阅读说明：本技术 谐振器和滤波器 (Resonator and filter ) 是由 贾守礼 聂礼鹏 白云鹏 赵红军 于 2019-04-04 设计创作，主要内容包括：本公开的示例实施例提供了一种谐振器(100)和滤波器(500)。该谐振器(100)包括电容金属片(110)、电感金属片(120)和安装金属片(130)。电容金属片(110)用于与容纳谐振器(100)的金属腔体(200)的顶面(202)一起产生谐振器(100)的电容。电感金属片(120)用于产生谐振器(100)的电感,其连接到电容金属片(110)并且延伸到金属腔体(200)的底面(204)。安装金属片(130)连接到电感金属片(120)并且用于将谐振器(100)安装在金属腔体(200)内。本公开的示例实施例可以实现高性能、小尺寸、低成本的谐振器和滤波器。(Example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a resonator (100) and a filter (500). The resonator (100) includes a capacitor metal sheet (110), an inductor metal sheet (120), and a mounting metal sheet (130). The capacitor metal plate (110) is used to generate a capacitance of the resonator (100) together with a top surface (202) of a metal cavity (200) accommodating the resonator (100). The inductance metal sheet (120) is used to generate the inductance of the resonator (100), which is connected to the capacitance metal sheet (110) and extends to the bottom surface (204) of the metal cavity (200). The mounting metal sheet (130) is connected to the inductive metal sheet (120) and is used for mounting the resonator (100) within the metal cavity (200). Example embodiments of the present disclosure may enable high performance, small size, low cost resonators and filters.)

1. A resonator (100) comprising:

a capacitive metal sheet (110) for generating a capacitance of the resonator (100) together with a top surface (202) of a metal cavity (200) accommodating the resonator (100);

an inductance metal sheet (120) for generating an inductance of the resonator (100), the inductance metal sheet (120) being connected to the capacitance metal sheet (110) and extending to a bottom surface (204) of the metal cavity (200); and

a mounting metal sheet (130) connected to the inductor metal sheet (120) and for mounting the resonator (100) within the metal cavity (200).

2. The resonator (100) of claim 1, wherein:

the capacitor metal sheet (110) has a rectangular shape; and is

The inductance metal sheet (120) and the mounting metal sheet (130) have a band shape.

3. The resonator (100) of claim 1, wherein:

the capacitor plate (110) is substantially parallel to a top surface (202) of the metal cavity (200); and is

The inductor metal sheet (120) extends substantially perpendicular to the capacitor metal sheet (110).

4. The resonator (100) of claim 1, further comprising:

a metal bent part (140, 150, 160) extending from an edge of the capacitor metal sheet (110) toward a bottom surface (204) of the metal cavity (200).

5. The resonator (100) of claim 1, wherein the capacitive metal sheet (110) has notches (112, 114) on both sides of the connection with the inductive metal sheet (120).

6. The resonator (100) of claim 1, wherein an angle (a) between the inductive metal sheet (120) and the bottom surface (204) of the metal cavity (200) within a reference plane (400) is adjusted to adjust a resonance frequency of the resonator (100), the reference plane (400) being perpendicular to the capacitive metal sheet (110) and the inductive metal sheet (120).

7. The resonator (100) of claim 1, wherein the capacitive metal sheet (110), the inductive metal sheet (120) and the mounting metal sheet (130) are integrally formed.

8. A filter (500) comprising:

a metal cavity (200); and

a resonator array (510) disposed in the metal cavity (200),

wherein the resonator array (510) comprises at least two resonators (100, 600) according to any of claims 1-7.

9. The filter (500) of claim 8, in which the at least two resonators comprise a first resonator (100) and a second resonator (600), and a first mounting metal sheet of the first resonator (100) and a second mounting metal sheet of the second resonator (600) are integrally formed as a single mounting metal sheet (540).

10. The filter (500) of claim 9, wherein:

the at least two resonators are disposed on both sides of the single mounting sheet metal (615); or

The single metal sheet (625) surrounds the at least two resonators.

11. The filter (500) of claim 8, in which the at least two resonators comprise a first resonator (100) and a second resonator (600), and a distance (D1) between a first capacitive metal sheet (110) of the first resonator (100) and a second capacitive metal sheet (610) of the second resonator (600) is determined to set an electrical coupling coefficient between the first resonator (100) and the second resonator (600).

12. The filter (500) of claim 8, in which the at least two resonators comprise a first resonator (100) and a second resonator (600), and an interdigital structure (900) is formed between a first capacitive metal sheet (110) of the first resonator (100) and a second capacitive metal sheet (610) of the second resonator (600).

13. The filter of claim 8, wherein the at least two resonators include a first resonator (100) and a second resonator (600), and a distance (D2) between a first inductive metal sheet (120) of the first resonator (100) and a second inductive metal sheet (620) of the second resonator (600) is determined to set a magnetic coupling coefficient between the first resonator (100) and the second resonator (600).

14. The filter (500) of claim 8, in which the at least two resonators comprise a first resonator (100) and a second resonator (600), and the first inductive metal sheet (120) of the first resonator (100) and the second inductive metal sheet (620) of the second resonator (600) are interconnected by interconnecting metal sheets (1100, 1110).

15. The filter (500) of claim 8, in which the at least two resonators comprise a first resonator (100) and a second resonator (600), and the first resonator (100) is tilted towards the second resonator (600) by an angle (β) to adjust the electric and magnetic coupling coefficients between the first resonator (100) and the second resonator (600).

16. The filter (500) of claim 8, further comprising:

a tuning aperture (206) provided on a top surface (202) of the metal cavity (200) for tuning one of the at least two resonators (100).

Technical Field

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of communications and electronic circuits, and more particularly to a resonator and a filter.

Background

With the development of 5 th generation mobile communication technology (5G) and a large-scale multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system, the size of a Radio Frequency (RF) unit in a wireless communication system is increasingly limited. An RF filter is one of the key components used in wireless communication systems, which is typically implemented in the RF front end of a communication device. In general, the performance of the filter is critical to the wireless communication system.

In 5G and massive MIMO systems, the amount of filter requirements becomes significantly large. For example, in a 64-input 64-output (64T64R) MIMO system, a total of 64 filters may need to be provided in one unit. Similarly, in a 256-input 256-output MIMO system, the number of such filters would be as high as 256. Thus, in advanced wireless communication systems, the amount of RF front-end requirements for filters will multiply relative to conventional wireless communication systems (such as 4G, 3G, 2G, etc.).

Disclosure of Invention

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a resonator and a filter.

In a first aspect of the disclosure, a resonator is provided. The resonator includes: and a capacitance metal sheet for generating a capacitance of the resonator together with a top surface of the metal cavity accommodating the resonator. The resonator further comprises: and an inductance metal sheet for generating an inductance of the resonator, the inductance metal sheet being connected to the capacitance metal sheet and extending to a bottom surface of the metal cavity. The resonator further comprises: and a mounting metal sheet connected to the inductor metal sheet and used for mounting the resonator in the metal cavity.

In a second aspect of the disclosure, a filter is provided. The filter includes: a metal cavity and a resonator array. The resonator array is disposed in the metal cavity. The resonator array comprises at least two resonators according to the first aspect.

It should be understood that what is described in this summary section is not intended to limit key or critical features of the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description.

Drawings

The above and other objects, features and advantages of example embodiments of the present disclosure will become readily apparent from the following detailed description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Several example embodiments of the disclosure are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which:

fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a resonator according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 2A illustrates a combined perspective view of a resonator and a metal cavity, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2B shows a schematic diagram of the electromagnetic field distribution of a combination of a resonator and a metal cavity according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 3A illustrates a perspective view of a resonator having a metal bend at the front of the capacitive metal sheet, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 3B illustrates a side view of a resonator having a metal bend at the front of the capacitive metal sheet according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 3C illustrates a perspective view of a resonator having metal bends on both sides of a capacitive metal sheet according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 3D illustrates a side view of a resonator having metal bends on both sides of a capacitive metal sheet according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4A illustrates a schematic diagram of adjusting an angle between an inductance metal sheet and a bottom surface of a metal cavity in a reference plane perpendicular to a capacitance metal sheet and an inductance metal sheet according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4B illustrates a simulation graph of a resonant frequency of a resonator as a function of angle according to the adjustment in fig. 4A, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5A shows a schematic diagram of a filter according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5B shows a schematic diagram of a resonator array according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6A shows a schematic diagram of a resonator array with resonators disposed on both sides of a commonly mounted metal sheet according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 6B shows a schematic diagram of a resonator array with a co-mounted metal sheet disposed around the resonators, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 shows a schematic diagram of electrical and magnetic coupling between two resonators according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 8A shows a schematic diagram of adjusting the distance between capacitive metal plates of two resonators, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 8B shows a simulation plot of coupling bandwidth as a function of distance as adjusted in fig. 8A, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 9A shows a schematic diagram of two resonators with a metal bend at the near end of the capacitive metal sheet according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 9B shows a schematic diagram of two resonators forming an interdigitated structure between capacitive metal sheets according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 10A shows a schematic diagram of adjusting the distance between inductive metal sheets of two resonators, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 10B shows a simulation plot of coupling bandwidth as a function of distance under the adjustment in fig. 10A, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 11A shows a schematic diagram of the interconnection of the inductive metal sheets of two resonators by an interconnection metal sheet, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 11B shows a schematic diagram of the interconnection of the inductive metal sheets of two resonators by another interconnecting metal sheet according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 12A illustrates a schematic diagram in which the tilt angle of a first resonator toward a second resonator is adjusted according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 12B shows a simulated graph of coupling bandwidth as a function of angle as adjusted in fig. 12A according to an example embodiment of the disclosure.

Fig. 12C shows a simulation graph of coupling bandwidth as a function of angle when the angle of the resonator is adjusted in two directions according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 13A shows a schematic diagram of a filter bank according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 13B illustrates a performance simulation diagram of the filter bank of fig. 13A according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 13C illustrates another performance simulation diagram for the filter bank of fig. 13A, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 14A shows a schematic diagram of a filter having a resonator array formed of nine resonators, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 14B shows a performance simulation plot of the filter of fig. 14A, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components.

Detailed Description

The principles and spirit of the present disclosure will be described with reference to a number of exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings. It should be understood that these specific example embodiments are described merely to enable those skilled in the art to better understand and implement the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

Cavity filters are widely implemented in communication devices (e.g., base stations) of wireless communication systems. A conventional cavity filter mainly includes a cast metal housing, a cover for opening and closing the metal housing, a plurality of resonators, and tuning screws twice the number of resonators. The cost of the entire cavity filter mainly includes material cost and production cost (tuning cost). However, in the 5G and MIMO scenarios mentioned above, the cost of a conventional cavity filter will increase significantly as the number of filters grows.

In addition, the size of the conventional cavity filter is large due to the complicated structure and tuning method. For example, in a conventional cavity filter, the tuning screws may be self-locking screws or nut-locking screws, resulting in the thickness of the metal housing (or cover) needing to be greater than a certain value (e.g., 6 millimeters) to ensure that a sufficient tuning range is achieved.

On the other hand, ceramic filters are commonly used due to their small size and acceptable insertion loss. However, in a particular implementation, the attenuation performance of the ceramic filter at the distal end is poor due to the close higher order modes. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a low-pass filter in cooperation with the ceramic filter, but this causes a large increase in the total insertion loss because the insertion loss of the low-pass filter is about the same as or half of that of the ceramic filter. In addition, providing a low pass filter also increases cost.

Further, as noted above, in conventional cavity filters, tuning screws are used to tune the filter. For example, in ceramic filters, it is common to drill holes in the surface of the filter for tuning the filter. To improve this, some conventional techniques tune the operating frequency of the filter by deforming the cover over the resonators, but the coupling between the resonators cannot be tuned by this method.

In other conventional techniques, the resonant frequency of the resonator and the coupling between the resonators are tuned by deforming a metal paddle disposed on the resonator head. However, this requires a large deformation to ensure a sufficient tuning range, and in a long-term application scenario, the deformation may gradually recover itself. Further, if these metal paddles are provided, the Q value and power handling capability of the resonator are both greatly reduced.

There are also conventional techniques to design such metal plectrums on the cover of the filter, also by deforming the metal plectrums to tune the resonance frequency of the resonator and the coupling between the resonators. However, this solution requires a large gap for the metal pick, which would cause electromagnetic leakage leading to electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) performance risks.

In view of the above-identified problems, as well as other potential problems, presented in conventional approaches, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a novel resonator and filter composed thereof. In some example embodiments, the resonators may be formed from sheet metal, which makes the resonators more compact in construction, thereby reducing the size of the filter formed therefrom. Furthermore, the tuning of the resonator formed by the metal sheet does not require the use of tuning screws, and therefore the thickness of the metal cavity of the filter can be reduced, which further reduces the size of the filter.

On the other hand, using a metal sheet to form the resonators and the tuning screws thus omitted may reduce the material cost of the filter, and an array of multiple resonators may be formed from a single metal sheet, which makes assembly of the filter easier. In addition, through simulation and testing, the filter of the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is not lower than or even superior to the conventional cavity filter in terms of performance such as insertion loss and attenuation. Several example embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a resonator 100 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 1, resonator 100 includes a capacitor metal plate 110, an inductor metal plate 120, and a mounting metal plate 130, wherein inductor metal plate 120 is connected to capacitor metal plate 110, and mounting metal plate 130 is connected to inductor metal plate 120. In the example embodiment shown, the resonator 100 may have a general shape of the letter "Z" as a whole, for example with a relatively large and flat capacitor metal plate 110 and relatively elongated inductor metal plate 120 and mounting metal plate 130. Accordingly, the resonator 100 may sometimes be referred to herein as a Z-shaped sheet metal structure. However, it will be understood that the resonator 100 of the example embodiments of the present disclosure is not limited to any particular sheet metal shape.

In addition, it is noted that the resonator 100 may have a three-dimensional shape, as shown in fig. 1. For example, the capacitor metal sheet 110, the inductor metal sheet 120, and the mounting metal sheet 130 of the resonator 100 may be formed in a three-dimensional structure, rather than on a two-dimensional surface. Thus, the three-dimensional shape of the resonator 100 is different from a resonator having only two dimensions, such as a microstrip resonator formed on, for example, a dielectric substrate surface.

In some example embodiments, the capacitor metal sheet 110, the inductor metal sheet 120, and the mounting metal sheet 130 may be integrally formed, i.e., form a single metal sheet. Such an integrally formed single metal sheet can advantageously be manufactured using well established sheet metal working techniques. In other example embodiments, the capacitor metal sheet 110, the inductor metal sheet 120, and the mounting metal sheet 130 may also be formed separately and may be connected together by any suitable connection means (e.g., soldering). The function and effect of the various metal sheets of the resonator 100 are described below in connection with fig. 2.

Fig. 2A shows a combined perspective view of a resonator 100 and a metal cavity 200 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 2A, the resonator 100 is disposed within a metal cavity 200 to form a filter, such as a cavity filter, for example, in conjunction with the metal cavity 200 along with other resonators (not shown in fig. 2A). It should be appreciated that although fig. 2A illustrates the metal cavity 200 as having a particular shape (e.g., a rectangular parallelepiped), in other example embodiments, the metal cavity 200 may have any shape suitable for use as a filter housing.

Fig. 2B shows a schematic diagram of the electromagnetic field distribution of the combination of the resonator 100 and the metal cavity 200 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 2B, the metal cavity 200 may have a top surface 202 and a bottom surface 204. The capacitive metal plate 110 of the resonator 100 together with the top surface 202 of the metal cavity 200 creates the capacitance of the resonator 100. The electric field distribution in this capacitance is schematically illustrated in fig. 2B by an electric field 240, for example.

As mentioned above, the capacitor plate 110 may be flat in shape, which facilitates forming a capacitor with the top surface 202 of the metal cavity 200. For example, as shown in fig. 1 to 2, the capacitor metal sheet 110 may have a substantially rectangular shape. In other words, the surface of the capacitor metal piece 110 facing the top surface 202 of the metal cavity 200 may be a rectangle, and the larger the area of the rectangle, the larger the capacitance formed by the capacitor metal piece 110 and the top surface 202 of the metal cavity 200. In some example embodiments, the capacitive metal sheet 110 may be substantially parallel to the top surface 202 of the metal cavity 200, which facilitates more efficient formation of capacitance with the top surface 202. However, it will be understood that the capacitor plate 110 may have any suitable shape and orientation as long as it fulfills the function and effect of generating a capacitor.

As shown in fig. 2A and 2B, the inductive metal piece 120 of the resonator 100 extends to the bottom surface 204 of the metal cavity 200 and it is used to generate the inductance of the resonator 100. The magnetic field distribution around the inductor is schematically illustrated in fig. 2B by a magnetic field 220, for example. The resonant frequency of the resonator 100 may thus be determined by the capacitance produced by the capacitive metal plate 110 and the inductance produced by the inductive metal plate 120. As mentioned above, the inductance metal sheet 120 may have an elongated shape, such as a strip-shaped metal sheet, i.e., a long and narrow metal sheet, which is advantageous for forming an inductance. More generally, the length of the inductor metal sheet 120 may be greater than its width. For example, the longer the inductor metal sheet 120, the greater the inductance it forms.

As shown in fig. 2B, in some example embodiments, an angle 260 may be formed between the inductance metal sheet 120 and the capacitance metal sheet 110. This arrangement can effectively lengthen the inductance sheet metal 120. The smaller the size of the corner 260, the longer the inductive patch 120. Alternatively, the inductor metal sheet 120 may extend substantially perpendicular to the capacitor metal sheet 110. In other words, angle 260 may be approximately 90 degrees in size. This is advantageous for achieving a compact structure and low cost of the resonator 100. In some other example embodiments, the angle 260 may be an obtuse angle, i.e., greater than 90 degrees in size. However, it will be understood that the inductor metal sheet 120 may have any suitable shape and orientation as long as it fulfills the function and function of generating an inductor.

The mounting metal sheet 130 is used to mount the resonator 100 in the metal cavity 200. In some example embodiments, the mounting metal sheet 130 may mount the resonator 100 on the bottom surface 204 of the metal cavity 200. In other example embodiments, the mounting metal sheet 130 may mount the resonator 100 at any suitable portion of the metal cavity 200. In the illustrated example embodiment, the mounting metal sheet 130 may have a strip shape, which is advantageous, for example, in connecting a plurality of resonators to form a resonator array. However, it will be understood that in other example embodiments, the mounting metal sheet 130 may have any suitable shape as long as it fulfills the function and effect of mounting the resonator 100.

Further, as shown in fig. 1 to 2, the capacitor metal sheet 110 may have notches 112 and 114 at both sides of the connection with the inductor metal sheet 120. By providing notches 112 and 114, the effective length of the inductive metal strip 120 is advantageously increased, thereby reducing the resonant frequency of the resonator 100. In addition, the notches 112 and 114 also allow for easy manufacturing of the capacitor metal sheet 110 or the single metal sheet forming the resonator 100, such as by stamping techniques. However, it will be appreciated that in other exemplary embodiments, the capacitive metal sheet 110 may be provided without the notches 112 and 114, or with notches at other suitable locations. Further, although the notches 112 and 114 are shown as having a particular number and shape, in other example embodiments, the notches may have any suitable number and shape.

As can be seen from fig. 2B and as noted above, within the metal cavity 200, the electric field 240 is distributed primarily in the gap between the capacitive metal plate 110 and the top surface 202, while the magnetic field 220 is distributed primarily around the inductive metal plate 120. Accordingly, by designing the structure (e.g., shape) of the respective metal sheets of the resonator 100, the distribution of the electromagnetic field can be guided to a desired region. One method of increasing the capacitance of the resonator 100 is described below in conjunction with fig. 3A-3D.

Fig. 3A illustrates a perspective view of the resonator 100 having a metal bend 140 at the front of the capacitive metal sheet 110 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 3B shows a corresponding side view. As shown in fig. 3A and 3B, the metal bent part 140 extends from the front side edge of the capacitor metal plate 110 toward the bottom surface 204 of the metal cavity 200. Alternatively or additionally, the metal bend 140 may be arranged to extend substantially perpendicular to the capacitive metal sheet 110. By providing the metal bent part 140, the capacitance of the resonator 100 can be increased.

Fig. 3C shows a perspective view of the resonator 100 with metal bends 150 and 160 on both sides of the capacitive metal sheet 110 according to an example embodiment of the disclosure. Fig. 3D shows a corresponding side view. As shown in fig. 3C and 3D, the metal bent portions 150 and 160 extend from two side edges of the capacitor metal plate 110 toward the bottom 204 of the metal cavity 200. Alternatively or additionally, the metal bends 150 and 160 may be arranged to extend substantially perpendicular to the capacitive metal sheet 110. By providing the metal bent parts 150 and 160, the capacitance of the resonator 100 may be increased.

In addition, the resonance frequency of the resonator 100 may be adjusted by rotating the resonator 100 in a specific direction. Fig. 4A shows a schematic diagram of adjusting an angle (also referred to as a rotation angle) α between the inductance metal sheet 120 and the bottom surface 204 of the metal cavity 200 within a reference plane 400 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the reference plane 400 being perpendicular to the capacitance metal sheet 110 and the inductance metal sheet 120. As shown in fig. 4A, the angle α formed by the inductor metal sheet 120 and the bottom surface 204 of the metal cavity 200 in the plane 400 of the diagram can be used to adjust the resonant frequency of the resonator 100. This is explained in detail below with reference to the simulation graph of fig. 4B.

Fig. 4B shows a simulation graph of the resonant frequency of the resonator 100 as a function of the angle α under the adjustment in fig. 4A according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. In fig. 4B, the horizontal axis represents the magnitude of the rotation angle α with respect to the vertical direction in degrees, and the vertical axis represents the resonance frequency of the resonator 100 in megahertz (MHz). As shown by the variation curve 440 in fig. 4B, at the operating frequency of the resonator 100 (e.g., 2600MHz), the resonant frequency varies by approximately 30MHz for every degree of change in the angle a. In general, in the tuning of a filter, a tuning range of 100MHz may cover design tolerances, so a variation of ± 2 degrees of the angle α may be sufficient for tuning the resonance frequency of the resonator 100, which means that the tuning of the resonator 100 is easy to achieve.

Fig. 5A shows a schematic diagram of a filter 500 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 5A, the filter 500 includes a metal cavity 200 and a resonator array 510. The resonator array 510 is disposed in the metal cavity 200, and is fixed in the metal cavity 200 by, for example, welding or screws. The resonator array 510 may include at least two resonators 100 and 600. In the example shown, resonator array 510 includes six resonators. The resonators in the resonator array 510 may have the resonator structure described above in connection with fig. 1-4.

In addition, the filter 500 may also include an input port 520 for input signals (e.g., RF signals) and an output port 530 for output signals. The filter 500 may further comprise a lid 210 adapted to close and open the metal cavity 200 to allow the resonator array 510 to be mounted into the metal cavity 200. The filter 500 may further include tuning holes 206 disposed on the top surface 202 of the metal cavity 200 for tuning resonators, such as the resonators 100, in the resonator array 510.

Fig. 5B shows a schematic diagram of a resonator array 510 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 5B, the entirety of the resonator array 510 may be formed from a single metal sheet. This allows the resonator array 510 to be easily manufactured and eliminates the need for individual resonators to be individually mounted. Alternatively, resonator array 510 may be formed in sections, or each resonator may be formed separately to increase the flexibility of resonator array 510. In some example embodiments, the first and second mounting metal sheets of the first and second resonators 100 and 600 may be integrally formed as a single mounting metal sheet 540. The single mounting metal sheet 540 may also be referred to as a common mounting metal sheet 540 of the plurality of resonators, which allows the plurality of resonators in the resonator array 510 to be mounted in the metal cavity 200 at one time. Several exemplary arrangements of the co-mounted metal sheet 540 relative to the resonator are described below in connection with fig. 6A and 6B.

Fig. 6A shows a schematic diagram of a resonator array 610 with resonators disposed on both sides of a common mounting sheet 615 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 6A, the resonator array 610 is composed of eight resonators including the resonators 100 and 600. The eight resonators have a common mounting metal sheet 615, and the eight resonators are equally distributed on both sides of the common mounting metal sheet 615. This arrangement can take full advantage of the space within the metal cavity 200, thereby reducing the size of the filter 500. It will be appreciated that in other example embodiments, the resonator array 610 may include any suitable number of resonators, which may also be arranged in any manner with respect to the common mounting metal sheet 615.

Fig. 6B shows a schematic diagram of a resonator array 620 with a co-mounted metal sheet 625 disposed around the resonators, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 6B, the resonator array 620 is composed of seven resonators including the resonators 100 and 600. The seven resonators have a common mounting metal plate 625, and the common mounting metal plate 625 is disposed around the seven resonators. This arrangement also makes full use of the space within the metal cavity 200, thereby reducing the size of the filter 500. Further, the co-mounting metal plate 625 in this arrangement may not occupy the middle space within the metal cavity 200. It will be appreciated that in other example embodiments, the resonator array 620 may include any suitable number of resonators, which may also be arranged in any manner with respect to the common mounting metal plate 625.

Fig. 7 shows a schematic diagram of an electrical coupling 710 and a magnetic coupling 720 between two resonators 100 and 600 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 7, the electrical coupling 710 between the first resonator 100 and the second resonator 600 exists primarily between their respective first capacitive metal plate 110 and second capacitive metal plate 610, while the magnetic coupling 720 between the first resonator 100 and the second resonator 600 exists primarily between their respective first inductive metal plate 120 and second inductive metal plate 620.

The total coupling (e.g., total electromagnetic coupling) between the first resonator 100 and the second resonator 600 may be equal to the vector sum of the electrical coupling 710 and the magnetic coupling 720. In case the electrical coupling 710 is much larger in magnitude than the magnetic coupling 720, the coupling between the first resonator 100 and the second resonator 600 is an electrical coupling. In the case where the magnetic coupling 720 is much larger in magnitude than the electrical coupling 710, the coupling between the first resonator 100 and the second resonator 600 is a magnetic coupling. In case the electrical coupling 710 is substantially equal in magnitude to the magnetic coupling 720, the coupling between the first resonator 100 and the second resonator 600 is zero, i.e. there is substantially no coupling between the two resonators. There are various ways to enhance the electromagnetic coupling strength between the first resonator 100 and the second resonator 600, which will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 8 to 11.

In some example embodiments, the electric coupling coefficient between the first resonator 100 and the second resonator 600 may be adjusted. For example, the distance between the capacitive metal plate 110 of the first resonator 100 and the capacitive metal plate 610 of the second resonator 600 may be used to adjust the electrical coupling coefficient. Fig. 8A shows a schematic diagram of adjusting the distance D1 between the capacitive metal sheets 110 and 610 of the two resonators 100 and 600 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 8A, the distance between the capacitive metal plate 110 of the first resonator 100 and the capacitive metal plate 610 of the second resonator 600 is denoted as D1, and the electric coupling coefficient between the two resonators 100 and 600 is adjusted by adjusting the distance D1. This is explained in further detail below in connection with the simulation graph of FIG. 8B.

Fig. 8B shows a simulation plot of coupling bandwidth as a function of distance D1 under the adjustment in fig. 8A, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. In fig. 8B, the horizontal axis represents the size of the distance D1 in millimeters (mm), and the vertical axis represents the coupling bandwidth (coupling coefficient × frequency) between the first resonator 100 and the second resonator 600, which is in frequency units of megahertz (MHz) since the coupling coefficient is dimensionless, which may represent the coupling strength of the two resonators at a certain frequency. As shown by the change curve 810 in fig. 8B, as the distance D1 increases, the electric coupling between the first resonator 100 and the second resonator 600 becomes weak. Further, it will be noted that when the distance D1 is a specific value (in this example embodiment, approximately 3.3mm), the strength of the electrical coupling is approximately equal to the strength of the magnetic coupling. This characteristic may be considered and utilized in the design of filter 500.

Fig. 9A shows a schematic diagram of two resonators 100 and 600 with metal bends 150 and 660 at the near end of the capacitive metal sheets 110 and 610 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 9A, at a position close to two capacitance metal sheets 110 and 610 adjacent to the first resonator 100 and the second resonator 600, the first capacitance metal sheet 110 may extend downward to generate a metal bending part 150, and the second capacitance metal sheet 610 may extend downward to generate a metal bending part 660. By the action of the metal bent parts 150 and 660, the electrical coupling between the two resonators 100 and 600 is enhanced, so that the operating bandwidth of the filter 500 can be increased.

Fig. 9B shows a schematic diagram of two resonators 100 and 600 forming an interdigitated structure 900 between capacitive metal sheets 110 and 610 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 9B, at a close position of two capacitance metal sheets 110 and 610 adjacent to the first resonator 100 and the second resonator 600, an interdigital structure 900 may be formed between the first capacitance metal sheet 110 and the second capacitance metal sheet 610. By the electric coupling effect of the interdigital structure 900, the electric coupling between the two resonators 100 and 600 is enhanced, so that the operating bandwidth of the filter 500 can be increased.

In addition to the electrical coupling, in some example embodiments, the magnetic coupling coefficient between the first resonator 100 and the second resonator 600 may also be adjusted. For example, the distance between the inductive metal piece 120 of the first resonator 100 and the inductive metal piece 620 of the second resonator 600 may be used to adjust the magnetic coupling coefficient. Fig. 10A shows a schematic diagram of adjusting the distance D2 between the inductive metal sheets 120 and 620 of the two resonators 100 and 600 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 10A, the distance between the inductance metal sheet 120 of the first resonator 100 and the inductance metal sheet 620 of the second resonator 600 is denoted as D2, and the magnetic coupling coefficient between the two resonators 100 and 600 is adjusted by adjusting the distance D2. This is further explained below in connection with the simulation graph of fig. 10B.

Fig. 10B shows a simulation plot of coupling bandwidth as a function of distance D2 under the adjustment in fig. 10A, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. In fig. 10B, the horizontal axis represents the magnitude of the distance D2 in millimeters (mm), and the vertical axis represents the coupling bandwidth (coupling coefficient × frequency) between the first resonator 100 and the second resonator 600, which is in megahertz (MHz) since the coupling coefficient is dimensionless, which may represent the coupling strength of the two resonators at a certain frequency. As shown by the change curve 1010 in fig. 10B, as the distance D2 increases, the magnetic coupling between the first resonator 100 and the second resonator 600 becomes weak.

In some example embodiments, the magnetic coupling between the first resonator 100 and the second resonator 600 may be enhanced to increase the operating bandwidth of the filter 500. Fig. 11A shows a schematic diagram of the inductive metal sheets 120 and 620 of two resonators 100 and 600 interconnected by an interconnecting metal sheet 1100 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 11A, an interconnection metal sheet 1100 is disposed between the first inductance metal sheet 120 of the first resonator 100 and the second inductance metal sheet 620 of the second resonator 600. By the interconnection of the interconnection metal sheets 1100, the magnetic coupling between the first resonator 100 and the second resonator 600 is enhanced, thereby increasing the operating bandwidth of the filter 500.

Fig. 11B shows a schematic diagram of the inductive metal sheets 120 and 620 of two resonators 100 and 600 interconnected by another interconnecting metal sheet 1110 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. In fig. 11B, first inductor metal sheet 120 of first resonator 100 and second inductor metal sheet 620 of second resonator 600 are interconnected by interconnect metal sheet 1110 in a similar manner as in fig. 11A. Unlike fig. 11A, the interconnection metal piece 1110 is disposed at a higher position than the interconnection metal piece 1100. In this way, in addition to the magnetic coupling of the two resonators 100 and 600 being enhanced, the overall mechanical strength of the two resonators 100 and 600 can also be enhanced.

Fig. 12A illustrates a schematic diagram in which the tilt angle β of the first resonator 100 toward the second resonator 600 is adjusted according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 12A, the tilt angle (also referred to as a rotation angle) β of the first resonator 100 toward the second resonator 600 may be used to adjust the coupling coefficient, i.e., the coupling strength, between the first resonator 100 and the second resonator 600, including both the electric coupling coefficient and the magnetic coupling coefficient. This is further explained below in conjunction with the simulation graphs of fig. 12B and 12C.

Fig. 12B shows a simulation plot of coupling bandwidth as a function of angle β according to the adjustment in fig. 12A, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. In fig. 12B, the horizontal axis represents the magnitude of the rotation angle β with respect to the vertical direction in degrees, and the vertical axis represents the resonance frequency of the first resonator 100 in megahertz (MHz). As shown by a change curve 1210 in fig. 12B, a change in the rotation angle β has little influence on the resonance frequency, for example, only about 3MHz for about 1 degree change in the resonance frequency. In other words, adjusting the rotation angle β does not substantially affect the resonance frequency of the individual resonator (in this example, the first resonator 100). On the other hand, a change in the rotation angle β will significantly affect the strength of the coupling between the first resonator 100 and the second resonator 600, which is illustrated in fig. 12C.

Fig. 12C shows a simulation graph of coupling bandwidth as a function of angles (α and β) when the angles (α and β) of the resonator 100 are adjusted in two directions according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. In fig. 12C, the horizontal axis represents the magnitude of the rotation angle with respect to the vertical direction in degrees, and the vertical axis represents the coupling bandwidth (coupling coefficient × frequency) between the first resonator 100 and the second resonator 600, which is in megahertz (MHz) since the coupling coefficient is dimensionless, which may represent the coupling strength of the two resonators at a certain frequency. As shown in fig. 12C, a curve 1220 represents a variation of the coupling bandwidth between the first resonator 100 and the second resonator 600 with the above-described rotation angle β. In contrast, curve 1230 represents the variation of the coupling bandwidth between the first resonator 100 and the second resonator 600 with the rotation angle α described above.

As can be seen from curve 1220, the coupling strength between first resonator 100 and second resonator 600 changes significantly as the rotation angle β changes, while as mentioned above, the change in rotation angle β does not substantially affect the resonance frequency of the individual resonators. In contrast, as previously discussed, the change in the rotation angle α significantly affects the resonance frequency of the individual resonators, while as can be seen from the curve 1230, the change in the rotation angle α does not substantially affect the strength of the coupling between the first resonator 100 and the second resonator 600. For example, the tuning rate of the rotation angle β is approximately five times the rotation angle α in adjusting the coupling strength.

In other words, the resonance frequency of the resonator and the coupling strength between the resonators according to example embodiments of the present disclosure may be adjusted independently of each other, i.e., the two are weakly correlated. This is very advantageous for tuning the entire filter 500, since the resonance frequency of the individual resonators and the coupling strength between the resonators can be adjusted independently by the two rotation angles described above. Such tuning may be performed, for example, through the tuning aperture 206 described above.

Fig. 13A shows a schematic diagram of a filter bank 1300 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. Filter 1300 may be an application of embodiments of the present disclosure in a particular scenario, e.g., a filter bank designed for a particular frequency (such as 3.5 GHz). As shown in fig. 13A, filter bank 1300 may include a resonator array 1310, a metal cavity 1320, and a cover 1330. The resonator array 1310 may be a 2 x 2 matrix of filters, each filter including six resonators. All resonators may be connected to the same mounting metal sheet to form two filter channels. In addition, metal cavity 1320 may be provided with tuning holes for tuning individual resonators in resonator array 1310.

Fig. 13B illustrates a performance simulation diagram for the filter bank 1300 of fig. 13A, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, fig. 13B illustrates the response curve of the filter bank 1300 within its passband. In fig. 13B, the horizontal axis represents frequency in megahertz (MHz), and the vertical axis represents amplitude in decibels (dB). Curve 1340 represents the S21 parameter, i.e. the transmission coefficient, of the filter bank 1300. Curve 1350 represents the S11 parameter, i.e., the reflection coefficient, of the filter bank 1300. As shown in fig. 13B, the insertion loss performance of the filter bank 1300 is very good, about 1dB at the edges of the passband and about 0.5dB in the middle of the passband.

Fig. 13C shows another performance simulation diagram of the filter bank 1300 of fig. 13A according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, fig. 13C illustrates an attenuation curve 1360 of the filter bank 1300 up to 14 GHz. In fig. 13C, the horizontal axis represents frequency in megahertz (MHz), and the vertical axis represents amplitude in decibels (dB). As shown in fig. 13C, the first higher order mode of the filter bank 1300 is about 25dB attenuation at 9.3GHz, while the worst point is at 11.68GHz and the attenuation is about-7 dB. As can be seen from the performance simulation curves of fig. 13B and 13C, the filter bank 1300 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure achieves superior filter performance.

Figure 14A shows a schematic diagram of a filter 1400 having a resonator array 1410 formed of nine resonators, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. Filter 1400 may be an application of embodiments of the present disclosure in a particular scenario, e.g., a filter designed for a particular frequency (such as 2.6 GHz). As shown in fig. 14A, the filter 1400 may include a resonator array 1410, a metal cavity 1420, and a cover 1430. The resonator array 1410 may be composed of nine resonators according to example embodiments of the present disclosure. In addition, the metal cavity 1420 may be provided with tuning holes for tuning individual resonators in the resonator array 1410.

Fig. 14B shows a performance simulation diagram of the filter 1400 of fig. 14A according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. In fig. 14B, the horizontal axis represents frequency in megahertz (MHz), and the vertical axis represents amplitude in decibels (dB). Curve 1440 represents the S21 parameter, i.e., the transmission coefficient, of filter 1400. Curve 1450 represents the S11 parameter, i.e., the reflection coefficient, of filter 1400. As shown in fig. 14B, the filter 1400 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure achieves excellent filter performance at an operating frequency of 2.6 GHz.

As used herein, the terms "comprises," comprising, "and the like are to be construed as open-ended inclusions, i.e.," including, but not limited to. The term "based on" should be understood as "based at least in part on". The term "one example embodiment" or "the example embodiment" should be understood as "at least one example embodiment". The terms "first," "second," and the like may refer to different or the same object. Other explicit and implicit definitions are also possible below.

As used herein, the term "determining" encompasses a wide variety of actions. For example, "determining" can include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (e.g., looking up in a table, a database or another data structure), ascertaining and the like. Further, "determining" can include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), and the like. Further, "determining" may include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, and the like.

The term "circuitry" as used herein refers to one or more of the following: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and/or digital circuitry); and (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable): (i) a combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuitry and software/firmware, and (ii) any portion of a hardware processor and software (including a digital signal processor, software, and memory that work together to cause an apparatus, such as an OLT or other computing device, to perform various functions); and (c) hardware circuitry and/or a processor, such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor, that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but may be software-free when software is not required for operation.

The definition of circuit applies to all usage scenarios of this term in this application, including any claims. As another example, the term "circuitry" as used herein also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors), or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor, or software or firmware accompanying it. For example, the term "circuitry" would also cover a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit or a similar integrated circuit in an OLT or other computing device, as applicable to the particular claim element.

It should be noted that the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can be realized in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware. The hardware portion may be implemented using dedicated logic; the software portions may be stored in a memory and executed by a suitable instruction execution system, such as a microprocessor or specially designed hardware. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the apparatus and methods described above may be implemented using computer executable instructions and/or embodied in processor control code, such code being provided, for example, in programmable memory or on a data carrier such as an optical or electronic signal carrier.

By way of example, example embodiments of the disclosure may be described in the context of machine-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, being executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. In example embodiments, the functionality of the program modules may be combined or divided between program modules as described. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within local or distributed devices. In a distributed facility, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage media.

Computer program code for implementing the methods of the present disclosure may be written in one or more programming languages. These computer program codes may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program codes, when executed by the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, cause the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks to be performed. The program code may execute entirely on the computer, partly on the computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server.

In the context of the present disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations described above. Examples of a carrier include a signal, computer readable medium, and the like. Examples of signals may include electrical, optical, radio, acoustic, or other forms of propagated signals, such as carrier waves, infrared signals, and the like.

The computer readable medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination thereof. More detailed examples of a computer-readable storage medium include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof.

Further, while the operations of the methods of the present disclosure are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this does not require or imply that these operations must be performed in this particular order, or that all of the illustrated operations must be performed, to achieve desirable results. Rather, the steps depicted in the flowcharts may change the order of execution. Additionally or alternatively, certain steps may be omitted, multiple steps combined into one step execution, and/or one step broken down into multiple step executions. It should also be noted that the features and functions of two or more devices according to the present disclosure may be embodied in one device. Conversely, the features and functions of one apparatus described above may be further divided into embodiments by a plurality of apparatuses.

While the present disclosure has been described with reference to several example embodiments, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited to the disclosed example embodiments. The disclosure is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.