Antenna arrangement having a fan unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10292304-B2
Application number	US-201515316791-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 28, 2015
Priority date	Jun 13, 2014
Publication date	May 14, 2019
Grant date	May 14, 2019

Abstract

The invention relates to an antenna arrangement ( 1 ) having an antenna arrangement housing ( 12 ), in which antenna arrangement housing ( 12 ) there are arranged an antenna ( 14 ), antenna electronics ( 16 ) for driving the antenna ( 14 ), and a fan unit ( 30 ) for active cooling of the antenna electronics ( 16 ), which fan unit ( 30 ) comprises a fan housing ( 40 ) having a plurality of fan unit side surfaces ( 41 to 48 ), which comprise a first fan unit housing side surface ( 41 ) and a second fan unit side surface ( 42; 43, 45 ), in which fan unit housing ( 40 ) there are arranged at least two fans ( 50 ), wherein the fan unit housing ( 40 ) has fluid passage openings ( 61, 62 ) on the first fan unit housing side surface ( 41 ) and on the second fan unit housing side surface ( 42; 43, 45 ) in order to permit a fluid ( 18 ) to flow through the fluid passage openings ( 61, 62 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An antenna arrangement ( 10 ) having an antenna arrangement housing ( 12 ) in which are arranged:
an antenna ( 14 );
antenna electronics ( 16 ) for driving the antenna ( 14 ), and a fan unit ( 30 ) for active cooling of the antenna electronics ( 16 );
wherein the fan unit ( 30 ) comprises a fan unit housing ( 40 ) having a plurality of fan unit housing side surfaces ( 41 - 47 ) including a first housing side surface ( 41 ) and a second housing side surface ( 42 ),
said fan unit housing ( 40 ) enclosing at least two fans ( 50 ),
the fan unit housing ( 40 ) being formed on said first housing side surface ( 41 ) and on said second housing side surface ( 42 ) with respective fluid passage openings ( 61 , 62 ), in order to permit flow of a fluid ( 18 ) through said fluid passage openings ( 61 , 62 );

wherein a fan unit housing surface ( 42 ) serves as a bottom surface and at least two mutually adjacent fan unit housing surfaces ( 43 , 44 ; 44 , 45 ; 45 , 46 ; 46 , 43 ) serve as side walls ( 43 , 44 ; 44 , 45 ; 45 , 46 ; 46 , 43 ),
said side walls ( 43 , 44 ; 44 , 45 ; 45 , 46 ; 46 , 43 ) each being connected with the bottom surface ( 42 ) and defining a common corner edge ( 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 ) of the fan unit housing ( 40 );

wherein two adjacent sidewalls, adjacent the corner ( 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 ), define a gap ( 51 ′, 52 ′, 53 ′, 54 ′) of the fan unit housing ( 40 ), in order to hinder touching of the sidewalls at the corner edge ( 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 ); and
wherein the gaps ( 51 ′, 52 ′, 53 ′, 54 ′) between adjacent sidewalls ( 43 , 44 ; 44 , 45 , 45 , 46 ; 46 , 43 ) are, at least segmentally dimensioned wider than 0.2 mm.

2. The antenna arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the fan unit housing ( 40 ) has a housing side surface ( 42 ) toward which the antenna ( 14 ) is oriented, and
a plurality of openings ( 62 ) are formed in said housing side surface ( 42 ), a maximum diameter of each of said openings being smaller than 5 cm.

3. The antenna arrangement of claim 1 , in which fan unit housing ( 40 ) there is provided a controller ( 57 ), which is connected via electrical leads with the fans ( 40 ), in order to control the fans,
wherein the controller ( 57 ) is preferably also electrically connected with a temperature sensor ( 90 ).

4. The antenna arrangement of claim 3 , wherein the controller ( 57 ) has a circuit board ( 32 ) adapted to control the at least two fans ( 50 ) and
wherein the circuit board ( 32 ) is arranged in a circuit board housing ( 34 ) and is provided with potting ( 35 ), the circuit board housing ( 34 ) being formed to serve as a well for said potting ( 35 ).

5. The antenna arrangement of claim 4 , wherein the potting ( 35 ) is adapted to provide IP-protection for the circuit board ( 32 ), corresponding to at least class IP55.

6. The antenna arrangement of claim 5 , wherein
the circuit board ( 32 ) has an elongated extension with a first longitudinal face ( 37 ) and a second longitudinal face ( 38 ) arranged opposite,
wherein the potting ( 35 ) extending from the first longitudinal face ( 37 ) has a first thickness (D 1 ) and extending from the second longitudinal face ( 38 ) has a second thickness (D 2 ), the first thickness (D 1 ) and the second thickness (D 2 ) differing by no more than 20 percent from each other.

7. The antenna arrangement of claim 3 , having an electrical fan unit cable ( 80 ), electrically connected to the circuit board ( 32 ), and through an opening in the fan unit housing ( 40 ), to an exterior of the fan unit housing ( 40 ), in order to permit electrical connection to the circuit board from outside.

8. The antenna arrangement according to claim 7 , wherein the fan unit cable ( 80 ) is fed along two mutually opposing fan unit side walls ( 41 , 42 ) in order to minimize the likelihood of movement of the fan unit cable ( 80 ) within the fan unit housing ( 40 ).

9. The antenna arrangement of claim 1 , wherein
the fan unit housing ( 40 ) has four sidewalls ( 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 );
the four sidewalls are each connected to said bottom surface ( 42 );
each two adjacent sidewalls ( 43 , 44 ; 44 , 45 ; 45 , 46 ; 46 , 43 ) of the four sidewalls ( 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 ) define a common edge ( 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 ) of the fan unit housing ( 40 ); and
wherein two adjacent sidewalls ( 43 , 44 ; 44 , 45 ; 45 , 46 ; 46 , 43 ), adjacent the corner ( 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 ), form a gap ( 51 ′, 52 ′, 53 ′, 54 ′) of the fan unit housing ( 40 ), in order to hinder touching of the sidewalls near the edge ( 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 ).

10. The antenna arrangement of claim 9 , wherein the side walls ( 43 , 44 ; 44 , 45 ; 45 , 46 ; 46 , 43 ) and the bottom surface ( 42 ) are composed of a metal sheet and, in a transition zone between the sidewalls ( 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 ) and the bottom surface ( 42 ),
a bend of the metal sheet is provided.

11. The antenna arrangement of claim 1 , wherein at least one sidewall ( 43 ) has a wing portion ( 47 ) located away from a portion contiguous to the bottom surface ( 42 ); and
said wing portion ( 47 ) and said bottom surface ( 42 ) are bent with respect to each other, in such a manner that they define a space ( 49 ) within said fan unit housing ( 40 ) which is limited on two opposing sides.

12. The antenna arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the gaps ( 51 ′, 52 ′, 53 ′, 54 ′) between adjacent sidewalls are narrower than 3.0 mm.

13. The antenna arrangement of claim 1 , wherein
no direct contact exists between a metallic material of components ( 50 , 57 , 80 , 82 ) arranged in said fan unit housing ( 40 ) and an inner surface of said metallic material of said fan unit housing ( 40 ).

14. An antenna arrangement ( 10 ) having an antenna arrangement housing ( 12 ) in which are arranged:
an antenna ( 14 );
antenna electronics ( 16 ) for driving the antenna ( 14 ), and a fan unit ( 30 ) for active cooling of the antenna electronics ( 16 );
wherein the fan unit ( 30 ) comprises a fan unit housing ( 40 ) having a plurality of fan unit housing side surfaces ( 41 - 47 ) including a first housing side surface ( 41 ) and a second housing side surface ( 42 ),
said fan unit housing ( 40 ) enclosing at least two fans ( 50 ),
the fan unit housing ( 40 ) being formed on said first housing side surface ( 41 ) and on said second housing side surface ( 42 ) with respective fluid passage openings ( 61 , 62 ), in order to permit flow of a fluid ( 18 ) through said fluid passage openings ( 61 , 62 );

wherein a fan unit housing surface ( 42 ) serves as a bottom surface and at least two mutually adjacent fan unit housing surfaces ( 43 , 44 ; 44 , 45 ; 45 , 46 ; 46 , 43 ) serve as side walls ( 43 , 44 ; 44 , 45 ; 45 , 46 ; 46 , 43 ),
said side walls ( 43 , 44 ; 44 , 45 ; 45 , 46 ; 46 , 43 ) each being connected with the bottom surface ( 42 ) and defining a common corner edge ( 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 ) of the fan unit housing ( 40 );

wherein two adjacent sidewalls, adjacent the corner ( 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 ), define a gap ( 51 ′, 52 ′, 53 ′, 54 ′) of the fan unit housing ( 40 ), in order to hinder touching of the sidewalls at the corner edge ( 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 );
wherein the fan unit housing ( 40 ) has a cover ( 70 ) which is attachable to the sidewalls ( 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 ) in an orientation such that it aligns opposing said bottom surface ( 42 ); and
wherein the cover ( 70 ) is composed of a glass-fiber-reinforced plastic.

15. The antenna arrangement of claim 14 , wherein the cover ( 70 ) has at least one spacer element ( 76 ,

Assignees

• Ebm Papst St Georgen Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Sieber Sabrina
• Strohm Rainer

Classifications

• H05K9/0041

  Ventilation panels having provisions for screening · CPC title

• H01Q1/42

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

• F04D27/004

  by varying driving speed · CPC title

• F04D29/522

  especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps · CPC title

• H01Q1/02

  Arrangements for de-icing; Arrangements for drying-out {; Arrangements for cooling; Arrangements for preventing corrosion} · CPC title