Methods for enhanced power delivery to tower-mounted and other remotely-mounted remote radio heads and related systems and power cables
Tower systems suitable for use at cellular base stations include a tower, an antenna mounted on the tower, a remote radio head mounted on the tower and a power supply. A power cable having a power supply conductor and a return conductor is connected between the power supply and the remote radio head. A shunt capacitance unit that is separate from the remote radio head that is electrically coupled between the power supply conductor and the return conductor of the power cable.
1. A tower system, comprising:
a mounting structure;
an antenna mounted on the mounting structure;
a remote radio head mounted on the mounting structure;
a power supply;
a power cable having a power supply conductor and a return conductor connected between the power supply and the remote radio head; and
a shunt capacitance unit that is separate from the remote radio head that is electrically coupled between the power supply conductor and the return conductor of the power cable;
wherein the power cable comprises a hybrid power/fiber optic cable and the power cable is one of a plurality of individual power cables included in the hybrid power/fiber optic cable, each of which includes a respective power supply conductor and a respective return conductor; and
wherein the hybrid power/fiber optic cable includes a breakout enclosure in which the power supply conductors and the return conductors of the plurality of individual power cables are singulated, and wherein the shunt capacitance unit comprises a plurality of shunt capacitance units, and wherein each individual power cable has a respective one of the shunt capacitance units coupled between its power supply conductor and its return conductor within the breakout enclosure.
2. The tower system of claim 1 , wherein the shunt capacitance unit is configured to reduce a voltage drop at the remote radio head due to a spike in a current carried by the power cable.
3. The tower system of claim 1 , wherein the breakout enclosure is an integral part of the power cable.
4. The tower system of claim 1 , wherein the power supply is configured to adjust a voltage level of a DC power signal that is output from the power supply so that the DC power signal at a first end of the power cable that is remote from the power supply has a substantially constant voltage notwithstanding variation in a current level of the DC power signal that is output from the power supply.
5. The tower system of claim 4 , wherein the power supply is configured to automatically adjust the voltage level of the DC power signal in response to changes in a measured current level of the DC power signal.
6. The tower system of claim 4 , wherein the substantially constant voltage comprises a voltage that exceeds a nominal power signal voltage of the remote radio head and which is less than a maximum power signal voltage of the remote radio head.
7. The tower system of claim 1 , wherein the breakout enclosure comprises a first breakout canister that receives the plurality of individual power cables, the hybrid power/fiber optic cable further including a second breakout canister that receives a plurality of optical fibers and divides the plurality of optical fibers into smaller groups of optical fibers.
8. The tower system of claim 1 , wherein a capacitance of a first of the shunt capacitance units is at least 1,000 microFarads.
9. The tower system of claim 1 , wherein the mounting structure is an antenna tower.
10. The tower system of claim 1 , wherein the mounting structure is a pole.
11. The tower system of claim 1 , wherein a capacitance of a first of the shunt capacitance units is selected at least in part based on a length of the hybrid power/fiber optic cable and resistances per unit length of a first of the power supply conductors and a first of the return conductors.
12. A tower system, comprising:
a mounting structure;
an antenna mounted on the mounting structure;
a remote radio head mounted on the mounting structure;
a power supply;
a power cable having a power supply conductor and a return conductor connected between the power supply and the remote radio head; and
a shunt capacitance unit that is separate from the remote radio head that is electrically coupled between the power supply conductor and the return conductor of the power cable;
wherein the power cable comprises a hybrid power/fiber optic cable and the power cable is one of a plurality of individual power cables included in the hybrid power/fiber optic cable, each of which includes a respective power supply conductor and a respective return conductor; and
wherein the hybrid power/fiber optic cable includes a breakout enclosure in which the power supply conductors and the return conductors of the plurality of individual power cables are singulated, and wherein the shunt capacitance unit comprises a plurality of shunt capacitance units, and wherein each individual power cable has a respective one of the shunt capacitance units coupled between its power supply conductor and its return conductor within the breakout enclosure; and
wherein the shunt capacitance units each comprise a plug-in capacitor that is received within a respective one of a plurality of sockets in the breakout enclosure.
13. The tower system of claim 12 , wherein the power supply is configured to adjust a voltage level of a DC power signal that is output from the power supply so that the DC power signal at a first end of the power cable that is remote from the power supply has a substantially constant voltage notwithstanding variation in a current level of the DC power signal that is output from the power supply.
14. The tower system of claim 13 , wherein the power supply is configured to automatically adjust the voltage level of the DC power signal in response to changes in a measured current level of the DC power signal.
15. The tower system of claim 13 , wherein the substantially constant voltage comprises a voltage that exceeds a nominal power signal voltage of the remote radio head and which is less than a maximum power signal voltage of the remote radio head.
16. A tower system, comprising:
a mounting structure;
an antenna mounted on the mounting structure;
a remote radio head mounted on the mounting structure;
a power supply;
a power cable having a power supply conductor and a return conductor connected between the power supply and the remote radio head; and
a shunt capacitance unit that is separate from the remote radio head that is electrically coupled between the power supply conductor and the return conductor of the power cable;
wherein the power cable comprises a hybrid power/fiber optic cable and the power cable is one of a plurality of individual power cables included in the hybrid power/fiber optic cable, each of which includes a respective power supply conductor and a respective return conductor; and
wherein the hybrid power/fiber optic cable includes a breakout enclosure in which the power supply conductors and the return conductors of the plurality of individual power cables are singulated, and wherein the shunt capacitance unit comprises a plurality of shunt capacitance units, and wherein each individual power cable has a respective one of the shunt capacitance units coupled between its power supply conductor and its return conductor within the breakout enclosure; and
wherein a capacitance of each shunt capacitance unit is selected at least in part based on a length of the hybrid power/fiber optic cable.
17. The tower system of claim 16 , wherein the power supply is configured to adjust a voltage level of a DC power signal that is output from the power supply so that the DC power signal at a first end of the power cable that is remote from the power supply has a substantially constant voltage notwithstanding variation in a current level of the DC power signal that is output from the power supply.
18. The tower system of claim 17 , wherein the power supply is configured to automatically adjust the voltage level of the DC power signal in response to changes in a measured current level of the DC power signal.
19. The tower system of claim 17 , wherein the substantially constant voltage comprises a voltage that exceeds a nominal power signal voltage of the remote radio head and which is less than a maximum power signal voltage of the remote radio head.