Flexible Waveguide Cyclic Conductor Millimeter Wave Transmission
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current signal transmission methods, such as optical fibers and electric interconnections, face challenges in reliability and connectivity, especially at high speeds and long distances, with optical communication being prone to signal cuts and requiring precise positioning, and electric interconnections deteriorating with wire cuts.
Innovation Solution
A flexible waveguide with a uniform dielectric constant and a cyclically structured external conductor is used to transmit millimeter or submillimeter waves, providing high-speed communication over short distances while maintaining reliability and flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If optical fiber is used for high-speed communication over long distance, then transmission speed and distance are improved, but reliability deteriorates due to unexpected cuts from shock or damage
Solution Approach 1:
The optical fiber is divided into multiple strands bundled together. When one strand is cut or damaged, the other strands continue to transmit signals, providing redundancy and maintaining communication reliability. This segmentation approach transforms a single-point-failure system into a fault-tolerant system.
2Speed
If optical fiber with small core diameter is used for high-speed communication, then transmission speed is improved, but connectivity deteriorates due to requiring extremely high positioning accuracy and dust sensitivity
Solution Approach 1:
The connection interface is segmented into multiple alignment features (protrusions and recesses) that guide and secure the optical fiber. This mechanical segmentation provides inherent alignment tolerance, reducing the positioning accuracy requirements and making connections more forgiving to dust and misalignment.
Solution Approach 2:
A connector or adapter serves as an intermediary component between optical fiber strands. This intermediary provides a larger, more robust connection interface with built-in alignment mechanisms, shielding the fragile small-core fiber from direct exposure to dust and positioning errors.
3Ease of operation
If electric interconnection is used for short-distance communication, then ease of connection is improved, but transmission speed deteriorates at speeds exceeding 2.5 Gbps
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical signal transmission mechanism is replaced with optical signal transmission through optical fibers. This substitution enables transmission speeds exceeding 2.5 Gbps while maintaining ease of connection through robust mechanical connectors designed for optical interfaces.
4Reliability
If multiple thin wires are bound together for electric interconnection, then reliability is improved as wires are gradually cut rather than suddenly, but transmission speed deteriorates and complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bundle of electrical wires is replaced with a single or few optical fiber strands. This substitution eliminates the gradual degradation issue of electrical wires while achieving higher transmission speeds. The optical fiber's inherent redundancy through multiple strands provides similar fault tolerance without the speed limitations of electrical interconnection.
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
The flexible waveguide achieves reliable high-speed communication by minimizing transmission loss and avoiding reflection bands, ensuring stable performance in the millimeter or submillimeter wave frequency range.
Implementation Method 1
a waveguide used for transmitting a radio wave in a frequency band equal to or higher than a frequency band of a millimeter wave or a submillimeter wave
Data Source
AI summary
A flexible waveguide includes an inner dielectric, and a flexible external conductor disposed in a position covering an outer periphery of the dielectric, the flexible waveguide conducting a radio wave in a frequency band equal to or longer than a millimeter wave or a submillimeter wave near 60 GHz or more. The external conductor includes a metal layer, the metal layer has a shape displacement structure, a shape of an inner periphery side section of which faces the inner dielectric and is cyclic in the waveguide longitudinal direction, the shape displacement structure being a cyclic structure satisfying λmr<λch, where λmr represents a center wavelength of a main reflection band due to the cyclic structure and λch represents a cutoff wavelength in a high-order mode of the waveguide.