Claims
- 1. A switch assembly, comprising:
a housing having a plurality of input ports and an output port; and a plurality of controllable switches arranged within the housing, each switch having an open position and a closed position and being coupled to one of a plurality of input ports of the housing and a common summing junction within the housing, each input port configured to receive a radio frequency (RF) signal, wherein the output port is coupled to the common summing junction and configured to output a sum signal that includes at least one of the RF signals received at the common summing junction when a switch is in the closed position.
- 2. The switch assembly of claim 1, further comprising at least one transmission line connected to at least one of the input ports, wherein an impedance of the input port matches an impedance of the transmission line.
- 3. The switch assembly of claim 1, wherein each switch is independently operable.
- 4. The switch assembly of claim 1, wherein the switches are simultaneously operable.
- 5. The switch assembly of claim 1, wherein the RF signals are coherent RF signals.
- 6. The switch assembly of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of solenoids, each solenoid being assigned to one of the plurality of switches to selectively operate the switches between the open position and the closed position and to forward a RF signal to the common summing junction.
- 7. The switch assembly of claim 1, further comprising at least one matching stub associated with the output port.
- 8. The switch assembly of claim 7, wherein the at least one matching stub is located within the housing.
- 9. The switch assembly of claim 7, wherein the at least one matching s tube is located outside the housing.
- 10. The switch assembly of claim 1, further comprising an impedance transformation line coupled at a first end to the common summing junction and configured to provide for a predetermined impedance value at a second end.
- 11. The switch assembly of claim 10, further comprising at least one matching stub coupled to the impedance transformation line.
- 12. The switch assembly of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of first impedance transformation lines, each first impedance transformation line being coupled to one of the plurality of input ports of the housing, and a second impedance transformation line coupled at a first end to the common summing junction, wherein each first impedance transformation line is configured to transform a reference impedance value at the input port to a higher impedance value, and wherein the second impedance transformation line is configured to provide for the reference impedance value at a second end of the second impedance transformation line.
- 13. The switch assembly of claim 12, further comprising at least one matching stub coupled to the second impedance transformation line.
- 14. The switch assembly of claim 1, further comprising:
a plurality of first internal impedance transformation lines, each first internal impedance transformation line extending between an input port and a switch; a plurality of first external impedance transformation lines, each first external impedance transformation line being coupled to an input port; a second internal impedance transformation line extending between the common summing junction and the output port; and a second external impedance transformation line coupled to the output port, wherein each first internal impedance transformation line and each first external impedance transformation line transform a reference impedance value at a switch to a higher impedance value, and wherein the second internal impedance transformation line and the second external impedance transformation line provide for the reference impedance value at a distal end of the second external impedance transformation line.
- 15. The switch assembly of claim 13, further comprising at least one matching stub coupled to the second external impedance transformation line.
- 16. A switch assembly, comprising:
a housing having a plurality of input ports and an output port; a plurality of controllable switches arranged within the housing, each switch having an open position and a closed position and being coupled to one of a plurality of input ports of the housing and a common summing junction within the housing, each input port configured to receive a radio frequency (RF) signal, wherein the output port is coupled to the common summing junction and configured to output a sum signal that includes at least one of the RF signals received at the common summing junction when a switch is in the closed position; a plurality of first impedance transformation lines, each first impedance transformation line being coupled to one of the plurality of input ports of the housing, and a second impedance transformation line coupled at a first end to the common summing junction, wherein each first impedance transformation line is configured to transform a reference impedance value at the input port to a higher impedance value, and wherein the second impedance transformation line is configured to provide for the reference impedance value at a second end of the second impedance transformation line; and at least one matching stub coupled to the second impedance transformation line.
- 17. The switch assembly of claim 16, wherein the housing has four input ports, and wherein the at least one matching stub provides for impedance matching when three input ports receive RF signals and the respective switches are in the closed position.
- 18. The switch assembly of claim 16, wherein the housing has four input ports, and wherein the at least one matching stub provides for impedance matching when four input ports receive RF signals and the respective switches are in the closed position.
- 19. A switch assembly, comprising:
a housing having a plurality of input ports and an output port; a plurality of controllable switches arranged within the housing, each switch having an open position and a closed position and being coupled to one of a plurality of input ports of the housing and a common summing junction within the housing, each input port configured to receive a radio frequency (RF) signal, wherein the output port is coupled to the common summing junction and configured to output a sum signal that includes at least one of the RF signals received at the common summing junction when a switch is in the closed position; a plurality of first internal impedance transformation lines, each first internal impedance transformation line extending between an input port and a switch, and a second internal impedance transformation line extending between the common summing junction and the output port, wherein each first internal impedance transformation line transforms a reference impedance value at the input port to a higher impedance value, and wherein the second internal impedance transformation line provides for the reference impedance value at the output port; and at least one internal matching stub coupled to the second internal impedance transformation line.
- 20. A method of matching impedances of transmission lines using a switch assembly, comprising:
receiving at a plurality of input ports radio frequency (RF) signals; selectively operating switches between open positions and closed positions to selectively couple the RF signals to a common summing junction; and outputting a sum signal at an output port that includes at least one of the RF signals.
- 21. The method of claim 20, further comprising transforming a first impedance at the output port to a second impedance.
- 22. The method of claim 21, further comprising transforming third impedances to fourth impedances at the plurality of input ports.
- 23. The method of claim 22, further comprising adjusting at least one of the second impedance and the fourth impedances using at least one matching stub.
- 24. An amplifier section for amplification of a radio frequency (RF) signal, comprising:
amplifier modules, each amplifier module having an input port to receive the RF signal and an output port for an amplified RF signal, the input ports being connectable to a splitter; a combiner having input ports each being coupled to an output port of an amplifier module to receive the amplified RF signal and an output port for a single RF signal formed by a combination of the amplified RF signals, the combiner having controllable switches each assigned to one of the amplifier modules to selectively connect and disconnect the amplifier module; first impedance transformation lines interconnected at the input ports of the combiner between the combiner and the amplifier modules, each first impedance transformation line transforming a reference impedance value of a reference line to a first value of an input impedance at the input port, wherein the first value of the input impedance is higher than the reference impedance value; and a second impedance transformation line connected to the output port of the combiner and transforming a second value of an output impedance to the reference impedance value, wherein the second value is lower than the reference impedance value.
- 25. The amplifier section of claim 20, wherein the amplifier module comprises four power amplifiers, and wherein the combiner comprises four switches.
- 26. The amplifier section of claim 25, wherein the switches, the output port and the input ports of the combiner are positioned in a circular arrangement so that the input ports are equidistant from the switches.
- 27. The amplifier section of claim 20, wherein each of the first and second impedance transformation lines has a length of about one-quarter wavelength.
- 28. The amplifier section of claim 20, wherein the first value and the second value are different.
- 29. The amplifier section of claim 20, wherein the first and the second impedance transformation lines are strip lines on a printed circuit board.
- 30. A combiner for RF signals, comprising:
a housing; input ports positioned at a circumference of the housing, each input port configured to receive an RF signal through a first impedance transformation line transforming a reference impedance value of a reference line to a first value of an input impedance at the input port, wherein the first value is higher than the reference impedance value; an output port at the circumference of the housing and configured to output a single RF signal formed by a combination of the RF signals, the output port connectable to a second impedance transformation line and transforming a second value of an output impedance to the reference impedance value, wherein the second value is lower than the reference value; and a plurality of switches located within the housing, each switch configured to selectively couple an input port to the output port.
- 31. The combiner of claim 30, wherein the housing comprises four switches.
- 32. The combiner of claim 31, wherein the switches, the output port and the input ports are positioned in a circular arrangement so that the input ports are equidistant from the switches.
- 33. The combiner of claim 30, further comprising a control device configured to receive control signals and to control the switches.
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/177,904 filed Jan. 25, 2000, which is herewith incorporated by reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60177904 |
Jan 2000 |
US |