Microwave coupler for combining two orthogonally polarized waves utilizing a ridge-like impedance matching member

Claim 1

A SIGNAL COUPLER COMPRISING AN ENCLOSURE HAVING A FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD OPENING; SAID FIRST AND THIRD OPENINGS BEING JOINED BY A WALL AREA AND BEING POSITIONED AT RESPECTIVE END REGIONS THEREOF; SAID WALL AREA INCLUDING A FIRST AND SECOND PAIR OF GENERALLY PLANAR WALL SURFACES; THE WALL SURFACES OF SAID FIRST PAIR BEING PERPENDICULAR TO THE WALL SURFACES OF SAID SECOND PAIR; THE PLANES DEFINED BY EACH OF SAID WALL SURFACES INTERSECTING THE PLANE DEFINED BY SAID FIRST OPENING; ONE OF SAID FIRST PAIR OF WALL SURFACES CONTAINING SAID SECOND OPENING; SAID SECOND OPENING BEING LOCATED AWAY FROM SAID FIRST OPENING; SAID THIRD OPENING BEING POSITIONED TO INTRODUCE A FIRST WAVE SIGNAL INTO SAID ENCLOSURE; SAID SECOND OPENING BEING POSITIONED TO INTRODUCE A SECOND WAVE SIGNAL INTO SAID ENCLOSURE, SAID SECOND WAVE SIGNAL BEING ORIENTATED 90 DEGREES APART IN SPACE WITH RESPECT TO SAID FIRST WAVE SIGNAL; A RIDGE-LIKE MEMBER BEING CONTAINED IN A PLANE GENERALLY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID SECOND PAIR OF WALL SURFACES AND EXTENDING THEREBETWEEN; A FIRST PORTION OF SAID RIDGE-LIKE MEMBER BEING SO DIMENSIONED AND POSITIONED TO DEFLECT SAID SECOND WAVE SIGNAL TOWARDS SAID FIRST OPENING, WHILE OFFERING NEGLIGIBLE INTERFERENCE, TO SAID FIRST WAVE SIGNAL; AND SAID RIDGE-LIKE MEMBER MEANS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND THIRD OPENINGS, AND BEING OF ITS GREATEST PLANAR EXTENT IN THE REGION BETWEEN SAID SECOND AND THIRD OPENINGS.