Electrical transmitter, antenna, method of operating the transmitter, and phase shifter

Abstract

The natural response time for the domains to assume their natural relaxed state is accelerated by forcing the domains to their natural state. This forcing can be performed by application of an electric or magnetic field, or by application of mechanical, liquid or sonic pressure. Additionally, RF chokes and / or one or more RF traps are incorporated into the structure. When the forcing is performed by an electric field, a control signal is applied to the transmission line and to at least one control line on each side of the signal line.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] (CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) The present application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 281,593 filed on November 19, 2021, U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 399,570 filed on August 19, 2022, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 17 / 989,486 filed on November 17, 2022, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties into this specification.

Background Art

[0002] (Field) The present disclosure relates to improving the response time of liquid crystal domains, and is particularly useful when used in combination with electronic devices such as variable dielectric constant antennas and electromagnetic signal transmitting elements, for example.

[0003] (Prior Art) The inventor of the present subject matter previously disclosed improved control of the alignment of liquid crystal domains in U.S. Patent No. 10,705,391, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety into this specification. The embodiment disclosed in this patent utilizes a plurality of electrodes each having an independent control line, so that the domain system can be quickly placed in a desired state. For a full understanding of the specific embodiments and features disclosed herein, it is strongly recommended to study the aforementioned '391 patent.

[0004] As described in the aforementioned '391 patent, when a suitable electric field is applied, molecules (domains) rotate by an amount correlated with the strength of the applied electric field, and when the electric field is removed, the molecules return to a relaxed state. However, the temporal response to the application of an electric field (i.e., "turning it on") or the alignment of domains is much faster than the temporal response to the removal of the electric field (i.e., "turning it off") or the relaxation of domains. In certain applications disclosed by the present inventors, such as U.S. Patents 7,466,269, 7,884,766 and 10,199,710 (which are incorporated herein by reference), it is desirable that the response speed for turning it off approximates the response speed for turning it on.

[0005] In the embodiments disclosed in the aforementioned '391 patent, multiple electrodes, each having an independent control line, are used to quickly position a domain system to a desired state. By applying different potentials with different polarizations to the individual electrodes, various modes or states can be characterized within the liquid crystal system. The direction and amplitude of the director can be controlled by the magnitude of the applied potential and the selection of the electrode to which the potential is applied. For example, as disclosed in the embodiment of Figure 4 of the aforementioned '391 patent, by applying a potential to the RF transmission line, the RF transmission line can also function to control the orientation of the domain. However, the inventors have found that the presence of control lines in such an arrangement interferes with the RF signal propagating through the RF transmission line. Therefore, the inventors have attempted to avoid such interference without degrading the power-off response time. This problem is a fundamental challenge that has prevented the implementation of multi-electrode solutions inside antennas until now. [Overview of the Initiative]

[0006] The following summary of the disclosure is provided to provide a basic understanding of the features and some aspects of the present invention. This summary is not a comprehensive overview of the present invention and is therefore not intended to specifically identify any major or important elements of the present invention or to describe its scope. Its sole purpose is to present some of the concepts of the present invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description provided below.

[0007] The disclosed embodiments accelerate the response time of domains within a variable dielectric constant (VDC) layer. Domains enter a natural relaxation state upon removal of an aligned electric field ("on"), where they are not aligned but randomly oriented, unless they are near areas where mechanical friction and / or other mechanical adjustments are applied to the surface layer. The embodiments specifically address the slow natural response time when the electric field is removed. As disclosed herein, this natural relaxation time is accelerated by forcing the domains into a natural state. Such forcing can be achieved by applying an electric field, a magnetic field, and mechanical, hydrodynamic, or sonic pressure. Any of the disclosed embodiments may additionally incorporate the RF chokes and / or one or more RF traps disclosed herein. When such forcing is performed via an electric field, it is beneficial that the control signals are applied to the transmit line and at least one control line flanking each signal line.

[0008] An electrical transmitting device for transmitting electrical signals is disclosed, comprising: a variable dielectric constant (VDC) structure having a variable VDC material sandwiched between a lower dielectric plate and an upper dielectric plate, the VDC material having a plurality of oriented domains, comprising a common potential plate disposed below the lower dielectric plate and a plurality of transmitting lines disposed above the upper dielectric plate, each transmitting line transmitting an electrical signal, comprising a plurality of control lines, one of the transmitting lines paired with at least one of the control lines, the influence regions of the paired control lines and the transmitting line overlap, and comprising a plurality of ports connecting the control potentials between the common potential plate, the plurality of transmitting lines and the plurality of control lines, thereby controlling the spatial orientation of the domains.

[0009] An antenna is also disclosed, which includes: an upper dielectric plate, a lower dielectric plate, a variable dielectric plate having a variable dielectric material between the upper dielectric plate and the lower dielectric plate, a common potential plate provided below the lower dielectric plate, a plurality of radiators, a plurality of control lines provided on the upper dielectric plate, a plurality of transmitting lines provided on the upper dielectric plate, each of which is coupled to one of the radiators and an RF port, and one of the transmitting lines is paired with at least one of the control lines such that the influence ranges of the paired control lines and the transmitting line overlap, a plurality of control ports connecting the control potentials between the common potential plate, the plurality of transmitting lines and the plurality of control lines, thereby controlling the spatial orientation of domains in the variable dielectric material.

[0010] Furthermore, an electrical transmitting device for transmitting electrical signals is disclosed, which includes: a variable dielectric constant (VDC) structure having a variable VDC material sandwiched between a lower dielectric plate and an upper dielectric plate, the VDC material having a plurality of oriented domains, a common potential plate disposed below the lower dielectric plate, and a plurality of transmitting lines disposed above the upper dielectric plate, each transmitting line transmitting an electrical signal, and a pressure applicator for applying one of mechanical pressure, magnetic pressure, sound pressure, or hydraulic pressure to the VDC structure.

[0011] In this disclosure, the common potential plate may include a peripheral region at ground potential, an internal region at floating potential, and an RF choke positioned between the peripheral region and the internal region. Each transmit line is paired with two control lines, and multiple transmit lines may be connected to a common RF port. Each of the multiple control ports may be connected to either a transmit line or a control line only. Each control line may include at least one RF trap, each RF trap may include a common stem connected to the control line, a splitter connected to the common stem, and multiple frequency matching branches, each connected to the splitter and having a spatially parallel overlapping portion with the other frequency matching branches. Each branch of the frequency matching branch has a different length from other branches of the same frequency matching branch. The device may further include a pressure applicator that applies one of mechanical pressure, magnetic pressure, sound pressure, or hydraulic pressure to the VDC structure.

[0012] Furthermore, a method for operating a transmitting device having conductors provided on a variable dielectric plate is disclosed, the method comprising: applying a signal to at least a first subset to cause transmission of the signal; applying a control signal to at least the second subset of the conductors to align domains in the variable dielectric plate according to the electric field generated by the control signal; stopping the application of the control signal to allow the domains to relax to a natural orientation; and applying pressure to the domains to expedite the time required for the domains to relax to a natural orientation. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description made with reference to the following drawings. It should be understood that the detailed description and drawings provide various non-limiting examples of various embodiments of the present invention characterized by the appended claims.

[0014] The accompanying drawings incorporated herein and constituting part thereof illustrate embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, illustrate and illustrate the principles of the present invention. The drawings are intended to schematically illustrate the main features of the exemplary embodiments. The drawings are not intended to depict all features of the actual embodiments or the relative dimensions of the elements depicted, and are not drawn to scale.

[0015] [Figure 1A-1B] Figure 1A is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an electronic device illustrating domain control according to one embodiment, and Figure 1B is a top view of the portion of the device indicated by the dashed ellipse in Figure 1A.

[0016] [Figure 2A-2B] Figure 2A is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an electronic device illustrating domain control according to one embodiment, and Figure 2B is a top view of the portion of the device indicated by the dashed ellipse in Figure 2A.

[0017] [Figure 3A-3B]FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of a part of an electronic device showing domain control according to one embodiment, and FIG. 3B shows an implementation of the embodiment of FIG. 3A in another device.

[0018] [Figure 4A-4B] FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of a part of an electronic device showing domain control by mechanical pressure according to one embodiment, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of a part of an electronic device showing domain control by sound pressure according to one embodiment.

[0019] [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a part of an electronic device showing domain control by hydraulic pressure according to one embodiment.

[0020] [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a part of an electronic device showing domain control by magnetic pressure according to one embodiment.

[0021] [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an isometric view of a phase shifter according to one embodiment.

[0022] [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a top view of a 2×2 antenna array according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0023] Embodiments of the system and method of the present invention for improving the response time of a variable dielectric constant are described below with reference to the drawings. Different embodiments or combinations thereof may be used for different applications or to achieve different advantages. Depending on the desired outcome, the different features disclosed herein may be used individually or in combination with other features, either partially or to the maximum extent, balancing the advantages with the requirements and constraints. Thus, certain advantages are highlighted with reference to various embodiments, but are not limited to the disclosed embodiments. In other words, the features disclosed herein are not limited to the embodiments in which they are described, but can also be incorporated into other embodiments in combination with other features.

[0024] Figure 1A is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an electronic device illustrating domain control according to an embodiment, and Figure 1B is a top view of a portion of the device marked by a dashed ellipse in Figure 1A. Figure 1A shows an example of a transmitting device having transmit lines 116 formed on a variable dielectric constant (VDC) structure 90. The transmit lines 116 transmit a target signal, such as an RF signal from an antenna. A liquid crystal material 112 (e.g., nematic liquid crystal) is sandwiched between an upper dielectric plate 105 and a lower dielectric plate 110, separated by a spacer 114. Multiple transmit lines (two are shown) 116 are arranged above the upper dielectric plate 105, and a control line 126 is provided next to each transmit line 116, providing a pair of transmit line and control line. The control line 126 does not transmit an electrical signal and is used solely to apply an electric field that orients the domain 112. By applying a voltage to the transmit line 116, the control line 126, or both, the orientation of a director localized in the region below the transmit line is controlled. As described in the patent document cited above, when the structure is implemented as an antenna, each transmission line is coupled to the radiator R of the radiator array, and the focus control and direction control of the array are performed by controlling the transmission characteristics of each transmission line.

[0025] In the context of this disclosure, when a control line is said to be paired with a transmit line, it means that the influence regions of the paired control line and transmit line overlap. This means that when a control potential is applied to a control line, its influence region, i.e., the region within the VDC plate where the orientation of the domains changes due to the application of the control potential, overlaps to some extent with the influence region when a control potential is applied to the paired transmit line. In other words, when a control potential is applied to a transmit line, the domains beneath the transmit line change orientation, thereby locally changing the dielectric constant beneath the transmit line. Similarly, when a control potential is applied to a paired control line, the orientation of the domains beneath the paired transmit line changes, thereby changing the dielectric constant beneath the transmit line. In this sense, it can be said that the influence regions of the paired control line and transmit line overlap. Importantly, this does not mean that the influence regions must overlap completely and precisely, but rather that they overlap sufficiently to the extent that applying a control potential to a control line affects the dielectric constant beneath the paired transmit line beneath it.

[0026] Signals transmitted through the system, such as RF signals in the Ka, Ku, and other frequency bands, are sent to RF port P RF The signal is transmitted via one or more transmitted lines 116 coupled to the control line. It should be noted that the RF port is common to all transmitted lines and is, for example, a coaxial connector. By independently changing the orientation of the domains under each transmitted line, the transmission characteristics can be controlled and a delay can be introduced in the signal traveling along any of the transmitted lines 116. As previously mentioned, this can be done by applying a potential to the transmitted line 116, the control line 126, or both. This is shown in Figure 1A by separate and independent lines from the control unit 140 to the transmitted line 116 and the control line 126. It should be noted that separate and independent control ports Pc are provided to the control line and the transmitted line so that each of the control line and the transmitted line receives a different and independent control potential. Incidentally, the signal output from the control unit is generally a square wave, and by controlling the period (duty cycle) and amplitude of the square wave, the strength of the electric field applied to the liquid crystal material can be controlled.

[0027] In the embodiment shown in Figure 1A, it should be noted that an additional RF choke 130 is implemented to allow the use of a single common plate for both the transmit and control signals. The dotted line in Figure 1A shows a reduced top view of the common plate 115. In Figure 1A, instead of using a standard grounding plate, the ground potential of the control unit 140 and RF power supply 145 is connected around the common plate 115, which is outside the RF choke 130. Thus, the periphery of the common plate 115 is at ground potential and forms a frame around the RF choke and the internal section of the plate. Conversely, the internal section of the common plate 115 located inside the RF choke 130 is floating and not DC grounded. The RF choke allows the RF signal to "jump" over the choke, meaning that, from the perspective of the RF signal, the entire common plate 115 is grounded. Conversely, the RF choke forms a DC interruption from the DC potential applied to control the domain, and the common plate 115 is not grounded and becomes floating as indicated by the circled FL. In other words, in the disclosed embodiment, the common potential plate may be grounded, floating, or partially grounded and partially floating, with an RF choke positioned between the floating portion and the grounded portion.

[0028] This disclosure provides an electrical transmitting device for transmitting electrical signals, the electrical transmitting device comprising a variable dielectric constant (VDC) structure having a variable dielectric constant material (VDC material) sandwiched between a lower dielectric plate and an upper dielectric plate, the VDC material having a plurality of oriented domains, comprising a common potential plate disposed below the lower dielectric plate, comprising a plurality of transmitting lines disposed above the upper dielectric plate, each transmitting an electrical signal, comprising a plurality of control lines, each transmitting line paired with at least one control line, such that the influence regions of the paired control lines and transmitting lines overlap, comprising a plurality of ports connecting the control potentials between the common potential plate, the plurality of transmitting lines, and the plurality of control lines, thereby controlling the spatial orientation of the domains. The common potential plate may be grounded or floating, partially grounded and partially floating, with an RF choke provided between the floating portion and the grounded portion.

[0029] Although it is possible to operate the system as described above, a problem arises in which capacitive coupling occurs between each transmit line 116 and its paired control line 126. This capacitive coupling reduces the efficiency of signal transmission on the transmit line 116. Therefore, as shown in the top view of Figure 1B, an RF trap 135 is added to the control line. This RF trap 135 is designed to cancel out the signal coupled from the transmit line 116 to its paired control line 126.

[0030] As shown in Figure 1B, the RF trap 135 is designed to include a connection stem 134 that couples an RF signal from the control line to a brancher 137, thereby splitting any transmit signal coupled from the transmit line to the control line into multiple branches (two branches in Figure 1B). The total length of the signal travel path for each branch is designed so that at the end of the travel path, the signals have complementary polar orientations between the branches, thereby constructively canceling each other out. For example, in an embodiment where two branches are shown, as in the embodiment of Figure 1B, the signal for one branch arrives with a 180° phase shift relative to the other branch. After branching, each signal portion enters a frequency matching section 138, which includes a match stub 136 and an overlapping section 139. The signals cancel each other out in the overlapping section 139.

[0031] The match stub 136 is used to adjust the RF trap to the desired frequency band. It is used to eliminate reactive components generated on the transmit line and thus assist in adjusting the match [S11] in the operating frequency band of the RF trap. The overlapping section 139 of one branch is designed to overlap with the overlapping section of the other branch in a parallel orientation. Since the signals on the branches arrive at the overlapping section 139 with complementary polarity, they cancel each other out. As a result, the transmit signal coupled to the control line cancels out to zero and does not interfere with the transmit signal through the transmit line.

[0032] Figure 2A is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an electronic device illustrating domain control in an embodiment, and Figure 2B shows a top view of a portion of the device marked by a dashed ellipse in Figure 2A. In Figures 2A and 2B, each transmit line 116 is flanked on either side by a control line 126, and these three lines are paired in the sense described above. The transmit lines 116 and control lines 126 are used to control the orientation of the domains beneath the transmit lines during the transmission and reception of communication signals. This is exemplified by separate and independent lines from the control unit 140 to each transmit line 116 and control line 126.

[0033] For example, by applying a potential V1 between each control line 126 flanking each transmit line 116, as shown by the dashed lines, the domain can be oriented in one direction, as indicated by the curved dotted arrow and domain 112A. Conversely, a potential V2 can be applied between the transmit line 116 and the ground plate, resulting in the domain being oriented as shown by the straight dashed arrow and domain 112B. As can be seen, the directions of domain 112A and domain 112B are orthogonal to each other. Therefore, this orientation does not require a "relaxation" time. Rather, the domain is forced by the electric field to a desired orientation, including the two orientations shown. As a result, the response time of the domain is significantly accelerated, no longer depending on the domain's natural relaxation time. Instead, a potential is applied for each desired orientation, i.e., both the on position and the off position.

[0034] A similar arrangement can also be implemented in the embodiment shown in Figure 1A. For example, an additional switch 131 may be connected between the grounded peripheral portion of the common plate 115 and the internal section of the common plate 115 located inside the RF choke 130. When the switch 131 is in the off position, the internal section floats, and a first potential can be applied between the transmit line 116 and the control line 126, for example, with the control line 126 connected to the ground potential and a DC potential applied to the transmit line 116. To obtain an orthogonal arrangement, the ground potential is removed from the control line 126, the switch 131 is closed so that the internal section is coupled to the ground potential, and a second DC potential is applied to the transmit line 116.

[0035] Figure 2B shows two features that may be implemented in other embodiments disclosed herein. First, since two control lines 126 are paired with their respective transmit lines 116, each control line is provided with an RF trap 135. Generalizing this feature, regardless of the number of control lines used in the device, having at least one RF trap on each control line improves the transmission efficiency of the transmit lines. Furthermore, according to the second feature shown in Figure 2B, each control line may have multiple RF traps 135. In the small section shown in Figure 2B, each control line 126 contains multiple RF traps 135, but because the figure shows only a portion of the device, only two RF traps 135 are visible on each control line.

[0036] Needless to say, the embodiments and features disclosed herein are also applicable to other devices that utilize molecular orientation to generate material effects. For example, liquid crystal televisions utilize the orientation of liquid crystal molecules to control the light passing through the screen, thereby producing a desired image. Here again, the "on" setting of the molecules is controlled by a potential applied by a control line, while the "off" setting of the molecules is achieved by simply removing the potential and by utilizing the tendency of molecules to enter a relaxed state through a chemical process. Therefore, the "off" operation is slower than the "on" operation. However, by utilizing the control line features and embodiments disclosed herein, it is possible to dramatically shorten the "off" time of the molecules. Therefore, it is possible to make image changes faster, which is particularly beneficial in fast-changing images such as sports events and action scenes.

[0037] Furthermore, when used in combination with RF transmission as shown in Figure 2A, it was unexpectedly discovered that having control lines with the aforementioned traps on both sides of the transmit line improves the efficiency of the transmit line. It is stipulated that if the transmit line does not have control lines on both sides, when an RF signal flows through the transmit line, fringes are generated, resulting in reduced transmission efficiency. However, when the transmit line is sandwiched between control lines, the fringes are coupled to the control lines, and since the control lines contain RF traps, the energy of the fringes is returned to the transmit line, resulting in improved transmission efficiency. This is true regardless of the use of a VDC structure.

[0038] Therefore, in general terms, a transmitting device is provided which includes a dielectric substrate, a grounding plate provided on a first surface of the dielectric substrate, a plurality of RF transmitting lines provided on a second surface of the dielectric substrate opposite to the first surface, and a plurality of coupling lines, each coupling line having at least one RF trap, where each RF transmitting line is in proximity to at least one coupling line. Here, "proximity" means that the coupling line is sufficiently close to the RF transmitting line so that the fringe generated by the RF signal transmitted by the RF transmitting line is coupled to the coupling line. Also in this aspect, the dielectric substrate does not need to be a variable dielectric constant structure, but rather may be a PCB board or a Rogers® PCB board, etc.

[0039] Figure 3A shows an embodiment implemented to improve the response time, particularly the relaxation time, of the liquid crystal domains. As previously mentioned, the "on operation" is performed by applying a potential to generate an electric field that aligns the domains. Therefore, the response time depends on the domain's reaction time to the applied electric field. Conversely, the "off operation" is usually performed by removing the potential and therefore depends on the domain's natural relaxation time. However, the inventors have discovered that applying physical pressure to the domains accelerates the natural relaxation time. Therefore, in the embodiments shown in Figures 3A and 3B, the VDC structure is placed under a constant pressure.

[0040] Figure 3A shows a transmitting device having a transmitting line 116 mounted on the VDC structure. The VDC structure incorporates a constant-pressure arrangement, which in this particular example is a mechanical device. Specifically in this example, a pressure plate 142 is placed on dielectric plates 105, 110 and is secured together under pressure by a clamping device such as bolts 144. The pressure plate 142 and the bolts 144 are designed to apply relatively uniform pressure across the entire VDC structure, stressing the domains. Of course, other arrangements can also be implemented to apply constant pressure to the VDC device, but more beneficially, the pressure should be evenly distributed and applied throughout the VDC structure.

[0041] Figure 3B shows a constant pressure configuration similar to that shown in Figure 3A, applied in the context of the embodiment in Figure 1A. That is, the concept of applying constant pressure to the VDC structure can be implemented together with other embodiments and features disclosed herein. In particular, the embodiment in Figure 3A does not include any additional control lines, and the control signal is applied between the transmit line 116 and the grounding plate 115.

[0042] In the embodiments of Figures 3A and 3B, the relaxation time is accelerated by applying a constant pressure to the VDC structure. However, the inventors have discovered that similar results can be achieved by applying a temporary pressure mechanically or by shock wave means. For example, in the embodiment of Figure 4A, a piezoelectric transducer 155 is used to apply instantaneous pressure to the VDC structure, thereby generating a shock wave that propagates throughout the VDC structure. In this example, the control unit 140 sends an activation signal to the piezoelectric transducer 155 each time the "on signal" ends, and the piezoelectric transducer 155 converts the signal into a mechanical movement to apply instantaneous pressure to the VDC structure (in this example, from below via the ground plate, but it could also be from above).

[0043] Ultrasonic shock wave transducers have been disclosed in the past for medical applications, such as for the fragmentation of kidney stones, see, for example, U.S. Patent No. 5,193,527. In such applications, the transducer generates a plane shock wave, and a reflector is then used to focus the shock wave's energy to a focal point. However, in the example of Figure 4A, it is desirable to apply the plane shock wave directly to the VDC structure without focusing its energy to a focal point. In this method, the shock wave propagates throughout the VDC structure by its planar wavefront.

[0044] In the embodiment of Figure 4A, the application of shock waves is carried out via physical and mechanical contact, but this is not mandatory. For example, in the embodiment of Figure 4B, when the acoustic transducer 156 receives an appropriate signal from the control unit 140, it generates a sound wave. As before, the control unit 140 generates an activation signal each time the "on" signal ends, causing the acoustic transducer to generate a sound wave to apply pressure to the domain and accelerate the natural relaxation time.

[0045] Incidentally, the dotted "cloud" in Figure 4B represents the medium between the acoustic transducer 156 and the VDC structure, which may be air, a liquid (e.g., oil), or a solid (e.g., a dielectric material). The medium not only helps to couple sound waves to the VDC structure but can also be used to shape and direct the waves, as shown by the dashed funnel 157. For example, a funnel-shaped dielectric plate may be placed between the acoustic transducer and a common potential plate.

[0046] According to another embodiment, the signal from the control unit 140 is in the form of a continuous square wave 158 at a desired frequency. The selected frequency is fast enough to be statistically always high during the relaxation period, thereby shortening the relaxation time of the domain. Alternatively, if the frequency of the relaxation period is known in advance for a particular use, the frequency of the continuous square wave can be set accordingly.

[0047] In yet another embodiment, as shown in Figure 5, the pressure is generated during the manufacturing of the VDC structure. That is, a typical VDC structure is created by evacuating the space between the dielectrics 105 and 110 and then filling the resulting void with liquid nematic material. However, as shown in Figure 5, in this embodiment, after evacuating, the liquid nematic material is injected under pressure by a pump 160, resulting in the generation of hydraulic pressure within the VDC structure. This hydraulic pressure remains within the VDC structure even after the injection device and pump 160 are removed and the liquid injection port is sealed. Therefore, the nematic domains are always under hydraulic pressure.

[0048] In a further embodiment, the relaxation time can be accelerated by applying a magnetic field to the domain. In Figure 6, the VDC structure includes a magnetic plate 165. The magnetic plate 165 may incorporate multiple permanent magnets, but more beneficially, it includes multiple electromagnetic coils 162. Nominally, the electromagnetic coils are energized by the control unit 140 only during the relaxation period.

[0049] Accordingly, according to the disclosed embodiments, a method for operating a transmitting device having conductors provided on a variable dielectric plate, comprising: applying a signal to at least a first subset of the conductors to cause transmission of the signal; applying a control signal to at least the second subset of the conductors to align domains in the variable dielectric plate according to the electric field generated by the control signal; stopping the application of the control signal to allow the domains to relax to a natural orientation; and applying pressure to the domains to expedite the time required for the domains to relax to a natural orientation. The procedure for applying pressure is selected from the following: applying mechanical pressure to the variable dielectric plate; applying sound pressure to the variable dielectric plate; applying hydraulic pressure inside the variable dielectric plate; and applying a magnetic field to the variable dielectric plate. The conductors of the second subset may be the same as those of the conductors of the first subset.

[0050] Figure 7 is an isometric view of a phase shifter in one embodiment. Figure 7 shows only the conductors associated with the phase shifter on one transmit line, and no insulating substrates are depicted. Also in Figure 7, the main transmit line 116 is shown at a different height from the phase shifter that partially includes the transmit line 116. The embodiment in Figure 7 includes two control lines 126 that sandwich a portion of the transmit line 116. Each control line includes RF traps 135 distributed along its length. Each control line 126 is connected to a separate electrode that functions as a control port Pc. In particular, the phase shifter does not make ohmic contact with the corresponding transmit line.

[0051] Accordingly, a phase shifter for RF transmission is provided, comprising: a segmented transmission line; a first control line located on the first side of the segmented transmission line; a first terminal connected to the first control line; a second control line located on the second side of the segmented transmission line opposite to the first side; a second terminal connected to the second control line; a plurality of first RF traps, each connected to the first control line; and a plurality of second RF traps, each connected to the second control line.

[0052] Figure 8 is a top view of a 2x2 antenna array according to an embodiment. The array includes four radiating patches 180 arranged in a two-dimensional array. Each patch 180 is connected to a transmit line 116. To control the directivity of the beam generated by the array, the transmission of each transmit line 116 is controlled by a phase shifter positioned along a portion of one of the transmit lines, as shown in Figure 7. Each delay line is connected to a common port P RF It is connected to connector 125 which leads to common port P RF Optionally, a corporate feed is utilized, which is located beneath the aforementioned structure and is not visible in this figure. As shown in Figure 7, each phase shifter includes one or two control lines 126, each having multiple RF traps 135. Transmission on each transmit line is controlled by the phase shifter, but it should be noted that the phase shifter does not make ohmic contact with the corresponding transmit line.

[0053] Accordingly, an antenna is provided which includes a plurality of radiating patches arranged in an array, a plurality of transmitting lines, each connected to one radiating patch and coupled to one RF port, and a plurality of phase shifters, each arranged along a portion of the transmitting line and each not in ohmic contact with the corresponding transmitting line, wherein each of the phase shifters includes at least one control line arranged on either side of the corresponding portion of the transmitting line, and a plurality of RF traps arranged along the length of the control line.

[0054] It should be understood that the processes and techniques described herein are not inherently related to any particular apparatus, but can be implemented through appropriate combinations of components. Furthermore, various types of general-purpose devices can be used according to the teachings provided herein. Although the present invention is described in relation to specific embodiments, these embodiments are intended to be illustrative and not limiting in any way. Those skilled in the art will understand that many different combinations are suitable for carrying out the present invention.

[0055] Furthermore, other embodiments of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specifications and practices of the invention disclosed herein. The various measurements and / or components of the described embodiments may be used individually or in any combination. The specification and examples should be considered as illustrative only, and the true scope and spirit of the invention are indicated by the following claims.

Claims

1. An electrical transmitting device that transmits electrical signals, The variable dielectric constant (VDC) structure includes a variable VDC material sandwiched between a lower dielectric plate and an upper dielectric plate, wherein the VDC material has a plurality of oriented domains. A common potential plate is disposed below the lower dielectric plate, It includes a plurality of transmitting lines arranged on the upper dielectric plate, each transmitting an electrical signal. The transmission line includes a plurality of control lines arranged on the upper dielectric plate, one of the transmission lines is paired with at least one of the control lines, and the influence regions, which are areas in which the orientation of the domain changes due to the application of a control potential to the paired control line and the transmission line, overlap with each other. It includes at least a plurality of ports that apply a control potential between the common potential plate and the transmitting line, and between a pair of the transmitting line and the control line, thereby controlling the spatial orientation of the domain, Multiple of the aforementioned transmission lines are coupled to a common RF port. Electrical transmitting device.

2. An electrical transmitting device for transmitting electrical signals, The variable dielectric constant (VDC) structure includes a variable VDC material sandwiched between a lower dielectric plate and an upper dielectric plate, wherein the VDC material has a plurality of oriented domains. A common potential plate is disposed below the lower dielectric plate, It includes a plurality of transmitting lines arranged on the upper dielectric plate, each transmitting an electrical signal. The transmission line includes a plurality of control lines arranged on the upper dielectric plate, one of the transmission lines is paired with at least one of the control lines, and the influence regions, which are areas in which the orientation of the domain changes due to the application of a control potential to the paired control line and the transmission line, overlap with each other. It includes at least a plurality of ports that apply a control potential between the common potential plate and the transmitting line, and between a pair of the transmitting line and the control line, thereby controlling the spatial orientation of the domain, Each of the aforementioned control lines includes at least one RF trap, Each of the aforementioned RF traps is A common stem connected to the aforementioned control line, A branch switch connected to the aforementioned common stem, Includes multiple frequency matching branches, Each of the aforementioned frequency matching branches is connected to the branch and includes an overlapping section that is spatially parallel to the overlapping section included in another of the aforementioned frequency matching branches. Electrical transmitting device.

3. An electrical transmitting device for transmitting electrical signals, The variable dielectric constant (VDC) structure includes a variable VDC material sandwiched between a lower dielectric plate and an upper dielectric plate, wherein the VDC material has a plurality of oriented domains. A common potential plate is disposed below the lower dielectric plate, It includes a plurality of transmitting lines arranged on the upper dielectric plate, each transmitting an electrical signal. The transmission line includes a plurality of control lines arranged on the upper dielectric plate, one of the transmission lines is paired with at least one of the control lines, and the influence regions, which are areas in which the orientation of the domain changes due to the application of a control potential to the paired control line and the transmission line, overlap with each other. It includes at least a plurality of ports that apply a control potential between the common potential plate and the transmitting line, and between a pair of the transmitting line and the control line, thereby controlling the spatial orientation of the domain, The present invention further includes a pressure applicator for applying one of mechanical pressure, magnetic pressure, sound pressure, or hydraulic pressure to the VDC structure. Electrical transmitting device.

4. The electrical transmitting device according to claim 1, wherein the control line is used solely to apply a control potential that orients the domain, and does not transmit an electrical signal.

5. The electrical transmitting device according to claim 1, wherein each of the aforementioned transmitting lines is paired with two of the aforementioned control lines.

6. The electrical transmitting device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of ports is connected to only one of the transmission line or the control line.

7. The electrical transmitting device according to claim 2, wherein each branch of the frequency matching branch has a different length from the other branches of the same frequency matching branch.

8. It is an antenna, A variable dielectric plate having an upper dielectric plate, a lower dielectric plate, and a variable dielectric material between the upper dielectric plate and the lower dielectric plate, A common potential plate provided below the lower dielectric plate, Multiple radiators, Multiple control lines provided on the upper dielectric plate, A plurality of transmitting lines provided on the upper dielectric plate, each transmitting line coupled to one of the radiators and RF ports, wherein the influence regions, which are regions in which the orientation of domains within the variable dielectric material changes due to the application of a control potential, overlap between a pair of control lines and a transmitting line, such that one of the transmitting lines is paired with at least one of the control lines. The system includes at least a plurality of control ports that apply a control potential between the common potential plate and the transmitting line, and between a pair of the transmitting line and the control line, thereby controlling the spatial orientation of domains within the variable dielectric material. Each of the control lines includes at least one RF trap, Each of the aforementioned RF traps is A common stem connected to the aforementioned control line, A branch switch connected to the aforementioned common stem, Includes multiple frequency matching branches, Each of the aforementioned frequency matching branches is connected to the branch and includes an overlapping section that is spatially parallel to the overlapping section included in another of the aforementioned frequency matching branches. antenna.

9. The antenna according to claim 8, wherein the radiator is arranged as an array having radiation beams that can be operated according to control potentials applied to multiple control ports.

10. The antenna according to claim 8, wherein each of the transmission lines is paired with two of the control lines.

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