CA1297954C - Energy coupling device - Google Patents

Energy coupling device

Info

Publication number
CA1297954C
CA1297954C CA000586192A CA586192A CA1297954C CA 1297954 C CA1297954 C CA 1297954C CA 000586192 A CA000586192 A CA 000586192A CA 586192 A CA586192 A CA 586192A CA 1297954 C CA1297954 C CA 1297954C
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
ports
inputs
amplifiers
equiphase
outputs
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
CA000586192A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Michel Destrade
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Thomson LGT Laboratoire General des Telecommunications
Original Assignee
Thomson LGT Laboratoire General des Telecommunications
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Thomson LGT Laboratoire General des Telecommunications filed Critical Thomson LGT Laboratoire General des Telecommunications
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1297954C publication Critical patent/CA1297954C/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01PWAVEGUIDES; RESONATORS, LINES, OR OTHER DEVICES OF THE WAVEGUIDE TYPE
    • H01P5/00Coupling devices of the waveguide type
    • H01P5/12Coupling devices having more than two ports
    • H01P5/16Conjugate devices, i.e. devices having at least one port decoupled from one other port

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
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 3dB 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.

Description

~1 :
ENERGY COUPLING DEVICE
sACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention An object of the present invention is a devlce for the coupling of energies, which can be used with metrical and decimetrical waves.
Devices of this type are necessary in different cases:
for example, using a source, to make several amplifiers or preamplifiers working equipotentially and in equiphase, or else to summate the powers delivered by several equipotential and equiphase preamplifiers so that, with the power obtained, amplifiers are made to work equipotentially and in equiphase, or else again to summate the powers delivered by several amplifiers working equipotentially and in equiphase to supply one and the same user, generally formed by a sending antenna.
2 Descrlption of the Prior Art .

In the case, for example, of amplifiers which are to be made to work equipo-tentially and in equiphase, there are distributors with one input and n outputs, associated with impedance matching circuits by quarter-wavelength transformers, which perform this operation accurately inasmuch as all the amplifiers deliver the same power; but iE one or more amplifiers break down, the resultant mismatching disturbs, notably, the operation of the entire ~k assembly, and it becomes necessary to shield the amplifiers by means of insulation devices. Various solutions have been used to achieve this purpose:
distributors have been associated with circulator-type insulator devices using the gyromagnetic properties of ferrites. This approach is theoretically an ideal one, but, in practice, it has various drawbacks, such as limitations on power and selectivity, and relatively high losses in the circulators;
ring-type hybrid junctions, 3 d~ couplers etc~ have been cascade-mounted, the amplifiers being connected, in twos, to one and the same junction; excellent decoupling is thus achieved between the amplifiers but this is a costly approach, especially for a large number of amplifiers, because of the number of hybrid junctions needed. Moreover, the losses are high;
distributors have been associated with Wilkinson type shielding devices; this is a fairly efficient approach. However, it has proved to be very difficult to apply it for use with microwave bands with a large number of ampliEiers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An aim oE the invention is to obtain the same advantages as those related to cascade-mounted hybrid junctions while, at the same time, reducing the drawbacks , ~e minimum.
This is got by suitably associating hybrid junctions with distributors.
According to the invention, there is provided a device 5 f or the coupling of energies, between m energy sources, where m is a positive whole-number value, and n users, where n is a positive whole-number value, and where m+n is greater than 2, comprising m first and n second 90-degree, 3 dB hybrid circuits, each having a f irst, a second, a l O chird and a f ourth port, the f irst and the second ports as well as the third and the fourth ports of each hybrid circuit forming pairs of con jugated ports, m+n balancing loads respectively associated with the m+n hybrid circuits and a first and a second distributor with the m inputs n 15 outputs, the two distributors being equipotential and in equiphase, and having the same inputs/outputs phase shift, the m f irst circuits having their m f irst inputs coupled espectively to the m sources, their n second ports connected respectively to the m loads, their m third ports 20 connected, respectively, to the m inputs of the first distributor, their m fourth ports connected, respectively, -to the m inputs of the second distributor, the n second circui ts having their n f irst ports respectively connected to the n outputs of the f irst distributor, their n second 25 ports respectively connected to the n outputs of the second distributor, their n third ports respectively connected to the n loads and their n fourth ports respectively connected to the n users.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will be better understood, and its other characteristics will emerge, from the following description and the appended figures, of which:
- figure 1 shows a coupling device between amp~ifiers and a user;
~ figure 2 shows a coupling device between preamplifiers and the amplifiers of figure l;
- figure 3 shows a coupling device between a source and the preamplifiers of figure 2.
The corresponding elements in the various figures are 15 designated by the same references.
MORE DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In the following description, as well as in the claims, reference is made to 90-degree 3B hybrid junctions, comprising two pairs of conjugated ports. The term "pair of 20 conjugated ports" of the junction must be understood to mean two of the four ports o~ the junction such that, if the matched loads are connected to it, there is practically no coupling between the other two ports of the circuit, the other two ports moreover forming also a pair of conjugated 25 ports; and always when matched loads are connected to one ~2~g~4 of the pairs of conjugated ports, the power applied to one of the two conjugated ports of the other pair goes out by the ports of the pair to which matched loads are connected, at equal power but with waves in phase quadrature. In the diagrams, the pairs of conjugated ports of the 90 degree 3 ds hybrid junctions, shall be respectively marked 1-2 and 3-4; these junctions are directional couplers in the assemblies which have been used as examples for the present description, and these 90 degree 3 dB directional couplers, shall be called, in the rest of the description "3 dB
couplers" or even "couplers". However, it should be noted that, without going beyond the scope of the invention, these couplers may consist of any other equivalent junctions such as, for example, magic T junctions or hybrid ring junctions associated with phase shift elements of appropriate value.
Figure 1 shows the diagram of a coupling device which can be used to supply an antenna A with the sum, short of losses, of the energies yiven by n amplifiers, El to En (in the example described n was equal to 8 and the amplifiers each had an output power of 1 kilowatt). The outputs of the amplifiers, E1 to En, are respectively connected to the ports 1 of n 3 d~ couplers, Dl to Dn. Between the ports 2 of the couplers Dl to Dn and the ground, there are mounted the ba1ancing resistors Rdl to Rdn which form matched loads. The ports 3 of the couplers Dl to Dn are respectively connected to the inputs l to n of a distributor Cl wi-th n inputs and one output. In the same way, the ports 4 of the couplers Dl to Dn are respectively connected to the inputs l to n of a distributor C2 with n inputs and one output; the distributors Cl, C2, are equipotential and in equiphase, and have the same input/output phase shift. These distributors are also called 0 dividers. The outputs of the distributors Cl, C2, are respectively connected to the ports l and 2 of a 3 dB
coupler, B, the port 3 of which is connected to the ground by a balancing resistor Rb and the port 4 of which is connected to the antenna A, the latter having an impedance matching circuit (no-t shown).
15If the assembly according to figure l is to work accurately, the amplifiers El to En should deliver equipotential and equiphase signals; there are known assemblies to obtain this result, but it is also possible, as shall be seen with the help of figures 2 and 3, to achieve this result with asssemblies according to the invention, since what has to be done, each time, is to distribute the power of one or more sources to one or more users which become sources in the next amplification step;
; thus, the amplifiers of figure 1, which are the users of energy from the preamplifiers of figure 2, are also the .

79~

energy sources for the user which is the antenna A of figure 1.
ln normal operation, namely with the amplifiers El to En, delivering equipotential signals in equiphase, the power of the amplifier Ei (i: whole number which may assume any value from 1 to n) is divided into two equal parts, but with a 90 aperiodic phase shift, by the coupler Di:
- a part U/ ~ which appears on the port 3 of the coupler Di (U being the voltage corresponding to the power given by the amplifier Di which, besides, is the same irrespectively of the value assumed by i from 1 to n~;
- a part U/~.exp(-j~/2), where exp~-j~/2) represents the exponential of -j~/2, with j=~r;
all the power of the signals appearing at the port 3 of the couplers Dl to Dn is applied to the distributor Cl, and all the power of the signals appearing at the port 4 of the couplers Dl to Dn is applied to the distributor C2. If uc is the phase change resulting from the crossing of the distributors Cl and C2 , the signals at the ports 1 and 2 oE the coupler B respectively have the form:
U/~exp (j ~c).
U/v~.exp-j~/2~c) givîng respectively , at the ports 3 and 4 of the coupler U/2.exp(j ~c)+U/2.exp-j (~ ~ c) null signal.

95~

U/2.exp~ /2~c)+U/2.exp-j(~/2 ~ c), a signal representing the recombined total power.
Thus, the assembly- formed by the couplers and the distributors of figure 1, constitutes a shunting of the ports 1 of the couplers, Dl to Dn, towards the port 4 of the coupler B when the ports 2 of the couplers, Dl to Dn~
and the port 3 of the coupler B are perfectly decoupled.
The assembly according to figure 1 works as a power summator, the power at the port 4 of the coupler B being the sum, short of losses, of the powers given by the amplifiers El to En. It should be further noted that the assembly according to figure is reversible, except for the amplifiers El to En.
However, what is the degree of insulation of the amplifiers El to En with respect to one another? The signal that comes from an amplifier Ei (i: whole number capable of assuming any value from 1 to n) and has reached the inputs i of the dividers Cl and C2 is divided into three parts:
- one part transmitted towards the ports 1 and 2 of the coupler V;
- one part reflected towards the amplifier Ei;
~ one part retransmitted towards the other ampliflers;
When all the signals ~iven by the amplifiers El to En are equipotential and in equiphase, only that part transmitted towards the ports 1 and 2 of the coupler B

exists, while the other parts are null. When this is not the case owing to an imbalance in amplitude or phase between the amplifiers, or owing to a failure of one or more amplifiers, any signal coming from a faulty amplifier Ei and reflected by the distributors Cl and C2, or retransmitted to the other amplifiers, gets recombined and appears at the ports 2 of the couplers Dl to Dn where it is absorbed by the protective loads formed by balancing resisters Rdl to Rdn. The assembly according to figure 1 thus provides perfect protection to the amplifiers from any imbalance and even from any total stoppage of one or more amplifiers. And the ratio between the normally available total power and the ef~ectively available total power is, barring losses of the system, as for an association of cascade-mounted couplers ;
n2/(n-n~)2 where n' is the number of malfunctioning amplifiers.
Figure 2 shows how the n amplifiers El and En are supplied from m equipotential and equiphase preampliEiers, 20 Jl to Jm. The assembly comprises the m preamplifiers, followed by m 90-degree 3 dB couplers, Hl to Hm, followed by two identical equipotential and equiphase distr.ibutors Gl and G2 with m inputs and n outputs followed by n 90-degree 3dB couplers, Fl to Fn, followed by n amplifiers, 25 El to En. Between the ports 2 of the couplers, Hl to Hm, ~æ~

and the ground as well as between the ports 3 of the couplers Fl to Fn and the ground, there are connected balancing reslstors, Rhl to Rhm and Rfl to Rfn.
That part of the assembly of figure 2, going from the preampli.fiers, Jl to Jn, to the inputs of the distributors Gl, G2, corresponds to that part of the assembly according to figure 1, included between the amplifiers, El to En, and the inputs of the distributors Cl and C2; the shielding of the preamplifiers, Jl to Jn, against any abnormal operation by one of them is thus provided.
That part of the assembly of figure 2, going from the outputs of the distributors, Gl, G2, to the inputs of the amplifiers, El to En, corresponds to that part of the assembly according to figure 1 between the inputs of the lS distributors, Cl and C2, and the outputs of the amplifiers, El to En, namely a part used in reverse to the direction of its use according to figure 1, in taking advantage of its reversibllity. This part of the assembly of figure 2 enables an equipotential and equiphase supply of the amplifiers El to En.
Figure 3 shows how the preamplifiers, Jl to Jn, can be supplied equipotentially and in equiphase from a source represented by a single amplifier, N, to the input of which a signal S is applied. The assembly has the amplifier N, followed by a 90-degree 3dB coupler, M, followed by two 1~97g~

identical, equipotential and equiph~se distributors Ll, L2, with one input and m outputs, followed by m 90-degree 3 dB
couplers, Kl to Km, followed by m preamplifiers, Jl to Jm.
Between the port 2 of the coupler M and the ground, as well as between the ports 3 of the couplers Kl to Km and the ground, balancing resistors R and Rkl to Rkm are connected.
That part of the assembly according to figure 3, included between the output of the source N and the inputs of the preamplifiers Jl to Jm, corresponds to that part of the assembly according to figure 1 included between the antenna A and the outputs of the amplifiers, El to En, which is used, therefore, through its reversibility, in the reverse direction of its use according to figure 1. This assembly can be used for an equipotential and equiphase supply of the preamplifiers, Jl to Jm.
The invention is not restricted to the example described. It can be applied generally to the equipotential and equiphase supply of n users by m sources of energy with m and n as positive whole numbers and m+n as greater than 2.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
1. A device for the coupling of energies, between m energy sources, where m is a positive whole-number value, and n users, where n is a positive whole-number value, and where m+n is greater than 2, comprising m first and n second 90-degree, 3 dB hybrid circuits, each having a first, a second, a third and a fourth port, the first and the second ports as well as the third and the fourth ports of each hybrid circuit forming pairs of conjugated ports, m+n balancing loads respectively associated with the m+n hybrid circuits and a first and a second distributor with m inputs and n outputs, the two distributors being equipotential and in equiphase, and having the same inputs/outputs phase shift, the m first circuits having their m first inputs coupled respectively to the m sources, their n second ports connected respectively to the m loads, their m third ports connected, respectively, to the m inputs of the first distributor, their m fourth ports connected, respectively, to the m inputs of the second distributor, the n second circuits having their n first ports respectively connected to the n outputs of the first distributor, their n second ports respectively connected to the n outputs of the second distributor, their n third ports respectively connected to the n loads and their n fourth ports respectively connected to the n users.
CA000586192A 1987-12-18 1988-12-16 Energy coupling device Expired - Lifetime CA1297954C (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FR8717710 1987-12-18
FR8717710A FR2625053A1 (en) 1987-12-18 1987-12-18 ENERGY COUPLING DEVICE

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1297954C true CA1297954C (en) 1992-03-24

Family

ID=9358031

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA000586192A Expired - Lifetime CA1297954C (en) 1987-12-18 1988-12-16 Energy coupling device

Country Status (10)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0321331B1 (en)
JP (1) JP2639032B2 (en)
AT (1) ATE87770T1 (en)
CA (1) CA1297954C (en)
DE (1) DE3879905T2 (en)
ES (1) ES2039678T3 (en)
FR (1) FR2625053A1 (en)
HK (1) HK64795A (en)
MX (1) MX169534B (en)
SG (1) SG9795G (en)

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20150333709A1 (en) * 2012-09-18 2015-11-19 Nec Corporation Power combining circuit and power combining method
US11146223B2 (en) * 2019-07-01 2021-10-12 Raytheon Company High power radio frequency (RF) amplifiers
CN112563711B (en) * 2020-11-23 2021-07-27 杭州电子科技大学 Rectangular patch-half-mode substrate integrated waveguide hybrid 90-degree directional coupler

Family Cites Families (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4673898A (en) * 1986-02-28 1987-06-16 Advanced Systems Research, Inc. Wide band quadrature hybrid

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
ATE87770T1 (en) 1993-04-15
JP2639032B2 (en) 1997-08-06
SG9795G (en) 1995-06-16
MX169534B (en) 1993-07-09
HK64795A (en) 1995-05-05
FR2625053A1 (en) 1989-06-23
DE3879905D1 (en) 1993-05-06
JPH01282901A (en) 1989-11-14
EP0321331B1 (en) 1993-03-31
ES2039678T3 (en) 1993-10-01
DE3879905T2 (en) 1993-07-08
EP0321331A1 (en) 1989-06-21

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