The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 21, 1993
Filed:
Mar. 10, 1992
Douglas Heckaman, Indialantic, FL (US);
Augusto E Rodriguez, Miami Beach, FL (US);
Jerry Schappacher, Portland, OR (US);
Harris Corporation, Melbourne, FL (US);
Abstract
A high isolation broadband switching circuit includes a plurality of switching elements coupled in series alternatingly with transmission line segments. Each switching element has a low or very high impedance between first and second points responsive to first and second values of a control voltage, respectively. In a first embodiment, the switching element includes a PIN diode having a cathode coupled to a first transmission line and an anode coupled to a second transmission line. In a second embodiment, the switching element includes a field effect transistor (FET) having a drain coupled to a first transmission line and a source coupled to a second transmission line. A first resistor is coupled between the drain and the source for DC continuity between the drain and the source, and a second resistor coupled between a gate of the FET and ground for DC continuity. A bias voltage source is coupled through a resistor to one of a source and a drain of one of the FETs. A bias voltage propagates through each transmission line and each first resistor, so DC continuity is provided. The bias voltage has a first value which causes the switching elements to have a low impedance to place the switching circuit in an ON state, and a second value which causes the switching elements to have a high impedance to place the circuit in a non-conductive state. The high impedance of the switching elements effectively opens the connections between the transmission lines.