Ka-band CMUX with stacked solution Ka Ingenious Space Solution (KISS)

Status

Completed
Status date

2014-01-21

Objectives

The objective of the study was to develop and qualify a CMUX stacked solution with a significant saving on footprint

to improve accommodation of such units on Communication Modules,
to answer to the growth of spot quantity on Multimedia architecture.

30GHz CMUX with stacked solution is needed for maintaining Thales Alenia Space competitiveness on the market.

This product is key to the competitiveness of payloads, and will allow Thales Alenia Space to successfully address the open market.

Challenges

RF Design:

2 Channels CMUX, 8 poles, including Input and Output Isolators and Coupler.

Mechanical housing optimisation:

Dimensions of the tuning screws optimized to reduce the distance between two channel Filters.

Preliminary design:

RF design : trade-off performed to implement a manifold instead of Isolators and Coupler.

Mechanical design ensured by flexible brackets on front face and rigid structure at CMUX output. Thermo-mechanical decoupling between Input and Output of each CMUX

Acceleration on components : test performed on Isolator sample

According to the trade-off results, the preliminary design is confirmed as the best compromise between mass, footprint, assembling constraints, and input/output access.

Final design:

A Mechanical structural Breadboard of the Stacked CMUX, representative in mass and inertias, has been developed in order to measure the dynamic responses through a series of vibrations tests, and to verify and to readjust the damping factor inside the numerical mechanical model.

The mechanical design has been optimized considering several aspects :

Mass (less than 300 gr. per Channel)
Modal response
Random Stresses
Random accelerations on components :
Thermo-Mechanical stresses
Thermo-Mechanical CTE

Click for larger image

Savings:

Footprint saving : 78%

Mass saving : 3 %

Qualification tests sequence:

Initial Performance Test
Vibration test
Post Vibration Test
Shock Test
Post Shock Test
Thermal Vacuum Test –20°C/+70°C
Insertion Loss Monitoring
EMC tests
Final Performance Test
Final ICD control

EQM stacked CMUX has successfully passed the following qualifications tests.

Benefits

The capability to develop and to test at Qualification level a stacked CMUX with 4 slices has been demonstrated.

The initial objectives related to the Mass and the Footprint savings have been fulfilled

Thales Alenia Space is now able to bid this new Product on the new Programs

Features

THALES ALENIA SPACE proposes here to design, to develop and to qualify a 30 GHz CMUX with a stacked configuration. The stacked CMUX is composed of 4 slices including each one 2 CMUX stand alone.

Plan

The activities are organized in two phases:

Phase 1:

Mechanical housing optimization, with a target to reduce the mass of the preliminary design.
Preliminary mechanical analysis.
Components (isolator, coupler) limitations, especially regarding vibration and shock environments.
Trade-off including improvements achieved with the different stacked solutions and trade-off mass/footprint
Mechanical Design Review.

Phase 2: