RF thermal fuse

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9812275-B2
Application number	US-201615248991-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 26, 2016
Priority date	Apr 24, 2012
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

Certain aspects are directed to a thermal fuse for preventing overheating of RF devices in a telecommunication system. In one embodiment, an RF thermal fuse comprises a body: a conductive bolt positioned in the body, the conductive bolt having a length sufficient to provide an impedance at a point of protection on a transmission line in response to the conductive bolt contacting a live conductor of the transmission line, wherein the impedance reflects a portion of the incident power of an RF signal from an RF signal source; and a driving mechanism that causes the conductive bolt to selectively contact the live conductor in response to an event.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An RF thermal fuse comprising:
a body;
a conductive bolt positioned in the body, the conductive bolt having a length sufficient to provide an impedance at a point of protection on a transmission line in response to the conductive bolt contacting a live conductor of the transmission line, wherein the impedance reflects a portion of the incident power of an RF signal from an RF signal source; and
a driving mechanism that causes the conductive bolt to selectively contact the live conductor in response to an event.

2. The RF thermal fuse of claim 1 , wherein the driving mechanism causes the conductive bolt to move away from the live conductor in response to a second event.

3. The RF thermal fuse of claim 1 , wherein the event comprises a protected RF device coupled to the transmission line being set to an off status.

4. The RF thermal fuse of claim 3 , wherein the driving mechanism causes the conductive bolt to move away from the live conductor in response to the protected RF device being set to an on status.

5. The RF thermal fuse of claim 1 , wherein the event comprises a change in an electrical signal received at the driving mechanism.

6. The RF thermal fuse of claim 1 , wherein the event comprises a pressure from expansion of a gas.

7. The RF thermal fuse of claim 1 , wherein the event comprises a sensor measurement passing a threshold.

8. A thermal protection system, the system comprising:
a plurality of RF thermal fuses, each RF thermal fuse comprising:
a body positioned on a transmission line between an RF signal source and an RF device;
a conductive bolt positioned in the body, the conductive bolt having a length sufficient to provide an impedance at a point of protection on the transmission line in response to the conductive bolt contacting a live conductor of the transmission line; and
a driving mechanism that causes the conductive bolt to selectively contact the live conductor in response to an event;
wherein the plurality of RF thermal fuses are positioned on the transmission line at intervals such that the plurality of RF thermal fuses provide a combined impedance that reflects a portion of the incident power of an RF signal in a predetermined frequency band from the RF signal source.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the driving mechanism causes the conductive bolt to move away from the live conductor in response to a second event.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the event comprises the RF device being set to an off status.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the driving mechanism causes the conductive bolt to move away from the live conductor in response to the RF device being set to an on status.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the event comprises a change in an electrical signal received at the driving mechanism.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the event comprises a pressure from expansion of a gas.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein the event comprises a sensor measurement passing a threshold.

15. An RF thermal fuse, the RF thermal fuse comprising:
a body positionable on a transmission line between an RF signal source and an RF device;
a conductive bolt positioned in the body having a length sufficient to provide an impedance that reflects a portion of a signal power of an RF signal from the RF signal source when the conductive bolt is in contact with a live conductor of the transmission line; and
a driving mechanism that causes the conductive bolt to selectively contact the live conductor in response to an event.

16. The RF thermal fuse of claim 15 , wherein the driving mechanism causes the conductive bolt to move away from the live conductor in response to a second event.

17. The RF thermal fuse of claim 15 , wherein the event comprises the RF device being set to an off status.

18. The RF thermal fuse of claim 17 , wherein the driving mechanism causes the conductive bolt to move away from the live conductor in response to the RF device being set to an on status.

19. The RF thermal fuse of claim 15 , wherein the event comprises a change in an electrical signal received at the driving mechanism.

20. The RF thermal fuse of claim 15 , wherein the event comprises a pressure from expansion of a gas.

21. The RF thermal fuse of claim 15 , wherein the event comprises a sensor measurement passing a threshold.

22. A system comprising:
an RF device in communication with an RF signal source via a transmission line;
an RF thermal fuse positioned on the transmission line, the RF thermal fuse comprising:
a body positioned on the transmission line between the RF signal source and the RF device;
a conductive bolt positioned in the body, the conductive bolt having a length sufficient to provide an impedance at a point of protection on the transmission line in response to the conductive bolt contacting a live conductor of the transmission line, wherein the impedance reflects a portion of the incident power of an RF signal from the RF signal source; and
a driving mechanism that causes the conductive bolt to selectively contact the live conductor in response to an event.

23. A thermal protection system comprising:
a plurality of RF thermal fuses, each RF thermal fuse comprising:
a body positioned on a transmission line between an RF signal source and an RF device;
a conductive bolt positioned in the body having a length sufficient to provide an impedance that reflects a portion of a signal power of an RF signal from the RF signal source when the conductive bolt is in contact with a live conductor of the transmission line; and
a driving mechanism that causes the conductive bolt to selectively contact a live conductor of the transmission line in response to an event;
wherein the plurality of RF thermal fuses are positioned on the transmission line at intervals such that the plurality of RF thermal fuses reflect the portions of the incident power of the RF signal in a predetermined frequency band from the RF signal source.

24. The thermal protection system of claim 23 , wherein, for at least one of the plurality of RF thermal fuses, the driving mechanism is irreversible or reversible.

25. A system comprising:
an RF device in communication with an RF signal source via a transmission line;
an RF thermal fuse positioned on the transmission line, the RF thermal fuse comprising:
a body positioned on the transmission line between the RF signal source and the RF device;
a conductive bolt positioned in the body, the conductive bolt having a length sufficient to provide an impedance that reflects a portion of a signal power of an RF signal from the RF signal source when the conductive bolt is in contact with a live conductor of the transmission line; conductive bolt is in contact with a live conductor of the transmission line; and
a driving mechanism that causes the conductive bolt to selectively contact the live conductor in response to an event;

wherein the RF signal source reduces transmission power in response to the reflection of the portion of the signal power.

Assignees

• Commscope Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Hrnicko Frantisek
• Volf Vaclav
• Strachon Libor
• Kummetz Thomas
• Eisenwinter Stefan
• Melester Matthew Thomas
• Struller Jurgen
• Toth Gabriel

Classifications

• H01H79/00

  Protective switches in which excess current causes the closing of contacts, e.g. for short-circuiting the apparatus to be protected {(H01H39/004 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• H01H37/46

  actuated due to expansion or contraction of a solid (deflection of a bimetallic element H01H37/52) · CPC title

• H01H37/767

  Normally open · CPC title

• H01H37/36

  actuated due to expansion or contraction of a fluid with or without vaporisation (the fluid forming a contact of the switch H01H29/04, H01H29/30) · CPC title

• H01H37/52 Primary

  actuated due to deflection of bimetallic element · CPC title