Hybrid Cable with Branched Conductive Armor for Remote Radio Head Power
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing hybrid cables for mobile telecommunication systems face challenges in efficiently transmitting electrical power and data due to high voltage drops caused by pulsed current, which limits the length and efficiency of power supply cables for remote radio heads in 4G LTE base stations.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid cable design featuring a conductive armor with individual neutral conductors and optical fibers, where the conductive armor is branched into individual neutral conductors, reducing inductance and allowing for larger wire cross-sections, thereby minimizing voltage drops and increasing cable length while maintaining compactness and cost efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If conventional hybrid cables are used for power supply to remote radio heads, then the cable structure is simple, but the voltage drop increases due to high inductance caused by pulsed current
Solution Approach 1:
The cable is segmented into multiple parallel electrical conductors (phase conductors and neutral conductors) instead of using a single conductor. This segmentation reduces the inductance of the cable by distributing the current across multiple paths, thereby reducing voltage drop caused by pulsed current while maintaining a manageable cable structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple electrical conductors (phase and neutral) are combined within a single cable assembly with a common outer jacket and armor. This merging approach achieves the low inductance benefit of multiple conductors while maintaining the simplicity of a single integrated cable structure, resolving the contradiction between reducing voltage drop and maintaining structural simplicity.
2Loss of energy
If the wire cross section is increased to reduce voltage drop, then the voltage drop decreases, but the cable diameter increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing the cross-section of a single conductor, the cable uses multiple parallel conductors with moderate cross-sections. The combined effect of multiple conductors in parallel provides the equivalent of a larger cross-section for reducing voltage drop, while keeping the individual conductor sizes and overall cable diameter within acceptable limits.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable design changes the inductance parameter by using a specific conductor configuration (multiple parallel conductors with specific spacing and arrangement) rather than simply increasing the cross-sectional area. This parameter change allows achieving low voltage drop through reduced inductance effect rather than through increased conductor size.
3Length of stationary object
If the cable length is increased to extend coverage distance, then the coverage area increases, but the voltage drop increases due to higher inductance
Solution Approach 1:
The use of multiple parallel conductors segments the current path, reducing the inductance per unit length of the cable. This allows the cable to be extended over longer distances without the voltage drop increasing proportionally, as the reduced inductance compensates for the increased length.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable design changes the inductance parameter to a lower value through its multi-conductor configuration. This parameter change enables the cable to maintain acceptable voltage drop characteristics even when extended over longer distances, effectively decoupling the relationship between cable length and voltage drop.
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 hybrid cable design reduces voltage drops by approximately 30% and allows for a 10-20% increase in cable length, enabling more efficient power supply and data transmission with reduced inductance, while also providing flexible installation and controlled current flow to remote radio units.
Implementation Method 1
A pulsed current on the power cable causes an additional voltage drop Ud on the power supply cable depending on the gradient of current change. Consequently an optimum power supply cable for remote heads should have a low inductance.
Implementation Method 2
The hybrid cable comprises a plurality of cable elements surrounded by a conductive armor within a first jacket. The plurality of cable elements comprise electrical conductors and at least one optical conductor.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a hybrid cable (110) for transmitting electrical power and data in a mobile telecommunication system, the hybrid cable (110) comprising a plurality of cable elements (210, 214) surrounded by a conductive armor (219, 109) within a first jacket (202), the plurality of cable elements comprising electrical conductors (214, 117) and at least one optical conductor (210); each of the plurality of cable elements comprises a core surrounded by a second jacket (213, 215); the conductive armor (219, 109) providing a common neutral conductor for the electrical conductors (214), where the conductive armor (219, 109) is branched out at opposite ends (111, 112) of the hybrid cable (110) into individual neutral conductors (115) associated with the respective electrical conductors (117).