power dividers

Power dividers and directional couplers are passive devices used in the field of radio technology. They couple part of the transmission power in a transmission line by a known amount out through another port, often by using two transmission lines set close enough together such that energy passing through one is coupled to the other. As shown in Figure 1, the device has four ports: input, transmitted, coupled, and isolated. The term "main line" refers to the section between ports 1 and 2. On some directional couplers, the main line is designed for high power operation (large connectors), while the coupled port may use a small SMA connector. Often the isolated port is terminated with an internal or external matched load (typically 50 ohms). Telephone: (317) 887-1340. It should be pointed out that since the directional coupler is a linear device, the notations on Figure 1 are arbitrary. Any port can be the input, (as in Figure 3) which will result in the directly connected port being the transmitted port, adjacent port being the coupled port, and the diagonal port being the isolated port.

Physical considerations such as internal load on the isolated port will limit port operation. The coupled output from the directional coupler can be used to obtain the information (i. e. , frequency and power level) on the signal without interrupting the main power flow in the system (except for a power reduction - see Figure 2). Power Dividers/Combiners.