WO2016007958A2

WO2016007958A2 - Systems and methods for providing a high power pc board air dielectric splitter

Info

Publication number: WO2016007958A2
Application number: PCT/US2015/040200
Authority: WO
Inventors: Henry Cooper; Phillip NASH; Ronald WESTBERG
Original assignee: Xi3, Inc.
Priority date: 2014-07-11
Filing date: 2015-07-13
Publication date: 2016-01-14
Also published as: WO2016007958A3

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing power splitters that are configured for high throughput which forms an air dielectric channel around transmission lines in the divider yielding a power divider capable of high power transmission without overheating and which an optionally employ the communicating air channels surrounding the individual transmission lines for cooling. Optionally ducting or powered fans are employed to increase air flow in extremely high power operation.

Description

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING

A HIGH POWER PC BOARD AIR DIELECTRIC SPLITTER

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to power splitters and/or power dividers. In particular, the present invention relates to systems and methods for providing power splitters which are configured for high throughput which forms an air dielectric channel around transmission lines in the divider yielding a power divider capable of high power transmission without overheating and which an optionally employ the communicating air channels surrounding the individual transmission lines for cooling. Optionally ducting or powered fans are employed to increase air flow in extremely high power operation.

2. Background and Related Art

An RF power splitter/combiner is conventionally formed as a passive circuit which includes a major port and a plurality of minor ports interconnected thereto. In use, when RF power is communicated to the major port it is generally divided into substantially equal amounts which are communicated to the minor ports. Conversely, RF energy communicated to the individual minor ports is combined and communicated at the combined level to the major port.

Most high power splitters conventionally employed in the present market are simply formed of tapered pipes which are bulky and heavy. Other board based splitters are primarily formed using a raised stamped copper plate strip on a dielectric material spaced from a ground plane. However, such devices are expensive to manufacture and conventionally cannot handle high power communication such as 200 Watts or power without heating or burning the underlying PC board leading to a failure of the device.

Thus, while techniques currently exist relating to power splitters, challenges still exist.

Accordingly, it would be an improvement in the art to augment or even replace current techniques with other techniques.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

At least some of the implementations of the present invention take place in association with a power splitter that can be inexpensively manufactured using PC type boards having copper on a dielectric material. Such a device is capable of handling low RF power as well as high power in excess of 150 watts or more. Such a device is lightweight, and remains cool even during periods of the highest power transmission therethrough.

It is a representative object of the invention to provide a significantly improved power splitter device for RF and other power functions which is inexpensive and easily manufactured.

It is an additional representative object of the invention to provide such a power splitter which does not overheat when communicating high power loads therethrough.

It is a further representative object of the invention to provide such a device that employs ambient air to enhance cooling and which could be additionally cooled by moving air or induction configurations.

At least some of the implementations of the present invention take place in association with an apparatus and method yielding a significantly improved power divider or power splitter for employment for electric communication such as in RF devices where electrical communication between a major port and a plurality of minor ports interconnected thereto is required. Implementations of the device and method maximize the communication of ambient and/or moving air to the formed circuit through the employment of two separate PC boards which have a dielectric material engaged with a conducting material such as copper. The two boards are separated by a gap of ambient air using a dielectric spacer. The spacer should position the distance between twice and three times the width of the transmission line leaving the formed air cap. Additionally an air gap should be formed to surround the individual transmission lines between the major port and the communicating minor ports of the device.

In one mode of the device the first board forms the communicating transmission lines between the major and minor ports on one side surface, out of a conductor such as copper. On the opposing side of the first board, no conductor is positioned. On the second board formed of a dielectric material a copper ground is positioned on one side and no conductor is positioned on the opposite side. The first and second boards are placed in a gapped engagement with each other with the transmission line of the splitter on the first board faces toward the gap between the two engaged boards. The second board has the ground copper metal surface on a side forming the gap between the two boards, facing the formed transmission splitter on the first board. The 2 surfaces are held separated the gap distance, by non-metal dielectric material such as dielectric spacers which yield the required distance between the two boards which is between two to three times the' width across the widest portion of the transmission lines communicating between the major and minor ports.

In a second mode of the device and method herein, the surface of the first board having the transmission lines between the major and minor ports, can also be configured to have the formed grid of transmission lines on an outward facing surface rather than facing toward the gap and the ground formed on the second board. The same spacing is employed between the two boards.

In manyl modes of the device, a channel may be formed by recessing the transmission lines between the major and minor ports, within the dielectric material on the first board. The formed channel should be between two to four times the width of the transmission line which is hosted in the formed channel surface.

In modes of the device where the channel is communicating with the gap between the first board and the second board, the channel enhances cooling of the transmission lines and optionally a fan or other means to communicate air through the channel can be employed to significantly lower the temperature of the hosted transmission lines in the channel.

With respect to the above description, before explaining at least one preferred embodiment of the herein disclosed mount power splitter device and method, is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The device herein described and disclosed in the various modes and combinations is also capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways which will be obvious to those skilled, in the art. Any such alternative configuration as would occur to those skilled in the art is considered within the scope of this patent. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded, as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for designing of other power dividers or splitters and for carrying out the several purposes of the present disclosed device. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction and methodology insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

While the methods and processes of the present invention have proven to be particularly useful in the area of power splitters, those skilled in the art can appreciate that the methods and processes can be used in a variety of different applications.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be set forth or will become more fully apparent in the description that follows and in the appended claims. The features and advantages may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. Furthermore, the features and advantages of the invention may be learned by the practice of the invention or will be obvious from the description, as set forth hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the manner in which the above recited and other features and advantages of the present invention are obtained, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that the drawings depict only typical embodiments of the present invention and are not, therefore, to be considered as limiting the scope of the invention, the present invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 illustrates an overhead perspective view of a representative PC board formed of dielectric material and having the transmission lines between the major port and minor ports positioned in channels formed therein;

Figure 2 illustrates a close up sectional view through the device of Figure 1, showing the first and second boards separated by a gap, and the ground of conductive material formed on the second board within the gap;

Figure 2A illustrates a representative mode of the device of Figures 1 and 2 showing a side view of the formed gap between the two boards with the conducting ground of the second board facing the gap and the transmission lines formed on a surface of the first board facing away from the formed gap;

Figure 3 illustrates a representative mode of the device showing the surface of the first board having recesses formed therein defining channels for the transmission lines positioned therein and running between the major port and minor ports; Figure 4 illustrates a mode of the device wherein the first board has a conductor formed on one surface and the channels define the transmission lines which are formed by parallel recesses formed into the conductor into the underlying dielectric material; and

Figure 5 depicts the mode of the device wherein the surface of the first board having the transmission lines formed thereon, faces the gap and is positioned across from the ground formed of conductive material covering the surface of the second board facing the gap.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Now referring to drawings in Figures 1-5, wherein similar components of the device 10 and method herein, are identified by like reference numerals, as can be seen Figure 1 the first board of the device 10 is formed of dielectric material such as with a PC board, and having the transmission lines 14 formed of a conductor such as copper which is positioned on the dielectric substrate 15 of the first board in pathways to communicate between the major port 18 and a plurality of minor ports 18 positioned in channels 21 formed by recesses in the dielectric substrate 15 of the first board 12.

As depicted in figure 2, this first board 12 is to be paired with a second board 20 and engaged therewith to form a fixed gap 22 therebetween. The second board 20 has a conductor 24 such as copper, placed on the surface facing the gap 22 and the two are fixed together using a non-conducting engagement such as with dielectric spacers and adhesive.

Figure 2A depicts a mode of the device of figure 1 and 2 showing a side view of the formed gap 22 between the two boards with the conductor 24 ground of the second board 20 facing the gap 22 and the transmission lines 14 formed on a surface of the first board 12 facing away from the formed gap 12 which is a configuration used in one preferred mode of the device 10. Figure 3 depicts a mode of the device 10 showing the surface of the first board 12 having recesses or channels 21 descending into the dielectric surface 15 thereof. The transmission lines 14 positioned in the channels 21 run between the major port 16 and minor ports 18.

Figure 4 provides a mode of the device wherein the first board 12 has a conductor 31 formed on one surface and parallel channels 21 define the transmission lines 14 by communicating through the copper conductor 31 layer and into the conductor into the underlying dielectric material 15.

Figure 5 depicts another mode of the device 10 wherein the surface of the first board 12 having the transmission lines 14 formed thereon, faces the gap 22 between the two parallel boards, and is positioned across from the conductor 24 forming the ground which is formed of conductive material such as copper, covering the surface of the second board 20 facing the gap 22. The channels 21 can also be seen formed on either side of the transmission lines 14 thereby yielding a communicating channel running from the major port 16 to all minor ports 18 and which also provides for ambient air passage for cooling in addition to that in the gap 22. A fan or other means of communicating ambient air to the channel and/or the gap may also be employed.

While the present invention has been described herein with reference to particular embodiments thereof, a latitude of modifications, various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosures and it will be appreciated that in some instance some components, or configurations, or steps in formation and/or use of the invention could be employed without a corresponding use of other components without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. All such changes, alternations and modifications as would occur to those skilled in the art are considered to be within the scope of this invention as broadly defined in the appended claims.

Thus, as discussed herein, the embodiments of the present invention embrace power splitters and/or power dividers. In particular, embodiments of the present invention relate to systems and methods for providing power splitters which are configured for high throughput which forms an air dielectric channel around transmission lines in the divider yielding a power divider capable of high power transmission without overheating and which an optionally employ the communicating air channels surrounding the individual transmission lines for cooling. Optionally ducting or powered fans are employed to increase air flow in extremely high power operation. The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

Claims

1. A power divider for RF devices where electrical communication between a major port and a plurality of minor ports interconnected thereto is required, the power divider comprising:

a plurality of PC boards having a dielectric material engaged with a conducting material, wherein the plurality of boards are separated by a gap of ambient air using a dielectric spacer to position a distance between two to three times a width of a transmission line, leaving a formed air cap.