Local loop telecommunication repeater housings employing thermal collection, transfer and distribution via solid thermal conduction

Abstract

An improved thermal design for passively cooled telecommunication repeater housings for use with wire transmission in the local loop outside plant is achieved by replacing the known convection based heat transfer designs with a design based on solid thermal conduction. A thermal chassis includes thermal collection, transfer and distribution members that collect the repeater modules' waste heat through respective thermal interfaces, transfer the waste heat along respective thermal conduction paths to the environmental enclosure, and then distribute the waste heat over a substantial portion of the enclosure's available surface area to form an enlarged thermal interface for convectively transferring the waste heat to the ambient air. Heat transfer is further improved by expanding the enclosure's external surface area and fabricating the distribution members so that they are in permanent and intimate thermal contact with the enclosure's expanded surface area.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A passively cooled repeater housing for use in a telecommunication network's wire transmission local loop outside plant to house a plurality of standardized repeater modules, comprising: 
 a thermal chassis for mounting a plurality of repeater modules that generate waste heat, said chassis comprising for each said repeater module: 
 a thermal collection member that forms a first thermal interface with said repeater module to collect its waste heat;  
 a thermal transfer member that transfers the collected waste heat along a conduction path away from said repeater module; and  
 a thermal distribution member that distributes the waste heat over an enlarged surface area, and  
   an environmental enclosure around said chassis that provides mechanical and environmental protection for said repeater modules and said thermal chassis, said enclosure having a base, sidewalls disposed in close opposition to the thermal distribution members to form a second thermal interface for transferring the waste heat between the distribution member and the environmental enclosure and then convectively transferring the waste heat to the ambient air, and a removable cover for gaining access to said repeater modules to interchange them on-site.    
     
     
         2 . The repeater housing of  claim 1 , wherein said environmental enclosure's cover extends the length of said repeater modules and is sealed to a base, said thermal distribution member being positioned inside said environmental enclosure and mechanically separable from said cover so that said cover can be removed by breaking the seal to said base.  
     
     
         3 . The repeater housing of  claim 2 , wherein said chassis further comprises an actuator mechanism that urges the thermal distribution members against the sidewalls of said cover when it is sealed to the base and retracts said thermal distribution member to allow said cover to be removed.  
     
     
         4 . The repeater housing of  claim 3 , wherein said environmental enclosure is cylindrical, said chassis comprising: 
 a plurality of repeater connectors slidably disposed in a circle inside the enclosure towards the base for mounting and electrically connecting the repeater modules to the local loop; and    a plurality of thermal sleeves that are slidably mounted over the respective repeater connectors to mechanically support said repeater modules, each said thermal sleeve having an interior dimension that forms said first thermal interface with said repeater module for collecting waste heat and a front arcuate surface that transfers the collected waste heat to and distributes the waste heat over the cylindrical sidewalls,    said actuator mechanism sliding said thermal sleeve, connectors and repeater modules radially outwards against the cylindrical sidewalls when said cover is sealed and retracting them to allow said cover to be removed.    
     
     
         5 . The repeater housing of  claim 1 , wherein said environmental enclosure further comprises a fixed base and a shell mounted between said base and said cover, said thermal distribution members being mechanically fixed to said shell to improve the thermal transfer of the second thermal interface.  
     
     
         6 . The repeater housing of  claim 5 , wherein said chassis' thermal distribution members are compression fit inside said shell.  
     
     
         7 . The repeater housing of  claim 6 , wherein said shell is corrugated to define axial fins that increase the surface area of said second thermal interface and said thermal distribution members having extrusions that fit inside said axial fins to improve the distribution of said waste heat over that enlarged surface area.  
     
     
         8 . The repeater housing of  claim 7 , wherein each said distribution member comprises at least one bifurcated fin that is pinched inside an axial fin.  
     
     
         9 . The repeater housing of  claim 7 , wherein said distribution members comprise a complementary corrugation that forms a laminate structure with said shell.  
     
     
         10 . The repeater housing of  claim 7 , wherein said shell and thermal distribution members have a complementary taper that improves their compression fit.  
     
     
         11 . The repeater housing of  claim 7 , wherein said shell is molded over the extruded distribution members to define said axial fins.  
     
     
         12 . The repeater housing of  claim 7 , wherein said shell is cylindrical and said thermal distribution members are bonded together to form a cylinder, said shell and distribution members having complementary circumferential fins.  
     
     
         13 . The repeater housing of  claim 12 , wherein said shell is molded over said distribution members.  
     
     
         14 . The repeater housing of  claim 5 , wherein said chassis further comprises a plurality of repeater and protector connector pairs that are positioned towards the base and away from the removable cover for mounting and electrically connecting the repeater modules and a plurality of voltage surge protectors, respectively.  
     
     
         15 . The repeater housing of  claim 14 , wherein said repeater and protector connectors are female printed circuit board (PCB) edge connectors that are positioned side-by-side with the repeater connector elevated above the protector connector so that the voltage surge protector is mounted underneath the repeater module.  
     
     
         16 . The repeater housing of  claim 14 , wherein said protector connector is spaced apart from said repeater connector so that said voltage surge protector can be removed and replaced on-site without having to remove said repeater module.  
     
     
         17 . The repeater housing of  claim 16 , wherein said voltage surge protector extends along the length of said repeater module to simplify access through the opening in said shell.  
     
     
         18 . The repeater housing of  claim 5 , wherein the exterior surface of said enclosure is subjected to unbalanced solar loading in the ambient air, further comprising thermal cross-transfer members that transfer heat from one repeater module to the thermal distribution member of another repeater module.  
     
     
         19 . The repeater housing of  claim 5 , further comprising thermally conductive external and internal mounting brackets for mounting said environmental enclosure, said internal mounting bracket transferring some of the collected waste heat through the base to the external mounting bracket.  
     
     
         20 . The repeater housing of  claim 19 , wherein said internal and external mounting brackets form an overlapping thermal joint to enhance heat transfer.  
     
     
         21 . The repeater housing of  claim 19 , wherein said internal and external mounting brackets form an interdigitated thermal joint to enhance heat transfer.  
     
     
         22 . The repeater housing of  claim 5 , wherein said cover comprises a plurality of thermal transfer members that, when sealed, provide a plurality of conduction paths from said repeater modules to said cover.  
     
     
         23 . The repeater housing of  claim 22 , wherein said cover's thermal transfer members form an overlapping thermal joint with the thermal collection members to provide said conduction paths.  
     
     
         24 . The repeater housing of  claim 1 , wherein the shape of said thermal distribution member is complementary with the shape of the interior surface of said sidewalls with the total surface area of all said distribution members being greater than that of said cover.  
     
     
         25 . The repeater housing of  claim 1 , wherein the thermal distribution member comprises a fin that is affixed to the outer surface of said enclosure immediately opposite said thermal transfer member so that said waste heat passes through said second thermal interface to said fin where it is convectively transferred to the ambient air.  
     
     
         26 . The repeater housing of  claim 1 , wherein the exterior surface of said enclosure is subjected to unbalanced solar loading in the ambient air, further comprising a plurality of fins disposed around the exterior of said enclosure that extend outward to increase the total surface area that transfers waste heat to the ambient environment and a shroud around the fins that prevents sun light from being trapped in the fins and overheating the repeater housing.  
     
     
         27 . The repeater housing of  claim 26 , wherein said fins have slits that form a thermal barrier that blocks the sun's thermal energy from penetrating to and heating the enclosure.  
     
     
         28 . The repeater housing of  claim 27 , wherein said fins are bent at said slits to increase the thermal barrier and provides a degree of shock absorption.  
     
     
         29 . A passively cooled repeater housing for use in a telecommunication network's wire transmission local loop outside plant to house a plurality of standardized repeater modules, comprising: 
 a thermal chassis having a plurality of repeater connectors for mounting a respective plurality of repeater modules that generate waste heat and a plurality of having protector connectors for mounting a respective plurality of voltage surge protectors, each said protector connector being spaced apart from its paired repeater connector; and    an environmental enclosure around and fixed to said chassis for providing mechanical and environmental protection for said repeater modules, said enclosure having with an I/O port for wiring the connectors to the local loop and a field accessible cover for providing top access to said chassis to replace said voltage surge protectors on-site without having to remove said repeater modules, said environmental enclosure removing a small portion of the waste heat from the repeater modules via convection to the cover and then to the ambient air,    said thermal chassis collecting a majority of the repeater modules' waste heat through respective thermal interfaces, transferring the waste heat along respective conduction paths to the sidewalls of the environmental enclosure, and distributing the waste heat over a surface area larger than that of the cover to form a second thermal interface for transferring waste heat between the thermal chassis and the enclosure and then convectively transferring the waste heat to the ambient air.    
     
     
         30 . The repeater housing of  claim 29 , wherein said enclosure is corrugated to define axial fins that increase the surface area of said second thermal interface and said thermal chassis having extrusions that fit inside said axial fins to improve the distribution of said waste heat over that enlarged surface area.  
     
     
         31 . The repeater housing of  claim 30 , wherein each said thermal chassis comprises a plurality of bifurcated fins that are pinched inside respective axial fins.  
     
     
         32 . The repeater housing of  claim 30 , wherein said thermal chassis has a complementary corrugation that forms a laminate structure with said enclosure.  
     
     
         33 . The repeater housing of  claim 30 , wherein said enclosure is molded over the extruded thermal chassis to define said axial fins.  
     
     
         34 . The repeater housing of  claim 29 , wherein said voltage surge protector extends along the length of said repeater module to simplify the top access.  
     
     
         35 . The repeater housing of  claim 29 , wherein the exterior surface of said enclosure is subjected to unbalanced solar loading in the ambient air, further comprising thermal cross-transfer members that transfer heat from the relatively hot side of the enclosure to the relative cool side.  
     
     
         36 . A passively cooled repeater housing for use in a telecommunication network's wire transmission local loop outside plant to house a plurality of standardized repeater modules, comprising: 
 an environmental enclosure having a fixed base with an I/O port for receiving degraded signals from the local loop and returning regenerated signals to the local loop, a shell on said base having sidewalls that define an inner volume, and a removable cover on said shell for gaining access to said inner volume; and    a thermal chassis mounted in said fixed base comprising: 
 a plurality of repeater connectors disposed around the perimeter of the inner volume towards the base for mounting a respective plurality of repeater modules in said inner volume; and  
 a plurality of thermal sleeves that are mounted over the -respective repeater connectors to mechanically support said repeater modules, each said thermal sleeve having an interior dimension that forms a first thermal interface with said repeater module for collecting waste heat and a front surface that transfers the collected waste heat to an interior surface of the shell's sidewalls and distributes the waste heat to form a thermal interface with said shell for transferring heat through the shell and to the ambient air.  
   
     
     
         37 . The repeater housing of  claim 36 , wherein said environmental enclosure's cover is cylindrical and extends the length of said repeater modules to a base, said thermal chassis further comprising an actuator mechanism that urges the thermal sleeves radially outwards against the sidewalls of said cover when it is sealed to the base and which is capable of retracting said sleeves to allow said cover to be removed.  
     
     
         38 . The repeater housing of  claim 36 , wherein said enclosure comprises a thin-walled stainless steel dome.  
     
     
         39 . The repeater housing of  claim 35 , wherein said environmental enclosure comprises a cylindrical shell mounted on a fixed base, said shell having an extrusion pattern that increases the enclosure's surface area, said thermal chassis having a complementary extrusion pattern that improves the distribution of the waste heat over the enlarged surface area.  
     
     
         40 . The repeater housing of  claim 39 , wherein said cylindrical shell and the thermal chassis have a complementary taper that provides a compression fit.  
     
     
         41 . The repeater housing of  claim 40 , wherein said shell is corrugated to form its extrusion pattern and said thermal sleeves each comprise at least one pair of closely spaced fins that are pinched inside the corrugations.  
     
     
         42 . The repeater housing of  claim 40 , wherein said shell is corrugated to form its extrusion pattern and said thermal chassis has a complementary corrugation that forms a laminate structure with said enclosure.  
     
     
         43 . The repeater housing of  claim 39 , wherein said shell is molded over the thermal chassis to define its extrusion pattern.  
     
     
         44 . The repeater housing of  claim 39 , wherein said shell has a plurality of circumferential fins and said thermal chassis has a complementary plurality of circumferential fins.  
     
     
         45 . The repeater housing of  claim 44 , wherein said shell is molded over the thermal chassis to define the circumferential fins.  
     
     
         46 . A passively cooled repeater housing for use in a telecommunication network's wire transmission local loop outside plant to house a plurality of standardized repeater modules, comprising: 
 a cylindrical base having a port for receiving wires from the local loop;    a cylindrical dome on said base having an integrally formed shell that fits over said base and a cover having a hole formed at its center;    a mechanism for sealing said dome to said base; and    a thermal chassis comprising: 
 a circular platform in said base, said platform having a plurality of slots that are regularly spaced around the platform adjacent the shell;  
 a plurality of repeater connectors that are free to slide in the respective slots in different radial directions while connected to said wires;  
 a plurality of thermal sleeves mounted on said platform over the respective repeater connectors that are also free to slide in said slots in said radial directions, each said thermal sleeve having an interior dimension that forms a, first thermal interface with a repeater module mounted in said connector for collecting waste heat and a front arcuate surface that first transfers and then distributes the waste heat over the shell thereby forming a second thermal interface for transferring heat through the shell and to the ambient air;  
 an internal mounting bracket in said base that allows said platform to tip when the dome is removed to access the connector wiring; and  
 an actuator mechanism that extends axially from the center of the platform through the hole in said cover and radially to the respective thermal sleeves, a downward axial force on said mechanism producing outward radial forces on said thermal sleeves that urge their arcuate surfaces against the shell, the release of said axial force causing said thermal sleeves to retract so that said dome can be removed.  
   
     
     
         47 . The repeater housing of  claim 46 , wherein the total surface area of all said arcuate surfaces is greater than the surface area of said cover.  
     
     
         48 . The repeater housing of  claim 47 , wherein said thermal sleeves are in thermal contact with said platform, further comprising a thermally conductive external mounting bracket for mounting said environmental enclosure, said internal mounting bracket transferring some of the collected waste heat to the external mounting bracket.  
     
     
         49 . The repeater housing of  claim 48 , wherein said internal and external mounting brackets form an overlapping thermal joint to enhance heat transfer.  
     
     
         50 . The repeater housing of  claim 43 , wherein the exterior surface of said dome is subjected to unbalanced solar loading in the ambient air, further comprising a plurality of fins disposed around the exterior of said dome that extend outward to increase the total surface area for transferring waste heat to the ambient environment and a shroud around the fins that prevents sun light from being trapped in the fins and overheating the repeater housing.  
     
     
         51 . The repeater housing of  claim 50 , wherein said fins have slits that form a thermal barrier that blocks the sun's thermal energy from penetrating to and heating the dome.  
     
     
         52 . The repeater housing of  claim 46 , wherein said actuator mechanism comprises: 
 a mast that extends axially from the center of the platform towards the hold in said cover;    a mast spring around said mast on said platform;    a movable hub around said mast on said mast spring;    a plurality of spring arms that are positioned radially about said movable hub and are connected to respective thermal sleeves; and    a top drive screw assembly that extends through the hole in said cover to just above the end of said mast;    the rotation of the top drive screw assembly in one direction producing a downward axial force on the end of the mast urging the movable hub downward and the spring arms radially outward, the rotation of the external compression nut in the opposite direction relieving the axial force allowing the thermal sleeves to retract.    
     
     
         53 . A passively cooled repeater housing for use in a telecommunication network's wire transmission local loop outside plant to house a plurality of standardized repeater modules, comprising: 
 a cylindrical base having an I/O port for bringing wires from the local loop inside said housing;    a plurality of connectors in said base for mounting repeater modules and electrically connecting them to said wires;    a thermal chassis having a plurality of thermal sleeves positioned over the respective connectors for supporting said repeater modules and collecting their waste heat and having an extrusion pattern around said sleeves that distributes the waste heat over an enlarged surface area;    a cylindrical shell on said base, said shell having a complementary extrusion pattern in close thermal contact with said chassis' extrusion pattern to increase the external surface area for convectively transferring waste heat to the ambient air; and    a cylindrical cover on said shell, said cylindrical base, shell and cover together providing mechanical and environmental protection for said repeater modules and said thermal chassis, said cylindrical cover being removable to provide top access to said repeater modules to remove them on-site.    
     
     
         54 . The repeater housing of  claim 53 , wherein said cylindrical shell and the chassis have a complementary taper that provides a compression fit.  
     
     
         55 . The repeater housing of  claim 54 , wherein said shell is axially corrugated to form its extrusion pattern and said thermal sleeves each comprise at least one pair of closely spaced axial fins that are pinched inside the corrugations.  
     
     
         56 . The repeater housing of  claim 53 , wherein said cylindrical shell is molded over said chassis.  
     
     
         57 . The repeater housing of  claim 53 , wherein said thermal sleeves are in thermal contact to form a thermally conductive path around the thermal chassis to cross transfer waste heat from a relatively hot area to a relatively cool area to improve overall transfer to the ambient air.  
     
     
         58 . The repeater housing of  claim 57 , wherein each said thermal sleeve has an interior dimension that forms a first thermal interface with said repeater module for collecting waste heat and an arcuate front surface that first transfers and then distributes the collected waste heat over the complementary extrusion pattern.  
     
     
         59 . The repeater housing of  claim 58 , further comprising a plurality of protector connectors positioned radially inward from the respective repeater connectors for mounting voltage surge protectors which can be replaced without having to remove said repeater modules.  
     
     
         60 . The repeater housing of  claim 59 , wherein said thermal sleeves extend around said protector connectors to improve the conduction path for cross transferring waste heat.  
     
     
         61 . The repeater housing of  claim 53 , further comprising: 
 a thermally conductive platform for supporting the thermal chassis; and    a thermally conductive bracket that connects said platform to said base thereby transferring a portion of the total waste heat through said base to the ambient air.    
     
     
         62 . A passively cooled repeater housing for use in a telecommunication network's wire transmission local loop outside plant to house a plurality of standardized repeater modules, comprising: 
 a cylindrical base having an I/O port for bringing wires from the local loop inside said housing to receive degraded transmission signals and return regenerated transmission signals;    a plurality of connectors in said base for mounting repeater modules and electrically connecting them to said wires;    a cylindrical shell on said base, said shell having a plurality of circumferential fins that increase its surface area;    a cylindrical thermal chassis having a plurality of thermal sleeves over the respective connectors for supporting said repeater modules and collecting their waste heat and having a complementary plurality of circumferential fins that fit inside the cylindrical shell to distribute the waste heat over the cylindrical shell for convective transfer to the ambient air; and    a cylindrical cover on said shell, said cylindrical base, shell and cover providing mechanical and environmental protection for said repeater modules and said thermal chassis, said cylindrical cover being removable to provide top access to said repeater modules to remove them on-site.    
     
     
         63 . The repeater housing of  claim 62 , wherein said cylindrical shell is molded over the cylindrical thermal chassis.  
     
     
         64 . The repeater housing of  claim 62 , wherein said thermal sleeves are in thermal contact to form a thermally conductive path around the thermal chassis to cross transfer waste heat from a relatively hot area to a relatively cool area to improve overall transfer to the ambient air.  
     
     
         65 . The repeater housing of  claim 59 , further comprising an interface member that fits over the thermal chassis to provide a plurality of conduction paths from said thermal chassis to said cover.  
     
     
         66 . The repeater housing of  claim 65 , wherein said interface member forms overlapping thermal joints with the thermal sleeves to provide said conduction paths.