JP2003283214A - Branch box for dry air supply - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] To provide a dry air supply branch box capable of preventing leakage of some of a plurality of systems from affecting other systems. SOLUTION: An inlet 51 for the dry air supplied from the dehydrator 40 and a plurality of outlets 52 for branching and supplying the dry air introduced from the inlet 51 into each hollow power supply line are provided. The pressure gauge 54 measures the pressure in each hollow power supply line, and is closed when the pressure in each hollow power supply line reaches a set upper limit, and the pressure in each hollow power supply line reaches the set lower limit. And an automatic opening / closing valve 53 which is opened when it is opened.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a branch box for supplying dry air to a hollow power supply line used for broadcasting and communication, a dry air supply system using this branch box, and a wireless transmission / reception system. . In particular, the present invention relates to a dry air supply branch box capable of easily detecting from which of the plurality of hollow power feed lines the dry air is leaking.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 3, in an antenna system for broadcasting or communication, a hollow feed such as a coaxial feed line or a waveguide feed line is used as a feed line for transmitting high frequency power from a radio transceiver 10 to an antenna 30. Power line 20 is used. Such a hollow power supply line 20 employs a method of filling the inside of the power supply line with dry air in order to prevent system performance deterioration due to dew condensation, moisture, rainwater inhalation, and the like. This is generally called a "dehydrating system" or a "dry air filling system", and a device for supplying dry air is called a dehydrator 40.

When there are a plurality of transmission lines (hollow power supply lines), in order to reduce pressure loss in the transmission pipe for transmitting dry air and improve the installation property, the dehydrator 40 and each hollow power supply line 20 are connected. Dry air is distributed and supplied to each system through the branch box 50. Conventionally used branch box 50
As shown in FIG. 4, an inlet 51 for the dry air from the dehydrator and a plurality of outlets 52 for supplying the dried air introduced from the inlet 51 by branching into each hollow power supply line are provided. I am. The branch box 50 is also provided with a pressure gauge 54 for measuring the pressure of each hollow power supply line and an on-off valve 56 for manually opening and closing. The main function of the opening / closing valve 56 is, for example, when the number of the outlets 52 actually used is four out of the plurality of outlets 52 shown in FIG. 4, and the remaining two are spares when the system is added, It is to prevent the dry air from being discharged from the spare discharge port 52 by closing the opening / closing valve 56. on the other hand,
The dehydrator 40 (FIG. 3) is provided with a solenoid valve 41 for supplying / stopping dry air to all systems, and an operation counter for recording the number of operations of the dehydrator 40. Such an antenna system is generally installed on a mountain or the like, and the dehydrator 40 is always operated unattended.

During normal operation, the dehydrator is operated with all the manual on-off valves open, and dry air is supplied into each hollow power supply line. When the pressure in each hollow power supply line reaches the set upper limit value, the solenoid valve is closed by the pressure control mechanism of the dehydrator, and the operation of supplying dry air to the hollow power supply line is stopped.

As a result, all the hollow feeders are filled with dry air at a constant pressure. Especially, in the low temperature period such as winter when the shrinkage of the material is apt to occur, the connection portion of the hollow feeders or the antennas. There is a case where an extremely minute gap is generated at the connection portion with the and the dry air leaks from the gap.

In that case, since the pressure in the hollow power feed line is lowered, if the internal pressure becomes lower than the set lower limit value, the dehydrator is actuated and the inside pressure is kept in the hollow feed line until the internal pressure reaches a predetermined set upper limit value. Supply dry air. Further, if the pressure drop in the hollow power supply line is repeated, this refilling operation is repeated. At this time, if the number of operations of the dehydrator is within the set number of times, it is determined to be normal, but if the number of operations exceeds the set number of times within the set time, it is determined that unacceptable leakage has occurred. It issues an alarm and informs the surveillance center of the alarm information. In addition, when there is a large amount of leakage, the filling operation may continue for a long time, but at this time also, an alarm is issued if the continuous operation exceeds the set time.

[0007]

However, the conventional technique using the branch box has the following problems. Leakage in some of the multiple systems affects all systems. Each system has a manual on-off valve, but if all of the on-off valves are opened during the initial injection of dry air, it will be kept as it is and all systems will be in communication. There is. Therefore, if a leak occurs in one of the systems, the effect may extend to the other systems, and the pressure of the dry air may drop in all the systems, possibly causing system degradation in all the systems.

It is not possible to easily discriminate which one of the plurality of lines is leaking. If a leak occurs in either system, the pressure in the leaked system first drops,
After that, the pressure drops in all systems. However, because the dehydrator is always operating unattended, it is not possible to monitor such a pressure drop situation in real time. Therefore, even if the record of the operation counter of the dehydrator exceeds the specified value and an alarm is issued and all the pressure gauges are in a state of being lowered even after rushing to the site, it is possible to determine in which system the leak is occurring. Can not do it.

In order to determine in which system the leak has occurred, the dehydrator is operated to once fill all the systems with dry air up to the set upper limit value and close all the on-off valves. After that, it is determined by monitoring which system the pressure drops. However, especially when each hollow power supply line is large, it takes a lot of time to fill the dry air and monitor the pressure drop in this determination, which is a very troublesome work.

Accordingly, a main object of the present invention is to provide a dry air supply branch box which can prevent a leak of a part of a plurality of systems from affecting another system.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a branch box for supplying dry air, which can easily discriminate which one of a plurality of lines has a leak.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a branch box for supplying dry air, which can output an alarm output when the pressure of each system drops below a set lower limit value.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a dry air supply system and a wireless transmission / reception system using the branch box.

[0014]

According to the present invention, the internal pressure is detected for each hollow power supply line, and dry air can be supplied to each hollow power supply line based on the detection result. Achieve the purpose.

That is, the branch box for supplying dry air according to the present invention is provided with a plurality of inlets for the dry air supplied from the dehydrator and a plurality of branches for supplying the dry air introduced from the inlet into each hollow power supply line. Outlet, a pressure gauge for measuring the pressure in each hollow power supply line, and the pressure in each hollow power supply line is closed when it reaches the set upper limit, and the pressure in each hollow power supply line is set to the lower limit value. It is characterized by having an automatic open / close valve that is opened when the temperature reaches.

As described above, by providing an automatic opening / closing valve for each hollow power supply line, which is closed when the set upper limit value is reached and opened when the set lower limit value is reached based on the measurement result of the pressure gauge. Even if a leak occurs in any of the hollow power supply lines, it is possible to avoid affecting other healthy hollow power supply lines.
A specific example of the automatic opening / closing valve is a solenoid valve.

Here, it is preferable to provide an alarm means for sending an alarm output when the pressure of each hollow power supply line reaches the set lower limit value. By providing the alarm means, the leakage can be monitored for each hollow power supply line.

A specific example of the alarm means is the use of an automatic open / close valve operation counter. That is, an operation counter for recording the number of times the automatic opening / closing valve is opened is provided for each hollow power supply line. If the number of times recorded in the operation counter exceeds the specified value, it can be determined that an unacceptable leak has occurred, and the determination can be made for each system. It will be obvious at a glance.

The above-described structure of the branch box of the present invention can be applied to a single hollow power feeding line system.

Further, a dry air supply system of the present invention utilizing the above branch box comprises the above dry air supply branch box and a dehydrator connected to the inlet, and when the automatic opening / closing valve is opened. The hollow feeder line that has reached a predetermined lower limit value by operating the dehydrator is filled with dry air.

The wireless transmission / reception system of the present invention is
The dry air supply branch box, a dehydrator connected to the inlet, a hollow power supply line connected to each of the outlets, a wireless transceiver that supplies high frequency power to each hollow power supply line, and each of the above. An antenna connected to the hollow power supply line.

As described above, by using the branch box of the present invention, it is possible to construct a system having high reliability and easy maintenance as a dry air filling system or a wireless transmission / reception system as a whole.

[0023]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a wireless transmission / reception system using the branch box of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a dry air filling system of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, in this wireless transmission / reception system, the high frequency power transmitted from the wireless transmission / reception device 10 is emitted from the antenna 30 via the hollow power supply line 20. As the hollow power supply line 20, a coaxial power supply line, a waveguide power supply line, or the like is used.

Dry air is supplied from the dehydrator 40 to the hollow feeder 20 through the branch box 50 because the performance of the hollow feeder 20 is deteriorated due to dew condensation, moisture, and rainwater suction. The dehydrator 40 itself may use a known mechanism, and may generally have a mechanism for dehumidifying air and an air supply mechanism for supplying dehumidified dry air. Further, the dehydrator 40 includes a frequent operation alarm output when the total number of operations within a set time exceeds a specified value, a continuous operation alarm output when continuous operation is performed for a certain period of time, and a breaker or fuse A cutoff alarm is provided.

On the other hand, the branch box 50 is for branching and supplying the dry air sent from the dehydrator 40 to each system (hollow feeder). As shown in FIG. 2, an inlet 51 for the dry air supplied from the dehydrator 40 and a plurality of outlets 52 for branching and supplying the dry air introduced from the inlet 51 into each hollow power supply line are provided. It has. The dry air that has entered through the inlet is branched into a plurality of branch paths in the branch box. Solenoid valve that opens and closes in each branch
An operation counter 55 for recording the number of operations of the pressure gauge 53, the pressure gauge 54, and the solenoid valve 53 is provided. The pressure gauge 54 detects and displays the pressure in each hollow power supply line, and when the specified upper limit value is reached, the solenoid valve 53 is closed to stop the introduction of dry air from the dehydrator 40, and when the lower limit value is reached. The solenoid valve 53 is opened to operate the dehydrator 40 to supply dry air to the hollow power supply line. The end of each branch is connected to the outlet 52, and the outlet 52 is connected to each hollow power supply line.

The dry air supply system using the branch box 50 is operated as follows. At the time of normal operation, first, the dehydrator 40 is operated with all the solenoid valves 53 open, and the hollow air supply line 20 is filled with dry air. When the pressure in each hollow power supply line reaches the set upper limit value, which solenoid valve 53
Is also closed to stop filling dry air.

In this state, the hollow power supply line is sufficiently filled with dry air, but a slight amount of dry air naturally leaks from the joints of the hollow power supply line 20. When the pressure in either system decreases due to natural leakage, the pressure gauge 54 detects the pressure decrease, and when the pressure falls below the set lower limit value, only the solenoid valve 53 of that system is opened and the dehydrator 40
And the dry air is filled only in the system where the pressure has dropped. For example, the total number of operations of the dehydrator 40 is 2 times /
If it is one day, it is judged to be within the allowable leakage range.
When the dehydrator 40 is filled with dry air and the pressure reaches the set upper limit value, the solenoid valve 53 is closed again.

On the other hand, even if an abnormal leak that deviates from the allowable leak range occurs, if it is detected that the pressure gauge 54 is below the set lower limit value, the solenoid valve 53 of the system is opened and the dehydrator 40 operates. Refilling is similar. However, because there is more leakage than is allowed,
The pressure does not rise even after refilling with dry air. Therefore, when the pressure of the pressure gauge 54 drops and falls below the set lower limit value, the branch box 50 outputs an alarm. This alarm output may be performed when the pressure gauge is below the set lower limit value or when the number of times the solenoid valve 53 is opened exceeds the specified value. Since the solenoid valve 53 is closed except when the dehydrator 40 is operated to fill the dry air, the number of times the solenoid valve 53 is opened increases only in the system where the abnormal leakage occurs.
In any case, since the alarm output is performed for each system, it is possible to easily determine in which system the abnormal leakage has occurred. At this time, since the dehydrator 40 itself also has a continuous operation alarm, which system the operation is for cannot be determined, but an alarm is output when the dry air filling operation time for all the systems exceeds a specified value.
Then, based on these alarm outputs, it is possible to dispatch to the installation site of the wireless transmission / reception system and detect from a bubble test or the like where the leakage is occurring in the system where the abnormal leakage has occurred. Of course, upon arrival at the installation site of the wireless transmission / reception system, it is possible to identify which system has the abnormal leakage by directly reading the pressure gauge 54.

[0030]

As described above, according to the branch box of the present invention, the automatic opening / closing valve is opened / closed for each system in accordance with the measurement result of the pressure gauge, and the influence of the system in which the leak occurs may be other. It is possible to prevent it from reaching the system of.

Further, by using the operation counter, it is possible to record the number of opening / closing operations of the automatic opening / closing valve for each system, and it is possible to easily discriminate in which system the pressure drop has occurred based on the number of operations. it can.

Further, the dry air filling system and the wireless transmission / reception system of the present invention, by using the branch box of the present invention, have a high reliability as a dry air filling system or the whole wireless transmission / reception system and can be easily maintained. Can be built.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a wireless transmission / reception system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the dry air filling system of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a conventional wireless transmission / reception system.

FIG. 4A is a front view of a conventional branch box, and FIG. 4B is a schematic internal configuration diagram thereof.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 wireless transceiver 20 Hollow feeder 30 antenna 40 Dehydrator 41 Solenoid valve 50 branch box 51 Inlet 52 Outlet 53 Solenoid valve 54 Pressure gauge 55 Operation counter 56 Open / close valve

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Yoshio Tsuchizaki             1-3-3 Shimaya, Konohana-ku, Osaka Sumitomo Electric             Ki Industry Co., Ltd. Osaka Works (72) Inventor Yukihiko Yamato             7-6-3 Omorinishi, Ota-ku, Tokyo Sumiden             Within Opcom Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yutaka Deguchi             7-6-3 Omorinishi, Ota-ku, Tokyo Sumiden             Within Opcom Co., Ltd.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An inlet for dry air supplied from a dehydrator, a plurality of outlets for supplying the dry air introduced from the inlet into each hollow power supply line in a branched manner, and a plurality of outlets in each hollow power supply line. A pressure gauge for measuring the pressure and the outlet side is closed when the pressure in each hollow power supply line reaches the set upper limit value, and the discharge port is closed when the pressure in each hollow power supply line reaches the set lower limit value. A branch box for supplying dry air, comprising an automatic opening / closing valve whose side is opened. 2. The branch box for supplying dry air according to claim 1, further comprising alarm means for outputting an alarm output when the pressure of each hollow power supply line reaches a set lower limit value. 3. The branch box for supplying dry air according to claim 1, further comprising an operation counter for recording the number of times the automatic opening / closing valve is opened. 4. The dry air supply branch box according to claim 1, and a dehydrator connected to the inlet, wherein when the automatic on-off valve is opened, the dehydrator is operated to set a predetermined lower limit. A dry air supply system, characterized in that the hollow power supply line that has reached the value is filled with dry air until the pressure reaches a set upper limit value. 5. The dry air supply branch box according to claim 1, a dehydrator connected to the inlet, a hollow feeder connected to each of the outlets, and high-frequency power supplied to each of the hollow feeders. A wireless transmission / reception system, comprising: a wireless transmission / reception unit for supplying power to the antenna; and an antenna connected to each of the hollow power supply lines.