Rigid-Flexible Voltage Reference Card for Thermal Gradient Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Voltage reference circuits are sensitive to external environmental factors such as temperature changes, humidity, mechanical stress, and vibrations, leading to inaccuracies in their output, especially in field environments where conditions vary significantly from controlled settings.
Innovation Solution
A double-sided circuit board arrangement with a rigid ceramic base material, incorporating a voltage reference circuit on one side and a temperature sensor on the opposite side, connected by flexible circuit boards, which mitigates thermal gradients and mechanical stress, ensuring accurate voltage reference output despite environmental variations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid circuit board is used for voltage reference circuit, then mechanical stability is improved, but thermal gradient sensitivity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The circuit board is divided into multiple rigid sections connected by flexible interconnections. This segmentation allows each rigid section to maintain mechanical stability while the flexible connections accommodate thermal expansion and contraction, reducing thermal gradient sensitivity across the entire board.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the circuit board by incorporating materials with specific thermal expansion coefficients and designing the board geometry to minimize thermal stress. This allows the board to maintain rigidity while being less sensitive to thermal gradients.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If flexible circuit board is used to connect components, then thermal stress resistance is improved, but mechanical precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible connections are designed as segmented structures with controlled flexibility zones. This allows the board to bend and accommodate thermal stress while maintaining precise mechanical alignment and positioning of critical components in the rigid sections.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the circuit board have different mechanical properties - rigid sections for precision components and flexible sections for stress accommodation. This local differentiation allows simultaneous achievement of mechanical precision and thermal stress resistance in appropriate areas.
3Measurement precision
If temperature compensation circuit is added, then voltage reference accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature compensation functionality is merged with the existing voltage reference circuit by using the same physical platform and sharing components. This integration approach provides temperature compensation while minimizing the increase in overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The circuit board structure itself provides temperature compensation through its physical design - the rigid-flexible-rigid configuration naturally compensates for thermal effects, eliminating the need for complex active compensation circuits while maintaining voltage reference accuracy.
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 solution maintains accurate voltage reference values by minimizing thermal gradients and mechanical strain, allowing the circuit to function reliably in challenging environmental conditions without excessive energy consumption or practical limitations.
Implementation Method 1
the rigid circuit board comprises a ceramic material or a mixture of ceramic materials... There do not exist any notable temperature gradients in the area of the voltage reference circuit
Implementation Method 2
a first flexible circuit board and a second flexible circuit board connected to opposite edges of the rigid circuit board... mitigates thermal gradients and mechanical stress
Data Source
AI summary
Voltage reference circuits may be sensitive to thermal changes in their surroundings and to effects made by humidity, and external forces, vibrations, and other effects. A rigid planar circuit structure has a voltage reference circuit on either side and a temperature sensor on another side of the rigid circuit board. The arrangement includes two flexible connectors, such as flexible circuit boards or flexible flat cables. These can be relatively short in their length. Ceramic materials can be used as a base material in the rigid circuit board, such as alumina. The arrangement enables obtaining accurate outputs from the voltage reference circuit because notable thermal gradients will not be present around sensitive parts of the circuitry.