阅读说明：本技术 单模腔滤波器 (Single-cavity filter ) 是由 卢西亚诺·阿卡蒂诺 于 2021-08-04 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种单模腔滤波器包括至少三个矩形或椭圆形谐振腔和至少四个沿直线轴对齐的耦合光圈。滤波器被配置为通过机电装置(30)进行调谐。该滤波器包括位于每个所述腔中并且被配置为在使用中改变滤波器调谐的调谐杆(11)。调谐杆(11)沿弓形轴先对齐,并且机电装置(30)被配置为通过包含在所述机电装置(30)中的单个电机(31)根据相同深度移动调谐杆(11)。(A single-cavity filter includes at least three rectangular or elliptical resonators and at least four coupling apertures aligned along a linear axis. The filter is configured to be tuned by an electromechanical device (30). The filter comprises a tuning rod (11) located in each said cavity and configured to alter the filter tuning in use. The tuning rods (11) are first aligned along an arcuate axis and the electromechanical device (30) is configured to move the tuning rods (11) according to the same depth by means of a single motor (31) comprised in said electromechanical device (30).)

1. A single-cavity filter includes

At least three rectangular or elliptical resonant cavities (15) and at least four coupling apertures (12) aligned along a linear axis (A-A), said filter being configured to be tuned by an electromechanical device (30), said electromechanical device (30) being comprised within said filter (10),

a respective tuning rod (11) located in each of the cavities (15) and configured to change, in use, the tuning of the filter (10),

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the tuning rod (11) is aligned along an arcuate axis (B-B), wherein

The electromechanical device (30) is configured to move the tuning rod (11) according to the same depth by means of a single motor (31) comprised in the electromechanical device (30).

2. The filter according to claim 1, wherein the electromechanical device (30) comprises a longitudinal plate (35) configured to mechanically connect all the tuning rods (11) to the single motor (31).

3. The filter according to claim 2, wherein the electromechanical device (30) further comprises

A worm (32) connected to said single motor (31) and to a non-rotating nut (33), said non-rotating nut (33) being connected to a bushing nut (34), said bushing nut (34) comprising one end connected to said longitudinal plate (35), whereby said electromechanical device (30) is configured to move said tuning rods (11) according to the same depth.

4. A filter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each cavity (15) of the filter comprises

A respective channel (18 a) located along the arcuate axis (B-B), whereby the tuning rod (11) is configured to move the tuning rod (11) through the respective channel (18 a) according to the same depth for changing, in use, the tuning of the filter (10).

5. The filter of claim 4, wherein the filter comprises

A top portion (16 a) and a bottom portion (16 b), and said cavity (15) and said corresponding channel (18 a) are contained in said top portion (16 a) or bottom portion (16 b), respectively.

6. A filter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each cavity (15) of the filter comprises

Respective slots (18B) in a top portion (16 a) or a bottom portion (16B) of the filter, each of the respective slots being orthogonal to the longitudinal linear axis (A-A) and comprising a respective specific length (L), whereby the tuning rod is configured to be positioned, in use, at a position along the specific length (L) corresponding to the arcuate axis (B-B) for experimentally tuning the filter.

7. A method for providing a single-cavity filter configured to be tuned by an electromechanical device (30) comprised in the filter (10), the method comprising the steps of:

at least three rectangular or elliptical resonant cavities (15) and at least four coupling apertures (12) are arranged along a linear axis (A-A),

a respective channel (18 a) located on each respective cavity (15) is provided along the arcuate axis (B-B),

providing tuning rods (11), said tuning rods (11) being arranged to be moved through said respective channels (18 a) according to the same depth,

-providing an electromechanical device (30), said electromechanical device (30) being configured to move all said tuning rods (11) by means of a single motor (31) comprised in said electromechanical device (30).

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the step of providing a respective channel (18 a) located on each respective cavity (15) comprises the steps of:

respective slots (18 b) are provided in the top portion (16 a) or the bottom portion (16 b) of the filter, each of said respective slots being orthogonal to the longitudinal rectilinear axis (A-A) and comprising a respective specific length (L).

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein an electromechanical device (30) is provided, the step of the electromechanical device (30) being configured to move all the tuning rods (11) comprising the steps of:

-providing a longitudinal plate (35) mechanically connected to said single motor (31) and comprising all tuning rods (11) connected to said longitudinal plate (35), whereby said electromechanical device (30) is configured to move all said tuning rods (11) according to the same depth.

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to a single-cavity filter for terrestrial and satellite applications.

In particular, the present invention relates to single mode rectangular cavities configured to provide a single resonant mode.

More particularly, the present invention relates to a single mode filter comprising three or more (n) resonant cavities and four or more (n + 1) coupling apertures.

Background

Single-cavity filters are commonly known for use in radio link applications.

In particular, it is known that in the case of special events, such as soccer or exhibition events, telecommunications companies need to use one or more channels, such as satellite channels, to broadcast online information about the special event by means of television or broadcast channels.

According to the known prior art, a telecommunications company provides, for example, to request one of a plurality of frequency channels and, after the fact that a certain frequency channel can be used, to utilize an apparatus comprising a filter stage comprising a plurality of single-mode filters, and to provide for the selection, by an electromechanical device, of one of the plurality of single-mode filters, which is arranged to manage the enabled frequency channel.

The electromechanical selection of a single mode filter is to grant access to a channel for broadcasting online information about a particular event.

A problem of the known prior art is that it requires the use of a device comprising a filter stage when selecting one of a plurality of channels, wherein each filter can only be selected by using input and output electromechanical means.

In general, the applicant has noticed that in the case of single-cavity filters for satellite and/or terrestrial applications, the known prior art does not solve the problem of selecting one channel from a plurality of channels in a simple and efficient manner.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is therefore to solve the above-mentioned problems by providing a very simple and effective single-cavity filter, in which a certain channel, i.e. the center frequency, among a plurality of channels or center frequencies can be dynamically selected according to the enabled channels.

According to the present invention, such an object is achieved by a single-cavity filter comprising the features set forth in the appended claims.

The invention also relates to a process or a method for designing and implementing a filter according to the invention.

The claims are an integral part of the teaching of the present invention.

The following summary of the invention is provided to provide a basic understanding of some aspects and features of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention, and it is not intended to identify key subjective or objective elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

According to the present invention, a single-cavity filter comprises at least three rectangular or elliptical cavities aligned along a straight axis.

Preferably, the filter comprises a top part and a bottom part, which are arranged to be connected to each other in a known manner in order to shape the body of the filter.

The coupling apertures are arranged along the filter from left to right, the first coupling aperture being followed by a first cavity, then a second coupling aperture and a second cavity, and so on until the last cavity (n) is followed by the last coupling aperture (n + 1).

According to the invention, a tuning rod is located in each cavity along the arcuate axis B-B and is held on a longitudinal plate arranged to support all tuning rods.

It can be observed that the first and last (n) cavities require a greater degree of tuning to lower the filter passband, while the middle cavity or cavities require a lesser degree of tuning as long as they are closer to the longitudinal center of the filter to achieve the same passband effect.

For this purpose, the first and last cavity tuning rods are located in the lateral center of the respective cavity, since there the internal electric field is the largest.

By laterally shifting the tuning rod, its tuning effect is reduced because the internal electric field is reduced.

This explains the arcuate position of the tuning rod.

Due to this configuration, different tuning actions can be obtained in each cavity by moving all the rods according to the same depth, through the respective channels located in each cavity along the arcuate axis B-B.

According to the invention, the filter comprises an electromechanical tuning device comprising a single motor configured to rotate clockwise and counter-clockwise and to simultaneously move a set of tuning rods of the same depth through a longitudinal plate.

In summary, the single mode filter according to the present invention is configured to distribute any of a plurality of frequency channels by simply changing the insertion depth of a set of tuning rods located along arcuate axis B-B.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, a method for designing and implementing a filter according to the present invention is provided, for example comprising one or more of the following steps:

a first step, in which the filter is designed to operate in the upper channel foreseen in the field, based on possible reconfiguration features. The waveguide filter structure is therefore designed to operate without any tuning action (which is equivalent to placing all tuning rods outside the cavity),

a second step, in which the axis B-B is determined experimentally to set up a filter configured to cover all the channels that need to be provided in the field,

a third step, in which the body of the filter is modified by inserting a channel designed along axis B-B,

a fourth step, in which the longitudinal plate is realized so as to comprise a tuning rod positioned on the longitudinal plate according to the axis B-B,

a fifth step, in which the tuning means are applied to the longitudinal plates and to the top or bottom part of the filter body.

Drawings

These and other features and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, which are provided by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the parts indicated by the same or similar reference numbers indicate the same or similar functions and structures, and in which:

figure 1 shows a perspective view of a single-cavity filter comprising a motorised (or command) rod according to a first embodiment;

figures 2a, 2b and 2c show cross-sectional views of an arrangement for controlling the insertion length of the tuning rod in the filter of figure 1;

FIG. 3 shows an example of a top view of the filter of FIG. 1; and

fig. 4a and 4b illustrate another embodiment of the present disclosure.

In this specification, terms such as vertical and horizontal, up and down, are used to indicate elements or components having commonly used orientations and positions with conventional definitions, and thus, in this specification, these terms will be interpreted according to the general purpose in a manner conventionally provided.

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1, 2a, 2b, 2c and 3, a single-cavity filter 10 is shown, for example according to an example comprising six rectangular cavities 15 aligned along a linear axis a-a.

According to other embodiments, the single mode filter comprises three or more rectangular or elliptical cavities without departing from the scope of the claimed invention.

Preferably, the filter 10 comprises a top portion 16a and a bottom portion 16b, the top portion 16a and the bottom portion 16b being configured to be connected to each other in a known manner so as to shape the filter body (filter) 10.

The coupling apertures 12 are arranged in a known manner along the filter 10 such that from left to right a first coupling aperture 12 is followed by a first cavity 15, the first cavity 15 is followed by a second coupling aperture 12 and a second cavity 15, and so on until the last cavity 15 (n) is followed by the last coupling aperture 12 (n + 1).

According to a preferred embodiment, a tuning rod 11 is located in each cavity 15 along the arcuate axis B-B, for example on the top portion 16a of the filter 10, and is held by a tuning rod holder 21 on a longitudinal plate 35, which longitudinal plate 35 is configured to support all tuning rods 11.

Preferably, all tuning rods are made with the same length, and the first tuning rod 11 and the last tuning rod are aligned with both the linear axis a-a and the arcuate axis B-B.

According to a preferred embodiment, the rod located between the first and last tuning rods is located near the center of each cavity, but is not aligned with the A-A axis, and is aligned with the arcuate axis B-B by some displacement relative to the linear axis A-A.

Thanks to this configuration, it is possible to obtain different tuning actions in each cavity by moving all the rods 11 according to the same depth, by means of the respective channels 18a located on each cavity 15 along the arcuate axis B-B.

In summary, the single mode filter 10 according to the disclosed embodiment is configured to distribute any channel among a plurality of channels by simply changing the insertion depth of a set of tuning rods 11 positioned along the arcuate axis B-B.

In fact, since the amount of tuning required for the first and last filter cavities is greatest, and as the amount of tuning required to move toward the center of the filter decreases, the tuning rod positions are aligned with axis a-a, in the first and last cavities, and offset from the center, i.e., aligned with the B-B axis, for the other or center cavities.

For this reason, the other or center tuning rods are aligned along the arcuate axis B-B.

When the tuning rod is laterally offset from the center position of the cavity, its tuning effect becomes lower because the electric field is lower at any position off-center. Due to the above considerations, the lower tuning action required for the central lumen can be determined experimentally, and the same depth of each rod can be achieved by a different tuning action into each lumen.

In fact, by moving all the tuning rods 11 to the same depth along the respective channels 18a of the arcuate axis B-B, it is possible to reconfigure the filter and provide a predetermined number of different channels, i.e. different center frequencies.

In summary, by moving all tuning rods 11 to the same depth, a complete reconfiguration of the filter is possible, since each middle tuning rod 11 or central tuning rod 11 is arranged to operate on an electric field of smaller magnitude.

According to a preferred embodiment, the filter 10 comprises an electromechanical tuning device (tuning device) 30 comprising a single motor 31, for example a micro-motor electronically controlled to rotate clockwise and counterclockwise, configured to move simultaneously the entire set of tuning rods 11 of the same depth through a longitudinal plate 35.

In particular, the longitudinal plate 35 comprised in the electromechanical device is configured to connect all the rods 11 to a single motor 31, whereby the single motor 31 is configured to control the insertion depth of all the tuning rods 11.

Preferably, the electromechanical device 30 is connected to suitable drive electronics 60 by means of wires 19a, 19b, so that the insertion depth of the tuning rod is governed by the motor 31 under the control of the drive electronics 60.

In particular, according to a preferred embodiment, the device 30 comprises a worm 32 connected to a micromotor 31 and preferably to a non-rotating nut 33.

More specifically, the non-rotating nut 33 is used to slide forward or backward according to the clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of the worm 32 connected to the micro-motor 31.

Preferably, the non-rotating nut 33 is in turn connected to a bushing nut 34.

For example, a first end of a bushing nut 34 is fixed to the non-rotating nut 33 and a second end of the bushing nut is preferably connected to a longitudinal plate 35 that supports the entire set of tuning rods 11.

According to such an example, the bushing nut 34 and the longitudinal plate 35 are configured to slide forward and backward together with the non-rotating nut 33 and to be aligned with the top portion 16a, for example, by the alignment pin 26.

In summary, according to a preferred embodiment, the non-rotating nut 33 and the bushing nut 34 allow the entire set of rods to slide forwards or backwards in the filter chamber 15 through the respective channels 18a, which are provided, for example, in the top part 16a or in the bottom part 16b of the filter 10.

According to a preferred embodiment, the rods 11 are made of ceramic, and the channels 18a are sufficiently enlarged to avoid any contact between each channel 18a and the respective ceramic rod 11; this feature is useful to avoid friction between each tuning rod 11 and the corresponding channel 18a due to forward or backward movement of the rod.

According to a further embodiment, the rod 11 is made of metal or plated with metal.

According to these further embodiments, in which metal or metallised bars are provided, preferably ceramic rings are provided, for example on the channels 18a, to avoid any contact between each bar 11 and each respective channel 18 a.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the top portion 16a or the bottom portion 16b of the filter 10 comprises a plurality of slots 18b (fig. 4a, 4 b) of a certain length L transverse (orthogonal) to the a-a axis to the filter, between the first and last rectangular cavities 15.

Preferably, according to this embodiment, the longitudinal plates respectively comprise a slot located above the slot 18b and corresponding to the slot 18 b.

The slot 18B is configured to provide the possibility of positioning the tuning rod 11 along any arcuate axis B-B on the longitudinal plate 35.

This configuration is particularly useful for experimentally implementing and verifying the characteristics of the filter 10 in terms of channel number or center frequency prior to any production.

Preferably, a design and implementation process or method of a filter according to the invention comprises the following steps:

a first step, in which the filter 10 is designed to operate in the upper layer channels foreseen in the field, based on possible reconfiguration features. The waveguide filter structure is thus designed to operate without any tuning action (which is equivalent to having all tuning rods in the position shown in fig. 2b, i.e. in the top position),

a second step, in which the axis B-B is determined experimentally to set up a filter configured to cover all the channels that need to be provided in the field,

a third step, in which the top part 16a or the bottom part 16B of the filter 10 is modified by inserting the channel 18a along the designed axis B-B,

a fourth step, in which, depending on the position of the passage 18a along the axis B-B, the longitudinal plate 35 is realised to comprise a tuning rod 11 located on the longitudinal plate 35,

a fifth step, in which the tuning means 30 are applied to the longitudinal plate 35 and the top portion 16a, as shown in fig. 2b and 2c, or to the bottom portion 16b,

a sixth step, wherein the tuning means 30 is preferably connected to the drive electronics 60 for local or remote control of the selection of a specific one of the plurality of channels by means of the disclosed filter 10.

The known filter consists of a plurality of filters corresponding to the number of required channels provided in the field, whereby each channel can be assigned by means of an input and output electromechanical device or an electromechanical switch matrix.

Advantageously, according to the invention, the proposed filter is configured to replace a plurality of filters by a single filter, wherein each channel can be electrically selected by simply changing the depth of a set of tuning rods.

Of course, obvious changes and/or variations to the above disclosure are possible with respect to the dimensions, shapes, materials, components, circuit elements and connections, as well as the details of the described construction and process, without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.