Non-contacting rotary joint including a spaced near-field probe having first and second signal capture areas which are dissimilar and discontinuous

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10033074-B2
Application number	US-201415101993-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2014
Priority date	Dec 17, 2013
Publication date	Jul 24, 2018
Grant date	Jul 24, 2018

Abstract

The present invention provides improved non-contacting rotary joints for the transmission of electrical signals across an interface defined between two relatively-movable members. The improved non-contacting rotary joints broadly include: a signal source (A) operatively arranged to provide a high-speed digital data output signal; a controlled-impedance differential transmission line (C) having a source gap (D) and a termination gap (E); a power divider (B) operatively arranged to receive the high-speed digital data output signal from the signal source, and to supply it to the source gap of the controlled-impedance differential line; a near-field probe (G) arranged in spaced relation to the transmission line for receiving a signal transmitted across the interface; and receiving electronics (H) operatively arranged to receive the signal received by the probe; and wherein the rotary joint exhibits an ultra-wide bandwidth frequency response capability up to 40 GHz.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-contacting rotary joint for transmission of electrical signals across an interface defined between two relatively-movable members, comprising:
a signal source (A) operatively arranged to provide a high-speed digital data output signal;
a controlled-impedance differential transmission line (C) having a source gap (D) and a termination gap (E);
a power divider (B) operatively arranged to receive said high-speed digital data output signal from said signal source, and to supply said high-speed digital data output signal from said signal source to said source gap of said controlled-impedance differential transmission line;
a near-field probe (G) arranged in spaced relation to said controlled-impedance differential transmission line for receiving a signal transmitted across said interface;
said near-field probe having a signal capture area for receiving said signal transmitted across said interface;
said signal capture area having a first region and a second region, said first and second regions having dissimilar geometries, such that said signal capture area has a discontinuous geometry; and
receiving electronics (H) operatively arranged to receive the signal received by said near-field probe; and
wherein said rotary joint exhibits an ultra-wide bandwidth frequency response capable of high speed data transmission rates.

2. A non-contacting rotary joint as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said first region of said signal capture area of said near-field probe is planar.

3. A non-contacting rotary joint as set forth in claim 1 , and further comprising an integrated circuit, and wherein said transmission line has at least one termination that is embedded in said integrated circuit.

4. A non-contacting rotary joint as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said high speed data transmission rates are in excess of 10 Gbps.

5. A non-contacting rotary joint as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said probe is suspended at a distance over said controlled-impedance differential transmission line.

6. A non-contacting rotary joint as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said first region of said signal capture area of said near-field probe has a first geometric pattern and said second region of said signal capture area of said near-field probe has a second geometric pattern dissimilar to said first geometric pattern of said first region.

Assignees

• Moog Inc

Inventors

• Coleman Donnie S

Classifications

• H01P1/062 Primary

  the relative movement being a rotation · CPC title

• H01Q9/285

  Planar dipole (H01Q9/065 takes precedence; patch antenna H01Q9/0407) · CPC title

• H01P1/06 Primary

  Movable joints, e.g. rotating joints · CPC title

• H01P1/068 Primary

  the energy being transmitted in at least one ring-shaped transmission line located around the axis of rotation, e.g. "around the mast" rotary joint (H01P1/069 takes precedence; coaxial line with solid inner conductor H01P1/067) · CPC title