Telecommunication wireless control system

• US 8,837,338 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2011
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telect Incorporated (Amphenol Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Telect Incorporated (Amphenol Corporation)
• Inventors: Knaggs, David, Knight, Paul A., Kioski, Bryan Joseph, Wright, Randolph Stanton, Reeder, Larry O'Neal
• Primary Examiner(s): Boakye, Alexander O
• Application Number:
  US13/094,631
• Publication Number:
  US 20120275359A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,239 Days
• Field of Search: 370/311, 370/338, 370/335, 370/401, 455/67.11, 455/423, 429/432, 340/3.1, 379/32.01, 379/14, 709/224, 709/247, 709/217
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0203 in the radio access network or backbone network of wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A telecommunication wireless site control system comprising a central control board configured to receive control signals disposed at a wireless site. The central control board may be communicatively coupled with current monitor and control boards, extension boards, and a local switch to control telecommunication equipment, power devices, and controllers.

Claims

1. A central control system for a telecommunications wireless site, the central control system comprising:

a central control board disposed at the telecommunications wireless site to receive control signals;

a primary board disposed in a primary power distribution panel and communicatively coupled with the central control board;

a current monitor and control board arranged in-line with a power protection device and disposed in the primary power distribution panel, the current monitor and control board comprising;

a current monitor to monitor a current flowing through the power protection device and to report the monitored power protection device current to the primary board, the primary board to report the monitored power protection device current to the central control board; and

a switch configured to turn on and/or off based at least in part on a control signal received from the central control board.

2. The central control system of claim 1, further comprising:

an extension board electrically coupled with a controller and communicatively coupled with the central control board, the extension board to control the controller based at least in part on a control signal received from the central control board.

3. The central control system of claim 2, wherein the extension board is communicatively coupled with the central control board via an RS-485 communications standard, the extension board comprising:

a chip to report its function based on the controller to the central control board; and

a power regulator electrically coupled to the chip to regulate power received by the extension board.

4. The central control system of claim 3, wherein the controller is a Low Voltage Disconnect (LVD) controller to connect and/or disconnect a battery from a main bus, and wherein the chip of the extension board reports its function as a LVD controller.

5. The central control system of claim 3, wherein the controller is a thermal controller to control a temperature of the wireless site system, and wherein the chip of the extension board reports its function as a thermal controller.

6. The central control system of claim 1, further comprising a current monitor and control board arranged in-line with a fuse and disposed in the primary power distribution panel the current monitor and control board comprising:

a current monitor to monitor a current flowing through the fuse and to report the monitored fuse current to the primary board, the primary board to report the monitored fuse current to the central control board; and

a switch to turn on and/or off based at least in part on a control signal received from the central control board.

7. The telecommunications wireless site system of claim 6, further comprising a piece of telecommunication equipment arranged in-line with the fuse, and wherein the central control board is configured to identify the reported fuse current with the piece of telecommunication equipment arranged in-line with the fuse.

8. The telecommunications wireless site system of claim 6, further comprising a thermal controller arranged in-line with the fuse, and wherein the central control board is configured to identify the reported fuse current with the thermal controller arranged in-line with the fuse.

9. The telecommunications wireless site system of claim 1, further comprising a radio arranged in-line with the power protection device, and wherein the central control board is configured to identify the reported power protection device current with the radio arranged in-line with the power protection device.

10. The telecommunications wireless site system of claim 1, wherein the power protection device is a circuit breaker or a fuse.

11. A central control board configured to be disposed in a telecommunications wireless site comprising:

a Wide Area Network (WAN) port configured to be communicatively coupled with a Network Operations Center (NOC), the WAN port to receive a control signal and to send data; and

a Local Area Network (LAN) port configured to be communicatively coupled with a local switch having a port communicatively couple with a power device, the LAN port to control the local switch to turn on and/or off the power device based at least in part on the control signal received from the central control board.

12. The central control board of claim 11, further comprising a local user device port configured to be communicatively coupled with a local user device, and configured to provide trusted access to the power device and to a telecommunication equipment disposed in the telecommunications wireless site.

13. The central control board of claim 11, wherein the power device is a rectifier.

14. The central control board of claim 11, wherein the power device is a generator.

15. The central control board of claim 11, wherein the LAN port is configured to communicatively couple with a power device via an Ethernet connection.

16. A method comprising:

receiving, at a central control board disposed at the wireless site and from a site remote from the wireless site, a control signal for a particular device of a plurality of devices disposed at the wireless site and maintained in a preconfigured list by the central control board;

identifying, by the central control board and from the preconfigured list, the particular device from the plurality of devices to be controlled based at least in part on the received control signal; and

sending, by the central control board, the control signal to the identified device disposed at the wireless site at least partly in response to the receiving of the control signal.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising controlling, by the central control board, the identified device disposed at the wireless site at least partly in response to the receiving of the control signal.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising sending, by the central control board, an alarm signal or a status signal of a device from the plurality of devices.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the central control board comprises a Wide Area Network (WAN) port configured to be communicatively coupled with a Network Operations Center (NOC), and wherein the WAN port is configured to receive the control signal and send the alarm signal or the status signal.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the control signal requests a status update from the particular device, and further comprising:

obtaining, by the central control board, the status update of the particular device at least partly in response to sending the control signal to the particular device; and

sending, by the central control board, the obtained status update to the site remote from the wireless site.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the central control board is communicatively coupled with the plurality of devices via an RS-485 communications standard.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the identified device to be controlled comprises a rectifier or a generator disposed at the wireless site.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the identified device to be controlled comprises a radio, a telecommunication equipment, a thermal control, or a LVD control disposed at the wireless site.