Modular ferrite switch for constructing switch networks

• US 9,166,267 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2013
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Kroening, Adam M., Vaughn, Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones, Stephen E
• Application Number:
  US13/923,497
• Publication Number:
  US 20140320227A1
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• Field of Search: 333/1.1, 333/24.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 1/38 Circulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 1/39 Hollow waveguide circulators
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0458 Arrangements for matching and coupling between power amplifier and antenna or between amplifying stages matching circuits in general H03H
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/18 Input circuits, e.g. for coupling to an antenna or a transmission line coupling networks between antennas or lines and receivers independent of the nature of the receiver H03H
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18515 Transmission equipment in satellites or space-based relays

Abstract

Systems and methods for a modular ferrite switch for constructing switch networks are provided. In one implementation, a circulator redundancy network comprises multiple inputs; multiple outputs; and multiple circulator modules that connect the inputs to the outputs. A circulator module includes at least one module input connected to at least one input; at least one module output, where the number of module outputs equals the number of module inputs; multiple interconnection ports, configured to connect the circulator module to other circulator modules; and multiple circulators that route received signals between the at least one input, the at least one output, and the interconnection ports. Further, multiple interconnects connect the plurality of circulator modules to one another at the interconnection ports; and a circulator switch controller controls the direction of circulation for the plurality of circulators.

Claims

1. A circulator redundancy network, the circulator redundancy network comprising:

a plurality of inputs;

a plurality of outputs;

a plurality of circulator modules configured to connect the plurality of inputs to the plurality of outputs, wherein a circulator module in the plurality of circulator modules comprises;

at least one module input connected to at least one input in the plurality of inputs;

at least one module output, wherein the number of module outputs in the at least one module output equals the number of module inputs in the at least one module input;

a plurality of interconnection ports configured to connect the circulator module to other circulator modules in the plurality of circulator modules; and

a plurality of circulators configurable to route received signals between the at least one input, the at least one output, and the plurality of interconnection ports;

a plurality of interconnects configured to connect the plurality of circulator modules to one another, wherein an interconnect connects to an interconnection port; and

a circulator switch controller, configured to control the direction of circulation for the plurality of circulators in the plurality of circulator modules.

2. The circulator redundancy network of claim 1, further comprising at least one modified circulator module, wherein a modified circulator module comprises:

at least one modified input;

an interconnection port to connect to a proximate circulator module in the plurality of circulator modules; and

at least one circulator configured to route received signals between the at least one modified input and the interconnection port.

3. The circulator redundancy network of claim 1, wherein the circulator module further includes a plurality of matched loads that are configured to absorb reflected signals.

4. The circulator redundancy network of claim 1, wherein the circulator module further includes at least one cross-over, wherein a first section in the circulator module includes an E-plane transition to cross a second section in the circulator module, where the first section and the second section are located in different E-planes, where the first section crosses the second section.

5. The circulator redundancy network of claim 1, wherein three circulators in the plurality of circulators are arranged in a triad.

6. The circulator redundancy network of claim 1, wherein an excess module output connects to a matched load, wherein an excess module output occurs when the number of inputs exceeds the number of outputs and an excess module output is a module output that is not connected to an output.

7. The circulator redundancy network of claim 1, wherein the circulator switch controller controls the direction of circulation by providing a high current pulse through a magnetizing winding that passes through an aperture in at least one circulator in the plurality of circulators.

8. The circulator redundancy network of claim 1, wherein an end interconnection port connects to a matched load, the end interconnection port being a part of an end circulator module connected to a single circulator module in the plurality of circulator modules.

9. A system, the system comprising:

a plurality of components;

a first circulator redundancy network, wherein the first circulator redundancy network comprises;

a first plurality of inputs;

a first plurality of outputs, wherein each output in the first plurality of outputs is connected to a respective component in the plurality of components and the number of outputs in the first plurality of outputs is greater than the number of inputs in the first plurality of inputs; and

a first plurality of circulator modules, wherein a circulator module in the first plurality of circulator modules comprises a first plurality of circulators that are configurable to route received signals between at least one input in the first plurality of inputs, at least one output in the first plurality of outputs and another circulator module in the first plurality of circulator modules;

a second circulator redundancy network, wherein the second circulator redundancy network comprises;

a second plurality of inputs;

a second plurality of outputs, wherein each input in the second plurality of inputs is connected to a respective component in the plurality of components and the number of inputs in the second plurality of inputs is greater than the number of outputs in the second plurality of inputs; and

a second plurality of circulator modules, wherein a circulator module in the second plurality of circulator modules comprises a second plurality of circulators that are configurable to route received signals between at least one input in the second plurality of inputs, at least one output in the second plurality of outputs and another circulator module in the second plurality of circulator modules; and

a circulator switch controller configured to control a direction of circulation for the first plurality of circulators and the second plurality of circulators such that the first plurality of inputs and the second plurality of outputs are communicatively connected to a subset of the plurality of components.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the circulator module in the first plurality of circulator modules connects to another circulator module in the first plurality of circulator modules through at least one first interconnection port;

and

wherein the circulator module in the second plurality of circulator modules connects to another circulator module in the second plurality of circulator modules through at least one second interconnection port.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein a direction of circulation for a circulator in the first plurality of circulators or the second plurality of circulators is controlled by at least one of:

a magnetized winding that extends through an aperture through a switching element in the circulator; and

a magnetic field produced by a magnetic field source that is outside the circulator.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein at least one circulator module in the first plurality of circulators and the second plurality of circulators comprises a plurality of matched loads that are configured to absorb reflected signals.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein at least one circulator module in the first plurality of circulator modules and the second plurality of circulator modules comprises at least one cross-over, wherein a first section in the at least one circulator module includes an E-plane transition to cross a second section in the at least one circulator module, where the first section and the second section are located in different E-planes, where the first section crosses the second section.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein at least three switchable circulators in the first plurality of circulators and the second plurality of circulators are arranged in a triad.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein at least one circulator in the first plurality of circulator modules or the second plurality of circulator modules is a fixed bias circulator.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein a component in the plurality of components is a low noise amplifier.

17. A method for switching communication paths in a circulator redundancy network;

the method comprising;

identifying a failed component, wherein the failed component is connected to a communicative path through the circulator redundancy network, the circulator redundancy network comprising a plurality of circulator modules, wherein a circulator module comprises;

a plurality of circulators that are configurable to route received signals through the circulator redundancy network along a plurality of communication paths by connecting with other circulator modules in the plurality of circulator modules;

identifying a standby component, wherein the failed component is connected to an open path through the circulator redundancy network;

changing a direction of circulation of the plurality of circulators in the plurality of circulator modules such that the standby component is connected to a communicative path through the circulator redundancy network, and the failed component is connected to an open path through the circulator redundancy network.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein changing the direction of circulation comprises sending a high current electrical pulse to a circulator in the plurality of circulators.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising absorbing reflected signals with a plurality of matched loads in the plurality of circulator modules.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising transitioning a section in the plurality of circulator modules from a first E-plane to a second E-plane.