High Speed Communication Jack Shielding and Elastic Arms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current communication jacks, such as RJ45 jacks, are limited in their ability to maintain consistent signal quality at multi-gigahertz frequencies due to inadequate design, leading to signal degradation and reflection issues, which are not adequately addressed by industry solutions.
Innovation Solution
A high-speed communication jack design featuring a shielding case, a rigid circuit board with multiple layers, and vias configured to accommodate pins, with traces and capacitors formed to match impedance and reduce reflections, utilizing gold plating for reduced signal loss and improved bandwidth.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional jack is used for high speed communication, then the jack structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the jack cannot maintain proper contact with high speed communication cables due to weight mismatch and cable stiffness
Solution Approach 1:
The jack is divided into multiple functional segments: a receiving portion for cable insertion, a holding portion with elastic arms for contact maintenance, and a mounting portion for installation. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic arms are designed to automatically adjust and maintain contact with the cable conductors through their inherent elasticity. The spring elements provide self-adjusting pressure that compensates for cable weight and stiffness variations without requiring external control mechanisms.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the jack structure is simplified for easy manufacture, then manufacturing cost decreases, but the jack cannot accommodate both heavy and light cables with different stiffness
Solution Approach 1:
The holding portion with elastic arms serves multiple functions: supporting heavy cables, maintaining contact with light cables, accommodating different cable stiffness, and providing mechanical coupling. This multi-functional design allows a single jack structure to handle diverse cable types without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic arms utilize material elasticity parameters to adapt to different cable weights and stiffness. The spring elements can be manufactured with varying force constants to optimize performance for different cable types, allowing parameter adjustment through material selection rather than structural complexity.
3Reliability
If elastic arms with spring elements are added to maintain contact, then contact reliability improves, but the jack structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The contact maintenance function is extracted as a separate holding portion with elastic arms, distinct from the mounting and receiving portions. This extraction allows the contact function to be optimized independently while keeping the overall jack structure relatively simple through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring elements automatically generate and maintain contact force through their elastic properties without requiring external power sources, control systems, or adjustment mechanisms. The self-service nature of elastic deformation keeps the structure simple while ensuring reliable contact maintenance.
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 design supports high-speed data transmission up to 40 gigabits and beyond by minimizing signal reflections and maintaining signal integrity at higher frequencies, enhancing data throughput and reducing common mode interference.
Implementation Method 1
a pair of elastic arms (44) protruding from the body (40) in a direction toward the other cable... each spring element (45) having one end connected to the corresponding elastic arm (44) and the other end connected to the body (40)
Data Source
AI summary
A high speed communication jack including a housing including a port for accepting a plug, the port including a plurality of pins each connected to a corresponding signal line in the plug, a shielding case surrounding the housing, a rigid circuit board in the housing having a substrate, a plurality of vias extending through the substrate with each via being configured to accommodate a pin on the housing, a plurality of traces on a middle layer in the substrate, with each trace extending from a corresponding one of the plurality of vias, a first shielding layer on a first side of the middle layer in the substrate, a second shielding layer on a second side of the middle layer in the substrate, and a third shielding layer adjacent to the second shielding layer.