U.S. patent application number 14/192813 was filed with the patent office on 2017-09-21 for microwave system.
This patent application is currently assigned to Ubiquiti Networks, Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is Ubiquiti Networks, Inc.. Invention is credited to Robert J. Pera, John R. Sanford.
Application Number | 20170271771 14/192813 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 53883127 |
Filed Date | 2017-09-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170271771 |
Kind Code |
A9 |
Pera; Robert J. ; et
al. |
September 21, 2017 |
MICROWAVE SYSTEM
Abstract
A microwave system comprising a center fed parabolic reflector;
a radio transceiver, said transceiver disposed on a circuit board
and coupled to a radiator, said radiator disposed on the circuit
board and extending orthogonally from a surface of the circuit
board. Embodiments also include directors on the circuit board and
a sub-reflector comprising a thin plate disposed on a weather proof
cover and said sub-reflector having a substantially concave surface
with a focus directed towards the radiator. The circuit board may
be physically integrated within the feed mechanism of the center
fed parabolic reflector and the radio transceiver is configured to
provide OSI layer support.
Inventors: |
Pera; Robert J.; (San Jose,
CA) ; Sanford; John R.; (Encinitas, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Ubiquiti Networks, Inc. |
San Jose |
CA |
US |
|
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Assignee: |
Ubiquiti Networks, Inc.
San Jose
CA
|
Prior
Publication: |
|
Document Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20150244074 A1 |
August 27, 2015 |
|
|
Family ID: |
53883127 |
Appl. No.: |
14/192813 |
Filed: |
February 27, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
13783272 |
Mar 2, 2013 |
8698687 |
|
|
14192813 |
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|
12477998 |
Jun 4, 2009 |
8466847 |
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13783272 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01Q 1/42 20130101; H01Q
1/2291 20130101; H01Q 19/134 20130101; H01Q 19/30 20130101; H01Q
15/16 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H01Q 9/04 20060101
H01Q009/04; H01Q 15/16 20060101 H01Q015/16 |
Claims
1. A device comprising: a center fed reflector; a radiator pin,
said radiator pin radially disposed on a substrate and extending
orthogonally from a first surface of the substrate; a radio
transceiver, said transceiver disposed on the substrate and coupled
to the radiator pin; one or more directors disposed on said
substrate, each director disposed substantially parallel to the
radiator pin, and at least one sub-reflector, said sub-reflector
comprising a thin plate said sub-reflector having a first surface
substantially disposed towards the radiator pin, wherein the
substrate is disposed within the feed mechanism of the center fed
reflector.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein the radio transceiver couples to a
client station via an Ethernet cable, wherein the radio receiver
receives power through the Ethernet cable.
3. The device of claim 1 wherein the radio transceiver is
configured to provide open system interconnection (OSI) layer
support.
4. The device of claim 3, wherein the OSI layer support is provided
with a gateway.
5. The device of claim 3, wherein the OSI layer support is provided
by a client controller.
6. The device of claim 1 further including: a second radiator pin,
said second radiator pin disposed on the substrate and extending
orthogonally from a second surface of the substrate.
7. The device of claim 1 further including: one or more second
directors disposed on said substrate, each second director disposed
substantially parallel to the second radiator pin.
8. A device comprising: a center fed parabolic reflector; a first
radiator pin, said first radiator pin radially disposed on a
substrate and extending orthogonally from a first surface of the
substrate; a second radiator pin, said second radiator pin disposed
to extend orthogonally from a second surface of the substrate; one
or more directors disposed on said substrate, each director
disposed substantially parallel to the first radiator pin; one or
more second directors, each second director disposed substantially
parallel to the second radiator pin; at least one sub-reflector,
said sub-reflector said sub-reflector having a first surface
substantially disposed towards the first radiator pin, wherein the
substrate is disposed within the feed mechanism of the center fed
parabolic reflector antenna.
9. The device of claim 8 further including: a radio transceiver,
said transceiver disposed on the substrate and coupled to the first
radiator pin.
10. The device of claim 9 wherein the radio transceiver is coupled
to the second radiator pin.
11. The device of claim 9 wherein the radio transceiver couples to
a client station via an Ethernet cable, wherein the radio receiver
receives power through the Ethernet cable.
12. The device of claim 9 wherein the radio transceiver is
configured to provide open system interconnection (OSI) layer
support.
13. The device of claim 12, wherein the OSI layer support is
provided with a gateway.
14. The device of claim 12, wherein the OSI layer support is
provided by a client controller.
Description
PRIORITY
[0001] This application is a continuation of co-pending application
Ser. No. 13/783,272 entitled Microwave System filed Mar. 8, 2013
which in turn is a continuation of application Ser. No. 12/477,998,
(now U.S. Pat. No. 8,466,847) filed on Jun. 4, 2009 by the same
inventors which, along with their incorporated documents, are
incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth in this
disclosure.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention generally relates to wireless communications,
and more specifically, to microwave antennas and microwave radio
equipment.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The core elements of a microwave system includes a radio
transceiver, an antenna, an antenna feed mechanism, and the
necessary RF cabling to connect these elements and one or more
client stations. Client stations are connected to the radio
transceiver via digital cables. The performance of the microwave
antenna system is based upon the characteristics of the
aforementioned elements and the efficiency of integration of these
elements into a system. There have been many improvement of
microwave system over the years, and the demand for microwave
systems continues to grow, in part due to the large demand for
internet service in remote areas of the world. Thus there is a
motivation to have further improvements in the cost and performance
of microwave systems.
[0004] Some of considerations in an improved cost and performance
microwave system include:
[0005] Lower cost via a reduced component count and a reduction or
elimination of the expensive RF cable.
[0006] Higher performance due to reduction of RF cable and RF
connector losses that effect both the transmit power and receive
noise figure.
[0007] Higher reliability due to a reduced part count and RF
connectors.
[0008] Improved ease of use when the user set-up only has a digital
interface instead of having both an RF and digital interfaces.
[0009] Improved ease of use since there are fewer parts required
for the set-up of a radio link.
[0010] Improved ease of use and functionality when the radio
transceiver and antenna is powered by a digital cable.
[0011] Accordingly, the aforementioned factors provide motivation
for improvements in the design of microwave systems.
SUMMARY
[0012] The present invention offers significant improvements in the
performance, cost, reliability and ease of use of a microwave
system. The core elements of a microwave system include a radio
transceiver, an antenna, an antenna feed mechanism, and the
necessary RF cabling to connect these elements. In the present
invention, an antenna feed system is described. The antenna feed
system comprises the radio transceiver, which is integrated with
the antenna feed mechanism and the antenna conductors. Many
benefits result from this integration, including the elimination of
RF cabling and connectors. In the exemplary embodiment, the antenna
feed assembly further comprises connectivity for a digital signal
interface; antenna feed pins, director pins and sub-reflectors.
Typically, these elements are located on a printed circuit board
and housed in weather proof housing.
[0013] The design of the antenna feed assembly requires the
specification of the location, dimensions, and shapes of the one or
more antenna feed pins, the one or more director pins and the one
or more sub-reflectors. To facilitate and optimize the design and
performance of the entire antenna system, 3D finite element method
(FEM) software and numerical optimization software is utilized. The
antenna system comprises the antenna feed system, its associated
housing, and a parabolic reflector. By mounting the antenna feed
pins and director pins perpendicular to a printed circuit board,
the performance of the antenna system is significantly
improved.
[0014] A microwave system is also described that comprises a center
fed parabolic reflector and a radio transceiver, wherein the radio
transceiver is physically integrated with a center feed parabolic
reflector, and wherein the radio transceiver is powered through a
digital cable. Many benefits result from this integration,
including the elimination of RF cabling and connectors in the
microwave system. In one embodiment, the antenna feed assembly
further comprises connectivity for a digital signal interface;
antenna feed pins, director pins and sub-reflectors. Typically,
these elements are located on a printed circuit board and housed in
weather proof housing.
[0015] In one embodiment, the radio transceiver has a connector for
a Ethernet cable that receives not only the digital signals, but
also the power for the radio transceiver and the center fed
reflector. The Ethernet cable couples to a passive adapter, which
in trims couples to a client station, wherein the passive adapter
is powered by a USB cable that is also coupled to the client
station. The passive adapter injects power in the portion of the
Ethernet cable that couples to the radio transceiver. The length of
the Ethernet cable is selected such that there is sufficient power
to support the radio transceiver and to support the transmission of
the digital signal to the radio transceiver. This embodiment may
support a radio transceiver that incorporates a radio gateway with
OSI layer 1-7 capabilities.
[0016] In another embodiment, the radio transceiver has a connector
for a USB cable that receives not only the digital signals, but
also the power for the radio transceiver and the center fed
parabolic reflector. The USB cable couples to a USB repeater, which
in turns couples to a client station. The length of the USB cables
is selected such that there is sufficient power to support the
radio transceiver and to support the transmission of the digital
signal to the radio transceiver. This embodiment may support a
radio transceiver that incorporates a USB client controller,
supporting OSI layer 1-3.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale,
emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of
the invention. In the figures, like reference numerals designate
corresponding parts throughout the different views.
[0018] FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art design of a microwave
system.
[0019] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary antenna feed system in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 3 illustrates the antenna feed system in a weather
proof housing with an antenna tube in accordance with an embodiment
of the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 4a illustrates the wave pattern of an antenna feed pin
on the antenna feed system in accordance with an embodiment of the
present invention.
[0022] FIG. 4b illustrates the individual wave pattern of the
antenna feed pins and the director pins on the antenna feed system
in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 4c illustrates the superposition of the antenna feed
pins and the director pins on the antenna feed system in accordance
with an embodiment of the present invention.
[0024] FIG. 5 illustrates a microwave system comprising a center
feed parabolic reflector incorporating antenna feed system, wherein
an Ethernet cable provides the digital signal and power to the
radio transceiver.
[0025] FIG. 6 illustrates a microwave system comprising a center
feed parabolic reflector incorporating antenna feed system, wherein
a USB cable provides the digital signal and power to the radio
transceiver.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] Although described in the context of an IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi
microwave system, the systems disclosed herein may be generally
applied to any mobile network.
[0027] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention is based
upon parabolic reflectors, which are well known in the industry. A
parabolic reflector is a parabola-shaped reflective device, used to
collect or distribute energy such as radio waves. The parabolic
reflector functions due to the geometric properties of the
paraboloid shape: if the angle of incidence to the inner surface of
the collector equals the angle of reflection, then any incoming ray
that is parallel to the axis of the dish will be reflected to a
central point, or "locus". Because many types of energy can be
reflected in this way, parabolic reflectors can be used to collect
and concentrate energy entering the reflector at a particular
angle. Similarly, energy radiating from the "focus" to the dish can
be transmitted outward in a beam that is parallel to the axis of
the dish. These concepts are well-known by one skilled in the
art.
[0028] Definitions for this detailed description are as
follows:
[0029] Antenna feed--An assembly that comprises the elements of an
antenna feed mechanism, an antenna feed conductor, and a associated
connector.
[0030] Antenna feed system--A system comprising an antenna feed and
a radio transceiver.
[0031] Antenna system--A classical antenna system comprises the
antenna feed and an antenna, such as parabolic reflector 101. In
the present invention, a radio transceiver is integrated with the
antenna feed, so the antenna system comprises an antenna feed
system and an antenna.
[0032] Center fed parabolic reflector--a parabolic reflector, and
an antenna feed, wherein the signal to the antenna feed is "feed"
through the center of the parabolic antenna.
[0033] Microwave system--A system comprising an antenna system, a
radio transceiver, and one or more client station devices. The
radio transceiver may be integrated with the antenna system.
[0034] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a prior art design 100 of the
microwave system and a client station. The system consists of a
parabolic reflector 101, which is supported by a mounting bracket
102. The parabolic reflector 101 reflects a RF signal 103 that is
emitted from the antenna feed mechanism 104. The antenna feed
mechanism 104 receives the RF signal via the antenna feed conductor
105. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the antenna feed conductor 105 is
coupled to an RF connector 106. In turn, the RF connector 106 is
coupled to a coaxial cable or equivalent 107. The coaxial cable 107
has a RF connector 106 on each end of the cable.
[0035] The other end of the coaxial cable 107 connects to the radio
transceiver 108, which is located in a weatherproof housing, 109.
This weatherproof housing 109 may be a housing just for the radio
transceiver 108, as illustrated in FIG. 1. Alternative, the weather
proof housing 109 may be a housing suitable to enclose several
electronic devices, including client station 114. This latter
configuration is not shown.
[0036] The radio transceiver 108 converts the RF signal to a
baseband signal, based upon the modulation/demodulation algorithms
implemented in the radio transceiver 108. For example, the radio
transceiver may implement a IEEE 802.11 transceiver. In this
conversion, the baseband signal is encoded in the modulation
process and becomes a non-baseband signal. Conversely, the
non-baseband signal is decoded in the demodulation process and
becomes a baseband signal. As noted above, the radio transceiver
108 supports radio frequency (RF) signals, but other embodiments of
the radio transceiver 108 may support other types of non-baseband
signals such as light or sound.
[0037] The radio transceiver 108 has a digital connector 110 that
provides the input/output connectivity for a digital signal. The
digital connector 110 may be, but is not limited to, an Ethernet
connector or a USB connector.
[0038] As illustrated in FIG. 1, for one embodiment, a digital
cable 111 is an Ethernet cable that connects from the radio
transceiver 108 to a power over Ethernet (POE) device 112. The POE
device 112 injects power on the digital cable 111, such that
digital cable 111 supplies power to the radio transceiver 108. The
POE 112 receives power from an AC power source 113. The digital
signal is coupled on digital cable 115 from POE 112 to a client
station 114. The client station 114 may be a client computer such
as a laptop.
[0039] There are a number of issues to be addressed in an improved
performance and reduced cost microwave system.
[0040] First, as illustrated in the prior art microwave system and
client station of FIG. 1, the RF transceiver 108 is located a
distance from the antenna feed conductor 105. As a minimum, a RF
cable 107 and four RF connectors 106 are required. For longer
distances a RE bi-directional amplifier is also required. Thus,
there would be considerable benefits if the radio transceiver 108
was located near the antenna feed mechanism 104 or ideally
physically integrated with the antenna feed mechanism 104.
[0041] Second, a basic antenna feed system has a number of design
and selection considerations. In FIG. 1, the antenna feed system
includes the antenna feed conductor 105, including an RF connector
106, plus the antenna feed mechanism 104. In the fundamental
design, an antenna feed system is placed with its phase center at
the focus of the parabola. Ideally, all of the energy radiated by
the antenna feed will be intercepted by the parabola and reflected
in the desired direction. To achieve the maximum gain, this energy
would be distributed such that the field distribution over the
aperture is uniform. Because the antenna feed is relatively small,
however, such control over the feed radiation is unattainable in
practice. Some of the energy actually misses the reflecting area
and is lost; this is commonly referred to as "spillover". Also, the
field is generally not uniform over the aperture, but is tapered,
wherein the maximum signal at the center of the reflector, and less
signal at the edges. This "taper loss" reduces gain, but the filed
taper provides reduced side-lobes levels.
[0042] Third, one of the simplest antenna feeds for a microwave
system is the dipole. Due to its simplicity, the dipole was the
first to be used as a feed for reflector antennas. While easy to
design and implement, the dipole feed has inherently unequal E and
H plane radiation patterns, which do not illuminate the dish
effectively and thus reduces efficiency. Another disadvantage of
the dipole antenna feed for some applications is that due to
unequal radiation patterns, cross polarization performance is not
optimal. Accordingly, modification to a simple dipole antenna feed
is required to achieve optimum performance, yet cost effective
approach.
[0043] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary antenna feed system 200 in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As
illustrated, the functions of the radio transceiver 108 are
integrated with the functions of the antenna feed conductor 105,
and the functions of the conventional antenna feed mechanism 104.
The exemplary antenna feed system 200 is located in the same
position relative to a reflective antenna as the conventional
antenna feed mechanism 104. The exemplary antenna feed system 200
is assembled on a common substrate, which may be a multi-layer
printed circuit board 208, as illustrated in FIG. 2. The antenna
feed system 200 comprises a digital connector 201 which is
equivalent to digital connector 110 of FIG. 1. This digital
connector 201 may be an Ethernet or USB connector or other digital
connector. A digital signal from a client station, such as client
station 114, is coupled to the digital connector 201 on a digital
cable. To power the radio transceiver in the antenna feed system,
the digital cable includes a power component. The power component
may be provided on an Ethernet cable, a USB cable, or other
equivalent digital cable.
[0044] FIG. 3 illustrates antenna element 300 comprising the
antenna feed system in a housing with an antenna tube 303. The
housing may be weather proof housing as illustrated in FIG. 3 as a
plastic housing 301 that encloses the elements of the antenna feed
system. The antenna feed system, its associated housing, and a
parabolic reflector is an antenna system.
[0045] As illustrated, the antenna feed system comprises the
digital connector 201, the printed circuit board 208, the antenna
feed pins 205, the director pins 206, and the subreflector 207. Per
FIG. 3, the sub-reflector 207 reflects radiated waves 302 back
towards the reflective antenna (not shown). The plastic housing 301
may conform to the shape of sub-reflector 207. As an option, the
plastic housing 301 permits interchangeability of the sub-reflector
207.
[0046] The tube 303 may be adjusted to various lengths in order to
accommodate reflectors of different sizes. A digital cable,
equivalent to digital cable 111, may be routed through the tube 303
and connected to digital connector 201. Digital connector 201 may
have a weatherized connector, such as a weatherized Ethernet or USB
connector.
[0047] Referring back to FIG. 2, the digital connector 201 is
coupled to a radio transceiver 203 via conductor 202. Connector 202
may be implemented by a metal connector on a printed circuit card
208. The radio transceiver 203 has similar functionality as the
radio transceiver 108 of FIG. 1. Accordingly, radio transceiver 203
generates an RF signal that is coupled to an antenna feed conductor
204, which in turn couples to antenna feed pins 205. The antenna
feed pins 205 radiate the RF signal 103 to an antenna such as
parabolic reflector 101. However, the radiated signal is modified
and enhanced by the director pins 206 and the sub-reflectors 207.
These components will be further discussed herein.
[0048] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the antenna feed pins 205 comprise
two pins that are located on opposite sides of the printed circuit
card, and the pins are electrically connected together. FIG. 4a
illustrates assembly 401 with the radiating patterns 402 from the
antenna feed pin 403. In their most fundamental structure the
antenna feed pin 403 implements a half wave length dipole. However,
the optimum system design with the inclusion of the director pins
206 and the sub-reflector 207 results in a modified design from
that of a half-wave length dipole.
[0049] The director pins 206 are known in the industry as passive
radiators or parasitic elements. These elements do not have any
wired input. Instead, they absorb radio waves that have radiated
from another active antenna element in proximity, and re-radiate
the radio waves in phase with the active element so that it
augments the total transmitted signal, as illustrated in FIGS. 4b
and 4c. Per FIG. 4a and element 400, assembly 401 comprises an
antenna feed pin 403 that radiates circular waves 402. As
illustrated in FIGS. 4b and 4c, assembly 421 comprises an antenna
feed pin 403 and two director pins 424. Per FIG. 4b and element
420, these circular waves 402 reach the proximity of director pins
424 and the director pins 424 generate re-radiated waves 425. The
result is that the energy is better focused towards the reflective
antenna, as illustrated in FIG. 4c and element 440. Per FIG. 4c,
the superposition of the radiated waves 402 from the antenna feed
pins 403 and the re-radiated waves 425 from the director pins 424
result in highly focused waves 446 that are radiated towards the
parabolic reflector (not shown).
[0050] An example of an antenna that uses passive radiators is the
Yagi, which typically has a reflector behind the driven element,
and one or more directors in front of the driven element, which act
respectively like the reflector and lenses in a flashlight to
create a "beam". Hence, parasitic elements may be used to alter the
radiation parameters of nearby active elements.
[0051] For the present invention the director pins 206 are
electrically isolated in the antenna feed system 200.
Alternatively, the director pins 206 may be grounded. For the
exemplary embodiment, the director pins 206 comprise two pins that
are inserted through the PCB 208 such that two pins remain are each
side of PCB 208, as illustrated in FIG. 2. In the exemplary
embodiment, the director pins 206 and the antenna feed pins 205 are
mounted perpendicular to the printed circuit board 208. Further,
these pins may be implemented with surface mounted (SMT) pins.
[0052] The perpendicular arrangement of the director pins 206 and
the antenna feed pins 205 allows for the transmission of radio
waves to be planar to the antenna feed system 200. In this
arrangement, the electric field is tangential to the metal of the
PCB 208 such that at the metal surface, the electric field is zero.
Thus the radiation from the perpendicular pins has a minimal impact
upon the other electronic circuitry on PCB 208. Hence,
approximately equal F and H plane radiation patterns are emitted
that provide for effective illumination of the antenna, thus
increasing the microwave system efficiency
[0053] The radiation pattern and parameters are additionally
modified by the sub-reflector antenna 207 that is located near the
antenna feed pins 205. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the sub-reflector
"reflects" radiation back to a reflective antenna (not shown in
FIG. 3.) Otherwise, this radiation would not be effectively
directed. Accordingly, both the director pins and the sub-reflector
modify the antenna pattern and beam width, with the potential of
improving the microwave system performance.
[0054] The overall performance of the antenna feed system is based
upon the design of the antenna feed pins 205, the director pins
206, the sub-reflector 207 and the incorporation of the radio
transceiver 203 and digital connector 201. For each of these
elements, the location of each element in the antenna feed system
is determined, and the dimension and shape of each element is
determined. To optimize the performance, these design
considerations are matched with the design characteristics of the
antenna. To facilitate this complex design, a two step design
process is implemented:
[0055] 1. Simulation and analysis using 3D electromagnetic finite
element method (FEM) software. In the industry, this software is
referred to as HFSS, or High Frequency Structure Simulator. HFSS is
the industrystandard software for S-parameter extraction, FullWave
SPICE.TM. model generation and 3D electromagnetic field simulation
of high-frequency and high-speed components. HFSSTMutilizes a 3D
full-wave Finite Element Method (FEM) field solver. HFSS is
available from software vendors or may be developed as custom
software.
[0056] 2. Design of the antenna feed system utilizing numerical
optimization software. Genetic algorithms are incorporated in this
software. As a result of this design step, the optimized physical
design is achieved based upon various design parameters.
[0057] For the present invention, important design parameters
include obtaining an acceptable return loss (i.e. maximize the
reflected energy) and obtaining high gain (i.e. maximize the focus
of the energy). Some other design considerations could include the
radio system standards, including multi-band configurations,
antenna configurations, minimizing the form factor, design for easy
assembly and manufacturability.
[0058] A specific type of parabolic reflector is a grid reflector.
A grid reflector offers a small package and light weight design.
Hence, they are useful in rural areas where transportation costs
are a key factor. Also, grid reflectors with their small form
factor and grid antenna are well suited for high wind
environments.
[0059] An alternative to the parabolic reflector is a corner
reflector. A corner reflector is a retro-reflector consisting of
three mutually perpendicular, intersecting flat surfaces, which
reflects electromagnetic waves back towards the source. The three
intersecting surfaces often have square shapes. Corner reflectors
are useful if a modest amount of gain is sufficient, and a smaller
form actor and lower cost is desired.
[0060] Microwave systems gain significant benefits when they are
constructed with the aforementioned antenna feed system. For
example, with the elimination of RF cables, only digital cables are
required for the connection to the center fed parabolic reflector.
Thus, installation issues are simplified. Further, there are
alternative embodiments that allow the digital cable to also supply
the power to the digital transceiver.
[0061] One embodiment is microwave system 500 illustrated in FIG.
5. As per FIG. 5, a parabolic reflector 101 is appropriately
installed on mounting bracket 102. The parabolic reflector 101
incorporates a center feed assembly as was illustrated in FIG. 3.
Antenna element 506 is an embodiment of antenna element 300.
Antenna element 506 also incorporates an embodiment of antenna feed
system 200 (not shown in FIG. 5). Antenna element 506 comprises a
housing and antenna tube as illustrated in FIG. 3.
[0062] Antenna element 506 comprises an Ethernet connector 510 that
is shown separately for clarity. The digital signal from Antenna
element 506 is coupled via an Ethernet cable 511 to a passive
adapter 522, which in turn couples the digital signal to a client
station 514 via another Ethernet cable 511. Additional Ethernet
connectors 510 facilitate the coupling. The passive adapter 522
also comprises a USB connector 520 which is coupled by a USB cable
521 to USB connector 520 on the client station 514. Via the USB
cable 520, power is supplied from the client station 514 to the
passive adapter 522. In turn, the passive adapter 522 injects power
into the portion of the Ethernet cable that couples to antenna
element 506. Hence, power for antenna element 506, that comprise a
radio transceiver and for the parabolic reflector is supplied by
the client station 114.
[0063] A typical USB port may supply approximately 500 mw at 5
volts. When this level of current is supplied to the passive
adapter 622, then there is sufficient power to support an Ethernet
cable of up to 100 meters in length. This means that there is
sufficient power to "power" the radio transceiver, and the there is
sufficient power to support the transmission of the digital signal
to the radio transceiver. Hence, the parabolic reflector 101 may be
located up to 100 meters from the passive adapter 522.
[0064] In the aforementioned embodiment, the radio transceiver may
incorporate a radio gateway with Open Systems Interconnection (OSI)
layer 1-7 support. Accordingly, full routing, firewall, network
translations and network processing capabilities may be provided.
One implementation of the aforementioned radio transceiver is a
radio-based Linux RTOS 3 gateway. This functionality is desirable
to IT system administrators inasmuch as they may manage the network
without distributing the client devices.
[0065] An alternative embodiment of the present invention is
microwave system 600 as illustrated in FIG. 6. Similar to FIG. 5,
microwave system 600 comprises parabolic reflector 101 with
mounting bracket 102, and antenna element 606. Antenna element 606
is another embodiment of antenna element 300, as illustrated in
FIG. 3. For this embodiment, antenna element 606 has a digital
connector that is a USB connector 520 that is shown separately for
clarity. Additionally, the radio transceiver is a radio transceiver
with a client controller that supports OSI layers 1-3. One
implementation is a radio based windows client device.
[0066] Similarly to the microwave system 500, the radio transceiver
of microwave system 600 is powered by the digital cable. For
microwave system 600, the USB cable 521 provides the digital signal
and power to the radio transceiver in the antenna element 606. In
this embodiment, the USB cable 521 is coupled from the USB
connector 520 of the antenna element 606 to a USB repeater 622. In
turn another USB cable 521 is coupled from the USB repeater 622 to
a client station 614. Hence, the client station 614 provides the
power to the radio transceiver incorporated in antenna element
606.
[0067] With the aforementioned embodiment, each of the USB cables
is limited in length to approximately 4.5 meters in order to insure
sufficient signal performance and power is received by the radio
transceiver. This limitation is acceptable in many applications
given the significant cost reduction with this embodiment.
[0068] While various embodiments of the invention have been
described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the
art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible
that are within the scope of this invention. For example, any
combination of any of the systems or methods described in this
disclosure is possible.
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