Patent Grant
8292670
The present invention generally relates to electronic cable connectors, and more particularly relates to a modular cable interface that by virtue of its construction connects two devices with dissimilar input/output pin geometries.
Aircraft and spacecraft are designed utilizing a large number of electronic components from a variety of vendors. Most of these electronic components are designed using as many off the shelf parts as possible to keep manufacturing costs down. Input/output pin connectors used with electronic components are typical examples. A great deal of attention is paid to the size and the combined mass of the cables needed to connect to these pin connectors to the aircraft/spacecraft command and control systems.
For example, a standard 128 pin connector requires a cable with 128 wires or more with wire redundancy and shields. However, many of these wires may not be used because not all of the 128 pins may carry a signal or a source of voltage. As such, the weight of these unused wires is dead weight.
Weight and volume are limiting factors in aircraft and spacecraft design. Accordingly, it is desirable to eliminate any useless or redundant cable weight where lower signal count is possible. In addition, it is desirable to provide a modular cable interface device that is inexpensive and cheaply modified to connect any two devices with disparate pin geometries (e.g. a 128 pin connector to a 58 pin connector). Other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.
A cable interface device is provided for physically and electronically connecting two devices. The cable interface device comprises a first pin pickup assembly electrically connectable to a first multi-pin connector of a first electronic device having a first pin geometry. The device also includes a removable hardware specific signal routing adapter connected electronically and physically in series with the pin pickup assembly. The cable interface device also includes a second pin pickup assembly electrically connectable to a second pin connector of a second electronic device having a second pin geometry. The second pin geometry is electronically and mechanically different from the first pin geometry.
The present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements, and
The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the invention or the application and uses of the invention. As used herein, the word “exemplary” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Thus, any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. All of the embodiments described herein are exemplary embodiments provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the invention and not to limit the scope of the invention which is defined by the claims. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary, or the following detailed description.
In this document, relational terms such as first and second, and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. Numerical ordinals such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc. simply denote different singles of a plurality and do not imply any order or sequence unless specifically defined by the claim language. Furthermore, depending on the context, words such as “connect” or “coupled to” used in describing a relationship between different elements do not imply that a direct physical connection must be made between these elements. For example, two elements may be connected to each other physically, electronically, logically, or in any other manner, through one or more additional elements.
Similarly, the data transmission cable connector 40 may also be any standard or proprietary mechanical cable connection 40 known in the art or that maybe devised in the future. Such connectors 40 have specific, fixed pin or connector geometries. The connector 40 fits onto or into a receptacle in the end of the cable interface device 100 where the pin geometry engages the contacts arranged in the same or in complementary connector/pin geometry within the connector 40 of cable 50.
The function of the cable interface device 100 is to dispense with a cable length of a large cable and replace it with a smaller cable. The cable interface device 100 allows the movement of the electronic signals and the mechanical conversion components from an arbitrary second electronic device 2 at the distal end of a heavy transmission cable (not shown) to a backshell 101 of the I/O connector 20b connected to the first electronic device 1. The device 100 thus allows a smaller data cable to run the distance between the first and second electronic devices instead of a heavier cable that may normally be required by the I/O connector 20a. By allowing the use of smaller cable, the cable weight may be reduced.
The first pin pickup assembly 120 is enclosed in a modified barrel type connector shown with a form factor 20b. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that in equivalent embodiments the connector 20b may be a male connector or female connector or in an alternative form factor. However, in the interest of brevity and simplicity, the discussion below will assume that connectors are multi-pin male connectors unless otherwise indicated.
The first pin pickup assembly 120 comprises a first set of conductors 122 arranged in a geometry that is compatible with a corresponding female I/O connector 20a (See,
The pin pickup form factor 124 is preferably a slab, disk or substrate of insulating material that may be fixedly secured with in the connector 20b as shown in
The first pin pickup assembly 120 also comprises a terminal substrate 126. The terminal substrate 126 includes a set of conducting points or pads 128 arranged upon its exterior face 119 in a pin geometry that differs from the pin geometry of the first set of conductors 122. The second ends 123 of the conductors of each set of conductors 122 may extend through the terminal substrate 126 and each end is electrically and mechanically terminated at a pad 128.
In an equivalent embodiment of
Referring again to
The pin routing form factor 146 comprises a front side 155 and a back side 156 with a second set of conducting elements 144 arranged on the front side 155 and a third set of conducting elements 147 arranged on the back side 156. The pin routing form factor 146 also comprises a hardware specific connection fabric 157 electrically connecting at least one of the second set of conducting elements 144 to one or more of the third set of conducting elements 147 as desired to meet application-specific requirements. The connections may be one-to-one, one-to-many, or many-to-one across the connection fabric 157.
The first mating boot 143 includes a first plurality of conducting pins 141 penetrating completely through the first mating boot and that are arranged to engage at least one of the first set of conducting elements 128 of the terminal substrate 126 and at least one of the second set of conducting elements 144 of the pin routing form factor 146. The second mating boot 149 includes a second plurality of conducting pins 150 penetrating through the second mating boot that are arranged to engage at least one the third set of conducting elements 147 pin routing form factor 146 and at least one of the fourth set of conducting elements 161 of the second pin pickup assembly 160.
The first and second pluralities of conducting pins (141, 150) may be any type of conducting pins known in the art or that may be devised in the future. In some embodiments the preferred type of conducting pins are spring loaded or utilize a similar type of compression mechanism for maintaining contact and compensating for vibration and thermal expansion between parts connected by the conducting pins. Exemplary types of conducting pins may include Pogo pins, fuzz buttons, and the like.
The pin routing form factor 146 also includes a hardware specific connection fabric 157. The hardware specific connection fabric 157 is a network or a collection of electrical connectors, printed circuit board (PCB) traces, or wires connecting the various elements of the second set of conducting elements 144 to the various elements of the third set of conducting elements 147. The hardware specific connection fabric 157 is a conversion means for translating the pin geometry of the set of conductors 122/130 of the first pin pickup assembly 120 to the pin geometry 165 of the second pin pickup assembly 160.
The various parts of the removable hardware specific routing adapter 140 may be releasably secured together by a securing means 159. The securing means 159 may be any securing device known in the art or that may be developed in the future. An exemplary, non-limiting example of a securing means include: a bolt, a pin, a rod, a clasp, a screw and the like.
To connect a new and different arbitrary electronic device 2 having different pin geometry from that of an old electronic device 2, a technician disengages the securing means 159. The technician then replaces the existing removable hardware specific routing adapter 140 with a new removable hardware specific routing adapter that corresponds to the pin geometry of the new electronic device 2 on one side and the pin geometry of electronic device 1 on the other side.
Continuing with
The second pin pickup assembly 160 includes a pin pickup form factor 172 configured to secure the second end 173 of the set of axial conductors 170 and includes a terminal substrate 163 with an internal surface 162 and an external surface 176. The terminal substrate 163 is configured to accept the first end 171 of each of the second set of conductors 170 at its external surface 176 and pass the set of axial conductors 170 therethrough.
The second pin pickup assembly 160 further includes a fourth set of conducting elements 161 disposed on the internal surface of the terminal substrate 163. Each conducting element of the fourth set of conducting elements is electrically connected to the first end of one of the set of axial conductors 170.
In some embodiments, the second terminal substrate may comprise a universal input/output (I/O) interface circuit 167 electronically connected between the fourth set of conducting elements 161 and a pin 165 of the second pin geometry of the second electronic device 2. The purpose of the universal I/O interface circuit 167 is to provide a re-configurable signal conditioning circuit with multiple input and output functionality to the second electronic device 2. Elements normally associated with input signal conditioning functionality are uniquely combined with elements normally associated with output conditioning functionality, thereby allowing multiple uses of a common universal I/O circuit element for various applications. Non-limiting examples of such universal I/O circuits may be found in co-owned, co-pending application Ser. Nos. 12/750,341 and 12/768,448 to Fletcher, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description of the invention, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing an exemplary embodiment of the invention. It being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
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