Clockspring Wire Routing for Radar Sensor Stress Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing radar systems face challenges in maintaining reliable electrical connections between movable sensors and stationary components due to repetitive twisting, bending, and turning of wires, which can shorten their useful life and require larger form factors to accommodate multiple connections.
Innovation Solution
The use of a plurality of clockspring passes to route wires, allowing them to tighten and loosen as the sensor rotates, reducing stress and enabling a more compact design by distributing wires through multiple channels rather than a single pass.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If wires are routed through a single clockspring pass, then the structure is simpler, but the footprint is larger and stress concentration occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the wire routing into multiple separate clockspring passes instead of using a single pass. Each pass handles a subset of wires, distributing them across multiple channels. This segmentation reduces the footprint of each individual pass while managing stress more effectively across the distributed structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent arranges multiple clockspring passes in a stacked configuration, utilizing the vertical dimension (z-axis) to organize wire routes. By stacking passes vertically rather than spreading them horizontally, the overall footprint is reduced while maintaining adequate space for wire movement and stress distribution.
2Reliability
If wires are routed through multiple clockspring passes, then the footprint is smaller and stress is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the wire bundle into multiple sub-bundles, each routed through a separate clockspring pass. This segmentation distributes mechanical stress across multiple passes rather than concentrating it in a single pass, reducing wear and extending wire life. Each pass handles a manageable subset of wires, improving reliability through stress distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The clockspring passes are designed to dynamically tighten and loosen as the sensor rotates, allowing wires to flex naturally with movement. This dynamic behavior accommodates rotational motion while maintaining controlled stress levels, preventing wire fatigue and extending operational life.
3Ease of operation
If wires are allowed to flex freely during rotation, then the component can move smoothly, but the wires experience increased stress and shorter useful life
Solution Approach 1:
The clockspring passes are designed with dynamic tightening and loosening characteristics that adapt to rotational movement. As the sensor rotates, the passes naturally tighten to guide wires and loosen to accommodate flexing, providing controlled movement that enables smooth operation while preventing excessive stress that would reduce wire life.
Solution Approach 2:
The clockspring structure provides pre-configured stress relief pathways that cushion wires against excessive tension during rotation. The spring-like geometry of the passes absorbs and distributes mechanical stress before it can damage the wires, protecting them while allowing necessary movement.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution extends the useful life of wires by reducing stress and allowing for a more compact radar system design that can accommodate multiple electrical connections without compromising performance.
Implementation Method 1
the ribbon wire is configured to tighten or loosen around the structure as the component rotates relative to the base about at least one axis
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A
Figure 2B
AI summary
In some examples, electrical wires are routed between a base and a rotating component through a plurality of clockspring passes. The wires can be, for example, ribbon wires or another type of wire. Each wire of the plurality of wires is coiled around a structure of a clockspring pass of the plurality of clockspring passes, and is configured to tighten or loosen around the structure as the component rotates relative to the base about at least one axis.