Radio Signal Path Design Tool with Variable Antenna Placement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing radio path design tools lack flexibility in antenna tower placement, leading to suboptimal site selection and increased engineering effort due to their reliance on pre-determined coordinates, which does not account for latitudinal or longitudinal deviations during actual deployment.
Innovation Solution
A radio signal path design tool that allows for variable antenna tower placement by extending the computation of radio link path loss profiles beyond initial proposed locations, incorporating terrain and earth curvature corrections to facilitate optimal site identification without repeated design processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If pre-determined latitude and longitude coordinates are used for antenna tower placement, then the radio link design can be completed with fixed parameters, but the tool lacks flexibility when deployment teams need to change tower placement for construction economies or to avoid hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-computing terrain and earth curvature data beyond the initial proposed antenna sites before deployment needs arise. This allows the tool to quickly provide path profiles for alternative locations without requiring complete re-computation, enabling deployment teams to evaluate different tower placements for construction economies or hazard avoidance while maintaining computational efficiency.
2Ease of operation
If the path profile computation is extended beyond proposed antenna sites to allow placement adjustments, then flexibility in site selection improves, but the computation scope and data processing increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends terrain and earth curvature computations beyond the initial proposed antenna sites in advance, storing this extended data for later use. When deployment teams need to adjust tower placements, the pre-computed extended path profiles allow immediate evaluation of alternative locations without time-consuming re-computation, significantly reducing engineering time while maintaining ease of operation.
3Reliability
If antenna towers are raised higher to ensure clear path and sufficient Fresnel zone clearance, then signal attenuation is reduced, but equipment costs, construction costs, permit costs, and maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by enabling flexible adjustment of antenna tower placement locations based on actual deployment conditions such as construction costs, terrain features, and hazard avoidance. Rather than fixing tower heights and locations rigidly in the design phase, the tool allows dynamic re-evaluation of alternative placements, enabling optimization that balances signal reliability with construction and maintenance costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of tower placement location (latitude and longitude coordinates) to optimize the balance between signal reliability and construction cost. By allowing modification of placement parameters and re-computing path profiles for alternative locations, the tool enables selection of sites that achieve sufficient Fresnel zone clearance at lower tower heights, reducing equipment, construction, permit, and maintenance costs while maintaining reliable signal transmission.
Data Source
AI summary
A radio signal path design tool that allows radio link propagation path profiling or path-loss measurement where the link partner antenna towers are located in a proposed fixed location on the earth's surface, but are extendable a certain distance in any direction from the fixed location. The design tool can be used to compute a radio link path profile at the proposed tower location, while still correctly representing terrain variations in a variable path extension distance on either side of the radio link. To correctly represent terrain variations across the depicted portion of the earth's surface, the tool computes and applies a modified earth-bulge factor or k-factor. The variable extension distance on either side of the radio link allows for latitudinal and/or longitudinal variations in antenna tower placement, greatly facilitating the identification of appropriate positions of antenna towers during the wireless link design phase.