This patent application claims the priority to the Chinese Patent Application No. 201610970797.7 entitled “CABLE BACKPLANE SYSTEM AND COMMUNICATION DEVICE” filed on Oct. 31, 2016, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
In communication devices, functions of plug-in cards (single boards) are desired to be clearly partitioned. In particular, plug-in cards with different functions are connected and communicate with each other through connectors to implement a complex communication system.
A clear and complete description of the technical schemes in the examples of the present disclosure is made in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the examples of the present disclosure. Obviously, the examples as recited herein are merely a part of examples of the present disclosure instead of all examples. All other examples obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art based on the examples of the present disclosure without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.
In a complex system, various modules (plug-in cards) may be designed according to requirements through a chassis on which a development module is pluggable. The plug-in cards may be connected with each other through a system backplane. As communication traffic of communication products is increasing, the number of the plug-in cards is correspondingly increased. When the system backplane is oversized, it is hard to control dimensions (widths and heights) for chassis of the communication products, which causes difficulties in system design.
In an example of the present disclosure, the first connector array includes a plurality of first connectors regularly arranged in a transverse direction and a longitudinal direction. Likewise, the second connector array includes a plurality of second connectors regularly arranged in the transverse direction and the longitudinal direction. For example, the first connector array is a combination of 6×6 first connectors, and the second connector array is a combination of 6×6 second connectors. In an example of the present disclosure, each of the first connector array and the second connector array in a figure is a matrix. In another example of the present disclosure, based on space requirements for devices, the first connector array and the second connector array may be arrays with any regular or irregularly shapes.
In an example of the present disclosure, the first connectors 22 and the second connectors 23 are regularly or arbitrarily connected via the communication cables 21, so that communication between first plug-in cards and second plug-in cards is established based on connections via the communication cables 21. For example, connectors in the first plug-in card are arranged in a row, when the first plug-in cards are arranged in a transverse direction, each of the connectors on the first plug-in card is connected with a first connector 22 in a same row; connectors in the second plug-in card are arranged in a row, when the second plug-in cards are arranged in a longitudinal direction, each of the connectors on the second plug-in cards is connected with a second connector 23 in a same column. Each of the first plug-in cards is connected with a corresponding second plug-in card via the communication cables 21.
In an example, the first plug-in cards are service cards, and the second plug-in cards are switch cards, so that it is unnecessary to add switch cards when service cards are added onto the communication device based on service expansion requirements of users, and the communication device can be easily extended. Further, a signal integrity (SI) performance problem for a high-speed link can be solved by a high-speed feature of the communication cables 21. In another example, the first plug-in cards are memory cards, and the second plug-in cards are network cards.
In an example in
The communication cables 21 include a plurality of cables. That is, the cables constitute the communication cables 21. The communication cables 21 are connected with the first connector array and the second connector array, and each of the cables is connected with a first connector and a second connector. In an example, between the first connectors 22 in the same column and the second connectors 23 in the same column, the first connectors 22 are sequentially connected with the second connectors 23 via the cables by taking a first connector and a second connector adjacent to each other as a starting point. For example, there are four rows of the first connectors 22 and four columns of the second connectors 23. The first connectors 22 in a column are denoted as 1-4 from top to bottom. The second connectors 23 in the same column are denoted as 5-8 from top to bottom. The No. 4 first connector 22 is connected with the No. 5 second connector 23. The No. 3 first connector 22 is connected with the No. 6 second connector 23. The No. 2 first connector 22 is connected with the No. 7 second connector 23. The No. 1 first connector 22 is connected with the No. 8 second connector 23. In the example, each of the cables is shaped like U as illustrated in
In an example, the number of columns of the second connector array is equal to the number of columns of the first connector array. In a column, the number of the first connectors 22 is M times as many as the number of the second connectors 23, and M first connectors 22 are connected in parallel with a same second connector 23 via the communication cables 21, where M is a natural number more than 1. In an example, in
In an example, the number of columns of the second connector array is equal to the number of columns of the first connector array. In a column, the number of the first connectors is different from the number of the second connectors. In this case, one first connector may be connected to a plurality of second connectors, or a plurality of first connectors may be connected to one second connector. In another example, the first connectors may be arbitrarily connected with the second connectors. For example, the first connectors corresponding to a plurality of first plug-in cards constitute a plurality of first connector groups. Each of the first connector groups may include a first connector in first connectors corresponding to each of the first plug-in cards. A plurality of first connectors in a same row in different first connector groups are different from each other. The first connectors in the first connector groups are connected, one to one, with the second connectors in same columns.
In another example of the present disclosure in
In an example,
There may be some problem for the switch cards, e.g., the switch cards is overlarge in size, the switch cards is hard to be processed, the high-speed link of the switch cards is long, and it is hard for wiring on the switch cards. In an example of the present disclosure, the extension columns for the second connectors are added to reduce design difficulty of the switch cards (the second plug-in cards). For example, the number of the switch cards is equal to the number of the service cards, and eight chips are placed on each of the service cards 48 chips in total are desired when six switch cards are designed. However, when the number of the switch cards is more than the number of the service cards (for example, eight switch cards), six chips are arranged on each of the switch cards to reach 48 chips in a way that the number of the chips on the switch cards is reduced, and it is easy to design the switch cards.
When the number of columns of the second connector array is more than the number of columns of the first connector array, the second connector array may be divided into base columns and extension columns. In the second connector array, the base columns include columns the number of which is same as the number of the columns of the first column array, the extension columns includes additional columns in the second connector array. In
In
A spacing between two adjacent columns of the first connectors is larger than a spacing between two adjacent columns of the second connectors. The cables in the first cable group 211 are bent to be connected with the first connector array and the base columns in the second connector array. The cables in the second cable group 212 are bent to be connected with the first connector array and the extension columns in second connector array. In an example, the cables in the first cable group 211 are bent with a same first bending angle when the first connectors 22 connected with the cables in the first cable group 211 are in a same column, the second cable group 212 are bent with a same second bending angle when the second connectors 23 connected with the second cable group 212 are in a same column, so that the cables are regularly placed to facilitate management for the cables.
In another example, the first connectors 22 are connected with the second connectors 23 in any manner when it is satisfied that a first plug-in card is connected with each of second plug-in cards for communication, and a second plug-in card is connected with each of first plug-in cards for communication.
In
In an example in
The first component 11 includes a main body of the first component 111 and a connecting hole 112 on the main body of the first component 111, where the connecting hole 112 is used to be connected with the first connector 22. In another example, the connecting hole 112 is another structure cooperatively connected with the first connector 22, for example, a connecting part or a clamping structure, etc.
The first connector 22 includes a main body of the first component 221 and a convex platform 222 which respectively extends from upside and downside of the main body of the first connector 221. The convex platform 222 cooperates with the connecting hole 112 in a way that the first connector 22 is connected with the first component 11. In an example, the convex platform 222 is fixed in the connecting hole 112.
In an example in
A height of the stud 2221 is larger than a depth of the connecting hole 112. That is, the height of the stud 2221 is larger than a material thickness of the first component 11 in a way that the first connector 22 can move in a direction opposite to the first component 11, i.e., a floating quantity is designed for the first connector 22 to absorb structural tolerance. In an example, the floating quantity of the first connector 22 in the direction opposite to the first component 11 is adjusted by changing the material thickness of the first component 11.
Further, an external diameter of the stud 2221 is smaller than a diameter of the connecting hole 112 in a way that gap cooperation is implemented through a difference value between the diameter of the connecting hole 112 and an axis diameter of the stud 2221, and the first connector 22 can provide the floating quantity for the stud 2221 in a radial direction. In an example, when design for the floating quantity of the first connector 22 is determined to be unreasonable, the diameter of the connecting hole 112 on the first component 11 is directly changed to adjust the floating quantity, rather than that the first connector 22 is changed, which can make implementation easer compared with changing the first connector 22.
In another example in
In the example, the limiting part 2224 may be an inverse ratchet in a way that a circumferential side of the limiting part 2224 has a guidance inclined plane, and the first connector can easily be plugged into the first component 11 to make assembly easy. The external diameter of the protrusion 2223 is smaller than the diameter of the connecting hole in a way that gap cooperation is implemented through a difference value between the diameter of the connecting hole 112 and an external diameter of the protrusion 2223, and the first connector 22 can provide floating quantity for the protrusion 2223 in a radial direction. Further, a floating quantity is designed for the first connector 22 in an axis direction to absorb structural tolerance.
In
A plurality of second connectors 23 are assembled in accommodation space of the metal housing 121. The second connectors 23 fixed into the metal housing 121 are cooperatively plugged into the same second component. The second connector 23 includes a main body of the second connector 231, an elastic slice 232 cooperatively clamped on the main body of the second connector 231, and a protrusion part 233 arranged at a bottom of the main body of the second connector 231. A gap is provided between the main body of the second connector 231 and the accommodation space. The main body of the second connector 231 is cooperatively clamped in the gap through the elastic slice 232 in a way that the main body of the second connector 231 is fixed on the metal housing 121. The main body of the second connector 231 has a floating quantity relative to the metal housing 121 based on elastic attributes of the elastic slice 232.
Further, the elastic slice 232 includes a limiting part 2321 bending outward and extending out. When the second connector 23 is mounted in the accommodation space of the metal housing 121, the protrusion part 233 is cooperated with a slot in the metal housing 121, and limiting part 2321 presses against an upper-end surface of the metal housing 121. Based on the a feature of the protrusion part 233 and a feature of the limiting part 2321, the second connector 23 can provide location limit between the main body of second connector 231 and the metal housing 121 in an assembly direction, further there is a floating quantity in the assembly direction.
In the example, the main body of the second connector includes a shell enclosed to be a frame structure and a plurality of elastic slide pins arranged in the shell. In an example, the elastic piece pins are arranged in parallel. When a plurality of the first connectors are connected with a second connector, the number of the elastic piece pins on the first connector is smaller than the number of the elastic piece pins on the second connector, and a volume of the second connector is larger than a volume of the first connector.
In examples of the present disclosure, a cable backplane system 100 is designed such that backplane design complexity can be simplified, and increased communication traffic can be satisfied. Further, a SI performance problem for a high-speed link in the cable backplane system 100 can be solved by a high-speed feature of the communication cables 21. By using the cable backplane system 100, dimension of the backplane system can be reduced, the first plug-in cards can extend.
According to examples of the present disclosure, a communication device 200 is provided. In an example in
In the cable backplane system 100, the frame 1 may be fixed on the device chassis 201 in a way that the whole cable backplane system 100 is fixed on the device chassis 201. Alternatively, the frame 1 may be a part of the device chassis 201, which is integrally-molded with the device chassis 201.
In an example, connectors on the first plug-in card 101 are arranged in a row, and connectors on the second plug-in card 102 are arranged in a row. When the first plug-in card 101 and the second plug-in card 102 are respectively connected with the first connector array and the second connector array, the connectors on the first plug-in card 101 are cooperatively plugged into first connectors 22 in a row of the first connector array, and the connectors on the second plug-in card 102 are cooperatively plugged into second connectors 23 in a column of the second connector array. In an example of the present disclosure, the first plug-in card 101 is a service card, the second plug-in card 102 is a switch card, and a plurality of service cards may communicate with each other via a plurality of switch cards.
In an example in
In an example in
Further, the communication device may increase the second plug-in cards 102 by increasing columns of the second connector array in a way that the service processing capacity of the communication device can be improved, service processing speed can be increased, and it can be satisfied that the communication device is configure with more first plug-in cards 101.
Cable backplane systems and communication devices are provided according to examples of the present disclosure. High-speed cables can be used to be connected with service cards and switch cards in a way that data interaction speed can be improved. Based on the layout of the cable unit, flexible configuration for the cable backplane system can be implemented, and a plurality of configuration requirement for the service cards and the switch cards can be satisfied. Further, the communication device provided with the cable backplane system has strong service processing capacity and enhanced extendibility in a way that configuration requirements of users for the service cards and the switch cards can be satisfied, and market competitiveness can be improved.
Apparatus examples are basically corresponding to the method examples, and thus method examples can serve as reference. Apparatus examples set forth above are merely exemplary, wherein units described as detached parts can be or not be detachable physically; parts displayed as units can be or not be physical units, i.e., either located at the same place, or distributed on a plurality of network units. Modules may be selected in part or in whole according to actual needs to achieve objectives of the solution of this example. Those of ordinary skill in the art may comprehend and implement the example without contributing creative effort.
It is to be noted that a relational term (such as a first or a second) herein is merely intended to separate one entity or operation from another entity or operation instead of requiring or hinting any practical relation or sequence exists among these entities or operations. Furthermore, terms such as “comprise”, “include” or other variants thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive “comprise” so that a process, a method, a merchandise or a device comprising a series of elements not only includes these elements, but also includes other elements not listed explicitly, or also includes inherent elements of the process, the method, the merchandise or the device. In the case of no more restrictions, elements restricted by a sentence “may include a . . . ” do not exclude the fact that additional identical elements may exist in a process, a method, a merchandise or a device of these elements.
The above describes in detail the method and the apparatus provided by the examples of the present disclosure, elaboration of principles and implementations of the present disclosure is made by using specific examples herein, and the description of the foregoing examples is merely intended to assist in understanding the method of the present disclosure and the core concept thereof; also, those of ordinary skill in the art may change, in according with the concept of the present disclosure, a concrete implementation and a scope of application. In conclusion, contents of the specification shall be not interpreted as limiting the present disclosure.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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201610970797.7 | Oct 2016 | CN | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/CN2017/108542 | 10/31/2017 | WO | 00 |