EP1273069A2

EP1273069A2 - Radio broadcasting device and relay tower therefor

Info

Publication number: EP1273069A2
Application number: EP01913957A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Emmanuel Livadiotti
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-03-07
Filing date: 2001-03-07
Publication date: 2003-01-08
Also published as: RU2002126561A; ATE311671T1; CN1241292C; AU3935701A; CN1428014A; US6903705B2; CA2402256A1; DE60115507D1; US20030095077A1; BR0109089A; WO2001067544A2; WO2001067544A3

Abstract

The invention concerns a radio broadcasting device consisting of a relay tower whereof the top part supports at least an antenna connected to an electronic equipment comprising a HF amplifier characterised in that said electric equipment is arranged in the top part of the relay tower.

Description

HERTZIAN AND PYLON BROADCASTING DEVICE FOR SUCH

DEVICE

The present invention relates to the field of radio broadcasting equipment.

Such equipment is deployed in the field for remote transmissions, both in terms of telecommunications, such as antennas intended for the GSM system.

(in English Global System for Mobile Communications) and PCS (Personal Communications Services), and more generally over the air telephony relays, than other present or future technologies, which would require air links.

In the state of the art, various mast and pylon solutions intended for television broadcasting are known.

Telescopic masts are known in particular, the essential merit of which is to allow a structure which gradually becomes lighter in height while retaining optimum resistance to wind. For example, French patent FR2745423 describes an antenna support comprising two parallel fasteners articulated close to one another by one end at the base of a rigid support, and fixed to a vertical mast for form a deformable quadrilateral in the vertical plane to adjust the tilt of the antenna.

PCT patent WO9858420 relates to a cell site mast assembly, which is integrated with different antennas and components so that the assembly is easy to install on a cell site without the need for extensive wiring or the like. The set also includes a light fiberglass housing, which surrounds the antenna without disturbing its operation. The assembly has a balancing system intended to raise or lower the housing so as to access the antenna. PCT patent W09966589 describes an antenna configuration intended to be used in particular with a cell phone system and in a rural environment. This antenna device comprises a hollow steel support column covered with a hollow sheath made of plastic reinforced with glass fibers, for example. The support column and the sheath are designed so as to have an external appearance simulating the bark of a tree, such as a Scots pine. The column is bolted to a concrete base placed below ground level, and has a cover simulating the roots of the tree. The sheath carries and encloses a omnidirectional antenna connected to a feed line passing through the column and through a pipe located inside the concrete base. The equipment compartment of a cell phone system base station is connected to the antenna power line. the European patent EP106069 having for title "telescopic mast intended to support an antenna" provides for the pneumatic _j ust of telescopic tubes, whose interest is the very fast assembly on the site, and the high compactness.

European patent EP57002 having for title "Telescopic antenna mast" describes a device whose interest is only to put forward a telescopic system for lifting devices to high heights.

In these support systems, the greatest rigidity is generally sought, so as to maintain the most perfect pointing, a characteristic which is all the more important the higher the frequency of the transmissions and the greater the distance from the supports. Indeed, an increase in the frequency means a greater directivity of the radiations (propagation tending towards an "optical" behavior) and consequently the requirement of a higher precision in transmission. In the absence of this precision, the communications coverage is imperfect, the network possibly even being faulty.

The consequence is that a high rigidity of the supports usually results in a more robust constitution, and consequently in the use of more better materials.

To offset the costs entailed by the need for larger and heavier pylons, it is currently the practice, particularly in the present case, typically for support pylons for GSM, to use a system in lattice, therefore constitutes portions of metallic profiles which are coated and / or welded together. The calculations for this metal construction are based on specifications which in particular specify weather resistance, including deformation in the wind, so as to guarantee the functioning of the network and the coverage of transmissions.

As an indication, for the GSM, the value of the depointing should not exceed 1 or even 20 ', in case of strong wind.

The current generalization of the mobile telephone system and the services which are and will be associated with it (access to databases and to the Internet for example) mean that the needs for antenna support pylons are becoming greater, but simultaneously arise the problems of material and manufacturing costs of these supports, of preparation times, as well as that of their transport, their assembly and their installation. In urban areas in particular, in order to provide users with perfect coverage, installers are required to install their antennas on the roofs of the tallest buildings, which poses many fixing problems, when we know that current supports, because of the rigidity required, require a substantial guying.

Finally, from an environmental standpoint, the current proliferation of GSM pylons of a certain volume is likely to disfigure the landscape.

The state of the art in terms of antenna support pylons reveals, in addition to the wish to lighten these systems, other fundamental needs such as speed of assembly, reduction in drag, faster fastenings, immunity to vandalism (case insulated posts)

The impact of a reduction in weight is reflected in the cost of raw materials, but also in the cost of transport and the equipment required for implementation.

In what follows, and after having mentioned these difficulties in acquiring and operating current antenna support pylons, we will endeavor to set out the advantages provided by the present invention.

We will deal more specifically below with an antenna support tower solution for the transmission of GSM signals.

The present invention therefore aims to remedy the drawbacks mentioned.

It aims to obtain a new design of antenna support pylons providing the following advantages Low wind drag

Weight and footprint reduced Conservation of antenna pointing despite controlled flexibility

Low production, transportation / installation and operating costs

Easy assembly on site Aesthetics The present invention thus relates to the production of a high-performance antenna support pylon, with reduced acquisition and operating costs, contributing to better environmental management and greater convenience and quality for users.

Thus, the multiple applications that arise from these possibilities open up new perspectives in terms of standard antenna support towers.

The invention relates, in its most general sense, to a radio broadcasting device consisting of a pylon, the upper part of which supports at least one antenna connected to electronic equipment comprising an HF amplifier, characterized in that said electronic equipment is disposed in the upper part. of the pylon. Advantageously, the electronic equipment is enclosed in a profiled housing secured to the pylon.

Preferably, said electronic equipment is powered by photovoltaic cells arranged in the upper part of the device. According to an advantageous variant, the device comprises at its upper part a rotating inertial mass producing gyroscopic stabilization.

The invention also relates to a pylon for a radio broadcast device according to one of the preceding claims at least characterized in that it is constituted by at least one flexible central rod having at its upper part a head arranged in a plane substantially perpendicular to said rod, said rod being provided with articulated transverse spars, the pylon further comprising non-extensible means for connecting the head, said spars and the base of the pylon to form deformable parallelepiped modules, substantially preserving the parallelism of the shots of spars, head and plinth. According to a variant, the connecting means consist of at least two inextensible stays arranged on either side of the rod, fixed at one end at the base of the pylon, at the other end at the head, to form a deformable parallelogram keeping the head in a substantially constant plane.

Preferably, the shrouds are integral with each of the spars, to form cells whose bases and tops are maintained in parallel planes. According to a particular embodiment, the spars are connected to the rod by a recessed joint along the axis of the rod, and free in at least one transverse direction and in pivoting with respect to at least one transverse axis. According to a variant, the spars consist of substantially planar elements, and in that the connecting means comprise 3 guy lines.

According to a particular embodiment, the spars consist of substantially planar elements, and in that the connecting means a plurality of flexible rods.

Preferably, the head has a faired part which can be oriented along a vertical axis.

According to an advantageous variant, the head is mounted free to rotate and has aerodynamic drive means to create gyroscopic stabilization.

According to a preferred embodiment, the rod is constituted by a plurality of built-in elements.

The invention also relates to a method for installing a pylon comprising a conical lower element characterized in that the conical element is installed, that the upper end of said conical element is fitted with a winch, and that the crown element is hoisted to a height allowing the lower element to be fitted, and so continued up to the segment intended to be fitted into the lower conical element.

As a simple non-limiting example, set out to facilitate understanding of the principles, means and methods capable of enabling the invention to be carried out, we give in diagrammatic illustration a few particular embodiments in the three attached sheets.

Figure 1 is a diagram of a conventional antenna in deformation, where we see the depointing characterized by an angle w;

Figure 2 is a diagram of the deformation of a vertical parallelogram contained in a plane;

Figure 3 is a profile diagram of the support pylon, according to the invention, shown in deformation; Figure 4 is a view of a stage of the tensioner or deformable star;

FIG. 5 represents the monobloc upper star supporting the antennas;

FIG. 6 represents a preferred articulation by cardan;

Figure 7 shows another embodiment.

If we plan to make a flexible support pylon to keep the pointing of the antennas according to the invention, and more particularly according to that of its modes of application as well as those of the embodiments of its components to which it seems that preference should be given, the procedure is as follows or in a similar manner. A flexible support pylon is formed according to the following methods:

The central main body consists of the pylon itself, either in the form of a conventional trellis, or in tubular sections or, for more dimensions reduced, in single tube (monotube). In our preferred option illustrated, the sections are portions of telescopic nested cones.

At the bottom, a base - for example circular or more simply square - is either bolted to a solidly established structure, or directly embedded or buried.

- At the upper part, a rigid central star with three branches, the ends of which serve as attachment points above the tensioners (Fig 5).

At different intermediate levels, the three-pointed star which serves as a tensioner, is made up of horizontal arms (the connecting rods) articulated, each along a horizontal axis tangent to a concentric circle with the central support. These rigid arms are made in a single piece or in a three-dimensional structure of the lattice type. The successive arms are vertically coplanar, so that only three vertical planes competing at 120 ° C are sufficient to contain all the planes of symmetry of the upper and intermediate branches (Fig. 3), (Fig. 4).

In order to clearly define the elementary parallelograms consisting of pylon sections, connecting rods and tensioner segments, the latter are immobilized at the ends of the arms by pieces of the cable gland type through which the tensioner of circular section passes - such than a cable for example. Tightening the nut at will allows these elements to be secured.

The articulation of the upper star in the preferred option is arranged as follows: the lower cradle of the connecting gimbal is secured to the end of the support pylon and simultaneously blocks in rotation. The upper cradle is itself integral with the support of the broadcasting and reception antennas, whatever the shape of this antenna support, and is also locked in rotation thereby, the gimbal does not rotate in the same way as a movement transmission element between shafts. The possible movements for the gimbal are only those of pivoting around the axes of the horizontal spider (Fig. 5). A mechanically equivalent system is that of a ball joint whose end piece would coincide with the axis of the end of the support pylon.

- When certain pylons-supports include a shelter (called in English shelter), usually used for the apparatuses, two possibilities are offered direct installation on the body of the pylon or solidly with the antenna support-cage so that cfe shelter can also maintain its horizontal orientation in all flexion conditions.

One possibility tending to reduce the drag of the assembly is that providing for positioning the shelter in a significantly lower position, without however being such that the apparatus can be exposed to vandalism.

Guying: in the preferential option, the invention allows the removal of guy lines. However, even if in certain cases it was necessary to provide shrouds - for example for reasons of insufficient security of the foundations, or desired limitation of bending - the invention makes it possible to limit the importance thereof, and to reduce the surface covered on the ground, as well as the number of attachment points.

Furthermore, the points of attachment to the pylon could be limited to a lower level, instead of being distributed over the entire height.

Behavior of the antenna support pylon with the wind:

From the above, it is easy to understand that the invention, going beyond the previous need for rigidity of the pylons, while guaranteeing pointing in all conditions, will be best applied when the flexibility of these will be well known, which can result from the usual calculations of resistance of materials. The three tension cables, which will have well-defined mechanical characteristics, will be calculated so as to maintain a prestress on the body of the support pylon. In this way, any bending of the latter will allow the tensioner downwind to bring the antenna cage into a horizontal position, the other two not having the possibility of being really relaxed while exerting a permanent stabilizing effect.

It goes without saying that only careful calculation makes it possible to determine the values to be given to the prestresses according to the operating conditions. Nevertheless, we note the simplicity of setting up the procedure. Regarding the components, the invention is distinguished by the use of special elements ensuring the precision and safety of assembly and lasting operation:

- light, robust arms, fitted with cable glands - frustoconical portions for which we propose to define the relationships as well as the particular fixing methods.

- wear-free joints lubricated for life

It offers the possibility, compared to integral trellis systems, of placing the conductive cables inside the tubes sheltered from the weather.

Furthermore, the procedures for obtaining and using this set are themselves subject to several transpositions, particularly depending on the general dimensions, location, and foreseeable climatic conditions.

Thus, for support pylons of current dimensions close to twenty meters, a simple design of the central body is that in two or three superposed sections, bolted to each other by means of external flanges. Even more simply, a one-piece body can be designed when the transport conditions are not too unfavorable or unacceptable. It should also be noted that the preferred arrangement of the invention allowing the internal passage of the cables increases the shielding of the latter.

The invention is naturally conceivable in several variants, depending in particular on materials, environmental conditions, aesthetics,., .Etc.

A probably advantageous design allowed by the invention is that already mentioned consisting of a central body arranged in several frustoconical telescopic sections, of which a particularly simple and interesting arrangement is that consisting of a robust assembly by flanges or, for a given junction: flange attached to the outside of the lower part of the upper section, and flange attached to the inside of the lower tube in its upper part. Another variant relates to a device having a lower lattice part, surmounted by a frustoconical upper part made of an envelope such as a tube.

At the level of the upper star, two devices can also be applied to ensure free articulation: the first consists of an articulated cone, a kind of planar ring arranged on concurrent inclined feet, and the second in a similar elastic ball joint in its form certain joysticks or "joysticks" in English.

Figure 6 shows an alternative embodiment. The device comprises a supporting rod having a lower section (100) formed by a conical wire mesh extended by a plurality of section (101 to 104) nested one inside the other. The rod supports at its upper end a head (105) articulated in pivoting and in transverse displacement.

Guy lines (110, 111) ensure the parallelism of the head (105) with the base of the device, and the maintenance of the head in a substantially constant plane, even when the rod bent under the action of the wind.

Spars (120 to 123) are articulated relative to the stem and form with the shrouds deformable cells, retaining the parallelism of the spars.

The upper part has several platforms (130, 131) held parallel by the shrouds (110, 111) and articulated in pivoting and transverse displacement like the spars. These platforms allow the antennas (132) to be placed.

The rod also supports a housing (140) containing the electronic equipment. This avoids line losses caused by the cables connecting the antennas to electronic equipment usually placed at the base of the pylon.

This case has a double skin to improve heat exchange.

The assembly is done by first installing the conical lattice structure (100). A winch is then installed at the upper end of this structure (100).

The upper section (103) equipped with the head is then hoisted, using the winch, until its base reaches a height allowing it to fit into the lower section (102). This operation is repeated by hoisting the newly introduced section with the winch to place the next section, and so on until the rod is raised. The shrouds are fixed on the head at the start of the operation, and serve as a shroud in the provisional phase and are then subjected to a slight constraint to balance the rod.

Claims

1 - Over-the-air broadcasting device consisting of a pylon, the upper part of which supports at least one antenna connected to electronic equipment comprising an HF amplifier, characterized in that said electronic equipment is placed in the upper part of the pylon.

2 - Hertzian broadcasting device according to claim 1 characterized in that said electronic equipment is enclosed in a housing [shelter] profiled integral with the pylon.

3 - Hertzian broadcasting device according to claim 2 characterized in that said electronic equipment is powered by photovoltaic cells arranged in the upper part of the device.

4 - Hertzian broadcasting device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at its upper part a rotating inertial mass producing gyroscopic stabilization.

5 - Pylon for a radio broadcast device according to one of the preceding claims at least characterized in that it is constituted by at least one flexible central rod having at its upper part a head disposed in a plane substantially perpendicular to said rod , said rod being provided with articulated transverse spars, the pylon further comprising non-extensible means for connecting the head, said spars and the base of the pylon to form deformable parallelepiped modules, substantially preserving the parallelism of the planes of the spars, of the head and the base. 6 - Pylon according to claim 5 characterized in that the connecting means consist of at least two inextensible stay cables arranged on either side of the rod, fixed at one end to the base of the pylon, to the other end to the head, to form a deformable parallelogram keeping the head in a substantially constant plane.

7 - Pylon according to claim 5 characterized in that the shrouds are integral with each of the spars, to form cells whose bases and vertices are maintained in parallel planes.

8 - Pylon according to claim 5, 6 or 7 characterized in that the spars are connected to the rod by a recessed articulation along the axis of the rod, and free in at least one transverse direction and pivoting relative to at least a transverse axis.

9 - Pylon according to any one of the preceding claims 5 to 8 characterized in that the spars are constituted by substantially planar elements, and in that the connecting means comprise 3 guy lines.

10 - Pylon according to any one of the preceding claims 5 to 8 characterized in that the spars consist of substantially planar elements, and in that the connecting means a plurality of flexible rods.

11 - Pylon according to any one of the preceding claims 5 to 10 characterized in that the head has a faired part which can be oriented along a vertical axis. 12 - Pylon according to any one of the preceding claims 5 to 11 characterized in that the head is mounted free in rotation and has aerodynamic drive means to create gyroscopic stabilization.

13 - Pylon according to any one of the preceding claims 5 to 12 characterized in that the rod is constituted by a plurality of built-in elements.

14 - Pylon according to claim 13 characterized in that the lower element is of conical shape.

15 - A method for installing a pylon according to claim 14 characterized in that one installs the conical element, that one equips the upper end of said conical element with a winch, and that one hoists the crown element to a height allowing the lower element to be fitted, and so on to the segment intended to be fitted into the lower conical element.