System for remotely adjusting antennas

• US 7,183,996 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2004
• Issued: 02/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jan B. Wensink
• Original Assignee: Jan B. Wensink
• Inventors: Wensink, Jan B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho; Tan
• Assistant Examiner(s): AL NAZER, LEITH A
• Application Number:
  US10/916,964
• Publication Number:
  US 20050057427A1
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• Field of Search: 343/874, 343/875, 343/878, 343/882, 343/880, 343/890
• US Class Current: 343/890
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/125 Means for positioning
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/246 specially adapted for base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/005 using remotely controlled antenna positioning or scanning

Abstract

A mounting apparatus for remotely adjusting the tilt and heading of cell antennas. Antenna tilt is provided by the cooperation of a hinged lower tilt bracket and an upper tilt bracket connected to the antenna by links. The upper tilt bracket is mounted to a vertically translating dust cover. Vertical motion of the dust cover is translated to tilting motion of the antenna by the links. Heading adjustment may be provided uniformly to entire sectors of antennas using a Pitman arm arrangement, or may be provided to each cell antenna individually using a helix heading adjustment apparatus.

Claims

1. A cell antenna system comprising:

at least one cell antenna; and

cell antenna mounting apparatus for mounting the cell antenna to a structure, the mounting apparatus providing remote tilt adjustment for the cell antenna and remote heading adjustment for the cell antenna, the mounting apparatus including;

a vertically mounted linear actuator; and

linkage connecting the linear actuator to the at least one cell antenna to couple a vertical motion of the linear actuator into a tilt adjustment of the at least one cell antenna.

2. The cell antenna system of claim 1, wherein the linear actuator is non-tilting.

3. The cell antenna system of claim 2, wherein the tilt actuator is a linear tilt actuator.

4. The cell antenna system of claim 1, wherein the mounting apparatus includes:

a hinged tilt-down bracket providing a pivot point for the cell antenna near the vertical center of the cell antenna thereby cancelling windload effects on the antenna; and

a linked tilt-down bracket vertically spaced apart from the hinged tilt-down bracket,

wherein the tilt-down brackets are adapted for pivoting the cell antenna about the hinged tilt-down bracket.

5. The cell antenna system of claim 4, wherein the linked tilt-down bracket comprises links hingedly attached to the cell antenna at an antenna end, and hingedly attached to a tilt actuator at a bracket end.

6. The cell antenna system of claim 5, wherein the tilt actuator is a linear tilt actuator adapted to vertically translate the bracket end of the links thereby causing the links to rotate and to tilt the cell antenna.

7. The cell antenna system of claim 1, wherein the mounting apparatus includes at least one vertically mounted heading actuator for adjusting the heading of the at least one cell antenna.

8. The cell antenna system of claim 7, wherein the vertically mounted heading actuator is a vertically mounted linear heading actuator.

9. The cell antenna system of claim 8, further including mounting brackets comprising:

mounting bars for attaching the mounting brackets to the structure; and

horizontal linkage pivotally connected between the mounting bars and the cell antenna for providing remote heading adjustment, wherein the horizontal linkage is pivoted by the linear heading actuator.

10. The cell antenna system of claim 9, wherein the linkage comprises pitman arms.

11. The cell antenna system of claim 9, further including at least one sector, wherein:

the at least one antenna comprises a plurality of antennas, and the at least one sector includes a plurality of the plurality of antennas; and

each cell antenna is individually remotely adjustable for tilt.

12. The cell antenna system of claim 11, wherein the sector heading adjustment is a common heading adjustment for all of the cell antennas in each sector.

13. The cell antenna system of claim 1, wherein each antenna is independently remotely adjustable for heading.

14. The cell antenna system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the at least one cell antenna includes a helix heading adjustment apparatus.

15. The cell antenna system of claim 14, wherein the helix heading adjustment apparatus comprises:

a linear actuator;

a helix piston vertically translatable by the linear actuator and having helical slots; and

follower bolts adapted to ride in the helical slots, thereby translating a linear motion of the helix piston into a rotational motion of the cell antenna.

16. The cell antenna system of claim 15, wherein spring loaded guides reside on interior ends of the follower bolts and cooperate with the helical slots.

17. The cell antenna system of claim 1, wherein the mounting apparatus includes a universal frame for supporting the antenna, which universal frame allows attachment of a variety of antennas.

18. The cell antenna system of claim 1, wherein the mounting apparatus includes an upper tilt bracket and a lower tilt bracket, and wherein the lower tilt bracket resides near the vertical center of the antenna to balance wind loads.

19. A cell antenna system comprising:

A plurality of cell antennas;

cell antenna mounting brackets for mounting the cell antennas to a structure, the mounting brackets providing individual antenna tilt adjustment for each cell antenna, and individual heading adjustment for each cell antenna;

tilt actuators for adjusting the tilt of each of the cell antennas; and

helix heading adjustment apparatus for adjusting the heading of at least one of the cell antennas, the helix heading adjustment apparatus comprising;

a linear actuator;

a helix piston vertically translatable by the linear actuator and having helical slots; and

follower bolts adapted to ride in the helical slots, thereby translating a linear motion of the helix piston into a rotational motion of each cell antenna.

20. A cell antenna system comprising:

at least two cell antennas;

at least one cell sector including at least one of the antennas; and

remote helix heading adjustment apparatus for adjusting the heading of at least one of the at least two antennas, wherein the remote helix heading adjustment apparatus comprises;

a linear actuator;

a helix piston vertically translatable by the linear actuator and having helical slots; and

follower bolts adapted to ride in the helical slots, thereby translating a linear motion of the helix piston into a rotational motion of the one of the at least two cell antennas, wherein spring loaded guides reside on interior ends of the follower bolts and cooperate with the helical slots.