High frequency electronic assembly

• US 5,083,238 A
• Filed: 02/04/1991
• Issued: 01/21/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Emerson Network Power Embedded Computing Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bousman, Thomas W.
• Primary Examiner(s): NIMMO, MORRIS
• Application Number:
  US07/650,327
• Time in Patent Office: 351 Days
• Field of Search: 174/117 F, 174/117 FF, 174/117 PC, 174/268, 174/71 R, 174/72 R, 439/502, 361/412, 361/413, 361/415, 361/428, 361/398
• US Class Current: 361/788
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1441 with a segmented structure

Abstract

An electronic assembly comprising a plurality of printed circuit boards residing in a chassis and a removable high frequency, multi-conductor flexible cable, having a connector at each end, the structure of said cable being such that, if positioned in a single plane, it has a plurality of substantially rigid turns, the sum of the degrees of arc of such turns in one direction being equal to the sum of the degrees of arc of such turns in the opposite direction, such that the conductors have equal lengths throughout the cable, resulting in matched signal lengths throughout the cable.

To provide optimum shielding, the cable is formed of a plurality of pairs of conductors, each pair is separated by a ground conductor, and the top and bottom of the cable are ground planes.

The electronic assembly comprises a plurality of cables arranged to interconnect printed circuit boards within one or more chassis so as to permit relatively unobstructed air flow both between and above the boards and to permit boards to be readily inserted and removed.

Claims

1. An electronic assembly comprising:

a plurality of circuit boards, each containing connector means; and

a plurality of multi-conductor, flexible, thin cables, each of said cables comprising means for coupling to said connector means, and the structure of each of said cables being such that, if positioned in a single plane, it has a plurality of substantially rigid turns, the sum of the degrees of arc of such turns in one direction being equal to the sum of the degrees of arc of such turns in the opposite direction, such that said conductors have equal lengths throughout the cable, wherein one of said circuit boards is connected to each of said other circuit boards through their respective connector means and an associated one of said plurality of cables.

2. An electronic assembly comprising:

a plurality of circuit board enclosures;

each of said circuit board enclosures comprising a plurality of circuit boards, each containing connector means; and

a plurality of multi-conductor, flexible, thin cables, each of said cables comprising means for coupling to said connector means, and the structure of each of said cables being such that, if positioned in a single plane, it has a plurality of substantially rigid turns, the sum of the degrees of arc of such turns in one direction being equal to the sum of the degrees of arc of such turns in the opposite direction, such that said conductors have equal lengths throughout the cable, wherein one of said circuit boards is connected to each of said other circuit boards through their respective connector means and at least an associated one of said plurality of cables.

3. A multi-conductor, flexible, thin cable, the structure of said cable being such that, if positioned in a single plane, it has a plurality of substantially rigid turns, the sum of the degrees of arc of such turns in one direction being equal to the sum of the degrees of arc of such turns in the opposite direction, such that said conductors have equal lengths throughout the cable, and wherein said cable comprises a plurality of pairs of conductors, each conductor pair being separated by a ground conductor, and the outer, planar surfaces of the cable comprising ground layers.

4. The cable recited in claim 3 and further comprising at least one connector.

5. A multi-conductor, flexible, thin cable, the structure of said cable being such that, if positioned in a single plane, it has an equal number of substantially rigid left-hand and right-hand turns, such that said conductors have equal lengths throughout the cable, and said cable comprising a plurality of pairs of conductors, each conductor pair being separated by a ground conductor, and the outer, planar surfaces of the cable comprising ground layers.

6. The cable recited in claim 5 and further comprising at least one connector.

7. A cable for use in an electronic component package comprising a plurality of printed circuit boards spaced from one another in a housing, the structure of said cable being such that, if positioned in a single plane, it has a plurality of substantially rigid turns, the sum of the degrees of arc of such turns in one direction being equal to the sum of the degrees of arc of such turns in the opposite direction, such that said conductors have equal lengths throughout the cable, wherein said cable may be arranged to interconnect said printed circuit boards within said housing so as to permit relatively unobstructed air flow both between and above said printed circuit boards, and wherein said cable comprises a plurality of pairs of conductors, each conductor pair being separated by a ground conductor, and the outer, planar surfaces of the cable comprising ground layers.

8. The cable recited in claim 7 and further comprising at least one connector.