions, 120 degrees apart. Recently, to increase antenna density, some six-sector arrangements have been deployed, in which antennas are directed in six different directions, 60 degrees apart.

[0007] Many sector frames include both horizontal and vertical poles, and the antennas are attached directly to the vertical poles at three locations.

[0008] The sector frame can be designed or use a combination of horizontal and vertical support poles and provide a platform for easy installation / maintenance.See US Patent No. 11,462,813 to Palmer et al., the contents of which are also incorporated herein in their entirety.

[0009] Many sector frames and antenna mounting systems are provided as site-specific configurations using parts from various manufacturers, resulting in little standardization and a relatively large number of parts, which can result in added weight, sources of PIM, etc. With the advent of 5G base station antennas, the weight and loads introduced by these units may require some towers to be modified to accommodate the additional weight, which can be costly.

[0010] Based on the foregoing, it may be desirable to provide a sector frame and base station antenna mounting configuration that facilitates installation and reduces required parts and weight, capable of mounting two to three antennas per sector. Summary of the Invention

[0011] As a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention relate to an integrated antenna mounting system configured to be coupled to a (single-pole) tower or other target mounting structure. The mounting system may include three sets of horizontal poles, one set for each of three sectors. The system may include two to three antennas (optionally base station antennas) directly attached to each of the three sets (pairs) of horizontal poles.

[0012] Other embodiments provide a sector framework for one or two sectors instead of three sectors.

[0013] Antenna mounting systems can be mounted to a roof, wall, pole or tower.

[0014] The mounting system may have no vertical mounting poles attached directly to the (base station) antennas, whereby the horizontal poles provide the structural mounting interface for the antennas and any vertical poles provide structural support but are spaced apart from the antennas.

[0015] Each base station antenna may include an active antenna module behind the base station antenna radome and in front of a corresponding set of horizontal poles.

[0016] The active antenna module may be configured to be attached to a base station antenna.

[0017] The active antenna module may be configured to be attached to one of the pairs of horizontal poles directly or indirectly via a second, shorter horizontal pole below one of the pairs of horizontal poles.

[0018] The platform may be coupled to a mounting member of a mounting system.

[0019] The mounting system may be configured without a platform.

[0020] Embodiments of the present invention relate to an antenna mounting system comprising: a three-sector mounting assembly configured to be mounted to an antenna tower or a monopole and having a plurality of horizontal poles configured to be mounted to the antenna tower or the monopole, at least two horizontal poles being longitudinally spaced apart for each of three sectors; and a plurality of antennas, at least two antennas for each sector, each antenna comprising one or more mounting structures directly attached to respective two of the plurality of horizontal poles.

[0021] At least some of the antennas may be base station antennas.

[0022] At least some of the base station antennas may have respective active antenna modules located behind base station antenna radomes of the base station antennas and in front of respective pairs of horizontal poles.

[0023] The active antenna module may be configured to be attached to a corresponding base station antenna, thereby being attached to the horizontal pole only via a mounting structure attached to the antenna and the horizontal pole.

[0024] The active antenna module may be configured to be attached directly or indirectly to one of the horizontal poles.

[0025] The system may include a platform coupled to at least some of the horizontal rods.

[0026] The system may include a vertical pole attached to the plurality of horizontal poles only at locations spaced apart from the antenna.

[0027] The three-sector mounting assembly may be configured to be located at a top portion of the antenna tower or monopole.

[0028] Other aspects of the present invention relate to a method for mounting an antenna to a target mounting structure. The method includes providing an antenna having a mounting structure attached to a rear surface thereof; providing a three-sector mounting assembly, the three-sector mounting assembly comprising at least six horizontal poles; attaching two to three of the antennas to respective two of the six horizontal poles to provide an integrated antenna and three-sector mounting assembly; lifting the integrated antenna and three-sector mounting assembly to a suitable location on a tower or a pole; and attaching the integrated antenna and three-sector mounting assembly to the tower or pole.

[0029] The antenna may be or include a base station antenna.

[0030] At least some of the base station antennas may have active antenna elements.

[0031] Still other aspects of the present invention relate to an antenna mounting system comprising: a mounting assembly configured to be mounted to a target structure and having a plurality of horizontal poles configured to be mounted to the target structure, at least two of the horizontal poles being spaced apart in a longitudinal direction; and a plurality of antennas, each antenna having one or more mounting structures directly attached to corresponding two of the plurality of horizontal poles.

[0032] At least some of the antennas may be base station antennas.

[0033] At least some of the base station antennas may have respective active antenna modules located behind the base station antenna radome and in front of the respective pair of horizontal poles.

[0034] The system may include a platform coupled to at least some of the horizontal rods.

[0035] The system may include a vertical pole attached to the plurality of horizontal poles only at locations spaced apart from the antenna.

[0036] The mounting assembly may be configured to be located at a top portion of an antenna tower or a monopole as the target structure.

[0037] The mounting structure may have a vertical member having a curved contact surface facing and abutting the respective horizontal rod. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] Figure 1A is a side perspective view of a portion of an antenna mounting system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 1B for Figure 1A A side perspective view of a larger portion of the antenna mounting system shown in FIG.

[0040] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a perspective schematic diagram of another embodiment of an antenna mounting assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Side view of the antenna mounting assembly.

[0042] Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a perspective diagram of a portion of an antenna mounting assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 5 is a perspective view of a three-sector antenna and sector mounting assembly having two base station antennas per sector in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 6 is a perspective view of a three-sector antenna and sector mounting assembly having three base station antennas per sector in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. However, the invention can be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

[0046] Throughout the text, like numbers refer to like elements.In the drawings, the thickness of certain lines, layers, components, elements or features may be exaggerated for clarity.

[0047] The terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the same meanings as those generally understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. It will also be understood that the terms such as those defined in common dictionaries should be interpreted as having the same meaning as their meaning in the context of the specification and the related art, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal form, unless specifically defined herein. For the sake of brevity and / or clarity, well-known functions or structures may not be described in detail.

[0048] 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 also be understood that when used in this specification, the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising" specify the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or parts, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, parts, and / or combinations thereof. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, phrases such as "between X and Y" and "between about X and Y" should be interpreted to include X and Y. As used herein, phrases such as "between about X and Y" mean "between about X and about Y." As used herein, phrases such as "from about X to Y" mean "from about X to about Y."

[0049] It will be understood that when an element is described as being "on," "attached" to, "connected" to, "coupled to," "contacting," etc., another element, it can be directly on, directly attached to, directly connected to, directly coupled to, or directly contacting the other element, or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being, for example, "directly on," "directly attached" to, "directly connected" to, "directly coupled" to, or "directly contacting" another element, there are no intervening elements. Those skilled in the art will also understand that references to structures or features being disposed "adjacent" another feature can have portions overlapping or underlying the adjacent feature.

[0050] For ease of description, spatially relative terms, such as "below," "under," "lower," "above," "on the side," "left," "right," etc., may be used herein to describe the relationship of one element or feature to another element or features as shown in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that in addition to the orientation shown in the figures, spatially relative terms are intended to cover different orientations of the device in use or operation. For example, if the device in the drawings is turned over, elements described as "below" or "beneath" other elements or features will be oriented as "above" the other elements or features. The device can be oriented in other ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the descriptions of relative spatial relationships used herein should be interpreted accordingly.

[0051] Additionally, as used herein, the terms "horizontal" and "vertical" are intended to encompass structures that may vary by small amounts (eg, 5-10 degrees) from a precisely horizontal or vertical orientation.

[0052] It should also be understood that as used herein, the terms "example," "exemplary," and their derivatives are intended to refer to non-limiting examples and / or variant embodiments discussed herein, and are not intended to indicate that one or more embodiments discussed herein are preferred over one or more other embodiments.

[0053] Referring now to the drawings, there is shown an antenna mounting assembly 10. When used as a three-sector mounting system, the mounting assembly 10 includes a plurality of horizontal rods 20, with at least two horizontal rods (20) in each of the three sectors S1, S2, S3. Figure 3Typically, a pair 20p of horizontal poles 20 are used to mount at least two laterally spaced-apart antennas 100. That is, each antenna 100 is mounted directly to at least one horizontal pole, shown as a first horizontal pole 201 and a second horizontal pole 202 spaced apart longitudinally, rather than being mounted directly to a vertical pole 30. When in use, the vertical poles 30 can provide structural support for the mounting assembly 10 but are spaced apart from each antenna 100. The vertical poles 30 can also provide longitudinal positional adjustment for the horizontal poles 20, and therefore for the base station antennas 100.

[0054] It is also contemplated that the antenna mounting system 10 may be configured for a single sector or dual sector arrangement and / or for a rooftop or wall mounted structure.

[0055] refer to Figure 1A 、 1B , 2, 5 and 6, it is not necessary to align the vertical pole 30 with the longitudinally extending centerline of the housing 100h. In addition, the vertical pole 30 is not used for direct attachment to the base station antenna 100, and the base station antenna 100 can be attached to the two horizontal poles 201 and 202 using two mounting connections instead of three mounting connections, each of which can eliminate weight and reduce the PIM area relative to conventional mounting systems.

[0056] The antenna 100 may be a base station antenna or other antennas. If it is a base station antenna 100 , it may be a separate passive antenna without an active antenna, or it may include an active antenna unit 110 .

[0057] The antenna 100 can have a mounting structure 115 having an elongated member 115m attached to the first horizontal rod 201 and the second horizontal rod 202. The elongated member 115m can have a curved abutment surface 115c that slidably contacts the rods across a shaped channel 115u, which can be an open channel, such as a generally "U" shaped channel.

[0058] refer to Figure 1A One or more top attachment members 120 and one or more bottom attachment members 122 may be used to attach the mounting structure 115, and thus the antenna housing 100h, to the longitudinally spaced horizontal poles 201, 202.

[0059] like Figure 1A and 1B As shown in FIG, a coupling structure 25 may be used to attach the end portions of adjacent horizontal rods 20. The coupling structure 25 may be a planar metal bracket or have other configurations.

[0060] The radius of curvature of the curved abutment surface 115 c of the mounting structure 115 may be the same as or different from the radius of curvature of the horizontal rod(s) 201 , 202 .

[0061] Figure 1A It is shown that the curved surface 115c may extend rearwardly to terminate thereat at or forward of the axially extending centerline of the horizontal rods 201 , 202 . Figure 5 and 6 The curved surface 115c is shown to extend rearwardly to terminate therein flush with or rearward of the axially extending centerlines of the horizontal rods 201 , 202 .

[0062] refer to Figure 1A and 1B , an optional platform 40 (e.g., a metal mesh platform) may be attached directly to at least one of the horizontal rods 20 using mounting brackets 44. Figure 1B As shown in , one side of the platform 40 may be attached to one pole 20 , while the other side may have arms 40 extending inwardly to support brackets 48 that are coupled to the outer surface of the tower or pole 12 .

[0063] Figure 2 and 3 is a schematic illustration of another embodiment of a mounting system 10 having a horizontal pole 20 attached to a corresponding antenna 100. A mounting structure 115' may be provided by cooperating hooks 115h and latches 117.

[0064] Figure 4 1 is a schematic diagram showing that the active antenna unit 110 can be attached to one of the horizontal poles 20 via the second shorter pole 21 and using a hook 110h or other attachment member. The active antenna unit 110 can be directly attached to one of the horizontal poles 20 and does not need to be attached to the corresponding base station antenna housing 100h.

[0065] Figure 5 The mounting system 10 is shown as a three-sector mounting system 10, wherein two base station antennas 100 are directly held by respective two of the six horizontal poles 20, with mounting structures 115 providing corresponding attachments thereto. Vertical poles 30 may be attached to the ends of adjacent horizontal poles 20.

[0066] Figure 6 The mounting system 10 is shown as a three-sector mounting system 10, wherein three base station antennas 100 are directly held by respective two of the six horizontal poles 20, with mounting structures 115 providing corresponding attachments thereto. The ends of adjacent and horizontally aligned horizontal poles 20 may be spaced apart and unattached to define free ends 20f.

[0067] Figure 5 and 6It is also shown that the platform 40 may not be required and that a pole mount / clamp may be used to secure the mount assembly 10 to the tower.

[0068] It is contemplated that the antenna 100 can be mounted to a target mounting structure in a manner that provides for easier installation and less airtime requirements for the installer relative to conventional mounting systems, particularly for three-sector base station antenna systems. The method may include providing an antenna having a mounting structure attached to a rear surface thereof; providing a three-sector mounting assembly comprising six horizontal poles; attaching two to three of the antennas to respective two of the six horizontal poles to provide an integrated antenna mounting assembly; lifting the integrated antenna and mounting assembly to a suitable location on a tower or pole; and attaching the integrated antenna mounting assembly to the tower or pole.

[0069] Turn again Figure 1A and 1B , an exemplary antenna is shown as an exemplary base station antenna 100 according to certain embodiments of the present invention. In the following description, the base station antenna 100 will be described using the following terms, which assume that the base station antenna 100 is mounted for use on a tower, pole, or other mounting structure, wherein the longitudinal axis L of the base station antenna 100 extends along a vertical axis, the front of the base station antenna 100 is mounted opposite the tower, pole, or other mounting structure directed toward the target coverage area of the base station antenna 100, and the rear 100r of the base station antenna 100 faces the tower or other mounting structure. It should be understood that the base station antenna 100 may not always be mounted so that its longitudinal axis L extends along the vertical axis. For example, the base station antenna 100 may be slightly tilted relative to the vertical axis (e.g., less than 10°) so that the resulting antenna beams formed by the base station antenna 100 each have a small mechanical downtilt.

[0070] The base station antenna 100 may be coupled to or include at least one active antenna module 110. The term "active antenna module" is used interchangeably with "active antenna unit," "AAU," and "active antenna" and refers to a cellular communication unit that includes radio circuitry and associated radiating elements. The radio circuitry is capable of electronically adjusting the amplitude and / or phase of subcomponents of RF signals output to different radiating elements of an array or group thereof. The active antenna module 110 includes radio circuitry and radiating elements (e.g., a multiple-input, multiple-output (mMIMO) beamforming antenna array) and may include other components such as filters, calibration networks, antenna interface signal group (AISG) controllers, and the like. The active antenna module 110 can be provided as a single integrated unit or as a plurality of stackable units, including, for example, a first subunit and a second subunit, such as a radio subunit (box) having a radio circuit system and an antenna subunit (box) having a multi-column array of radiating elements, wherein the first subunit and the second subunit are stackably attached together in the front-to-back direction of the base station antenna 100, wherein the radiating element 1195 is closer to the front radome 111f of the housing 100h / radome 111 of the base station antenna 100 than the radio circuit system unit 1120. In some embodiments, the radiating element 1195 may include a subunit separate from the radio circuit system, and the radiating element subunit may be installed within the base station antenna 100 rather than externally. The AAU radiating element 1195 may be provided as an mMIMO radiating element or include an mMIMO radiating element.

[0071] The base station antenna 100 includes an antenna assembly 190, which may be referred to as a "passive antenna assembly." The term "passive antenna assembly" refers to an antenna assembly having arrays of radiating elements that are coupled to a radio device external to the antenna, typically a remote device mounted proximate to the base station antenna 100. The arrays of radiating elements included in the passive antenna assembly 190 are configured to form static antenna beams (e.g., antenna beams each configured to cover a sector of the base station). The passive antenna assembly 190 may include a reflector having radiating elements protruding in front of the reflector, and the radiating elements may include one or more linear arrays of low-band radiating elements operating in all or part of the 617-960 MHz frequency band and / or one or more linear arrays of mid-band radiating elements operating in all or part of the 1427-2690 MHz frequency band. The passive antenna assembly 190 is mounted in the housing 100h of the base station antenna 100, and one or more active antenna modules 110 may optionally be releasably (detachably) coupled (e.g., directly or indirectly attached) to the base station antenna 100. See, e.g., U.S. Patent No. 11,482,774 and U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 17 / 787,619, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.

[0072] The base station antenna 100 includes a housing 100h. The housing 100h can be substantially rectangular, having a flat rectangular cross-section. The housing 100h can be configured to define at least a portion of a radome 111, with at least the front side 111f configured as a dielectric cover that allows RF energy to pass through within a specific frequency band. The housing 100h can also be configured such that the rear portion 100r defines a rear radome 111r opposite the front radome 111f. Optionally, the housing 100h and / or the radome 111 can further include two (narrow) sidewalls 100s, 111s that face each other and extend rearwardly between the front side 111f and the rear side 111r. Typically, the top side 100t of the housing 100h can be sealed in a watertight manner and can include end caps, and the bottom 100b of the housing 100h can be sealed with separate end caps. Front side 111f, sidewalls 111s, and typically at least a portion of rear side 111r of radome 111 are substantially transparent to radio frequency (RF) energy within the operating band of base station antenna 100 and active antenna module 110. Radome 111 may be formed of, for example, fiberglass or plastic.

[0073] Still refer to Figure 1A 、 1B In some embodiments, the active antenna module 110 can be attached to the base station antenna 100 using at least one accessory mounting bracket 112. The rear portion 111r of the housing 100h can be a flat surface extending along a common plane over its entire longitudinal extent or along at least a portion of its longitudinal extent.

[0074] The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications may be made to the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the present invention. Therefore, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the claims. The present invention is defined by the appended claims, and equivalents of the claims are included therein.

Claims

1. An antenna mounting system, comprising: a three-sector mounting assembly configured to mount to an antenna tower or a monopole and comprising a plurality of horizontal poles configured to mount to the antenna tower or the monopole, at least two horizontal poles spaced apart in a longitudinal direction for each of three sectors; as well as A plurality of antennas, at least two antennas for each sector, each antenna including one or more mounting structures directly attached to respective two horizontal poles of the plurality of horizontal poles.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the antennas are base station antennas.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein at least some of the base station antennas include respective active antenna modules located behind base station antenna radomes of the base station antennas and in front of respective pairs of horizontal poles.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the active antenna module is configured to be attached to a corresponding base station antenna.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the active antenna module is configured to be attached directly or indirectly to one of the horizontal poles.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a platform coupled to at least some of the horizontal rods.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a vertical pole attached to the plurality of horizontal poles only at locations spaced apart from the antenna.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the three-sector mounting assembly is configured to be located at a top portion of the antenna tower or monopole.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the mounting structure or structures comprise vertical members having curved contact surfaces facing and abutting respective horizontal rods.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the length of the vertical member is greater than the length of an active antenna module located behind at least some of the antennas.

11. A method of mounting an antenna to a target mounting structure, comprising: providing an antenna having a mounting structure attached to a rear surface thereof; Providing a three-sector mounting assembly, the three-sector mounting assembly comprising six horizontal rods; attaching two to three of the antennas to corresponding two of the six horizontal poles to provide an integrated antenna and three-sector mounting assembly; lifting the integrated antenna and three-sector mounting assembly to a suitable location on a tower or pole; as well as Attach the integrated antenna and three-sector mounting assembly to the tower or monopole.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the antenna is a base station antenna.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein at least some of the base station antennas comprise active antenna elements.

14. An antenna mounting system comprising: a mounting assembly configured to be mounted to a target structure and comprising a plurality of horizontal rods configured to be mounted to the target structure, at least two of the horizontal rods being spaced apart in a longitudinal direction; as well as A plurality of antennas each include one or more mounting structures directly attached to respective two of the plurality of horizontal poles.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein at least some of the antennas are base station antennas.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein at least some of the base station antennas include respective active antenna modules located behind a base station antenna radome and in front of a respective pair of horizontal poles.

17. The system of claim 14, further comprising a platform coupled to at least some of the horizontal rods.

18. The system of claim 14, further comprising a vertical pole attached to the plurality of horizontal poles only at locations spaced apart from the antenna.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the mounting assembly is configured to be located at a top portion of an antenna tower or a monopole as the target structure.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the mounting structure comprises a vertical member having a curved contact surface facing and abutting the corresponding horizontal rod.

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