Patent Application
20090227123
In the telecommunications industry, cross connect panels have been used to connect components. Typical alarm aggregation and cross connect panels use a manual wire wrap termination, which is extremely labor intensive, time consuming, unreliable and prone to miswiring during system integration. Manual, semiautomatic, and automatic wire wrapping techniques may be used. Prior approaches utilized in the telecommunication industry involve a pinfield matrix and wire wrap terminations. Wire wrap terminations are used to develop electronic assemblies.
The summary that follows describes some of the example embodiments included in this disclosure. The information is proffered to provide a fundamental level of comprehension of aspects of this disclosure.
An example embodiment of the present invention may include apparatus and corresponding method for a cross connect panel. The cross connect panel may include a circuit board, trace, and cross connect field of user-configurable assignment terminals. The circuit board may be configured with input connectors and output connectors on an equipment side of the circuit board. The trace on the circuit board may be connected to a first subset of equipment terminals on the input and output connectors, which provides a reference to the first subset of the equipment terminals. The cross connect field may be on a user side of the circuit board and allow a user to cross connect selectively a second subset of the equipment terminals on the input connectors and output connectors.
The foregoing will be apparent from the following more particular description of example embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating embodiments of the present invention.
A description of example embodiments of the invention follows.
With the wire wrap technique used in current practice, discrete alarm wires are run from multiple shelves to a pinfield. At the pinfield, wires are cross connected by wire wrap into appropriate groups (e.g., power alarms, signal alarms, etc.).
In contrast, example embodiments of the present invention allow for cable assemblies to be pre-manufactured and connectorized by a machine. Doing so may create a perfect seal between wires and connectors, which results in long-term reliability. Once the shelves are installed, the cable assembles may be run from each shelf to an alarm cross connection. An intermediate connector shroud may allow for the grouping of alarms regardless of the shelf or physical location from which an alarm is generated. The following are example advantages provided by certain aspects of the present invention: (i) increase in connection reliability, (ii) elimination of the possibility of miswiring, (iii) allows the use of machine-terminated or pre-made cable assemblies that may be connectorized on each end, (iv) decreased time required during system integration and diagnosis, and (v) decreased labor required during system integration and diagnosis.
An example embodiment of the present invention may include apparatus and corresponding method for a cross connect panel. The cross connect panel may include a circuit board, a trace, and a cross connect field of user-configurable assignment terminals. The circuit board may be configured with input connectors and output connectors on an equipment side of the circuit board. The trace on the circuit board may be connected to a first subset of equipment terminals on the input connectors and output connectors, which provides a reference to the first subset of the equipment terminals. The cross connect field may be on a user side of the circuit board and may allow a user to cross connect selectively a second subset of the equipment terminals on the input connectors and output connectors.
The second subset of the equipment terminals may be configured to be cross connected in at least one of the following exemplary manners: mechanical, electro-mechanical, electrical, and opto-electrical. The input connectors and output connectors may include wire wrap pins.
In another example embodiment, the input connector may be connected to an equipment monitoring device configured to generate an alarm signal. The output connector may be connected to an equipment status transport device. The cross connect field may be configured to route an alarm signal transmitted by the equipment monitoring device to the equipment status transport device, which may be configured to report the alarm signal to a management node or to generate an alarm signal.
An example embodiment of the present invention may have user-configurable assignment terminals that provide more connection points with a larger pitch than user-configurable assignment terminals in an absence of the input connectors, output connectors, and trace.
In another example embodiment, the cross connect panel may be mounted in an enclosure with other equipment that includes devices electrically configured to connect pairs of the first subset of terminals with the reference to the first subset of the equipment terminals and a reference wire connected to the trace and the enclosure. The enclosure may include an electrical ground reference node, and the reference wire may be connected to the electrical ground reference node.
Referring to
The circuit board 145 may have input connectors 110b and output connectors 115b on an equipment side 148 of the circuit board 145 that allow for cross wiring 100a. The trace 153a on the circuit board 145 may be connected to a first subset of equipment terminals on the input connectors 110b and output connectors 115b to provide a reference to the first subset of the equipment terminals. The cross connect field 153b of user-configurable assignment terminals, in which an electronic component 160 may be inserted on an equipment side 148 of the circuit board 145, allows a user to cross connect selectively a second subset of the equipment terminals on the input connectors 110b and output connectors 115b. The cross connect field of user-configurable assignment terminals 153b may include terminals of a collection of wirewrap pins (pins) 150 that are positioned in alignment with each respective input connector terminals 110b, output connector terminals 115b, and diode terminals 120b. The pins 150 may be configured to receive or transmit low voltages. Cross connecting the second subset of the equipment terminals may be performed in at least one of the following manners: mechanical, electro-mechanical, electrical, and opto-electrical.
The electrical components 160 may provide more connection points with a larger pitch than user-configurable assignment terminals in an absence of the input and output connectors 110b, 115b and trace 153a. The trace 153a may be beneath the surface of the circuit board 145 and configured to provide a reference to a subset of the equipment terminals and the ground reference wire 135.
The cross connect panel 100 may also include a faceplate 124 with pass through-holes for the following: equipment cross connect terminals 110a, cross connect terminals 115a, diode terminals 120a, and ground reference node 123a. The ground reference node is optionally not configured for the insertion of an electrical component 160. The faceplate 124 may be connected (e.g., screw 125, washer 130, and screw hole 137) to a reference (ground) wire 135. The circuit board 145 may be connected to the faceplate 124 using a screw 125, washer 130, screw hole 137, and a hex nut 126. The faceplate 124 may be connected to a backplate (not shown) using backplate connections 140.
The use of screws, washers, and hex nuts is done for exemplary purposes only. Screws, bolts, clasps, or other fasteners and necessary accessories may be used in accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention. The connections between the cross connect panel 100 and any equipment may be done using wires, cable assemblies, or the like in accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention.
The tolerances between the hole centers of each pin 150 may be ±0.005 in., for example. The maximum height of a electrical component 160 (conductive or nonconductive) may be 0.18 in. on the component side 148 of the circuit board 145 and 1.00 in. on the circuit side 152 of the circuit board 145. In this example embodiment, the maximum lead length from the circuit aide 152 of the circuit board 145 is 0.060 in. for leaded components and 0.100 in. for compliant pin connectors.
The junctions may be grouped, and each group and junction may be connected to several alarm options. Group 1 261 may include four junctions 207, 208, 209, 210. Group 2 262 may include four junctions 211, 212, 213, 214. Group 3 263 may include four junctions 215, 216, 217, 218. Group 4 264 may include four junctions 219, 220, 221, 222. Group 5 265 may include four junctions 223, 224, 225, 226. Group 6 266 may include four junctions 227, 228, 229, 230. Group 7 267 may include four junctions 231, 232, 233, 234. Group 8 268 may include four junctions 235, 236, 237, 238. Group 9 269 may include four junctions 239, 240, 241, 242. Group 10 270 may include four junctions 243, 244, 245, 246.
Group 1 261 and Group 6 266 are connected 271 to one another. Group 2 262 and Group 7 267 are connected 272. Group 3 263 and Group 8 268 are connected 273. Group 4 264 and Group 9 269 are connected 274. Group 5 265 and Group 10 270 are connected 275. The group connections 271, 272, 273, 274, 275 are connected 276 to one another and connected 277 to several alarm options 278a-1.
While this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to example embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims.
