Light-weight scattering communication-in-motion radio frequency front-end device

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of communication, in particular to a light-weight scattering communication-in-motion radio frequency front-end device. The radio frequency front-end device is a three-port module based on a coaxial interface and is composed of three functional units, namely a pilot frequency combiner, a change-over switch and an amplifier. In the working process, a transmitting signal enters one branch of the change-over switch from the radio frequency input port, enters the pilot frequency combiner and then is sent to the direction of the antenna port; and a received signal is input from the antenna port, passes through the pilot frequency combiner and the other parallel branch of the change-over switch, is sent to the amplifier, and is amplified to the radio frequency output interface. The radio frequency direct connection integrated design reduces about 1dB of the loss of a transmitting and receiving channel caused by the adoption of cable interconnection, is beneficial to the heat dissipation design of the equipment and the improvement of the bearing power, is more beneficial to the further integration with the upper-level equipment, and meets the requirements of the communication equipment on the radio frequency front end modularization, lower insertion loss and larger power bearing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a lightweight scattering communication-in-motion radio frequency front-end device, which is particularly suitable for a transmission device that realizes channel frequency combination, mutual isolation and channel switching function in a C-band broadband lightweight scattering communication-in-motion system. Background Art

[0002] In the communication system with a small and medium power level of about 200W, the modules at the RF front end, such as heterodyne combiners, switching switches, amplifiers, etc., are often modular and split structures, and the modules are connected through RF coaxial cables or waveguides. Although the waveguide connection feeder is stable and has low loss, its physical size is too large, which is not conducive to the miniaturization and lightweight of the equipment. Therefore, in the small and medium power systems below 200W, the coaxial cable connection with the N-type interface is the most common choice. Although the coaxial cable connection has the advantages of convenient connection and easy disassembly, in addition to the loss of the cable itself that cannot be ignored, there are also problems such as damage, poor contact, and connector damage caused by improper use and frequent disassembly and assembly in the application, which will greatly affect the system performance. In the split RF front-end module of the communication system, there are three coaxial cables, namely, two cables between the two branches of the heterodyne combiner and the two symmetrical ports of the switching switch, and the connecting cable between the switch and the amplifier. Even if low-loss cables are used, the total insertion loss of the three cables is about 1dB. Therefore, the three modules of the frequency combiner, switching switch and amplifier are integrated into an integrated design, which reduces the three connecting cables between the modules and can reduce the loss of the system's transceiver channel by about 1dB, which has a positive and important significance for improving the equipment output power and receiver threshold.

[0003] At the same time, in small and medium power systems below 200W, coaxial switching switches for channel switching are the most widely used due to their small size and low insertion loss. The classic double-pole double-throw switch structure has four N-type RF interfaces concentrated on one surface with the same height and orientation, and the center distance of the interfaces is less than 30mm. If the switch is designed based on its traditional structure, its N-type interface will interfere with other modules due to its particularly concentrated location, causing certain troubles for designers. Therefore, the adaptability of the integrated design of the RF channel part of the switch must be improved. Summary of the invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a lightweight scattering communication-in-motion radio frequency front-end device, which is particularly suitable for a transmission device that realizes channel frequency combining, mutual isolation and channel switching function in a C-band broadband lightweight scattering communication-in-motion system.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0006] A lightweight scattering radio frequency front-end device comprising a frequency combiner (1), a switch (2) and an amplifier (3);

[0007] The switching switch (2) has four coaxial ports, two of which are respectively connected to the ports of the two filter branches of the heterofrequency combiner (1), and the other two coaxial ports are respectively connected to the radio frequency input port and the input port of the amplifier; the output port of the amplifier is connected to the radio frequency output interface; the combining structure port of the heterofrequency combiner (1) is connected to the antenna interface;

[0008] When working, the transmission signal enters a branch of the switching switch (2) from the radio frequency input port and enters one of the filter branches of the heterofrequency combiner (1), after filtering out-of-band spurious and interference, it is sent to the antenna port direction after passing through the combining structure; the receiving signal is input from the antenna port, passes through the heterofrequency combiner combining structure and one of the filter branches in sequence, after filtering out the local transmission signal and out-of-band interference, it is sent to the amplifier (3) after being amplified and then sent to the radio frequency output interface after passing through another parallel branch of the switching switch (2).

[0009] Furthermore, the switching switch includes a mechanical switching unit and a radio frequency channel unit; the four coaxial ports of the switch are located in the same plane and are 90° rotationally symmetrical;

[0010] The radio frequency channel unit includes four branches, which are connected end to end in a U-shaped arrangement; the connection point of adjacent branches serves as a coaxial port for external connection; the cross-sections of the inner conductor and the outer conductor of each branch are both rectangular structures, and the inner conductor is located inside the outer conductor, and the inner conductor is a beryllium copper reed; the inner conductor has at least two positions in the outer conductor, one of which realizes the channel connection of the branch, and the other realizes the channel disconnection of the branch;

[0011] The mechanical switching unit is used to change the position of the inner conductor in the outer conductor.

[0012] Furthermore, the switching switch also includes a signal receiving unit, which receives a control signal sent by the host computer and drives the mechanical switching unit to operate, thereby realizing the switching of the RF channel branch.

[0013] Furthermore, the beryllium copper reed of each branch has a concave-convex structure for impedance matching.

[0014] Furthermore, the mechanical switching unit includes an electromagnet; the electromagnet is located directly above the RF channel unit; when the branch channel is disconnected, the electromagnet is not energized, and the inner conductor is located at the bottom of the outer conductor; when the branch channel is connected, the electromagnet is energized, magnetically attracting the inner conductor to place it in the conducting position of the outer conductor.

[0015] Furthermore, a guide rod and a gasket for the inner conductor are provided inside the outer conductor to facilitate conduction.

[0016] Furthermore, the two filter branches of the heterofrequency combiner are bandpass filters with conformal structures, which contain transmission zeros outside the passband; the two filter branch ports of the heterofrequency combiner are respectively adapted to switch on two opposite coaxial ports, and the other two opposite coaxial ports are respectively the RF input interface and the input interface of the amplifier.

[0017] Furthermore, among the four branches of the radio frequency channel unit, two branch springs parallel to each other can be turned on or off at the same time.

[0018] The advantages of the present invention compared to the prior art are:

[0019] 1. The duplex device of the present invention works in the C frequency band. The f1 and f2 ports of the heterofrequency combiner are respectively adapted to the two ports in the vertical direction of the switching switch. The outer port in the horizontal direction is the RF input interface, and the inner port is connected to the input end of the amplifier. The heterofrequency combiner and the amplifier are designed as an integrated structure around the switching switch. The two f1 and f2 filter branches of the heterofrequency combiner are bandpass filters, which contain transmission zeros outside the passband. They are compact in structure and light in weight, meeting the requirements of communication equipment for miniaturization and lightness of the RF front end, switchable transceiver channels, and isolation of transceiver channels.

[0020] 2. The integrated RF direct connection design reduces the transceiver channel loss caused by cable interconnection by about 1dB, and is beneficial to the equipment's heat dissipation design and the improvement of its power handling capacity. It is also more conducive to further integration with the upper-level equipment, meeting the communication equipment's requirements for RF front-end modularization, lower insertion loss and greater power handling capacity. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the composition of the different frequency combiner of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the composition and working mode 1 of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 It is a composition diagram of the present invention and mode 2 working intention diagram;

[0024] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the components and vertical direction of the switch of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the working state 1 of the switching switch of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the switching state working state 2 of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 7 It is a simplified structural diagram of the switching switch branch of the present invention when it is in the conducting state.

[0028] Figure 8 It is a simplified structural diagram of the switching switch of the present invention when the branch is disconnected.

[0029] Fig. 9 It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the concave-convex structure on the inner conductor and the outer conductor of the present invention.

[0030] In the figure: 1. heterofrequency combiner, 2. switching switch, 3. amplifier, 4. filter branch f1, 5. filter branch f2, 6. combining structure, 7. signal receiving unit, 8. mechanical switching unit, 9. RF channel unit, 10. one of the relative branches, 11. the other relative branch, 8-1. electromagnet, 9-1. inner conductor, 9-2. outer conductor, 9-3. guide rod, 9-4. gasket, inner conductor of 9-5 port, 13. concave-convex matching structure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

[0032] A lightweight scattering radio frequency front-end device for in-motion communication. The device is a three-port module based on a coaxial interface, and is composed of three functional units: a frequency combiner 1, a switching switch 2, and an amplifier 3.

[0033] When working in mode 1 (or mode 2), the transmitting signal enters a branch of the switching switch 2 from the RF input port and enters the filter branch (f1≠f2 and with a certain interval) of the heterofrequency combiner 1 with a center frequency of f1 (f2 for mode 2), and after filtering out-of-band spurious and interference, it is sent to the antenna port direction through the combining structure; the receiving signal is input from the antenna port, and passes through the combining structure and the filter branch of f2 (f1 for mode 2) of the heterofrequency combiner 1 in turn, after filtering out the local transmitting signal and out-of-band interference, it is sent to the amplifier 3 after being amplified through another parallel branch of the switching switch 2 and then reaches the RF output interface.

[0034] Different from the RF front end of the distributed module of other small and medium power systems, the heterofrequency combiner 1 and the amplifier 3 of the present invention are designed with an integrated structure around the switching switch 2. The two f1 filter branches 4 and f2 filter branches 5 of the heterofrequency combiner 1 are bandpass filters with conformal structures, and both contain transmission zeros outside the passband. The f1 port and f2 port of the heterofrequency combiner are respectively adapted to the port b and port d in the vertical direction of the switching switch 2, the outer port a in the horizontal direction is the RF input interface, and the inner port c is connected to the input end of the amplifier.

[0035] The switching switch 2 is composed of a signal receiving unit 7, a mechanical switching unit 8, and a radio frequency channel unit 9 from top to bottom in the height direction. The control signal sent by the host computer to the signal receiving unit 7 located on the top layer is received, and the mechanical switching unit 8 located in the middle layer is driven to operate, and the branch of the radio frequency channel unit at the bottom is connected or disconnected, thereby realizing the switching function of the radio frequency channel. Different from the structure of the traditional coaxial switching switch, the four coaxial interfaces of the switching switch 2 of the present invention are located in the middle of the four side walls of the radio frequency channel unit 9 box body, facing four directions respectively, and the connecting lines are perpendicular to each other and arranged in a "cross" shape. The four interfaces are located in the same plane and are symmetrically distributed, and the axis of the interface is perpendicular to the height direction of the switch.

[0036] The inner conductor of the RF channel inside the switch 2 is four beryllium copper reeds with the same structure and elasticity arranged in a "mouth" shape. Different from the traditional coaxial structure, the cross-section of the inner and outer conductors of the present invention are both rectangular structures, and the parts are easy to process. In addition, the inner conductor 9-1 of each branch contains a concave-convex matching structure for impedance matching, which can be used for impedance matching design in a specific frequency band. For details, refer to Fig. 9

[0037] Among the four RF channels in the switch 2, only two parallel branches (10 or 11) can be turned on or off at the same time. Each RF channel has a self-maintaining function after power failure and also has a status indication function of whether the switch is in place.

[0038] Figure 1 The duplex device is composed of an f1 filter branch 4, an f2 filter branch 5, and a combining structure 6. The f1 filter branch 4 and the f2 filter branch 5 provide mutual isolation between the receiving channel and the transmitting channel.

[0039] Figure 2 The present invention is a schematic diagram of the composition and mode 1 operation. When the RF front-end device is in working mode 1, the transmission signal enters the switching switch 2 from the RF input interface, enters the f1 filter branch 4 of the hetero-frequency combiner 1 through the f1 interface of the switching switch, and outputs to the antenna interface through the combining structure 6 and the f2 filter branch 5. The receiving signal enters from the antenna interface, passes through the combining structure 6 and the f2 filter branch 5 of the hetero-frequency combiner 1, and then is output to the amplifier 3 through another parallel branch of the switching switch 2, and is sent to the RF output interface after amplification.

[0040] Figure 3The figure is a schematic diagram of the composition and working process of mode 2 of the present invention. When the RF front-end device is in working mode 2, the transmission signal enters the switching switch 2 from the RF input interface, enters the f2 filter branch 4 of the hetero-frequency combiner 1 through the f2 interface of the switching switch, and outputs to the antenna interface through the combining structure 6 and the f1 filter branch 5. The receiving signal enters from the antenna interface, passes through the combining structure 6 and the f1 filter branch 5 of the hetero-frequency combiner 1, and reaches the f1 interface, and then outputs to the amplifier 3 through another parallel branch of the switching switch 2, and is sent to the RF output interface after amplification.

[0041] Figure 4 The figure is a schematic diagram of the components and vertical direction of the switch 2 of the present invention. The switch is composed of a signal receiving unit 7, a mechanical switching unit 8, and a radio frequency channel unit 9 from top to bottom. The four coaxial interface ports a, b, c, and d of the switch are located in the middle of the four side walls of the radio frequency channel unit 9, facing four directions respectively, and the connecting lines are arranged in a "cross" shape.

[0042] Figure 5 The figure is a schematic diagram of the switching switch of the present invention in working state 1. When the switching switch is working in state 1, the reed (inner conductor) between port a and port b, and between port c and port d is lifted and connected. The reed (inner conductor) between port a and port d, and between port b and port c is located at another position and disconnected.

[0043] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the switching switch of the present invention in working state 2. When the switching switch is working in state 2, the reeds between port b and port c, and between port a and port d are lifted and connected (i.e., the inner conductor of the branch is connected to the inner conductor of the port). At the same time, the reeds between port a and port b, and between port c and port d are disconnected.

[0044] Figure 7 and Figure 8 The switching principle diagram of the switching switch of the present invention expresses the two states of conduction and disconnection respectively; the mechanical switching unit includes an electromagnet; the electromagnet is located directly above the RF channel unit; when the channel of the branch is disconnected, the electromagnet is not energized, and the inner conductor is located at the bottom of the outer conductor; when the channel of the branch is connected, the electromagnet is energized, and the inner conductor is magnetically attracted to the outer conductor to be in the conducting position. The outer conductor is provided with a guide rod and a gasket for the inner conductor to facilitate conduction.

[0045] In this embodiment, the gravity fall can also be achieved by a spring, which is sleeved on the guide rod;

[0046] Figures 1 to 6The integrated structure design of the frequency combiner 1 and the amplifier 3 around the switch 2 is compact and lightweight, meeting the requirements of communication equipment for miniaturization and lightness of the RF front end, switchable transceiver channels, and isolation of transceiver channels. The RF direct integrated design reduces the transceiver channel loss caused by cable interconnection by about 1dB, and is conducive to the heat dissipation design of the equipment and the increase in the power it can withstand, and is more conducive to further integration with the upper-level equipment, meeting the requirements of communication equipment for modularization of the RF front end, lower insertion loss, and greater power resistance.

[0047] The installation structure of the present invention is as follows: the RF front-end device is located behind the feed source, and can automatically switch the working state by receiving the control signal of the upper computer through the control power supply interface. The antenna interface of the RF front end is directly connected to the feed source of the antenna with a cable or waveguide, the RF input interface is connected to the RF output interface of the power amplifier, and the RF output interface is connected to the RF input of the receiver. When working in state 1, the f1 interface of the heterofrequency combiner is connected to the RF input interface, and the f2 interface is connected to the RF input of the amplifier. When working in state 1, the f1 interface of the heterofrequency combiner is connected to the RF input interface, and the f2 interface is connected to the RF input of the amplifier.

Claims

1. A lightweight scattering radio frequency front-end device, comprising a frequency combiner (1), a switch (2) and an amplifier (3); characterized in that: The switching switch (2) has four coaxial ports, two of which are respectively connected to the ports of the two filter branches of the heterofrequency combiner (1), and the other two coaxial ports are respectively connected to the radio frequency input port and the input port of the amplifier; the output port of the amplifier is connected to the radio frequency output interface; the combining structure port of the heterofrequency combiner (1) is connected to the antenna interface; When working, the transmission signal enters a branch of the switching switch (2) from the radio frequency input port and enters one of the filter branches of the heterofrequency combiner (1), after filtering out-of-band spurious and interference, it is sent to the antenna port direction after passing through the combining structure; the receiving signal is input from the antenna port, passes through the heterofrequency combiner combining structure and one of the filter branches in sequence, after filtering out the local transmission signal and out-of-band interference, it is sent to the amplifier (3) after being amplified and then sent to the radio frequency output interface after passing through another parallel branch of the switching switch (2).

2. A lightweight scattering radio frequency front-end device for communication in motion according to claim 1, characterized in that: The switch comprises a mechanical switching unit and a radio frequency channel unit; the four coaxial ports of the switch are located in the same plane and are 90° rotationally symmetrical; The radio frequency channel unit includes four branches, which are connected end to end in a U-shaped arrangement; the connection point of adjacent branches serves as a coaxial port for external connection; the cross-sections of the inner conductor and the outer conductor of each branch are both rectangular structures, and the inner conductor is located inside the outer conductor, and the inner conductor is a beryllium copper reed; the inner conductor has at least two positions in the outer conductor, one of which realizes the conduction of the branch, and the other realizes the disconnection of the branch; The mechanical switching unit is used to change the position of the inner conductor in the outer conductor.

3. A lightweight scattering radio frequency front-end device for communication in motion according to claim 2, characterized in that: The switching switch also includes a signal receiving unit, which receives a control signal sent by the host computer and drives the mechanical switching unit to operate, thereby realizing the switching of the RF channel branch.

4. A lightweight scattering radio frequency front-end device for communication in motion according to claim 2, characterized in that: The beryllium copper reed of each branch contains a concave-convex structure for impedance matching.

5. A lightweight scattering radio frequency front-end device for communication in motion according to claim 2, characterized in that: The mechanical switching unit includes an electromagnet; the electromagnet is located directly above the radio frequency channel unit; When the branch channel is disconnected, the electromagnet is not energized and the inner conductor is located at the bottom of the outer conductor; when the branch channel is connected, the electromagnet is energized to magnetically attract the inner conductor to place it in the conducting position of the outer conductor.

6. A lightweight scattering radio frequency front-end device for communication in motion according to claim 5, characterized in that: The outer conductor is provided with a guide rod and a gasket of the inner conductor to facilitate conduction.

7. The lightweight scattering radio frequency front-end device for communication in motion according to claim 1, characterized in that: The two filter branches of the heterofrequency combiner are bandpass filters of conformal structure, and both contain transmission zeros outside the passband; the two filter branch ports of the heterofrequency combiner are respectively adapted to switch on two opposite coaxial ports, and the other two opposite coaxial ports are respectively the RF input interface and the input interface of the amplifier.

8. The lightweight scattering in-motion radio frequency front-end device according to claim 2, characterized in that: Among the four branches of the radio frequency channel unit, two branch springs parallel to each other can be turned on or off at the same time.

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