Electrical transmission or interconnection systems – Miscellaneous systems – Power packs
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-21
2001-02-13
Ballato, Josie (Department: 2836)
Electrical transmission or interconnection systems
Miscellaneous systems
Power packs
C362S183000, C250S227110
Reexamination Certificate
active
06188146
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to communications devices, and, more particularly, to supplying power to such devices in a cost and resource effective manner.
The invention has been developed primarily for simplifying installation of small cell high speed telecommunications networks in urban and suburban areas, and will be described within this document with reference to that specific application. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to this field.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Present generation telecommunications networks typically rely on base stations having a cell size (that is, a transmission and reception footprint) of the order of one kilometer in radius. Smaller cells are occasionally used to fill transmission and reception gaps caused by terrain or structural interference.
Large cells in telecommunications networks have worked adequately with previous generation protocols and transmission rates. However, next and future generation networks have substantially increased bandwidth requirements due to increases in the number of users, user population per unit area and the users' telecommunications demands. Unfortunately, signal quality in RF networks falls logarithmically with distance from a transmitter/receiver.
One way to reconcile this need for higher bandwidth to larger numbers of users is to reduce the size of transmission and reception cells from about one kilometer in radius to hundreds of meters. Such small cell telecommunications networks are sometimes referred to as microcellular networks. Unfortunately, smaller cell size and the corresponding use of relatively low power microcellular base stations can lead to increased rates of service outage due to more nulls in the coverage area. The resultant poor service quality is an impediment to customer acceptance of such new networks.
To avoid these problems, it is necessary to ensure easy deployment of the requisite base stations so that large numbers can de deployed quickly as the network is initially installed and additional elements can quickly and flexibly added to network to minimise holes in the service area after installation.
A substantial limiting factor in the rapid and flexible deployment of such communications devices is the need to supply each of them with power. Whilst each base station may nit, in itself, consume a great deal of power, there are power installation and maintenance overheads incurred for each base station. When the base stations are about two kilometers apart, as in current generation telecommunications networks, these overheads are relatively low per unit of area covered. However, the overheads become onerous when power needs to be individually supplied and maintained to each base station every few hundred meters. These overheads are a serious impediment to the rapid and cost effective deployment of the relatively large numbers of base stations required in next generation telecommunications networks.
Exacerbating the problem is the desire to provide an elevated position for each base station, to ensure better transmission and reception, and to place each base station physically out of reach of vandals. There is also a definite advantage to providing flexibility of placement of each base station within a telecommunications network to most economically minimise nulls and poor service areas.
It is an object of the invention to overcome or at least substantially ameliorate one or more of the disadvantages of the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a power supply for providing electrical power to one or more communications components, the power supply including:
one or more energy converting cells configured for mounting on or adjacent a light source to convert energy dissipated by the light source into electrical energy; and
a battery, wherein the energy conversion cell provides an electrical output to the battery which in turn, in use, provides power to the one or more communications components.
Preferably, the power supply includes a charging circuit electrically disposed intermediate to one or more energy conversion cells and the battery to regulate the electrical output from the one or more energy conversion cells.
Preferably, one or more of the energy conversion cells is a thermoelectric cell converter disposed in thermal communications with the light source. More preferably, the thermoelectric cell converter is a layered device, the layers being arranged in an optimised order such that those materials with peak thermoelectric efficiency at higher temperatures are closer to the light source that those with peak efficiencies at lower temperature. Preferably, at least one layer includes Bi
2
Te
2.4
Se
0.6
material. Preferably also, at least one layer includes PbTe multiple beam epitaxially grown multiple quantum well material. Preferably, at least one layer includes Zn
4
Sb
3
material.
Preferably, one or more of the energy converting cells is a photovoltaic cell converter in optical communication with the light source. In a preferred embodiment, the photovoltaic cell converter includes a light guide disposed intermediate the light source and the photovoltaic cell converter for guiding light therebetween. Preferably also, the photovoltaic cell converter is optimised to the for infra-red radiation conversion for salvaging radiant energy from the light source itself or re-radiated from a thermoelectric cell converter mounted on or adjacent the light source.
In a particularly preferred embodiment, one or more of the energy conversion cells is a solar cell converter for converting incident sunlight into electrical energy and providing a source of supplementary power to the battery.
Preferably, the light source includes an adjacent light source housing for mounting the energy conversion cell thereto. More preferably, the light source is an elevated street light.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a communications device including a power supply as recited above, and one or more communications components, wherein, in use, the components are electrically connected to and powered by the battery. Preferably, the one or more network communication components is mounted on or adjacent the light source housing with the power supply.
According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a communications network including a plurality of the telecommunications network devices.
Preferably, the communications network element utilises radio frequency (RF) signals for transmitting or receiving communication signals. In other preferred embodiments, the communications network element is optical.
In a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a communications network device including:
a power supply including one or more energy conversion cells for converting energy dissipated by a light source into electrical energy; and
a communication component powered by the electrical energy from the power supply;
wherein the communications network device is configured to be mounted to a housing adjacent the light source.
Preferably, the energy conversion cells include at least one thermoelectric converter for converting heat energy dissipated by the light source into the electrical energy.
Preferably, the communications network device is configured for mounting to a street light housing, such that, when the communications network device is so mounted, at least one of the thermoelectric converters is in close thermal contact with the streetlight housing.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4050895 (1977-09-01), Hardy et al.
patent: 4651019 (1987-03-01), Gilbert et al.
patent: 5149188 (1992-09-01), Robbins
patent: 5371660 (1994-12-01), Levens
patent: 5594325 (1997-01-01), Manner
patent: 5684385 (1997-11-01), Guyonneau et al.
Ballato Josie
DeBeradinis Robert L.
Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly LLP
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