US 6,289,042 B1Granted

Media independent modular communication repeater system

AssigneeRockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.

InventorsJeffrey W. Hegemier, Michael A. Bush

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Abstract

A modular communication repeater system is provided. The system includes at least one communication repeater adapter device coupled with a plurality of repeater communication modules. A single repeater adapter connector is provided on one side of the repeater adapter. Each of the plurality of repeater communication modules is provided with an input connector on one side and an output connector on the other side. The repeater adapter device includes an internal communication repeater circuit adapted to receive communication data on a one of first and second sets of repeater adapter contacts and broadcast the communication data onto the other one of the first and second sets of repeater adapter contacts. Each of the repeater communication modules includes a cascading backplane interconnecting the first sets of electrical contacts in an input connector to the second sets of electrical contacts in an output connector.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A communication repeater system for use in an industrial control system to repeat communication activity detected on one communication port onto multiple communication ports in the industrial control system, the communication repeater system comprising:

a communication repeater adapter device including:
a repeater adapter connector having a first set of repeater adapter contacts at a first position on the repeater adapter connector and a second set of repeater adapter contacts at a second position on the repeater adapter connector:
and
a communication repeater circuit adapted to receive communication data on a one of said first set of repeater adapter contacts and said second set of repeater adapter contacts and broadcast said communication data onto the other one of said first set of repeater adapter contacts and said second set of repeater adapter contacts;
a first repeater communication module including:
a first communication circuit for transmitting and receiving said communication data on a first communication port in said industrial control system;
a first input connector intermatable with said repeater adapter connector, the first input connector having i) a first set of electrical contacts connected to said first set of repeater adapter contacts, and ii) a second set of electrical contacts connected to said second set of repeater adapter contacts;
a first output connector substantially identical in construction to said repeater adapter connector, the first output connector having i) a first set of electrical contacts arranged on the first output connector at a first position substantially corresponding to said first position of said first set of repeater adapter contacts on the repeater adapter connector, and ii) a second set of electrical contacts arranged on the first output connector at a second position substantially corresponding to said second position of said second set of repeater adapter contacts on the repeater adapter connector;
and
a first backplane interconnecting i) said first set of electrical contacts in said first input connector to said first communication circuit, and ii) said second set of electrical contacts in said first input connector to said first set of electrical contacts in said first output connector.

7 more elements

A communication system comprising:

a communication repeater adapter including a plurality of communication receiver circuits, a plurality of communication transmit circuits, and a repeater circuit for receiving a communication signal on the plurality of communication receiver circuits and broadcasting the communication signal as a re-broadcast communication signal on the plurality of communication transmit circuits, the communication repeater adapter being adapted to receive the communication signal on a first one of the plurality of communication receiver circuits and broadcast the communication signal as said re-broadcast communication signal on the other communication transmit circuits not including the first one of the plurality of communication transmit circuits corresponding to said first one of the plurality of communication receiver circuits;
and,
a plurality of repeater communication modules connected to the communication repeater adapter, each of the plurality of repeater communication modules including a communication port and a communication circuit, the communication port and the communication circuit being adapted to:
receive the communication signal into the repeater communication module and transmit the communication signal to a one of the plurality of receiver circuits of the communication repeater adapter;
and,
receive the re-broadcast communication signal from a one of the plurality of transmit circuits of the communication repeater adapter into the repeater communication module and deliver the re-broadcast communication signal onto the communication port.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.