Patent Application
20160099503
The present disclosure relates to a low noise block converter and an outdoor unit and more particularly to a low noise block converter and an outdoor unit having a consistent communication quality.
Satellite communications require equipment such as ground stations, low noise block down converters, transmission cables, and modulator/demodulators. The ground station receives radio frequency signals from satellites; the low noise block down converter amplifies the received radio frequency signals and converts the amplified radio frequency signals to intermediate frequency signals; and the transmission cables transmit the intermediate signals to the modulator/demodulator.
Generally, the low noise block down converter may include a radio frequency circuit and an intermediate circuit electrically connecting to the radio frequency circuit. The radio frequency circuit receives radio frequency signals, converts the radio frequency signals to intermediate signals, and transmits the intermediate signals to the intermediate circuit.
The ground station uses a highly directional receiving device, i.e., dish antenna, which has to be precisely directed toward satellites in orbit at 36,000 kilometers in altitude. For example, if a dish antenna with a 180 cm diameter shifts 2 cm horizontally, or 3 cm vertically, the signals will become weak or even disappear. In addition, if the dish antenna is configured to use electromagnetic waves in a frequency band of 26-40 GHz, an accuracy of 0.1 degree is needed, and the tolerance has to be within 0.02 degrees for aiming precisely at satellites.
This “Discussion of the Background” section is provided for background information only. The statements in this “Discussion of the Background” are not an admission that the subject matter disclosed in this “Discussion of the Background” section constitutes prior art to the present disclosure, and no part of this “Discussion of the Background” section may be used as an admission that any part of this application, including this “Discussion of the Background” section, constitutes prior art to the present disclosure.
One aspect of the present disclosure provides a low noise block converter and an outdoor unit having a consistent communication quality.
A low noise block converter comprises a housing, a feed cap disposed on top of the housing, and an air permeable membrane disposed on a bottom portion of the housing. The housing includes a base portion, at least one feed horn protruding from the base portion, and a bottom cover attached to a bottom of the base portion so as to form a housing cavity, wherein the bottom cover has a vent hole forming a flow path between the housing cavity and an external environment. The feed cap is disposed on a feed portion of the at least one feed horn and the air permeable membrane is disposed over the vent hole and coupled to the bottom cover via an adhesive, wherein the membrane is configured to permit egress of a gas from the housing cavity therethrough.
An outdoor unit comprises a dish antenna and a low noise block converter positioned at a focus point of the dish antenna. The low noise block converter comprises a housing, a feed cap disposed on top of the housing, and an air permeable membrane disposed on a bottom portion of the housing. The housing includes a base portion, at least one feed horn protruding from the base portion, and a bottom cover attached to a bottom of the base portion so as to form a housing cavity, wherein the bottom cover has a vent hole forming a flow path between the housing cavity and an external environment. The feed cap is disposed on a feed portion of the at least one feed horn and the air permeable membrane is disposed over the vent hole and coupled to the bottom cover via an adhesive, wherein the membrane is configured to permit egress of a gas from the housing cavity therethrough.
Due to the design for the bottom cover with the vent hole forming the flow path between the housing cavity and the external environment, the height variation of the feed cap caused by the air pressure imbalance between the housing cavity and the environment can be decreased. Consequently, the electronic characteristics of the low noise block converter and the outdoor unit can be well controlled so as to have a consistent communication quality even if the temperature or pressure of the environment changes.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present disclosure in order that the detailed description of the disclosure that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be described hereinafter, which form the subject of the claims of the disclosure. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures or processes for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims.
A more complete understanding of the present disclosure may be derived by referring to the detailed description and claims when considered in connection with the Figures, where like reference numbers refer to similar elements throughout the Figures, and:
The following description of the disclosure accompanies drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, and illustrate embodiments of the disclosure, but the disclosure is not limited to the embodiments. In addition, the following embodiments can be properly integrated to complete another embodiment.
References to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “exemplary embodiment,” “other embodiments,” “another embodiment,” etc. indicate that the embodiment(s) of the disclosure so described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Further, repeated use of the phrase “in the embodiment” does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although it may.
The present disclosure is directed to a low noise block converter and an outdoor unit having consistent communication quality. In order to make the present disclosure completely comprehensible, detailed steps and structures are provided in the following description. Obviously, implementation of the present disclosure does not limit special details known by persons skilled in the art. In addition, known structures and steps are not described in detail, so as not to limit the present disclosure unnecessarily. Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below in detail. However, in addition to the detailed description, the present disclosure may also be widely implemented in other embodiments. The scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the detailed description, and is defined by the claims.
In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the air permeable membrane 19B is an aqueous liquid impermeable membrane such as a hydrophobic membrane, and configured to at least meet an ingress protection rating of IEC IP65 and TEC IP67. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the air permeable membrane 19B is a PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethene).
Referring to
In one embodiment of the present invention, the center feed horn 115 receives electromagnetic waves in a frequency band of 12.2-12.7 GHz (Ku 101) from a satellite located at 101 degrees west longitude. The left feed horn 111 receives a beam in a frequency band of 18.3-18.8 and 19.7-20.2 GHz (Ka 103) from a satellite located at 102.8 degrees west longitude. The right feed horn 111 receives a beam in a frequency band of 18.3-18.8 and 19.7-20.2 GHz (Ka 99) from a satellite located at 99.2 degrees west longitude.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the third wall 125 comprises at least one non-circular groove 137 between the second upper aperture 117 and the third groove 125. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the non-circular groove 137 is an arc-shaped groove, as shown in
In one embodiment of the present invention, the feed horn structure 13 comprises a first plate 141 disposed in a first bottom aperture of the first feed horn 111. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first plate 141 has a multi-step shape, as shown in
Referring to
In one embodiment of the present invention, the circuit board 23 is disposed on a terminal portion 13B of the feed horn structure 13, the feed horns 111 include a horn cavity 111A communicating with the housing cavity 21, and the feed horns 113 include a horn cavity 113A communicating with the housing cavity 21.
The temperature variation may increase the volume of the air inside the housing cavity 21, which communicates with the horn cavity 113A and 115A, thereby causing a warp of the feed cap 17 on top of the feed horn structure 13. The nonplanar characteristic (warp) of the feed cap 17 may cause return loss and insertion loss degradation, and the return loss and insertion loss may also vary with respect to the magnitude of the nonplanar characteristic (warp) of the feed cap 17.
Due to the design for the bottom cover with the vent hole forming the flow path between the housing cavity and the external environment, the height variation of the feed cap caused by the air pressure imbalance between the housing cavity and the environment can be decreased. Consequently, the XPOL isolation characteristics of the low noise block converter and the outdoor unit can be well controlled so as to have a consistent communication quality even if the temperature or pressure of the environment changes.
Although the present disclosure and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. For example, many of the processes discussed above can be implemented in different methodologies and replaced by other processes, or a combination thereof.
Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure of the present disclosure, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed, that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized according to the present disclosure. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.
