WO2007065958A1

WO2007065958A1 - Underground container for telecommunication devices

Info

Publication number: WO2007065958A1
Application number: PCT/ES2005/000663
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jose Enrique Alamo Gomez; Sergio Gomez Rollon; Juan Miguel Alvarez Gonzalez
Original assignee: Knock Telecom, S.A.
Priority date: 2005-12-05
Filing date: 2005-12-05
Publication date: 2007-06-14

Abstract

The invention relates to an underground container for telecommunication devices. The inventive container includes a cover (1) which is equipped with at least two boxes (2) which are each provided with: a lower collector (4) which is communicated with a network of storm sewers, and a plurality of water level detection sensors which actuate means for sealing conduits (5) that are used to communicate the boxes (2) with the interior of the container. The aforementioned sealing means consist of a truncated-pyramid-shaped structure (6) which is coupled in a housing which is provided in the cover (1) and which is equipped with openings (7) that are disposed opposite the conduits (5). Said openings (7) can be closed by gates (8) which are actuated by a motorised system that is operatively associated with the different sensors when the water level exceeds a pre-determined safe level.

Description

UNDERGROUND CONTAINER FOR EQUIPMENT

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

D E S C R I P C I Ó N

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention refers to an underground container for telecommunications equipment and has application in the field of industry dedicated to both assembly, maintenance and management of facilities that require protection against water and humidity for proper operation, and that they require their location in watertight containers arranged underground, both for reasons of minimization of the environmental impact and protection of the facilities themselves placed in such containers, such as for example in the case of telecommunications equipment installations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The arrangement of electrical transformation centers in underground containers is currently known. An example of this type of center can be found in patents ES 1049753, ES 2157770, ES 2181581 and ES1049 753U. Normally, this type of center incorporates in the cover some manholes on which some ventilation grids or chimneys are arranged in order to evacuate the heat generated by the electrical transformer, at least one of them for the entry of cold air from the exterior and at least one other for the hot air outlet.

In order to preserve the tightness inside the Container said manholes normally have a lower collector that, through a tube, communicates with a drainage or rainwater network, in order to enable the evacuation of water, such as water from rain and possible residues that could accessing the interior of the same, said wells being in turn communicated with the interior of the container by means of converging lateral ducts through which the air from the ventilation circuit circulates.

The problem that this type of containers presents is manifested when for different reasons, such as a failure in the drainage network, the water returns to the ventilation chamber through the drain pipe.

For these cases, non-return valves are known which, placed at the outlet of the container drain pipe, prevent the water from the drainage network from returning to the ventilation chamber, and from there into the container. The problem that these valves present is that they require periodic maintenance to clean the possible dirt, leaves, garbage, etc., that accumulate over time. In addition, this solution does not solve the case that occurs when the container is located in areas with a risk of temporary flooding, the possibility of floods, or simply street cleaning trucks or firefighters that are working around the container.

All these containers do not have sealing means or forced extraction of the water that would have penetrated their interior, as well as alarm means in case of flooding, a problem that is especially serious in the event that the installation mounted inside the container They are telecommunications equipment, of a very high cost, which need to be totally preserved from the water for its correct operation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention refers to an underground container for telecommunications equipment, which comprises a system of sensors and gates with their corresponding electrical panel, which allows the automatic and immediate detection of the access of water to the interior of the container, sealing the access of water by closing some gates, and evacuating the water that would have entered the container by activating an extraction pump, in order to preserve the tightness inside, and therefore the appropriate conditions for proper operation of the telecommunications equipment contained therein.

The container object of the invention comprises a monoblock body formed by floor and side walls and a cover that closes the body at its rear and contains the personnel access cover and the ventilation boxes, all preferably made of reinforced concrete.

A structure, preferably metallic, is placed on the container cover, coupled in a housing provided therein, said structure incorporating windows that are arranged facing the lateral ducts that communicate the ventilation shafts with the interior of the container allowing the circulation of air, said windows being capable of being closed by gates operated by a motorized system.

The level of the water that accesses each of the manholes through their respective ventilation grids is controlled by a level sensor, so that when a certain level of safety is exceeded, the motorized system that activates the gates is activated, which The communication windows with the manholes are closed, which prevents access of the water to the interior of the container. When the windows are open, the gates are removed, these acting as deflectors that direct the air flow towards the lateral ducts, both inlet and outlet.

The structure that incorporates the gates has a general truncated pyramid configuration, having a continuous perimeter flange at its lower base, for attachment to the container cover, its upper base presenting a section at an angle coincident with a projection of the same angle arranged in correspondence on the inside face of the container cover.

It is contemplated, as one of the possible practical realizations of the sluice system, the possibility that the sluice gates are arranged so that they close the windows by means of a tilting movement with respect to an upper horizontal axis, the motorized system being mounted on a support central fixed to the own truncated pyramidal structure, although it is necessary to point out that this arrangement allows multiple variants for an expert in the field, without said variants exceeding the object of the present invention.

The motorized system that operates the gates has control means that are powered by batteries, which are the same that power the telecommunications devices contained within the container. In this way, in case of interruption of the electricity supply, the system will be able to continue supervising the possible entry of water into the interior of the enclosure until the batteries are exhausted, which normally happens after a few hours, which is more than enough time for technical personnel can proceed to restore the electricity supply or to install a supplementary electric generator. If, due to any serious contingency, the batteries are completely depleted, the motorized system that operates the gates will no longer have full power. In order to ensure the watertightness of the container in these cases, the motorized system that comprises at least one motor, has internal mechanical recoil springs that close the gates in a watertight manner.

There are situations in which water is not introduced into the container through the ventilation grids, but rather is done in other ways, such as through the access gate inside the container, for forgetting to close it. by an operator, through a crack in the structure of the container itself, which can be produced by earthworks, or through the wiring tubes themselves. For all these situations, the provision of a ramp, located under a false floor, is contemplated so that the water is directed towards a collection area in which it accumulates.

In said collection area, three level sensors are arranged at different heights, so that when the accumulated water reaches the lower level sensor, a water extraction pump is activated, with a non-return system, arranged in the collection area, whose The outlet tube can be arranged through the container's own cable-gland system.

In the event that water continues to enter the container and the extraction pump is not capable of evacuating it or is damaged, the water that enters produces an increase in the water level, which upon reaching the intermediate level sensor, generates a signal that produces the closing of the gates and at the same time stops the ventilation or air conditioning system. In the extreme situation in which the water level continues to rise, causing the container to flood, the upper level sensor is reached, which sends a flood alarm signal from the enclosure to a control center, in order that This situation is known and, if appropriate, proceed to send technical personnel so that they can carry out a direct action on the container's own site before the level continues to rise, reaching the telecommunications equipment located on the false floor. For all the aforementioned cases, the system is designed in such a way that in the event that the gates are closed, the ventilation or air conditioning system will also stop as a safety measure, reactivating when the gates are opened. Once the water level drops and the level sensors stop detecting water, the gates reopen and the ventilation or air conditioning system starts up again

In the collection area, the provision of a horizontal plate is foreseen, in order to prevent the condensation of water vapor from reaching the area of the devices to be protected, damaging them. Likewise, provision has been made for the provision of a protection plate for the level sensors, in order to avoid the signals detected by these not being distorted by the turbulences produced when the pump starts up in the collection area.

Thus, according to the described invention, the underground container for telecommunications equipment that the invention proposes constitutes an advance in the containers of this type now used, and it solves in a fully satisfactory way the problem previously exposed, in the line of guaranteeing Ia tightness in the interior of the container, which is extremely important, as has already been explained above, when it comes to installations that require protection against water, as in the case of telecommunications equipment, allowing the detection, automatically and immediately, of the access of water to the interior of the container, preventing its access and incorporating auxiliary means for its evacuation, having alarm means for warning a control center in the event of massive water entry, due to the overflow of the evacuation means, in order that the technical personnel can carry out a direct action in the container itself.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the description that is being made and in order to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, according to a preferred example of practical embodiment thereof, a set of drawings is included as an integral part of said description where With an illustrative and non-limiting nature, the following has been represented:

Figure 1.- Shows a perspective view of the container of the invention in which the external elements of the same can be seen. Figure 2.- Shows a partial section of another perspective view, from the opposite side to that of the previous figure, in which the arrangement of one of the ventilation shafts can be seen without the upper grille, and with the damper system. with a truncated pyramid structure, as well as the ramp located under the false floor.

Figure 3.- Shows a perspective view of the gates with a truncated pyramid structure that incorporates windows that can be closed in the container object of the invention.

Figure 4.- Shows a partial section of the perspective view shown in the previous figure, with the gates in the closed position.

Figure 5.- Shows a view like that of the previous figure, with the gates in the open position.

Figure 6.- Shows a partial section of an elevation view of the container object of the invention.

Figure 7.- Shows a detail, according to section A-A of the previous figure.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

In view of the outlined figures, it can be seen how in one of the possible embodiments of the invention, the underground container for telecommunications equipment comprises a cover (1) that incorporates at least two manholes (2) on which grids are arranged (3) ventilation, each one of said manholes (2) having, in order to preserve the watertightness inside the container, a lower collector (4) that communicates with a network of rainwater, the manholes (2) being ) communicated in turn with the interior of the container through ducts (5), normally arranged laterally, converging through which air circulates. Well, as can be seen in Figures 2, 6 and 7, the container comprises a structure (6), preferably metal, coupled in a housing provided in the container cover (1), which incorporates windows (7) that are arranged facing the ducts (5) that communicate the manholes (2) with the interior of the container, said windows (7) being capable of being closed by gates (8) operated by a motorized system.

Each manhole (2) comprises a level sensor arranged at a certain height or level of safety, which when activated by the water contained in the manhole (2) produces the activation of the motorized system that operates the gates (8), producing the closing of the windows (7), which prevents the access of the water through them to the interior of the container.

In the opening position of the gates (8), they act as deflectors that direct the air current towards the ducts (5).

In a practical embodiment, as can be seen in Figures 3 to 5, the structure (6) presents a general truncated pyramid configuration, having a continuous perimeter flange (9) at its lower base, for its attachment to the cover (1) of the container, its upper base presenting a section at an angle coincident with a projection of the same angle arranged in correspondence on the internal face in the cover (1) of the container.

It is contemplated, in one of the possible practical embodiments of the invention, the possibility that the gates (8) produce the closing of the windows (7) by means of a tilting movement with respect to an upper horizontal axis, the motorized system being mounted on a support central (10) fixed to the structure itself (6), although it is necessary to point out that this arrangement allows multiple variants for a person skilled in the art, without said variants exceeding the object of the present invention. The motorized system that operates the gates (8) has control means that are powered by batteries, which are the same that power the telecommunications devices contained within the container. In the event of a power cut and the batteries run out, the motorized system, which includes at least one motor (8), has recoil springs that close said gates (8) in a watertight manner, and the ventilation system also stops. or air conditioning as a safety measure, activating and opening the gates (8) again when said supply is restored.

Once the water level drops and the level sensors do not detect water, the gates (8) reopen and the ventilation or air conditioning system starts up again.

Likewise, the arrangement of a ramp (11), located under a false floor (12), which directs the water towards a collection area (13) in which it accumulates is contemplated. In the collection area (13) three level sensors (14), (15) and (16) are arranged at different heights, so that when the accumulated water reaches the lower level sensor (14), a pump is activated (17) for water extraction, with anti-return system, arranged in the collection area (13), whose outlet tube (18) can be arranged through the container's own watertight cable gland system (19).

In the event that the water level reaches the intermediate level sensor (15), it generates a signal that causes the gates (8) to close and at the same time stops the ventilation or air conditioning system.

In the extreme situation of flooding of the container, the upper level sensor (16), which sends a flood alarm signal from the premises to a control center, so that this situation is known and, if appropriate, proceed to send technical personnel to can carry out a direct action on the container site itself.

In the collection area (13) the provision of a horizontal plate (20) is provided, in order to prevent the condensation of water vapor from reaching the area of the devices to be protected, damaging them. Likewise, provision has been made for the provision of a protection plate for the level sensors (14), (15) and (16), in order to prevent the signals detected by them from being distorted by the turbulence produced when the pump is activated in the collection area (13). In view of this description and set of figures, the person skilled in the art will be able to understand that the embodiments of the invention that have been described can be combined in multiple ways within the object of the invention. The invention has been described according to some preferred embodiments thereof, but for the person skilled in the art it will be evident that multiple variations can be introduced in said preferred embodiments without exceeding the object of the claimed invention.

Claims

R E I V I N D I C A C I O N E S

1.- Underground container for telecommunications equipment, comprising a cover (1) that has at least two manholes (2), each of said manholes (2) having a lower collector (4) that communicates with a network of rainwater, said manholes (2) being in turn communicated with the interior of the container by means of ducts (5), characterized in that the manholes (2) are in communication with the interior of the container through facing lateral ducts (5) between which means are provided for the opening and closing of such ducts, means that are fitted and held in a housing for the purpose arranged in the container cover (1) while at the base of said container, under the false floor (12 ), there is a ramp (11) that directs the waters, in the event of flooding, to one of the sides of the container, where an evacuation electric pump is installed, with level sensors in the manholes and on the lateral r water receiver from the ramp, to sequentially command the means that prevent the entry of water or that produce its evacuation when it is unavoidable.

2. Underground container for telecommunications equipment, according to claim 1, in which the means for opening and closing said ducts of the ducts (5) comprise a structure (6) having windows (7) that are arranged facing the ducts (5), as well as some gates (8) configured to be operated by a motorized system so as to allow said windows (7) to be closed.

3.- Underground container for telecommunications equipment, according to claim 2, in which the structure (6) has a general truncated pyramid configuration, having a continuous perimeter flange (9) at its lower base, for fixing it to the roof (1 ) of the container, its upper base presenting a section at an angle coincident with a projection of the same angle arranged in correspondence on the internal face of said cover (1). 4. Underground container for telecommunications equipment, according to any of claims 2 to 3, in which the gates (8) are arranged so that they can perform a tilting movement with respect to an upper horizontal axis, to selectively close or open, the windows (7), the motorized system being mounted on a central support (10) fixed to the structure itself (6).

5.- Underground container for telecommunications equipment, according to any of claims 2 to 4, in which the motorized system that operates the gates (8) has control means that are powered by batteries, which in turn supply the devices of telecommunications contained inside the container.

6.- Underground container for telecommunications equipment, according to claim 5, in which the motor system of the gates (8) has return springs to close said gates (8) when the electricity supply is interrupted, or the intermediate level sensor or one of the sensors in the ventilation shafts.

7.- Underground container for telecommunications equipment, according to any of claims 2 to 6, in which the gates (8) are opened and the ventilation or air conditioning system is activated in the event that the level of water is below the safety level and the level sensors do not detect water. 8.- Underground container for telecommunications equipment, according to any of claims 2 to 7, in which the structure (6) is metallic.

9. Underground container for telecommunications equipment, according to any of the preceding claims, comprising, in a collection area (13), at least one lower level sensor (14), and a water extraction pump (17) with anti-return system operatively associated with the lower level sensor (14) so that it produces the activation of said water extraction pump (17) in the event that the level of water accumulated in the collection area (13) reaches the sensor ( 14) at the lower level, an outlet tube (18) of the water extraction pump (17) being arranged through the container's cable gland system (19).

10.- Underground container for telecommunications equipment, according to claim 9, comprising at least one intermediate level sensor (15), at a height higher than that of the sensors.

(14) lower level, operationally associated with the motorized system to produce the closing of the gates (8) and at the same time stopping the ventilation or air conditioning system in the event that the level of water accumulated in the area (13 ) of collection reach the intermediate level sensor (15).

11.- Underground container for telecommunications equipment, according to claim 10, comprising at least one higher level sensor (16), at a height higher than that of intermediate level sensors (15), operatively configured to send a signal flood alarm from the premises to a control center in the event that the level of water accumulated in the collection area (13) reaches the upper level sensor (16). 12.- Underground container for telecommunications equipment, according to any of claims 9 to 11, which It comprises a horizontal plate (20) arranged in the collection area (13) so that the collected water that evaporates condenses on the plate itself at its lower part, reducing the total surface area of water exposed to air.

13.- Underground container for telecommunications equipment, according to any of the previous claims, which comprises a protection plate for the level sensors located in the collection area (13) to prevent the turbulence generated by the pump when activated falsifying its state.