EP0139800B1 - Schnellschaltverfahren und -vorrichtung für einen mit zwei Ringkernen versehenen Mikrowellenphasenschieber - Google Patents

Schnellschaltverfahren und -vorrichtung für einen mit zwei Ringkernen versehenen Mikrowellenphasenschieber Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0139800B1
EP0139800B1 EP83306646A EP83306646A EP0139800B1 EP 0139800 B1 EP0139800 B1 EP 0139800B1 EP 83306646 A EP83306646 A EP 83306646A EP 83306646 A EP83306646 A EP 83306646A EP 0139800 B1 EP0139800 B1 EP 0139800B1
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EP
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Prior art keywords
switching
toroid
ferrite
phase shifter
phase
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EP83306646A
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English (en)
French (fr)
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EP0139800A1 (de
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Thomas E. Sharon
Roger G. Roberts
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Cessione ems Technologies Inc
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ELECTROMAGNETIC SCIENCES Inc
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Priority to DE8383306646T priority patent/DE3379093D1/de
Priority to AT83306646T priority patent/ATE40494T1/de
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01P—WAVEGUIDES; RESONATORS, LINES, OR OTHER DEVICES OF THE WAVEGUIDE TYPE
    • H01P1/00—Auxiliary devices
    • H01P1/18—Phase-shifters
    • H01P1/19—Phase-shifters using a ferromagnetic device
    • H01P1/195—Phase-shifters using a ferromagnetic device having a toroidal shape

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  • the present invention is directed to microwave phase shifters and more particularly to latching microwave ferrite phase shifters and methods for more quickly switching them between desired phase shifting states.
  • the phenomenon accompanying the arrangement of two oppositely and equally magnetized ferrite slabs, separated by a di-electric slab and located within a microwave waveguide are well known. Reversal of the magnetization in both ferrite slabs causes a change in insertion phase for a given direction of propagation. This change in insertion phase constitutes a phase shift for that direction of propagation. Further, a change in the magnitude of the magnetization of the two ferrite slabs produces a change in insertion phase for a given direction of propagation. It is therefore desirable to quickly and precisely adjust the magnetization of the ferrite slabs in order to control the phase shift and/or the insertion phase of the waveguide.
  • the present invention is for a method of setting the magnetization levels of the ferrite slabs which is faster than prior art methods and is for an apparatus for executing the method which is simplified in construction over prior art apparatus.
  • the state represented by point 1 in Figure 1 is called the "long state” since the insertion phase is highest and that represented by point 2 is called the “short state”.
  • the two branches of the curve of Figure 1 are referred to as clockwise (CW) and counterclockwise (CCW) reference to the direction of propagation of the wave.
  • CW clockwise
  • CCW counterclockwise
  • the ferrite were magnetized in a particular direction (CCW) representing state 1 in Figure 1 for the transmit direction of propagation, it would exhibit a phase 0 1 to the transmit signal.
  • the phase would be 0 2 if the ferrite remains in the same switched state as for the transmit direction of propagation.
  • phase shifter is in phase state 0a for the receive mode the same as the phase state for the transmit mode.
  • a two-step operation, reset and set is required to place the ferrite slab in the appropriate magnetization state. According to the prior art, by using such a two pulse operation, the phase state can be changed from any value to any other value.
  • the controlled flux technique previously discussed has definite advantages in terms of ease of assembly and microwave performance parameters.
  • the switching technique used for a device utilizing the controlled flux technique involves two distinct switching operations (the reset and set operations) which are accomplished sequentially in time. In addition to the two switching operations, it is necessary to insert an additional delay after the reset pulse to allow sufficient time for the ferrite element and the electronics to settle before the set pulse is applied.
  • a technique of this type a recent X-band phase shifter produced at Electromagnetic Sciences was switched in twelve microseconds using a controlled flux driver to produce a multitude of desired phase states.
  • phased array radar using non-reciprocal phase shifters, if a pulse of rf energy is sent out by a transmitter, the ferrite elements in the phase shifter must be switched between the end of the transmit pulse and the beginning of the receive pulse reflected from the target. For this reason, the time necessary to switch the device from the transmit state to the receive state is a very critical parameter governing the minimum range target which can be observed. To observe a target at a distance of five hundred feet a switching time of approximately one microsecond is required. It is obvious that the prior art controlled flux switching technique does not provide suitable performance in certain applications such as phased array radars with such switching times.
  • phase shifter can be made by simply switching between -4 ⁇ M r and +4nM, shown in Figure 2. This corresponds, for example, to a switching between 0 1 and 0 2 in Figure 1. If the phase shifter is in state 0 1 at remanent value -4nM r for the transmit mode, it can be put in the same state 0 1 for the receive mode by switching the ferrite slab to the +4nM r remanent value.
  • a four- bit digital phase shifter can be constructed by placing four distinct pieces of ferrite in tandem, with the length of each piece twice as long as the preceding one and adjusting them to have 22-1/ 2°, 45°, 90° and 180° of phase shift, respectively.
  • Each ferrite piece has it own pair of latch wires and it own driver.
  • the bits are separated by dielectric spacers to avoid interaction of latch currents with adjacent ferrites.
  • multi-bit phase shifters provide considerably faster switching times, in situations where more than four bits are required the smaller bits become too small to handle and the final assembly becomes cumbersome.
  • the many interfaces required to prevent interactions because of the accuracy specifications of different materials produce reflections that preclude achievement of various design specifications.
  • the driver needed to drive each of the ferrite pieces becomes extremely expensive.
  • the many latch wires and interfaces tend to produce higher order modes that impair phase accuracy.
  • the multi-bit phase shifter provides desirable switching times, in many applications it cannot be used because of the cumbersome physical design.
  • a fast-switching, dual toroid microwave phase shifter comprising:
  • a method for switching of a dual toroid microwave ferrite phase shifter in which the phase shift is accomplished either by a saturated state of the first toroid and a partially saturated state of the second toroid or by a partially saturated state of the first toroid and a saturated state of the second toroid, said method comprising:
  • the new electronic switching technique of the present invention allows the advantages of the controlled flux device to be combined with the fast-switching properties of the multi-bit devices, resulting in a unique phase shifter configuration suitable for many new applications in which fast-switching and/or high accuracy requirements are involved.
  • the phase shifter switches as fast as the multi-bit phase shifters and yet has all the construction advantages of the controlled flux phase shifters.
  • the construction problems associated with the multi-bit phase shifter device are indeed insurmountable, and it is impractical to make a multi-bit phase shifter above approximately twenty gigahertz.
  • the construction approach used in the controlled flux phase shifters can be extended to frequencies as high as ninety-four gigahertz.
  • the fast-switching advantages of the multi-bit unit can be incorporated into similar microwave structure being used in the conventional controlled flux phase shifters.
  • the microwave ferrite phase shifter of the present invention may be used, in addition to its uses as a microwave phase shifter, as a transmit receive phase shifter and in a reciprocal four-port switch and an anti-reciprocal four-port switch/ variable power divider.
  • phase transient associated with the device during the reset operation causes unacceptable microwave performance.
  • the variable power divider when both phase shifters are reset, the variable power divider will exhibit a 45° phase transient. If such a device is used in a communication system this phase transient will cause distortion of the communication signal. For example, if the system uses a frequency modulated signal, the phase transient will be a disturbance of the normal communication signal modulated on the carrier.
  • the phase transient In a variable power divider utilizing the switching technique of the present invention it is possible to switch to a new state without any phase transients-occurring.
  • FIG. 3 Illustrated in Figure 3 is a non-reciprocal, latching, dual-toroid microwave ferrite phase shifter 5 shown within a waveguide 7.
  • the waveguide housing 7 is shown with the top removed and one side partially broken away.
  • the ferrite phase shifter 5 has a first toroidal ferrite core 9 having a latching wire 10 extending along its axial length.
  • a second toroidal ferrite core 12 has a similar latching wire 13.
  • the latching wires 10 and 13 are provided to set and reset the toroidal ferrite cores 9 and 12.
  • the cores 9 and 12 are separated by a dielectric slab 15.
  • Also located within the waveguide 7 is a mode suppressor 17 and a matching transformer 18.
  • a block diagram illustrating a circuit 19 for controlling the operation of the phase shifter 5 is illustrated in Figure 4.
  • a programmable read only memory "PROM" 20 receives data from a microprocessor 22 and an external source not shown in Figure 4.
  • the microprocessor can be an integral part of the phase shifter control electronics or it can represent an external controller.
  • Output signals from the PROM 20 are input to a digital to analog converter 21 which produces signals for controlling the operation of four set drivers 23, 24, 25 and 26.
  • Each of the drivers 23 through 26 has a set and reset driver.
  • the reset and set drivers of the driver 23 drive the ferrite 9 to saturated and partially saturated positive magnetic remanent states, respectively.
  • the reset driver and set driver of the driver 24 drive the toroid 9 to saturated and partially saturated negative magnetic remanent states, respectively.
  • the drivers 25 and 26 control the magnetic remanent state to which the ferrite 12 is switched.
  • the control circuit 19 also contains a timing control circuit 28 receiving strobe signals, a state decoder 29 responsive to the PROM 20 and a timing demultiplexer 30 responsive to both the state decoder and the timing control circuit.
  • the timing control circuit 28, the state decoder 29 and the timing demultiplexer 30 cooperate to produce control signals for activating various ones of the drivers 23 through 26 to prepare them for receiving the switching information from the digital to analog converter 21. Details concerning the construction and operation of the drivers 23 through 26 are provided hereinbelow in conjunction with Figures 12 through 17.
  • the reset core 9 is set and the set core 12 is reset as shown in Figure 7.
  • the ferrite 9 is set to the value which the ferrite 12 had in Figure 6 while the ferrite 12 is reset to a saturated condition.
  • the phase shifter now exhibits the same phase shift of 60° for waves propagating in the opposite direction.
  • phase shifter 5 was placed in the proper condition by executing only one operation on each ferrite core. That is, the reset ferrite core 9 was set and the set ferrite core 12 was reset. Thus, by maintaining at least one of the ferrite cores in the reset condition, any desired phase shift may be achieved with only one operation for each toroid.
  • Figures 5, 6 and 7 are to be contrasted with Figures 8 and 9 which illustrate the prior art controlled flux switching technique.
  • the reference state for the ferrite cores 9 and 12 wouid be fully magnetized, equal and oppositely, as shown by the arrows in Figure 8.
  • the prior art phase shifter once placed in the configuration shown in Figure 9(a), would require two switching operations before the complimentary state shown in Figure 9(b) is reached.
  • the ferrite core 9 would be driven from positive saturation to negative saturation in one reset operation.
  • the core 12 must first be driven to negative saturation, an appropriate settling time must pass and then the core must be driven to the appropriate remanent state as shown in Figure 9.
  • the prior art control flux switching technique illustrated in Figures 8 and 9 requires approximately twelve microseconds to switch states while the switching technique of the present invention illustrated in Figures 5, 6 and 7 requires approximately two microseconds for a typical X-band phase shifter.
  • a plot of the phase versus magnetization may be produced to account for the new states of the dual-toroid phase shifter which results from an application of the present invention.
  • the long 0, and short 0 s phase states appear in their original positions on the vertical axis. See Figures 10a and 10b.
  • the horizontal axis represents the change of magnetization away from the fully magnetized +4nM r case. The range of the horizontal axis varies from 0 to 8nM,.
  • the general states of magnetization of interest in the present invention are those in which one ferrite is magnetized fully to a major remanent point and the other ferrite is in a ⁇ partially magnetized state. This corresponds to the configuration achieved when one ferrite is reset and the other ferrite is set by the electronic drivers 23 through 26 shown in Figure 4.
  • One distinctive feature of the present invention is that either of the ferrites may be reset to either a positive or a negative major remanent point. On the next switching operation one of the electronic drivers 23 through 26 wii! then produce a controlled magnetization change away from this reference point and set the ferrite to a partially magnetized state.
  • Each ferrite will alternate between a reset state and a corresponding set state, although a ferrite may be reset as many times as desired in a consecutive manner.
  • neither ferrite may be subjected to consecu-- tive set operations since such a switching operation on the hysteresis loop is not possible in a temperature stable manner without first returning to a stable saturated reference point.
  • the switching scheme of the present invention allows any change of phase with only one switching operation for each ferrite. This is to be contrasted with the conventional controlled flux switching technique described above with reference to Figures 8 and 9, wherein two switching operations are necessary.
  • a reset operation magnetizes the ferrite to a reference point and a second set pulse magnetizes the ferrite to an appropriate partially magnetized state.
  • the ferrite cores are connected to separate drivers 23 through 26 illustrated in Figure 4.
  • the operation of the drivers 23 through 26 is controlled according to preprogrammed instructions by the microprocessor 22 shown in Figure 4.
  • a flow chart illustrating the instructions which the microprocessor 22 utilizes to control the drivers 23 through 26 is illustrated in Figure 11.
  • the switching technique of the present invention is initiated by testing the ferrite core 9 to determine if it is in a reset condition. When the ferrite 9 is in the reset condition the microprocessor 22 instructs the circuitry to set the ferrite core 9 to the desired remanent state as shown by block 83. After initiating the setting of the ferrite core 9, the microprocessor proceeds to step 84 wherein the condition of the ferrite core 12 is determined. If the ferrite core 9 is not reset the microprocessor, at step 85, initiates resetting of the ferrite core 9 and proceeds to step 84.
  • the microprocessor 22 performs the same function on the second ferrite core 12. If the ferrite core 12 is reset, setting is initiated, and conversely, if the ferrite core is set, resetting is initiated. As will be appreciated, the required set and reset functions are thus detected and initiated substantially simultaneously-i.e., only a few microcomputer instruction cycles are required. If desired, separate parallel processing may be performed so as to initiate the set and reset operations concurrently. In a typical switching transition, one ferrite is reset while the other is set.
  • the microprocessor 22 stores data representative of the previous state of the ferrite cores. Thus, by knowing the new state which the ferrite core is to be in and the previous state of the ferrite core the proper switching operation is uniquely defined and can be implemented precisely (and simultaneously) by conventional logic circuitry as illustrated in Figure 4.
  • a single ferrite toroid 32 has a first portion 33 and a second portion 34 separated by a discrete distance 35.
  • the first portion 33 and the second portion 34 act as two independent ferrite cores. Accordingly, the first and second portions 33 and 34 have individual latching wires 37 and 38, respectively.
  • the ferrite phase shifter 5 shown in the waveguide 7 in Figure 12 operates in an identical manner to the ferrite phase shifter 5 shown in the waveguide 7 in Figure 3. Accordingly, the phase shifter 5 of Figure 12 may be controlled by a control circuit 19 as shown in Figure 4.
  • At least one of the ferrites is maintained in the reset state.
  • this value is -4nM r or +4nM,.
  • the reset state is accomplished by applying a large voltage pulse V f of sufficient amplitude and duration to generate a magnetizing force of at least four times the coercive force of the material.
  • V f voltage pulse
  • fV f dt There are a variety of techniques for controlling the value of fV f dt. These employ a rectangular pulse which can be varied in amplitude, width, or both. Errors may be introduced from a variety of sources such as variations in pulse amplitude, pulse width, transition and storage times of the driving circuits, and voltages induced by the ferrite as the magnetization "falls back" to its residual value. These errors are discussed later in conjunction with Figures 12 through 15.
  • the present invention employs a technique for calibrating out these errors so that phase shift errors occur only due to changes after the initial calibration.
  • phase shift from the reference magnetization state is a function of the flux change created by the precisely controlled set voltage pulse.
  • this phase shift is not a linear function of flux. Although smooth and monotonic, this function can vary significantly even among devices manufactured from a common batch of ferrite material.
  • phase shifter In order for a phase shifter to be commanded in a linear function, i.e., in equal discrete steps, it is necessary to generate a linearization function which maps each command into a flux change yielding the required phase shift.
  • the composition of that intrinsic curve with an appropriate linearization function creates the phase shift versus command function which is linear. Because of the variations in intrinsic curves, the linearization function must be created for each phase shifter individually.
  • the inventors of the present invention have developed a unique digital linearization technique which virtually eliminates the problems associated with the prior art analog shaping technique.
  • the technique of the present invention employs the programmable read only memory 20, illustrated in Figure 4, to permanently store a representation of the linearizing function of the individual ferrites.
  • the digital input command from the microprocessor 22 addresses a word in the PROM 20 which has been programmed to contain a value representing the flux change necessary to produce the desired phase change.
  • This modified command word is then used to control the set pulse generating circuitry.
  • the accuracy with which the required linearization table can be reproduced is limited only by the quantization of the flux change.
  • the set drivers of the drivers 23 through 26 are designed so that the quantization effect is 1/4 to 1/8 of the smallest desired phase change.
  • a 512 state (9-bit) phase shifter may have a 4,096 state (12-bit) flux change representation.
  • this digital linearization technique offers several advantages.
  • the linearizing function to be - stored in the PROM 20 is characterized empirically using the actual pulse generating circuitry.
  • the value stored in each memory location is determined by measuring the phase produced by each available value and selecting the one which most nearly achieves the desired phase change. In this way, errors introduced because of variations in pulse amplitude or pulse width, transition and storage times of the driving circuits and voltages induced by the ferrite as the magnetization "falls back" to its residual value are calibrated out, leaving only the quantization errors.
  • this method allows insertion phase adjustment since the word corresponding to the zero command need not produce zero phase shift, but can be adjusted to match a standard unit. Clearly, this. technique is well-suited to applications requiring highly accurate phase shifters.
  • That part of the driving electronics which generates and controls the set voltage pulses is most critical in terms of phase accuracy.
  • the following paragraphs briefly discuss several configurations which may be used for the set drivers of drivers 23 through 26 shown in Figure 4 and the maximum errors to be expected for these driver approaches over a 15°C temperature range.
  • the first set driver configuration to be considered involves applying a fixed amplitude voltage pulse 37 with the pulse width determined directly by the modified command output from the PROM 20, i.e., the digital to analog converter 21 is not utilized in this embodiment.
  • the pulse 37 is very short and increases to about four microseconds for a typical B-band phase shifter as the phase command approaches 360°.
  • the main sources of error in this approach are amplitude variations, pulse width control accuracy and pulse shape variations.
  • the width of the pulse 39 is held constant and the pulse amplitude is varied to achieve the various phase states. This eliminates the problem in the previous approach in that ⁇ 0 can be varied to essentially zero.
  • the pulse amplitude is controlled by an amplifier 41 having a unity gain linear stage driving a current gain stage with feedback from the output to the first stage.
  • the controlling voltage is derived from an 8 to 12-bit digital to analog converter 21.
  • the major sources of error in pulse amplitude are due to quantization and temperature sensitivity of the digital to analog converter 21, gain and offset variations in the amplifier 41, and voltage drops in the latch wire 10 and connectors which are not in the feedback loop.
  • Two possible methods of generating a controlling pulse width are an R-C controlled one-shot (not shown) which can be made to achieve an error of 1.8° or a stable crystal oscillator (not shown) which together with associated logic produces an error of approximately 0.07°. Variations in transition times can cause an error of 0.15°. Thus, this approach can achieve worst-case accuracies on the order of 1.5° with a crystal time base and 3.2° with the one-shot, for remote drivers.
  • the approach shown in Figure 16 senses the integral of the set voltage and uses it as a feedback signal to produce a variable amplitude, quasi-constant width voltage pulse 47.
  • the amplitude of the applied voltage pulse 47 is varied and controlled as in the configuration shown in Figure 15, but the exact duration of the pulse 47 is determined by a comparator 48 which compares the voltage produced by the digital to analog converter 21 with the voltage produced by a simple resistor 49-capacitor 50 integrator.
  • the pulse width of the pulse 47 is determined then by the integral of the applied voltage. Since the amplitude of the pulse 47 varies with the phase state, the resulting pulse width is almost constant. Because the point of turn-off is determined by the integral of the set voltage, errors due to turn-on variations and pulse amplitude are compensated by the pulse width. In addition, accurate pulse width generators are not required.
  • Comparison errors include digital to analog variations, quantization errors, variations in the R-C integrator, changes in comparator offset, changes in comparator response time and pulse turn-off variations.
  • Predicted errors forthe driver shown in Figure 16 are approximately 0.72°. Although this approach appears to suffer slightly in accuracy, it does have an advantage over the embodiment shown in Figure 15 in that it does not require a crystal time base.
  • any of the approaches outlined in Figures 13 through 16 are suitable for use in present invention as set drivers for the drivers 23 through 26.
  • the exact configuration selected depends on accuracy requirements, part selection, etc.
  • Block diagrams for the reset drivers have not been illustrated since it is only necessary for the reset driver to supply a voltage pulse of sufficient amplitude and duration to generate a magnetizing force of approximately four times the coercive force of the ferrites. Thus, accuracy is not a consideration in the design of the reset drivers of the drivers 23 through 26.
  • Typical output stages for the set and reset drivers are shown in Figures 17 and 18, respectively.
  • the output stages for the set and reset drivers may be any currently available output stages.
  • a first set driver 52, a second set driver 53 and two reset drivers 54 and 55 are provided in place of the drivers 23 through 26 shown in Figure 4.
  • a switching technique in accordance with the teachings of the present invention can be devised for the circuit shown in Figure 19 in which the transmit transition is accomplished using a technique similar to the prior art reset/set operation sequence while the receive transition is accomplished with the reset pulse occurring simultaneously with the set pulse on the opposite toroid.
  • Figures 5 through 9, used in conjunction with Figure 4, will also be used to discuss the operation of Figure 19.
  • both toroids are returned to the " ⁇ ⁇ state of magnetization which is referred to as the 0° state as shown in Figure 5.
  • a positive phase advance requires ferrite 12 to be set while a negative phase requires ferrite 9 to be set.
  • the ferrite which was previously set is reset prior to issuing the new set command.
  • This technique is similarto the prior art reset/set operation except that in the present scheme the ferrite which is being reset is coming from a point on hysteresis loop representing a maximum of 180° of phase shift.
  • the switching operation described above maintains temperature stability during the phase shift achieved during the set pulse as is obtained using other controlled flux techniques.
  • the amount of electrical circuitry required to achieve this configuration is less than that required for Figure 4.
  • the logic necessary to implement the circuitry is accordingly also reduced.
  • the new switching technique of the present invention may be used in apparatus requiring more than one dual-toroid phase shifter.
  • Such an apparatus a reciprocal, constant amplitude, four-port microwave switch, is shown in block diagram form in Figure 20 and physically represented in Figure 21.
  • a first magic tee 58 has a first input port 59 and a terminated second input port 60.
  • a second magic tee 62 has a first output port 63 and a second output port 64.
  • a first microwave path 67 extends between the first and second magic tees 58 and 62.
  • a second microwave path 68 extends between the first magic tee 58 and the second magic tee 62 in parallel with the first microwave path 67.
  • Each microwave path 67 and 68 includes a dual-toroid ferrite phase shifter 70 and 71, respectively.
  • the phase shifters 70 and 71 are controlled by a driver circuit 73.
  • the reciprocal switch can be set to the desired setting using a flux drive technique rather than a multiple bit approach.
  • Previous attempts at making a reciprocal switch using the configuration shown in Figure 20 used major loop switching of the ferrites to equal an opposite magnetization states corresponding to the 0° state and the 180° state, respectively. See Figures 22 through 27. When the direction of propagation is reversed, the 0° state now appears to be the +180 0 state and vice versa. Therefore, the phase difference in the network is changed from +180 to -180° as the direction of propagation if reversed. Using the network of Figure 20, the amplitude remains constant. Therefore, this device will function as a reciprocal switch interrrls of amplitude.
  • symmetry arguments can be used to show that between transmit and receive the differential phase shift remains constant as shown in Figures 28 through 33.
  • a controlled flux driver can maintain temperature stability of 180° phase shift and provide for electronic adjustment.
  • the new dual-toroid switching technique allows the construction of a four-port reciprocal switch (amplitude only) in which the 180° differential phase setting is determined by a flux drive approach rather than a major loop switching technique previously employed.
  • the use of a flux drive approach to set the 180° differential phase state adds the inherent temperature stability associated with the controlled flux driver technique.
  • the number of electronic drivers can be reduced to one reset driver and one set driver as shown in Figure 34.
  • a modification of the four-port switching technique described in conjunction with Figure 20 can be used to produce a transmit/receive switch in which the isolation response does not show the typical overshoot associated with the over-driving of the magnetization during the peak current of the reset pulse.
  • This result can be achieved by driving both phase shifters during reset to a new 0° state, (" ⁇ ⁇ state), in which a reciprocal phase shifter configuration is achieved.
  • the insertion phase is only a weak function of the magnitude to the magnetization.
  • the phase has a significantly reduced overshoot at 0° compared to a conventional switching approach using either the long or short electrical states as a reference point.
  • the reciprocal four-port switch 56 shown in Figure 20 may additionally be modified by replacing the magic tee 62 with a 3dB 90° sidewall hybrid 78 as shown in Figure 35.
  • the anti-reciprocal four-port circulator switch is shown in block diagram form in Figure 35 and is physically represented in Figure 36.
  • Figures 35 and 36 identical components performing identical functions as in Figures 20 and 21 have the same reference numerals.
  • the phase shift is maintained at 90° between the transmit and receive directions resulting in the switch maintaining an ideal four-port circulator function in both directions.
  • the configuration shown in Figure 35 may be also used as a variable power divider.
  • phase shifters 70 and 71 are set complimentary from 90°. That is, if the electrically long reference point is selected as the normal reset state, the phase is varied on one ferrite from 0 to +90°. On the other ferrite, the phase is varied corresponding to a complimentary state away from 90°. As a result, the resultant set state maintains a constant insertion phase since the average of the two phase settings remains equal to a constant, i.e., 45°.
  • variable power divider exhibits a 45° phase transient as it net phase changes rapidly by 45°. This results in a phase transient which disturbs the communication channel in which it is installed, if it is a normal phase modulation or frequency modulation system. For this reason, in networks involving such prior art variable power dividers it is necessary to insert a phase transient compensator which moves in the opposite direction of phase to counteract this effect. This additional component, which is inserted in series with the variable power divider, results in increased loss and additional electronic circuitry.
  • the switching technique of the present invention is employed with a 0° state set to be the T ⁇ state on each phase shifter, one phase shifter is set to a negative phase setting while the other phase setting is set to a positive phase shift setting. See Figures 37 through 42.
  • the insertion phase of the variable power divider remains constant even during the switching process assuming equal voltages are applied to both phase shifters. Therefore, no additional phase transient compensation is necessary using the new switching technique. This is a very significant advantage in terms of reducing the insertion loss and complexity of such a device.
  • the dual-toroid switching technique of the present invention also allows a new method of wiring the two phase shifters in series to minimize the electronics while maintaining a temperature stable flux drive situation.
  • the set pulse in this case is applied with two toroids of corresponding phase shifters wired in series. If the voltage divides equally, the phase shift setting on each phase shifter will be approximately equal in magnitude but opposite in sign, thereby maintaining an equal insertion phase. This is illustrated in Figure 43.
  • the design illustrated in Figure 35 can also be used to produce an anti-reciprocal four-port circulator switch, in which 90° phase shifters are employed instead of 180° phase shifters.
  • four-port circulator action can be achieved in both directions of propagation and 90° differential phase shift setting can be achieved using flux drive.
  • the new dual-toroid switching technique illustrated in Figure 35 may be used as an anti-reciprocal four-port circulator switch and a variable power divider.
  • the variable power divider application the phase transients associated with reset operation are reduced to a minimum. This result stems from the fact that both phase shifters are driven symmetrically away from the 0° state rather than in a unipolar direction as previously used when coming from the electrical long state.
  • the new dual-toroid switching technique disclosed herein provides a new method of using two phase shifters in series to minimize electronics while maintaining a temperature stable flux drive situation. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications of the dual-toroid phase shifter and additional applications in which more than one dual-toroid phase shifter is utilized may be made. The claims following below are intended to encompass all such modifications which fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims (23)

1. Schnell schaltender, mit zwei Ringkernen versehener Mikrowellenphasenschieber mit:
erstem und zweitem Ringkern (9, 12) mit Ferritkernen und in einem Mikrowellen-Wellenleiter;
ersten Mitteln (23, 24) zum steuerbaren Einstellen des Magnetismus im ersten Ringkern zwischen dem Zustand vollständiger und Teilsättigung;
zweiten Mitteln (25,26) zum steuerbaren Einstellen des Magnetismus im zweiten Ringkern zwischen dem Zustand vollständiger und Teilsättigung und
einem Steuermittel (20, 21, 22) zum Steuern der vorgenannten ersten und zweiten Mittel,
gekennzeichnet durch
die Durchführung der Phasenverschiebung entweder durch den ersten Ringkern im Zustand der Sättigung und den zweiten Ringkern im Zustand der Teilsättigung oder durch den ersten Ringkern im Zustand der Teilsättigung und den zweiten Ringkern im Zustand der Sättigung, so daß jede gewünschte Phasenverschiebung mit nur einem Schaltvorgang am einen Ringkern erhalten wird.
2. Phasenschieber nach Anspruch 1, wobei erster und zweiter Ringkern (9, 12) parallel im Mikrowellen-Wellenleiter angeordnet und durch ein dielektrisches Element voneinander getrennt sind.
3. Phasenschieber nach Anspruch 2, der weiterhin einschließt ein Wellentypbremsgitter und einen Anpassungstranformator im Wellenleiter.
4. Phasenschieber nach Anspruch 1, bei dem erster und zweiter Ringkern (9,12) im Mikrowellen-Wellenleiter in Reihe angeordnet sind.
5. Phasenschieber nach Anspruch 4, bei dem erster und zweiter Ringkern (9,12) in Reihe entlang der Längsachse des Wellenleiters angeordnet sind.
6. Phasenschieber nach Anspruch 1, bei dem das Steuermittel (22) ein Mittel zum gleichzeitigen Auslösen des Einstellens des Magnetismus im ersten und zweiten Ringkern einschließt.
7. Phasenschieber nach Anspruch 1, bei dem das erste Mittel einen ersten (23) und einen zweiten Antrieb (24) aufweist, von denen jeweils einer den ersten Ringkern auf die vollständige und Teilsättigung als einander gegenüberliegende Grenzwerte einstellt, während das zweite Mittel einen dritten (25) und einen vierten Antrieb (26) aufweist, von denen jeweils einer den zweiten Ringkern auf die vollständige oder Teilsättigung als einander gegenüberliegende Grenzwerte einstellt.
8. Phasenschieber nach Anspruch 7, bei dem erster, zweiter, dritter und vierter Antrieb (23, 24, 25, 26) jeweils einen Einsteller zum Einstellen des Ferrits aufTeilsättigung und einen Rückstellerzum Einstellen des Ferrits auf vollständige Sättigung aufweist.
9. Phasenschieber nach Anspruch 8, bei dem jeder der Einsteller eine Spannungspulsfolge gleichbleibender Amplitude und sich verändernder Pulsweite für die Einstellung des Ferrits auf Teilsättigung erzeugt.
10. Phasenschieber nach Anspruch 8, bei dem jeder der Einsteller eine Pulsfolge veränderbarer Amplitude und gleichbleibender Pulsweite für die Einstellung des Ferrits der Ferritkerne (9, 12) auf Teilsättigung erzeugt.
11. Phasenschieber nach Anspruch 8, mit einem Mittel zur Ermittlung der in das Ferrit jedes Ferritkernes induzierten Spannung, wobei jeder EinstellerSpannungsimpulsfolgen veränderlicherAmplitude und gleichbleibender Pulsweite erzeugt, die der ermittelten Spannung entsprechen, um die Ferritkerne in den Zustand teilweiser Sättigung zu bringen.
12. Phasenschieber nach Anspruch 8, der Mittel zum Integrieren der dem jeweiligen Ferritkern zugeführten Spannung aufweist, wobei jeder der Einsteller Pulsfolgen variabler Amplituden und quasi-konstanter Pulsweite erzeugt, um das Ferrit jedes Ferritkernes in den Zustand derTeilsättigung zu bringen.
13. Phasenschieber nach Anspruch 1, bei dem das Steuermittel einen programmierbaren Speicher (20), einen Digital- in Analogumformer (21), der auf diesen Speicher anspricht, um dem ersten und zweiten Schaltmittel Steuersignale zuzuführen und einen Timer (28, 30) zur Aktivierung des ersten und zweiten Schaltmittels für die Aufnahme der Steuersignale aufweist.
14. Phasenschieber nach Anspruch 13, bei dem der Timer einen Timingsteuerkreis (28) und einen Timingdemultiplexer (30), der auf den Timingsteuerkreis anspricht, aufweist, um erstes und zweites Schaltmittel zu aktivieren.
15. Phasenschieber nach Anspruch 13, bei dem , der programmierbare Speicher (20) eine einzige Linearisierungsfunktion für den Phasenschieber aufweist.
16. Verfahren zum Schalten eines Mikrowellenphasenschiebers mit zwei Ferritringkernen, wobei der Phasenschieber entweder einen ersten Ringkern im gesättigten Zustand und einen zweiten Ringkern im teilgesättigten Zustand oder einen ersten Ringkern im teilgesättigten Zustand und einen zweiten Ringkern im gesättigten Zustand aufweist, das einschließt:
das Umschalten des gesättigten Ringkernes in den Zustand einer vorbestimmten Teilsättigung,
das Umschalten des anderen Ringkernes in den Zustand der Sättigung derart, daß jeder gewollte Zustand der Phasenverschiebung nur durch einen Einstellvorgang für jeden Ringkern erreicht wird.
17. Verfahren nach Anspruch 16, bei dem der Verfahrensschritt des Umschaltens des gesättigten Ferritringkernes in den Zustand einer bestimmten Teilsättigung die folgenden Verfahrensteilschritte einschließt:
Erzeugen eines digitalen Signales das repräsentativ ist für den Grad der Teilsättigung und
Umwandlung dieses digitalen Signales in ein analoges Signal.
18. Verfahren nach Anspruch 16, bei dem beide Schaltschritte im wesentlichen gleichzeitig durchgeführt werden.
19. Verfahren nach Anspruch 16, bei dem die Aktivierung des Ringkernstellersvordem Schalten erfolgt.
20. Verfahren nach Anspruch 16, bei dem der Verfahrensschritt des Einstellens eines der Ferritkerne auf Teilsättigung den Verfahrensschritt der Erzeugung einer Spannungsfolge mit gleichbleibender Amplitude und variabler Pulsweite einschließt, um den Ferritkern auf den Zustand der Teil sättigung einzustellen.
21. Verfahren nach Anspruch 16, bei dem der Verfahrensschritt der Einstellung eines der Ferritkerne auf den Zustand der Teilsättigung den Verfahrensschritt der Erzeugung einer Pulsfolge mitveränderlicherAmplitude und fester Pulsweite einschließt, um den Ferritkern auf den Zustand der Teilsättigung einzustellen.
22. Verfahren nach Anspruch 16, das den Verfahrensschritt der Ermittlung der in jeden Ferritkern induzierten Spannung einschließt, um die Einstellung des Zustandes der Teilsättigung zu steuern.
23. Verfahren nach Anspruch 16, das den Verfahrensschritt der Integrierung der in jedem Ferritkern induzierten Spannung einschließt, um die Einstellung des Zustandes der Teilsättigung zu steuern.
EP83306646A 1983-11-01 1983-11-01 Schnellschaltverfahren und -vorrichtung für einen mit zwei Ringkernen versehenen Mikrowellenphasenschieber Expired EP0139800B1 (de)

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Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP83306646A EP0139800B1 (de) 1983-11-01 1983-11-01 Schnellschaltverfahren und -vorrichtung für einen mit zwei Ringkernen versehenen Mikrowellenphasenschieber
DE8383306646T DE3379093D1 (en) 1983-11-01 1983-11-01 Method and apparatus for fast-switching dual-toroid microwave phase shifter
AT83306646T ATE40494T1 (de) 1983-11-01 1983-11-01 Schnellschaltverfahren und -vorrichtung fuer einen mit zwei ringkernen versehenen mikrowellenphasenschieber.

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

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GB8630883D0 (en) * 1986-12-24 1987-02-04 Racal Mesl Ltd Latching phase shifters
CN115498381B (zh) * 2022-08-19 2024-01-16 西南应用磁学研究所(中国电子科技集团公司第九研究所) 差相移铁氧体锁式开关串联激励方法
CN115498380B (zh) * 2022-08-19 2024-01-16 西南应用磁学研究所(中国电子科技集团公司第九研究所) 差相移铁氧体锁式开关单独激励方法

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ATE40494T1 (de) 1989-02-15
DE3379093D1 (en) 1989-03-02

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