Integrated Leaky Feeder and Mesh Network System
20210391653 · 2021-12-16
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
H04B3/52
ELECTRICITY
International classification
Abstract
There is provided an integrated leaky feeder and mesh network system. The system includes a plurality of mesh nodes, each mesh node comprising a radio, at least one of the mesh nodes being powered by a power source. The system also includes a radiating coaxial cable connecting the plurality of mesh nodes to provide a leaky feeder signal between the nodes.
Claims
1. An integrated leaky feeder and mesh network system, comprising: a plurality of mesh nodes, each mesh node comprising a radio, at least one of the mesh nodes being powered by a power source; and a radiating coaxial cable connecting the plurality of mesh nodes to provide a leaky feeder signal between the nodes.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the mesh nodes interface with the radiating coaxial cables via simulate air gaps normally experienced by the radios in the mesh nodes.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of mesh nodes is powered by an incoming signal on a first radiating cable, and powers a downstream node on a second radiating cable between adjacent nodes.
4. The system of claim 1 whereby the first mesh node is connected to at least one further mesh node downstream of the first mesh node.
5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a resistive element at one or more of: the end of a terminating one of the radiating coaxial cables, or an open port in the system.
6. The system of claim 4, wherein at least one further mesh node comprises an additional power supply and/or external network interface.
7. The system of claim 6, wherein the additional power supply comprises a battery back-up.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the power source is connected to a primary power supply.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein the primary power supply comprises a battery back-up.
10. The system of claim 1, wherein the radio comprises a network input port to enable a direct data connection at the mesh node.
11. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of mesh nodes comprises at least one end of line node, at least one dual radio node, and at least one mid-span node.
12. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one mobile radio positioned in a mine shaft.
13. The system of claim 12, wherein the mobile radio is supported a conveyance in the mine shaft.
14. The system of claim 1, further comprising an alternative communication medium connecting a first plurality of mesh nodes in a first tunnel to a second plurality of mesh nodes in a second tunnel.
15. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the mesh nodes comprises a POE injector.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] Embodiments will now be described with reference to the appended drawings wherein:
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] It has been found that while access points using leaky feeder cables as antennas could improve performance in underground environments, such an implementation would still require a separate hardwired network to provide node interconnection. Depending on the spacing of these access points, it may be required to use fiber optic cable, which is best suited for permanent and fixed environments. Relying on fiber optics generally makes for much slower deployment when compared to copper solutions, particularly when installation occurs in an underground mining environment. Moreover, overlapping cables need to be planned from each access point to ensure no gap in coverage within an underground tunnel. As such, this type of network is normally considered to be best suited for fixed/permanent installations.
[0027] The integrated leaky feeder and mesh network system described herein provides a mechanism for extending wireless digital communication services (e.g., voice, video, data, etc.) throughout large and complex enclosed spaces or to contain these services along a predefined pathway. The network is propagated using self-forming and self-healing nodes which are physically interconnected using radiating coaxial cable. This is achieved in part by interconnecting antenna ports using radiating coaxial cable to build a hardwired backhaul link. Along the backhaul pathway (i.e. along the radiating cable), compatible wireless devices (e.g., Wi-Fi-enabled devices) can connect and link to a standard Ethernet network. This is particularly advantageous in tunnels and mine shafts.
[0028] In the proposed integrated system, the radiating cable is the backbone, not an optional gateway. Moreover, instead of using periodic amplifiers to amplify the head-end signal, each node generates a new signal. The radiating cable (also referred to herein as a leaky feeder), is part of the mesh network and each segment of radiating cable can carry a different signal. In this system, the radiating cable portion of the system operates at the same frequency and can be deployed in a way that uses fewer components to distribute connectivity to underground devices.
[0029] Turning now to the figures,
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[0031] As can be appreciated from
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[0033] Turning now to
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[0035]
[0036]
[0037] The mesh node radio 80 includes an antenna port 82 at each coaxial connection. The radio 80 also includes a local area network (LAN) port 84. As indicated above, this port 84 can be an 802.3 port for enabling standard Ethernet connections into the network 12 at various places within the tunnel network 10. In addition to the port 84, the two radio antenna ports 82 each operate at a different frequency and can connect to other radios at two frequencies simultaneously. Conceivably, a mesh radio 80 could utilize more than two frequencies in the same fashion to further increase bandwidth and reliability.
[0038] Each node 14, 20, 22, 36 is therefore capable of providing mesh and Wi-Fi (802.11) on each mesh radio 80 port. The Wi-Fi protocol would allow standard wireless equipment to connect to one of the nodes 14, 20, 22, 36. Once a client is authenticated with the nearest node 14, 20, 22, 36 the data can be routed using the mesh protocol to its destination.
[0039]
[0040] Various testing has been conducted to determine coupling losses and cable attenuation.
[0041] The testing procedures were designed to measure the loss of signal power that results from coupling losses and cable attenuation. Losses occur in many ways however; for the purpose of this test, measuring coupling loss and cable attenuation was the focal point.
[0042] Coupling loss (L.sub.C) is a ratio of the power inside the cable to the power received by the remote antenna. On product data sheets L.sub.C is equal to the expected received signal from 2 m away from the cable. The value of L.sub.C is given by the following formula:
[0043] Where:
[0044] L.sub.C is coupling loss (dB)
[0045] P.sub.C is the transmission power in the leaky cable (W)
[0046] P.sub.R is the receiving power of the standard dipole antenna (W)
[0047] This value can be expressed as either CL50% or CL95%. CL50% refers to a receiving probability of 50% (i.e. 50% of measured values are less than this number), whereas CL95% refers to a receiving probability of 95%. It is noted that coupling loss values typically vary significantly when taking measurements. CL 50% refers to the coupling loss at the 50th percentile, while CL 95% refers to the 95th percentile of measured values. It can be appreciated that CL 95 values can be used from datasheets to calculate a theoretical estimate.
[0048] On datasheets, coupling loss is specified at 2 m of the radiating coax according to IEC 61196-4. For longer distances, a correction is applied to maintain accuracy.
[0049] As distance increases from the cable, so does coupling loss. For distances greater than 2 m, a correction can be applied to compensate for the additional distance. The theoretical values of coupling loss at 5 m have been adjusted with the following formula:
[0050] Where:
[0051] D.sub.M is modified distance
[0052] D.sub.S is the 2 m distance specified in the standard
[0053] For example, 83 dB measured at 2 m distance could be estimated at 90.96 dB at 5 m.
[0054] Cable attenuation is the result of losses due to the internal characteristics of the cable. This is given on product datasheets in dB/km.
[0055] The overall formula for estimating signal strength at the receiver is:
P.sub.R=P.sub.T−L.sub.A−L.sub.C−G.sub.A
[0056] Where:
[0057] L.sub.C is coupling loss (dB)
[0058] P.sub.T is the transmit power of the radio (dB)
[0059] L.sub.A is the attenuation loss within the cable (dB)
[0060] G.sub.A is the passive gain of the receiving antenna (dB)
[0061] For the first test, the radiating cable 16 was mounted along a fence. The orientation of the cable is such that the signal propagates parallel with the ground and out from the fence. Each end is connected to the antenna port of the node 20 (Rajant KM3-2409R radio in this test). The first KM3 radio was powered via a POE connector, which receives power from a local DC power source 90. As indicated above, the instrument layout is shown in
[0062] For the 900 MHz test, a mobile radio was set up using another Rajant KM3 radio and one 10 dBi antenna, for the 2.4 GHz test, a Rajant JR2 radio was used with a 5 dBi antenna. The mobile radio is moved along the length of the radiating cable 16, in a parallel line at distances of 2 meters, and then at 5 meters. As the mobile node moves away from the transmit radio (D) the received signal at the antenna is recorded with monitoring software for both 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz with the mobile antenna oriented in three ways: Perpendicular, horizontal and vertical. Signal strength was recorded at 10 meter intervals of the cable 16.
[0063] Test 2
[0064] As illustrated in the test results to be summarized below, the tests involved calculating the theoretical received power using the formulae above, compared to values (measured radio received power) received on the testing device in a real-world example. The test results were found to validate the theoretical values prior to implementation.
[0065] The following Table A shows the parameters used in the equations for the tests performed at 900 MHz.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE A Parameters Used for Testing at 900 MHz Variables Description KM3 PTx 25 dBm Maximum radio transmit power including antenna gains Conv KM3 20 dB Coupler losses + safety margin PTx Loss Margin 10 dB Coupler losses + safety margin Skip GRx 10 dBi Conveyance Antenna Gain Atten. Corr 25 % (900 MHz) Cable Atten. Corr 60 % (>2 GHz) Distance 100 m Radiating Cable Length Cable Specs: RCF78-50JFNA 900 MHz 2.40 Hz CL_95% 78 82 dB Attenuation 8.4 15.3 dB/100 m Radio Rx Sensitivity Vs. Data Rate Data Rate 900 MHz 2.40 GHz (Mbps) (dBm) (dBm) 1 −97 −97 2 −95 −96 6 −93 −94 12 −91 −91 18 −89 −90 24 −86 −86 36 −82 −83 48 −77 −77 54 −74 −74
[0066] The following Table B shows the parameters used in the equations for the tests performed at 2.4 GHz.
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE B Parameters Used for Testing at 2.4 GHz Variables Description KM3 PTx 25 dBm Maximum radio transmit power including antenna gains JR2 PTx 22 dB Coupler losses + safety margin Loss Margin 10 dB Coupler losses + safety margin Skip GRx 5 dBi Conveyance Antenna Gain Atten. Corr 25 % (900 MHz) Cable Atten. Corr 60 % (>2 GHz) Distance 100 m Radiating Cable Length Cable Specs: RCF78-50JFNA 900 MHz 2.40 Hz CL_95% 78 82 dB Attenuation 8.4 15.3 dB/100 m Radio Rx Sensitivity Vs. Data Rate Data Rate 900 MHz 2.40 GHz (Mbps) (dBm) (dBm) 1 −97 −97 2 −95 −96 6 −93 −94 12 −91 −91 18 −89 −90 24 −86 −86 36 −82 −83 48 −77 −77 54 −74 −74
[0067] Test results for 900 MHZ at a distance d=2 m from the cable are provided below in Table 1-1.
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 1-1 Theoretical and actual values for received signal strength at 900 MHZ where distance from the leaky coax is 2 m. 900 MHz with DC Injection 2 m (6′-6″) OFFSET FROM CABLE Conveyance Distance from Radiating Cable RSSI @ Mobile RSSI @ Mobile RSSI @ RSSI @ LKM3 (Tx Downstream (Tx Upstream Downstream (Tx Upstream (Tx Distance Radio) Radio) Mobile Radio) Mobile Radio) 100 Theo. Actual Theo. Actual Theo. Actual Theo. Actual Distance Perpendicular 0 −64 −70 −53 −63 −69 −61 −58 −59 Perpendicular From 10 −62 −66 −54 −63 −67 −62 −59 −57 Shaft 20 −61 −63 −55 −64 −66 −59 −60 −59 Panel 30 −60 −69 −56 −79 −65 −66 −61 −69 40 −59 −62 −57 −75 −64 −63 −62 −68 50 −58 −65 −58 −82 −63 −59 −63 −76 60 −57 −62 −59 −75 −62 −59 −64 −71 70 −56 −59 −60 −80 −61 −55 −65 −73 80 −55 −53 −61 −72 −60 −50 −66 −66 90 −54 −56 −62 −71 −59 −50 −67 −64 100 −53 −58 −64 −70 −58 −54 −69 −67 Distance Horizontal 0 −64 −69 −53 −68 −69 −66 −58 −63 Horizontal From 10 −62 −66 −54 −66 −67 −62 −59 −60 Shaft 20 −61 −64 −55 −67 −66 −62 −60 −61 Panel 30 −60 −58 −56 −68 −65 −53 −61 −60 40 −59 −71 −57 −78 −64 −68 −62 −71 50 −58 −64 −58 −73 −63 −67 −63 −68 60 −57 −73 −59 −83 −62 −68 −64 −75 70 −56 −73 −60 −79 −61 −67 −65 −75 80 −55 −63 −61 −71 −60 −64 −66 −67 90 −54 −68 −62 −80 −59 −66 −67 −77 100 −53 −64 −64 −72 −58 −62 −69 −68 Distance Vertical 0 −64 −72 −53 −78 −69 −82 −58 −71 Vertical From 10 −62 −75 −54 −73 −67 −70 −59 −69 Shaft 20 −61 −74 −55 −71 −66 −67 −60 −72 Panel 30 −60 −73 −56 −88 −65 −74 −61 −80 40 −59 −70 −57 −85 −64 −67 −62 −75 50 −58 −72 −58 −90 −63 −66 −63 −81 60 −57 −71 −59 −84 −62 −67 −64 −75 70 −56 −70 −60 −81 −61 −68 −65 −74 80 −55 −63 −61 −83 −60 −58 −66 −75 90 −54 −62 −62 −77 −59 −57 −67 −71 100 −53 −75 −64 −81 −58 −69 −69 −75
[0068] Test results for 900 MHz at a distance of d=5 m are provided below in Table 1-2.
TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 1-2 Theoretical and actual values for received signal strength at 900 MHZ where distance from the leaky coax is 5 m. 900 MHz with DC Injection 5 m (16′-6″) OFFSET FROM CABLE Conveyance Distance from Radiating Cable LKM3 RSSI @ Mobile RSSI @ Mobile RSSI @ Downstream RSSI @ Upstream Distance (Tx Downstream (Tx Upstream Radio) (Tx Mobile Radio) (Tx Mobile Radio) 100 Theo. Actual Theo. Actual Theo. Actual Theo. Actual Distance Perpendicular 0 −71 −80 −61 −72 −76 −72 −58 −69 Perpendicular From 10 −70 −69 −62 −68 −75 −68 −59 −63 Shaft 20 −69 −70 −63 −71 −74 −66 −60 −68 Panel 30 −68 −68 −64 −75 −73 −64 −61 −69 40 −67 −70 −65 −81 −72 −68 −62 −77 50 −66 −75 −66 −78 −71 −71 −63 −73 60 −65 −67 −67 −77 −70 −64 −64 −73 70 −64 −73 −68 −82 −69 −71 −65 −78 80 −63 −66 −69 −77 −68 −61 −66 −70 90 −62 −63 −70 −85 −67 −60 −67 −74 100 −61 −63 −71 −73 −66 −62 −69 −69 Distance Horizontal 0 −71 −86 −61 −87 −76 −83 −58 −81 Horizontal From 10 −70 −82 −62 −80 −75 −76 −59 −75 Shaft 20 −69 −71 −63 −69 −74 −69 −60 −63 Panel 30 −68 −71 −64 −70 −73 −71 −61 −65 40 −67 −71 −65 −77 −72 −71 −62 −71 50 −66 −77 −66 −81 −71 −74 −63 −75 60 −65 −72 −67 −79 −70 −70 −64 −74 70 −64 −72 −68 −86 −69 −68 −65 −85 80 −63 −66 −69 −85 −68 −69 −66 −79 90 −62 −71 −70 −84 −67 −66 −67 −81 100 −61 −72 −71 −79 −66 −70 −69 −75 Distance Vertical 0 −71 −61 −76 −58 Vertical From 10 −70 −62 −75 −59 Shaft 20 −69 −63 −74 −60 Panel 30 −68 −64 −73 −61 40 −67 −65 −72 −62 50 −66 −66 −71 −63 60 −65 −67 −70 −64 70 −64 −68 −69 −65 80 −63 −69 −68 −66 90 −62 −70 −67 −67 100 −61 −71 −66 −69
[0069] Test results for 2.4 GHz at a distance of d=2 m from the cable are provided below in Table 1-3.
[0070] Test results for 2.4 GHz at distances of both d=2 m and 2=5 m from the cable are provided below in Table 1-4.
TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 1-3 Theoretical and actual values for received signal strength at 2400 MHZ where distance from the leaky coax is 2 m. JR2 Radio Reception (Conveyance} JR2 Conveyance Distance from Radiating Cable Distance 2 m 5 m 100 Theo. Actual SNR Theo. Actual SNR Distance Perpendicular 0 −62 47 51 −70 −55 52 Perpendicular From 10 −64 −48 56 −72 −45 53 Shaft 20 −67 −47 54 −75 −55 43 Panel 30 −69 −47 47 −77 −61 51 40 −72 −49 54 −80 −60 39 50 −74 −53 48 −82 −63 39 60 −77 −59 40 −85 −53 40 70 −79 −64 36 −87 −55 45 80 −82 −61 441 −90 −60 35 90 −84 −59 43 −92 −72 27 100 −86 −61 40 −94 −74 26 Distance Horizontal 0 −62 47 51 −70 −53 55 Horizontal From 10 −64 −51 45 −72 −44 57 Shaft 20 −67 −44 58 −75 −52 46 Panel 30 −69 −54 47 −77 −57 44 40 −72 −49 51 −80 −51 45 50 −74 −56 46 −82 −54 40 60 −77 −59 38 −85 −58 44 70 −79 −65 34 −87 −70 29 80 −82 −62 40 −90 −75 25 90 −84 −58 44 −92 −61 36 100 −86 −73 28 −94 −64 36 Distance Vertical 0 −62 −54 60 −70 −43 58 Vertical From 10 −64 −55 45 −72 −43 59 Shaft 20 −67 −46 56 −75 −50 52 Panel 30 −69 −46 55 −77 −52 58 40 −72 −50 50 −80 −58 40 50 −74 47 −57 −82 −61 41 60 −77 −57 44 −85 −65 38 70 −79 −55 44 −87 −55 42 80 −82 −51 52 −90 −64 37 90 −84 −63 37 −92 −63 32 100 −86 −79 32 −94 −57 44
[0071] For simplicity and clarity of illustration, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. In addition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the examples described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the examples described herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the examples described herein. Also, the description is not to be considered as limiting the scope of the examples described herein.
[0072] It will be appreciated that the examples and corresponding diagrams used herein are for illustrative purposes only. Different configurations and terminology can be used without departing from the principles expressed herein. For instance, components and modules can be added, deleted, modified, or arranged with differing connections without departing from these principles.
[0073] Although the above principles have been described with reference to certain specific examples, various modifications thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art as outlined in the appended claims.