Field-reconfigurable backplane system
AssigneeAdtran, Inc.
InventorsJoshua Morgan, Jared D. Cress
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a circuit card chassis, a backplane system includes card guides that are slideable on rails to provide any selected spacing between adjacent circuit cards. A backplane connector assembly extends between each pair of slideable top and bottom card guides. Signal cables can be configured to connect any two backplane connector assemblies to each other.
Claims8
A backplane system, comprising:
- a chassis defined by a width axis, a depth axis and a height axis;
- a plurality of rails oriented parallel to the width axis;
- a plurality of card guides oriented parallel to the depth axis, each card guide having a slot configured to receive a printed circuit card, each card guide extending between a front rail of the plurality of rails and a rear rail of the plurality of rails, each card guide having a front portion slideably engaged with the front rail and slideable in a direction of the width axis and having a rear portion slideably engaged with the rear rail and slideable in the direction of the width axis;
- a plurality of backplane connector assemblies, each backplane connector assembly attached to the rear portion of a corresponding one of the plurality of card guides and oriented parallel to the height axis, each backplane connector assembly configured to mate with a card connector of the printed circuit card received in the corresponding one of the plurality of card guides;
- and
- a plurality of signal cables, each signal cable connectable between one of the plurality of backplane connector assemblies and another of the plurality of backplane connector assemblies.
A method for using a backplane system, the backplane system comprising a chassis defined by a width axis, a depth axis and a height axis, a plurality of rails oriented parallel to the width axis, a plurality of card guides oriented parallel to the depth axis, a plurality of backplane connector assemblies, and a plurality of signal cables a the method comprising:
- inserting a printed circuit card into a slot of one of the plurality of card guides, wherein each card guide has a slot configured to receive one of a plurality of printed circuit card, wherein each card guide extends between a front rail of the plurality of rails and a rear rail of the plurality of rails, each card guide has a front portion slideably engaged with the front rail and slideable in a direction of the width axis and has a rear portion slideably engaged with the rear rail and slideable in the direction of the width axis;
- connecting a signal cable between one of a plurality of backplane connector assemblies and another of the plurality of backplane connector assemblies, wherein each backplane connector assembly is attached to the rear portion of a corresponding one of the plurality of card guides and oriented parallel to the height axis, and each backplane connector assembly is configured to mate with a card connector of the printed circuit card received in the corresponding one of the plurality of card guides.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.