A system for detecting antenna orientation errors with integrated sensing and communication

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system (1) for detecting antenna (3) orientation / alignment errors which may occur in antenna (3) blocks that are likely to malfunction due to environmental factors such as weather events within the radio equipment of telecommunication networks that interact with external environments, through integrated sensing and communication capability; compensating the detected alignment errors when they fall within the limit values set by field conditions; and providing information about the detected alignment error and the autonomous response.

Description

[0001] A SYSTEM FOR DETECTING ANTENNA ORIENTATION ERRORS WITH INTEGRATED SENSING AND COMMUNICATION

[0002] Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to a system for detecting antenna orientation / alignment errors which may occur in antenna blocks that are likely to malfunction due to environmental factors such as weather events within the radio equipment of telecommunication networks that interact with external environments, through integrated sensing and communication capability; compensating the detected alignment errors when they fall within the limit values set by field conditions; and providing information about the detected alignment error and the autonomous response.

[0004] Background of the Invention

[0005] Today, there are systems for antenna alignment and electrical tilt adjustments. The detection of changes in the physical position of the antenna and the adjustment of the electrical tilt of the antenna are automated by measuring the current physical position of the antenna and comparing it with the ideal position of the antenna. If the physical position of the antenna deviates from the expected position compared to a given threshold value, this is considered an alignment error. In this case, an alignment error with the generated signal is detected. However, the ISAC-based estimation approach is replaced using a protractor sensor mounted on the antenna block to detect possible deviations and thus offers a costly solution due to maintenance and renewal factors.

[0006] Therefore, considering the studies and deficiencies included in the current technique, it is understood that there is a need for a system that detects individual failure of the connection apparatus in the tower / roof where they are installed on the antenna blocks, which are likely to malfunction due to environmental factors such as weather events within the radio equipment of telecommunication networks that interact with the external environment, and the antenna orientation / alignment errors that may occur such as extra load on the antenna blocks in case of snowfall and wear that may appear on the antenna mechanical parts due to prolonged operation in harsh weather conditions, through integrated sensing and communication capability, as well as the mechanical failure of the antenna block and the surrounding connection apparatus; minimises infrastructure losses by issuing early warnings against large-scale damages that may occur in case of failure to respond; prevents losses that might occur in the service quality of the entire network and all kinds of related costs due to small / large scale failures; and makes the maintenance operations to be carried out accordingly more efficient both from the perspective of effort and planning.

[0007] The Chinese patent document no. CN116405348A, an application included in the state of the art, discloses an integrated antenna system for communication and sensing used to estimate the angle with high accuracy, high resolution, maximum target number, and low complexity, and to satisfy the application requirements of ISAC; and a system that provides an angle estimation method for a novel 5G aerial interface. The said invention provides an inductive node transceiver array antenna that supports high-precision angle estimation, provided that the total number of transceiver antennas remains the same, a larger array angle estimation degree of freedom is achieved, and the angle estimation performance such as precision, resolution, and maximum number of targets, is greatly improved.

[0008] Summary of the Invention

[0009] The object of the present invention is to realise a system which is developed with the aim of detecting the individual failure of the connection apparatus in the tower / roof where they are installed on the antenna blocks, that are likely to malfunction due to environmental factors such as weather events within the radio equipment of telecommunication networks that interact with the external environments, as well as the antenna orientation / alignment errors that may occur such as extra load on the antenna blocks in case of snowfall and wear that may appear on the antenna mechanical parts due to prolonged operation in harsh weather conditions, through integrated sensing and communication capability; compensating in cases where the detected alignment errors are within the limit values set by field conditions; and providing information about the detected alignment error and the autonomous response.

[0010] Another object of the present invention is to realise a system which is developed with the aim of evaluating the antenna alignment errors / deviations together with the service quality indicators that they will directly affect by using the RF hardware and calculation computational that the radio network, that can sense, detect and monitor like radar within the scope of the Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC) capability, will already have to serve both functions.

[0011] Another object of the present invention is to realize a system which is developed with the aim of minimising or preventing losses focused on service quality through instant angular balancing based on the information generated by the predictive capability; facilitating the current maintenance processes from both preventive and predictive maintenance perspectives through early warning s / alerts to be issued.

[0012] Another object of the present invention is to realize a system which is developed with the aim of preventing permanent or more costly failures and related infrastructure costs in the future if failures are not detected early, through ISAC- based antenna alignment error prediction capability; avoiding performance losses that may occur in network service quality due to antenna alignment errors; and making the manual maintenance of antenna blocks, which are located in difficult conditions and at high altitudes, more efficient for both the occupational safety and the cost.

[0013] Another object of the present invention is to realize a system which is developed with the aim of detecting individual failure of the connection apparatus in the tower / roof where they are installed on the antenna blocks, which are likely to malfunction due to environmental factors such as weather events within the radio equipment of telecommunication networks that interact with the external environment, and the antenna orientation / alignment errors that may occur such as extra load on the antenna blocks in case of snowfall and wear that may appear on the antenna mechanical parts due to prolonged operation in harsh weather conditions, through integrated sensing and communication capability, as well as the mechanical failure of the antenna block and the surrounding connection apparatus; minimises infrastructure losses by issuing early warnings against large- scale damages that may occur in case of failure to respond; prevents losses that might occur in the service quality of the entire network and all kinds of related costs due to small / large scale failures; and makes the maintenance operations to be carried out accordingly more efficient both from the perspective of effort and planning.

[0014] Detailed Description of the Invention

[0015] “A System for Detecting Antenna Orientation Errors with Integrated Sensing and Communication” realized to fulfil the objectives of the present invention is shown in the figure attached, in which:

[0016] Figure 1 is a schematic view of the inventive system.

[0017] The components illustrated in the figure are individually numbered, where the numbers refer to the following: 1. System

[0018] 2. Interface

[0019] 3. Antenna

[0020] 4. Database

[0021] 5. Integrated Sensing and Communication Server

[0022] 5.1. Communication Unit

[0023] 5.2. Sensing Unit

[0024] 6. Analysis Server

[0025] 7. Operational Decision Server

[0026] 8. Three- Axis Angular Positioner

[0027] E. Electronic Device

[0028] T. User Terminal

[0029] The inventive system (1) developed with the aim of detecting antenna (3) orientation / alignment errors that may appear in the antenna (3) blocks that are likely to malfunction due to environmental factors, such as weather events within the radio equipment of telecommunication networks that interact with external environments, through integrated sensing and communication capability; compensating in cases where the detected alignment errors are within the limit values set by field conditions; and providing information about the detected alignment error and the autonomous response comprises: at least one interface (2) which is configured to be run on the electronic device (E); to allow maintenance and repair measures and actions to be decided when necessary; to display information on the compensation process and the angle errors calculated on three axes; at least one antenna (3) which is configured to consist of an antenna layer with a planar / rectangular antenna array and radio frequency components; to convert the broadband waveform into a radio frequency signal to serve communication and sensing functions; and to interact with the propagation environment and user terminals (T); at least one database (4) which is configured to update and store the exact reference data to be utilized for sensing by adopting a sliding window approach; at least one integrated sensing and communication server (5) which is configured to have the responsibility to deliver both communication and sensing services using the digitized data received from the antenna (3); to run the communication unit (5.1) and the sensing unit (5.2) thereon; to deliver the communication service to the user terminals (T) within the coverage zone through the communication unit (5.1) running thereon; and to sense and locate stationary or moving objects / targets in the propagation environment by analysing the signals backscattered from them using the radar sensor approach through the sensing unit (5.2) running thereon; at least one analysis server (6) which is configured to estimate the error values compared to the exact reference values on three axes; at least one operational decision server (7) which is configured to decide whether the alignment angles of the antenna (3) can be corrected autonomously according to the extent of the distortion, if any, based on the detection information received from the analysis server (6); and to transmit information about the compensation process and the angle errors calculated on three axes to the interface (2); at least one three-axis angular positioner (8) which is configured to rotate the antenna (3), on which it is physically mounted, on the axes where an error has been detected in order to compensate for alignment errors appearing on the three axes.

[0030] The interface (2) included in the inventive system (1) is configured to be run on the electronic device (E). The interface (2) is configured to decide on maintenance and repair measures and actions, when necessary, by monitoring changes in the antenna (3) alignment based on error detection data from the operational decision server (7). The interface (2) is configured to display information on the compensation process and the angle errors calculated on three axes. The antenna (3) included in the inventive system (1) is configured to consist of an antenna layer with a planar / rectangular antenna array and radio frequency components; to convert the broadband waveform into a radio frequency signal to serve communication and sensing functions; and to interact with the propagation environment and user terminals (T).

[0031] The database (4) included in the inventive system (1) is configured to update and store the instantaneous radar signature data acquired by the sensing unit (5.2) and the precise reference data to be utilized for sensing in the analysis server (6) block adopting a sliding window approach.

[0032] The integrated sensing and communication server (5) included in the inventive system (1) is configured to have the responsibility to deliver both communication and sensing services using the digitized data received from the antenna (3). The integrated sensing and communication server (5) is configured to run the communication unit (5.1) and the sensing unit (5.2) thereon. The integrated sensing and communication server (5) is configured to deliver the communication service to the user terminals (T) within the coverage zone through the communication unit (5.1) running thereon. The integrated sensing and communication server (5) is configured to sense and locate stationary or moving objects / targets in the propagation environment by analysing the signals backscattered from them using the radar sensor approach through the sensing unit (5.2) running thereon.

[0033] The analysis server (6) included in the inventive system (1) is configured to compare the instantaneous radar signatures calculated in the sensing unit (5.2) and the current radar signatures stored in the database (4) within the integrated sensing and communication server (5) and to convert the differences between the two data into angle alignment estimates on three axes; to check if the predefined difference thresholds are exceeded. The analysis server (6) is configured to estimate the error values compared to the exact reference values on three axes.

[0034] The operational decision server (7) included in the inventive system (1) is configured to decide whether the alignment angles of the antenna (3) can be corrected autonomously according to the extent of the distortion, if any, based on the detection information received from the analysis server (6); and to transmit information about the compensation process and the angle errors calculated on three axes to the interface (2).

[0035] The three-axis angular positioner (8) included in the inventive system (1) is configured to rotate the antenna (3), on which it is physically mounted, on the axes where an error has been detected in order to compensate for alignment errors appear on the three axes.

[0036] Industrial Application of the Invention

[0037] The inventive system (1) allows to detect antenna (3) orientation / alignment errors that may appear in the antenna (3) blocks that are likely to malfunction due to environmental factors, such as weather events within the radio equipment of telecommunication networks that interact with external environments, through integrated sensing and communication capability; to compensate in cases where the detected alignment errors are within the limit values set by field conditions; and to provide information on the interface (2) regarding the detected alignment error and the autonomous response.

[0038] Within these basic concepts; it is possible to develop various embodiments of the inventive “System (1) for Detecting Antenna Orientation Errors with Integrated Sensing and Communication”; the invention cannot be limited to examples disclosed herein and it is essentially according to claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A system (1) which is developed with the aim of detecting antenna (3) orientation / alignment errors that may appear in the antenna (3) blocks that are likely to malfunction due to environmental factors, such as weather events within the radio equipment of telecommunication networks that interact with external environments, through integrated sensing and communication capability; compensating in cases where the detected alignment errors are within the limit values set by field conditions; and providing information about the detected alignment error and the autonomous response; comprising at least one interface (2) which is configured to be run on the electronic device (E); to allow maintenance and repair measures and actions to be decided when necessary; to display information on the compensation process and the angle errors calculated on three axes; at least one antenna (3) which is configured to consist of an antenna layer with a planar / rectangular antenna array and radio frequency components; to convert the broadband waveform into a radio frequency signal to serve communication and sensing functions; and to interact with the propagation environment and user terminals (T);- at least one database (4) which is configured to update and store the exact reference data to be utilized for sensing by adopting a sliding window approach; and characterized by at least one integrated sensing and communication server (5) which is configured to have the responsibility to deliver both communication and sensing services using the digitized data received from the antenna (3); to run the communication unit (5.1) and the sensing unit (5.2) thereon; to deliver the communicationservice to the user terminals (T) within the coverage zone through the communication unit (5.1) running thereon; and to sense and locate stationary or moving objects / targets in the propagation environment by analysing the signals backscattered from them using the radar sensor approach through the sensing unit (5.2) running thereon; at least one analysis server (6) which is configured to estimate the error values compared to the exact reference values on three axes;- at least one operational decision server (7) which is configured to decide whether the alignment angles of the antenna (3) can be corrected autonomously according to the extent of the distortion, if any, based on the detection information received from the analysis server (6); and to transmit information about the compensation process and the angle errors calculated on three axes to the interface (2);- at least one three-axis angular positioner (8) which is configured to rotate the antenna (3), on which it is physically mounted, on the axes where an error has been detected in order to compensate for alignment errors appearing on the three axes.

2. A system (1) according to Claim 1; characterized by the interface (2) which is configured to be run on the electronic device (E).

3. A system (1) according to Claim 1 or 2; characterized by the interface (2) which is configured to decide on maintenance and repair measures and actions, when necessary, by monitoring changes in the antenna (3) alignment based on error detection data from the operational decision server (7).

4. A system (1) according to Claim 3; characterized by the interface (2) which is configured to display information on the compensation process and the angle errors calculated on three axes.

5. A system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the antenna (3) which is configured to consist of an antenna layer with a planar / rectangular antenna array and radio frequency components; to convert the broadband waveform into a radio frequency signal to serve communication and sensing functions; and to interact with the propagation environment and user terminals (T).

6. A system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the database (4) which is configured to update and store the instantaneous radar signature data acquired by the sensing unit (5.2) and the precise reference data to be utilized for sensing in the analysis server (6) block adopting a sliding window approach.

7. A system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the integrated sensing and communication server (5) which is configured to have the responsibility to deliver both communication and sensing services using the digitized data received from the antenna (3).

8. A system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the integrated sensing and communication server (5) which is configured to run the communication unit (5.1) and the sensing unit (5.2) thereon.

9. A system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the integrated sensing and communication server (5) which is configured to deliver the communication service to the user terminals (T)within the coverage zone through the communication unit (5.1) running thereon.

10. A system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the integrated sensing and communication server (5) which is configured to sense and locate stationary or moving objects / targets in the propagation environment by analysing the signals backscattered from them using the radar sensor approach through the sensing unit (5.2) running thereon.

11. A system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the analysis server (6) which is configured to compare the instantaneous radar signatures calculated in the sensing unit (5.2) and the current radar signatures stored in the database (4) within the integrated sensing and communication server (5) and to convert the differences between the two data into angle alignment estimates on three axes; to check if the predefined difference thresholds are exceeded.

12. A system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the analysis server (6) which is configured to estimate the error values compared to the exact reference values on three axes.

13. A system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the operational decision server (7) which is configured to decide whether the alignment angles of the antenna (3) can be corrected autonomously according to the extent of the distortion, if any, based on the detection information received from the analysis server (6); and to transmit information about the compensation process and the angle errors calculated on three axes to the interface (2).

14. A system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; characterized by the three-axis angular positioner (8) which is configured to rotate the antenna (3), on which it is physically mounted, on the axes where an error has been detected in order to compensate for alignment errors appear on the three axes.

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