Extended bandwidth RF amplifier

• US 5,101,171 A
• Filed: 11/23/1990
• Issued: 03/31/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Advanced Research Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Advanced Research Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Redmond, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Mullins, James B.
• Application Number:
  US07/617,348
• Time in Patent Office: 494 Days
• Field of Search: 330/53, 330/84, 330/124 R, 330/124 D, 330/126, 330/295
• US Class Current: 330/124.00R
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/486 with IC amplifier blocks
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/526 protecting by using redundant amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/602 Combinations of several amplifiers

Abstract

A system for extending the frequency range of an RF amplifier by improving the VSWR, and power handling capability of the amplifier, comprising a broadband reversing transformer, a first and a second amplifier coupled by means of a first and a second through-line quadrature coupler with the first quadrature coupler being connected to the inputs of the two amplifiers and the second quadrature coupler being connected to the outputs of the two amplifiers. The broadband reversing transformer is inserted in series with one of the two amplifiers enabling a signal at frequencies out of the passband of the quadrature couplers to pass through the through-lines port of the quadrature couplers, and thereby greatly extending the frequency range over which quadrature couplers may be used while, at the same time, retaining the usual combining and VSWR advantages of the couplers within their passbands.

Claims

1. An amplifier system comprising:

(a) a first quadrature coupler, having a coupled pass band over its operating frequency range, comprising a first and a second input port, and a first and a second output port, said first input port being directly connected to the second output port by means of a direct through-line through said coupler, and said second input port being designated as an isolated port of said first coupler,

(b) a second quadrature coupler having a coupled passband over its operating frequency range which overlaps at least a portion of the coupled pass band of said first quadrature coupler, comprising a first and a second input port and a first and a second output port, said second input port being directly connected to said first output port by means of a through-line through said second coupler, and said second output port being designated the isolated port of said second coupler,

(c) a first amplifier having an input port and an output port and a passband that overlaps and exceeds that of said first and second quadrature couplers,

(d) a second amplifier having an input port and an output port, and a passband that at least equals that of said first amplifier,

(e) means for providing the following connections;

(1) the input port of the first amplifier to the first output port of the first quadrature coupler,

(2) the output port of the first amplifier to the first input port of the second quadrature coupler,

(3) the input port of the second amplifier to the second output port of the first quadrature coupler,

(4) the output port of the second amplifier to the second input port of the second quadrature coupler,

(f) a first phase shifter connected directly in series with said first amplifier, and

(g) a second phase shifter connected directly in series with said second amplifier, said second phase shifter having a phase difference from said first phase shifter of nominally one-hundred-and-eighty degrees to enable a signal applied to an input port of the first quadrature coupler to pass through both quadrature couplers via both amplifiers in the overlapping portion of the operating frequency range of the quadrature couplers and to pass through a direct path formed of the electrical path through the through-line of the first quadrature coupler, the second phase shifter, the second amplifier, the through-line of the second quadrature coupler to the first output port of the second coupler when said signal is outside the overlapping portion of the operating frequency range of said quadrature couplers, said signal being able, when within the overlapping portion of the operating frequency range, to pass through a coupled path formed of the electrical path through a coupled-line of the first quadrature coupler, the first phase shifter, the first amplifier, a coupled line of the second quadrature coupler to the first output port of the second coupler.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the coupled passband of said first quadrature coupler is generally the same as that of said second quadrature coupler.

3. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the passband of the amplifiers exceeds that of the couplers and the coupled passband of said first and second quadrature couplers coincides with the upper frequency end of the passband of said first and second amplifiers.

4. A system as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a third and a fourth quadrature coupler which have identical operating frequency ranges but which frequency range differs from the operating range of said first and second couplers, all four of said couplers having individually a first and a second input port and a first and a second output port, said first input port of each of said couplers being directly connected to said second output port of each of said couplers by means of first direct through-line through each of said couplers and said second input port of each of said couplers being directly connected to said first output port of each of said couplers by means of a second through-line through each of said couplers, and means for providing the following connections:

(a) the first output port of the third coupler to the first input port of the first coupler,

(b) the second output of the third coupler to the second input of the first coupler,

(c) the first output of the second coupler to the first input of the fourth coupler, and

(d) The second output of the second coupler to the second input of the fourth coupler and,

said first input port of said third coupler being designated the system input port and said first output port of said forth coupler being designated the system output port.

5. A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said first and second amplifiers have nearly identical input and output impedances, and said system further comprises a first and a second termination, said first termination being connected between the second input port of the third coupler and ground and the second termination being connected between the second output port of the fourth coupler and ground to absorb reflections from the input ports and the outputs of said amplifiers and present a VSWR at the system input and output ports ports which is improved over that which would be presented directly by the input and output port of said amplifiers.

6. A system is claimed in claim 5 further comprising a negative feed back back circuit connected from the output to the input port to level output variations in the pass band including those generated by all four couplers and their VSWR and coupling interactions.

7. A system as claimed in claim 2 in which the passband of the quadrature couplers are generally the same and the passband of the amplifiers are generally the same and exceed that of the quadrature couplers and said system further comprising an auxiliary system input and an auxiliary output port, a first and a second bandpass filter having a passband within the portion of the passband of the amplifiers that does not coincide with that of the quadrature couplers, said first bandpass filter being connected between said auxiliary input port and the second input port of the first quadrature coupler, and said second bandpass filter being connected between the second output port of said second quadrature coupler and the second auxiliary output port.

8. A system as claimed in claim 7 further comprising a first and a second termination with one terminal of each of said terminations being connected to ground and the other terminal being designated as the termination connection point, and a third and a fourth bandpass filter both of which have a bandpass substantially equal to the pass band of the quadrature couplers, said third bandpass filter being connected between the second input port of the first quadrature coupler and the connection point of the first termination, and said fourth bandpass filter being connected between the second output port of the second quadrature coupler and the connection point of the second termination.

9. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first phase shifter comprises a 180 degree phase reversal plus a transmission line delay and said second phase shifter comprises a transmission delay generally equal to that in said first phase shifter.

10. A system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said first phase shifter is placed in series with the coupled path through the couplers and said second phase shifter is placed in series with the direct through-line path through said couplers.

11. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first and second amplifiers have nearly identical input and nearly identical output impedances, and said system further comprises a first and a second termination, said first termination being connected between the isolated port of the first quadrature coupler and ground and said second termination being connected between the isolated port of said second quadrature coupler and ground to absorb reflections from the input and outputs of said amplifiers and present a VSWR at the system input and output ports which is improved over that which would be presented directly by the input and output ports of said amplifiers.

12. A system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a through-line within the first quadrature coupler from the second input port to the first output port and a through-line within the second quadrature coupler from the second input port to the first output port, a first and a second termination with each termination being grounded at one terminal and the remaining terminal being considered the terminations connected point, a system input port and a system output port, and a first and second switching means said first switching means being connected to the first and second input ports of the first quadrature coupler, the systems input port, and the connection point of the first termination to make the following connections in a first switching position:

(a) the first input port of the first quadrature coupler to the system input port, and

(b) the second input port of the first quadrature coupler to the connection point of the first termination,

and to make the following connections in a second switching position;

(c) the first input port of the first quadrature coupler to the connection port of the first termination, and

(d) the second input of the first quadrature coupler to the system input port,

said second switching means being connected to the first and second output ports of the second quadrature coupler, to the system output port and to the connection point of the second termination to make the following connections in a first switching position;

(e) The first output port of the second quadrature coupler to the system output port, and

(f) The second output port of the second quadrature coupler to the connection port of the second termination,

and to make the following connections in a second switching position;

(g) The second output port of the second quadrature coupler to the system output port, and

(h) The first output port of the second quadrature coupler to the connection point of the second termination.

13. A system as claimed in claim 12, further comprising means for ganging the first switching means and the second switching means to place the first and second switching means in their first switching position simultaneously and to alternatively place them in their second switching position simultaneously.

14. A system as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a switch drive means to simultaneously place the first and second switching means alternatively in their first and second switching positions on the receipt of command signals, and said system further comprising a fault detection means connected to said means for providing connection of said first and second amplifiers to the second quadrature coupler, in order to sense the presence of system signals and generate said command signal for said switch drive means to place said first and second switching means in one of said switching position to pass a system signal through the operating amplifier path in the event of a fault in one of said amplifier paths.

15. A system claimed in claim 14, further comprising means within said fault detection means to accept an input indicating the transmission of a system signal and means for comparing said input with the signals from said connections to the lines connected to said first and second amplifiers to determine the presence of a fault in either amplifier signals paths and to generate a command signal for said switch drive means to actuate said first and second switching means to pass the system signal through the operating amplifier signal path.

16. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first and second quadrature coupler are over coupled and the under coupled arms of the quadrature couplers are used as through-lines, and the ratio of the output voltage of the first amplifier to that of the second amplifier is generally proportional to the ratio of over coupling of said couplers.