Patent · US Active

Enhanced CMTS for reliability, availability, and serviceability

US7953125B2 · kind B2 · utility

2Cited by
50References
19Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 9, 2009
Grant dateMay 31, 2011
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 23, 2029

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N7/173
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) is partitioned into Line Cards, I/O Cards, and a midplane to provide enhanced Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability. Each I/O Card provides a cabling interface for coupling an assigned Line Card to other portions of a Hybrid-Fiber-Coax Network. A plurality of RF signals is coupled via connectors between each Line Card and a corresponding I/O Card, via the midplane. This permits a Line Card to be removed for servicing without requiring recabling of the corresponding I/O Card. Preferably, a rectangular-multi-pin collinear connector-cascade (Line Card jack, midplane double-plug, and I/O Card jack) is used to couple the plurality of RF signals. The connector-cascade is configured with protective RF ground pins adjacent and surrounding each of a plurality of RF signal pins. This approach permits each Line Card to be removed or inserted in a single action, without attention to individual RF interconnects, yet meets all system RF requirements while using relatively inexpensive connectors. The I/O Cards preferably include a distributed backup bus that permits one of the Line Cards in the CMTS to serve as a designated backup. The backup bus en…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.