WO2002065580A1

WO2002065580A1 - Hinged radio assembly and method

Info

Publication number: WO2002065580A1
Application number: PCT/US2002/003188
Authority: WO
Inventors: Louis R. Vermette; Denis Gallant
Original assignee: Harris Corporation
Priority date: 2001-02-06
Filing date: 2002-02-06
Publication date: 2002-08-22
Also published as: WO2002065655A8; WO2002063716A8; WO2002063711A1; WO2002063791A1; WO2002065577A8; WO2002065577A2; WO2002065577A3; WO2002065655A1; WO2002063711A9; AU2002308795A1; WO2002063716A1

Abstract

A plural-antenna (16), protected microwave radio assembly (26) for a point-to-multi-point communication network. A plural-antenna protected microwave radio assembly comprising hinged doors (48) to facilitate access on opposite sides of the protected microwave radio assembly (26).

Description

HINGED RADIO ASSEMBLY AND METHOD

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a point-to-multi-point microwave

communications network having plural antennas and protected radios. More specifically,

the invention relates to a lightweight, compact, plural-antenna, protected microwave

radio assembly with two antennas enclosed in a single radome, two transceivers within a

single housing, with means to hold the radio in place during installation, and with plural,

hinged panels providing access to the circuitry of the individual radios.

Communications networks with protected radios and multiple antennas are well

known. Point-to-multi-point microwave radios often have requirements for two

operationally unconnected antennas, one antenna transmitting and receiving in the service

of a node in the system, and the other in a stand-by mode.

In known systems, the antennas for different radios are separately housed in

individual enclosures or radomes. Where the antennas are flat antennas, each antenna

assembly generally consists of a printed circuit board enclosed between a mounting plate

and a radome. Such antenna assemblies may require a complex mounting arrangement

which increases the labor and cost of the assembly. In addition, antennas are usually

positioned in areas that are directly exposed to the elements and often difficult to reach

and the use of multiple radomes requires effecting multiple weather-tight seals.

The size and weight of known plural antenna assemblies is also a problem due to

the location thereof in service in places which are limited in size and often on elevated

towers. In addition, the use of multiple antenna assemblies generally creates a cluttered

look unacceptable in many locations. In one aspect, it is an object of the present invention to obviate many of the

problems associated with known plural antenna assemblies and to provide a novel

lightweight, compact, plural-antenna assembly for a point-to-multipoint, microwave

communications network.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel plural antenna

system with a simplified mounting arrangement having reduced space requirements and

reduced weight thus facilitating the installation and maintenance of the system.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a novel plural antenna

system which combines multiple antennas in a single radome reducing the sealing

requirements and providing a more aesthetically pleasing and less cluttered appearance.

Protected radio assemblies are well known in which two transceivers are

operatively connected in an active/standby relationship so that communication is not

interrupted in the event of the failure of the active transceiver. Because such radio

transceivers are generally encased in a single housing, removal and repair of one of the

transceivers requires the removal of the entire radio assembly, and thus the interruption of

communication, in the event the failure of the active transceiver forces the stand-by

transceiver into operation in an unprotected mode.

It is also customary to mount the antennas directly to protected radio assemblies

thus requiring the reorientation of the entire radio and antenna assembly as a unit each

time repairs to the protected radio are required.

The installation of radios is often difficult and hazardous because of the size and

weight of protected radio assemblies and the requirement to support such assembly while it is being secured to the supporting structure. In addition, maintenance of known

protected radio assemblies is often difficult because access to the assembly requires

maintenance personnel to secure the protected radio assembly access panel while the

maintenance is performed, often high above a building roof. The distraction of the access

panel presents a hazard.

In another aspect, it is an object of the present invention to obviate many of the

problems associated with the mounting of known protected radio assemblies and to

provide a novel protected radio assembly and method of mounting in a point-to-

multipoint, microwave communications network.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel protected radio

which is mounted independently of the mounting of the antennas associated therewith so

that the protected radio may be removed and replaced as a unit without disturbing the

orientation in space of the plural antennas, thus facilitating the installation and

maintenance of the system by reducing the size and weight of the assembly that must be

thus handled at the site of the antenna.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a novel protected radio

assembly in which each of the individual transceivers may be readily accessed and

repaired or replaced without disturbing the operation of the other transceiver and

disrupting communications.

It is still yet another object of the present invention to provide a novel method of

mounting a plural- antenna protected radio assembly by providing a safer and less labor-

intensive process. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel hinge for mounting

a protected radio assembly.

These and many other objects and advantages of the present invention will be

readily apparent to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains from a perusal of

the claims, the appended drawings, and the following detailed description of the preferred

embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is an exploded pictorial view of one embodiment of the present invention

showing the combination of plural antennas into a single radome.

Figure 2 is an exploded pictorial view of a portion of the embodiment of Figure 1

from the front side thereof showing the connection of the interface plate and the protected

microwave radio.

Figure 3 is a pictorial view of the assembled portion of the embodiment of Figure

2 from the rear side thereof showing the method of mounting.

Figure 4 is a pictorial view of the embodiment of Figure 3 illustrating the

independent accessibility of the individual transceivers of the protected radios.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the drawings where like numerals represent like components, the

plural-antenna radio assembly 10 includes a generally planar mounting plate 12 having

plural holes 20 extending therethrough. A printed circuit board (PCB) 14 is carried by

the mounting plate 12 and contains plural operatively unconnected antennas 16 thereon,

each of the antennas 16 having an antenna feed connector 18 operatively connected

thereto. Each of the antenna feed connectors 18 extends rearwardly through the PCB 14,

through one of the mounting plate holes 20, and an antenna feed channel 22 in the

interface plate 24 so that each antenna feed connector 18 may be operatively connected to

one of the transceivers in the protected microwave radio assembly 26. The PCB 14 is

enclosed by the radome 28 which is sealed in a suitable conventional manner to the mounting plate 12, with the mounting plate 12 providing mechanical support for the

PCB 14 and the radome 28.

With continued reference to Figures 1 and 2, the protected radio assembly 26 is

also supported by the interface plate 24 so that the protected radio assembly may be

removed as a unit from the interface plate 24 without disturbing the mounting of the

antennas to the interface plate and the orientation of the antennas in space. In an

alternative embodiment, the protected radio assembly 26 is fixedly mounted to a pole

mount and the antenna assembly is supported by the interface plate 24, which is

supported by the central section 32.

Note that the interface plate 24 includes a central O-ring 30 on the rear side

thereof and a peripheral O-ring 34 on the front side thereof that completely surround the

antenna feed connectors 18 as they traverse the interface plate 24 to prevent water, dirt

and other contaminants from entering into the assembly 26.

Note also in Figure 3 that the protected radio assembly may be positioned as a

single unit adjacent the interface plate 24 with the hinges 42 overlying the hinges 44.

The lift-off mating of the hinges provides support for the protected radio in the desired

location adjacent the interface plate while the radio is being secured thereto, e.g. by

conventional threaded fasteners inserted through the holes 45 in the interface plate 24

into the housing 32. In the preferred embodiment, the hinges are universal in that the

same hinge may be used as the top or bottom hinge on either side of the radio housing

and on either side of the interface plate. In a preferred embodiment, the central section 32 of the radio housing is provided

with panels 48 on opposite sides thereof to facilitate independent access to the two

transceivers contained therein. Each access panel 48 may be opened to expose one of the

transceivers for repair and/or replacement without interrupting the operation of the other

one of the transceivers, all without disturbing the orientation of the antennas in space.

Note that the individual transceivers may be mounted within the enclosure and

exposed by the opening of the panel. However, all or part of the individual transceivers

may be carried by the panel on the internal side thereof so that opening the panel moves

the circuitry away from the protected radio enclosure to provide easier access to the

circuitry.

In a preferred embodiment, portions of each transceiver are carried within the

housing and portions on the panel to facilitate access. It is desirable that the significant

heat generating components be mounted on the panel in a heat transmitting relationship

thereto so as to take advantage of the heat dispensing fins on the outside of the panel.

Where the failure incurs in the portion of the circuit contained in the panel, the panel and

the circuitry may be removed and replaced as a unit simply by lifting it off of the hinges

on the interface plate.

Each of the panels 48 are provided with vertically spaced apart access panel

hinges 42 that mate with interface plate hinges 44 on the interface plate 24. The mating

of the hinges holds the protected radio in the desired position against the interface plate

and thus facilitates the mounting of the radio to the interface plate. This hinge configuration also facilitates the swinging of the panels 48 as shown in Figure 4 once the

fasteners in the panels 48 are removed from the housing 32.

For example, conventional threaded fasteners 54 may be used to seal the panels 48

to the housing 32, and may be removed from one side of the housing 32. This completely

frees the panels 48 from the housing 32 without requiring that the panels be secured

during repair operations, i.e. the panels 48 remain attached to the interface plate by the

hinges and can swing open to provide access to the interior of the housing and the interior

of the panel. Note that the interface plate 24 contains grooves 52 adjacent the hinges into

which a portion of the forward portion of the panel hinges may swing as the panel is

opened.

From the foregoing, it may be seen that the interface plate 24 functions to provide

independent structural support for the protected microwave radio assembly 26 and the

antenna assembly. The interface plate 24 also provides an antenna feed channel 22

through which the antenna feed connectors 18 traverse the interface plate 24 and

operatively connect to transceivers within the protected microwave radio 26.

Additionally, the interface plate 24 protects the antennas and the protected radio

assembly 26 from the elements.

The panels may be removed from the housing of the protected radio to provide

access to the transceivers contained therein without having to secure the panels. Further,

the location of the individual transceivers on the internal surface of the panels facilitates

access to the transceivers in many installations and easy replacement. While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, it is to

be understood that the embodiments described are illustrative only and the scope of the

invention is to be defined solely by the appended claims when accorded a full range of

equivalence, many variations and modifications naturally occurring to those of skill in the

art from a perusal hereof.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A microwave radio assembly for a point-to-multi-point communications

network, said assembly comprising:

a generally planar interface plate having plural vertically spaced apart hinges

thereon;

an enclosure for a microwave radio having an access aperture on one lateral side

thereof for obtaining access to a transceiver within said enclosure;

an access panel configured to close the aperture in said enclosure, said access

panel having plural vertically spaced apart hinges adjacent one end thereof;

a first plurality of fasteners for removably securing said access panel to said

enclosure in a closed position with respect to said aperture to thereby deny access to a

transceiver within said enclosure; and

a second plurality of fasteners for removably securing one end of said enclosure to

said interface plate in a predetermined position with respect thereto with the hinges of

said access panel in a mating operable relationship with the hinges of said interface plate

when said access panel is in said closed position,

whereby said access panel remains hingedly connected to said interface plate after

the removal of said first fastener means so that said access panel may be (a) pivoted away

from said closed position to provide access to a transceiver within said enclosure and (b)

pivoted into said closed position to deny access to a transceiver within said enclosure.

2. The assembly of Claim 1 : wherein said interface plate has a second plurality of vertically spaced apart hinges

thereon;

wherein said enclosure has a second access aperture on the other lateral side

thereof for obtaining access to a transceiver within said enclosure;

including a second access panel configured to close the second aperture in said

enclosure, said second access plate having plural vertically spaced apart hinges adjacent

said one end thereof;

a third plurality of fasteners for removably securing said second access panel to

said enclosure in a closed position with respect to said second aperture to thereby deny

access to a transceiver within said enclosure from said other side; and

wherein the hinges of said second access panel are in a mating operable

relationship with said second plurality of hinges on said interface plate when said second

access panel is in said closed position,

whereby said second access panel remains hingedly connected to said interface

plate after the removal of said third plurality of fasteners so that said second access panel

may be (a) pivoted away from said closed position to provide access to a transceiver

within said enclosure from said other side and (b) pivoted into said closed position to

deny access to a transceiver within said enclosure from said other side.

3. The assembly of Claim 2 wherein said interface plate has plural grooves

adjacent each of said interface plate hinges for receiving a portion of access panel hinges

when rotated.

4. The assembly of Claim 2 where in said hinges are interchangeable.

5. In a microwave point-to-multi-point communications network having a

radio enclosure with removable access panels on two sides thereof and an interface plate

supporting said enclosure, the improvement wherein the access panels are hinged to the

interface plate to provide the independent accessibility of each of the radios without

accessing the other of the radios or disturbing the orientation of the antenna in space.

6. A protected radio assembly for a point-to-multi-point microwave

communications network, said assembly comprising:

an enclosure divided into two independent compartments each having an access

panel and an output fitting extending through one end wall of said enclosure;

a microwave radio mounted in each of said compartments, said radio being

accessible upon removal of said panel.

7. The protected radio assembly of Claim 6 wherein at least a portion of each

of said radios is carried by a panel.

8. The protected radio assembly of Claim 7 wherein substantially all of each

of said radios is carried by a panel.

9. The protected radio assembly of Claim 6 wherein said panels include a heat

sink.

10. The protected radio assembly of Claim 6 wherein said panels are hinged.

11. The protected radio assembly of Claim 6 wherein said panels and the

portions of said radios carried thereby may be replaced as a unit.

12. A method of mounting a microwave radio for point-to-multi-point

communications network comprising the steps of: (a) fixedly mounting an interface plate having plural vertically spaced apart

hinges thereon;

(b) providing a housing having a microwave radio enclosed therein, an access

panel through which the radio may be accessed, and hinges vertically spaced apart

adjacent to one end of the access panel;

(c) fixedly attaching said housing to the interface plate with the hinges mated

so that the access panel is hinged to the mounting plate.

13. In a method of replacing a microwave radio in an enclosure with a panel

providing access to a transceiver enclosed therein, the improvement comprising the steps

of:

(a) mounting the transceiver to the interior surface of the panel; and

(b) replacing the panel and transceiver as a unit.