Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
In telecommunications and transmission line theory, the reflection coefficient is the ratio of the complex amplitude of the reflected wave to that of the incident wave. The voltage and current at any point along a transmission line can always be resolved into forward and reflected traveling waves given a specified reference impedance Z 0.
Voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) (pronounced "vizwar" [1] [2]) is the ratio of maximum to minimum voltage on a transmission line . For example, a VSWR of 1.2 means a peak voltage 1.2 times the minimum voltage along that line, if the line is at least one half wavelength long.
This is correct for reflection coefficients with a magnitude no greater than unity, which is usually the case. A reflection coefficient with a magnitude greater than unity, such as in a tunnel diode amplifier, will result in a negative value for this expression. VSWR, however, from its definition, is always positive.
A time-domain reflectometer; an instrument used to locate the position of faults on lines from the time taken for a reflected wave to return from the discontinuity.. A signal travelling along an electrical transmission line will be partly, or wholly, reflected back in the opposite direction when the travelling signal encounters a discontinuity in the characteristic impedance of the line, or if ...
If only reflection magnitudes are desired, however, and exact fault locations are not required, VSWR bridges perform a similar but lesser function for RF cables. The combination of the effects of signal attenuation and impedance discontinuities on a communications link is called insertion loss .
The reflection coefficient can be calculated using: = +, where (Gamma) is the reflection coefficient (0 denotes full transmission, 1 full reflection, and 0.5 is a reflection of half the incoming voltage), and are the impedance of the first component (from which the wave enters) and the second component, respectively.
The impedance, Z, of the DUT can be calculated from the reflection coefficient by, = + where Z 0 is the characteristic impedance of the line. An alternative method is to plot the VSWR and distance to the node (in wavelengths) on a Smith chart. These quantities are directly measured by the slotted line.
To test for a match, the reference impedance of the bridge is set to the expected load impedance (for example, 50 Ohms), and the transmission line connected as the unknown impedance. RF power is applied to the circuit. The voltage at the line input represents the vector sum of the forward wave, and the wave reflected from the load.