Low-cost wireless millimeter wave outdoor unit (ODU)

• US 20040203528A1
• Filed: 01/08/2003
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Reveal Imaging, LLC
• Original Assignee: Xytrans, Inc.
• Inventors: Bass, David, Ammar, Danny F., Clark, Gavin, Stahly, Stephen A., Graham, Ronald D., Jordan, Conrad
• Granted Patent: US 7,050,765 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/90.3
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/02 Arrangements for de-icing; Arrangements for drying-out ; Arrangements for cooling; Arrangements for preventing corrosion
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/088 Quick-releasable antenna elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/42 Housings not intimately mechanically associated with radiating elements, e.g. radome
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0025 Modular arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0087 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing antenna arrays manufacturing waveguides H01P11/00

Abstract

A lightweight millimeter wave outdoor unit includes a lightweight housing with a heat sink and mounting member configured for mounting on the antenna to form a wireless link. A millimeter wave transceiver board is formed of ceramic material and mounted within the housing. It includes a millimeter wave transceiver circuit that has microwave monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC) chips and operable with the transmit and receive boards. An intermediate frequency (IF) board has components forming an intermediate frequency circuit operable with the millimeter wave transceiver circuit. A frequency synthesizer board has a signal generating circuit for generating local oscillator signals to the transceiver circuit. A controller board has surface mounted DC and low frequency discrete devices thereon forming power and control circuits that supply respective power and control signals to other circuits on other boards. A quick connect/disconnect assembly is operative with the housing for allowing the housing to be rapidly connected and disconnected to the antenna circuit contact members interconnect circuits between boards.

Claims

1. A lightweight millimeter wave outdoor unit for mounting on an antenna to form a wireless link comprising:

a housing having a heat sink and a mounting member that is configured for quick connect/disconnect mounting on the antenna, said mounting member including transmit and receive waveguide ports;

a millimeter wave transceiver board formed of ceramic material mounted within the housing and having a millimeter wave transceiver circuit, including microwave monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC) chips and operable with the transmit and receive ports;

an intermediate frequency (IF) board mounted within the housing and having components forming an intermediate frequency circuit operable with the millimeter wave transceiver circuit;

a frequency synthesizer board mounted in the housing and having a signal generating circuit for generating local oscillator signals to the millimeter wave transceiver circuit;

a controller board mounted within the housing and having surface mounted DC and low frequency discrete devices thereon forming power and control circuits that supply respective power and control signals to other circuits on other boards;

circuit contact members that interconnect the circuits between boards, wherein the use of cables and wiring harnesses is minimized; and

a quick connect/disconnect assembly operative with the housing for allowing the housing to be rapidly connected and disconnected to the antenna.

2. A millimeter wave outdoor unit according to claim 1, wherein said quick connect/disconnect assembly comprises snap fasteners.

3. A millimeter wave outdoor unit according to claim 1, and further comprising a housing separator member that separates the respective transceiver and controller boards and having channelization and at least one electromagnetic interference gasket to aid in isolating any circuits on a board.

4. A millimeter wave outdoor unit according to claim 1, wherein said intermediate frequency circuit is operable to receive low frequency transmitter signals from a modem in an indoor unit and up-convert the signals to an intermediate frequency and amplify the signal, and receive an intermediate frequency signal from the millimeter wave transceiver board and down-convert to a lower frequency prior to transmission to an indoor unit.

5. A millimeter wave outdoor unit according to claim 1, and further comprising a transmit and receive microstrip-to-waveguide transition formed on the millimeter wave transceiver board and operable with respective transmit and receive waveguide ports.

6. A millimeter wave outdoor unit according to claim 1, wherein said housing member further comprises a cover on which the waveguide ports are formed.

7. A millimeter wave outdoor unit according to claim 1, wherein said frequency synthesizer board is mounted in a floating non-mechanically attaching interface allowing relative movement and coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch and reducing phase hits.

8. A millimeter wave outdoor unit according to claim 1, wherein said controller board is mounted to engage said heat sink.

9. A millimeter wave outdoor unit according to claim 1, wherein the millimeter wave transceiver board is mounted adjacent and planar end-to-end with the intermediate frequency board.

10. A millimeter wave outdoor unit according to claim 1, wherein said circuit contact members each comprise a housing member having a clip receiving slot and board engaging surface and at least one electrically conductive clip member having opposing ends received within the clip receiving slot wherein an end of the clip member is secured to a circuit on one board and the other end biased into connection with a circuit on another board.

11. A millimeter wave outdoor unit according to claim 1, and further comprising a microcontroller mounted on the controller board and operatively connected to at least one MMIC chip and operative for controlling transceiver gain and output power.

12. A millimeter wave outdoor unit according to claim 11, wherein said microcontroller is responsive to sensed temperature.

13. A millimeter wave outdoor unit according to claim 1, wherein said transceiver board is operable at select frequency bands and readily removable from the housing to allow replacement with a transceiver board that is operable at different frequency bands.

14. A millimeter wave outdoor unit according to claim 1, wherein said controller board is formed from PTFE composite material.

15. A lightweight millimeter wave outdoor unit for mounting on an antenna to form a wireless link comprising:

a housing that is configured for quick connect/disconnect mounting on the antenna;

a millimeter wave transceiver board formed of ceramic material and mounted within the housing;

a transceiver circuit formed on the millimeter wave transceiver board and having transmit and receive circuits and a local oscillator circuit and a plurality of microwave monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC) chips mounted on the transceiver board in at least transmit and receive circuits and operable at radio frequency;

an intermediate frequency (IF) board mounted within the housing and having components forming an intermediate frequency circuit operable with the transceiver circuit and operable for receiving and forwarding signals to an indoor unit (IDU);

a frequency synthesizer board mounted within the housing and having surface mounted components forming a signal generating circuit for generating local oscillator signals to the transceiver circuit;

a controller board mounted within the housing and having surface mounted DC and low frequency discrete devices thereon forming power and control circuits that supply respective power and control signals to other circuits on other boards;

circuit contact members that interconnect the circuits between the board; and

a plurality of housing separator members that separate respective transceiver, controller and frequency synthesizer boards and having channelization and at least one electromagnetic interference gasket to aid in isolating any circuits on a board.

16. A millimeter wave outdoor unit according to claim 15, wherein said intermediate frequency circuit is operable to receive low frequency transmitter signals from a modem in an indoor unit and up-convert the signals to an intermediate frequency and amplify the signal, and receive an intermediate frequency signal from the millimeter wave transceiver board and down-convert to a lower frequency prior to transmission to an indoor unit.

17. A millimeter wave outdoor unit according to claim 15, and further comprising a transmit and receive waveguide port formed on the housing and a transmit and receive microstrip-to-waveguide transition formed on the transceiver board in the transmit and receive circuits and operable with respective transmit and receive waveguide ports.

18. A millimeter wave outdoor unit according to claim 15, wherein said housing further comprises a cover on which the waveguide ports are formed.

19. A millimeter wave outdoor unit according to claim 18, wherein said frequency synthesizer board is mounted between the cover and a housing separator member in a floating non-mechanically attaching interface allowing relative movement and coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch and reducing phase hits.

20. A millimeter wave outdoor unit according to claim 15, wherein said housing includes a heat sink and said controller board is mounted to engage said heat sink.

21. A millimeter wave outdoor unit according to claim 15, wherein the millimeter wave transceiver board is mounted adjacent and planar end-to-end with the intermediate frequency board.

22. A millimeter wave outdoor unit according to claim 15, wherein said circuit contact members each comprise a housing member having a clip receiving slot and board engaging surface and at least one electrically conductive clip member having opposing ends received within the clip receiving slot wherein an end of the clip member is secured to a circuit on one board and the other end biased into connection with a circuit on another board.

23. A millimeter wave outdoor unit according to claim 15, and further comprising a microcontroller mounted on the controller board and operatively connected to at least one MMIC chip and operative for controlling transceiver gain and output power.

24. A millimeter wave outdoor unit according to claim 23, wherein said microcontroller is responsive to sensed temperature.

25. A millimeter wave outdoor unit according to claim 15, wherein said transceiver board and frequency synthesizer board are operable at select frequency bands and readily removable from the housing to allow replacement with a transceiver board and frequency synthesizer board that are operable at different frequency bands.

26. A millimeter wave outdoor unit according to claim 15, wherein each of said controller and frequency synthesizer boards is formed from PTFE composite material.

27. A lightweight millimeter wave outdoor unit for mounting on an antenna to form a wireless link comprising:

a housing that is configured for quick connect/disconnect mounting on the antenna;

a millimeter wave transceiver board formed of ceramic material mounted within the housing and having a millimeter wave transceiver circuit including microwave monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC) chips;

an intermediate frequency board;

a frequency synthesizer board having a surface mounted signal generating circuit for generating local oscillator signals to the transceiver circuit; and

a controller board having surface mounted DC and low frequency discrete devices thereon forming power and control circuits that supply power to the transceiver circuit and signal generating circuit, wherein the millimeter wave transceiver board, intermediate frequency board, frequency synthesizer board and controller board are positioned in stacked configuration within the housing and including contact connectors each having at least one circuit contact connection that connects circuits of two boards wherein the use of cables and wiring harnesses are minimized.

28. A millimeter wave outdoor unit according to claim 27, wherein the controller board is formed from a PTFE composite material.