1. An electrode support arm for arc furnaces that has an electrode receiver provided at the front end thereof, said arm having a profile comprising steel plates cladded with electrically highly conductive plates on the outside of said profile, wherein the cladded steel plates are provided spaced apart from one another in a circumferential direction of the profile and are connected to each other, and wherein the profile has an electrically conductive outer wall formed by inclusion of the electrically highly conductive plates cladded onto the steel plates.
2. The electrode support arm according to claim 1, wherein the outer wall comprises connection segments of an electrically highly conductive material connected to the electrically highly conductive plates of the steel plate.
3. The electrode support arm according to claim 1, wherein a cooling device is assigned to the cladded steel plates.
4. The electrode support arm according to claim 2, wherein a cooling device is assigned to the connection segments.
5. The electrode support arm according to claim 2, wherein the connection segments are provided on their inside with a cooling duct.
6. The electrode support arm according to claim 2, wherein a cooling device is assigned to only the connection segments and the cladded steel plates are dimensioned in a wall extension direction such that the cladded steel plates are adequately cooled by heat conduction into the cooled connection segments.
7. The electrode support arm according to claim 2, wherein the connection segments abut at a front side thereof onto the electrically highly conductive plates.
8. The electrode support arm according to claim 2, wherein the connection segments and the electrically highly conductive plates are made from the same material and have the same wall thickness.
9. The electrode arm according to claim 2, wherein the connection segments comprise sections continuing the electrically highly conductive plates and at least one radius section arranged thereinbetween.
10. The electrode support arm according to claim, 9 wherein the radius section has a radius of curvature corresponding at least to 1.25 of the wall thickness of the connection segments.
11. The electrode support arm according to claim 2, wherein a connection segment is provided between two circumferentially successive cladded steel plates and is integrally formed with the two successive cladded steel plates in a circumferential direction.
12. The electrode support arm according to claim 4, wherein a connection segment is provided between two circumferentially successive cladded steel plates and is integrally formed with the two successive cladded steel plates in a circumferential direction.
13. The electrode support arm according to claim 11, wherein the steel plates are connected to one another by strutted sheets which are welded thereonto, and wherein the steel plates extend inside the profile and form flow ducts in the profile.
14. The electrode support arm according to claim 11, wherein circumferentially successive steel plates are connected to one another by strut segments that are provided at a distance from the associated connection segments and that form a flow duct between themselves and the inner surface of the outer wall.
15. The electrode support arm according to claim 11, wherein neighboring front faces of circumferentially successive steel plates are connected by a straight strut segment.
16. The electrode support arm according to claim 15, wherein each connection segment is outwardly curved relative to the associated strut segment.
17. The electrode support arm according to claim 1, wherein the profile is formed as a hollow rectangular profile and comprises four connection segments which each extend between neighboring cladded steel sheets that are oriented orthogonally relative to one another and that form corners of the rectangular profile as generously curved sheets.
18. The electrode support arm according to claim 17, wherein at least, one support extends between the connection segment and the strut segment.
19. The electrode support arm according to claim 11, wherein the profile is formed as a hollow rectangular profile and comprises four connection segments which each extend between neighboring cladded steel sheets that are oriented orthogonally relative to one another and that form corners of the rectangular profile as generously curved sheets.
20. The electrode support arm according to claim 19, wherein at least one support extends between the connection segment and the strut segment.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of selecting a communications node for allocation to a user communications device, the method comprising the steps of:
selecting the communications node from a plurality of communications nodes of a communications network, by:
performing a calculation to determine a selection value, which calculation includes as input data at least one of first identifier data identifying selection equipment configured to select a communications node from the plurality of communications nodes, and second identifier data identifying a radio cell with which the user communications device is associated; and
using the selection value in selecting the communications node.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1 which comprises determining respective communications node values related to a parameter of the plurality of communications nodes.
3. The method as claimed in claim 2 in which one of the respective communications node values comprises a measure of signal processing capability of one of the plurality of communications nodes.
4. The method as claimed in claim 3 in which one of the respective communications node values comprises a measure of signal processing capability of one of the plurality of communications nodes in relation to the combined signal processing capabilities of the plurality of communications nodes.
5. The method as claimed in claim 4 comprising determining which communications node value correlates to the selection value, and selecting a selected communications node associated with that communications node value.
6. The method as claimed in claim 4 in which the first identifier data comprises data uniquely identifying the selection equipment in the communications network.
7. The method as claimed in claim 6 in which the first identifier data comprises a Network Service Entity Identifier (NSEI) of the selection equipment.
8. The method as claimed in claim 2 in which one of the respective communications node values comprises a measure of the combined signal processing capabilities of one of the plurality of communications nodes.
9. The method as claimed in claim 1 in which the second identifier data comprises a Base Station Subsystem General Packet Radio Service Protocol Virtual Connection Identifier (BVCI) of the radio cell.
10. The method as claimed in claim 1 in which the calculation includes as input data logical link identifier data comprising data identifying a logical link between the user communications device and the selection equipment.
11. The method as claimed in claim 10 in which the logical link identifier data comprises a Temporary Logical Link Identifier (TLLI).
12. The method as claimed in claim 1 which is implemented by a processor of the selection equipment which equipment is logically intermediate of the user communications device and the plurality of communications nodes.
13. A processor equipment for a communications network, the processor equipment configured to:
select a selected communications node from a plurality of communications nodes;
allocate the selected communications node to a user communications device; and
the processor equipment configured to make a selection by performing a calculation to determine a selection value, the calculation includes as input data at least one of first identifier data identifying the processor equipment, and second identifier data identifying a radio cell with which the user communications device is associated, and the processor equipment is further configured to use the selection value in selecting the selected communications node.
14. A base station subsystem comprising:
a processor equipment configured to:
select a selected communications node from a plurality of communications nodes;
allocate the selected communications node to a user communications device; and
the processor equipment further configured to make a selection by performing a calculation to determine a selection value, the calculation includes as input data at least one of first identifier data identifying the processor equipment, and second identifier data identifying a radio cell with which the user communications device is associated, and the processor equipment is further configured to use the selection value in selecting the selected communications node.
15. A communications network comprising:
a processor equipment;
a plurality of communications nodes; and
the processor equipment configured to select a selected communications node from the plurality of communications nodes and allocate the selected communications node to a user communications device, the processor equipment further configured to make a selection by performing a calculation to determine a selection value, the calculation includes as input data at least one of first identifier data identifying the processor equipment, and second identifier data identifying a radio cell with which the user communications device is associated, and the processor equipment is further configured to use the selection value in selecting the selected communications node.
16. A non-transitory computer readable medium that stores machine-readable instructions for configuring a processor of a communications node, the instructions configure the processor to select a selected communications node from a plurality of communications nodes of a communications network and allocate the selected communications node to a user communications device, wherein the instructions configure the processor to make a selection by performing a calculation to determine a selection value, the calculation includes as input data at least one of first identifier data identifying the processor equipment, and second identifier data identifying a radio cell with which the user communications device is associated, and the instructions also configure the processor to use the selection value in selecting the selected communications node.