Power combiners and dividers based on composite right and left handed metamaterial structures
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A multi-band communication device, comprising:
- a composite right and left handed (CRLH) metamaterial device configured to divide or combine power, including;
a plurality of branch CRLH transmission lines, each of the plurality of branch CRLH transmission lines comprising one or more CRLH unit cells having a right handed series inductance, a right handed shunt capacitance, a series capacitance, and a shunt inductance; and
a signal line electrically connected to each of the plurality of branch CRLH transmission lines;
wherein the signal line is configured to;
receive power signals from each of the plurality of branch CRLH transmission lines and to output a corresponding combined power signal; and
receive a power signal from another component and distribute the power signal amongst the plurality of branch CRLH transmission lines; and
an antenna coupled to the CRLH metamaterial device, wherein a respective branch CRLH transmission line has an electrical length that corresponds to a phase of a 90 degree integer multiple at an operating signal frequency.
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Abstract
Techniques, apparatus and systems that use composite left and right handed (CRLH) metamaterial structures to combine and divide electromagnetic signals at multiple frequencies. The metamaterial properties permit significant size reduction over a conventional N-way radial power combiner or divider. Dual-band serial power combiners and dividers and single-band and dual-band radial power combiners and dividers are described.
27 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A multi-band communication device, comprising:
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a composite right and left handed (CRLH) metamaterial device configured to divide or combine power, including; a plurality of branch CRLH transmission lines, each of the plurality of branch CRLH transmission lines comprising one or more CRLH unit cells having a right handed series inductance, a right handed shunt capacitance, a series capacitance, and a shunt inductance; and a signal line electrically connected to each of the plurality of branch CRLH transmission lines; wherein the signal line is configured to; receive power signals from each of the plurality of branch CRLH transmission lines and to output a corresponding combined power signal; and receive a power signal from another component and distribute the power signal amongst the plurality of branch CRLH transmission lines; and an antenna coupled to the CRLH metamaterial device, wherein a respective branch CRLH transmission line has an electrical length that corresponds to a phase of a 90 degree integer multiple at an operating signal frequency. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A multi-band communication device, comprising:
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a composite right and left handed (CRLH) metamaterial device configured to divide or combine power, including; a plurality of branch CRLH transmission lines, each of the plurality of branch CRLH transmission lines comprising one or more CRLH unit cells having a right handed series inductance, a right handed shunt capacitance, a series capacitance, and a shunt inductance; and a signal line electrically connected to each of the plurality of branch CRLH transmission lines; wherein the signal line is configured to; receive power signals from each of the plurality of branch CRLH transmission lines and to output a corresponding combined power signal; and receive a power signal from another component and distribute the power signal amongst the plurality of branch CRLH transmission lines; and an antenna coupled to the CRLH metamaterial device, wherein a respective one of the one or more CRLH unit cells has a structure in which the right handed series inductance, the right handed shunt capacitance, the series capacitance, and the shunt inductance are spatially distributed in the cell.
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7. A multi-band communication device, comprising:
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a composite right and left handed (CRLH) metamaterial device configured to divide or combine power, including; a plurality of branch CRLH transmission lines, each of the plurality of branch CRLH transmission lines comprising one or more CRLH unit cells having a right handed series inductance, a right handed shunt capacitance, a series capacitance, and a shunt inductance; and a signal line electrically connected to each of the plurality of branch CRLH transmission lines; wherein the signal line is configured to; receive power signals from each of the plurality of branch CRLH transmission lines and to output a corresponding combined power signal; and receive a power signal from another component and distribute the power signal amongst the plurality of branch CRLH transmission lines; and an antenna coupled to the CRLH metamaterial device, wherein a respective one of the one or more CRLH unit cells comprises a meander microstrip.
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8. A multi-band communication device, comprising:
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a composite right and left handed (CRLH) metamaterial device configured to divide or combine power, including; a CRLH transmission line comprising a plurality of CRLH unit cells coupled in series, each of the plurality of CRLH unit cells structured to have a first electrical length that corresponds to a phase of zero degrees, 180 degrees, or a multiple of 180 degrees at a first signal frequency and a second, different electrical length that corresponds to a phase of zero degrees, 180 degrees, or a multiple of 180 degrees at a second, different signal frequency, wherein at least one of the plurality of CRLH unit cells has a third electrical length that corresponds to a phase of 90 degrees or an odd multiple of 90 degrees at the first signal frequency and a fourth electrical length that is different from the third electrical length and corresponds to a phase of 90 degrees or an odd multiple of 90 degrees at the second signal frequency; and an antenna coupled to the CRLH metamaterial device. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A multi-band communication device, comprising:
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a composite right and left handed (CRLH) metamaterial device configured to divide or combine power, including; a dual-band CRLH transmission line comprising a plurality of CRLH unit cells coupled in series, each of the plurality of CRLH unit cells having a first electrical length that is a multiple of +/−
180 degrees at a first signal frequency and a second, different electrical length that is a different multiple of +/−
180 degrees at a second signal frequency, wherein at least one of the plurality of CRLH unit cells has a third electrical length that is an odd multiple of +/−
90 degrees at the first signal frequency and a fourth, different electrical length that is a different odd multiple of +/−
90 degrees at the second signal frequency; andan antenna coupled to the CRLH metamaterial device. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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Specification