JP2004056687A - Variable-phase shifter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a variable-phase shifter which facilitates a fine tuning operation without causing cost increase and lowering of fine tuning precision in the variable-phase shifter which performs fine tuning of a phase of a signal to be transmitted by changing electric length. <P>SOLUTION: The variable-phase shifter is constituted by storing, arranging a stator member 20, a rotor member 30 including a metal plate 36 of a tuning means 35 and a grounding member 60 in a metal housing 10 consisting of a case main body 11 and a cap 12 and fixing port members 40, 50 to the metal housing 10. The stator member 20 forms strip lines 22, 23 on a first insulating substrate 21 as divided line lands, the rotor member 30 forms an S-shaped strip line 32 on a second insulating substrate 31 as a single line land and the metal plate 36 is stored in the housing 10 at a suppressed state so that each strip line of both members becomes a joined state. A projected part 37 with groove provided to the metal plate 36 is arranged in a center hole 14 of the cap 12 and the fine tuning of the phase is performed by imparting rotation to the rotor member 30 by a driver, etc. from the outside. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a high-frequency component which is arranged between devices of a high-frequency communication device to change the phase, and in particular, to a desired phase state by changing an electrical length between two ports of a signal transmission line. To a variable phase shifter, also called a phase trimmer, for fine adjustment.
[0002]
2. Description of the Related Art Hitherto, as a high-frequency component used in a microwave band or the like, a line stretcher for changing an electric length of a coaxial line, a trimmer adjustment phase shifter or a phase trimmer for adjusting a phase amount have been known. These high frequency components are used in consideration of various characteristics such as a working frequency range, an insertion loss, a VSWR, and a phase variable amount. For example, as a conventional phase trimmer which is arranged between high-frequency communication devices and obtains a desired phase, a trombone type variable phase shifter is known, and an electric length is changed by expanding and contracting a cylindrical coaxial line. To fine-tune the phase variable. Therefore, in order to arrange such a variable phase shifter between devices, the variable phase shifter is mounted with a space that can be expanded and contracted. On the other hand, when it is necessary to change the phase of a signal in a power splitter that splits a high-frequency signal and feeds the signal to an antenna or the like, there is a variable-distribution phase shifter that changes a feed line length. For example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-214111, an input side strip line and an arc-shaped output side strip line are formed on a dielectric substrate, and both strip lines are coupled via a rotating coupling conductor. In some cases, the distribution phase of a signal supplied to the output stripline is changed depending on the rotation angle of the coupling conductor.
[0003]
By the way, a trombone type variable phase shifter as a high-frequency component for finely adjusting the phase at the time of transmitting a signal is arranged at a position where a space capable of expansion and contraction is required. However, the direction is limited, and there is a problem in making the entire apparatus compact and stabilizing the installation. For example, in order to fix this kind of high-frequency component between devices of a communication device equipped with a coaxial connector, the devices arranged in front and behind cannot be fixed unless the expansion and contraction directions are orthogonal, so that transmission is not possible. Signal loss and poor matching. In other words, the shape of the housing of the component itself, the shape of the center conductor of the connector, and the physical characteristics of the components greatly affect high-frequency characteristics including VSWR, lowering reliability, and increasing costs due to lower efficiency of installation work Or invite. On the other hand, the above-mentioned known example is a distribution variable phase shifter that largely changes the phase between signals to be distributed when the transmitted signal is distributed, and is not a variable phase shifter as a phase trimmer that finely adjusts the phase amount of the transmission signal. The phase trimmer is obviously different in configuration from the variable phase shifter that performs phase adjustment when distributing a transmission signal for different applications.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been proposed in view of the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks, and a new and improved variable phase shifter capable of changing the electrical length even when the distance between the ports is fixed. For the purpose of providing. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved variable phase shifter, commonly known as a phase trimmer, which varies a phase amount by a rotation operation of the phase trimmer and effectively varies an electric length according to a specific pattern of a line land.
[0005]
According to the present invention, a metal housing comprising a case body and a cap, a stator member of a first insulating substrate having a divided line land on one surface and an earth land on the other surface, A rotor member comprising a second insulating substrate having a single line land and an earth land formed on the other surface and a metal plate adjusting means having a projection formed in the center thereof, and sliding on the earth land of the second insulating substrate. A rotor member comprising a ground member fixed to the metal housing while maintaining a contact state freely, and a pair of port members as input / output terminals attached to the metal housing for housing the stator member and the rotor member A single line land of the second insulating substrate is divided into line lands of the first insulating substrate which is a stator member by a rotating operation of the adjusting means. Changing the position of bonding, whereby the variable phase shifter to change the line land length between terminals of the port member to freely adjust the phase of the RF signal transmitted is disclosed. Here, the turning operation of the adjusting means within a predetermined range changes depending on the size of the land portion where the divided line land and the single line land overlap, and the signal to be supplied or transmitted by varying the electrical length accordingly. Phase can be fine-tuned.
More specifically, in the variable phase shifter of the present invention, the earth land of the stator member is fixed to the case body and grounded, and the earth land of the rotor member is grounded via the ground member, the metal plate and the cap, Each is grounded to the metal housing. The grounding member is made of a copper foil of a flexible conductor having an opening in the center, an inner portion thereof is disposed between the earth land of the rotor member and the metal plate to maintain a connection state, and an outer portion thereof is formed of the case body and the cap. And grounded to the metal housing. Each of the divided line lands is made up of continuous line lands of linear and arcuate strip lines, and a port member is connected to one end of the linear strip line. On the other hand, the single line land is formed of a Z or S-shaped strip line including an arc-shaped portion having substantially the same shape as the arc-shaped strip line of the divided line land, and the arc-shaped portions of the stator member and the rotor member overlap each other. The land portion is changed by the rotation operation of the rotor member, and the phase is adjusted by the electrical length that changes in relation to the overlapping distance length.
[0007]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A variable phase shifter according to the present invention is mounted between devices of a microwave communication apparatus, and can be finely adjusted so that a signal to be transmitted has an intended electrical length, that is, a phase. Also called phase trimmer. A stator member and a rotor member are housed in a metal housing, and the line land between terminals, that is, the line length of a strip line is changed by rotation of the rotor member. Specifically, the rotor member and the stator member are housed in a metal housing in a press-contact state, and a divided strip line is formed on the first insulating substrate as the rotor member, and this is housed and fixed in the case body of the metal housing, A single strip line is formed on the second insulating substrate as a rotor member, and an adjusting means for rotating the strip line of the two insulating substrates by elastically contacting them in a joined state is used. A metal housing is provided with a port member composed of a coaxial connector, which is a signal input / output terminal, and the length of the line between the port members is determined by a change in the overlapping joining state of the divided strip line and a single strip line. The phase is adjusted by the length. Here, the adjusting means includes a metal plate having a central projection fixed to the second insulating substrate, and a bearing mechanism of a washer or a disc spring for applying pressure to the metal plate. In other words, the variable phase shifter of the present invention can be used when it is necessary to adjust the distance of a certain transmission line to a target phase at a certain frequency, or when the distances of a plurality of transmission lines are in phase or a fixed position for each transmission line. The phase difference is adjusted when necessary, and the phase is finely adjusted by varying the electrical length between the input and output ports in relation to the overlapping contact length. An earth land is formed on the back surface of each of the insulating substrates used for the stator member and the rotor member, and is grounded to the metal housing via a case body or a cap and a flexible sheet-like grounding member.
Among the components of such a phase trimmer, the divided strip lines on the stator member side each have a linear portion and an arc-shaped portion, and are led out by connecting a port member of a terminal to the linear portion. The single strip line on the rotor member side is formed in a Z or S shape including an arc portion overlapping the arc portion of the divided strip line. The port member is a coaxial connector having a center conductor, an insulating bushing and an outer conductor, which couples the center conductor to one end of the linear strip line, and preferably has an earth land on one side at a position where the center conductor is connected at the lead-out portion of the metal housing. By disposing the formed insulating chip member, the insulating property and the ground shielding property of the circuit are improved. Also, the grounding member is made of a copper foil of a flexible conductor having an opening in the center, the inner portion of which is in contact with the earth land of the rotor member and the metal plate of the adjusting means, and the outer portion thereof is fixed to the metal housing. Connect to ground.
[0009]
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. The variable phase shifter according to the present invention enables a phase adjustment by a minute rotation by a rotation operation, and is also called a phase trimmer, and requires structural expansion and contraction like a conventional trombone type. And not. FIG. 1 is a front view of a variable phase shifter according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view thereof, and FIG. 1 and 2, the variable phase shifter according to the present invention is configured by housing a metal housing 10, a stator member, a rotor member, and a ground member in the housing. The metal housing 10 comprises a case body 11 for housing and disposing the stator member, and a cap 12 for rotatably and resiliently covering the rotor member in the housing. Port members 40 and 50 of the coaxial connector are fixed and attached to this. ing. In detail, as shown in the exploded view of the components in FIG. 3 and the exploded perspective view in FIG. 5, the case main body 11 and the cap 12 constituting the metal housing 10 are screwed together so that four peripheral portions are combined with screws 15. The coaxial connectors of the port members 40 and 50 are attached to the case main body 11 and the cap 12 of the metal housing by screws 16 at four locations around each. As shown in the exploded view of the components, the stator member 20 is composed of a first insulating substrate 21, and strip lines 22 and 23 are formed on one surface as divided line lands, and the entire surface is provided with an earth land 24 on the other surface. (Not shown on the back side). On the other hand, the rotor member 30 is composed of a second insulating substrate 31 and adjusting means 35. The second insulating substrate 31 has an S-shaped strip line 32 (not shown on the rear surface side) as a single line land on one surface. The adjusting means 35 is formed of a metal plate 36, and is integrally connected to the second insulating substrate 31. The adjusting means 35 is attached by the cap 12 with the corrugated washer 17 of the presser and the disc spring 18, is provided with a grooved projection 37 at the center thereof, and is incorporated via the O-ring 19 which is in close contact with the cap 12. A rotation within a predetermined range is given. These two members are accommodated in the metal housing 10 in a resilient state so that the respective strip lines 22, 23 and 32 are joined. On the other hand, the port members 40 and 50 as input / output terminals for signals to be transmitted are each formed of a normal coaxial connector including a center conductor, an outer conductor and an insulating bushing interposed therebetween, and center pins 45 and 55 at one end of the center conductor. Are soldered at one end of the strip lines 22 and 23 of the first insulating substrate of the stator member, and the flanges of the external conductors are attached and fixed to the metal housing 10 with four screws 16 respectively. In addition, a plug and a jack 56 are provided at the other end of the center conductor as a terminal lead-out side.
It should be noted in the present invention that the first insulating substrate 21 as the stator member 20 and the second insulating substrate 31 as the rotor member 30 face each other with the strip lines 22, 23 and 32 facing each other. The arrangement is such that the line lands are joined to each other, and the electrical length between the ports can be varied in relation to the physical length of the overlapping contact portion. FIG. 4 shows a case where the line land length, that is, the electrical length between the ports is minimum (a) and a case where it is maximum (b). Here, the rotating operation of the adjusting means 35 within a predetermined range is performed by adjusting the physical length of the portion where the line lands of the strip lines 22, 23 and 32 formed on both the stator and rotor members face each other and overlap while maintaining the joined state. In this connection, the phase of a signal to be transmitted is finely adjusted by changing the electrical length between ports. For example, in FIG. 4A, one of the strip lines 22, which is a line land for dividing the first insulating substrate, a single strip line 32 for the second insulating substrate, and a line for dividing the first insulating substrate between the ports. The other strip line 23, which is a land, is connected at the shortest distance, but in FIG. 4 (b), by rotating the adjusting means 35 between the arrows, the strip lines 22 and 23 of the divided line land and the single strip line are separated. The overlapping portion with the line 32 becomes the smallest, and the line land length between the ports is connected at the longest distance. Since the physical and electrical characteristics of the materials used for the components, for example, the dielectric constant of the insulating substrate used greatly affect the product performance, the phase change amount and the VSWR are selected so as to satisfy the specified values. In addition, when the impedance cannot be matched due to the change of the insulating substrate, consideration is given to characteristics such as changing the diameter of the connection center pin of the port member.
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the main components of the variable phase shifter according to the present invention. The metal housing has a case main body 11 having a port lead-out portion 13 and an opening 14 formed in the center. The stator member 20 includes a cap 12, and divided strip lines 22 and 23 are formed symmetrically on one surface of a first insulating substrate 21. Although not shown, an earth land 24 is formed on the entire rear surface side, and is accommodated in the case body 11 and fixed to the ground. On the other hand, a single S-shaped strip line 32 (represented by a dotted line on the back surface) is formed on one surface of a second insulating substrate 31 which is a part of the rotor member 30, and the entire surface is an earth land 34. The earth land 34 is grounded to the metal housing by the cap 12 via the grounding member 60 and the metal plate 36 which is a part of the rotor member. The grounding member 60 is a copper foil 62 of a flexible conductor having an opening 61 in the center, and an inner portion of the copper foil contacts the earth land 34 and the metal plate 36 of the second insulating substrate 31 to maintain an electrical connection state. The outer portion is sandwiched between the main body case 11 and the cap 12, fixed to the metal housing, and grounded. More specifically, the divided strip lines 22 and 23 of the first insulating substrate 21 are continuous line lands including a linear portion and an arc portion, respectively, and one end of the linear portion is connected to the center pins 45 and 55 of the port member. And the lead-out part 13 of the case main body 11. On the other hand, the single strip line 32 of the second insulating substrate 31 is formed in an S-shape at the center of the insulating substrate 31 and includes arc-shaped portions at both ends of the S-shape. Since the shape is the same as that of the arc-shaped portion 23, the contact state can be always maintained in the predetermined rotation range of the adjusting means 35. The single strip line 32 may have a Z-shape, but in consideration of various characteristics in the microwave band, there is a possibility of mismatch at the angular bending position of the line, and the rounded curve Therefore, an S-shaped strip line 32 is preferable.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a variable phase shifter according to the present invention comprises a metal housing 10 comprising a case body 11 and a cap 12, strip lines 22 and 23 divided on the front surface, and an earth land on the rear surface. A rotor including the stator member 20 of the first insulating substrate 21 formed, a second insulating substrate 31 having a single strip line 32 formed on one surface and an earth land 34 formed on the other surface, and adjusting means 35 for a metal plate 36. The member 30, the port members 40 and 50 attached to the case body 11 and the cap 12 of the metal housing, and the metal plate 36 slidably contact between the earth land 34 of the second insulating substrate as the rotor member and the metal plate 36. A grounding member 60 for maintaining the state, and the strip lines 22, 23 and the strip line 32 are contact-coupled to each other, A variable phase shifter for changing the phase of the signal to be transmitted by changing the line land length between port member 40 and 50 by changing the location. On the other hand, the entire earth lands on the back surface of the first insulating substrate of the stator member 20 are directly joined to the case body 11, and the entire earth lands 34 of the second insulating substrate 31, which is the rotor member 30, are connected to the metal housing via the ground member 60. Grounded. The grounding member 60 is made of a copper foil 62 having an opening 61 at the center. The inner part of the grounding member 60 is grounded between the ground land of the second insulating substrate and the metal plate 36, and the outer part is made of metal. Fixed to the housing and grounded. In particular, the lead-out portion 13 of the case body 11 is a space for solder mounting with the port members 40 and 50, and the insulating chip substrate 63 having the single-sided ground land 64 corresponding to the space space shape of the lead-out portion 13 is arranged. This prevents the insulation and the shielding effect from being reduced due to the space. As shown in FIG. 3, the metal plate 36 of the adjusting means applies a pressing force between the cap 12 and the cap 12 through a pressing mechanism of the wave washer 17 and the disc spring 18, and is rotated by using the O-ring 19. The stator member 20 and the rotor member 30 are housed in a metal housing in an appropriate press-contact state while smoothing the movement while improving the airtightness, and a single strip line 32 is press-connected to the divided strip lines 22 and 23. Let it. In addition, the central projection 37 (see FIG. 5), which is the axis of the metal plate 36, is fitted and disposed in the central hole 14 formed in the cap 11, and a groove is formed on the end face of the projection 37 to form the groove. This facilitates fine adjustment using a jig such as a driver.
[0013]
As is apparent from the above-described embodiment, the variable phase shifter of the present invention can be arranged as a phase trimmer between devices in a communication facility without changing the line length due to expansion and contraction in the signal transmission direction. Because it can be changed by dynamic operation, fine adjustment is easy even in a narrow space, and high-precision adjustment is realized. Especially when installing the phase trimmer, which is a high-frequency component, it can be fixed at a specified position regardless of the installation location, and can be easily and easily performed without requiring a special expert for installation work, and various characteristics such as transmission signal loss and consistency Does not lead to a decrease in Further, the usable frequency band is increased, the downsizing is realized by the rotating operation method, and the efficiency of assembly and mounting can be improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view of a variable phase shifter according to the present invention,
FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway sectional view of FIG.
FIG. 3 is an exploded view of FIG. 2,
FIG. 4 is a state diagram showing a change in line land length in FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of main components of FIG. 1;
[Explanation of symbols]
10; metal housing, 11; case body, 12; cap,
13; outlet part, 14; central hole, 15, 16; screw, 17; wave washer,
18; disc spring; 19; O-ring; 20; stator member;
21; first insulating substrate, 22, 23; divided strip line,
24, 34; earth land, 30; rotor member,
31; a second insulating substrate; 32; a single strip line;
35; adjusting means, 36; metal plate, 37;
40, 50; port member, 45, 55; center pin,
60; grounding member; 61; opening; 62; copper foil (flexible conductor);
63; insulating chip substrate, 64; earth land

Claims (10)

A variable phase shifter, wherein a stator member and a rotor member are housed in a metal housing including a case body and a cap, and a line land length between port members attached to the metal housing is changed by rotation of the rotor member, wherein the stator member Is formed on the first insulating substrate by forming a divided line land on one surface and an earth land on the other surface, and the rotor member has a single line land on one surface and an earth land on the other surface. A variable phase shifter comprising a second insulating substrate and a metal plate adjusting means fixed to the second insulating substrate and having a projection formed in the center thereof, wherein the divided line land and the single line land are contact-coupled to each other. . A ground member fixed to the metal housing and arranged so as to be able to contact between the second insulating substrate and the metal plate, wherein the adjusting means rotates the divided line land and the unit by a rotation operation within a predetermined range. 2. The variable transfer according to claim 1, wherein the contact position with one line land is changed to change the electrical length between the input and output terminals of the port member to finely adjust the phase of the signal to be transmitted. Phaser. An earth land of the first insulating substrate is directly joined to the case body, and an earth land of the second insulating substrate is joined to the case body via the grounding member, and each is grounded to the metal housing. The variable phase shifter according to claim 2, wherein The grounding member is formed of a flexible conductor having a central opening, an inner portion of the grounding member is maintained in a joined state with the earth land of the second insulating member and the metal plate, and an outer portion thereof is fixed to the metal housing and grounded. The variable phase shifter according to claim 3, wherein: 5. The variable phase shifter according to claim 4, wherein the metal plate has a protrusion disposed in a central hole formed in the cap, and a groove is formed on an end surface of the protrusion to facilitate fine adjustment. . The metal housing has a means for pressing a washer washer between the metal plate and the cap, and accommodates the stator member and the rotor member in a press-contact state to separate the single line land into the divided line land. 6. The variable phase shifter according to claim 5, wherein said rotor member is grounded in a press-contact state with said earth land of said rotor member, said ground member and said metal plate being pressed against each other. 7. The divided line land according to claim 1, wherein each of the line lands is a continuous line land of a straight strip line and an arc strip line, and one end of the straight strip line is connected to the port member. Variable phase shifter. The single line land is a substantially Z- or S-shaped stripline, and the arc-shaped stripline of the first insulating substrate has a fine phase in relation to a line length overlapping the arc-shaped stripline of the second insulating substrate. The variable phase shifter according to claim 7, wherein the phase shift is adjusted. 9. The variable transfer according to claim 8, wherein the port member is a coaxial connector having a center conductor and an outer conductor, and the center conductor is connected to the divided line lands by a lead portion formed in the metal housing. Phaser. 10. The variable phase shift according to claim 9, wherein an insulating chip substrate having an earth land formed on one surface thereof is disposed at a lead-out portion of the metal housing, and shields a joint between the center conductor and the divided line lands. vessel.

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