A quadrature coupler

Abstract

The embodiment of the present invention discloses an orthogonal coupler, which includes: a bearing structure, a PCB dielectric substrate arranged on the bearing structure, a local window metal attached to the back of the PCB dielectric substrate, a first coupling line and a second coupling line attached to the PCB dielectric substrate; a PCB substrate sleeved outside the first coupling line and the second coupling line, and a first patch arranged on the PCB dielectric substrate. The bearing structure is provided with a first groove, which fits the PCB substrate, and the PCB substrate is connected to the first groove through the metal arranged at the bottom; the first patch is composed of the same material as the PCB dielectric substrate and the attached metal, and is placed on the first coupling line and the second coupling line; the local window metal attached to the back of the PCB dielectric substrate forms a second patch, the second patch has the same size as the first patch, and the second patch is based on the PCB dielectric substrate, and the metal is attached to the back of the PCB dielectric substrate. The embodiment of the present invention provides an orthogonal coupler, which can solve the problems of low coupling degree and poor orthogonal characteristics of power distribution of the orthogonal coupler.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of microwave technology, and in particular to an orthogonal coupler. Background Art

[0002] At present, with the gradual development of microwave technology, orthogonal couplers are gradually being used in various radio frequency circuits to distribute the power of microwave signals in a certain proportion. Usually, two unshielded transmission lines can be placed close together, and an electrical signal is passed through one of the two transmission lines, so that the one transmission line generates an electromagnetic field, and the electromagnetic field acts on the other transmission line, so that power coupling can be performed between the two transmission lines to distribute the power of the electrical signal.

[0003] However, since the orthogonal coupler is limited by the line width, spacing, and radiation characteristics of the coupled microstrip lines, the coupling degree of the orthogonal coupler may be low, which will cause the coupling performance of the orthogonal coupler to decrease and the orthogonal characteristics of power distribution to deteriorate. Summary of the invention

[0004] The embodiment of the present invention provides an orthogonal coupler, which can solve the problems of low coupling degree of the orthogonal coupler and poor orthogonal characteristics of power distribution.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the embodiments of the present invention adopt the following technical solutions:

[0006] According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, an orthogonal coupler is provided, which includes: a supporting structure, a PCB dielectric substrate arranged on the supporting structure, a local window metal attached to the back of the PCB dielectric substrate, a first coupling line and a second coupling line attached to the PCB dielectric substrate; a PCB substrate sleeved outside the first coupling line and the second coupling line, and a first patch arranged on the PCB dielectric substrate.

[0007] Among them, a first groove is concavely provided on the bearing structure, and the PCB substrate is arranged in the first groove, and the PCB substrate is connected to the first groove through the metal arranged at the bottom; the first patch is composed of the same material as the PCB dielectric substrate and the attached metal, and is placed on the first coupling line and the second coupling line; the local window metal attached to the back of the PCB dielectric substrate forms the second patch, the second patch has the same size as the first patch, and the second patch is based on the PCB dielectric substrate, and the metal is attached to the back of the PCB dielectric substrate.

[0008] In an embodiment of the present invention, the orthogonal coupler includes: a bearing structure, a PCB dielectric substrate arranged on the bearing structure, a local window metal attached to the back of the PCB dielectric substrate, a first coupling line and a second coupling line attached to the PCB dielectric substrate; a PCB substrate sleeved outside the first coupling line and the second coupling line, and a first patch arranged on the PCB dielectric substrate. Among them, a first groove is concavely provided on the bearing structure, which is arranged in affixed to the PCB substrate, and the PCB substrate is connected to the first groove through the metal arranged at the bottom; the first patch is composed of the same material and attached metal as the PCB dielectric substrate, and is placed on the first coupling line and the second coupling line; the local window metal attached to the back of the PCB dielectric substrate forms a second patch, the second patch has the same size as the first patch, and the second patch is based on the PCB dielectric substrate, and the metal is attached to the back of the PCB dielectric substrate. Due to the microstrip line and the patches of equal thickness on the upper and lower sides and the corresponding first groove that can be used, the characteristics of broadband orthogonal coupling can be correctly realized; and this embodiment adopts the method of adding the PCB substrate and the PCB substrate by structural slotting, so that the designed coupling microstrip line and the lower second patch are designed and realized on the same PCB board, which is conducive to the precise realization of alignment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of an orthogonal coupler provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0010] Figure 2 A top view of an orthogonal coupler provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0011] Figure 3 A left side view of an orthogonal coupler provided by an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0013] The terms "first" and "second" in the description and claims of the embodiments of the present invention are used to distinguish different objects rather than to describe a specific order of the objects. For example, a first coupling line and a second coupling line are used to distinguish different media files rather than to describe a specific order of the media files.

[0014] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "plurality" refers to two or more than two. For example, a plurality of elements refers to two elements or more than two elements.

[0015] The term "and / or" in this document is a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, the display panel and / or backlight can represent: the display panel exists alone, the display panel and backlight exist at the same time, and the backlight exists alone. The symbol " / " in this document indicates that the associated objects are in an or relationship, for example, input / output means input or output.

[0016] In the embodiments of the present invention, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or explanations. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present invention should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a specific way.

[0017] The embodiment of the present invention provides an orthogonal coupler, which can correctly realize the characteristics of broadband orthogonal coupling by using a microstrip line and patches with equal thickness at the top and bottom and combining with the corresponding first groove; and the embodiment adopts the method of structural grooving, adding a PCB dielectric substrate in the groove, and covering the PCB substrate, so that the designed microstrip coupler and the second sub-patch at the bottom are designed and implemented on the same PCB board, which is conducive to the accurate realization of alignment.

[0018] An orthogonal coupler provided by an embodiment of the present invention is described in detail below through specific embodiments and application scenarios in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0019] An orthogonal coupler provided in an embodiment of the present invention, Figures 1 to 3 FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of an orthogonal coupler provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the orthogonal coupler of the embodiment of the present invention includes: a supporting structure 11, a first coupling line 12 and a second coupling line 13 arranged on a PCB dielectric substrate 14 on the supporting structure 11, and a first patch 17 placed on the PCB dielectric substrate 14 and attached with metal.

[0020] In the embodiment of the present invention, the bearing structure 11 is provided with a first groove 16, and the first groove 16 is filled with a PCB substrate 18 based on the same material as the PCB dielectric substrate 14 and with metal attached to the bottom layer. The bottom of the PCB substrate 18 is connected to the first groove 16, and the thickness and groove depth are equal. The back of the PCB dielectric substrate 14, that is, the metal on the second surface, has a window of the size of the groove, and retains a metal of the same size and vertical alignment with the first patch 17, forming a second patch.

[0021] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present invention, the bearing structure 11 may be made of a metal material, and the metal material may be any one of the following: aluminum material, aluminum alloy material, iron and other metal materials.

[0022] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present invention, the first coupling line and the second coupling line can be made of metal material; the first coupling line includes a coupling microstrip line, a reference ground step portion and a coupling line compensation portion; the second coupling line includes a coupling microstrip line, a reference ground step portion and a coupling line compensation portion.

[0023] It can be understood that the performance of the first coupling line can be fine-tuned by adjusting the reference ground step part and the coupling line compensation part of the first coupling line; the performance of the second coupling line can be fine-tuned by adjusting the reference ground step part and the coupling line compensation part of the second coupling line.

[0024] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present invention, the length of the coupled microstrip line of the first coupling line may be L, and the width may be W; the length of the reference ground step portion of the first coupling line may be L1, and the width may be W; the length of the coupled line compensation portion may be L2, and the width may be W.

[0025] Optionally, in the embodiment of the present invention, W can be 0.8 mm, L1 can be 0.2 mm, L2 can be 0.1 mm, and the line width of the 50 ohm microstrip line is calculated based on the low dielectric constant material and the plate thickness; the distance S between the first coupling line and the second coupling line is 0.15 mm. It can be understood that W can affect the coupling strength of the orthogonal coupler, and the size of the distance S between the first coupling line and the second coupling line affects the coupling strength of the coupler.

[0026] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present invention, the substrate may be made of a low dielectric constant material, and the thickness h1 of the substrate may be 0.127 mm.

[0027] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present invention, the size (eg, length or width) of the first groove may be larger than the size (eg, length or width) of the first coupling line and the second coupling line, and the size may vary relatively with the size of the coupling line.

[0028] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present invention, the width of the first groove may be 5 mm, and the depth of the first groove may be 0.822 mm.

[0029] It can be understood that by setting the size of the first groove, the influence of the first groove on the characteristics of the orthogonal coupler can be reduced, so as to improve the accuracy of power distribution performed by the orthogonal coupler.

[0030] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present invention, the first patch 17 is a patch with metal attached to the upper surface of the same material as the PCB dielectric substrate; the second patch is the metal retained by etching the metal window on the second surface of the back of the PCB dielectric substrate 14 to form the second patch.

[0031] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present invention, for the first patch, the length of the first patch may be L, and the width may be W1, and W1 is greater than 2W+S. It can be understood that the first patch can cover the coupled microstrip line of the first coupling line and the coupled microstrip line of the second coupling line in the width direction.

[0032] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present invention, for an equivalent second patch, its size is consistent with the first patch, the length of the second patch can be L, and the width can be W1, and W1 is greater than 2W+S. It can be understood that the second patch can cover the coupled microstrip line of the first coupling line and the coupled microstrip line of the second coupling line in the width direction.

[0033] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned W1 can specifically be 2.05 mm.

[0034] Optionally, in the embodiment of the present invention, the corresponding position of at least one first patch can be determined by silk screen printing and the patch can be fixed in the subsequent process.

[0035] Optionally, in the embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the first patch may be the same as the thickness of the second patch.

[0036] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present invention, the first patch and the equivalent second patch are arranged parallel to each other, and their top projections overlap.

[0037] In the embodiment of the present invention, the theory of orthogonal coupler can be applied to the design of microstrip coupler, that is, a microstrip line and a first patch and a second patch of equal thickness are adopted, and a corresponding first groove structure is combined to accurately realize the characteristics of broadband orthogonal coupling.

[0038] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present invention, the orthogonal coupler further comprises: a transmission line PCB substrate; wherein the PCB substrate is of the same thickness and material as the PCB dielectric substrate 14. The 50 ohm transmission microstrip line on the transmission line PCB substrate is connected to the first coupling line 12 and the second coupling line 13 respectively.

[0039] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present invention, the transmission line PCB substrate is made of a low dielectric constant plate material.

[0040] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present invention, the dielectric constant of the transmission line PCB substrate specifically includes a low dielectric constant and a low loss tangent.

[0041] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present invention, the substrate materials of the PCB substrate, the PCB base sheet and the first patch may be the same or different.

[0042] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present invention, the substrate thickness of the first patch and the PCB substrate thickness may be the same or different, and may be adjusted according to requirements.

[0043] In the embodiment of the present invention, the transmission line PCB substrate and the substrate of the patch (i.e., the first patch or the equivalent second patch) have the same material, and the PCB patch is formed by a low dielectric constant dielectric material with a thickness of h1 and a metal copper with a thickness of 0.035 mm. The first patch, the second patch, the coupled microstrip line, the PCB substrate, the PCB substrate and the designed first groove structure form the main body of the orthogonal coupler.

[0044] An embodiment of the present invention provides an orthogonal coupler, which includes: a bearing structure, a PCB dielectric substrate arranged on the bearing structure, a partially windowed metal attached to the back of the PCB dielectric substrate, a first coupling line and a second coupling line attached to the PCB dielectric substrate; a PCB substrate sleeved outside the first coupling line and the second coupling line, and a first patch arranged on the PCB dielectric substrate. The bearing structure is provided with a first groove, which fits the PCB substrate, and the PCB substrate is connected to the first groove through the metal arranged at the bottom; the first patch is composed of the same material as the PCB dielectric substrate and the attached metal, and is placed on the first coupling line and the second coupling line; the partially windowed metal attached to the back of the PCB dielectric substrate forms a second patch, the second patch has the same size as the first patch, and the second patch is based on the PCB dielectric substrate, and the metal is attached to the back of the PCB dielectric substrate. Because the microstrip line and the patches of equal thickness at the top and bottom can be used and combined with the corresponding first groove, the characteristics of broadband orthogonal coupling can be correctly realized; and this embodiment adopts the method of structural groove adding PCB substrate and PCB base plate, so that the designed coupling microstrip line and the second patch at the bottom are designed and realized on the same PCB board, which is conducive to the precise realization of alignment.

[0045] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present invention, the orthogonal coupler further includes: a first transmission line and a second transmission line; wherein the first transmission line is connected to the first coupling line, and the second transmission line is respectively connected to the second coupling line; and the first transmission line and the first coupling line have the same first reference ground.

[0046] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present invention, the first patch has a third interval and a fourth interval of equal length between the first patch and the first groove in the length direction.

[0047] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present invention, the structure of the orthogonal coupler may be analyzed according to the method of odd-mode and even-mode impedance (Zoo and Zoe):

[0048]

[0049] Zoo1 is the odd-mode characteristic impedance of the first patch and the equivalent second patch in the orthogonal coupler, using infinite ground to replace the upper and lower finite width sub-patches W1. Similar even-mode impedance Zoe has the following approximate formula:

[0050]

[0051] Where Zoe1 is the even-mode impedance under the same structure. AB It is the equivalent impedance of two first patches and an equivalent second patch with the same length as the length of the coupled line part L, line width W1, plate thickness b, and a suspended height h relative to the metal structure. The length of L determines the working frequency band of the coupler to a certain extent, and the length is approximately equal to λ / 4, where λ is the working wavelength of the orthogonal coupler. Zoo1 and Zoe1 and Z AB The size of the orthogonal coupler, combined with its structure, determines the characteristic parameters of the orthogonal coupler.

[0052] There is a discontinuity in the reference ground of the microstrip line at the interface between the coupling line and the transmission line of the orthogonal coupler, and certain compensation is required. By extending the line length of the coupler outward, beyond the coverage of the first patch and the second patch, the length is L1+L2. Among them, the length of L1 is the length of the reference ground discontinuity of the first coupling line (and / or the second coupling line) (i.e., the third or fourth interval), and the length of L1 is approximately equal to the distance between the first patch metal and the second patch metal. L2 is the length of the first coupling line (and / or the second coupling line) and the first transmission line (and / or the second transmission line) at the same reference ground (i.e., the third interval), which is calculated by the following formula:

[0053]

[0054] Where ρ1 and ρ2 refer to the ratio of the impedance of different transition regions to Zo; v is the phase velocity in the L2 region; and C is the capacitance caused by the discontinuity.

[0055]

[0056] The design parameters of the orthogonal coupler currently designed can be determined according to the above formula.

[0057] In the embodiment of the present invention, the length of L1 and the length of L2 have a great influence on the performance of the orthogonal coupler. The corresponding values ​​of L1 and L2 are determined according to the thickness of the dielectric materials of the first patch and the second patch, and the impedance characteristics between the first patch and the second patch and the structural reference ground, thereby realizing compensation for the impedance discontinuity caused by the change of the reference ground.

[0058] In the embodiment of the present invention, the depth h of the first groove on the supporting structure is an important parameter affecting the designed orthogonal coupler, which has a great influence on the equivalent impedance of the coupled microstrip line and the first patch and the second patch, thereby having a certain influence on the characteristics of the orthogonal coupler.

[0059] It should be noted that, in this article, the terms "include", "comprises" or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the sentence "comprises a ..." does not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the element.

[0060] The embodiments of the present invention are described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned specific implementation modes, which are merely illustrative rather than restrictive. Under the guidance of the present invention, ordinary technicians in this field can also make many forms without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention and the claims, all of which are within the protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An orthogonal coupler, characterized in that: The orthogonal coupler comprises: A bearing structure, a PCB dielectric substrate disposed on the bearing structure, a partially windowed metal attached to the back of the PCB dielectric substrate, a first coupling line and a second coupling line attached to the PCB dielectric substrate; a PCB substrate sleeved outside the first coupling line and the second coupling line, and a first patch disposed on the PCB dielectric substrate; Among them, a first groove is concavely provided on the bearing structure, which is arranged to fit the PCB substrate, and the PCB substrate is connected to the first groove through the metal arranged at the bottom; the first patch is composed of the same material as the PCB dielectric substrate and the attached metal, and is placed on the first coupling line and the second coupling line; the local window metal attached to the back of the PCB dielectric substrate forms a second patch, the second patch has the same size as the first patch, and the second patch is based on the PCB dielectric substrate, and the metal is attached to the back of the PCB dielectric substrate.

2. The orthogonal coupler according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first patch and the second patch are arranged parallel to each other.

3. The orthogonal coupler according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first patch PCB dielectric material has the same thickness as the coupling line substrate dielectric material, and the first patch metal and the first coupling line and the second coupling line on the PCB dielectric substrate, as well as the metal of the second patch are arranged at equal intervals.

4. The orthogonal coupler according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first patch is placed in alignment with the second patch.

5. The orthogonal coupler according to claim 1, characterized in that: The PCB dielectric substrate is a substrate for the coupling microstrip line, the transmission microstrip line and the second patch in the orthogonal coupler.

6. The orthogonal coupler according to claim 5, characterized in that: The PCB dielectric substrate is made of a high-frequency and low-dielectric-constant plate.

7. The orthogonal coupler according to claim 1, characterized in that: The orthogonal coupler further includes: a first transmission line and a second transmission line; wherein the first transmission line is connected to the first coupling line, and the second transmission line is connected to the second coupling line; the first and second transmission lines and the first and second coupling lines have the same first reference ground.

8. The orthogonal coupler according to claim 7, characterized in that: A spacing distance is set between a metal line 1 consisting of the first transmission line and the first coupling line and a metal line 2 consisting of the second transmission line and the second coupling line, and the spacing distance satisfies a preset relationship.

9. The orthogonal coupler according to claim 8, characterized in that: The spacing distance is relative to the coupling line spacing, and is obtained using a preset algorithm, which varies relatively according to the coupling line width. The coupling line spacing is the spacing between the first coupling line and the second coupling line.

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