Gyrostabilizer for Strand-Mounted Small Cell Base Station
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Solution Overview
Problem
Strand-mounted small cell base stations experience significant wind-induced swinging, which affects coverage, particularly for the PCS band, due to the lower range and increased deployment of these stations with the implementation of 5G, leading to challenges in site approvals, equipment deployment, and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A gyrostabilizer system comprising a flywheel with an axis of rotation perpendicular to the aerial strand cable and a motor connected to the power supply, which generates a torque to counteract wind-induced torque, ensuring stability by rotating the flywheel at an angular velocity sufficient to compensate for the maximum wind torque.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the small cell base station is mounted on an aerial strand cable, then deployment flexibility and ease of installation are improved, but wind-induced swinging increases affecting coverage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a gyrostabilizer with a flywheel that generates counter-torque to offset wind-induced torque on the base station. The flywheel rotates in the opposite direction to the wind sway, creating an equal and opposite moment that stabilizes the structure. This counterbalancing approach directly addresses the instability caused by mounting on flexible aerial strands while preserving deployment flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The gyrostabilizer system is pre-installed and pre-configured on the base station before deployment. The flywheel is positioned and the motor is calibrated in advance so that when wind forces act on the mounted station, the stabilizer is already in place to immediately counteract the sway. This preliminary preparation ensures stability is actively managed from the moment of installation without requiring complex real-time adjustments.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the flywheel mass and angular velocity are increased to generate sufficient torque, then stability is improved, but energy consumption and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The gyrostabilizer system uses a motor-driven flywheel that can dynamically adjust its rotational speed based on wind conditions. Rather than requiring a constantly heavy, high-speed flywheel, the motor modulates the angular velocity to match actual wind torque demands. This dynamic control allows the system to maintain stability while consuming energy only when and to the extent needed, rather than operating at maximum capacity continuously.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The gyrostabilizer effectively stabilizes the small cell base station, reducing wind-induced swinging and maintaining consistent coverage by generating a compensatory torque equal to the angular momentum of the flywheel multiplied by its spinning speed, thus enhancing the reliability and performance of strand-mounted small cell base stations.
Implementation Method 1
The gyrostabilizer effectively stabilizes the small cell base station, reducing wind-induced swinging and maintaining consistent coverage by generating a compensatory torque equal to the angular momentum of the flywheel multiplied by its spinning speed
Implementation Method 2
A gyrostabilizer system comprising a flywheel with an axis of rotation perpendicular to the aerial strand cable and a motor connected to the power supply, which generates a torque to counteract wind-induced torque
Data Source
AI summary
A small cell base station adapted to be secured to a strand cable is provided with a flywheel and an electric motor to rotate the flywheel in an axis of rotation substantially perpendicular to the strand cable. The rotating flywheel acts as a gyrostabilizer to prevent swinging of the small cell base station due to wind.