Patent Grant
10431863
This Application claims priority of Taiwan Patent Application No. 106125719 filed on Jul. 31, 2017, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.
The disclosure generally relates to a band-pass filter device, and more particularly, to a band-pass filter device for improving the communication quality.
A conventional transmitter module usually uses a microstrip-line filter to remove undesired signal frequencies. However, the insertion loss of the microstrip-line filter is relatively high (e.g., 3 dB to 7 dB), and this drawback indeed sacrifices the communication quality of the transmitter module. In addition, the microstrip-line filter is very sensitive to variations in the manufacturing process. Even a minor error during the manufacturing process causes the operation frequency band of the microstrip-line filter to shift significantly. Accordingly, there is a need to propose a novel solution superior to the prior arts.
In an exemplary embodiment, a band-pass filter device is provided and includes a waveguide filter, a first circuit board section, a first antenna, a second circuit board section, and a second antenna. The waveguide filter includes a waveguide chamber. The waveguide chamber includes a high-pass portion, a connection portion, and a low-pass portion. The first antenna is disposed on the first circuit board section. The second antenna is disposed on the second circuit board section. A wireless signal generated by the first antenna is transmitted through the high-pass portion, the connection portion, and the low-pass portion of the waveguide filter, and then is received by the second antenna.
In another exemplary embodiment, a method for signal transmission is provided. The method includes the steps of providing a waveguide filter, a first antenna, a second antenna, a first circuit board section, and a second circuit board section, wherein the waveguide filter comprises a high-pass portion and a low-pass portion, wherein the first antenna is disposed on the first circuit board section, and wherein the second antenna is disposed on the second circuit board section; transmitting a first wired signal from the first circuit board section to the first antenna; using the first antenna to convert the first wired signal into a wireless signal; transmitting the wireless signal through the high-pass portion and the low-pass portion of the waveguide filter; using the second antenna to receive the wireless signal; and converting the wireless signal into a second wired signal, and transmitting the second wired signal to the second circuit board section.
In another exemplary embodiment, an outdoor unit is provided and includes a band-pass filter device and a frequency division element. The band-pass filter device includes a waveguide filter, a first circuit board section, a first antenna, a second circuit board section, and a second antenna. The waveguide filter includes a waveguide chamber. The waveguide chamber includes a high-pass portion, a connection portion, and a low-pass portion. The first antenna is disposed on the first circuit board section. The second antenna is disposed on the second circuit board section. A wireless signal generated by the first antenna is transmitted through the high-pass portion, the connection portion, and the low-pass portion of the waveguide filter, and then is received by the second antenna. The frequency division element is coupled through an RF (Radio Frequency) printed circuit board to the band-pass filter device. The frequency division element includes a first waveguide. The first waveguide at least includes a first descending portion and a first terminal bending portion connected to each other. The first terminal bending portion has a first chamfer angle. The first descending portion causes an edge of the first chamfer angle to be aligned with a parting line.
The invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequent detailed description and examples with references made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
In order to illustrate the purposes, features and advantages of the invention, the embodiments and figures of the invention are shown in detail as follows.
Certain terms are used throughout the description and following claims to refer to particular components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, manufacturers may refer to a component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components that differ in name but not function. In the following description and in the claims, the terms “include” and “comprise” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “include, but not limited to . . . ”. The term “substantially” means the value is within an acceptable error range. One skilled in the art can solve the technical problem within a predetermined error range and achieve the proposed technical performance. Also, the term “couple” is intended to mean either an indirect or direct electrical connection. Accordingly, if one device is coupled to another device, that connection may be through a direct electrical connection, or through an indirect electrical connection via other devices and connections.
Each of the first circuit board section 250 and the second circuit board section 270 may be a dielectric substrate or a printed circuit board. The shapes and types of the first antenna 260 and the second antenna 280 are not limited in the invention. For example, each of the first antenna 260 and the second antenna 280 may be a monopole antenna, a dipole antenna, a patch antenna, or a bowtie antenna. In the embodiment of
The operation theory of the band-pass filter device 200 may be illustrated as follows. The first circuit board section 250 and the traces thereon (not shown) are configured to transmit a first wired signal SL1. The first antenna 260 is configured to convert the first wired signal SL1 into a wireless signal SW. The wireless signal SW generated by the first antenna 260 is transmitted through the high-pass portion 220, the connection portion 230, and the low-pass portion 240 of the waveguide filter 210, and then is received by the second antenna 280. Next, the second antenna 280 is configured to convert the wireless signal SW into a second wired signal SL2. The second circuit board section 270 and the traces thereon (not shown) are configured to transmit the second wired signal SL2.
The band-pass filter device 200 of the invention uses the waveguide filter 210, rather than conventional microstrip-line filters. It should be noted that, while comparing with conventional microstrip-line filters, the proposed waveguide filter 210 of the invention only has a very minor insertion loss (e.g., only from about 0.2 dB to about 0.5 dB), which is superior to the conventional ones that has insertion loss 6 to 35 times higher than the present invention, and is insensitive to the variations in the manufacturing process, thereby effectively improving the signal quality and stability of the band-pass filter device 200. In addition, the high-pass portion 220 and the low-pass portion 240 of the waveguide filter 210 can be independently fine-tuned (in comparison, the microstrip-line filter cannot independently fine-tune its high and low band rejection), so as to increase the design flexibility of the band-pass filter device 200.
The first waveguide 710 at least includes a first descending portion 711 and a first terminal bending portion 720 which are connected to each other. When the first descending portion 711 of the first waveguide 710 extends along the +X axis, the height of the first descending portion 711 in the +Z axis may gradually decrease. The first terminal bending portion 720 of the first waveguide 710 has a terminal portion 718 bent substantially 90 degrees thereby being extended along the +Y axis, such that the terminal portion 718 of the first waveguide 710 is coupled to the first receiver module 641 more easily. In order to suppress the transfer loss at the right-angle bend, the first terminal bending portion 720 of the first waveguide 710 has a first chamfer angle 725. The first descending portion 711 of the first waveguide 710 is configured to reduce the height of the first terminal bending portion 720 in the +Z axis. Accordingly, at least one edge 726 of the first chamfer angle 725 can be aligned with a parting line LL.
The second waveguide 730 at least includes a second descending portion 712 and a second terminal bending portion 740 which are connected to each other. When the second descending portion 712 of the second waveguide 730 extends along the +X axis, the height of the second descending portion 712 in the +Z axis may gradually decrease. The second terminal bending portion 740 of the second waveguide 730 has a terminal portion 738 bent substantially 90 degrees thereby being extended along the +Y axis, such that the terminal portion 738 of the second waveguide 730 is coupled to the second receiver module 642 more easily. In order to suppress the transfer loss at the right-angle bend, the second terminal bending portion 740 of the second waveguide 730 has a second chamfer angle 745. The second descending portion 712 of the second waveguide 730 is configured to reduce the height of the second terminal bending portion 740 in the +Z axis. Accordingly, at least one edge 746 of the second chamfer angle 745 can be aligned with the aforementioned parting line LL.
If the first waveguide 710 and the second waveguide 730 do not include the descending structures, i.e. the first descending portion 711 and the second descending portion 712, the first terminal bending portion 720 and the second terminal bending portion 740 would be too high in the +Z axial direction, and therefore it would be difficult to perform a mold release process during the manufacturing process of the frequency division element 700. Without using any descending structures, the edge 726 of the first chamfer angle 725 and the edge 746 of the second chamfer angle 745 could not be aligned with the parting line LL (i.e., their heights in the +Z axial direction will be located above the parting line LL). Practically, each of the first waveguide 710 and the second waveguide 730 is formed by assembling an upper part with a lower part that were molded separately; under the above scenario (no descending structures included), the upper parts and the lower parts meet at the parting line LL having the edges 726 and 746 of the first and second chamfer angles 725 and 745 located above the parting line LL. During mold release process following on the molding of the upper parts, a male mold and a female mold for forming the upper parts of the first waveguide 710 and the second waveguide 730 will be separated from each other from the parting line LL along Z-axis. Hook-like structures of the upper parts' female mold (figure not shown) for forming upper portions of the first chamfer angle 725 and the second chamfer angle 745 will be stuck by the upper portions of the first chamfer angle 725 and the second chamfer angle 745. Therefore, by implementing of the first descending portion 711 and the second descending portion 712, the need of the hook-like structures of the upper parts' female mold can be eliminated, so that the upper parts' female mold can be released directly along the Z-axis. With the proposed design of the invention (as shown in
In some embodiments, the first waveguide 710 further includes one or more of a first low-pass filter 751, a first high-pass filter 761, a waveguide load 770, and a first connection element 781. The first descending portion 711 of the first waveguide 710 is connected between the first terminal bending portion 720 of the first waveguide 710 and one end of the first low-pass filter 751. Specifically, the first low-pass filter 751 has a height perpendicular to its signal transmission direction (e.g., +X axis or −X axis), and the parting line LL extends and passes the position at a half of the height of the first low-pass filter 751. The first high-pass filter 761 and the first connection element 781 are both connected to another end of the first low-pass filter 751. The waveguide load 770 is connected through the first high-pass filter 761 to the first low-pass filter 750. The waveguide load 770 may be implemented with an absorption element for fine-tuning the impedance matching of the first waveguide 710. The first connection element 781 is further connected to another terminal portion 719 of the first waveguide 710. The terminal portion 719 may be further coupled to the polarizer 660 and the system antenna 670.
In some embodiments, the second waveguide 730 further includes one or more of a second low-pass filter 752, a second high-pass filter 762, and a second connection element 782. The second descending portion 712 of the second waveguide 730 is connected between the second terminal bending portion 740 of the second waveguide 730 and one end of the second low-pass filter 752. The second high-pass filter 762 and the second connection element 782 are both connected to another end of the second low-pass filter 752. The second high-pass filter 762 may be further coupled to the transmitter module 643. The second connection element 782 may be further connected to another terminal portion 739 of the second waveguide 730. The terminal portion 739 may be further coupled to the polarizer 660 and the system antenna 670.
When the frequency division element 700 is operated, it can provide a first signal path SPL1, a second signal path SPL2, and a third signal path SPH. The first signal path SPL1 begins from the system antenna 670 and the polarizer 660, through the first connection element 781, the first low-pass filter 751, the first descending portion 711, and the first terminal bending portion 720 of the first waveguide 710, and finally reaches the first receiver module 641 (i.e., the aforementioned signal path of the first reception signal SR1). The second signal path SPL2 begins from the system antenna 670 and the polarizer 660, through the second connection element 782, the second low-pass filter 752, the second descending portion 712, and the second terminal bending portion 740 of the second waveguide 730, and finally reaches the second receiver module 642 (i.e., the aforementioned signal path of the second reception signal SR2). The third signal path SPH begins from the transmitter module 643, through the second high-pass filter 762 and the second connection element 782 of the second waveguide 730, and finally reaches the polarizer 660 and the system antenna 670 (i.e., the aforementioned signal path of the transmission signal ST). It should be understood that although
The top cover 810 has the function of waterproof, and it is configured to protect the outdoor unit 800 from being damaged by rain. The filter cover 821 has a waveguide groove 823. The filter plate 822 supports the filter cover 821 and adheres to the waveguide groove 823 so as to form the waveguide chamber 215, which includes the high-pass portion 220, the connection portion 230, and the low-pass portion 240. The aforementioned band-pass filter device 200 and its waveguide filter 210 may be formed by the filter cover 821 and the filter plate 822. The filter cover 821 and the filter plate 822 are disposed between the top cover 810 and the RF spacer 830, and are locked and attached to the top of the RF spacer 830. The RF spacer 830 may be made of a metal material. The RF spacer 830 can reduce the interference between transmission signals and reception signals. There may be a plurality of screws disposed on the RF spacer 830. The filter plate 822 lies on the RF spacer 830, so as to cover the aforementioned screws. The filter plate 822 also provides a flat plane for supporting the filter cover 821. The RF printed circuit board 840 (or 207) is disposed between the RF spacer 830 and the base 850. The RF printed circuit board 840 accommodates the first receiver module 641, the second receiver module 642, and the transmitter module 643 of the aforementioned RF module 640. The aforementioned frequency division element 700 may be formed by the housing 860 (i.e. the upper parts of the waveguides 710 and 730) and the base 850 (i.e. the lower parts of the waveguides 710 and 730). The aforementioned parting line LL is positioned at the junction where the housing 860 and the base 850 meet. That is, the parting line LL is considered as a mold junction line between the housing 860 and the base 850 of the present invention.
The invention proposes a novel band-pass filter device, a novel method for signal transmission, and a novel outdoor unit. The band-pass filter device and the method for signal transmission can improve the signal quality, and enhance the tolerance to variations in the manufacturing process. The outdoor unit has all of the advantages of the band-pass filter device, and its waveguide descending structure further reduces the difficulty of the mold release process during the manufacturing process. Accordingly, the invention is suitable for application in a variety of satellite communication devices.
Note that the above element sizes, element shapes, and frequency ranges are not limitations of the invention. An antenna designer can fine-tune these settings or values according to different requirements. It should be understood that the band-pass filter device, the method for signal transmission, and the outdoor unit of the invention are not limited to the configurations of
Use of ordinal terms such as “first”, “second”, “third”, etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having the same name (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements.
While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (as would be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 106125719 A | Jul 2017 | TW | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20120013425 | Tor | Jan 2012 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2014016587 | Jan 2014 | WO |
| Entry |
|---|
| European Search Report dated Aug. 6, 2018, issued in application No. 18156768.-1205. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20190036192 A1 | Jan 2019 | US |
