Antenna fixing system

TECHNICAL FIELD The invention relates to the field of antenna fixing systems, and more particularly to antenna fixing systems having a bracket attached to a fixture device for fixing a fixing equipment of the antenna.

BACKGROUND Conventionally, antennas are fixed to a fixture device, e.g. a pole, such that a bracket consisting of several members is pre-assembled and connected to the antenna. Subsequently, pulley systems are pre-assembled, a suitable place for a pulley for guiding a rope is chosen and the antenna with the bracket is lifted into an appropriate height for an installation position at the fixture device. Finally, the antenna is attached and fixed to the fixture device by means of the bracket.

However, meanwhile, the antennas have become more and more heavy. Therefore, at least an extra person is necessary for lifting and guiding the antenna into the installation position. This enlarges costs for installation of the antenna so that the efficiency for fixing the antenna is lowered. Moreover, due to the increased weight of the antenna, higher forces have to be applied to maintain the antenna which increases the risk of accidents.

SUM MARY

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved antenna fixing system. The object is achieved by the features of the independent claim. Further developments of the invention are apparent from the dependent claims, the description and the figures. According to an aspect, the invention relates to an antenna fixing system including a bracket to be fixed to a fixture device, the bracket comprising a fixing device configured to fix the antenna to the bracket and a pulley configured to guide a rope for lifting the antenna into an installation position, wherein the pulley is provided at the bracket. When the pulley is provided at the bracket, no further mounting position for the pulley has to be chosen and prepared. Furthermore, additional labor for attaching the pulley to the fixture device is not necessary. Hence, an improved antenna fixing system is provided which is able to assist in guiding an antenna into a suitable installation position without a necessity of an extra worker. According to a first implementation of the antenna fixing system according to the first aspect, the pulley is arranged such that the antenna is aligned with the fixing device when the antenna is lifted into the installation position.

By arranging the pulley such that the antenna get automatically aligned with the fixing device after it is pulled up with the rope, the antenna does not have to be manually shifted from a lifting position into the installation position.

According to a second implementation of the antenna fixing system according to the first implementation or to the aspect, the pulley is located above the fixing device.

Due to the arrangement of the pulley above the fixing device, additional lifting of the antenna is not necessary and the antenna can directly be lifted into the requested installation height with the rope and pulley.

According to a third implementation of the antenna fixing system according to any of the aspect or of the preceding implementations, the pulley is rotatably supported around a rotation axis, wherein the bracket further comprises a pivot equipment configured to support the pulley in a pivotable manner, the pivot equipment having a pivot axis perpendicular to the rota- tion axis.

By supporting the pulley in a pivotable manner, wherein the pivot axis is perpendicular to a rotation axis of the pulley, the stand of a worker pulling the rope for lifting the antenna can be changed with reduced risk that the rope runs out of the pulley. According to a fourth implementation of the antenna fixing system according to the third implementation, the pivot axis is vertically arranged.

Due to the vertical arrangement of the pivot axis, the pivoting around the pivot axis is enhanced and the risk that the rope runs out of the pulley is further reduced. According to a fifth implementation of the antenna fixing system according to the third or fourth implementation, the pulley comprises a shaft having the rotation axis and the pivot equipment is formed by a yoke configured to support the shaft, wherein the yoke is attached to the bracket by a pivot joint.

The pulley attached to the bracket by the yoke including the pivot joint enables unlimited piv- oting of the pulley.

According to a sixth implementation of the antenna fixing system according to the third or fourth implementation, the pulley comprises a curved shaft being curved around the pivot axis, so that the shaft is configured as the pivot equipment.

By providing the curved shaft, the pulley can be pivoted and rotated around the shaft without the necessity of further components separately providing rotating and pivoting.

According to a seventh implementation of the antenna fixing system according to the fifth or sixth implementation, a diameter of the pulley and the pivot equipment are configured such that the pivot axis extends through a vertical portion of the rope embracing the pulley so that the vertical portion of the rope is scarcely dislocated in a horizontal direction when the pulley is pivoted.

Due to such a configuration of the pulley and the pivot equipment, a horizontal position of the antenna is scarcely dislocated such that targeting an installation point is not impaired when the worker pulling the rope for lifting the antenna changes his stand.

According to an eighth implementation of the antenna fixing system according to the aspect or to the second or third implementation, the pulley is supported rotatably around the rotation axis by the shaft, wherein a ball joint is located between the pulley and the shaft, the shaft is attached to the bracket and the ball joint is configured to enable spatial pivoting and rotation of the pulley. According to a ninth implementation of the antenna fixing system according to any of the fifth to eight implementation, the shaft is fixedly connected to the bracket or to the yoke.

The fixed connection between the bracket and or the yoke enables a rigid and simple configuration of the bracket. According to a tenth implementation of the antenna fixing system according to any of the fifth to eight implementation, the bracket or the yoke is provided with a recess opened upwardly for accommodating ends of the shaft such that the shaft is configured to be removable.

By removing the shaft from the bracket, threading of the whole length of the rope around the pulley is not necessary and the rope can easily be wrapped around the pulley such that the use of the rope is facilitated.

According to a eleventh implementation of the antenna fixing system according to any of the fifth to eight implementation, one end of the shaft is connected to the bracket or to the yoke in a removable manner and another of the ends comprises a swivel joint between the other end and the bracket or the yoke so that the shaft can be swiveled around the swivel joint to provide an open access to the entire circumference of the pulley.

By providing such a configuration, threading of the whole length of the rope around the pulley is not necessary and complete removal of the pulley for wrapping the rope is not necessary such that the use of the rope is facilitated. According to a twelfth implementation of the antenna fixing system according to any of the preceding implementations or to the aspect, the fixing system comprises a self-locking mechanism for automatically locking the antenna to the bracket.

When the bracket comprises the self-locking mechanism, the antenna can be pulled into an appropriate height and, thereby, be locked to the bracket without the need of any further ac- tion of an extra worker. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following detailed portion of the present disclosure, the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a principle illustration of a side view of an antenna fixing system;

Fig. 2 shows a partially exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of the antenna fixing system;

Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of the antenna fixing system;

Fig. 4 shows a principle illustration of a pulley aligned to a fixing device;

Fig. 5 shows a partially sectional view of a third embodiment of the antenna fixing system;

Fig. 6 shows a perspective view of the antenna fixing system having a fixed shaft;

Fig. 7 shows a perspective view of the antenna fixing system having a removable shaft; and

Fig. 8 shows a perspective view of the antenna fixing system having a swiveling shaft.

Identical reference signs are used for identical or at least functionally equivalent features.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION Fig. 1 shows a principle illustration of a side view of an antenna fixing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The antenna fixing system 1 includes a bracket 2 to be fixed to a fixture device 3. The bracket 2 comprises a fixing device 4 for fixing an antenna (not shown) to the bracket 2 and a pulley 5 configured to guide a rope 6 for lifting an antenna into an installation position, wherein the pulley 5 is provided at the bracket 2. The rope 6 can be substituted by other elements, e.g. a chain, so that the use of a rope 6 is not essential for the embodiments of the present invention. The pulley 5 is arranged at the bracket 2 of the antenna fixing system 1 such that the antenna is aligned with the fixing device 4 when the antenna is lifted into the installation position. Furthermore, the pulley 5 is located above the fixing system 4.

The antenna fixing system 1 optionally comprises the fixing device 4 as a self-locking mecha- nism for automatically locking the antenna to the bracket 2.

Fig. 2 shows a partially exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of the antenna fixing system 1. The first embodiment comprises all of the above mentioned features of the antenna fixing system 1 illustrated in principle in Fig. 1.

Furthermore, the pulley 5 is rotatably supported around a rotation axis A and the bracket 2 comprises a pivot equipment 7. The pivot equipment 7 is configured to support the pulley 5 in a pivotable manner around a pivot axis P. The pivot axis P is arranged perpendicular to the rotation axis A. In this embodiment, the pivot axis P is vertically arranged.

The pivot equipment 7 includes a yoke 9 attached to the bracket 2 by a pivot joint 10. The pulley 5 comprises a shaft 8 having the rotation axis A, wherein the shaft 8 is fixedly attached to and supported by the yoke 9. However, the shaft 8 is not compulsory fixedly attached to the yoke 9 but it can be attached completely removably or swiveling.

Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of the antenna fixing system. Also the second embodiment comprises all of the above mentioned features of the antenna fixing system 1 illustrated in principle in Fig. 1. The antenna fixing device 1 of the second embodiment comprises the pulley 5 provided with a curved shaft 11. The curved shaft 11 configuring the pivot equipment 7 is attached to the bracket 2 and is curved around the pivot axis P.

Fig. 4 shows a principle illustration of the pulley 5 aligned to the fixing device 4. A diameter of the pulley 5 and the pivot equipment 7 are configured such that the pivot axis P extends through a vertical portion 12 of the rope 6 principally depicted by a dot-dash line embracing the pulley 5. Thus, the vertical portion 12 of the rope 6 is scarcely dislocated in a horizontal direction when the pulley 5 is pivoted. Fig. 5 shows a partially sectional view of a third embodiment of the antenna fixing system. Similarly to the second embodiment, the third embodiment comprises all of the above mentioned featu res of the antenna fixing system 1 illustrated in principle in Fig. 1.

The pulley 5 is supported by the shaft 8 attached to the bracket 2. A ball joint 13 is located be- tween the pulley 5 and the shaft 8. The ball joint 13 is configured to enable a spatial pivoting around a center of the ball joint 13 and a rotation of the pulley 5.

Fig. 6 shows a perspective view of the antenna fixing system 1 having a fixed shaft 8. The ends of the shaft 8 are fixedly connected to the bracket 2 so that the rope (Fig. 1) has to be threaded between the pulley and a portion of the bracket. Fig. 7 shows a perspective view of the antenna fixing system 1 having a remova ble shaft 8. The shaft 8 has two ends and the bracket 2 is provided with a recess 14 opened upwardly. The recess 14 accommodates the ends of the shaft 8. Therefore, the shaft is removable by lifting out.

Fig. 8 shows a perspective view of the antenna fixing system 1 having a swiveling shaft 8. The shaft 8 has two ends. One of the ends is connected to the bracket 2 in a remova ble manner, here in the recess 14. Another one of the ends comprises a swivel joint 16 between the other end and the bracket 2. Therefore, the shaft 8 can be swiveled around the swivel joint 16 to provide an open access to the entire circumference of the pulley 5.

In use, the antenna fixing system 1 including the pulley 5 is mounted to the fixture device 3. Subsequently, in case of a fixed shaft 8, the rope 5 is threaded between the pulley 5 and the bracket 2. In case of a removable or swiveling shaft 8, the shaft is removed or swiveled such that the entire circumference of the pulley 5 is accessible and the rope 6 is wrapped around the pulley 5 and the shaft 8 is re-installed. Then, the antenna is fixed to a portion of the rope 6 aligned with the fixing device 4 and another portion of the rope 6 on the other side with re- spect to the pulley 5 is pulled, whereby the antenna is lifted and enters into the fixing device 4. In case of a self-locking fixing device 4, the antenna is locked to the antenna fixing system 1.

In the description and the claims, the antenna fixing device 1 is described as being in an installation position. The definitions of the directions vertical, horizontal, above, below relate to the antenna fixing device in the installation position. Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific features and embodiments thereof, it is evident that various modifications and combinations can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded simply as an illustration of the invention as defined by the appended claims, and are contemplated to cover any and all modifications, variations combinations or equivalents that fall within the scope of the present invention.