FIRE RESISTANT ANTENNA APPARATUSES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS

Abstract

An antenna or radiating element that is constructed of materials allowing for survivability of fire, high temperature, corrosive environments, or any combination of the aforementioned. Antennas are capable of operating for an extended period of time in a high temperature environment with the use of a radome having one or more surfaces covered in one or more of the following surface elements: a polyester film, a moldable plastic film, a boPET product, a ceramifiable silicone rubber material and a ceramic fiber wrap material. The surface elements can be used to construct a portion of the structural components of the antenna.

Claims

1. An antenna capable of operating for an extended period of time in a high temperature environment comprising a radome having one or more surfaces covered in one or more of the following surface elements: a polyester film, a moldable plastic film, a boPET product, a ceramifiable silicone rubber material and a ceramic fiber wrap material.

2. The antenna capable of operating for an extended period of time in a high temperature environment of claim 1 wherein the surface elements can be used to construct a portion of the structural components of the antenna.

3. The antenna capable of operating for an extended period of time in a high temperature environment of claim 1 wherein the radome is constructed of a ceramic material.

4. The antenna capable of operating for an extended period of time in a high temperature environment of claim 1 wherein silica aeroGel is used as an insulator in one or more locations inside the antenna.

5. The antenna capable of operating for an extended period of time in a high temperature environment of claim 1 wherein silica aeroGel is used as an insulator in one or more locations external to the antenna including one or more surfaces of the antenna.

6. The antenna capable of operating for an extended period of time in a high temperature environment of claim 1 wherein the antenna is capable of operating for more than one week.

7. The antenna capable of operating for an extended period of time in a high temperature environment of claim 1 wherein the antenna is capable of operating in a high temperature environment of more than fifty degrees Celsius.

8. The antenna capable of operating for an extended period of time in a high temperature environment of claim 1 wherein the high temperature environment is caused by fire.

9. The antenna capable of operating for an extended period of time in a high temperature environment of claim 1 wherein the high temperature environment is a corrosive environment.

10. The antenna capable of operating for an extended period of time in a high temperature environment of claim 9 wherein the corrosive environment is a chemical environment.

11. The antenna capable of operating for an extended period of time in a high temperature environment of claim 1 wherein the high temperature environment is an environment having steam as an element.

12. A system for operating an antenna over an extended period of time in a high temperature environment comprising a radome having one or more surfaces covered in one or more of the following surface elements: a polyester film, a moldable plastic film, a boPET product, a ceramifiable silicone rubber material and a ceramic fiber wrap material.

13. The system for operating an antenna over an extended period of time in a high temperature environment of claim 12 wherein the surface elements can be used to construct a portion of the structural components of the antenna.

14. The system for operating an antenna over an extended period of time in a high temperature environment of claim 12 wherein the radome is constructed of a ceramic material.

15. The system for operating an antenna over an extended period of time in a high temperature environment of claim 12 wherein silica aeroGel is used as an insulator in one or more locations inside the antenna.

16. The system for operating an antenna over an extended period of time in a high temperature environment of claim 12 wherein silica aeroGel is used as an insulator in one or more locations external to the antenna including one or more surfaces of the antenna.

17. A method of operating an antenna over an extended period of time in a high temperature environment comprising the step of using a radome to transmit and receive signals wherein the radome has one or more surfaces covered in one or more of the following surface elements: a polyester film, a moldable plastic film, a boPET product, a ceramifiable silicone rubber material and a ceramic fiber wrap material.

18. The method of operating an antenna over an extended period of time in a high temperature environment of claim 17 wherein the surface elements can be used to construct a portion of the structural components of the antenna.

19. The method of operating an antenna over an extended period of time in a high temperature environment of claim 17 wherein the radome is constructed of a ceramic material.

20. The method of operating an antenna over an extended period of time in a high temperature environment of claim 17 silica aeroGel is used as an insulator in one or more locations inside the antenna.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The novel features of the inventive subject matter, both as to its structure and its operation, will be best understood from the accompanying drawings, taken in conjunction with the accompanying description, in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts, and in which:

[0020] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the elements according to embodiments of the inventive subject matter; and

[0021] FIGS. 2A to 2C illustrate various radomes according the embodiments of the inventive subject matter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Turning to the figures, FIG. 1 illustrates a diagram of various components used in embodiments which allow for the operation of this system in temperature environments up to 1010° C. (1850° F.) for an extended period of time such as two hours. The period of time could be shorter than two hours or it could be longer. In these embodiments, fire resistant radomes and antennas are described.

[0023] FIG. 1. includes various elements including a radome 3, a radiating element 4, a coax to antenna sleeve 7 which couples the coax to the antenna and provides protection for the RF connector.

[0024] FIGS. 2A through 2C illustrate various configurations of radomes.

[0025] Embodiments may be made of a number of different materials including ceramic, or similar materials, which may be used in the construction of the internal radiating element and strategic other locations where high heat resistivity is required.

[0026] Other materials include ceramic fiber blankets & yarn which may be used as an internal insulator between a radome and a radiating element as well as other compartments or areas in the embodiments. Another material that may be used with embodiments is ceramifiable silicone which can be used as an insulator on coax and or antenna elements.

[0027] The various elements of the embodiments may be constructed of fiberglass, cellulose, polystyrene, carbon, carbon fiber, silica, polyurethane foam, and teflon. Other materials known to those skilled in the art which may be suitable for resistance to high temperature can also be used.

[0028] Additionally, embodiments may include insulators such as inert gas or a vacuum inside the radome. In other embodiments, silica aeroGel can be used as an insulator in strategic locations inside or externally to the antenna.

[0029] Embodiments may use any suitable type of antenna including but not limited to an omni directional, bi-directional, panel, or an enclosed array (also known as a Yagi) antenna.

[0030] The embodiments may be designed to be suitable for meeting building codes for a distributed antenna system (DAS) without the need for fire-protective soffits, conduits, or other expensive shielding.

[0031] Embodiments may also be partially constructed of a “ceramifiable” material, a material that turns from a flexible material into a ceramic when exposed to high temperatures, such as over 425° C., 482° C., 1010° C., or any similar material known to those skilled in the art.

[0032] The embodiments can be constructed of materials that have different melting ranges. For example, some low-melting temperature component materials may melt at 350° C. Other components may be used that melt between 425° C. and 482° C. while other component materials may be used that devitrify or pass from a glass-like state into a crystalline state. Additives may be used to bond components together providing additional resistance to extreme temperatures. Some components may be made of materials that can be configured to convert from a resilient elastomer to a porous ceramic when heated above 425°.

[0033] Any ceramifiable material such as silicone rubber having silicone polymer (polysiloxane) with additives may be used. These additives can be used to cause the material to turn into a fire-resistant ceramic in high temperature fire conditions. These embodiments may include peroxide crosslinking or condensation-crosslinking high consistency silicone rubber. A silicone polymer matrix can include low-melting point inorganic flux particles and refractory filler particles in a polysiloxane matrix.

[0034] Other embodiments may use ceramic wraps to maintain structural integrity of the components at high temperatures. Refractory materials may also be used in embodiment, for example non-metallic material having those chemical and physical properties that make them applicable for structures, or as components of systems, that are exposed to environments above 1,000° F. (811 K; 538° C.) (ASTM C71), or the like.

[0035] Other embodiments may be partially constructed of a thermoplastic or thermoset compounds that emit low amounts of smoke and/or halogen when exposed to high sources of heat.

[0036] In the described embodiments, the structure of the radome may be of any suitable thickness and the surfaces may be covered in any suitable substance such as MYLAR® polyester film (a trade name of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Wilmington, Del., U.S.A.), MELINEX® (a moldable plastic film produced by Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd. Corp. of London, U.K.) and Hostaphan (another boPET type of product produced by Hoechst Aktiengesellschaft Corp. of Frankfurt, Germany).

[0037] In some embodiments, the ceramifiable silicone rubber material can be used. In other embodiments, ceramic fiber wrap material may be used for all or a portion of the structural components. During a building fire, explosion, or other emergency, the antenna may be exposed to high temperatures with the ceramifiable silicone rubber or ceramic fiber wrap surrounding the outer surfaces of the components can maintain their forms and structural integrity. The ceramic matrix from the ceramified silicone rubber, or the ceramic fiber wrap, can be designed to not allow the electrical components to electrically short against other surfaces.

[0038] In some embodiments, metalized braids and/or MYLAR® tape can be used to wrap or encase other components. Other non-metalized layers may be used to prevent further metal on metal contact in high temperature settings. In some embodiments, a ceramic fiber wrap may be constructed of refractory aluminoborosilicate, aluminosilica, or alumina. Either ceramifiable silicone rubber-based or ceramic fiber wrap-based refractory insulating components can be used to resist high temperatures.

[0039] Additionally, one or more layers of temperature resistant materials such as ceramifiable silicone rubber may be used to build up layers to form suitable thickness for temperature protection.

[0040] Although specific embodiments have been described, various modifications, alterations, alternative constructions, and equivalents are also encompassed within the scope of the inventive subject matter. The described embodiments are not restricted to operation within a certain specific environment, but instead are free to operate within any type of environment. Additionally, although method embodiments of the present inventive subject matter have been described using a particular series of and steps, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the scope of the inventive subject matter is not limited to the described series of transactions and steps.

[0041] Further, while embodiments of the present inventive subject matter have been described using a particular combination of hardware, it should be recognized that other combinations of hardware are also within the scope of the present inventive subject matter. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It will, however, be evident that additions, subtractions, deletions, and other modifications and changes may be made thereunto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the inventive subject matter.