Systems and methods for improved ferrite circulator RF power handling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9466865-B2
Application number	US-201414247454-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 8, 2014
Priority date	Apr 8, 2014
Publication date	Oct 11, 2016
Grant date	Oct 11, 2016

Abstract

Systems and methods for improved ferrite circulator RF power handling are provided. In one embodiment, a high power circulator switch comprises: at least three ferrite circulators, the at least three ferrite circulators arranged as a triad switch, wherein a first circulator is coupled to a first output of the triad switch, a second circulator is coupled to a second output of the triad switch, and a third circulator is coupled to an input of the triad switch; and a shared high power load having a first port coupled to the first circulator and a second port coupled to the second circulator.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A high power circulator switch, the switch comprising:
at least three ferrite circulators, the at least three ferrite circulators arranged as a triad switch, wherein a first circulator is coupled to a first output of the triad switch, a second circulator is coupled to a second output of the triad switch, and a third circulator is coupled to an input of the triad switch; and
a shared high power load having a first port coupled to the first circulator and a second port coupled to the second circulator.

2. The switch of claim 1 , further comprising at least a first supplemental isolator intervening between the first circulator and the third circulator, and at least a second supplemental isolator intervening between the second circulator and the third circulator.

3. The switch of claim 1 , wherein the first circulator and the second circulator remain in a fixed switching state when a switching state of the third circulator is switched.

4. The switch of claim 1 , wherein the first circulator and the second circulator are switched between states in lock-step with switching of the third circulator.

5. The switch of claim 1 , wherein when the triad switch is switched to a first state, RF power received at the input is directed through the third circulator and the first circulator to the first output, and any reflected RF power received at the first output is directed by the first circulator to the first port of the shared high power load; and
wherein when the triad switch is switched to a second state, RF power received at the input is directed through the third circulator and the second circulator to the second output, and any reflected RF power received at the second output is directed by the second circulator to the second port of the shared high power load.

6. The switch of claim 5 , wherein the shared high power load comprises a fourth circulator coupled to a high power load;
wherein the fourth circulator is configured to direct the reflected RF power to the high power load in a first direction around the fourth circulator when the triad switch is switched to the first state; and
wherein the fourth circulator is configured to direct the reflected RF power to the high power load in a second direction around the fourth circulator when the triad switch is switched to the second state.

7. The switch of claim 6 , wherein the high power load comprises a wave guide matched to have a return loss of greater than 15 dB and provides an attenuation of the reflected RF power of at least 15 dB.

8. The switch of claim 5 , wherein the shared high power load comprises a two port attenuating wave guide.

9. The switch of claim 8 , wherein the two port attenuating wave guide is matched at the first port and second port to have a return loss of greater than 15 dB, and wherein the two port attenuating waveguide has a through loss between the first port and the second port of at least 15 dB.

10. The switch of claim 8 , wherein the two port attenuating wave guide comprises a tapered wedge design of absorbent material that substantially absorbs and spreads out the energy from reflected RF power along the length of the waveguide.

11. A method for switching RF power using a high power circulator switch, the method comprising:
operating a triad ferrite circulator switch to direct RF power to either a first output port or a second output port;
when the triad ferrite circulator switch is switched to a first state to direct RF power to the first output, directing any reflected RF power received at the first output through a first circulator of the triad ferrite circulator switch to a first port of a shared high power load; and
when the triad ferrite circulator switch is switched to a second state to direct RF power to the second output, directing any reflected RF power received at the second output through a second circulator of the triad ferrite circulator switch to a second port of the shared high power load.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
absorbing the reflected RF power received at either the first port of the shared high power load or the second port of the shared high power load with the shared high power load.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the triad ferrite circulator switch further comprises a third circulator coupled to an input of the triad ferrite circulator switch, wherein the method further comprises:
the third circulator directing RF power received at the input of the triad ferrite circulator switch to the first circulator when the switch is operating in the first state; and
the third circulator directing RF power received at the input of the triad ferrite circulator switch to the second circulator when the switch is operating in the second state.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the shared high power load comprises a fourth circulator coupled to a high power load;
wherein the fourth circulator is configured to direct the reflected RF power to the high power load in a first direction around the fourth circulator when the triad switch is switched to the first state; and
wherein the fourth circulator is configured to direct the reflected RF power to the high power load in a second direction around the fourth circulator when the triad switch is switched to the second state.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the triad ferrite circulator switch further comprises at least a first supplemental isolator intervening between the first circulator and the third circulator, and at least a second supplemental isolator intervening between the second circulator and the third circulator.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first circulator and the second circulator remain in a fixed switching state when a switching state of the third circulator is switched.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first circulator and the second circulator are switched between states in lock-step with switching of the third circulator.

18. The method of claim 13 , the shared high power load further comprising a two port attenuating wave guide.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the two port attenuating wave guide is matched at the first port of the shared high power load and second port of the shared high power load to have a return loss of greater than 15 dB; and
wherein the two port attenuating waveguide has a through loss between the first port of the shared high power load and the second port of the shared high power load of at least 15 dB.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the two port attenuating wave guide comprises a tapered wedge design of absorbent material that substantially absorbs and spreads out the energy from reflected RF power along the length of the waveguide.

Assignees

• Honeywell Int Inc

Inventors

• Kroening Adam M

Classifications

• H01P1/11 Primary

  by ferromagnetic devices · CPC title

• H01P1/222

  Waveguide attenuators (H01P1/23 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01P1/38 Primary

  Circulators · CPC title

• H01P1/39

  Hollow waveguide circulators · CPC title

• H01P1/262

  the dissipative medium being a liquid or being cooled by a liquid · CPC title