Waveguide structure and equipment using the same

Abstract

The present invention provides a waveguide structure that enables miniaturization, reduces transmission loss, and maintains a good VSWR, as well as equipment using this structure. [Solution] The waveguide structure 1 is made of a metal main body member 4 which has a three-dimensional shape and has sides P1 and P2 that form a corner portion C, and has a waveguide 5 with a rectangular cross-section that curves through from side P1 to side P2 at a predetermined angle, and the main body member 4 has a divided structure which can be divided into an upper member 2 and a bottom member 3 which each have a joining surface 1 and a joining surface 2, respectively, and the upper member 2 is joined to the bottom member 3 such that the joining surface 1 and the joining surface 2 are in close contact and the waveguide 5 is formed by a first groove 5U and a second groove 5B, and a plurality of screws 10 which are screwed into screw holes 9 provided in the bottom member 3 are each screwed into the screw holes 9 through screw through holes 8, and the upper member 2 and the bottom member 3 are in close contact and fixed together.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a waveguide structure having a waveguide bent at a predetermined angle and a device using the same.

Background Art

[0002] In order to cope with mobile traffic that is expected to increase further in the future, it is strongly required to use the millimeter-wave / terahertz band capable of realizing a transmission speed of several tens of Gbps for wireless communication.

[0003] In a communication device such as a mobile terminal that performs wireless communication in the above-described frequency band, or a measuring device that measures a communication device or the like, a waveguide for transmitting a signal (electromagnetic wave) in the millimeter-wave / terahertz band is used. Some of the waveguides have a waveguide bent at a predetermined angle according to the positional relationship between these waveguide circuits in order to connect between adjacent waveguide circuits.

[0004] As this type of conventional waveguide, there is known a corner waveguide including a first waveguide and a second waveguide that transmit electromagnetic waves in different directions and a corner portion that connects the two, and the outer inner wall of the corner portion has an inclined surface that inclines at at least three different angles with respect to a plane including the tube axis of the waveguide (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0005] Also, there has been conventionally known a flexible waveguide with flanges having a structure in which a single waveguide having flanges at both ends includes a flexible portion formed in a bellows shape by electroforming, and this flexible portion is movable with freedom in position and rotational direction (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

[0007] The corner waveguide described in Patent Document 1 requires bending the corner waveguide, located between the first and second waveguides, to a desired angle, and then forming inclined surfaces on its outer inner wall that are tilted at at least three different angles with respect to the plane containing the tube axis. This necessitates complex processing during manufacturing, resulting in longer manufacturing times and higher manufacturing costs.

[0008] The flanged flexible waveguide described in Patent Document 2 employs a flange connection structure at both ends of the waveguide in order to bend the waveguide at a predetermined angle. As a result, it has a long shape, and the length of the line at the bending point of the waveguide tends to increase, leading to an increase in transmission loss.

[0009] Furthermore, because it has connection points (boundary surfaces) in the form of flanges protruding from both ends, reflection loss (return loss) increases, and a decrease in the voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) was unavoidable. In addition, at points where the waveguide is bent, the line length differs significantly between the inner wall on the inside and the inner wall on the outside of the bend, causing impedance fluctuations, which also contributes to the deterioration of the VSWR.

[0010] The present invention was made to solve these conventional problems, and aims to provide a waveguide structure that can be miniaturized, has reduced transmission loss, and maintains a good VSWR, as well as equipment using the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] To solve the above problems, the waveguide structure according to claim 1 of the present invention is a waveguide structure comprising a metal main body member (4, 4A) having a three-dimensional shape and having sides P1 and P2 that intersect each other to form a corner portion (C), and having a waveguide (5, 5A) with a rectangular cross-section that penetrates the inside of the main body member from side P1 to side P2 in a shape that is bent at a predetermined angle, wherein the main body member has a divided structure that can be divided into a first member (2, 2A) and a second member (3, 3A) having joining surfaces 1 (20, 20A) and 2 (30, 30A), respectively for joining a mating member, and the first member has a first groove portion (5U, 5AU) with a rectangular cross-section that corresponds to half the cross-sectional shape of the waveguide formed on the joining surface 1, and The first member has a plurality of screw through holes (8) formed outside the area of ​​the first groove so as to extend in the thickness direction of the first member, the second member has a second groove (5B, 5AB) formed on the joining surface 2 and having a rectangular cross-section corresponding to the remaining half of the cross-sectional shape of the waveguide, and a plurality of screw holes (9) formed outside the area of ​​the second groove so as to extend in the thickness direction of the second member, the joining surface 1 and the joining surface 2 are in close contact and the first member is joined to the second member so as to form the waveguide by the first groove and the second groove, and a plurality of screws (10) that are screwed into the screw holes are each screwed into the screw holes through the screw through holes, thereby fixing the first member and the second member in close contact.

[0012] With this configuration, the waveguide structure according to claim 1 of the present invention is constructed such that a curved waveguide is formed inside the main body member by a first groove provided on the joint surface 1 of the first member and a second groove provided on the joint surface 2 of the second member, and the first member is joined to the second member and tightly fixed with screws. As a result, it is possible to make it smaller compared to a flanged pipe-shaped waveguide, and thereby shorten the length of the line at the bending point of the waveguide, and reduce transmission loss. Furthermore, transmission loss can be reduced by reducing the difference in length between the inner diameter and outer diameter of the waveguide, and it is possible to further improve the VSWR.

[0013] Furthermore, in the waveguide structure according to claim 2 of the present invention, the main body member is integrally provided with the waveguide, with a first flange portion (6) on the side P1 surrounding one opening (51, 51A) of the waveguide, and a second flange portion (7) on the side P2 surrounding the other opening (52, 52A) of the waveguide, and the first member further includes a half-side portion 1 (P11) corresponding to half of the side P1 and a half-side portion 2 (P21) corresponding to half of the side P2 as side portions, and the second member includes a remaining half-side portion 1 (P12) corresponding to the remaining half of the side P1 as side portions The configuration may further include a remaining half-side surface 2 (P22) corresponding to the remaining half of the side surface P2, and the joining surface 1 and the joining surface 2 are in close contact, the waveguide is formed by the first groove and the second groove, and the first flange portion on the side surface P1 of the main body member is formed by the half-side surface 1 of the first member and the remaining half-side surface 1 of the second member, and the second flange portion on the side surface P2 of the main body member is formed by the half-side surface 2 of the first member and the remaining half-side surface 2 of the second member, in which case the first member is joined to the second member.

[0014] With this configuration, the waveguide structure according to claim 2 of the present invention can be made into a structure in which the first flange portion (connecting portion) on side P1 and the second flange portion on side P2 are integrated with a waveguide having a curved shape when the first member is joined to the second member and tightly fixed with screws, making it useful for miniaturization, further reducing transmission loss, and improving VSWR.

[0015] Furthermore, in the waveguide structure according to claim 3 of the present invention, the waveguide may have a structure that bends the long side (electric field plane (E plane)) of the waveguide into an E-bend.

[0016] With this configuration, the waveguide structure according to claim 3 of the present invention can easily realize an E-vent waveguide structure by making the shapes of the first groove provided in the first member and the second groove provided in the second member into shapes suitable for E-vents.

[0017] Furthermore, in the waveguide structure according to claim 4 of the present invention, the waveguide may have an H-bent structure in which the short side of the waveguide is bent (bent toward the magnetic field plane (H plane)).

[0018] With this configuration, the waveguide structure according to claim 4 of the present invention can easily realize an H-bent waveguide structure by making the shapes of the first groove provided in the first member and the second groove provided in the second member H-bent shapes.

[0019] Furthermore, in the waveguide structure according to claim 5 of the present invention, the waveguide may be configured to have dimensions suitable for transmitting signals in the frequency band of 110 to 170 GHz.

[0020] With this configuration, the waveguide structure according to claim 5 of the present invention can be applied to communication equipment that is suitable for the expected increase in transmission speed in the future, or to measuring devices or equipment used to measure such communication equipment, thereby easily accommodating the increase in speed of these communication equipment, measuring devices or equipment.

[0021] Furthermore, in the waveguide structure according to claim 6 of the present invention, the waveguide may have a plurality of bent sections (55, 55A, 56, 56A) that extend perpendicularly from the side surface P1 and bend at a predetermined angle in one direction, thereby achieving a bending angle equivalent to the sum of the bending angles at all the bent sections between the side surface P1 and the side surface P2.

[0022] With this configuration, the waveguide structure according to claim 6 of the present invention achieves a desired bending angle for the waveguide hollowed out from the inside of the main body member by performing bending at small angles multiple times. As a result, the difference in length between the inner and outer diameters of the waveguide becomes even smaller, further reducing transmission loss and improving the VSWR.

[0023] Furthermore, the waveguide structure according to claim 7 of the present invention may have a configuration in which the angle corresponding to the sum of the above values ​​is 90 degrees, and the bending portion that bends at 45 degrees is provided in two locations.

[0024] With this configuration, the waveguide structure according to claim 7 of the present invention can advance the reduction of the passing loss and the improvement of the VSWR to an appropriate level without increasing the position and operation of the bending process more than necessary by performing the bending process that bends at 45 degrees at two locations.

[0025] Also, in the waveguide structure according to claim 8 of the present invention, the waveguide may have a cut portion (551, 561, 551A, 561A) in which the corner portion of the outer inner wall in the bent portion is linearly cut.

[0026] With this configuration, the waveguide structure according to claim 8 of the present invention can further reduce the passing loss and further improve the VSWR by linearly cutting the corner portion of the outer inner wall in the bent portion of the waveguide.

[0027] In order to solve the above problems, the device according to claim 9 of the present invention is a device (15A, 15B) that mounts a waveguide circuit for transmitting signals in the 110 - 170 GHz band, and is characterized in that the waveguide circuit is configured using the waveguide structure described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

[0028] With this configuration, the device according to claim 9 of the present invention can be miniaturized, thereby shortening the line length of the portion where the waveguide is bent, reducing the passing loss, and further having the advantage of being able to improve the VSWR. By adopting the waveguide structure with such advantages in the waveguide circuit, the miniaturization of the device can also be achieved, and at the same time, performance improvement can be expected.

[0029] Also, the device according to claim 10 of the present invention is a measuring device or a device. With this configuration, as the device according to claim 10 of the present invention, it is possible to provide a measuring device or a device that has a waveguide structure that is small, has a small passing loss, and has a good VSWR, and has a small shape and high performance.

Effects of the Invention

[0030] The present invention provides a waveguide structure that can be miniaturized, reduces transmission loss, and maintains a good VSWR, as well as equipment using the same. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0031] [Figure 1] This figure shows the external structure of a waveguide structure according to the first embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a perspective view of the entire waveguide structure and (b) is a diagram showing the structure of the waveguide opening viewed from the front. [Figure 2] This figure shows the structure of the upper member of a waveguide structure according to the first embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a left side view, (c) is a right side view, (d) is a front view, and (e) is a bottom view. [Figure 3] This figure shows the structure of the bottom member of a waveguide structure according to the first embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a left side view, (c) is a right side view, and (d) is a front view. [Figure 4] This is a diagram illustrating an example of operation of a waveguide structure according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This figure illustrates the position of the bend in the waveguide and the cutting process of the corner of the outer inner wall in the waveguide structure according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This figure shows the external structure of a waveguide structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a perspective view of the entire waveguide structure and (b) is a diagram showing the structure of the waveguide opening viewed from the front. [Figure 7] This figure shows the structure of the upper member of a waveguide structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a left side view, (c) is a right side view, (d) is a front view, and (e) is a bottom view. [Figure 8] This figure shows the structure of the bottom member of a waveguide structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a left side view, (c) is a right side view, and (d) is a front view. [Figure 9] This figure illustrates an example of operation of a waveguide structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10]This figure illustrates the position of the bend in the waveguide and the cutting process of the corner of the outer inner wall in a waveguide structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0032] Hereinafter, embodiments of the waveguide structure and equipment using the same according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0033] The waveguide structure according to the present invention is composed of a metal main body member having a three-dimensional shape (see main body member 4 in Figure 1(a) and main body member 4A in Figure 6(a)), and has a waveguide (see waveguide 5 in Figure 1(a) and waveguide 5A in Figure 6(a)) formed by hollowing out the inside of the main body member in a shape that is bent at a predetermined angle (for example, 90 degrees) from one side (see side P1 in Figures 1(a) and 6(a)) to the adjacent other side (see side P2 in Figures 1(a) and 6(a)).

[0034] Furthermore, in the waveguide structure according to the present invention, the main body member is integrally provided with the waveguide, with a first flange portion (see flange portion 6 in Figures 1(a) and 6(a)) on one side that surrounds one opening of the waveguide (see waveguide opening 51 in Figure 1(a) and waveguide opening 51A in Figure 6(a)), and a second flange portion (see flange portion 7 in Figures 1(a) and 6(a)) on the other side that surrounds the other opening of the waveguide (see waveguide opening 52 in Figure 1(a) and waveguide opening 52A in Figure 6(a)).

[0035] Furthermore, the waveguide structure according to the present invention comprises a main body member which is a first member (see upper member 2 in Figure 1(a) and upper member 2A in Figure 6(a)) including one half of the waveguide (see groove 5U in Figure 2(e) and groove 5AU in Figure 7(e)), one half of one side (see side P11 in Figures 1(a) and 6(a)), and one half of the other side (see side P21 in Figures 1(a) and 6(a)), The waveguide has a segmented structure that allows it to be divided into a second member (see bottom member 3 in Figure 1(a) and bottom member 3A in Figure 6(a)) which includes the remaining half of one side of the waveguide (see groove 5B in Figure 3(a) and groove 5AB in Figure 8(a)), the remaining half of one side (see side P12 in Figures 1(a) and 6(a)), and the remaining half of the other side (see side P22 in Figures 1(a) and 6(a)).

[0036] As a result, in the waveguide structure according to the present invention, the first member is joined to the second member by facing the surface on which one half of the waveguide of the first member is formed and the surface on which the remaining half of the waveguide of the second member is formed, and the two are tightly fixed together, for example with screws, thereby forming a waveguide that is hollowed out inside and bent at a predetermined angle as described above, and furthermore, a waveguide structure is formed having a first flange portion and a second flange portion formed integrally with the waveguide on the side and adjacent side.

[0037] The waveguide structure according to the present invention has two types, E-bent and H-bent, depending on the shape of the waveguide bending inside the main member. An E-bent refers to a shape in which the long side of the waveguide (electric field surface (E-plane)) is bent. An H-bent refers to a shape in which the short side of the waveguide (magnetic field surface (H-plane)) is bent.

[0038] Hereinafter, embodiments of the waveguide structure according to the present invention will be described separately as the first embodiment and the second embodiment, respectively, for E-bent waveguide structures (see Figures 1 to 5) and H-bent waveguide structures (see Figures 6 to 10).

[0039] (First Embodiment) Figure 1 shows the external structure of a waveguide structure 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a perspective view of the entire waveguide structure and (b) is a view of the waveguide opening from the front. As shown in Figure 1(a), the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment is composed of a three-dimensional main body member 4 having at least two sides P1 and P2 that form a corner C, where rectangular and flat sides P1 and P2 intersect at a right angle on one side. The main body member 4 is made of a metal such as aluminum, copper, or stainless steel.

[0040] As an indicator for understanding the three-dimensional shape, Figure 1(a) includes a three-dimensional coordinate system consisting of the X, Y, and Z axes. For simplicity, in the following explanation, the X and Y axes will be described as horizontal (left-right) and the Z axis as vertical (up-down) based on this three-dimensional coordinate system. However, the orientation of the main body member 4 cannot be clearly defined as up-down or left-right, and the explanation that the X and Y axes are horizontal and the Z axis is vertical is merely a convenient measure for understanding the positional relationships of each part.

[0041] In the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment, the main body member 4 is composed of an upper member 2 and a bottom member 3 that can be divided vertically by the XY plane, and can be assembled as a single three-dimensional member by closely fixing the lower surface of the divided upper member 2 to the upper surface of the divided bottom member 3. The upper member 2 and the bottom member 3 constitute the first member and the second member of the present invention, respectively.

[0042] As described above, the main body member 4, which can be assembled, has a waveguide 5 with a rectangular cross-section that penetrates the interior of the main body member 4 from the center of one side P1 to the center of the other side P2, as shown in Figure 1(a). The waveguide 5 is formed along the XY plane passing through the center of side P1 and the center of side P2. The waveguide 5 has a waveguide opening 51 with a rectangular shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the waveguide 5 at the center of one side P1, and a waveguide opening 52 with a similar rectangular shape at the center of the other side P2. The waveguide opening 51, together with the waveguide opening 51A in the second embodiment (see Figure 8), constitutes one of the openings of the present invention. The waveguide opening 52, together with the waveguide opening 52A in the second embodiment (see Figure 8), constitutes the other opening of the present invention.

[0043] The waveguide openings 51 and 52 have a rectangular shape that is long vertically and short horizontally when viewed from the front on the side P1 (or side P2), as shown in Figure 1(b). On the other hand, as shown in Figure 1(a), the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment is realized by a conduit structure (see grooves 5U and 5B in Figures 2 and 3) that penetrates the interior of the main body member 4, starting from the center of one side P1 of the main body member 4 and ending at the center of the other side P2, bending in one direction (to the right) (i.e., bending the long side of the rectangular cross-section of the waveguide 5). Thus, the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment has an E-bent structure that bends the long side (electric field plane: E plane) of the waveguide 5.

[0044] Figure 1(b) illustrates the dimensions of a waveguide 5 suitable for transmitting signals in the 110-170 GHz frequency band. This waveguide 5 has a rectangular cross-section with a short side of 0.826 mm and a long side of 1.652 mm. In the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment, it goes without saying that the waveguide 5 can be formed with dimensions suitable for transmitting signals in any desired frequency band, not limited to the frequency bands mentioned here, such as the microwave band or the terahertz band.

[0045] The configuration of the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to Figures 2 and 3.

[0046] Figure 2 shows the structure of the upper member 2 of the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a left side view, (c) is a right side view, (d) is a front view, and (e) is a bottom view. Figure 3 shows the structure of the bottom member 3 of the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a left side view, (c) is a right side view, and (d) is a front view.

[0047] First, the structure of the upper member 2 will be described with reference to Figure 2. In the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment, the upper member 2 has a structure on its upper (front) side as shown in the plan view of Figure 2(a), and a structure on its lower (back) side as shown in the bottom view of Figure 2(e).

[0048] As shown in Figure 2(e), the upper member 2 has a lower surface 20 which is a flat surface that can be positioned opposite the upper surface 30 (see Figure 3(a)) of the bottom member 3. The lower surface 20, together with the lower surface 20A (see Figure 7(e)) in the second embodiment, constitutes the joining surface 1 of the present invention.

[0049] In Figure 2(e), the upper edge of the upper member 2 corresponds to side P11, which constitutes the upper half of side P1, one of the long side surfaces P1 and P2 that extend 90 degrees to both sides from corner C when assembled as a waveguide structure 1 (see Figure 1(a)), and the right edge, which intersects the upper edge at a right angle, corresponds to side surface P21, which constitutes the upper half of side surface P2. The upper member 2 has a main part 21 formed by a rectangular shape including a portion of the upper edge near corner C and a portion of the right edge near corner C, and a planar shape that further protrudes from the main part 21, with the portion of the upper edge beyond the portion near corner C and the portion of the right edge beyond the portion near corner C protruding further.

[0050] In the upper member 2, a groove 5U with a rectangular cross-section is formed in the main portion 21 of the lower surface 20, having a uniform width and a predetermined depth in the thickness direction of the upper member 2 (the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper: corresponding to the Z-axis direction in Figure 1(a)). The groove 5U is formed on the lower surface 20 of the upper member 2 shown in Figure 2(e) in such a shape that it extends perpendicularly to the side surface P11 from near the midpoint of the side surface P11 toward the inside of the lower surface 20, then bends at a 45-degree angle toward the side surface P21, and then bends another 45 degrees in the same direction and continues straight to the midpoint of the side surface P21. The groove 5U is arranged opposite (facing) the groove 5B (see Figure 3(a)) provided on the bottom member 3 to form the waveguide 5.

[0051] Furthermore, the upper member 2 has multiple screw through holes 8 extending through the thickness direction of the upper member 2 at various locations in the regions on both sides of the groove 5U provided in the main portion 21 of the lower surface 20. In addition, screw through holes 8 are also formed in the portion of the upper member 2 that protrudes outward from the main portion 21 of the lower surface 20. The positions of the multiple screw through holes 8 provided throughout the entire lower surface 20 of the upper member 2 correspond to the multiple screw holes 9 (see Figure 3(a)) provided in the upper surface 30 of the bottom member 3. The screw through holes 8 are for passing screws 10 (see Figure 1(a)) used to tightly fix the upper member 2 and the bottom member 3, and are constructed without tap cutting (formation of internal threads).

[0052] Furthermore, the main portion 21 of the lower surface 20 of the upper member 2 has, for example, two pin holes 8a and 8b formed together for inserting positioning pins. The pin holes 8a and 8b provided in the main portion 21 of the lower surface 20 correspond to the pin holes 9a and 9b provided in the main portion 31 of the upper surface 30 of the bottom member 3 shown in Figure 3(a). This makes it possible to properly position the upper member 2 and the bottom member 3 by, for example, inserting positioning pins between pin holes 8a and 9a, and between pin holes 8b and 9b, respectively, when the lower surface 20 of the upper member 2 is facing the upper surface 30 of the bottom member 3. Here, for example, one of the pin holes 9a and 9b on the upper surface 30 of the bottom member 3 may be an elongated hole.

[0053] The front surface of the upper member 2, which has the structure of the back side shown in the bottom view of Figure 2(e), has the structure shown in Figure 2(a). As shown in Figure 2(a), the front surface of the upper member 2 has multiple screw through holes 8 from the back side shown in Figure 2(e) extending all the way through to the surface.

[0054] The upper member 2, having the structure shown in the plan view of Figure 2(a) on its upper (front) side and the structure shown in the bottom view of Figure 2(e) on its lower side 20, has the structure shown in Figure 2(d) when viewed from the front. This structure corresponds to the upper half of the side P1 of the main body member 4 in the waveguide structure 1 shown in Figure 1(a), when viewed from the front, i.e., the structure of side P11. Side P11 constitutes half of side P1 1 in the present invention.

[0055] As shown in Figure 2(d), the side surface P11 of the upper member 2 is provided with a waveguide opening 51U, which corresponds to the upper half of the waveguide opening 51 formed near the center of the side surface P1 of the main body member 4 when assembled as a waveguide structure 1 (see Figure 1(a)). The shape of the waveguide opening 51U on the side surface P11 reflects the cross-sectional shape (rectangular shape) of the groove 5U (see Figure 2(e)) provided on the lower surface 20 of the upper member 2. The waveguide opening 51U constitutes half of the waveguide opening 51 of the present invention.

[0056] Furthermore, the side P11 is provided with a flange portion 6U corresponding to the upper semicircle of the circular flange portion 6 formed on the side P1 of the main body member 4 when the waveguide structure 1 is assembled. The flange portion 6U is provided with connection holes 61 and 63U drilled perpendicular to the side P11 at appropriate distances from each other on the circumference of the upper semicircle. The connection holes 61 and 63 (and similarly for the connection hole 62) receive screws for connecting the connection portion (flange portion) of the mating waveguide circuit (not shown) to the waveguide opening 51U. Of these, the connection hole 63 reflects the above-described divided structure of the main body member 4 of the waveguide structure 1, and is the upper semicircular portion (denoted by reference numeral 63U) from which the lower half of the connection hole 63 (see Figure 1(a)) that spans the bottom member 3 has been cut off. The flange portion 6 constitutes the first flange portion of the present invention.

[0057] The upper member 2 has the structure shown in Figure 2(c) on its right side, which is the structure shown in the plan view of Figure 2(a). This structure corresponds to the upper half of the side P2 of the main body member 4 when viewed from the front, i.e., the structure of side P21, in the waveguide structure 1 shown in Figure 1(a). Side P21 constitutes half of side P2 1 in the present invention.

[0058] As shown in Figure 2(c), the right side (side P21) of the upper member 2 is provided with a waveguide opening 52U that reflects the rectangular cross-sectional shape corresponding to the groove 5U provided on the bottom surface 20 of the upper member 2 of the waveguide structure 1. Furthermore, this side P21 is provided with a flange portion 7U that corresponds to the upper semicircle of the circular flange portion 7 formed on the side P2 of the main body member 4 during assembly as the waveguide structure 1 (see Figure 1(a)). The flange portion 7U is provided with connection holes 71 and 73, spaced appropriately apart on the circumference of the upper semicircle and perpendicular to the side P21. The connection holes 71 and 73 (and similarly for the connection hole 72) receive screws for connecting the connection portion (flange portion) of the mating waveguide circuit (not shown) to the waveguide opening 52U. Of these, the connection hole 73 reflects the above-described segmented structure of the main body member 4 of the waveguide structure 1, and the lower half of the connection hole 73 (see Figure 1(a)) that spans the bottom member 3 is cut off, resulting in an upper semicircular portion (denoted by reference numeral 73U). The flange portion 7 constitutes the second flange portion of the present invention.

[0059] Furthermore, the left side of the upper member 2, which has the structure shown in the plan view of Figure 2(a), has the structure shown in Figure 2(b). As shown in Figure 2(b), the left side of the upper member 2 has connection holes 71 and 73U that are provided on the circumference of the semicircle of the flange portion 7 formed on the right side (side P21: see Figure 2(c)) and extend through to the opposite side.

[0060] Next, the structure of the bottom member 3 will be described with reference to Figure 3. In the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment, the top surface of the bottom member 3 (the surface that faces the bottom surface of the upper member 2 (see Figure 2(e)) when assembled as the waveguide structure 1) has the structure shown in the plan view of Figure 3(a).

[0061] As shown in Figure 3(a), the bottom member 3 has an upper surface 30 which is a flat surface that can be positioned opposite the lower surface 20 of the upper member 2 (see Figure 2(e)). The upper surface 30, together with the upper surface 30A in the second embodiment (see Figure 8(a)), constitutes the joining surface 2 of the present invention.

[0062] In Figure 3(a), the lower edge of the bottom member 3 corresponds to side P12, which constitutes the lower half of side P1, one of the sides P1 and P2 that extend long to both sides at a 90-degree angle from the corner C when assembled as a waveguide structure 1 (see Figure 1(a)). The right edge, which intersects the lower edge at a right angle, corresponds to side P22, which constitutes the lower half of side P2. The bottom member 3 has a rectangular shape that forms the main part 31, which includes a portion of the lower edge closer to the corner C and a portion of the right edge closer to the corner C. From the main part 31, the portion of the lower edge beyond the corner C and the portion of the right edge beyond the corner C further protrude, forming a planar shape.

[0063] In the bottom member 3, a groove 5B with a rectangular cross-section is formed in the main part 31 of the upper surface 30, having a uniform width and a predetermined depth in the thickness direction of the bottom member 3 (the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper: corresponding to the Z-axis direction in Figure 1(a)). The groove 5B is formed on the upper surface 30 of the bottom member 3 shown in Figure 3(a) from near the midpoint of the side surface P12 toward the inside of the upper surface 30 perpendicular to the side surface P12, then bends at a 45-degree angle toward the side surface P22, and then bends another 45 degrees in the same direction and continues straight to the midpoint of the side surface P22. The groove 5B is arranged opposite (facing) the groove 5U (see Figure 2(e)) provided on the upper member 2 to form the waveguide 5.

[0064] Furthermore, the bottom member 3 has multiple screw holes 9 extending through in the thickness direction of the bottom member 3 at various locations in the regions on both sides of the groove 5B provided in the main portion 31 of the upper surface 30. In addition, the bottom member 3 also has, for example, one screw hole 9 formed at the tip of each portion that protrudes outward from the main portion 31 of the upper surface 30. The positions of the multiple screw holes 9 provided across the entire upper surface 30 of the bottom member 3 correspond to the multiple screw through holes 8 (see Figures 2(a) and 2(e)) provided in the lower surface 20 of the upper member 2. The screw holes 9 are designed to receive the threading of screws 10 (see Figure 1(a)) that penetrate through the screw through holes 8 provided in the upper member 2 when the upper member 2 and the bottom member 3 are tightly fixed together, and have a structure in which tap cutting (formation of internal threads) corresponding to the screws 10 has been performed.

[0065] The bottom member 3, whose upper surface 30 has the structure shown in the plan view of Figure 3(a), has the structure shown in Figure 3(d) when viewed from the front. This structure corresponds to the lower half of the side surface P1 of the main body member 4 in the waveguide structure 1 shown in Figure 1(a), i.e., the structure of side surface P12 when viewed from the front. Side surface P12 constitutes the remaining half of side surface P1 in the present invention.

[0066] As shown in Figure 3(d), the bottom member 3, when viewed from the front, has a waveguide opening 51B on its side P12, which corresponds to the lower half of the waveguide opening 51 formed near the center of the side P1 of the main body member 4 when assembled as a waveguide structure 1 (see Figure 1(a)). The shape of the waveguide opening 51B on the side P12 reflects the cross-sectional shape (rectangular shape) of the groove 5B (see Figure 3(a)) provided on the upper surface 30 of the bottom member 3. The waveguide opening 51B constitutes the remaining half of the waveguide opening 51 of the present invention.

[0067] Furthermore, the side P12 is also provided with a flange portion 6B corresponding to the lower semicircle of the circular flange portion 6 formed on the side P1 of the main body member 4 when the waveguide structure 1 is assembled. The flange portion 6B is provided with connection holes 62 and 63 on the circumference of the lower semicircle, spaced at appropriate distances apart and drilled perpendicular to the side P12. Of these, the connection hole 63 reflects the above-mentioned segmented structure of the main body member 4 of the waveguide structure 1, and is the lower semicircular portion (denoted as reference numeral 63B) from which the upper half of the connection hole 63 (see Figure 1(a)) that spans the upper member 2 has been cut off.

[0068] The bottom member 3 has the structure shown in Figure 3(c) on its right side, which is the structure shown in the plan view of Figure 3(a). This structure corresponds to the lower half of the side P2 of the main body member 4 when viewed from the front, i.e., the structure of side P22, in the waveguide structure 1 shown in Figure 1(a). Side P22 constitutes the remaining half of side P2 in the present invention.

[0069] As shown in Figure 3(c), the right side (side P22) of the bottom member 3 is provided with a waveguide opening 52B that reflects the rectangular cross-sectional shape corresponding to the groove 5B provided on the upper surface 30 of the bottom member 3 of the waveguide structure 1. Furthermore, this side P22 is provided with a flange portion 7B corresponding to the lower semicircle of the circular flange portion 7 formed on the side P2 of the main body member 4 during assembly as the waveguide structure 1 (see Figure 1(a)). The flange portion 7B is provided with connection holes 72 and 73, spaced appropriately apart on the circumference of the lower semicircle and drilled perpendicular to the side P22. Of these, the connection hole 73 reflects the aforementioned segmented structure of the main body member 4 of the waveguide structure 1, and is the lower semicircular portion (denoted 73B) from which the upper half of the connection hole 73 (see Figure 1(a)) spanning the upper member 2 has been cut off.

[0070] Furthermore, the left side of the bottom member 3, which has the structure shown in the plan view in Figure 3(a), has the structure shown in Figure 3(b). As shown in Figure 3(b), the left side of the bottom member 3 has connection holes 72 and 73B that are provided on the circumference of the semicircle of the flange portion 7B formed on the right side (side P22: see Figure 3(c)) and extend through to the opposite side.

[0071] Next, the assembly method of the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment will be described. To assemble the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment using the upper member 2 shown in Figure 2 and the bottom member 3 shown in Figure 3, the upper member 2 having the structure of the lower surface 20 shown in Figure 2(e) is placed with the upper surface 20 facing the upper surface 30 of the bottom member 3, with the upper surface 30 having the structure shown in Figure 3(a) being in contact with the upper surface 30 of the bottom member 3.

[0072] At this time, the upper member 2 and the bottom member 3 are joined together in the manner shown in Figure 1, with their lower surface 20 and upper surface 30 in contact with each other, forming a single main body member 4. In this state, the upper member 2 and the bottom member 3 are positioned using the pin holes 8a and 8b provided in the upper member 2, the pin holes 9a and 9b provided in the bottom member 3, and positioning pins, and then screwed together. At this time, a suitable (screwable) screw 10 is inserted into each screw through hole 8 provided in the upper member 2 until its tip reaches the screw hole 9 in the bottom member 3, and then the screw 10 is screwed into the screw hole 9 using a tool such as a screwdriver.

[0073] Once the screwing operation of the screws 10 is completed for all remaining pairs of screw through holes 8 and screw holes 9, the lower surface 20 of the upper member 2 and the upper surface 30 of the bottom member 3 are tightly fixed together, and the waveguide structure 1 (see Figure 1) with a three-dimensional shape as shown in Figure 1 is assembled.

[0074] In the waveguide structure 1 assembled according to the procedure described above, as shown in Figure 1(a), the side surface P11 of the upper member 2 (see Figure 2(d)) and the side surface P12 of the bottom member 3 (see Figure 3(d)) are combined in an upper-lower positional relationship to form side surface P1, while the side surface P21 of the upper member 2 (see Figure 2(c)) and the side surface P22 of the bottom member 3 (see Figure 3(c)) are combined in an upper-lower positional relationship to form side surface P2.

[0075] Of the two sides P1 and P2 that constitute the waveguide structure 1, a waveguide opening 51 is formed on side P1 by a waveguide opening 51U (see Figure 2(d)) provided on side P11 of the upper member 2 and a waveguide opening 51B (see Figure 3(d)) provided on side P12 of the bottom member 3. A waveguide opening 52 is formed on side P2 by a waveguide opening 52U (see Figure 2(c)) provided on side P21 of the upper member 2 and a waveguide opening 52B (see Figure 3(c)) provided on side P22 of the bottom member 3. A waveguide 5 is formed between the waveguide opening 51 and the waveguide opening 52 by hollowing out the main member 4 having the sides P1 and P2. Waveguide openings 52U and 52B constitute half and the other half of the waveguide opening 52 of the present invention, respectively.

[0076] Here, the waveguide 5 is formed by a groove 5U (see Figure 2(e)) provided on the lower surface 20 of the upper member 2 and a groove 5B (see Figure 3(a)) provided on the upper surface 30 of the bottom member 3, and has a structure in which two bends that bend in one direction are provided inside the main body member 4 to achieve a total bending angle of 90 degrees.

[0077] Furthermore, on the side P1 of the waveguide structure 1 (see Figure 1(a)), a flange portion 6 is formed by a flange portion 6U (see Figure 2(d)) provided on the side P11 of the upper member 2 and a flange portion 6B (see Figure 3(d)) provided on the side P12 of the bottom member 3. On the other hand, on the side P2, a flange portion 7 is formed by a flange portion 7U (see Figure 2(c)) provided on the side P21 of the upper member 2 and a flange portion 7B (see Figure 3(c)) provided on the side P22 of the bottom member 3. The flange portion 6 has connection holes 61, 62, and 63 formed at appropriate positions on the circumference, and similarly, the flange portion 7 has a structure in which connection holes 71, 72, and 73 are formed.

[0078] Next, the operational configuration of the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment will be described. As an example, Figure 4 shows an operational configuration in which the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment is connected between equipment 15A and equipment 15B, both of which have waveguide circuits, to transmit electromagnetic waves.

[0079] In Figure 4, devices 15A and 15B have waveguide circuits equivalent to the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment, for example, that are suitable for transmitting electromagnetic waves in the D band (frequency band of 110 to 170 GHz).

[0080] In the operating configuration shown in Figure 4, the waveguide structure 1 can be used with equipment 15A and 15B positioned on the side P1 and side P2 sides of the corner C, respectively. Here, the opening of the waveguide circuit (not shown) of equipment 15A is connected to the waveguide opening 51 by a flange portion 6 provided on side P1. At this time, the connection is made by screwing screws extending from the equipment 15A side into the connection holes 61, 62, and 63 of the flange portion 6. This part is also designed so that screws can be screwed in from the waveguide structure 1 side. On the other hand, the opening of the waveguide circuit (not shown) of equipment 15B is connected to the waveguide opening 52 by a flange portion 7 provided on side P2. At this time, the connection is made by screwing screws extending from the equipment 15B side into the connection holes 71, 72, and 73 of the flange portion 7. This part is also designed so that screws can be screwed in from the waveguide structure 1 side.

[0081] The waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment, when connected as described above, can transmit signals (for example, D-band signals) from the waveguide circuit of equipment 15A to the waveguide aperture 51 through the waveguide 5, and further transmit those signals from the waveguide aperture 52 to the waveguide circuit of equipment 15B, thereby enabling transmission control.

[0082] In operating the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment, various devices such as amplifiers and mixers are envisioned as equipment 15A and equipment 15B having waveguide circuits for transmitting D-band signals. In addition, measuring devices such as spectrum analyzers and sync generators equipped with waveguide circuits employing the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment are also envisioned as equipment 15A and equipment 15B.

[0083] As can be seen from the operating configuration shown in Figure 4, in the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment, the waveguide circuit of equipment 15A is directly connected to the waveguide opening 51 via a flange portion 6 integrated with the waveguide 5 on the side P1, while the waveguide circuit of equipment 15B is directly connected to the waveguide opening 52 via a flange portion 7 integrated with the waveguide 5 on the side P2. Thus, there is no large and thick flange structure between the waveguide circuit of equipment 15A and the waveguide opening 51 provided on the side P1 of the waveguide structure 1, and between the waveguide opening 52 provided on the side P2 and the waveguide circuit of equipment 15B, as in the conventional design.

[0084] In short, according to the waveguide structure 1 of this embodiment, in which the flange portions 6 and 7 and the bending structure of the waveguide 5 are integrated, miniaturization is possible, the length of the line at the bending point of the waveguide 5 is shortened, and the transmission loss can be reduced. In addition, since the waveguide 5 has a bending structure based on straight lines and the difference between the length of the inner diameter and outer diameter of the waveguide 5 is small, the transmission loss can be reduced and the VSWR can be improved.

[0085] Furthermore, the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment may also be a transmission path (groove 5U and groove 5B) formed by hollowing out (for example, cutting) the upper member 2 and the lower member 3 that constitute the main body member 4. If the upper and lower parts of the transmission path (groove 5U and groove 5B) formed by cutting are joined together and tightly fixed with screws 10, it is possible to achieve lower losses than existing pipe-shaped waveguides.

[0086] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the waveguide structure 1 is configured to perform multiple bending processes at predetermined bending angles on grooves 5U and 5B (which together form the waveguide 5) formed by penetrating (hollowing out) the interior of the main body member 4 in order to achieve the desired bending angle of the waveguide 5. As a result, by performing multiple bending processes at small bending angles, the difference in length between the inner diameter and the outer diameter becomes even smaller, further reducing the transmission loss and, in addition, improving the VSWR.

[0087] Here, we will explain the relationship between the desired bending angle of the waveguide 5 and the reduction in loss. In this embodiment, for the waveguide 5 of the waveguide structure 1, we provide an example in which a straight line is used as the basis and two bending sections that bend in one direction are provided inside the main member 4 to achieve a total bending angle of 90 degrees (see Figures 2(e) and 3(a)). By adopting a waveguide 5 structure that is based on a straight line but has two bending angles of 45 degrees, the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment can reduce the difference in length between the inner and outer diameters of the waveguide 5, reduce the transmission loss, and improve the VSWR.

[0088] Regarding the structure of the waveguide 5 described above, it is useful from the viewpoint of performance improvement to add a process of cutting a predetermined amount from the corners of the inner wall on the outside of the two bends. Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the position of the bends and the cutting process of the corners of the outer inner wall in the waveguide 5 of the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment. The waveguide 5 shown in Figure 5 has a rectangular cross-section with a short side dimension of 0.826 mm. This waveguide 5 has a first bend 55 and a second bend 56, and the outer corners of each bend 55 and 56 are linearly cut to an appropriate size to provide cut sections 551 and 561. In the waveguide structure 1 having the waveguide 5 with cut sections 551 and 561, it is possible to further reduce the loss and improve the VWSR compared to one without the cut sections 551 and 561.

[0089] As shown in Figure 5, this embodiment illustrates a structure that achieves a waveguide 5 with a 90-degree bend angle by performing bending at a 45-degree bend angle twice. However, in the present invention, the bend angle of the waveguide 5 is not limited to 90 degrees; for example, any desired bend angle such as 60 degrees or 180 degrees may be selected. Furthermore, the number of bends 55 and 56 to achieve the desired bend angle is not limited to the two exemplified in Figure 5, but may be more. However, from the viewpoint of reducing transmission loss and improving VSWR, there are limits to the effectiveness of having too many bends, and from a manufacturing standpoint, it is desirable to limit the number to around three at most.

[0090] Furthermore, the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment can be applied not only to the D-band frequency range but also to waveguides that transmit signals in other frequency ranges. It is also preferable to cut the corners 55 and 56 of the outer inner wall of the bent portions 55 and 56 of the waveguide 5 in a shape that matches the signal being transmitted.

[0091] As described above, the waveguide structure 1 according to the first embodiment is a three-dimensional metal main body member 4 having sides P1 and P2 that intersect with each other to form a corner C, and has a waveguide 5 with a rectangular cross-section that penetrates the inside of the main body member 4 from side P1 to side P2 in a curved shape at a predetermined angle, and the main body member 4 has a divided structure that can be divided into an upper member 2 and a bottom member 3, each having a lower surface 20 and an upper surface 30 for joining the mating member, and the upper member 2 has a rectangular cross-sectional groove 5U formed on the lower surface 20 and corresponding to half the cross-sectional shape of the waveguide 5, and the region of the groove 5U The upper member 2 has multiple screw through holes 8 formed to extend outward in the thickness direction, and the bottom member 3 has a rectangular groove 5B formed on its upper surface 30, corresponding to the remaining half of the cross-sectional shape of the waveguide 5, and multiple screw holes 9 formed outside the area of ​​the groove 5B to extend outward in the thickness direction of the bottom member 3. The upper surface 30 and the lower surface 20 are in close contact, and the upper member 2 is joined to the bottom member 3 so that the waveguide 5 is formed by the grooves 5U and 5B. Multiple screws 10 that screw into the screw holes 9 are each screwed into the screw holes 9 through the screw through holes 8, thereby fixing the upper member 2 and the bottom member 3 in close contact.

[0092] With this configuration, the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment is constructed such that a curved waveguide 5 is formed inside the main body member 4 by a groove 5U provided on the lower surface 20 of the upper member 2 and a groove 5B provided on the upper surface 30 of the bottom member 3. The upper member 2 is joined to the bottom member 3 and tightly fixed with screws 10. This allows for a smaller size compared to a flanged pipe-shaped waveguide, thereby shortening the line length at the bending point of the waveguide 5 and reducing transmission loss. In addition, reducing the difference in length between the inner and outer diameters of the waveguide 5 further reduces transmission loss and improves the VSWR.

[0093] Furthermore, in the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment, the main body member 4 has a flange portion 6 on side P1 that surrounds one opening of the waveguide 5 (waveguide opening 51), and a flange portion 7 on side P2 that surrounds the other opening of the waveguide 5 (waveguide opening 52), both integrally provided with the waveguide 5. The upper member 2 further includes side P11, which corresponds to half of side P1, and side P21, which corresponds to half of side P2, as side surfaces, and the bottom member 3 has side P12, which corresponds to the remaining half of side P1, and side The upper member 2 and the bottom member 3 are fixed in close contact, with the upper surface 30 and the lower surface 20 being in close contact, the grooves 5U and 5B forming a waveguide 5, and the flange portion 6 on the side surface P1 of the main body member 4 being formed by the side surface P11 of the upper member 2 and the side surface P12 of the bottom member 3, and the flange portion 7 on the side surface P2 of the main body member 4 being formed by the side surface P21 of the upper member 2 and the side surface P22 of the bottom member 3.

[0094] With this configuration, the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment can be made into a structure in which the flange portion 6 on side P1 and the flange portion 7 on side P2 are integrated with the waveguide 5, which has a curved shape, when the upper member 2 is joined to the bottom member 3 and tightly fixed with screws 10. This is useful for miniaturization, further reduces transmission loss, and improves VSWR.

[0095] Furthermore, in the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment, the waveguide 5 has an E-bent structure that bends the long side (electric field plane (E plane)) of the waveguide 5.

[0096] With this structure, the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment can easily realize an E-vent waveguide structure by making the shape of the groove 5U provided in the upper member 2 and the groove 5B provided in the bottom member 3 the shape for an E-vent.

[0097] Furthermore, in the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment, the waveguide 5 is configured to have dimensions suitable for transmitting signals in the frequency band of 110 to 170 GHz.

[0098] With this configuration, the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment can be applied to communication equipment that is suited to the expected increase in transmission speed in the future, or to measuring devices or various other devices used to measure such communication equipment, measuring devices or various other devices, thereby easily accommodating the increase in speed of these communication equipment, measuring devices or various other devices.

[0099] Furthermore, in the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment, the waveguide 5 has multiple bends 55 and 56 that extend perpendicularly from the side P1 and bend at a predetermined angle in one direction, and is configured to achieve a bending angle equivalent to the sum of the bending angles at all the bends between the side P1 and the side P2.

[0100] With this configuration, the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment performs bending at small angles multiple times for the waveguide 5 that cuts out from the inside of the main body member 4, thereby further reducing the difference in length between the inner and outer diameters of the waveguide 5, which in turn reduces transmission loss and improves the VSWR.

[0101] Furthermore, the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment has a total angle of 90 degrees and is configured to have two bends at 45 degrees. With this configuration, the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment can reduce transmission loss and improve VSWR to an appropriate level without unnecessarily increasing the number of bending positions and operations by performing bending at 45 degrees in two locations.

[0102] Furthermore, in the waveguide structure according to claim 8 of the present invention, the waveguide has cut portions 551, 561) obtained by straightening the corners of the outer inner walls at the bent portions 55, 56.

[0103] With this configuration, the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment can further reduce transmission loss by linearly cutting the corners of the outer inner wall at the bent portions 55 and 56 of the waveguide 5, thereby further improving the VSWR.

[0104] Furthermore, the devices 15A and 15B according to this embodiment implement a waveguide circuit that transmits signals in the 110-170 GHz band, and the waveguide circuit is configured using the waveguide structure 1 described above.

[0105] The devices 15A and 15B according to this embodiment employ a waveguide structure 1 in the waveguide circuit, which has the advantage of enabling miniaturization, thereby shortening the line length at the point where the waveguide 5 is bent, reducing transmission loss, and further improving VSWR. This allows for miniaturization of the devices 15A and 15B, and also enables improved performance.

[0106] Furthermore, the devices 15A and 15B according to this embodiment are, for example, measuring devices or equipment. Among these, the measuring devices are known, such as spectrum analyzers and signal generators, and the equipment is known, such as amplifiers and mixers that handle radio signals. The configuration of the devices 15A and 15B according to this embodiment makes it possible to provide a measuring device or equipment that is compact, has a waveguide structure with low transmission loss and good VSWR, and is small in shape and high performance.

[0107] (Second embodiment) Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the external structure of a waveguide structure 1A according to a second embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a perspective view of the entire waveguide structure and (b) is a diagram showing the configuration of the waveguide opening as seen from the front. In Figure 6(a), the same reference numerals are used for components that are the same as those in the waveguide structure 1 according to the first embodiment shown in Figure 1(a). In addition, in Figure 6(a), components that are different from those in the waveguide structure 1 according to the first embodiment shown in Figure 1(a) are distinguished from those with the reference numerals shown in Figure 1(a) by adding "A".

[0108] As shown in Figure 6(a), the waveguide structure 1A according to this embodiment is composed of a three-dimensional metal member (main body member 4A) in which a corner portion C is formed by side P1 and side P2, and in appearance, except for the shape of the waveguide 5A, it has the same structure as the waveguide structure 1 according to the first embodiment (see Figure 1(a)).

[0109] As shown in Figure 6(a), in the waveguide structure 1A according to this embodiment, the main body member 4A is composed of an upper member 2A and a bottom member 3A that can be divided vertically by the XY plane, and can be assembled as a single three-dimensional member by closely fixing the lower surface 20A of the divided upper member 2A to the upper surface 30A of the divided bottom member 3A. The upper member 2A and the bottom member 3A constitute the first member and the second member of the present invention, respectively.

[0110] As described above, the assembled main body member 4A has a waveguide 5A with a rectangular cross-section that is formed by passing through the inside of the main body member 4A in a curved shape from the center of one side P1 to the center of the other side P2, as shown in Figure 6(a). The waveguide 5A is formed along the XY plane passing through the center of side P1 and the center of side P2. A waveguide opening 51A having a rectangular shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the waveguide 5A is provided at the center of one side P1, and a waveguide opening 52A having a similar rectangular shape is provided at the center of the other side P2.

[0111] The waveguide openings 51A and 52A have a rectangular shape that is long horizontally and short vertically when viewed from the front on side P1 (or side P2), as shown in Figure 6(b). On the other hand, as shown in Figure 6(a), the waveguide structure 1A according to this embodiment is realized by a conduit structure (see reference numerals 5AU and 5AB in Figures 7 and 8) that penetrates the interior of the main body member 4A, starting from the center of one side P1 of the main body member 4A and ending at the center of the other side P2, bending in one direction (to the right) (i.e., bending the long side of the rectangular cross-section of the waveguide 5A). Thus, the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment has an H-bent structure that bends the short side (magnetic field plane: H plane) of the waveguide 5A.

[0112] Figure 6(b) illustrates the dimensions of waveguide 5A suitable for transmitting signals in the 110-170 GHz frequency band. This waveguide 5A has a rectangular cross-section with a short side of 0.826 mm and a long side of 1.651 mm. In the waveguide structure 1 according to this embodiment, waveguide 5A can be formed with dimensions suitable for transmitting signals in any desired frequency band in the microwave band, not limited to the frequency bands mentioned herein.

[0113] The configuration of the waveguide structure 1A according to this embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to Figures 7 and 8. Figure 7 is a diagram showing the structure of the upper member 2A of the waveguide structure 1A according to this embodiment, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a left side view, (c) is a right side view, (d) is a front view, and (e) is a bottom view. Figure 8 is a diagram showing the structure of the bottom member 3A of the waveguide structure 1A according to this embodiment, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a left side view, (c) is a right side view, and (d) is a front view. In Figures 7 and 8, the same reference numerals are used for components that are the same as those of the waveguide structure 1 according to the first embodiment shown in Figures 2 and 3, and detailed explanations of parts common to the description in the first embodiment are omitted. Also, in Figures 7 and 8, components that are different from those of the waveguide structure 1 according to the first embodiment shown in Figures 2 and 3 are distinguished from those with the reference numerals shown in Figures 2 and 3 by adding "A".

[0114] In this embodiment, the waveguide structure 1A, as shown in Figure 7(e), has a main portion 21A of the lower surface 20A of the upper member 2A, in which a groove 5AU with a rectangular cross-section is formed, having a uniform width and a predetermined depth in the thickness direction of the upper member 2A. The groove 5AU is formed on the lower surface 20A of the upper member 2 shown in Figure 7(e) from near the midpoint of the side surface P11 toward the inward side surface 20A perpendicular to the side surface P11, then bends at a 45-degree angle toward the side surface P21, and then bends again at a 45-degree angle in the same direction and continues straight to the midpoint of the side surface P21. The groove 5AU is arranged opposite (facing) the groove 5AB (see Figure 8(a)) provided on the bottom member 3A to form the waveguide 5A.

[0115] The upper member 2A has a structure on its lower surface 20A side as shown in the bottom view of Figure 7(e), and a structure on its upper (front) surface as shown in the plan view of Figure 7(a). When viewed from the front, the upper member 2A has the structure shown in Figure 7(d). This structure corresponds to the upper half of the side surface P1 of the main body member 4A in the waveguide structure 1A shown in Figure 6(a), i.e., the structure of the side surface P11 when viewed from the front.

[0116] As shown in Figure 7(d), the side surface P11 of the upper member 2A is provided with a waveguide opening 51AU, which corresponds to the upper half of the waveguide opening 51A formed near the center of the side surface P1 of the main body member 4A when assembled as a waveguide structure 1A (see Figure 6(a)). The shape of the waveguide opening 51AU on the side surface P11 reflects the cross-sectional shape (rectangular shape) of the groove 5AU (see Figure 7(e)) provided on the lower surface 20A of the upper member 2A. The waveguide opening 51AU constitutes half of the waveguide opening 51A of the present invention.

[0117] Furthermore, the side P11 is provided with a flange portion 6U that corresponds to the upper semicircle of the circular flange portion 6 formed on the side P1 of the main body member 4A when assembled as a waveguide structure 1A.

[0118] The upper member 2A has the structure shown in Figure 7(c) on its right side, which is the structure shown in the plan view of Figure 7(a). This structure corresponds to the upper half of the side P2 of the main body member 4A in the waveguide structure 1A shown in Figure 6(a), when viewed from the front, i.e., the structure of the side P21.

[0119] As shown in Figure 7(c), the right side (side P21) of the upper member 2A is provided with a waveguide opening 52AU that reflects the rectangular cross-sectional shape corresponding to the groove A5U provided on the bottom surface 20A of the upper member 2A of the waveguide structure 1A. In addition, this side P21 is provided with a flange portion 7U that corresponds to the upper semicircle of the circular flange portion 7 formed on the side P2 of the main body member 4A when the waveguide structure 1A is assembled (see Figure 6(a)).

[0120] In contrast, the bottom member 3A has an upper surface 30A which is a flat surface that can be positioned opposite the lower surface 20A of the upper member 2A (see Figure 7(e)), as shown in Figure 8(a). On the bottom member 3A, a groove 5AB with a rectangular cross-section is formed on the main part 31A of the upper surface 30A, which has a uniform width and is formed to a predetermined depth in the thickness direction of the bottom member 3A. On the upper surface 30A of the bottom member 3A shown in Figure 8(a), the groove 5AB is formed to extend perpendicularly to the side surface P12 from near the middle of the side surface P12 toward the inside of the upper surface 30A, then bend at a 45-degree angle toward the side surface P22, and then bend again at a 45-degree angle in the same direction and continue straight to the middle position of the side surface P22. The groove 5AB forms a waveguide 5A by being positioned opposite (facing each other) to the groove 5AU (see Figure 7(e)) provided on the upper member 2A.

[0121] The bottom member 3A, whose upper surface 30A side has the structure shown in the plan view of Figure 8(a), has the structure shown in Figure 8(d) when viewed from the front. This structure corresponds to the lower half of the side P1 of the main body member 4A in the waveguide structure 1A shown in Figure 6(a), i.e., the structure of the side P12 when viewed from the front.

[0122] As shown in Figure 8(d), the side surface P12 of the bottom member 3A, when viewed from the front, is provided with a waveguide opening 51AB, which corresponds to the lower half of the waveguide opening 51A formed near the center of the side surface P1 of the main body member 4A when assembled as a waveguide structure 1A (see Figure 6(a)). The shape of the waveguide opening 51AB on the side surface P12 reflects the cross-sectional shape (rectangular shape) of the groove 5AB (see Figure 8(a)) provided on the upper surface 30A of the bottom member 3A. The waveguide opening 51AB constitutes the remaining half of the waveguide opening 51A of the present invention.

[0123] Furthermore, the side P12 is also provided with a flange portion 6B, which corresponds to the lower semicircle of the circular flange portion 6 formed on side P1 of the main body member 4 when assembled as a waveguide structure 1A.

[0124] The bottom member 3A has the structure shown in Figure 8(c) on its right side, which is the structure shown in the plan view of Figure 8(a). This structure corresponds to the lower half of the side P2 of the main body member 4A when viewed from the front, i.e., the structure of side P22, in the waveguide structure 1A shown in Figure 6(a).

[0125] As shown in Figure 8(c), the right side (side P22) of the bottom member 3A is provided with a waveguide opening 52AB that reflects the rectangular cross-sectional shape corresponding to the groove 5AB provided on the upper surface 30A of the bottom member 3A of the waveguide structure 1A. Furthermore, this side P22 is provided with a flange portion 7B that corresponds to the lower semicircle of the circular flange portion 7 formed on the side P2 of the main body member 4A when the waveguide structure 1A is assembled (see Figure 6(a)). The flange portion 7B is provided with connection holes 72 and 73B on the circumference of the lower semicircle, spaced at appropriate distances from each other and drilled perpendicular to the side P22.

[0126] In this embodiment, the waveguide structure 1A, having the structure described above, is formed by joining an upper member 2A and a bottom member 3A in close contact using the same procedure as in the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 6(a), the side surface P11 of the upper member 2A and the side surface P12 of the bottom member 3A are combined in an up-and-down position to form side surface P1, while the side surface P21 of the upper member 2A and the side surface P22 of the bottom member 3A are combined in an up-and-down position to form side surface P2.

[0127] Of the sides P1 and P2 that constitute the waveguide structure 1A, waveguide opening 51A is formed on side P1 by waveguide opening 51AU (see Figure 7(d)) ​​provided on side P11 of the upper member 2A and waveguide opening 51AB (see Figure 8(d)) provided on side P12 of the bottom member 3A. Waveguide opening 52A is formed on side P2 by waveguide opening 52AU (see Figure 7(c)) provided on side P21 of the upper member 2A and waveguide opening 52AB (see Figure 8(c)) provided on side P22 of the bottom member 3A. A waveguide 5A is formed between waveguide opening 51A and waveguide opening 52A by hollowing out the main member 4A having sides P1 and P2. Waveguide openings 52AU and 52AB constitute half and the other half of the waveguide opening 52A of the present invention, respectively.

[0128] Waveguide 5A is formed by a groove 5AU (see Figure 7(e)) provided on the lower surface 20A of the upper member 2A and a groove 5AB (see Figure 8(a)) provided on the upper surface 30A of the bottom member 3A. The main body member 4A has two bends that bend in one direction, achieving a total bending angle of 90 degrees.

[0129] Furthermore, on the side P1 of the waveguide structure 1A (see Figure 6(a)), a flange portion 6 is formed by a flange portion 6U (see Figure 7(d)) ​​provided on the side P11 of the upper member 2A and a flange portion 6B (see Figure 8(d)) provided on the side P12 of the bottom member 3A. On the other hand, on the side P2, a flange portion 7 is formed by a flange portion 7U (see Figure 7(c)) provided on the side P21 of the upper member 2A and a flange portion 7B (see Figure 8(c)) provided on the side P22 of the bottom member 3A.

[0130] Figure 9 shows an operational configuration in which the waveguide structure 1A according to this embodiment is connected between equipment 15A and equipment 15B, both of which have waveguide circuits, to transmit electromagnetic waves. In this case, the connection between the waveguide structure 1 and equipment 15A and equipment 15B can be performed using the same procedure as in the first embodiment.

[0131] As a result, in the waveguide structure 1A according to this embodiment, similar to the waveguide structure 1 according to the first embodiment, it is possible to transmit signals (for example, D-band signals) from the waveguide circuit of equipment 15A to the waveguide opening 51A through the waveguide 5A, and further transmit those signals from the waveguide opening 52A to the waveguide circuit of equipment 15B, thereby enabling transmission control.

[0132] Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating the position of the bends in waveguide 5A and the cutting process of the corners of the outer inner wall in waveguide structure 1A according to this embodiment. Waveguide 5A shown in Figure 10 has a rectangular cross-section with a long side dimension of 1.651 mm. This waveguide 5A has a first bend 55A and a second bend 56A, and the corners of the outer inner wall of each bend 55A and 56A are linearly cut to an appropriate size to create cut sections 551A and 561A. Waveguide structure 1A having waveguide 5A with cut sections 551A and 561A makes it possible to further reduce loss and improve VWSR compared to waveguide structure 1A without the cut sections 551A and 561A.

[0133] In this embodiment as well, the bending angle of the waveguide 5A is not limited to 90 degrees; any desired bending angle may be selected. Furthermore, the number of bends required to achieve the desired bending angle is not limited to the two exemplified in Figure 10; more bends may be used. Moreover, the waveguide structure 1A according to this embodiment is applicable not only to the D-band frequency range but also to waveguide structures transmitting signals in other frequency bands.

[0134] As described above, the waveguide structure 1A according to the second embodiment has an H-bent structure in which the waveguide 5A bends its short side (bends toward the magnetic field plane (H plane)). The H-bent structure can be easily manufactured by making the shapes of the groove 5AU provided in the upper member 2A and the groove 5AB provided in the bottom member 3A into shapes suitable for an H-bent.

[0135] In addition, the waveguide structure 1A according to the second embodiment is equivalent to the waveguide structure 1 according to the first embodiment, and has a structure in which a waveguide 5A is formed by hollowing out a metal block (main body member 4A) in a curved shape from one side P1 to the other side P2, and flange portions 6 and 7 are integral with the waveguide 5A on sides P1 and P2, so the same effects and advantages as the waveguide structure 1 according to the first embodiment can be expected. [Industrial applicability]

[0136] As described above, the waveguide structure and equipment using the same according to the present invention have the effect of enabling miniaturization, reducing transmission loss, and maintaining a good VSWR, and are useful for waveguide structures having waveguides bent at a predetermined angle, and for equipment such as measuring devices or other devices using the same in general. [Explanation of symbols]

[0137] 1, 1A waveguide structure 2. 2A Upper member (first member) 3. 3A Bottom member (second member) 4, 4A Main body components 5, 5A waveguide 5U, 5AU, 5B, 5AB Groove 6. Flange section (first flange section) 6U, 6B flange section 7. Flange section (second flange section) 7U, 7B flange section 8 threaded through holes 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b pin hole 9 screw holes 10 screws 15A, 15B Equipment (measuring devices or equipment) 20, 20A Bottom surface (joint surface 1) 21, 21A, 31, 31A Main parts 30, 30A Top surface (joint surface 2) 51, 51A Waveguide aperture (one of the apertures) Waveguide apertures 51U and 51AU (half the aperture size of waveguide apertures 51 and 51A) Waveguide apertures 51B and 51AB (the remaining half of waveguide apertures 51 and 51A) 52, 52A waveguide aperture (other aperture) 52U, 52AU waveguide apertures (half the aperture size of waveguide apertures 52 and 52A) Waveguide openings 52B and 52AB (the remaining half of waveguide openings 52 and 52A) 55, 55A, 56, 56A Folded section 61, 62, 63 Connection holes for flange portion 6 63U Upper half of connection hole 63 63B Lower half of connection hole 63 71, 72, 73 Connection holes for flange portion 7 73U Upper half of connection hole 73 73B Lower half of connection hole 73 551, 551A, 561, 561A cut section C Corner Section P1, P2 side P11 Side view (half of side view P1) P12 Side (the remaining half of side P1) P21 Side (Half of side P2 1) P22 Side (the remaining half of side P2, side 2)

Claims

1. It is composed of a three-dimensional metal main body member (4, 4A) having sides P1 and P2 that intersect with each other to form a corner (C), A waveguide structure having a rectangular cross-section waveguide (5, 5A) that penetrates the inside of the main body member from side P1 to side P2 in a shape that is bent at a predetermined angle, The main body member has a segmented structure that allows it to be divided into a first member (2, 2A) and a second member (3, 3A), each having a joining surface 1 (20, 20A) and a joining surface 2 (30, 30A) for joining the mating member. The first member is formed on the joint surface 1 and has a first groove (5U, 5AU) with a rectangular cross-section corresponding to half the cross-sectional shape of the waveguide, and a plurality of screw through holes (8) formed outside the area of ​​the first groove so as to extend in the thickness direction of the first member. The second member is formed on the joint surface 2 and has a second groove (5B, 5AB) with a rectangular cross-section corresponding to the remaining half of the cross-sectional shape of the waveguide, and a plurality of screw holes (9) formed outside the area of ​​the second groove so as to extend in the thickness direction of the second member. Waveguide structure characterized in that the joining surface 1 and the joining surface 2 are in close contact, the first member is joined to the second member such that the waveguide is formed by the first groove and the second groove, and a plurality of screws (10) that are screwed into the screw holes are each screwed into the screw holes through the screw through holes, thereby fixing the first member and the second member in close contact.

2. The main body member is provided integrally with the waveguide, with a first flange portion (6) on the side P1 surrounding one opening (51, 51A) of the waveguide, and a second flange portion (7) on the side P2 surrounding the other opening (52, 52A) of the waveguide. The first member further includes, as a side surface, a half-side surface 1 (P11) corresponding to half of the side surface P1 and a half-side surface 2 (P21) corresponding to half of the side surface P2, The second member further includes, as side surfaces, a remaining half-side surface 1 (P12) corresponding to the remaining half of the side surface P1 and a remaining half-side surface 2 (P22) corresponding to the remaining half of the side surface P2. Waveguide structure according to claim 1, characterized in that the joining surface 1 and the joining surface 2 are in close contact, the waveguide is formed by the first groove and the second groove, the first flange portion on the side P1 of the main body member is formed by the half side surface 1 of the first member and the remaining half side surface 1 of the second member, and the second flange portion on the side P2 of the main body member is formed by the half side surface 2 of the first member and the remaining half side surface 2 of the second member.

3. The waveguide structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the waveguide has an E-bent structure that bends the long side (electric field surface (E-plane)) of the waveguide.

4. The waveguide structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the waveguide has an H-bent structure that bends the short side of the waveguide (bends it toward the magnetic field plane (H plane)).

5. The waveguide structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the waveguide is formed with dimensions suitable for transmitting signals in the frequency band of 110 to 170 GHz.

6. The waveguide structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the waveguide has multiple bent sections (55, 55A, 56, 56A) that extend perpendicularly from the side surface P1 and bend at a predetermined angle in one direction, and achieves a bending angle equivalent to the sum of the bending angles at all the bent sections between the side surface P1 and the side surface P2.

7. The waveguide structure according to claim 6, characterized in that the angle corresponding to the sum of the above values ​​is 90 degrees, and the bending portion that bends at 45 degrees is provided in two locations.

8. The waveguide structure according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the waveguide has cut portions (551, 561, 551A, 561A) obtained by straightening the corners of the outer inner wall at the bent portion.

9. Equipment (15A, 15B) that implements waveguide circuits for transmitting signals in the 110-170 GHz band, The apparatus is characterized in that the waveguide circuit is configured using a waveguide structure as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that the apparatus is a measuring device or apparatus.

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