Extendable Faraday Cage for I/O Connectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional input/output (I/O) ports on computing devices are fixed within a Faraday cage, making them inconvenient to access and susceptible to dust and debris, while also failing to maintain electrical isolation when moved, as they break the electrical barrier.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus featuring a Faraday cage around a flexible cable that translates and bends with I/O ports, using gaskets and a conductive sock to maintain electrical connectivity and isolation, allowing the ports to be moved while preventing noise interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If I/O ports are fixed within a Faraday cage, then electrical isolation is maintained, but accessibility and ease of use deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a movable I/O port housing that can slide between a retracted position (within the Faraday cage) and an extended position (outside the cage). This dynamic mechanism allows the system to switch between maintaining electrical isolation and providing accessibility, resolving the contradiction between these two requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The I/O port system is divided into separate components: the stationary Faraday cage, the movable housing containing the ports, and the flexible cable. This segmentation allows the housing to move independently to provide accessibility while the Faraday cage remains stationary to maintain electrical isolation.
2Ease of operation
If I/O ports are moved outside the computer case, then accessibility improves, but electrical isolation and noise protection deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The movable housing allows I/O ports to be extended outside the case only when needed for accessibility. When retracted, the ports remain within the Faraday cage to maintain electrical isolation. This dynamic positioning resolves the contradiction between accessibility and electrical isolation.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible cable acts as an intermediary, connecting the movable housing to the internal systems while allowing the housing to move in and out. This enables the housing to extend for accessibility without permanently breaking the Faraday cage barrier.
3Reliability
If I/O ports are recessed within the case, then electrical isolation is maintained, but ease of access deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of fixed recessed ports, the patent implements a movable housing that can slide to extend the ports outside the case. This dynamic mechanism maintains electrical isolation when retracted while providing ease of access when extended, resolving the contradiction between these two requirements.
4Ease of operation
If a movable I/O port housing is implemented, then accessibility improves, but device complexity and difficulty of manufacture increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a sliding mechanism with guides and stops that provides complex functionality (movable housing) through relatively simple mechanical means. This approach improves accessibility while minimizing the increase in device complexity compared to more sophisticated mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The use of a flexible cable allows the movable housing to move without requiring complex rigid mechanical linkages. The flexibility of the cable simplifies the overall mechanism while still enabling the housing to extend and retract, reducing device complexity.
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
Enables easy access to I/O ports while maintaining electrical isolation, protecting against external and internal noise interference, even when the ports are in a non-stationary position.
Implementation Method 1
I/O connectors with extendable faraday cage... a Faraday cage generally about a flex cable
Implementation Method 2
The gaskets may electrically connect to a conductive sock that surrounds the flex cable and thus, in turn, electrically connect to the ground plane(s) of the flex cable
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus providing one or more I/O connections to a computer. The apparatus includes a Faraday cage generally about a flex cable, or other computing element, that may translate when the I/O ports to the computer are utilized. The embodiment maintains the Faraday cage for the flex cable or element as the I/O port housing opens or closes.