Magnetic field shield
09968016 ยท 2018-05-08
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
International classification
Abstract
A magnetic field shield having a plurality of tunable resonant loops arranged on a planar support medium. The resonant loops are loaded with a lumped component such as a capacitor or variable capacitor and produce magnetic null points. The location of the magnetic null points may be moved three dimensionally about the planar support medium.
Claims
1. A magnetic field shield, comprising: a planar support medium; and a plurality of tunable resonant loops disposed on said planar support medium and arranged on said planar support medium in a regular grid arrangement or an offset arrangement, each of said plurality of tunable resonant loops having at least one lumped component; each of said plurality of tunable resonant loops having an induced loop current in response to an external magnetic field, said induced loop currents producing at least one magnetic null point at a point spaced apart from said planar support medium.
2. The magnetic field shield of claim 1, wherein said planar support medium is a dielectric substrate, said plurality of tunable resonant loops being disposed on said dielectric substrate.
3. The magnetic field shield of claim 2, wherein said at least one lumped component is a capacitor.
4. The magnetic field shield of claim 3, further comprising an electrical control signal, said electrical control signal supplied to said at least one lumped component of each of said tunable resonant loops and said at least one lumped component is a variable capacitor having a capacitive value, said electrical control signal varying a capacitive value of each of said plurality of tunable resonant loops.
5. The magnetic field shield of claim 4, wherein said electrical control signal varies said capacitive value of said variable capacitor between 1-10 nanofarad.
6. The magnetic field shield of claim 3, wherein said capacitors of said plurality of tunable resonant loops have a capacitance within a capacitance range between 1-10 nanofarad.
7. The magnetic field shield of claim 1, wherein said plurality of tunable resonant loops are disposed on said planar support medium in a single layer.
8. The magnetic field shield of claim 1, further comprising a first planar layer of tunable resonant loops disposed on said planar support medium and a second planar layer of tunable resonant loops disposed on said planar support medium.
9. The magnetic field shield of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of tunable resonant loops have an operating frequency within a frequency range from 1 kilohertz (1 KHz) to 100 megahertz (100 MHz).
10. The magnetic field shield of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of tunable resonant loops have a radius within a range between 30-50 mm.
11. A magnetic field shield housing for an electronic component, the magnetic field shield housing comprising: an electronic control unit; a housing body defining an interior volume, said electronic control unit disposed within said interior volume; a plurality of tunable resonant loops disposed planarly within said housing body and arranged within said housing in a regular grid arrangement or an offset grid arrangement, each of said plurality of tunable resonant loops having at least one lumped component; and a magnetic field generated by said electronic control unit, said magnetic field inducing a loop current in each of said plurality of tunable resonant loops and said loop currents producing at least one magnetic null point within said interior volume of said housing body.
12. The magnetic field shield housing of claim 11, wherein said housing body is a dielectric substrate, said plurality of tunable resonant loops disposed on said dielectric substrate.
13. The magnetic field shield housing of claim 12, wherein said at least one lumped component is a capacitor.
14. The magnetic field shield housing of claim 13, further comprising an electrical control signal supplied to said at least one lumped component of each of said plurality of tunable resonant loops; said at least one lumped component being a variable capacitor and said electrical control signal varying a capacitive value of each of said plurality of tunable resonant loops.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
(29) A magnetic field shield that provides an efficient and lightweight shielding device for low frequency (1 KHz-100 MHz) electromagnetic radiation is disclosed. The magnetic field shield has a plurality of tunable resonant loops disposed on a planar support medium that may easily be incorporated into housings for electrical components, such as those used for automobile ECUs. Each of the resonant loops are loaded with a lumped component, such as a capacitor or variable capacitor, which allows the resonant loops to be tuned. The magnetic field shield produces magnetic null points that are three dimensionally movable by tuning the resonant loops to target specific points surrounding the magnetic field shield.
(30) Structural Arrangement
(31) Turning now to
(32) Since the magnetic field shield 10 is for low frequency (1 KHz-100 MHz) electromagnetic radiation, the resonant loops 20 have an operating frequency within the range from 1 KHz-100 MHz. One way of tuning the operating frequency of the resonant loops 20 is by adjusting the radius of the loops 20. In a preferred embodiment, the radius of the loops 20 is within a range from 30 millimeters (mm) to 50 mm, e.g. 40 mm. However, one skilled in the art will appreciate that an operating frequency outside of the preferred range may be obtained by adjusting the radius of the loops 20 to a radius outside of the preferred range.
(33) The operating frequency of the resonant loops 20 is also tuned by adjusting the properties of the lumped component 40 loaded on the resonant loops 20. In a preferred embodiment, the resonant loops 20 are loaded with a capacitor 42 having a capacitance in the range from 1 nanofarad to 10 nanofarad. In this preferred embodiment, the resonant loops 20 are loaded with a single lumped component that is depicted in a uniform position of the resonant loops 20 throughout the exemplary magnetic field shield 10, however this is not required. In another preferred embodiment shown in
(34) In another preferred embodiment, the resonant loops are loaded with variable capacitors 44 that have capacitive values that are controllable throughout a capacitive range as illustrated in
(35) The planar support medium 30 and the resonant loops 20 are preferably incorporated into a housing 60 as shown in
(36) The housing 60 has a housing body 70 as shown in
(37) A cross sectional view of the preferred housing 60 having the magnetic field shield 10 is shown in
(38) In another preferred embodiment shown in
(39) Operation and Location of Null Points
(40) The magnetic field shield 10 shields electronic components by producing at least one magnetic null point 200 as shown in
(41) An exemplary section of the magnetic field shield 10 is shown generally in
(42) In the preferred embodiment, centers of adjacent resonant loops 20 are spaced apart in the x-direction by a distance dx and in the y-direction by a distance dy. It is appreciated that when the resonant loops 20 are arranged in a regular grid, the distances dx and dy between dx and dy will vary as the arrangement of the resonant loops 20 on the support medium 30 changes.
(43) In a preferred embodiment, the magnetic null points 200 are located approximately 50-150 mm away from the magnetic field shield 10 in the z-direction. As such, in the preferred embodiment a spacing distance between the ECU board 110 and the magnetic field shield 10 falls within the 50-150 mm range to allow the magnetic null points 200 to target components 112 on the ECU board 110.
(44) The location of the magnetic null points 200 is controllable in three dimensions, i.e. in the x-direction, y-direction, and z-direction. The control of the magnetic null point 200 will be described first in the z-direction (Vertical) and then in the xy-direction (Planar). An experimental trial will be used to demonstrate the control of the magnetic null point 200 followed by an analytical model to position the magnetic null point 200. The results of the experimental trial are in agreement with the analytical model and, as such, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the analytical model may be used to freely position magnetic null points 200 about the magnetic field shield 10 in three dimensional space.
(45) Experimental Trial
(46) Not being bound by theory, an incoming magnetic field 210 will induce a loop current 220 in each of the resonant loops 20, which will in turn produce a magnetic field about the magnetic field shield 10. The loop current 220 is further altered by the lumped component 40, such as a capacitor 42 or variable capacitor 44.
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(50) Having described how adjusting the capacitance is used to position the magnetic null point 200 in the z-direction using experimental data, the control of the magnetic null point 200 in the xy-direction will now be described.
(51) With reference now to
(52) The location of the magnetic null point 200 in the xy-direction is controlled by changing the capacitance of the four loops within the outlined array 240 relative to one another.
(53) Point A is equidistant from the centers of loops L1, L2, L3, and L4. As such, for the magnetic null point 200 to be located at point A, the loop currents 220 of all the loops is the same. To locate the magnetic null point 200 at Point B, the loop current 220 in loops L2 and L4 is reduced relative to the loop currents 220 in loops L1 and L3. As the magnetic null point 200 moves towards Point C which is closest to loops L1 and L3, the loop currents 220 in loops L2 and L4 continues to decrease and remains comparatively small.
(54) One skilled in the art will appreciate that as the magnetic null point 200 moves about symmetrically relative to the loops L1-L4, the loop currents 220 are similarly changed in pairs. However, as the magnetic null point 200 moves towards Point D, the loop current 220 in loop L3 is reduced relative to loop L1. Finally, to position the magnetic null point 200 at Point E, the loop current 220 in loop L1 is appreciably greater than the loop current 220 in any of the other loops L2-L4.
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(56) As described above, the location of the magnetic null point 200 is in part dictated by the geometric arrangement of the resonant loops 20 on the support medium 30. Each of the plurality of tunable resonant loops 20 can therefore be considered individual units that are arranged according to design specifications. In the preferred embodiments described above, the resonant loops 20 are arranged on the support medium 30 in a regular grid, as in
(57) The radii of the resonant loops 20 and the capacitance of the lumped components 40 loaded on the resonant loops 20 further provides two degrees of freedom for tuning the operating frequency of the resonant loops 20 and the location of the magnetic null points 200. As such, and while in a preferred embodiment all the resonant loops 20 have the same radius and are loaded with the same lumped component 40, one skilled in the art will appreciate that by varying the radius and lumped component 40 of the magnetic field shield 10, the operating frequency of the resonant loops 20 can be adjusted. Furthermore, tuning the resonant loops 20 in this manner will alter the properties of the magnetic null points 200, as described above.
(58) Analytically Calculating the Null Point Formation
(59) In an effort compare control and location of magnetic null points via numerical and analytical methods, an analytical solution to the location of a magnetic null point was derived and is discussed below.
(60) For cylindrical coordinates, a single loop expression for a magnetic field (H) along the {circumflex over ()} and {circumflex over (z)} direction is given by:
where H.sub. is the magnetic field component in the direction and H.sub.z is the magnetic field component in the z direction. In addition:
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(62) For a null condition at (.sub.0, Z.sub.0)
H.sub.1=H.sub.2(4)
H.sub.1ZH.sub.2Z=Hoin(5)
and assuming: Z=Z.sub.0=0.03, then from condition (4):
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Also, assuming .sub.1=.sub.0 and .sub.2=R.sub.1+R.sub.2+d.sub.0, equation (5) provides:
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which allows for I.sub.2 to be solved, i.e.:
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(66) Referring now to
(67) The invention is not restricted to the illustrative examples described above. Examples are not intended as limitations on the scope of the invention. Methods, apparatus, compositions, and the like described herein are exemplary and not intended as limitations on the scope of the invention. Changes therein and other uses will occur to those skilled in the art. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the claims.
(68) TABLE-US-00001 Reference Numeral Listing 10 Magnetic field shield 20 Tunable resonant loops 30 Planar support medium 40 Lumped component 41 Capacitor 44 Variable capacitor 46 Trace 50 Control circuit 60 Housing 70 Housing body 72 Interior volume 74 First housing side 76 Second housing side 80 First layer of resonant loops 82 Second layer of resonant loops 100 Electronic component 110 ECU board 112 Components 200 Magnetic null point 210 Magnetic field 220 Loop current 240 Outlined four resonant loop array