Penetrator and flexible circuit assembly for sealed environment
AssigneeCray Computer Corporation
InventorsJon M. Huppenthal, Candy L. Saunders, Joseph E. Jaramillo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A penetrator and flexible circuit apparatus comprises a penetrator housing having a passageway through which at least one elongated flat flexible circuit having a plurality of parallel electrical traces is placed. A retention material substantially occupies the passageway to retain the flexible circuit in the passageway, to establish a hermetic seal of the flexible circuit within the penetrator and to thereby seal the interior of a computer which is cooled by cooling fluid from its exterior environment.
Claims27
A penetrator and flexible circuit apparatus for transmitting controlled impedance electrical signals between two environments separated by a wall, comprising:
- a penetrator housing including a flange portion and a sleeve portion having a passageway through the penetrator housing;
- at least one elongated flat flexible circuit having a plurality of hermetically bonded, substantially parallel electrical traces extending therealong, said electrical traces being capable of controlled impedance signal transmission, said flexible circuit extending through said passageway;
- and
- a retention material substantially occupying the passageway and surrounding the flat flexible circuit, the retention material retaining the flexible circuit in the passageway of the penetrator housing and establishing a hermetic seal of the flexible circuit within the penetrator sleeve.
A method for communicating electrical signals into and out of a computer having elements hermetically enclosed within a shell within which fluid under pressure is also confined, the electrical signals having a sufficiently high communication frequency to be susceptible to substantial signal degradation due to insulation impedance variations, comprising the steps of:
- inserting at least one elongated flat flexible circuit having a plurality of parallel controlled impedance electrical traces extending therealong into a passageway of a penetrator housing;
- positioning the elongated flat flexible circuit to extend both ends of the flexible circuit out of the passageway on opposite ends of the passageway and away from the penetrator housing;
- establishing a first hermetic seal between the flexible circuit and the penetrator housing within the passageway;
- retaining the flexible circuit in the passageway of the penetrator housing to maintain the first hermetic seal;
- and
- establishing a second hermetic seal between the penetrator housing and the shell of the computer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.