Device for Actively Improved Impedance Synthesis

• US 20140103946A1
• Filed: 10/14/2013
• Published: 04/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Vanden Bossche, Marc
• Granted Patent: US 9,804,226 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/750.01
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 27/28 Measuring attenuation, gain, phase shift or derived characteristics of electric four pole networks, i.e. two-port networks; Measuring transient response in line transmission systems H04B3/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2822 of microwave or radiofrequency circuits of attenuation, gain, e.g. using network analyzers G01R27/28
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/319 Tester hardware, i.e. output processing circuits

Abstract

An impedance control device for tuning a device under test comprising: a first terminal port arranged for connecting a device under test, a second terminal port arranged for connecting a termination, a first signal path for a signal travelling between the first and the second terminal port, first coupling means arranged for picking up a part of the signal travelling in the first signal path, a second signal path arranged for receiving the part of the signal from the first coupling means, said second signal path comprising a correction circuit for adapting as a function of frequency the amplitude and phase of the received part of the signal, second coupling means arranged for coupling back into the first signal path an adapted signal outputted by the correction circuit, and an attenuator and phase shifter for applying attenuation and phase shifting on the signals travelling between the first and the second terminal port.

Claims

1. An impedance control device for tuning a device under test comprising

a first terminal port arranged for connecting a device under test,

a second terminal port arranged for connecting a termination,

a first signal path for a signal travelling between said first and said second terminal port,

first coupling means arranged for picking up a part of said signal travelling in said first signal path,

a second signal path arranged for receiving said part of said signal from said first coupling means, said second signal path comprising a correction circuit for adapting as a function of frequency the amplitude and phase of said received part of said signal,

second coupling means arranged for coupling back into said first signal path an adapted signal outputted by said correction circuit,

an attenuator and phase shifter for applying attenuation and phase shifting on said signals travelling between said first and said second terminal port.

2. The impedance control device as in claim 1, wherein said attenuator and said phase shifter are a part of said first signal path.

3. The impedance control device as in claim 1, wherein said attenuator and said phase shifter are positioned outside the signal path between the first and second coupling means.

4. The impedance control device as in claim 1, wherein said correction circuit comprises filtering means for adapting the amplitude and phase of said received part of said signal.

5. The impedance control device as in claim 4, wherein said correction circuit further comprises an amplification means.

6. The impedance control device as in claim 4, wherein said correction circuit comprises digital synthesis means for correcting the amplitude and phase response of said impedance control device as function of the frequency.

7. The impedance control device as in claim 6, wherein said digital synthesis means is implemented at least in part with a field programmable gate array.

8. The impedance control device as in claim 6, wherein said correction circuit comprises a processing unit for correcting the amplitude and phase response of the impedance control device as function of the frequency.

9. A vector network analyser comprising an impedance control device, the impedance control device comprising:

a first terminal port arranged for connecting a device under test,

a second terminal port arranged for connecting a termination,

a first signal path for a signal travelling between said first and said second terminal port,

first coupling means arranged for picking up a part of said signal travelling in said first signal path,

a second signal path arranged for receiving said part of said signal from said first coupling means, said second signal path comprising a correction circuit for adapting as a function of frequency the amplitude and phase of said received part of said signal,

second coupling means arranged for coupling back into said first signal path an adapted signal outputted by said correction circuit,

an attenuator and phase shifter for applying attenuation and phase shifting on said signals travelling between said first and said second terminal port.