Connector

Abstract

To provide a coupler that separates and / or combines a transmission signal and a reception signal and has broadband capability without the need for complex assembly.SOLUTION: In a coupler 100, all ports 102, 107, and 108 are at least partly or completely arranged within a connector 110 or at the connector 110. The coupler 100 is particularly a resistor coupler and includes registers 103, 104, 105, and 106 adapted to sum and / or split an input signal and / or an output signal. The resistors 103, 104, 105, and 106 are arranged at or within the connector 110, and a sum port 107 and / or at least two split ports 102 and 108 are arranged on a substrate 101.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a broadband coupler applicable to a test setup, particularly a broadband jack ferrite coupler.

Background Art

[0002] Broadband ferrite couplers are used to separate and / or combine transmitted and received signals in a measurement system. The need for measurement systems using broadband ferrite couplers is increasing. Test systems are used to perform tests on mobile devices using wireless communication. Latest communication devices implement various wireless standards. Each wireless standard may have different transmission frequencies, bandwidths, powers, and duplex communication mode. Therefore, for signal separation and signal combination of the coupler, it is necessary to have a broadband function so that all wireless standards can be applied to the respective frequency bands of the transmitted and received signals. This separation of the transmitted and received signals is necessary for the measurement of a communication device having two or more individual modules of at least one transmission module and one reception module. Since the transmission and reception operations in a mobile network are performed simultaneously, it is necessary to ensure that the signal of the transmission part of the measurement system is passed only to the device under test (DUT) and does not reach the reception module of the DUT. Otherwise, the sensitivity of the reception part of the measurement system to the DUT signal may decrease. For example, Patent Document 1 shows a broadband directional coupler for measuring a traveling radio frequency signal. The directional coupler includes a rotationally symmetric housing and an internal conductor separated into sections. The housing section includes a cutting groove for accommodating a resistor for realizing a coupling circuit.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Disclosure of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The state of the art is disadvantageous because it requires a very complex housing. Furthermore, it is difficult to integrate state-of-the-art solutions into the measuring device.

[0005] Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a coupler for separating and / or combining transmitted and received signals, which has broadband capabilities without requiring complex assembly.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] This object is solved by the features of claim 1 of the novel coupler. Further developments are included in the dependent claims.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, the coupler is designed in particular as a resistive coupler. All ports of the coupler are arranged partially or completely in the connector. Alternatively, these ports are arranged partially or completely within the connector. The coupler has incoming signals No. or outgoing signals combined Total or split-compatible configured as a Wheatstone bridge resistors. The resistors are on or within a connector arranged on a substrate. The total ports and / or at least two split ports are arranged on the substrate. When performing the total, an input signal is input to two split ports, and an output signal is output from the total port. When performing the split, an input signal is input to the total port, and output signals are output from the two split ports. As a result, the coupler can be easily integrated into the hardware of the measuring device. Furthermore, it becomes possible to mount the coupler in a fully automated manufacturing process.

[0008] Advantageously and preferably, the resistors of the coupler are ceramic resistors. At least two resistors may comprise a common ceramic substrate. This significantly reduces the complexity of assembling the coupler.

[0009] Even more advantageously and preferably, at least one of the resistors comprises a thin film resistor element. As a result, the broadband function of the coupler is enhanced.

[0010] Advantageously and preferably, the connector of the coupler is a coaxial connector including a shell (outer casing), a center conductor, and a dielectric. The dielectric is configured to separate the shell from the center conductor. Thereby, since the coaxial connector can be directly used as a measurement port connector, the coupler can be used at the starting end of the measuring device.

[0011] Alternatively, the shell is longitudinally divided into a separated shell section and a shell section connected to the main body of the connector, thereby forming a partition portion. Through the intrusion of the shell, access can be made to the center conductor of the connector.

[0012] Advantageously and preferably, at least a part of the shell is grounded and the other part is connected to the substrate. Thereby, a total port can be attached to the connector.

[0013] Advantageously and preferably, a common ceramic substrate carrying at least two resistors is arranged within the divided section of the shell. Thereby, the certainty of the termination of the resistor is improved.

[0014] Advantageously and preferably, the shell of the connector is fixed to the reference signal plane of the substrate, and / or the main body of the connector and the shell connected to the main body of the connector are fixed to the reference signal plane of the substrate. Thereby, the certainty of the termination of the connector is improved.

[0015] Advantageously and preferably, the center conductor of the connector is connected to one of the divided ports on the substrate. Thereby, it becomes easier to access the incoming signal and the outgoing signal.

[0016] Advantageously and preferably, a common ceramic substrate carrying at least two resistors is penetrated by the center conductor of the connector.

[0017] Advantageously and preferably, at least one of the resistive elements is arranged circularly with respect to the central conductor of the connector and / or at least one of the resistive elements is formed as at least one segment (line segment) of a circle with respect to the central conductor. As a result, the connection trace is shortened, the termination quality of the connector is improved, thereby improving the measurement quality.

[0018] Advantageously and preferably, Center the conductor is connectable to additional means and / or the connector is arranged in a recessed area of the substrate. Thereby, the connector terminal and the conductor of the substrate are in direct contact, thus reducing signal reflection.

[0019] Advantageously and preferably, at least one ferrite bead is arranged on or around the connector. Thereby, the separation between signals is further increased, leading to an improvement in the quality of the measurement.

[0020] Advantageously and preferably, the substrate comprises a recessed area formed to receive at least one ferrite bead and / or the connector comprises a circular slot adapted to integrate at least one ferrite bead. This ensures the simplification of the manufacture of the connector.

[0021] Advantageously and preferably, at least one ferrite bead is penetrated by the central conductor of the connector and the shell conductor of the connector. Thereby, the influence on the frequency response of the ferrite bead and the manufacturability are improved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0022]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 12

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0023] Here, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be further described with reference to the drawings as an example. The representative embodiments of the invention are further described in the drawings by way of example only and are not limited thereto. Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. First, with respect to FIGS. 1 to 5, the first exemplary embodiment of the broadband jack ferrite coupler of the present invention is shown. Next, with reference to FIGS. 6 to 10, the structure of the second exemplary embodiment of the broadband jack ferrite coupler of the present invention is shown. Finally, with reference to FIGS. 11 to 12, the details of the broadband jack ferrite coupler of the present invention will be described. Similar aspects and reference numerals are partially omitted in different figures.

[0024] In FIG. 1, a first exemplary embodiment of the broadband jack ferrite coupler 100 of the present invention is shown. The exemplary broadband jack ferrite coupler 100 includes a substrate 101, a connector 110, ferrite beads 109, and resistors 103, 104, 105, 106.

[0025] The substrate 101 carries all the components of the exemplary broadband jack ferrite coupler 100. The substrate 101 is preferably made of a material suitable for radio frequency applications. In particular, the substrate 101 preferably has a low dissipation factor in RF applications. There are various available materials. Glass-filled PTFE is a suitable material for the substrate 101. When the need to change the frequency is not so high, high-performance FR4 materials can be used. For the highest performance applications, special RF materials such as ROGER RO3003 are available.

[0026] Furthermore, the substrate 101 includes a wiring structure and a total port 107 and / or two split ports 102, 108 on the upper side of the substrate 101. The ports 102, 107, 108 are arranged in the connector 110 and guided to the edge of the substrate 101. The ports 107, 108 at the ends of the substrate 101 represent electrical interfaces to the measuring device. The bottom surface of the substrate 101 (not shown in FIG. 1) includes a conductive layer connected to the reference signal plane. Such a reference signal plane can have a ground potential. Therefore, the broadband jack ferrite coupler 100 is configured to be arranged in a prepared area of the printed circuit board of the measuring device.

[0027] The connector 110 of the exemplary broadband jack ferrite coupler 100 is a coaxial connector attached to the end. This connector 110 is, for example, an MMCX, SMA, SMB, SMC, BNC, TNC, or N connector. The present invention is not limited to the listed connector types. The connector 110 further includes ferrite beads 109. This configuration will be described in the following section regarding FIG. 2.

[0028] Resistors 103, 104, 105, and 106 are arranged on the side surface of the substrate 101 having a wiring structure. Preferably, the resistors 103, 104, 105, and 106 are configured as a Wheatstone bridge. The first resistor 103 is connected to the split port 102 and the total port 107 at its first connection portion. The second connection portion of the first resistor 103 is connected to the first connection portion of the second resistor 104 and the second split port 108. This forms the first branch of the Wheatstone bridge. The second branch of the Wheatstone bridge is formed by the third resistor 105 and the fourth resistor 106 in a series configuration combined with the impedance of the device connected to the total port 107. The first connection portion of the third resistor 105 is connected to the reference signal plane. The second connection portion of the third resistor 105 is connected to the first connection portion of the fourth resistor 106 and the shell 112 of the connector 110. The ferrite bead 109 disposed on the shell 112 of the connector 110 forms a balun (balanced-unbalanced transformer) that converts the asymmetric signal of the split port 102 into a symmetric signal usable by the bridge.

[0029] Resistors 103, 104, 105, and 106 are ceramic chip resistors. In high-precision applications of RF measurement, these resistors 103, 104, 105, and 106 are provided with thin-film resistor elements. The characteristics of the thin-film resistor element are low noise, low temperature dependence, and low resistance tolerance. Alternatively, thick-film resistor elements can be used in cost-sensitive applications. The thick-film resistor has excellent performance characteristics suitable for many measurement applications.

[0030] In addition to using ceramic chip resistors, direct applications of resistor elements on the substrate 101 can be used. The directly applied resistor element can further improve the termination quality of the broadband jack ferrite coupler 100.

[0031] The above-described bridge configuration has good decoupling characteristics for both of the split ports 102 and 108. Further, the attenuation amount between the total port 107 and one of the split ports 102 and 108 is preferably about 6 dB.

[0032] Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional plan view of a first exemplary embodiment of the broadband jack ferrite coupler 100 of the present invention. In particular, the cross-sectional view visualizes the structure of the connector 110 in combination with the ferrite beads 109. The connector 110 includes a body 113. The body 113 has a circular slot 115. The circular slot 115 is dimensioned to allow the ferrite beads 109 to be incorporated into the connector 110. It should be noted that the shell 112 is formed inside the circular slot 115. The center conductor 111 passes through the center of the connector 110. This center conductor 111 is separated from the shell 112 and the body 113 by an insulator 114. This insulator 114 is dimensioned so that the connector 110 has good impedance matching.

[0033] The ferrite beads 109 are preferably fixed to the slot of the connector 110 by using an adhesive. As the adhesive, a resin, an epoxy resin, a cyanoacrylate adhesive, or any adhesive having appropriate electrical properties can be used. In addition to this, the ferrite beads 109 can be directly formed in the slot of the connector 110 by using a sintering process for ferrite manufacturing.

[0034] Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a first exemplary embodiment of the broadband jack ferrite coupler 100 of the present invention. The perspective view shows the integration of the connector 110 onto the substrate 101. The connector 110 is disposed in the recessed area of the substrate 101. Furthermore, it can be seen that the ferrite beads 109 are also integrated onto the substrate 101. Furthermore, the ferrite beads 109 are disposed in the circular slot of the connector 110. The center conductor 111 is attached to the total port 107.

[0035] Figure 4 shows a side view of the broadband jack ferrite connector 100. Here, it can be seen in more detail that the connector 110 includes ferrite beads 109, thereby passing through the substrate 101. The center conductor 111 is connected to the split structure of the substrate 101 on the upper side. The flat connection of the center conductor 111 reduces reflection at the connection point. Advantageously, the bandwidth of the broadband jack ferrite connector 100 is increased.

[0036] Figure 5 shows a side cross-sectional view of the broadband jack ferrite connector 100. In this figure, it is clearer how the connector 110 is incorporated into the substrate 101. The center conductor 111 reaches from the split port 102 to the total port 107. The shell 112, dielectrics 235, 262 and the center conductor 111 are assembled as a coaxial line. The ferrite beads 109 are fixed on this coaxial line. This configuration leads to a balun circuit. This balun serves to convert symmetric signals to asymmetric signals and asymmetric signals to symmetric signals. This is an important part in the measurement bridge of the broadband jack ferrite connector 100. One of the split ports, here the split port 102, is not related to the reference potential. Therefore, it needs to be converted to a signal without a reference potential.

[0037] Figures 6 and 7 show a plan view of a second exemplary embodiment of the broadband jack ferrite connector 200 of the present invention. For the sake of simplicity, Figures 6 and 7 will be described simultaneously. The function of the broadband jack ferrite connector 200 is basically the same as that of the broadband jack ferrite connector 100 described for the first exemplary embodiment. The exemplary broadband jack ferrite connector 200 includes a substrate 201, a connector 210, ferrite beads 209, resistors 205, 206 and a common ceramic substrate 230.

[0038] The substrate 201 carries all the components of the exemplary broadband jack ferrite coupler 200. The substrate 201 is preferably made of a suitable material having a small dissipation factor in RF applications. Suitable materials are, for example, glass-filled PTFE, high-performance FR4 material or ROGER RO3003.

[0039] The wiring structure and the total port 207 and / or the two split ports 202, 208 are applied to the upper side of the substrate 201. The ports 202, 208 arranged on the substrate 201 are guided to the edge of the substrate 201. The bottom side surface of the substrate 201 comprises a conductive layer connected to the reference signal plane.

[0040] The connector 210 of the exemplary broadband jack ferrite coupler 200 is a coaxial connector attached to the end. The connector 210 preferably has shells 242, 243 that are split longitudinally into a separated shell section and a shell section connected to the body 214 of the connector 210. Also, the shell of the connector 210 connected to the body 214 is connected to the reference signal plane of the substrate 201. The reference signal plane is connected to the reference potential of the signal. Preferably, the reference signal plane has a ground potential. The body 213 of the connector 210 and the shell 243 connected to the body 214 of the connector 210 are also fixed to the reference signal plane of the substrate 201.

[0041] The common ceramic substrate 230 is arranged in the separated part of the shell 242. The split shell section is between the separated section of the shell 242 and the shell section connected to the body 214 of the connector 210. The common ceramic substrate 230 is penetrated by the center conductor 211. Preferably, at least two resistors 233, 234 (see Figure 12) are integrated on the common ceramic substrate 230. The resistors 205, 206 are arranged on the upper surface of the substrate 201.

[0042] Preferably, at least two resistors of the common ceramic substrate 230 233、234The resistors 205 and 206 combined with [the relevant component] are configured as a Wheatstone bridge. The resistors 205 and 206 arranged on the common ceramic substrate 230 form the first branch of the Wheatstone bridge. The second branch of the Wheatstone bridge is formed by the impedance of the device connected to the total port 207 and the third resistor 205 and the fourth resistor 206 in series configuration. The first connection portion of the third resistor 205 is connected to the reference signal plane. The second connection portion of the third resistor 205 is connected to the first connection portion of the fourth resistor 206 and the separation portion of the shell 242 of the connector 210.

[0043] The first dielectric 262 is applied between the central conductor 211 and the separated portion of the shell 242. The second dielectric 235 separates the central conductor 211 from the shell 242 connected to the main body 214 of the connector 210. The dimensions of the dielectrics 235 and 262 are selected such that the resulting coaxial structure has a desired line impedance, for example 50 Ω.

[0044] The ferrite bead 209 is arranged on the separated portion of the shell 242. This structure forms a balun that converts the asymmetric signal of the split port 202 into a symmetric signal usable by the bridge.

[0045] FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of a second exemplary embodiment of the broadband jack ferrite coupler 200 of the present invention. The perspective view shows the integration of the ferrite bead 209 of the connector 210 and the common ceramic substrate 230 into the substrate 201. The assembly of this connector 210 is arranged in the recessed area of the substrate 201.

[0046] FIG. 8 shows a side view of the broadband jack ferrite coupler 200. Here, it can be seen in more detail that the connector 210 including the ferrite bead 209 on the separated portion of the shell 242 of the connector 210 penetrates the substrate 201. The central conductor 211 is flatly connected to the split port 202 above the substrate 201. The flat connection of the central conductor 211 reduces reflection at the connection point. Advantageously, the bandwidth of the coupler 200 is increased.

[0047] FIG. 9 shows a side view of the broadband jack ferrite coupler 200, and FIG. 10 shows a side cross-sectional view. Here, how the connector 210 is incorporated into the substrate 201 is clearer. The center conductor 211 reaches from the total port 207 to the split port 202. The shell 242 is divided into a separated section of the shell 242 and a section connected to the connector 210. The first part of the dielectric 262 is disposed under the separated section of the shell 242. The second part of the dielectric 235 is disposed under the section of the shell 242 connected to the body 214 of the connector 210. The gap between the two parts of the dielectrics 262, 235 corresponds to the distance between the two shell 242, 243 parts of the connector 210. In addition to the electrical separation of the shells 242, 243, the gap is intended to integrate the common ceramic substrate 230.

[0048] FIG. 11 allows a more detailed view of the application of the common ceramic substrate 230 and the broadband jack ferrite coupler 200. Thus, FIG. 11 shows a further cross-sectional view of the broadband jack ferrite coupler 200. In FIG. 11, the cut surface is on the bottom side of the common ceramic substrate 230. The bottom side of the common ceramic substrate 230 is plated with a conductive layer 251. This conductive layer 251 is made of copper, copper plated with gold, or copper plated with silver. The choice of material is not limited to those listed. The conductive layer 251 is separated from the shell 242 of the connector 210. The region close to the center conductor 211 is also separated. Additionally and preferably, the common ceramic substrate 230 includes a path 252 for connecting the bottom-side conductive layer 251 to an upper-side conductor (not shown in FIG. 11). This structure can shield the resistance elements 233, 234 from the influence of the electromagnetic field in the coaxial connector.

[0049] FIG. 12 shows a detailed cross-sectional perspective view of resistor elements 233 and 234 on a common ceramic substrate 230. Accordingly, the cutting plane used in FIG. 11 moves to resistor elements 233 and 234 of the common ceramic substrate 230. The common ceramic substrate 230 includes a first resistor element 233, a second resistor element 234, a path 252, and a wiring structure. The first resistor element 233 is annularly arranged with respect to the center conductor 211 of the connector 210. The inner diameter of the first resistor element 233 starts from the center conductor 211, and the outer diameter is close to the wiring ring connecting the path 252. The first resistor element 233 is connected to the center conductor 211 of the connector 210 at its inner diameter by its first terminal. The second terminal of the first resistor element 233 is connected to the wiring ring connecting the path 252. The second resistor element 234 is a split ring annularly arranged with respect to the center conductor 211 of the connector 210.

[0050] The second resistor element 234 starts at its inner diameter from the wiring ring connecting the path 252 and ends near the outer diameter of the common ceramic substrate 230. The second resistor element 234 is connected to the wiring ring connecting to the path 252 at its first terminal. The second terminal of the second resistor element 234 is the outer diameter of the resistor element 234 and is connected to the separated portions of the shells 242 and 243. The ring connecting the path 252 is connected to the land pattern 261. These land patterns 261 are arranged within the separated portions of the split (divided) second resistor element 234. In the connection of the center point, a voltage divider including the first resistor element 233 and the second resistor element 234 is formed to be in contact with the substrate 201 at these land patterns 261.

[0051] These resistor elements 233 and 234 are preferably made of thin-film resistor elements. Such thin-film resistor elements 233 and 234 are applied by a sputtering process followed by laser trimming.

[0052] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and in particular, is not limited to a specific type of delay unit. The features of the exemplary embodiments can be used in any advantageous combination.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0053] 100, 200 Wideband Jack Ferrite Couplers 101, 201 Substrates 103, 104, 105, 106, 205, 206 Resistors 102, 108, 202, 208 Split Ports 107, 207 Total Ports 109, 209 Ferrite Beads 110, 210 Connectors 111, 211 Center Conductors 112, 242, 243 Shells 113, 213 Bodies 114 Insulators 115 Circular Slots 230 Common Ceramic Substrate 233, 234 Resistive Elements 235, 262 Dielectrics 251 Conductive Layers 252 Paths 261 Land Patterns

Claims

1. All ports (102, 107, 108, 202, 207, 208) are at least partially arranged on a connector (110, 210) or also within said connector (110, 210), in particular a resistor connector, Resistors (103, 104, 105, 106, 205, 206) configured as a Wheatstone bridge adapted to sum or divide input or output signals are arranged on said connector (110, 210) or on a substrate (101, 201) within said connector (110, 210), All said ports (102, 107, 108, 202, 207, 208) are composed of a total port (107, 207) and / or at least two split ports (102, 108, 202, 208) arranged on said substrate (101, 201), When summing, the input signal is input to two of said split ports (102, 108, 202, 208), and the output signal is output from said total port (107, 207), When dividing, the input signal is input to said total port (107, 207), and the output signal is output from said two split ports (102, 108, 202, 208), characterized by a connector.

2. Said resistors (103, 104, 105, 106, 205, 206) are ceramic resistors, and / or At least two of said resistors (233, 234) are provided with a common ceramic substrate (230), characterized by the connector according to claim 1.

3. At least one of said resistors (103, 104, 105, 106, 205, 206) is provided with a thin-film resistor element, characterized by the connector according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. The connector (110, 210) is a coaxial connector including a shell (112, 242, 243), a center conductor (111, 211), and a dielectric (235, 262) configured to separate the center conductor (111, 211) from the shell, according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The shell (242, 243) is divided in the longitudinal direction into a separated shell section and a shell section connected to the body of the connector, thereby forming a divided section, according to claim 4.

6. At least a part of the shell (242, 243) is grounded, and the other part (242, 243) is connected to the substrate (201), according to claim 4 or claim 5.

7. The common ceramic substrate (230) is disposed within the divided section of the shell (242, 243), according to claim 2 and claim 5.

8. The shell (112, 243) of the connector (110, 210) is fixed to the reference signal plane of the substrate (101, 201), and / or The body (213) of the connector (210) and the shell (243) connected to the body of the connector (210) are fixed to the reference signal plane of the substrate (201), according to any one of claims 4 to 7.

9. The center conductor (111, 211) is connected to one of the divided ports (102, 108, 202, 208) on the substrate (101, 201), according to any one of claims 4 to 6 or claim 8.

10. The common ceramic substrate (230) is penetrated by the center conductor (111, 211) of the connector (110, 210), according to claim 2 and claim 4.

11. At least one of the thin-film resistive elements (233, 234) is arranged circularly with respect to the central conductor (211) of the connector (210), and / or The connector according to claim 4, which quotes claim 3, wherein at least one of the thin-film resistive elements (233, 234) is formed as at least one segment (line segment) of a circle with respect to the central conductor (211).

12. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the connector is arranged in a recessed region of the substrate (101, 201).

13. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein at least one ferrite bead (109, 209) is arranged on or around the connector (110, 210).

14. The substrate (101, 201) comprises a recessed region formed to receive at least one of the ferrite beads (109, 209), and / or The connector according to claim 13, wherein the connector comprises a circular slot (115) adapted to integrate at least one of the ferrite beads (109).

15. The connector according to claims 4 and 13, wherein at least one ferrite bead (109, 209) is penetrated by the central conductor (111, 211) of the connector (110, 210) and the shell (112, 242) conductor of the connector (110, 210).

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