electronics Electronics is a scientific and engineering discipline that studies and applies the principles of physics to design, create, and operate devices that manipulate electrons and other Electric charge, electrically charged particles. It is a subfield ...

electric power Electric power is the rate of transfer of electrical energy within a electric circuit, circuit. Its SI unit is the watt, the general unit of power (physics), power, defined as one joule per second. Standard prefixes apply to watts as with oth ...

and

telecommunication Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communication technologies. These means of ...

, coupling is the transfer of

electrical energy Electrical energy is the energy transferred as electric charges move between points with different electric potential, that is, as they move across a voltage, potential difference. As electric potential is lost or gained, work is done changing the ...

from one circuit to another, or between parts of a circuit. Coupling can be deliberate as part of the function of the circuit, or it may be undesirable, for instance due to coupling to stray fields. For example, energy is transferred from a power source to an

electrical load An electrical load is an electrical component or portion of a Electric Circuit, circuit that consumes (active) electric power, such as electrical appliances and Electric light, lights inside the home. The term may also refer to the power Power con ...

by means of conductive coupling, which may be either resistive or direct coupling. An AC potential may be transferred from one circuit segment to another having a DC potential by use of a

capacitor In electrical engineering, a capacitor is a device that stores electrical energy by accumulating electric charges on two closely spaced surfaces that are insulated from each other. The capacitor was originally known as the condenser, a term st ...

. Electrical energy may be transferred from one circuit segment to another segment with different impedance by use of a

transformer In electrical engineering, a transformer is a passive component that transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to another circuit, or multiple Electrical network, circuits. A varying current in any coil of the transformer produces ...

; this is known as

impedance matching In electrical engineering, impedance matching is the practice of designing or adjusting the input impedance or output impedance of an electrical device for a desired value. Often, the desired value is selected to maximize power transfer or ...

. These are examples of

electrostatic Electrostatics is a branch of physics that studies slow-moving or stationary electric charges. Since classical times, it has been known that some materials, such as amber, attract lightweight particles after rubbing. The Greek word (), mean ...

and electrodynamic inductive coupling.

Types

Electrical conduction: * Direct coupling, also called conductive coupling and galvanic coupling * Resistive conduction * Atmospheric plasma channel coupling Electromagnetic induction: * Electrodynamic induction — commonly called

inductive coupling In electrical engineering, two conductors are said to be inductively coupled or magnetically coupled when they are configured in a way such that change in current through one wire induces a voltage across the ends of the other wire through ele ...

, also magnetic coupling *

Capacitive coupling Capacitive coupling (electronics), coupling is the transfer of energy within an electrical network or between distant networks by means of displacement current between circuit(s) node (circuits) , nodes, induced by the electric field. This coup ...

* Evanescent wave coupling Electromagnetic radiation: *

Radio waves Radio waves (formerly called Hertzian waves) are a type of electromagnetic radiation with the lowest frequencies and the longest wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum, typically with frequencies below 300 gigahertz (GHz) and wavelengths ...

— Wireless telecommunications. * Electromagnetic interference (EMI) — Sometimes called radio frequency interference (RFI), is unwanted coupling. Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requires techniques to avoid such unwanted coupling, such as

electromagnetic shielding In electrical engineering, electromagnetic shielding is the practice of reducing or redirecting the electromagnetic field (EMF) in a space with barriers made of conductive or magnetic materials. It is typically applied to enclosures, for isol ...

. * Microwave power transmission Other kinds of energy coupling: * Acoustic coupler

References

{{reflist Communication circuits Electromagnetic compatibility Electronics

Types

See also

References