APPARATUS AND METHOD TO MONITOR AND CONTROL POWER

• US 20040121742A1
• Filed: 12/23/2002
• Published: 06/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ATC IP LLC (American Tower Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SpectraSite Communications, LLC (American Tower Corporation)
• Inventors: Lander, Victor A., Abrams, Ted A., Taub, Dov C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,127,220 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/115.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0466 Fault detection or indication H04B1/0483 takes precedence

Abstract

An apparatus to monitor and control power is disclosed. The apparatus may include a detector unit to detect a forward power and a reflected power. The apparatus may also include a control unit to control switching of the forward power from a first load that may be a radiating load to a second load that may be a non-radiating load in response to the forward power exceeding a predetermined threshold value or a voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) exceeding a selected threshold value.

Claims

1. An apparatus to monitor and control power, comprising:

a detector unit to detect a forward power; and

a control unit to control switching of the forward power from a first load to a second load in response to the forward power exceeding a predetermined threshold value.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second load is impedance matched to the first load.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first load comprises an antenna or antenna system and the second load comprises a non-radiating load, wherein the non-radiating load comprises a predetermined mass to receive an in rush of power without effecting a transmitter in response to power from the transmitter being switched from the antenna to the non-radiating load.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a switch including a first position to apply power from a transmitter to the first load and a second position to apply power from the transmitter to the second load, wherein the control unit causes the switch to operate from the first position to the second position in response to the forward power exceeding the predetermined threshold value.

5. The apparatus of claim of claim 4, further comprising a coupler connectable between to the switch and the transmitter.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a forward power detector connected to the coupler.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a reflected power detector connected to the coupler.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detector unit comprises:

a forward power detector to detect the forward power applied to the first load; and

a reflected power detector to detect a reflected power from the first load.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the control unit determines a voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) from the forward power and the reflected power and causes the forward power to be switched from the first load to the second load in response to the VSWR exceeding a selected threshold value.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a timer to time a duration when the forward power exceeds the predetermined threshold value or when the VSWR exceeds the selected threshold value, and wherein the forward power is switched from the first load to the second load in response to the forward power exceeding the predetermined threshold value for a predetermined time period or in response to the VSWR exceeding the selected threshold value for a selected time period.

11. An apparatus to monitor and control power applied to a radiating load, comprising:

a detector unit to detect a forward power and a reflected power;

a non-radiating load that is impedance matched to the radiating load; and

a switch including a first position to apply the forward power to the radiating load and a second position to apply the forward power to the non-radiating load, wherein the switch is operated to switch from the first position to the second position in response to the forward power exceeding a predetermined threshold value or a voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) exceeding a selected threshold value.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the non-radiating load comprises a predetermined mass to receive an in rush of power without effecting a transmitter in response to power from the transmitter being switched from the radiating load to the non-radiating load.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the non-radiating load is impedance matched to within about 1% of the impedance of the radiating load.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a coupler to couple a transmitter to the radiating load.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

a forward power detector connected to the coupler; and

a reflected power detector connected to the coupler.

16. An apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a control unit to control operation of the switch in response to receiving a forward power signal and a reflected power signal from the detector unit.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a timer to time a duration when the forward power exceeds the predetermined threshold value or when the VSWR exceeds the selected threshold value, and wherein the control unit sends a signal to the switch to connect the forward power to the non-radiating load in response to the forward power exceeding the predetermined threshold value for a predetermined time period or the VSWR exceeding the selected threshold value for a selected time period.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the control unit comprises an input device to adjust the predetermined threshold value, the predetermined time period, the selected threshold value and the selected time period.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the control unit comprises a display to display a plurality of parameters including the predetermined threshold value, the predetermined time period, the selected threshold value and the selected time period, the forward power, the reflected power and the VSWR.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a remote office to remotely monitor and control operation of the apparatus.

21. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising at least one alarm to indicate when the forward power exceeds the predetermined threshold value and the VSWR exceeds the selected threshold value.

22. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a position sensor, wherein the switch is operated from the first position to the second position in response to the position sensor being activated.

23. A method of monitoring and controlling power, comprising:

monitoring a forward power; and

switching the forward power from a first load to a second load in response to the forward power exceeding a predetermined threshold value.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising matching the second load to the first load to provide a VSWR for the second load that is less than or equal to a VSWR of the first load.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising activating an alarm in response to the forward power exceeding the predetermined threshold value.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising starting a timer in response to the forward power exceeding the predetermined threshold value.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising clearing the timer and any alarm in response to the forward power exceeding the predetermined threshold value less than a predetermined time period.

28. The method of claim 23, further comprising sending a clear alarm signal to a remote office in response to the forward power exceeding the predetermined threshold value less than a predetermined time period.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein the forward power is switched from the first load to the second load in response to the forward power exceeding the predetermined threshold value for a predetermined time period.

30. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

monitoring a VSWR; and

switching the forward power from the first load to the second load in response to the VSWR exceeding a selected threshold value.

31. The method of claim 23, further comprising switching from the first load to the second load in response to a position sensor being activated.

32. A method of monitoring and controlling power, comprising:

monitoring a forward power;

monitoring a VSWR; and

switching the forward power from a first load to a second load in response to the forward power exceeding a predetermined threshold value, the VSWR exceeding a selected threshold value or a position sensor being activated.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising switching the forward power from the first load to the second load in response to the forward power exceeding the predetermined threshold value for a predetermined time period, the VSWR exceeding the selected threshold value for a selected time period or the position sensor being activated for a chosen time period.

34. The method of claim 32, further comprising activating an alarm in response to the forward power exceeding the predetermined threshold value, the VSWR exceeding the selected threshold value or a position sensor being activated.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising clearing the alarm in response to the forward power exceeding a predetermined threshold value for less than a predetermined time period, the VSWR exceeding a selected threshold value for less than a selected time period value or a position sensor being activated for less than a chosen time period.

36. A method of making an apparatus to monitor and control power to an antenna, comprising:

providing a detector to detect a forward power;

providing a non-radiating load that is matched to the antenna; and

providing a switch including a first position to apply the forward power to the antenna and a second position to apply the forward power to the non-radiating load, wherein the switch is operable to switch from the first position to the second position in response to the forward power exceeding a predetermined threshold value.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising providing a control unit to control operation of the switch in response to receiving a forward power signal.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein the control unit operates the switch in response to a VSWR exceeding a selected threshold value.

39. The method of claim 36, further comprising coupling a remote monitoring office to the apparatus.