Radiating closures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10276921-B2
Application number	US-201615392069-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2016
Priority date	Sep 6, 2013
Publication date	Apr 30, 2019
Grant date	Apr 30, 2019

Abstract

Novel tools and techniques are provided for implementing telecommunications signal relays, and, more particularly, to methods, systems, and apparatuses for implementing telecommunications signal relays using radiating closures (either aerial, below grade, and/or buried, etc.), or the like. In various embodiments, a signal distribution system, which might be disposed within a radiating closure, might receive a first communications signal. A wireless transceiver of the signal distribution system might send the first communications signal, via one or more wireless communications channels, to one or more devices that are external to the radiating closure. In some embodiments, antennas—which might comprise first antennas disposed within the radiating closure or second antennas embedded in a housing material of the radiating closure, or both—might direct the first communications signal that is sent from the wireless transceiver to the one or more devices. In some cases, IoT sensors may be implemented in the radiating closure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving, with a signal distribution system disposed within a radiating closure, a first communications signal;
sending, with a wireless transceiver of the signal distribution system, the first communications signal, via one or more wireless communications channels, to one or more devices that are external to the radiating closure;
directing, with at least one of one or more first antennas disposed within the radiating closure or one or more second antennas embedded in a housing material of the radiating closure, the first communications signal that is sent, via the one or more wireless communications channels, from the wireless transceiver to the one or more devices;
monitoring, with one or more Internet of Things (“IoT”) -capable sensor devices disposed within the radiating closure, one or more environmental conditions within the radiating closure and external to the radiating closure;
determining, with the one or more IoT-capable sensor devices, whether one or more sensor data corresponding to the monitored one or more environmental conditions exceed one or more corresponding predetermined thresholds; and
based on a determination that the one or more sensor data corresponding to the monitored one or more environmental conditions exceed one or more corresponding predetermined thresholds, autonomously sending, with the one or more IoT-capable sensor devices and via machine-to-machine communications, the one or more sensor data to one or more nodes.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the radiating closure is one of an aerial radiating closure, a below grade radiating closure, or a buried radiating closure.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the first communications signal comprises receiving, with the signal distribution system, the first communications signal via one or more signal lines entering the radiating closure through one or more pass-throughs in at least one wall of the radiating closure, the one or more signal lines comprising at least one of one or more telecommunications lines, one or more broadband-over-power signal lines, one or more copper cable lines, one or more optical fiber lines, or one or more coaxial cable lines.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein directing the first communications signal to the one or more devices via the one or more wireless communications channels comprises directing, with the at least one of the one or more first antennas disposed within the radiating closure or the one or more second antennas embedded in the housing material of the radiating closure, the first communications signal to the one or more devices via the one or more wireless communications channels in multiple different directions.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more first antennas and the one or more second antennas each transmits and receives wireless broadband signals according to a set of protocols comprising at least one of IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n, IEEE 802.11ac, IEEE 802.11ad, or IEEE 802.11af.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more first antennas and the one or more second antennas each transmits and receives wireless broadband signals according to a set of protocols comprising at least one of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (“UMTS”), Code Division Multiple Access (“CDMA”), Time Division Multiple Access (“TDMA”), Global System for Mobile Communication (“GSM”), Long Term Evolution (“LTE”), Personal Communications Service (“PCS”), Advanced Wireless Services (“AWS”), Emergency Alert System (“EAS”), Citizens Band Radio Service (“CBRS”), or Broadband Radio Service (“BRS”).

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more first antennas each comprises at least one of a plurality of lateral patch antennas, a plurality of arrays of patch antennas, one or more micro-strip patch antennas, a two-dimensional (“2D”) leaky waveguide antenna, or a three-dimensional (“3D”) array of antenna elements, wherein one or more of the at least one of the plurality of lateral patch antennas, the plurality of arrays of patch antennas, the one or more micro-strip patch antennas, the two-dimensional (“2D”) leaky waveguide antenna, or the three-dimensional (“3D”) array of antenna elements comprise flexible material that allows the one or more of the at least one of the plurality of lateral patch antennas, the plurality of arrays of patch antennas, the one or more micro-strip patch antennas, the two-dimensional (“2D”) leaky waveguide antenna, or the three-dimensional (“3D”) array of antenna elements to be bent while being disposed within the radiating closure.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more first antennas and the one or more second antennas comprises at least one active antenna element.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more IoT-capable sensor devices comprise at least one of one or more temperature sensors, one or more humidity sensors, one or more accelerometers, one or more vibration sensors, one or more chemical detectors, one or more pressure sensors, one or more weather sensors, one or more wind sensors, one or more moisture sensors, or one or more seismic sensors.

10. An apparatus, comprising:
a housing;
a signal distribution system, which is disposed within the housing, that receives a first communications signal;
a wireless transceiver, which is communicatively coupled to the signal distribution system, that sends the first communications signal, via one or more wireless communications channels, to one or more devices that are external to the housing;
at least one of one or more first antennas disposed within the housing or one or more second antennas embedded in a housing material of the housing that directs the first communications signal that is sent, via the one or more wireless communications channels, from the wireless transceiver to the one or more devices;
one or more Internet of Things (“IoT”) -capable sensor devices disposed within the housing, the one or more IoT-capable sensor devices each comprising:
one or more first sensors;
one or more first transceivers;
at least one first processor; and
a first non-transitory computer readable medium communicatively coupled to the at least one first processor, the first non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer software comprising a first set of instructions that, when executed by the at least one first processor, causes the IoT-capable sensor device to:
monitor, using the one or more first sensors, one or more environmental conditions within the apparatus and external to the apparatus;
determine whether one or more sensor data corresponding to the monitored one or more environmental conditions exceed one or more corresponding predetermined thresholds; and
based on a determination that the one or more sensor data corresponding to the monitored one or more environmental conditions exceed one or more corresponding predetermined thresholds, autonomously send, with the one or more first transceivers and via machine-to-machine communications, the one or more sensor data to one or more nodes.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the apparatus is a radiating closure that forms a container.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the apparatus is a radiating closure that forms a lid of a container.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the housing material comprises at least one of metal or plastic.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the apparatus is a radiating closure, which is one of an aerial radiating closure, a below grade radiating closure, or a buried radiating closure.

Assignees

• Centurylink Ip Llc

Inventors

• Vermes Jonathan J
• Schwengler Thomas

Classifications

• G02B6/4451

  Physics · mapped topic

• G02B6/4416

  Heterogeneous cables · CPC title

• H01Q1/2291 Primary

  used in Bluetooth® or Wi-Fi® devices of Wireless Local Area Networks [WLAN] (H01Q1/241 takes precedence; WLAN in general H04W) · CPC title

• G02B6/504

  Installation in solid material, e.g. underground · CPC title

• H01Q1/42

  Housings not intimately mechanically associated with radiating elements, e.g. radome · CPC title