Millimeter Wave Circuit Housing Coupling Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing circuits for millimeter wave signals require high-frequency capable substrates and galvanic contacts, leading to increased costs and production complexity, especially in applications like radar sensors for motor vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A housing with a coupling structure for millimeter wave signals that uses a hollow conductor outside the housing to transmit signals, bypassing galvanic contacts on the circuit board, allowing for low-frequency capable contacts and reducing the need for high-frequency substrates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If galvanic contacts are used to transmit millimeter wave signals through the housing wall, then electrical connection is achieved, but high-frequency capability is lost due to signal loss and production complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the millimeter wave signal transmission function from the galvanic contact system and relocates it to a coupling structure on the housing wall. This separation allows the galvanic contacts to be used only for low-frequency power and control signals, eliminating the need for high-frequency capable substrates and simplifying production.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling structure acts as an intermediary between the internal circuit board and external millimeter wave signals. It provides a dedicated interface for high-frequency signal coupling through the housing wall without requiring the entire substrate or galvanic contacts to be high-frequency capable.
2Reliability
If high-frequency capable substrates are used for the circuit board, then millimeter wave signal transmission is enabled, but costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the high-frequency signal transmission requirement from the circuit board substrate and concentrates it in the coupling structure. This allows the use of standard, low-cost substrates for the circuit board while maintaining millimeter wave capability through the specialized coupling structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling structure provides localized high-frequency capability at the specific interface where millimeter wave signals need to pass through the housing wall, while the rest of the circuit board can use standard, lower-cost materials.
3Reliability
If galvanic contacts are used for both power supply and high-frequency signals, then electrical connection is achieved, but production tolerances must be tight increasing costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the signal transmission functions by separating low-frequency power/control signals (through galvanic contacts) from high-frequency millimeter wave signals (through the coupling structure). This segmentation allows each interface to be optimized independently, permitting larger tolerances for the galvanic contacts.
Solution Approach 2:
The high-frequency signal transmission function is extracted from the galvanic contact system and assigned to the coupling structure, allowing the galvanic contacts to be designed with relaxed tolerances suitable for their low-frequency application.
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 eliminates the need for high-frequency substrates, permits larger production tolerances, and reduces costs by enabling the use of low-frequency capable contacts, while minimizing insertion loss through wave traps and adapting structures.
Implementation Method 1
The coupling structure in the housing is preferably formed by a wave conductor that can be filled with a dielectric and that is realized in such a way that it conducts the millimeter waves to the housing wall and couples them out through this wall
Implementation Method 2
a wave conductor that can be filled with a dielectric
Data Source
AI summary
A circuit for millimeter wave signals, having a housing, mounted on a circuit board, that accommodates a high-frequency component, wherein the housing forms, on at least one housing wall facing away from the circuit board, a coupling structure for millimeter wave signals to which a hollow conductor is coupled outside the housing.