Communications: radio wave antennas – Antennas – Buried underground or submerged under water
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-12
2001-04-17
Phan, Tho (Department: 2821)
Communications: radio wave antennas
Antennas
Buried underground or submerged under water
C343S872000, C340S870020
Reexamination Certificate
active
06218995
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to radio telemetry and more particularly, to radio telemetry for underground devices such as water meters, gas meter, valves and so on.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Numerous underground devices such as water meters, gas meters, valves and so on, use radio telemetry for the transfer of data from the meters and/or valves to a handheld computer, fixed network or other mobile reading technology. When providing radio telemetry for these underground devices it is often necessary to place a telemetry antenna at surface level, e.g. on the lawn, sidewalk driveway, pavement, or atop a utility vault or lidded pit, and/or below grade. The surface level location of the antenna can subject the antenna to severe weather conditions as well as to other open exposure conditions such as harsh chemicals and the footsteps of people and animals. Thus, the unit containing the antenna is desirably small, rugged, weather resistant and has a very low profile.
Units containing the telemetry antennas are usually battery operated and may be randomly placed within a data-collection network. In view of these operating conditions, it is desirable for the telemetry antenna to have high efficiency and a near omni-directional radiation pattern. Further, it is desirable to obtain highly uniform electrical performance from the telemetry antenna when mounted upon various dielectric, metal and combination surfaces. Thus, the use of a shielded electronic housing, a substantial integral ground plane, and a sealed radome are desirably used in combination with the telemetry antenna. Additionally, it is desirable that the telemetry antenna's frequency range have the ability to meet varying domestic and foreign telemetry band allocations by altering tuning and matching elements without multiple component changes and costly tooling alterations. In addition to the above-desired features, it is also desirable that the telemetry antenna system be adapted to excitation at off-axis locations.
Currently, there are no telemetry antenna systems which meet a substantial number of the above-listed desires. Thus, there is a need for a telemetry antenna system that can address many, if not all, of the preferred and desired features.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above-described desirous features are in large part addressed by a telemetry antenna system of the present invention. A telemetry antenna system of the present invention preferably comprises a telemetry board, e.g. an encoder/receiver/transmitter or ERT®, a radiator sub-assembly and a housing. The telemetry board operates to perform the functions of control, reception of RF signals, transmission of RF signals, and data management. In transmitting meter data, and/or other appropriate data, the signal from the telemetry board is radiated out through the radiator sub-assembly.
The radiator sub-assembly comprises two parallel metal surfaces about an air gap dielectric. Specifically, the radiator sub-assembly comprises two metal-coated disks that are separated by air and by an interlocking shunt board and spacer board. The shunt board is preferably provided with five parallel pairs of inductive tuning shunt traces while the spacer board is provided with a parallel pair of strip inductors for connecting capacitor pads on the inner surfaces of the disks. With this configuration, the need to tune and match elements to tailor the antenna's frequency range to meet varying domestic and foreign telemetry band allocations may be performed without multiple component changes and costly tooling alterations.
The telemetry board, its antenna and battery power source, and the radiator sub-assembly are safe-guarded within the housing assembly. The housing assembly incorporates a base comprising a metal or metallized plastic cylinder with an integral annular plate which functions as a rugged, shielded container for the belowgrade circuitry, battery and wiring and provides a rugged, low profile above-grade ground plane as part of the antenna and radiator sub-assembly system, so as to make antenna patterns and electrical characteristics relatively independent of the surface onto which the housing and its enclosures are mounted. The housing assembly further functions as a radio shield, reducing unwanted emissions to acceptable levels. The base further incorporates features to accommodate an end-cap and a base lock. The housing assembly further incorporates a radome that is preferably a lowloss, tough plastic cover, e.g. glass-reinforced polyethylene, with precise locating, support and seal features. An o-ring is placed between the radome and the annular plate to create a seal and prevent moisture seepage into the cylinder. A retaining ring is drawn securely down on the radome by several screws so as to tightly clamp the radome and o-ring to effect a reliable water-tight seal. The retainer ring is contoured so as to smoothly blend the radome and base outlines together. Thus, described herein is a telemetry antenna system with a connector-less feed arrangement that is capable of exciting the structure at off-axis locations.
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Conformal Dielectric-Filled Edge-Slot Antennas with Inductive-Post Tuning, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, vol. AP-27, No. 5, pp. 713-716, Sep. 1979.
Higgins Sidney A.
Hovelsrud Neil
Jager Paul J.
Welch Eugene E.
Itron, Inc.
Patterson Thuente Skaar & Christensen P.A.
Phan Tho
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