Cascade Power Divider Impedance Matching for Compact Microwave Layouts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional Wilkinson power dividers require long signal lines, leading to increased area and loss, which is detrimental to miniaturization and integration in microwave circuits.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a power divider with cascade-connected power division units where input and output impedances are conjugate-matched, allowing for flexible impedance values and reduced arm lengths, thereby minimizing the overall size and loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a power divider is designed to operate at multiple frequency bands, then the coverage of supported frequency bands is improved, but the difficulty of adjusting impedance matching increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs movable shorting pins that can be dynamically adjusted to different positions along transmission lines. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the power divider to adapt its impedance matching for multiple frequency bands, resolving the contradiction by making the device configurable rather than fixed, thereby maintaining versatility while managing the complexity through a systematic adjustment mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes electrical parameters (impedance, electrical length) by physically repositioning shorting pins along transmission lines with varying characteristic impedances. This parameter adjustment approach enables the same physical structure to operate at multiple frequency bands by modifying its electrical characteristics, thus improving adaptability without requiring multiple separate devices.
2Measurement precision
If the impedance of transmission lines is increased to improve power division accuracy, then the accuracy of power division is improved, but the influence of pin resistance becomes more significant
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different characteristic impedances to different transmission lines (e.g., 50Ω, 70.7Ω, 100Ω) based on their specific functional requirements. By optimizing each transmission line's impedance locally rather than using a uniform impedance, the system achieves accurate power division ratios while minimizing the relative impact of pin resistance at each specific location.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary impedance matching by carefully designing the transmission line impedances and lengths before operation. The shorting pins are pre-positioned to create specific electrical lengths that account for and compensate for the inherent pin resistance, thereby ensuring accurate power division while minimizing the harmful effects of contact resistance.
3Device complexity
If a fixed power division ratio is used, then the structure is simpler, but the adaptability to different power division needs is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms a static power divider into a dynamic one by incorporating movable shorting pins that can be repositioned along the transmission lines. This dynamic configuration allows the power division ratio to be adjusted continuously or in discrete steps, providing adaptability to different power division needs while maintaining a relatively simple physical structure based on a single power divider topology.
Data Source
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AI summary
A power divider, a regulation method, a power allocation method, a storage medium, and an electronic device are disclosed. The power divider includes M power division units. The M power division units are cascade connected to form a cascade structure of N levels, each of the power division units includes one input port and two output ports. Each of power division units in a Kth level in the cascade structure satisfies relationships of: input impedance of a power division unit in the Kth level conjugate-matches output impedance of a unit connected to an input port of the power division unit in the Kth level , and output impedance of the power division unit in the Kth level conjugate-matches load impedance of the power division unit in the Kth level, where N, K, and M are positive integers greater than or equal to 1.