GB2327863A - Bracket for mounting an aerial - Google Patents

Abstract

A bracket 10 for mounting an article such as an aerial to a curved surface, eg of a pole, comprises a mount 14,20,22 for supporting the article and a pair of oppositely inclined lugs 12 each having a plurality of fixing holes 18 which are arranged in sets 18a, 18b, the holes in each set lying on the same radius of curvature, with respective sets being provided on different radii of curvature. The bracket may be formed of a single bent sheet, eg of Al, and provide for positional adjustment of the article by rotation.

Description

A BRACKET This invention relates to a bracket.

The recent growth in the telecommunications industry, particularly but not exclusively in the fields of mobile and wireless telecommunications, has seen the emergence of a number of different networks operated by a variety of different companies. One of the biggest selling points to a customer looking to subscribe to a given network is the size of the area covered by that network. Accordingly, in order to appeal to as many customers as possible, a number of large telecommunications networks have been constructed in order to provide adequate signal strength over as large an area as possible.

The construction of these networks has required the installation of aerials and other equipment which can be mounted, for example, on a dedicated tower in a countryside environment, or on a building in an urban environment. A large number of problems have been noted, both with the choice of installation location and with the brackets used to mount the equipment at the installation location.

In countryside locations, it has transpired that there can often be great local opposition to the erection of equipment towers. Accordingly, it would be advantageous if the aerials, for example, could be mounted on existing structures such as telegraph poles and the like. It would also be advantageous if a bracket could be provided that enabled aerials, for example, to be secured easily to these existing structures without requiring major adjustments to be made to the bracket by an engineer in the field. Furthermore, as telecommunications networks are continuously expanding and varying, it would also be advantageous if the orientation of the aerial could be easily adjustable once it has been installed in the field.

A wide variety of different types of brackets have previously been proposed for mounting aerials, for example, on a variety of surfaces. These previously proposed brackets typically comprise a flat mounting plate by which the bracket is attached to a surface, an arm attached or formed with the mounting plate for spacing the aerial from the mounting surface and a clasp or other means, mounted on the arm, for attaching the bracket to the aerial.

These previously proposed brackets exhibit a number of disadvantages, the most serious of which is that they are typically difficult to attach securely to a curved surface such as a telegraph pole. Furthermore, the clasp or other means often does not easily allow the orientation of the aerial to be adjusted without first having to disassemble the bracket.

The previously proposed brackets often suffer from stability problems as the fixing points are usually provided in a vertical line across the surface. Whilst this manner of mounting secures the aerial, for example, against vertical movement, it often fails to restrain the aerial securely from horizontal movement, with the result that the aerials often come loose during high winds and storms.

In accordance with an aspect of the invention, there is provided a bracket for mounting an article on a curved surface, the bracket comprising: a mount for supporting the article; and means for attaching the mount to the curved surface; the attaching means comprising at least one pair of oppositely inclined lugs, the lugs each having a plurality of fixing holes, at least one hole of one lug being on a same radius of curvature as at least one corresponding hole of the other lug to define a set of holes, respective sets of holes being provided along different radii of curvature.

In this way, the present invention alleviates at least some of the problems associated with previously proposed brackets by providing an adjustable bracket which is easily mountable on curved surfaces of different radii and has improved horizontal stability.

Preferably, the mount pivotally supports the article. This feature allows the alignment of the article to be adjusted.

Preferably, the mount comprises a base portion and at least one supporting plate extending substantially perpendicularly away from the base portion and the attaching means.

Preferably, the at least one supporting plate comprises an aperture for receiving the article to be supported. The aperture may be provided with means for securely holding the article in position whilst allowing for the rotation thereof.

Preferably, the lugs are oppositely inclined away from thë mount at an arigle of between 30 to 60". More preferably, the lugs are oppositely inclined away from the mount at an angle of approximately 45".

Preferably, each lug is provided with four fixing holes being an inner pair and an outer pair, the inner pair on each lug defining an inner set and the outer pair defining an outer set.

Preferably, the inner set are on a radius of curvature of approximately 60mm and/or the outer set are on a radius of curvature of approximately 120mm.

Preferably, the lugs are each spaced from the mount by a respective connecting arm.

Preferably, the bracket is of aluminium.

The above mentioned previously proposed brackets are also often subject to corrosion as they are typically manufactured from various constituent metal parts which are then joined together by welding or other means. As the join lines are particularly susceptible to corrosion, the brackets must be regularly inspected and treated or replaced. Attempts have been made to reduce this problem by providing injection moulded plastic brackets, but these brackets can be weak and difficult to produce. Plastic brackets are also inconvenient as they do not allow for minor adjustments to be made to the shape of the bracket in the field.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a bracket for mounting an article on a surface, the method comprising the steps of: punching a blank from a sheet of material; and bending the blank along predetermined fold lines to form the bracket.

In this way, the production of brackets may be greatly simplified and accomplished at reduced expense. Furthermore, the bending of a blank along predetermined fold lines avoids the need for constituent parts of the bracket to be joined together, thereby avoiding join lines and thus improving the resistance of the bracket to corrosion.

The method may comprise the step of coating the blank and/or the bracket with an anti-corrosion coating.

Preferably, the method also comprises the step of forming a plurality of fixing holes in a pair of lugs formed by bending outer portions of said blank.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying figures, in which: Figure 1 is a side perspective view of a bracket according to the invention; Figure 2 is a top plan view of the bracket of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the bracket of Figures 1 and 2; and Figure 4 is a plan view of a blank from which the bracket of Figures 1 to 3 can be produced.

Figure 1 shows a side perspective view of a bracket 10 which comprises a pair of angled lugs 12 which are each connected to a main bracket body 14 by a respective supporting arm 16. Each lug 12 is provided with a plurality of fixing holes 18 by way of which the bracket 10 is fixed to a surface (not shown). As shown, each lug 12 is provided with four fixing holes 18, an inner pair 18a and an outer pair 18b. The main bracket body 14 is connected at respective ends to a respective one of a pair of supporting plates 20. The supporting plates are each provided with supporting means 22 which, in this exemplary embodiment, are configured to receive and support an aerial, for example, of a telecommunications network.

In this embodiment, the supporting means 22 each comprises an aperture 24 which carries a captive nut 26 (one of which is shown) which cooperates with lugs on the aerial to securely hold the aerial whilst allowing for rotational adjustment thereof. Other types of supporting means will be apparent to persons skilled in the art.

The bracket 10 is preferably of an aluminium alloy to which an anti-corrosion coating may be applied. It will be appreciated that other materials may be used if desired. It is preferred, however, that the bracket is manufactured from a metal as the bracket may then be manufactured by a simplified process which will be later described with reference to Figure 4. Furthermore, aluminium is a preferred material for the bracket as aluminium is lightweight, malleable and relatively inexpensive.

As shown in Figure 1, the lugs 12 are each inwardly inclined towards the main bracket body 14. This configuration is advantageous in that it enables the bracket to be fixed easily to a curved surface. In this configuration, the inner pair of fixing holes 18a are used to fix the bracket to curved surfaces with a smaller radius of curvature and the outer pair of fixing holes 18b are used to fix the bracket to curved surfaces with a larger radius of curvature. It will be appreciated that a smaller or larger number of pairs of fixing holes may be provided if desired.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the bracket 10 of Figure 1. From Figure 2, it can be seen that, in the preferred form, the lugs 12 are inclined at an angle of approximately 45C to the main bracket body 14. In this configuration, the inner pair of fixing holes 18a and the outer pair of fixing holes 18b are located such that the bracket may be fixed to a curved surface having a radius of curvature of approximately 60mm (shown in ghost and indicated by reference 60) by utilising the inner fixing holes 18a, and to a curved surface having a radius curvature of approximately 120mm (shown in ghost and indicated by reference 120) by utilising the outer fixing holes 18b. In this preferred configuration the lugs are at 90C to one another so that the inner holes 18a would each be tangential to the surface 60 and the outer holes 18b would be tangential to the surface 120.

This configuration is particularly advantageous in that telegraph poles typically either have a radius of curvature of 60mm or a radius of curvature of 120mm. In this way, the bracket 10 may be fixed easily to either of the commonly available telegraph poles without requiring substantial modifications to the shape of the bracket prior to its installation.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the bracket 10 of Figures 1 and 2. As can be seen from Figures 2 and 3, the apertures 24 in the supporting plates 20 are aligned to define a channel for receiving an aerial, for example.

The bracket may be affixed to the curved surface by any one of a number of different types of fixing inserted through at least one pair of fixing holes 18a or 18b and driven into the surface. For example, the brackets may be screwed or bolted to the surface.

Figure 4 illustrates a blank 50 from which the bracket 10 of Figures 1 to 3 may be produced.

As mentioned above, previously proposed brackets are typically constructed either by welding various individual components together to form the bracket, or by injection moulding. The welding of components to form a bracket is disadvantageous as the weld lines are particularly susceptible to corrosion. Furthermore, the welding process significantly lengthens the production time of the bracket and thus also increases its cost. Injection moulding processes are also disadvantageous as they are typically expensive to implement and maintain.

Accordingly, a suitable manufacturing process for the bracket 10 of Figures 1 to 3 could comprise the steps of firstly forming a blank 50 by stamping or punching a predetermined shape from a sheet of suitable material, such as aluminium, and then subsequently bending the blank along predetermined fold lines 52 into the required bracket shape. Either the blank or the bracket, or both, may be coated with an anticorrosion layer.

This method avoids the disadvantages associated with conventional assembly and production methods and thus significantly reduces the production costs of the bracket whilst reducing its susceptibility to corrosion. Furthermore, the bendable nature of the bracket produced in this way allows minor adjustments to be made to the shape of the bracket in the field, thereby increasing the ease with which it may be installed.

It will be understood of course that the present invention has been described above by way of example only and that modifications may be made within the scope of the invention.

For example, whilst the bracket has been described herein with reference to a particular use in the telecommunications industry, it will be appreciated that the bracket may be employed in a variety of industries for the support of a variety of different articles. In this regard, it should be noted that the supporting means 22 may have any one of a number of different configuration, each chosen to be best suited for the support of the particular article to be provided therein.

Claims (19)

1. A bracket for mounting an article on a curved surface, the bracket comprising: a mount for supporting the article; and means for attaching the mount to the curved surface; the attaching means comprising at least one pair of oppositely inclined lugs, the lugs each having a plurality of fixing holes, at least one hole of one lug being on the same radius of curvature as at least one corresponding hole of the other lug to define a set of holes, respective sets of holes being provided along different radii of curvature.

2. A bracket according to Claim 1, wherein the mount pivotally supports the article.

3. A bracket according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the mount comprises a base portion and at least one supporting plate extending substantially perpendicularly away from the base portion and the attaching means.

4. A bracket according to Claim 3, wherein the at least one supporting plate comprises an aperture for receiving the article to be supported.

5. A bracket according to Claim 4, wherein the the aperture is provided with means for securely holding the article in position whilst allowing for the rotation thereof.

6. A bracket according to any of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the lugs are oppositely inclined away from the mount at an angle of between 30 to 600.

7. A bracket according to Claim 6, wherein the lugs are oppositely inclined away from the mount at an angle of approximately 45".

8. A bracket according to any preceding claim, wherein each lug is provided with four fixing holes being an inner pair and an outer pair, the inner pair on each lug defining an inner set and the outer pair defining an outer set.

9. A bracket according to Claim 8, wherein the inner set are on a radius of curvature of approximately 60mm.

10. A bracket according to Claim 8 or 9, wherein the outer set are on a radius of curvature of approximately 120mm.

11. A bracket according to any preceding claim, wherein the lugs are each spaced from the mount by a respective connecting arm.

12. A bracket according to any preceding claim, wherein the bracket is of aluminium.

13. A bracket according to any preceding claim, wherein the article is an aerial.

14. A method of manufacturing a bracket for mounting an article on a surface, the method comprising the steps of: punching a blank from a sheet of material; and bending the blank along predetermined fold lines to form the bracket.

15. A method according to Claim 14, comprising the step of coating the blank with an anti-corrosion coating.

16. A method according to Claim 14 or Claim 15, comprising the step of coating the bracket with an anti-corrosion coating.

17. A method according to any of claims 14 to 16, comprising the step of forming a plurality of fixing holes in a pair of lugs formed by bending outer portions of said blank.

18. A method substantially as hereinbefore described.

19. A bracket substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 4.