CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/504,907 filed on May 1 1 , 2017, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to band pass filters, and, more specifically, to band pass filters based on coupled transmission lines that are suitable for high frequencies.

BACKGROUND

[0003] A band-pass filter (BPF) is an electronic component that is used for filtering unwanted frequency signals of a connected device. That is, a band-pass filter allows frequencies within a certain range and rejects, or attenuates, frequencies outside that range.

[0004] A typical transmission function of a BPF is shown in Fig.1 , displaying a graph 100 of a bandwidth that is permitted to pass through the BPF, i.e., a passband 130. The passband 130, as indicated on the graph 100, is the range of permitted frequencies that extends from a minimum frequency of fi 1 10 to a maximum frequency of f2 120.

[0005] The amplitude 140 of the passband 130, as shown on the vertical axis of the graph 100 of Fig. 1 , is measured in decibels (dB) and indicates the power of the transmitted passband. The values of the indicated amplitude relate to the amount of insertion loss, or loss of signal, of the transmitted frequency.

[0006] The graph 100 additionally indicates a relatively steep rejection curve 150, namely, the slope of the signal curve transitioning from the attenuated signals into the passband. A steep rejection curve allows for optimal application of the BPF, as a steeper rejection curve allows for more of the desired frequencies to successfully pass through the filter while preventing more of the unwanted frequencies from passing therethrough.

[0007] The requirements of a desirable BPF include low signal loss in the passband, and low insertion loss, i.e. the loss of signal power, when the BPF is installed within a transmission line. Additionally, a steep rejection curve is preferred to minimize the amount of unwanted frequencies that are allowed to pass through the BPF, including frequencies that are close to the passband.

[0008] Many currently available BPFs employ one or more resonators having a resonance of certain frequencies. Signals with frequencies close to the resonant frequencies pass through the filter, while signals farther away are blocked. In the related art, three main designs of current resonators include: (a) resonators based on capacitors and inductors; (b) resonators based on surface and bulk acoustic wave filters (known as SAW and BAW filters); and (c) resonators based on a cavity in a dielectric material.

[0009] Fig. 2 shows an electrical diagram of a BPF 200 having four LC resonators, each comprised of an inductor (indicated by L) and a capacitor (indicated by C), in parallel configuration and coupled together. Each resonator provides additional precision to the transition between the attenuated signals and the passband. One resonator alone is often insufficient to provide the desired rejection curve steepness. Thus, several consecutive and connected resonators are often used together.

[0010] SAW and BAW types of BPFs (not shown) are popular designs in modern wireless communication devices due to their high rejection rate of unwanted frequencies (-30-50 dB in proximity of -50 MHz to the passband), in addition to having a reasonably acceptable insertion loss of -0.5-3.0 dB.

[0011] However, such types of BPFs have major limitations. Specifically, SAW type filters are only effective for frequencies of up to -3.5 GHz, but are uncapable of filtering higher frequency bands that are currently in development and use for many devices (e.g., 6 GHz, 28 GHz, etc.). Further, BAW type filters can be very expensive to manufacture and are likewise not effective for the 28 GHz band. Additionally, the passbands created by SAW and BAW types of BPFs are relatively narrow (approximately between 70 MHz - 100 MHz) and cannot be adjusted. Additionally, SAW and BAW type filters are often constrained to a single fixed width of a passband, whereas modern telecommunication technologies require an adjustable passband.

[0012] Additional limitations of a standard BPF result from its structure. As an example, a simple microwave resonator can be built using a transmission line, where the transmission line must have a specific length equal to a quarter of the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave in the center of the passband. In such a case, the design resonates at a certain frequency, i.e., the frequency of the center of the passband. However, such a single resonator BPF, while simple in design, often fails to provide a sufficiently steep rejection curve.

[0013] Fig. 3 shows a standard BPF 300 with several connected LC resonators. In order to increase the rejection curve, several single transmission line-based resonators can be coupled to each other. Each additional resonator allows for an increase in the steepness of the rejection slope, but simultaneously increases the insertion loss. Thus, a proper balance between the steepness of the rejection curve and minimizing insertion loss is desired.

[0014] The standard method for connecting several resonators together is to build a capacitive and/or inductive connection between them, as shown in Fig. 3, where various capacitors, Ci and C2, are connected to various inductors, Li and L2. In the Pi filter configuration, one inductor is surrounded by two capacitors (forming the Greek letter Pi). In the T filter configuration, a T geometry is formed with two inductors and a single capacitor. However, these designs are problematic when used with very high frequencies where a particularly low capacitance value is needed for the desired connection. This low capacitance value can be difficult to realize with sufficient tolerance using an LC resonator-based BPF.

[0015] It would therefore be advantageous to provide a band-pass filter that would overcome the limitations noted above.

SUMMARY

[0016] A summary of several example embodiments of the disclosure follows. This summary is provided for the convenience of the reader to provide a basic understanding of such embodiments and does not wholly define the breadth of the disclosure. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated embodiments, and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of all embodiments nor to delineate the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more embodiments in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. For convenience, the term "some embodiments" may be used herein to refer to a single embodiment or multiple embodiments of the disclosure. [0017] Certain embodiments disclosed herein include a band pass filter (BPF), including a first resonator realized as a first transmission line; a second resonator realized as a second transmission line; and a coupler positioned between the first resonator line and the second resonator, wherein the coupler is designed to produce a passband such that certain frequencies within an input transmission signal are filtered out.

[0018] Certain embodiments disclosed herein also include a band pass filter (BPF), including: a first coupler configured to receive an incoming signal and split the incoming signal into a first signal and a second signal; at least two resonators, wherein a first resonator is configured to receive the first signal and the second resonator is configured to receive the second signal; and a second coupler configured to receive the first signal and the second signal, and to recombine the first signal and second signal to recombined signal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019]The subject matter disclosed herein is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0020] Figure 1 is a graph of frequencies passing through a band pass filter.

[0021] Figure 2 is an example diagram of an LC resonator-based band pass filter having four resonators.

[0022] Figure 3 is a standard BPF with several connected LC resonators.

[0023] Figure 4A is a first configuration of a resonator with two transmission lines according to an embodiment.

[0024] Figure 4B is a second configuration of a resonator with two transmission lines according to an embodiment.

[0025] Figure 4C is a third configuration of a resonator with two transmission lines according to an embodiment.

[0026] Figures 5A is a front view diagram of a resonator transmission line in a ring shape according to an embodiment.

[0027] Figures 5B is a top view diagram of a resonator transmission line in a ring shape according to an embodiment. [0028] Figure 6A is a block diagram of consecutively coupled resonator cells according to an embodiment.

[0029] Figure 6B is a block diagram of consecutively coupled resonator cells according to an alternative embodiment.

[0030] Figure 7 is a block diagram of consecutively coupled resonator cells including 3 dB couplers according to an embodiment.

[0031] Figure 8 is a block diagram of an alternative example of coupled resonator cells according to an embodiment.

[0032] Figure 9 is a diagram showing the resulting transmission signal of a combination of band pass filters according to an embodiment.

[0033] Figure 10A is a graph showing transmission functions using the band pass filters disclosed according to an embodiment.

[0034] Figure 10B is a graph showing transmission functions using the band pass filters disclosed according to an alternative embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] It is important to note that the embodiments disclosed herein are only examples of the many advantageous uses of the innovative teachings herein. In general, statements made in the specification of the present application do not necessarily limit any of the various claimed embodiments. Moreover, some statements may apply to some inventive features but not to others. In general, unless otherwise indicated, singular elements may be in plural and vice versa with no loss of generality. In the drawings, like numerals refer to like parts through several views.

[0036]The embodiments disclosed herein include a band pass filter (BPF) designed to filter the bandwidth of incoming frequencies. In an embodiment, the disclosed BPF design is based on coupling transmission lines using one or more coupling lines or links. The disclosed BPF design is characterized by a steep rejection curve, low insertion loss and flexible bandwidth. According to the disclosed embodiments, the BPF is designed to operate at higher frequency bands, such as 6 GHz, 28 GHz, 32 GHz and higher. This allows the BPF to be used in modern communication devices, such as, but not limited to smartphones using advanced cellular protocols (e.g., LTE, 4G, 5G, etc.), many of which operate within higher frequency bands.

[0037] A resonator is a device that naturally oscillates at certain frequencies with greater amplitude than at others. A basic form of a resonator as employed as a BPF includes a transmission line having a length equal to half of the electromagnetic wavelength of the frequency desired to be allowed to pass through. Certain resonators include multiple transmission lines of one or more lengths. As noted above, a single resonator, while simple in design, often fails to provide a sufficiently steep rejection curve when used within a BPF. According to one embodiment, in order to achieve a desirably steep rejection curve, two approaches can be implemented: designing a cell of several electromagnetically coupled transmission line resonators or coupling several consecutive cells together.

[0038] Figs. 4A, 4B, and 4C show various configurations of two transmission line resonators according to an embodiment. Employing electromagnetic coupling to connect several single resonators together allows for the design of BPFs that are effective for very high frequency bands. In this case, the transmission line of the first resonator is a first line of the coupler, and the transmission line of the second resonator is the second line of the coupler.

[0039] In one embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4A, two main transmission lines 410 and 420 are electromagnetically coupled with a coupling line 430 placed in between them. In an alternative embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4B, the two main transmission lines 412 and 422 are electromagnetically coupled by a coupling line, and by a capacitive link, an inductive link 433, or both. A capacitive link allows for the transfer of a signal between the transmission lines by means of displacement of current between circuit nodes, induced by an electric field. An inductive link includes connecting two transmission lines such that a current through one line induces a voltage across the ends of the other line through electromagnetic induction.

[0040] In yet another embodiment, coupling between resonators may be achieved without any additional capacitive or inductive link, as shown in Figure 4C. In this embodiment, two transmission line resonators provide an electromagnetic coupler between the transmission two lines. The proximity of the two main transmission lines and the coupling line additionally allows for varying the connection strength. In an embodiment, several resonators coupled together can combine to form a single resonator cell.

[0041] Fig. 5A shows a front view of a diagram of a resonator structure for a BPF in a ring shape 500 according to an embodiment. In order to reduce the physical size of the BPF and to increase the coupling power between the lines, transmission lines can be constructed in the shape of a ring. In an embodiment, multiple ring-shaped transmission lines are placed coaxially parallel to each other, i.e., along a single axis. In such cases, the coupling between the lines can be adjusted by changing the proximity of the rings 500 to adjacent rings. In some embodiments, the x-axis and y-axis positioning of the rings 500 may be adjusted to achieve desired filtering results. Fig. 5B is a top view of the ring- shaped resonator 500 structure demonstrating a shift along at least one axis, where the distance of the shift directly affects the coupling of the transmission lines.

[0042] Various configurations of resonators and couplers may be employed. Fig. 6A shows a block diagram of a band-pass filter designed according to an embodiment. In this embodiment, a first resonator cell 610 is coupled to a first coupler 620, which is coupled to a second resonator cell 630.

[0043] According to another embodiment, illustrated in Fig. 6B, the resonator cells can be coupled through a network of couplers, i.e., two or more couplers. In an embodiment, the couplers are hybrid couplers. In the example arrangement shown in Fig. 6B, two couplers 620 are coupled between the two resonator cells 610 and 630.

[0044] In a further embodiment, shown in Fig. 7, the couplers 720 placed between the resonator cells 710 and 730 are 3 dB couplers. In order to further increase the steepness of the resulting rejection slope, two or more resonator cells may be coupled to each other with two or more couplers, e.g., hybrid couplers.

[0045] Fig. 8 is a block diagram of an alternative example of coupled resonator cells 810 according to an embodiment. In an alternative configuration to the arrangement of Figs. 6A, 6B and 7 discussed above, the BPF can be designed such that the resonator cells 810 are coupled between the 3 dB couplers 820 and 830. In such an embodiment, a first 3 dB coupler 820 equally splits an incoming signal to produce an output sent to two resonator cells 810. The output signals are then recombined and connected to the second 3 dB coupler 830. The use of a 3 dB coupler is used in the connection of single resonator cells in order to minimize the insertion loss of the signal.

[0046] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the resulting transmission signal of a combination of BPFs according to an embodiment. As discussed above, standard SAW and BAW BPF designs have a fixed width of the passband (i.e., a fixed bandwidth). However, for modern multiband wireless communication, adjustable bandwidth of a passband is often required. Thus, the proposed designs allow for flexibility of bandwidth by varying the coupling strength between single resonators within a cell (the stronger the coupling, the narrower the bandwidth) and the combination of single cells with different passbands. In an embodiment, multiple BPF outputs are combined to form a new output. In Fig. 9, a diagram of the total transmission 900 of such an arrangement is shown, including an arrangement similar to the embodiments shown in Figs. 6A-8. A first BPF output signal 910 is combined with a second BPF signal 920.

[0047] Figs. 10A and 10B are graphs showing transmission functions of a BPF designed according to the disclosed embodiments, e.g., the embodiment shown in Fig. 8. Fig. 10A is a graph 1000 of frequencies of a BPF having strong electromagnetic coupling. As a general rule, a strong electromagnetic coupling between transmission lines provides a filter with non-steep rejection curves, e.g., the curve 1020, and minimal insertion loss, e.g., the insertion loss of the passband 1030 of less than 1 dB of signal loss.

[0048] Alternatively, as shown in the graph 1050 of Fig. 10B, increasing the number of resonators or adjusting the positioning between transmission lines provides a BPF with a steeper rejection curve, e.g., the curve 1060, with minimal insertion loss, e.g., the loss of signal within the passband 1070. In an embodiment, the BPF is configured to create a passband anywhere between the frequencies of 1 gigahertz (GHz) and 32 GHz.

[0049]As used herein, the phrase "at least one of" followed by a listing of items means that any of the listed items can be utilized individually, or any combination of two or more of the listed items can be utilized. For example, if a system is described as including "at least one of A, B, and C," the system can include A alone; B alone; C alone; A and B in combination; B and C in combination; A and C in combination; or A, B, and C in combination. 50] All examples and conditional language recited herein are intended for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the disclosed embodiment and the concepts contributed by the inventor to furthering the art, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the disclosed embodiments, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future, i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardless of structure.