A planar power combiner/divider device comprises a metallic layer on an insulating substrate. The metallic layer is configured to have an output (input) neck portion (12) which extends into a purely tapered portion (16) which in turn splits into n tapering conductors (1 to 5), the terminal portions of which constitute input (output) ports. The overall length (L) of the metallic layer between a junction (14) of the neck and purely tapering portions to each input (output) port being substantially constant and equal to substantially half the wavelength of the lowest design frequency and the distance x from the junction (14) to the (first) split into tapering conductors is selected so as to avoid transverse resonance at the desired frequencies.
A high frequency transmission line circuit including a plurality of units each constituting two transmission lines connected in common through one end of each, the other ends being independent, one end of a latter stage of units being connected to the other ends of a former stage so as to form a tournament configuration, the length of the transmission lines being made less than .lambda./4 (.lambda. being one wavelength of a frequency of a high frequency signal), and the charecteristic impedances of the transmission lines in units at an end side of the tournament are set larger than the charecteristic impedances of the transmission lines in the units at the peak side of the tournament such that each two parallely arranged adjoining units at the end side of the tournament configuration are joined, at their commonly connected ends, to the adjoining unit at the peak side thereof, so as to reduce the total length of the device.
An impedance transforming power divider/combiner includes a first transmission line (60) with a first terminal (65) and N transmission line fingers (65, 66, 68, 70) terminating in N transmission line finger ends. N transmission lines (28, 38, 48, 58) having N first and second ends are positioned in close proximity to the N transmission line fingers (65, 66, 68, 70) in one-to-one correspondences. The N second ends of the N transmission lines (28, 38, 48, 58) are coupled through N individual impedances (20, 30, 40, 50) to N terminals (25, 35, 45, 55). If signal power is provided to the first terminal (64), the signal power is divided into N signal power outputs at the N terminals (25, 35, 45, 55). If signal power is provided to the N terminals (25, 35, 45, 55), a combined signal power results at the first terminal (65).
A power divider formed by the interconnection of an input resistive network and a transmission line network for dividing a signal received on an input port into N output ports. Four embodiments are described. Three are two-way power dividers and one is a three-way power divider. A 2-way equal division power divider comprises an outer conductor 51 which has a generally rectangular cross section and is filled with a lower dielectric sheet, a center dielectric sheet and an upper dielectric sheet. The dielectric sheets are made of low loss material. Inner conductors are photo-etched from a conducting material that has been deposited or laminated to both surfaces of the center dielectric sheet. Two conductors are spaced a maximum distance from each other at their outputs and are in close proximity to each other at their inputs. Two resistors are connected respectively from the conductor inputs to a power divider input. Another form of two-way equal division power divider, a two-way unequal division power divider, and a three-way equal division power divider are also described.
A method and apparatus for power combining or dividing handles high impedance line requirements in n-way combiners (15) and dividers (10) using phase delay networks (12, 14) to transform impedances to a lower, intermediate impedance. Each impedance transformation is accomplished using a stepped impedance or tapered impedance transmission line (26). The method and apparatus provides isolation between input or output ports (11, 22 and 24, 13) in power combining or dividing circuits using an incremental phase delay network (12) of prescribed electrical phase lengths (22, 24) to provide phase cancellation. The power divider (10) and combiner (15) can be used in power amplifiers and in communication devices.
An asymmetric reentrant power coupler suitable for microwave and millimeter bands that includes k input terminals, a plurality of m output terminals, where m is greater than k, and a network coupling the k input terminals to the m output terminals, the network defining n signal paths, where n is greater that m. An input coupler divides an input signal into at least two signal paths. An output coupler recombines a fraction less than one of the divided input signal for propagation to an output terminal. A portion of the non-recombined input signal is propagated to another output terminal. The reentrant coupler may be implemented using Wilkinson, ring, branched line or other coupler types. Couplers that are generally planar as well as coupler that are non-planar are presented.
