Milimeter-wave transmission device
A millimeter-wave transmission device including a waveguide made of a material having a dielectric constant in the range from 1 to 4, the waveguide being solid at each of its ends with an electronic unit embedded in the material of the waveguide, the electronic unit including a millimeter wave transceiver circuit, an antenna capable of transmitting and receiving the millimeter waves, a modulation-demodulation circuit, and input-output conductors.
1. A millimeter-wave transmission device comprising a waveguide made of a material having a dielectric constant in the range from 1 to 4, the waveguide being solid at each of its ends with an electronic unit, the electronic unit comprising a millimeter wave transceiver circuit, an antenna capable of transmitting and receiving the millimeter waves, a modulation-demodulation circuit, input-output conductors and input-output terminals, the waveguide comprising no element made of an electrically-conductive material the electronic unit being completely embedded in the material of the waveguide except for the input-output terminal and part of the input-output conductors.
2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the waveguide is made of a material having a dielectric constant in the range from 2 to 4.
3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the waveguide is made of a plastic material, particularly polytetrafluoroethylene, polypropylene, or polystyrene.
4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic unit comprises a printed circuit board, having the millimeter-range transceiver circuit and the modulation-demodulation circuit resting on a first surface thereof, and having the antenna resting on a second surface thereof.
5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the printed circuit board comprises a metal mirror between the first surface and the second surface.
6. The device of claim 5 , wherein the metal mirror is spaced apart from the antenna by a length equal to a half transmission wavelength of the antenna.
7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna has a length in the order of the half wavelength of the millimeter waves.
8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the millimeter waves have a frequency in the range from 30 GHz to 300 GHz.
9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the waveguide is solid at each of its ends with an additional electronic unit, the additional electronic unit having an antenna capable of transmitting and receiving millimeter waves having a frequency different from the wavelength of the millimeter waves transmitted and received by the antenna of the electronic unit.
10. A data transmission system comprising a digital data transmitter and a receiver, the millimeter-wave transmission device of claim 1 and two connectors, each connector being connected to one end of the device.
11. A method of manufacturing the millimeter wave transmission device of claim 1 , comprising the steps of:
injecting in the liquid state the material having a dielectric constant in the range from 1 to 4 into a mold containing the electronic unit thus forming a molded block; and
fusing a surface of the molded block with an end of the waveguide.
12. The device of claim 1 , wherein the waveguide is made of only a dielectric material or dielectric materials.