Array of waveguides with a trapezoidal cross-section
The trapezoidal cross-section waveguides address the limitations of existing arrays by enabling additive manufacturing, reducing weight, and optimizing space, resulting in compact and efficient waveguide arrays.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-03-11
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-10
AI Technical Summary
Existing arrays of radio frequency waveguides face challenges in miniaturization, weight reduction, and additive manufacturing feasibility due to complex geometries and cantilevered walls, limiting design freedom and increasing manufacturing time and cost.
An array of waveguides with trapezoidal cross-sections, where at least one angle is not 90°, allowing shared walls between adjacent waveguides, facilitating additive manufacturing and reducing the number of assembly steps, while optimizing space and weight.
The trapezoidal cross-section enables high-density, compact arrays with reduced weight and manufacturing costs, enhancing design freedom and efficiency in producing miniaturized waveguide arrays.
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Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to an array of waveguides having a trapezoidal cross-section and an antenna array comprising such an array of waveguides.
Background Art
[0002] Arrays of radio frequency waveguides are widely used in many fields of the communication art, particularly in satellite communication.
[0003] Due to the limited capacity of satellites, particularly the constraints on the components mounted in the antenna parts and other radio frequency passive devices, the space and weight that can be ensured for all the mounted components are limited.
[0004] The additive manufacturing of such devices has the advantages of realizing complex geometries that optimize the space occupied by the devices and providing a manufacturing method with a minimized assembly process, thereby reducing the manufacturing time and cost. However, in terms of feasibility, additive manufacturing has certain constraints, particularly regarding the geometry of the devices.
[0005] Therefore, there is a need for passive radio frequency devices that optimize miniaturization, minimize weight, and have geometries suitable for additive manufacturing.
[0006] Alternative geometries for arrays of waveguides are also needed to expand the designer's freedom of design.
[0007] Arrays of waveguides typically comprise a matrix arrangement of waveguides with a rectangular cross-section or a honeycomb arrangement of waveguides with a hexagonal cross-section. In these arrangements, except for the ends of the array, each waveguide shares all its walls with the adjacent waveguides. This sharing of walls reduces the weight and volume of the array.
[0008] However, the additive manufacturing of arrays of waveguides having a rectangular or hexagonal cross-sectional shape is difficult due to the large number of cantilevered walls during printing.
[0009] Arrays of rectangular cross-section waveguides arranged in a matrix have already been developed. In this arrangement, each waveguide shares only a very limited length of its contour, for example, four points, with the adjacent waveguides. This results in an unfavorable ratio of the surface area of the (waveguide) channel to the surface area of the wall. [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]
[0010] One of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a waveguide array that is free from the limitations of the prior art.
[0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide an array of waveguides that facilitates additive manufacturing.
[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide a waveguide array that reduces the number of assembly steps in its manufacturing process.
[0013] Another object of the present invention is to provide an optimally miniaturized waveguide array.
[0014] Another object of the present invention is to provide a waveguide array that is lighter than conventional waveguide arrays. [Means for solving the problem]
[0015] In this invention, these objectives are achieved, in particular, by an array of waveguides comprising a plurality of waveguides obtained by additive manufacturing, arranged in sets to form at least one set of waveguides. Each set of waveguides is A first waveguide having a trapezoidal cross-section in which at least one of the multiple angles of the trapezoid is not 90°, The first waveguide and the second waveguide are characterized by having a trapezoidal cross-section in which at least one of the multiple angles of the trapezoid is not 90°, and the first waveguide and the second waveguide share a common wall.
[0016] A trapezoidal shape where at least one of the plurality of angles is not 90° reduces or eliminates the horizontally protruding surface (cantilevered surface) during printing.
[0017] The trapezoidal cross-section is the cross-section of the waveguide channel.
[0018] In one embodiment, the shared wall corresponds to the short base of the trapezoidal cross-section of the first waveguide and the second waveguide.
[0019] In one embodiment, the shared wall corresponds to the long base of the trapezoidal cross-section of the first waveguide and the second waveguide.
[0020] In one embodiment, the shared wall corresponds to the legs adjacent to both bases of the trapezoidal cross-section of the first waveguide and the second waveguide.
[0021] The first waveguide is configured to transmit the first polarization wave, and the second waveguide is configured to transmit the second polarization wave.
[0022] The first waveguide is configured to transmit the first polarization wave, and the second waveguide is configured to transmit the same first polarization wave.
[0023] In one embodiment, the number of waveguides is four or more, and at least two sets of waveguides are formed. The shared wall of the first set of waveguides corresponds to the short base of the trapezoidal cross-section, and the shared wall of the second set of waveguides corresponds to the long base of the trapezoidal cross-section.
[0024] In one embodiment, the number of waveguides is four or more. A plurality of sets of waveguides are arranged adjacent to each other along the first direction, and two sets of waveguides (that are continuous along the first direction) share the wall of at least one waveguide.
[0025] In one embodiment, the number of waveguides is four or more. A plurality of sets of waveguides are arranged adjacent to each other along the first direction and the second direction. Two sets that are continuous along the first direction share at least one waveguide wall, and two sets that are continuous along the second direction share at least one waveguide wall and are arranged.
[0026] In one embodiment, at least one of the waveguide walls shared by multiple sets that are continuous along the first direction corresponds to one bottom side of the trapezoidal cross-section of the waveguide, and at least one of the waveguide walls shared by multiple sets that are continuous along the second direction corresponds to the legs adjacent to both bottom sides of the trapezoidal cross-section of the waveguide.
[0027] In one embodiment, the inner wall of the first waveguide and the inner wall(s) of the second waveguide have a tail portion.
[0028] In one embodiment, two inner walls of the first waveguide and two inner walls of the second waveguide have a tail portion.
[0029] In one embodiment, the two inner walls with a tail portion correspond to the bottom sides of the trapezoidal cross-sections of the first waveguide and the second waveguide.
[0030] In one embodiment, each trapezoidal cross-section is an isosceles trapezoid or a parallelogram.
[0031] In one embodiment, the array of waveguides is adapted to function as an array of couplers.
[0032] The above object is also achieved by a dual-polarization antenna array formed by additive manufacturing. This antenna array includes the following an array of waveguides of any of the above-described ones, and a plurality of radiating elements coupled to one end of a set of waveguides of the array of waveguides and.
[0033] In one embodiment of the antenna array, the array of waveguides includes at least eight waveguides, and multiple sets of waveguides are arranged adjacent to each other along the first direction and the second direction, Two consecutive sets along the first direction share at least one waveguide wall, Two consecutive sets along the second direction share at least one waveguide wall. It is considered to be.
[0034] The present invention is also applicable to arrays of waveguides that transmit single polarization, and comprises multiple rows (or rows) of waveguides. Each row comprises a power coupler, a curved waveguide, and a straight section, and the straight waveguide in each row has a trapezoidal cross-section. The waveguides in each row are oriented alternately in a first orientation and a second orientation opposite to the first orientation, and each waveguide within each row shares the leg of the trapezoidal base with the adjacent waveguide within the same row. This array may have multiple rows, with the trapezoidal bases of adjacent rows being shared.
[0035] The present invention also relates to an array of waveguides for transmitting dual polarization. This array comprises at least one row (or section of row) of waveguides for transmitting a first polarization signal, and at least one row (or section of row) of second waveguides for transmitting a second polarization signal. Each row comprises a power coupler, a bent waveguide, and a straight section, and the straight waveguides of each row have a trapezoidal cross-section. Each waveguide in a row alternates between a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction, and each waveguide within a row shares the face of the leg adjacent to the base of the trapezoid with the adjacent waveguide within the same row. The bases of the trapezoids in adjacent rows may be shared.
[0036] Multiple embodiments of the present invention are shown in the description provided in the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0037] [Figure 1a] Figure 1a schematically shows two cross-sections of a pair of waveguides with trapezoidal cross-sections. [Figure 1b] Figure 1b schematically shows two cross-sections of a pair of waveguides with trapezoidal cross-sections. [Figure 2a]Figure 2a schematically shows two cross-sections of an array of waveguides arranged in one direction (X). [Figure 2b] Figure ba schematically shows two cross-sections of an array of waveguides arranged in one direction (Y). [Figure 3] Figure 3 schematically shows a cross-section of an array of waveguides arranged in two directions. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows a cross-section of an antenna array equipped with an array of waveguides with a trapezoidal cross-section. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an oblique cross-section of an antenna array equipped with an array of waveguides with a trapezoidal cross-section. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows a perspective view of an antenna array equipped with a waveguide array according to the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0038] The present invention first relates to an array of waveguides (waveguides arranged regularly) in which the cross-section of each waveguide is trapezoidal and at least one of the angles in the trapezoid is not 90°. That is, the geometric cross-section obtained by the intersection of a waveguide and a plane substantially perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation within the waveguide is a trapezoid with at least one pair of parallel sides (bases of the trapezoid) and at least one angle that is not 90°. The trapezoid has a short base and a long base.
[0039] Rectangular and square sections are excluded from the definition of a trapezoidal section in which at least one angle is not 90°. However, parallelogram sections in which at least one angle is not 90° are included in this definition. Hereafter, in this text, "trapezoidal section" will mean "a trapezoidal section in which at least one angle is not 90°."
[0040] The waveguide array preferably comprises an even number of waveguides. The waveguides in the array may be arranged in multiple sets to form waveguide sets 12. Each of the waveguide sets 12 comprises a first waveguide 10 (where electromagnetic waves with a first polarization P1 can propagate) and a second waveguide 11 (where electromagnetic waves with a second polarization P2 can propagate). In this way, each waveguide set handles two types of polarization. These sets are characterized in that the waveguides forming them share a wall 100. This shared wall corresponds to the base of the trapezoidal cross-section of each waveguide, or to the leg adjacent to the base.
[0041] While it is possible to provide the arrays of the types described here, in that case, each waveguide will transmit the same polarization.
[0042] As shown in Figures 1a and 1b, the shared wall 100 of the first waveguide 10 and the second waveguide 11 may correspond to the long base or the short base of the trapezoidal cross-section. The shared wall may also correspond to the leg adjacent to the base of the trapezoidal cross-section.
[0043] In the embodiments shown in Figures 2a and 2b, the waveguide array 1 comprises a set 12 of waveguides having multiple trapezoidal cross-sections arranged in one direction. Two consecutive sets share at least one waveguide wall. In other words, the first set of waveguides shares a wall with the second set of waveguides in the second set.
[0044] In the embodiment shown in Figure 2a, a plurality of sets 12, each consisting of a set of waveguides sharing the long base of a trapezoidal cross-section, can be arranged in the X direction. Two consecutive sets may share a waveguide wall corresponding to one of the shorter bases of the trapezoidal cross-section, as shown in Figure 2a, or they may share a waveguide wall corresponding to one of the longer bases (not shown) of the trapezoidal cross-section.
[0045] In the embodiment shown in Figure 2b, multiple sets 12, each consisting of multiple sets of waveguides sharing one or the other base of a trapezoidal cross-section, can be arranged along the Y direction. Two consecutive sets share two waveguide walls, corresponding to adjacent legs of the base of the trapezoidal cross-section.
[0046] In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, multiple sets 12, each consisting of multiple waveguides 10 and 11 sharing one base of a trapezoidal cross-section, may be arranged in a first direction (X direction) and a second direction (Y direction). The resulting waveguide array 1 consists of a matrix of waveguides (multiple) having a trapezoidal cross-section.
[0047] These arrangements allow for a high-density, compact array of waveguides. In fact, the trapezoidal cross-section eliminates gaps between adjacent waveguides, optimizing space utilization. Furthermore, sharing walls between some adjacent waveguides reduces the overall weight of the array, as some walls are shared. These shared walls are therefore used for two waveguides simultaneously.
[0048] In one embodiment, a ridge is provided on at least one internal wall of the waveguide. The ridge enables either or both miniaturization of the array and / or promotion of the transmission of specific modes by restricting higher-order modes. The ridge may be located at any location on the internal wall of the waveguide. Ridges within the same waveguide may have the same shape or different geometric shapes.
[0049] The trapezoidal waveguide described may be straight or bent. Furthermore, it is possible to install couplers, such as Y-shaped or H-shaped couplers, which have multiple branches of the trapezoidal waveguide as described.
[0050] In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the waveguide(s) of the array are provided with multiple ridges. In particular, each waveguide has one ridge on the shorter base of the trapezoidal cross-section and one ridge on the longer base of the trapezoidal cross-section.
[0051] The ridge wall can be adapted to allow for additional manufacturing. For example, the angle between the ridge wall and the printing direction can be adjusted to limit the cantilevered portion. Alternatively or additionally, rounded portions may be provided on the ridge to enable additional manufacturing.
[0052] The present invention also relates to an array 2 of a dual-polarization antenna, which is obtained by additive manufacturing and comprises the above-described waveguide array 1 and a plurality of radiating elements connected to the waveguide set 12.
[0053] In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, each radiating element is connected to a waveguide pair 12 and is configured to transmit and receive dual-polarization (P1, P2) signals. The first waveguide 10 of pair 12 propagates the first polarization P1, and the second waveguide 11 of pair 12 propagates the second polarization P2.
[0054] In embodiments not shown, each radiating element is connected to a single waveguide.
[0055] The connection between a radiating element and a waveguide, or a set of waveguides, may include, for example, one or more cross-sectional adapters if the cross-section of the radiating element is not circular, rectangular, or more generally trapezoidal.
[0056] The antenna array shown in Figure 5 may be combined with multiple identical arrays to form a matrix array. The trapezoidal cross-section of the waveguide restricts the free space between antenna arrays, enabling the realization of a high-density, compact array. Such a matrix array is shown in Figure 6.
[0057] Additive manufacturing is particularly well-suited for producing arrays of waveguides and antennas like these. In fact, it allows for the optimization of the density of arrays of different waveguides. Furthermore, it significantly reduces manufacturing time and costs. Indeed, using integrally molded parts through additive manufacturing minimizes the number of parts required to assemble the final device. In some cases, there is only one part, eliminating the need for assembly.
[0058] In one embodiment, the waveguide array 1 functions as either a coupler or divider (or an array thereof) or a beamforming array, or both. [Explanation of symbols]
[0059] 1 Waveguide Array 10 Waveguide 1 11. Second Waveguide 12 Waveguide Sets 14 Ridge 100 shared walls 2 Antenna Arrays
Claims
1. A waveguide array (1) obtained by additive manufacturing, comprising a plurality of waveguides arranged in sets to form at least one set (12) of waveguides, wherein each set of waveguides is A first waveguide (10) having a trapezoidal cross-section, A second waveguide (11) having a trapezoidal cross-section and A waveguide array (1) comprising the first waveguide and the second waveguide having a shared wall (100).
2. The array according to claim 1, wherein the shared wall corresponds to the short base portion of the trapezoidal cross-section of the first waveguide and the second waveguide.
3. The array according to claim 1, wherein the shared wall corresponds to the long base portion of the trapezoidal cross-section of the first waveguide and the second waveguide.
4. The array according to claim 1, wherein the shared wall corresponds to the adjacent legs of the trapezoidal cross-sections of the first waveguide and the second waveguide.
5. The array according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first waveguide propagates a first polarization (P1) and the second waveguide propagates a second polarization (P2).
6. The number of waveguides is four or more, and at least two sets (12) of waveguides are formed. The first set of shared walls of the waveguide corresponds to the short base of the trapezoidal cross-section, The second set of shared walls of the waveguide corresponds to the long base of the trapezoidal cross-section. The array according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
7. The number of waveguides is four or more, The array according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a plurality of sets of waveguides are arranged adjacent to each other along a first direction, and two sets that are continuous along the first direction share at least one waveguide wall.
8. The number of waveguides is four or more. Multiple sets of the waveguides are arranged adjacent to each other along the first and second directions. Two sets of contiguous waveguides along the first direction share at least one waveguide wall, The array according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein two sets of contiguous arrays along the second direction share at least one waveguide wall.
9. At least one of the waveguide walls shared by multiple sets of continuous structures along the first direction corresponds to one base of the trapezoidal cross-section of the waveguide, The array according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the waveguide walls shared by multiple sets of contiguous arrays along the second direction corresponds to adjacent legs of the trapezoidal cross-section of the waveguide.
10. The array according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the inner wall of the first waveguide (10) and the inner wall of the second waveguide (11) are provided with a ridge portion (14).
11. The array according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the two inner walls of the first waveguide and the two inner walls of the second waveguide are provided with a ridge portion (14).
12. The array according to claim 11, wherein the two internal walls correspond to the base portions of the trapezoidal cross-sections of the first waveguide and the second waveguide.
13. The array according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein each trapezoidal cross-section is an isosceles trapezoid or a parallelogram.
14. An array of waveguides according to any one of claims 1 to 13, adapted to function as a coupler array.
15. A waveguide array (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 14, Each radiating element (20) is connected to one end of the waveguide array, and there are multiple radiating elements (20) An array of dual-polarization antennas obtained by additive manufacturing (2), comprising the above.
16. In the dual-polarization antenna array (2) according to claim 15, the waveguide array (1) comprises at least eight waveguides, Multiple sets of the waveguides are arranged adjacent to each other along the first and second directions. Two consecutive sets along the first direction share at least one waveguide wall, A dual-polarization antenna array (2) in which two consecutive sets along the second direction share at least one waveguide wall.