Spring Loaded Microwave Interconnector for Curved Waveguide PCB Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current waveguide to printed circuit board (PCB) interconnectors are cumbersome, require specialized tools and training, and can be damaging, especially in field maintenance, and are limited by planar surface requirements, which restricts flexibility and increases costs and complexity, particularly in curved surface applications.
Innovation Solution
A spring-loaded microwave interconnector (SLMI) with a dielectric sleeve and coax central conductor, providing a self-aligned, solderless, and compression-based connection that maintains impedance matching between waveguides and PCBs, allowing for easy installation and operation on both flat and curved surfaces without specialized tools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If semi permanent interconnections (soldered/screwed) are used to connect waveguide to PCB, then connection stability is improved, but ease of manufacture and ease of repair deteriorate due to requiring specialized tools, training, and precise installation
Solution Approach 1:
The interconnector employs a spring-loaded conductor that dynamically adjusts its position through compression between the waveguide and PCB, replacing static soldered or screwed connections with a dynamic mechanical coupling that maintains electrical contact while accommodating alignment variations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces thermal welding/soldering processes with a mechanical compression system using spring-loaded conductors, eliminating the need for specialized welding equipment and training while maintaining reliable electrical connection
2Reliability
If soldering/welding is used to establish interconnection, then connection reliability is improved, but ease of repair and risk of component damage worsen due to temperatures involved and stress upon removal
Solution Approach 1:
The spring-loaded conductor provides a dynamic mechanical connection that can be easily compressed and released, allowing for simple insertion and removal without the thermal damage or stress associated with soldering, thereby enabling easy field maintenance and replacement
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes thermal joining processes with a purely mechanical spring-loaded compression system, eliminating heat-related component damage and enabling tool-free installation and maintenance operations
3Manufacturing precision
If planar surfaces are required for interconnection points, then manufacturing precision is improved, but adaptability deteriorates as curved surfaces cannot be practically utilized
Solution Approach 1:
The spring-loaded conductor acts as a mechanical compliance element that can accommodate variations in surface geometry, allowing the interconnector to function on both planar and curved surfaces by dynamically adjusting its contact pressure and position
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state of the conductor from rigid to spring-loaded, enabling it to adapt to different surface geometries by varying its compression level and contact point, thereby expanding applicability to curved surfaces while maintaining electrical performance
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 SLMI enables efficient, reliable, and flexible signal transmission across a wide frequency band, reducing maintenance complexities and costs by providing a robust, self-aligned, and impedance-matched connection that minimizes signal alteration and assembly stress, facilitating easier maintenance and reducing the risk of system failure.
Implementation Method 1
a spring loaded conductor having a base and an actuating tip. The tip has an extended position and a compressed position
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5B
AI summary
A spring loaded microwave interconnector (SLMI). The SLMI includes a waveguide probe head having a first side and opposite thereto a second side, the sides transverse to a central axis. A spring loaded coax central conductor coupled to the probe head first side and provides a distal conductive tip. The coax central conductor extends along the central axis. A dielectric sleeve is disposed about the coax central conductor adjacent to the first side. The distal conductive tip extending beyond the dielectric sleeve when in an extended position and is about flush with the dielectric sleeve when in a compressed poison. An multiport waveguide to multiport PCB assembly utilizing a plurality of SLMIs wherein the multiport waveguide and PCB have curved contours is also disclosed.