Twist for connecting orthogonal waveguides in a single housing structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9406987-B2
Application number	US-201313948258-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 23, 2013
Priority date	Jul 23, 2013
Publication date	Aug 2, 2016
Grant date	Aug 2, 2016

Abstract

A twist for coupling radiation between orthogonal waveguides is provided. The twist includes at least three cavities opening from at least one of a first X1-Y1 surface and a second X2-Y2 surface of a metal block. A first cavity has a first opening in a first Y-Z plane and a second opening in a second Y-Z plane offset from the first Y-Z plane by a first length. A second cavity shares the second opening with the first cavity and has a third opening in a third Y-Z plane offset from the second Y-Z plane by a second length and has at least two heights and at least two widths. A last cavity shares a next-to-last opening in a next-to-last Y-Z plane with a next-to-last cavity. The last cavity has a last opening in a last Y-Z plane offset from the next-to-last Y-Z plane by a last length.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A twist for coupling electro-magnetic radiation between orthogonal waveguides, the twist comprising:
at least three cavities formed in a single metal block having at least three respective shapes, the at least three cavities opening from at least one of a first X 1 -Y 1 surface of the metal block and an opposing second X 2 -Y 2 surface of the metal block, the at least three cavities comprising:
a first cavity having a first opening in a first Y-Z plane of the metal block and a second opening in a second Y-Z plane that is offset from the first Y-Z plane by a first length along an X axis;
a second cavity sharing the second opening in the second Y-Z plane with the first cavity, the second cavity having a third opening in a third Y-Z plane that is offset from the second Y-Z plane by a second length along the X axis, the second cavity having at least two heights and at least two widths; and
a last cavity sharing a next-to-last opening in a next-to-last Y-Z plane with a next-to-last cavity, the last cavity having a last opening in a last Y-Z plane of the metal block that is offset from the next-to-last Y-Z plane by a last length along the X axis,

wherein the orthogonal waveguides are formed from the first cavity and the last cavity.

2. The twist of claim 1 , wherein the at least three cavities having the at least three respective shapes comprise four cavities having four respective shapes, wherein the at least two heights is at least two second-cavity heights, and wherein the at least two widths is at least two second-cavity widths, the twist further comprising:
a third cavity sharing the third opening in the third Y-Z plane with the second cavity, the third cavity having a fourth opening in a fourth Y-Z plane that is offset from the third Y-Z plane by a third length along the X axis, the third cavity having at least two third-cavity heights and least two third-cavity widths,
wherein the last cavity is a fourth cavity, and wherein sharing the next-to-last opening in the next-to-last Y-Z plane with the next-to-last cavity comprises sharing the fourth opening in the fourth Y-Z plane with the third cavity, and wherein the last cavity having the last opening in the last Y-Z plane comprises the fourth cavity having a fifth opening in a fifth Y-Z plane, the fifth Y-Z plane offset from the fourth Y-Z plane by a fourth length along the X axis.

3. The twist of claim 2 , wherein the at least two second-cavity heights includes three second-cavity heights in the second cavity along the Z axis, and wherein the at least two second-cavity widths includes three second-cavity widths in the second cavity along the Y axis, and wherein the least two third-cavity heights includes three third-cavity heights in the third cavity along a Z axis, and wherein the least two third-cavity widths includes three third-cavity widths in the third cavity along a Y axis.

4. The twist of claim 1 , wherein a height along a Z axis of the first cavity is less than a height along a Z axis of the last cavity and a width along a Y axis of the first cavity is greater than a width along a Y axis of the last cavity, and wherein the height along the Z axis of the first cavity is about equal to the width along the Y axis of the last cavity and the height along the Z axis of the last cavity is about equal to the width along the Y axis of the first cavity.

5. The twist of claim 1 , further comprising at least one metal cover attached to the at least one of the first X 1 -Y 1 surface and the opposing second X 2 -Y 2 surface, wherein the first cavity is one of an input waveguide or an output waveguide while the last cavity is a respective one of the output waveguide or the input waveguide.

6. The twist of claim 1 , further comprising at least one metal cover attached to the at least one of the first X 1 -Y 1 surface and the opposing second X 2 -Y 2 surface, wherein the first opening in the first Y-Z plane is one of an input to an input waveguide or an output to an output waveguide while the last opening in the last Y-Z plane is a respective one of the output to an output waveguide or an input to an input waveguide.

7. The twist of claim 1 , wherein the at least two heights includes three heights along a Z axis in the second cavity, and wherein the at least two widths includes three widths in the second cavity along a Y axis.

8. The twist of claim 1 , further comprising a dielectric material in at least one of the second cavity and the next-to-last cavity.

9. A method to form a twist for coupling electro-magnetic radiation between orthogonal waveguides, the method comprising:
forming a first cavity having a first shape in a first X 1 -Y 1 surface of a metal block, the first cavity having a first opening in a first Y-Z plane of the metal block and a second opening in a second Y-Z plane that is offset from the first Y-Z plane by a first length along an X axis;
forming a second cavity having a second shape in at least one of the first X 1 -Y 1 surface of the metal block and an opposing second X 2 -Y 2 surface of the metal block, the second cavity sharing the second opening in the second Y-Z plane with the first cavity, the second cavity having a third opening in a third Y-Z plane that is offset from the second Y-Z plane by a second length along the X axis, the second cavity having at least two heights and at least two widths; and
forming a last cavity having a last shape in at least one of the first X 1 -Y 1 surface of the metal block and the opposing second X 2 -Y 2 surface of the metal block, the last cavity having a last opening in a last Y-Z plane of the metal block that is offset from a next-to-last Y-Z plane by a last length.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the at least two heights is at least two second-cavity heights, and wherein the at least two widths is at least two second-cavity widths, the method further comprising:
forming a third cavity having a third shape in at least one of the first X 1 -Y 1 surface and the opposing second X 2 -Y 2 surface, the third cavity sharing the third opening in the third Y-Z plane with the second cavity, the third cavity having a fourth opening in a fourth Y-Z plane that is offset from the third Y-Z plane by a third length along the X axis, the third cavity having at least two third-cavity heights and least two third-cavity widths.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein forming the last cavity having the last shape comprises:
forming a fourth cavity having a fourth shape, the fourth cavity sharing a fourth opening in a fourth Y-Z plane with a third cavity, the fourth cavity having a fifth opening in a fifth Y-Z plane, the fifth Y-Z plane offset from the fourth Y-Z plane by a fourth length.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein forming the third cavity having the third shape comprises:
forming the third cavity with three third-cavity heights along the Z axis; and
forming the third cavity with three third-cavity widths along a Y axis.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
positioning a dielectric material in the third cavity.

14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
positioning a dielectric material in the second cavity.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein forming the first cavity having the first shape and forming the last cavity having the last shape comprises:
forming a first height along a Z axis of the first cavity to be approximately equal to a last width of the last cavity along a Y axis of the last cavity; and
forming a last height along a Z axis of the last cavity to be approximately equal to a first width of the first cavity along a Y axis of the first ca

Assignees

• Honeywell Int Inc

Inventors

• Kroening Adam M

Classifications

• H01P11/002

  Manufacturing hollow waveguides · CPC title

• H01P1/022 Primary

  in waveguides of polygonal cross-section (H01P1/065 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01P1/02 Primary

  Bends; Corners; Twists · CPC title

• Y10T29/49016

  Antenna or wave energy "plumbing" making · CPC title

• H01P1/165

  for rotating the plane of polarisation · CPC title