CN118508026A - Circulators, circulator components, isolators, RF modules and communication equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a circulator, a circulator assembly, an isolator, a radio frequency module and communication equipment, wherein the circulator comprises a central conductor, the central conductor comprises a plurality of branches, each branch comprises a plurality of crossing parts, and the branches are crossed and layered at the crossing parts and are woven to form a net structure, so that the central conductor can be equivalent to a circuit with lumped parameter characteristics, and the timeliness of the circulator is effectively reduced. An insulator is arranged between two intersecting parts of the intersecting fork to form a coupling capacitor between the intersecting parts, thereby achieving the purpose of adjusting the bandwidth, realizing the wide bandwidth of the circulator, ensuring that the circulator has the characteristics of small time delay and wide bandwidth and high isolation, and optimizing the performance of the circulator.

Description

Circulators, circulator components, isolators, RF modules and communication equipment

Technical Field

The present application relates to the technical field of electronic equipment, and in particular to a circulator, a circulator component, an isolator, a radio frequency module and a communication device.

Background Art

In a communication system, for example, taking a wireless communication device as an example, in the process of sending and receiving wireless signals, a circulator and/or an isolator are needed to form a unidirectional transmission characteristic of the radio frequency signal. The working principle of the circulator and the isolator is to use ferrite material as a medium, set a conductor structure on the ferrite, and apply a constant magnetic field. The circulator has a gyromagnetic characteristic. If the direction of the bias magnetic field is changed, the direction of the circulation will change, so as to achieve the purpose of allowing the radio frequency signal to pass in one direction (low loss) and isolating in other directions (high loss).

When a circulator and/or isolator is used, for example, in a signal feedback channel, the feedback channel needs to perform signal transmission processing with the main line. The devices located in the feedback channel usually need to have a small delay characteristic to avoid signal distortion and ensure transmission performance. Therefore, it is particularly important to provide a circulator and/or isolator with a small delay characteristic.

Summary of the invention

The present application provides a circulator, a circulator assembly, an isolator, a radio frequency module and a communication device. The circulator has a small delay characteristic and can achieve wide bandwidth and high isolation, effectively improving the signal transmission quality.

The first aspect of the present application provides a circulator, including a central conductor, the central conductor including a plurality of branches, each branch including a plurality of intersections, the plurality of branches are cross-stacked and woven at the intersections to form a mesh structure, and at least two intersections in each branch are located at different layers. By making the central conductor a mesh structure formed by the intersection and weaving of a plurality of branches, the equivalent circuit of the central conductor can be a circuit with lumped parameter characteristics, which can significantly reduce the delay of signal transmission on the circulator, and realize the small delay setting of the circulator.

The circulator also includes an insulator, which is arranged between two intersecting parts, and a coupling capacitor is formed between the two intersecting parts. The coupling capacitor can adjust the bandwidth of the circulator, thereby widening the bandwidth of the circulator, achieving wide bandwidth and high isolation of the circulator, and thus improving the isolation of the circulator under the condition of realizing a small delay design.

In a possible implementation, any two of the multiple branches are cross-woven to form a mesh structure, and the mesh structure is a central symmetrical structure. It has better symmetry, is conducive to reducing S parameters, reducing return loss and insertion loss, further reducing the delay of the circulator, and achieving wide bandwidth and high isolation of the circulator.

In one possible implementation, the insulator includes multiple sub-insulating parts, each sub-insulating part is located between two intersecting parts, and the number of sub-insulating parts is an integer multiple of the number of branches, which can facilitate the cross-weaving of multiple branches to form a centrally symmetrical mesh structure, facilitate insulation, and ensure the mutual insulation setting between the intersections of multiple branches.

In a possible implementation manner, the circulator further includes a substrate structure, and the central conductor is located on the substrate structure.

The substrate structure includes ferrite, and the circulator further includes a first magnet, which is used to provide a magnetic field bias. The magnetic field provided by the first magnet can bias the ferrite, and the gyromagnetic properties of the ferrite are used to achieve unidirectional transmission of signals.

The circulator also includes a support body, which is located between the substrate structure and the first magnet. The support body maintains a certain distance between the first magnet and the center conductor to ensure that the first magnet and the center conductor do not contact each other. The first magnet can be a non-insulated magnet with greater magnetic properties to meet the requirements of ferrite bias. In addition, the height of the support body can be adjusted to achieve the purpose of adjusting the magnetic field of the first magnet, which can also make it easier to meet the requirements of ferrite bias.

In a possible implementation, each branch includes a first connection junction, and the circulator further includes a grounding layer. The first connection junction is electrically connected to the grounding layer, thereby achieving grounding of each branch and meeting signal transmission requirements.

In one possible implementation, the grounding layer is disposed on the side of the ferrite, and the center conductor is located on the side of the ferrite facing away from the grounding layer, which facilitates the distribution of the center conductor and the grounding layer on the substrate structure and helps reduce the difficulty of structural design.

In a possible implementation, a first connection via is provided on the ferrite, and the first connection junction is electrically connected to the ground layer through the first connection via. Grounding each branch through the first connection via can effectively reduce the connection path, which is conducive to further reducing the delay and improving the transmission performance of the circulator.

In addition, by grounding each branch through the first connecting via, the delay can be adjusted by adjusting the distance between the projection of the first connecting via on the ground layer and the center of the ground layer, as well as the radius of the first connecting via, thereby achieving the purpose of reducing the delay of the circulator.

In a possible implementation, each branch further includes a second connection knot, and the first connection knot and the second connection knot are respectively located at two opposite ends of the branch along the extension direction thereof.

The central conductor also includes a microstrip line, and the circulator also includes a plurality of ports. The second connection junction of each branch is electrically connected to a corresponding port through the microstrip line. The electrical connection between the port and the branch is achieved through the microstrip line. The microstrip line can lead the connection position of each branch to the side of the substrate structure, which is convenient for connection with the port. The microstrip line has a wide bandwidth, which is beneficial to improving the isolation of the circulator. Moreover, it is convenient to form a matching junction on the microstrip line, thereby forming a matching capacitor. The matching capacitor and inductor area of the microstrip line can provide distributed parameters with different values, which is convenient for matching the port capacitance and realizing the wide bandwidth and high isolation of the circulator. The port can be matched with the peripheral capacitor without independently setting the matching capacitor and inductor outside the central conductor. The matching is good, which is also beneficial to improving the isolation, and is conducive to reducing the volume size of the entire circulator, which is convenient for realizing the small size design of the circulator.

In a possible implementation, the port is located on a side of the substrate structure facing away from the support body, so that the circulator can be connected to an external signal through the port, thereby facilitating the connection.

In a possible implementation, a second connection via is provided on the substrate structure, and the second connection junction is electrically connected to the port through the second connection via. The connection between the branch and the port is achieved through the second connection via, which can effectively reduce the connection path, further reduce the delay, and improve the transmission performance of the circulator.

In a possible implementation, each branch further includes a first connection portion and a second connection portion relative to each other, the first connection portion and the second connection portion are respectively located between the first connection junction and the second connection junction, and the first connection junction and the second connection junction are electrically connected through the first connection portion and the second connection portion to form a complete branch. When each branch is cross-woven, cross-woven is implemented at the position of the first connection portion and the second connection portion, so that part of the first connection portion and part of the second connection portion form a cross portion, respectively, for easy implementation.

There is a gap between the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion, which can be used to form a capacitor, which is beneficial to improving the wide bandwidth and isolation of the circulator.

In a possible implementation, the substrate structure further includes a first substrate, the first substrate is located on the side of the ferrite facing away from the support body, a first receiving groove is provided on the side of the first substrate facing away from the ferrite, and the circulator further includes a second magnet, the second magnet is arranged in the first receiving groove. The second magnet can play the role of a uniform magnetic field, thereby further optimizing the performance of the circulator, reducing the insertion loss, return loss and delay of the circulator, etc.

In a possible implementation, a second accommodating groove is provided on a side of the first substrate facing the ferrite. The second accommodating groove is used to accommodate air to form an air capacitor, and can also adjust the bandwidth, which is more conducive to achieving wide bandwidth and high isolation of the circulator.

In one possible implementation, the central conductor is arranged on the side of the ferrite facing the support body, and the grounding layer and the port can be located on the side of the ferrite facing away from the support body, so that the substrate structure only includes ferrite to meet the transmission requirements of the circulator, making the structure of the entire circulator simple, which is conducive to reducing the volume size and cost of the circulator while achieving small delay and high isolation.

In a possible implementation, a second substrate is further included. The second substrate is located on the side of the ferrite facing the support body, and the central conductor is arranged on the second substrate, so as to enrich the structural design of the substrate structure, and further enrich the structural design of the circulator, and expand its applicable scenarios.

In a possible implementation, each branch is distributed on two opposite sides of the second substrate, and a portion of the second substrate is used to form an insulator. A central conductor having a cross-woven mesh structure can be formed on both sides of the second substrate by printing or other methods, and a portion of the second substrate located between the two intersections can be used as an insulator, which is conducive to simplifying the molding process of the central conductor and improving the production efficiency.

In a possible implementation, the central conductor is disposed on the first substrate. Enriching the structural design of the circulator is also beneficial to reducing the number of additional substrates, improving the integration of the entire circulator, and facilitating the miniaturization design of the circulator.

In one possible implementation, the first substrate includes a multi-layer substrate, each branch is distributed on two layers of substrate, and the two layers of substrate are stacked to form the first substrate. Multiple branches can cross and weave to form a mesh structure, and part of the substrate forms an insulator between two intersecting parts, thereby simplifying the molding process of the central conductor. The overall structure has a high degree of integration, which is conducive to reducing the volume size of the circulator.

In one possible implementation, each branch has a first matching junction at both ends along its extension direction, and a gap is provided between the first matching junctions of two different branches to form a first matching capacitor, which can adjust the bandwidth of the circulator, thereby achieving the purpose of expanding the bandwidth of the circulator and realizing high isolation of the circulator.

In a possible implementation, there are multiple first matching junctions on both sides of the end, the multiple first matching junctions are arranged at intervals, and the first matching junctions of two different branches are arranged in a staggered manner. The first matching capacitors formed are interdigitated capacitors, and the number of the first matching capacitors formed is increased, which is conducive to further realizing the wide bandwidth and high isolation of the circulator.

In one possible implementation, each branch has a second matching junction at one end along its extension direction, and a gap is provided between the second matching junction of one branch and another branch to form a second matching capacitor. The formed second matching capacitor can be a branch-shaped capacitor, which can also achieve the purpose of adjusting the bandwidth and realize the wide bandwidth and high isolation of the circulator.

In a possible implementation, the two opposite sides of the end are provided with second matching junctions respectively, so as to increase the second matching capacitance, which is beneficial to further realize the wide bandwidth and high isolation of the circulator.

In a possible implementation, the grounding layer includes a first grounding portion and a second grounding portion, the first grounding portion is located inside the second grounding portion, and there is a gap between the first grounding portion and the second grounding portion.

The circulator also includes an inductor, which is located in the gap, and one end of the inductor is electrically connected to the first grounding portion, and the other end of the inductor forms a third matching capacitor with the second grounding portion, which can also achieve the purpose of adjusting the bandwidth and further realize the wide bandwidth and high isolation of the circulator.

In one possible implementation, the other end of the inductor has a plurality of spaced third matching junctions, the second grounding portion has a plurality of spaced fourth matching junctions, the third matching junctions and the fourth matching junctions are alternately arranged, and a gap is provided between the third matching junction and the fourth matching junction to form a third matching capacitor. The third matching capacitor may be a finger-shaped capacitor, which is conducive to further realizing the wide bandwidth and high isolation of the circulator.

A second aspect of the present application provides a circulator assembly, including a circulator and a first substrate, wherein the circulator is located on the first substrate.

The circulator includes a central conductor, the central conductor includes a plurality of branches, each branch includes a plurality of intersections, the plurality of branches are crossed at the intersections and woven to form a mesh structure, and at least two intersections in each branch are located at different layers.

The circulator further includes an insulator, which is arranged between two intersecting intersections, and a coupling capacitor is formed between the two intersecting intersections.

By including a circulator, the central conductor of the circulator is a mesh structure formed by cross-weaving of multiple branches that can be equivalent to a lumped parameter circuit, which can significantly reduce the delay of signal transmission on the circulator and realize the small delay design of the circulator component. In addition, the formed coupling capacitor can widen the bandwidth of the circulator, realize the wide bandwidth and high isolation of the circulator component, and thus improve the isolation of the circulator component under the condition of realizing the small delay design.

A first receiving groove is provided on the side of the first substrate facing away from the circulator, and the circulator further includes a second magnet, which is disposed in the first receiving groove. By arranging the second magnet on the first substrate, the second magnet can play the role of a uniform magnetic field, thereby further optimizing the performance of the circulator assembly and reducing the insertion loss, return loss and delay of the circulator assembly.

A third aspect of the present application provides an isolator, comprising a load unit and any one of the above-mentioned circulators, wherein the load unit is connected to any one of the branches.

Alternatively, it comprises a load unit and the above-mentioned circulator assembly, and the load unit is connected to any one of the branches.

A fourth aspect of the present application provides a radio frequency module, comprising any of the above-mentioned circulators and a control circuit board, wherein the circulator is arranged on the control circuit board.

Alternatively, it comprises the above-mentioned circulator component and a control circuit board, wherein the circulator component is arranged on the control circuit board.

Alternatively, it comprises the above-mentioned isolator and a control circuit board, wherein the isolator is arranged on the control circuit board.

A fifth aspect of the present application provides a communication device, comprising an antenna and the above-mentioned radio frequency module, wherein the radio frequency module is electrically connected to the antenna.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a framework of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a transmission scenario of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a transmission scenario of a circulator provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a transmission scenario of an isolator provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG5 is a schematic structural diagram of a circulator provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG6 is a schematic diagram of ferrite gyromagnetic properties provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a partially disassembled structure of a circulator provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG8 is a schematic front view of the structure of a central conductor of a circulator provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG9 is a schematic diagram of an equivalent circuit of a central conductor provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an insulator in a circulator provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG11 is a schematic front view of the structure of a central conductor of an isolator provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG12 is another schematic diagram of a disassembled structure of a circulator provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG13 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a central conductor provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG14 is a graph showing the relationship between the distance from the first connecting via hole projected to the center of the ground layer and the delay in a circulator provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG15 is a curve diagram showing the relationship between the radius of a first connecting via hole and the time delay in a circulator provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG16 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another central conductor provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG17 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another central conductor provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG18 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another central conductor provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG19 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a grounding layer on the back side of a ferrite in a circulator provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG20 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a circulator provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG21 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of another circulator provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG22 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of another circulator provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG23 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of yet another circulator provided in an embodiment of the present application.

Description of reference numerals:

100-circulator;

10-central conductor; 11-mesh structure; 11a-first branch; 11b-second branch; 11c-third branch; 111-first connection junction; 112-second connection junction; 115-first connection portion; 116-second connection portion; 12-microstrip line;

20- a first magnet;

30-substrate structure; 31-ferrite; 311-first connecting via hole; 312-second connecting via hole; 32-first substrate; 33-second substrate;

40-support body; 50-grounding layer; 51-first grounding portion; 52-second grounding portion;

60 - insulator; 60a - sub-insulating portion; 80 - inductor; 90 - second magnet.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The terms used in the implementation section of this application are only used to explain the specific embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application.

To facilitate understanding, the relevant technical terms involved in the embodiments of the present application are first explained and illustrated.

S parameter: Scattering parameter, an important parameter in microwave transmission. If port 1 is the input port and port 2 is the output port, S12 is the reverse transmission coefficient, that is, isolation, and S21 is the forward transmission coefficient, that is, gain/insertion loss. S11 is the input reflection coefficient, that is, input return loss, and S22 is the output reflection coefficient, that is, output return loss.

Insertion loss: Insertion loss refers to the loss of load power caused by the insertion of a component or device somewhere in the transmission system. It is expressed as the ratio of the power received on the load before the component or device is inserted to the power received on the same load after the insertion in decibels (dB).

Return loss: Return loss is the reflection caused by impedance mismatch in the cable link. It is the reflection of a pair of lines themselves. Numerically, it is the ratio of the reflected wave power at the transmission line port to the incident wave power. It is expressed as an absolute value in logarithmic form and the unit is dB.

Isolation: The ratio of the power of the local oscillator or RF signal leaking to other ports to the input power, expressed in dB.

Delay: Here it refers to group delay. Information in digital communication systems is transmitted through the amplitude, phase and frequency of the signal. Group delay is the rate of change of the phase (phase shift) of the system at a certain frequency with respect to the frequency. Group delay is one of the key parameters in digital communication systems. Information in digital communication systems is transmitted through the amplitude, phase and frequency of the signal. If the system does not have a good linear relationship, the signal waveform may be distorted, and the three elements of the signal that transmits information may be destroyed, resulting in the transmission of erroneous data information. Group delay is the gradient of the phase characteristic, so the group delay response performance of the system affects the phase of each frequency component of the signal, thereby affecting the correctness of information transmission. Group delay can be defined as τ = φ/ω, where φ is the phase (radian) and ω is the frequency (radian). The group delay of a certain angular frequency ω1 is the tangent slope of the phase-frequency relationship curve on ω1. dφ/dω can be approximately expressed as -△φ/△ω, so a pair of close frequencies can be used to estimate the group delay at that point.

An embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which may be a base station, such as a wireless communication base station. Of course, in some other examples, the communication device may also be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a walkie-talkie, a netbook, a wearable device, a virtual reality device, a smart TV, a smart vehicle, a router, and other devices that can realize communication transmission.

The following description is given by taking the communication device as a base station as an example.

FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a framework of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

The communication device 1000 may include a radio frequency module 1001 and an antenna module 1002 , wherein the antenna module 1002 is used to transmit and receive radio frequency signals, and the antenna module 1002 may be electrically connected to the radio frequency module 1001 to achieve signal transmission between the two.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a transmission scenario of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application, Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a transmission scenario of a circulator provided in an embodiment of the present application, and Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a transmission scenario of an isolator provided in an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in Figure 2, the communication device 1000 may include a main transmission channel 1000a and a feedback channel 1000b. The feedback channel 1000b can be connected to the main transmission channel 1000a, so as to realize signal transmission processing between the main transmission channel 1000a. For example, when the main transmission channel 1000a needs to transmit signal feedback, the required feedback signal can be transmitted and fed back through the feedback channel 1000b.

The RF module 1001 can be a unidirectional transmission RF link and can be applicable to the feedback channel 1000b. The RF module 1001 may include a control circuit board 200 (as shown in FIG. 1 ), and a circulator (or circulator component) may be provided on the control circuit board 200, or an isolator (Isolator) may be provided on the control circuit board 200.

Among them, the circulator or isolator is a non-reciprocal microwave ferrite device with a unidirectional transmission characteristic, so that the feedback signal can be transmitted from the main transmission channel through the feedback channel but cannot be transmitted in the reverse direction, isolating the transmission of other signals on the feedback channel.

Of course, in some other examples, the RF module may also include other structural components to improve its functions, for example, it may also include a coupler, an amplifier, a filter, and the like.

Specifically, the circulator may include multiple ports. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 , the circulator 100 may include three ports, such as port 1, port 2, and port 3. The circulator 100 can achieve communication with external signals through the three ports. The signal can be input from any port, and the ports have a unidirectional transmission characteristic. When the signal enters the circulator 100 from one of the ports, it will be transmitted to another port in a certain direction sequence (for example, clockwise or counterclockwise). For example, the signal is conductive from port 1 to port 2, from port 2 to port 3, and from port 3 to port 1, and is isolated and cannot be conductive in the reverse direction.

Of course, in some other examples, the number of ports of the circulator 100 may also be other values. For example, the circulator 100 may include four ports, and the circulator 100 is connected with external signals through the four ports.

The isolator is a device for connecting a terminal load to a circulator. As shown in FIG4 , the isolator 300 may include a load unit 400 and a circulator 100, and one of the ports of the circulator 100 may be connected to the load unit 400. That is, the isolator 300 may have two ports, such as port 1 and port 2, and the signal is conductive from port 1 to port 2, and is isolated and cannot be conductive in the reverse direction.

Circulators or isolators used in feedback channels usually require smaller delays to avoid signal distortion and reduce the delay difference between the feedback channel and the main transmission channel. In addition, in order to protect the power amplifier circuit located in the front stage of the circulator on the link, the circulator or isolator also needs to have a higher degree of isolation.

Based on this, the embodiment of the present application provides a circulator that can achieve a small delay characteristic, and has high isolation and wide bandwidth performance, and can optimize the transmission performance of the feedback channel. In addition, the overall architecture of the circulator is simple, the size is small, and it is conducive to reducing costs.

The circulator provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a circulator provided in an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in FIG5 , the circulator 100 may include a central conductor 10, which is used to form a propagation circuit of radio frequency microwaves. The central conductor 10 may include a plurality of mutually insulated branches, and the number of branches included may be consistent with the number of ports of the circulator 100, and each branch is electrically connected to a port. For example, in the embodiment of the present application, taking the circulator 100 having three ports as an example, the central conductor 10 may include three branches, such as branch 11a, branch 11b, and branch 11c in FIG5 , and the three branches are respectively connected to the three ports.

The circulator 100 may further include a substrate structure 30 , on which the central conductor 10 may be disposed. The substrate structure 30 at least includes a ferrite 31 , and the ferrite 31 is used to realize unidirectional signal transmission by utilizing its gyromagnetic properties.

FIG6 is a schematic diagram of ferrite gyromagnetic properties provided in an embodiment of the present application.

The ferrite can be a ferrite with gyromagnetic properties, as shown in Figure 6. Under the condition of magnetic field bias or self-bias, it has tensor magnetic permeability, so that the microwave signal propagating in the ferrite medium has the characteristics of non-reciprocal and anisotropic scattering, that is, the gyromagnetic properties of ferrite. The gyromagnetic properties of ferrite can realize unidirectional transmission of signals in a certain direction (such as clockwise or counterclockwise).

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a partial disassembled structure of a circulator provided in an embodiment of the present application.

To realize the gyromagnetic property of the ferrite 31 , as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 7 , the circulator 100 may further include a first magnet 20 , and the first magnet 20 is used to provide a magnetic field so that the ferrite 31 is biased.

The first magnet 20 may be a permanent magnet, which can provide a bias magnetic field well. The first magnet 20 may be a magnet. Of course, in some other examples, the first magnet 20 may also be any other object that can provide a magnetic field.

It should be noted that when the ferrite 31 can achieve self-biasing, for example, the ferrite 31 is a self-biasing ferrite, such as when the structural improvement of the ferrite 31 can achieve the requirement of providing a magnetic field and making the ferrite 31 itself biased, then it is not necessary to set the first magnet 20 to provide a magnetic field. In the embodiment of the present application, the first magnet 20 is specifically used as an example to explain the biasing of the ferrite 31 by providing a magnetic field.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the circulator 100 may further include a support body 40, which is located between the first magnet 20 and the substrate structure 30. The support function of the support body 40 allows a certain distance to be maintained between the first magnet 20 and the central conductor 10 (as shown in FIG. 5 ), and the first magnet 20 and the central conductor 10 are kept from contacting each other. The first magnet 20 may be a non-insulated magnet with greater magnetic properties to meet the bias requirements of the ferrite 31. In addition, the height of the support body 40 may be adjusted to achieve the purpose of adjusting the magnetic field of the first magnet 20, and the bias requirements of the ferrite 31 may also be met more easily.

The molding material of the support body may be an insulating material, for example, the support body may be a ceramic sheet formed of a ceramic material.

FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a front view structure of a central conductor of a circulator provided in an embodiment of the present application, and FIG9 is a schematic diagram of an equivalent circuit of a central conductor provided in an embodiment of the present application.

Among them, multiple branches of the central conductor 10 can be cross-woven to form a mesh structure. For example, referring to FIG8 , taking the central conductor 10 including three branches, namely, branch 11a, branch 11b and branch 11c, as an example, any two of the three branches can be cross-woven multiple times to form a mesh structure 11. The cross-woven portion of each branch is taken as the cross section of the branch, and each branch can have multiple cross sections, and multiple branches are cross-stacked and woven at the cross section to form a mesh structure 11.

For example, referring to FIG8 , taking branch 11a and branch 11c as examples, branch 11a may include a first intersection 101a, and branch 11c may include a second intersection (not shown in the figure, located below insulator 60 in the vertical page direction). The first intersection 101a may be stacked and crossed with the second intersection, so that branch 11a and branch 11c are crossed here. Branch 11a and branch 11c may also be cross-stacked at the remaining multiple intersections, and so on to branch 11b and branch 11a, branch 11c and branch 11b, so that multiple branches are crossed.

Moreover, at least two intersections in each branch are located in different layers, so that multiple branches intersect with each other and are woven to form a mesh structure 11. For example, taking the case where the central conductor 10 is located on the side of the substrate structure facing the support body, the remaining parts of each branch except the intersection are located in the same layer (located on the plane). Continuing to take branch 11a and branch 11c as examples, as shown in Figure 8, in the embodiment of the present application, the direction perpendicular to the substrate structure 30 is the z direction, that is, the z direction is the direction perpendicular to the page. The first intersection 101a is stacked and intersected with the second intersection, and along the z direction, the first intersection 101a is located above the second intersection (the side facing away from the substrate structure 30), that is, the second intersection can be located on the above-mentioned plane, and the first intersection 101a is located above the plane along the z direction. The branch 11a may also have a third intersection (not shown in the figure), and the branch 11b may have a fourth intersection 101b. The third intersection and the fourth intersection 101b are stacked and intersected. In the z direction, the fourth intersection 101b is located above the third intersection, that is, the third intersection may be located on the above plane, and the fourth intersection is located above the plane along the z direction. The first intersection 101a and the third intersection of the branch 11a are located in different layers. By analogy, multiple branches are intersected at the intersection in the above manner to weave into a mesh structure 11.

Between two stacked intersections, along the z direction, one of the intersections is located above or below the other intersection, for example, the first intersection 101a and the second intersection are intersecting, and in the z direction, the first intersection 101a is located above the second intersection. To ensure the insulation between the branches, the circulator 100 may also include an insulator 60, which is located between the two intersecting intersections. For example, as shown in FIG8 , there is an insulator 60 between the first intersection 101a and the second intersection.

In this way, along the z direction, the first intersection 101a, the insulator 60, and the second intersection are stacked and distributed in sequence to form a three-dimensional topological structure, and so on to the two intersections that intersect in the multiple branches. The mesh structure 11 formed by the intersection and weaving of multiple branches makes the equivalent circuit of the central conductor 10 as shown in Figure 9. The circuit formed by the central conductor 10 is a circuit with lumped parameter characteristics (Lumped Parameter Equivalent Circuit, also known as lumped parameter equivalent circuit). The lumped parameter circuit is when the size of the actual circuit is much smaller than the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave when the circuit is working, the functions of the components can be lumped together and described by one or a finite number of R, L, C components. The central conductor 10 is a mesh structure 11 that can be equivalent to a lumped parameter circuit formed by the cross-weaving of multiple branches, which can significantly reduce the delay of signal transmission on the circulator 100, realize the small delay design of the circulator 100, and the overall structural size is small, which is conducive to the miniaturization design of the circulator.

By setting an insulator 60 between the two stacked intersections, a coupling capacitor can be formed between the two intersections. The coupling capacitor can widen the bandwidth of the circulator 100, realize the wide bandwidth and high isolation of the circulator 100, and improve the isolation of the circulator 100 while realizing a small delay design.

It should be noted that there may be various cross-weaving modes between the multiple branches, and the specific cross-weaving mode may be selected and set according to actual needs.

As in one possible example, cross-weaving occurs between any two of the multiple branches. For example, taking three branches as an example, cross-weaving is achieved between any two branches. As shown in FIG8 , branch 11a and branch 11b, branch 11a and branch 11c, and branch 11b and branch 11c are cross-woven to form a mesh structure 11.

As in another possible example, only two determined branches among multiple branches may be cross-woven. For example, taking the three branches being the first branch 11a, the second branch 11b and the third branch 11c as an example, the first branch 11a and the second branch 11b are cross-woven, the second branch 11b and the third branch 11c are cross-woven, and so on.

In addition, the stacking position relationship of the intersection of two intersecting branches can be consistent. For example, referring to FIG8, taking the intersection of branch 11a and branch 11c as an example, in the z direction, the intersection of branch 11a can be located above the intersection of branch 11c, such as the first intersection 101a is located above the second intersection. Taking the intersection of branch 11c and branch 11b as an example, in the z direction, the intersection of branch 11b can be located above the intersection of branch 11a, such as the fourth intersection 101b is located above the third intersection.

Of course, in some other examples, the stacking position relationship of the intersection of two intersecting branches may also be inconsistent. Taking the intersection of branch 11a and branch 11b as an example, the partial intersection of branch 11a can be located above the partial intersection of branch 11b, and the partial intersection of branch 11a can be located below the partial intersection of branch 11b.

Among them, the mesh structure 11 formed by cross-weaving of multiple branches can be a centrally symmetrical structure with better symmetry, which is conducive to reducing S parameters, reducing return loss and insertion loss, further reducing the delay of the circulator 100, and realizing the wide bandwidth and high isolation of the circulator 100.

For example, referring to FIG8 , taking three branches as an example, cross-weaving between any two branches among branches 11a , 11b and 11c can form a central symmetrical structure similar to a hexagonal shape, with the symmetry center located at the center of the hexagonal shape, such as the center point O ₁ in the figure.

The overall shape of the mesh structure 11 formed by the multiple branches can be any centrally symmetrical shape. For example, the overall shape of the mesh structure 11 can be square, octagonal, etc.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an insulator in a circulator provided in an embodiment of the present application.

There is an insulator between the two intersecting intersections. Specifically, as shown in FIG10 , the insulator 60 may include a plurality of sub-insulating portions 60a, and each sub-insulating portion 60a may be located between the two intersecting intersections. For example, there is a sub-insulating portion 60a between the first intersection 101a and the second intersection (as shown in FIG8 ), which ensures the insulation setting of the branch 11a and the branch 11c at the intersection, and enables the first intersection 101a and the second intersection to form a coupling capacitor, so as to achieve the purpose of wide bandwidth and high isolation.

Among them, the number of sub-insulating parts 60a can be an integer multiple of the number of branches, which can facilitate the cross-weaving of multiple branches to form a centrally symmetrical mesh structure 11, which is convenient for insulation. For example, taking the three branches in Figure 8 as an example, the three branches are cross-woven in pairs to form a centrally symmetrical mesh structure 11, and each branch can include four intersections. Each of the three branches has four intersections that cross, that is, there are 12 locations where intersections occur, so that the three branches are cross-woven to form a mesh structure 11. As shown in Figure 10, the number of sub-insulating parts 60a included in the insulator 60 can be four times the number of branches, which is 12, to ensure the mutual insulation between the intersections of multiple branches.

The molding material of the insulator 60 can be any electrically insulating material, such as glass, or other types of non-metallic materials. The insulating material can be formed between two intersecting intersections by printing. For example, the insulating material can be formed between the intersections by post-film printing.

The plurality of sub-insulating parts 60a can be integrally formed by one global printing, or the plurality of sub-insulating parts 60a can be formed by separate printing. Among them, one printing can avoid the problem of uneven thickness of the insulator 60 caused by local protrusions during multiple separate moldings, which is conducive to improving the overall uniformity and symmetry.

Of course, in some other examples, the insulator 60 may also be formed in other ways, for example, forming the central conductor 10 on an insulating substrate, and using the insulating property of the substrate itself to make part of the substrate serve as the insulator 60, as described below.

It should be noted that, taking the central conductor 10 having three branches as an example, the three ports are connected to the three branches respectively. When the three ports are connected to an external signal circuit, they are used as a circulator 100 (see FIG. 8 ).

When one of the three ports is connected to a load unit, the load unit is connected to any one of the multiple branches, and the device can be used as an isolator.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the front view structure of a central conductor of an isolator provided in an embodiment of the present application.

For example, as shown in FIG. 11 , the branch 11 b may be connected to a load unit, such as a load resistor 301 , and the circulator connected to the load unit becomes an isolator.

FIG. 12 is another schematic diagram of the disassembled structure of a circulator provided in an embodiment of the present application, and FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a central conductor provided in an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in Figure 12, in order to achieve grounding of the center conductor 10, the circulator 100 can also include a grounding layer 50, and the grounding layer 50 is also located on the substrate structure 30. Specifically, the grounding layer 50 can be arranged on the side of the ferrite 31. For example, the grounding layer 50 can be located on the side of the ferrite 31 facing away from the support body 40.

Of course, in some other examples, the grounding layer 50 may also be located on the side of the ferrite 31 facing the support body 40 , and the configuration method may be referred to below.

Each branch of the central conductor 10 may include a first connection junction. For example, referring to FIG. 13 , taking branch 11a as an example, branch 11a has a first connection junction 111 , and the first connection junction 111 may be connected to the grounding layer 50 , thereby achieving grounding of each branch.

For example, the center conductor 10 may be located on the side of the ferrite 31 facing away from the ground layer 50 , so as to facilitate the distribution of the center conductor 10 and the ground layer 50 on the substrate structure 30 and help reduce the difficulty of structural design.

Taking the substrate structure 30 including only the ferrite 31 as an example, the center conductor 10 can be arranged on the side of the ferrite 31 facing away from the grounding layer 50. In order to realize the electrical connection between the center conductor 10 and the grounding layer 50, a first connection via hole can be opened on the ferrite 31, and the grounding of each branch can be realized through the first connection via hole, which can effectively reduce the connection path, help to further reduce the delay, and improve the transmission performance of the circulator 100. For example, as shown in FIG12, taking the branch 11a as an example, a first connection via hole 311 can be opened on the ferrite 31, and the first connection junction 111 can be electrically connected to the grounding layer 50 through the first connection via hole 311.

The grounding layer 50 may have a first grounding portion 51 , which may be circular and electrically connected to the first connecting vias 311 , respectively. The center of the first grounding portion 51 may be the center of the grounding layer 50 (such as O ₂ in the figure), and the center of the first grounding portion 51 may coincide with the symmetry center of the central conductor 10 .

There is a strong correlation between the distance between the projection of the first connecting via 311 on the ground layer 50 and the center of the circle (ie, the center of the ground layer 50 ), and the radius of the first via and the delay.

Figure 14 is a curve diagram showing the relationship between the distance projected from the first connecting via hole to the center of the ground layer and the time delay in a circulator provided in an embodiment of the present application, and Figure 15 is a curve diagram showing the relationship between the radius of the first connecting via hole and the time delay in a circulator provided in an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in FIG14, reducing the distance from the projection of the first connection via 311 to the center of the grounding layer 50 can effectively reduce the delay of the circulator 100. As shown in FIG15, increasing the radius of the first connection via 311 can effectively reduce the delay of the circulator 100. Therefore, by implementing the grounding of each branch through the first connection via 311, the delay can be adjusted by adjusting the distance between the projection of the first connection via 311 on the grounding layer 50 and the center of the grounding layer 50, and the radius of the first connection via 311, so that the small delay design of the circulator 100 can be achieved.

In order to achieve the connection between each branch of the central conductor 10 and the external signal, each branch may also include a second connection junction, and the second connection junction and the first connection junction may be located at two opposite ends of the branch along its extension direction, and the extension direction of the branch may be consistent with the transmission direction of the signal on the branch. For example, taking branch 11a as an example (see FIG. 13 ), branch 11a may have a first connection junction 111 and a second connection junction 112 opposite to each other, and the second connection junction 112 is connected to the port correspondingly, so as to achieve the connection between the branch and the port, and then achieve the connection between each branch and the external signal.

Specifically, the central conductor may also include a microstrip line, and each branch may be connected to the port through the microstrip line. For example, taking branch 11a as an example (referring to FIG. 13 ), one end of the microstrip line 12 may be connected to the second connection junction 112, and the other end of the microstrip line 12 may extend toward the side of the substrate structure, and the other end of the microstrip line 12 may be connected to the port.

The microstrip line can lead the connection position of each branch to the side of the substrate structure, which is convenient for connection with the port. The microstrip line has a wide bandwidth, which is beneficial to improve the isolation of the circulator. Moreover, it is convenient to form a matching junction on the microstrip line, thereby forming a matching capacitor. The microstrip line matching capacitor and inductor area can provide distributed parameters with different values, which is convenient for matching the port capacitance and achieving wide bandwidth and high isolation of the circulator. There is no need to independently set matching capacitors and inductors outside the center conductor to achieve matching between the port and the peripheral capacitor. The matching is good, which is also beneficial to improve the isolation, and it is beneficial to reduce the volume size of the entire circulator, which is convenient for realizing the small size design of the circulator.

The port can be located on a side of the substrate structure facing away from the support body, so that the circulator can be connected to an external signal through the port. In the thickness direction of the substrate structure (i.e., the z direction), the port and the center conductor can be located in different layers of the substrate structure. For example, taking the substrate structure 30 including only ferrite 31 as an example (see FIG. 19 ), the port can be arranged on a side of the ferrite 31 facing away from the support body 40, and the center conductor 10 can be located on a side of the ferrite 31 facing the support body 40.

Among them, there can be many ways to electrically connect the microstrip line and the port. For example, in one possible implementation, an electrical connector can be formed on the side of the substrate structure, such as forming a metal layer by printing, coating, etc. The other end of the microstrip line can be electrically contacted and connected to the metal layer, and the metal layer can be electrically contacted and connected to the port, thereby realizing the electrical connection between the microstrip line and the port.

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another central conductor provided in an embodiment of the present application.

Alternatively, in another possible implementation, a second connecting via can be provided on the substrate structure, and the microstrip line is electrically connected to the port through the second connecting via, thereby realizing the connection between each branch and the corresponding port. The connection between the branch and the port through the second connecting via can effectively reduce the connection path, and is also conducive to further reducing the delay and improving the transmission performance of the circulator.

For example, referring to FIG. 16 , taking branch 11a as an example, a second connecting via 312 is provided on the substrate structure 30, one end of the microstrip line 12 is connected to the second connecting node 112 of the branch 11a, and the other end of the microstrip line 12 can be connected to the second connecting via 312, and connectivity with a port (not shown in the figure) is achieved through the second connecting via 312.

Each branch may also include a first connection portion and a second connection portion relative to each other, the first connection portion and the second connection portion are respectively located between the first connection junction and the second connection junction, the extension direction of the first connection portion may be parallel to the extension direction of the second connection portion, and its extension direction may be consistent with the extension direction of the branch (i.e., the transmission direction of the signal). For example, in combination with FIG. 13 and FIG. 16, taking branch 11a as an example, it includes a first connection portion 115 and a second connection portion 116, the first connection portion 115 and the second connection portion 116 are respectively located between the first connection junction 111 and the second connection junction 112, and the first connection junction 111 and the second connection junction 112 are electrically connected through the first connection portion 115 and the second connection portion 116 to form a complete branch.

A gap may be formed between the first connection portion 115 and the second connection portion 116 to form a capacitor, which is beneficial for improving the wide bandwidth and isolation of the circulator.

When multiple branches are cross-woven, the first connection parts and the second connection parts of the multiple branches can be cross-woven respectively, so that part of the first connection part and part of the second connection part of each branch are respectively used to form the cross part of the branch.

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another central conductor provided in an embodiment of the present application.

In order to further realize the wide bandwidth and high isolation of the circulator, matching capacitors can be added to increase the bandwidth and achieve high isolation.

For example, in one possible implementation, a first matching junction can be formed on each branch. Specifically, each branch can have a first matching junction at both ends opposite to each other along its extension direction. The first matching junction can be a branch structure formed on the end extending outward along the circumferential direction of the entire mesh structure. In other words, a first matching junction can be formed by extending outward on the first connecting junction and the second connecting junction of each branch. There is a gap between the first matching junctions of two different branches, which can form a first matching capacitor, which can adjust the bandwidth of the circulator, thereby expanding the bandwidth of the circulator and realizing high isolation of the circulator. Moreover, compared with the coupling capacitor formed between the intersecting intersections, the first matching capacitor formed at the end of the branch is more convenient for adjusting the bandwidth.

It should be understood that each branch has a first matching junction at two opposite ends, and a gap is provided between two first matching junctions that are relatively adjacent in two different branches, so as to form a first matching capacitor.

For example, referring to FIG. 17 , taking branch 11a and branch 11c as examples, a first matching junction 113a and a first matching junction 113b may be formed at both ends of branch 11a, respectively, and a first matching junction 113c and a first matching junction 113d may be formed at both ends of branch 11c, respectively. The first matching junction 113a is located on a side of the first connection junction 111 of branch 11a adjacent to branch 11c, and the first matching junction 113c is located on a side of the second connection junction 112c of branch 11c adjacent to branch 11a, the first matching junction 113a is adjacent to the first matching junction 113c, and there is a gap between the first matching junction 113a and the first matching junction 113c, so as to form a first matching capacitor.

Wherein, first matching junctions may be formed on opposite sides of the end to increase the number of first matching capacitors, further improve the bandwidth of the circulator, and achieve high isolation of the circulator. For example, taking branch 11a as an example, first matching junctions 113a and first matching junctions 113e are respectively provided on opposite sides of the first connection junction 111 of branch 11a, and the first matching junction 113a may form a first matching capacitor with the first matching junction 113c. The second connection junction 112b of branch 11b may have a first matching junction 113f, and the first matching junction 113e is adjacent to the first matching junction 113f, and there is a gap between the first matching junction 113e and the first matching junction 113f, and a first matching capacitor may also be formed.

Exemplarily, the number of the first matching junctions on each side of the end can be multiple, and the multiple first matching junctions are arranged at intervals, and the first matching junctions of two different branches are arranged in an alternating manner. For example, there are multiple first matching junctions 113a and 113c respectively, and the multiple first matching junctions 113a and 113c are distributed in an alternating manner, so that the formed first matching capacitor is a forked-finger capacitor, which is conducive to further realizing the wide bandwidth and high isolation of the circulator.

FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another central conductor provided in an embodiment of the present application.

Alternatively, in another possible implementation, a second matching junction may be formed on each branch. Specifically, each branch may have a second matching junction at one end along its extension direction. The second matching junction may be a branch structure formed by extending outward along the circumferential direction of the entire mesh structure at the end. For example, a second matching junction may be formed by extending outward on the second connection junction of each branch. Among the multiple branches, a gap may be provided between the second matching junction of one branch and another branch, so as to form a second matching capacitor, thereby achieving the purpose of adjusting the bandwidth and realizing a wide bandwidth and high isolation of the circulator.

It should be understood that the central conductor includes multiple branches, each branch has a second matching junction at one end, and the second matching junction of one of the multiple branches can form a gap with a branch relatively adjacent to the second matching junction, thereby facilitating the formation of a second matching capacitor.

For example, referring to FIG. 18, taking branch 11a and branch 11b as examples, a second matching junction is provided at one end of branch 11a, such as a second matching junction 114a is formed on the second connection junction 112 of branch 11a, the second matching junction 114a is adjacent to the first connection junction 111b of branch 11b, and there is a gap between the second matching junction 114a and branch 11b, so as to form a second matching capacitor, which can be a branch-shaped capacitor, and can also achieve the purpose of adjusting the bandwidth, further realizing the wide bandwidth and high isolation of the circulator, and also facilitating the adjustment of the bandwidth. In addition, the structural design is simpler and has higher reliability than the structural design of the interdigital capacitor.

There may be second matching junctions on two opposite sides of the end, respectively, so as to increase the second matching capacitance, which is beneficial to further realize the wide bandwidth and high isolation of the circulator.

For example, taking branch 11a as an example, the second connecting junction 112 of branch 11a has a second matching junction 114a and a second matching junction 114b on opposite sides, and the second matching junction 114a and branch 11b form a second matching capacitor. The second matching junction 114b is adjacent to the first connecting junction 111c of branch 11c, and there is a gap between the second matching junction 114b and branch 11c, which can also form a second matching capacitor.

FIG19 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a grounding layer on the back side of a ferrite in a circulator provided in an embodiment of the present application.

In another possible embodiment, in order to increase the matching capacitance, the grounding layer and the port are respectively arranged on the side of the ferrite facing away from the support body, as shown in FIG19, if the ports are port 70a, port 70b and port 70c, port 70a, port 70b, port 70c and the grounding layer 50 are all located on the side of the ferrite 31 facing away from the support body. Port 70a can be connected to branch 11a, port 70b can be connected to branch 11b, and port 70c can be connected to branch 11c.

It should be understood that the port and the grounding layer 50 are both located on the side of the ferrite 31 facing away from the support body 40 , and an insulating gap is reserved between the port and the grounding layer 50 to ensure insulation between the port and the grounding layer 50 .

The grounding layer 50 may include a first grounding portion 51 and a second grounding portion 52, wherein the first grounding portion 51 is located on the inner side of the second grounding portion 52, and a first connecting via 311 may be formed in the area opposite to the ferrite 31 and the first grounding portion 51, and the first grounding portion 51 is electrically connected to the branch of the center conductor 10 through the first connecting via 311.

A gap 53 may be formed between the first grounding portion 51 and the second grounding portion 52. The circulator 100 may further include an inductor 80. The inductor 80 may be fixedly formed on the back of the ferrite 31. The gap 53 may be used to accommodate the inductor 80 so that the inductor 80 is located in the gap 53. One end of the inductor 80 may be electrically connected to the first grounding portion 51, and the other end of the inductor 80 may form a third matching capacitor with the second grounding portion 52, which may also achieve the purpose of adjusting the bandwidth, further realizing the wide bandwidth and high isolation of the circulator 100.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 19 , a plurality of spaced third matching junctions 81 may be formed on the other end of the inductor 80, and the third matching junctions 81 may be a branch structure extending outward from the other end of the inductor 80. A plurality of spaced fourth matching junctions 521 may be formed on the second grounding portion 52, and the fourth matching junctions 521 may be a branch structure extending outward from the inner side wall of the second grounding portion 52. The third matching junctions 81 and the fourth matching junctions 521 are arranged alternately, and there is a gap between the third matching junctions 81 and the fourth matching junctions 521 to form a third matching capacitor. The formed third matching capacitor may be a finger-shaped capacitor, which is conducive to further realizing the wide bandwidth and high isolation of the circulator, and is more convenient to adjust the bandwidth.

The substrate structure and the location of the center conductor on the substrate structure are described in detail below.

FIG20 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a circulator provided in an embodiment of the present application.

In one possible example, the center conductor may be disposed on the ferrite of the substrate structure.

20 , illustratively, the substrate structure 30 may include a ferrite 31, and the center conductor 10 may be disposed on a side of the ferrite 31 facing the support body 40, that is, the center conductor 10 is located between the ferrite 31 and the support body 40. The grounding layer 50 may be disposed opposite to the center conductor 10, and the grounding layer 50 may be disposed on a side of the ferrite 31 facing away from the support body 40.

The ports (such as the ports 70 a and 70 c in the figure) may be located on a side of the substrate structure 30 facing away from the support body 40 , that is, the ports may be arranged on a side of the ferrite 31 facing away from the support body 40 .

A first connecting via hole 311 may be provided on the ferrite 31 , so that each branch of the central conductor 10 may be electrically connected to the grounding layer 50 through the first connecting via hole 311 , so as to achieve grounding of the central conductor 10 .

A second connecting via hole (not shown in the figure) may also be provided on the ferrite 31, so that each branch of the central conductor 10 can be electrically connected to a corresponding port through the second connecting via hole 312 to achieve signal transmission.

The molding material of the central conductor 10 may be a metal material, and the central conductor 10 may be disposed on the ferrite 31 by printing. For example, the central conductor 10 may be formed on the surface of the ferrite 31 by multi-layer thick film printing.

Of course, in some other examples, the central conductor 10 may also be formed on the ferrite 31 in other ways, such as spraying, coating, etc.

It should be noted that an insulator is formed between the intersections of the branches in the central conductor 10 , and the insulator and the central conductor 10 can be formed together on the ferrite 31 by thick film printing or the like.

The substrate structure 30 may only include the ferrite 31 , so that the structure of the entire circulator 100 is simple, which is beneficial to reducing the volume size and cost of the circulator 100 while achieving small delay and high isolation.

Alternatively, to improve the overall performance of the circulator, the substrate structure may further include a first substrate, wherein the first substrate may be a copper-clad laminate, which may be a basic material for manufacturing a printed circuit board (PCB), for ease of implementation.

Of course, in some other examples, the first substrate may also be other insulating plates. For example, the first substrate may be a ceramic plate formed of a ceramic material.

FIG21 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of another circulator provided in an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in Figure 21, the first substrate 32 can be located on the side of the ferrite 31 facing away from the support body 40, and the first substrate 32 and the ferrite 31 can be fixedly assembled by bonding (such as bonding through a patch with bonding properties), screw connection, snap connection, etc.

Among them, the center conductor 10 and the grounding layer 50 are respectively arranged on the ferrite 31, and the port is located on the side of the substrate structure 30 facing away from the support body 40. That is to say, the port (such as port 70a and port 70b in the figure) can be located on the side of the first substrate 32 facing away from the ferrite 31, so as to facilitate the connection between the port and the external signal. The second connecting via can pass through the ferrite 31 and the first substrate 32 to realize the connection between the center conductor 10 and the port.

The circulator 100 may also include a second magnet 90. A first accommodating groove (not shown in the figure) may be opened on the surface of the first substrate 32 facing away from the ferrite 31. The second magnet 90 may be arranged in the first accommodating groove. The second magnet 90 may play the role of a uniform magnetic field, thereby further optimizing the performance of the circulator 100 and reducing the insertion loss, return loss and delay of the circulator 100.

The second magnet 90 may be a magnet, a uniform magnetic plate, etc. Of course, in some other examples, the second magnet 90 may also be any other object that can produce a uniform magnetic field effect.

In order to further improve the bandwidth performance of the circulator 100, a second accommodating groove (not shown in the figure) can be opened on the surface of the first substrate 32 facing the ferrite 31. The second accommodating groove is used to accommodate air to form an air capacitor, which can also play a role in adjusting the bandwidth, and is more conducive to achieving wide bandwidth and high isolation of the circulator 100.

In another possible example, the central conductor may be disposed on other structural components of the substrate structure.

FIG22 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of another circulator provided in an embodiment of the present application.

Exemplarily, as shown in FIG. 22 , the substrate structure 30 may further include a second substrate 33 , which may also be a copper-clad laminate, which may be a basic material for manufacturing a printed circuit board (PCB), facilitating implementation.

Of course, in some other examples, the second substrate 33 may also be other insulating plates. For example, the second substrate 33 may also be a ceramic plate formed of ceramic material.

The second substrate 33 can be located on the side of the ferrite 31 facing the support body 40, that is, the second substrate 33 is located between the support body 40 and the ferrite 31, and the central conductor 10 can be arranged on the second substrate 33, enriching the structural design of the substrate structure 30, and then enriching the structural design of the circulator 100, and expanding its applicable scenarios.

The second substrate 33 and the ferrite 31 can be fixedly assembled by bonding (such as bonding by a patch with bonding properties), screw connection, snap connection, etc.

It should be noted that the substrate structure 30 may include the above-mentioned first substrate 32, second substrate 33 and ferrite 31, the first substrate 32 and the second substrate 33 are located on opposite sides of the ferrite 31, the second substrate 33 provided with the center conductor 10 is located on the side of the ferrite 31 facing the support body 40, the grounding layer 50 is located on the side of the ferrite 31 facing away from the support body 40, the port (such as port 70a and port 70b in the figure) can be arranged on the side of the first substrate 32 facing away from the ferrite 31, and the second connecting via 312 can pass through the ferrite 31 and the first substrate 32.

Alternatively, the substrate structure 30 may also only include a second substrate 33 and a ferrite 31. The second substrate 33 provided with the central conductor 10 may be located on the side of the ferrite 31 facing the support body 40, and the grounding layer 50 and the port may be respectively located on the side of the ferrite 31 facing away from the support body 40.

The second substrate 33 can be a single-layer board, and the center conductor 10 can be formed on the second substrate 33 by printing. Each branch of the center conductor 10 is distributed on two opposite sides of the second substrate 33, and multiple branches can be cross-stacked at the intersection to form the topological structure mentioned above, so that multiple branches are cross-woven to form a mesh structure 11, and the part of the second substrate 33 located between the two intersecting intersections can be used as an insulator to ensure insulation between the two intersections. Compared with the center conductor formed on the ferrite by multi-layer thick film printing, the center conductor 10 is formed by printing on both sides of the second substrate 33, so that the second substrate 33 can be used as an insulator, which is conducive to simplifying the molding process of the center conductor 10 and improving the production efficiency of the preparation.

Of course, in some other examples, the second substrate 33 may also be a multilayer board. For example, the second substrate 33 may include multiple stacked substrates, so that each branch of the central conductor can be distributed on at least two layers of substrates, and part of one layer of the substrates can also be used to form an insulator, which can also achieve the purpose of simplifying the central conductor forming process.

FIG23 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of yet another circulator provided in an embodiment of the present application.

Alternatively, as shown in Figure 23, the central conductor 10 can be formed on the first substrate 32, and the first substrate 32 provided with the central conductor 10 is located on the side of the ferrite 31 facing away from the support body 40, which enriches the structural design of the circulator 100, is also beneficial to reduce the number of added substrates, improves the integration of the entire circulator 100, and facilitates the miniaturization design of the circulator 100.

The grounding layer 50 can be located on the side of the ferrite 31 facing away from the first substrate 32 (center conductor 10), that is, the grounding layer 50 can be located between the ferrite 31 and the support body 40, and the ports (such as port 70a and port 70b in the figure) can be located on the side of the first substrate 32 facing away from the support body 40.

Among them, the first substrate 32 can also be a single-layer board, and the center conductor 10 can be formed on the first substrate 32 by printing. For example, each branch of the center conductor 10 is distributed on two opposite sides of the first substrate 32, and part of the first substrate 32 is used to form the insulator 60, so as to achieve the purpose of simplifying the molding process of the center conductor 10.

Alternatively, the first substrate 32 may also be a multi-layer board, such as a multi-layer copper-clad laminate, or a multi-layer low temperature co-fired ceramic board (LTCC for short).

The first substrate 32 may include a plurality of stacked substrates, such as substrate 32a and substrate 32b, each branch is distributed on two layers of substrates, and the stacking of two layers of substrates can realize the intersection of multiple branches, and form a topological structure at the intersection, so that the multiple branches are cross-woven to form a mesh structure 11. The portion of the substrate (such as substrate 32a) located between the two intersecting intersections can form an insulator to ensure the insulation of the two intersections, thereby simplifying the molding process of the central conductor 10, and the overall structure has a high degree of integration, which is conducive to reducing the volume size of the circulator 100.

In the description of the embodiments of the present application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, or it can be an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two components or the interaction relationship between two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances. The terms "first", "second", "third", "fourth", etc. (if any) are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence.

Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, rather than to limit them. Although the embodiments of the present application have been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein by equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims (28)

1. A circulator, characterized in that it comprises a central conductor, the central conductor comprises a plurality of branches, each of the branches comprises a plurality of intersections, the plurality of branches are cross-stacked and woven at the intersections to form a mesh structure, and at least two of the intersections in each branch are located at different layers; It also includes an insulator, which is arranged between the two intersecting intersections, and a coupling capacitor is formed between the two intersecting intersections. 2. The circulator according to claim 1 is characterized in that any two of the multiple branches are cross-woven to form the mesh structure, and the mesh structure is a centrally symmetrical structure. 3. The circulator according to claim 2, characterized in that the insulator comprises a plurality of sub-insulating parts, each of which is located between two intersecting crossing parts; The number of the sub-insulating parts is an integer multiple of the number of the branches. 4. The circulator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the circulator further comprises a substrate structure, and the central conductor is located on the substrate structure; The substrate structure includes ferrite, and the circulator further includes a first magnet and a support body, wherein the support body is located between the substrate structure and the first magnet, and the first magnet is used to provide a magnetic field bias. 5. The circulator according to claim 4, wherein each of the branches comprises a first connection junction; The circulator further includes a ground layer, which is disposed on the substrate structure, and the first connection junction is electrically connected to the ground layer. 6 . The circulator according to claim 5 , wherein the grounding layer is arranged on a side of the ferrite, and the central conductor is located on a side of the ferrite facing away from the grounding layer. 7 . The circulator according to claim 6 , wherein a first connecting via is provided on the ferrite, and the first connecting junction is electrically connected to the ground layer through the first connecting via. 8. The circulator according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that each of the branches further comprises a second connection knot, and the first connection knot and the second connection knot are respectively located at two opposite ends of the branch along the extension direction thereof; The central conductor further includes a microstrip line, and the circulator further includes a plurality of ports. The second connection junction of each branch is electrically connected to a corresponding one of the ports through the microstrip line. 9 . The circulator according to claim 8 , wherein the port is located on a side of the substrate structure facing away from the support body. 10 . The circulator according to claim 9 , wherein a second connecting via is provided on the substrate structure, and the second connecting junction is electrically connected to the port through the second connecting via. 11. The circulator according to any one of claims 4 to 10, characterized in that each of the branches further comprises a first connecting portion and a second connecting portion opposite to each other, and a gap is provided between the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion; The first connection portion and the second connection portion are respectively located between the first connection junction and the second connection junction, the first connection junction and the second connection junction are electrically connected through the first connection portion and the second connection portion, and a portion of the first connection portion and a portion of the second connection portion respectively form the intersection portion. 12. The circulator according to any one of claims 4 to 11, characterized in that the substrate structure further comprises a first substrate, the first substrate is located on a side of the ferrite facing away from the support body, and a first accommodating groove is provided on a side of the first substrate facing away from the ferrite; The circulator further includes a second magnet, which is disposed in the first receiving groove. 13 . The circulator according to claim 12 , wherein a second containing groove is provided on a surface of the first substrate facing the ferrite, and the second containing groove is used to contain air to form an air capacitor. 14. The circulator according to any one of claims 4 to 13, characterized in that the central conductor is arranged on a side of the ferrite facing the support body. 15. The circulator according to any one of claims 4 to 13, further comprising a second substrate, wherein the second substrate is located on a side of the ferrite facing the support body, and the central conductor is arranged on the second substrate. 16 . The circulator according to claim 15 , wherein each of the branches is distributed on two opposite surfaces of the second substrate, and a portion of the second substrate is used to form the insulator. 17. The circulator according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the central conductor is arranged on the first substrate. 18. The circulator according to claim 17, wherein the first substrate comprises a multi-layer substrate, each of the branches is distributed on two layers of the substrate, and a portion of the substrate is used to form the insulator. 19. The circulator according to any one of claims 1-18, characterized in that each of the branches has a first matching junction at both ends along its extension direction, and a gap is provided between the first matching junctions of two different branches to form a first matching capacitor. 20 . The circulator according to claim 19 , wherein a plurality of the first matching junctions are respectively provided on two opposite sides of the end, the plurality of the first matching junctions are arranged at intervals, and the first matching junctions of two different branches are arranged alternately. 21. The circulator according to any one of claims 1-18, characterized in that each of the branches has a second matching junction at one end along its extension direction, and a gap is provided between the second matching junction of one branch and another branch to form a second matching capacitor. 22. The circulator according to claim 21, wherein the second matching junction is respectively provided on two opposite sides of the end. 23. The circulator according to claim 5, wherein the grounding layer comprises a first grounding portion and a second grounding portion, the first grounding portion is located inside the second grounding portion, and there is a gap between the first grounding portion and the second grounding portion; The circulator further includes an inductor, which is located in the gap, and one end of the inductor is electrically connected to the first grounding portion, and the other end of the inductor forms a third matching capacitor with the second grounding portion. 24. The circulator according to claim 23 is characterized in that the other end of the inductor has a plurality of spaced third matching junctions, the second grounding portion has a plurality of spaced fourth matching junctions, the third matching junctions and the fourth matching junctions are alternately arranged, and there is a gap between the third matching junctions and the fourth matching junctions to form the third matching capacitor. 25. A circulator assembly, comprising a circulator and a first substrate, wherein the circulator is located on the first substrate; The circulator comprises a central conductor, the central conductor comprises a plurality of branches, each of the branches comprises a plurality of intersections, the plurality of branches intersect at the intersections and are woven to form a mesh structure, and at least two of the intersections in each branch are located at different layers; The circulator further includes an insulator, which is arranged between the two intersecting intersections, and a coupling capacitor is formed between the two intersecting intersections; A first receiving groove is formed on a side of the first substrate facing away from the circulator. The circulator further includes a second magnet, which is disposed in the first receiving groove. 26. An isolator, characterized in that it comprises a load unit and the circulator according to any one of claims 1 to 24, wherein the load unit is connected to any one of the branches; Alternatively, the circulator assembly comprises a load unit and the circulator assembly as claimed in claim 25, wherein the load unit is connected to any one of the branches. 27. A radio frequency module, characterized by comprising the circulator and a control circuit board according to any one of claims 1 to 24, wherein the circulator is arranged on the control circuit board; Or, comprising the circulator assembly and a control circuit board as claimed in claim 25, wherein the circulator assembly is arranged on the control circuit board; Alternatively, it comprises the isolator and a control circuit board as claimed in claim 26, wherein the isolator is arranged on the control circuit board. 28. A communication device, characterized in that it comprises an antenna and the radio frequency module according to claim 27, wherein the radio frequency module is electrically connected to the antenna.