Ridged Waveguide Radial Power Combiner for High-Power Isolation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current solid state power amplifier designs face limitations in power handling, insertion loss, and phase matching due to frequency dependence and machining tolerances, particularly in radial power combiners and dividers, which affect the efficiency and reliability of high-power amplifiers.
Innovation Solution
An N-way, ridged waveguide, radial power combiner/divider with a coaxial bi-conical center port and multiple end-launch waveguide launches coupled with impedance transformers, providing low insertion loss and maintaining phase matching across ports, independent of the number of ports, using dielectric materials and Chebyshev transformers for efficient power handling and isolation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If Wilkinson power combiner/divider is used, then isolation is achieved through quarter-wave architecture, but power handling capability is limited and insertion loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from quarter-wave transmission lines to radial waveguide geometry with ridges, fundamentally changing the propagation parameters. The ridged waveguide structure modifies the effective dielectric constant and impedance characteristics, enabling high power handling while maintaining isolation through spatial separation rather than resistive loading
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the Wilkinson's resistor-based isolation mechanism with a waveguide-based isolation mechanism. Instead of using isolation resistors that dissipate power, the ridged radial waveguide uses evanescent mode coupling and spatial separation to achieve isolation, eliminating the power dissipation limitation
2Reliability
If Wilkinson power combiner/divider is used, then isolation is maintained at center frequency, but frequency dependence increases and bandwidth is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The ridged radial waveguide structure provides frequency-insensitive isolation through its geometric configuration. The isolation mechanism is based on the radial symmetry and ridge positioning rather than frequency-dependent quarter-wave transformations, allowing the device to maintain performance across a broader frequency range
Solution Approach 2:
The introduction of ridges in the waveguide creates an asymmetric structure that modifies the mode propagation characteristics. This asymmetric ridge configuration provides frequency-independent isolation by creating spatial separation between adjacent ports that is not dependent on quarter-wave transformations
3Area of stationary object
If stripline, microstrip, or slabline designs are used, then compact size is achieved, but insertion loss increases and power handling is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces planar transmission line structures (microstrip, stripline, slabline) with three-dimensional ridged waveguide structures. This substitution eliminates the dielectric losses and conductor losses inherent in planar technologies while maintaining a compact form factor through the radial geometry
Solution Approach 2:
The ridged waveguide structure combines metallic waveguide walls with air dielectric and ridge structures, creating a composite transmission medium that achieves low loss and high power handling. The air-filled waveguide portion minimizes dielectric losses while the metallic ridges provide field confinement
4Productivity
If branching transmission line network is used, then power division is achieved, but phase matching becomes complicated and sensitive to machining tolerances
Solution Approach 1:
The radial waveguide structure provides inherent phase matching through its geometric symmetry. All radial arms are equidistant from the center port, creating equipotential phase relationships that are insensitive to small dimensional variations. This symmetry ensures that signals traveling through different radial paths arrive at the center port with matched phases
Solution Approach 2:
The radial waveguide divides the power distribution function into separate radial segments that are geometrically identical. This segmentation into symmetric arms simplifies the phase matching requirement, as each segment naturally provides the same electrical length to the center, reducing sensitivity to machining tolerances
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution achieves low insertion loss, high power handling, and consistent phase matching across all ports, enabling efficient and fault-tolerant high-power solid state amplifiers with minimal degradation even if modules fail, known as graceful degradation.
Implementation Method 1
N-way, ridged waveguide, radial power combiner/divider
Implementation Method 2
multiple impedance transformers coupled to the multiple end-launch waveguide launches
Data Source
AI summary
A microwave radial power divider/combiner device in which ridged waveguides structures are provided to provide adjacent-port isolation, large bandwidth, consistent cross-port phase matching, low insertion loss, and high peak and average power handling characteristics. The device includes a single rectangular input/output waveguide coupled to a bi-conical waveguide, which in turn is coupled to multiple ridged waveguides. These ridged radial waveguides are coupled to waveguide end-launches and impedance transformers located around the circumference of the device.