Bendable terahertz wave transmission system based on copper foil wound polymer tube waveguide

Abstract

The utility model discloses a bendable terahertz wave transmission system based on a copper foil wound polymer tube waveguide, which is characterized in that a copper foil wound polymer medium tube terahertz waveguide is used as a transmission line, and a plastic flange matched with a waveguide port and a terahertz source WR port in size is used as a connector of the waveguide transmission line and a wave source. A plastic plug-in matched with a waveguide port and a working face of a terahertz wave detector in size is adopted as a butt joint plug-in of a transmission line and the detector, and an elastic metal chaff and an adhesive plastic heat shrink tube are sequentially wrapped outside the butt joint part of the waveguide transmission line port to serve as a butt joint connection mode between waveguide transmission lines. The copper foil wound polymer dielectric tube waveguide transmission line is simple and convenient to prepare and high in cost performance, the connector and the butt joint connector are obtained by adopting a 3D plastic printing mode, and the waveguide connection mode is simple, convenient and feasible. The terahertz wave transmission system has the advantages of being low in cost, simple to operate, adjustable in length and curvature and the like, and has practical value.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of building a terahertz wave wired transmission system, in particular to a flexible terahertz wave transmission system based on a copper foil wrapped polymer tube waveguide. Background Art

[0002] Terahertz waves, with their low energy, high penetration, and broadband characteristics, hold significant research and application value in fields such as 6G terahertz communications, biomedicine, basic science, counterterrorism and security, aerospace, sensing, and far-infrared imaging. Terahertz waves are also a type of electromagnetic wave, lying between microwaves and infrared light, with a frequency range of 0.1 to 10 THz. Electromagnetic sources, transmission, and detection are three key areas of theoretical and applied research in electromagnetic waves. With the rise of terahertz science and technology, research in these areas has been actively pursued, with significant progress achieved in recent years. However, many materials exhibit significant absorption of terahertz radiation, posing significant challenges in the development of flexible, low-loss terahertz waveguides. Due to the lack of practical terahertz waveguides, many current terahertz systems rely on a series of terahertz optical lenses and mirrors to constrain terahertz wave propagation in free space. These systems are not only bulky but also susceptible to atmospheric absorption and vibration interference, leaving room for improvement in transmission stability and reliability. Building a terahertz system based on terahertz waveguide transmission lines can avoid these shortcomings and is an ideal approach for practical applications such as 6G terahertz wired communications, sensing, and imaging. Therefore, finding suitable terahertz waveguide transmission lines and developing cost-effective, flexible terahertz waveguide transmission systems based on these lines is a pressing issue in terahertz science and engineering. Utility Model Content

[0003] The purpose of this utility model is to address the current lack of cost-effective, flexible terahertz waveguide transmission systems and propose a flexible terahertz waveguide system based on a copper foil-wrapped polymer dielectric tube terahertz waveguide. Compared to currently reported microstructured terahertz waveguides, photonic crystal terahertz waveguides, and metal-plated terahertz waveguides, the copper foil-wrapped polymer dielectric tube terahertz waveguide offers advantages such as readily available raw materials, a simple manufacturing process, flexibility, and stable transmission performance, making it a cost-effective waveguide with high commercial potential. This utility model utilizes this waveguide as a transmission line, addressing issues such as the connection and integration of waveguides with terahertz sources, the flexible docking of waveguides with terahertz wave detectors, and the docking of multiple waveguides to form longer waveguides. This provides a new and feasible solution for the construction of flexible terahertz waveguide wired transmission systems. Its low cost, ease of operation, and adjustable length and curvature make it commercially viable for building terahertz waveguide wired communications, sensing, and imaging systems.

[0004] The specific technical solution for achieving the purpose of this utility model is:

[0005] A flexible terahertz wave transmission system based on a copper foil wrapped polymer tube waveguide comprises: a terahertz waveguide transmission line, a terahertz wave source, a flange connector, a terahertz wave detector, a detector docking plug-in, and a docking connector. The terahertz waveguide transmission line is formed by wrapping a copper foil wrapped polymer dielectric tube with an adhesive heat shrink protective tube coated on the outside. One end is connected to the terahertz wave source via a flange connector, and the other end is connected to the terahertz wave detector via a detector docking plug-in. The flange connector uses a plastic flange that matches the dimensions of the terahertz waveguide transmission line port and the terahertz wave source WR port. The detector docking plug-in uses a plastic plug-in that matches the dimensions of the terahertz waveguide transmission line port and the terahertz wave detector entrance. The docking connector docks the terahertz waveguide transmission line. A metal foil strip and an adhesive-fastened plastic heat shrink tube are sequentially coated on the outside of the terahertz waveguide transmission line docking port.

[0006] Furthermore, the flange connector is obtained by 3D plastic printing, the flange connector and the WR port of the terahertz wave source are fixed with screws, and the flange connector is inserted into the terahertz waveguide transmission line port and bonded by glue pouring.

[0007] Furthermore, the docking plug is designed according to the size matching the waveguide transmission line port and the light input port of the terahertz wave detector and is obtained by 3D plastic printing. The docking plug is bonded to the inserted waveguide transmission line port by glue filling and is flexibly connected to the terahertz wave detector by plugging and unplugging.

[0008] Furthermore, multiple terahertz waveguide transmission line ports can be docked and connected to form a longer transmission line to meet the needs of building a terahertz wave transmission system with a larger length and bending angle. The docking connector is formed by sequentially wrapping an elastic metal foil strip and an adhesive-fastened plastic heat shrink tube on the outside of the terahertz waveguide transmission line docking port and heating and shrinking it.

[0009] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial technical effects and significant improvements:

[0010] 1) The flexible terahertz wave transmission system of the copper foil wrapped polymer dielectric tube waveguide can confine the terahertz wave to be transmitted within the flexible waveguide, thereby reducing the volume of the system and minimizing the impact of the external environment on the terahertz wave transmission effect;

[0011] 2) Compared with existing research reports on microstructured terahertz waveguides, photonic crystal terahertz waveguides, and metal-plated terahertz waveguides, copper foil wrapped polymer dielectric tube terahertz waveguides have the advantages of readily available raw materials, simple manufacturing process, flexibility, and stable transmission performance. They are a type of waveguide with high cost-effectiveness and commercial potential. The terahertz wave flexible transmission system built based on this waveguide is also highly cost-effective.

[0012] 3) Using a copper foil wrapped polymer dielectric tube waveguide as the transmission line, connectors between the plastic waveguide and the terahertz source, and flexible docking plug-ins between the waveguide and the terahertz wave detector are designed and 3D printed. Then, elastic metal foil strips and adhesive plastic heat shrink tubing are sequentially wrapped around the outside of the waveguide docking port and heated to form multiple waveguides firmly docked together. This can achieve reliable connection and integration of the system in a simple and practical way, and can also meet the requirements of different lengths and bending angles of transmission systems in different application scenarios, making it more commercially valuable. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the utility model;

[0014] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the terahertz waveguide transmission line of the utility model;

[0015] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the flange connector of the utility model;

[0016] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the detector docking plug-in of the utility model;

[0017] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of the butt connector of the present utility model. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] See attached Figures 1 to 5 The utility model is composed of a copper foil wrapped polymer dielectric tube terahertz waveguide transmission line 5, a terahertz wave source 6, a flange connector 7 between the waveguide transmission line and the wave source, a terahertz detector 8, a docking plug-in 9 between the waveguide transmission line and the detector, and a docking connection part 12 between the waveguide transmission lines to form a flexible terahertz wave transmission system.

[0019] The following is a further detailed description and explanation of the present invention using an example of building a flexible terahertz wave transmission system based on a polymer dielectric tube waveguide transmission line with different hollow core diameters wrapped with copper foil:

[0020] Example 1

[0021] 1) Select a polypropylene dielectric tube 3 with an inner diameter of 5 mm, a wall thickness of 0.35 mm, and a length of 80 cm as the structural tube and dielectric tube for the terahertz waveguide transmission line 5. Clean and dry its inner and outer surfaces. Cut a 10-micron-thick, 18-mm-wide copper foil 2 and spirally wrap it around the polypropylene dielectric tube 3, with a 2-mm overlap between adjacent copper foil edges. Then, coat it with adhesive heat shrink tubing and heat-encapsulate it to obtain a single copper foil-wrapped polymer dielectric tube terahertz waveguide transmission line 5.

[0022] 2) Design and 3D print the flange connector 7 between the PLA plastic waveguide transmission line and the wave source, the shape of which is as follows: Figure 3 As shown, the specific dimensions are 30 mm long, 18.88 mm outer diameter at the thick end, 5 mm thick, 1.77 mm diameter of the four screw holes evenly spaced in the thick end ring, 7.65 mm inner diameter of the thin end, and 1.22 mm wall thickness;

[0023] 3) Design and 3D print the PLA plastic waveguide transmission line and the detector docking plug-in 9, the shape of which is as follows Figure 4 As shown, the specific dimensions are 30 mm long, 20.64 mm outer diameter at the thick end, 5 mm thick at the thick end, 7.65 mm long straight inner hole diameter at the thin end, and 1.22 mm wall thickness at the thin end;

[0024] 4) Cut the two waveguide transmission lines made in 1) flat and connect them together. Wrap the ends of the two waveguide transmission lines with the seam as the center, with two turns of 0.2mm thick and 40mm wide copper foil strip 10 and 80mm wide band adhesive fastening heat shrink tube 11. Heat the heat shrink tube with 150℃ hot air to ensure the rigid connection of the two ends. A 1.5m long waveguide transmission line is obtained. The connection part is as follows: Figure 5 As shown;

[0025] 5) Bond the flange connector 7 to the port inserted into the waveguide transmission line 5 by pouring AB glue, fix the flange connector 7 to the 300GHz terahertz source WR port with screws 13, bond the detector docking plug-in 9 to the other port inserted into the waveguide transmission line by pouring AB glue, and flexibly connect it to the light inlet 14 of the detector 8 by plugging and unplugging, and obtain the following: Figure 1 The flexible terahertz wave transmission system shown is built based on a 5mm inner diameter copper foil wrapped polypropylene dielectric tube waveguide transmission line, which can transmit 300GHz terahertz waves at a bending angle of 360° with a radius of 20cm.

[0026] Example 2

[0027] 1) Select a polypropylene dielectric tube 3 with an inner diameter of 8 mm, a wall thickness of 0.35 mm, and a length of 80 cm as the structural tube and dielectric tube for the terahertz waveguide transmission line 5. Clean and dry its inner and outer surfaces. Cut a 10-micron-thick, 21-mm-wide copper foil 2 and spirally wrap it around the polypropylene dielectric tube 3, with a 3-mm overlap between adjacent copper foil edges. Then, coat it with adhesive heat shrink tubing and heat-encapsulate it to obtain a single copper foil-wrapped polymer dielectric tube terahertz waveguide transmission line 5.

[0028] 2) Design and 3D print the flange connector 7 between the PLA plastic waveguide transmission line and the wave source, the shape of which is as follows: Figure 3As shown, the specific dimensions are 30 mm long, 18.88 mm outer diameter at the thick end, 5 mm thick, 1.77 mm diameter of the four screw holes evenly spaced in the thick end ring, 12.24 mm diameter of the long straight inner hole at the thin end, and 1.22 mm wall thickness;

[0029] 3) Design and 3D print the PLA plastic waveguide transmission line and the detector docking plug-in 9, the shape of which is as follows Figure 4 As shown, the specific dimensions are 30 mm long, 20.64 mm outer diameter at the thick end, 5 mm thick at the thick end, 12.24 mm long straight inner hole diameter at the thin end, and 1.22 mm wall thickness at the thin end;

[0030] 4) Cut the end faces of the two waveguide transmission lines made in 1) flat and connect them together. Wrap the outer ends of the ports with the seam as the center in sequence with two turns of 0.3mm thick and 60mm wide copper foil strip 10 and 100mm wide broadband adhesive fastening heat shrink tube 11. Heat the heat shrink tube with 150℃ hot air to ensure the ports are rigidly connected. A 1.5m long waveguide transmission line is obtained. The connection part is as follows: Figure 5 shown.

[0031] 5) Bond the flange connector 7 to the port inserted into the waveguide transmission line 5 by injecting AB glue, fix the flange connector 7 to the 100 GHz terahertz source WR port with screws 13, bond the detector docking plug-in 9 to the other port inserted into the waveguide transmission line by injecting AB glue, and flexibly connect it to the light inlet 14 of the detector 8 by plugging and unplugging, and obtain the following: Figure 1 The flexible terahertz wave transmission system shown is built based on an 8mm inner diameter copper foil wrapped polypropylene dielectric tube waveguide transmission line, which can transmit 100GHz terahertz waves at a bending angle of 360° with a radius of 25cm.

[0032] The above is only a further explanation of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any equivalent implementation of the present invention should be included in the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A flexible terahertz wave transmission system based on a copper foil wrapped polymer tube waveguide, characterized in that: The system comprises: a terahertz waveguide transmission line (5), a terahertz wave source (6), a flange connector (7), a terahertz wave detector (8), a detector docking plug-in (9) and a docking connector (12); the terahertz waveguide transmission line (5) is formed by wrapping a polymer dielectric tube (3) with a copper foil (2) and coating the outside of the polymer dielectric tube with an adhesive heat shrink protection tube (4); one end of the terahertz waveguide transmission line is connected to the terahertz wave source (6) via the flange connector (7), and the other end of the terahertz wave detector (8) is connected to the terahertz wave detector (8) via the detector docking plug-in (9); The flange connector (7) uses a plastic flange that matches the size of the terahertz waveguide transmission line (5) port and the terahertz wave source (6) WR port; the detector docking plug-in (9) uses a plastic plug-in that matches the size of the terahertz waveguide transmission line (5) port and the entrance of the terahertz wave detector (8); the docking connector (12) docks the terahertz waveguide transmission line (5), and the outside of the docking port of the terahertz waveguide transmission line (5) is sequentially coated with a metal foil strip (10) and a plastic heat shrink tube (11) with glue fastening.

2. The flexible terahertz wave transmission system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flange connector (7) is obtained by 3D plastic printing, the flange connector (7) and the WR port of the terahertz wave source (6) are fixed by screws (13), and the flange connector (7) is inserted into the port of the terahertz waveguide transmission line (5) and bonded by glue.

3. The flexible terahertz wave transmission system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The detector docking plug-in (9) is designed according to the size matching the port of the terahertz waveguide transmission line (5) and the light inlet (14) of the terahertz wave detector (8) and is obtained by 3D plastic printing. The detector docking plug-in (9) is bonded to the port of the terahertz waveguide transmission line (5) by glue filling, and is flexibly connected to the terahertz wave detector (8) by plugging and unplugging.

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