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US 10,949,372 B2Granted
Systems and methods for data communication
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsEric Y. Chan, Henry B. Pang, Tuong Kien Truong
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A line replacement unit includes a terminal controller, and a plastic optical fiber serial interface module (POFSIM) coupled between the terminal controller and the data bus. The POFSIM is configured to transmit digital optical signals to the data bus based on electrical signals received from the terminal controller, and transmit electrical signals to the terminal controller based on digital optical signals received from the data bus.
Claims20
A line replacement unit (LRU), comprising:
- a terminal controller configured to transmit and receive electrical signals for communication with a POF data bus;
- and
- a plastic optical fiber serial interface module (POFSIM) coupled directly to said terminal controller and further coupled to the POF data bus, wherein said POFSIM comprises:
- a mating connector that extends from said POFSIM and comprises a transmit metal hermetic feed-through tube within which a transmit light pipe is mounted, and a receive metal hermetic feed-through tube within which a receive light pipe is mounted, and wherein said POFSIM is configured to:
- transmit digital optical signals based on the electrical signals received from said terminal controller through said transmit light pipe;
- and
- transmit electrical signals, to said terminal controller, based on digital optical signals received from said receive light pipe;
- a transmit POF coupled to said mating connector and optically coupled, within said transmit metal hermetic feed-through tube, to said transmit light pipe and further optically coupled to the POF data bus;
- and
- a receive POF coupled to said mating connector and optically coupled, within said receive metal hermetic feed-through tube, to said receive light pipe and further optically coupled to the POF data bus.
7 more elements
A method for communicating with a plastic optical fiber (POF) data bus, said method comprising:
- receiving, at a plastic optical fiber serial interface module (POFSIM) mounted inside a line replacement unit, an electrical signal from the terminal controller, wherein the POFSIM provides a direct interface between the terminal controller and the POF data bus, wherein the POFSIM includes a mating connector having a transmit metal-hermetic feed-through tube within which a transmit light pipe is mounted, the mating connector extending from the POFSIM;
- generating, using the POFSIM, a digital optical signal based on the received electrical signal;
- and
- transmitting the digital optical signal to the POF data bus from the POFSIM through a transmit POF, the transmit POF configured to be optically coupled, within the transmit metal-hermetic feed-through tube, to the transmit light pipe, and further configured to be optically coupled to the POF data bus.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.