Patent · US Expired

Directional coupler using a microstrip line

US5235296A · kind A · utility

16Cited by
4References
10Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateNov 27, 1991
Grant dateAug 10, 1993
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 27, 2011

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01P5/227
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

In a directional coupler having four input/output terminals in a planar circuit using strip lines or microstrip lines, a quarter-wavelength line is connected between first and third terminals, and between second and fourth terminals, respectively, and furthermore between first and second terminals, and between third and fourth terminals, individually, a branch line is connected, having a length which is (2N+1)/4 wavelength, cascading (2N+1) pieces of quarter-wavelength lines (where N is a positive integer). These (2N+1) quarter-wavelength lines composing the branch lines are set so that lines of high characteristic impedance and lines of low characteristic impedance appear alternately. The (2N+1) quarter-wavelength lines in which the lines of high characteristic impedance and low characteristic impedance appear alternately function equivalently to (2N+1)/4 wavelength lines of a higher characteristic impedance, or equivalently to (2N+1)/4 wavelength lines of a lower characteristic impedance, thereby operating as a directional coupler having a small coupling coefficient or as a directional coupler of having a large coupling coefficient.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.