RADIO-FREQUENCY COMPONENT

Abstract

A high-frequency component for guiding electromagnetic high-frequency waves includes a hollow conductor structure with a housing and a field-guiding region. The housing includes at least in part plastics material and the housing wall surface facing the field-guiding region includes a metal coating. Two or more parallel-guided cooling ducts can be integrated into the housing, the mutual spacing of which varies in accordance with a field density of an energy-guiding mode.

Claims

1-8. (canceled)

9. A high-frequency component for guiding electromagnetic high-frequency waves, comprising a hollow conductor structure with a housing and a field-guiding region, in which the housing comprises plastics material and the housing wall surface (26, 28) facing the field-striding region comprises a metal coating, characterised in that a plurality of parallel-guided cooling ducts are integrated into the wall of the housing, the mutual spacing dc of which varies in accordance with a field density of an energy-guiding mode, and the geometric centre point of a cross-section through the plurality of cooling duct(s) is arranged within 40% of the housing wall thickness dw starting from the metal coating.

10. A high-frequency component according to claim 9, wherein the housing may be produced using a 3D printing method, wherein the plastics material is preferably ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer), PLA (polylactide), PVA (polyvinyl alcohol), PC (polycarbonate), nylon, or PPSF/PPSU (polyphenylsulfone).

11. A high-frequency component according to claim 9, wherein at least one magnetisable ferrite element is arranged in the hollow conductor structure.

12. A high-frequency component according to claim 11, wherein the ferrite element is arranged on a plastics holder.

13. A high-frequency component according to claim 11, wherein the thickness dm of the metal coating is reduced in the region between ferrite element and a housing wall, in particular in the peripheral region of the plastics holder, relative to the other wall regions and constitutes at least 70% or less of the thickness of the metal coating of the other wall regions.

14. A circulator comprising a high frequency component according to claim 9.

15. An RF filter comprising a high-frequency component according to claim 9.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Further advantages are revealed by the present description of the drawings. The drawings show exemplary embodiments of the invention. The drawings, description and claims contain numerous features in combination. A person skilled in the art will expediently also consider the features individually and combine them into meaningful further combinations.

[0026] In the drawings:

[0027] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a section through a high-frequency component of a first embodiment of the invention;

[0028] FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a section through a ferrite-containing hollow conductor structure of a second exemplary embodiment of the invention with external magnetic field generation;

[0029] FIG. 3 is a sectional representation of a further exemplary embodiment of a high-frequency component according to the invention;

[0030] FIG. 4 shows sectional representations of a circulator of one embodiment of the invention.

[0031] In the figures identical elements are labelled with identical reference signs.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional representation of a first exemplary embodiment of a high-frequency component 10. The high-frequency component 10 corresponds to a rectangular hollow conductor 12, which comprises a plastics housing 14 and an internal metal coating 18, wherein the metal coating 18 completely encloses the field-guiding region 16. The TE or TM waves propagating in the field-guiding inner region 16 are bounded at the edge by the metal coating 18 in such a way that tangential electric fields cannot have any component at the metal coating. This defines propagation of at least one fundamental mode and higher modes which guide energy along the longitudinal extent of the high-frequency component. In the prior art, the housing 14 is fundamentally made from metal, resulting in high heat conductivity, high weight, high component costs and mechanical deformation in the event of increased temperature. Through induced eddy currents in the wall, heat arises, so distorting the mechanical dimensions. Moreover, a metallic housing wall of the high-frequency component 10 renders manufacture expensive, and increases the total weight of the component 10.

[0033] In the embodiment shown, the housing wall 14 is made of plastics material, and only a small surface region of the plastics wall 14 facing the field-guiding region 16 is metallised with a copper, gold or silver or brass coating, in order to ensure field guidance of the electromagnetic field.

[0034] FIG. 2 shows a further exemplary embodiment of a ferrite-containing or lossy waveguide of a high-frequency component 10. Once again, the high-frequency component 10 comprises or consists of a hollow conductor structure 12, which comprises a housing 14 and an inner metal coating layer 18 bounding the field-guiding region 16. The housing wall 14 comprises a series of cooling ducts 20, which extend both in the bottom and top regions and at the vertical side walls of the housing 14. The cross-section of the cooling ducts 20 is circular, wherein air, water, oil or another heat-conveying fluid may be passed through the ducts in order to be able to dissipate heat arising through eddy current losses in the metal coating 18, and so to regulate within limits heating of the high-frequency component 10.

[0035] Ferrite elements 22, which may exhibit high magnetic permeability, and which may purposefully influence mode propagation in the field-guiding region 16, are arranged directly on the metal coating 18 of the housing wall 14. The ferrite or electret elements 22 may be deliberately used to suppress individual modes, and control the direction of propagation of the electromagnetic wave in the field-guiding region 16.

[0036] To premagnetise the ferrite elements 22, an external magnetic field generating means 30 in the form of a permanent magnet with pole pieces 32 is provided. The magnetic field generating means 30 generates a static permanent magnetic field through the field-guiding region 16 and aligns the elementary magnets in the ferrite elements 22 such that specific premagnetisation can be established. Conventionally, metallic housing walls of a hollow conductor structure conduct the magnetic fields away due to elevated permeability in such a way that only a small proportion of the external magnetic field can be coupled in in the field-guiding region 16. The plastics material of the housing wall 14 may comprise or consist of a diamagnetic or paramagnetic material, such that magnetic fields may penetrate virtually unhindered through the hollow conductor structure 12 in order to saturate the ferrite elements 22. Thus, significantly weaker external magnetic fields of the magnetic field generating means 30 may be coupled in. In this way, the electromagnetic field may be specifically influenced with less effort. In turn, the total weight of the high-frequency component 10 is reduced. The relatively thin metal coating 18 thus serves merely in electromagnetic bounding of the field and is present in such a thickness that eddy currents are effectively suppressed and boundary conditions of the electric field may be predetermined. The metal coating has virtually no effect on magnetic field guidance with regard to activating the ferrites.

[0037] FIG. 3 shows a further exemplary embodiment of a high-frequency component 10 in the form of a rectangular waveguide. The high-frequency component 10 comprises a hollow conductor structure 12 having a housing 14 of plastics material, wherein the internal housing wall is lined with a metal coating layer 18 of copper, silver, brass or gold facing the field-guiding region 16. The magnetisation layer 18 comprises a metal coating thickness of dm. In the housing wall 14 rectangular cooling ducts 20a are arranged at the horizontal boundary faces and 20b at the vertical boundary faces for cooling purposes. The cooling ducts 20a of the horizontal boundary wall exhibit the spacings dc11, dc21, dc31. The spacings of the cooling ducts 20a, 20b are selected to correspond to the tangential electric field distribution along the housing wall with which the fundamental wave propagates in the hollow conductor structure, such that in the regions in which stronger eddy currents are to be expected due to the existence of higher electric edge fields, the density of the cooling ducts is higher than in field-free regions. Cooling ducts 20b are accordingly arranged at the vertical wall regions with the spacings dc21 and dc22, in order to ensure more effective cooling of the housing regions at those points at which higher eddy currents occur and accordingly heat the metal coating layer 18 to a greater extent.

[0038] In this way, it is possible, by arranging the cooling ducts suitably in the plastics housing wall 14, to ensure the achievement with little effort of an improved cooling effect of the hollow conductor structure in particular in the event of conveying high-energy electromagnetic waves into the megawatt range.

[0039] FIGS. 4a and 4b show vertical and horizontal sectional representations of a circulator according to a further embodiment of the invention. The circulator 50 in the form of high-frequency component 10 comprises a circular-cylindrical housing 14 of a hollow conductor structure 12, wherein the housing 14 is made from a plastics material. The housing 14 is built up in a 3D printing method for example by sintering or using a layer-by-layer technique. The housing 14 comprises circular cooling ducts 20, as shown in the horizontal section B-B through a cooling duct 20 of the vertical housing wall. The cooling duct 20 comprises a fluid duct connection 36 to the outside, wherein the fluid ducts may be connected together in the housing wall 14 in order for example to convey water flowing therethrough. The cooling ducts 20 are arranged in such a way in the housing wall 14 that they lie 30% closer to the metal coating layer 18 than to the outer housing wall, in order effectively to absorb heat arising in the metal coating layer 18.

[0040] Plastics holders 24 are moulded integrally onto the housing wall 14 in order to be able to accommodate pot-shaped ferrite elements 22. The plastics holders 24 are moulded both on the lower and on the upper horizontal housing wall, and enclose the pot-shaped ferrite elements 22 which are arranged in form-fitting manner in the middle. The inner housing wall region of the housing 14 is surrounded with a metal coating 18, which is thinner in the regions in which the plastics holders 24 project out of the housing wall 14, wherein these thinner metal coating portions 42 are provided in the regions below and above the ferrite elements 22. The thinner portions 42 of the metal coating 18 define incoupling points for an external magnetic field for premagnetisation of the ferrite elements 18, such that incoupling of the magnetic field is made easier at this point, and the ferrite elements may be saturated with a low external magnetic field. This therefore simplifies influencing of the internal electromagnetic field in the field-guiding region 16.

[0041] An external magnetic field generating means 30 comprises a plurality of pole piece arrangements 32 on the top and bottom of the housing wall of the housing 14, in order to be able to couple magnetic fields into the ferrite elements 22 in the vertical direction at the corresponding points. As a result of the thinner metal coating 42 in the region of the plastics holders 24 and the magnetically neutral property of the plastics material which is contained in the housing wall 14, external electric car magnetic fields may be easily coupled in to influence ferrite or dielectric elements.

[0042] The cooling ducts 20 may be arranged at different spacings from one another in the vertical and horizontal housing walls in accordance with the modes arising.

[0043] Electromagnetic fields may be coupled into the circulator via the three coaxial incoupling means 34 offset in each case by 120, wherein these may enter and/or exit via coaxial antennas 40.

[0044] By making the metal coating layer thinner, the external magnetic field can be in- and/or outcoupled into the hollow conductor structure without significant weakening. By making the housing wall 14 of plastics material, a lower weight is achieved, and complex cooling duct profiles 20 may be very simply provided in the plastics material.

[0045] The housing wall 14 may be produced very simply using 3D printing technology in particular in the case of complex structures. Production of the housing wall 14 using plastics printing methods and subsequent electroplating allows a significant reduction in the weight of the high-frequency components 10, which is important in particular for space travel applications.

[0046] Complex constructions such as water cooling systems, tuning elements, ferrite plates or in- and/or outcoupling structures may be produced very simply using plastics material. A metallic coating may be made thicker by electroplating, in order to achieve the necessary current carrying capacity and to keep eddy current losses correspondingly low.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0047] 10 High-frequency component [0048] 12 Hollow conductor structure [0049] 14 Housing [0050] 16 Field-guiding region [0051] 18 Metal coating [0052] 20 Cooling duct [0053] 22 Ferrite element [0054] 24 Plastics holder [0055] 26 Vertical housing wall [0056] 28 Horizontal housing wall [0057] 30 Magnetic field generating means [0058] 32 Pole piece [0059] 34 Coaxial coupler [0060] 36 Fluid duct connection [0061] 38 Ferrite plate [0062] 40 Coaxial antenna [0063] 42 Thinner metal coating portion [0064] 50 Circulator