Millimeter wave band tolerance compensation through waveguide

Abstract

The application relates to a millimeter wave band tolerance compensation straight-through waveguide, which comprises metal sheets arranged in the axial direction of a shell, a rectangular waveguide in each metal sheet, a first end face of the metal sheet being a plane, a second end face being provided with a groove outside the outer circle of a rectangular waveguide port, a plurality of metal columns being arranged in the groove, and the height of the metal columns being lower than the depth of the groove, the first end face of a previous metal sheet being opposite to the second end face of a subsequent metal sheet, elastic washers being arranged between the adjacent two metal sheets, a fixed end being fixedly arranged at one end of the shell, and a movable end being movably arranged at the other end of the shell, when pressure is applied to the movable end, the elastic washers are compressed in the axial direction, the gap between the adjacent two metal sheets is reduced, and the axial size of the whole straight-through waveguide is reduced, when the pressure applied to the movable end is removed, the elastic washers recover the elastic deformation, and the axial size of the whole straight-through waveguide is increased. The application compensates the cumulative tolerance and ensures the echo performance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of electronic communication technology, and in particular to a millimeter-wave band tolerance-compensated through waveguide. Background Technology

[0002] Waveguide transmission systems offer advantages such as low transmission loss, high power capacity, and high reliability, making them widely used in microwave and millimeter-wave communication and radar systems. However, because the connections between metallic waveguides are rigid, when multiple waveguide devices are connected, cumulative tolerances can lead to offsets in the height, position, and angle directions. Furthermore, the cumulative tolerance increases with the number of connected devices. To eliminate this cumulative tolerance, waveguide systems often employ a section of flexible waveguide, utilizing the deformable characteristics of the flexible waveguide to compensate for the cumulative error and achieve effective transmission.

[0003] In the submillimeter-wave quasi-optical frequency bands, such as the E-band, W-band, and THz band, due to the high frequencies and very small waveguide apertures, there are currently no mature soft waveguide solutions. Without compensation, due to tolerances (e.g., in the length direction), the waveguide may be too short, resulting in enlarged gaps and severe electromagnetic signal leakage; conversely, it may be too long, making connection impossible. To compensate for this error, a transition structure of the waveguide can be made using a conductive elastic material. However, the surface resistivity of conductive elastic materials is much higher than that of commonly used metals like aluminum or copper, leading to increased losses. Furthermore, conductive elastic materials require a certain amount of compression to achieve good shielding, but this compression process causes deformation, affecting the echo characteristics of the transmission system. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a millimeter-wave band tolerance-compensated through-pass waveguide. The purpose is to compensate for the cumulative tolerances in various directions such as length and angle within a certain frequency range, overcome the defects of metal waveguide connections, and ensure echo performance.

[0005] The technical solution adopted in this invention is as follows:

[0006] This invention provides a millimeter-wave band tolerance-compensated through waveguide, comprising:

[0007] An outer casing, wherein a cavity is formed within the outer casing;

[0008] Metal sheets are disposed within the cavity and arranged along the axial direction of the outer shell; each metal sheet has a rectangular waveguide in the middle, the first end face of the metal sheet along the axial direction is a plane, and the second end face is provided with a groove on the outer ring of the rectangular waveguide port, and a plurality of metal pillars are provided in the groove, the height of the metal pillars being less than the depth of the groove; the first end face of the preceding metal sheet is opposite to the second end face of the following metal sheet;

[0009] An elastic washer is disposed between two adjacent metal sheets to create a gap between the two adjacent metal sheets;

[0010] A fixed end is fixedly disposed at one end of the outer shell, and an elastic washer is provided between the inner wall of the fixed end and the outermost metal sheet;

[0011] The movable end is movably disposed at the other end of the outer casing, and an elastic washer is provided between the inner wall of the movable end and the outermost metal sheet;

[0012] When pressure is applied to the movable end, it can move axially relative to the housing, and each elastic washer is compressed axially, reducing the gap between two adjacent metal plates, thereby reducing the axial dimension of the entire through waveguide. When the pressure applied to the movable end is released, each elastic washer returns to its elastic deformation, and the gap between two adjacent metal plates increases, thereby increasing the axial dimension of the entire through waveguide.

[0013] The further technical solution is as follows:

[0014] The metal pillars are arranged sequentially along the center line of the groove, and the distance between two adjacent metal pillars is 1 / 4 of the wavelength corresponding to the working frequency.

[0015] The depth of the groove is 1 / 4 of the wavelength corresponding to the center frequency of the operating frequency range, and the width of the groove is less than the wavelength corresponding to the highest operating frequency but greater than half of the wavelength corresponding to the lowest operating frequency.

[0016] The outer shell is provided with a guide post, and the movable end is provided with a guide hole that slides with the guide post. The movable end can move axially relative to the outer shell along the guide post.

[0017] The fixed end is fixedly connected to the outer shell by a locking device.

[0018] Both the movable end and the fixed end are made of metal.

[0019] The elastic gasket is made of wave-absorbing material.

[0020] The movable end and the fixed end are respectively provided with waveguide channels that are connected to the rectangular waveguides on each metal sheet.

[0021] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0022] This invention achieves waveguide length variation through the movement of the movable end, under the action of an elastic washer, thereby compensating for the cumulative tolerance of the waveguide system. It can operate in millimeter-wave band communication and radar systems. It overcomes the shortcomings of metal waveguide connections while ensuring echo performance.

[0023] Other features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the following description or may be learned by practicing the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 2 This is an exploded structural diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the metal sheet in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 5 This is an echo performance diagram showing the total number of gaps under different length adjustment conditions in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 6 This is a transmission performance diagram showing the total gap under different length adjustment conditions in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] In the diagram: 1. Fixed end; 2. Movable end; 3. Outer shell; 4. Elastic washer; 5. Metal sheet; 6. Gap; 7. Guide post; 31. Rectangular waveguide; 32. Metal post; 33. Groove. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The specific embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the millimeter-wave band tolerance-compensated through waveguide of this embodiment includes:

[0033] The outer shell 3 has a cavity formed inside it; metal sheets 5 are disposed in the cavity and arranged along the axial direction of the outer shell 3; the middle of each metal sheet 5 is a rectangular waveguide 31, the first end face of the metal sheet 5 along the axial direction is a plane, and the second end face is provided with a groove 33 on the outer ring of the port of the rectangular waveguide 31. Several metal pillars 32 are provided in the groove 33, and the height of the metal pillars 32 is slightly lower than the depth of the groove 33; the first end face of the previous metal sheet 5 is opposite to the second end face of the next metal sheet 5.

[0034] An elastic washer 4 is disposed between two adjacent metal sheets 5, so that a gap 6 is formed between the two adjacent metal sheets 5;

[0035] Fixed end 1 is fixedly installed at one end of the outer shell 3, and an elastic washer 4 is provided between the inner wall of fixed end 1 and the outermost metal sheet 5;

[0036] The movable end 2 is movably located at the other end of the outer shell 3, and an elastic washer 4 is provided between the inner wall of the movable end 2 and the outermost metal sheet 5.

[0037] When pressure is applied to the movable end 2, the movable end 2 can move axially relative to the outer shell 3, and each elastic washer 4 is compressed axially, making the gap 6 between two adjacent metal plates 5 smaller, thereby reducing the axial dimension of the entire through waveguide. When the pressure applied to the movable end 2 is released, each elastic washer 4 restores its elastic deformation, and the gap 6 between two adjacent metal plates 5 becomes larger, thereby increasing the axial dimension of the entire through waveguide.

[0038] The millimeter-wave band tolerance-compensating through-pass waveguide of this embodiment can be used to compensate for E-band tolerances, operating in the 81-86 GHz band, which is a commonly used point-to-point communication band. This embodiment is equivalent to a variable-length metal waveguide. By applying pressure to the movable end, the length of the waveguide can be changed, thereby achieving compensation while maintaining the performance such as return and insertion loss unchanged within the operating frequency band.

[0039] The elastic washer in this embodiment uses a wave-absorbing material, which can apply a certain elastic force to the two adjacent metal sheets to adjust the axial length of the entire compensation structure, and at the same time eliminate the resonance peaks that may exist in the band, thus absorbing the leakage electromagnetic waves.

[0040] In this embodiment, the gap between the two metal sheets is increased or decreased by the elastic deformation of the elastic washer, thereby changing the axial length of the structure and thus achieving compensation in the length direction.

[0041] In this embodiment, the metal sheet is a metal sheet with a "choke groove," and the rectangular waveguide in the middle of the metal sheet is used for signal transmission. The "choke groove" is a periodically arranged metal pillar around the port of the rectangular waveguide. The first end face of the preceding metal sheet 5 is opposite to the second end face of the following metal sheet 5, which provides a good choke shielding effect. Even if there is a certain gap between two adjacent metal sheets, the electromagnetic wave signal can be confined by this metal pillar structure.

[0042] like Figure 4 As shown, the metal pillars 32 are arranged sequentially along the center line of the groove 33, with the spacing between adjacent metal pillars 32 being 1 / 4 of the wavelength of the operating frequency. The depth of the groove 33 is 1 / 4 of the wavelength corresponding to the center frequency of the operating frequency range, and the width of the groove 33 is less than the wavelength corresponding to the highest operating frequency but greater than half of the wavelength corresponding to the lowest operating frequency. The height of the metal pillars 32 is slightly less than the depth of the groove 33, so the height of the metal pillars is also approximately 1 / 4 of the compensated frequency wavelength. It can be understood that the center frequency means, for example, in the operating frequency range of 81-86, that its center frequency is (81+86) / 2.

[0043] In this embodiment, each layer of metal sheets with a choke groove structure can provide compensation of approximately 1 / 8 wavelength in the height direction (i.e., the axial direction of the outer shell). That is, there can be a certain gap between the metal sheets, ranging from 0 to approximately 1 / 8 wavelength. Due to the presence of the choke groove, the electromagnetic wave is completely confined within the waveguide transmission path, the return loss performance remains essentially unchanged, and there is no radiation leakage to the outside.

[0044] In this embodiment, the movable end is mounted on the outer shell, and its structure is as follows: the outer shell 3 is provided with a guide post 7, and the movable end 2 is provided with a guide hole that slides with the guide post 7. The movable end 2 can move axially relative to the outer shell 3 along the guide post 7.

[0045] The fixed end 1 is fixedly connected to the outer shell 3 by a locking device.

[0046] Both the movable end 2 and the fixed end 1 are made of metal.

[0047] The elastic washer 4 is made of wave-absorbing material.

[0048] The movable end 2 and the fixed end 1 are respectively provided with waveguide channels that are connected to the rectangular waveguides 31 on each metal sheet 5.

[0049] The outer shell is specifically a barrel-shaped structure. During installation, the metal sheet and the elastic gasket of the elastic absorbing material are sequentially inserted into the barrel-shaped structure. In the initial state, under the action of the elastic gasket, the movable end extends outward, and the total length of the straight waveguide is relatively long. When pressure is applied to the movable end, the movable end can move along the axial direction, thereby compensating by changing the length.

[0050] The more layers of metal sheets are stacked in this embodiment, the larger the compensation tolerance range. When n layers of metal sheets are stacked, there are n-1 gaps, which can compensate for a length of approximately (n-1) / 8 wavelengths.

[0051] like Figure 5 The figure shows the echo performance of a compensation structure consisting of six metal plates as its length varies. The six metal plates form five gaps. The curves in the figure show the echo performance for four cases where the total gap between the metal plates is 0.1 mm, 0.7 mm, 1.4 mm, and 2.0 mm. As can be seen from the figure, the echo characteristics of the entire structure are good when the total gap is less than 2 mm.

[0052] like Figure 6The figure shows the transmission performance of the compensation structure for four cases with total gaps of 0.1 mm, 0.7 mm, 1.4 mm, and 2.0 mm. As can be seen from the figure, when the total gap is less than 2 mm, the transmission loss is very small. When the total gap is greater than 2 mm, a significant increase in loss occurs. This is because when the gap is too large, the periodic van der Laren structure cannot confine the electromagnetic waves, and the electromagnetic wave energy radiates into space. The figure also shows that this six-layer metal structure can compensate for a length of approximately 2 mm in the E-band frequency band.

[0053] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A millimeter-wave band tolerance-compensated through-pass waveguide, characterized in that, include: The outer shell (3) has a cavity formed inside it; Metal sheets (5) are disposed in the cavity and arranged along the axial direction of the outer shell (3); the middle of each metal sheet (5) is a rectangular waveguide (31), the first end face of the metal sheet (5) along the axial direction is a plane, and the second end face is provided with a groove (33) located on the outer ring of the port of the rectangular waveguide (31). Several metal pillars (32) are provided in the groove (33), and the height of the metal pillars (32) is lower than the depth of the groove (33); the first end face of the previous metal sheet (5) is opposite to the second end face of the next metal sheet (5); An elastic washer (4) is disposed between two adjacent metal sheets (5) to form a gap (6) between the two adjacent metal sheets (5); A fixed end (1) is fixedly disposed at one end of the outer shell (3), and an elastic washer (4) is provided between the inner wall of the fixed end (1) and the outermost metal sheet (5); The movable end (2) is movably disposed at the other end of the outer shell (3), and an elastic washer (4) is provided between the inner wall of the movable end (2) and the outermost metal sheet (5); When pressure is applied to the movable end (2), the movable end (2) can move axially relative to the outer shell (3), and each elastic washer (4) is compressed axially, making the gap (6) between two adjacent metal plates (5) smaller, thereby reducing the axial dimension of the entire through waveguide. When the pressure applied to the movable end (2) is released, each elastic washer (4) recovers its elastic deformation, and the gap (6) between two adjacent metal plates (5) becomes larger, thereby increasing the axial dimension of the entire through waveguide.

2. The millimeter-wave band tolerance-compensated through waveguide according to claim 1, characterized in that, The metal pillars (32) are arranged sequentially along the center line of the groove (33), and the distance between two adjacent metal pillars (32) is 1 / 4 of the wavelength corresponding to the working frequency.

3. The millimeter-wave band tolerance-compensated through waveguide according to claim 1, characterized in that, The depth of the groove (33) is 1 / 4 of the wavelength corresponding to the center frequency of the working frequency range, and the width of the groove (33) is less than the wavelength corresponding to the highest working frequency and greater than half of the wavelength corresponding to the lowest working frequency.

4. The millimeter-wave band tolerance-compensated through waveguide according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer shell (3) is provided with a guide post (7), and the movable end (2) is provided with a guide hole that slides with the guide post (7). The movable end (2) can move axially relative to the outer shell (3) along the guide post (7).

5. The millimeter-wave band tolerance-compensated through waveguide according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fixed end (1) is fixedly connected to the outer shell (3) by a locking member.

6. The millimeter-wave band tolerance-compensated through waveguide according to claim 1, characterized in that, The movable end (2) and the fixed end (1) are made of metal.

7. The millimeter-wave band tolerance-compensated through waveguide according to claim 1, characterized in that, The elastic gasket (4) is made of wave-absorbing material.

8. The millimeter-wave band tolerance-compensated through waveguide according to claim 1, characterized in that, The movable end (2) and the fixed end (1) are respectively provided with waveguide channels that are connected to the rectangular waveguides (31) on each metal sheet (5).

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