Miniaturized Modem Using Opposed PCB Boards for Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current modem designs face limitations in miniaturization due to the need for isolation between components, which restricts size reduction and requires extensive wiring, making them less compact and more cumbersome for installation in tight spaces.
Innovation Solution
The modem components are mounted on one board, and phone line interface components on a second board, with capacitors and transformers providing both electrical isolation and support, allowing for a compact package that fits within a standard telephone jack, minimizing wiring and adhering to UL regulations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If modem components are isolated from phone line interface components to meet UL regulations, then safety and reliability are improved, but the overall size and wiring complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent places the modem components and phone line interface components on opposite sides of a single printed circuit board, with one component nested within the footprint of the other. This nesting arrangement maintains the required isolation distance for UL compliance while containing the entire assembly within a compact volume that fits a standard telephone jack.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of isolating components by increasing horizontal spacing on a single plane, the patent utilizes the vertical dimension by positioning components on opposite sides of the PCB. This dimensional transition allows isolation to be achieved through board thickness rather than lateral distance, dramatically reducing the overall device footprint.
2Reliability
If extensive wiring is used to connect isolated components, then safety isolation is maintained, but device complexity and installation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the isolation function and the connection function into a single integrated structure. The PCB itself serves as both the mechanical support and the electrical connection medium, eliminating the need for separate wiring harnesses to connect isolated components while maintaining safety isolation through the board's physical structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The printed circuit board acts as an intermediary structure that simultaneously provides mechanical support, electrical connection, and isolation. By using the PCB as the mediating element between components, the patent reduces wiring complexity while maintaining the required isolation for safety compliance.
3Ease of operation
If modem size is reduced to fit tight spaces, then installation ease is improved, but component isolation and signal integrity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves compact size by transitioning from horizontal to vertical arrangement of components on opposite sides of the PCB. This dimensional change allows the modem to fit within a standard telephone jack while maintaining adequate isolation distances through the board's thickness, thereby preserving signal integrity without compromising installation ease.
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 arrangement significantly reduces the overall size of the modem to the size of a thimble, ensuring minimal signal degradation and easy installation while maintaining necessary component isolation, achieving a more compact and efficient modem system.
Implementation Method 1
Terminals on each board are connected to surge protecting components (capacitor and transformer)
Data Source
AI summary
A miniaturized modem system including a modem chip on a board and a DAA chip on another board mounted together so that the boards face one another thereby substantially reducing the size of the system. The arrangement satisfies the requirement of the FCC for maintaining a minimum limit on spacing between the modem section and the DAA section thereby avoiding inadvertently applying voltage surges to the phone line. The modem system is mounted directly on a housing that is a receptacle for a telephone jack thereby further substantially reducing the size of the modem system.