High-frequency cavity resonator filter with diametrically-opposed heat transfer legs

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10056668-B2
Application number	US-201514864669-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2015
Priority date	Sep 24, 2015
Publication date	Aug 21, 2018
Grant date	Aug 21, 2018

Abstract

A heat transfer interface is provided for radio-frequency resonator cavity filters used in vacuum environments such as are encountered by spacecraft and satellites. The heat transfer interface may include a thermally conductive structure that encircles or partially encircles a tubular structure of the resonator cavity filter and heat transfer legs that extend from positions that are on opposite sides of the thermally conductive structure and at approximately the same distance from a support surface to the support surface. The heat transfer legs and the thermally conductive structure may be made from a material or materials having a thermal conductivity of 350 W/(m·K) or greater.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a resonator cavity radio frequency (RF) filter including a first tubular section; and
a heat transfer arrangement configured to thermally couple the first tubular section with a mounting surface when the resonator cavity RF filter is mounted to the mounting surface, the heat transfer arrangement including:
a plurality of heat transfer legs; and
one or more thermally conductive structures, each thermally conductive structure at least partially encircling a first outer surface of the first tubular section and in thermally conductive contact with the first outer surface, wherein:
each thermally conductive structure is coupled with a pair of oppositely disposed thermally conductive flanges, each thermally conductive flange extending away from the first tubular section and in a direction substantially parallel to the mounting surface when the resonator cavity RF filter is mounted to the mounting surface, wherein:
each thermally conductive flange is coupled with a proximal portion of at least one of the heat transfer legs,
each heat transfer leg has a distal portion that is configured to couple the heat transfer leg with the mounting surface, and
the one or more thermally conductive structures, the thermally conductive flanges, and the heat transfer legs are made from a material or materials having a thermal conductivity or thermal conductivities of at least

W

m
·
K

.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more thermally conductive structures and the heat transfer legs coupled thereto are made from copper or copper alloy.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the resonator cavity RF filter further includes a tuning screw that protrudes through a wall of the first tubular section to allow for tuning of a filtering characteristic of the resonator cavity RF filter.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
at least one of the one or more thermally conductive structures includes two C-shaped halves, and
each thermally conductive flange of the at least one of the one or more thermally conductive structures is formed by two tabs, each tab extending from an end of each of the C-shaped halves.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
at least one of the one or more thermally conductive structures is a hoop with a slit forming a circumferential gap between a first end of the hoop and a second end of the hoop, and
the at least one of the one or more thermally conductive structures includes a clamping mechanism configured to draw the first end of the hoop towards the second end of the hoop to reduce the circumferential gap when the clamping mechanism is engaged.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
at least one of the one or more thermally conductive structures is an unbroken hoop having an inner diameter within 0.26 mm of the diameter of the first outer surface in the location where the at least one of the one or more thermally conductive structures at least partially encircles the first tubular section.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a conformal thermal interface material that is interposed between the first tubular section and at least one of the one or more thermally conductive structures.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the heat transfer legs includes two pieces, and at least one of the pieces includes a hole or slot through which a fastener may be passed in order to connect the piece to the other piece, wherein the hole or slot is sized so as to allow the distance between the distal portion of the heat transfer leg and proximal portion of the heat transfer leg to be changed when the fastener is in a loosened state.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the heat transfer legs coupled with at least one of the one or more thermally conductive structures are spaced apart from one another by at least the diameter of the first tubular section at the location where that thermally conductive structure encircles the first tubular section.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the heat transfer legs includes a braided, flexible portion in between the proximal portion and the distal portion.

11. A spacecraft, the spacecraft comprising:
a main body;
a mounting surface located on or in the main body;
a payload subsystem including:
a resonator cavity radio frequency (RF) filter including a first tubular section; and
a heat transfer arrangement configured to thermally couple the first tubular section with a mounting surface when the resonator cavity RF filter is mounted to the mounting surface, the heat transfer arrangement including:
a plurality of heat transfer legs; and
one or more thermally conductive structures, each thermally conductive structure at least partially encircling a first outer surface of the first tubular section and in thermally conductive contact with the first outer surface, wherein:
each thermally conductive structure is coupled with a pair of oppositely disposed thermally conductive flanges, each thermally conductive flange extending away from the first tubular section and in a direction substantially parallel to the mounting surface when the resonator cavity RF filter is mounted to the mounting surface,
each thermally conductive flange is coupled with a proximal portion of at least one of the heat transfer legs,
each heat transfer leg has a distal portion that is configured to couple the heat transfer leg with the mounting surface, and
the one or more thermally conductive structures, the thermally conductive flanges, and the heat transfer legs are made from a material or materials having a thermal conductivity or thermal conductivities of at least

350
⁢

W

m
·
K

.

12. The spacecraft of claim 11 , wherein the one or more thermally conductive structures and the heat transfer legs coupled thereto are made from copper or copper alloy.

13. The spacecraft of claim 11 , wherein the resonator cavity RF filter further includes a tuning screw that protrudes through a wall of the first tubular section to allow for tuning of a filtering characteristic of the resonator cavity RF filter.

14. The spacecraft of claim 11 , wherein:
at least one of the one or more thermally conductive structures includes two C-shaped halves, and
each thermally conductive flange of the at least one of the one or more thermally conductive structures is formed by two tabs, each tab extending from an end of each of the C-shaped halves.

15. The spacecraft of claim 11 , wherein:
at least one of the one or more thermally conductive structures is a hoop with a slit forming a circumferential gap between a first end of the hoop and a second end of the hoop, and
the at least one of the one or more thermally conductive structures includes a clamping mechanism configured to draw the first end of the hoop towards the second end of the hoop to reduce the circumferential gap when the clamping mechanism is engaged.

16. The spacecraft of claim 11 , wherein:
at least one of the one or more thermally conductive structures is an

Assignees

• Space Systems/Loral LLC

Inventors

• Lee Hoover R
• Tam Victor
• Seehorn Robert N
• Fiedziuszko George A
• White Gary W

Classifications

• H01P1/207

  Hollow waveguide filters (H01P1/212, H01P1/213, H01P1/215, H01P1/219 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01P7/06

  Cavity resonators · CPC title

• B64G1/58

  Thermal protection, e.g. heat shields · CPC title

• B64G1/22

  Parts of, or equipment specially adapted for fitting in or to, cosmonautic vehicles · CPC title

• H01P1/30 Primary

  for compensation of, or protection against, temperature or moisture effects {; for improving power handling capability (H01P1/04, H01P1/08 take precedence)} · CPC title