Using Directional Coupler Patents (Class 333/109)
  • Patent number: 5606283
    Abstract: A multi-function, balanced phase shifter and switch having a particular application as a balanced switched low-noise amplifier. The switch includes a hybrid input coupler that couples a first input signal at a first input port and a second input signal at a second input port into a first path and a second path of the switch. Each of the first path and the second path include at least one amplifier and a phase shifter. The phase shifters include a hybrid coupler and two switching devices that are simultaneously switched on or off by a single control signal. Output from the two paths are applied to an output hybrid coupler that couples the output from the two paths into first and second output ports of the switch. By controlling the two control signals applied to the phase shifters to selectively switch the switching devices on and off, signals at the input ports can be selectively amplified and switched to the output ports in a balanced, low-noise manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 25, 1997
    Assignee: TRW Inc.
    Inventors: Barry R. Allen, Dennis C. Lo, Huei Wang, Gee S. Dow
  • Patent number: 5572160
    Abstract: An RF useful for configuring RF sources and receivers to make a wide range of measurements on a device under test. The module includes a directional element which allows one receiver to measure both the input and the output signals from one test point. In addition, the module allows multiple input signals to be combined for intermodulation testing. Multiple copies of the module are used to construct multiple channels in an RF tester. At least one RF source and one RF receiver can be connected to each channel. Each lead of a device under test is assigned to a channel, but one channel may be multiplexed to more than one lead. Switching circuitry included in each module allows the source from one channel to be used as an intermodulation signal for another channel. The module includes calibration standards for source and receiver level accuracy. With this arrangement, numerous RF measurements, including measurement of s-parameters, can be made on a device under test without dedicated instruments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 5, 1996
    Assignee: Teradyne, Inc.
    Inventor: Brian C. Wadell
  • Patent number: 5568105
    Abstract: Spurious frequencies are suppressed in a transmitter by an RF pulse fall time controller circuit comprising a quadrature hybrid matched attenuator located between a predriver and the first stage of class "C" driver amplifiers. The circuit linearly attenuates RF pulses and slows pulse fall time. Operation of the circuit is initiated when the rising edge of a pretrigger starts a pretrigger generator which then triggers the application of current bias to the attenuator circuit. After a controlled period of time, the circuit decreases the forward current bias of PIN diodes in the attenuator thereby increasing the diodes' series resistance and increasing the attenuation of the RF pulses. This creates a slow pulse fall time thereby suppressing spurious emissions caused by parasitic ringing of the cascaded Class C common base transistor amplifiers in the transmitter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 22, 1996
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Thomas M. O'Leary, Peter R. Drake, Philip R. Merrill, deceased
  • Patent number: 5530922
    Abstract: A transmission line coupler (115) for a transmitter output signal (123) generated by an RF signal amplifier (103) includes a through-path transmission line (201) and a coupled-path transmission line (202) electromagnetically coupled thereto by multiple serpentine-like portions (such as portions 641, 642, 643 and 644 in FIG. 6), which are disposed on opposite sides of the through-path transmission line (201) for enhancing coupling sensitivity and eliminating degradation in the amount of coupling due to variations in the transmission line plating registration. Offset portions (641, 643) on one side of the through-path transmission line (201) provide substantially the same amount of coupling as the offset portions (642, 643) on the other side of the through-path transmission line (201).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 25, 1996
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas D. Nagode
  • Patent number: 5504465
    Abstract: A multifunction microwave modulator circuit has an input signal splitter to provide two equal amplitude signal components. A phase quadrature relationship between the two signal components is obtained by constructing the splitter as a Lange coupler. There is pair of circuit cells, each of which operates separately on one of the two signal components to electronically adjust a vector representation of the signal to provide a vector having a desired amplitude, ranging over both positive and negative values of amplitude, including zero amplitude. The signal vectors of the two cells are combined by means of a Wilkinson combiner to provide an output signal represented by a resultant vector which may have any direction within 360 degrees, and an amplitude scale factor which varies from unity to zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 2, 1996
    Assignee: Space Systems/Loral, Inc.
    Inventors: Ming L. Yung, Bernard M. Albrecht, Jr., Andrew M. Kennedy, II, Elizabeth C. Townley
  • Patent number: 5498969
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a device for the vector measurement of ultra-high frequency signals of the same angular frequency of the six port junction type, comprising a power divider (10) and a phase shifting circuit (11) two of the six ports of said device being measuring ports connectable to two sources of signals to be characterized, the four other ports being connected to four detectors, one of them being a matched detector (14) and the three others (12, 13, 15) being unmatched detectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 12, 1996
    Assignee: France Telecom Etablissement Autonome de Droit Public
    Inventors: Bernard Huyart, Frank Wiedmann
  • Patent number: 5465393
    Abstract: A simulated air interface system repeatedly simulates a constant but variable open air environment. In the system, a plurality of mobile stations are connected to at least one base station by cables. The system separates the radio path at each mobile station's antenna into an uplink path and a downlink path so that frequency modulation and signal reflections are not introduced into the system. The conditions of the simulated open air environment can be varied by introducing attenuation, doppler shifts, and signal fading into the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 7, 1995
    Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
    Inventors: Tore Frostrom, Tomas J. Nilsson, Yngve Andersson, Michael M. J. Carlsson, Lars-Olof Sundell, Jonas P. Uden
  • Patent number: 5461349
    Abstract: A lumped element directional coupler tap is disclosed especially adapted for a system providing bi-directional communications. The directional coupler tap includes three resistors and a balun. A radio frequency signal may be tapped off of a main transmission line to feed a plurality of branch lines as in a cable television system. The coupler exhibits a high degree of isolation between tap and load ports, and good performance over an usually broad frequency range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 24, 1995
    Inventor: Keneth A. Simons
  • Patent number: 5446464
    Abstract: A high frequency transceiver includes a transmit/receive switch which is coupled to a transmission path and to a receive path of the module. The transmit/receive switch includes a 3 dB directional coupler having first, second and third ports, and a decoupled port which is connected to the receive path. Two HF power amplifiers are connected to the first and second ports of the transmit/receive switch to form a balanced amplifier in the transmission path. An HF switch is connected to the first and second ports of the transmit receive switch for short-circuiting the HF output of the balanced amplifier. A switching device is connected to the HF switch and to the receive path for selectively switching the transmission path and the receive path to be operational.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 29, 1995
    Assignee: Deutsche Aerospace AG
    Inventor: Heinz-Peter Feldle
  • Patent number: 5432486
    Abstract: A coupling connector relies on inductive and capacitive coupling over a length L.sub.c to "connect" signals from a first circuit card to a second circuit card. The coupling connector includes a flex circuit which in a connected state is compressed to provide a coupling length L.sub.c between the first and second circuit cards. A typical application is for coupling cards to a backplane having a plurality of parallel, signal carrying tracks. The near end of each coupling track is input to a receiver having an input impedance equal to the characteristic impedance of the coupling track. The far end of the coupling track is terminated by a resistor whose value equals the characteristic impedance of the coupling track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 11, 1995
    Assignee: Northern Telecom Limited
    Inventor: Larry K.-C. Wong
  • Patent number: 5392009
    Abstract: A low current vector modulator for continuously varying the amplitude and polarity of an RF signal includes first and second hybrid couplers electrically connected at their input ports to an RF source. The characteristic impedance of the hybrid couplers is twice the impedance of the RF source. First and second PIN diodes are electrically coupled to 0.degree. and 90.degree. phase ports of the first hybrid coupler, respectively, and third and fourth PIN diodes are electrically coupled to 0.degree. and 90.degree. phase ports of the second hybrid coupler, respectively. The first and second PIN diodes and the third and fourth PIN diodes also are electrically connected respectively to first and second biasing sources. Varying the biasing provided by the first and second biasing sources varies the amplitude and phase of first and second output signals generated by the first and second hybrid couplers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 21, 1995
    Assignee: American Nucleonics Corporation
    Inventor: Ashok K. Talwar
  • Patent number: 5389890
    Abstract: Directional couplers 7.sup.1 -7.sup.20 are used to couple power from r.f. power amplifier modules 5.sup.1 -5.sup.20 to a transmission line 6 or other type of resonator, from which it is withdrawn by directional coupler 8. The power withdrawn from the continuous transmission line, which is an integral number of wavelengths at the operating frequency of the modules in length, is less than the power circulating around the transmission line 6. The balance load may be removed to enable the output load to be combined with the output of another r.f. power amplifier operating a different frequency so that e.g. sound and vision signals can be combined at an aerial and, in the latter case, means may be provided for improving the resonance of the main loop 6.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 14, 1995
    Assignee: GEC-Marconi Limited
    Inventor: Clement P. Burrage
  • Patent number: 5389901
    Abstract: A modified branch line coupler amplitude equalizer circuit employing cross arms and branch lines of varying lengths and impedances to minimize the return loss of the circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 14, 1995
    Assignee: ITT Corporation
    Inventors: William G. Sterns, Ching F. Cho
  • Patent number: 5375257
    Abstract: A transmit and receive module is described which provides means within the module for switching between two orthogonal linear polarization ports and right and left hand circular polarization ports for both transmission and reception while maintaining very low RF reflections from the module at antenna ports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 20, 1994
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventor: James L. Lampen
  • Patent number: 5365205
    Abstract: A backplane databus and bussing method provide multidrop signal distribution using capacitive and inductive coupling of a main signal. A main signal loop on the backplane has a plurality of coupling loops coupled thereto for a respective length L.sub.C. The main signal, typically a NRZ trapezoidal shaped waveform is coupled into the coupling loops as a bipolar signal. The main signal loop is terminated by a resistor having a resistance equal to the characteristic impedance of the track forming the main signal loop. Similarly, the coupling loops are terminated at a far end by resistors whose impedance is equal to the characteristic of the track forming the coupling loop. The near end of the loop is connected to a receiver having a matching input impedance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1994
    Assignee: Northern Telecom Limited
    Inventor: Larry K. Wong
  • Patent number: 5349312
    Abstract: A voltage variable attenuator is described including a quadrature hybrid coupler having an input port, an output port, a first reflective port and a second reflective port. The voltage variable attenuator further includes a first and a second impedance network, the first impedance network connected to the first reflective port of the quadrature hybrid coupler, the second impedance network connected to the second reflective port of the quadrature hybrid coupler, each impedance network including a first RF propagation network having a first end connected to the respective reflective port of the quadrature hybrid coupler. Each impedance network further includes a second end of the first RF propagation network connected to a field effect transistor having a drain electrode, a source electrode and a gate electrode, the drain electrode connected to the second end of the first RF propagation network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 20, 1994
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Steven E. Huettner, Maureen A. Daly, Derek J. Fitzgerald
  • Patent number: 5334959
    Abstract: An improved 180.degree. phase shifter bit that uses embedded switches to selectively connect the RF input and RF output to a loosely coupled transmission line segment and a pi section of transmission line. A hybrid coupler is selected having characteristic impedance of less than 50 ohms and having coupling of less than -3 db. The result of this coupling choice is extremely low insertion loss. The resultant impedance mismatch is compensated for by providing oversized field effect transistors that allow RF signal in both the grounded coupler and the pi section of transmission lines that are 180.degree. out of phase. The RF signal present in both the coupler and pi section of the transmission line results in a cancellation effect allowing recovery of the input/output impedance over an approximately one octave bandwidth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 2, 1994
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corporation
    Inventors: David M. Krafcsik, David W. Chan
  • Patent number: 5325064
    Abstract: A wideband detector having a substantially flat response is made by using the signal at the isolation port of a coupler. As the response or transfer characteristic at the isolation port is substantially linear, a matching network having the inverse opposite transfer characteristic with respect to frequency may be connected to the coupler. The addition of the matching network transfer characteristic to the transfer characteristic of the coupler in the isolation port produces a superposition. Accordingly, the matching network transfer characteristic compensates for the linear varying transfer characteristic at the coupler isolation port to produce a substantially flat output of the matching network. The detector connected to the matching network output will then produce a detector signal which is substantially flat over the frequency range of the bandspread of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 28, 1994
    Assignee: Harris Corporation
    Inventors: James A. Leanes, Wang C. Wu
  • Patent number: 5323126
    Abstract: A circuit link, and method for using link, for self initializing any device peratively connected to the link. An input signal is split into two portions, one of which is delayed so that the undelayed signal can transverse the circuit link before the delayed signal. A pair of quadrature splitters are operatively connected to one another to split and combine the undelayed and delayed signals in their turns, and recombine them in their turns, in a manner effective to cause one of the circuit link's outputs to be nonzero responsive to the delayed signal, and zero responsive to the undelayed signal, with the opposite result on the other circuit output. The undelayed signal is thus available to initialize any device requiring initialization, and the delayed signal, unperturbed by any such device, is thus available for use as the circuit link's ultimate output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 21, 1994
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Anthony E. Spezio, Saurabh Dalal, Edward M. Alexander, Hal L. Levitt
  • Patent number: 5319325
    Abstract: To overcome conventional increase of insertion loss and conventional discrepancy of phase characteristic of an S/N enhancer provided for increasing S/N of an electro-magnetic wave to be converted into a magneto-static wave by utilizing saturation of magneto-static wave power propagating through a ferrite thin film, a novel operational principle is used, wherein a large variation of impedance of a strip line, provided for converting electro-magnetic waves into magneto-static waves in the vicinity of saturation of the magneto-static wave. The electro-magnetic wave reflected from the input terminal of the strip line is selectively derived as an output wave through a directional coupling device.As a result, particularly for an electro-magnetic wave applied with wide-band FM modulation, S/N can be remarkably increased without any increase of insertion loss or any influence of phase characteristic discrepancy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 7, 1994
    Assignee: Uniden Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshihiro Konishi
  • Patent number: 5313174
    Abstract: A four way 2:1 bandwidth RF splitter/combiner is described. When used as a splitter, the splitter/combiner provides equal amplitude output signals while maintaining quadrature phase over the entire bandwidth of the input signal. This splitter/combiner also maintains a one to one VSWR and eliminates back door intermodulation. When used as a combiner, the splitter/combiner losslessly combines four equal amplitude quadrature phase signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 17, 1994
    Assignee: Rockwell International Corporation
    Inventor: Richard C. Edwards
  • Patent number: 5307032
    Abstract: According to the present invention, there is provided a signal selector using a distributed coupled line with a small signal distortion in a range from a low-frequency wave to a high-frequency wave. One end of a main transmission line is a common terminal, and the other end is a signal selecting terminal. A coupled transmission line has at least one signal selecting terminal, and the coupled transmission line comprises one or a plurality of coupled transmission lines coupled to the main transmission line by an electric field, a magnetic field, or both the electric and magnetic fields. Switches are respectively arranged between the signal selecting terminal and ground or between ground and the signal selecting terminal and between ground and the other end of the main transmission line so as to be selectively ON/OFF-operated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1992
    Date of Patent: April 26, 1994
    Assignee: Anritsu Corporation
    Inventor: Tsuyomasa Uno
  • Patent number: 5285175
    Abstract: A tri-phase combiner/splitter system that has similar advantages to presently available binary combiner/splitter systems which uses quadrature couplers. Notably, the combiner input Voltage Standing Wave Ratio ("VSWR") remains at 1:1 for identical mismatch impedance at the output ports. There is also a complete cancellation of back-door intermodulation components for identical output device nonlinearities. An innovative wideband, 0.degree. three way combiner/splitter is the basic building block of the present invention. To achieve equal port impedances, a new wideband transmission line transformer is used. By using 60.degree. or 120.degree. phase equalization networks at the three, 0.degree. output ports, this device is converted to a wideband tri-phase combiner.For moderate bandwidths, a coupled transmission line version is possible using meandering strip lines in the same fashion used in quadrature coupler design.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 1992
    Date of Patent: February 8, 1994
    Assignee: Rockwell International
    Inventor: Richard C. Edwards
  • Patent number: 5280292
    Abstract: A multi-port microwave coupler has six input ports In 1, In 2, In 3, In 4, In 5 and In 6 and six output ports Out 1, Out 2, Out 3, Out 4, Out 5 and Out 6 and is synthesized from nine 2.times.2 90.degree. hybrid couplers which are arranged as three sets, that is a first set A, B and C, a second set D, E and F and a third set G, H and I. A first group of transmission lines interconnect the first and second sets of hybrid couplers, and a second group of transmission lines interconnect the second and third sets of hybrid couplers The first and third sets of couplers each give a 3 dB power reduction, but the second set give a 1:2 power split between their outputs. Three 90.degree. phase shift, devices X, Y and Z correct the phase of the signals in three of the transmission lines of the second group. When equal amplitude signals are applied to all of the input ports, the combined signal can be directed to any one of the output ports by appropriately selecting the respective phases of the input signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1992
    Date of Patent: January 18, 1994
    Assignee: Matra Marconi Space UK Limited
    Inventor: Wieslaw J. Tondryk
  • Patent number: 5270824
    Abstract: An AGC system for a double conversion type tuner for tuning digital television signals includes a quadrature coupler that has two of its four ports each terminated by a pin diode. The pin diodes are driven conductive in response to an AGC voltage and control the power transfer from the first mixer to the first IF amplifier. A series resistor is connected in circuit with each pin diode for providing a 50 ohm impedance when its associated pin diode is driven fully conductive. The pin diodes are conductively balanced to maintain impedance matching between the first mixer and the first IF amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 14, 1993
    Assignee: Zenith Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Pierre Dobrovolny
  • Patent number: 5252934
    Abstract: A signal delay assembly for a high power linear amplifier, using feedforward circuitry to reduce distortion, comprises an interdigital delay line unit with included directional couplers. The structure of the interdigital delay line is substantially in a parallelepiped housing. A co-axial connector constructed as an integral part of the delay unit is used for signal connection to the amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 1992
    Date of Patent: October 12, 1993
    Assignee: AT&T Bell Laboratories
    Inventor: Robert E. Myer
  • Patent number: 5235296
    Abstract: In a directional coupler having four input/output terminals in a planar circuit using strip lines or microstrip lines, a quarter-wavelength line is connected between first and third terminals, and between second and fourth terminals, respectively, and furthermore between first and second terminals, and between third and fourth terminals, individually, a branch line is connected, having a length which is (2N+1)/4 wavelength, cascading (2N+1) pieces of quarter-wavelength lines (where N is a positive integer). These (2N+1) quarter-wavelength lines composing the branch lines are set so that lines of high characteristic impedance and lines of low characteristic impedance appear alternately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 1991
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1993
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Saka
  • Patent number: 5233318
    Abstract: A CM type directional coupler comprises a body having a dielectric layer, an annular magnet buried in the dielectric layer, a pair of transmission lines juxtaposed with a predetermined spacing between them in a magnetic area enclosed by the magnetic ring in the dielectric layer, and lead terminals extending from opposite ends of each of the transmission lines to outside of the dielectric layer, and all these elements are formed integrally with each other to provide a single device. Therefore, a large coupling factor and directivity are ensured, and the coupler can be designed very compact. This directional coupler can be manufactured with a highly improved yield and mass-producibility, so it is very suitably usable as a power detector in a portable telephone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 3, 1993
    Assignee: Kokusai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kanemi Sasaki, Mikio Takano
  • Patent number: 5222246
    Abstract: A power amplifier arrangement includes a power divider for dividing the signal to be amplified into equal-amplitude components. Each component is amplified by a signal amplifying path. The amplified signals are applied to a phase-sensitive power combiner. The combined signal appears at the sum port and a phase-related difference signal appears at a difference port of the combiner. The difference signal is processed to produce a control signal for controlling the relative phases of the signals passing through the signal amplifying paths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 1990
    Date of Patent: June 22, 1993
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Herbert J. Wolkstein
  • Patent number: 5208563
    Abstract: An RF circuit includes an RF power divider circuit having an input port and a plurality of output ports the RF power divider circuit providing in response to a signal fed to the input port an output signal at each output port each output signal having known amplitude and known phase. The RF circuit further includes means for selectively coupling at least a portion of a signal fed to an input port of the RF circuit to the input port of the RF power divider circuit and a like plurality of directional coupler circuits each of the coupler circuits having an input port and a coupled port with each input port coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of output ports of the power divider circuit and each coupled port corresponding to an output port of the RF circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1991
    Date of Patent: May 4, 1993
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Mark E. Russell, David C. Miller, Anthony M. Donisi
  • Patent number: 5194835
    Abstract: Disclosed is an energy coupling device which can be used with metrical and decimetrical waves. To distribute, equipotentially and in equiphase, towards n users, the energy coming from m equipotential sources in equiphase, a 90-degree of 3 dB hybrid circuit is connected at the output of each source. This circuit distributes the power equally and with a 90-degree, aperiodic phase shift, towards two equipotential distributors in equiphase, with m inputs and n outputs, having one and the same input/output phase shift. The two distributors are connected, respectively, to the two ports of a pair of conjugated ports of n 90-degree 3 dB hybrid circuits. The powers recombined in these n circuits are respectively delivered to n users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 16, 1993
    Assignee: Thomson-LGT Laboratoire General des Telecommunications
    Inventor: Michel Destrade
  • Patent number: 5132645
    Abstract: A four-port wide-band branch line coupler which distributes, to two output ports and over a wide bandwidth, a signal that is fed into an input port at any constant ratio with a phase difference of 90.degree., so that no power emanates from an isolated port. If a signal is fed into the isolated port, this power is also distributed to both output ports, so that no power emanates from the input port. The coupler has two identical rings consisting of quarter-wave length line sections that are connected by two half-wave length line sections and are connected, by series circuits made of half-wave length line sections with individual branch circuits connected in parallel to them, to the four ports. The circuit can be dimensioned for construction in microstrip technology or coaxial cable technology. Further, the circuit can be made of concentrated elements so that it can be used in microwave monolithic integrated circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 1990
    Date of Patent: July 21, 1992
    Inventor: Bernd Mayer
  • Patent number: 5128638
    Abstract: A method for creating a four-port quadrature coupler suitable for monolithic implementation which involves connecting two ports of a balun, suitable itself for implementation in monolithic microwave integrated circuits, to two separate phasing networks. A device exhibiting the proper four-port quadrature coupler characteristics within a MMIC structure results, with wide bandwidth exceeding one octave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 1990
    Date of Patent: July 7, 1992
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph Staudinger, William B. Beckwith, Warren L. Seely
  • Patent number: 5111165
    Abstract: A suspended substrate coupler for operation at frequencies of 26 GHz or higher operated in a forward coupling mode. Coupling tends to improve with increased frequency and coupling as tight as 2 dB is provided for frequencies of 40 to 60 GHz. The first and second coupled lines are suspended striplines provided on both surfaces of a dielectric supported between two parallel ground planes. The spacing between the coupled striplines is approximately an order of magnitude greater than the spacing between the coupled lines of a conventional contra-directional coupler, and the length of the coupled sections of the striplines is not required to be a multiple of a quarter wavelength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 5, 1992
    Assignee: Wiltron Company
    Inventor: William W. Oldfield
  • Patent number: 5107231
    Abstract: Mode converting signal launchers for efficient coupling signals between dielectric insular and image waveguides and TEM mode transmission lines. The launcher includes a conductive ground plane and an elongated high permittivity dielectric waveguide adjacent to the ground plane. A TEM mode transmission line provides an elongated conductive strip fixed adjacent to the dielectric waveguide such that a coupling region is formed having a length of at least two times the wavelength in the dielectric waveguide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 1989
    Date of Patent: April 21, 1992
    Assignee: Epsilon Lambda Electronics Corp.
    Inventor: Robert M. Knox
  • Patent number: 5058198
    Abstract: A modular cable television tap unit includes a base module which receives a cable television signal having an operational power signal component from a cable distribution network. The base unit includes circuitry for separating radio frequency (RF) components and the operational power signal component from the cable television signal. The separated operational power signal is passed through the base module to another cable in the network. The base module includes a set of connectors for receiving a removable directional coupler module and a single connector for receiving a removable addressable signal splitter module. The signal splitter module includes connectors for providing the RF components of the cable television signal to subscribers. The connection for the directional coupler module provides only the RF component of the cable television signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 1989
    Date of Patent: October 15, 1991
    Assignee: AM Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph D. Rocci, Michael Quelly, Robert Hallett, Norman W. Moore
  • Patent number: 5053719
    Abstract: A radio frequency amplifier includes a first pair of quadrature couplers arranged to provide in response to an input signal first and second radio frequency signals having equal amplitudes and a first single-ended amplifier is fed by said first radio frequency signal to provide at an output thereof an amplified first signal having frequency components corresponding to a fundamental frequency of the input signal and second order products of the input signal. A second single-ended amplifier is fed by said second radio frequency signal for providing at an output thereof an amplified, second signal having second order products of the input signal and 180.degree. phase shifter frequency of the input signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 1, 1991
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventor: Ming-Chi Tsai
  • Patent number: 5032802
    Abstract: A hybrid network including a four port directional coupler with the terminating impedance of one port being intentionally mismatched with the characteristic impedance of the coupler. Such an intentionally mismatched port will cause the transfer signal of an input signal from an adjacent port to be reflected to another adjacent port and to be combined with the transfer signal of a second input signal, which is from an input port not isolated from the first input port. Placing the two input ports adjacent to one another also allows one input to radiate out of another adjacent input port. Alternately, a hybrid network is provided including a four port directional coupler with all ports properly terminated at the characteristic impedance of the coupler. An external combiner for signals from one port and its adjacent port allows the combining of two input transfer signals generated from the other two non-isolated input ports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 1990
    Date of Patent: July 16, 1991
    Assignee: Rose Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Teny L. Fry
  • Patent number: 5008633
    Abstract: A cross-fed FET power-chip amplifier employing a plurality of stages each having two FET devices. Wide band four port directional couplers couple the stages, each having an input, and output and two driver input terminals. An input signal is connected to the input terminal and the coupler is designed to produce a majority of the output at the output terminal and a lesser output at each of the driver input which have a 90.degree. phase relationship. Each driver input is connected to one gate of the two FET device, the sources of which are connected to common and the drains of which are connected together by a broadband 90.degree. coupler to accommodate the 90.degree. offset at the gates. The output of the broadband coupler is connected to the input terminal of the directional coupler of each subsequent stage and one or more combiners are coupled to the output terminals of the directional coupler of each stage and the broadband coupler of the final stage to drive an output signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 16, 1991
    Assignee: ITT Corporation
    Inventor: Harvey K. Y. Hom
  • Patent number: 4998078
    Abstract: The invention relates to a dividing network in the support station in a radio telephone network, wherein the received multi-channel antenna signal (ANT) is divided among separate receivers (CH1-CHn) by means of a dividing unit. The dividing unit is made up of a filter (2), an amplifier (3) and a dividing network (1). According to the invention it has, in a cascade (11; 21), N directional couplers (H1-Hn; B1-Bn), there being branched out from the cascade in succession to each of the N receivers (CH1-CHn) a share, according to the coupling (k1-kn) of the directional coupler, of the filtered and amplified antenna signal (4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 5, 1991
    Assignee: Nokia-Mobira Oy
    Inventor: Jaakko Hulkko
  • Patent number: 4985689
    Abstract: A microwave transmit-receive switch for switching between transmission and reception of a microwave signal, includes a directional coupler, an antenna terminal connected with an input terminal of the directional coupler, a transmission terminal connected to the isolation terminal of the directional coupler, two switches connected between the respective output terminals of the directional coupler and ground, respectively, a quarter wavelength phase delay element connecting one output terminal to a reception terminal and a transmission line having no phase delay connecting the other output terminal to the reception terminal of the switching.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1989
    Date of Patent: January 15, 1991
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshinobu Kadowaki, Yutaka Yoshii
  • Patent number: 4983933
    Abstract: A transducer adapted to couple radio frequency (R.F.) energy from a section of waveguide to a section of stripline is shown to comprise a section of stripline supporting a series of probes projecting inside the waveguide with a shaped length of a dielectric material disposed around the probes within the waveguide to match the velocity of propagation of the R.F. energy in the waveguide to the velocity of propagation in the stripline, thereby achieving tight coupling and improved directivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 1989
    Date of Patent: January 8, 1991
    Assignee: Sedco Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Paul R. Volk, Thomas R. Debski
  • Patent number: 4963945
    Abstract: A band rejection filtering arrangement utilizing bandpass filters each terminated by a matched load. A quadrature hybrid circuit divides the input signals and applies them to the bandpass filters. Signals within the rejection band are dissipated by the filters and matched loads, whereas desired signals are reflected. The reflected signals are then combined by the quadrature hybrid circuit to provide the band rejected output. This arrangement is made switchable between an all pass mode and the band rejection mode by providing PIN diodes between the quadrature hybrid circuit and the bandpass filters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 1989
    Date of Patent: October 16, 1990
    Assignee: Plessey Electronic Systems Corp.
    Inventors: David M. Cooper, Gerald Lebleboojian
  • Patent number: 4961061
    Abstract: The invention relates to a phase-shifting combiner for electromagnetic waves, the combiner comprising at least one phase-shifting cell constituted by a hybrid coupler (12), an inlet transmission line (10), an outlet transmission line (11), and a loop transmission line (13) connected between the first inlet and the first outlet of the coupler (12), the inlet transmission line (10) being connected to the second inlet of the coupler and the outlet transmission line (11) being connected to the second outlet of the coupler. It is applicable, in particular, to telecommunications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 1989
    Date of Patent: October 2, 1990
    Assignee: Alcatel N.V.
    Inventors: Jean-Claude Cruchon, Gilbert Prost
  • Patent number: 4935709
    Abstract: A non-radiating broadband microwave coupling device has a housing with first and second signal inputs and outputs, which are connected by respective first and second conductive connection line portions. A third output, also within the housing, is connected to these connection line portions by first and second semiconductor switches, which preferably are connected to parallel coupling line portions to provide inductive coupling. The semiconductor switches are selectively operable to close or switch the respective connection line through to the third output and open the other switch so that there is no significant power transfer to the third output. The connection line portions and the semiconductor switches are shielded within the housing. A corresponding terminator device has a termination resistor, which provides a ground connection for the coupling line portion not connected through to the output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 1988
    Date of Patent: June 19, 1990
    Inventor: Samuel Singer
  • Patent number: 4928078
    Abstract: A branch line coupler is disclosed. The device is comprised of multiple ports and branch lines, every two such lines being connected in a junction point. Each branch line has a width which is narrow at each end and increases in a curvilinear manner toward the middle. By virtue of the width design, the device performs the same functions as a conventional coupler, but for much higher frequencies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 22, 1990
    Assignee: Avantek, Inc.
    Inventor: Chandra Khandavalli
  • Patent number: 4924196
    Abstract: The invention is a low loss multiple pole multiple throw microwave switch having a transmission line for each of a plurality of outputs. A phase shifting device is provided in each transmission line operable between first and second states to shift the phase of a microwave signal transmitted therethrough. A matrix of signal dividers and cross-over networks cooperate with the phase shifting devices to produce additive and substractive vertical signal components such that all of the components at one output are additive and the signal components at all the other outputs have a vector sum of zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 8, 1990
    Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company
    Inventor: Harold A. Uyeda
  • Patent number: 4902983
    Abstract: A device for compensating for nonlinearity of amplifiers by use of a predistortion principle, and a nonlinear signal generating circuit built in such a device. The nonlinear signal generating circuit includes a quadrature hybrid of the type using a distributed constant line. Two diodes and a terminal resistor are connected in parallel and opposite in polarity to each other and connected between the terminals of coupling and passing ports of the hybrid and ground. The nonlinear compensating device is constituted by the combination of a plurality of quadrature hybrids of the type using a distributed constant line and various kinds of diodes. All the circuit segments of the device are implemented with a planar circuit provided on a single dielectric substrate and diodes which are held in a pair chip condition. Such circuitry is accommodated in a single air-tight housing to complete a microwave integrated circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 1988
    Date of Patent: February 20, 1990
    Assignees: NEC Corporation, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp.
    Inventors: Yoshinori Fujiki, Masatoshi Ishida, Nobuaki Imai, Toshio Nojima
  • Patent number: 4859971
    Abstract: A 20 to 500 MHz directional coupler for use in a high power RF system uses a pair of transmission line sections electrically interconnected in series by their shield terminals. The primary signal is passed through one of the line sections, and the second section is connected to ground through a resistor. The forward voltage is thus the voltage between the shield of the first line section and ground across the second line section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1987
    Date of Patent: August 22, 1989
    Assignee: Rockwell International Corporation
    Inventors: Richard C. Edwards, Burton L. Martin
  • Patent number: H880
    Abstract: A crossover for microwave electromagnetic radiation is constructed in a planar configuration for the transference of all of the power of a wave in a first transmission line to a wave in a second transmission line. The crossover is formed of two pairs of cross arms wherein, in each pair, the arms are spaced apart by an electrical length of ninety degrees along the first and the second transmission lines, and couple power of the waves between the first and second transmission lines with an introduction of a quarature phase relationship. The impedance presented to a wave of a cross arm is less than the corresponding impedance of the first and the second transmission lines by a factor of the square root of two to inhibit the generation of relections at junctions between a cross arm and the first or the second transmission line. Each junction provides for a diversion of one-half the power of the wave from the first or the second transmission line to a cross arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1989
    Date of Patent: January 1, 1991
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventor: Robert J. Patin