To date, electromechanical devices are known connectable to mobile telephone base station antennas for modifying the slope angle of the radiation such as those described in EP 1356539 B1. This document describes an electromechanical remote control device corresponding to a mobile telephone antenna comprising an electric motor and an electronic control housed in a single cover separated from the protective casing of the antenna components. Housed within the same casing where the motor and electronic controls are located, there is an actuator elements which passes through the interior of the protective casing of the antenna components through a perforation.
To date electromechanical devices are known connectable to mobile telephone base station antennas for modifying the slope angle of the radiation such as those described in EP 1356539 B1. Housed in the same casing which holds the motor and the electronic control, is an activation element which crosses the interior of the protective housing of the antenna elements through a perforation.
Prior to the use of an electromechanical device such as that described in patent EP 1356539 B1, what was known as an actuating element served as an indicator rod of the slope of the radiation diagram given to the antenna by means of a knob acting as a wheel or manual control actuator which acted on the phase shifters.
With a single casing which totally encloses the electric motor, the electronic control and the actuating element, there is no means of directly observing the rod's indication or its movement, and therefore it is necessary to remove the casing in order to access the interior and visualise the marking on the rod. Withdrawal of the casing produces a loss in calibration of the measurement indicated by the device, requiring a new calibration every time the casing is removed.
Similarly, through the perforation where the actuating element accesses the interior of the antenna, water and damp may filter into the casing interior housing the motor and the electronic circuit, rendering the electromechanical remote control arrangement inoperative or damaged.
Also, it may be necessary to substitute the electronic control for another electronic control arrangement either due to updates or improvements to the control equipment (hardware or software) or because the electronic circuit has stopped working. In this replacement operation the casing is removed, the circuit changed and the casing subsequently remounted. When these operations need to be carried out on numerous antennas costs can be high due to the need to carry out this operation in the factory.
Therefore, in order to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages a remote control device has been invented which is the object of the invention, with which it is possible to protect the electronic control from possible faults or defects deriving from damp filtering through the perforation through which the actuating element penetrates the interior of the antenna. Furthermore, a control device has been designed which permits easy substitution of the electronic control in a simple manner at the site of operation, where, in addition, it is possible to directly visualise the position of the indicator bar associated with the actuating element as well as its movement.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds