Electrical-polarity switching hybrid interface
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A hybrid optical/electrical interface device comprising:
- a housing;
a fiber optic coupler; and
an electrical conductor coupler having a first pair of electrical contacts electrically coupled to a second pair of electrical contacts,wherein the fiber optical coupler and the electrical conductor coupler define a first side of the housing with a first fiber optic/electrical hybrid connector receiving-receptacle and define the second side of the housing with a second same fiber optic/electrical hybrid connector receiving-receptacle, wherein the electrical conductor coupler includes circuitry that changes a polarity at the first pair of contacts to an opposite polarity at the second pair of contacts.
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Abstract
A polarity switching hybrid interface is configured to couple both optical fibers and electrical conductors. The hybrid interface incorporates polarity switching circuitry such that the polarity of electrical contacts on a first side of the hybrid interface is opposite to the polarity of the electrical contacts on an opposite side of the hybrid interface. As such, the polarity of the electrical conductors coupled to each side of the hybrid interface need not be known. Each side of the hybrid interface is configured to interface with the same type of hybrid optical/electrical connector.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A hybrid optical/electrical interface device comprising:
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a housing; a fiber optic coupler; and an electrical conductor coupler having a first pair of electrical contacts electrically coupled to a second pair of electrical contacts, wherein the fiber optical coupler and the electrical conductor coupler define a first side of the housing with a first fiber optic/electrical hybrid connector receiving-receptacle and define the second side of the housing with a second same fiber optic/electrical hybrid connector receiving-receptacle, wherein the electrical conductor coupler includes circuitry that changes a polarity at the first pair of contacts to an opposite polarity at the second pair of contacts. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A coupling device comprising:
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a housing having a first channel and a second channel; a fiber optic coupling device contained within the first channel of the housing; and an electrical coupling device contained with the second channel of the housing, wherein the electrical coupling device includes a first pair of contacts electrically coupled to a second pair of contacts, and wherein the electrical coupling device includes circuitry that changes a polarity at the first pair of contacts to an opposite polarity at the second pair of contacts. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A telecommunications connection system comprising:
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a panel defining a plurality of ports; and mounted within each port, hybrid optical/electrical interface device comprising; a housing; a fiber optic coupler; and an electrical conductor coupler having a first pair of electrical contacts electrically coupled to a second pair of electrical contacts, wherein the fiber optic coupler and the electrical conductor coupler define a first side of the housing with a first fiber optic/electrical hybrid connector receiving-receptacle and define the second side of the housing with a second same fiber optic/electrical hybrid connector receiving-receptacle, wherein the electrical conductor coupler includes circuitry that changes a polarity at the first pair of contacts to an opposite polarity at the second pair of contacts. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method of coupling a first optical/electrical hybrid connector to a second same optical/electrical hybrid connector, the first and second hybrid connectors coupled to respective optical/electrical hybrid cables, the optical/electrical hybrid cables each including an optical fiber and a pair of electrical conductors the method comprising:
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receiving the first hybrid connector into a first optical/electrical hybrid receptacle of a housing; receiving the second hybrid connector in a second optical/electrical hybrid receptacle of a housing, the first and second hybrid receptacles being both optically coupled and electrically coupled to one another, wherein the electrical coupling changes an electrical polarity of the first optical/electrical hybrid receptacle to an opposite electrical polarity at the second optical/electrical hybrid receptacle.
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Specification