Waveguide device and radar device

Abstract

This waveguide device comprises: a first member having a conductive upper surface; a second member disposed on the upper-surface side of the first member and having a conductive lower surface; a ridge disposed between the first member and the second member and having a waveguide surface, which is a band-shaped conductive upper surface facing a conductive lower surface of the first member; a first waveguide configured from the waveguide surface of the ridge and the conductive lower surface of the second member; an electromagnetic wave blocking wall which is disposed between the first member and the second member and which is disposed adjacent to the waveguide surface; a coaxial connector disposed on the lower-surface side of the first member and having a connector core wire and a connector outer peripheral conductor in electrical continuity with the conductive upper surface of the first member; and a feed conductor vertically penetrating the first member and the ridge in a state of non-contact with both, a lower end of which is in electrical continuity with the connector core wire, and an upper end of which is in contact with or high-frequency-connected to the conductive lower surface of the second member.

Description

Waveguide equipment and radar equipment

[0001] The present invention relates to a waveguide device and a radar device.

[0002] In recent years, research and development related to sensing and communication using millimeter waves has expanded, and there is a demand for antennas that are high-gain, low-loss, wide-bandwidth, and multi-channel. In response to this, the development of WRG (Waffle iron Ridge waveGuide) technology, which is useful as a next-generation antenna and waveguide, is progressing (see Patent Documents 1 and 2). Figure 3 in Patent Document 1 discloses the basic structure of a WRG for the first time in the world. As a subordinate ancillary structure, Patent Document 2 discloses a structure in which two conductive members constituting this basic structure are fixed outside the waveguide region as one of the structures of a WRG in the high-frequency band such as millimeter waves.

[0003] One of the key features of WRG technology is the formation of isolation walls between adjacent waveguides in the antenna, which are arranged from the millimeter-wave IC (MMIC: Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit) to the antenna radiating element that transmits and receives millimeter-wave electromagnetic waves. This prevents leakage of propagating electromagnetic waves, thereby maintaining transmission loss at a level comparable to metal waveguides, and also minimizes interference with electromagnetic waves transmitted from other adjacent waveguides. Conventional microstrip waveguides and microstrip antennas do not have such isolation walls.

[0004] As a main application field of millimeter-wave antennas, there is an application in imaging radar sensing having a plurality of transmission / reception channels. When a microstrip antenna is used for this antenna application, in addition to large losses in the waveguide, interference due to mutual coupling occurs between adjacent waveguides and antenna radiating elements in the antenna, which may cause problems in the detection accuracy of an object. On the other hand, when the WRG technology is used for such a multi-channel antenna, in addition to extremely low losses being suppressed in the waveguide, mutual coupling between waveguides in the antenna is greatly suppressed. In addition, mutual coupling can be further suppressed by using an antenna radiating element suitable for WRG, such as a mini horn antenna or a slot antenna. As a result, correct signal transmission and reception are performed between the antenna radiating element and the transmission / reception terminals of the millimeter-wave IC that performs these signal transmissions and receptions. As a result, for example, in millimeter-wave radar sensing, it becomes possible to correctly detect the signal of the object included in the received electromagnetic wave from the object and accurately detect the object.

[0005] In the WRG technology, the magnetic walls provided on both sides of the ridge waveguide realize this separation wall, and specifically, it is realized by a structure having periodicity such as a rod row, for example. When this magnetic wall is realized by a single row of rod rows, its separation effect can be expected to be about 30 dB. In order to further enhance the separation effect, when two rows of rod rows are provided between two ridge waveguides, its separation effect can be expected to be about 40 dB, and appropriate high separation performance as an array antenna can be realized.

[0006] Such a magnetic wall has a confinement function that stops the propagation of electromagnetic waves in the corresponding frequency band. And the structure constituting this can be realized by other structures than the rod row and is called an artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) (for example, Patent Document 2, etc.). Specifically, for example, the description in the middle of the paragraph

[0015] of Patent Document 2, "The texture or structure is often periodic or quasi-periodic and can interact with waves so as to operate macroscopically as an artificial magnetic conductor (AMC), an electromagnetic band gap (EBG) surface, or a soft surface." is a reference.

[0007] Future imaging radars using WRGs will increasingly require a greater number of transmit and receive channels to achieve more accurate object detection. To increase the number of channels, millimeter-wave ICs with a corresponding number of transmit and receive terminals may be used, and waveguides within the antenna may be provided, for example, in a one-to-one connection between these transmit and receive terminals and the transmit and receive holes (antenna radiating elements). Millimeter-wave ICs are usually mounted on a high-frequency substrate and connected to the ridge waveguide of the WRG via waveguides on the substrate (usually microstrip lines). Conventionally, to make this connection, a structure has been used in which transducers etc. are provided on the substrate and connected to a rectangular waveguide, and this rectangular waveguide is further connected to the ridge waveguide of the WRG (see Patent Documents 3 and 4). In experiments with waveguide devices, a structure has also been proposed in which the electromagnetic waves of the experimental subject are guided by a coaxial cable and connected to a coaxial connector formed on the ridge (see Non-Patent Document 1).

[0008] WO2003-065497 (EP1331688) Japanese Patent Publication No. 2011-527171 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2011-120155 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-207487

[0009] Per-Simon Kildal, Ashraf Uz Zaman, Eva Rajo-Iglesias, Esperanza Alfonso, Alejandro Valero-Nogueira, "Design and Experimental Verification of Ridge Gap Waveguide in Bed of Nails for Parallel Plate Mode Suppression", IET Microwaves, Antennas and Propagation, January 2009

[0010] In the prior art described in Patent Document 3, it is necessary to provide transducers and rectangular waveguides for each waveguide corresponding to each antenna radiating element. When the number of transmit and receive channels increases, the installation space for these components increases, and the waveguide device becomes larger. In the prior art described in Patent Document 4, it is not easy to stably connect the transmit and receive terminals of a millimeter-wave IC placed on a substrate to the ends of waveguides provided within the substrate during mass production. Also, when the number of transmit and receive channels increases, the installation space for waveguides and other components increases, and the substrate area around the millimeter-wave IC increases. Furthermore, in the prior art described in Non-Patent Document 1, it is necessary to place coaxial connectors on the connecting ridge waveguides. When this is applied to a waveguide device with a large number of transmit and receive channels, coaxial connectors must be placed on all corresponding ridge waveguides, and also on the waveguides on the transmit and receive terminal side of the millimeter-wave IC that receive them, resulting in a larger device.

[0011] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to provide a waveguide device and radar device that enable waveguide wiring between the core wire and surrounding conductors of a coaxial connector and a ridge waveguide in a low-loss, high-efficiency, and compact (semi-rigid) manner, and that facilitates space saving when there are many channels.

[0012] The present invention relates to a waveguide device comprising: a first member having a conductive upper surface; a second member having a conductive lower surface disposed on the upper side of the first member; a ridge disposed between the first member and the second member and having a waveguide surface which is a band-shaped conductive upper surface facing the conductive lower surface of the first member; a first waveguide formed by the waveguide surface of the ridge and the conductive lower surface of the second member; an electromagnetic wave shielding wall disposed between the first member and the second member and disposed adjacent to the waveguide surface; a coaxial connector disposed on the lower side of the first member and having a connector core wire and a connector outer conductor that is electrically connected to the conductive upper surface of the first member; and a power supply conductor that penetrates the first member and the ridge vertically in a non-contact manner with respect to the first conductive surface which is the conductive surface of the first member and the second conductive surface which is the conductive surface of the ridge, with its lower end electrically connected to the connector core wire and its upper end in contact with or high-frequency connected to the conductive lower surface of the second member. In the above configuration, the connector core wire and the power supply conductor may be made from a core wire extension conductor formed continuously from the same material.

[0013] In the above configuration, a substrate disposed between the first member and the coaxial connector, and a second waveguide that penetrates the substrate in the vertical direction, comprising a core conductor and a peripheral conductor disposed around the core conductor via an insulator and in contact with the conductive upper surface of the first member, wherein the core conductor is in contact with the connector core wire and the peripheral conductor is in contact with the outer conductor of the connector. In the above configuration, the core conductor and the power supply conductor may be made from a core extension conductor continuously formed of the same material. In the above configuration, the upper end of the power supply conductor may be disposed on the lower surface of the second member, or in a recess or through hole formed on the lower surface of the second member, and may be in contact with or high-frequency coupled to the second member. In the above configuration, the inner diameter of the recess or through hole formed on the lower surface of the second member may be 1 / 2 or less of the free-space wavelength λo at the center frequency of the operating electromagnetic wave band. In the above configuration, the lower surface of the second member, the upper surface or side surface of the ridge, or a position close to the power supply conductor may have a recess or a protrusion. In the above configuration, the core conductor and the peripheral conductor may each consist of one conductor. In the above configuration, the core conductor may be one conductor, the peripheral conductors may be two conductors, and the one core conductor may be arranged between the two peripheral conductors. In the above configuration, the core conductor may be one conductor, and the peripheral conductors may be a plurality of rod-shaped conductors. In the above configuration, the core conductor may be one conductor, and the peripheral conductors may be a plurality of linear conductors or a plurality of plate-shaped conductors arranged along the outer circumference of the core conductor. In the above configuration, the core conductor consists of one conductor, and the peripheral conductors may be cylindrical conductors arranged along the outer circumference of the core conductor.

[0014] The present invention is a radar device comprising: a waveguide device having the above configuration; an antenna radiating element; one or more waveguides that propagate electromagnetic waves between the second waveguide and the antenna radiating element; and a radar calculation unit that calculates the position and relative velocity information of an object to be detected based on the electromagnetic waves transmitted and received by the antenna radiating element.

[0015] According to the present invention, waveguide wiring between the core wire of a coaxial connector and the antenna radiating element is possible with low loss, high efficiency, and compactness (semi-rigid), and space saving is easily achieved when there are many channels.

[0016] This figure schematically shows the basic structure of the present invention. (a) and (b) are diagrams showing a schematic configuration example of the waveguide device 1 according to the first embodiment, where (a) is a perspective view seen from the top and (b) is a perspective view seen from the bottom. This is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration example of the waveguide device 1 according to the first embodiment. This is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' in Figure 2(b), where the coaxial connector 2 is not shown in cross-section. This is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B' in Figure 2(b). This is a diagram showing the coaxial cable 6 connected to the coaxial connector 2 in Figure 4A, where a part of the cable 61 is omitted in cross-section. (a) is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the coaxial connector 2, and (b) is a partial perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the coaxial cable 6. (a) is a partial cross-sectional view including a part of the coaxial connector 2 and the power supply conductor 40 in Figure 4C, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C' in (a), where the cable 61 portion is not shown in cross-section in Figure (a). (a) is a top view of the WRG structure 4 according to the first embodiment, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D' in (a). (a) and (b) are diagrams showing a schematic configuration example of the waveguide device 1A according to the second embodiment, where (a) is a perspective view taken from the top and (b) is a perspective view taken from the bottom. This is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' in Figure 6A(b), in which the coaxial connector 2 is not shown in cross-section. This is a diagram of the coaxial cable 6 connected to the coaxial connector 2 in Figure 6B, in which part of the cable 61 is omitted. This is a partial cross-sectional view of the coaxial connector 2 and part of the power supply conductor 40 in Figure 6C, in which the cable 61 is not shown in cross-section. (a) to (c) are diagrams showing the schematic configuration of parts according to modified versions of the waveguide device according to the first and second embodiments, and are partial cross-sectional views and partial top views when the upper end of the power supply conductor is connected in contact with the conductive lower surface of the second member. Figure 7A(c) is a top view of the WRG structure 4A corresponding to the slit configuration. (a) to (d) are partial cross-sectional views showing examples of contact configurations according to modified examples. (a) to (b) are partial cross-sectional views showing examples of contact configurations according to modified examples. (a) to (c) are diagrams showing the schematic configuration of parts according to modified examples of waveguide devices according to the first and second embodiments, and are partial cross-sectional views and partial top views showing examples of coupling configurations when the upper end of the power supply conductor is high-frequency coupled to the conductive lower surface of the second member.(a) to (c) are diagrams showing the general configuration of the modified parts, and are partial cross-sectional and partial top views showing examples of high-frequency coupling configurations. (a) to (c) are diagrams showing the general configuration of the modified waveguide device, and are diagrams showing examples of impedance matching structures using uneven surfaces formed on the ridge 201. (a) to (c) are diagrams showing the general configuration of the modified waveguide device, and are diagrams showing examples of impedance matching structures using uneven surfaces formed on the ridge 201. (a) to (h) are bottom views showing examples of the structure of the second waveguide 3 in the modified version. This is a partial cross-sectional view showing a specific configuration example of Figure 11A(h). (a) to (b) are diagrams showing the general configuration of the modified waveguide device, and are partial cross-sectional views showing examples of the structure around the feed conductor 40. This is a partial cross-sectional view of the waveguide device in the modified version, and is a diagram showing an example of a structure in which the path of electromagnetic waves is restricted by a rod-shaped conductor. This is a partial cross-sectional view of the waveguide device, and is a diagram showing an example of a structure in which the path of electromagnetic waves is restricted by a rod-shaped conductor. This is a top view of the WRG structure 4D of a modified waveguide device, showing an example of a structure in which the path of electromagnetic waves is restricted by a wall. This is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' in Figure 13C. This is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of the radar device 500. This is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration example of the radar device 500.

[0017] The embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. The embodiments described below are merely examples of means for realizing the present invention, and should be modified or changed as appropriate depending on the configuration of the apparatus to which the present invention is applied and various conditions. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. Furthermore, in the drawings below, identical or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals. However, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic and conceptual, and the vertical and horizontal dimensions and scale of the members or parts may differ from those of actual parts. Therefore, specific dimensions and scales should be determined by referring to the following explanation. It should also be noted that there are parts where the dimensional relationships and ratios differ between drawings. [Terminology]

[0018] "Millimeter waves" refer to electromagnetic waves with frequencies ranging from 30 GHz to 300 GHz. In a vacuum, the wavelength of millimeter waves is in the range of 1 mm to 10 mm. Electromagnetic waves with wavelengths ranging from 10 mm to 30 mm are sometimes called "quasi-millimeter waves." The frequency band handled by the waveguide device in this disclosure may be a band with frequencies lower than millimeter waves, or a band with frequencies even higher than millimeter waves. The waveguide device may be used, for example, for the propagation of electromagnetic waves in the terahertz wave band (approximately 300 GHz to 3 THz).

[0019] A "high-frequency circuit" is a semiconductor integrated circuit chip or package that generates or processes high frequencies in the millimeter-wave band. A "package" is a package containing one or more semiconductor integrated circuit chips that generate or process high frequencies in the millimeter-wave band. A millimeter-wave IC in which one or more millimeter-wave ICs are integrated on a single semiconductor substrate is specifically called an MMIC (Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit). In this disclosure, examples using "MMIC" as "millimeter-wave IC" will be mainly described. Furthermore, "high-frequency circuits" also include, for example, circuits composed of Schottky diodes used in chemical reaction paths and high-power magnetrons used for power transmission. [Basic Configuration Diagram]

[0020] Figure 1 schematically shows the basic structure of the waveguide device 1 according to the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the waveguide device 1 has a first member 200 having a conductive upper surface 200S, and a second member 300 having a conductive lower surface 300S arranged on the upper side of the first member 200 having a conductive upper surface 200S. In addition, a ridge 201 having a waveguide surface 201S, which is a band-shaped conductive upper surface of the first member 200, facing the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300, is arranged between the first member 200 and the second member 300. The waveguide surface 201S of the ridge 201 and the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300 constitute the first waveguide 5. Furthermore, a plurality of rods 202 that act as electromagnetic wave shielding walls are arranged between the first member 200 and the second member 300, adjacent to the waveguide surface 201S. Furthermore, a coaxial connector 2 is arranged on the lower surface of the first member 200, having a connector outer conductor 22 that conducts with the connector core wire 21 and the conductive upper surface 200S of the first member 200, and a connector connecting conductor 23 that conducts with the connector outer conductor 22. In addition, a power supply conductor 40 is formed that penetrates the first member 200 and the ridge 201 vertically in a non-contact manner with the first conductive surface of the first member 200 and the second conductive surface of the ridge 201, with its lower end conducting with the connector core wire 21 and its upper end contacting or high-frequency connecting to the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300.

[0021] Furthermore, the inner circumferential surface of the through-hole 200h through which the power supply conductor 40 is inserted and the lower surface of the first member 200 are conductive and electrically connected, as shown by the thick line in Figure 1. The connector connection conductor 23 is electrically connected to the conductive lower surface, and the inner circumferential surface of the through-hole 200h that is electrically connected to this lower surface is electrically connected to the outer circumferential conductor 22 of the connector of the coaxial connector 2 via the connector connection conductor 23. That is, the outer circumferential conductor 22 of the connector and the waveguide 201S are electrically connected. In addition, by configuring at least a part of the side surface of the first member 200 to be electrically connected to the lower and upper surfaces, it is possible to make it electrically connected not only to the waveguide 201S but also to other conductive upper surfaces 200S. In this invention, it is sufficient that the outer circumferential conductor 22 and the conductive upper surfaces 200S are electrically connected, so these connections may be achieved by structures other than the conductive inner circumferential surface described above.

[0022] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, a coaxial cable 6 is connected to the coaxial connector 2, and electromagnetic waves propagated to the coaxial connector 2 via the coaxial cable 6 propagate between the connector core wire 21 and the connector outer conductor 22. The electromagnetic waves propagated to the coaxial connector 2 are propagated to the first waveguide 5 via the power supply conductor 40. [First Embodiment] [Configuration]

[0023] Next, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figures 2 to 5 show the first embodiment. As shown in Figures 2 to 5, the waveguide device 1 comprises a plurality of coaxial connectors 2, a WRG structure 4, a second member 300, and a plurality of first waveguides 5.

[0024] Here, "upper surface" refers to the set of surfaces (including single surfaces) that are included in the field of view when viewing an object such as the second member 300 from the far point above the Z-axis, with the +Z direction of the Z-axis in Figures 2 to 5 being upward and the -Z direction being downward. Similarly, "lower surface" refers to the set of surfaces that are included in the field of view when viewing an object such as the first member 200 from below the Z-axis. In other words, even for objects with complex shapes that have multiple surfaces, such as stepped shapes, the set of these multiple surfaces constitutes the upper or lower surface. Furthermore, whether or not the bottoms of recesses or holes on the surface of each surface are included in the upper and lower surfaces is defined on a case-by-case basis. Also, if the object is flipped 180°, even if the upper surface defined in Figures 2 to 5 faces downward (-Z direction), it is still considered the upper surface, and similarly, even if the lower surface faces upward (+Z direction), it is still considered the lower surface. The same applies to other directions. Therefore, expressions such as "up," "down," and "up and down directions" in this specification and the claims are used for convenience to facilitate understanding and should be interpreted appropriately as appropriate. Also, "upper side" means the area above, including the upper surface. Similarly, "lower side" means the area below, including the lower surface.

[0025] Furthermore, in Figures 2 to 5 below, the +X direction is defined as the forward direction, the -X direction as the backward direction, the +Y direction as the left direction, and the -Y direction as the right direction. The same applies to subsequent figures with similar viewpoints. The WRG structure 4 comprises a first member 200, a plurality of ridges 201 provided on the upper surface side of the first member 200, and a plurality of rods 202 having conductive surfaces provided adjacent to each ridge 201. In addition, it comprises a plurality of through holes 200h that penetrate the first member 200 and each ridge 201 vertically. The first member 200 has a conductive upper surface 200S, which is at least a conductive upper surface. Note that the entire surface of the first member 200 may be a conductive surface, but in the example shown in Figures 2 to 5, similar to the basic structure diagram shown in Figure 1, the lower surface and a part of the side (not shown) are conductive lower surface and conductive side surface. Furthermore, a second member 300 having a conductive lower surface 300S is arranged on the upper surface side of the first member 200.

[0026] The ridge 201 extends opposite the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300 and has a waveguide surface 201S consisting of a strip-shaped conductive upper surface as part of the conductive upper surface 200S. The multiple rods 202 are arranged adjacent to at least the left and right sides of each ridge 201, forming an electromagnetic wave shielding wall 210. In the example shown in Figures 3 and 5(a), the rods 202 are also arranged adjacent to each ridge 201 in the front-to-back direction. The electromagnetic wave shielding wall 210 formed by the multiple conductive rods 202 becomes an artificial magnetic wall. The multiple rods 202 that form the artificial magnetic wall are a known technology called artificial magnetic conductors.

[0027] In the first embodiment, leakage of the high-frequency electromagnetic field is suppressed by the confinement effect of the electromagnetic wave shielding wall 210 formed by the artificial magnetic conductor. As a result, a first waveguide 5 is formed by the conductive lower surface 300S of the opposing second member 300 and the waveguide surface 201S of the ridge 201, and the high-frequency electromagnetic field propagates through the first waveguide 5 in the front-rear direction with the power supply conductor 40 as the boundary. The multiple rods 202 extend upward from the first member 200. In the examples of Figures 2 to 5, the lengths (heights) of the multiple rods 202 are approximately the same. Also, in the example shown in Figure 5(b), the tips of the multiple rods 202 are on substantially the same plane. This plane forms the surface of the artificial magnetic conductor. Each rod 202 does not need to be conductive throughout; it is sufficient to have a conductive layer extending along at least the top and sides of the rod-shaped structure. This conductive layer may be located on the surface of the rod-shaped structure, but if the surface layer consists of an insulating coating or a resin layer, the conductive layer may not be present on the surface of the rod-shaped structure.

[0028] Furthermore, the first member 200 does not need to be conductive as a whole, as long as it can support the multiple rods 202 and realize an artificial magnetic conductor. It is sufficient that the conductive upper surface 200S of the surface of the first member 200, which is the side on which the multiple rods 202 are arranged, is conductive, and that the surfaces of adjacent multiple rods 202 are electrically connected by a conductor. The conductive layer of the first member 200 may be covered with an insulating coating or a resin layer. In other words, the entire combination of the first member 200 and the multiple rods 202 only needs to have an uneven conductive layer facing the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300. The conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300 extends two-dimensionally along a plane perpendicular to the axial direction (Z direction) of the rods 202 (a plane parallel to the XY plane). Its range is at least in the region facing the ridge 201 and the rods 202. In the first embodiment, the conductive lower surface 300S is a smooth plane, but the conductive lower surface 300S does not necessarily need to be a smooth plane.

[0029] The through-hole 200h is a hole provided that penetrates the first member 200 and the ridge 201 vertically. For example, its inner circumferential surface is conductive, and this conductive inner circumferential surface is in electrical contact with the conductive upper surface 200S and the conductive lower surface of the first member 200. In this first embodiment, the space between the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300 and the conductive upper surface 200S of the WRG structure 4, and the space within the through-hole 200h are filled with air, for example. However, it is not limited to air; it may be filled with gas, a vacuum, or at least a part of the space may be filled with a dielectric. Furthermore, the arrangement of ridges, rods, etc. in the drawings in this specification, for example, Figures 2 to 5, are illustrative drawings intended solely to explain the various parts within the waveguide device according to the present invention, and unless explicitly stated, they are not based on arrangements intended to realize a specific function.

[0030] As shown in Figures 4A to 4D, the coaxial connector 2 is positioned on the lower side of the first member 200. The coaxial connector 2 comprises a base 20 that is square and plate-shaped when viewed from below, a connector core wire 21 positioned on the lower side of the base 20 and protruding downward, and a connector outer conductor 22 positioned on the lower side of the base 20, surrounding the connector core wire 21 and not in contact with the connector core wire 21. Furthermore, it comprises a connector connecting conductor 23 that connects the upper side of the base 20 to the lower surface of the first member 200. In the first embodiment, the connector core wire 21 is composed of a female contact having a recess into which a convex male contact on the coaxial cable 6 side can be fitted. The base 20, connector core wire 21, connector outer conductor 22, and connector connecting conductor 23 are composed of conductive materials. The base 20, connector outer conductor 22, and connector connecting conductor 23 are electrically conductive to each other, but they are not electrically conductive to the connector core wire 21. The outer circumference of the connector's outer conductor 22 has screw grooves for connecting the cable-side connector 60 of the coaxial cable 6 to the coaxial connector 2.

[0031] The coaxial connector 2 is mounted via the connector connecting conductor 23 in a position that, in stereoscopic view, overlaps vertically with the through hole 200h on the conductive lower surface of the first member 200. Specifically, the connector is mounted such that the center of the connector core wire 21 is concentric with the center of the through hole 200h. The connector connecting conductor 23 is attached to the conductive lower surface of the first member 200, for example, via solder material or conductive adhesive. With this configuration, when the coaxial connector 2 is mounted on the first member 200, the connector connecting conductor 23 is in electrical contact with the conductive inner circumferential surface of the through hole 200h. Since this conductive inner circumferential surface is in electrical contact with the waveguide 201S of the ridge 201, the connector outer circumferential conductor 22 is in electrical contact with the conductive upper surface 200S, which includes the waveguide 201S. Furthermore, for example, if the inner circumferential surface of the through-hole 200h is conductive and is in contact with the conductive surface of the first member 200 (e.g., the conductive upper surface 200S) and the conductive surface of the ridge 201 (e.g., the waveguide surface 201S), the distance between the inner circumferential surface of the through-hole 200h and the outer circumferential surface of the power supply conductor 40 is configured such that capacitive coupling does not occur between them.

[0032] Furthermore, a cylindrical power supply conductor 40, for example, having the same diameter as the connector core wire 21, is connected to the upper end of the connector core wire 21 of the coaxial connector 2. The power supply conductor 40 is made of a conductive material and is electrically connected to the connector core wire 21. The power supply conductor 40 extends upward from the upper end of the connector core wire 21, passing through the through hole 200h without contacting its inner circumferential surface. In the examples of Figures 4A to 4C, the upper end of the power supply conductor 40 is in contact with the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300. That is, the power supply conductor 40 is electrically connected to the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300. Although the configuration is shown in which the power supply conductor 40 is separate from the connector core wire 21, the configuration is not limited to this. For example, the connector core wire 21 and the power supply conductor 40 may be formed as a continuous core wire extension conductor made of the same material.

[0033] On the other hand, as shown in Figures 2(b) and 4C, a coaxial cable 6 is connected to the coaxial connector 2. As shown in Figures 4C to 4E, the coaxial cable 6 comprises a cable-side connector 60 and a cable 61. The cable-side connector 60 has a substantially annular coaxial plug 60p, a male contact 60c, and a fixing part 60i that fixes the male contact 60c to the inner circumference of the coaxial plug 60p. The coaxial plug 60p is made of a conductive material, and a screw groove for connecting to the coaxial connector 2 is formed on its inner circumference. The male contact 60c is made of a conductive material, and its tip is rounded and pin-shaped. The fixing part 60i is made of an insulator and fixes the male contact 60c concentrically with the center of the coaxial plug 60p, and in a non-conductive state with the coaxial plug 60p.

[0034] Furthermore, the cable 61 is a coaxial cable and is connected to the base end of the coaxial plug 60p. The cable 61 is constructed by stacking an insulator 61i, a first outer conductor 61a, a second outer conductor 61o, and an outer sheath 61j in this order, concentrically and annularly with respect to the core wire 61c, moving outwards from the core wire 61c. The core wire 61c is made of a conductor such as copper and is electrically connected to the male contact 60c. The insulator 61i insulates the core wire 61c from the first outer conductor 61a. The first outer conductor 61a is made of a conductor such as aluminum foil, and the second outer conductor 61o is made of a braided shield made by weaving conductive wires such as copper wire into a mesh. The first outer conductor 61a and the second outer conductor 61o are electrically connected to the coaxial plug 60p. The outer sheath 61j is a protective cover made of, for example, polyvinyl chloride or polyethylene.

[0035] One end of the coaxial cable 6, the cable-side connector 60, is connected to the coaxial connector 2, while the other end is connected to another component, such as a circuit board on which an MMIC is mounted or a component with a waveguide, although this is not shown in the diagram. This allows electromagnetic waves supplied from the MMIC or waveguide via the coaxial cable 6 to power the coaxial connector 2, and electromagnetic waves supplied from the coaxial connector 2 to propagate to the MMIC or waveguide of the other component. When the coaxial cable 6 is connected to the coaxial connector 2, the male contact 60c of the coaxial cable 6 is fitted into the recess of the connector core wire 21 of the coaxial connector 2, and the two become electrically connected. This allows the core wire 61c, the connector core wire 21, and the power supply conductor 40 to become electrically connected. On the other hand, when the coaxial plug 60p is screwed onto the outer conductor 22 of the connector, the outer conductor 22 of the connector and the first outer conductor 61a and the second outer conductor 61o of the cable 61 become electrically connected via the coaxial plug 60p.

[0036] As a result, the power supply conductor 40 supplies electromagnetic waves, which are supplied to the coaxial connector 2 via the coaxial cable 6, to the first waveguide 5. In the first embodiment, the connector core wire 21 of the coaxial connector 2 is a female contact and the coaxial cable 6 is a male contact, but the configuration is not limited to this, and the male and female contacts may be reversed as long as the two can be connected properly. Also, although the configuration in which the coaxial cable 6 is connected to the coaxial connector 2 via the screw grooves of both has been used as an example in the explanation, the configuration is not limited to this, and other connection configurations may be used.

[0037] Furthermore, although not shown in the figures, means for achieving contact between the power supply conductor 40 and the conductive lower surface 300S can be achieved by soldering, conductive adhesive, etc. In this invention, "contact" refers to a state in which two members having conductive surfaces are in physical contact and fixed with screws, etc., two members having conductive surfaces are formed as a single unit, or two members having conductive surfaces are in contact with each other via a conductive material (including conductive fixings such as metal, conductive adhesives, conductive oils, etc.) and are electrically conductive to each other. Note that the propagation of electromagnetic waves between the coaxial connector 2 and the power supply conductor 40 and the first waveguide 5 does not necessarily require the power supply conductor 40 to be in contact with the conductive lower surface 300S. Specifically, a configuration in which the power supply conductor 40 and the conductive lower surface 300S are high-frequency coupled without contact may be used. Here, high-frequency coupling refers to the fact that, although the power supply conductor 40 and the conductive lower surface 300S are not in contact, they are in close proximity, resulting in capacitive coupling between them. In the operating frequency band (for example, around 80 GHz in the case of millimeter-wave radar), coupling occurs in the high-frequency range, resulting in an electrically conductive state. Further details regarding the configuration of high-frequency coupling will be described in the modified examples below. [Effects of the First Embodiment]

[0038] As described above, the waveguide device 1 of the first embodiment comprises a first member 200 having a conductive upper surface 200S, a second member 300 having a conductive lower surface 300S arranged on the upper side of the first member 200, a ridge 201 arranged between the first member 200 and the second member 300 and having a waveguide surface 201S which is a band-shaped conductive upper surface of the first member 200 facing the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300, a first waveguide 5 composed of the waveguide surface 201S of the ridge 201 and the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300, and electromagnetic waves arranged between the first member 200 and the second member 300 and adjacent to the waveguide surface 201S The coaxial connector 2 includes a barrier wall 210 (composed of a plurality of rods 202), a connector outer conductor 22 arranged on the lower side of the first member 200 that is electrically connected to the connector core wire 21 and the conductive upper surface 200S of the first member 200, and a power supply conductor 40 that penetrates the first member 200 and the ridge 201 vertically (passing through the through hole 200h) without contacting the conductive surface of the first member 200 (corresponding to the first conductive surface) and the conductive surface of the ridge 201 (corresponding to the second conductive surface), with its lower end electrically connected to the connector core wire 21 and its upper end in contact with or high-frequency connected to the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300.

[0039] With the configuration described above, the connector core wire 21 of the coaxial connector 2 passes through the first member 200 and the ridge 201 and is connected to the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300, and the outer conductor 22 of the connector is electrically connected to the conductive upper surface 200S (including the waveguide 201S) of the first member 200 via the conductive inner surface of the through hole 200h. As a result, low-loss, high-efficiency, and compact waveguide wiring is possible, and a waveguide device that can easily be made space-saving when there are many transmit and receive channels can be provided.

[0040] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the waveguide device 1 can be composed of a core wire extension conductor formed continuously from the same material as the connector core wire 21 and the power supply conductor 40. With this configuration, the step of connecting a separate power supply conductor 40 to the connector core wire 21 can be omitted in the manufacturing process. Also, since a core wire extension conductor is made of the same material and has no joints, the transmission loss of electromagnetic waves can be reduced compared to when they are separate components. [Second Embodiment] [Configuration]

[0041] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figures 6A to 6D show the second embodiment. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the connector core wire 21 of the coaxial connector 2 and the power supply conductor 40 are electrically connected via a second waveguide 3 formed on the substrate, and the outer conductor 22 of the connector and the conductive upper surface 200S of the first member 200 are electrically connected.

[0042] The following describes in detail the parts that differ from the first embodiment described above, and the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and their descriptions are omitted as appropriate. As shown in Figures 6A to 6D, the waveguide device 1A according to the second embodiment comprises a substrate 100 disposed between the first member 200 and the coaxial connector 2, and a plurality of second waveguides 3 (three in the example of Figure 6A(b)) formed on the substrate 100, in addition to the waveguide device 1 according to the first embodiment described above.

[0043] The second waveguide 3 comprises a core conductor 30 formed by penetrating the substrate 100 in the vertical direction, and a peripheral conductor 33 formed around the core conductor 30 by penetrating the substrate 100 in the vertical direction. Here, "periphery" refers to the distance within which the core conductor 30 and the peripheral conductor 33 can form a waveguide equivalent to a coaxial waveguide or a triplate strip waveguide. The core conductor 30 and the peripheral conductor 33 are made of a conductor such as copper. A ground pattern 102 is provided on the upper surface of the substrate 100, and the ground pattern 102 is in electrical contact with the conductive lower surface of the first member 200. Here, the substrate 100 can be made of a dielectric substrate, for example. The substrate 100 is not limited to a flat plate shape, but may have a complex shape such as a 3D shape. In this case, for example, wiring patterns can be formed using MID (Molded Interconnect Device) technology.

[0044] The substrate 100 and the first member 200 are arranged such that the core conductor 30 of the second waveguide 3 is concentric with the through-hole 200h of the first member 200. Also, the lower end of the power supply conductor 40 is connected to the upper end of the core conductor 30, and the two are electrically connected. The power supply conductor 40 passes through the through-hole 200h from the upper end of the core conductor 30 toward the upper end side from the lower end side in a state of being non-contact with the inner peripheral surface of the through-hole 200h and extends upward. Also, in the examples of FIGS. 6A and 6B, the upper end of the power supply conductor 40 is in contact with the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300. That is, the power supply conductor 40 serves to supply the electromagnetic wave propagating through the second waveguide 3 to the first waveguide 5. Also, in the examples shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the core conductor 30 (i.e., the core of the substrate portion) and the power supply conductor 40 (i.e., the portion from the upper end of the substrate to the conductive lower surface 300S) are formed from separate bodies. Note that the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the core conductor 30 and the power supply conductor 40 may be continuously formed of the same material. That is, the core conductor 30 and the power supply conductor 40 may be constituted by a core extension conductor, or the power supply conductor 40 may be constituted by an extension portion of the core conductor 30.

[0045] The second waveguide 3 of the second embodiment is, for example, composed of a core conductor 30 having a substantially circular end face and two peripheral conductors 33 arranged along the core conductor 30 on the side of the core conductor 30. Note that the configuration of the second waveguide 3 is not limited to this configuration. Other configuration examples will be described in the modification examples described later. The core conductor 30 can be configured, for example, by embedding a conductor in a through-hole provided in the substrate 100 or inserting a separate conductor wire. The lower end of the core conductor 30 is connected to the connector core wire 21 of the coaxial connector 2 attached to the lower surface of the substrate 100, and the upper end is connected to the lower end of the power supply conductor 40. Specifically, the upper end of the connector core wire 21 of the coaxial connector 2 is connected to the lower end of the core conductor 30 via a connection conductor 25 formed of a conductive member such as copper (for example, the same member as the connector core wire 21). Further, the upper end of the connector outer peripheral conductor 22 of the coaxial connector 2 is connected to the lower end of the peripheral conductor 33.

[0046] In other words, the connector core wire 21 is in electrical contact with the core wire conductor 30, the connector outer conductor 22 is in electrical contact with the surrounding conductor 33, and the surrounding conductor 33 is in electrical contact with the conductive inner surface of the through hole 200h via the ground pattern 102. With this configuration, the connector core wire 21 is in electrical contact with the power supply conductor 40, and the connector outer conductor 22 is in electrical contact with the conductive upper surface 200S including the waveguide surface 201S of the first member 200. Here, the second waveguide 3 is configured to have a function equivalent to a coaxial waveguide or a triplate strip waveguide, etc., and propagates electromagnetic waves supplied via the coaxial cable 6 and coaxial connector 2. The same applies to electromagnetic waves supplied from the first waveguide 5 to the second waveguide 3. Note that the propagation of electromagnetic waves between the second waveguide 3 and the first waveguide 5 does not necessarily require the power supply conductor 40 to be in contact with the conductive lower surface 300S. Specifically, the power supply conductor 40 and the conductive lower surface 300S may be configured to be non-contact high-frequency coupled. [Effects of the second embodiment]

[0047] As described above, the waveguide device 1A of the second embodiment includes a first member 200 having a conductive upper surface 200S, a second member 300 having a conductive lower surface 300S disposed on the upper surface side of the first member 200, a ridge 201 disposed between the first member 200 and the second member 300 and having a strip-shaped conductive upper surface 201S that faces the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300 of the first member 200, a first waveguide 5 formed by the conductive upper surface 201S of the ridge 201 and the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300, an electromagnetic wave blocking wall 210 (formed of a plurality of rods 202) disposed between the first member 200 and the second member 300 and adjacent to the conductive upper surface 201S, a substrate 100 disposed on the lower surface side of the first member 200, a waveguide that vertically penetrates the substrate 100, a core conductor 30, and a peripheral conductor 33 disposed along the core conductor 30 around the core conductor 30 via an insulator and conducting with the conductive upper surface 200S of the first member 200, which constitutes a second waveguide 3, a coaxial connector 2 disposed on the lower surface side of the substrate 100 and having a connector core wire 21 conducting with the core conductor 30 of the second waveguide 3 and a connector outer peripheral conductor 22 conducting with the peripheral conductor 33 of the second waveguide 3, and a power supply conductor 40 that vertically penetrates the first member 200 and the ridge 201 in a non-contact state with the conductive surfaces of the first member 200 (corresponding to the first conductive surface) and the ridge 201 (corresponding to the second conductive surface) (passing through the through-hole 200h), the lower end of which conducts with the core conductor 30 and the upper end of which contacts or is connected to the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300 at high frequency.

[0048] With the configuration described above, the connector core wire 21 of the coaxial connector 2 is connected to the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300 through the core conductor 30 of the second waveguide 3 formed on the substrate 100 and the power supply conductor 40 conducting with the core conductor 30, passing through the first member 200 and the ridge 201. In addition, the connector outer peripheral conductor 22 is conducted to the conductive upper surface 200S (including the conductive upper surface 201S) of the first member 200 through the peripheral conductor 33 of the second waveguide 3 and the conductive inner peripheral surface of the through-hole 200h. Thereby, a low-loss, high-efficiency, and compact waveguide wiring can be achieved, and a waveguide device that can easily save space when the number of transmission / reception channels is large can be provided.

[0049] Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the waveguide device 1A can be composed of a core wire extension conductor, in which the core wire conductor 30 and the power supply conductor 40 are continuously formed from the same material. With this configuration, the step of connecting a separate power supply conductor 40 to the core wire conductor 30 can be omitted in the manufacturing process. In addition, since a core wire extension conductor is made of the same material and has no joints, the transmission loss of electromagnetic waves can be reduced compared to when they are separate components. [Modifications of the first and second embodiments]

[0050] Next, modifications of the first and second embodiments described above will be explained. In the modifications shown in Figures 7A to 8B, the arrangement configuration of the power supply conductor 40 of the first member 200 and an example of a configuration in which the upper end of the power supply conductor 40 is in direct contact with the conductive lower surface of the second member 300 (hereinafter referred to as the "contact configuration example") will be explained.

[0051] In the first and second embodiments described above, as shown in Figures 7A(a) and 7A(b), the power supply conductor 40 is configured to pass through a through-hole 200h formed by penetrating the first member 200 and the ridge 201 vertically from the upper end of the connector core wire 21, without contacting the conductive surface of the first member 200 and the conductive surface of the ridge 201. The configuration is not limited to this, however, as shown in Figures 7A(c) and 7B, the through-hole portion of the through-hole 200h formed in the ridge 201 may be replaced with a slit 203. That is, a slit 203 is formed above the through-hole 200h of the first member 200 in the ridge 201, dividing the ridge 201 into two in the front-rear direction. As a result, a portion of the power supply conductor 40 that has passed through the through-hole 200h of the first member 200 passes upward through the slit 203 without contacting the conductive surface of the first member 200 and the conductive surface of the ridge 201. Furthermore, in this modified example, as shown in Figure 7A(a), the power supply conductor 40 extends upward above the waveguide 201S of the ridge 201, and its upper end contacts the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300.

[0052] Next, an example of the contact configuration of the power supply conductor 40 will be described based on Figures 8A to 8B. Figures 8A to 8B illustrate an example where this modified configuration is applied to the waveguide device 1 of the first embodiment. However, this modified configuration is applicable to both the waveguide devices 1 and 1A of the first and second embodiments. The following description will focus on the case where it is applied to waveguide device 1.

[0053] First, an example of a contact configuration shown in Figure 8A(a) will be described. In the waveguide device 1 according to this example of a contact configuration, as shown in Figure 8A(a), the upper end of the power supply conductor 40 is fixed to the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300 by soldering with solder material 350. As the solder material 350, for example, a high-temperature solder material with a relatively high melting point, such as one based on tin and containing silver, antimony, indium, etc., can be used. Here, it is possible to apply soldering with a soldering iron to solder with the solder material 350, but to reduce the heat load on other components due to high-temperature soldering and to shorten the soldering time, soldering using a laser beam can be applied. When applying soldering using a laser beam, for example, a through hole is provided in advance at the soldering position of the second member 300. This through hole is configured to have a smaller diameter than, for example, the diameter of the power supply conductor 40. That is, the upper end of the power supply conductor 40 is not inserted into the through hole. In the manufacturing process involving high-temperature soldering, a laser beam is precisely irradiated onto the solder material 350 from the upper surface of the second component 300 through a through-hole. This melts the solder material 350, allowing soldering to be performed. This soldering method allows for non-contact soldering, for example. This reduces the heat load on other components through pinpoint irradiation and shortens the physical operation time compared to contact-type soldering methods such as soldering with a soldering iron.

[0054] Next, an example of a contact configuration shown in Figure 8A(b) will be described. In the waveguide device 1 according to this example of a contact configuration, as shown in Figure 8A(b), a power supply conductor 40L is provided in place of the power supply conductor 40, which is an extension of the power supply conductor 40 upwards. Furthermore, a circular recess 302 is provided in the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300 when viewed from below, and the upper end of the power supply conductor 40L is inserted into the recess 302 and fixed. The inner diameter of the recess 302 is set to be 1 / 2 or less of the free-space wavelength λo at the center frequency of the operating electromagnetic wave band. The outer circumference of a part of the insertion portion of the upper end of the power supply conductor 40L is in contact with the inner surface of the recess 302. In addition, the inner surface of the recess 302 has a conductive surface that is in electrical contact with the conductive lower surface 300S, so that the power supply conductor 40L and the conductive lower surface 300S are in electrical contact. The upper end of the power supply conductor 40L may simply be inserted into the recess 302, or it may be fixed with a conductive adhesive or the like. With this configuration, the propagation direction of the electromagnetic waves can be changed to the first waveguide 5 while the upper end of the power supply conductor 40L is inserted into the recess 302 (i.e., inside the recess 302). This improves the transmission efficiency of electromagnetic waves compared to a configuration in which the upper end of the power supply conductor 40L is simply in contact with the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300.

[0055] Next, an example of a contact configuration shown in Figure 8A(c) will be described. In the waveguide device 1 according to this example of a contact configuration, as shown in Figure 8A(c), a tapered (frustoconical) power supply conductor 40A is provided instead of a single-diameter (cylindrical) power supply conductor 40, tapering from the lower end to the upper end. In this configuration example, the connector core wire 21 and the power supply conductor 40A are configured separately. For example, the lower end of the power supply conductor 40A is connected to the upper end of the connector core wire 21 by soldering or conductive adhesive, resulting in an electrically conductive state. On the other hand, when applied to the waveguide device 1A of the second embodiment described above, the lower end of the power supply conductor 40A is connected to the upper end of the core wire conductor 30 instead of the connector core wire 21 by soldering or conductive adhesive, resulting in an electrically conductive state. The upper end of the power supply conductor 40A is inserted into the recess 302, and a portion of the outer circumference of the inserted part is in contact with the inner surface of the recess 302. In other words, the power supply conductor 40L and the conductive lower surface 300S are in a state of electrical contact. The upper end of the power supply conductor 40A may be inserted into the recess 302, but it may also be fixed with a conductive adhesive or the like. With this configuration, in addition to the same functions and effects as in the second contact configuration example described above, the tapered shape of the upper end of the power supply conductor 40A makes it easier to insert into the recess 302, which is an additional function and effect.

[0056] Next, an example of a contact configuration shown in Figure 8A(d) will be described. In the waveguide device 1 according to this example of a contact configuration, as shown in Figure 8A(d), a power supply conductor 40B is provided instead of the power supply conductor 40. A portion of the power supply conductor 40B is positioned inside the upper end and protrudes upward. A portion of the power supply conductor 40B is biased upward by an elastic member such as a coil spring. In addition, a portion of the power supply conductor 40B is supported at the upper end of the power supply conductor 40B by a stopper (not shown) to prevent it from falling out. A power supply conductor 40B with such a configuration can be made from, for example, a spring connector. The upper end of a portion of the power supply conductor 40B is pressed into contact with the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300 by an elastic member. With this configuration, the elastic force of the elastic member can strengthen the contact between the power supply conductor 40B and the conductive lower surface 300S, thus eliminating the need for soldering or other processes to fix the upper end of the power supply conductor 40 to the conductive lower surface 300S during the manufacturing process.

[0057] Next, an example of a contact configuration shown in Figure 8B(a) will be described. In the waveguide device 1 according to this example of a contact configuration, as shown in Figure 8B(a), a longer power supply conductor 40L' is provided instead of the power supply conductor 40. The lower end of the power supply conductor 40L' is connected concentrically to the upper end of the connector core wire 21 by soldering or conductive adhesive, resulting in an electrically conductive state. Note that the configuration is not limited to this, and the connector core wire 21 and the power supply conductor 40L' may be configured as a core wire extension conductor. On the other hand, when applied to the waveguide device 1A of the second embodiment described above, the lower end of the power supply conductor 40L' is connected to the upper end of the core wire conductor 30 by soldering or conductive adhesive instead of the connector core wire 21, resulting in an electrically conductive state. Note that the configuration is not limited to this, and the core wire conductor 30 and the power supply conductor 40L' may be configured as a core wire extension conductor. Furthermore, a through-hole 304 is provided in the second member 300 at a position opposite to the power supply conductor 40L', and the through-hole penetrates the second member 300 vertically. The inner diameter of the through-hole 304 is configured to be slightly larger than the power supply conductor 40L', within a range of λo / 2 or less.

[0058] The upper end of the power supply conductor 40L' is inserted into the through hole 304, and its upper end reaches the upper end of the through hole 304. That is, the length of the power supply conductor 40L' is the length at which its upper end reaches the upper end of the through hole 304. Furthermore, the outer circumference of the upper end of the power supply conductor 40L' inserted into the through hole 304 is in contact with the inner circumference of the through hole 304. In addition, the inner surface of the through hole 304 has a conductive surface that is in contact with the conductive lower surface 300S, and the power supply conductor 40L' and the conductive lower surface 300S are in a state of electrical conductivity. That is, the core wire conductor 30 and the conductive lower surface 300S are in a state of electrical conductivity. With this configuration, the upper end of the power supply conductor 40L' is inserted into the through hole 304 (i.e., inside the through hole 304), and the propagation direction of electromagnetic waves can be changed to the direction of the first waveguide 5 and propagated. This improves the electromagnetic wave transmission efficiency compared to simply bringing the upper end of the power supply conductor 40L into contact with the conductive lower surface 300S. Furthermore, since the inner diameter of the through-hole 304 is less than or equal to half the wavelength λo, it is possible to prevent electromagnetic waves propagating from the second waveguide 3 from passing through the through-hole 304 and being emitted to the outside.

[0059] Next, an example of a contact configuration shown in Figure 8B(b) will be described. In the waveguide device 1 according to this example of a contact configuration, as shown in Figure 8B(b), a power supply conductor 40L is provided in place of the power supply conductor 40L' in the example of a contact configuration shown in Figure 8B(a). The upper end of the power supply conductor 40L is inserted into the through hole 304, and its upper end is located below the upper end of the through hole 304. Furthermore, the side surface of the upper end of the power supply conductor 40L inserted into the through hole 304 is in a non-contact state with the inner circumference of the through hole 304 at a position near the inner circumference of the through hole 304. However, the upper end of the power supply conductor 40L is connected to the conductive inner surface of the through hole 304 by solder material 350. That is, the power supply conductor 40L and the conductive lower surface 300S are electrically connected, and as a result, the conductive lower surface 300S and the core wire conductor 30 are electrically connected.

[0060] With this configuration, the electromagnetic wave propagation direction can be changed to the direction of the first waveguide 5 while the upper end of the power supply conductor 40L is inserted into the through hole 304 (i.e., inside the through hole 304). This improves the electromagnetic wave transmission efficiency compared to simply bringing the upper end of the power supply conductor 40L into contact with the conductive lower surface 300S.

[0061] Next, an example of a configuration in which the upper end of the power supply conductor 40 is high-frequency coupled to the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300 (hereinafter referred to as the "coupled configuration example") will be described based on Figures 9A to 9B. In Figures 9A to 9B, each coupled configuration example is illustrated as being applied to the waveguide device 1 of the first embodiment, but each coupled configuration example is applicable to both the waveguide devices 1 and 1A of the first and second embodiments. Hereinafter, the case in which it is applied to the waveguide device 1 will be described as a representative example. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 9A(b) and 9B(b), the waveguide device 1 can be configured such that the power supply conductor 40 passes through the through hole 200h in a non-contact state with the conductive surface of the first member 200 and the conductive surface of the ridge 201. Alternatively, as shown in Figures 9A(c) and 9B(c), the through-hole portion of the ridge 201 can be replaced with a slit 203, and a configuration can be adopted in which the through-hole 200h of the first member 200 and the slit 203 pass through without contact with the conductive surface of the first member 200 and the conductive surface of the ridge 201.

[0062] First, an example of a coupling configuration shown in Figures 9A(a) to (c) will be described. In the waveguide device 1 according to this coupling configuration example, as shown in Figures 9A(a) to (c), a power supply conductor 40L is provided in place of the power supply conductor 40, which is an extension of the power supply conductor 40 upwards. Furthermore, a circular recess 302W is provided on the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300 when viewed from below, and the upper end of the power supply conductor 40L is inserted into the recess 302W. The inner diameter of the recess 302W is larger than that of the recess 302 shown in Figure 8A(b) of the above modified example, within a range of λo / 2 or less. The connector core wire 21 and the power supply conductor 40L may have a core wire extension conductor configuration, or the connector core wire 21 and the power supply conductor 40L may be joined together as separate components, for example, with a conductive adhesive. The upper end of the power supply conductor 40L inserted into the recess 302W has its outer circumference located near the inner circumference of the recess 302W, and is in close proximity to the inner circumference, although not in contact with it. For example, the distance between the outer circumference of the power supply conductor 40L and the inner circumference of the recess 302W is approximately 0.1 mm. As a result, the power supply conductor 40L and the first waveguide 5 are in a high-frequency coupled state. With this configuration, electromagnetic waves propagated through the power supply conductor 40 can be propagated to the first waveguide 5 with sufficient propagation efficiency.

[0063] Next, an example of a coupling configuration shown in Figures 9B(a) to (c) will be described. In the waveguide device 1 according to this coupling configuration example, as shown in Figures 9B(a) to (c), a through hole 304W is provided instead of the recess 302W in the coupling configuration example shown in Figures 9A(a) to (c). The inner diameter of the through hole 304W is set to be larger than the outer diameter of the power supply conductor 40L in the range of λo / 2 or less, and slightly larger than the through hole 304 in the contact configuration example shown in Figure 8B(a).

[0064] The upper end of the power supply conductor 40L is inserted into the through-hole 304W, and its upper end reaches an intermediate position near the upper end of the through-hole 304W. In other words, the length of the power supply conductor 40L is the length at which its upper end reaches an intermediate position near the upper end of the through-hole 304W. Furthermore, the outer circumference of the upper end of the power supply conductor 40L inserted into the through-hole 304W is located near the inner circumference of the through-hole 304W and is in close proximity to the inner circumference, although not in contact with it. For example, the distance between the outer circumference of the power supply conductor 40L and the inner circumference of the through-hole 304W is approximately 0.1 mm. As a result, the power supply conductor 40L and the first waveguide 5 are in a high-frequency coupled state. With this configuration, electromagnetic waves propagated through the power supply conductor 40L can be propagated to the first waveguide 5 with sufficient propagation efficiency. Furthermore, since the inner diameter of the through-hole 304W is less than or equal to half the wavelength λo, it is possible to prevent electromagnetic waves propagating from the second waveguide 3 from passing through the through-hole 304W and being emitted to the outside. Although the length of the feed conductor 40L has been explained using the example of a length where its upper end reaches the middle position of the through-hole 304, this configuration is not limited to this. It is desirable to configure the length of the feed conductor 40L to be the length that provides the best propagation efficiency, and for example, it may be configured to be shorter or longer.

[0065] Next, the impedance matching structure formed by the irregularities in the vicinity of the through-hole 200h or slit 203 of the ridge 201 will be described based on Figures 10A(a) to (c) and 10B(a) to (c). These matching structures can be applied to various configurations of the above embodiment and its modifications. Hereinafter, the case in which they are applied to the configuration shown in Figure 7A will be described as a representative example.

[0066] First, an example of a matching structure shown in Figures 10A(a) and (b) will be described. As shown in Figures 10A(a) and (b), this example of a matching structure applies the impedance matching structure using the uneven portion to the contact configuration of Figure 7A, and in which the upper end of the power supply conductor 40 is in contact with the center position in the front-rear direction of the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300. That is, protrusions 201t are formed to protrude upward at positions close to the upper end of the power supply conductor 40 on the waveguide surface 201S of the ridge 201, both in front and behind, respectively. Here, "close to" means that the uneven portion is within a distance range that affects the matching conditions in electromagnetic wave propagation between the second waveguide 3 and the first waveguide 5. In addition, protrusions 201t are formed to protrude downward at positions vertically opposite to the protrusions 201t formed on the waveguide surface 201S of the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300. Furthermore, protrusions 201st are provided on the left and right sides of the front and rear of the ridge 201, at positions close to the upper ends of the power supply conductors 40 in the left and right directions, respectively, and projecting to the left and right directions, respectively. With this configuration, stepped portions (protrusions and indentations) are formed on the upper surface of the ridge 201 and on the lower surface of the second member 300 at positions close to the upper ends of the power supply conductors 40 in both the front-rear and rear directions, respectively, by two opposing protrusions 201t. Furthermore, stepped portions (protrusions and indentations) are formed on the left and right sides of the ridge 201 at positions close to the upper ends of the power supply conductors 40 in both the left-right and left-right directions, respectively. As a result, the protrusions 201t on the upper and lower surfaces and the protrusions 201st on the sides can match (impedance matching) the connection between the power supply conductors 40 and the two power supply paths of the first waveguide 5.

[0067] Next, the impedance matching structure shown in Figures 10A(a) and (c) will be described. This example of an impedance matching structure applies the impedance matching structure using protrusions and recesses, as shown in Figures 10A(a) and (c), to a configuration in which the feed conductor 40 passes through a slit 203 provided at the center position in the X direction of the waveguide 201S of the ridge 201. Specifically, protrusions 201t are formed projecting upward at positions close to the upper end of the feed conductor 40 on the waveguide 201S of the ridge 201, with the slit 203 in between. In addition, protrusions 201t are formed projecting downward at positions vertically opposite to the protrusions 201t formed on the waveguide 201S of the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300. Furthermore, protrusions 201st are formed projecting left and right at positions close to the protrusions 201t on the left and right sides of the front end of the ridge 201, with the slit 203 in between. Furthermore, protrusions 201st are provided on the left and right sides of the rear end of the ridge 201, with the slit 203 in between, at positions close to the protrusions 201t in the left-right direction, and protrusions 201st are formed to protrude in the left-right direction, respectively.

[0068] With this configuration, stepped portions (protrusions and indentations) are formed on the upper surface of the ridge 201 and the lower surface of the second member 300 at positions close to the upper end of the power supply conductor 40 in both the front-rear direction with the slit 203 in between, each consisting of two opposing protrusions 201t. Furthermore, stepped portions (protrusions and indentations) are formed on the left and right sides of the ridge 201 at positions close to the upper end of the power supply conductor 40 at both ends in the front-rear direction with the slit 203 in between, each consisting of two opposing protrusions 201st. As a result, the protrusions 201t on the upper and lower surfaces and the protrusions 201st on the left and right sides allow for impedance matching between the power supply conductor 40 and the two power supply paths of the first waveguide 5.

[0069] Next, an example of a matched structure shown in Figures 10B(a) and (b) will be described. As shown in Figures 10B(a) and (b), this example of a matched structure is a configuration in which the two convex portions 201t formed vertically opposite each other on the conductive lower surface 300S and the waveguide 201S, respectively, are replaced with recesses 201c formed by recessing a part of the waveguide 201S downward and recesses 201c formed by recessing a part of the conductive lower surface 300S upward, respectively, compared to the example of a matched structure shown in Figures 10A(a) and (b). With this configuration, stepped portions (protrusions and indentations) are formed by the two vertically opposite recesses 201c at positions close to the upper end of the power supply conductor 40 in both the front-rear and rear directions on the upper surface of the ridge 201 and the lower surface of the second member 300. Furthermore, stepped portions (protrusions and indentations) are formed by the convex portions 201st at positions close to the upper end of the power supply conductor 40 in both the left-right and right directions on the left-right sides of the ridge 201. As a result, the recesses 201c on the upper and lower surfaces and the protrusions 201st on the sides allow the connection between the power supply conductor 40 and the two power supply paths of the first waveguide 5 to be matched (impedance matching).

[0070] In the examples of harmonized structures shown in Figures 10B(a) and (b), an example in which only the convex portion 201t is replaced with a concave portion 201c has been described, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, the convex portion 201st may also be made into a concave portion in place of or in addition to the convex portion 201t. Alternatively, the configuration may be such that only the convex portion 201t of the conductive lower surface 300S is replaced with a concave portion 201c, or that only the convex portion 201t of the waveguide 201S is replaced with a concave portion 201c.

[0071] Next, an example of a matching structure shown in Figures 10B(a) and (c) will be described. As shown in Figures 10B(a) and (c), this example of a matching structure is a configuration in which the two convex portions 201t formed vertically opposite each other on the conductive lower surface 300S and the waveguide 201S, respectively, are replaced with concave portions 201c, as in the matching structure example shown in Figures 10A(a) and (c). With this configuration, the concave portions 201c on the upper and lower surfaces and the convex portions 201st on the left and right sides can be used to match (impedance match) the connection between the power supply conductor 40 and the two power supply paths of the first waveguide 5.

[0072] In the examples shown in Figures 10B(a) and (c), an example in which only the convex portion 201t is replaced with a concave portion 201c has been described, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, the configuration may be such that the convex portion 201st is also a concave portion in place of or in addition to the convex portion 201t. Alternatively, the configuration may be such that only the convex portion 201t of the conductive lower surface 300S is replaced with a concave portion 201c, or that only the convex portion 201t of the waveguide surface 201S is replaced with a concave portion 201c. Next, based on Figures 11A(a) to (h) and Figure 11B, structural examples of the core conductor 30 and peripheral conductor 33 of the second waveguide 3 according to the second embodiment will be described. First, the structural example of the second waveguide 3 shown in Figure 11A(a) will be described. The second waveguide 3 according to this structural example is provided by penetrating the substrate 100 in the vertical direction. The same applies to the structural examples in Figures 11A(b) to (h) below, so explanations will be omitted as appropriate.

[0073] The second waveguide 3 shown in Figure 11A(a) consists of an elliptical core conductor 30 in bottom view and a rectangular peripheral conductor 33 adjacent to the core conductor 30 at a predetermined distance. The peripheral conductor 33 is connected to the conductive upper surface 200S of the first member 200. That is, the second waveguide 3 shown in Figure 11A(a) consists of an elliptical cylindrical core conductor 30 and a plate-shaped peripheral conductor 33 (corresponding to a plate-shaped conductor) adjacent to it at a predetermined distance with the dielectric of the substrate 100 in between. In the example shown in Figure 11A(a), the core conductor 30 is elliptical with the major axis in the Y direction and the minor axis in the X direction, and the peripheral conductor 33 is rectangular with the long side in the Y direction and the short side in the X direction. Also, the peripheral conductor 33 is adjacent to the core conductor 30 on the -X direction side. The core conductor 30 may be perfectly circular when viewed from below, but an elliptical shape increases the surface area in contact with the surrounding conductor 33, thus improving transmission efficiency. The predetermined spacing is designed to be appropriate according to impedance matching with the first waveguide 5, etc. This also applies to the structural examples shown in Figures 11A(b) to (h). With this configuration, electromagnetic waves can be propagated between the elliptical cylindrical core conductor 30 and a single plate-shaped surrounding conductor 33.

[0074] Next, an example of the structure of the second waveguide 3 shown in Figure 11A(b) will be described. In this example of the structure of the second waveguide 3, as shown in Figure 11A(b), peripheral conductors 33 of the same shape as in the example of the structure in Figure 11A(a) are arranged adjacent to the core conductor 30 on the +X direction side. That is, the core conductor 30 is sandwiched on both sides in the X direction by the two peripheral conductors 33. With this configuration, the second waveguide 3 can propagate electromagnetic waves between the elliptical cylindrical core conductor 30 and the two plate-shaped peripheral conductors 33.

[0075] Next, an example of the structure of the second waveguide 3 shown in Figure 11A(c) will be described. In this example of the structure of the second waveguide 3, as shown in Figure 11A(c), peripheral conductors 33 of the same shape as in the example of the structure in Figure 11A(a) are arranged adjacent to the +Y and -Y directions of the core conductor 30 in the example of the structure in Figure 11A(b), rotated by 90° around the Z axis. That is, the core conductor 30 is sandwiched on both sides in the X direction and on both sides in the Y direction by the four peripheral conductors 33. With this configuration, the second waveguide 3 can propagate electromagnetic waves between the elliptical cylindrical core conductor 30 and the four plate-shaped peripheral conductors 33.

[0076] Next, an example of the structure of the second waveguide 3 shown in Figure 11A(d) will be described. As shown in Figure 11A(d), the second waveguide 3 in this example consists of a core conductor 30 that is elliptical in bottom view and six circular peripheral conductors 33 (corresponding to linear conductors) that are arranged along the concentric circles of the core conductor 30 in top view. The six peripheral conductors 33 are positioned opposite each other in the X direction, with three on the -X side and three on the +X side of the core conductor 30. With this configuration, the second waveguide 3 can propagate electromagnetic waves between the elliptical core conductor 30 and the six circular peripheral conductors 33. The core conductor 30 may also be circular in shape in bottom view.

[0077] Next, an example of the structure of the second waveguide 3 shown in Figure 11A(e) will be described. In this example of structure, the second waveguide 3, as shown in Figure 11A(e), has the number of peripheral conductors 33 increased from 6 to 10 compared to the example of structure shown in Figure 11A(d). With this configuration, the second waveguide 3 forms a waveguide that is closer to a coaxial waveguide, and electromagnetic waves can be propagated between the elliptical cylindrical core conductor 30 and the 10 perfectly cylindrical peripheral conductors 33. The core conductor 30 may be perfectly circular when viewed from below.

[0078] Next, an example of the structure of the second waveguide 3 shown in Figure 11A(f) will be described. As shown in Figure 11A(f), the second waveguide 3 in this example has the same configuration as the example shown in Figure 11A(d), but with the three peripheral conductors 33 on the +X direction side removed. With this configuration, the second waveguide 3 can propagate electromagnetic waves between the elliptical cylindrical core conductor 30 and the three perfectly cylindrical peripheral conductors 33. The core conductor 30 may be perfectly circular when viewed from below.

[0079] Next, an example of the structure of the second waveguide 3 shown in Figure 11A(g) will be described. In this example of the structure, the second waveguide 3, as shown in Figure 11A(g), has a rectangular shape when viewed from above, compared to the example structure shown in Figure 11A(a). That is, the core conductor 30 is configured in a plate shape. In the example shown in Figure 11A(g), the thickness of the core conductor 30 is greater than the thickness of the surrounding conductor 33. This configuration allows electromagnetic waves to propagate between the plate-shaped core conductor 30 and one plate-shaped surrounding conductor 33. Furthermore, by making the core conductor 30 plate-shaped, the facing area with the surrounding conductor 33 can be increased, thereby improving transmission efficiency. The configuration of making the core conductor 30 plate-shaped can also be applied to other configurations such as those shown in Figure 11A(b). [Eighth Structural Example]

[0080] Next, an example of the structure of the second waveguide 3 shown in Figure 11A(h) will be described. In this example of structure, as shown in Figure 11A(h), the second waveguide 3 has a configuration in which a core conductor 30, which is elliptical in shape when viewed from below, is placed in the center of a through-hole that is elliptical in shape when viewed from below, and an elliptical cylindrical peripheral conductor 33 is placed on the inner circumference of the through-hole. A space filled with air (insulator) is formed between the core conductor 30 and the peripheral conductor 33, and a coaxial waveguide can be formed. Note that the through-hole and the core conductor 30 may be perfectly circular when viewed from below.

[0081] Next, a specific configuration example of the structural example shown in Figure 11A(h) will be described based on Figure 11B. This configuration example can be applied, for example, to a configuration in which the connector core wire 21 and the core wire conductor 30 are formed continuously from the same material to form a core wire extension conductor, or to a configuration in which the connector core wire 21, the core wire conductor 30, and the power supply conductor 40 are formed continuously from the same material to form a core wire extension conductor. In the example shown in Figure 11B, the core wire conductor 30 and the power supply conductor 40 are configured as core wire extension conductors. Specifically, a through hole 100h is formed that penetrates the substrate 100 vertically, and a peripheral conductor 33 is arranged in a cylindrical shape on the inner wall of this through hole 100h by coating or the like. The upper end of the cylindrical peripheral conductor 33 (corresponding to the cylindrical conductor) is electrically connected to the conductive upper surface 200S via the ground pattern 102 and the conductive inner circumferential surface of the through hole 200h of the first member 200. On the other hand, the lower end of the peripheral conductor 33 is electrically connected to the connector outer circumferential conductor 22 via the connector connection conductor 23. Then, the core conductor 30 portion of the core wire extension conductor is inserted through the center of the through hole 100h, and the power supply conductor 40 portion is inserted through the center of the through hole 200h. At this time, the diameter of the through hole 100h and the diameter of the core wire extension conductor are designed so that the core conductor 30 and the surrounding conductor 33 do not come into contact.

[0082] The structure of the second waveguide 3 is not limited to the structures shown in Figures 11A(a) to (h). For example, in the structure of Figure 11A(c), one of the four rectangular peripheral conductors 33 facing each other in the X or Y direction may be composed of, for example, a peripheral conductor 33 that is circular or elliptical when viewed from below, thus combining multiple types of conductor shapes.

[0083] Next, the structure surrounding the power supply conductor 40 will be described based on Figures 12(a) to (b). This surrounding structure is applicable to both waveguide devices 1 and 1A of the first and second embodiments described above. The following description will focus on the case where this surrounding structure is applied to waveguide device 1 to which the coupling structure example shown in Figures 9A(a) and (b) is applied.

[0084] First, an example of the surrounding structure shown in Figure 12(a) will be explained. In this example of the surrounding structure, as shown in Figure 12(a), the space 206, which includes the space within the through-hole 200h and the space between the second member 300 and the waveguide 201S of the ridge 201, is made of air, as in the coupling configuration example in Figures 9A(a) and (b). In addition, the recess 302W is filled with a dielectric 310 that has a higher dielectric constant than air. With this configuration, high-frequency coupling between the power supply conductor 40 in the through-hole 200h, the first member 200, and the conductive upper surface 200S can be prevented, and the high-frequency coupling between the upper end of the power supply conductor 40L in the recess 302W and the first waveguide 5 can be strengthened.

[0085] Next, an example of a peripheral structure shown in Figure 12(b) will be described. In this example of a peripheral structure, as shown in Figure 12(b), in the coupling configuration example of Figures 9A(a) and (b), the space 206 between the second member 300 and the waveguide surface 201S of the ridge 201 is made of air, the through hole 200h is filled with dielectric 310, and the area around the upper end of the power supply conductor 40 is covered with dielectric 310. With this configuration, there is no variation in the strength of high-frequency coupling by the dielectric 310, but the fixing of the power supply conductor 40 by the dielectric 310 can be made strong and stable. Furthermore, by making the distance between the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 200h and the outer circumferential part of the power supply conductor 40 a sufficient distance so that high-frequency coupling does not occur between the conductive surface of the first member 200 and the conductive surface of the ridge 201, the electromagnetic wave transmission efficiency can be kept in a good state.

[0086] Next, an example of a path structure in which the path of electromagnetic waves is restricted to one direction by a rod-shaped conductor will be described based on Figure 13A. Note that the example shown in Figure 13A illustrates the application of this path structure example to the waveguide device 1 of the first embodiment; however, this path structure example is applicable to both the waveguide devices 1 and 1A of the first and second embodiments described above. The following description will focus on the case where it is applied to waveguide device 1.

[0087] The waveguide device 1 according to this path structure example, as shown in Figure 13A, is configured in the waveguide device 1 of the first embodiment above, with a WRG structure 4B instead of a WRG structure 4. Furthermore, the upper rear side of the second member 300 is provided with an opening 320 formed by penetrating the second member 300 vertically. The WRG structure 4B is provided on the conductive upper surface 200S of the first member 200, at a position beyond the ridge front end surface 201a, which is the front end surface of the ridge 201, and facing the ridge front end surface 201a in the X direction. Furthermore, the conductive upper surface 200S of the first member 200, at a position beyond the ridge rear end surface 201b, which is the rear end surface of the ridge 201, and facing the ridge rear end surface 201b in the X direction. Specifically, the rod-shaped conductor 202B is positioned opposite the rear end face 201b of the ridge and the opening 320 in the X direction, with the opening 320 in between.

[0088] The rod-shaped conductors 202A and 202B are composed of rod-shaped conductors, and their upper surfaces are positioned at the same height as the waveguide 201S of the ridge 201. That is, the upper surfaces of the rod-shaped conductors 202A and 202B are adjacent to the waveguide 201S of the ridge 201. Furthermore, the rod-shaped conductors 202A and 202B may be composed entirely of conductors, or they may be configured, for example, by providing a conductive surface on the surface of a rod-shaped dielectric.

[0089] In the example shown in Figure 13A, there are two rod-shaped conductors 202A and 202B on the front and rear sides of the ridge 201, but the configuration is not limited to this; one conductor may be provided for each side, or three or more conductors may be provided for each side. With this configuration, the rod-shaped conductors 202A and 202B form an artificial magnetic wall, preventing electromagnetic waves propagating through the power supply conductor 40 from advancing from the front end of the ridge 201 into the space outside the front. In addition, electromagnetic waves propagating backward through the first waveguide 5 can be prevented from advancing into the space beyond the opening 320. In other words, the rod-shaped conductors 202A and 202B can restrict the path of electromagnetic waves so that they propagate along a desired path.

[0090] Next, based on Figure 13B, another example of a path structure that restricts the path of electromagnetic waves in one direction using a rod-shaped conductor will be described. Note that the example shown in Figure 13B illustrates a configuration in which this path structure is applied to the waveguide device 1 of the first embodiment; however, this path structure is applicable to both the waveguide devices 1 and 1A of the first and second embodiments described above. The following description will focus on the case where it is applied to waveguide device 1.

[0091] The waveguide device 1 according to this path structure example, as shown in Figure 13B, is equipped with a WRG structure 4C in place of the WRG structure 4 in the waveguide device 1 of the first embodiment described above. The WRG structure 4C is equipped with rod-shaped conductors 202C and 202D, respectively, which are extended to a height where their upper ends contact the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300, in place of both the rod-shaped conductor 202A on the front side and the rod-shaped conductor 202B on the rear side of the ridge 201. In the example shown in Figure 13B, there are two rod-shaped conductors 202C and 202D on the front and rear sides of the ridge 201, but the configuration is not limited to this, and one rod-shaped conductor may be provided for each side, or three or more rod-shaped conductors may be provided for each side. With this configuration, the sides of the rod-shaped conductors 202C and 202D facing the ridge front end face 201a and the ridge rear end face 201b in the X direction each form an electric wall. This prevents electromagnetic waves propagating through the power supply conductor 40 from advancing from the front end of the ridge 201 into the space outside the front. In addition, it is possible to prevent electromagnetic waves propagating backward through the first waveguide 5 from advancing into the space beyond the opening 320. In other words, the rod-shaped conductors 202C and 202D on the front and rear sides of the ridge 201 can restrict the path of electromagnetic waves so that they propagate along a desired path.

[0092] Next, an example of a path structure in which the path of electromagnetic waves is restricted to one direction by a wall will be described based on Figures 13C and 13D. Figures 13C and 13D illustrate an example in which the configuration of this path structure is applied to the waveguide device 1 of the first embodiment, but this path structure is applicable to both waveguide devices 1 and 1A of the first and second embodiments described above. The following description will focus on the case where it is applied to waveguide device 1 as a representative example.

[0093] The waveguide device 1 according to this path structure example, as shown in Figures 13C and 13D, is equipped with a WRG structure 4D in place of the WRG structure 4 in the waveguide device 1 of the first embodiment. The WRG structure 4D is equipped with wall portions 202E and 202F, respectively, which are expanded in width in the front-to-back direction (X direction) and left-to-right direction (Y direction) compared to the WRG structure 4C of the path structure example shown in Figure 13B, in place of both the front-to-back rod-shaped conductor 202C and the rear-to-back rod-shaped conductor 202D of the ridge 201.

[0094] In the examples shown in Figures 13C and 13D, the width of the ridge 201 in the left-right direction is configured to λo / 8. Hereinafter, λo is the free-space wavelength of the electromagnetic wave at the center frequency of the operating frequency band of the waveguide device 1. In addition, in the examples shown in Figures 13C and 13D, the width of the wall portions 202E and 202F in the left-right direction is set to a length of λo / 4 or more. With this configuration, the sides of the wall portions 202E and 202F that face the ridge front end face 201a and the ridge rear end face 201b in the X direction each form an electric wall. This prevents electromagnetic waves propagating through the feed conductor 40 from advancing from the front end of the ridge 201 into the space outside the front. In addition, it prevents electromagnetic waves propagating backward through the first waveguide 5 from advancing into the space beyond the opening 320. In other words, the front and rear walls 202E and 202F of the ridge 201 can restrict the path of electromagnetic waves so that they propagate along a desired path. [Example of application to radar equipment]

[0095] Next, a radar device equipped with a waveguide device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described based on Figures 14 and 15. The waveguide devices according to each of the above embodiments and their modified versions can be made to function as a radar device by adding an antenna radiation hole, an MMIC, a radar calculation IC, etc. That is, the radar device 500 of this application example comprises an array antenna 510 and a radar signal processing device 520, as shown in Figure 14. The array antenna 510 is configured to include any of the waveguide devices according to each of the above embodiments and their modified versions, and comprises a transmitting antenna 511, which is an array antenna for transmission, and a receiving antenna 512, which is an array antenna for reception. The radar signal processing device 520, although not shown, includes an MMIC connected to the array antenna 510 and a signal processing circuit for radar calculations (corresponding to a radar calculation unit) connected to the MMIC. The signal processing circuit performs, for example, processing to estimate the direction of the arriving wave based on the signal received by the MMIC. The signal processing circuit may be configured to execute algorithms such as the MUSIC method, the ESPRIT method, or the SAGE method to estimate the direction of the incoming wave and output a signal indicating the estimation result. The signal processing circuit may also be configured to estimate the distance to the object that is the source of the incoming wave, the relative velocity of the object, and the direction of the object using known algorithms, and output a signal indicating the estimation result.

[0096] When a contact-type waveguide device 1 is applied, the radar device 500 comprises the waveguide device 1 and an antenna member (corresponding to an antenna radiating element) 400, as shown in Figure 15, for example. Although not shown, a coaxial cable 6 is connected to a substrate on which the MMIC 10 and radar calculation ICs are mounted. The antenna member 400 comprises a third member 410 made of a plate-shaped conductive material and a horn radiating hole 420 provided that penetrates the third member 410 vertically. The second member 300 of the waveguide device 1 has openings 320 above the front side of the front end of the ridge 201 and above the rear side of the rear end. The antenna member 400 is provided on the upper surface side of the second member 300 and is positioned so that the horn radiating hole 420 is located directly above the opening 320 of the second member 300 of the waveguide device 1. The openings 320 and horn radiating holes 420 are provided for each ridge 201 of the waveguide device 1. Electromagnetic waves propagating to the coaxial connector 2 via the coaxial cable 6 are propagated through the first waveguide 5 via the feed conductor 40, branching into two directions in the front-rear direction. With this configuration, the two openings 320 of the second member 300 each function as waveguides, allowing electromagnetic waves to propagate between the first waveguide 5 and the horn radiating holes 420. Furthermore, each pair of horn radiating holes 420 constitutes an array antenna.

[0097] In Figure 15, a configuration with two sets of openings 320 and horn radiating holes 420 is used as an example, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, the second member 300 may be provided with three or more openings 320 corresponding to each ridge 201, and the third member 410 of the antenna member 400 may be provided with three or more horn radiating holes 420 corresponding to each ridge 201. Alternatively, an antenna may be configured with one set of openings 320 and horn radiating holes 420, or a slot antenna may be configured in which the openings 320 are approximately oval or rectangular slit radiating holes when viewed from above. Furthermore, a new ridge waveguide layer (not shown) may be provided above the openings 320, and horn radiating holes or slit radiating holes may be placed at the end of the ridge waveguide. [Other Modifications] In the above embodiment and its modifications, the outer conductor of the coaxial cable 6 is connected via the connector outer conductor 22 (having a housing with screw grooves on the outer circumference), but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, the coaxial connector 2 may be configured without a housing, and the core wire and outer conductor of the coaxial cable 6 may be connected without a housing.

[0098] 1, 1A... Waveguide device, 2... Coaxial connector, 3... Second waveguide, 4, 4A-4D... WRG structure, 5... First waveguide, 6... Coaxial cable, 20... Base, 21... Connector core wire, 22... Connector outer conductor, 23... Connector connecting conductor, 25... Connecting conductor, 30... Core wire conductor, 33... Peripheral conductor, 40, 40A, 40B, 40L, 40L'... Power supply conductor, 60... Cable side connector, 61... Cable, 100... Substrate, 102... Ground pattern, 200... First component, 100h, 200h, 304, 304W... Through hole, 200S... Conductive top surface, 201... Ridge, 201a... Front of ridge One-sided end face, 201b...Ridge rear end face, 201c, 302, 302W...Recess, 201S...Waveguide, 201t, 201st...Convex part, 202...Rod, 202A-202D...Rod-shaped conductor, 202E-F...Wall part, 203...Slit, 206...Space, 210...Electromagnetic wave shielding wall, 300...Second member, 300S...Conductive bottom surface, 310...Dielectric, 320...Opening part, 350...Solder material, 400...Antenna member, 410...Third member, 420...Horn radiation hole, 500...Radar device, 510...Array antenna, 511...Transmitting antenna, 512...Receiving antenna, 520...Radar signal processing device

Claims

1. A waveguide device comprising: a first member having a conductive upper surface; a second member having a conductive lower surface disposed on the upper side of the first member; a ridge disposed between the first member and the second member and having a waveguide surface which is a band-shaped conductive upper surface facing the conductive lower surface of the first member; a first waveguide formed by the waveguide surface of the ridge and the conductive lower surface of the second member; an electromagnetic wave shielding wall disposed between the first member and the second member and disposed adjacent to the waveguide surface; a coaxial connector disposed on the lower side of the first member and having a connector core wire and a connector outer conductor that is electrically connected to the conductive upper surface of the first member; and a power supply conductor that penetrates the first member and the ridge vertically in a non-contact manner with respect to the first conductive surface which is the conductive surface of the first member and the second conductive surface which is the conductive surface of the ridge, with its lower end electrically connected to the connector core wire and its upper end in contact with or high-frequency connected to the conductive lower surface of the second member.

2. The waveguide device according to claim 1, wherein the connector core wire and the power supply conductor are composed of a core wire extension conductor formed continuously from the same material.

3. A waveguide device according to claim 1, comprising: a substrate disposed between the first member and the coaxial connector; and a second waveguide penetrating the substrate in the vertical direction, comprising a core conductor and a peripheral conductor disposed around the core conductor via an insulator and in electrical contact with the conductive upper surface of the first member, wherein the core conductor is electrical to the connector core wire and the peripheral conductor is electrical to the outer conductor of the connector.

4. The waveguide device according to claim 3, wherein the core wire conductor and the power supply conductor are composed of a core wire extension conductor formed continuously from the same material.

5. The waveguide device according to claim 3, wherein the upper end of the power supply conductor is positioned on the lower surface of the second member, or in a recess or through hole formed on the lower surface of the second member, and is in contact with or high-frequency coupled to the second member.

6. The waveguide device according to claim 5, wherein the inner diameter of the recess or through hole formed on the lower surface of the second member is 1 / 2 or less of the free-space wavelength λo at the center frequency of the operating electromagnetic wave band.

7. The waveguide apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the lower surface of the second member, the upper surface or side surface of the ridge, and the position adjacent to the power supply conductor have a recess or a protrusion.

8. The waveguide apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the core conductor and the peripheral conductor are each a single conductor.

9. Waveguide device according to claim 3, wherein the core conductor is one conductor, the peripheral conductors are two conductors, and the one core conductor is arranged between the two peripheral conductors.

10. The waveguide device according to claim 3, wherein the core conductor is a single conductor and the peripheral conductors are a plurality of rod-shaped conductors.

11. The waveguide device according to claim 3, wherein the core conductor is a single conductor, and the peripheral conductors are a plurality of linear conductors or a plurality of plate-shaped conductors arranged along the outer circumference of the core conductor.

12. The waveguide device according to claim 3, wherein the core conductor consists of a single conductor, and the peripheral conductor is a cylindrical conductor arranged along the outer circumference of the core conductor.

13. A radar device comprising: a waveguide device according to any one of claims 1 to 12; an antenna radiating element; one or more waveguides for propagating electromagnetic waves between the first waveguide and the antenna radiating element; and a radar calculation unit for calculating the position and relative velocity information of an object to be detected based on electromagnetic waves transmitted and received by the antenna radiating element.

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