Backplane system and method for introducing non-standard signals
OwnerIgnacio A. Linares, Robert S. Gammenthaler JR. +1inventors
InventorsIgnacio A. Linares, Robert S. Gammenthaler JR., Gerald R. Dubois
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method for introducing user-defined (e.g., proprietary) signals into a standard backplane. In addition to standardized connectorization, at least one of the front side connector segments or at least one of the rear side connector segments is provided with additional non-standard connector holes, thereby forming an extra-wide segment. The inclusion of extra contact points in a connector segment allows for supporting an independent signal pathway to carry one or more user-defined signals across the backplane, in addition to the standard bus signals, without sacrificing compliance with the applicable bus standard.
Claims29
A backplane, comprising:
- a front side portion having a plurality of front connector holes organized into a set of standardized front connector segments;
- and
- a rear side portion having a plurality of rear connector holes organized into a set of rear connector segments that substantially correspond to said front connector segments,
- wherein at least one rear connector segment includes a set of non-standard rear connector holes that are in addition to said at least one rear connector segment's rear connector holes organized into a standardized form such that said set of non-standard rear connector holes are operable to support a signal pathway independent of a standard bus path supported by at least one of said standardized front connector segments.
A method for introducing user-defined signals into a Compact Peripheral Component Interconnect (CPCI)-compliant backplane, comprising the steps:
- providing a front side portion of said backplane with a plurality of front connector holes that are organized into a set of standardized front connector segments, wherein at least one of said standardized front connector segments is operable to support a CPCI-compliant bus for carrying CPCI signals;
- and
- providing a rear side portion of said backplane with a plurality of rear connector holes that are organized into a set of rear connector segments which substantially correspond to said front connector segments, wherein at least one rear connector segment includes a set of non-standard rear connector holes that are in addition to said at least one rear connector segment's rear connector holes organized into a standardized form such that said set of non-standard rear connector holes are operable to support a signal pathway independent of said CPCI-compliant bus.
A connector system, comprising:
- a Compact Peripheral Component Interconnect (CPCI)-compliant backplane having a plurality of slots, each slot including five front side connector segments (denoted herein as P1 through P5) and five rear side connector segments (denoted herein as rP1 through rP5) that substantially correspond to said front side connector segments, wherein at least one of said P1 and P2 connector segments is operable to support a CPCI-compliant bus and further wherein at least one of said rP1 and rP2 connector segments is provided with a set of non-standard connector holes in addition to standard rear connector holes;
- a front side card coupled to said backplane at a particular slot, said front side card operating to carry a plurality of CPCI signals via said CPCI-compliant bus formed to interconnect said P1 and P2 connector segments of said slots;
- and
- a rear side card coupled to said backplane at said particular slot's rear side connector segments, said rear side card operating to carry at least one user-defined signal via a rear side backplane bus formed to interconnect said non-standard connector holes of said rP1 and rP2 connector segments of said slots.
A backplane, comprising:
- a front side portion having a plurality of front connector holes organized into a set of front connector segments;
- and
- a rear side portion having a plurality of rear connector holes organized into a set of rear connector segments that substantially correspond to said front connector segments,
- wherein at least one of said front connector segments and said rear connector segments includes a set of non-standard connector holes that are in addition to standard connector holes forming said at least one connector segment such that said set of non-standard connector holes are operable to support a signal pathway independent of a standard bus path supported by at least one standard front connector segment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.